Black Avatare

30 | GIFT

It was dusk when Binara got back to the walauwa.

She climbed up to her balcony with difficulty and barricaded herself in her room. Thoughts whizzed in her head, and the contents in her stomach swilled uncomfortably at the very idea that her ghosthunter heritage was tied to the Yakadura. She refused to dwell on it. In the end, after a quiet dinner, she curled up in bed and dozed off.

The next day dawned with pale yellow light filtering in through the curtains. Binara stretched her limbs, relieved that her body had recovered considerably. She opted for early morning meditation and yoga, trying to keep her mind from spiraling out of control. Nelum was kind enough to bring her a hot bowl of kola kanda, which she gulped down in several spoonfuls. There was nothing left to do but prepare for the quest to Mount Meru, all the while hoping that Diyan would return.

Binara examined her hand, wondering what happened to her claw ring. Diyan had probably disposed of it. She could get a new one, but it would not survive in Holmanloke. Her thoughts strayed to the Yakadura's weapons room. Even if she had access to it, their arsenal had nothing that was small enough to carry in her backpack.

Binara got up and examined her stock of ghost repellents. The sura pellets could do a satisfying amount of damage, judging by the destruction in Diyan's throne room. If she stored them in a sealed container, she could keep them on her person with no danger of detonating. However, she needed range and precision to shoot them effectively. An idea formed in her brain.

Binara plopped down on the bed and grabbed her laptop. She browsed an online market and found exactly what she was looking for. In a matter of minutes, she made the purchase, opting for express delivery. That was when she noticed the many notifications in her Gossapp, which was open in another tab. Piumi had tried to contact her. Oh, yeah, she must've wondered what happened to me.

She wasn't in the mood to deal with Piumi's questions, so she closed the laptop and ventured into the hallway. There was someone she needed to meet.

Great-uncle Senarat was in the living room, seated in his wheelchair. The sight of him spurred a jumble of feelings. Binara bit her lip and approached him, though he just kept on gazing out of the window.

"Great-uncle?" Binara whispered.

He made no response.

Binara came to a stop by his side and inhaled a steadying breath. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. It must've been...frustrating when you tried to tell people about Mahasona but no one listened."

A clock ticked away the seconds while the old man just sat and gazed on.

"I'm listening now," Binara went on. "It took me a while, but I understand what you were trying to say. Thank you for trying to warn me."

She didn't know if he even understood what she was saying, but a knot loosened in her chest. Before leaving, she gave his hand a squeeze, and for the briefest moment, she thought he reciprocated the gesture.

Binara spent the rest of the day playing Immortal Combat. She thrashed away at the keyboard, achieving one flawless victory after another. It was her attempt to keep her worries at bay while recuperating. When sunset approached, she logged into Ghostly Times, where wild speculations and conspiracy theories now ran riot. It fed Binara's own agitation that built up with each passing hour.

She was about to tackle Piumi's messages when footsteps approached her door. She snapped up her head.

Nayana entered, pleated skirt swishing around her ankles. "Binara, someone is here to see you."

Binara stared at her. "Who?"

"I'm as surprised as you are." Nayana stepped aside. "She says she's a friend from school."