CHAPTER 14: Heading into the Unknown

CHAPTER 14: Heading into the Unknown

The morning in Berlin was a gray specter clinging to the buildings like a damp gauze. Fénix and Alucard advanced through deserted streets, where the only sound was the echo of their steps on the wet cobblestones. The fine rain beaded on Alucard's black coat and soaked Fénix's military jacket, sticking to his skin like a second conscience.

Alucard lit a Turkish cigarette, the smoke mixing with the morning fog.

"Tokyo is not a city, boy," he said, his voice a metallic purr. "It's a living organism. An octopus of neon and concrete that will devour you if you hesitate. What you'll learn there isn't in any damn manual."

Fénix smiled, a crooked gesture that didn't reach his eyes.

"Great. I always wanted to be a tourist in the apocalypse. Besides sushi and neon lights, what does it offer? Origami classes with yakuza?"

Alucard let out a dry laugh.

"It offers truth. And for that, there are rules." He raised three gloved fingers. "One: Don't touch anything without my permission. Two: If something seems like a bad dream, it's because it is. Don't play the hero. Three: Don't trust anyone who doesn't bear my mark."

"Marks? Are you a vampire cattle rancher now?"

"Something like that." Alucard looked at him sideways. "And forget your sarcasm when we're there. In Tokyo, words have the weight of lead."

The airport loomed before them, a leviathan of glass and steel. Alucard stopped, his sharp profile against the diffuse light.

"Do you want to know who I was before this?" he asked, unexpectedly. "A hunter. A ghost who drank from the shadows. But times change... and now I train wolves with attitude problems."

Fénix studied Alucard's pale face, looking for a joke he didn't find.

"What an honor. I always wanted to be the rehabilitation project of a decadent bloodsucker."

"You're succeeding," murmured Alucard, and for the first time, Fénix detected a hint of ancient fatigue in his voice. "Now let's move our asses. The plane doesn't wait for poets."

On the 42nd floor of Enid Corp., the boardroom was a cube of polarized glass suspended over the city. Enid stood before the window, her silhouette outlined against a leaden sky. Below, Berlin looked like a giant circuit board.

Marcus, Lucian, and Vanessa waited around the polished steel table. The air smelled of expensive coffee and contained anxiety.

"Fénix will be absent," Enid announced without preamble. "Special training. Tokyo."

Lucian whistled, leaning back in his chair.

"Training? In what? Tea ceremony and karate? I thought he was already the ultimate machine."

"Even machines wear out," replied Enid, turning around. "Therefore, Marcus will lead the team in his absence."

Lucian straightened up, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Hold on. And how do you know Fénix was the leader? Maybe I was the operational brain and he was just my decorative muscle."

Vanessa let out a choked laugh. Marcus rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sure," said Marcus. "That's why you almost got him killed in a historic building."

"It was a tactical distraction!" protested Lucian. "I opened an alternative escape route."

"Yes, straight to hell," murmured Vanessa, smiling.

Enid allowed the comedy to continue for a moment longer, then raised a hand.

"Enough. Marcus leads. Period." Her gaze settled on Lucian. "And you, try not to accidentally blow up any more historic buildings."

Lucian made an exaggerated gesture of pain.

"Hurt, boss. Deeply hurt."

Enid let out a sigh and said, "Meet at 06:00 tomorrow. There's a lot of work to do."

The interior of the private jet was a whimsy of Italian leather and ebony wood. Alucard poured himself a neat whiskey into a cut-crystal glass, while Fénix watched the landscape of clouds fraying beneath them.

"Cigar," offered Alucard, pulling out one wrapped in cellophane. "Calms the nerves before landing."

Fénix declined with a gesture.

"I don't smoke. I don't drink either."

Alucard arched an eyebrow.

"An abstinent lycan. What an adorable contradiction. How do you stand eternity?"

"One day at a time," Fénix replied dryly.

Alucard took a long drink.

"Tokyo will change you, boy. Lights that blind, women that burn... relax. Let yourself go."

"Is that advice or a confession?"

"Both." Alucard smiled. "Look, about women: they are like ancient swords. Beautiful, deadly, and worth every scar. Smile, be a mystery, and never talk about your wounds. They like to believe we are immortal."

Fénix laughed under his breath.

"Noted. Though I don't think I need tutoring in seduction."

"We all need it," Alucard leaned in. "Even me. Did you know that Enid and I...?" He made a dramatic pause. "Las Vegas, a century ago. Pure fire, boy. That woman has a claw that marks you forever."

Fénix felt heat rising up his neck. Damn it.

"Ah! That face!" he roared with laughter. "I knew it! Since when does the big bad wolf blush?"

"Shut up, Alucard."

"No, no, this is pure gold." He leaned in further. "Unsolicited advice: with her, be direct. Women like Enid hate beating around the bush."

Fénix looked out the window, feigning interest in the clouds.

"It's not what you think."

"Of course not," Alucard winked. "That's why your pulse races when I mention her."

Then, Alucard did something unexpected. His body flowed like mercury, rearranging itself atom by atom. In seconds, where the vampire had been, now sat Enid. The same haircut, the same cold smile, even the scent of jasmine and gunpowder.

"What's wrong, Fénix?" said the fake Enid in a voice that was a perfect copy. "Are you at a loss for words?"

Fénix held his breath. It was disturbingly accurate.

"Enough, Alucard."

"Oh, Fénix," whispered the double, sliding onto his lap. "Always so serious. When will you admit you miss me?"