"The Bond Between Light and Shadow"

The temple halls had never felt so cold.

Joong walked ahead, his robes dragging against the marble floor. Every echo of his heartbeat was answered by another — not his own.

Behind him, Dunk followed silently, chains of blessed silver wrapped around his wrists. The bonds burned his skin, yet he wore his smirk like armor.

> “You walk too fast, priestling,” he drawled. “Or are you afraid of feeling me close?”

Joong didn’t turn. “You’re lucky I haven’t sealed your mouth shut.”

“Try it,” Dunk murmured, voice low. “See what happens to you, when I can’t breathe.”

The reminder of their cursed connection made Joong falter. The threads of red still glimmered faintly between their wrists — invisible to others, but they could feel it.

A pulse.

A whisper.

A constant reminder that one could not exist without the other.

They reached the ritual chamber, where Gemini and Pond were already waiting. Gemini’s brows furrowed as he studied the faint glow surrounding them.

> “The binding is complete. It’s not a simple soul-link… it’s parasitic. Your energies have fused. If one weakens—”

“We both fall,” Dunk finished, leaning casually against a pillar despite the chains.

His gaze drifted to Joong, who stood still, staring at the floor.

Pond stepped forward, voice tight. “Then we separate them! Now!”

Gemini shook his head. “If I break the link wrong, I could destroy both.”

Silence fell. Only the faint hum of the bond filled the air — a sound only Joong and Dunk could hear.

Joong closed his eyes. “Then we find another way. Keep him contained until—”

> “Until what?” Dunk interrupted, a sharp smile on his lips. “Until you can pretend I don’t make your holy light tremble?”

Joong turned sharply, eyes blazing. “You think this is a game?”

Dunk’s smirk softened, just slightly. “No. I think this is fate.”

The room seemed to shrink — the air heavy, charged. Even Pond took a quiet step back.

Joong took one step forward. Then another. The red thread glowed brighter, vibrating between them like a heartbeat.

> “You’re cursed,” Joong whispered. “You feed on the living. You have no soul.”

“And yet,” Dunk murmured, “you’re bound to mine.”

Their breaths mingled — too close, too dangerous. For a moment, the bond pulsed stronger, a spark running up their arms like fire. Joong felt it — Dunk’s heartbeat, his hunger, his exhaustion, his centuries of loneliness.

And Dunk felt Joong’s — the fear, the purity, the storm beneath his calm.

Neither moved. Neither spoke.

Then Joong broke the connection, turning away before his composure cracked.

“Gemini,” he said quietly. “Prepare the seal. I’ll keep watch tonight.”

Dunk’s eyes followed him — a faint trace of amusement… and something else, softer, hidden deep.

As Joong left the chamber, he could still feel Dunk’s presence like a shadow under his skin. Every step away made his pulse ache.

Outside, the moon hung low, pale and bruised.

Joong looked up, whispering to himself,

> “This bond will be my ruin.”

From inside the chamber, Dunk smiled faintly, whispering the same words.

> “Or your salvation.”

---