Ramba sat up straight, crossing his legs on the floor. He looked at Chippo seriously.
"If you really are a demon hunter… where do you fight those demons?" he asked.
"In the Spirit Realm, of course," she replied calmly.
"The Spirit Realm…?" he repeated, blinking.
"Yes. The Spirit Realm."
The Spirit Realm is a non-physical dimension parallel to our material world, understood across many beliefs as the home of God, angels, and, of course, demons—existing beyond human senses but interacting with our reality through our souls.
Ramba crossed his arms. "If this is some joke, it's not funny."
"I already hit you with a Qi blast," she said, "and yet you still don't believe me?"
"Okay, fine… but where is this Spirit Realm?"
"It's all around us. To enter a state of complete spiritual immersion, you need to first Astral Project yourself," Chippo explained.
"'Astral Projection'? You mean that make-believe superpower?" Ramba scoffed.
Chippo sighed. "Fine. I'll just show you."
She reached into her bag, pulled out a paper talisman, and pressed it against her solar plexus.
Suddenly, her body collapsed to the floor.
Ramba froze. "Chippo?" He rushed forward and checked her pulse. She was alive—but completely still.
A chill ran down his spine. Then, a faint voice echoed around him.
"Up here."
"Chippo?" he whispered.
"Yes, it's me," she replied.
"Where are you?"
"In the Spirit Realm," she said.
"I'm coming back," she added.
And just like that, her body stirred, sitting up with energy radiating from her. She looked lively, like she hadn't moved at all.
"Do you understand now?" she asked.
"Yes… I want to learn Astral Projection," Ramba said, determination flashing in his eyes.
---
LearningtheVoid
Chippo instructed him to sit cross-legged and close his eyes.
"Empty your mind," she said. "Be a void, clear of everything. Relax your body. Calm yourself."
Ramba frowned. "It's not that easy, you know."
Chippo lightly tapped his head. "Clear that nutshell, will you?"
He inhaled, feeling his thoughts slowing… his body loosening… and for the first time, he understood what it meant to be a void.
Chippo smiled. She could see it in his aura—he had finally emptied his mind.
"Now," she continued, "imagine a rope attached to your spine. Imagine yourself slowly detaching from your body."
Ramba obeyed. Suddenly, his spirit shot out of his body. He tumbled backward, groaning, then stood up, rubbing his aching head.
"I did it!" he shouted, eyes wide with exhilaration.
Chippo watched him, her fawn-colored eyes sparkling… and then they shifted to crystal sky-blue.
"How can you see me while I'm in astral form?" Ramba asked.
"That's because I have a special kind of eyes," she replied.
Ramba's excitement bubbled. "So… can I hunt demons and shoot Qi blasts now?"
"No." She casually put a finger in her ear.
---
FirstDemonEncounter
A shadow twisted in the corner of the room, forming into a grotesque figure.
Demon are known to target Cultivators and Astral Travellers aiming to drain their Qi or devour their soul or spirit core
"An Astral Traveller? Just my lucky day," it hissed.
"Is that a demon?" Ramba asked nervously.
Before Chippo could answer, the demon formed a swirling ball of dark, demonic Qi ball and hurled it at him. Ramba fell hard to the floor.
Just as the demon prepared to finish him with another blast, Chippo's spirit shot forward. In her hand, a spirit axe materializing in her hand.
She leaped, slicing through the demon's hand, then swung again, bisecting its torso with precise, deadly force.
She plunged her hand into the demon's torso and extracted a glowing, orange, peach-sized orb.
"Do you want some?" she asked casually.
"Nah… I'm good," Ramba muttered, staring in disbelief.
"More for me, I guess." She consumed the demonic core in one bite.
Her body suddenly glowed with swirling Qi energy. Her eyes snapped open violently.
Breakthrough
"Spirit Warrior… Grade 2."
Ramba, pale and shaking at the sight of her consuming the core, he stumbled backward and promptly vomited into the corner.
Chippo turned to him, expression unreadable.
And that was the first day Ramba truly understood what it meant to live in her world.