United (Magics AU - Part 1)

Chapter 49 - Marcus

Marcus felt like he was falling into the depths of the ocean, chains wrapped around his ankles so he couldn't swim to the surface. He felt that if he looked up, he wouldn't be able to see anything but the darkness surrounding him, pulling him down, threatening to take him under. He didn't want to look down either - he didn't want to find out how far he had to fall before he reached the bottom, where the tight grip of blackness would never let him go. The farther down he got, the more hope leaked out of him like the air leaving his lungs as he sank. 

He wasn't sure how he'd known, but the instant The Dark Lord had been freed, Marcus was sure of what had happened. Something inside him had snapped, like a rock he'd been holding onto crumbling away in his hands. The new, horrible feeling of Darkness coiling around inside him seemed to swell in his chest, and the darkness at the bottom of the ocean seemed to call out to Marcus, as if it too had known that its master had returned. 

Emotional defeat and mental conflict were spinning through Marcus's head, strong enough to leave a headache pulsing in his temples. Pain from Moon's blast was still lingering, like an aching thorn in his skin. The more agitated it got, the more pain Marcus felt; and it was definitely agitated from the resurface of The Dark Lord. The magic felt like a trapped beast in his chest, whirling and swarming through Marcus's veins, and it made him want to hit himself in the head to escape the dull, annoying pain. 

Not to mention the anxiety of what he would inevitably become. There was no way that Marcus was strong enough for this magic, even if he did "learn to control it", as Kai had said. Marcus wasn't sure how that kid managed to keep himself in check - there was something a bit off about him, so maybe he wasn't perfect at it - but somehow, the king knew he wouldn't be able to pull it off. The only thing he didn't know was how long he had before he snapped. 

Another problem that Marcus didn't want to believe was true was the fact that, if The Dark Lord was free, Shintaro was either in extreme danger of being killed, was injured, or was already dead. Marcus refused to believe the last matter, but it was one of the possibilities that was unavoidable. Shintaro was the other part of the key that opened the Abyss, and from what Marcus had understood, physical contact had to be made. Which meant that Shintaro was right where The Dark Lord was. 

"So..." Rachel's small, timid voice said from behind Marcus, bringing him back to the present. He hadn't noticed it before, but Rachel's hands were resting on his shoulder as she knelt behind him. "We... We've lost everything?" 

Marcus finally looked up from his lap, but the sudden movement of his head caused the ache in his temples to throb painfully. He concealed a wince and gritted his teeth, locking his eyes on Caynen to hide it. 

The weary Light nodded solemnly, his dazzling blue eyes full of heavy defeat and lingering pain. "It was inevitable the moment the Shadows got their hands on the key. I wish I didn't have to say this, but there is no possible way out of this, this time. We barely managed to win last time. If there even was any way, it would cost billions of lives - or just wipe out the rest of humanity altogether." 

So this was how it was going to be. Marcus was to be trapped beneath the Darkness inside him for the rest of his life, battling against the ones he loved until their generation died away. He couldn't trust himself anymore, even though he knew he hadn't even been a Dark for more than an hour. 

"What are we going to do?" asked Rachel quietly, her voice shaking with fright. Marcus saw Gabriel scoot sideways and take his girlfriend's hand in his. 

Caynen shook his head slowly. "If we want to live without many problems... It would be best to simply succumb to the Darks. I know how horrible and wrong it sounds... Believe me, I do. This is exactly what I fought against in the war. But we don't have any other choice. This time, there is no fight that can be won. I said it earlier and I will say it again: We will all die slow and excruciating deaths if we try to run from them."