*MOONLIT SHADOW*
*Chapter Sixteen: What Lies Beneath*
The air the next morning was colder.
Dew clung to the leaves, and the jungle's usual hum had dulled into a watchful silence. Jun woke alone beneath a makeshift tarp, the fire long since extinguished. The warmth that had wrapped around him hours before — Mark's arms, Mark's breath — was gone.
Jun sat up slowly, blanket still clutched around his waist. The ache in his body was not just physical.
Mark was nearby, sitting on a rock with his back turned, sharpening his blade. His shoulders were tense, back straight, like nothing had changed.
Like nothing had happened.
"Morning," Jun offered quietly.
Mark didn't turn. "We move soon. The trail's still fresh."
Jun hesitated. "About last night…"
Mark stood up and slung his blade over his shoulder. "We were vulnerable. It doesn't change our mission."
Those words sliced cleaner than any spirit's claw.
Jun stood, wrapping his cloak tighter. "So it meant nothing?"
Mark finally looked at him. His eyes betrayed what his words couldn't: longing, fear, guilt. "It meant *everything.* That's the problem."
Before Jun could answer, Dao approached from the trees. "Found tracks. Niran's moving toward the Serpent's Spine."
Jun pulled himself together. "Then we follow."
---
The journey grew more dangerous with each step.
The jungle felt tighter, more alive — like it was breathing around them. Jun could sense it now. The spirits weren't just restless… they were afraid.
At midday, they found signs of ritual activity — burned offering bowls, red cloth strung between trees, and blood.
Jun knelt beside one of the trees. "This is ancient blood magic. She's drawing power from something buried."
Mark examined the ground, his voice rough. "We're getting close."
Dao kicked a stone aside. "Or walking into another trap."
Jun stood. "She's not working alone. There's someone else behind this… maybe even stronger than Khan."
---
As night fell, they reached the base of the Serpent's Spine — a long, winding ridge carved with ancient naga symbols. The energy in the air buzzed like static. The relic they were chasing wasn't just sacred — it was *alive.*
They made camp in a narrow ravine, out of sight.
Jun sat alone, legs tucked beneath him, trying to meditate. But his mind wouldn't quiet — not with Mark only a few paces away, acting like his walls had never dropped.
"Why are you pushing me away?" Jun finally asked, voice low.
Mark didn't look up from where he was oiling his blade. "Because I'm not safe for you."
Jun moved beside him. "Let me decide that."
Mark's jaw tightened. "What if the pact takes over again? What if I lose myself?"
"Then I'll bring you back," Jun said. "Like I always have."
Mark met his eyes. The silence between them cracked, raw and trembling.
"I wanted you for so long," Mark whispered. "But the moment I had you… it scared the hell out of me."
Jun reached out, laying a hand over his. "Then be scared. But don't lie to me."
Mark nodded once, slowly — not ready to promise more, but no longer pretending.
---
That night, a storm broke over the ridge.
Thunder shook the ground, and the wind howled through the trees like wailing spirits. Lightning lit the sky — and in one flash, Jun saw her.
Niran. Standing at the ridge's edge, staring down at them.
By the time they scrambled up the slope, she was gone — but in her place, a symbol burned into the stone: a coiled serpent pierced by a blade.
Jun staggered. "That's not a warning. It's a ritual mark."
Dao ran fingers over the scorch. "Whatever she's summoning… it's almost complete."
Mark said nothing, but his hand hovered over his chest — where the pact burned hottest.
Something inside him was stirring.
---
Down in the valley below, unseen by the group, another figure watched from the trees.
Not Khan.
Not Niran.
Someone else — face hidden, cloaked in spirit smoke, whispering in a language older than any temple.
Their voice twisted into the wind, curling toward the Serpent's Spine:
*"Break the pact. Let the beast rise. Let love ruin him."*
And the jungle listened.
---
To be continued,