"Evil spirit... Shaman, I’m not possessed by an evil spirit. I’m completely wide awake!"
In the dark forest, Kapak quickly responds to the old Shaman’s words, but the Shaman remains calm.
"Almost everyone possessed by an evil spirit says the same thing. Their influence is subtle and gradual. If you’re not possessed, then where did your medical skills come from?"
"This..."
Hearing the old Shaman’s words, Kapak is momentarily at a loss. When he communicated with Akasha, he was told not to reveal Akasha’s existence to too many people. So, Kapak made up a story about learning from a wandering Shaman to explain his sudden medical skills. However, he didn’t expect the old Shaman to see through it so easily.
Now, Kapak has no answer to the old Shaman’s questioning. Seeing Kapak’s reaction, the old Shaman doesn’t press further. Instead, he turns and continues walking deeper into the forest.
"Keep walking. It’s best if you don’t force me to make you, Kapak."
The old Shaman says this with a hint of threat in his voice. Hearing this, Kapak swallows hard and continues to follow the old Shaman.
As they walk, Kapak begins to feel uneasy. He considers confessing Aka’s existence to the Shaman, but this would go against Aka’s wishes.
“Perhaps I can pray to Aka now, inform Them of the situation, and ask if They would allow me to confess to the Shaman.” Thinking this, Kapak begins to silently pray to Akasha in his heart, preparing to explain the current situation.
“Great Aka, please hear my plea…”
…
Pritt Kingdom, Green Shade Town, North Tivian Suburbs, a house balcony.
Sitting on the balcony, sipping coffee while watching the sunset, Dorothy suddenly pauses as she hears a voice from across the distant ocean. She frowns.
“Kapak is being suspected of being possessed by an evil spirit because he healed people? Is gaining a skill suddenly seen as a sign of possession in their culture?”
Hearing Kapak’s message, Dorothy thinks to herself. She had no idea about the customs of the tribes in the New Continent. She thought that medical skills to improve their lives wouldn’t be scrutinized so heavily, but it seems she was wrong.
“Now Kapak is being led somewhere by the tribe’s Shaman. He’s scared and wants my permission to confess Aka’s existence to the Shaman? Hmm... This is a bit tricky. I don’t want to become too well-known yet…”
Listening to Kapak’s words, Dorothy ponders. She isn’t confident she can fool a shrewd old Shaman. What if he mistakes Akasha for an evil spirit?
“No need to rush. I’m not an actual evil spirit; I’m just connected to Kapak through the information channel. There’s nothing parasitic on Kapak, so no matter how much the Shaman tries to exorcise, he won’t find anything. If Kapak reveals Aka’s existence, it might just lead to Aka being mistaken for an evil spirit. Let Kapak follow the Shaman for now. I’ll observe the exorcism ritual through Kapak’s visual connection and deal with any issues as they arise…”
Thinking this, Dorothy sends a response to Kapak.
"Now is not the time to reveal. Go with the flow. Do not resist."
After sending the message, Dorothy establishes a visual connection with Kapak, allowing her to see through his eyes and monitor the situation in real time.
…
In the forest, hearing Dorothy’s response, Kapak is momentarily stunned, then thinks to himself.
“Not the time to reveal... Go with the flow... Aka means I shouldn’t confess Their existence now and should just follow the Shaman? Well... I have no choice.”
Hearing the response, Kapak reluctantly continues to follow the old Shaman. As the last light of dusk fades, Kapak and the old Shaman walk through the forest. After what feels like a long time, they finally arrive at their destination—a clearing in the forest.
Surrounded by tall trees, the clearing is an open grassy area. In the center stand several weathered totem poles, and within the circle of totems is a withered tree. On the tree hangs a white cloth.
Entering the clearing, the old Shaman walks straight to the withered tree, with Kapak following closely. Looking around, Kapak can’t help but murmur.
"This place..."
"This is a Shaman’s training ground. There are many such places in this land. To become a Shaman, one must pass through several of these places. When I was young, I spent time here... This place is guarded by loyal spirits. Without a guide, one would get lost on the way."
Looking at the withered tree and the surrounding totem poles, the old Shaman explains. Kapak, still confused, asks.
"A Shaman’s training ground... Shaman, why have you brought me here?"
"This place isn’t just for training. It has other uses, such as performing certain rituals, like exorcism rituals for stubborn evil spirits."
Turning to Kapak, the old Shaman continues.
"The parasitic evil spirit within you is stubborn and powerful. My usual methods haven’t been able to make it manifest or even sense its presence. Now, we must use this training ground to exorcise it."
"A Shaman’s training ground... has such a function?"
Kapak asks, puzzled, and the old Shaman shifts his gaze to the white cloth hanging on the withered tree.
"To be precise, it’s the knowledge recorded in the training ground, passed down through generations of Shamans, that has this function. The carvings on this tree contain ancestral Shamanic knowledge, and this knowledge is highly toxic to both humans and spirits."
The old Shaman speaks slowly, and Kapak is momentarily stunned.
"Toxic... knowledge?"
"Yes. Traveling to various training grounds, enduring the poison of knowledge while maintaining sanity, and studying diligently—this is how Shamans in this land are trained. Back then, I spent an entire year here."
Looking at the white cloth fluttering slightly on the withered tree, the old Shaman recalls his past, then turns to Kapak and says.
"A parasitic spirit within a human shares many senses with its host. This means that if you see the Shamanic knowledge, the evil spirit within you will also see it. Both of you will share the poison of knowledge, but spirits suffer far more from the poison than humans—several times more.”
"In a moment, I will lift a corner of the cloth, and you will see a small portion of the Shamanic knowledge, absorbing its poison. Don’t worry... this level of poison won’t harm your mind, but it will make you very uncomfortable. However, for the evil spirit within you, the poison will be several times more damaging. To avoid the poison’s destruction of its spiritual body, it will be forced to flee your body. This is how exorcism is done."