Pharan glanced at Khem, who was still overwhelmed by fear, unable to lift his head.
'Master, it's been an hour, please come back!'
But Pharan could do little more than pull Chayot's head out of its dimension along with him.
"Master!" Jett called out. At that moment, Pharan opened his physical eyes and spoke firmly:
"Go fetch a pot." The shadowy figure, emitting a strong odor of decay, was struggling in the master's grip. Jett swallowed hard and ran to grab a clay pot enchanted with protective spells, handing it to Pharan immediately.
Meanwhile, Chan could only frown in confusion, looking from one person to another, as he didn't see what others were seeing.
Without further ado, Pharan opened the lid and stuffed Chayot's spirit into the pot, then closed it and wrapped it in a red cloth inscribed with mystical symbols, indicating he would deal with it later.
"Follow me." He said shortly before walking down from the house.
Jett and Chan followed the master into the forest behind the house, which was a different path from where the group was searching for Kornkan and his friends.
The three of them ventured deeper into the woods, each carrying a lantern for light. Jett and Chan trailed behind Pharan, not knowing where they were being led.
As it approached five in the morning, Pharan stopped and looked around, telling the two young men that Khem was nearby and instructed them to split up and search.
Chan started to walk in another direction, but Jett pulled him back.
"Where do you think you're going, you'll probably fall off a cliff and die." Chan furrowed his brows and pointed ahead.
"It's just a normal path, how could there be a cliff?"
"Huh?" Jett looked again, rubbing his eyes once more, and what he once saw as a cliff now appeared as a small, walkable path.
Jett clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hadn't realized he was under a spirit's illusion; what a complete misjudgment!
Pharan turned back and walked towards where Chan indicated. Soon, they saw a faint golden light shining from behind a large tree.
Pharan approached the tree, followed by Jett and Chan. Upon reaching it, they found the source of the light: the sacred thread he had blessed and tied around Khem the previous day...
"Khem!" Jett shouted, joyfully jumping towards his friend, but Khem lay there motionless, his eyes lifeless and unresponsive, much like Phraemai had been.
"Call his spirit back first." Pharan instructed. Jett stepped back to allow the master to light incense and candles for the ceremony to summon Khem's spirit. Fortunately, Jett had instinctively grabbed the master's bag of supplies.
After planting the incense in the ground, Pharan clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
"Spirit, oh spirit, come back, where has the spirit of Khemjira flown to?
May the deities of the forest watch over and protect, bring him back to where he belongs, let him not wander away again."
Khem's eyes slowly closed, his previously stiff body relaxing against the trees.
Khem had returned. Now just sleeping, Jett didn't want to wake him, so he carried him as he was, though it was somewhat cumbersome since Jett wasn't particularly strong or large, and after being up all night, he wasn't in the best shape...
Chan was about to offer his help, but Master Pharan was quicker.
"Give him here, I'll carry him." Master Pharan said, seeing that Jett might end up rolling down the mountain with Khem.
"Uh, are you sure, Master? I can carry him. It won't be a bother for you."
Jett was startled, barely keeping his composure.
Even though Master Pharan had been a layman for years, he still carried himself like a monk. Jett had never seen him carry anyone before, be it man or woman.
"Give him here."
"Here you go." Sensing the chill in Master Pharan's voice, Jett quickly handed over Khem. Master Pharan shook his head, tired of repeating
himself, before turning to the other person who had been watching from a distance.
"You're Chan, right?" The other nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, Master."
"Lead the way." Master Pharan said calmly. Chan nodded again, though he didn't fully understand, before turning and walking ahead.
Once out of the forest, Master Pharan carried Khem back to the house.
Seeing that the villagers and student friends searching for Kornkan and his group hadn't returned, Jett couldn't stay indifferent. He grabbed a coffee, took Master Pharan's bicycle, and went to help in the search, dragging along the more determined Chan, leaving Khem in Master Pharan's care.
Master Pharan left Khem's bedroom, heading to the room where Chayot's jar was kept. He opened the lid, reached inside, grabbed Chayot's head, and pulled his body out.
This room was surrounded by magical incantations; spirits inside couldn't leave, and those outside couldn't enter. It was a room specifically used by Pharan and his grandfather to subdue ghosts.
The many candles placed on the floor suddenly illuminated the room with their flames, yet the atmosphere remained chillingly cold. Chayot felt as if his spirit might dissolve just by meeting Pharan's gaze. Overwhelmed by frustration and fear, he began to cry.
Pharan slowly released the head of his former younger brother, seeing that his power had waned. He then brought over a wooden chair, placed it in front of Chayot, and sat down.
"Why are you doing this?" Pharan asked, and Chayot thought the question seemed to reflect back on past events as well.
The spirit in the khaki uniform slumped to the floor, kneeling, gripping his pants tightly as he responded:
"How long I've loved him, you never knew...Last time youabandoned him, and in this life, you haven't shown him love or care, sowhy-"
Before he could finish, Pharan kicked Chayot with full force, catching him off guard, sending him sprawling backward with a loud thud. Not satisfied, Pharan then crouched beside him, grabbed his hair, and forced him to look into his eyes as if to burn his spirit away.
"You don't love him, Chayot. You love yourself."
"..."
Pharan's words felt like a sharp spear piercing through Chayot's heart, causing such pain that it seemed it might shatter into pieces. His black eyes rolled in resistance, unwilling to accept the truth, while tears continued to flow.
"Last time, you forged my letter, causing his death. Now you want his life again, you arrogant fool. What am I supposed to do with you?"
"You don't understand. I just wanted to protect Khem from that evilspirit. If I had his spirit, my power would increase, and I coulddefinitely protect Khem from it, aarrgh!" Chayot cried out in pain as Pharan's grip tightened, forcing his head back.
"Did you ever ask him if he wanted you to protect him? You don't have to mention the past; your selfish nature hasn't changed. You think if you love someone, they must love you back, you want what you want, and when your good deeds don't get rewarded, you react like this. Who asked you to do all this?"
Chayot squirmed, trying to escape, but the more he struggled, the more it hurt. Such pain was something this ghost hadn't felt in a long time.
"Aaah, it hurts, it hurts! I'm scared! Let me go!"
"You also hurt him, scared him just the same, and yet you dare to say you love him even as a ghost. After all these lifetimes, and you still don't get it?
How about spending ten or twenty years at the bottom of the river, tied with a rock, inside a jar?" Chayot's eyes rolled back as he shook his head. The thought of being confined in such a cramped space, unable to move, was tormenting in less than a day, let alone ten or twenty years.
"No! Don't do this to me! I want to stay with Khem! She'll comeback. If I'm not here, who will protect Khem!" Chayot sobbed, begging for mercy. Hearing this, Master Pharan paused, a mix of emotions swirling inside him with hesitation.
If not Chayot, then who would protect Khem...
His sharp, stern eyes narrowed dangerously.
"That's not the duty of a ghost like you. So remember my words well today, and reflect on your actions in that jar. If you haven't changed your ways by the time I come back, prepare to be weighed down at the bottom of the river."
"No! No! Ahhhhhhhhh!" Master Pharan closed the lid after shoving Chayot's spirit back into the jar, wrapped it with the same red sacred cloth, securely tied it, and placed it back on the table before leaving the room.
This morning, the sky was clear and the sun bright, a stark contrast to the night before when everyone expected heavy rain all day.
But last night, around three or nearly four in the morning, when Chai came to tell everyone to keep searching for the three students and assured them that they were still alive, it reignited hope in the search team. The ominous cloud that seemed to hover over the village, created by Mek's worry, gradually dissipated in a miraculous way.
It was obvious who could achieve such a thing.
Jett and Chan joined the search team at six in the morning to help find Kornkan and his group. Since there were already many people searching higher up, they decided to focus on areas near the base of the mountain.
The two split up to search, but stayed close enough to shout if they found anything.
Chan walked along the stream of the waterfall, catching sight of a beer can floating by. He adjusted his glasses and followed the water upstream, his heart pounding with anticipation.
And then he found them...
Chan swallowed hard upon seeing the condition of the three bodies before averting his gaze to shout across the waterfall to Jett.
"Khun Jett, over here!" Jett, who was looking down under a wooden bridge, immediately looked up when he saw Chan waving from behind a large rock, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Did you find them?" Without waiting for an answer, Jett ran across the bridge to reach him.
Chan moved aside to let Jett see closely, and upon seeing it, Jett couldn't help but curse.
"Damn..." For most people, Phraemai's condition from last night was already terrifying, but the state of Kornkan, Pondit, and Tejathon now surpassed that by far.
The three were lying on the riverbank, surrounded by several beer cans and debris, their clothes tattered and dirty, their pale skin covered with dark bruises, mouths agape, eyes rolled back, hands and feet bloated from prolonged exposure to water. Yet, their chests were still moving faintly, indicating they were still alive.
It was a horrifying and heart-wrenching sight.
"What do we do?" Chan asked, hesitant to touch them, fearing they might have internal injuries, and they had no equipment to carry them.
"You stay here, I'll go get help." Jett said, turning to run off immediately.
Chan didn't have to wait long before Jett returned with several villagers and male students, bringing first aid kits and stretchers.
Everyone was taken aback by the scene; some even clasped their hands in a prayer of thanks and apology to the spirits. Then they began to carefully lift the three onto stretchers for preliminary first aid before sending them to the hospital.
By morning, after everything was settled, Jett reported back to Pharan that they had found Kornkan and his friends, but their condition was critical. They had been taken to the hospital, and Chan, who was quite dazed, was told to stay with Khem as a form of responsibility for finding him. Chan didn't object.
Seeing Chan with his bag packed, Pharan nodded in agreement, though not without giving Jett a look of reprimand for acting without consultation, before continuing to make holy water by dropping candle wax into a basin.
After showering and changing into nightwear, Jett and Chan went to sleep in the same room as Khem, each on a different side of the bed with Khem in the middle. The master had said that Khem wouldn't wake up soon but definitely by tomorrow at the latest, and seeing no immediate danger, combined with their accumulated fatigue, both fell into a deep sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
In the dead of night, the bedroom door of Khem was gently pushed open.
Master Pharan chanted a spell to ensure that the two guardians slept soundly and wouldn't wake until morning before he slowly entered and sat on the bed.
His sharp eyes gazed at Khem's face, which was beaded with sweat.
Earlier, he had asked Auntie Kaew to come in and help with changing Khem's clothes and wiping him down, but he needed to check periodically to see if Khem had a fever.
Master Pharan felt responsible for this situation, having been the one to suggest that Khem sleep elsewhere. It wasn't out of any personal feelings.
He gently placed his hand on Khem's forehead, only to find that Khem wasn't hot, yet tears streamed continuously from the corners of his eyes.
He must be having a nightmare.
And Master Pharan could guess what Khem was dreaming about.
In the realm of dreams Khem was currently facing, it was their past lives where he and Master Pharan had been lovers, but their love wasn't as sweet
and enduring as others'.
Duty and career had kept them apart for an eternity, and death had separated them forever, preventing any return to the love they once dreamed of.
It was a pity, as they missed each other by such a brief moment.
Khem stood at his own funeral, seeing how devastated the person who arrived just a step too late was. In Khem's mind, he was crying out, "Why?"
Why did he believe others' deceit?
Why wasn't he strong?
Why didn't he wait patiently?
It was just a little while longer.
As he was about to embrace the person kneeling and crying in front of his photo, Khem was suddenly pulled out of that moment. His body jolted in fright, and he woke up to see Master Pharan's face looking at him.
"Ugh!" Khem looked at Pharan's face and burst into tears, feeling a sharp pain in his heart upon learning why they parted in their past life, still immersed in those emotions, finding it hard to detach.
He sat up and lunged to hug the other, driven by a longing, momentarily forgetting who he was now and who the other was.
Pharan immediately understood what Khem had dreamt about to react this way, so he didn't push him away or reject him, but he also didn't reciprocate Khem's feelings, instead reminding him to think rationally.
"You can hug as much as you want, cry to your heart's content, but remember, I'm not Phawat, and you're not Khemika."
"..."
"The past is long gone. Now we are just people who happened to meet.
Not lovers, understand...?"
Khem's heart slowed down. After hugging and crying to satisfaction, he came to his senses about his actions, though it was difficult to control his emotions, unlike Pharan who could clearly distinguish between past and present.
But would it matter if Khem wanted to cherish this moment a little longer?
"Master, can you please stay with me a bit longer, until I fall asleep? I promise, I won't ask for this again." Khem pleaded, tears still streaming down his cheeks, his body still hiccupping slightly.
The master fell silent, making Khem feel disheartened, but then he smiled when he heard the next sentence. His tears stopped as if the tap had been turned off.
"If that's the case, then lie down."
"Yes." Khem quickly lay down as instructed. Even though his eyes still followed Pharan, who turned to open a drawer in the wooden cabinet by the bed and pulled out a book of Dhamma to read while waiting for Khem to fall asleep, he didn't miss the stern look sent his way.
"You're staring like that, when will you ever fall asleep?"
Khem closed his eyes out of slight fear but felt reassured because he knew the master was kind.
"Um, can I hold your hand?" The response was a look that seemed to threaten discipline, so Khem promptly closed his eyes in feigned sleep.
Not long after, Khem felt a single finger slide into his hand, and without hesitation, he grabbed it like a cat catching a mouse.
Khem's heart was beating so hard it felt like it might burst out, and he opened his eyes to look at Master Pharan, who was intently reading a book on Dharma, overwhelmed with joy.
Master Pharan, annoyed by Khem's gaze, spoke up,
"Only this once, next time you get the switch."