CHAPTER 68: The Prodigal Son

CHAPTER 68: The Prodigal Son

The elevator stopped on the upper level. Phoenix walked through the hallways unhurriedly until the double doors of the main room opened automatically before him. Inside, Enid Corp's large conference room was packed. Formal faces, figures in suits, specialists, security members, and key corporate figures listened in absolute silence.

On the stage, illuminated by the white light of the spotlights, Enid Drakewood spoke in a firm voice. Her presence dominated the place with that mix of lethal elegance and absolute control. She wore a black suit with silver details, and her pulled-back hair revealed a face both severe and charming.

Phoenix stood by one of the side columns, silent, observing. Not out of protocol, but out of habit. Listening to her speak was always... hypnotic. Even on the most technical topics, Enid knew how to load every sentence with intent, every word with a double edge.

Yet, his mind was still elsewhere.

It was then that he felt a light pressure on his shoulder. He turned, instinctively, and there he was: Alucard. Standing tall, with his classic gloomy smile and that lugubrious elegance that accompanied him like an eternal shadow.

"Your pulse is elevated," murmured Alucard in his deep, almost mocking voice. "And your heart is beating as if you're about to go into combat. You're... odd, Phoenix."

Phoenix didn't respond immediately. He looked down for a few seconds before speaking.
"I was thinking... about something that never leaves my head. Something that's been following me for as long as I can remember."

Alucard arched an eyebrow.
"And what would that be?"

"I don't know who my father is," said Phoenix, bluntly. "I never knew. Mom never told me. She never spoke about him. Not a word. It's as if he never existed. And that... that fucks with me more than I want to admit."

Alucard looked at him in silence for a few seconds. His smile disappeared, replaced by something more serious. Then he spoke in a surprisingly sincere tone.
"I understand more than you think. Mine did exist. And he was a bastard of the worst kind. A tyrant, a monster. That's why he ended up as he deserved: dead, forgotten, and trampled by someone stronger."

Phoenix glanced at him, speechless.

"You don't need to know who he was," Alucard added. "The only thing that matters is who you became without him. No paternal figure can compete with that."

The final ovation interrupted the moment. Enid had just concluded her speech, and applause resonated throughout the room. Phoenix turned his gaze back to the stage, just in time to see Enid stepping down firmly, briefly greeting the attendees.

Alucard sighed with false solemnity.
"Well, time to disappear as always."

Phoenix barely smiled.
"Thanks, Alucard."

"Don't get used to it," he said with a crooked smile. "I'm not usually this empathetic."

And with an elegant gesture, Alucard took a step towards the wall... and passed through it as if it were mist.

Phoenix was left alone, surrounded by applause, murmurs, and movement. But his mind, though still aching, was a little steadier.

Because maybe he was right.

Because maybe his origin didn't matter as much as his destiny.

Phoenix remained still, staring at the wall through which Alucard had just vanished. There was nothing special about it—just a smooth, metallic panel like the hundreds that decorated Enid Corp—but in his mind, his strange companion's words still echoed. Emotions dredged up by old wounds were hard to dispel. He found it difficult to return to the present.

Until he felt a familiar presence by his side. Her perfume, her energy. Even before seeing her, he knew it was her.

"You were very good," said Phoenix without turning, with a small smile.

"Glad you think so. Although you seem more interested in a wall than in me," Enid replied in a playful tone, positioning herself in front of him.

She still wore the formal suit from the event, but had let her hair down, allowing some of her rigidity to fade. Her eyes shone with that mix of intelligence and affection that so few knew how to interpret.

Phoenix finally looked at her, a bit more relaxed.
"Sorry... I was somewhere else."

Enid tilted her head, amused.
"And do you know what day it is today?"

Phoenix looked at her with a blank, uncomfortable expression. He blinked, mentally running through dates, missions, meetings... Nothing came to mind.
"Some forgotten operation? Meeting with investors?"

"Silly..." said Enid, smiling as she touched his chest with the tip of her finger. "It's been one month since we became official today."

Phoenix was speechless for a second, as if he had just received an electric shock in the middle of his chest. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He just looked down, with a mix of guilt and surprise.
"Right... I remember now."

"Thank goodness," she laughed softly. "I was starting to doubt if you were a professional killer with selective memory."

"It's not that..." murmured Phoenix, taking her hand. "My head was somewhere else today, I'm sorry. But I'm glad you remember. And that you're still here, despite everything."

Enid squeezed his hand and rested her forehead against his, no more words needed. In that gesture was the calm that Phoenix needed.

A small moment of peace... before the world would burn again.

Kaiserhof Restaurant, Berlin – May 14, 2000, 21:47

The lights were dim, chandeliers hung like jewels from the ornate ceiling, and string music slipped through the atmosphere like an elegant whisper. Berlin's most expensive restaurant wasn't just a place to eat: it was a statement. Each table was separated by enough distance for privacy to be part of the luxury.

Phoenix and Enid were seated at a table by the window, from where they could see the city center shining like a terrestrial constellation.