Uncle-Chai's sidecar motorcycle, driven by a villager who was asked by the village chief to bring Grandma-Si and Mint, stopped next to the stairs of Pharan's large Thai house. Then, Grandma-Si and Mint hurried up to the central area for the ceremony.
Pharan opened his eyes from meditation, and upon seeing Grandma-Si and Mint return, Jett, Khem, and Chan all sighed in relief, watching Phraemai who was still convulsing with her eyes rolled back, hoping for her recovery.
"She's back, Phraemai is back." Grandma-Si announced before placing the sticky rice basket beside Phraemai. With her age-worn hands, she opened the lid, took out a sacred thread and tied it around Phraemai's wrist, all while chanting:
"Spirit of Phraemai, come back and enter the body, come to peace, come to happiness, come to purity, come to health, come to prosperity, come to serenity, come to be with the body."
At that moment, Master Pharan saw a faint white smoke emerging from the bamboo container and entering Phraemai's mouth, causing his eyebrows to relax.
Phraemai had truly returned.
"Buddha protects, Dhamma protects, Sangha protects, do not wander, stay with this body, so be it." Once Grandma Si finished chanting, the body that had been convulsing relaxed, the eyes that had rolled back returned to their proper position, and the twisted mouth returned to normal. Soon, her eyelids gently closed, her breathing became steady.
Khem couldn't help but smile with relief. Mint, on the other hand, wiped her tears, her skepticism about such matters instantly transformed.
Then Grandma Si called for those present to come and tie the sacred thread around Phraemai's wrist to welcome her spirit back. Master Pharan was the first to do so, followed by Uncle Chai, Auntie Kaew, Mint, Khem, Jett, and Chan in order of seniority.
Once Phraemai's situation was resolved peacefully, Master Pharan instructed everyone to return home to rest, except for Uncle Chai and Jett, who had to stay to assist him. Tonight, Master Pharan would perform an out-of-body spirit journey, leaving his physical body behind, and the house needed someone to watch over it, ensuring no disturbance.
Chan carried Phraemai down from Master Pharan's house as he had brought her up, following Grandma Si and Auntie Kaew, with Mint bringing up the rear.
Chan's sharp eyes turned to Khem before he said,
"You should also stay at Auntie Kaew's house." Jett was left with his mouth agape, while Khem blinked, not understanding.
But thinking back to the recent events, Khem realized he would only be in the way here and wouldn't be able to help Master Pharan. He stood up with a bowed head and followed Chan.
"Master, why do you need to send Khem away to sleep elsewhere?" Jett asked with a furrowed brow, not understanding. Master Pharan, accused by his student, took a switch and tapped him on the head.
"Ow." Jett mumbled, rubbing his head.
"And why do you want him to stay awake here with you?" The reason was simple. If Khem stayed here, he wouldn't leave his friends to sleep alone in his room, and with less rest, his body would be weak, making it easier for his spirit to leave his body.
Jett gave a sheepish grin and quickly raised his hands above his head in apology, misunderstanding Pharan.
"Ha ha, I forgot, sorry, Master."
Then Pharan began meditating to enter a trance, with Uncle-Chai by his side to keep the oil lamp filled and ensure the candle didn't go out.
Meanwhile, Jett went downstairs, untying the sacred thread and winding it around the fence of the house, then went into the kitchen under the house to make black coffee and grab some snacks, intending to stay vigilant against any wandering spirits entering the area, confirming he wouldn't sleep that night as the master had implied.
That night, Auntie-Kaew arranged for everyone to sleep together in the central hall of the house, separating the genders, with Auntie-Kaew herself sitting close by, sorting grains while keeping watch, with a lamp providing light.
Khem lay down next to Chan, his mind replaying the image of the master lifting the cane as if to strike, along with the stern look the master gave him, and being chased out of the house. These thoughts kept running through his head, causing his eyes to well up uncontrollably.
Khem couldn't understand why he felt so hurt by what the master did, even though the master hadn't done anything wrong; on the contrary, the master was right.
The more he thought, the more his heart ached until tears started to flow.
Khem cried quietly by himself until he fell asleep.
At around three in the morning, Khem woke up groggily when he felt someone walk past him. Looking closely, he saw Phraemai heading towards the door to go outside.
"Prae!" Khem called out, but she didn't even turn around. Seeing this, he quickly got up and shook Chan, but Chan wouldn't wake up. He then crawled to wake Mint, but she, too, was deeply asleep. Auntie-Kaew was no longer there.
Khem was scared for himself, but he couldn't let Phraemai go out alone.
He put on his shoes and ran after her.
"Prae, wait for me!" Khem tried calling out, but Phraemai seemed deaf to his voice, walking as if in a trance. Khem understood this well because he had sleepwalked almost to the point of jumping off a balcony himself. The only thing to do was to catch up to her and grab her.
"Prae!" But even as he ran, it seemed like Phraemai was still far ahead, disappearing into the forest.
Khem stopped in his tracks, looking around frantically, trying to wake Chan who wouldn't stir. All the villagers who could have helped had already gone up the mountain. Running to Master Pharan or Jett was too far, and Khem was afraid Phraemai might disappear for good this time. He decided to run after her into the forest.
Chan turned over, the light from the lantern flickering before his eyes, forcing him awake. But instead of seeing Khem's small head, he saw only emptiness beside him, and next to that, Phraemai's face, still fast asleep next to Mint.
Rising, he reached for his glasses, the clarity confirming Khem was gone.
"Auntie Kaew, have you seen Khem?" Chan asked Auntie Kaew, who was still sorting grains nearby.
"Oh, he's sleeping...Wait!" Madam Kaew was about to say that Khem was right next to Chan, but upon looking again, he was not there.
At that moment, Mek and the head of the search team were performing a ceremony, asking for forgiveness from the spirits of the land and forest to help clear the path, open their ears to hear, and their eyes to see, so they could bring the children back home.
Master Pharan sent out eight spirits in all directions to trace the children, but there was no sign of them.
While lighting incense and candles, suddenly a strong wind blew, making it impossible to light them. Everyone quickly knelt, hands clasped in prayer.
Master Pharan, observing from afar, shook his head and sighed.
It seemed like the other side which had taken Phraemai friends wasn't willing to give them up easily...
Even the students, who weren't afraid of ghosts, found themselves looking around nervously, as this was an experience they had never encountered.
Master Pharan decided to unite all eight spirits into one, soaring towards the peak of Mount Kheri, passing through the dense forest until reaching the deepest, untouched part where there appeared a medium-sized cave behind a waterfall.
The spirit in the form of a person walked through the waterfall's veil into the cave. Pharan had always been aware of the presence here, acknowledging the existence of something within, but he had never thought to disturb it.
However, this situation could not be avoided. He had to ask for help.
Pharan stopped in his tracks when he reached the end of a long pool with no further path. He bowed down on the stone floor and addressed what was observing him:
"O spirits of the land, the forest, and the mountains, if I, Pharan, Reuangdej, have inadvertently offended you in body, speech, or mind, whether intentionally or not, please forgive me." Pharan bowed once more, then stood up and continued,
"Today, I am troubled and come to seek your help. Please show mercy and grant my request. If my merit is insufficient, I am willing to leave peacefully."
Suddenly, the cave lit up with the light from countless fireflies, illuminating everything clearly. Pharan heard something moving through
the water, approaching him. The shadow on the cave wall took the shape of a large serpent.
A black snake emerged from the water, lifting its head about two meters high, its amber eyes looking down at the young man who was bowing below. It spoke in a deep voice through the mind:
"If your merit wasn't enough, you wouldn't have made it here."
Pharan bowed in acknowledgment. The snake, named "Phuchong."
continued,
"You're here because of those three kids, right?" Pharan nodded, then looked up at the giant serpent leaning closer, peering into its large amber eyes, and he saw the sequence of events from when the three kids entered the forest.
From speaking disrespectfully, challenging, spitting, littering, making loud noises, to even urinating on a tree inhabited by a tree spirit without any apology or request for forgiveness.
It was as if it was explaining to Pharan why those children had disappeared.
"After this, I will make them atone for their actions, just release them...while they still breathe." Phuchong observed Pharan, who met its gaze without fear, daring to bargain for the lives of those who had wronged.
Puchong memories from hundreds of years ago resurfaced at this man's habits.
This man's nature remains unchanged throughout his life.
Phuchong straightened up and retreated into the water until its head were level, then it said:
"I can make the spirit of the Takian Nang release those kids, but theymust ordain as monks for at least six vassa (monastic years), live by theeight precepts for life. If they don't do this, I will retrieve them, andthey'll become wandering forest spirits, never to be reborn." Master Pharan bowed again in gratitude, but he froze when he heard the next sentence, before the other entity sank back into the water. The fireflies slowly dimmed, but the previous words still echoed.
"But I can only release three. You'll have to find the way for the lastone yourself."
Master Pharan's spirit returned to his physical body, his sharp, dark eyes opening instantly. At the same moment, Jett and another boy, Chan, ran up
the stairs, and then crawled to clasp their hands in prayer to him with faces full of panic.
"Father, Khem has disappeared!" The words hit Master Pharan like a heavy object on his head, especially after hearing from Chan that Khem vanished without anyone noticing. Even Auntie Kaew, who was awake watching, hadn't seen when Khem left, which only added to his frustration.
The last words from the guardian spirit indicated that it was not involved in this matter and couldn't help further, suggesting that Khem's disappearance was due to his own personal karma.
"Uncle Chai, go help the village chief and the students. Tell everyone the children are still alive, keep searching; they'll be found."
"Yes, Master." Uncle Chai bowed in acknowledgment and hurried out, knowing there was nothing more he could do here.
After Uncle Chai left, Master Pharan turned to Jett and Chan.
"You two keep an eye on the candles and lanterns, don't let them go out.
If I'm not back in an hour, light one incense stick to call me." Jett immediately bowed in agreement. Though Chan was still confused, he also bowed to accept the instruction.
Master Pharan closed his eyes, recalling when he had entered the dimension of a vengeful spirit named Ramphueng. He concentrated on the memory and feeling of that time to find his way back into that dimension.
After a long search, he finally entered, but he could only reach the ancient Thai house's boat dock in this dimension, unable to go further.
What Master Pharan saw now were signs of a lightning strike; the dock area where he stood was covered with black burn marks, and several trees around the house had fallen, their branches breaking through the roof.
The lightning event from the previous night must have affected Madam Ramphueng's dimension as well.
Pharan could sense that the spirit of Madam-Ramphueng was hiding within this Thai house, as her spirit must have been injured, and thus, she had been quiet, not causing any disturbances outside for a while.
However, Khem's spirit was not here...
So where could he have gone?
Khem didn't know when he had lost consciousness, but he woke up in a bedroom that felt oddly familiar.
"Wake up, Khem?" The speaker was a tall man in a khaki uniform, with a handsome face and a voice that sounded strangely familiar, causing Khem
to furrow his brow and back away as the man stepped closer.
"Who are you?" The man in front of him let out a soft laugh, but his dark eyes lacked any humor, before he sat down on the bed and leaned in close to Khem.
"We haven't seen each other in many nights, have you forgotten me?"
Khem looked into the man's eyes, trying to dredge up a fading memory.
Haven't seen each other in many nights, huh...
"Take a good look at this house, Khem." As Khem did so, he noticed that everything around him was from an old era, like a set from a Thai period drama from the 1980s he had once watched, with wooden walls that had an eggshell color...
Khem's eyes widened, and he quickly turned back to look at the man in front of him.
"You, are you the person from my dreams?" Chayot nodded, then took Khem's hand into his own.
"Khem, stay here with me, I'll take care of you from now on, okay?"
Khem pulled his hand back and shook his head vigorously.
"No way. If I stay here, that means I'm dead. I don't want to die yet."
Khem's refusal caused Chayot's expression to darken.
"When will you stop rejecting me, Khem? When will you start looking back at me!" Khem startled, quickly retreating as the man's face, which had looked normal, began to turn pale and then greenish.
Chayot slowly crawled onto the bed, bringing his now horrifying face closer to Khem, speaking with a chilling voice that Khem had heard before.
"I've cherished and protected you for centuries, do you think I'd let someone else have you? Dream on!" Khem felt like he was being electrocuted and cried out in fear before jumping off the bed and dashing out of the room, hoping to escape the house, praying to wake up from this nightmare.
"Where do you think you're going!" Chayot's voice echoed through the house. When Khem turned around, he was so shocked his legs nearly gave out.
The sight was of a man in khaki clothes with a grotesquely twisted body, as if all his bones were broken, blood everywhere, his skull caved in, neck bent against his shoulder, using his seemingly lifeless legs to chase after Khem with alarming speed.
Khem turned back and ran down the stairs, but he tripped on the last step, twisting his ankle. The pain felt real, not like it was from a dream. Despite the pain making it impossible to walk, Khem still chose to crawl away, crying silently.
The door that was left ajar was suddenly slammed shut with a loud 'bang'.
Khem, whose hopes were crushed, stared wide-eyed before the closed door was replaced by the sight of the twisted, khaki-clad legs.
Khem immediately looked down, not wanting to see, fear consuming every bit of his being until he could barely breathe. He curled up, hugging himself and crying without sound.
Chayot knelt down and leaned in, just a moment away from embracing Khem.
However, someone's hand reached out, grabbed Chayot's hair tightly, and pulled him back.
What appeared before Khem was the face of Pharan, glaring at him with such anger that his black eyes seemed to shrink.