CHAPTER 228: Enid Drakewood - 3

CHAPTER 228: Enid Drakewood - 3

And so the centuries passed.

Enid did not stay still for a single instant. She traveled from one continent to another, crossed empires that were born and fell, walked among wars, revolutions, and eras of false peace. She learned to fight not only with brute force, but with technique, strategy, and patience. Every confrontation left her a lesson. Every enemy, a correction. Over time, her combat experience surpassed that of any lycan or vampire of her era.

At the same time, she experimented. She observed different bodies, different bloods, rare mutations. She analyzed entire lineages, impossible mixtures, genetic errors, and anomalies that nature seemed to have created by accident. She was looking for something specific: the perfect DNA. The basis of a new race that would not inherit the weaknesses of the previous ones.

Along that path she crossed paths with many people. Some died. Others were used as failed tests. None were enough.

Until Fenix appeared.

His genetics were a perfect aberration. It did not fit any known pattern. It was not clear whether that was because he was the reincarnation of the Tenth Offspring, or because of his impossible lineage: grandson of a goblin, son of a wendigo. The only certain thing was that his DNA contained the formula Enid had been searching for centuries.

Fenix was not just strong. His body adapted, resisted, mutated without collapsing. He was the ideal mold to decipher the new species.

The problem was not him.

The problem was time.

In 2012, even with all of Enid Corp's resources, the technology was still not advanced enough. They could isolate fragments, copy sequences, force mutations… but not accurately recreate what made Fenix unique.

The answer was there, in front of her.

But the world was still not ready to understand it.

The beach in Malaysia materialized again with clarity. The soft sound of the waves, the warm breeze, and the sky tinged with orange tones surrounded Fenix and Enid. Everything he had seen, everything he had felt, had just passed through him completely. They were not loose fragments: they were entire centuries compressed into an instant.

Enid was the first to speak. Her voice sounded lower, less sure.

—Now you know everything —she said—. I won't feel bad if you hate me. I took your freedom. I broke you inside.

Fenix stood up without saying anything. He looked at her for a few seconds and then took a step forward. Before Enid could react, he wrapped his arms around her.

—I don't hate you —he said firmly—. After seeing everything… I understood. I understood every step, every mistake, every decision.

Enid tried to pull away, pressing her hands against his chest.

—No —she murmured—. You have no right to forgive me.

Fenix did not let go.

—Of course I do.

Tears began to roll down Enid's cheeks. Her breathing became irregular.

—You should hate me —she screamed at him, her voice broken—. All of this… everything I did to you…

Fenix also began to cry. He closed his eyes for an instant and rested his forehead against hers.

—I can't —he replied—. Not after understanding it all.

Enid stopped resisting. Her body trembled and she clung to him tightly, as if her life depended on that embrace. When they separated just a few centimeters, they were face to face, looking at each other in silence.

Then, without saying anything more, they kissed.

They slowly separated from the kiss. Silence enveloped the beach again, broken only by the constant sway of the sea. Enid lowered her gaze for a few seconds and then breathed deeply, as if gathering strength.

—I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my days in prison —she began, her voice serene—. It's what I deserve. Everything I did, all the pain I caused… I would accept it without complaining.

She raised her gaze and looked at him directly.

—But I don't want to spend what remains of my existence in a wheelchair. I don't want to drag myself, depend on others, become a shadow of what I was. Not like this.

Fenix shook his head immediately.

—No —he said, his voice broken—. I'm not going to kill you.

Tears began to fall without him being able to stop them. He looked away, lost in nothingness, as if the weight of everything he had lived through crushed him all at once.

—I can't… not after all this.

Enid took a step forward and took his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her. Her expression was strangely soft, almost warm.

—Listen to me —she said—. Whatever happens, you did more than anyone could have done. You gave me something I hadn't had for centuries.

She rested her forehead against his.

—If you truly care about anything about me, then do me this favor —she continued—. Rebuild your life. Be happy. Live for both of us. Don't look back because of me.

Fenix did not respond. He only closed his eyes while tears kept falling, holding her face as if he feared that, if he let go, everything would disappear.

Enid breathed deeply. Her voice trembled at first, but little by little it gained firmness, as if she had already made a decision impossible to reverse.

—You have to do it… —she said in a low voice—. It's the only way I can truly rest. I have lived too long carrying this, the deaths, the decisions, the guilt. I don't want to keep fighting anymore.

Tears began to slide down her cheeks without her trying to hide them.

—Don't think I'm going to abandon you —she continued—. I never will. Even if I'm not here, even if you can't see me or hear me… I will always be with you. In every step you take, in every time you breathe deeply and keep going.

Her voice broke.

—I want you to live without this weight. I don't want you to remember me as a monster, but as someone who, in the end, chose to stop.

Fenix could not bear it anymore. He took a step forward and hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to merge with her, as if that gesture could stop time. Enid returned the embrace immediately, clinging to him desperately.