*MOONLIT SHADOW*
*Chapter Twelve: What We Don't Say*
The sky over Chiang Mai was cloudless, but no one felt at peace.
The seal had shattered.
Tawin had returned — only to vanish again, leaving behind more questions, more wounds.
Jun lay in bed, wrapped in white linen, a healing sigil pulsing faintly across his bare chest. His breathing had steadied, but he hadn't spoken much. Not since he whispered Tawin's name before collapsing again.
Mark hadn't left his side.
Dao and Lek took turns guarding the perimeter, refusing to rest. Everyone was waiting for something to fall apart.
Mark brushed Jun's hair back, watching his lips twitch faintly in sleep.
"I should tell you the truth," he whispered, though no one was awake to hear. "Before it catches up to us."
Jun stirred, and for a moment, Mark thought he'd heard. But Jun only sighed and turned toward him — even in pain, instinctively leaning in.
---
*Elsewhere...*
Dao sat in the moonlight, sharpening blades. "They're hiding something," they said to Lek without looking up.
Lek nodded. "Both of them."
Dao narrowed their eyes. "And when it comes out… it'll break them."
---
Mark finally broke the silence.
"Jun, there's something you need to know," he said quietly, fingers trembling as he reached for Jun's hand.
Jun's eyes fluttered open, searching Mark's face for the weight behind his words.
"I never told you... about the pact I made before we met," Mark confessed. "Before I became a spirit hunter, I was desperate. I made a deal — with something darker than any veil spirit."
Jun's brow furrowed. "Why would you hide that?"
"Because I was afraid," Mark admitted. "Afraid it would change how you saw me… if you knew the price I paid."
Jun's gaze softened. "We all carry darkness. But it's what we do with it that matters."
Mark swallowed hard, then nodded. "There's more. When I fight, sometimes… it's not just me. The pact... it can take over."
Jun squeezed his hand. "Then I'll be here to pull you back."
---
Dao watched them from the doorway, the flicker of torchlight casting shadows across their face.
"Secrets between them like walls," Dao muttered. "How long before those walls crumble?"
---
Jun's own secret churned beneath his skin.
He had never told Mark about the vision he'd had — the one that had come during his deepest meditation weeks before Tawin's betrayal.
In it, Jun saw himself standing in a garden of moonlight, but Mark was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a shadow — cold, distant — whispering warnings of a path Jun could not escape.
That shadow was more than a vision; it was a warning. A glimpse of what might come if he let his heart fully open to Mark.
But fear had sealed Jun's lips.
Now, as Mark revealed his own darkness, Jun wondered if it was time to break his silence.
"Mark," Jun whispered, voice trembling. "There's something I haven't told you either."
Mark looked at him, waiting.
Jun swallowed. "The Veilbreaker… they spoke to me. In my dreams. Not just as an enemy, but as someone who… knows me."
Mark's eyes narrowed. "What did they say?"
Jun hesitated. "That the bond we share — it's dangerous. That our love could be the key to either saving or destroying everything."
Mark's hand tightened around Jun's.
"We're not just fighting spirits," Jun said softly. "We're fighting fate."
---
Dao's voice was a quiet warning from the shadows.
"Love and danger, tangled like vines. If they don't tear each other apart first, something worse will."
The days that followed blurred into a whirlwind of preparation and quiet desperation.
Mark trained harder than ever, pushing his body and mind to the edge. The pact within him whispered, clawing for control in moments of exhaustion.
Jun immersed himself in ancient texts, seeking any clue to the Veilbreaker's true plan and the secrets hidden in their bond.
One evening, as the sun bled crimson over the horizon, Jun found Mark alone in the training yard, shadowed by the fading light.
Mark's movements were sharp, almost violent — a storm of suppressed rage and fear.
Jun approached cautiously. "You can't fight this alone."
Mark paused, eyes flickering with something unreadable.
"I'm scared, Jun," he admitted, voice raw. "Not just of the pact… but of losing you. If the darkness inside me wins, I don't know what I'll become."
Jun stepped closer, reaching out. "Then don't lose me."
Mark's defenses cracked, and for a moment, the fierce hunter melted into the vulnerable man beneath.
Their hands found each other — trembling, desperate — a silent promise against the coming storm.
---
Dao and Lek watched from a distance, their expressions unreadable.
"Maybe their secrets will save them," Lek mused. "Or maybe they'll be the end of everything."
---
That night, under the silver gaze of the moon, Jun and Mark shared more than whispered words.
They shared fears — dark confessions that had long been locked away.
Jun revealed the vision of the shadow, and the warning that their love might tip the balance of worlds.
Mark confessed the pact's price — that some days he wasn't sure if the monster within was winning.
Tears mingled with laughter as they held onto each other, fragile but fierce.
"We're brave," Jun said softly. "Even if love is dangerous, we're braver."
Mark nodded, voice thick. "Then we fight. Together."
Outside, the city slept, unaware of the storm rising just beneath its peaceful surface.
But inside the small room, two souls — broken, bruised, but unyielding — prepared to face the unknown.
Because love wasn't just for the brave. It was their only hope.
---
To be continued