"Albert Villa..."
Nancy whispered the name. Her face was a mask of shock and terror; it was the name she had seen in the fleeting, horrific vision just before she lost consciousness the beginning and end of her nightmare.
"What...?"
Davis snatched the photo from her hand and studied it intensely.
"Albert Villa... wait." He stared at the name, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. "I've heard this name before. I know it... but where? I can't quite place it."
Nancy wasn't listening to his confusion. Her mind was racing. "Davis, this is it. This is the exact building I saw in that illusion. What could possibly be the connection between this place and Shino?"
She stood there, trembling. "But where is this? How do we find it?"
Suddenly, a memory struck Davis like a bolt of lightning.
"Nova!"
"What? Who is that?" Nancy asked, turning to him.
"Yes... Nova. I heard this name from her. She knows something about this place."
"Who is Nova, Davis?" Nancy pressed, her voice urgent.
Davis quickly explained who Nova was and the strange circumstances surrounding her. As he spoke, Nancy's eyes widened with a mix of realization and fury.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Davis?" Nancy snapped, her anger flaring.
"There was so much happening, Nancy! I didn't have a chance. Besides, she's a patient... how was I supposed to trust the word of someone in her condition?"
"Doctor..." Nancy said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "Shino was once in that exact same condition."
Davis went silent, the weight of her words sinking in.
"We don't have time to sit here and argue," Nancy said firmly.
Without another word, Davis grabbed his keys and led her out of the room, heading toward the one person who might hold the key to the darkness of Albert Villa.
Ignoring the rain, they raced toward the hospital. Nova's face kept flashing through Davis's mind. Although she was his patient, he had known since the beginning that there was nothing actually wrong with her. People only labeled her "sick" because the things she said were impossible for anyone else to believe.
In the isolation of her hospital room, Nova sat staring out the window at the falling rain. The sudden creak of the door opening broke the silence. She turned slowly.
"I knew you would come," she said softly.
Her gaze immediately shifted to Nancy specifically, to the wound on her neck. Davis noticed the intensity of her look.
"Nova... you know about this, don't you?" Davis asked, holding out the photograph.
But the image didn't seem to register with her.
"Albert Villa," Nancy said firmly.
At the mention of those words, Nova flinched. That was the name the address that he had asked her and her sister for on that fateful day.
Nova stood up abruptly and walked toward Nancy.
"Albert Villa... everything begins there. It's a trap, Miss. Has he... has he come for you too?"
"Who? Who are you talking about?" Nancy asked, her heart racing.
Nova looked deep into her eyes.
"He... he's the one who took Nimmi. Our only mistake was seeing his face. Now, he wants me too," she said, her voice trembling with fear.
"Nova... did you actually see him?" Nancy pressed.
Instead of answering, Nova just gave a faint, chilling smile and stared at her.
"Nova, please... you have to help me. He took my friend too. I need your help to save her," Nancy pleaded.
Nova remained silent for a moment, just watching her.
"Davis, please say something! She can find Shino," Nancy cried out.
When that name was uttered, Nova froze. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of her memory, that name existed.
"Shinova," Nova whispered.
Upon hearing that name, Davis and Nancy stood frozen in shock, staring at her.