Whispers in the Dark

The night was heavy with silence, a quiet that seemed to press down on everything in the safe house. Only the faintest rustling of leaves from the jungle beyond and the occasional call of distant birds pierced the air. Inside, the light from a solitary lantern flickered, casting shifting shadows against the walls. The map of Southeast Asia sprawled across the table, marked with red pins and cryptic notations—every line, every mark a sign of the chaos to come. Sebastian and Thalia stood over it, the weight of their situation growing heavier with every passing moment.

“I don’t like this,” Thalia muttered under her breath. Her fingers traced a path on the map, each location marked with red pins like a trail of blood. “The Jade Dragon has spread too far. It’s like they’re everywhere.”