CHAPTER 207: The Awakening

CHAPTER 207: The Awakening

Taking advantage of the moment, Grunbak grabbed Michael and Selene by the necks, lifting them—only to step back when Michael's claws ripped open his face. He didn't scream. He barely tilted his head, as if evaluating a minor mistake. His thick, dark blood fell in slow drops onto Eva's inert body. One of them trickled down to her pale, cracked lips.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, the air in the crypt changed.

The ice began to crack from within, not as a violent fracture, but as an ancient awakening. Eva's lips barely closed, absorbing the blood. Her fingers, long and disproportionate, moved with unnatural slowness. A deep pulse ran through the chamber, making the stone walls vibrate.

"Impossible…" murmured one of Enid Corp's operatives, backing away. "The body was in absolute lethargy."

Selene, still bearing the marks of Grunbak's hands on her neck, felt the pressure disappear. She took advantage of the distraction and threw herself backward, rolling across the floor until she struggled to her feet. Her gaze fixed on Eva, and for the first time in centuries, the founder of the vampires opened her eyes.

They were not red. They were not human. They were ancient.

A guttural murmur escaped her throat, as if language itself had to remember how to exist. The ice covering part of her body cracked and fell away in heavy blocks.

Grunbak watched the scene in silence. For the first time, his expression revealed something close to surprise.

"So it was true…" he said quietly. "The right blood, at the right time."

Michael, still in his hybrid form, instinctively stepped back, positioning himself in front of Selene.

"Selene…" he said through gritted teeth. "This wasn't in any plan."

She nodded, not taking her eyes off Eva.

"No. This is much worse… or much bigger."

Eva raised her torso with a slow, almost solemn movement. Her height was overwhelming even on her knees. As she placed her bare feet on the stone, the crypt seemed to surrender to her presence. Her eyes swept the chamber, stopping first on Selene, then on Michael… and finally on Grunbak.

"I smell… betrayal," she said in a deep voice, laden with centuries. "And I smell one who should not exist."

Enid Corp's operatives were paralyzed. No one dared to shoot. No one dared to breathe.

Grunbak smiled, tilting his head.

"Welcome back to the world, Eva."

The founder of the vampires raised her hand slowly… and the entire cave trembled, as if something even more ancient had just opened its eyes alongside her.

Eva stood up slowly, as if time had not passed over her body. Her eyes, ancient and merciless, fixed on Grunbak with an intensity that made even Enid Corp's agents unconsciously step back.

"I remember you…" Eva said in a grave, deep voice, heavy with echoes. "That scar on your forehead. The thousand-faced subject. The one who always steals others' bodies."

Grunbak let out a wide, almost theatrical laugh, bringing a hand to his face wounded by Michael's claws. The dark blood dripped through his fingers.

"Well, well…" he replied mockingly. "I see the eternal nap hasn't cost you your memory, mother of vampires. I'm honored that you still remember me."

Eva turned her head slightly, observing the cave environment, the modern equipment, the weapons, the artificial lights. Her brow furrowed with distrust.

"Tell me," she asked, "what century are we in?"

Grunbak opened his arms, as if presenting a masterpiece.

"Welcome to the year 2000," he said with a twisted smile. "The world has changed. And you also changed the course of history, even though you later decided to sleep."

Michael, still in his hybrid form, breathed heavily, while Selene stood beside him, not taking her eyes off Eva.

"Two thousand years…" Eva murmured. "I see that mistakes outlived civilizations."

Grunbak shook his head, amused.

"Not mistakes. Evolution. The world needed monsters… and I only made sure they continued to exist."

Eva's eyes gleamed with a mixture of anger and contempt.

"You were always a parasite, Grunbak. Incapable of creating, only of corrupting."

"And yet," he retorted, taking a step closer, "I'm still here. You slept. Adam died. Empires fell. And I adapted."

The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. Eva slowly clenched her fists, and an invisible pressure ran through the chamber.

The industrial elevator descended with a metallic roar that broke the tension of the chamber. Red lights flashed, and after a dry thud, the doors opened. Enid emerged from inside, escorted by a heavily armed containment team from Enid Corp. Her steps were calm, confident, as if the place belonged to her.

Eva slowly turned her face toward her. She didn't need to look for more than a second. She calmly inhaled the air… and her eyes opened with unsettling clarity.

"Interesting…" Eva murmured. "The air is charged with something ancient. Pure blood. Blood of origin."

Enid stopped a few meters away, showing no fear. The containment team tensed their weapons, but she raised a hand, ordering them silent.

"A lycan," Eva continued. "Not just any. Alpha. Pureblood. I haven't sensed something like that in centuries."

Grunbak tilted his head, amused.

"You always notice everything, Eva. That's why you were so feared."

Enid sketched a slight, contained, calculating smile.

"I see that awakening a legend did not go unnoticed," she said in a firm voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Enid Drakewood."

Eva looked her up and down, as if stripping her on a spiritual level.

"Drakewood…" she repeated. "I do not recognize that lineage. And yet, your blood screams leadership. Dominance. Contained violence."

"I don't need an ancient lineage to rule," Enid replied. "The world has changed. Now, those who understand how it works are in charge."