*Chapter 28: The Reckoning Begins*
The temple chamber was cold. The wards flickered, unstable, like breathing ghosts. Jun stood in the center of the room, eyes closed, hands outstretched. Mark hovered at the edge, paler than usual, the pact's edge visible under his skin.
Outside, thunder rumbled — a warning.
Jun's chant rose, weaving ancient syllables in the tongue of spirits. The glowing runes embedded in the stones responded, pulsing with light. The shadows deepened around them.
Mark's voice broke through: "Jun — stop!"
Jun's eyes snapped open. In the doorway stood Taiwan, battered and silent, pain etched into his face. Behind him, rain lashed the windows.
Mark's heart clenched. "Why are you here?"
Taiwan's eyes flicked past Mark to Jun. "Because the lies have grown too large to hide." He stepped forward, shoulders stiff. "I survived so I could finish this."
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Dao and Lek moved in at the edges, weapons ready.
Dao's voice was firm. "You've returned at the worst moment."
Taiwan lifted his left hand — the one Jun once held — and revealed a sigil glowing on his palm, the same mark they had found in the secret ritual chamber.
Mark's blood ran cold. "No…"
Taiwan's voice was soft, broken: "I had no choice."
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The room shifted. Doors flew open. Wind roared. The walls bled shadows.
Dao's blade glowed white. Lek's wards pulsed.
Jun cried out, lunging toward Taiwan. "Stop this!"
Taiwan recoiled. "You can't save me. I'm already the vessel."
Mark stepped forward, voice trembling: "You were never meant to be. I refuse that."
Taiwan's eyes snapped fire. "Then force me."
He raised his hand. The shadows surged — crashing toward Jun and Mark.
Time slowed as Jun cried Mark's name. Mark stepped forward, placing himself between Jun and the darkness.
The shadow forms converged on Mark.
Jun screamed, summoning power like the moon's own pulse.
A blinding light exploded from Jun's palms. The shadows recoiled.
The last thing Mark saw before the light swallowed them: Taiwan's face, an expression of anguish — and resolve.
---
When the light faded, they lay amid ruins.
Mark held Jun close. Dao and Lek lay bruised but breathing nearby.
Taiwan was gone. The sigil mark on his palm lingered in the air, glowing faintly before fading.
Taiwan didn't reply. He walked forward as if drawn by the glow of the runes.
Jun faltered in his chant.
"Don't let him," Mark snarled, stepping between Taiwan and Jun.
Taiwan's gaze held Jun's. "I never left you."
Jun's lips trembled. "You did."
Mark's fist clenched. "Taiwan, don't lie."
Taiwan's face cracked with hurt and something darker. "Are you so sure you're worthy?" He looked at Mark now. "You've changed."
---
Suddenly, the wards exploded outward. The glowing runes shattered and vaporized. The ceiling above cracked, and shadow poured in — forms with many eyes, with faces that blurred between each of them.
Jun screamed, stumbling backward. Mark lunged, catching him, dragging him behind a fallen stone pillar.
The shadows attacked. Dao and Lek sprang into defense — Dao's blade slashing through phantom limbs, Lek's ward charms sparkling to life.
Taiwan dropped to his knees in the center of the room, hands raised. The shadows gathered around him like moths to flame.
Mark yelled: "Taiwan, what are you doing?"
Taiwan's voice echoed, torn. "I bring the offering. I bring the key."
Jun's eyes burned with betrayal and fear. "What key? What offering?"
Jun whispered, "He's gone."
Mark tightened his arms around him. "For now."
Dao rose, scanning the shattered room. "He used himself as a shield."
Lek sat up slowly. "Yes — to protect them. Or to... complete something."
Jun turned, voice hoarse. "We can't let him become what they want him to be."
Mark held him. "We'll pull him back. Together."
Outside, the storm broke. Rain hammered the temple. But inside, hearts pounded loud enough to drown it.
The reckoning had begun.
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