CHAPTER 25: Arrival in Berlin

CHAPTER 25: Arrival in Berlin

The plane landed in Berlin with a sigh of tires on wet asphalt. The sky was a slab of gray granite, and the air smelled of recent rain and fuel. Fénix descended the stairs, stretching like a feline after hours of confinement.

"You know, Alucard?" he began, turning around. "The first thing I'm going to do is..."

The space beside him was empty. Only a slight mist—as if the air itself had torn—marked where Alucard had been seconds before. A voice whispered in his ear, as ethereal as the wind:

See you, kid. Have fun with your... headaches.

Fénix frowned.

"As always, disappearing at the perfect moment," he murmured, adjusting his jacket. "Charming."

He walked toward the terminal, his steps echoing on the deserted runway. Suddenly, something warm and metallic ran over his upper lip. He touched his nose: blood, bright and thick.

"Perfect," he grumbled, searching for a napkin. "This just keeps getting better."

Then, the Voice came.

It wasn't Alucard. It was something deeper, more ancient, like stones grinding in the depths of the earth.

Your body is not what it was... and you know it. Ignoring the inevitable will not stop it.

Fénix stopped dead in his tracks, spinning on his heels.

"Who are you?" he demanded, fists clenched. "Get out of my head!"

Only the whistle of the wind answered. The Voice faded, leaving him alone with the rapid beat of his heart and the taste of copper in his mouth.

"Welcome to Berlin," he murmured, wiping away the blood. "As always, a pleasure."

Viktor's office at Antigen was a cube of glass and steel suspended over the city. Rain ran down the windows like a giant's tears. Viktor, standing before the urban panorama, didn't need to turn when the door opened.

"I knew you'd come," he said, his voice dry as a legal document. "What brings you here, Irene?"

Irene Vesper entered with the elegance of a panther. She wore a fitted black suit, and her dark hair fell in perfect waves. Her eyes—cold and calculating—were twin versions of Viktor's, but with a more dangerous edge.

"Not even a greeting, dear brother?" her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You've gotten what you wanted. Antigen is flourishing... for now."

Viktor finally turned. His face was a mask of professional calm.

"My job is to ensure Antigen's growth. I don't need your approval."

Irene approached the holographic screen showing financial reports and advanced genetic schematics.

"Do you really think I don't see what you're doing?" she laughed, a sound as cold as broken glass. "But your achievements will never be enough. I would have done better."

"Your envy clouds your judgment," Viktor didn't flinch. "Business matters, or did you just come to annoy?"

Irene ran her fingertips over the steel furniture as she circled the room.

"I'm just impressed how far you've come... for now." She stopped in front of him. "There are eyes watching your every move, Viktor. Waiting for you to stumble. And when you do... I'll be there to take control."

"A threat or a warning?" asked Viktor, with an arched eyebrow.

"A reminder," Irene smiled. "This is a two-player game. And I'm not as predictable as those puppets you manipulate."

"Everything is under control," Viktor replied. "And if you try to cross me, remember: I leave nothing to chance."

Irene walked to the door.

"Control is an illusion, brother." She closed it behind her without a sound.

Viktor remained still for a moment, then approached the window. The city glowed under the rain, a circuit of power and secrets.

"Patience, Irene," he whispered. "Patience is the ultimate weapon."

Irene, without saying more, withdrew, leaving her brother alone in his office.

...Pathetic. Viktor plays god in his glass tower, believing he controls the board. He doesn't see that he's just a pawn... like everyone else.

(An almost imperceptible smile forms on her lips. Her fingers caress a pendant hidden under her blouse—an ancient symbol that looks like an eye with wings.)

But soon... soon everything will change. He will return. The one who sleeps in the darkness between the stars. The one whose name no human lips can pronounce.

Her eyes cloud over for a second, as if glimpsing something vast and unfathomable.

And when he does, this world of noise and ambition will bow. Viktor and his experiments... Enid and her arrogance... all will be swept away. Only the chosen will remain standing. Those who remember the old blood.

Soon, brother. Soon you will see that your "control" was nothing but dust in the wind. And I... I will be by his side. As it always should have been.