Keitaro eyes fluttered open as tears started falling down his cheeks. The familiar quiet of the meditation room felt suffocating, the air thick with the weight of his emotions. A sob escaped his lips. He felt as if he wanted to explode but he control himself he had to control himself.
He just had to.
Panditji watched with a mixture of concern and quiet anticipation. He'd seen the struggle etched on Keitaro face, however he also noticed the sudden shift in his energy.
It looked much clearer than before and less trouble.
He seemed to be one step closer to being able to see his Atman, he was close.
At this stage he be able to feel his Atman, he should know its there knowing that its exist however he wont be able to clearly see it.
He hasnt arrived at that level yet.
That level was close yes but he hadnt arrived at it yet.
Keitaro now seeing that he was back in the real world felt something strange within himself, as he felt his own body he felt something else.
Something he wasn't used to, it was like something was there but he could not see,the same feeling that someone might get while looking for their glass while their glass were never removed from their eyes.
A few days later, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun filtering through the temple windows, Keitaro sat in quiet contemplation. He felt like a different man altogether after the breakthrough though that itching feeling in the back of his mind was still there.
Though from what he got,when the time come he would be ready to relieve that itch but for now he will just have to suffer through it for now.
Though his day did not stay peaceful as suddenly a man rushed inside the temple looking in what seemed to be a rush,he seemed to be extremely scared for his life.
As if he was being haunted by something,though that became clear once Keitaro noticed the curse following the man around.
From the look of it,it looked to be a semi grade 2 curse...
"Panditji! Help me!" the man cried out, his voice shaking. "There's a... a thing following me! It won't leave me alone!"
Keitaro wanted to see Panditji reaction to that and thus he just watched as Panditji raised a calming hand, his demeanor radiating an unshakeable peace. "Shanti, shanti," he murmured, the word "peace" repeated twice in a soothing cadence. "Sit down, my friend. Tell me what troubles you."
The man sank onto a nearby chair, his chest heaving with exertion. "I've been seeing it everywhere," he stammered. "A dark figure, with glowing eyes. It whispers to me at night, disrupts my sleep, fills me with dread."
That curse sounded to be a petty one
Panditji listened patiently, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Hmm," he murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "These sound like the disturbances of a bhूत, a restless spirit."
Keitaro ears perked up. Bhूत? Was that the Hindi word for the unsettling entity, was that their version of curses perhaps?
Panditji continued, his voice firm yet gentle. "Don't worry, my friend. We can help you find peace. But first, we need to perform a shanti puja, a ritual to appease the bhूत and guide it towards liberation."
He turned towards a shelf lined with small statues and brass vessels, his movements purposeful. "The puja will involve offerings – flowers, incense, and perhaps some sweets," he explained, selecting the necessary items. "Mantras will be chanted, prayers offered, to create a peaceful environment and encourage the bhūt to move on."
Keitaro watched intently, from what he could gather,the old sage wasnt exactly trying to exercices the curse like he was used to seing but instead he was planning to find out why the curse decided to attach itself to that man in particular.
This was interesting he wanted to see more.
Panditji returned to the man, his gaze steady and reassuring. "When we begin the puja," he said, "it's important to remain calm. Fear only attracts these entities. Focus on peace, on letting go."
The man nodded, a flicker of hope replacing the terror in his eyes.
'he is trying to appease it with chants barriers and tablisman' Keitaro thought to himself as his own knowledge of barriers and talisman allowed him to figure out what was happening.
As Panditji began the puja, the rhythmic chanting filled the air, carrying with it a sense of serenity.
Suddenly Keitaro felt the scene change a bit....
'huh...a barrier' Keitaro thought to himself as he noticed that the man was now sitting inside of what seemed to be a barrier as Panditji started to do the chants.
As the chant were being chanted,Keitaro could feel the tablisman getting stronguer and stronguer while the curse became weaker somehow.
This continue on for a while before Panditji touched the curse head and Keitaro eyes widen upon feeling Panditji output Rct.
Though something felt different about it,the curse shrunk and shrunk until finally,the curse was no more.
It was gone and in its place what was left was something Keitaro havent see before...
Was this Atman?....
The being that was left thanked Panditji before leaving the area....oh,he had alot to learn.
A/N on a scale of 1 to 10 rate the chapter,i went through some hoops for this one trying to keep thing creative.