## **Chapter 16: Unspoken Truths**

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Jun sat by the riverbank, his knees drawn to his chest, his gaze fixed on the water. The snow fell softly, melting on the stones, the air cold and still. But all he could hear were her words, echoing through his mind.

*"I… was someone who loved you… more than anything…"*

His chest tightened, his breath catching. That voice… so soft, so warm, so heartbreakingly familiar. But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how desperately he reached for it, he couldn't remember her face.

He closed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists, his shoulders tense. "Mei…" The name felt strange on his tongue, distant and fragile, like a dream he couldn't quite grasp. Who was she? Why did her name feel so familiar?

Why did his heart ache every time he thought of her?

He shook his head, his breath visible in the cold air, his jaw clenched. It didn't make sense. He had no memories of her, no pictures, no stories, nothing to prove she was real. And yet… he felt her. He felt her presence, her sorrow, her love.

He knew her… but he didn't remember her.

The petals drifted through the snow, swirling above the water, their whispers faint and haunting. Jun looked up, his eyes following their dance, his chest tightening. Why did they never stop falling? Why did they linger around the Moon Bridge, day after day, year after year?

He stood slowly, his gaze fixed on the bridge, his heart pounding. He had to know. He had to understand. Who was she? Why did she feel so familiar? Why couldn't he remember her face?

He walked toward the bridge, his footsteps light, his breath quick. The snow crunched beneath his boots, the air cold and silent, the petals swirling faster, their whispers growing louder.

But as he reached the top of the bridge, his steps faltered. Two figures stood at the edge, their backs to him, their shoulders tense. A man and a woman, their hair streaked with gray, their hands clasped tightly together.

Jun's heart stopped, his body rigid. He recognized them. They were strangers, visitors who had come to the village only once before, years ago. He didn't know their names, but he remembered their faces—their eyes full of sorrow, their voices heavy with regret.

He took a step back, his pulse quickening, his chest tight. What were they doing here? Why were they standing on the Moon Bridge, looking so lost, so broken?

The woman's shoulders shook, her tears falling, her voice trembling. "We were too late… we were too late to save her…"

Jun's breath caught, his eyes widening. *Save her…?*

The man's voice was low, his body tense, his eyes dark. "We never should have left… we should have stayed… we should have…" His voice broke, his hands shaking. "We should have protected her…"

Jun's chest tightened, his mind spinning. Who were they talking about? Who were they trying to save?

The woman's fingers curled into the man's coat, her shoulders trembling, her voice breaking. "Mei… my sweet Mei… where are you…?"

Jun's blood ran cold, his body rigid, his heart pounding. *Mei…*

The air grew colder, the snow swirling faster, the petals dancing through the air, their whispers echoing softly. *"A promise kept… a spirit bound… a memory erased… a bond to break…"*

The woman turned slowly, her eyes wide, her face pale. Her gaze fell on Jun, her breath catching, her body going rigid. "You…" Her voice was faint, her hands shaking. "You look just like her…"

Jun's body went cold, his eyes wide, his voice trembling. "Wh-What…?"

The man turned as well, his face pale, his eyes full of sorrow. "It's… just like that night…" His voice wavered, his shoulders trembling. "The snow… the bridge… the petals…" His jaw tightened, his eyes burning. "She stood right there… on that bridge… waiting for us to come back…"

Jun's heart raced, his chest tightening, his mind spinning. "Who… who are you talking about…?" His voice was faint, his hands shaking. "Who… was standing here…?"

The woman's tears fell, her body trembling, her voice breaking. "Our daughter… our precious daughter…" Her breath caught, her lips quivering. "Mei…"

The petals swirled faster, their whispers echoing softly, the shadows beneath the river moving, swirling, watching.

Jun's chest tightened, his breath catching. *Mei…?* He looked at the woman's face, her eyes full of grief, her shoulders trembling. Her tears fell, her fingers reaching out, her voice breaking. "You look so much like her… so much like my little girl…"

Jun took a step back, his heart pounding, his mind reeling. "No… no, that can't be…" His head shook, his hands trembling. "I… I don't know her… I don't…"

But the words caught in his throat, his voice breaking. *I… don't remember her…*

The man's jaw clenched, his eyes dark, his voice low. "You don't remember… because no one remembers…" His hands tightened, his shoulders shaking. "She was erased… her name, her face, her existence… everything was taken away…"

Jun's blood ran cold, his body trembling. "Erased…?" His voice wavered, his chest tightening. "But… how…? Why…?"

The woman's tears fell, her voice cracking. "Because of the promise… because of the curse… because she gave her life… to save you…"

Jun's heart shattered, his breath catching, his body cold and hollow. "To… save me…?"

The snow fell softly, the petals swirling around them, the shadows watching from beneath the river.

The whispers grew louder, haunting and cold. *"A promise kept… a spirit bound… a memory erased… a bond to break… a love that lingers… a hope that endures… a truth that waits to be remembered…"*

Jun's body trembled, his heart breaking, his mind spinning. *Mei…* The name echoed through his mind, the voice haunting him, the presence lingering just out of reach. She was real. She was someone he had known. Someone he had loved.

Someone he had forgotten.

The man's voice was heavy, his face pale, his eyes dark. "We… left her behind… and she paid the price… for our mistakes…"

The snow continued to fall, the petals drifting through the air, their whispers echoing softly. Jun stood on the Moon Bridge, his heart aching, his chest tight.

Mei was gone. But her memory lingered, waiting to be remembered.