Sancho's blindfold has been removed, and the first thing that Sancho sees is people with various injuries looking at him like he were some sort of spectacle. Most are pale and look like they have been dead for years now, while some do look like they just died a few hours ago, but the visible injuries that are a bit too brutal to look at made Sancho scream in terror.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
He was in total panic that, in his attempt to escape, he forgot that he was still sitting on a chair, and as a result, he fell over and had his head bump the floor. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard that he would get knocked out as a result, but hitting his head still hurt; however, upon reopening his eyes after suffering the blunt force of his fall, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes are none other than the face of the ghost that was watching him earlier.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
It was like the pain in his head disappeared completely; he managed to stand up immediately from his fall and put his back against the wall while huffing and puffing, watching over the ghosts laughing at him.
"Juan, your grandson is a bit funny. That's some hilarious look on his face there," one of the ghosts said as he laughed while the eyeball dangling on his eye socket wobbles every laugh he does.
"Shhh, stop that Randolph, you are scaring him. Don't compare him to me. He just awakened his third eye. If any of you souls here scare him further, I will make sure that you will pass on before you can even complete what you lot are trying to do here," Lolo Juan threatens them.
"Hey, I am just joking. Don't take it too seriously. But hey, at least it seems that his third eye is working properly," the soul that Lolo Juan called Randolph glanced at the shivering Sancho.
"Lolo...don't tell me...those are g-g-ghosts?"
"Yes. But don't worry. They might be ghosts of dead people, but they are not dangerous, nor are they going to make you regret opening your third eye. However, now that we have your third eye open, we need to ensure you have good control over it so that you won't be seeing the ghosts every time and only see them if you need to be."
"T-that's possible?" Sancho is still scared of the ghosts while listening to his Lolo Juan.
"Yes. It is also a way to avoid evil spirits that aim to harm you. Once you inherit my job and legacy, there will be chance you will be facing against those beings. An uncontrollable third eye might as well be akin to an open door inviting for trouble."
"Perhaps he should at least train his nerves to endure and get used to our presence? After all, even if he can control his third eye, if he is not willing to look at ghosts, there is no way he will be lifting it again the moment he can temporarily disable his ability to see ghosts like us."
Lolo Juan nodded. "True. Sancho needed to keep his wits up if he was going to keep facing ghosts in the future. Have a good time getting used to the presence of these ghosts. They might be morbid, disgusting, and scary to look at due to their wounds and injuries they suffered. They died, but other than that, they are still former people, so don't be afraid to talk to them and socialize with them. That way, you will not be afraid of ghosts in the future."
Sancho wanted to protest but before he can even do so, the ghosts have gathered around him.
"Looking forward to your work, boy!"
Sancho's eyes dimmed and he soon collapsed in fear and fell unconscious. Randolph looked at Lolo Juan and shook his head. "Looks like it will take time to make him get used to our presence."
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...
True to Lolo Juan's words, Sancho did not get to control his third eye until he managed to get used to the ghosts around the mansion. A few days have passed since he opened his third eye, and although he is still not accustomed to the presence of ghosts around the mansion, he has somehow grown accustomed to their presence and is no longer as afraid of them as he was at first. Sure, he gets surprised from time to time due to some mischievous ghosts that like to scare the heck out of him, but he is getting used to them.
What is more interesting to Sancho is that he was wondering at first who was working over at the hacienda, considering it is a big place to work on, and he does not believe that all of the work is being handled by his Lolo. Sure, he is quite energetic despite his age, but there is no way he will not be tired. Even young people will get tired quickly. But now that his third eye is open, he understands who the workers are. It was none other than the ghosts living in the hacienda. No wonder things seem to be a bit too clean for a single person to live in. Countless of ghosts are currently working around maintaining the place.
Arcana still has no idea about it, but Sancho did not tell her that ghosts are the caretakers of the place. He will probably reveal it to her once she agrees to have her third eye open.
So far, having a third eye open is very different. Aside from having his third eye open, his senses have also heightened enough that he can pick up noises made by other entities that should belong in the other dimension. The ghosts can be scary at first, especially their appearances. Some have a regular look on their faces, especially those who have died in natural causes or those who died young due to some sickness. They look like regular living people, but they are ethereal, and they are a lot more pale than the living people, easily differentiating them from alive and the dead. But there are also some people who died in accidents and murder, and as a result, wounds of grotesque differences can also be seen in their appearance.
One would need to get used to their appearance if they are broken. Randolph, the first ghost that talked to Sancho upon his awakening of the third eye, is someone who has suffered from an accident on the road and his face which resulted his deformed face. Despite his appearance, the ghost is a jolly fellow and easily befriended Sancho.
It wasn't much of a training, but it didn't take too long for Sancho to get used to the third eye's abilities and the presence of the ghosts. Sure, it was overwhelming at first, but Sancho slowly but surely got used to it, and that is the first step for the next step to happen.
"It seems you got used to the ghosts very quickly, Sancho. Much faster than I would have expected," Lolo Juan said as he was preparing for the second part of the ritual that was needed for Sancho to control his third eye.
"It wasn't all too bad to be honest. They are scary at first, but in reality, especially if one talks to them, they are still regular people who have personalities. They just died and are not part of the world of the living, but that doesn't take away that they were once human."
"Correct. Most ghosts are normal ghosts that don't harm people and are just wandering all over the place, either waiting for them to pass on, or they couldn't do so as they still have some unfinished business they wanted to be fulfilled. But that doesn't mean all ghosts are nice and friendly. These ghosts living in the mansion are like this because they were good people back then, and they have not accumulated vengeful feelings. A vengeful ghost, though, is a different story," Lolo Juan said.
"Your Lolo is correct, Sancho. Compared to us, vengeful ghosts are just more dangerous and can even cast curses and kill people if they want to. They are also quite hard to appease and convert into regular ghosts, making them something that is usually what people have experienced with possession and attacks of ghosts. That's where the albularyos comes in," Randolph added.
"Does that mean Albularyos fight to defeat them?" Sancho asked.
"Mostly, yes. There are some rare cases where a vengeful ghost can be converted to a regular ghost once the source of their vengeful energy has been removed or their grudge has been resolved. But those are rare cases as some would never be able to go on peace. When it comes to that, the albularyos would be forced to either banish and destroy them forever or force them to pass on. The latter is easier, but the former is more brutal, and one can even suffer injuries and the risk of getting possessed by the ghosts themselves if one is weaker than they. Alright, Sancho. Time to get your Third eye under your full control. Close your eyes and get rid of your thoughts. I will forcefully awaken your senses and guide you on controlling them."
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Arcana is currently listening to music in her room. She knows that her younger brother is currently undergoing another ritual related to his third eye and since she is still afraid about it, she decided to just lounge around her room for a bit.
As she was lying on her bed, a long black hair suddenly came out from the ceiling and suddenly draped her face with it. She tried to scream but for some reason, the black hair seems to have blocked her mouth. She tried to move it out of the way but she is running out of air and before she can even remove the black hair, her consciousness gives up.
Realizing that the person it was currently attacking went unconscious, the black hair retracted and a person appeared on her room.
"A regular person. Looks like the news are true and Juan is doing something to secure the lineage of albularyos and keep them alive and well."
A spirit of a woman with very long hair, the same hair that choked Arcana earlier appeared beside the man who is currently standing in front of Arcana's bed.
"Good work. Although it would have been a good idea to get rid of her, the boss specifically mentioned that we only deal with Juan right now, so we leave her here. But mark her first. We don't want Juan to make more quack doctors than necessary."
The woman with a long hair nodded and touched Arcana's leg, leaving behind a black mark.
"Good. Now, we should deal with Juan while he is unaware of it."
The man smiled wickedly before disappearing like smoke. The woman also disappeared completely, leaving Arcana unconscious.
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Quack Doctor Trivia No.2
Third Eye:
Although this belief is different in various aspects of religion and culture, in the Philippines, the third eye is considered as a mind eye that allowed people to see what cannot be seen by the regular eyes. Most Albularyos are said to have this ability though not all of them. Even regular civilians are said to have the said eye to be open since birth, allowing them to see ghosts and paranormal activities that normal people couldn't see. Although harmless, some people who have awakened it would rather have it closed than remain it open as it usually affects their regular lives.