"They are all real and existent" Mr Ash said. "We call them the 'Yaomo'. In many folklores and myths, their name mostly means 'wicked creatures'"
"So what exactly are they? And if they're myths, why are they here now?" I inquired. "Could they be aliens or something?"
"Hah. They are pretty much far from being aliens" Mr Ash said."They all originated on this planet so they cannot be aliens. Perhaps, you may call a number of them demons. Most Yaomo have a certain history or traits that fit them into such a category. But in summary, they are all aberrants. Beings or things which evolved or devolved into what they are now"
Demons. Like actual demons? That made me quiver a bit but I was still mostly confused. Mr Ash sighed as he could read it on my face.
"You will most likely be unable to understand at this moment. But you should be able to grasp this at least. The realm which they exist in is beyond that of the material domain. What this means is that their existence itself is supernatural and so are their capabilities"
Definitely, they were anything but natural. It wasn't so hard for me to grasp that part.
"And as you have seen, some of them have tendencies to be malevolent. And when they have their way, humans inevitably pay the price"
Mr Ash then sat back and sipped again from his wine cup. I sat, paying close attention and while I understood all he had said now, I still had one major question.
"So, you're saying they can become malevolent sometimes. But do they normally direct their malevolence to a particular person?" I asked. I had barely thought about it because I really had no answers. But it was a big mystery to me.
"Before it all started in the bus, I remember seeing two people around. An old man and an old woman, I think. And, just after I looked away and then back at them, they were gone. Instead, I could see two...Yaomo" I said, trying to get used to the word. "I could see two of those things standing where the old geezer and the woman were meant to be. And they both faced me and tried to kill me in particular"
I studied Mr Ash's face and I knew he would have an answer for me.
"Why did they attack me? I had only just known they existed a few days prior, so does that suddenly make me a target for their malevolence?"
I had actually asked him this much calmly than I thought I would have.
"There are two possibilities i can see, with the amount of information you have given me" Mr Ash said. "First, they could have noticed your 'presence' and reacted to it"
Of course, there was no way I could have understood what he just said.
"Or secondly, you must have been resistant to an 'enchantment' they had used. There might be other reasons but they aren't things I can tell you right now"
They noticed my presence? Or I was resistant to their enchantment? While I couldn't fully understand what he meant, on thinking about it closely, I noticed.
"In the bus, all the other passengers were completely slack. Like they were in an inert state. Is that the enchantment you're talking about?"
When I said this, Mr Ash looked surprised for a brief moment.
"Is that possibly an enchantment?" I asked again.
"You were the only one moving. Is that it?" Mr Ash said.
"Yes" I affirmed.
"Hmm. I see" he said. Then he dropped his wine cup gently on the table and stood up.
"What...what's wrong, Mr Ash?" I asked, noticing the subtle change in his demeanor.
"Alex, why don't you walk with me"
Again?
I followed him as he requested and we both strode back towards the manor, taking a road different from the one I had come through. As we walked through the archways, I could see even more statues and sculptures of mysterious creatures.
"Are these also Yaomo?" I asked.
"Not necessarily" Mr Ash said.
"I see. Then they must be Youka, I guess" I said. "They don't look so ugly like the ones I've seen so far"
Mr Ash laughed.
"Perhaps, you will find that out for yourself in time" he said. Then we took a left and finally entered into the manor through a door smaller than the other arched doors I had been seeing.
The door we had entered led us into a passageway. It would be completely dark if not for the torches placed on the wall on the left and right at intervals. Like something straight from the medieval times.
"You really do know your style, Mr Ash" I said, complimenting his architectural taste.
"And you seem to fancy this style as well, Alex" he said, noticing my interest in almost everything here.
"Yeah. I don't know why but when I come across old things like this, I feel some kind of way, I guess"
"I see. It must be natural for you then. This house has indeed stood for over four centuries now"
"Wow" I found myself in awe. "I can tell there's a lot of history here"
"Indeed" Mr Ash said. Then we came upon a stairwell going downwards, underground.
We walked down the stairs for a few minutes, before we finally came upon a much bigger door which Mr Ash simply pushed open.
Last time I went underground, I met a Yaomo for the first time. And so, going underground again with Mr Ash made me expect the worst. Was he about to show me another one?
Beyond the doors he opened was a brighter room. A small hall actually. As I crossed the doors, I felt something pass through me. Or rather, like I passed through something even though nothing was actually there. It felt weird but then, I didn't dwell much on it since the place we had entered was quite fascinating.
Even though it was built underground, it seemed to be lit with natural light. There were what seemed like growths creeping along the walls, the ground and the corners of the hall. It was quiet and serene and on looking at one far end of the hall, I saw what looked like a large tree whose roots had spread out throughout the room.
"A tree underground?" I questioned. I had never heard or seen anything like it.
"This is Fuwa, a sage tree over a thousand years old"
My mouth dropped in shock.
"Here, Alex, I shall tell you my offer from back then" Mr Ash said.
"Have you ever heard of 'qi'?"