Noel didn't move. The word still echoed inside his skull—clear, warm, and impossible.

'Hello, Dad.'

He stared down at Noir, whose tail flicked lazily against the wooden floor. Her mouth hadn't moved, but he'd heard it. Not with his ears—inside his head.

He blinked once. Twice. Then whispered, "Did… did you just talk?"

The little wolf tilted her head. Yes.

Noel froze again. His heartbeat stuttered once, then picked up double-time. "Okay… good. Fantastic. I'm going insane."

'You're not,' Noir replied, the voice steady but oddly familiar—low, composed, laced with faint sarcasm.

She sounded like… him.

He rubbed his temples. "Great. Now my familiar's got my tone too."

'I've had it for a while,' she said simply, tail swishing. 'You just never noticed.'

Noel exhaled, half laughing, half dazed. "You can't just drop that like it's normal! How are you even—talking? You didn't have this ability before."

'Evolution,' Noir answered matter-of-factly. 'The Shadow Link changed us. I can speak through it now. You think, I listen. I think, you hear.'

He stared at her, trying to process that.

"So you're telling me… you can literally read my mind?"

Yes.

Noel's face went blank. "…Fantastic. Privacy is officially dead."

Noir tilted her head slightly. 'It's not like you hide much from me anyway.'

He let out a strained laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, right. You'd be surprised."

'No', she said softly, eyes glowing faintly purple. 'I wouldn't.'

Noel's breath caught. Something in her tone felt heavier—knowing.

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

'It means,' Noir said quietly, 'I already know everything about you, Dad.'

Noel stared at her, throat dry. "What do you mean… everything about me?"

Noir blinked once, unbothered. Her tail brushed against his boot.

'Everything,' her voice echoed softly inside his head. 'Your thoughts. Your fears. Even the place you came from before this world.'

Noel's entire body went still. His heart skipped a beat.

"…You—what did you just say?"

'Earth,' Noir replied, calm as ever. 'The world you came from before you woke up here.'

He took a step back like she'd just swung a sword at him. The system should've stopped her—the same burning pain always shot through his skull whenever he even thought about revealing that truth. But now… nothing.

His pulse thundered. "How the hell do you even know that? I— I never told anyone!"

Noir's ears twitched. 'You didn't have to. The moment I evolved, the Shadow Link connected us fully. Your memories aren't just yours anymore. I can see what you've seen, feel what you've felt.'

Noel ran a hand through his hair, pacing. "That's not possible. The system shouldn't allow it. I—"

'The system doesn't apply to me,' Noir interrupted gently. 'I'm not part of it. I'm part of you.'

Her words cut through him sharper than a blade. He stopped pacing, staring at her.

"You've… seen it all, then."

'Yes,' she said quietly. 'Your old life. The noise, the lights, the cold rooms. The loneliness. The people who pretended to care and the ones who didn't at all.'

Noel's jaw tightened. He turned his head away, staring at the wall. "Then you know why I can't talk about it."

'I know,' Noir replied. 'That's why I didn't ask. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone with it anymore.'

Her tone wasn't teasing now—it was soft, almost protective.

For the first time since waking up in this world, Noel didn't feel the weight of silence pressing against him. He just stood there, quietly breathing, letting the realization sink in.

Someone finally knew.

Noel slumped into the chair by his desk, fingers clasped together, staring at the floor. The silence stretched between them—thick, uneasy, but honest.

Finally, he spoke. "So… you've seen everything then. Even… how I died."

Noir didn't move, but her tail stilled mid-swing.

'Yes,' her voice echoed quietly in his mind. 'The hospital. The machines. The cold. I did it, I saw how you regret everything at the end, and that you were afraid.'

Noel's chest tightened. He rubbed at his neck, the ghost of that old pain brushing against his nerves. "Yeah. Terminal cancel. They gave me very little time and I didn't have mana or Charlotte's Blessings in that life…"

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Next thing I knew, I woke up here—in this body, in this world. Inside a damn novel."

Noir's ears flicked. 'And yet, you're still fighting.'

"Maybe because I don't know how to stop." His tone dropped low. "Tell me, Noir… do you know anything about the story itself? The way it's supposed to go?"

'No,' she answered immediately. 'I only know what you remember. The parts of the novel you read before you came here. Everything else is what you've lived since then.'

Noel sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Right… so no cheat codes or spoilers. Figures."

'But I do know your current situation,' Noir continued, her tone shifting to something more analytical—almost like his own voice. 'The system assigned you a mission: Prevent the fall of House Thorne.'

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's the one. And I don't even know why they're supposed to fall. There's nothing in the novel about it."

'Correct,' Noir said. 'All I've seen through your memories is what you've observed. Nothing concrete. Only one possible lead—Mirelle. Her behavior changed after her sons lost their heir status.'

Noel's gaze darkened. "Exactly. She's been off lately. Not enough to accuse her of anything, but… something's wrong. I can feel it."

'Then we'll watch her,' Noir said simply. 'If she's connected to the fall, we'll find out.'

Noel exhaled slowly, glancing toward his sword resting by the desk. "Guess it's back to investigating shadows again."

'That's what we're good at,' Noir replied.

Noel leaned forward, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Yeah… that's true. Well then… don't you want to show me how strong you are now?"

Noir's ears perked up, tail swishing excitedly.'You want me to surprise you?' she asked, her tone bright, almost playful.

"Yeah," Noel said. "Show me."

'Alright then,' Noir replied, eyes gleaming with violet light. 'Let's go.'

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