Sin and Sanctum

Luna sat cautiously at the table, her eyes darting around the room. Her anxiety was palpable, and the silence felt suffocating.

Finally, Luna could see her savior in full view, and to her surprise, this woman didn't seem that scary!

The woman had yellow hair with black tips at the bottom. It was quite long yet looked well-maintained. She seemed to stand somewhere between 5'7" and 5'9"—Luna couldn't quite tell. Her eyes were purple!? Huh, so she's weird like me... Luna thought. The woman also appeared incredibly fit, though a scar stretched across her face, running from the bottom of her right eye all the way to her left cheek.

The woman let out a sigh, breaking the quiet. "I saved your life, you know." Her tone was flat, almost bored, as the sound of popping grease filled the air. A ding from the toaster followed, and two slices of bread shot into the air. Without missing a beat, the woman caught them on a plate.

She walked over and set the plate in front of Luna. The sight of food made Luna's mouth water. "What are you waiting for, my permission?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

Luna didn't need to be told twice. She dove into the food, scarfing it down at an alarming pace. The woman's eyes widened slightly, her composure momentarily slipping. "Wow. You're... really going for it, huh?"

"So, your name is Luna D. Gold?" the woman asked casually, leaning on the table.

Luna froze mid-bite, her eyes wide. She whipped her head toward the woman. "H-how d-d-do you know that?" she stammered, her voice shaky.

The woman's lips curled into a wicked smile as she pulled something from her pocket. Sliding it across the table, she revealed a small plastic card.

"I read it on your ID," she said, a laugh bubbling up as she saw the fear on Luna's face.

Luna coughed violently, pounding her chest as she spat out a piece of food onto the plate. "F-fuck you," she wheezed, reaching for a glass of water.

The woman's laughter echoed through the room.

"Well," Luna said, glaring at her through narrowed eyes. "Since you know my name, what the hell is yours?"

The woman, still laughing, wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, that's fair. I guess I should tell you my name!" She caught her breath, followed by a sigh. "Sunny A. Jean."

Luna cracked a smile, letting out a little giggle. "Is Michael Jackson your lover?"

To that remark, Sunny rolled her eyes. "Ha ha ha, very funny."

Luna's eyes once again met her plate of food, and she quickly began scarfing it down again. "S-so you must be really hungry!" Sunny let out a nervous laugh.

Luna looked up at Sunny with a mouth full of food. "I don' wike washin' food." (I don't like wasting food.) She stared at Sunny with two whole pieces of toast stuffed in her mouth, with an egg sandwiched between the bread.

After swallowing the food in one gulp, Luna asked, "Soooo, uhmmmm, this whole partner thing—what did you mean by that?"

Sunny snapped her fingers. "That's right! You're gonna be my new hunter partner!"

Luna tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Uhmm, what do you mean, 'hunter partner'? Like... hunting animals?"

Sunny chuckled. "Not quite. Monster hunter, demon hunter, yokai hunter—stuff of that nature!"

Luna's eyes widened. "W-wait. I know that weird creature last night didn't look human, but... are you implying that thing was a monster or demon!?"

"Demon, yes. Well, kind of. That person was a person... but he sold his soul to a demon, and that was the result. He became a 'hopeless.' However, that hopeless had access to a spell known as Soul Fear. You, on the other hand, were somewhat resistant to it!"

"Wait, wait, wait, slow down—Soul Fear, spells, demons—this is a lot!" Luna raises an eyebrow, a nervous look spreading across her face. "First, spells? You're trying to tell me that thing can use magic? And wait—magic is real?" Luna is struggling to comprehend all of this; it seems like a bit much to take in!

"Yes, magic is real, and Soul Fear is a rare spell, but it's something anyone could potentially learn!" Sunny exclaims. To her surprise, Luna's eyes light up like a child seeing presents under a Christmas tree. Luna quickly leans toward Sunny, completely disregarding personal space. "Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!"

"Whoa, whoa, chill!" Sunny says, holding up her hands. "Well, I'm glad you're eager to learn magic, but let me finish what I was saying!"

Luna sits back down, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry..."

Sunny smiles. "It's alright. So, we hunters tend to follow several paths. The three core forces we use to combat evil are S.B.M., which stands for Spirit, Body, and Mind. Spirit is essentially Magic, Body encompasses Willpower, and Mind is utilizes psychic abilities!"

Luna looks as if steam is coming from her ears. "I see... Magic sounds really cool. But that willpower stuff—what is that?"

Sunny pauses for a moment, thinking. "Willpower is an ability—or something close to it—that's unique to the user. For example, you could have an ability that lets you freeze someone in place with just the snap of a finger. That's just one possibility. There's an infinite number of possibilities for what yours could be."

She gives Luna a gentle smile, knowing deep down that this woman will make a damn good hunter.

Sunny gives Luna a much more confident-looking smile. "So, do you still want to be my hunter partner?"

Luna, after a long pause, thinking, "Well, I agreed, didn't I?" She has a nervous but excited look. This is the first time in her whole life she's felt like she's had a purpose, and now that this opportunity is in front of her, she has to take it!

"Well, then, partner! Let's get to your training!" Sunny jumps from the table, and a nervous drop of sweat runs down Luna's face.

"R-right now?" Luna lets out a nervous laugh.

Sunny grabs her hand. "Yup! We'll start with the basics!"