## **Chapter 14: The Weight of Memories**

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Mei stood on the Moon Bridge, her body cold and weightless, the snow swirling around her, the petals drifting through the air. The village below was silent, the festival lights flickering softly, laughter echoing faintly through the night.

She could feel his presence before she saw him. His footsteps were light, his breaths quick and warm, his heart steady and strong. She turned slowly, her chest tightening as she watched him approach.

Jun stood at the edge of the bridge, his eyes wide, his cheeks flushed from the cold, his breath visible in the winter air. He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the stone arch, his expression curious, his lips parting.

Mei's heart ached, her chest heavy,a year has been passed since she last saw him,He was taller now, his hair longer, his shoulders broader. He had grown so much, changed so much. But his eyes were the same—warm, bright, full of light.

The eyes of the brother she had loved. The brother she had died to protect.

The brother who no longer remembered her.

Jun took a step closer, his head tilting, his eyes fixed on the petals that danced through the snow. He reached out, his fingers brushing the air, his lips moving as he whispered, "Why are they still falling…?"

Mei's breath caught, her body trembling. He could see them—the petals that never stopped drifting, that haunted her every day. The blossoms bound to the bridge, to the river, to the memory she had given away.

He could see them… which meant…

*He could feel her presence.*

Hope surged through her, sharp and sudden, her chest tightening. Was it possible? Could he remember her? Could he break through the curse that had erased her from his heart?

Jun's fingers curled into a fist, his brow furrowing, his eyes darkening. "Why… does this place feel so…" He hesitated, his voice faint, his gaze distant. "Lonely…?"

Mei's heart shattered. He could feel her sorrow, her longing, her pain. He didn't know why, he didn't understand, but he could feel her. He could sense her presence, lingering just out of reach, like a whisper in the wind.

She took a step closer, her body trembling, her hand reaching out, her fingers brushing the air. "Jun…" Her voice was soft, fragile, breaking under the weight of her longing. "Jun… I'm right here…"

But her words were a whisper, lost in the wind. Her touch was cold and empty, drifting through him, fading into snow. He couldn't hear her. He couldn't see her.

But he could feel her.

Jun's eyes softened, his lips curving into a faint smile. "It feels… warm…" He closed his eyes, his shoulders relaxing, his breath steadying. "It feels… safe…"

Mei's chest tightened, her tears falling, her heart breaking. *He remembers… somewhere deep inside… he remembers…*

She moved closer, her body light as air, her fingers brushing his cheek, her voice a whisper. "I'm here… I never left you…"

Jun's eyes snapped open, his body stiffening, his gaze sharp. He looked around, his eyes wide, his breath quickening. "Who… who said that?"

Mei's heart stopped. He had heard her. He had heard her voice.

Hope surged through her, fierce and bright. She wasn't completely forgotten. There was still a part of her that remained in his heart, a faint memory lingering beneath the surface, waiting to be awakened.

Jun took a step back, his eyes wide, his face pale. "Who's there…?" His voice wavered, his hands shaking. "Who… who are you?"

Mei's chest tightened, her body trembling. He didn't remember her name. He didn't know who she was. But he could feel her presence. He could hear her voice.

If she could make him remember… if she could break through the curse… then maybe… just maybe… she could be free.

The wind howled, the snow swirling faster, the petals dancing through the air, their whispers soft and haunting. Mei closed her eyes, her heart pounding, her voice trembling. "Jun… it's me… Mei…"

Jun's body went rigid, his eyes wide, his breath catching. His lips parted, his voice faint, confused. "Mei…?"

The petals swirled faster, the whispers growing louder, the air growing colder. Shadows moved beneath the river, rising to the surface, the water churning, the current growing stronger.

The spirit was watching. The bridge was trembling. The bond was weakening.

Mei's chest tightened, her body shaking. She could feel it—she was breaking through the curse, shattering the memory that had been erased, pulling herself back into his heart.

She could be free. She could escape this place.

But then she remembered the spirit's warning. *"You took his place. To break the bond… he must take yours."*

Her blood ran cold, her body rigid. If she broke the bond, if she took back her place in the world… then he would take hers. He would be bound to the bridge, to the river, to the petals that never stopped falling. He would become the Moon Bridge's ghost.

She would be free. But he would be trapped.

The shadows rose from the water, swirling around the bridge, their forms shifting, their voices echoing softly. *"The debt is paid… the promise is kept… the memory is erased… the bond to break…"*

Jun took a step back, his eyes wide, his body trembling. He could feel the shadows, the cold, the whispers haunting the air. He could feel the curse closing in around him.

Mei's heart shattered, her tears falling, her chest aching. She had found a way to be free… but it would cost him everything.

She looked at his face, his bright eyes, his warm smile, his soul untouched by sorrow. She had given everything to protect him, to save him, to keep him alive. She couldn't take that away. She couldn't trap him in this curse.

Even if it meant she would be forgotten forever.

The wind howled, the snow swirling around her, the petals dancing through the air, their whispers cold and cruel. Mei took a step back, her body fading, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Jun's eyes softened, his lips parting, his voice trembling. "Who… are you…?"

Mei's heart broke, her body cold and hollow. "I… was someone who loved you… more than anything…"

She turned away, her tears falling, her body light as air, drifting through the snow, fading into petals.

She would remain the Moon Bridge's ghost, the shadow bound to the blossoms that never stopped falling, the memory lost to time.

And no one would ever remember her name.