Exp 8 is a fully grown living being. He is also not a human, though he is arguably humanoid. In addition to being fully grown, he is a newborn. Everything he knows is information downloaded into him by Devlin, the antagonist of Book 1.
Exp 8 is a freedom seeker but isn’t only concerned about his own people. He has a fellowship with all living beings and doesn’t eat anyone or anything. His will to be free is instinctual. Like all living beings he seeks to live freely and fears death.
Having Exp 8 use his own energy in combat is interesting because it is essentially his own will power that he is condensing and then shooting out. His greatest skill is not his versatile and destructive attacks. His ability to persuade others is what truly makes him a threat and it makes him a suitable protagonist for the story.
