Chapter 44: The Offering and the Oath

The air had become thick, heavy with an unexplainable pressure. The darkness inside the temple felt deeper, like a curtain that had cut them off from the outside world entirely.

Noya's breathing quickened, her fingertips ice-cold. The cracks in the ground were widening, from which eyeless black serpents slithered out in waves, their bodies scraping against the stone floor, producing an unsettling sound.

"Walau eh!" Ah Rong cursed under his breath, stumbling a step back. His flashlight trembled in his grip, its beam flickering wildly. The murals on the walls—paintings that had long been still—seemed to be shifting.

Lin Han's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, his mind racing.

At the center of the altar, the enormous black python slowly uncoiled itself. Though it had no eyes, it somehow saw them.

Its body moved in slow, rhythmic undulations—each breath, a tremor through the temple floor.

"Noya…" Her voice held an uncertainty as she instinctively pressed her palm against her police badge, as though seeking some form of stability.

"He was just about to take a step forward when suddenly, he heard a strange hissing noise."

That sound—it wasn't just the snakes.

It was something more ancient, something slithering through the stone walls, whispering in a forgotten language that didn't belong to any human tongue.

"The Gatekeeper is dead. The Serpent God shall return."

Noya's pupils contracted sharply.

A fragmented memory surfaced in her mind—something she had read at the Penang Archives. A record from the 18th century spoke of a Javanese prince who, having forged a pact with the serpent deity, was forever cursed to become a half-human, half-serpent being, forever bound to this place.

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

This temple, this altar, these murals—they all pointed to one terrifying conclusion.

This ritual had never truly ended.

The massive python on the altar lifted its head, letting out a guttural hiss.

It wasn't just watching them.

It was choosing.

Lin Han's gaze swept across the four stone pillars at the corners of the temple. Each was carved with different inscriptions—Javanese script, ancient Pulau Ular glyphs, Tamil texts… and an emblem he recognized all too well.

His stomach twisted.

"The Genting Group… they knew about this place." His voice was low.

Ah Rong turned, startled. "What do you mean?"

Lin Han clenched his jaw, pointing at the carvings.

"These aren't just old murals. They're records of a centuries-old ritual. Since the 18th century, this temple has always had a 'Gatekeeper.' Someone who maintains the seal. And the Genting Group… maybe they've always been the ones overseeing it."

Noya's grip tightened.

She remembered something—a strange copper pendant she had once seen in a Genting Casino VIP room. It bore a serpent insignia, exactly like the carvings here.

"So… they've been searching for a new Gatekeeper?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Lin Han didn't respond immediately.

His eyes remained locked onto the python. It moved slowly, deliberately, as if assessing them.

Deciding who would take the role.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Ah Rong muttered, his Adam's apple bobbing as he subconsciously stepped backward—only to collide with a cold, unyielding stone wall.

Just then, the ground shuddered.

A sudden crack of lightning illuminated the temple, briefly revealing something glimmering on the python's body—a golden mark, intricately designed, like a sigil of binding.

Noya's breath hitched.

She had seen that symbol before.

It was identical to the ancient gold medallion she had once found in a private museum in Kuala Lumpur.

"This python… it's been sealed," she murmured.

Lin Han narrowed his eyes.

A wild thought was forming in his mind—what if this serpent wasn't their enemy?

What if… it was something else?

He exhaled slowly, stepping forward. His heart pounded as he met the python's eyeless gaze.

"How long have you been trapped here?" His voice was calm, measured.

Ah Rong gawked. "Bro—you talking to the snake?"

To his shock, the python stilled.

It did not attack.

Instead, the murals on the walls began peeling away, revealing something even older underneath.

A new mural, untouched by time, depicting a group of men standing before an altar, holding a golden insignia.

Lin Han's breath caught in his throat.

That insignia… it was the Genting Group's emblem.

"So what now?" Ah Rong's voice wavered.

Noya inhaled sharply, her fingernails unconsciously grazing against Lin Han's wrist, leaving behind a faint red mark.

"Sakit kah?" Her voice was barely audible.

Lin Han didn't reply.

He could feel the tension thick in the air as he turned his gaze back toward the python's sigil.

If the Genting Group emblem had been here for centuries, it meant only one thing—they had always been part of this ritual.

And now, with the old Gatekeeper dead…

One of them had to take the role.

A cold dread settled in Noya's chest.

This was no longer just about an ancient curse.

This was something far bigger—a conspiracy that had lasted for centuries.

The black python remained still.

It was waiting for them to decide.