Prologue: The Night It All Changed

The neon skyline of Neo-Babylon hummed with life, a sprawling megacity where corporate overlords, anarchist rebels, cybernetic cults, and mercenary gangs fought a never-ending war. Amidst the chaos, Kai Vance walked home, completely unaware that tonight would be the last normal night of his life.

It started with a simple notification—a glitch in the city's surveillance grid.

Then, the screams began.

Then, the explosions.

And by the time Kai reached the classified research lab where his family worked, the entire building was nothing but burning rubble.

His family was gone.

And that's when the voice in his head spoke for the first time.

"Emergency Protocol Activated. Encrypted Data Unlocked."

Kai barely had time to process those words before cybernetic enforcers swarmed the area—hunting him.

He didn't know why. He didn't know what the hell was inside his brain.

All he knew was that he had to run.