Compared to the living room, the basement was dim. Only one hanging lightbulb was a light for the whole floor. In one corner was a bed where an injured woman laid. The silence in the basement amplified her shallow, struggling breaths. Opposite the bed was the beast that attacked Emy and Rue. Its head drooped down, seemingly unconscious, and golden strands, that are thicker than the barrier used outside, surrounded its body, head, and mouth. Emy realized what would happen if the beast tried to fight back. She could already presume that the beast struggled a while ago because she can smell the burnt redolence permeating the atmosphere.
"Goodness, it's barely alive!" Murial exclaimed
"So is its summoner" Ziron added, "Wake it up"
Dmitry nodded in response. He walked towards the beast and slightly leaned forward and said "Wake up". As soon as he commanded, the strands that surrounded its body glowed fiery and the beast screeched.
Ziron calmly sat on a wooden stool that Dmitry placed directly in front of the beast. He dragged his eyes on the beasts, from its feet to its head. 'Kaleshing'. It has been about ten years since he had seen one. Ever since that one fateful night, the summoning of Kaleshing had been forbidden. The spirit of the dead should never be used like a Kowadja. For these spirits, still have their own will. They could be either obey the summoner or ran rampant and overpower a weak summoner, killing him and opt to stay in this world and commit evil.
The beast seemed out of breath but still had the strength to give Ziron a menacing look. It opened its mouth, "Do you know what you are doing, Ziron, son Kandas, son of Taray?"
"I do. You would not have suffered, if you have not allowed for that woman to use you. For now, this mortal shell of yours is surviving because we kept that woman breathing. It will not be long, before the woman will meet her demise."
The beast began to laugh aloud. Ziron, Muriel and Dmitry were unperturbed while Emy who was in between Dmitry and Muriel was confused and anxious.
"Then will you send me back to my world without having your questions answered? Is it not the reason that you brought Sagubo's descendant with you?"
Ziron furrowed his brows. So did Muriel.
The beast grinned and said, "We know of you, your kin and your ancestors. We know the amount of blood spilled in the ground sipping into our realm over centuries of hatred, deceit, and betrayal. The realms are watching over foolish mortal men. The sky watch to guard but us, under watch to entertain ourselves."
The four people listened. Though they belonged to a minor population where outsiders consider to practice 'mysticism', 'magic', 'witchcraft', hearing the beast tell about its mysterious origin and the unknown realms, the four could not help but feel bewildered.
A moan from the woman echoed in the room. Dmitry walked towards the bed and put his fingers into the woman's neck, feeling a pulse.
"We better hurry up; this one doesn't have that much time." Dmitry casually commented.
Emy felt a shiver down to her spine. A while ago when Dmitry took her arm and put her behind him, though it was a rash action, his hands were gentle in handling her. She pondered how can that same man with that gentleness able to talk about an impending death nonchalantly.
"Alright then," Muriel positioned himself beside Ziron, "it knows already what I am here for. We can't release it from its bond since we don't know its name. There is no other way."
Ziron stood up and let Muriel take charge this time.
Muriel took his stance and raised his right hand, palm facing down. "Hinalung"
As he said the word, his black pupils turned into a shade of blue while in his palms a glowing blue light that was at first circle in shape compressed and turned into an eight-inch double edged dagger. The dagger seemed old in Emy's opinion, but she knew that its sharp. The handle of the weapon was covered with rattan, from it, the blue light extended until it reached the ground. Chains now appearing from the dagger's handle.
Muriel took two wide steps and without any hesitations he pierced the chest of the beast. This time the beast did not scream as if it prepared itself with the pain. The golden strands surrounding its body vanished and the chains crawled on him instead.
"Hinalung has set you free from your bond. Tell us what you know and go back to your realm"
The beast grinned, wider than before.
"Foolish old men," it spoke with his gaze directing at Ziron, "It was not the Pakjawan. It was the Pas-ang!" The beast's laughed, "The children of Pas-ang is not weak and stupid as you believed so. Haha…I will return now to my realm and watch how this game of yours unfolds…"
His laugh faded away and the body crumbled into corpses of locusts.
"This one is gone too." Dmitry broke the silence. Emy, Ziron and Muriel turned their attention at the woman in the bed. 'She's dead'.