The Last Bloodline; The Tale of the Master’s Revenge

CHAPTER 011

For a moment, Marcus couldn’t move. He stood frozen at the top of the stairs, his eyes locked on the woman dancing beneath the swaying chandelier.

Melissa.

Her laughter floated through the air, soft and careless, like she had never broken him. Like she hadn’t thrown him out when he had nothing left.

Every part of him wanted to look away, to let the system’s mission burn itself out. But his chest tightened again, the pendant pulsing with painful urgency.

One minute, forty seconds. Target in danger.

Marcus’s breath caught. He saw the chandelier’s chain shift and make a sound that was drowned by the music and laughter. No one noticed. No one except him.

He clenched his fists and started down the stairs, his heart pounding faster with every step. The crowd blurred before him, faces, colors, laughter, all blending as he brushed past them forcefully towards Melissa.

He hesitated halfway, his mind screaming at him.

She doesn’t deserve it.

She betrayed you.

She chose someone else.

But then another voice rose inside him, softer but heavier.

You save people, Marcus. You don’t choose who deserves it.

He exhaled shakily and started running.

“Marcus!” Evelyn called from behind, her heels clicking as she tried to catch up, but he was already halfway across the ballroom. He pushed through the crowd, shoving shoulders aside, ignoring the confused stares and protests.

“Melissa!” he shouted, but the music swallowed his voice.

The chandelier above groaned again. The sound made the hair on his neck stand. He looked up—one of the metal hooks was splitting slowly.

“Melissa, move!” he yelled again, louder this time, and this time she heard him.

Her eyes turned toward him, confusion flooding her face. “Marcus? What are you—”

Before she could finish, a loud crack echoed through the room. The lights flickered. Gasps rose around them as tiny pieces of crystal rained down like glass snow.

Marcus’s instincts took over. He lunged forward, grabbed her arm, and yanked her back just as the chandelier tore free from its chain and came crashing down.

The explosion of light and sound filled the ballroom. Screams echoed everywhere. The floor trembled under the weight of falling crystal and metal.

Marcus’s back hit the marble floor as he shielded her with his body. Glass cut into his sleeve, stinging his skin, but he didn’t care. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, the ringing in his ears, and Melissa’s uneven breathing beneath him.

The music stopped. The crowd had gone silent.

When Marcus finally opened his eyes, shards of broken crystal surrounded them. The chandelier lay in ruins a few feet away, its golden frame twisted, the lights flickering weakly.

He lifted his head slightly. “Are you hurt?”

Melissa blinked up at him, her lips trembling. “N-no. I’m fine.”

Her voice broke, and for a second, she looked nothing like the proud woman who had stood in front of him days ago demanding a divorce. Her eyes were full of fear and confusion.

Marcus sat up slowly, blood staining his sleeve, his body trembling from the rush of adrenaline.

The pendant on his chest glowed faintly.

Mission Complete. Target Rescued.

You are lucky, Marcus. The punishment for failure would have been… severe.

He froze, trying to listen, but the voice began to fade, replaced by the sound of clapping.

At first, he thought he imagined it. Then he turned and saw people gathering around, their hands coming together, faces filled with awe and relief. Some were even cheering.

“Unbelievable.”

“He pulled her out just in time.”

“Who is that man?”

Victor Sterling was among them, tears glistening in his eyes as he came forward, his cane forgotten as he reached Marcus.

“My boy,” the old man said, his voice shaking. “You saved her. You truly saved her.”

Marcus tried to stand, but his legs felt weak. Victor helped him up, his grip surprisingly strong for a man his age.

“You remind me of your father more than ever,” Victor said, his voice breaking with emotion. “Brave, stubborn, reckless… but good. Deep down, good.”

Melissa was still on the floor, staring at Marcus like she didn’t recognize him. Her dance partner had vanished into the crowd. Her makeup was smudged, her eyes red.

“Marcus,” she whispered. “Why would you save me after everything I did to you?”

He didn’t answer immediately. His heart was pounding too fast, his thoughts too loud.

He looked at her for a long time, memories flashing—her laughter the day they met, her nonchalance the night she threw him out, her anger when she told him she’d found someone “better.”

Finally, he said quietly, “Because I couldn’t watch you die. Not like that. You need to stay alive to see me prosper, Melissa.”

Melissa’s lips parted as tears spilled down her cheeks. She tried to speak but no words came out.

Victor turned to the guests and raised his hand. “Let’s give him some space. The boy needs to breathe. Call the cleaners to clean this mess up and find out why that chandelier fell."

The crowd slowly began to disperse, though tension and whispers lingered in the air. Evelyn appeared beside Marcus, breathless and pale.

“You’re bleeding,” she said, grabbing his arm gently. “Come with me, I’ll get you cleaned up.”

Marcus shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” she said firmly. “You could’ve died too.”

He met her eyes, saw the worry in them, and nodded faintly.

Victor’s hand came to rest on his shoulder again. “You’ve proven something tonight, Marcus. Not just courage, but heart. The world doesn’t have enough men like you anymore.”

Marcus gave a weak smile. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

Victor chuckled softly. “It is.”

As they walked away from the wreckage, Melissa’s voice followed him. “Marcus… thank you.”

He heard her but he didn’t turn around. He just kept walking.

Behind him, the ballroom slowly returned to noise and light as the guests tried to pretend nothing had happened. But the image of the shattered chandelier refused to leave his mind, the few seconds he had to distinguish between life and death, to fight against choice and destiny.

Outside the hall, the night air hit him like a wave. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath. Evelyn stood a few steps away, watching him closely.

“What happened back there?” she asked quietly. “It was like you knew it was going to fall.”

Marcus’s eyes drifted to the pendant. “I just… felt it.”

“Felt it?” she repeated, not hiding her disbelief.

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

The pendant pulsed faintly again. The voice returned, softer this time, almost whispering.

You completed your mission, Marcus. You did not fail.

He closed his eyes, relief flooding through him. But then the tone shifted.

Had you ignored the mission, had she died…

He stiffened.

You would have lost your heart.

Marcus’s eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat. The voice faded, leaving only silence.

He touched the pendant, his fingers trembling. “Lost my heart?” he whispered.

Evelyn turned to him, confused. “What did you say?”

He didn’t answer. He was staring into nothing, the words echoing over and over in his head.

You would have lost your heart of humanity which meant he would've become a villain in his own story.