I shivered at the sight.
Iyan's sky-blue shirt was covered in blood. There was a scratch on his face, his pointy nose was covered with blood as well and blood was dripping from his right hand. His eyes looked vicious, an intense killing aura was surrounding him. And Dairy seemed unconscious, there was blood in various places.
Granny jumped up at the sight and ran to Iyan's side. I turned my head to look at Jebat only to notice that he was already standing beside Iyan. I also stepped forward. Iyan handed Dairy to Jebat.
"He will be alright, right?" Jebat asked worriedly.
On the other hand, granny was panicking. "Iyan, what happened? Who attacked you?"
"It wasn't me who got attacked. They attacked Dairy.
Panjang's attacked him. They complained that he had killed one of them. It seems the one ghoul Dairy killed yesterday was one of them. But if that's the case, then I need to inform the grandmasters of other sects. Cause Panjang were the ones to make a move. One of their ghouls dared to touch the young master." Iyan said. His face was as dark as a cloud. His eyes looked scarier.
After a while, he sighed. He patted his shirt as if he was trying to pat off some grimness.
"We must take Dairy to Yuki san. I gave him a painkiller. But I am not very sure of his condition." He looked quite worried. He was glancing at me all the time. "But I am afraid someone may attack Dean... Dean babu... if I leave him alone." He turned to Jebat and asked, "Can you stay here till night Jebat? If needed, I will talk with your guardian."
I raised my hand, "Iyan, I know you are worried, but I will be alright. I can take care of myself. No need to bother Jebat, he also has work to do."
"Dean... babu, It's okay. Jebat will..." Iyan tried to convince me.
I cut him off, "It's not okay. I am not a kid, I can take care of myself. And it's not like I will be kidnapped from my own house."
"I am afraid, you will be," Iyan said in a cold voice.
"Eh?" I was surprised.
"Master Iyan is right, master. You will be in danger. Many spirits are much stronger than us and they are aiming for you." Jebat said.
"I told you not to call me master." Iyan and I said harmoniously.
Iyan looked surprised for a moment and sighed the next moment. Maybe he was thinking about how I forbade Jebat. 'Whatever,' I thought.
"Granny, are you going too?" I asked.
She nodded, "Yuki is my friend after all. And it will be better if I go." She came forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry, "Dean, be careful when you are alone. Dairy's condition is not so good."
My eyes softened. I remember how Dairy acted last night. And if they were telling truth, then she or he did risk their life for me.
I glanced at her.
A big furry white Persian cat, lying in Jebat's arm with wounds here and there, bleeding. Her eyes were closed and in the corner of her eyes, there were traces of tears.
I turned to others and said, "Please hurry up. I am also afraid that she would be in danger if you don't."
Iyan reacted as soon as I finished talking. He took Dairy from Jebat and ran to the door. Granny took her cell phone and scarf and rushed to the door as well. And before I could say something, Jebat was already gone. I, too, ran after them. Iyan returned Dairy to Jebat and ran to the parking lot. He returned with a jeep and they left within a minute. 'Iyan is driving like a mad dog.' I felt anxious. "Please be alright, Dairy."
I was standing there even after the jeep disappeared ages ago, with a pain in my chest; I felt pain for a cat or a spirit who once smiled at me. The more I thought, the more I felt helpless.
'Ah, Iyan didn't even change his cloth, couldn't wash his face. He didn't even care about it. So, was he.... did he come only to ensure my safety?" My uneasiness increased. For some reason, I didn't like him from the very first. "Why is he trying to act like a hero?"
"Huh?" Jebat was standing beside me. "Are you talking about master Iyan, master?"
"Haven't I told you to not call me master?" I snapped at the word master.
"What should I call you then?" Jebat asked in a lower voice.
"Only 'Dean' will be ok." I walked inside the house.
Nobody returned even the night came. Iyan called Jebat informing him that he might not come but that he will send granny with grandpa. So, we finished our homework. Jebat seemed weak at math, but he was excellent at language. He insisted to make dinner for me, but I didn't let him. Rather I made egg noodles that I learned from my mother.
"Jebat, tell me something," I said while chewing some nut I found in a cabinet. I was sitting at the dining table, swinging my legs. "Dairy seems to be a female cat, but why does everyone address her as a male?"
Jebat was washing dishes. He insisted to do so. He said not looking at me, "Dairy is a male spirit. And the cat is not his real form. But to stay with humans, he turned into a cat. And whenever he transforms into a cat, he always becomes a female cat."
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "So, Dairy is a youkai."
"Ah-hah" Jebat seemed surprised. "It's similar to that. But his name is not Dairy, it's Mizn. It's just that master Iyan calls him that."
"Why are you surprised?"
"Yes. I am surprised that mas... you also watch anime."
I laughed. "Yes, I watch anime; but mostly I read comics."
"Wow, I also do," Jebat exclaimed happily.
We laughed and chattered for a while.
At half-past nine, my grandparents returned. They sent Jebat home. We talked for a while. It seemed Dairy's situation is much worse than we thought. It might take one week for his full recovery. My granny assured us about Yuki san's treatment. I wondered about dr. Yuki's identity. She might be a spirit as well. But to think how spirits are living among us was a bit scary.
After a while, I returned to my room. I wasn't sleepy, not that early. So, I took out a storybook and lay down. There was a window not so far from my bed. It was closed so that bugs couldn't get inside. I pushed aside the curtain. It was a starry night. I opened the book and tried to push away the anxiety. Soon after, I fell asleep.
The bright sun outside reminded me I was getting late for school. I woke up, got dressed, and went downstairs. But I didn't brush my teeth. I was wondering why I didn't. 'Whatever,' I thought. I met my grandpa. He looked surprised. "Dean, why are you all dressed up?"
I looked at him with a dumb expression.
"It's Sunday," grandpa laughed. I felt embarrassed.
" Come to my study after breakfast. I will show you something."
"Okay," I answered obediently. When he left I had breakfast and went to his study. I was still wondering why I hadn't brushed yet.
The study was empty when I got there. I called grandpa but nobody answered. So I started looking around. 'Was there a door in the east when I came here?' Looking at the black door at the east, I wonder. Subconsciously I walked towards it. I opened it and went inside. There were stairs, but as far as I knew, there was no basement floor in this house. I walked down the stairs. When I reached the end, I found myself standing on an altar. In front of me, a beautiful crown engraved with so many stones was floating in the air. I unconsciously touched the crown. As soon as I touched it turned into a book covered with a rare paper. I tried to open it but couldn't. 'I need to open it. I need to open it.'
"Bang"
I abruptly sat up in bed. 'It was a dream, no wonder I didn't brush. But what was the sound?' I looked around. The room was dark. I clearly remember I didn't turn the lamp off. I looked at the bedside table; the lamp was broken into pieces. The window was wide open and in the north corner of my room, there was a group of people wearing white clothing. They were standing surrounded by a cloud of black smoke that was dancing as if it wanted to escape.