CHAPTER 238-2: Alaska, a Safe Place - 5

CHAPTER 238-2: Alaska, a Safe Place - 5

The room was small, built entirely of light wood. A lit fireplace crackled softly, providing a comforting warmth that contrasted with the intense cold outside.

On the table, three cups of tea gave off steam.

Fenix held his with his left arm, watching in silence. Selene, calmer, kept her back straight. Hank, on the other hand, seemed completely comfortable.

The patriarch took a sip of his tea and sighed with satisfaction.

—Ah… nothing like this in the middle of the ice.

He set the cup down carefully and rested his hands on the table.

—I suppose you want to know exactly where you are.

Fenix raised his gaze.

—That would be a good start.

Hank nodded.

—This community… —he began— was formed approximately one hundred fifty years ago.

He made a brief pause.

—At that time, a small group of our species decided to isolate themselves from the rest. We didn't want to keep participating in wars or power struggles between clans.

He glanced sideways at Selene.

—Among them… was your mother, for a time.

Selene did not react much, but she listened attentively.

—This place —Hank continued— was chosen for its isolation. No one arrives here by accident… and those who try, normally don't survive the environment.

Fenix exhaled softly.

—Yes… I can confirm that.

Hank smiled slightly.

—Over the years, we built this. Little by little, without hurry.

He observed the room.

—We never wanted to be many.

He leaned slightly forward.

—Currently… we are barely fifty-three.

Fenix raised an eyebrow.

—Only that?

Hank nodded calmly.

—Fifty-three inhabitants. Among elderly, adults… and some children.

He took the cup again.

—Enough to sustain ourselves… without drawing attention.

He took a small sip.

—If we were more… we would return to the same problems as always.

Silence settled for a moment.

The fire crackled.

Outside, the wind struck the structures.

Hank set the cup down again.

—Here we don't seek power.

He looked directly at Fenix.

—We seek peace.

And by the way he said it…

It didn't sound like an illusion.

The fortress, from the top, offered an imposing view.

A white sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Snow-covered mountains, frozen valleys, and a gray sky that seemed to merge with the horizon.

Fenix was sitting on the edge, with his legs dangling into the void.

He held the cigarette with his lips, trying to light it while the icy wind extinguished the lighter again and again.

—Come on… —he murmured, covering it with his hand—. Just once…

Spark.

Nothing.

Spark again.

Nothing.

Beside him, Lucian observed the landscape calmly.

—Life is strange —he said suddenly.

Fenix did not respond, focused on his battle against the wind.

Lucian continued.

—One moment you're in an apartment in Munich… calm, no snow, no immediate problems…

Fenix managed a small flame.

He leaned in quickly.

The wind extinguished it instantly.

—…and the next —Lucian continued— you're on the most lost mountain in Alaska, surrounded by albino vampires who almost skewered you with spears.

Fenix let out a sigh, frustrated.

—Yes… that sounds pretty accurate.

He put the lighter away for a moment and looked at the horizon.

Silence spread.

The wind blew constantly.

—Do you regret it? —Lucian asked.

Fenix stayed still for a few seconds.

Then he shook his head slightly.

—No.

He twirled the cigarette between his fingers.

—If I had stayed… I would still be the same as always.

He lowered his gaze.

—And that guy… wasn't going to get very far.

Lucian glanced at him sideways.

—Now it's not easy for you either.

Fenix sketched a slight smile.

—I know…

He tried to light the cigarette again.

This time, he protected the flame better.

Spark.

Fire.

Finally it lit.

He took a drag, letting the smoke out slowly.

The wind dispersed it almost immediately.

Fenix watched it fade.

—But at least now… —he murmured— I know I have a few more chances.

Lucian nodded, in silence.

The underground of the fortress was silent… almost sacred.

The damp stone reflected the dim light of torches placed at irregular intervals. Along the space, small pools of crystalline water rested motionless, like natural mirrors formed by glacial meltwater.

Fenix walked slowly, observing the place with caution.

The sound of his steps mixed with the slight dripping of water.

Until he stopped.

In one of the pools, a figure was moving.

A young woman with pale, almost translucent skin, was submerged in the icy water. Her white hair floated softly around her.

Fenix looked away instantly and turned his body.

—Sorry… —he murmured, beginning to retreat.

—You don't need to leave.

The girl's voice stopped him.

Fenix did not respond. He stayed with his back turned, motionless.

—It doesn't bother me —she continued, in a calm tone—. Here we're all used to sharing these spaces.

There was a brief silence.

Then, the slight sound of water moving.

—This water… —she said— comes directly from the glacier.

Fenix tilted his head slightly, listening.

—It has healing properties. It's not magic, but… it helps.

A pause.

—Maybe it could help you.

Fenix lowered his gaze, instinctively toward his amputated arm.

—It won't regenerate it —the girl added—, but it will prevent infections… and accelerate healing.

Silence settled again.

Fenix hesitated for a few seconds.

Then he sighed.

—…All right.

He approached the edge of the pool and began removing the upper part of his clothing.