The magic practitioners in the village opened their eyes simultaneously, sensing danger creeping in. The sound of the owls carried on the wind from the west, the direction where Pharan, the revered spirit doctor of the village, lived.
Everyone threw off their blankets, got up, and packed essentials into cloth bags.
Including Chai, the owner of house number forty-six, one of the ten most skilled magic practitioners in this village.
"What's happening, dear?" Mrs Kaew felt uneasy when she saw her husband suddenly get up to change clothes, looking hurried as if he intended to go somewhere.
"I'm going to Pharan's house. It seems something bad is about to happen.
Please take care of the students, don't let anyone go outside until morning."
Mrs. Kaew nodded in agreement. If her husband was set on helping Pharan, she wouldn't try to stop him; that man had done much for their family and the village.
"Take care of yourself." Chai nodded, slung his satchel over his shoulder, and left the house. Outside Chai's house, Lah and Mek, who were of similar magical prowess, were waiting. After a brief conversation, they headed towards Pharan's house.
At that time, Chanwit, who hadn't been able to sleep due to a strange feeling, opened his eyes in the dark of his bedroom. He heard the sound of the door opening and voices talking outside.
'Who's doing what at this hour?' Chanwit furrowed his brows. Unable to resist his curiosity, he got up, slightly opened the window, and peered out to see Uncle Chai with two other men whom Chanwit recognized as the owners of the houses where club members were staying.
"Where are they going?"
Chaniittaya's mind was filled with doubt. Apart from these three, there were several other strong-looking men with a similar aura walking on the road, passing by Chanwittaya's house, heading west.
Isn't that the same direction Jett Na and Khemjira went earlier in the evening?
The incident on the bus was still unanswered, and now this!
What exactly are those two and the people in this village hiding?
Chanwittaya opened the door, intent on following Uncle Chai to get to the bottom of it. However, upon opening the door, he saw Aunt Kaew, Uncle Chai's wife, sitting in the middle of the house, sewing by the light of a lantern.
"Oh, where are you going?" Aunt Kaew asked. She was also surprised that Chanwittaya was still up at this hour.
Even though; before leaving, her husband had cast a spell to make everyone in the house sleep soundly, except for her, and the two girls sleeping in another room. She had tried to wake them only to find they were deeply asleep. How could this young man still be awake?
"Where is Uncle Chai going, Aunt Kaew?" Chanwittaya asked directly.
Aunt Kaew looked into the young man's eyes for a long time, realizing that Chan Wittaya had a strong mind. Even if she told him, he might not believe her, thinking it was superstition.
"There's nothing, son. Uncle Chai has some business with a friend. It's late, go back to sleep, don't go out anywhere, trust me, okay?" Chanwittaya wrestled with his curiosity for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and nodding. As much as he wanted to know, he shouldn't cause trouble for his hosts, so he went back to his room to sleep.
But no matter how he tried, he couldn't fall asleep.
The small temple in the village housed only thirteen monks and novices.
At this time, the abbot, Luang Por Sua, paced along the path and stopped in front of the hut of one of the monks, calling softly:
"Phra Amorn." The door to Phra Amorn's hut opened, and Phra Amorn, who was kneeling behind the door, bowed three times before clasping his hands together and asking:
"What can I do for you, Venerable One?"
"Go fetch the other monks and novices to the pavilion...right now." Phra Amorn sensed from the abbot's tone that something ominous was about to happen. The young monk accepted the command and bowed before heading off to fulfill his task.
Soon, thirteen monks and novices gathered at the pavilion; some were calm, others looked alarmed, not knowing why the abbot had called them at
this hour, but none dared to ask. When the senior monk instructed, they followed.
The temple boys had prepared seats for all the monks to sit in a row, holding rosaries that were passed along until everyone had one. When the abbot began chanting, everyone joined in unison:
"Burapharasang, Prakhutta-khunang
Burapharasang, Prakhamma-tang
Burapharasang, Prakhasakhanang
Dukkha-rokha-phayang, Viwanchai-ye
Sappha-dukkha, Sappha-soka, Sappha-roka, Sappha-phaya Sappha-koroh, Seniyad-chonrai, Viwanchai-ye
Sappha-tanang, Sappha-lapang, Bhavantume, Rakkhantu, Surakkantu..."
The harmonious chant filled the temple grounds, creating a sense of calm. Golden Pali script, invisible to the naked eye, began to form a protective wall around the village, safeguarding it from any malevolent forces that might try to intrude.
Monks have their path of practice, and so do those with magical abilities, but above all, their purpose is the same: to protect themselves, their families, and the people of this village.
Upon arriving at Pharan's house, some dispersed to stand guard around the perimeter of the house, readying themselves for battle. The ten most powerful magic practitioners marched up the stairs in formation.
The sounds of footsteps on the stairs creaked.
At the foot of the stairs, two boys who looked alike were kneeling, hands clasped in prayer on either side, as if inviting the assembly of practitioners to ascend.
If one arrives here without encountering these two spirit servants waiting at the stairs, it means that on that day, Master Pharan is not available to meet anyone. This is well known among all the spirituals.
Chai, Lah, and Mek, once students of Master Sek, the grandfather of Master Pharan, believed that Master Pharan was born with significant spiritual merit. His character and disposition from childhood suggested this to them.
Master Sek loved this grandson dearly, and before he passed, he entrusted the villagers to look after him. However, it was usually Master Pharan who ended up taking care of the villagers. For instance, ten years ago, when Chai's six-year-old son wandered into the forest and was lost for three days
and nights, it was Master Pharan, then a monk, who found and carried the exhausted child back. That image was indelibly etched in Chai's memory.
Lah and Mek, too, had been helped by Master Pharan on numerous occasions, much like everyone who came here.
There had been no chance to repay his kindness until now when numerous malevolent spirits were heading towards this Thai house. They would not stand by idly.
Upon reaching the house, they saw Master Pharan's towering figure in front of the Buddha altar. They all knelt down and bowed in reverence.
Master Pharan was still in meditation, aware that both his and his grandfather's disciples would come. His lips continued to chant mantras without pause.
Chai, the eldest among the ten, crawled forward, took out a tray with candles, and distributed them for everyone to light, arranging them in a square formation around themselves and the master.
Then, they crawled to kneel behind the master. Some pulled out books with written chants, opening them and beginning to chant in unison with the master.
"Lakke, game, charipe, kirisu kara tate..."
Jett also felt a sense of foreboding, which he had been feeling for some time now.
The loud, piercing calls of the owls resounded, startling Jett awake, though Khem continued to sleep deeply.
The owls called for a while before going silent, dispersing in different directions. But no matter how tired Jett was, he dared not sleep again. He wanted to check outside but didn't dare, as the master had instructed not to leave the room until morning.
After a while, the sound of several footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard. Jett woke up with wide eyes and sat up, looking over at Khem who was sleeping soundly on the bed.
"Khem...Hey, Khem." Jett tried calling out a little louder than usual, but Khem didn't wake up. Jett then got up to check his breathing, letting out a sigh of relief when he confirmed that Khem was still breathing.
But this wasn't good. Each day, Khem seemed to be sleeping more deeply, to the point where he could sleepwalk outside, which was very dangerous. Jett was worried that one day Khem might fall into such a deep sleep that he wouldn't wake up again.
Jett was restless and uncomfortable. He didn't know what was happening outside, but when he heard the sound of chanting, he paled instantly.
The chant he heard was the Assembly of Deities Chant, meant to invite gods from all realms to listen to the Dharma prayers, seeking their protection against dangers and evil forces.
It was believed that the louder the chant was, the higher the spiritual power of the chanter, reaching up to the highest heavens.
After the incident in the haunted forest five years ago, Jett hadn't heard the master recite this chant. There was no need to guess what was about to happen.
Jett quickly got up, lit a candle, placed it in front of him, clasped his hands in prayer, closed his eyes to focus on the chant, and listened to which part they were at before joining in:
"Titthanta, Santike-yang, Munivara-wa, Jana..."
The spirit of Pharan saw a large group of ghosts and demons, numbering over a hundred, advancing towards this village. These malevolent spirits were heading straight here, aiming to take Khemjira's life.
Why go to such lengths?
Pharan pondered inwardly while his spirit spread out, searching for the malevolent spirit that was Khemjira's nemesis, a woman from four hundred years ago, dressed in the attire of a slave owner from that era.
But he couldn't find her, nor could he find the spirit of Chayot, his brother from a past life.
Where could they be?
As one of the spirits was lingering in the deep forest for a long time, the scene in front of Pharan suddenly changed.
From a horde of terrifyingly shaped and grotesque spirits-some running, some walking, some crawling-the scene transformed into an ancient, abandoned Thai house, now filled with dust and debris.
"Are you looking for me?"
Master Pharan heard only the cold voice of a woman but saw no one speaking, so he did not respond.
"Don't meddle in this. Hand over the boy and his mother's spirit to me, and I'll let you all go."
Master Pharan replied softly, "What does the boy have to do with this?
Can't you just let him go?" The disciples sitting behind could hear the conversation, but they continued chanting.
"Shut up! What I do is none of your business!"
"..."
"Will you surrender them, or do you want to test me?"
"..."
"But I'll tell you this, even your grandfather, Sek, couldn't do anything against me. A child like you dares to challenge me!"
"..."
"Because no matter what, I will never give up on them!"
Master Pharan called his spirit back to his body. His sharp black eyes opened, looking at the candle flames while his ears caught the sound of wailing and shrill shrieks not far away. The stench of decay and the foul odor of spirits wafted through the air. Thirteen pretas and over a hundred spirits had emerged from the forest to encircle his house, but they couldn't enter due to the multiple layers of magical barriers set by several skilled practitioners.
Chaiya and the other disciples could hear, smell, and sense the presence of these spirits, but they did not show undue panic. Despite the sweat dripping down to soak the collars of their shirts, they remained with hands clasped, waiting to see what Master Pharan would do next.
After finishing the chant to summon the assembly of deities, the next step was to invoke the gods and all sacred entities.
"Everyone, maintain your concentration, keep your minds clear, let go of all attachments, don't let your focus waver even for a moment." Pharan warned while still sitting with his back turned. He closed his eyes once more to recite the invocation:
"I, Pharan, with my power, hereby invite the authority of all my masters, all the Buddhas, the Dhamma, the Sangha, my parents, those who have given birth to me and those who have nurtured me in all lifetimes, All the deities that protect me, including the great deities, the great Bodhisattvas, and all the exalted beings in the nineteen heavens, the sixteen Brahmas, the fifteen layers of earth, the fourteen subterranean realms, the twenty-one realms of Mother Earth, and the sacred river Ganges, Please protect, guard, and keep safe...me, my loved ones, my students, and all the lives in this village from any harm. Let no danger approach."
Luang Por Sua who was leading a chant at the temple seemed to hear Pharan's voice carried by the wind, sensing the pure and compassionate spirit of the young man who wished to keep the village safe.
Feeling inspired and emboldened, Luang Por Sua raised his chant louder, prompting the other monks to follow suit.
"In this auspicious universe, in all eight directions, may a wall of glass, in seven layers, come forth to protect and encircle us, Anatta..."
At that moment, after finishing the invocation of gods and sacred beingsfrom all realms, suddenly the sky flashed with golden light, and rain beganto fall, but not ordinary rain. The demons writhed and screamed in agonyas the rain touched them, and thirteen bolts of lightning struck down,hitting the heads of thirteen ghostly figures, the sound shaking the entirehouse. Jett was jolted out of his meditation, but Khem remained in deepsleep.
Besides the falling rain, the ground that was getting wet began to turninto a mud pit, pulling down the malevolent spirits struggling to escape,their screams of protest echoing before the mud flowed into their mouths,all under the watchful eyes of the practitioners below who were standing inthe rain, chanting their spells. Those above could see this through their ownvisions.
Everyone thought the same thing: that the rain and lightning were sent byIndra, and the mud pit that swallowed the demons was the work of MotherEarth.
Both deities had responded to the call, and if the one invoking them werenot of great merit or of a pure heart, such a result would not have beenwitnessed.
Soon, everything vanished, and calm returned. The soft morning sunlightstreamed into the house, touching the figure of the master, who was stillseated. At that moment, all the disciples bowed in unison.