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2024-10-29 19:42:56Granny Gui shook her head “I tried to investigate but to no avail." She rubbed her temples "There are days when I saw traces of a spirit but all the searches yielded no answer.”
“Is this the first time you encountered such a spirit?"
Gui nodded frantically as her eyes scanned the space behind me. She was afraid the door would open suddenly.
“This is. Indeed it is."
She swallowed and then stammered, "I had a couple but the last few has been extremely stressful and ..."
"And what?"
"Violent." She said silently as the wrinkles on her lips looked more pronounced
"All unpleasant ones. I am unable to understand the reckless anger. I do not even know where the spirit came from. It is too powerful, I am just..I had to take refuge here.”
I inhaled. “Granny Gui, what did you see? Can you tell me about the form or characteristics?"
“You have not seen it, have you?” She lowered her head “Sometimes you do not need to see fear. You only need to feel it. I took so long to sense it. Useless me.”
“It is not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. You have done a great duty by serving this family.”
“I am sorry. I do not sound rational. It must be the trauma from all the attacks.”
“Could you…”
At this moment, she placed her finger on her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Then she looked to the door.
“Can you hear it?”
I strained my ears.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Gui was irritated “Focus.” I shut my eyes and chanted my mantra.
I was deaf to the sound that Granny Gui was referring to. Usually, if there are supernatural beings, my senses will pick up sounds ranging from their breathing to their movements in the air.
I shut my eyes and breathe. Then I focused again and this time, I felt something.
I turned to Gui and nodded. She flapped her hands in anxiety
“What do we do?”
“Shall we investigate? I asked and held ready my Buki Brush in one hand.
“Be ready.” She warned, “I felt better with you around.”
Gui glided forward and opened the doors cautiously. Then she took the first step. I followed and quickly realized the corridor had now taken on a tone of dark green.
Using my golden brush, I scribbled a talisman on my hands and then executed a flipping action with my right hand, and instantly a roll of talismans, yellow energy, materialized in the air.
I commanded. “兵! Soldier!"
Instantly the roll of talismans obeyed my command, and in quick succession, they built a shield of yellow illumination around us.
The act caught Gui’s attention. Agape, she commented.
“I had not seen this before. You must be a powerful spirit master.”
“Powerful? You can repeat that after we get pass this one.”
I added as we paced down the corridor to the second-level living room.
It pains me to see Gui hobbled on and her difficult pace spoke of the pain she suffered. In the living room, I was dismayed to see the white orchids had turned into morbid grey.
“The Orchids.” I whispered. “It has changed colours.”
Gui nodded “From bright white to dull grey. The colours reflect the aura in this space whenever the spirit lurks, Master Adam.”
“Where you attacked here?"
“Yes, Master Adam. It happened when I was investigating the presence of the spirit.” Once we reached the living room “ This is where I was attacked last night.” She pointed to the space just next to the coffee table by the sofa.
“Are you able to control it?”
"I wished..." At this moment, I noticed Gui’s eyes widened. There was movement behind me and it came with a hissing sound.
I turned to see a dark tornado coming at me. Before I could form a protective shield, it knocked me off the ground, and within a second, sent me tumbling down the stairs. With every step I rolled, my emotions oscillated between anger and shock at the strength of the dark powers.
This is no ordinary spirit!
Straddled on the first floor, I quickly got up and tried to apply my powers. However, I was quickly pinned down again. I called out to my talisman powers.
"兵，急急如律令. Soliders to my command!"
They regrouped and formed the shield which I used to repel the dark force.
At this moment, it seems Gui was unceremoniously flung over the railing. She landed ugily like a sack of sand. I checked on her and found her eyes blue and cheeks grey. That is a sign of depletion in a celestial being.
“婆婆, Granny Gui,” I called out but she failed to respond.
Her spiritual powers have been broken as I felt her energy dissipating fast.
I placed my sword finger over her forehead and chanted the Kstigarbha Mantra.
Om Ah Kshitigarbha Thaleng Hum
Eventually she stirred.
"Thank you, Master Adam. However, I will not last long. I have to count on you now. This has been a good household but..."
"But what?"
She shivered and then shut her eyes for eternity. Gradually, her physical form dissipated and fizzled into the environment.
I bowed and chanted the mantra again for seven times, praying for her smooth rebirth.
I stood up and look around me. I am now alone, against an unknown foe.
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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
