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*Chapter 24: Beneath the Skin of Silence*
The storm arrived without warning.
One moment, the air around the temple was heavy with quiet anticipation. The next, thunder cracked like an open wound across the sky, and rain slammed down in sheets. The flames in the lanterns sputtered out, plunging everything into darkness.
Dao leapt up first, blade drawn. Lek followed instinctively, back-to-back with him in the center of the room.
Jun's hand found Mark's, gripping tightly. "Something's here."
Mark nodded. "Not just a spirit. This feels... alive."
From the black, a low hum rose—no words, just pressure. It pressed against their skulls, their chests, their bones. Mark staggered, memories flooding him: Taiwan's body swallowed by fire, the first time he met Jun, the face of a spirit he couldn't save.
The hum cracked into whispers.
*"He's lying to you."*
*"One of you will break."*
*"Love is not protection—it's a weapon."*
Jun shivered beside him, eyes wide. "They're trying to turn us against each other."
Dao raised a protective ward, but it sparked violently and shattered. "This is no ordinary curse."
Lek moved closer to him, brushing his hand with trembling fingers. "Dao… if we don't make it—"
"Shut up," Dao said sharply. Then, softer: "You're not allowed to say goodbye."
A burst of shadow slammed into the room, throwing everyone back. The spirit that emerged didn't have a form—only eyes. Dozens of them. Watching.
And in the center of those eyes... a flicker of *Taiwan's silhouette.*
---
Mark lunged forward. "Taiwan!"
But when he reached the shadow, it vanished, leaving only smoke and silence.
Jun rushed to his side. "That wasn't him. That was something using his image."
Mark's heart pounded. "Then it knows how to manipulate me."
---
Later that night, after wards were reset and the storm eased, the group sat in tense silence.
Taiwan hadn't returned. The spirit hadn't attacked again. But the fear remained.
Dao nursed a cut on his arm while Lek cleaned it quietly. Their usual banter was gone, replaced with small touches and glances—unspoken apologies in every motion.
"I think the villain isn't just hiding in the shadows," Dao murmured. "I think they're close. Watching us. Maybe even *with* us."
Mark glanced toward Taiwan's empty corner. The warning he gave echoed again:
*"Someone close to you is already betraying you. They just don't know it yet."*
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To be continued.