*Chapter 27: Shadows That Breathe*
The wind shifted in Chiang Mai.
A cold front swept through the city's temples and alleyways like a warning—a breath before a scream. In the mountains where the boys had taken refuge, the temple walls seemed to creak with memories. Faded chants still echoed faintly through the cracked stones, and something in the silence listened back.
Jun sat by the edge of the old well in the courtyard. He hadn't slept—not since the shared dream. His eyes were tired but sharp, scanning the stonework like it might whisper answers. The photo Mark received haunted him. A version of Mark's face, smiling behind him in the darkness. Not real. But real enough to shake his trust.
He heard soft footsteps. Without turning, he said, "You're watching me again."
Mark stepped into the moonlight, hands in his pockets. "You've been distant."
Jun looked up at him. "Wouldn't you be, if you saw your lover's shadow smiling like a ghost?"
Mark flinched. "It wasn't me."
"I know," Jun said. "But it *looked* like you. And I've felt it watching me. Not just in dreams. In the halls. In reflections. In you."
Mark crouched beside him. "Whatever's playing with us, it's not winning. We're still here."
Jun's voice dropped. "For how long?"
Their fingers brushed, but neither reached out to hold.
---
Inside the temple, Dao sat sharpening his dagger. Across from him, Lek rested against a wooden pillar, watching him.
"You haven't spoken all morning," Lek said quietly.
"I'm thinking."
"About?"
"About whether the thing inside you wants to come out... or wants to *take someone else in*."
Lek frowned. "You think I'm dangerous?"
"I think we all are," Dao replied. "But I don't want you to be afraid of that. I want you to *face* it."
Lek pulled his knees up. "I feel like I'm cracking open a little more every night."
"Then we'll hold the pieces together," Dao said.
Lek smiled faintly, tears close behind his eyes.
---
Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber beneath the temple—a space no one had yet found—a single flame danced in a bowl carved from bone.
The villain moved through the room like a breath. Their face was still hidden, even in solitude. A long finger trailed across the wall, where names had been scratched deep into the stone.
*Jun. Mark. Dao. Lek. Taiwan.*
One name had been circled.
*Jun.*
"I gave you gifts," the villain whispered, voice low and genderless. "You feel them blooming inside you. Not power. Not freedom. *Memory.* The true weapon."
They poured a drop of black liquid into the flame.
It screamed
---
The silence in the room grew louder as Opal's words hung in the air. Asleep. The word was fragile, a thread holding the moment together.
Sebastian didn't move at first. His gaze lingered on her, fangs barely retracting as his jaw twitched. Then he spoke, his voice low and calculated. "You left her alone?"
Opal shook her head. "She's protected. Azura's mark is still active."
Adelaide scoffed from behind. "And you think that's enough to keep out what's coming?"
Brynn stepped forward, voice softer than usual. "We need to regroup, not tear each other apart."
But Sebastian's eyes didn't waver from Opal. "She trusted you. If anything happens to her…"
"She made her choice," Opal replied, voice firmer now. "She knew the risk."
A pause. Then the front doors creaked open.
Everyone turned, hands instinctively reaching for weapons or spells. The hallway darkened, the lights flickering as a figure entered — soaked in rain, face hidden beneath a hood.
It was Dao.
Jun stepped in behind him, eyes wide with urgency. "We have a problem.
Dao pulled back his hood. "They found the shrine."
Mark, who had been standing in the corner silent, finally stepped into the light. "Which one?"
Jun's voice cracked. "The one in Doi Inthanon. The heart shrine."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Sebastian muttered a curse under his breath. "Then we're out of time."
Suddenly, from upstairs, a scream pierced the air.
Opal's heart dropped. "Azura!"
---
*The Shrine Burns*
They ran up the stairs two at a time. Dao reached the door first, forcing it open.
Azura lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes wide, but her pupils were nearly gone—swallowed by silver light. Her body trembled, but she wasn't conscious. In her hand, clutched so tightly her knuckles had turned white, was a blackened talisman that hissed with heat.
Mark rushed forward but Jun held him back. "Don't touch her yet! That talisman—it's cursed."
Brynn knelt beside her, murmuring an incantation under her breath. Slowly, the silver drained from Azura's eyes. Her breathing evened. She blinked—and gasped.
"I saw him…"
Sebastian crouched beside her. "Who?"
Azura tried to speak but choked. Tears pooled in her eyes.
"It wasn't human."
Jun turned pale. "Describe it."
Her lips trembled. "He had your face, Mark."
The room went cold.
Mark stepped back. "That thing again... It's still copying me."
Lek suddenly said, "No. It's not just copying you. It's *becoming* you."
Dao stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Lek looked at them all. "I think it's tied to him. To his soul."
Azura's voice returned. "I heard it whispering to me… it said *'he's the anchor. He's the key.'*"
All eyes turned to Mark.
Jun whispered, "What aren't you telling us?"
Mark clenched his fists. "I don't know anymore. I swear."
But something in his voice trembled—and Jun didn't miss it.
---
Outside the temple, the storm rolled in again.
In the forest, shadows moved against the wind. Not fleeing it. *Feeding from it.*
And somewhere deep within the shrine of Doi Inthanon, an ancient mask was lifted from its resting place by unseen hands. The mask had no eyes, but it saw everything.
---
Mark sat alone under the broken archway behind the temple, rain misting down through gaps in the roof. He stared at his reflection in a pool of water forming near his feet. For a moment, it shimmered—then the face changed.
It wasn't his.
It was *him* again.
The other Mark. The smiling one. The one who felt too close, too *real*.
"Why me?" Mark whispered, his voice barely above the sound of rain.
"You already know," a voice echoed faintly in his head. "You're the thread that holds them all."
He clenched his jaw. "You're not real."
"You say that," the voice replied, "but Jun has started to wonder. And so have you."
Suddenly, arms wrapped around his shoulders.
Jun.
"Mark," he said softly, forehead pressing against the back of Mark's neck. "Please… talk to me."
Mark didn't turn around. "You're afraid of me."
"No," Jun said, "I'm afraid *for* you."
Mark finally looked at him. Their eyes met, vulnerable and raw.
"I think something ancient chose me," Mark said. "And I don't know if it's because I'm meant to fight it… or become it."
Jun's eyes filled with tears. "You're not alone in this."
Mark touched his hand. "Then don't let me become a stranger."
Jun leaned in, resting his lips against Mark's shoulder.
"We won't let it take you."
---
Inside, Dao was wrapping Lek's wrists with new protective bands. His fingers moved slowly, deliberately. There was something unspoken between them.
Lek's voice cracked. "You're quiet."
"I've been thinking," Dao replied.
"About me?"
"Yes. And about the dream."
Lek looked away. "I was in chains. You watched. And you walked away."
Dao stopped. "I didn't know it meant something."
Lek looked up at him. "What if it was a warning?"
Dao tightened the last knot. "Then I'll never walk away again."
Their lips almost touched, the moment pulsing with restrained need—until Lek whispered, "There's something inside me... and it's *not asleep anymore.*"
Dao didn't back away. "Then I'll face it with you."
Even if his hands shook.
---
Far from them, the masked figure stood in the ruins of the shrine, blood dripping from its fingertips. Two monks lay at its feet, lifeless.
The villain held a torn page in its hand—written in a language older than the temple itself.
"Phase one is complete," it murmured. "Let the hunter doubt. Let the medium fall in love."
It turned toward the darkness and vanished, taking the last of the shrine's light with it.
---
---
Night pressed down harder than before. The temple was quiet, but no one felt safe.
Jun lay awake, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The warmth of Mark's body beside him should've been comforting, but his thoughts raced. His heart felt torn—between fear and love, between truth and the dark possibilities taking shape.
"Can I ask you something?" Jun whispered.
Mark stirred. "Of course."
"If this… thing inside you starts to take over, would you let me stop you?"
Silence.
Then Mark turned to him, voice low. "Would you still love me if I became something else?"
Jun didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
---
In another wing of the temple, Lek stood before the mirror in the hallway.
He lifted his shirt, revealing faint, ink-like markings crawling across his ribs—glowing only faintly. They hadn't been there before the dream. They weren't tattoos. They *moved.*
Dao entered silently behind him. "They're spreading."
Lek nodded. "I don't think I can stop it."
Dao stepped close, pressing a hand over the marks. "Then we find the source—and rip it out."
"You say that like it's outside me."
Dao met his eyes in the mirror. "Even if it's *inside* you... I'll fight it."
Lek's breath caught. "Why?"
"Because I—" Dao hesitated, then said it. "Because I *care.*"
The words hung in the air.
Lek touched his hand. "Don't promise what you can't survive."
Dao didn't blink. "Then let's survive it together."
Their kiss was slow, hesitant, but deep. No longer just comfort—it was commitment.
But in the shadows beyond the hall, something *watched.*
---
The villain stood before a wall covered in strings and symbols—threads connecting names, faces, bloodlines. A candle flickered as a drop of red oil hit the flame.
A whisper followed:
"Dao is softening. Lek is cracking. Jun is in love. Mark is… almost ready."
Then, with a twisted smile: "Soon, he'll beg me to finish what *he* started
Thunder rumbled as morning tried to break through the dense storm clouds. A new day, but the air felt wrong—like time had paused and something had slipped through the cracks of reality.
Mark sat at the edge of the temple roof, overlooking the mist-covered trees. Dao joined him silently, offering him a flask of tea. They didn't speak for a long time.
"I think it's all connected," Mark said finally. "The shrine. The thing pretending to be me. The dreams."
Dao leaned forward. "And Jun?"
Mark exhaled. "He's holding me together. But I'm afraid… if he sees what I'm really becoming, he'll let go."
Dao looked at him seriously. "He won't."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he's like me. We don't fall easily… but when we do, we don't run."
Mark blinked. "You've fallen for Lek."
Dao didn't deny it.
---
Elsewhere, Jun poured over the ancient texts they recovered from the shrine. The script was old—pre-Lanna, even. It spoke of a being that wore the faces of those it targeted, feeding off unresolved emotion and guilt.
And in the margins, scribbled in a modern hand:
*"The anchor is always the one who feels most guilty. Who cannot forgive himself."*
Jun sat back, stunned. "Mark..."
Suddenly, Azura entered, pale. "There's something you need to see."
She led Jun down to the old garden wall—where a mark had been carved overnight. A circle of symbols surrounding a sigil that looked like an eye crossed with flame.
Jun touched it. The stone burned.
"I've seen this in my dreams."
Azura nodded grimly. "Then they're not dreams anymore."
---
That night, Jun returned to their shared room. Mark was asleep—peacefully, too peacefully.
Jun reached out to touch his cheek… and the skin rippled.
He froze.
Mark's eyes opened—but they were all black.
Jun jumped back, heart pounding. "You're not him!"
The thing smiled. "Not *yet.* But soon, Jun. Very soon."
Jun whispered a single word—an incantation—and the body exploded in a cloud of ash and shadow, leaving the bed empty.
He ran.
---
In the underground chamber, the real Mark awoke—chained.
He blinked in darkness, throat raw, eyes wide.
And across from him, grinning through bloodied teeth, sat someone he thought was long dead.
*"Taiwan?"*
The boy lifted his face.
But something in his eyes was... *wrong.*
Mark's breath came in ragged gasps. The cold chains bit into his wrists, but the pain was nothing compared to the shock of seeing Taiwan alive—*or something like him.*
Taiwan's smile was slow, cruel. "You thought you'd buried me, didn't you?"
"I… I don't understand," Mark stammered. "Why? Why are you here?"
"Because the story isn't over, Mark," Taiwan said, eyes glinting like a predator's. "I've been waiting. Watching."
Mark's mind reeled back to the night everything changed—the fire, the screams, the betrayal. But this wasn't the Taiwan he remembered. This was someone else, someone darker.
"Who did this to you?" Mark asked.
Taiwan laughed, the sound chilling. "Who do you think? The same people who want to tear you apart. The ones hiding in the shadows."
Chains rattled as Mark tried to pull free. "What do you want from me?"
"Not what I want… what *we* need." Taiwan's eyes flickered to the shadows behind him, where unseen figures loomed.
Mark's heart sank.
---
Back in the temple, Jun stood over the ashes where the dark copy of Mark had vanished. His hands shook, the air thick with loss.
"We have to find him," Jun said, voice breaking. "The real Mark."
Lek and Dao exchanged a look.
"Then we fight," Lek said quietly. "Whatever it takes."
Dao nodded, his fingers tightening around Lek's hand. "Together."
---
Meanwhile, outside the city, the masked villain watched from a rooftop, the night wind tugging at their cloak.
"Let them search," the voice whispered. "Let the past bleed into the present."
A flash of a scarred face—brief and hidden—was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"This game is just beginning."
---
The temple was cloaked in silence, broken only by the faint drip of water echoing through the ancient halls. Jun sat cross-legged by the altar, chanting softly, hands glowing with pale blue light.
Outside, Lek paced, his eyes flickering to the shadows. Dao watched him, worry etched deep into his features.
"Do you think Mark will be okay?" Lek finally asked.
Jun didn't look up. "He's stronger than we think. But he's fighting more than chains."
Dao stepped forward. "We all are."
---
Miles away, in a hidden chamber lit by flickering candles, Mark stared at Taiwan—his past and maybe his future intertwined.
"Why did you save me?" Mark asked quietly.
Taiwan's expression softened, just for a moment. "Because I'm the only one who remembers who you truly are."
Mark's eyes filled with tears. "And what about all the pain? The lies?"
Taiwan smiled bitterly. "Pain makes us stronger. Lies make us careful. But only love can save us."
---
Back at the temple, Jun's chant grew louder, weaving through the night. The glowing sigils around him pulsed like heartbeat echoes.
Lek's fingers brushed Dao's. "I'm scared."
Dao squeezed back. "Me too. But not of what's out there… of losing you."
Jun's voice faltered for a moment. Then steadied. "We will bring him back. Together."
---
And far, far away, cloaked in darkness, the masked villain prepared the final piece of their plan—a ritual that would tear the veil between worlds.
"Let them break," the voice whispered. "Let them bleed love and hate. Only then will I rise."
The shadows thickened.
And the game of Moonlit Shadow was far from over.
---
*End of Chapter 27*
This is a very long chapter I have been busy with school activities lately so bear with me please