Chapter 8

The old man walked towards his cane, picked it up, and stomped it on the ground. A faint pulse of energy rippled outward, and suddenly, everyone who had been pinned down slowly regained control of their bodies. Groans filled the air as they struggled to their feet.

Jay wasted no time. He sprinted toward Ellie, who was now awake, her wide eyes scanning the surroundings in confusion. He knelt beside her, his hands gently gripping her shoulders. "Ellie! Are you okay?"

"I... I think so," she murmured, her voice uncertain.

Jay turned his head sharply as he sensed movement. The old man was approaching. Immediately, Jay stepped in front of Ellie, fists clenched, ready for another fight.

To his surprise, the old man stopped a few feet away and bowed deeply.

"I would like to apologize," the old man said. "I was merely testing you—to see what your ability was."

"My abilities?" Jay asked, his expression hardening.

The old man nodded. "Every exorcist has their own unique ability to combat demons and protect themselves. Chiaki and I devised this test to uncover yours."

Jay frowned. "Wait... hold on. Chiaki knew about this?"

His gaze darted toward her. Chiaki winced, already bowing her head repeatedly in apology. "I'm so sorry, Jay! I didn't want to, but Sensei insisted. I had no choice! Please forgive me!"

Jay exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead. "Unbelievable…"

"But to my surprise," the old man continued, "I saw something unexpected—your demon form. That is not an exorcist ability." His sharp eyes bore into Jay. "Don't you have a unique ability of your own?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't know what my ability is."

The old man hummed in thought before nodding. "Then we shall find out. In fact, this will be good training for Chiaki as well. We will perform a ritual to help you uncover your ability by guiding your chakra flow."

He instructed Jay and Chiaki to sit cross-legged across from each other. Then, he handed them a red string, ordering them to tie it around one another's fingers. Once the bond was secured, he drew a salt circle around them.

"The reason Chiaki is assisting," the old man explained, "is that she will help guide you. Rookies often struggle to find their abilities without proper direction."

Jay sighed. "So, what do I do?"

Chiaki smiled reassuringly. "Just close your eyes and focus. Chakra is energy flowing through your body. Try to visualize it as a stream of electricity. Most abilities manifest in either the heart or the stomach, so focus there."

Jay obeyed, shutting his eyes. He concentrated, trying to picture energy coursing through him, but nothing happened. No matter how hard he tried, he saw nothing. Frustration grew inside him. He tried again—still nothing.

Whack!

Jay's eyes shot open as a sharp pain struck his back. He spun around to see the old man holding his cane, looking unimpressed.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Jay snapped.

The old man sighed. "Are you meditating or trying to take a dump? Stop scrunching your face like that and actually focus."

Jay glared. "I am trying! But I don't see anything!"

Chiaki cleared her throat. "Alright, let's try another method. Close your eyes again. This time, imagine holding a baseball in one of your hands."

Jay followed her instructions. "Alright, I see it."

"Good. Now imagine the ball is filled with electricity."

Jay pictured the sphere crackling with energy.

"Now, create a pathway connecting the ball in your right hand to your left hand. Picture the electricity traveling between them."

Jay envisioned a thin, transparent cable forming, allowing the energy to pass through.

"Great! Now extend that connection to your head. And now your chest."

As soon as the energy reached his chest, it turned red. Chiaki stiffened slightly.

The aura felt... overwhelming. Dark. Demonic. This was likely where the entity inside Jay resided. She felt the sheer power radiating from it, making her skin crawl.

"Let's continue down to your stomach," she instructed.

The red glow faded, returning to a clear blue current. Everything seemed normal again. But something felt... off.

Chiaki frowned. Just to be sure, she had Jay go through the process twice, checking every flow point in his body.

Her suspicions were confirmed.

She opened her eyes abruptly. "Sensei... we have a problem."

The old man, who had been observing silently, raised a brow. "What is it?"

"Jay doesn't seem to have a unique ability."

The old man's expression hardened. "What? That's impossible. Every exorcist has an ability. Are you certain?"

Chiaki nodded. "I checked his chest and stomach twice. I even examined his entire body to be sure. The only thing I detected was the demon residing in his heart."

A heavy silence fell over them.

Jay furrowed his brows. "Wait... are you saying that before the demon, I was actually powerless?"