Rio sat quietly while waiting for the girl seated next to him.
Since yesterday, he had been examining Sarah Lee's words and realized that he had been paying extra attention to Valentina Salazar.
Coming from an aristocratic family, he was well aware of the Salazar family and the flurry of rumors going around these days.
He always ordered an investigation of the different artists who collaborated with him, and when he had received the report on Valentina, he couldn't help but sympathize with her situation.
An aristocrat who grew up a commoner and wasn't accepted by her true family or her adopted family.
Someone who excelled academically and had made it to the top without support.
A girl with a weak body who was bullied by other industry people and fans alike.
A girl with an ill body who coughed up blood and continued working.
Even though he already knew all of this about her, seeing it on paper gave off a different feeling.
He hadn't gone through anything as harsh, but he understood the urge to fight for acceptance and love in the world.
The industry was a rough place, especially for a young girl without supporters
He supposed it was empathy that caused him to try to go the extra mile for her.
Although she didn't seem to want to acknowledge their past, she had done something similar for him a long time ago, and he wanted to repay the favor.
Even now, as he saw her looking depressed with her face buried in her arms, he wanted to help her the same way she had helped him.
Sipping his tea, Rio spoke, "Director Lee told me you had trouble getting into the role for the scene. Honestly, I think this should be easy enough for you. Do you know why?"
Looking out the side of his eye, Rio saw that she had placed her head on her tucked-in knees and was looking at him with curiosity.
Seeing that she was paying attention, Rio continued, "You're to portray a gradual sink into depression or madness. If you're having trouble visualizing it, you have to think of a comparable analogy of something you've experienced. You could think of different situations like failing to get the acknowledgment of different people in your life, like a professor, a director, or …your family. It has to be somebody important whose constant disregard would shatter your being and is a core of who you are or who you want to be."
"Family, huh?" Valentina responded in a dark tone.
When she thought about the original Valentina's family and the corresponding stepsister, Valentina felt that she could understand how the angel felt.
Doing everything right and by the book and having somebody continue to hate you would drive anybody mad.
Being constantly rejected while searching for acceptance would be the worst.
She could feel the original Valentina's body react to the words, and even her own soul rejected them.
The reason she was alone and focused only on work in her previous life was that she had no support.
After growing up in an orphanage and eventually finding her lost family when she was an adult, she had given up on trying to get her parents to accept her, who was the illegitimate child that came after the birth of their beloved son.
Just remembering everything gave her depression.
As she slumped down, she heard Rio's words.
"You're an actor at the end of the day. You're supposed to channel your emotions and portray the role. Although you're channeling your emotions, you shouldn't let them consume you. Especially dark emotions like sadness and depression. You have to remember reality and that no matter what happens, there are people who care for you." Rio continued to say.
Once he was done speaking, he got up and left without looking at Valentina.
After Rio left, Valentina just sat deep in thought.
Rio's words just kept circling her mind repeatedly.
From him saying he understood her family dynamic to his advice today.
When she considered everything the original Valentina had gone through to be accepted and failing in the end, she felt as if she would rather go mad, so she would never have to process those emotions.
If she thought of Lilith as herself, who wanted her friend to understand why she made that decision, she felt like she could act it out.
The madness that came from trying to do good, to do your best, and constantly getting rebuked and rejected.
As she thought it through, her brain absorbing those dark thoughts and emotions, Valentina fell into a daze.
As she was called back to the set, Rio's words kept circling her head, and she couldn't escape them.
Even as the other actors attacked her with their swords, the words were still ringing in her head as she fought back.
Why was she here?
Why was she suffering?
She hadn't done anything wrong.
She had done her best to do what was right.
To protect her friend and herself.
How did she end up in this situation?
As she continued to be battered by the unending wave of attacks, Valentina felt her will to fight wane.
Her body hurt.
She was tired.
Who cared?
The person she tried so hard for didn't care for her.
As a sword came for her chest, she dropped the sword in her arms and collapsed.
The incoming sword slammed into her stomach, and she fell to the ground, unable to breathe.
As the pain registered, she immediately started coughing up blood as her body heaved, almost choking on the blood capsules that she was supposed to break with her teeth.
Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly fell to the ground, coughing her lungs out as her stomach pulsed with pain.
Owwwwwwww. It flipping hurts!
Valentina was supposed to dodge that attack according to the choreography, but she was caught up in her thoughts and got whacked across the sternum.
As she struggled to catch her breath, blood kept coming out of her mouth.
She did her best to eliminate the foes around her before collapsing.
**********
As Lilith's body continued heaving, Lucifer rushed onto the scene.
He pushed her hair away and held her up as she bent over with coughs wracking her slight frame, his demonic face filled with concern for the collapsing angel.
As the angel continued coughing up blood, she collapsed into his arms with dead eyes.
After a moment, she struggled to get up, pushing the demons' hands away.
He tried to stop her, but she shoved his hand away and resolutely stepped forward.
Lilith gripped her sword tightly while casually wiping the blood away from her mouth.
She continued to ignore the demon who called out to her.
She was now alone in this world.
After throwing away her previous attachments, all that was left was her goal to defeat demons to finally end the war between angels and demons.
Although she might lose herself, it was worth it to create peace.