Chapter 2: Welcome to the Hunter Sanctuary

Upon entering the temple, we came across a woman seated on top of a mound of pillows. She had striking orange hair with bright yellow eyes and nine fluffy fox tails sticking out from her white and red flower robes.

Hinata bowed deeply, her hands and forehead touching the floor. "Lady Kyorin, I am Hinata Veil, currently under Mr. Mizukami's teaching. Was task to eliminate this target, yet I have convinced him to ally with our society. Your approval is all that remains." she stated.

The woman, Kyorin, glanced at me, her eyes briefly widening. "How interesting," she remarked, likely having noticed the demon standing behind me.

I sensed its presence reappearing behind me, clutching at my chest as a soft growl escaped. Kyorin rose, seizing the two fans beside her, and commanded, "Leave us be, Hinata."

Hinata rose and turned to leave, murmuring "Good luck" as she gently took Loki's sword from my hand.

Now we were alone in the temple. "Was anyone close to you killed?" she asked.

"Yeah, my family was killed two months ago during the great disaster of Empire city." I replied.

Her looked intrigue as she approached me. "I'm sorry for your loss. That day, we lost many from our lower ranks. To make matters worse, we didn't destroy the monster. It retreated and is likely to regain its strength soon." I observed six of her tails withdraw into her body.

The demon released a loud animalistic cry.

Kyorin paused for a moment before beginning to circle around me. "You mentioned that your family was killed two months ago. I will assume that the spirit started appearing on the same day as well. This entity is likely the souls of your family, unable to find peace and thus transforming into this form. Since they are bound to you, their passage to the other side requires something from you. If you observe the spirit's form closely, you will notice certain resemblances to your family." Kyorin explained.

My eyes were shocked at what I was hearing, "Is that true?" I asked the demon. All it did was held onto me and watch Kyorin movement.

Now looking at it.

It kind of has my mother's face despite having black hair and pure white eyes, my older brother has always loved fantasy and Sci-Fi stories...is that where its arms were based on, and my younger sister had a pet white snake in her room.

I'm beginning to understand now, "Guys, is that really you in there?" I asked once more, a tear nearly escaping from my eye. No wonder why they always cared for me, ensuring I was fed and safe from harm. They were my family.

It responded to me by rubbing its head against my hair. "Normally, humans require two years of training to develop a body suitable for hunting. However, your body has undergone multiple enhancements due to being bound with that thing, making you a monster trapped in human's body. The immense energy within you is another reason why you cannot be left alone." Her movements were becoming blurry, and I started to see afterimages.

"To counter such threats, we must harness our sorcerer abilities powered by a unique energy within our bodies known as the soulstream. This power transforms us into Sorcery Hunters." As I watched Kyorin's afterimages, she executed a slide tackle from behind and followed up with a swift kick to my chest while I was inverted in mid-air. I crashed against a pillar near the entrance.

I actually felt some sort of pain. I don't know when last I actually felt something hurting me.

As I raised my gaze to Kyorin, she stood before a mound of pillows, her twin fans drawn. "This is the path of a Sorcery Hunter," she declared. "You must acknowledge that you will fight for others above yourself, putting the innocent first and yourself last, and finally, that you will adhere to the laws of the Hunter Sanctuary. If you still desire to pursue this life, then pass me and claim a seat upon my cushions." It was then I observed the blades concealed within her fans.

I got back to feet eyeing my objective, "It's not like I have a choice, it's either I died today or a die later. Honestly, I prefer to die later if I'm given the opportunity to live." I responded.

"Show me." She said as I made a dash towards the mound of pillows.

She intervened and attempted to kick me, but I blocked her attack, leg sweep her off her feet and was going to stomp her, but her body burst into countless flowers.

I thought she was going to attack me from behind, but I was wrong.

The instant I turned around she immediately hit the back of my head with the base of her fan, sweep me to ground and held the bladed point to my neck.

"Noticing something missing?" She asked and wondered where that demon was.

She looked to the left and I followed suit to where I noticed the demon was trapped in something, "It a barrier, we can't let go wild in this place.".

Kyorin made one cruel error that was going to change the outcome of this battle, that was not keeping her eyes onto me. Immediately I pulled her close enough to execute a throat jab.

She leapt back trying to recover her breathing, which provided me with the chance to sweep her off her feet and dash to the pillows.

I kept looking back to look if she was going to attack but she was too busy recovering from the first attack.

Upon my arrival, I settled onto the mound of pillows. "Congratulations young hunter." Kyorin said, reclining beside me with a glass of red wine in one hand and a bowl of grapes in the other.

Initially, I believed I was hallucinating, but her body wasn't where I had seen it last, and she appeared unharmed. How much was she holding back during our battle, "This feels too easy to be a real test." I remarked.

She giggled softly, and before I knew it, the items she had been holding were in my hands. "I wanted to see your potential and I must say, I'm impressed. You're not only fearless but also cunning. Do you by any chance practice any martial arts?" Kyorin asked, moving slyly behind me to gently massage my shoulders.

There was something troubling about her demeanor. "Yes, I've trained in boxing, Krav Maga, and taekwondo. But that's beside the point. Have I proven myself?" I asked, brushing off the unexpected message.

Leaning in closer, she said, "You were accepted the moment Hinata shared our location with you. I wanted to see if you could fight without that monster and if you were as fearless as well. You possess the qualities we seek in a Hunter: strength, high potential, and a touch of madness." Kyorin declared.

"I see, what is going to happen?" I asked.

"Next, you will be assigned to a house with your teammates. The three of you will form the team White Hawk and will receive your first mission tomorrow. You will then meet your supervisor, who will oversee all three of you. If you require more information, feel free to return to me or consult Hinata." With a clap of her hands, Kyorin released the barrier that contained the demon.

The demon didn't hesitate to launch an attack, but Kyorin conjured a storm of flower petals. Once the storm subsided, I found myself outside the temple, with Hinata leaning against the sealed door.

She sighed, tossing Loki's sword back to me. "I will show you to your room. Congratulations by the way." she said, approaching me.

I caught the sword and asked, "Why are you giving me this?" I asked.

"Law 14 of the Hunter's Sanctuary states: A hunter defeated by an outsider shall be banished. Even if he does survive, survival does not grant him the right to return. Since you have defeated him, I grant you the permission to keep his sword as a trophy." She stood before me, slicing through the air to create another portal.

If that is the law, then I will follow suit for now.

We both stepped through the portal and halted outside an white two-story house, "I'll return shortly so we can prepare your equipment. Try to be nice with your teammates." Said Hinata who handed me a key.

"I will. Later, could you explain this sorcery to me? I'm far too intrigued not to want to test it out." I asked.

She gave me a soft smile and said, "Certainly, I was hoping to do that anyway." Turning around, she stepped through the portal.

I let out a quick sigh before stepping into the house. As I entered, I collided with a girl with short brown hair holding a tracksuit, "Sorry-" she began, but she was motionless, her gaze locked intensely with mine.

"GIVE ME BACK MY-" running downstairs but freezing the moment he noticed me. Was a black hair boy wearing nothing but his boxers.

I looked at two before saying, "I am your new teammate." Their shock expression was evident that they were not expecting to have a new teammate so soon.