The room wasn't exactly what George expected.
Instead of some sterile gym or military hall, he stood atop a smooth, floating stone platform in the middle of what looked like a massive courtyard. Towering trees with glowing leaves formed a quiet perimeter, and faintly luminous runes circled the edges of the platform like protective wards. In the center, carved into the stone, pulsed a symbol — three rings around a flame.
It was midnight, but the place seemed alive. The moon shone directly overhead, bathing everything in silvery light.
George looked around nervously. "Where… is this?"
"The Sky Chamber," said Saya, her voice calm and cool. "Reserved for those who have recently awakened. This is where you begin."
She stood on the sidelines, arms folded, her raven-black uniform unmoved by the gentle breeze that floated through the trees. A few steps behind her was the Head Captain, Lawrence, who observed with the presence of someone who had seen centuries pass but hadn't aged a day.
"You're not just some teenager anymore, George," Lawrence said, stepping forward. "What stirred inside you during that Phantom attack was Lixar — your soul's fire. The essence of spiritual energy."
George exhaled, trying to keep his nerves in check. "So this is where you turn me into some kind of exorcist ninja?"
Lawrence let out a short laugh. "Hardly. We're going to teach you to stop dying."
What Is Lixar?
"Lixar is the purest form of spiritual energy," Lawrence began, raising his hand. A shimmer of blue light flickered over his skin like rippling flame. "It flows through the soul, but only those who've awakened can feel it — control it."
"When a Phantom tried to possess you, your soul reacted instinctively. That's how your Lixar was triggered."
George watched closely. The glow on Lawrence's palm intensified, then vanished.
"All Phantom Hunters use Lixar to battle. But power without form is useless. So we train in five essential techniques."
"Ko— The Compression Technique"
Lawrence clenched his fist, and with a surge of force, a swirl of condensed Lixar wrapped around his knuckles.
"This is called Ko. It compresses your Lixar into a single body part — increasing its power exponentially. Offensively, it can break boulders. Defensively, it can block a blade strike. But it leaves the rest of your body unprotected."
He moved his arm slowly, letting George see the energy pulsating like pressurized gas.
"Ko can also be used for mobility. Compress Lixar in your legs, and you can leap across buildings, sprint across treetops, walk on water… even air."
"Wait, I can run on air?"
"With practice. Ko makes that possible. But remember — if you focus all your energy in your feet, your head is wide open."
George nodded, eyes wide. "Got it. Speed, power… but risky."
"Gill — The Spread Technique"
Next, Lawrence relaxed his hand, and the energy expanded across his entire body in a thin, visible veil. His figure now glowed slightly, like he was wearing a bodysuit made of light.
"This is Gill — Lixar spread evenly across the body."
He stepped forward. "Strike me."
George hesitated. "Again with this?"
Lawrence smirked. "Again."
George swung — a quick jab at the shoulder. The moment his fist connected with the veil, it was like hitting iron. The impact forced him to recoil.
"Gill offers balance — offense and defense at once. It doesn't hit as hard as Ko, and it isn't as tough, but it protects your whole body and lets you move freely."
"Ko is brute force. Gill is finesse."
"Exactly," Lawrence said. "Most Hunters use both in combat — shifting between them depending on the situation."
"Rei —— The Sensory Technique"
Lawrence lowered his stance and pressed his fingertips to the stone floor.
A strange ripple passed through the air. George couldn't see it, but he felt it — like static brushing his skin.
"This is Rei. A sensory technique," Lawrence said. "It spreads your Lixar out in a thin layer over a wide radius — usually 200 meters. Within that field, you feel everything."
George narrowed his eyes. "Like sonar?"
"More than that. Every breath. Every heartbeat. Every movement." He gestured at the woods beyond the courtyard. "Even now, I know how many leaves are falling from that tree."
George blinked. "That's… terrifying."
"It can be," Saya added. "But it has a flaw."
George looked toward her.
"Phantoms can smell Lixar," she said. "Unrefined Rei gives away your location instantly. It's like walking through a swamp wearing perfume."
Lawrence nodded. "The best Hunters master Stealth Rei — cloaking the scent of their Lixar. Few ever achieve it. Saya did."
George gave her a sidelong glance. She said nothing.
"So… Ko is attack, Gill is defense, and Rei is recon," George said. "Nice little toolkit."
"We're not done."
"Ying — The Regeneration Technique"
Lawrence drew a thin dagger and dragged it lightly across his palm. A shallow cut opened. George flinched.
But then, a soft golden aura surrounded the wound. It sealed itself within seconds.
"This is Ying," Lawrence said. "The regeneration technique. By directing Lixar to damaged areas, you accelerate healing — sealing cuts, mending bruises, and stopping internal bleeding."
"Can it… heal lost limbs?"
"No. Ying can't regenerate lost organs or severed limbs. It's recovery, not resurrection."
Still, George's eyes sparkled. "That could've helped me last night…"
Saya nodded. "And it will."
"Affinity —— The Unique Core"
"And finally," Lawrence said, turning to face him fully, "comes the rarest and most powerful element of Lixar… your Affinity."
George tilted his head. "What's that? Like… an element?"
"Not exactly," he said. "An Affinity is your personal connection to Lixar. A unique manifestation of your soul's nature. Some Hunters generate flame. Others manipulate wind, sound, or gravity. There are even cases of psychic Affinities — illusions, telepathy, time distortion."
George's pulse quickened.
"But here's the catch," Lawrence said. "No two Affinities are ever the same. Two people may have fire, but one might form spears while the other breathes it like a dragon."
"It's not just what you control," Saya added. "It's how you use it."
Lawrence nodded. "We don't know what your Affinity is yet. That takes time. Intense stress, emotion, and training tend to bring it out. But believe me — when it awakens, you'll know."
George sat down slowly on the warm stone platform, his muscles sore, his mind buzzing. All of this — just two days ago he was finishing up a school project and complaining about cafeteria food.
Now?
Now he was training to fight soul-devouring ghosts with mystical energy.
"How am I supposed to learn all of this?" he muttered.
"You won't learn it in a day," Saya said, approaching. "But you will learn."
Lawrence stepped forward. "While your family recovers in the infirmary, your training begins. We'll work you until your bones ache. But every strike, every failure, every lesson — it brings you one step closer to mastery."
George looked up at him.
"What if I still say no? A part of me still doesn't want to."
Lawrence paused. Then crouched beside him.
"You've seen what happens when Phantoms come for the innocent. You've felt the fear. The helplessness."
George clenched his fists.
"I don't want anyone else to feel that," he said quietly. "Not ever again."
"Then rise, George Reese," Lawrence said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Train. Fight. Protect."
George stood. The Lixar inside him pulsed with new heat — steady and strong.
He was no longer just a boy from Mystic Town.
He was a Phantom Hunter in the making.