Alina tried to move her legs, but she couldn't. Of course, why should she be able to do that? She was pretty much dead. She hoped that Ilya wasn't lying about the fact that a vampire wouldn't die as long as its heart was intact, the quietness was not peaceful, it was deafening. 

"Hey." 

Suddenly, a voice greeted her from the back. Turning her body, Alina saw Ilya. She was dressed in a rather beautiful rouge dress with her hair tied down beautifully covering her smooth white back. On her hand was a glass of wine. 

"Hey?" Alina also tried lifting her hand, but she couldn't because she didn't have one. 

"Right, let's fix that up," a screen appeared in front of Ilya, she pressed several buttons on the screen, and then, Alina's physical form appeared. She was in a different clothing, just a white shirt and black pants coupled with loafers. 

The whole black interior then transformed. Alina found herself enveloped in the sophisticated ambiance of an elegant outdoor restaurant. The setting was an expansive flower garden, meticulously maintained, with rows of vibrant flowers stretching as far as the eye could see. The garden was dotted with a variety of blooms—roses, tulips, and daisies added splashes of color against the lush greenery, creating a picturesque backdrop.

The sun hung high in the clear blue sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the scene. The light filtered through the delicate leaves of strategically placed trees, creating patterns of light and shadow on the elegantly set tables around her.

Each table was dressed in fine white linen, with silver cutlery gleaming under the sunlight and crystal wine glasses that sparkled. The gentle clink of glasses and the soft murmur of conversations filled the air, adding to the serene and almost surreal atmosphere of the place.

In this unexpectedly idyllic setting, Alina sat at a table that offered a panoramic view of the garden, enhancing the surreal feeling of being somewhere entirely out of place yet oddly peaceful. The air carried the sweet fragrance of the flowers mixed with the tantalizing aroma of grilled steak, inviting her to relax and enjoy the moment, despite the confusion and uncertainty about how she arrived at this unexpected destination.

Her mind immediately wandered to the mysterious medical pod she submerged in. This might be a virtual simulation or something like that. She wasn't sure herself though. Before Alina had more thoughts, Ilya interrupted. 

"If this was a dream, why wake up so soon?" Ilya asked. 

"Where am I?" Alina asked. 

"Artificial reality, some kind of virtual space inside of a ship supercomputer," Ilya sipped on her wine. "I see your body. Let's just say, nanomachines and meat tendrils are currently regrowing your body." 

"Ok? I guess?" Alina replied, not understanding how she ended up in there, but what was more concerning was the meat tendrils. What meat tendrils? Thinking about it again, Alina didn't want to even know. 

She had enough of how the large ventilator pipe snuck its way to her throat like a snake, forcing its way inside, and how every single needle was injected into her body without any mercy. Being choked by medical equipment wasn't something on her expectation list. Being submerged was also traumatic, thinking further about it. 

Yet, the world around her felt real. The smells, the conversations, the views. She never thought fake reality would reach this level of realness. She was aware of VR back in the 21st century, but this was not it. 

Ilya took the first bite of her steak, chewing it, savoring it, and the bite entered her abdomen. "You know, I never expected your wife's feeding habit to give you this much trouble." 

"You mean Inggrid?" Alina asked back, finally deciding to eat the food in front of her, despite how fake it was. 

"I mean, I am aware of Inggrid's feeding habit, and why she had this kind of small following back then. But I never expect someone to send a mechanical dragon to get a taste of your blood," Ilya explained. 

"Say what again?" Alina said. 

"That's right, Inggrid has too many vampire spawns. Like, you know that you can feed from someone without turning them into a vampire," Ilya added. "Though, I understand my 'master' can be quite possessive." 

"Huh?" 

"Yes, Inggrid prefers to have its blood bank subjected to her," Ilya added. 

"That's horrible..." 

"I don't know, she said she lost her beloved one as a blood bank, and I assume that was you," Ilya replied, pointing her knife right at Alina, trying to emphasize that Alina might be the source of all madness with Inggrid, to the point she took Alina's appearance. 

"Wait, what?" Alina was perplexed. 

So, this Inggrid stole her appearance, sucked everyone's dry, turned them into practically her slave, and now, everything came down to Alina simply because of her appearance? What a nightmare. After that mechanical dragon, she had some doubts about whether she could survive in this world or not. 

At one moment, she would barely triumph, and immediately after that, reality seemed to play her like a toy, rinse and repeat. And now, one of her victims was talking to her, and strangely enough, helping her to get out of this situation. 

"Right, your wife is a rather peculiar wanted figure. The thing is, I don't know how many people she sucked," Ilya said. 

"Shit." 

"To make matters worse, the world thought you were Inggrid," Ilya added. 

"But my name is Alina, I'm Alina," Alina protested. 

Ilya shrugged her shoulders, "The similarities are uncanny. Nobody would believe you that you aren't Inggrid. Well, personally, I don't believe you either, but after tasting, sorry, drinking your blood, you're definitely not Inggrid." 

"Any idea?" Alina asked, trying to act calm, even though, deep inside, she was panicking. 

Ilya leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful as she considered Alina's situation. She finished her wine at her hand then said, "Here's an idea," she began, her tone shifting to something more business-like. "You're in a bit of a bind, and frankly, the longer you're out there alone, the more dangerous it becomes for you. But if you work under my name, with Aegis Mercenary Corp, it could offer you some protection."

Alina looked skeptical. "Work as a mercenary? I'm a doctor, not a soldier."

"And you are somehow accepting work for Valkyria, are you sure about your statement?" Ilya asked. 

"That was a misunderstanding. I thought it was going to be a simple security-for-diplomat mission." 

"That kind of mission? With Valkyria? I personally doubt it," Ilya added. 

Alina then sighed, knowing that she really didn't have that many choice, "Fine, but what's our next step?" 

"Our next step? Well, you might want to finish your meal first. Then, we can wake up, then, we can plan what you are going to do next, sounds good?" 

Alina nodded, still somewhat bewildered by the rapid shift in her circumstances but recognizing the pragmatism in Ilya's proposal. She turned her attention back to the meal in front of her, the virtual steak and the perfectly cooked vegetables. Even though she knew it wasn't real, the flavors were convincing.

Well, whatever, right now, Ilya seemed promising.