The figure kept walking.
Slow.
Steady.
Unstoppable.
Rain fell harder, but it didn't touch him.
Not really.
It was as if the world bent… slightly… around him.
Lina's breath grew uneven.
"He's not normal…" she whispered.
Noah stepped forward, placing himself between her and the man.
"I figured that much."
The figure stopped a few meters away.
Close enough.
Up close—
He looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
But his eyes—
They weren't right.
They were empty.
Like Lina's… had been.
"Subject located," the man said.
His voice was flat.
Mechanical.
Lina's heart stopped.
"No…"
Noah's gaze sharpened.
"Who sent you?"
The man ignored him.
His eyes stayed locked on Lina.
"Instability detected," he continued.
Lina took a step back.
Her body trembling.
"Stay away from me…"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Fourth integration required."
Silence.
Noah's expression changed instantly.
"What did you say?" he asked sharply.
The man didn't answer.
Instead—
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Noah barely had time to react before the man lunged forward.
Lina screamed—
"Don't touch me!"
But it was too late.
The man grabbed her wrist.
Contact.
Everything exploded.
Lina's vision shattered into fragments.
Light.
Darkness.
Voices.
Screams.
But this time—
She wasn't entering him.
He was entering her.
Her body froze completely.
"No—GET OUT—!" she screamed.
But the presence forced its way inside.
Violent.
Unstoppable.
A fourth voice.
Cold.
Precise.
"Stabilizing host."
Lina collapsed to her knees.
Her mind breaking apart.
Four.
There were four now.
"Noah…!" she gasped.
Noah grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away from the man.
"Lina! Stay with me!"
But her eyes—
They flickered again.
Different.
Wrong.
Her voice came out distorted.
"Too late."
Noah froze.
That wasn't Lina.
The man stepped back calmly.
"Integration complete," he said.
Noah's grip tightened.
"You're not taking her anywhere."
The man looked at him for the first time.
"You misunderstand."
A pause.
"She's already ours."
Lina's body went still.
Completely still.
"No…" Noah whispered.
Then—
She smiled.
A slow.
Unnatural.
Smile.
"System online."
Noah's heart dropped.
"What did you do to her?!"
The man didn't respond.
Instead—
He turned.
And walked away.
Like it was over.
Like the job was done.
"No!" Noah shouted.
He started after him—
But Lina grabbed his arm.
Her grip—
Too strong.
"Don't," she said.
Her voice was calm.
Empty.
Noah slowly turned back to her.
His eyes widened.
"Lina…?"
She tilted her head.
"Host unstable," she murmured.
"No… no, fight it," Noah said urgently.
Her eyes flickered.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
She came back.
"Noah… help me…"
Then—
Gone again.
"Too much damage," the other voice said.
Noah stepped back slightly.
"You're not her."
"Correct."
Silence.
"Then what are you?" he asked.
A pause.
Then—
"We are the