When it comes to beauty standards, each culture has it differently, of course. However, with the rise of internationalism and globalization, shared beauty traits have become increasingly magnified, causing problematic and damaging views on human traits. The commonly accepted beauty standard is: fair and moon-faced, not too large, not too tall, not too thin, not too short. This beauty standard has been colored by the three most powerful political powers of the Post-Calamity Era: Ressen-Nalenji, Shen, and Wo. This was at first caused by historical momentum. Then, it was reinforced by the ravaging wiles of capitalism, who used the beauty standard to sell products that help you attain it, and thus reaffirming said beauty standard even if it didn't exist in other cultures during that time. At the end of it all, this is another form of the objectification of human experience. As capitalism so often states: everything can be turned into a business. Very soon your very karma will be turned into a new business venture.

From Writings of a Secret Occultist-Nutritionist by the Once-Monk now Occult Zine Writer Karatan Zenyat

Raxri watched Furusun Dangga-an walk away, disappearing into the crowds.

The moon hung low. The Horns slowly fading.

"Well that was... interesting," said Sintra Kennin. "I suppose we have a new weapon on our side, Raxri Uttara. Your beauty."

Raxri blinked. "I am not sure what to think of that."

Sintra Kennin shrugged. "But that Furusun is an interesting boy. Good looking withal. At least we got some information from him: Shark Knights do their own thing and they probably owe some sort of large debt to the High Chief."

Raxri turned and nodded. "What does that mean?"

Sintra Kennin placed the finished bowls of pancit in a neat row so that it would b easier to tidy up. "That means we will not be able to wile them over to our side. We will have to most likely fight them once we reveal our hand."

Raxri scratched their head. "But... that sounds easier said than done. That Furusun seemed to be a powerful warrior. He could sense my Sapi."

Sintra Kennin nodded. "You should've gotten your old master to teach you how to suppress your Sapi. Though that's not exactly a beginner level technique."

"Do you know how to, Sintra Kennin?" asked Raxri as the two of them rose to their feet. Raxri stretched after having squat-sat.

"Well yes," said Sintra Kennin. "But I do it more or less reflexively. A consequence of my Bloodline Cultivation, I believe. It will be difficult to teach it to you. It will be as if teaching how I blink my eyes in a specific manner."

"I see. Then I will try to get Akazha to teach it to me then." Sintra Kennin nodded in approval.

"Let's start heading back."

As they made their way back to Angko's cottage, Sintra Kennin said: "It seems the High Chief Trasan is someone of considerable power. Sheer power. To the point that the four personal Royal Guards of his think he does not need protection. We will have to guard ourselves closely against this Trasan if we are ever to move out against him." After a few more moments of walking, Sintra Kennin chuckled. "You know, it truly is serendipitous that those mantris that I spoke with ended up not largely in favor of the despot of this port town."

"What makes you think they're not? What if you just outed yourself as a conspirator?" asked Raxri, grinning at him.

Sintra Kennin shrugged. "Well, we would've been taken in by now, do you not think so?"

Raxri made a gesture of acquiescence. "I suppose you're right." They sighed. "Or maybe because of my makeover, they do not know that it is me here?"

Sintra Kennin smiled. "That's also a distinct possibility, Raxri. And it is a particularly humorous one if we find it to be true!"

Raxri still pondered on Furusun. They could not help but have their heart open to him. He looked so... vulnerable. Get it together, Raxri. You're going to have to fight him one way or another. You cannot afford weakness when the time comes. Afford mercy. Afford compassion. But never give them triumph. Never give them victory.

In due time, they had returned to Angko's Cottage.

Angko was fixing her divination station when they walked in. "Ah, you're back. Are you ready? I just about finished today's sessions. I got some good donations, so perhaps after you've spoken with Usisi we can go out and have some late night food." She grinned.

Sintra Kennin grinned. "The achi is far too kind! We'll hold you to that, eh?"

"Of course!" Angko rose to her feet and dusted her hands. "All right. It's time. We should go. Here's a few things you need." She reached down and gave Raxri and Sintra a bamboo strip. "This is a protection spell. If Usisi gets too heated and tries to attack you directly, rip it apart and chant SANG GA. You will be protected." Raxri tried to take the strip but Angko pulled back suddenly. "Remember, only use it if it's a life or death situation. If she's clearly trying to kill you and not if you're feeling threatened. Ghosts do not like having protection spells used against them, so using this at the wrong time might waste any opportunity you have and definitely all your goodwill to her. Got it?"

Raxri inhaled and then exhaled. If that's the case, then they will have to depend on their meditation again, to control the rush of their emotions. "Got it."

Sintra Kennin nodded grimly, but he knew that he would not be scared by ghosts. He was a Spirit Prince, after all. But for humans, ghosts are a natural enemy. Though humans are at the top of the animal food chain, it is ghosts that feed directly on human flesh.

"Good. And try not to do anything exorcize-y. Do nothing that will cause you to show that you're trying to exorcize her. Remember, exorcism for them is like death. They cling to life for a reason. Any attempts to exorcize a ghost before their attachments are solved will cause incredible spectral violence and haunting. It's why so many exorcists die."

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Raxri nodded again. They sank into their meditation, tried not to let the scary premonitions get too much into their skin. They repeated a protective mantra over and over on their head, the one that written in one of the mantra books that the Abbot Wairojashra had given them: HOMA TA MING.

"All right," said Angko, taking a big sigh. "Let's get going."

Raxri and Sintra Kennin followed Angko up to the attic. There, the floor was divided into two partitions: one seemed like it was Angko's bedroom. The other looked like it was directly set up for rituals: a mandala carved onto the wood floor. Incense sticks on various parts. A spirit house beside an altar to the Enlightened and bodhisattvas and the various other gods. Various occult accoutrements: staves, wands, knives, daggers, swords, all placed in auspicious points around the room.

Angko walked into the ritual room and opened the window. With a snap of her finger and a quick mudra, she lit all the incenses that had been set around the room at auspicious points. The smoke was the smell of... sandalwood? A common incense scent in monasteries, Raxri realized.

"Stand behind me, and keep outside of the mandala for now."

Sintra Kennin and Raxri did as instructed. Who were they to retort? Leave it to the experts. Despite the world being absolutely full of spirits and ghosts, they could never in particular realize an affinity for it. Perhaps that is not my calling. Perhaps past Raxri Uttara was never considerate of the trifles and tribulations of the spirit world. Perhaps I should be, now?

Raxri remembered suddenly that name. Reyayu Kodaku. That sounds like an important name. Perhaps I should ask Angko about it, after all this is over. Get some information.

Achi Angko walked into the mandala and then unsheathed her long blade behind her. It was in the shape of a long and narrow kampilan. It was so long that it was almost as tall as her. And just as well: when she began performing the summoning dance steps, she maneuvered the blade around with her mind and her mudras, telekinetically.

Angko's swordstaff spun and swung and swam and thwipped in the air. The way Angko wielded and maneuvered the long kampilan was very similar to how one would've used a longstaff or quarterstaff for similar dance-like movements. The movements no doubt could be used for combat--if the movements were quickened to properly generate force, they could no doubt be used to devastating effect. It looked more like a kata than a dance... but then again, there is only a very thin line between martial art and performance art.

At the end of it, Angko performed a great and wide sweep with her long kampilan, spinning around so that the blade snuffed out each and every incense stick still burning. On top of that, various candles were also snuffed out, hurtling the three of them into certain darkness.

Then, a lone purple flame ignited atop the spirit house. It hovered above the spirit house's roof for a few moments, before flickering. Slowly, the purple flame moved toward the center of the mandala, with Angko guiding the purple flame with polite, slow, languid swordstrokes. When the candle reached the center of the mandala, it flickered again.

Angko stepped out of the mandala.

The flame slowly took the shape of a woman. Short, skinny, the splitting image of some kind of peasant girl that had to fight tooth and nail to get a job or work the fields, or else they would be forced to sell their body.

The world shifted for a moment. A silence. A hush. As the flame coagulated, solidified, calcified. Like lightning frozen. After a moment, the floating body of Usisi stood before them. Small, quaint, wrapped in respectable clothes. But they did not look like burial clothes in the least.

"Greetings." Usisi was a comely figure. She looked nothing like the demon spider beast that chased Raxri down. She looked so young that she couldn't be the great spider queen that all those other ghosts spoke of.

But here she was.

Both Raxri and Sintra Kennin bowed. "Greetings to you as well, Usisi."

Usisi smiled. Her eyes were watering. "To be spoken to by my name and with such respect... I did not think I would be afforded such a courtesy ever, anymore, especially in my unlife as I terrorized the town.

"Are you the Cloud-Haired one?" Usisi pointed at Raxri.

Raxri pointed at themself and nodded. "A-ah, yes, Usisi. That is me. Raxri Uttara. I've... changed my look."

Usisi folded her hands over her chest. "So you have. It looks good on you."

Raxri smiled. They bowed again, their hands folded and placed on their forehead. "Forgive me for having trespassed in your haunt. It was unbecoming of us as travelers."

Usisi waved her hand in a placating gesture. "It is quite all right. You must forgive me as well. I did not mean to scare you to near-death. I... you caught me at an embarrassing time."

Raxri broke the bow and tilted their head to the side. "Embarrassing?"

Usisi nodded. She managed a sly yet shy smile. "I was admiring the beauty of the Witch that now slept in my bed. I did not mean to scare her, and I did not mean to scare you."

Raxri shook their head. "Forgive me as well. But... does that mean that ghost army that attacked us....?"

Usisi shook her head. "For that, I am not sorry for. I was merely protecting myself and my subjects against your meddling."

Sintra Kennin spoke now: "We seek your forgiveness for that as well. I pray that we can clarify our position on this manner, so that no such miscommunication may happen again. I hope you understand that it was not in our interests to oppose you."

Raxri nodded. "We want to help you!"

Usisi tilted their head to the side. Unnatural. Distrustful. "Help me? What manner of trickery is this?" her head whipped to Angko. Angko only nodded, and then gestured to Raxri. "Speak."

Raxri bowed again, and then said: "This one wishes to ask how to placate you. To help you achieve peace."

"Help me achieve peace? What... were you born yesterday?"

It was Angko that answered: "They might as well have been," said Angko.

Usisi scowled. "What's that supposed to mean? You're tricking me, so that you can exorcize me. Is that right?"

Raxri shook their head. "I... we want what's best for you. We've received information by the mantris. About what happened to you. We want to help you secure justice."

"Justice?" Usisi scoffed. "If that's what you want, then it's easy." She looked at Raxri. "Bring me Trasan's head. That will be the only thing that will give me peace. That will be the only thing that will grant me justice."

Raxri nodded. "We arranged this meeting with you to tell you just that. We are willing to do that. We will bring you Trasan's head."

Usisi's stare became intense. Her gaze tried to bore a hole through Raxri's skull.

Raxri stared back, just as serious.

The sincerity threw Usisi off. "If you are so sure, then I'm afraid I still have no trust for you. There is no way that you will be able to defeat and kill Trasan on your own. He is a beast, a behemoth of martial and magickal power."

Sintra Kennin spoke then: "We will have help. The mantris that came to us, Goton and Isura? They have contacts with the Nunuk League and there will be a scholar coming in to potentially help us. We will be wielding the full strength of Pemi to depose the despot."

Usisi let out a huff. She turned to Angko. "This be true?"

Angko nodded. "It's a perfect storm of motivations, I believe. I have it in good faith, as a fellow student of vajracharya Sutasoma, that Trasan's head will roll."

Usisi turned to Sintra Kennin. "I have no trust for Goton nor Isura. They could've helped me a decade ago but they did not."

"They wallow in the consequences of their actions," said Sintra Kennin. "If they were the people who they are today, they would've deposed Trasan ten years ago as well."

"Curse them, and curse you."

"Let us help you, Usisi." Raxri's voice boomed. It was less a plea and more a vow. "Even if it will take my entire life, I will help you attain the justice you deserve. We will have the full force of magick on our side. Trasan's head will be yours. Just give me your word that you will not attack us, and we will solve all of this for you. I am no friend of tyrants. I will help emancipate the humanity of Imos Town, especially you. Especially those that have not been given the proper justice."

Usisi sighed. "For the longest time, it was rage that kept me animated. It was my wrath and the knowledge that my nightly haunts have whittled away the morale of Trasan's men. What will I become without my rage? Without my wrath? Without my fury?"

She looked at Raxri, and she suddenly looked like that young peasant girl again.

Her hair ignited into spectral flame, rising up to form a halo behind her.

Raxri clenched their fist.

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