CHAPTER 218: The Hunter Became the Prey - 2

CHAPTER 218: The Hunter Became the Prey - 2

The darkness was absolute. There was no ground, no walls, no echo. Only an infinite void, heavy, silent. From above, a small crack of light fell like a weak thread, illuminating a single point in the middle of nothingness.

There, curled up in a fetal position, was a young man.

He did not appear to be more than sixteen years old. His body was smaller, thinner, vulnerable. There were no fangs, no claws, no savage gaze. His eyes were completely normal, human, dull. He was about five feet seven, but his posture made him seem even smaller.

It was Fenix.

Selene appeared in front of him, still feeling the weight of the blood on her lips, the pain piercing her body like a distant echo. She took a cautious step toward the boy.

—Fenix… —she said in a firm voice, trying to keep it from trembling—. Hey, do you hear me?

There was no response.

The young man did not raise his head. His arms wrapped around his knees tightly, as if the world were something that had to be kept away.

Selene frowned and moved a little closer.

—Look at me when I'm talking to you —she insisted—. I'm not here to hurt you.

Silence.

Only the boy's slow breathing.

—Do you know where you are? —Selene continued—. This isn't real. It's your mind… or something like it. But I'm here with you.

The young man pressed his body even tighter against himself. His lips moved barely, almost in a whisper.

—I don't want to come out…

Selene stood still, watching him attentively.

—Come out of where? —she asked—. Out of here? Out of this place?

The boy swallowed. His voice was fragile, broken.

—I don't want to keep moving forward anymore…

Selene clenched her teeth, without losing her calm.

—Listen to me —she said in a firm tone—. Outside there are people who are suffering. There are people who still believe in you, even if you don't.

The young man did not respond. He kept his gaze fixed on the invisible floor.

Selene took another step, standing at a short distance.

—You can't stay hidden forever —she added—. No matter how much it hurts. You can't abandon everything.

The boy shook his head slightly.

—I'm already tired… —he murmured—. I don't want to keep going anymore.

Selene breathed deeply.

—I didn't want to get up many times either —she replied—. I also wanted to give up. But I'm still here, do you hear me? I'm still standing.

She crouched slowly in front of him, trying to get him to at least look at her.

—Look at me, Fenix. Just look at me.

The young man hesitated for a few seconds, but did not raise his head.

—I don't want to… —he whispered once more.

The young man pressed his fingers against his arms. His breathing became irregular. For a few seconds he seemed to struggle with himself, until, finally, he spoke.

His voice was low, broken, charged with an ancient weariness.

—Before all this… I had the perfect life… —he murmured—. I had the perfect woman… someone who looked at me as if I were her world. I had the perfect job, a clear future, goals, dreams… I had friends who laughed with me, who had my back, who believed in me.

He paused. His shoulders trembled slightly.

—I had everything… and yet I lost everything.

He raised his head a little, though without quite looking at her directly.

—Now I have nothing. No home. No name. No face. I only have this darkness… and the constant noise of blood, of pain, of rage.

He swallowed.

—That's why I don't want to come out… —he continued—. Because outside there's nothing left worth it. Everything I loved disappeared. Everything I was, died.

His fingers closed tightly.

—I've been in here for twelve years… twelve years hidden, surviving in silence. Here it doesn't hurt as much. Here no one demands anything of me. Here I don't disappoint anyone. I don't want to go back to that world that broke me.

Finally, he raised his gaze. His eyes were glassy, tired, but sincere.

—I don't want to keep moving forward… I want to stay here.

Selene observed him in silence for a few seconds. Then she inhaled deeply and spoke, with a firm, clear voice, without hesitation.

—Do you know what I hear when you talk? —she said—. I don't hear someone empty. I hear someone who still remembers what it is to love, to work, to laugh, to trust. That's not something said by someone dead inside.

She straightened up a little, looking at him directly.

—Yes, you lost everything. No one is going to take that pain away from you. No one can erase those years or what they did to you. But staying here isn't living, Fenix. It's just hiding from the world while others carry the consequences of your absence.

She pointed gently toward his chest.

—Your body is still out there. It's breathing, walking, fighting… but without you in charge. Others are making decisions for you. Others are using your strength, your name, your story.

Her voice became more intense.

—You weren't born to be a shadow. You weren't born to run. Everything you were before didn't disappear, it's buried under fear, under guilt, under exhaustion. And only you can recover it.

She took one more step closer.

—I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to take the reins. To face what hurts head-on and decide what to do with it. To return to your body, to take control, to be responsible for your own life again.

Her eyes fixed on his.

—Because as long as you stay hidden, others will pay the price of your surrender.

She made a brief pause, letting her words sink in.

—Peace doesn't appear when everything is calm —she concluded firmly—. Peace comes hidden behind the storm.

The young man remained silent, breathing slowly, while the small light above them seemed to shine a little more intensely than before.