I couldn't stay.
Not after that.
Not after feeling what he had become.
I stepped back slowly, my chest tight, my mind still ringing from the overload. Kunle didn't follow. He just stood there, watching me like he already knew what I was going to do.
That was worse.
Way worse.
"Don't come near me again," I said, my voice low but unsteady.
Kunle didn't react the way I expected. No anger. No confusion.
Just calm.
"Then stop thinking so loudly," he replied.
My breath hitched.
I turned and walked away before he could say anything else.
Fast.
Ignoring the noise around me.
Ignoring the thoughts crashing into my head again.
What just happened?
Why did he leave like that?
Something's wrong with them…
I pushed through the hallway, my grip tight on my bag.
I needed space.
I needed silence.
But the only silence I knew—
Was her.
I stopped.
Kai was already there.
Of course she was.
"You felt it," she said.
Not a question.
I didn't respond immediately.
I just stood there, trying to steady my breathing.
"He's different," I said finally.
"Yes."
"That's not just my ability," I added.
"No."
I looked at her sharply. "Then what is it?"
Kai held my gaze. "Evolution."
My stomach dropped.
"That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
My chest tightened. "You're telling me I just turned him into something… better?"
Her silence answered me.
"No," I said quickly. "No, that's not possible. I've had this ability my whole life and it's never worked like that."
"Because you were never meant to use it like this," she replied.
"Like what?"
"On others."
A cold chill ran down my spine.
"I didn't choose that," I said.
"You interfered," she corrected.
Same word again.
It felt heavier every time.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
I almost didn't check it.
Almost.
Unknown: You see it now.
My jaw tightened.
Me: You knew this would happen.
Unknown: I warned you.
My grip tightened around the phone.
Me: You didn't say he'd become this.
A pause.
Then—
Unknown: Because this is new.
My breath caught.
New?
Me: What do you mean new?
The reply came slower this time.
Unknown: This wasn't in the original timeline.
My heart skipped.
I looked up at Kai.
She was already watching me.
Like she knew.
"Tell me," I said.
She didn't answer.
"Tell me," I repeated, sharper this time.
A pause.
Then—
"You're changing more than events," she said.
My chest tightened.
"You're changing how things work."
My mind went blank.
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It doesn't have to," she replied. "It's still happening."
My phone buzzed again.
Unknown: He's no longer predictable.
A chill ran down my spine.
Unknown: That makes him dangerous.
I swallowed.
Me: What do I do?
The reply came instantly.
Unknown: Stay away from him.
I let out a shaky breath.
Same answer.
Same useless answer.
"Running isn't fixing anything," I muttered.
"It's not supposed to," Kai said.
I looked at her. "Then what is?"
She didn't answer.
That was starting to become a pattern I hated.
Before I could push further—
Something hit me.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Like a ripple.
I froze.
"What was that?" I whispered.
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. "You felt it too."
My chest tightened. "That wasn't normal."
"No," she said.
My pulse quickened.
"That wasn't thoughts," I added.
"No."
I turned slightly, scanning the hallway.
Nothing looked different.
Students walking. Talking. Thinking.
Everything felt normal.
But it wasn't.
Because underneath it—
Something else was there.
Faint.
But real.
Then—
I heard it.
Not like the others.
Not like thoughts.
Clear.
Focused.
Directed.
So this is what it feels like.
My entire body went cold.
That wasn't coming from the crowd.
That wasn't random.
That was—
Intentional.
"Did you hear that?" I asked.
Kai didn't answer immediately.
That scared me more than if she had.
Then—
"Yes," she said quietly.
My heart started pounding.
"That wasn't him," I said.
"No," she replied.
My throat went dry.
"Then who—"
You're both loud.
The voice came again.
Stronger this time.
Closer.
My head snapped up.
Kunle was at the end of the hallway.
But he wasn't speaking.
His lips weren't moving.
And yet—
I could hear him.
Perfectly.
Directly.
Inside my head.
"You couldn't do that before," I said.
He tilted his head slightly.
"I told you," he replied.
His voice echoed again—
Not in the air.
In my mind.
"I understand it now."
A chill ran down my spine.
"That's not understanding," I said. "That's control."
A small smile formed on his lips.
"Exactly."
My chest tightened.
"That's not how this works."
"It is now," he said.
The words pressed into my head.
Sharper.
Heavier.
Like they carried weight.
Like they were more than just sound.
"You changed me," Kunle continued.
"And now…"
A pause.
"…I can change things too."
My breath caught.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Not directly.
Instead—
Everyone around us froze.
Not physically.
Their thoughts did.
For one second—
Nothing.
No whispers.
No noise.
No chaos.
Then—
It came back.
All at once.
But different.
Organized.
Aligned.
Like something had touched it.
Controlled it.
I staggered slightly.
"What did you just do?" I demanded.
Kunle's smile widened just a little.
"I listened," he said.
My chest tightened.
"That's not just listening."
"No," he agreed.
"It's not."
Kai stepped forward slightly.
Her presence cut through everything again.
That silence spreading.
Pushing back.
For the first time—
Kunle's expression changed.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
But something close.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his gaze shifting to her.
Kai didn't respond.
She just stood there.
Silent.
Unreachable.
Kunle's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're the only thing I can't hear," he said.
My breath caught.
Same as me.
But the way he said it—
It wasn't curiosity.
It was interest.
"And that makes you…" he paused slightly.
"…important."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Stay away from her," I said immediately.
Kunle looked at me.
Then smiled again.
"You don't get to decide that anymore."
My chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
But I already knew.
Because my phone buzzed again.
Slowly—
I looked down.
Unknown: There it is.
My fingers trembled.
Unknown: The third voice.
My heart skipped.
Third?
Me: What are you talking about?
The reply came instantly.
Unknown: It's not just you anymore.
My chest tightened.
I looked up.
At Kunle.
At Kai.
At everything around me.
And for the first time—
I understood what this was becoming.
Not a warning.
Not a future to avoid.
Something worse.
Something spreading.
Something growing.
And now—
There were three of us.
Me.
Him.
And whatever I had just created.
Kunle tilted his head, watching me carefully.
"You hear it too now," he said.
I didn't answer.
Because I did.
Faint.
But real.
That third presence.
Not him.
Not me.
Not Kai.
Something else.
And somehow—
It was connected to all of this.
My grip tightened.
"What did I start…?" I whispered.
No one answered.
But deep down—
I already knew.
This wasn't about survival anymore.
This was about control.
And I was losing it.