Everything was white like a blinding light.
So it was told, before one would reach his last breath, he would be able to see his life flashback.
All his best memories, all the important lessons he had learned, and all the people and places that had become a part of his journey.
Several images are displayed in Mat's thoughts: his family, his friends, and the places that he's been to.
Then there was this one special event that he recalled.
Moving two years back to the old temple of Master Navi'Sai.
Mat slightly pushed to open the temple's old wooden gates. He looked around and recalled the times during his training here with his best friend Rigs. They were the last trainees here including a senior colleague named Ethan.
At the age of 19, they were one of the youngest to reach a junior master rank. They are being trained by this master who was 2 years younger than them.
He remembered his last fight here against their young master. That was their last test before finally leaving this temple. Mat and Rigs had to choose to leave because they need to focus on their last year in college. Their senior colleague Ethan has already left a few months earlier than them for some personal reasons. They never got a word from him again since then.
Mat continued to move in, slowly walking to the open ground. This place was more than just a martial arts training ground to them, their mysterious young mentor taught them this special teaching that has something to do with their mental and spiritual state.Mat stopped and stood in front of the old temple room where they use to meditate and learn astral stuff and everything. He knocked on the door that was lightly covered with dust. The unlocked door slightly opened as he knocks.
"Master Navi?"
Mat slowly slipped his head in to take a quick look inside. The symbols that he saw on the wall gave him a great flashback of feelings. He turned to each and every detail of the symbols that were embossed above head level and has a size of a half square meter. He tried to recall each of their names and their meaning.
He stood in front of a giant Japanese symbol. It was read as Hikari, meaning light.Mat took another step moving on to the next symbol. It looks like a cross with an oval head. It was the ANKH or also known as the Crux Ansata. The symbol means life and death, energy and balance.
The next symbol was the Round spiral with S-shaped rays of the sun. It's said to be the origin of all, the guide, the navigator.
Then, there were these ethnic lines and sketches that formed the shape of a butterfly, which means reborn, regeneration, relive, and new life.
Finally, Mat stood in front of the last symbol. He had seen this symbol many times before during their training days. But this was the first time that he felt something just by looking at it. The Fish, which is also known as the Ichthys, symbolizes the messiah, or the one who saves.___________
Suddenly, Mat felt this vast unseen energy that had just flown into the room. He looked back and saw an image of a young man standing by the doorstep. He was wearing a hooded long-sleeved shirt paired with loose training pants.
"Hello Mat, It's been a while?"
"Master Navi'Sai? It is you, hello sir, yeah it's been a long time since we last met," Mat excitedly said.
"How are you doing Mat? Yes, it's been a year since the last time we saw each other. Are you ready for your special training?"
"Been looking forward to this day, whoa, wait, Master, why aren't you wearing your training uniform? This is the first time that I saw you in casual attire. You look... young and cool."
The young master walked towards Mat and gave him a pat on the back. He asked Mat to follow him outside the temple.
"And why are you locking the gates? Are we going to train somewhere else, Master?"
"Yes! Actually, we are going for a little outdoor training," the young master replied.
Mat smiled and nodded in response.
They both walked away from the temple while still catching up on a conversion.
"So how's life after college? Are you working now?" Navi asked.
"I started a small business, I install these security cameras and computer network, or anything that has to do with techie-stuff," Mat said
"That is really nice hear Mat, how about Rigs?"
"Well, it has been a very long time since I last saw or spoke to him, no updates even on his
Facebook."
"Let's just hope he's doing well," Navi said.
"Yeah, I hope he is alright."
"Mat, can you see that old house?" Navi'Sai asked while pointing to the house located a few meters away from their temple.
"Yes, what about it Master?"
"They said that the house was haunted. But as far as I can remember, that story started when you and Rigs began to attend your training here."
"What do you mean? You're giving me creepy goosebumps here Master."
"Someone has been closely watching after you here."
"'What?"
They walked closer to the said house as they continue to discuss it.
"This is the purpose of our last special training, we are going to investigate that house and try to space clear it if necessary." Master Navi'Sai said while stopping in front of the gate of the said haunted house.
"W-where did you get those keys?"
"The old caretaker was an acquaintance. He just got sick recently and asked me to look over the house while he's away."
Navi'Sai and Mat entered the old house and looked around.
The place was too quiet and gloomy. The rooms were empty except for the kitchen which has a dusty table and chair.
They both tried to feel any disturbances inside the room, but they felt nothing. Mat started breathing heavier as he felt a bit nervous while getting closer to the master's bedroom, the last place that was left unchecked.
Then there was this sudden flicker of movement in the air. They both felt the presence of something evil creeping and lurking before them.
"This is a very disturbed room Mat. Now I am giving you this very opportunity to manifest your space-clearing skills."
"But everything you taught us about it is all just a theory to me. I have no clue on how or where to begin, I clearly knew the intention of it, but how can I perform it Master Navi'Sai?"
"Well, that is correct. Begin with your intentions. Enter the room and state it loud out there. The place will react to it and then that is the time you will know what to do next."
Mat took a deep breath and shook his head as he placed his hand and gripped the door knob of the master's bedroom. "I'm not so sure about this Master, this is dealing with the unseen and the unknown."
"You got this Mat, I will be assisting you from here."
Mat turned the knob and slowly entered the room, he looked around, trying to get any physical evidence or whatever that could be the cause of the disturbance, luckily, there isn't any.He stood in the middle of the room and started to focus and meditate. He closed his eyes and started to picture the sun in his mind and then shining brightly until it cover his whole thought with only white light. Suddenly it turned pitch black. Mat opened his eyes quickly losing his focus on what he was doing. Goose bumps ran all over his skin as he felt this unseen energy lurking.
"OK, that was weird, this is something else. Someone or something is trying to make its presence felt here. Maybe this is the real deal."
Mat relaxed again and started to focus harder, he closed his eyes and think of a much wider space of pure light.
"I am here to clear this room from any form of evil entities and negative energies," Mat uttered but it was cut short by this sudden weird feeling he felt.
This was the first time that he encountered something that tried to fight against his thoughts will. Then a shadow image appeared that looks like a giant rat running, jumping, and doing distracting things inside the picture. Mat felt cold all over his body and fear is already creeping up on him.
Still, with his eyes closed, He dared to control the shadow on his mind. The shadow grew large and tried to cover the whole space with darkness.
"This is not happening, how could you possibly..."
"You have a great ability to bless things and you can do it the other way around, I can help you make it stronger if you allow me to." The shadow said in his thought.
Mat still denying that the shadow just conversed with him. His fear grew and he is already losing his concentration, he can't even move his sweaty body but he still won't open his eyes, thinking that he still has control over the situation.
Outside the Master's bedroom, Master Navi'Sai felt the disturbance that was happening, but instead of him coming in and helping, he sat down and meditated. "I knew it; Nezumi was here all this time."
Going back inside Mat's mind, the shadow moved around as Mat saw himself already in the picture as if he was already in a lucid dream. Darkness was still swallowing whatever light remains in the picture, Mat tried to make an image of the sun or any light source, but he could not do it. A string of light appeared around the creeping shadow image and wrapped around it.
Mat was just watching and he knew this is not his doing.
"Mat, it's no use making bright images now, create a light within you, a light coming from you." Said a very familiar voice, He knew it was his Master Navi talking in his thoughts.
"Now I remember, one of the craziest ideas Master Navi taught to us, imagining my hands all lit up while holding a flaming sword."
Mat imagined a flaming sword appearing on his hand, slowly, his hands started to light up, but the image of the sword was not able to be completed because it was being eaten by the darkness.
"Maybe I am not giving it my all, this is all crazy, this is impossible, all of this, All I want is to clear this space, If Divine Intervention exists, please do happen now. May this place be blessed with serenity and turn into a peaceful and quiet place."
Mat clenched his fist harder. He knew he had to believe that he can do something here. While focusing on his core, a pointed spear-like image was formed thru these small crystal lights merging with each other in front of his knuckles; it was made of pure light. It was like a full-length sword without a hilt or handle, torching from Mat's fist, with all his remaining strength, he swiftly swings his arm and cut the shadow image into halves.
"This is not possible... how can someone like you acquire such light within?...." The voice was thinning as the rat image shadow disappeared slowly " I'm not yet done with you Mat Adaaamm...."
The picture gradually regained its light back. Mat slowly opened his eyes but he felt so drained that he cannot even move a muscle. Navi'Sai entered the room and caught Mat before he fell to the floor.
"Are you all right, Mat? You did it!"
"Master, I-I did it..." Mat said, and his last recollection was his master helping to him before he finally lost consciousness.