Chapter 677 Two Minds

Liam looked at Irina for several seconds before finally deciding there was no point in hiding the truth from her. She wasn’t foolish, and pretending that what she had witnessed yesterday had simply been some strange side effect of the ritual would only insult her intelligence. Irina had been standing right there when it happened.

She had seen the way he moved, the way he spoke, the complete lack of emotion in his expression, and the way his entire presence had seemed to change. She had known him long enough to recognize that it wasn’t simply Liam behaving differently. It had been someone else.

Liam leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together, his usual playful expression becoming slightly more serious as he said, "That wasn’t me." Irina’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t interrupt, allowing him to continue.

Liam took a slow breath before explaining, "There is another consciousness inside my head. Most of the time, I keep it locked away. Sometimes I release it because I need to ask it something, and after that I lock it back up again. It’s been like that for a while."

He paused, watching her reaction before adding, "Yesterday was different. Yesterday, I let it take control of my body."

Irina stared at him.

For perhaps the first time since she had met Liam, she genuinely had no immediate response.

Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.

Another consciousness.

Inside his head.

Irina had spent her entire life surrounded by supernatural phenomena. She had seen magic, monsters, witches, transformations, strange abilities, cursed objects, ancient creatures, and powers that ordinary humans would have considered impossible. She had reached a level of strength where very few things could genuinely surprise her anymore. Yet Liam had somehow managed to accomplish it with a single sentence.

"There are two consciousnesses inside one body?" she finally asked.

Liam nodded.

Irina leaned back slightly, her eyes still fixed on him. She looked as though she were trying to determine whether he was joking, but the seriousness in his expression made it clear that he wasn’t. She had never heard of anything like this. Even possession wasn’t exactly the same. A possessed person had something foreign invading their body, something that usually sought control for its own purposes. But Liam wasn’t describing possession. He was saying that another consciousness existed within him, one that he could communicate with and even allow to control his body when he chose to.

It was absurd.

It was terrifying.

And somehow, with Liam, it almost felt normal.

"Who is it?" Irina asked.

Liam shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Her eyebrows rose.

"You don’t know?"

"No."

He sounded completely serious. "I don’t know who it is, where it came from, or how long it’s been there. I don’t know what it really is, and I don’t know why it’s inside me. There are plenty of things I don’t understand about it." Liam paused for a moment, his expression becoming thoughtful. "It knows things I don’t know, and sometimes it gives me answers I can’t find anywhere else. But whenever I ask it about itself, I never really get anything useful."

Irina stared at him for a moment before a strange smile slowly appeared on her face.

"What if you’re the visitor?"

Liam blinked.

"What?"

Irina’s smile widened.

"What if you’re the one who doesn’t belong in that body?"

Liam folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brows.

"Really?"

Irina nodded innocently.

"Right now?"

She shrugged.

Liam stared at her.

"You’re seriously trying to play with me?"

Her shoulders shook slightly as she struggled to contain her amusement.

"You started talking about having another consciousness inside your head. I’m allowed to ask questions."

"You weren’t asking a question. You were messing with me."

"Perhaps."

Liam sighed and shook his head.

Of course.

For one moment, he had thought she was genuinely considering the possibility.

He should have known better.

Irina chuckled softly, clearly pleased that she had managed to catch him off guard. There was something almost refreshing about the change in atmosphere. The conversation had begun with something genuinely strange and potentially frightening, yet somehow she had managed to turn it into another opportunity to tease him.

Then her expression became curious again.

"Can he hear us right now?"

"No."

Liam answered immediately.

"He can’t hear anything and he can’t see anything while he’s locked away. Unless I specifically permit it, he has no access to what’s happening outside."

Irina nodded slowly.

"That’s relieving."

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

She looked at him.

"Because he was an asshole."

Liam stared at her.

Irina continued with complete seriousness, "You two have that in common."

A laugh escaped Liam before he could stop it.

"That’s your conclusion?"

"Yes."

"You’ve spoken to him for less than a minute."

"I didn’t need more than that."

Liam shook his head, laughing quietly. "You’re unbelievable."

Irina smiled.

For a brief moment, the conversation became lighter again.

Liam reached for another piece of bread, tore off a small portion, and casually ate it while looking at her. "So, was that everything you wanted to ask me?"

Irina suddenly became silent.

The change was subtle.

But Liam noticed it immediately.

Her eyes shifted away.

Her fingers moved slightly against her arm.

The confident expression she had worn moments earlier disappeared.

There was something else.

Liam stopped chewing.

He studied her face.

Irina had always carried herself with confidence. Even when she was surrounded by danger, she rarely showed hesitation. She was strong, composed, and intimidating enough that most people would think twice before approaching her.

Yet now she couldn’t look directly at him.

"There is something else," Liam said.

Irina remained silent.

He waited.

She swallowed.

"I-I want to talk about two nights ago."

Liam’s expression changed slightly.

"Two nights ago?"

Irina nodded.

Her heart was beating much faster than she wanted it to.

She didn’t understand why.

She had faced monsters without fear. She had fought enemies who could have killed her. She had stood in front of overwhelming supernatural forces and remained calm.

But sitting here with Liam was somehow different.

Her palms felt warm.

Her chest felt tight.

Her heartbeat seemed loud enough that she was convinced he could hear it.

She didn’t even know what this feeling was.

She only knew that it made her nervous.

Liam watched her quietly.

Irina took a breath.

"So... two nights ago..."

She paused.

"We kissed."

Liam nodded silently.

He remembered.

There was no reason to pretend otherwise.

Irina’s cheeks became slightly warmer as she continued, "We did more than kiss."

Liam remained silent.

"We pressed against each other," she said, her voice becoming quieter. "And I just want to say that none of that was my intention. I was under the influence of those fruits, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t know what I was doing, and..." She looked down for a moment before forcing herself to meet his eyes again. "I’m sorry for what I did."

Liam’s expression softened.

He knew.

He had been there.

He had seen how the fruit had affected her. He had watched the change in her behavior and understood that the woman standing before him had been fighting against something she didn’t fully control. He had also remembered how quickly she had become embarrassed once the effects began to fade.

"There is nothing to apologize for," Liam said calmly. "I was there. I know how much you were trying to fight against it. I know you weren’t yourself."

Irina stared at him.

Liam continued, "So I didn’t take any offense."

Something inside Irina loosened.

She hadn’t realized how much she had been worrying about his answer until that moment.

She had spent the entire time wondering whether Liam thought differently of her because of what had happened. She had wondered whether he believed she had deliberately crossed a boundary or whether he thought she had simply used the fruit as an excuse.

Hearing him say that he understood made her feel strangely relieved.

But there was still something she needed to say.

Irina slowly straightened.

"Then you must understand something else."

Liam looked at her.

"What?"

Irina held his gaze.

"I am not under the fruit’s influence anymore."

Liam nodded.

"Yes."

His answer was immediate, but his expression showed that he didn’t quite understand where she was going with this.

"I know."

Irina’s fingers tightened slightly against her arm.

Liam watched her carefully.

He didn’t interrupt.

He didn’t joke.

He simply waited.

Because whatever she was about to say, Liam could tell that she had been gathering the courage to say it for a while.

And judging from the way her heart was beating and the uncertainty in her eyes, he had a feeling that the conversation about two nights ago was far from over.