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2024-10-29 19:42:56"I will need a pail of water," I said.
"Warm water?" Hock asked
"No. Make it hot. I would like a pail of hot water." I said
Everyone was bewildered
"Hot? Do you mean it has to be boiling? You want to cook ah?" Ah Hock exclaimed.
Ah Mui smiled and shook her head. "He needs hot water, please. It has to be a high temperature to allow him to perform his ritual."
"Wah, I have never heard about this. Hot water." He repeated.
"Make it 80% hot, and 20% tap water." I repeated my request.
Despite his disbelief, he moved along. A few minutes later, he returned, treading with caution. In his hands was a basin of hot water spewing spirals of steam. With the attentiveness of a cook, he placed the basin in front of the chair and added a few towels around it.
"You sure?"
"Yes I am sure."
I took off my socks and sat down. Then I dipped on foot into the basin.
"Yes, just right."
Then I placed both feet in much to the consternation of a stunned Ah Hock.
"You feel ok?"
I nodded.
"I had never heard about using hot water." He remarked "By the way do you use your blood or some chicken blood? During my time as a boy, I had seen some exorcism sessions and they used black chicken blood. A black chicken or black dog perhaps?
I chuckled and shook my head.
"In my sect, our rituals do not require the slaughter of a living being or sacrifice of animals. No blood. We are simple and clean. The water is fine. Water is the best element amongst the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water for the movement between various realms."
"Oh really. This is something new." Hock expressed his surprise. "That simple?"
"Simplicity is beauty."
"This helps you with…?" Hock pointed at the basin.
"It is unique only to me. Water is the medium for me to move between worlds."
"Move between what?" Hock strained his ears
"For my work later." I tactfully rephrased. "Move from this world to another that you cannot see."
Ah Hock then looked at the basin of water.
"Wow. You are cooked." He blurted.
"Ah Mui, the salt please." I instructed.
Ah Mui nodded and then quickly removed a sachet from her bag. She opened the pack and then sprinkled it into the water.
I stirred the water with one foot and then soon felt a sense of numbness. I nodded to Ah Mui and Visnu.
"Thank you." I said, appreciating his attentiveness.
Before I continued, I thought I owed the team an explanation. I turned to Visnu, May, and Ah Mui
"I am planning to conduct my own forensic. It should take an hour. I will be in a meditative mode, a very deep state of meditation. It will be just like a slumber During this period, do take note of any sound or movement in this house. Do not react and do not panic. The things that happened in this dimension mirrors the events in the world that I am about to enter."
"1 hour huh. You will be fine." Visnu asked
I smiled " That is the maximum period I can endure. As the time nears, there will be a cue for me to return."
I looked at Ah Mui who held a tiny bell in her hands.
"What if the worst happens and you cannot return?" Visnu asked.
I turned to Ah Mui "She will know what to do. She can bring me back".
Ah Mui smiled with pride, being the only person who know the standard procedures in case of an emergency during the transition.
"See you all in an hour."
As the fragrance of incense pervades the room, spreading a sense of lightness, I sat nicely on the chair and held my meditative beads with my left hand, while raising my right hand in the form of a prayer's palm.
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Every transition is an intensive ritual that demands deep focus and complete control over our senses. Only well-trained Onmyojis can successfully conduct a transition in their investigation of supernatural crimes. It has taken many years of training for some and for me, it was, strangely, an easy craft to master. My teacher, Master Sato, observed this may be a result of my mother's background. She was also trained as an Onmyoji. Gradually, I planted my feet in the basin. The warmth travelled through the pores on my skin and breathed life into every cell of my body. I began meditating, chanting the Ksitigarbha Mantra, Om Hahaha Vismaye Svaha, which I regarded as the golden standard of mantras. It was something that soothed my heart, and drives away the cloud of dust in our minds and dispelled anxiety, anger and all dark vibes. As I meditated and focused my energy, trying to find the point of light in my consciousness, The process is pretty much like gliding in the air. The distur
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I took a deep inhale before moving on. Slowly, but steadily, I ascended the stairs and soon found myself in the living space. The yellow Orchids were still there but this time it has faded to a lower tone of white. There seemed to be an assortment of sounds coming from the rooms down the corridor. I tightened my grip on my brush and paced down the corridor like a panther. I pushed open the first door, it had a bed and dressing table. The walls had a coat of pink with a nice desk. There was a working desk placed adjacent to the the window, and I saw some photo frames. I stepped closer and found them to be pictures of Mavis with her parents. There was also a picture of her in her graduation gown. This must be Mavis’s room. Suddenly a thump from my back snatched my attention. I swung around and heard something from the other room. The corridor had taken on a pale light. Something is not right.“Who is it?” I demanded but was only greeted by an eerie silence. I tightened my grip on
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I felt the force descending and quickly brought up hands to execute the Kuji-in or Nine Hands Seal which served as our spiritual weapon against dark and unseen spirits. “ 临兵斗者皆阵列前行“Instantly a shield of illumination formed in front of me. With a swerve, I leaped forward and gave the force an outward thrust. The marauding force was now a dark mass that knocked on my shield like a reckless bull. With each pound, I felt pressure on my hands. I am dealing with a reckless force. In the midst, I dropped my Buki Brush. As I had to maintain the shield, I was physically unable to reach for my principal weapon.I clasped my hands together, my right fingers over the left, and combined my pointer fingers to form a sword-like pose, then commanded. “Forces of the four directions, at my command! 四方奇兵，为我所用“It was a war command to focus my energy but the knocks on my shield continued before I brought on the full strength of my powers. Each knock on my shield came with a deep groan that grew in
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My eyebrows raised in sharp inquisition."No wonder you are in Singapore."Kelly flashed an evil smile. I understood her too well.“I needed your tool.”“Which one?”She bent over and helped me to my feet."Which one?" I repeated“I had an assignment in Singapore. There is spirit on the loose and had created some havoc.”“Let’s talk later then," I said.“ Thank you." "I hadn't agreed." I said, "I have this assignment.""What’s this transition about?” “I suspect there is a source of grievance. I think my hunch is right.""That will mean..." Kelly was cut off in mid-sentence.“Look, people! I am sorry to disrupt your disciple lovey-dovey catch-up chat, but can I know what happened?” It was May and her face was strained. Whenever she is stressed, I am irritated.“I am sorry…” I said, "Our conversation is part of my investigation."“Then please share with us.” She demanded.Ah Mui had brought over a huge cup of warm water. I had been drained and felt dehydrated, so I grabbed the drink.
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I turned around and found myself looking at the voice's owner, walking down the corridor towards us with a confident sashay. She is tall and walked with confidence. Her long and wavy hair projected an air of easy confidence. Closer up, she had a beautiful oval face with an impeccable complexion that seemed to have just received some sunshine. I am luckily half a head taller, still.Despite the displeasure on her face, she was pleasing to the eye. One is compelled to be civil in front of the lady. “May I know what is going on?” she demanded as she stood looking at us all.“Hi Mavis.” Uncle Hock called out dropped his mop and walked over "Good to see you back home."“Uncle Hock, what is happening here? It is such a mess. Who are these people?”She gesticulated and looked around “Where is Daddy?”“Your daddy has gone to the condominium at Sentosa. He is not feeling well.”“Still upset about Claudia’s passing?” Mavis saidThen she turned in my direction and looked at us. “Who are these
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Chapter 8After seeing off Ah Mui, I finally reached home at almost 2am.Kelly had followed me and she made a loud whistle upon entering my condominium“Nice place. Keeping is minimalist yet I like the pictures on the walls.”“Don’t touch anything.” I reminded her.“Your decoration reminded me of our home in Kyoto. That ambience.”“Look at all the pictures you took with Master Sato.” She danced over to the walls behind the TV and studied the portraits we took during the last gathering in Japan.“You mentioned you wanted to borrow something from me?”Kelly flashed a sly smile. “You have the Gōruden with you?”The Goruden is a much-coveted tool for an exorcist, any exorcist. It was rumoured to have been created during the Hideyoshi Shogunate and passed down through the ages from one Master Onmyōji to another and proven to be instrumental in keeping many forces of darkness at bay. In my sect, Ten-men sō - Heaven Gate Sect, the Goruden is handed only to the best deshi- disciple“We need
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I walked over to my desk as Kelly nodded eagerly with her eyes following me. I stopped at the altar and knocked three times on the urn. Instantly a chirp was heard and a flame lit up that eventually grew into a tiny figure with a rim of orange over its body. Standing at no more than five inches. It has a boyish face and fiery-red cheeks, with eyes so huge it filled half of the face.It unleashed a soft croon and leapt onto my hands as Kelly unleashed a cry of relish “Hi, Mon,” I said.“Mon?”“Mon as in Monday. It was created on Monday as I meditated.”“He looks just as nerdy as you.”I frowned, as did my Shugo-sha. It flipped its tail from side to side. “Sorry but it is adorable, and it looked robust for its size.”Kelly opened up her left palm in an inviting gesture. Mon took a look at me before flying over. “It has wings,” Kelly exclaimed as Mon fluttered over her palm. “What about your Shugo-sha? I asked “I heard you raised one last year.”Kelly flashed a smug smile and winke
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ay confronted me and I saw her aura was an intimidating ring of red. “What was that for, Adam? Why did you do that?”"Calm down. Don't snap." I defended myself. “ I am just trying to find the truth. I am not hurting her.”“You should at least tell me before you do it?”“Would you believe me?”May shook her head “I tried and I know you have super powers and can see these things and communicate but can you not interfere with my work? She was about to tell me.”“The truth is your methods don’t always work. She did hear something but somehow did not pick it up. She saw something.”May bit her lips “Fine! You had your chance but this is the last time. I will have to report the matter to Visnu about this.”"So be it. For now, let us give Aminah medical assistance,” I said. Ah Mui had brought over medicated oil and applied it on her temples. “So what did she see? Why is she like that?” May asked. “ I think she had seen the spirit. “What is that?”“During the transition, we arrived back
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After a long and awkward silence, Aminah spoke with a firm tone“I am a mother. I have two children – six and four. I cannot be with them because I come Singapore. I need to make money for my family. However, I make sure they have toys. They have no childhood but I must give them enough money. I saw things Mum Claudia threw. They belonged to Marcus, Mavis, and Jonathan. All memories. You cannot throw.”Aminah's lament brought a sense of melancholy and I realized May's stern look had softened. Her eyebrows drooped. She is human, after all.“I can fully understand. Then what happened?” I said.“Mum Claudia was angry. She put things in the box and threw them by the roadside.”“She was mad at you?” I repeated. “Mum Claudia was so angry and her voice loud. I feel my ears burning… " Aminah grimaced and slapped her forehead. "She blamed me for mistakes I did not make.” Aminah shook her head as her eyes burned with angst. “I did not make mistakes.” Her face crumpled in stress as tears roll
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May looked haggard, probably from the rigours of the new investigation. The dark eye rings spoke of a sleepless night. However she still looked menacing with her slender build and trained arms. “May Li?”“I can see you have just finished one of your….work”“Thank you for your kind words.”“Really?”“You used to say ‘strange rites’ or ‘odd rituals’”“People change.”“People change.” I repeated, “Why are you here?”“Adam I need you to stop whatever “ “Siti Aminah I need to question you.” It is important.”I looked at Aminah whose face was now white as a sheet of paper“What happened?”“We would like to seek some clarification.”“Did you get your investigation wrong?” Mavis asked“Madam, our investigation showed that Aminah and Claudia Goh had a long telephone conversation on the day before she died.”Aminah shook her head continuously“No, no. I did not kill Mum Claudia. No, I did not.”“I did not say you kill her. Can you calm down?”At her cue, the two officers tried to restrain h
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I woke and felt like I was starved of oxygen. “Ah Mui! Mavis!”I cried out loud but nobody responded. I was all alone on the lawn. Alone.The lawn. Why am I here? In my ears, I was accompanied by the chorus of crickets sounds and birds’ chirps. I looked up and found the skies were blue with roses of clouds. A pleasant day and a hot breeze over the lawnThen I remembered Mavis. She was with me at the transition. Could she still be in the mansion? I looked in the direction of the house and was surprised.The mansion that stood in front of me was vastly different from the one I knew. I have seen it before. I slammed my fist in my other palm. I remembered. It was in the pictures Ah Mui had shown meAs I walked towards the mansion, I realized I was looking at an incredible thing. The mansion was from another era. The paint is different a faded yellow instead of a fresh white. The red bricks portion of the walls were old while the ones in 2024 were freshly built. The windows were of
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I knew something was amiss from Mavis's expression. I formed the sword fingers, inhaled, and turned slowly, ready to fight. I quickly scribbled a protective charm with my Buki brush and pulled the protective shield over us.I soon found myself staring into a dark abyss, a mass of dark energy throbbing and palpitating with each movement sending a ripple of dark energy. We meet again.“兵“ I shouted and executed a swiping move with my right palm to reinforce the shield of energy. Contrary to my expectations, the dark mass did not attack and instead hovered in front of us"What is it?""This is what I wanted to find out."“Is this the same spirit you encountered, Adam?”I nodded. “Do not be afraid. Control your breathing.""I wish I can..." Mavis said and I felt her quivering voice“Raise your scarf,” I said and Mavis obliged by holding up her right hand. Slowly I kept my brush. I joined my hands and bowed“With all respect, I am Adam Wong-Takahashi and I am a sprit master. I want to h
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We took our seats, side by side, each other.As the trail of agarwood incense drifted into the air, I began my chanting.“Focus,” I whispered.Slowly I felt the water in my feet drift. I caught sight of Mavis opening her eyes. It is her first time and naturally, she is nervous. “Close your eyes. Drop the curtains on your soul. Stay focused but relax. My chanting is the wind to drive a sail. Focus on your mother and the times you spent with her.”“Drop your curtains on the soul.” Mavis smiled, eyes closed. I looked at her intently. She is even more beautiful with her eyes closed. I snapped back to reality“Let’s get started,” I pronounced. I began to focus my mind. Moments lapsed, and soon, it looked like it was not going to happen. I realized that as I gravitated toward the vortex, Mavis remained elusive. I sensed fear in her, and she withheld her consciousness. I could not feel her. I slowed down my chanting and stepped back into our reality. I opened my eyes to check and foun
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After the permission was obtained, I was back at the Chua Mansion. This time with Ah Mui. The skies were a lot brighter than the the usual nights thanks to a full moon. It gave me a feeling of crystal clarity and provided a soothing sensation to my tight chest. The moon also has a nurturing effect on the minds of Onmyojis. With my bag slug over chest, I led Ah Mui down the walkway, past the lawn towards the tentage where the funeral is held. There is a small crowd and a prayer session was going on as we arrived. The casket has arrived after the mortuary gave the clearance. I peeked and found the Chua family seated at the front row- there was John Chua, Marcus, his wife. Their faces were stern and unsmiling. However, Mavis was not in sight. Suddenly, I felt a touch of chill on my shoulder. I swung around to find frail figure standing behind me – Aminah“Hi Aminah? Nice to see you. You can call me Adam.”“Hi sir, hi sir. Madam Mavis. She in living room.”Saying she led the way and
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I rushed home after the meeting with Ah Mui to make preparations for the night’s outing.The first thing I did was to head over to the altar and light the incense. I clasped my hands and prayed. Gently I hit the bronze bowl on the altar. The tingle of metallic harmony rippled through the room. Before I chanted the mantra, I searched for my guardian spirit. “Mon?” I called. Within seconds, there was a spark in the air in front of me and Mon materialized like it hatched from air. It released a low croon, the usual greeting when it sees me. Fluttering the wings like a bee, Mon landed on my palm. “Hi, buddy. I need you to be with me tonight. We may be handling a foe. I will need you to cover my back, alright?”Mon flashed a grin and nodded. I checked its features - the horn is bulging out its forehead and its tail has gone longer. It leaped into the air and circled over my head like a gleeful bird. “That’s the spirit.”I commended.“Now can you settle down? Meditate and feed on the s
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The episode at the mortuary sapped some of my energy and left me flat. On my way back to the office, I was sipping continuously from the water bottle. Despite emptying a one-litre bottle of water, I felt dehydrated. However, the sight of Claudia's distressed spirit dwelt in my mind. It is hard to erase it but it did not affect my moods. I was determined I would find justice for her - find the killer and bring him or her to justice.Back in the office, my mind shifted to my hunger pangs. Earlier, I had asked Ah Mui to order a hearty meal and she did not let me down. When I arrived at the office pantry, I found a table of food and she was laying out the paper plates.One of the key conditions for a successful exorcist assignment is to be fully fed. A full stomach gives us energy and stamina to create the talisman and spells to quell the malevolent spirits.Over a meal of bak-kut-teh(pork ribs soup), fried carrot cakes, and my favourite Wan Ton noodles, we chatted“I got your favourite
