Upon hearing these words, Khem slowly let out a cry, and seeing the master face, hearing those words, his heart ached even more, shaking his head and saying,
"Why [sniff] why do you want me to keep living when you don't even feel the same way about me, huh?"
"..."
"Master, you told me you didn't want to be involved, told me to give up on you, didn't you? Now that it's come to this, why won't you let me go?"
"..."
"Until now, I've been trying, but now I'm tired, master."
"..."
"Now, I don't want to live anymore [sob]"
A multitude of emotions swirling in his chest made Khem express his frustration without fear, because even though he felt happy at the first sight of the master, the more he thought about it, the less he understood why the master would do this.
Why say this now, when he no longer needed it?
Pharan understood the feelings Khem was going through at that moment, so he slowly lifted the slender body into an embrace.
The cool, familiar scent, the warmth from the body that Khem had longed for all this time, gradually permeated into Khem's heart.
In the end, he couldn't resist the overwhelming feelings in his chest, the memories of past lives where they were separated, which gave birth to the desire to hold onto this embrace once more. These thoughts deepened with every moment, making it impossible for him to resist, causing his tightly clenched small hands to gradually relax, and instead, they reached up to grip the shirt of the other in response, though still with a mixture of fear and hesitation.
"Master..."
"Sorry for making you cry."
"..."
"But there won't be any more of that after this."
"..."
"Right now, I can't say much, except that I want you to trust me."
"..."
"No matter what happens, I will do everything to make sure we are together again." Pharan finished, then moved back slightly. He lifted Khem's chin with his slender fingers so their eyes met, their noses almost touching.
The feeling inside was hard to put into words, but Khem felt warm and safe...
"Okay?" Pharan asked in a whisper.
Khem bit his lip as tears still welled up in his eyes.
"But what about Grandma-Si and..."
Pharan shook his head, not waiting for Khem to finish his sentence, quickly correcting the misunderstanding.
"Grandma-Si passed away due to her age, not because she was killed.
Her spirit was just being used by that ghost." What Pharan saw in his dream was that Grandma-Si had been suffering from a serious illness for a long time. She didn't tell the villagers because she didn't want to be a burden, and she knew her time was limited. Before she passed, she made traditional sweets to distribute among the villagers and cleaned her house.
"As for Thong and Ek, they've been dead for a long time. I should have let them go when Grandpa died, but I kept them around because I wanted to use them." Pharan explained.
"..."
"You don't need to feel sad; just think that they've been released to where they should be."
While saying this, Pharan gently wiped away Khem's tears.
Khem's eyes widened in shock at what he heard, as he had always thought Grandma-Si died because of a vengeful spirit due to his actions. He asked with a shaky, uncertain voice,
"Is that really true, Master? Grandma-Si wasn't really killed?"
Pharan moved his hand to softly wipe away more tears before nodding in affirmation, "Hmm."
Khem covered his face with both hands and cried out in relief. Although he was saddened by Grandma-Si's sudden departure without a chance to say
goodbye, it was better than thinking he had caused such a good person to suffer a tragic end in her last days as he had mistakenly believed.
As for Ekk and Thong, even though they had moved on to their rightful place, these events would remain etched in Khem's heart for the rest of his life. If he still had breath, Khem would remember the moments they helped him until the day he died.
But right now, there was something more important that Khem couldn't overlook, and that was the person right in front of him...
If you say that Ekk and Thong had left since that day, it means that the master has been alone all this time, hasn't he?
Khem slowly sniffed, wiping his tears to look at the master more closely.
"Are you okay now, master? I remember that day..." Khem swallowed, not daring to meet the calm, steady gaze of the master due to his own trembling.
That day, Khem saw bloodstains on the master's shirt, as well as drops of blood scattered along the hallway of the house.
Jett had said that the master must have been cursed, which caused the bleeding, and that's why he was late in helping everyone, leading to the sad incident.
Pharan didn't want to tell Khem that his body still bore much pain. He simply pressed his forehead against Khem's smooth, clear forehead, gently transferring warmth.
"I'm fine, just waiting for your answer."
"..."
"So, do you still want to live on together?" That sentence was like a thick rope dropped into the deep pit of darkness where Khem was, and he didn't hesitate to grab onto it.
This time, Khem would fight on once more.
One hand still clung tightly to the master's shirt, Khem answered with a slight nod.
Time seemed to pause momentarily as the master's gaze focused on Khem's lips. The sharp nose brushed past the clear cheek, moving closer to the lips, making Khem's heart beat faster.
Until...
"Khem, don't!"
Jett, in a nightmare, shouted and sat up suddenly, startling Khem. Pharan could only let out a soft sigh and move away with an expressionless face as
if nothing had happened.
"You go change your clothes, wear something warm. We need to travel tonight."
"Where are we going, master?"
"You'll find out soon enough even if I don't tell you."
Khem nodded in acknowledgment and went to follow the instructions, opening the wardrobe to grab a long-sleeved shirt and long pants before heading into the bathroom. Once the bathroom door was closed, Pharan released the spell that kept Jett in a deep sleep. He then opened his black box to take out a stainless steel tray, using it to knock hard on Jett's head, who was still dozing off, causing a loud clang.
Jett woke up with a start from his dream, immediately feeling a sharp pain across his forehead which made him clutch his head in pain.
"Ow, crap, who did that!" Jett quickly turned to see who it was, only to find himself staring in shock at someone he didn't expect to see here. He even slapped his own face to check if he was dreaming, but the person in front of him didn't disappear, leaving him almost speechless.
"Ma-Ma-Ma-Master!" Pharan just looked at Jett without saying anything.
"..."
"How did you get here, Master...Shit! Khem!" But seeing his friend lose his composure just because he couldn't see Khem nearby, Pharan used the tray again to snap Jett back to his senses.
"Ouch, why did you hit me, Master?" Jett asked with a pained voice, rubbing the spot where he was hit.
"Your friend is in the bathroom. How many times have I told you not to lose your mind?"
Because of this, spirits like Madam-Ramphueng could easily approach Khem...
Pharan thought to himself without speaking out loud.
When Jett was reminded of his constant flaw since childhood, he could only give a sheepish smile and quickly raised his hands in a respectful gesture above his head.
"Sorry, Master."
Pharan just said that and put the tray back into the box, then stood up to his full height and left the room.
Jett, still scratching his head in confusion, knew he had to follow Master's instructions. He intended to wake Chan, but Chan had already
woken up, sitting up and folding his bedding.
"I was so startled I woke up when I heard the tray, I guess."
Jett, in front of the house, spoke with a red, flushed face.
"Damn, I had been kicking for so long, why hadn't you gotten up yet!"
"Think that just because I'm awake, you'll be safe? Stop complaining and go change your clothes." Chan said calmly before getting up to attend to his own business. Jett gritted his teeth in anger but could do nothing, (again), because Khem had already come out of the bathroom.
"Uh, where did the master go, Jett?" Khem asked while looking around.
Jett then pointed upwards.
"Roof. Just wait a moment to change your clothes."
It didn't take long for Jett, Khem, and Chan to reach the roof. The sight they saw was the master standing in front of the spirit house. Near the ground, there were two pound hammers lying around. All three of them hurried towards the master without delay.
However, the closer they got, the more they were hit by an unpleasant smell, and they saw the condition of the spirit house, which now looked dark and dilapidated despite being set up just a few days ago.
"Damn, this shrine was just set up two days ago, wasn't it, master?" Jett exclaimed in shock, not unlike Chan and Khem. Pharan nodded as if to confirm that he knew. He had seen everything in the vision created by Phu Chong.
If he hadn't come today, the next night would have been when Khem would have fallen backward from here.
"This shrine wasn't used to invite a deity to reside, or if it was, no one came, so it ended up calling for wandering spirits instead."
"..."
All three of them, Jett, Khem, and Chan, swallowed hard. Pharan continued to explain what he had seen in the vision.
"Now it's not a spirit house, but a ghost gate that connects to Madam Ramphueng's dimension. You two help to destroy it."
Jett and Chan knew well who the two people he referred to were, so they stepped forward to pick up the pound hammers that the master had prepared.
With such heavy hammers, if Khem tried to lift one, his bones would likely break.
The wind howled as it passed through, causing Jett and Chan to immediately rush in and start smashing everything in sight. While breaking things, they chanted incantations to increase their strength beyond normal.
Soon enough, the shrine was nothing but ruins.
Then, Pharan took out a bottle of holy water from his bag, stepped forward, and poured it over the debris. Black smoke rose, emitting a nauseating stench that made Jett and Chan turn away.
They still had a lot to learn before they could get used to this.
Once the cleansing was done, Pharan turned to Jett and Chan to give them further instructions.
"From now on, we need to split up. You two go back to Khem's hometown to look for something that's been passed down through generations. I don't know what it is, but I believe it's what's keeping the family's vengeful spirit tied to this world. Once you find it, perform a cleansing ritual, then have it burned by the crematorium." Jett and Chan took a deep breath and nodded in unison.
"And where will you be going, Master?"
"I can't tell you yet. Once you finish your task, come back here and wait."
"..."
"Be very careful." Jett and Chan nodded again. While waiting for the priest to pack up, they discussed the details with Khem about the route to take and who to seek out.
"Jett, Chan, be careful." Khem said with a trembling voice, his eyes brimming with tears. Seeing this, Jett softened, pulling Khem into a hug and rocking him gently. Chan also patted Khem's head soothingly.
"This is nothing; for our bright future, I can do this. Don't worry about everything; it will turn out fine."
Khem nodded, then turned to hug Chan.
"Please look after Jett, Chan."
"Khun Khem, don't worry. Take care of yourself too." Chan replied softly, and Khem nodded in acknowledgment.
"Uh, thank you."
If Khem had one wish left, it would be that they could all meet again.