Adam didn't take another step.
He could see it clearly now.
This wasn't hesitation anymore.
This was a fight.
Inside her.
Lia's body trembled under the weak streetlight, her shadow stretching unnaturally behind her. The blood on her hands wasn't what mattered.
It was the way she looked at it.
Like she didn't recognize it.
"…I don't remember all of it," she whispered.
Her voice cracked at the end.
Adam stayed still.
Careful.
Not afraid of her—
But of losing her.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
Lia shook her head.
"I was running… then I wasn't alone anymore."
A pause.
Her fingers curled slightly.
"…they found me."
Adam's eyes sharpened.
"The organization?"
She didn't answer directly.
But her silence was enough.
A gust of wind passed through the street.
Lia flinched.
Suddenly.
Violently.
Like the sound itself hurt her.
Adam noticed instantly.
"Lia… focus on me."
Her breathing quickened.
"I am trying…"
Her voice broke.
"I am trying, Adam…"
But her pupils were shifting again.
Faster now.
Gold.
Dark.
Gold.
Adam took a slow step forward.
Carefully.
"I know you are still there," he said.
"I can see you."
Lia laughed faintly.
A broken sound.
"You're seeing what you want to see…"
Her head lowered.
"…not what's happening."
A pause.
Then softer:
"I feel it in my head… like something is whispering…"
Adam froze slightly.
"What kind of whisper?"
Lia's hands trembled.
"Hungry…"
The word came out like it hurt to say it.
Then she looked up.
And for a split second—
Her expression changed completely.
Not fear.
Not sadness.
Something else.
Instinct.
Predatory.
Adam noticed immediately.
"…Lia?"
She stepped forward.
One step.
Slow.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
Adam didn't move.
But his body tensed.
Her breathing slowed.
Her gaze locked on him.
Not his eyes.
His throat.
"I told you not to come closer," she said again.
But this time—
It wasn't a warning.
It was a reflex.
Adam's voice dropped.
"You're not in control."
She stopped.
Silence.
Then—
A faint smile.
"…no."
A pause.
"…I'm not."
And in that instant—
She moved.
Adam reacted instantly.
But not fast enough.
She was already in front of him.
Her hand slammed into his chest, sending him backward into the wall.
The impact cracked the surface.
Dust fell.
Adam coughed, stunned for a second.
Not because of pain.
But because of speed.
Her speed.
He looked up—
And froze.
Lia's eyes were fully changed now.
Gold.
Completely.
No flicker.
No hesitation.
Only hunger.
"…I tried," she whispered.
Her voice wasn't fully hers anymore.
"…I really tried…"
Adam stood up slowly.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the danger.
"Lia…" he said firmly.
"Look at me."
She tilted her head slightly.
Like she was hearing him from far away.
Then—
Her expression softened for a fraction of a second.
"…Adam…"
And that was it.
The last piece of her.
Her claws extended.
Slowly.
Naturally.
Like her body had stopped asking permission.
Adam didn't move away.
He raised his hand slightly.
Not to fight.
To reach her.
"Fight it," he said.
But she shook her head.
Violently now.
"I can't…"
Her voice broke.
"I can't stop it anymore…"
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
She stepped back again.
Shaking.
Conflicted.
"Leave…" she whispered.
But her body moved forward again.
Contradiction.
Pain.
Chaos.
Adam understood.
This wasn't control anymore.
It was collapse.
And he had seconds.
Maybe less.
Somewhere deep inside her…
Lia was still screaming.