Page 95 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
Amelia regretted asking the question, seeing how it dredged up painful memories. She was ready to change the subject, but Viktor spoke again.
“A few years after I heard that the queen regent had executed Raphael, I left Lyon with no real purpose. I don’t even remember how I ended up in Paris… I just continued to exist, believing that somehow, my endurance would have pleased Raphael. I even made some new acquaintances, but I never really let anyone get close. In truth, I was miserable. I wasn’t in Vaka Hara, but in a place far worse. If there was a rock bottom to living, I was buried beneath it.
“I can’t recall the exact year, but it was the late seventeenth century. At that time, I was still in Paris, though saying Ilivedthere would be an exaggeration. It was more like I was merely existing…” He paused, his gaze fixed on the floor. “I hadn’t eaten in two weeks, and for a lycanthrope, meat is crucial for survival. I believed that if I starved myself, my body would grow too weak to transform.
“That’s when I decided to end my life. For a creature like me, death doesn’t come easily. I had already stopped eating, but my body’s resilience made death a long, agonising process. It could have taken years – maybe five, ten, even twenty… And I couldn’t wait any longer. I carried a deadly force inside me, one I was barely managing to control. I needed a more certain end. Decapitation. Someone had to sever my head. But finding someone for that task was far more difficult than I expected.
“The problem was, if the wolf within me sensed the threat of imminent death, it would have taken over, causing more bloodbaths. And I didn’t want to kill anyone anymore. All I wanted was an end. So, I searched for an immortal strong enough to hold the wolf back during the beheading.”
Amelia remained still, absorbing every word.
“Unfortunately for me,” Viktor said with a wry smile, “Iwandered for days and didn’t find a single immortal. Then, I met Mikhail. It was evening, and I was slumped against a wall when I saw him walking down the street. His clothes were fine and immaculate, and his presence required attention. To a regular human, he must have seemed like a wealthy, striking man, but I could smell the manticore on him, even with my dulled senses. I knew this was my chance. An immortalanda manticore. If anyone could take on the wolf and end me, it would be him. Before I could figure out how to approach him, he walked into a nearby cabaret.”
Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Mikhail went into a cabaret?”
“Don’t imagine some grand dance show.” Viktor waved his hand. “Back then, cabarets were just taverns with alcohol and harlots.”
Amelia barely kept her jaw from dropping. Was it right to feel jealous of things that had happened in the seventeenth century?
“I couldn’t walk in with my rags,” Viktor continued. “So, I lured an innocent man into an alley and stole his clothes. When I entered the cabaret, Mikhail already had three women draped around his neck. And he was certainly enjoying their attention.”
“I get it, Viktor. Move on!”
“I’m telling you this so you understand how irritated he was when I ruined his fun. Still, he didn’t shoo me away. Instead, he gave me a smug look, as if to say I had no chance with any of those women while he was around. I said, ‘Master, as your personal physician, I must advise against intercourse while your gonorrhoea treatment with mercury is ongoing. Not only is the discharge infectious, but the mercury being excreted through your skin could poison anyone who touches you.’ A second later, the three women had already vanished.”
Amelia chuckled.
“‘What do you want, you bastard?’ Mikhail demanded once we were alone. ‘For you to help me die,’ I said. ‘Gladly,’ he said. ‘No,I’m serious.’ I had nothing to lose, so I laid it all out: I told him I was on the brink of Vaka Hara and wanted to die. That I saw no other way out. I explained it had to be done by an immortal because the beast inside me would fight back. Mikhail listened silently, then ordered another drink. ‘All right,’ he said as if I were asking him for a favour. ‘If you want me to, I’ll do it. I have two brothers who can help. If needed, they’ll pin you down as I chop your head off.’ For the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope. ‘But I have one condition,’ Mikhail added.”
“What was it?” Amelia asked.
“To spend the next ten days with him and tell him what happened to me. Then he said he’d kill me.”
“And you agreed?”
“I had no choice. That night, he took me to the house where his family was staying. His brothers Stephan and Ivan, his father Nikolay, and his mother, Elena. They welcomed me to their table. They were aristocrats, but not snobbish. Mikhail was the family’s little rascal, with his love for entertainment, women, and gambling. Vices weren’t foreign to him. But he was also a fascinating conversationalist and a good listener. He heard my story without judgement. He just… listened. And that was enough to quell my desire to die. It was that simple. All I needed was a companion, and I was finally ready to speak. Asking him to kill me had forced me to lay all my cards on the table. I’d exposed my scars without intending to.”
Amelia had been holding her breath the entire time, absorbing every word. She’d always known, deep down, that Mikhail wasn’t the monster she’d once tried to convince herself he was. But hearing Viktor’s story revealed a side of him she hadn’t fully seen – a side that was caring and compassionate.
A tiny voice inside her head dared to ask: Could he really care about her beyond her Oracle powers, the same way he’d seen past Viktor’s faults?
“I’m glad Mikhail listened and helped you find a way out,” Amelia said.
“I spent some of my most carefree years with him,” Viktor continued. “He helped me find a way to live with the shadow of my past. We travelled the world, had fun, lived life to its fullest…” He paused, meeting her gaze. “I realise things between you and Mikhail are complicated. He doesn’t tell me as much as he used to, but I don’t need him to admit it to know he cares for you. And you for him. So I understand how what I’m saying may be hard to hear, but Amelia, you must understand that Mikhail was so young then. He’d barely lived for half a century. He’d just become immortal, thirsty for all that life could offer.”
“I understand,” Amelia said with a crooked smile. “You said he showed you the good side of life. What happened then?”
“Then, I had the misfortune of encountering someone who reminded me of the bad side…” Viktor paused when his phone rang from his lab coat pocket. “I’m sorry. It’s Alex… Yes, Alex? Yes, I’m coming…” He ended the call. “Let’s save that story for another time. I promised Alex I’d take over for a bit with the mummy’s safekeeping.”
They walked out together. The warmth that blossomed in her chest every time she thought of Mikhail had grown, along with the ache from her inability to help him.
“Can we really do nothing for Mikhail?” she asked at the lab’s doorway.
Viktor opened the door and gestured for her to go first. “Of course, we will. But sometimes, you need to wait for the right moment…”
“My grandmother used to say something similar.” Amelia clenched her fists. “I forced myself to believe it, especially these last months. But lately, I’m starting to think that while you sit and wait, all you’re doing is letting someone else take control of your life.”
***
