The Rakshasa village was surrounded by forest in three directions and guarded by a steep cliff on the fourth. The bomoh's cave was a deep crevice carved into it; it looked as if the very mountain had split in half.

"He lives in there?" Xiumin asked.

"Yes, he prefers the quiet." The General responded, walking in.

And the dark. Luca thought. Vines crawled in from the edges, but they could barely see two meters in before the light faded out and all was shadow.

A few steps into the cave, the temperature dropped to a chill. Water dripped in the distance. Every sound echoed. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Luca saw a lamp flicker ahead. 

"Jana! Your General is here." She announced.

"Not my general." A snarky voice replied. 

The bomoh was at least eighty years old, probably older. He was partially sitting on a low stool by a torch but it looked like he was mostly squatting. As the group approached him, the objects between his knees came into sight. Luciana was taken aback; morbid curiosity filled her chest, coupled with disgust. Tao held out his hand, blocking her way forward. 

"Decrepit wizard," The General snarled. "You live on our land, eat our food, and hide behind our might all the while spitting venom at our backs. You will serve me or the next shrunken head will be your own."

That's what they were, strewn on the floor by the bomoh's feet; shrunken heads. The princess had never seen one before.

"I do not serve you." The man hissed.

"You serve Asuras." She replied coolly. Anyone could tell this conversation had taken place many times before.

"Asuras!" The bomoh turned, now fully facing them. "Not filthy Raksasas and Yatudhanas." His eyes were as milky as his skin, hanging in drapes over his bony frame. Scars and fresh red cuts merged into patterns on his cheeks, hands, and all the way up to his bald head. He looked as much as a demon as the pontianak themselves. 

"Yatudhanas serve yatudhanas." The General said, her eyes boring into his like icicles.

Goosebumps pricked Luca's skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, almost missing the jungle's thick coating of heat and humidity. 

"Come." The General motioned for her to approach and led her over to one of the several mats strewn around the edges of the cave. Lux sat as she was told and watched as the General rummaged in a nearby basket before producing a handful of pulpy plant matter. "For your burns." She explained. Lux just nodded. 

She could hear the bomoh muttering