Toffee was lying on the bed, still held in Artit's arms. Artit refused to leave him.
Suddenly, Rak's voice came from the doorway. He didn't enter; he just waited outside and spoke with a slow, heavy voice.
"Phi... the Master is here." Even though Rak was struggling to speak, he tried not to show it. After saying those words, he turned to go back to his own room.
Artit slowly opened his eyes. He carefully moved his arms, which were still resting under Toffee's head.
Artit touched Toffee's face, his fingers gentle. Then, slowly, his lips touched Toffee.
"Sleep well... love you," Artit said. His face felt stiff and tired, but he smiled as he looked at Toffee, who was still deep in sleep.
"Mmm..." Toffee hummed softly.
Artit smiled again. His eyes filled with tears, but for now, he didn't let them fall.
The Master didn't enter the mansion right away. Instead, he waited outside, staring into the far distance as if looking deep into the darkness. Only after a while did he step inside.
"Sawasdee khab..." With utmost respect, Auntie Ja used sign language to welcome him.
"It's been a while," the Master said.
Auntie Ja signed back, her face and body full of worry. "It's been a long time. We are truly grateful you came here personally. Thank you."
"Nut, where is he? I need to see him," the Master said. He became more serious, as if he could feel something in the air.
"Khab . Please come, Master." Without hesitation, Nut guided the Master to where Artit and Toffee were.
As they entered the room, Artit was just getting up from the bed. Upon seeing him, even the Master looked worried.
Artit was a complete mess. He hadn't even dried his hair; it had simply dried on its own.
His clothes were messy, as if he had dressed in a great hurry. His face was cold and his eyes were red. He looked like a man losing everything, one by one.
The Master didn't speak a word at first. Instead, he slowly approached and stood beside the sleeping Toffee. He took that old yet powerful red thread, took Toffee's right hand, and tied the knot tightly.
"Artit," the Master said, looking at him from the opposite side of the bed. "This thread will protect him. But if Daeng tried to possess him again and failed, he will come to take him back to his world."
" Instead of hiding and protecting, we need to face him directly. Otherwise, it won't end with just a possession."
The Master's voice became very serious.
"Artit, you haven't lost everything. He is still alive and right in front of you. So why are you looking like that? Make sure Toffee stays here until your birth time passes. And you are not alone. Look around you, how many people worry about you, Artit. If your grandfather knew, what do you think he would do?"
With a look of slight dissatisfaction, the Master turned to leave. He looked at Nut and said, "Let's go. We have things to do."
Without a second's delay, Nut and the Master stepped outside to go to the second mansion.
Rak saw everything from a distance but didn't go to the Master. He watched from behind the curtains.
Before Nut walked away, he looked back in a hurry. He caught Rak's eyes and signaled in a way only Rak would know: " Come to the same spot". Then, he followed the Master.
They walked through the dark. The smell of orange jasmines pierced their noses.
After entering the small mansion, they reached an open hallway that looked out over a jasmine garden.
From there, they passed a lotus pond— a beautiful, large pond filled with the scent of lotuses, yet it felt scary in the night. As they walked, everything felt unnatural.
They entered a big hall. It was filled with half-finished paintings and white cloth pieces, where patterns of lotuses collided with red ones.
The Master looked at them. He touched the canvas of an incomplete portrait.
It showed only half a face— the laugh and smile of someone.
The Master touched it as if he could feel the pain of the one who painted it.
As he pulled his hand away, he asked, "Nut, where is Daeng's complete portrait?"
Nut hesitated, his voice breaking. "It was... after Artit found Toffee, he burned every complete portrait. Only these incomplete ones remain."
"What? Nut... are you... didn't you stop him?" The Master spoke in disbelief.
"Master, you know that— not even Rak can enter this room, nor can he stop Artit. Then how could I..." Nut avoided the Master's eyes.
The Master looked again and again. The room had only incomplete pieces.
He tried to find a single canvas that showed Daeng's full face, but he found nothing.
It was his first time in this room, and he was shocked. "I still can't believe he drew these when he was only ten. Artit... what were you thinking?" The Master sighed.
"Nut, we need a complete portrait. And something that Daeng really likes. Tell Artit to prepare it. I don't care what he thinks— tell him, if he wants his Toffee, he must do this."
The Master spoke without looking at Nut.
Nut didn't ask for any explanation; he simply turned to go back to Artit.
The Master stayed behind in that room. No one knew what he was holding, or what spells he began to whisper to the air.
Artit slowly opened a drawer in his room, trying not to make a sound.
He took out a white handkerchief with a pattern of lotuses tangled in red threads. Artit handed it to Nut.
Looking at the cloth, Artit said, "I made this thinking of Toffee... but Daeng is the one who made one like this for me in the past. I only imitated it. Daeng liked lotuses, so he will probably like this." Artit looked at Toffee and whispered, "I will make Toffee a new one after everything ends."
"About the portrait," Artit continued, "you know the room in the small mansion where I stay once a year around this time? There is a small painting of Daeng there. Take it. I don't want it anymore."
Nut didn't dare to say a word. Instead, he hugged Artit and patted his shoulder, as if he was trying to calm Artit.
Without looking back, Nut walked away with the white handkerchief to find the painting.
Nut prepared everything as the Master ordered, but he felt completely drained.
As he walked back through the hallway, he stopped and froze, lost in thought. He leaned against a large stone pillar for support.
At that moment, someone hugged him tightly from behind.
Warm hands wrapped around Nut.
Nut touched the hands, and they stayed there for a long time in the quiet, as if both were sharing the same pain.