Act Two - Lux Aeterna — Chapter 8

At dusk, David rides a taxi to Andreas Corelli’s illuminated house near Gaudí’s park. A silent butler leads him through portraits to a garden table lit by unwavering candles. Corelli emerges from the shadows, all charm and steel, and opens with small talk that quickly turns to the recent fatal fire.

When David questions the justice of Barrido and Escobillas’s deaths and mentions police interest, Corelli shows no remorse and dismisses the investigation. He pivots to purpose: an extended disquisition asserting that faith is a biological survival mechanism, not a moral truth, and that belief is best shaped through art and stagecraft, not reason.

Corelli outlines practical terms: fortnightly meetings, up to twelve months of work, delivery of all documents, absolute transfer of rights, anonymity, and lifelong secrecy. Payment includes the already deposited one hundred thousand francs plus a fifty-thousand bonus on satisfactory completion. The deal, he insists, is a gentleman’s agreement that cannot be broken without breaking the signer.

When David asks why the work is wanted, Corelli replies that David will do it because he wants to live—his cure having bought him time and hunger for life. Corelli ends the meeting smoothly, promising a car home and another rendezvous in two weeks. Uneasy yet entangled, David leaves having tacitly accepted the terms.