## **Chapter 12: Fractured Echoes**

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The days blended together, each one a hollow echo of the last. Mei wandered through the village, her body moving on its own, her mind trapped in memories she could never share.

She saw him sometimes, laughing with the other children, his face bright, his eyes carefree. His laughter floated through the air, light and innocent, untouched by shadows or sorrow.

He was safe. He was happy.

He was a stranger.

Every time she saw him, her heart twisted, her chest tightening as she fought the urge to run to him, to call his name. But she knew he wouldn't respond. He would look at her with those familiar dark eyes—eyes that no longer held even a flicker of recognition.

He had forgotten her completely.

But Mei remembered everything.

She remembered his tiny fingers curled around hers, the warmth of his body as he fell asleep in her arms. She remembered his laughter, the way he looked at her with so much trust, so much love.

And she remembered his tears, his broken cries as she walked away, leaving him behind.

The pain was suffocating, an ache that would never heal. She had saved him, but she had lost him forever.

Some days, she wished she had let the river take her instead.

---

Weeks passed before she gathered the courage to visit the Moon Bridge again.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their petals drifting on the breeze, swirling across the bridge, floating down to the water below.

Mei stood at the edge, her hands resting on the cold stone, her eyes fixed on the river. Its surface was calm, the current gentle, carrying the petals away.

It looked so peaceful, so harmless. But she knew the truth. Beneath the surface, the shadows still lingered, waiting, watching.

Her chest tightened. "I did what you wanted," she whispered, her voice soft, fragile. "I let him go. I broke our bond."

The river was silent, its water flowing steadily, the petals swirling in lazy circles.

Mei's fingers clenched, her nails digging into the stone. "You took everything from me. My brother… my memories… my heart." Her voice shook, the tears burning in her eyes. "You took him twice. Isn't that enough?"

The wind picked up, carrying the scent of blossoms, the petals dancing around her. The river remained still, its surface smooth, undisturbed.

A shadow moved beneath the water, a flicker at the edge of her vision. Mei's heart skipped, her breath catching. She leaned forward, her eyes scanning the river, her pulse quickening.

But there was nothing—only her reflection, her face pale and haunted, her eyes hollow.

She turned away, her shoulders slumping, her body heavy with exhaustion. "I kept my promise… I saved him." Her voice broke, her tears falling. "Why does it still hurt so much?"

The wind howled, the petals swirling faster, dancing across the bridge, spinning around her. Mei closed her eyes, the breeze cold against her skin, the scent of blossoms bittersweet.

The whisper came softly, carried by the wind, haunting and familiar. *"A promise kept… a heart broken… a debt repaid."*

Mei's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding. "Who's there?" She spun around, her gaze sweeping the bridge, the river, the trees. But she was alone.

The petals settled, the wind dying down, the world falling silent.

Mei shivered, a chill running down her spine. She looked at the river again, her eyes narrowing. "You're still watching me… aren't you?"

The water rippled, the petals spinning faster, forming a circle before drifting apart.

Mei's heart raced, her fingers curling into fists. "I did what you wanted. You said you'd let him go!"

A whisper rose from the water, faint and distant. *"The river keeps… what it takes…"*

Mei's blood ran cold. "No… you can't…" She stepped closer to the edge, her body tense, her breath quickening. "I gave him up! I broke the bond! You promised—"

The water rippled again, the shadows swirling beneath the surface. A face appeared for just a moment—dark eyes, pale skin, lips twisted in a knowing smile.

The shadow she had seen on the bridge. The spirit who had tried to take Jun.

Mei stumbled back, her heart hammering. "No… stay away from him! I won't let you take him!"

The face dissolved, the water calming, the petals drifting away. But the whisper lingered, cold and mocking. *"He belongs to the river… just as you do."*

Mei's blood froze, her body rigid. "What… what are you talking about?"

The water was silent, the shadow gone, the surface smooth once more.

Mei's hands trembled, her heart racing, her mind spinning. *Just as you do…*

She looked down at her hands, pale and cold, her fingers faintly translucent. She hadn't noticed before… how light she felt, how the wind seemed to pass through her.

She looked at the bridge, at the cherry blossoms swirling around her, at the petals drifting through her body. *Through her.*

Her breath hitched, her chest tightening, her vision blurring. She turned to look at the village, at the distance between her and the world she had tried so desperately to protect.

A world she could never reach again.

The truth sank in, heavy and cruel. *She had never truly left the bridge.*

The day Jun had fallen into the river… the day she had tried to save him…

She had drowned.

And the river had kept her.

Mei sank to her knees, her body shaking, her tears falling soundlessly, vanishing before they touched the ground. She had saved him. She had kept her promise. But she was the one who was lost, the one who was bound to the river, to the bridge, to the blossoms that never stopped falling.

She was the one who would be forgotten.

The petals danced around her, swirling through her, vanishing as they touched her skin.

And the river whispered softly, its voice echoing through the wind.

*"A promise kept… a memory erased… a spirit bound."*

Mei closed her eyes, her heart breaking all over again. She had saved him. But she had lost herself.