Episode 12

"What do you mean, which Anya?" Refan retorted with a question yet hesitated as he noticed a change in his expression. I was certain that Refan understood and knew exactly which Anya was being referred to.

"Anya, your ex-girlfriend."

"What are you trying to tell me, Anya has passed away. Don't start trouble with me, Yura."

"I'm serious, Refan."

"Let's talk outside," Refan proposed.

I trailed behind Refan, leaving the classroom. Nana and Mail gave me puzzled glances. We were just in the corridor when Refan halted suddenly, and we faced each other.

"Spit it out!"

"What I'm conveying is straight from Anya. She said she forgives you."

Refan chuckled sarcastically, "Forgives me for what, exactly? And what does that have to do with you?"

"It's not about me, Refan. I'm merely delivering a message. Please, hear me out till I finish."

Refan crossed his arms and looked down at me with an arrogant gaze; I was sure he was nervous at this moment.

"Anya has forgiven you because she really loved you, Refan. Even though you refused to accept responsibility for Anya's pregnancy," I whispered softly.

"Hey...."

"Shhh." I interrupted Refan again. "She doesn't blame you for her death. It was an accident, and she only wishes for you to change, to stop playing around with women's feelings...ahhh let go," I screamed as Refan gripped my face.

"What do you mean? Anya is dead; she can't possibly be saying that."

"I-I'm serious, that's the message from her. She wants to rest in peace and move on without any burdens. She only wishes for Refan to become aware."

Thud.

"Ahh," I cried out, released from Refan's grasp, and he had already stumbled backward.

"Are you alright?" asked Kaivan.

I shook my head.

Thud.

Refan returned a punch to Kaivan, making him stagger, and I screamed again. The atmosphere turned tumultuous as several students exited the classroom to break up Kaivan and Refan.

"Yura, are you okay?" Nana asked as she helped me to stand.

"Don't get involved with him, Ra," Mail said.

Kaivan appeared to argue with Refan, and not too far from them, I saw that figure. Anya's figure, which didn't look as frightening as when she first appeared.

Anya smiled at me.

"Sorry," I murmured. The message meant for Refan was not well-received, far from changing as Anya's message had intended. Slowly, the figure vanished.

I realized that Anya was just like nurse Marni; they had entrusted me with a message and disappeared once it had been delivered.

"Come with me," Kaivan invited.

"But we have class," I responded.

Kaivan went into the classroom and emerged shortly with my bag. "We ask to leave, for whatever reason," Kaivan told Nana. Then he pulled on my hand to urge me to leave the classroom.

"But..."

Kaivan kept walking towards the parking lot, but his hand no longer held mine.

"Where are we going?"

Kaivan glanced around, then asked for my car keys, and here we were. A cafe not far from campus.

"We have classes, you know," I pointed out once we had found a secluded table.

"What's going on with you and Refan? I've seen him flirt with you, but why were you fighting just now?"

"I've never wanted his attention. The fuss today was because I had to deliver a message from..."

"From whom?"

Yura shrugged, avoiding Kaivan's question. Instead, she opened the menu and called the waiter.

"What do you want, Kai?" I asked after placing my order first.

Kaivan clicked his tongue. “The same for me, please.”

After the waiter left us, Kaivan refocused on his earlier inquiry, but I deliberately avoided giving a direct response.

“Yura!”

“What now?”

"I asked, whose message did you deliver?"

"From Refan's deceased ex-girlfriend," I finally said.

Kaivan furrowed his brow, staring at me, seemingly perplexed by my answer because I had responded without further explanation.

"Yura, speak clearly,"

"The apparition that often appears, even in that classroom, is Anya's spirit, Refan's ex. She wanted me to convey her final message to Refan."

"You're communicating with a ghost?"

"Yes, maybe. But that's what happened."

"Have you ever had a spirit communicate with you before?" he pressed further.

"Hmm, the first spirit I encountered was nurse Marni, who also had a final message for her family."

"They belong to another realm, Yura, you shouldn’t have to do this. They have no business lingering in this world."

"But if I don't deliver the messages, they'll keep appearing and haunting me."

"How do you know those ghosts are actually Anya and nurse Marni and not just figments?"

I fell silent, considering Kaivan's logic. What if they were actually jinn, masquerading as Anya and nurse Marni?

"I'm doubtful, but after I conveyed their messages... their figures emerged and gradually faded away. I'm convinced they couldn't rest peacefully because there was unfinished business," I explained.

Our conversation paused as the waiter served our order. I immediately enjoyed the meal in front of me, disregarding Kaivan’s contemplative gaze. Clearly, I had explained why I relayed messages from the haunting spirits.

"Will you also pass on messages from any other ghosts you see?" Kaivan asked.

"Hmm, not like that," I answered while chewing and taking a sip of my lemon tea. "The ghosts that simply pass by, they just appear and scare me, but they don’t communicate. These two, though, they’ve appeared multiple times and initiated communication," I clarified.

"Stop it, Yura. If it happens again, it's best you put an end to it. It’s not our place as humans to deal with these things."

"But..."

“I’m worried you might be ensnared by more than mere spirits seeking closure; it could be evil entities out to disturb humans or even possess them. Can you tell the difference?” Kaivan asked with an unusual tone.

“No.”

“Tch, better listen to me. Especially since you can’t control this ‘ability’ of yours.”

I truly disliked what Kaivan was suggesting. Beyond his raised voice, he was lecturing me as if I were clueless. Annoyed, I pursed my lips.

...***...

"Yura, what was all that with Refan yesterday?" Nana asked just as I walked into the classroom, not even seated yet.

"Nothing much really; Refan was just being hot-tempered or perhaps hiding something. Hopefully, after yesterday's incident, he won't dare to bother or even flirt with me again."

"Why's that?"

"Because we now know the kind of person he really is," I answered. "Hey, where's Mail?"

"He went to the bathroom. He arrived earlier; that's his bag," Nana pointed out pointing to the bag on the desk.

I chose a seat between Mail and Nana, engaging in light conversation and occasionally laughing. Mail then returned to the classroom.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Nana inquired.

"Not sure, I've felt off since yesterday. I feel heavy and constantly chilled; maybe it's the flu or just exhaustion," Mail replied.

I was focused on pulling out my lecture journal when I turned to look at Mail, who was still standing in front of us. My gaze was firmly fixed on Mail, and I was sure my eyes were bulging as I confirmed what I was seeing.

A sudden chill ran up my spine, and the atmosphere in the room shifted as I sensed the presence of an otherworldly being. There, behind Mail, with a position as though clinging to his back.

Mail was unaware of the entity latched onto him, which explained his discomfort.

"Ma-mail, you have something..."

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