The next morning, Xal arrived at the location at 6:50 AM.
Kian arrived at 8:30 AM in the same dark red Suzuki Swift.
The reason for being late?
He'd slept in.
Xal wasn't about to lose his temper on day one. He was better than that.
What's with him and the color red? Xal huffed, annoyed. He walked, one hand in his pocket, and crossed the road to get to him.
"Sup. Morning." Xal greeted.
Kian greeted him back.
"So, I got a request about a ghost haunting this house. They think it's their mother's ghost. They've seen things move, fall, and sudden cold spots, you know, the typical signs."
No, actually, I don't. In case your dumb brain forgot, you dumped this whole ass dimension on me TWO DAYS AGO! But Xal did not tell that out loud and kept on listening. At least some of the movies were coming in handy.
"It's probably a spirit with a strong attachment to the place or a person, which could be the mother or someone else."
Xal nodded, mentally taking notes.
"I have my stuff ready. Once we get there, help me set things up. If the spirit is weak, I might have to connect with the spirit to speak because weaker voices cannot travel between dimensions. When I connect, I enter a catatonic state; essentially, my mind becomes completely linked with theirs, allowing me to communicate. When that happens, my body is vulnerable. Keep me safe." He commanded.
"Got it." Xal acknowledged, still not understanding where the risk Kian was hell bent on about actually came in.
"When I'm done talking, I'll be back and explain to the family what needs to be done to make the 'ghost' go away. Meaning, I'll understand what's keeping the spirit attached and convey that to the family members. If needed, I'll help fulfill that task. Got it?"
"Got it," Xal responded, feeling like a 5-year-old in a classroom.
Kian opened the back door, handed him two boxes to carry, and locked the car. Grunting, he hoisted them up and glanced at Kian walking towards the house empty-handed, signaling him to follow.
"Oh, what a fucking, spoiled brat!" Xal cursed under his breath and followed. The house looked normal. Two-storied, with a small patio, clean white walls, and all. Nothing eerie. Nothing scary.
There was an older male and a younger female at the front door, probably the father and daughter. He saw the well-dressed attire and calm manner of both, which made him question whether they were afraid of spirits or not.
"So, where is the area you felt its presence the most?" Kian asked.
Wow…he didn't even greet them. Xal frowned, trying his best to keep a neutral face. Not that he was an expert in ghost services, but at least a "Morning" wouldn't have hurt.
The father gestured upstairs and took them up. Again, Xal had to carry the two heavy boxes alone.
Don't start complaining already, Xal. You decided you could handle this. YOU signed up for this. And YOU don't have any other way to find your sister's murderer. He convinced himself, realizing that putting up with this brat was going to take a lot of energy. He just hoped he'd be able to get some clues soon connecting to Khem. Alongside that, he needed to impress the brat to secure the job first.
The staircase creaked under the weight. Even the ceiling was made with wood. They stepped inside the room, bathed in a sickly green color, a drastic change compared to the clean walls of the rest of the house, furniture neatly arranged, and then he noticed the goosebumps setting in. It wasn't cold, more of a damp feeling without any wetness at all.
Xal watched many videos, read articles, and still, he has found it hard to believe that something existed after death. Now he was experiencing it firsthand. He huffed and placed the two boxes down. Kian started unpacking, ordering the others to step out.
There were a lot of papers with some traditional writings, general talismans, amulets, and stuff Xal had already seen in the books he'd read. Kian took a thick chalk and started drawing a big circle with symbols connected to it.
All of a sudden, a gust of wind slammed into his back.