“So I would have to join your group for you to tell me?” Pori says in an upset tone, clearly not eager for the commitment.

“It’s just that it is quite the long process,” Allan says. “This is something that requires a lot of knowledge and commitment.”

“And SIHO is the most supernaturally knowledgeable organization on the planet,” adds Jundam. “This is probably the only place you could learn to use such a power.”

“Not to mention it would be an actual job,” Kim says, “and one that pays well too on top of that.”

“Will I be able to have some time to think about it at least?” Pori wonders.

“Absolutely honey, this is entirely up to you,” Lucia replies.

“Yeah take the time to evaluate your options, and give the headquarters a call if you are ever interested,” exclaims Allan.

Pori stands up and begins to walk out with the rest of the hunters. She’s feeling full of uncertainty. She’s upset that saving her friend may require such an extensive process and adaptations to her daily life.

She then remembers Adrian, and all the great times they have had.

She walks out onto the front staircase that leads down onto the sidewalk. She is just getting off the phone as she is walking out.

“That damn Dorotheos,” she says, “I always hated that stubborn attitude of his.”

She then puts the phone back up to her ear.

“Hello Molly, this is Pori. I just wanted to say I am no longer in need of employment. Thanks and have a pleasant day.”

She puts the phone in her pocket and walks back home.

Action Pact

The Invasion

Story by Connor Perry

Demon Hunter

7

It is the next day. Pori is starting her first day as a hunter-in-training. She got up extra early and got ready. She throws on sturdy clothing, as she was told to do over the phone yesterday. She eats a quick breakfast, this time one that she makes.

Take that grampa! Pori laughs, having been the first one up.

She heads out and gets to the Headquarters building around seven in the morning. She walks in and meets Allan, who was appointed to be her master. She gets taught about how hunters are generally trained by one person at a time, and that even full-fledged hunters will still oftentimes find themselves under the tutelage of someone else.

“Good morning, Pori,” Allan says happily. “I hope you’re ready for your first day.”

“I guess I am,” Pori replies. “What are we doing today?”

“Well, if you’re gonna work as a hunter, you’ll have to go on missions in between your sessions training with spiritual energy. Normally a trainee would never go on a mission on their own, and would only first go on missions after 3 weeks of training. So from today on, every single day, you are going to be here training or somewhere else training, most likely for many hours.”

“I’m guessing physical training is important for the release of spiritual energy?”

“Mmm … sorta. If you’re in better shape, spiritual energy will definitely flow through your body more efficiently. But what we want to train is your muscle memory. More specifically, your memory and skills with fighting. It’s important because you can release as much spiritual energy in a fight as you want, but it’s useless if you don’t actually know how to fight.”

“I see… So is this what the sword is for?” She grabs the sword on her hilt that she was given by SIHO.

“Yes. Sword fighting is quite effective against demons especially. Also, the weapons we have here are made of a special metal that harms the soul. It is very effective for defeating other foes, but can prove quite harmful to oneself, should they accidentally slice themselves. That’s why we need to make sure your skills are sharp. So put that down, and grab a wooden sword. We’ll practice with these.”

She does as she is asked. She holds the wooden sword facing Allan, waiting for his next instruction.

“What? You're just gonna stand there?” Allan says jokingly. “Go ahead, let’s see how good you are currently.”

Pori decides to give it a few seconds, then rushes Allan. She at first goes slowly because she doesn’t want to accidentally hit him, but she quickly discovers his speed is outrageous. She swings as quickly as she can and he is still able to keep up. She is no expert, but her grandpa definitely taught her a few lessons with the sword here and there, so she is attuned to it. Still, Allan is just on a whole other level.

“These are the arts we learn here,” Allan says. He winds up another swing, and a blue energy wraps around the wooden sword like a glove. With the sword containing a light dosage of spiritual energy, he decides to swing at Pori to demonstrate the capability of spiritual energy.

Immediately upon contact, her sword breaks, and she feels a shockwave that pushes her back, and even causes her to stumble and fall.

“I’m sorry,” Allan apologizes sincerely, “I didn’t mean to use that much. But I was just trying to show you just how powerful spiritual energy is. Even then, that was just a light amount. In heavier concentrations, spiritual energy can be detrimental to not just one life, but many.”

“It’s okay, I’m just surprised.”

“You might wanna get used to tough strikes such as that. A really good way to counter this, however, is with your own usage of spiritual energy.”

“Like as a defense?”

“Correct! My, you’re quite keen,” Allan says. “Coating your body in spiritual energy inside and out is a great way to absorb the impact of others’ spiritual energy, and even physical attacks. Just to keep in mind.”

“When do I learn how to use spiritual energy?”

“You’re learning it right now,” Allan holds his hands out in a glorious motion. “Training yourself to fight and be physically active hardens the fibers in your soul, making it pump spiritual energy more quickly.”

“Yeah, I think I get it. Sort of like a spiritual memory … kinda.”

“Exactly!” Allan remarks. “It’s actually just like that. It’s like a natural defense embedded into the soul. Like muscles and like coordination, the soul and its flow of spiritual energy can be heightened through exercise.”

“Yeah, got it.”

“Alright, so let’s try it standard now.” Allan puts his sword into an offensive position. “I wanna see a bit more from you. No spiritual energy this time, I’ll only block, and I’ll go a bit easier. All I want is to see how long it takes you to hit me once.”