The Devil Within

A Trip to the Gym has Never Been So Degrading

"I see you've completed your tour," Raphael said when you and Sergeant Jones walked back into the main space. You and Sergeant Jones stayed in the garage for a few more minutes so he could explain the door. He told you that the garage door your bike was facing worked a lot like the door you first came in through. By pressing your hand under the dash, the garage door will open and you could get back into the House of the Blessed fairly quickly. To open the door from the inside, there was a screen on the right side of the garage door that let you see an area and decide if you should go that specific way. The door tended to open to empty alleys to keep the House a secret.

"Do you want me to become a Hunter?" you asked, ripping the band-aid off. You held up a box filled with the IDs that you brought with you from the garage. "We found these in my stall and can't figure out what else they could be used for."

"Are you surprised?" Raphael asked, raising a brow. "My apologies if I didn't make it clear. Yes, I want you to hunt down monsters and, eventually, demons."

You blinked at Raphael, shocked at his proposal. "You want me to fight demons?"

"Demons?" Aleksei took the remaining bit of his attention off of the TV screen and faced Raphael. "We've all been taught to stay away from Demons! Hell, the Blessing specifically warns us when demons are in our vicinity." Aleksei stood up from his position on the couch and walked up to Raphael. "Please understand that I mean no disrespect, but I can't help but feel you're setting her up to die." Raphael turned to Aleksei and started speaking in Russian. You couldn't understand a word of what he said but, based on Aleksei's expressions, you could understand the premiss. Raphael seemed to be reassuring Aleksei. By the look of it, it seemed to be working. Aleksei started to relax and nod at Raphael's words before speaking again. "I understand. Thank you, Raphael."

"I really need to learn Russian," you sighed, scratching the back of your neck.

"For what?" Aleksei asked, amused. "I doubt you're ever going to set foot in Russia and we can understand each other because of the Blessing."

"I'm one of those people who hates not knowing what's going on around me," you said, shrugging. "I also just want to learn the language when I get the chance."

"I can teach you when you get the chance," Aleksei suggested. "Of course, it might be a while. Your training sounds like it's going to take a while."

"And, now I'm scared," you huffed, fiddling with the box of fake IDs.

"Why is that?" Raphael asked, amused.

"I just have that feeling that you're going to push me past my limits," you said, forcing a smile. "I know my physique isn't at a good Hunting point. There's also the matter of my reaction time and instincts. I know they aren't going to cut it."

Raphael chuckled and nodded. "Your body isn't quite what it should be for Hunting, but I know you aren't that far off." Raphael patted your bicep to emphasize his point. "Your time on the streets has toughened you up. You have good strength despite the malnutrition and dehydration. I will simply help you build off of that strength and teach you how to fight monsters properly."

"You used to live on the streets?" Sergeant Jones asked, concern in his eyes.

"In a manner of speaking," you said, nervously. You knew you couldn't lie with Raphael standing next to you. But you also couldn't reveal how you actually lived in the last nine years. "I had a roof over my head and some food on the table. But that was quickly taken away from me... yesterday."

"How do you mean?" Aleksei asked, looking worried. "What happened yesterday?"

"I woke up near Raphael over 3000 kilometres away from my hometown," and thirty years. "I have no idea what happened between being knocked out and waking up."