A Dead End.
A group of people got out of the car, stopped near the barrier. Behind the high fence was a garden, more like a dense forest.
"Will they not open the barrier for us?" Daniel was indignant, looking around and not finding any guard.
"No, they don't let cars go further. We will go on foot. It's about two hundred meters," Mr. Lee explained and went ahead. All the others followed him.
When they reached a small Chinese-style house, Chen took his shoes off in front of the entrance and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a young man who looked like a monk. "Hello, we came at the invitation of Madame Wang."
The monk-boy looked at the visitors and turned to Mr. Lee, "Madame Wang is expecting this girl and these two guys. I will lead you to another room."
"You want to say that I cannot attend the meeting?" Chen was surprised.
"No, President Lee, this is the order of the lady," the boy bowed and indicated with his hand that guests could go inside.
The young people followed Chen's example, took their shoes off and entered the house. The monk guy let Mr. Lee into the first room and led Elena and both Andersons further along a narrow corridor until they stopped at the last door.
"My lady, the guests have arrived," he knocked on the door and announced their presence.
"Let them in," a woman's voice came from across the room.
The young man opened the door, and Elena, David and Daniel went inside.
The room was decorated with various amulets and statues. The scent of incense was in the air, filling the space with light smoke.
"Please sit down," an adult lady of seventy pointed to three pillows lying on the floor opposite her.
The guests did what she said and sat down at the pillows she had shown them. There was silence in the room. They did not know why they were called here so they were waiting for the initiative from the woman sitting in front of them, but she was just sitting with a calm expression on her face and looking at them eagerly.
She looked at Daniel, then at Elena, and after she stared at David. The man felt as if her eyes began to penetrate through him as if she wanted to know his deepest thoughts and secrets. He tensed and responded with the same kind of gaze, making it clear that she was crossing the line.
The woman opened the fan and hid her face behind it, leaving only her eyes. Nobody noticed her smile behind the thin rice paper of the fan.
"Madam Wang, on the way here, Mr. Lee told us a little about your talents and outstanding abilities, so it was a surprise to us that you called us. Could you share the reason for our presence here?" David asked in a steady voice.
Wherever they are, his first priority was to ensure the safety of the girl sitting next to him. Therefore, he was all there and would not take his eyes off an unknown woman from whom one could expect anything.
Madame Wang removed the fan and narrowed her eyes, "You are an interesting young man. Few people dare to challenge me so openly, your look speaks volumes. Such an amount of fire... Fire can warm and give life, and can destroy everything in an instant if it goes out of control. Aren't you afraid?"
"No," David replied confidently, with showing not a single bit of reaction to her comment.
"Yes, this is good. It's not surprising that you are still alive after you have given half of your life to another person."
"W-what?! What does this mean?" Elena seemed to be electrocuted, she looked at the woman in confusion, and then glanced at David. Daniel, having heard these words, turned pale. In his head vague images from childhood began to emerge, where he lay in a hospital bed, pressed against his mother's belly.
David glared at Madame Wang, "With all due respect to your work, I ask you not to speak about what does not concern you," he hissed.
The air in the room became noticeably heavier. The expression on the woman's face became serious.
"Why doesn't it concern me? If you see only a tree, it does not mean that there is no forest behind this tree, right? In the world, everything is filled with single energy and is interconnected, it is naive to believe that our actions affect only our life."
"Madame, I understand that mystery and riddles can be your signature chip, but could you say more specifically, in an understandable language, what did you mean when you said that my brother gave half of his life to another person? Who are we talking about?" Daniel asked.
In a normal situation, he would have accompanied his question with a charming and captivating smile, but now, for some reason, he was very restless in his heart.
The woman looked from the cold face of David to the face of his older brother. "Who are we talking about? Of course about you, young man. Haven't you noticed this yet?"
Daniel felt his hands grow cold, "W-w-what do you mean, about me?"
"I see that your life energy is at the same level as if you were recently born. Approximately, like a three-year-old child. On the other hand, the energy that feeds your body belongs to your brother."
"That is, you want to say that—" the realization of the worst has crept into Daniel's head.
"I want to say that all this time you spent your brother's life force instead of yours. Imagine that at birth everyone is given the glass of water of the same size, and as soon as you drink it, your life ends. So, your glass remains full as it was when you were born, you did not take more than two sips from it. All this time you have been drinking your brother's water."
The silence in the room was like a thick liquid filling the lungs. Daniel felt that even a small breath caused him pain. He looked at his younger brother, his face remained calm and steady as if what he heard was not news to him.
His reaction plunged Daniel into even greater horror, "Did you know?"
David did not answer and turned away. He wanted to avoid not the look of his elder brother, but the frightened eyes of Elena.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING WITH YOU!" Daniel shouted, unable to contain his rage, "I ASKED YOU, DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?!"
David looked at his brother and calmly replied, "Yes."
Everything in this life has its price. These words pierced Daniel's chest when he realized what Rick meant. No wonder that bastard then called him a naive boy and laughed in his face. He himself was ready to laugh at himself, marveling at his own carelessness all this time.
The young man clenched his fists, his fingers turned white, "Please excuse me." Daniel got up from his seat and left the room, slamming the door loudly.
A pressing silence hung in the air again.
Elena's thoughts were in total chaos as if she had been hit on the head and she had lost touch with reality. The girl wanted to ask a question, but even to herself, she could not utter it to the end.
How much time we have left until he... No, this question was too scary, and the answer to it could be even worse.
David took her hand and covered it with his palms. The warmth of his body was immediately transferred to the girl, gradually relieving her tension.
"Madam Wang, I hope there is another reason for why we are here?" he asked the woman.
The old woman smiled, opened the box lying on her desk, took out an envelope and handed it to Elena, "I was asked to give you this thing when the time would come."
The girl took the envelope and opened it. Its contents made her heart flinch. She took a photo out of the envelope and looked at it with tears in her eyes. This photo was taken when she and her mother rested for the first time in a children's amusement park in Spain. It was their first and only vacation as a mother and a daughter.
"But where did you get this picture from? Did you know my mom?"
"Your mother left this photo many years ago and asked me to give it to you when the right time comes," replied Madame Wang.
"Do you know where she is now? My mom?" Elena asked her. In her heart, she knew the answer to this question, but could not accept it.
The old woman shook her head sadly and did not answer.
Elena lowered her head. It would be a great miracle if this shaman knew where her mother was. Amelia was not a person who would allow herself to be easily found if she did not want to. Elena flipped the photo.
[Where the journey began, there it must end.]
"Um, Excuse me, do you know what this means?" The girl asked, showing the inscription on the back of the photo.
Madame Wang lit several sticks of incense and began to examine the smoke streaming upwards.
"When a soul separates from a common source and goes down, it goes through several levels. It chooses its goals, which it wants to realize in life. It chooses its sufferings and trials in order to become stronger and help other souls that are associated with it. It chooses which souls will be its relatives and friends, and which will be its rivals. Then it chooses its body to realize all this in the material world with its help. This is how a person is born."
The woman lit several candles, the flame cracked and went out by itself.
"Your souls should have returned after fulfilling their mission, but external force knocked their course and forced them to repeat their path. And now this power is their source, and not the general principle of all things. And only this power can give freedom."
"Wait, wait, I don't quite understand," Elena clutched at her head, trying to get the intricate information. "You mean that only the one who started it can finish this all?"
David sighed, he didn't have to hear it to know. He already understood everything himself when he read the scrolls from Elena's memory. From there he understood their situation with Daniel. He had previously guessed this, but these were only assumptions. Now he knew for sure.
"In simple terms," David turned to Elena, "Rick is our creator, and our lives depend on him since he is our creator. And we can do nothing until he voluntarily refuses it. Only he can break this bond."
Elena did not believe her ears. What they tried to get rid of for a long time turned out to be the source of their salvation. It was a dead end. The circle was in the place.
Just to imagine the idea that Rick voluntarily agreed to help them get rid of his influence? No way, it was merely impossible.