The next morning, when the first rays of the dim sun barely penetrated the thick fog, Delia Asia Vieira woke up, feeling a strange heaviness in her chest. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around - everything was as dim and uncomfortable as the day before. The hotel smelled of dampness and old age, and for a moment it seemed to her that she would stay here forever.
"Earl, are you awake?" she asked quietly, turning her head towards his bed.
He sat at the table, holding the newspaper he had managed to get hold of the night before. His face was focused but calm.
"Yeah, I'm already awake," Earl said, not looking up. "I think we should split up. You have a goal, and so do I. I'm going to look for Jennings' house. You wanted to talk to him, didn't you?"
Delia Asia Vieira nodded, trying to hide the confusion she felt at the thought of the upcoming meeting. She felt her heart begin to beat faster.
"Yes, I... I need to talk to him. I need to find out who he is and what he knows." She got out of bed and began to dress, feeling her body respond to every movement, as if she wasn't quite in control of it. "I'm going to the hospital. I need to understand what's going on with this town.
Earl put the paper down on the table and looked at it. There was sincerity and perhaps a little worry in his eyes.
"Okay. If something happens, just know that I'm here. We'll go our separate ways, but we can always come back to each other. That's important."
She froze for a second, meeting his gaze. Earl was not just an escort, but a man she could trust. He might not have been exactly what she expected to meet on her journey, but he was her rock now.
"I know," she answered quietly, already at the door. "And thank you, Earl."
He smiled, a little reservedly, and nodded.
"You deserve answers. Let's find them, together."
She stepped into the hallway, looking back at him before stepping outside. The fog still hung in the air, and the city remained dark and mysterious, like the night sky. Delia Asia Vieira walked down the street, trying not to think about the heavy thoughts. In the hospital, she hoped to find at least some clues about what was happening in this place and who was behind it. She couldn't understand why everything was so strange and how Jennings could be connected to this city.
Meanwhile, Earl was out in his car, trying to find Jennings' house. With every turn of the street, he became more and more convinced that there was something more to this town. He wasn't sure if finding Jennings was the right thing to do, but he knew it was a necessary step. This man might know who was behind this whole mystery.
Delia Asia Vieira arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. She felt her chest tighten as she passed people she didn't know. They all looked as strange as the city itself. Time seemed to slow down, and with every step she took, her nervousness grew. She decided to go to the hospital's administrative building and try to find some information about who was there and why.
Walking through the hallways, she came to a room with old photographs of people sitting in chairs and posing for the cameras. The faces were alien, but one of them suddenly caught her attention - a man who looked very much like someone from her memories.
"Hello, are you here to help?" a voice said, and robotess turned around.
A young woman in a white coat stood in the doorway. She was smiling, but there was wariness in her eyes.
"Yes, I need to know more about the hospital. I'm looking for information about a patient, or rather a person, connected to this city. Perhaps you know what happened here."
The woman narrowed her eyes, clearly thinking.
"This is not a very easy place to ask such questions. But if you really want to know more, perhaps you should talk to the doctor on duty. He might know what's going on here."
Delia Asia Vieira thanked her and moved on, heading to the doctor on duty's office. As she walked, more and more questions popped into her head. What could Jennings know, and who was really hiding behind this city? What if her future was tied to this place, and she just needed to accept that fact?
Delia Asia Vieira glided through the foggy corridors of the hospital, her steps quiet but sure. She searched the room, noticing every detail: the worn walls, the dim lighting, the strange atmosphere in which there was no hint of life, only the shadow of illness and fear. Her goal was clear - she had to find Lisa Roselli. Delia Asia Vieira did not believe the words that Robert's murder was an accident, and understood that there was something darker behind it all.
She slipped past the empty wards and stopped at a door leading into one of the older hospital rooms. Several metal plaques on the walls were slightly crooked, and the rough carpets on the floor clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
Suddenly, she heard strange sounds coming from behind her. When she turned around, she found two nurses walking down the hallway, talking to each other. But that wasn't the point. They were holding revolvers, weapons that weren't exactly standard medical practice.
"Did you hear?" one of them whispered, looking around. "I think we have a new patient. There's something special about him. I heard he's with her, that... girl everyone's talking about."
The second nurse, with an ominous expression on her face, confirmed.
"I heard she was here. We have to be ready. If she gets in the way, we know what to do."
Delia Asia Vieira froze. They were talking about her. There was no sign of fear in their voices. As if she was nothing more than another nuisance. She decided to act. Stepping forward, she approached the nurses, intent on learning more.
"What are you talking about? Who is she?" Her voice was calm, but there was a threat in it.
The nurses turned to look at her, their faces showing neither surprise nor fear. One of them had her mouth twisted into a kind of sardonic smile.
"Ah, so it's you," said one of them. "We were expecting you. You came for that reason, right? For answers? For Lisa?"
Delia Asia Vieira raised an eyebrow. Those words, their casual attitude... She felt that there was something much more dangerous hiding in this place than she could have imagined.
"What's going on here? Who are you? Why do you have a gun?"
The nurse seemed to decide not to hide her intentions and approached the robotess.
"We're not here to talk to people like you," she said. "If you want to know what's going on, you have to be prepared for the answers you might not like."
Delia Asia Vieira felt something cold and heavy squeezed in her chest. This conversation was clearly not a coincidence.
Glancing at the weapons in their hands, she knew she had to be careful. But what could she do? She needed to know more about Lisa Roselli. She stepped forward, ready to continue the conversation, but suddenly she felt a gaze—someone watching. Delia Asia Vieira glanced back quickly, and her eyes met those watching her from a window in one of the hospital rooms.
The gaze was intense and hypnotic, but worst of all, it was possessive. Robotess froze. A man emerged from the room where the gaze had come from. His face was pale and contorted with pain, his eyes lifeless and empty, but they expressed something... different. He was tall, there was a desperate moment in his body, as if he had lived in this hospital for more than just days.
"You came," he said in a hoarse, tattered voice. "You'll be with me. You know who I am, right?"
His face was familiar, but Delia couldn't place it. She felt a chill run down her spine. He wasn't just a patient, he was something more. A force that both attracted and frightened her.
"Who are you?" she asked, trying to hide the alarm in her voice.
"Anton," he said, coming closer. "Anton Skovorodnikov. I've heard a lot about you. You're the only one I'm interested in. I have to be with you. We have to be together.
Delia Asia Vieira stepped back, but his eyes did not leave her. The obsession was so obvious that she felt her mind trying to escape from his gaze. She remembered that Dr. Lou Hastings had mentioned the name of this Russian from Ivanovo in his talk about the phenomenon of Asian scallops.
"You have to be here for a reason," he continued, moving closer to her. "We were all meant to be with you. You're not alone.
Robotess's heart beat faster. She took another step back.
"You can't be with me," her voice was firm. "You don't know what you're saying."
Anton slowly stepped forward, his hands outstretched. There was so much pain and fear in his expression that Delia Asia Vieira felt his words begin to penetrate her consciousness.
"You don't understand," he said, his voice even quieter. "I've been with you from the beginning. I feel you. You have to understand that we have a connection. You and I are one. You can't leave me.
Delia Asia Vieira took a sharp step back and clenched her fists tighter. Everything that was happening seemed absurd and wild to her, but she could not ignore the feelings that this man evoked in her soul.
"You can't threaten me," she said firmly.
Skovorodnikov froze in place. His face darkened with some kind of inner anger. However, the next moment he abruptly retreated, as if realizing something.
"You don't want me to be with you?" he asked in a whisper.
"I don't want you anywhere near my life," she replied, turning towards the exit.
"You won't leave me. You'll come back," Anton whispered.
Delia Asia Vieira felt her body break out in a cold sweat as she noticed Anton Skovorodnikov starting to move towards her. His eyes, full of obsession, were relentlessly following her every move, as if he had already taken her for his own. Fear gripped her body, but she knew she couldn't afford to slow down.
Her steps quickened as she noticed an opening door leading to one of the hospital's service areas. Delia Asia Vieira silently rushed there, hoping to find some shelter from that frightening gaze.
As she found herself in the narrow corridor, her breathing quickened and she instinctively pressed herself against the wall, trying to hide. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, but the sound of footsteps behind her made her wary again. She quickly turned her gaze to the door next to her and noticed with horror that the nurses were standing in her way again.
But their conversation left her no choice.
"Did you hear?" one of them asked, looking at the folder. "The cops are looking for Jennings. We found him. He's still here."
"Are you sure?" the second nurse replied, looking around warily. "I thought they transferred him a long time ago. He's dangerous."
"Yes, he is dangerous, but he is still here. On the top floor, in the isolation ward. No one should know about him."
Delia Asia Vieira held her breath. Jennings. This was the man Earl Knight had come to town to find. But what was he doing in the hospital? Why was he hiding here, under everyone's noses?
"Why would the cops want Jennings anyway?" the second nurse asked, her lips curling. "They're hardly just messing around with him. He's not a regular patient."
"We know who he is. We just won't spread it. It's better for everyone to keep their mouths shut. Everything will be fine, unless they find out where he is. They said the isolation ward is no big deal. He'll just sit there quietly until they tell him to."
Delia Asia Vieira stood still, listening to their conversation. Jennings. He was the key to something bigger. Maybe this was her only clue that would lead her to Lisa Roselli and unravel her own past. If Jennings was trapped in the hospital, then something was wrong.
"Who the hell is he?" one of the nurses muttered, her voice almost indifferent.
"It's none of your concern," the other replied, quickly closing the folder. "Just know that he won't leave here alive. No one must know about him."
Delia Asia Vieira couldn't afford to linger. This was her chance, her chance for the truth. She slid silently, like a shadow, along the wall, hiding from the nurses, and walked toward the stairs leading to the top floor.
She felt like every step was burdened with a heavy responsibility. She couldn't help but think that her life was now entangled in these games. Anton, Lisa, even the mysterious Jennings - they were all part of something she hadn't figured out yet. But she couldn't stop.
Her fingers slid along the cold banister as she climbed, the higher she climbed the more she felt everything around her become unreal, hostile.
When she reached the top floor, her heart started pounding louder again. She saw a metal door with a small window at the bottom. It was the isolation ward. The place where they kept those they wanted to hide from view.
With all her determination, Delia Asia Vieira approached the door and cautiously peered through the window. It was dark inside, but she could make out the outline of a man sitting on a metal cot. He looked exhausted, his face hidden in shadow.
Delia Asia Vieira stood there for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do next. She needed to find a way to talk to him. But how? She couldn't go in there herself. She knew that if she opened the door, it would be over too quickly. She needed more information.
Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps, and Delia Asia Vieira quickly hid in the shadows, pressing herself against the wall. The window of her hiding place was too narrow to see who was coming, but she felt the tension growing. It seemed that someone was approaching the door.
Robotess's heart was beating alarm, and at that moment, one idea pierced her thoughts. She knew that if she didn't get to what she needed now, she would never get to it.
Delia Asia Vieira walked down the hospital corridor, her metal boots echoing as she passed crumbling walls and dimly lit windows. The temperature in the building was cold, the air musty and heavy. She was looking for the isolation ward where Jennings might be, but her thoughts were torn apart by more than that. Something was beginning to surface in the back of her mind. Each new memory was like a painful needle poking at her. And then, as she passed an old, dusty display case, her gaze suddenly lingered on one of the objects in it.
It was an album, old, a little worn, with a leather cover. On the first pages were photographs: a woman in an elegant dress, with golden hair and an exquisite posture, standing in front of the bright light of a camera. She was smiling, her face was like a perfect smile - even teeth, full lips, eyes with a proud but kind sparkle. It was her. Asia Vieira.
Delia Asia Vieira stopped and slowly approached the display case. She raised her hand and gently rubbed the fogged glass, trying to examine the photographs. One of them was a bright, colorful picture of a woman wearing a crown and standing on a pedestal. And it was not just an ordinary photograph, it was a memory. Delia Asia Vieira felt her heart sink ominously. The photograph was of her image, her ideal, her model.
"Asia Vieira..." she whispered, as if hearing this name for the first time.
She quickly turned around and directed her gaze to the part of the display case that was closest to her. There, among other things, lay an old album of color photographs. It was the same album that Robert had probably used in his creation. His album. The album he had carefully studied when he was working on the creation of her model.
"He... he created me in her image," the robotess said quietly, barely audible, but the thought echoed in her chest like a long-suppressed memory.
Delia Asia Vieira stood there, confused, her eyes darting across the pages, and she felt her metal body come alive again, her thoughts racing. All this time, she had been a copy of the woman Robert had created. But why had he chosen her? And what did it mean for her?
"DAV, you look like a dyed bitch," she remembered Robert's words when he once spoke of his creation, when he spoke of her appearance. She hadn't understood what it really meant then, but now it was clear as day.
"The beauty queen... She was just a woman, and I was taller, much taller. But it seems that my life was predetermined even before I acquired her appearance," robotess took a deep breath and turned away from the display case.
Her mind was racing, and she didn't know what to make of this revelation. It felt like her life, all her memories, her entire existence, was just part of someone else's plan.
And then, at that moment, when Delia Asia Vieira was trying to comprehend the knowledge she had received, everything around her darkened, and the air became so heavy that it seemed as if one could tear it apart with one's hands. Every corner of this place hid new horrors, and Delia Asia Vieira felt her fear creeping up on her again.
"You still haven't found what you were looking for, have you?" a voice suddenly came from the darkness.
Delia Asia Vieira stopped abruptly, her artificial hearing picking up footsteps that weren't quite human. She turned around and saw a figure slowly emerging from the shadows. It was a middle-aged man, with piercing eyes and a casual gait, as if he were part of this nightmare. He held a camera in his hands, and there was a strange aura about him, as if his entire life was tied to the same foggy memories that plagued robotess.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice cold and clear.
The man did not answer at once. He looked at her closely and smiled slightly.
"My name is Jennings. You may not remember me, but I am familiar with your past," he said, coming closer.
Delia Asia Vieira felt a strange shudder. This man was someone important to her, although her memory could not recall where she had seen him.
"Do you... know something about my past?" she asked, her voice growing increasingly wary. "Do you know who I am?"
Jennings stopped right in front of her, his eyes full of silent understanding.
"You're her copy, aren't you?" He paused and added, "Asia Vieira."
The name pierced her like a knife. She remembered her photographs, her idealized face, the ideals that had been implanted in her. But how could this man know that?
"You were a photographer..." she said, realizing that this was the Jennings they had been talking about at the hospital.
"Yes," he said, nodding. "I photographed her. I was a Canadian photographer who worked with Asia Vieira a few years ago. We did a lot of shoots, and her image became part of my art. But I didn't know you were..." Jennings trailed off, his expression a mixture of regret and surprise. "I didn't know you were going to be like her."
Delia Asia Vieira froze. He spoke as if her existence was part of some larger picture that she could not fully understand.
"Robert..." She said the name of her creator. "He created me using her as an image, right?"
Jennings smiled, but there was something dark, almost tragic, in his smile.
"Robert was one of the most obsessed people I've ever met. He loved her ideal. He wanted to create a perfect copy of her, and you were the embodiment of it," he said, turning away slightly, as if the words themselves were painful to him.
Delia Asia Vieira stood there, stunned. It all seemed so... creepy. But she felt like this conversation was key to understanding who she was and what secrets lay in her past.
"Why are you talking about me as if I'm not human?" Her voice was cold, but there was hidden pain in it.
Jennings looked at her with some regret in his eyes.
"Because you're not really human, are you? You're a creation. A robot. I don't even know how you feel, but you have to understand that your life isn't just a series of random events. It's something Robert created, and now you're looking for answers that aren't given to you."
Delia Asia Vieira felt her heart begin to beat faster. This man wasn't just part of her past - he knew her, understood her more than anyone. She had searched, but what she found didn't calm her down, it only complicated her.
"Where is she?" asked the robotess, no longer able to contain her anxiety. "Where is Asia Vieira? Do I want to see her?"
Jennings smiled, and a mischievous light lit up his eyes.
"See? Ha-ha, no way! Always Visible Asia died!" he answered with a laugh. "She died at the beginning of this month, and all her ideals with her! I'm not even sure that her image exists anywhere except in your memory. Because who's going to look at photos of some painted fool from Canada, hm?"
Delia Asia Vieira felt her mind begin to split from all these revelations. Her existence, her purpose, all of it was tied to someone else's ideal, an image that had never been alive. All she could do was be a copy of something that had never existed.
She fell silent. Understanding was beginning to dawn on her, but it was too much for her. How could she be herself when her life was predetermined to be a memory of someone else?
But suddenly, without warning, everything in the hallway changed. She saw Jennings standing in front of her, holding a scalpel in his hands. His face was contorted with pain, and his eyes were burning with a mad fire.
"You... you don't understand that you exist!" he screamed, the words spilling out with unexpected fury. "You're just a copy, nothing more than a frozen memory! You don't live! You don't feel! It's all a lie! Everything you see is a lie!"
Delia Asia Vieira didn't have time to react before he suddenly lunged at her. His eyes flashed with rage, despair, and something even more terrifying. His hand with the knife was moving towards her, and she felt the adrenaline rushing to her head. Her senses were heightened - she was ready for any danger. She knew that her body was not like that of ordinary people, and in moments of danger she could rely on her enhanced reactions.
"Jennings, stop it!" she screamed, dodging his first blow, which left only a deep cut on her metal body.
But Jennings didn't hear her. He was consumed by his rage and mad. His face turned red as he lashed out at her again with the knife, and this time the blow was much stronger. However, Delia Asia Vieira managed to use her speed and strength, moving his arm at the last moment to prevent it from penetrating her armor.
"You can't defeat me!" he screamed again, trying to break through her defenses. "I know how to create true reality, and you don't exist!"
Delia Asia Vieira felt his rage spiraling out of control. His blows became more and more erratic, and she realized that there was nothing she could do about him anymore – he had become what all those who had once created her had been: a mad idealist who had lost touch with reality. It was too dangerous to let him continue. She instantly snatched the scalpel from his hands and used it to disarm him.
Jennings fell to his knees, his vision blurred, and he could no longer contain his raging fury. Delia Asia Vieira stepped back, examining his body. He was no longer dangerous. She lowered the scalpel, and then, out of inertia, picked up his camera, the one he always carried with him. It was the only thing that remained of his former self, this device that had become a symbol of his idea of reality.
She stood in silence, aware that something had changed. He was dead, and with his death the world around her had become quiet and calm. The walls that had been covered in mold now seemed much cleaner, as if everything that had happened before was just a fog, a nightmare that was fading with Jennings gone.
Everything she knew and understood about her past now hung by a thread. Delia Asia Vieira wasn't just a copy of someone who was no longer there. She was herself. But what did that mean?
As soon as she looked up to leave the hospital, she noticed how everything around her began to change: the floor, the walls, the sky, the air - everything became normal. The colors returned, and the ominous fog disappeared. The painful torment was gone, and the hospital was no longer a place of nightmare.
Delia Asia Vieira approached the hotel cautiously, her footsteps echoing in the deserted, foggy city. She was exhausted and shaken by the events that had unfolded at the hospital. The mysterious encounter with Jennings, his madness, the unraveling of her own past – all of it had left a mark on her that would not be easily erased.
She paused at the entrance, taking a moment to rest. Thoughtfully looking around the darkness of the city, she barely noticed how shadows began to move along the corridor. And then, with unexpected abruptness, she heard familiar voices.
"Still, Lisa," the man's voice said, "if Jennings was so important to the plan, how do you explain his uselessness now? He's become a mere shadow of what he once was. I think it's time to act."
Delia Asia Vieira froze, drawn by curiosity. That voice... she recognized it immediately. Alexander York. Her creator, Robert, had mentioned him as a man from her past, but why was he here? And what did he want with Lisa Roselli, a priestess of the Satanist cult?
"You don't understand," Lisa Roselli replied, her voice cold and determined. "Jennings is more than just a nobody. His madness, his passion, it's all part of a larger plan. He witnessed Asia Vieira's fall, her death. And you know who she is to us. You yourself said that our target is the Antichrist. Jennings was part of it. He defiled that target with his photos, and now we need her to become a true tool.
Delia Asia Vieira felt her blood run cold. Asia Vieira? A Canadian beauty queen? And all this connected to the Satanist cult and their plans? She didn't understand anything, but one thing was clear: she was right on the threshold of uncovering a secret.
"But how can we use it?" Alexander York asked. He seemed wary, his tone softening slightly as he spoke of Delia. "I've seen her work, and it's not as simple as we thought."
Lisa paused, then answered with even greater conviction:
"Her creation was not just a whim of Robert. It was a power that is only now beginning to manifest. Jennings thought that his actions, his abuse of Asia Vieira, were just games, but in fact he created a monster. Delia... she already knew who she was. And now we will show her who she can become."
Lisa Roselli's dark words hung in the air. Delia Asia Vieira took a step back, almost tripping. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it true? Was she really created in the image of Canadian beauty queen Asia Vieira? What if she was? And if it was true, what did her existence mean?
At that moment, her gaze slid down the hallway again and she noticed Lisa and Alexander approaching the door, preparing to leave. Delia Asia Vieira immediately disappeared around the corner to avoid being seen.
"We need more time. And we know what we're going to do next," Lisa said, and they disappeared around the corner.
Delia Asia Vieira stood in the hallway, stunned, unable to move. Everything she thought she knew about her existence was now in question. Her life had not been her choice. Her creator, Robert, might not have created her simply as a machine, but as part of some dark plan she had no idea about.
And when she was already entering the hotel room, expecting to see Earl Knight there, her heart skipped a beat. Alexander York stood in front of her, in his usual Roman legionary costume, holding a spear. Everything was as she remembered him: his confident posture, his cold gaze that always made her feel small, and his appearance - almost like from another time.
Delia Asia Vieira stood frozen in the doorway, unable to believe what she was seeing. She stood before him, and in her head a voice echoed that she should seek answers, but she did not expect to find them here and now.
"Alexander," she said his name with surprise and caution, "what are you doing here?"
He smiled slightly, his gaze remaining calm despite her wariness.
"You thought you'd find Earl, and instead you met me," he said, his voice as even as ever. "I'm sorry, but your ally left you a message."
Delia Asia Vieira frowned as she looked at him.
"Where is Earl? What's wrong with him?"
Alexander slowly walked to the window, watching the fog cover the street. He turned and looked at her with a slight hint of regret.
"Earl went about his business," he replied. "But before he left, he left you a message."
"A message?" the robotess asked, her voice cold and tense. "And what is that message?"
"He said you needed to go to the other side of the lake," Alexander said, looking at her reservedly. "You'll find what you're looking for there. You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
Delia Asia Vieira took a step forward, her gaze becoming more determined. This was all strange. She hadn't expected Earl to leave her without an explanation, and Alexander himself didn't seem interested in revealing more information.
"You didn't tell me what I was supposed to find on the other side of the lake. You know I can't just leave without knowing what awaits me," her voice was firm, even though anxiety was flaring up inside her. Alexander York was too calm, and her feelings, usually so controlled, were starting to surge.
Alexander chuckled, his face softening a little, but this softness only emphasized his alienation.
"I can't tell you what you'll find," he replied, "but what you find will change everything. It may be what you're looking for, or it may be what you're afraid to find.
He stepped toward her, and she felt his presence fill the room with a heavy silence. Delia Asia Vieira couldn't understand what he meant exactly, but her intuition told her that this was an important moment.
"You're playing with me like a doll on strings again," she said, with a fury that, despite her efforts to remain calm, burst forth. "You can't manipulate me the way you did with Robert!"
Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he wasn't surprised by her reaction, and smiled again, but this smile was empty, like his intentions.
"I'm not going to manipulate you," his voice became a little more serious. "You're on your own. You're the result of choices others have made. Now you have to make your own choice."
Delia Asia Vieira felt her heart beat faster. He was speaking in riddles again, not giving any clear answers. But there was a truth in his words that she could not ignore. They were the result of someone else's decisions, and now she was forced to make her own.
"And what do you think I should do? Walk across the lake without knowing what awaits me there?" she asked, her gaze growing cold and determined.
Alexander stepped towards the door and, without turning around, said:
"It's up to you. But know that if you go there, you won't be able to go back. It's not just a path, it's destiny."
Delia Asia Vieira stood there, looking at his back. He didn't turn around, didn't give her any more explanation. His words left her confused, but at the same time, she felt a strange calm. He was right – she had to go there, to the other side of the lake. But what was waiting for her there? And why did she still trust this man who had once been part of her past, but was now just another vague symbol of her confusing future?
She turned to the window, looking out at the darkness beyond. The lake. What lurked on the other side? Alexander York stood next to him, his spear swinging in his hands as if it were a part of him. He was as calm and confident as ever, as if he knew his every thought and word was to be accepted without question. Delia Asia Vieira stood across from him, clenching her fists, feeling her patience begin to wear thin.
"Lisa Roselli is in the church across the lake," Alexander said, his voice a metallic ringing. "You have to go through the amusement park to get there."
Delia Asia Vieira took a step forward, her gaze hard and insistent.
"An amusement park? Are you kidding me?" she said, indignation in her voice. "You want me to go through a park that's probably a trap and get to the church where you told me Lisa is hiding? Do you understand what you're telling me right now?"
Alexander did not answer immediately. He calmly brought the spear to his shoulder, shaking his head slightly, as if thinking about her words.
"Yes, I understand," he finally said, his gaze never leaving robotess. "You may not like this path, but it leads to the goal. Otherwise, how are you going to find Lisa?"
Delia Asia Vieira felt her anger rising, but she tried to contain it.
"You always say that, don't you?" Her voice became cold, almost metallic. "You always show me the way, but you never tell me what awaits me there. I know Lisa is a dangerous woman, but you can't just tell me she's sitting in a church and expect me to go there without asking any questions!"
Alexander stepped towards her, his gaze firm and confident, as if he was ready to meet her fury head on.
"You don't understand. You always thought you could control everything that happens around you. But you have to understand one thing: I can't tell you all the details. I can only guide you. Everything else is up to you. It's up to you to decide whether to follow this path or not."
Delia Asia Vieira looked at him, her eyes sparkling brightly and a whole ocean of emotions raging in her chest.
"So you want me to just take your word for it?" she asked, not hiding her confusion and displeasure. "You don't explain anything to me, you don't tell me anything about what awaits me on the other side of the lake, and you want me to go there?"
Alexander nodded reservedly.
"If I could explain it to you, you wouldn't believe it. You have to act on your gut instinct. You have to trust yourself. Lisa Roselli isn't just someone you can talk to. She's a dangerous woman, and you know it. But if you want to deal with her, you're going to have to go through this park."
She exhaled, looking away. A storm of thoughts was brewing in her head: what was she willing to do for her revenge? Could she trust Alexander, considering that he was not her friend and his motivations were always unclear? And at the same time, how could she stand aside, knowing that Lisa Roselli could be on the other side of the lake, hiding from her?
"I can't believe you're pushing me back here," she said, feeling her irritation turn into outright displeasure. "You say I should trust myself, but who are you to tell me? We both know you're standing in front of me for a reason. What are you hiding, Alexander?"
He took another step toward her, but now his face was serious, without the slightest hint of his usual confidence.
"I am only hiding what you must discover yourself," he said quietly. "You cannot expect it to be that simple. This is not a game. The path to Lisa, to the cult, it will not be easy. But you must follow this path, otherwise your goal will never be achieved.
Delia Asia Vieira was silent. His words were beginning to make things clearer, but it was all so complicated that she didn't know how to respond. Standing in front of him and listening to him was like looking into an abyss – you didn't know what would happen there, but you were sure that stepping into it meant entering another world.
"You want me to go without knowing what's waiting for me there," she said at last. "But how can I trust you if you only give me bits of the truth?"
Alexander replied with a slight smile.
"Because you know how to make choices. You know what to do, even if it's scary. You've always known how to make tough decisions. And now you have to choose whether to walk through the amusement park to meet Lisa. Or leave everything behind."
Delia Asia Vieira fell silent, her eyes clouded over as if she were searching for answers to the question she had asked herself so many times. And yet she knew: the choice she had to make was too important to let go. Alexander York had told her to walk through the park, and now she was going to take that step, despite all her questions and fears. Something in his voice, in his confidence, made her act.
"I'm coming," she said quietly, almost as if to confirm to herself, and headed for the door.