The Temple Tenglha

In a world choked by silence, no child has been born for eighteen years. Humanity is fading. The only hope for survival rests on the shoulders of Ada and Jedediah, eighteen-year-old twins born from a miraculous virgin birth. As the last two children born on Earth, their existence is no coincidence. They are the fulfillment of an ancient, terrifying prophecy hidden for over a century within the cryptic pages of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.Now, on the dawn of their eighteenth birthday, the countdown ends and their true destiny begins. Ada and Jedediah must leave the remnants of the old world behind and journey across perilous, desolate landscapes to the mystical heart of Tibet. Their destination is the holy temple in Lhasa, a sacred gateway where the veil between reality and the afterlife is thinnest. But this is no ordinary pilgrimage. To save humanity, the twins must perform the ultimate sacrifice. They must intentionally die within the temple walls to cross over into the Bardo-the liminal, shifting realm between death and rebirth.Once inside this surreal purgatory, Ada and Jedediah morph from refugees into apex hunters. Their target is an evil abomination known to the lost souls of the underworld as the Bastard Son of Bardo. He is the first and only entity to ever be naturally born within the realm of the dead, a creature of pure malice who has hijacked the cycle of reincarnation to choke out human birth on Earth. He is a fiercely wrathful, multi-limbed Prince of Evil who has conquered and rules the Bardo with an iron fist.Armed only with their shared deep twin bond, ancient mantras, and eighteen years of training, the twins must navigate a shifting labyrinth of illusions, demons and creatures of horror. Ada, a sharp tongued fierce warrior driven by protective instinct, and Jedediah, the yang to her ying, kind and dependable but lethal when necessary, must hunt the Bastard Son through the deepest terrors of the afterlife. If they fail, the Bardo will consume their souls, and the living world will take its final, silent breath. If they succeed, they will shatter the demonic curse, reopen the gates of rebirth, and trigger a new genesis for humankind. J.R. Doughty is a fiction author and screenwriter whose storytelling is deeply shaped by the contrasting landscapes he calls home. Originally from the rugged coast of Maine, he now divides his time between the vibrant, tropical shores of Puerto Rico and the historic towns of Massachusetts. This unique blend of regional cultures, climates, and backdrops infuses his writing with a rich sense of place and a diverse perspective on the human experience. Whether crafting cinematic narratives for the screen or immersive prose for the page, Doughty focuses on compelling, character-driven fiction that resonates across borders.