CHAPTER 161: Insurrection-30

CHAPTER 161: Insurrection-30

An absolute silence reigned in that white, infinite space, with no floor or sky. Only a soft, motionless mist, as if time had ceased to exist. In the middle of that nothingness, Bruno sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze lost in nowhere.

He didn't know how long he'd been there. He didn't know if he was breathing, if he had weight, if his body was real or a memory.

Suddenly, footsteps.

A soft echo that shouldn't exist in a place without sound.

Bruno looked up.

Helena Strauss walked toward him, with the same elegant bearing as always, but without the hardness in her eyes. There were no masks here, no plans, no ambition. Just a woman who had lost too much.

When she was close, she stopped and observed him.

"It seems we ended up in the same place after all," Helena murmured.

Bruno let out a tired half-smile.

"I guess so. Not bad for two disasters, huh?"

She lowered her gaze, taking a deep breath, as if gathering courage was still difficult even beyond life.

"Bruno…" she finally said. "I'm sorry. I promised you a place, a purpose… and I could never fulfill it. I used you. I pushed you toward something you didn't even fully understand."

Bruno shook his head gently.

"I need to apologize too. I tried to be what you needed. I tried to be your weapon. Your ally. Whatever it was. But I could never…" he swallowed, with a honesty he had never shown in life. "I could never replace Phoenix in your story."

Helena blinked, surprised by his clarity. Then, a thread of melancholy appeared in her expression.

"And I… couldn't replace Enid in yours either."

Bruno let out a light, sad laugh.

"We were two lost people trying to fit into the gaps others left behind."

Helena also laughed very softly, as if it were the first time she had done so sincerely.

"Even so…" she said, looking into his eyes. "It wasn't all bad, was it?"

Bruno smiled, warmer than ever.

"No. Not at all. I suppose it was… what it had to be."

A tranquil silence enveloped them. There was no pain, resentment, or hatred. Only acceptance.

Helena took another step closer, now without fear.

"I hope in the next life we find each other again… without lies. Without burdens."

Bruno nodded.

"That would be nice."

A white light began to grow behind them, soft at first, then more intense, surrounding them like an embrace. It didn't burn. It didn't blind. It only invited.

They both took one last look at each other, at peace for the first time.

And together, they let the light envelop them.

*Weeks later...*

The calendar whispered softly,
leaves fell one after another,
and, before we knew it, new weeks arrived,
soft days, tranquil nights,
until December appeared on the horizon,
like a lit promise of light.

Christmas arrived without haste,
but with the certainty of something that always returns.
It traced glimmers on the windows,
warmth in the hallways,
hope in weary hearts.

The wounds that burned yesterday
are now just a distant memory,
scars that tell stories,
but no longer hurt to the touch.

Laughter once again filled the rooms,
footsteps sound lighter,
the air smells like home,
like sweets, like a lit fire,
like peace.

Phoenix breathes calmly,
Enid sleeps without shadows,
friends gather without fear,
and even those who are absent
feel close in this season of lights.

Everything seems in balance,
as if the world, at last,
had found its rhythm.

The streets are tinged with red, green, and silver,
and every night the stars sing,
a carol without words,
but full of meaning.

Because December has arrived,
and with it a long embrace,
a moment of truce,
a silent promise:
to keep moving forward,
to not forget,
but also to heal.

And so, under the winter sky,
among snowflakes or hanging lights,
everyone is well.
Everyone is at peace.
And for the first time in a long while…
everything is all right.