Chapter 490: Eclipse of Blood And Bone.

Chapter 490: Eclipse of Blood And Bone.


(Third Person's POV)

The moment the eclipse reached its peak, the world inside the cave seemed to break.

The air thickened, pressing against lungs like invisible hands. Shadows crawled along the walls, stretching unnaturally, writhing like living things. The red crystals embedded in the cavern flared brighter, their glow pulsing in time with a heartbeat that wasn’t human—wasn’t even alive.

Marcus threw his head back and screamed. The sound was not pain. It was triumph. Dark energy exploded outward from him, ripping through the cavern like a storm. The ground cracked beneath his feet, stone splintering as if it were glass. The oppressive aura that had been heavy before now became suffocating, a weight that crushed bones and thoughts alike.

Brian was the first to be thrown back. He hit the cave wall hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. Alec skidded across the stone, barely catching himself before falling into a widening fissure. Theresa was slammed to the ground beside Taylor, both of them gasping as the force ripped through their bodies.

Killian dug his claws into the rock, muscles straining as he tried to stay upright. Dylan, standing only a few steps away, staggered back, his eyes wide with something between horror and awe.

Marcus lowered his head slowly. His eyes were no longer Marcus’s. They were black, voidlike, swallowing light. Veins pulsed across his skin, dark and glowing faintly with the same red hue as the crystals. His aura rolled off him in violent waves, raw, ancient, and utterly inhuman.

“He’s… different,” Theresa whispered hoarsely.

Killian didn’t answer. His jaw was clenched so tightly it looked like it might crack.

Marcus turned slowly, scanning them like prey.

“So this is it,” the voice said. It was Marcus’s voice, but twisted—layered, echoing with something older. “The moment you believed you could change fate.”

He laughed, and the sound shook the cavern.

Brian forced himself to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “He’s fully merged,” he muttered. “The eclipse boosted the possession.”

Alec shifted beside him, bruised but upright. “That thing isn’t Marcus right now.”

Taylor pushed herself up, heart pounding in her throat. Her chest felt tight, like the air itself was rejecting her. “Marcus!” she called, voice shaking. “If you’re still in there—”

Marcus’s gaze snapped to her. For a flicker of a second, something human flashed in his eyes. Then it vanished, buried under a tide of darkness.

“Silence,” the spirit hissed. “You have no authority here.”

He moved. The air itself seemed to bend around him as he vanished and reappeared in front of Alec. His hand slammed into Alec’s chest, sending him flying across the cavern. Alec hit the ground and didn’t get up.

“Alec!” Theresa shouted.

Killian lunged, his claws flashed, aiming for Marcus’s throat. For a heartbeat, it looked like he might connect. Marcus caught him midair. He grabbed Killian by the neck, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. Killian struggled, claws digging into Marcus’s wrist, but the grip only tightened.

“You are the Alpha,” the spirit mocked through Marcus’s lips. “And yet you are weak.”

He threw Killian aside. Killian crashed into a pillar of stone, the structure collapsing on top of him in a cascade of rubble.

“Killian!” Taylor screamed, starting toward him.

Dylan grabbed her arm. “Don’t,” he snapped. “You’ll die.”

Taylor yanked her arm free. “Let go of me!”

Marcus turned his attention to Brian next. Brian shifted into his wolf form, launching himself forward with a snarl. His fangs sank into Marcus’s shoulder—hard enough that blood actually spilled. For a moment, hope flickered. Marcus didn’t even flinch.

He grabbed Brian by the scruff and slammed him into the ground, again and again, until cracks spiderwebbed through the stone. When he finally released him, Brian lay motionless, chest barely rising.

Theresa ran to him, kneeling, checking his pulse. “He’s alive,” she whispered. “Barely.”

Taylor’s hands trembled.

“This isn’t working,” Dylan muttered, stepping forward despite the danger. “We’re throwing ourselves at him.”

Marcus turned toward Dylan. “You,” he said, lips curling. “The broken one. The jealous one. The one who believes love is possession.”

Dylan stiffened. “Shut up.”

Marcus laughed again. “Your rage feeds me. Your obsession feeds me. You and the Alpha are mirrors of what you could become.”

He lifted his hand, and a wave of dark energy blasted toward Dylan. Dylan barely dodged, rolling across the stone. The shockwave sent him skidding, his shoulder slamming into the wall. Taylor felt something inside her snap.

“This is insane,” she whispered, backing up. “We can’t win like this.”

Killian pushed himself out from the rubble, coughing, blood staining his lips. He staggered forward, refusing to stay down. “Killian, stop,” Theresa shouted. “You’re injured!”

He ignored her. “Marcus,” Killian said, voice hoarse but firm. “This ends here.”

Marcus tilted his head. “You still believe in endings.”

He raised both hands. The cave erupted. Dark tendrils shot from the ground, wrapping around Theresa’s legs, yanking her off her feet. Taylor screamed and ran toward her, slicing through the tendrils with a blade of silver light she barely knew she could summon. Dylan joined her, blasting the shadows apart with raw force. Marcus watched them like a god observing ants.

“This is what you sought to prevent,” he said. “Pain. Loss. Death. And yet, you walked straight into it.”

He lifted his hand toward Taylor. Killian stepped in front of her without hesitation.

“Touch her,” Killian growled, “and I’ll tear you apart.”

Marcus smiled. He struck. The force was invisible but devastating. Killian flew backward, slamming into the cave wall so hard the rock shattered. He collapsed, struggling to stand, but his body refused.

Taylor dropped to her knees beside him, gripping his shoulders. “Stay with me,” she whispered desperately.

Killian coughed, blood splattering against the stone. “Not… going anywhere.”

Dylan staggered to their side, eyes darting. “We need a plan. Now.”

“There is no plan,” Theresa whispered, pulling herself upright. “The powder is gone. The eclipse empowered him fully.”

Marcus began walking toward them slowly. Each step made the cave tremble. “You wanted to save him,” the spirit said through Marcus. “You wanted to save love, to save bonds, to save fate from itself.”

He stopped in front of them, towering, power radiating off him like heat. “Now watch it burn.”