stay with me…"
The words didn't fade this time.
They lingered.
Like they didn't need to repeat themselves to be understood.
My chest tightened as I stood there, frozen, my mind struggling to process what I had just heard.
It wasn't noise.
It wasn't random.
It wasn't borrowed from anyone else.
It was direct.
Focused.
Intentional.
And it was talking to me.
"No," I whispered under my breath.
Kunle heard it.
Kai definitely did.
But neither of them responded immediately.
That silence—real silence—felt heavier than anything else.
"It chose you," Kunle said finally.
His voice wasn't in my head this time.
It didn't need to be.
I could already hear enough.
"I didn't choose anything," I snapped.
"That's not how this works," he replied calmly.
My hands clenched. "Then explain it."
Kunle tilted his head slightly, like he was observing something only he could see. "You created the connection. You changed the outcome. You became the center point."
My stomach tightened.
"And now," he continued, "it's stabilizing around you."
"That doesn't make sense," I said.
"It doesn't have to," Kai replied quietly.
I turned to her. "Stop saying that."
Her eyes met mine. "You keep expecting this to follow rules you understand."
"And it doesn't?"
"No."
That answer hit harder than anything else.
Another pulse.
Closer now.
Stronger.
"…you hear…"
I flinched.
"I didn't ask for this," I muttered.
"It doesn't matter," Kai said.
Kunle smiled faintly. "It never does."
My phone buzzed.
The sound felt almost… distant compared to the thing in my head.
Still, I looked.
Unknown: Don't respond to it.
My grip tightened.
Me: It's already talking.
Unknown: That's the problem.
My chest tightened.
Me: What happens if I do?
A pause.
Long.
Heavy.
Then—
Unknown: It anchors to you.
A cold chill spread through me.
Me: It already has.
There was no reply.
That silence told me everything.
"It's waiting," Kunle said.
I looked up at him. "For what?"
"For you to answer," he replied.
My heart skipped.
Answer?
"I'm not talking to it," I said immediately.
Kai stepped closer. "Good."
But something in her tone—
It wasn't relief.
It was caution.
"Why?" I asked. "What happens if I do?"
She didn't respond.
Kunle did.
"It becomes real," he said.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It does," he replied. "Right now, it's forming. Learning. Adapting. But the moment you acknowledge it—"
A pause.
"It stops being just a reaction."
My chest tightened.
"It becomes a presence."
Another pulse.
This time, it didn't feel distant.
It felt… closer to the surface.
Like it was pressing forward.
"…hear me…"
I shut my eyes for a second.
"Stop," I muttered.
But it didn't stop.
Kai's voice came low. "Don't engage."
"I'm not trying to," I snapped.
"But you're listening," Kunle said.
I froze.
That was true.
I wasn't responding.
But I was listening.
And that alone—
Might be enough.
Another pulse.
Sharper.
"…please…"
My breath caught.
That was new.
Different.
Not just a command.
Not just direction.
Emotion.
Or something close to it.
"You hear that?" Kunle asked quietly.
"Yes," I said.
His expression darkened slightly. "It's adapting faster than I expected."
"That's not a good thing," Kai said.
"No," he agreed.
"But it's interesting."
I shot him a look. "This isn't something to study."
"It is now," he replied.
My chest tightened.
I looked at Kai. "Tell me how to stop it."
Silence.
"Tell me," I repeated.
Her gaze didn't waver.
"You can't stop it," she said.
The words hit hard.
"Then what do I do?" I asked.
Another pause.
Then—
"You limit how much it learns."
I frowned. "How?"
"By giving it nothing."
Another pulse.
"…don't go…"
I flinched.
Too clear.
Too direct.
"Too late," Kunle said quietly.
My chest tightened. "What do you mean?"
"You've already given it something," he replied.
I swallowed. "What?"
"Attention."
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
That made sense.
Every time I focused on it—
It got clearer.
Stronger.
More defined.
"That's not enough to create something like this," I said.
"It is when combined with everything else," Kai replied.
"Everything else?" I asked.
"You," she said. "Him. The connection. The interference. The changes."
My head started to hurt again.
"So this is because of all of us," I said.
"Yes."
Another pulse.
Closer.
"…stay…"
My breath hitched.
It wasn't asking anymore.
It was insisting.
And somehow—
It felt familiar.
That scared me the most.
"Why does it sound like that?" I asked quietly.
Kai didn't answer.
Kunle did.
"Because it's learning from you."
My heart skipped.
"What?"
"It's using what you already understand," he said.
My chest tightened.
"That's why it sounds human."
Another pulse.
"…you don't have to be alone…"
My breath caught.
That wasn't random.
That wasn't neutral.
That was targeted.
That was—
Personal.
"Stop listening," Kai said sharply.
"I'm trying," I snapped.
But I wasn't.
Not really.
Because part of me—
A small, dangerous part—
Was listening on purpose.
"It's not forcing you," Kunle said.
"It's inviting you."
"That's worse," Kai said.
I clenched my fists.
"I'm not responding," I said.
But even as I said it—
The thought crossed my mind.
What happens if I do?
The moment that thought formed—
The presence reacted.
Stronger than before.
Clearer than before.
"…Noah…"
My entire body went cold.
Neither Kai nor Kunle spoke.
Because they heard it too.
It said my name.
And that changed everything.
Slowly—
I opened my eyes.
My pulse was racing.
My mind was spinning.
And for the first time—
I realized something I couldn't ignore anymore.
This thing—
Whatever it was—
Wasn't just learning how to speak.
It was learning me.
And if it already knew my name—
Then it was already closer than I thought.
Much closer.