Lina couldn't stop shaking.
Not from the cold.
Not from the rain.
But from what almost happened.
"I almost killed you…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Noah stood a few steps away, watching her carefully.
"You didn't."
"I tried," she snapped.
Her eyes filled with panic.
"I didn't want to—but my body—my mind—it just—"
"Changed," Noah finished quietly.
Lina froze.
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy.
Unstable.
Noah took a slow breath.
"Then we need to understand it."
Lina let out a broken laugh.
"Understand it? I'm losing my mind!"
"No," he said firmly.
"You're losing control."
She looked at him.
There was a difference.
And somehow…
That made it worse.
"Three lives," Noah continued.
"Three minds inside one body."
Lina wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's not just memories anymore…"
"What is it then?"
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
"They talk."
Noah's expression hardened instantly.
"How often?"
"…All the time."
Silence.
"That means they're not just echoes," he said.
"They're active."
Lina's breath hitched.
"What does that mean?"
"It means whatever you took…"
A pause.
"…didn't disappear."
Her heart dropped.
"It stayed."
The words felt like a death sentence.
"No…" she whispered.
Noah stepped closer—but carefully.
Measured.
"Listen to me," he said.
"If we're going to stop this, we need rules."
"Rules?" Lina repeated weakly.
"Yes."
He held up one finger.
"First rule: No more contact."
Lina swallowed hard.
"That means no touching anyone."
She nodded slowly.
"Second rule," he continued.
"We test your limits."
Her eyes widened.
"You want me to experiment on myself?!"
"I want to keep you alive."
Silence.
"And the third rule?" she asked quietly.
Noah hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
"If you lose control…"
Lina's breath stopped.
"I stop you."
Silence fell like a blade.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
The answer was calm.
Cold.
Final.
Lina looked away.
Her chest tightening.
"Fine," she whispered.
Because deep down—
She knew he was right.
Her phone buzzed.
Both of them froze.
Slowly—
Lina picked it up.
A new message.
"Making rules?"
Her blood ran cold.
Noah leaned slightly closer.
"Read it."
Lina's hands trembled.
"That won't save you."
Another message appeared instantly.
"You already broke the first one."
Lina frowned.