*MOONLIT SHADOW*
*Chapter Nineteen: Beneath the Smoke*
The group moved deeper into the spirit realm, the terrain warping more with every step. Trees breathed. Rivers ran in reverse. And the sky never settled on one color.
Jun and Mark walked ahead in silence, still shaken from the last encounter. The message burned into the air — *"The one you love will betray you"* — lingered between them like poison.
Behind them, Dao walked with Lek.
They hadn't spoken much since Lek recovered. He still moved slowly, scars from Niran's blade still healing. Dao kept glancing sideways at him, as if making sure he wouldn't fall again.
"I can walk," Lek finally muttered.
Dao didn't stop looking. "Didn't say you couldn't."
"Then stop staring."
"I'm watching your back."
"Not your job."
Dao arched a brow. "Says who?"
Lek's lips twitched, just barely. "You're annoying."
Dao smirked. "You're slow."
They kept walking.
---
Later, they stopped to rest beneath a tree with leaves shaped like hands.
Jun and Mark sat off to the side, whispering, eyes tired. Dao sat near the edge of camp, sharpening his blade. he didn't look up when Lek approached — just said, "Still alive, I see."
Lek sat carefully, leg stiff. "Thanks to you."
Dao finally looked up. "Don't mention it."
"I mean it."
Dao stilled. Something flickered in his eyes — surprise? Guilt?
"You don't remember, do you?" Lek asked, watching him.
"Remember what?"
"When she stabbed me. You didn't hesitate. You stood in front of me like—like I mattered."
Dao shrugged. "Reflex."
Lek snorted. "You don't do anything without thinking."
A pause.
Then Dao said quietly, "You're part of the team."
"That all?"
Dao's jaw tightened. "It's enough."
But his voice betrayed him. Just a little.
Lek smiled faintly and leaned back on his elbows, wincing. "You've got good hands."
Dao blinked. "What?"
"When you carried me. You didn't drop me once. Steady grip."
A beat of silence.
Dao looked away, suddenly needing to sharpen his blade again.
"Shut up," he muttered.
Lek just laughed — a real one this time. Soft. Warm.
---
That night, they set camp near a broken temple floating in midair. Jun placed spirit wards while Mark kept watch.
Dao and Lek ended up seated near the fire together again.
This time, it was quieter.
"I used to believe in gods," Lek said out of nowhere.
Dao looked over. "What changed?"
"They stopped listening."
Dao was quiet for a moment. "Or maybe they never started."
Lek glanced at him. "You're not like the others."
"Because I don't pray?"
"Because you carry everything alone."
Dao met his gaze. "And you don't?"
"I carry ghosts. You carry guilt."
Dao didn't reply right away. Then: "What do you see when you look at me?"
Lek studied her. "A young man trying very hard not to feel anything."
Dao's eyes narrowed. "And what do *you* feel?"
He didn't smile this time. "Too much. That's the problem."
For a long time, neither of them said anything. The fire crackled. Somewhere in the distance, a spirit howled.
Then Lek leaned closer, voice soft. "If I fall again… will you catch me?"
Dao didn't answer.
But he didn't move away either.
---
The next day, the group reached a stretch of spirit river glowing blue and gold.
They needed to cross — but the bridge was gone.
Jun prepared a ritual, and Mark steadied him, holding his shoulders while he chanted.
Dao sat with Lek again, this time alone on the edge of the river.
"You ever wonder what happens if we don't make it?" Lek asked.
"No time to wonder," Dao replied.
"But what if we do? What if we survive?"
Dao looked at him. "Then what?"
Lek met his eyes. "Then I'd take you to a quiet place. Far from all this. I'd build you a home."
Dao scoffed. "You don't know how to build."
"I'd learn."
A pause.
"You can't flirt your way through a war," Dao said.
"I'm not flirting," Lek said gently. "I'm trying to see if you'll let yourself want something more."
Dao looked at the water, not trusting his voice.
After a moment, he whispered, "You're dangerous."
"Because I care?"
"Because I might care back."
And for the first time since they met, Dao looked scared.
---
They crossed the river. The ritual held. But behind them, the bridge reformed — on its own.
Dao was the last to notice it. he stared at it for a long moment.
"Things are moving without our hands now," he muttered.
Lek walked beside his, slower now. "Maybe something wants us to keep going."
Dao didn't answer.
But he glanced at him — and didn't look away.
---
That night, the group rested inside a cave glowing with spirit moss.
Mark and Jun curled up together near the back, still too unsure to speak freely.
Dao sat outside, watching the flickering lights beyond.
Lek joined him.
This time, he didn't act surprised.
"You should be sleeping," he said.
"You're still awake."
They sat in silence.
Then Dao asked, quietly, "Do you think people like us deserve to be loved?"
Lek looked over, eyes soft. "Yes. Especially us."
Dao closed her eyes. "I don't know how to be soft."
"You don't have to be. I just need you to be real."
he looked at him then.
And for once, he let him see *everything*.
The scars.
The longing.
The quiet hope.
And maybe, just maybe — the beginning of something more.
---
To be continued.