Chapter 109 Otherworld Warning
POV: Luna
That night, I slip into the otherworld without meaning to.
I'm exhausted from constant vigilance. From the Circle's threats. From Council surveillance.
Sleep becomes that partial otherworld state. One foot in each world.
Miguel is waiting for me. But he looks worried. Urgent.
"Luna, something's wrong. Something big is coming."
"What do you mean?"
"The otherworld is unstable. Dark energy flooding through. Something powerful is moving. Aligning forces in the living world."
The ethereal landscape around us flickers. Darkens. Like storm clouds gathering.
"Show me," I say. "What's coming?"
Miguel gestures, and visions appear.
I see rogue creatures. Hundreds of them. Gathering in coordinated groups. All marked with the same symbols I've seen before.
But they're not alone.
Cassandra's Circle is there too. Performing dark rituals. Blood magic. Connecting themselves to the rogue network somehow.
"They're working together?" I gasp. "The Circle and the rogues?"
"Not directly. But they're being manipulated by the same source. Used as tools by someone with much larger plans."
The vision shifts. Shows the shadow caller. More defined than ever. Almost fully manifested.
He's orchestrating everything. The rogues. The Circle. The Council's pressure. All of it coordinated to break me.
"Why? What does he want?"
"You. Your power. Your bloodline." Miguel's voice is grim. "The shadow caller wants to corrupt you. Turn you into what he became. An Eclipse wolf without restraint. Without conscience. Pure power serving his will."
"I won't let that happen."
"He's betting you won't have a choice. That circumstances will force you to choose corruption over death. Power over morality. Survival over everything else."
The vision continues. Shows possible futures.
In one, I'm bound by the Council. Power stripped. Dying slowly.
In another, I'm corrupted. Eyes red. Serving the shadow caller. Destroying everything I love.
In a third, I'm dead. Killed in battle. Overwhelmed by forces I couldn't defeat.
None of them show me surviving and staying myself.
"These are just possibilities," Miguel says quickly. "Not certainties. The future isn't fixed."
"But they're all bad. Every outcome."
"Not every outcome. There are paths where you survive. Where you stay yourself. But they're narrow. Difficult. Require perfect choices."
"How do I find those paths?"
Before Miguel can answer, the goddess appears. More solid than usual. More present.
"Daughter of Eclipse. The convergence approaches. Multiple forces aligning against you. But your mark is the key to surviving them."
"My mark is always the key. But to what?"
"To balancing the magical realm. Eclipse power exists to maintain equilibrium. When darkness rises, Eclipse light counters it. When corruption spreads, Eclipse purity cleanses it."
"So I'm supposed to balance everything? Fix all the problems? Save everyone?"
"No. You're supposed to be yourself. Fully. Completely. Without compromise or corruption. Your existence as an uncorrupted Eclipse is what maintains balance. Not your actions. Your nature."
"That's a lot of pressure."
"Yes. But you're not alone. You have allies. Friends. Support systems." The goddess looks at Miguel. "And connections that transcend death itself."
Miguel steps closer. "Luna, listen. The trial of power is coming. Very soon. Maybe days. Maybe hours. When it arrives, you'll be offered everything you want. Safety. Freedom. Power without restriction. All you have to do is accept corruption. Choose shadow over light."
"I'll refuse. Obviously."
"Will you? When refusing means losing everything? When choosing light means certain death?" His eyes are intense. "The trial isn't about obvious choices. It's about impossible ones. Where every option hurts. Where there's no clear right answer."
"Then what do I do?"
"Trust your instincts. Trust your friends. Trust that who you are is enough. Even when it feels like it's not."
The goddess adds, "Your friends are your greatest asset. The pack bond you formed. The connections you've built. They will anchor you when everything else fails. Believe in them. Let them support you."
"I do believe in them."
"Then you have a chance. A real chance." She pauses. "But there's something you need to know. About the dark figure who's been watching you."
The landscape shifts. Darkens further.
And he steps forward. The shadow caller. Cole Thorne's corrupted spirit.
But this time, he's not hiding. Not lurking. Fully present in the otherworld.
"Hello, little Eclipse," he says. Voice clear. No longer distorted. "Finally ready to talk face to face?"
I want to run. Want to pull back to the living world.
But I need answers. Need to understand what I'm facing.
"What do you want from me?"
"What I've always wanted. A successor. An heir to my power. Someone to carry on what I started centuries ago."
"I'm not interested in being corrupted."
"Corrupted is such a negative word. I prefer liberated. Freed from the goddess's restrictions. Empowered to use Eclipse magic without artificial limits."
"Those limits exist for a reason. To prevent exactly what you became."
"And what did I become? Powerful. Immortal. Free. Everything Eclipse wolves are meant to be without the goddess's chains."
The goddess speaks. "You became a monster. A corruption of everything Eclipse power should represent."
"I became evolution. The next step. What every Eclipse should aspire to."
"You became proof of what happens when power consumes conscience," Miguel counters. "You're a warning. Not an example."
The shadow caller laughs. "You're dead, boy. You have no say in this. Luna, listen. The goddess offers servitude disguised as purpose. The Council offers imprisonment disguised as safety. I offer actual freedom. Actual power. Actual choice."
"All at the cost of my humanity. My morality. Myself."
"Small prices for immortality. For unlimited power. For the ability to protect everyone you love without restriction."
"If I become like you, I won't love anyone anymore. Corruption destroys that capacity."
"Does it? Or does it just refocus priorities? I loved once. Before the goddess forced me to choose between love and duty. I chose power. And I've never regretted it."
"You're lying. I can feel it. You regret everything."
For just a moment, his expression shifts. Something haunted in his eyes.
But it's gone quickly. Replaced by that cold smile.
"Believe what you want. But when your trial comes. When you're forced to choose. Remember my offer. Power without limits. Freedom without chains. All you have to do is accept."
"Never."
"We'll see."
He begins to fade. But before he disappears completely, he adds, "Oh, and Luna? Your precious Cole? He's more connected to me than you realize. Blood calls to blood. And his blood is mine. Think about that when you decide who to trust."
Then he's gone.
The otherworld stabilizes. Returns to its normal ethereal state.
But his words linger. Poisonous. Designed to create doubt.
"Is he telling the truth?" I ask the goddess. "About Cole?"
"Cole Mercer is descended from Marcus Thorne. Who is descended from the shadow caller himself. Blood connection exists. But that doesn't determine character. Cole chooses his own path. Just as you do."
"But he's connected to corruption. Through bloodline. Through family."
"So are you. Your grandmother destroyed an entire pack. Lost control. Became what everyone feared. Yet you're not her. You're yourself. Judge Cole by his actions. Not his ancestry."
Miguel adds, "The shadow caller wants you to doubt everyone. Isolate yourself. Make you vulnerable. Don't let him succeed."
"I'll try."
"Don't try. Do." Miguel takes my hands. "I believe in you. Always have. Always will. You're strong enough for this. Smart enough. Good enough."
"I hope you're right."
"I know I'm right."
The goddess speaks one final time. "The trial approaches. Be ready. And remember, surviving isn't about defeating every enemy. It's about staying yourself despite them. That's the real test."
I feel the pull back to the living world. The connection weakening.
"Wait! I have more questions!"
But it's too late. I'm being pulled back. Away from Miguel. Away from the goddess.
Away from answers.
I wake gasping in my bed. Dawn light streaming through the window.
Nova is awake immediately. "Another otherworld visit?"
"Yeah. Miguel and the goddess. Warning me about the trial of power. About the shadow caller's final offer."
"What did they say?"
I tell her everything. The visions. The convergence. The shadow caller's connection to Cole.
Nova listens quietly. Then: "Do you trust Cole?"
"I want to. But I don't know if I should."
"Then trust your instincts. Your mark. If he was truly corrupted, your Eclipse power would recognize it. React to it. Does it?"
I think about the resonance. The way my mark responds to Cole.
It's not warning. It's... recognizing. Like calling to like.
Powerful magic recognizing powerful magic.
"I don't think he's corrupted. But I think he's connected to it somehow. Through bloodline. Through history."
"Then watch him carefully. But don't write him off completely. Sometimes the best allies come from unexpected places."
She's right. I know she's right.
But I can't shake the feeling that everything is about to explode.
The trial. The convergence. The shadow caller's plans.
All of it building toward something massive.
And I'm standing right in the middle.
Ready or not.