Troubled

"No, that can't be. How will she get into trouble in that state? But if she is in trouble, I hope nobody's hurting her." I pursed my lips and closed my fists.

"She will get through it if there's something happening to her. I'll try to find her in our world too," the manta ray said.

"Is it possible that she might be hurt by humans?" I asked. I felt so worried about her.

The fish shook its head. "People can summon us, but they can never hurt us."

People can't hurt Iseul anymore, that's for sure. I sighed in relief, but I'm still nervous about her situation.

"Too bad... all of us suffered because of an unknown person. Now we're facing another. We're dead, but we will forever be stuck. There's no end for us that's why Iseul never gave up. She holds on to so much hope more than anyone."

My chest felt heavy while hearing the manta's thoughts.

"My chingu said to not lose hope. I will try to find a way until my vacation here ends," I told the fish in front of me. Sai's words echoed inside my head. I can even expand my vacation just to have enough time to help her.

"I'm rooting for you, young man," it said awkwardly. "I feel like I have no rights to have hope at all; I haven't done so much for souls like us. Unlike Iseul, I'm just one of those who accepted their fate. I feel ashamed for not doing enough. I'm just a mere manta ray, but I feel so bad."

"It doesn't really matter how much you've done or whether you did nothing at all. All of us are worthy of holding on to hope." I smiled at the manta ray. "I assure you, it will be better someday."

"Looks like Iseul found herself a true chingu as a ghost. I can feel your genuine intentions for us, and I'm grateful for that."

"She's fighting something right now. I should do my best here too, to help her somehow," I said. "Can I summon you again next time?"

"Hmm. There are several manta rays on the other side, and we very much look alike." It changed its direction and showed me the back of its body. "They say I have this scar on my back. You can include it in your drawing to get a high chance of summoning me."

I gasped. "Where the hell did you get that huge scar?" I tried to memorize it in my head. Because of its large size, I can easily recall it. "You must have been through so much pain."

"From the bastard," it sounded enraged, just like how Iseul talks.

"That's how she calls the painter too."

"Yeah, all of us have grudges against that bastard. Summon me again next week, and I'll let you know if I find Iseul." I'm so glad I gained someone who can help me.

"Thanks for your help. I highly appreciate that. But uh... what's your name again?" I asked. I should have asked earlier.

"They call me Thai. How about you?"

Thai, so that's the manta ray's name.

"Yohan," I said. Thai offered its pectoral fin like it was asking for a handshake; I just laughed for a bit. It looked weird and cute at the same time.

"Just kidding, you can't touch me." Thai moved towards my journal, where I drew the manta ray. "You've got some great skills, dude. Nice drawing! I look handsome here, damn." He said in full confidence.

I laughed for a bit. "I'm a painter."

"Oh, so that explains it. Can I take a look at your other works?"

I moved close to the table and flipped some of the pages of my journal. "I'm just staying here for vacation; my other artworks are in the North."

I stopped flipping when the pages consecutively showed drawings having Iseul as the subject. Thai looked at it intently, then gazed at me. Like I did something wrong.

"Do you have a ghost kink?"

"What?!" My eyes widened and I almost choked myself. "A ghost kink?!"

Thai laughed and moved in circles. "Spectrophilia? You know, sexual attraction to ghosts?"

"Hey! What the fuck, I never even thought of that."

Now a fish is accusing me for something that I never even thought of doing.

"Why are you acting defensive? Iseul is beautiful. You must be fantasizing about her."

My eyebrows frowned. "Excuse me? I am only concerned about her freedom from the beginning. Stop accusing me of things that I don't even do. That's so... sick."

"Alright! I'm just testing you." Thai stopped in front of me and looked into my eyes. "Iseul was summoned by artists a couple of times because of that reason. You really have pure intentions. Good to hear."

Damn those tyrants. They'll soon find themselves having to pay for their actions. I couldn't stop mentally cursing at them. Everything that has happened to Iseul was not fair.

"I'll never hurt Iseul, you don't have to worry."

"Indeed, you have a good heart." Someone knocked on my door, and we both glanced at it. "It looks like I must go now."

I nodded my head. "You should, or else we might get caught. Thank you for your time, Thai." I smiled at it. Thai bowed a little and then disappeared in front of my eyes.

I opened the door, and Sai was in front of me.

"What?"

She yawned. "Is everything okay? I could hear you panicking a while ago."

"Oh, everything's fine. I just stumbled on the floor." I scratched the back of my head. I can't tell her what happened tonight.

"You're really stupid. Just keep it down a little. Oh, and what time are we going to leave?"

"After breakfast, you should head back to sleep. Sorry for disturbing you."

She subtly waved her hand before going back to her room. I locked the door and covered my face with my palms. I took a deep breath before going back to bed.

Thai. That's the name of the manta ray that I talked with. I can't believe I actually summoned an animal. Ara Brent must have used another manta ray as her reference. Thai is also an anima perduta like Iseul, and it hasn't seen Iseul for a while now. Which most likely means Iseul is in trouble.

I finished my journal entry before going back to sleep. Also, I prepared my belongings for tomorrow. As I am staying in this area, I was unable to summon Iseul, but I was able to meet Thai. Tomorrow, we'll return to the north. Until I discover the truth, I won't give up. Stay strong, Iseul.

I closed my journal and dozed off to sleep.