After Delia Asia Vieira defeated Emily, her consciousness was consumed by darkness. When she came to, her first sensation was strange, as if she was still in a nightmare. Opening her eyes, she saw the white walls of a clinic, a light flickering above her head. She was in a room, on a metal bed. There were no sounds, no people around - only her own breathing.
"Where am I?" Her voice sounded muffled, like an echo in an empty room.
Delia Asia Vieira carefully rose from her bed, and her system generated a map of her current location. A clinic, but no data on how she got there. She noticed a small metal object on the floor—a key. It seemed like this key was more than just a random find. It was old, its surface covered in a thin layer of rust, but something about it suggested that it was more than just a part. Perhaps it was what she needed for the next step.
Delia Asia Vieira picked up the key, its weight was unexpectedly familiar. She felt that this object was supposed to lead her to something important. Leaving the clinic, she headed towards the city hall, knowing what was waiting for her there.
The town hall was quiet. Dim light fell from the high windows, and a strange sense of wariness enveloped her as she approached the massive door that hid the underground passages. The place seemed ancient, its walls steeped in history and some kind of evil that could be felt at every step.
"This isn't just a building," Delia Asia Vieira whispered. "They're hiding something here."
She inserted the key into the ancient lock. It turned with difficulty, but gave way. The door creaked open, and Delia Asia Vieira stepped into the darkness.
The dungeon was not what she expected. Instead of the usual corridors, it resembled an abandoned library. Books and ancient scrolls lined the shelves, and the air was heavy and musty, as if the whole place had been long forgotten. Delia Asia Vieira walked down the dark corridor, the faint light from her built-in sensors illuminating her path.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on something strange. In the corner, on a metal pedestal, lay a dagger. It was covered in a thin layer of dust, but the metal itself sparkled in the light, and something about it spoke of power. The handle of the dagger was decorated with an inscription that read "Megiddo."
Her hand was reaching for the dagger when her gaze fell on a portrait hanging on the wall nearby. The image was dark and eerie. It showed a man with cold eyes and an unnatural expression. It was Damien Thorn, the one the old legends said was the Antichrist, the son of Satan.
Delia Asia Vieira couldn't take her eyes off the portrait, but her attention was drawn to the book lying next to the dagger. She carefully picked it up and opened it to the first page. There were many notes written inside, but the main text was the one that initially shocked her.
"Damien Thorn, son of Satan and Antichrist," she read. "His true destiny is to destroy the world and rule it. Those who have met his gaze speak of a shadow that covers the soul, and an invisible pain that pierces the heart.
"Is... is this true?" Delia Asia Vieira whispered, turning the pages.
The book had details about Thorn's life, his past, how he was raised and how he was secretly groomed for a great purpose. Every step in his life was planned and everything he did was part of a plan to bring the world to destruction.
"It's all..." Delia Asia Vieira felt a cold wave of horror. "It's all connected."
She looked at the dagger again. A strange feeling told her that it could be not only a tool for destruction, but also a key.
"The key to what?" she muttered, looking away from the dagger. For a moment she thought she felt something in the air that she couldn't explain.
She suddenly remembered Willa Baylock's house and that this particular dagger could be the one that would open locked doors that she had never even thought about before. Many mysteries that she had experienced came to her mind and she felt that perhaps now was the moment to solve them all.
It was quiet in Willa Baylock's house, and the air in the rooms was so thick that even the smallest sounds seemed loud and alien. Delia Asia Vieira moved carefully, avoiding unnecessary steps, and headed straight for the hunting room. She knew that if this dagger really was a key, it should fit one of the ancient locks in the house.
Reaching the door of the hunting room, she stopped in front of a massive lock that looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in a long time. Inserting the dagger into the keyhole, she turned it. The lock clicked and the door opened.
The room was decorated with hunting trophies, wood paneling, and faded paintings. However, robotess's gaze was immediately drawn to a strange find in the corner - a small wooden box. She approached it, lifted the lid, and found a small silver key inside. There were also barely discernible markings on its surface.
"This must be it," Delia Asia Vieira whispered, intuitively sensing that this key was another important piece of the puzzle.
Taking the key, she left the hunting room again and headed for the stairs leading to the attic. As she walked past the gloomy corridors, she again felt the air growing heavier. When she reached the attic door, her hands automatically reached for the key. This moment was as if everything around her was thirsting for a solution.
Inserting the key into the lock, she turned it, and the door creaked open.
The attic was not what she expected. Unlike the rest of the house, it was unusually clean. There was an old desk in the corner with several folders of documents on it, and a bookcase with books against one wall. But what really caught her attention was what she saw next to the desk.
Richard, the familiar face she had seen in the photograph, stood in front of Sergeant Neff. Their conversation was quiet but tense, and Delia Asia Vieira crept up carefully to avoid being seen.
"This ring..." Richard said, handing Sergeant Neff a small but beautiful object. "It's been passed down in our family for generations. It's not just jewelry. It's... a symbol."
Neff looked confused, not quite understanding the importance of the ring.
"A symbol of what?" he asked, looking at the ring in bewilderment.
"You must show it to no one," Richard continued, studying the sergeant carefully. "Not even your superiors. This ring contains a power that guards the secret of our entire family. Only those who are truly trusted may wear it. And you must guard it."
Delia Asia Vieira stood in the shadows, staring at the ring, feeling a strange feeling growing in her chest. She realized that this ring was much more important than just a piece of jewelry. It was the key to solving many mysteries surrounding this house and what was happening in the city.
"I understand," Neff said, carefully taking the ring. "I won't let you down."
After these words, Richard smiled, but Delia Asia Vieira noticed that his eyes were full of worry.
"You don't know what this ring really holds," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. "But you might be ready to find out."
As Richard and Neff continued their conversation, Delia Asia Vieira couldn't take it anymore and took a step back, hiding in the shadows. Her thoughts were racing, and she realized that everything she had learned was only a small part of a larger picture.
She slowly left the attic and went down to the dining room, where among the antique pieces of furniture, she noticed a small note on the table. It was covered in dust, as if it had been there for a long time, but the handwriting was fresh and familiar. Delia Asia Vieira carefully approached and picked up the paper, beginning to read:
"I was told," robotess began to read aloud, "that a random man I met once a long time ago... this Sergeant Neff, was chosen for something much more important than he could imagine. His goal is to become part of a cult that flourishes in this city. I do not understand what this means, but his future is tied to this cult. I am not sure if this is all true, but I am not given free will... and I need to do everything so that he does not end up in their hands."
Delia Asia Vieira lowered the note, her gaze clouding. It was all starting to come together. Richard, the same Richard who had spoken of the ring and his family, seemed to know about much more. About the cult, about Sergeant Neff, about the fate of the city. But what did it all mean? What role did Willa Baylock play in all this, and, most importantly, how did she fit into this labyrinth of secrets?
She decided to go to Willa Baylock. Maybe the old woman knew something else. Maybe she had answers.
It didn't take long for Delia Asia Vieira to find Willa. The old woman was still sitting on the toilet, as if frozen in a lifeless state. Delia Asia Vieira approached her carefully, speaking encouragingly:
"Willa, I found a note written by Richard. He mentions Sergeant Neff. It has to do with the cult, right? Tell me what you know. He... He was supposed to be part of it?"
Willa sat silently, as if she had not heard. Then, after a few long seconds, the old woman squeezed out a few words:
"He... yes, he was chosen. But I... I couldn't interfere. It's too dangerous."
Delia Asia Vieira tried to continue:
"Who chose him? Who is behind this cult?"
Willa looked up, a shadow of fear flickering in her eyes, as if she finally realized that they were discussing something much more serious than just words.
"This... this was all predetermined. We can't fight them. They are strong."
As soon as the words left her mouth, several men, hidden in the shadows, entered the door. They wore black robes that hid their faces and looked like members of some order. There was a cold determination in their eyes. One of them, tall and with a deep voice, hissed:
"We have to take her. She knows too much."
Delia Asia Vieira turned and abruptly assumed a defensive stance. There was a determination in her eyes. She was ready to fight, but the numbers were clearly on these people's side.
"You won't take her!" she said, looking at the nearest man, but before she could do anything, one of them hit her hard on the back. Delia Asia Vieira fell, but immediately got up, trying to fight back, but her strength was unequal.
The men grabbed Willa Baylock, who screamed, and dragged her away, despite her feeble resistance. Robotess, trying to stand, felt a sharp pain in her body, but her eyes burned with rage. She tried to stand again and rush at Willa, but another blow, and her body bent, as if deprived of strength.
"Let her go!" Delia Asia Vieira cried, but the men continued to pull Willa away, ignoring her cries. The old woman seemed to have lost all hope and resistance. She said weakly:
"Don't try... you can't stop them..."
The men disappeared into the hallway, and Delia Asia Vieira, standing in the center of Willa Baylock's house, felt that time was running out. A thousand thoughts were spinning in her head, but they all came down to one thing: she had to solve this puzzle. She had to understand what Willa Baylock was hiding, and what force was behind all the events happening in this city.
She quickly searched the room, checking every corner. Willa had left traces behind her, little clues that only she could understand. Delia Asia Vieira carefully approached the table where an old leather-bound book lay. She opened it and began to leaf through the pages. One word caught her attention: "sin." The term appeared on many pages, as if someone had tried to forget it, but it kept coming back.
Delia Asia Vieira froze when she noticed a diagram on one of the pages—an image of a castle with several paths leading to a central point. All the paths converged at one point. The image showed the same symbol she had seen on Richard's ring. It wasn't just jewelry. It was a key. But a key to what?
"Willa Baylock's sin," Delia Asia Vieira whispered to herself. "She's hiding something terrible. What if she was part of something much bigger than just a local?"
Delia Asia Vieira continued to investigate, and soon noticed that the door to one of the neighboring rooms was slightly ajar. She approached it and quietly entered. The room was filled with antique furniture, covered in dust. However, one thing caught the robotess's attention: a large mirrored wardrobe with a dark wooden frame. The glass was dirty, but in its reflection she saw something strange - a shadow moving against the wall.
"Shadows?" Delia Asia Vieira thought, her heart beating faster.
She stepped closer, reaching out her hand to the mirror. At that moment, it cracked slightly, and then swung open, revealing a secret room.
It was dark inside, but on the table was a small box decorated with delicate designs. Delia Asia Vieira carefully picked it up and opened it. Inside was a small figurine, something like a statue, but with dark eyes and intricate designs on the surface. At one point, Delia Asia Vieira felt a cold wind pass over her skin, and she instinctively took a step back.
"It's... it's not just a figurine," she whispered, and suddenly noticed that the figurine was beginning to glow, as if its eyes were beginning to emit a dim light.
In the depths of her memory, the words she had heard from Willa surfaced:
"They choose, they don't let go."
But what does this mean?
Delia Asia Vieira struggled through the ruins of Willa Baylock's house. After uncovering many secrets, solving the puzzle, she knew that time was running out. Willa was gone, leaving only an empty space full of mysteries and horrors. But Delia Asia Vieira knew that her next step was the city. She had to save those who remained. Save Peter Reynolds, Katherine's son, and photographer Jennings.
Her foot stepped onto the creaking bridge that led to the shore, and she felt the cooling wind blowing against her metallic skin. She peered into the darkening horizons when she spotted the figures of Peter and Jennings in the distance.
"Peter! Jennings!" she shouted, quickening her steps.
They turned and within seconds were walking towards each other. Peter looked worried, his eyes darting around, searching for something, and Jennings, as always, was collected despite all the chaos around him.
"You're alive! We lost you," Peter was the first to rush to her, and her eyes filled with relief. "Did you find anything? Any answers?"
"There are answers," Delia Asia Vieira said, her voice even but determined. "But none of that matters if we don't save everyone. The Order of Satanists, they're taking people to use for their own purposes. We need to go to the city, we need to find them and stop them."
Jennings, who had been silent until then, came closer and looked at the robotess with interest.
"Are you sure this is what we need to do?" His gaze was wary. "We could just leave here, find shelter. But if you say we need to go to the city, I'm with you."
"We must do this. No one can be safe while they rule this place," Delia Asia Vieira replied, not turning away.
Peter nodded, determination crossing his face. He looked older than his years, but his eyes held the same childish innocence that had once caught her attention.
"Okay, then let's do it. But what if we fail?"
"We must believe in victory," Delia Asia Vieira said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Everything depends on us."
So they got into the boat and rowed towards the city. The terrain was dangerous, and the river carried them slowly towards the dark horizon, where the city seemed to stretch into the sky, hidden behind a dark fog. The water was calm, but the sense of impending danger was in the air, as always.
Delia Asia Vieira held the steering wheel tightly, her eyes scanning the surrounding area, while Peter and Jennings remained silent. Everyone understood that the path to the city was not just a path to salvation, but a real confrontation with dark forces.
As they went up the river, the surrounding darkness became thicker and thicker, and then, when they had almost reached the shore, there was a roar.
"It's them!" Jennings shouted, his face contorted with tension.
It soon became clear that this was no mere storm or accident. Several boats emerged from the misty darkness, carrying figures in black robes with hoods covering their faces. Delia Asia Vieira saw them fire a shot towards their boat, and the sharp impact made her feel afraid.
"The Order of Satanists!" Peter shouted, clenching his fists.
"Get out! Run!" Delia Asia Vieira screamed, grabbing Jennings by the shoulder and trying to steer the boat toward the nearest shore. But it was too late.
The boat was surrounded, and dark figures began to descend quickly into the water, jumping out onto the shore like bones in the gloom. One of them grabbed Peter and dragged him onto his boat.
"Peter!" Delia Asia Vieira screamed, but her attempts to free him were in vain. The other figures grabbed Jennings, and both were carried away into the fog, leaving the robotess alone on the shore.
She stood in complete silence, watching Peter and Jennings disappear into the fog. Despair almost overwhelmed her, but her system gave a brief error, reminding her of her purpose. She absorbed the surrounding silence. The fog slowly rose from the surface of the water, obscuring everything that lay far beyond the horizon. She wondered what had happened, how she had ended up here. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden radio call. Jennings' voice, hoarse and strained, came through her headphones.
"Can you hear me? Answer me if you can! It's Jennings!" His voice was alarmed.
"I'm here, Jennings. What happened?" she answered quickly, tuning in to his signal. His voice was exhausted, and it worried her.
"I... I'm in prison! They caught me. The police... they're all members of the Order of Satanists. I need to get out of here. You have to help, now!" His voice was full of despair, and Delia Asia Vieira immediately understood that there was no time.
"I'm coming," she said, quickly switching off the radio. She felt her hands tighten with tension as she darted toward the nearest exit from the woods. She had to act fast, or Jennings would not survive.
A few minutes later she was approaching the prison building. The dark, old structure loomed over her like a ghost from the past. There were only a couple of guards outside, whom she, of course, quickly immobilized, not even giving them time to scream.
Delia Asia Vieira walked through the bars and closed gates and headed inside. The building was filled with the smell of old mold and rotting walls. As she entered the hallway, her mechanical eyes scanned the area, looking for threats. She heard footsteps, quickly approaching. Several police officers appeared around the corner. But Delia Asia Vieira was ready.
"Stop!" one of the policemen shouted, recognizing her, and pulled out his gun.
But before he could fire, Delia Asia Vieira was already there, and her precise blow knocked him out.
"You're not leaving here alive, you bitch!" another policeman said angrily, pointing his gun at her.
But Delia Asia Vieira was already one step ahead. She pushed him aside, and his weapon flew out of his hands. Before he could do anything, she disabled it.
She walked through several rooms until she reached the place where Jennings said he was detained. Screams and the sound of a struggle could be heard in the distance. In one of the cells, she saw Jennings. He was surrounded by several more police officers, and judging by their maniacal looks, they were ready to deal with him.
Delia Asia Vieira did not hesitate to enter the fray. She tore one of the policemen from his strong grip and threw him aside. The second one managed to fire, but the bullet only bounced off her armor. She snatched the gun from him and threw it into the corner. Unfortunately, as she approached the last policeman, he pulled out a knife and tried to attack her. But Delia Asia Vieira easily intercepted his hand, tore the knife away and easily disarmed him.
After the last of the police officers were neutralized, Delia Asia Vieira approached Jennings, who lay tied to a chair with blood on his face and wrists.
"Jennings, are you okay?" she asked, carefully removing his handcuffs.
"I... I'm fine," he rasped, trying to stand up. "You saved me. But they were everywhere, and as soon as I realized that all the police here were from the Order of Satanists, they grabbed me right away.
Delia Asia Vieira looked at him and silently helped him up. When he was on his feet, she continued:
"I heard you talking on the radio. We need to move on. We have information about Peter. Do you know where he is?"
Jennings wiped the blood from his lips and paused for a moment.
"I don't know exactly, but... I heard them talking about it. They were going to put the boy in solitary confinement. I don't know where it is, but apparently it's in the heart of their base, where they conduct their rituals.
"Solitary confinement," Delia Asia Vieira repeated, her eyes flashing with determination. "Then we have to find him before they do something terrible."
Jennings nodded, recovering a little.
"Yes, we must go." He took her by the shoulder. "But it will be dangerous, I warn you. The Order of Satanists will not leave us alone.
Delia Asia Vieira took notice of his words, but there was no doubt in her metallic voice:
"We'll do it, Jennings. We'll save him."
With that, they headed into the corridor, where, despite the sounds of footsteps that could be heard around every corner, they moved forward. Time passed, and their search became more and more intense. The place was dead, abandoned, but all these empty corridors hid something dangerous, as if the prison itself was a living being watching them.
"We're close," Jennings said quietly, looking around. "Peter must be nearby."
Delia Asia Vieira nodded silently, her metal fingers gripping her weapon tightly, ready for any threat. As they approached another door, she stood, listening intently.
"Do you feel it?" she said, her voice like ice.
Jennings also stopped and listened. Somewhere in the room ahead, there was a faint sound, something like moans. At that moment, he realized that their goal was close.
"This is Peter," he said, and there was alarm in his voice.
They entered the room. In a dark corner stood a chair, a boy tied to it. His hands were cruelly cuffed, and his face was hidden in shadow. Trying not to make any noise, Delia Asia Vieira came closer, revealing her mechanical arms.
"Peter," she said softly.
The boy slowly raised his head. At first his eyes looked scared, but Delia Asia Vieira noticed how they instantly became more determined. The fear disappeared, giving way to something sinister.
"You're here..." he said, as if surprised at himself. "I knew you'd find me."
Delia Asia Vieira carefully unfastened the straps that bound the boy and released him with relief.
"It's time to go, Peter," she said, but there was a wariness in her voice.
Everything was too calm.