Zagan slowly sat up, shifting Margret's limb body to the side of the bed. She was only unconscious… nothing more. Judging by her strength, she'd probably wake up in a few hours. For now, his priority was clear: remove her NSI bracelet and make it his own.
That bracelet was the real reason he took her down.
In the current era, every mega-city on Earth followed its own local rules — but above them all stood the Council of Seven, formed by the ruling Synth factions from each city. Once every decade, the Council gathered to vote on the Absolute Laws: Universal mandates that no city could defy or alter without another full council vote.
Among those Laws was one that shaped everyday life: Every Synth must wear their NSI [ NeuroSync Interface ] bracelet whenever outside, and every human must remain bound by their NLI [ NeuroLock Interface ] collar at all times. There were no exceptions, no appeals.
The NSI bracelet was more than just an accessory: it was a Synth's identity, lifeline, and key to the world. Through it, they accessed the AndroNet, streamed data, received updates, and controlled drones, automatons, even their own internal systems — all limited by their access tier.
Technically, a Synth could remove it at home, but no one sane did. Only the low-tier models, like Margret's, could be taken off without frying her nerves.
The high-tier versions worn by the Upper Spire and Midline elites were a different story. Thought-operated, seamless, and deeply invasive, they bonded directly with the user's neural system and brain. Removing one without proper tools or procedures could cause severe bodily damage.
For humans, there was no choice. Their collars couldn't be removed… ever. They worked much like the Synths' NSI bracelets, but with some functions locked away. The collars tracked location, monitored vitals, and even had the function to restrict access to the Soul Realm.
Anyone foolish enough to tamper with one got an electric jolt through the body. Three warnings later, the brain, heart, and spine were fried.
Stealing a Synth's bracelet wasn't an option either. If a collared human even tried, the collar would instantly trigger an alert to nearby Enforcers and Sentinels, followed by a generous dose of shock therapy.
Humans were trapped from every angle.
That's where Zagan had an advantage. If he wanted to move freely through the city, he needed either a collar or a bracelet. And between those two, the choice was obvious.
Margret's bracelet would do just fine.
Most Synths looked human enough anyway, especially those from the Upper Spire and Midline, who were fully bio-engineered. The ones in Lowshield, though, still had faint circuit lines and metallic traces visible beneath their skin.
Zagan pulled Margret's nightgown up slightly, his eyes tracing the glowing lines that ran along her synthetic flesh. She'd probably get a full upgrade once she reached the Midline.
Either way, as long as he covered himself well and had a bracelet, he could easily pass as a Synth.
"Heh… Zagan the Handsome Synth," he smirked, giving himself a nod. "Good enough."
He took Margret's limp hand and guided her fingers across the bracelet on her other wrist. The device hummed, scanned her biometrics, and then flared to life. Holographic menus cascaded into the air, shimmering like liquid light.
Zagan cracked his knuckles.
"Alright… time to get to work."
* * *
After about thirty minutes in AndroNet, Zagan had skimmed every guide titled "How to Remove a Low-Tier NSI Bracelet Without Damage." Simple enough… until he spotted the live feed from Furball. That little shit had almost gotten him caught before the plan even started. Luckily, Margret hadn't checked the recordings.
Even with the cat temporarily cursed, Furball had earned hero status. Removing a bracelet required both the original wearer's biometrics and the neural core password — and Zagan had no clue about the latter… or so he thought.
Then he saw it: a past recording, captured through Furball's optical feed. Margret was removing her bracelet in the video, reciting the password aloud.
"Damn… Furball, you little guardian angel," Zagan muttered, shaking his head. The poor thing was probably still stuck out in the rain… but that didn't matter now.
He quickly refocused, connecting to the bracelet's neural core via the holographic interface. The password input field shimmered in midair, waiting for him to either type… or recite it.
Zagan entered the code. Instantly, the bracelet's holograms shifted to a golden hue — Authorization granted.
A dozen options floated before him, one of them marked: [ Format: Wipe All Data / Erase User ID ].
He was tempted to hit it right away, but first… he created a private node in the Net and began backing up every bit of data stored within the bracelet — contacts, control access, personal records, even household authority codes.
The node was encrypted, only accessible by him. No one could access it, unless they were a hacker from Neo-Cypher, the infamous breeding ground of digital ghosts.
Once the transfer finished, he selected format. The holograms flickered, then dimmed as the bracelet's nanofibers detached from Margret's nerves, curling back into the metallic band.
It was done. Her existence, at least digitally, was gone.
"Now no one will know a thing, even if something did happen to you, girl... heh heh." Zagan let out a laugh, somewhere between a pervert and a deranged squirrel.
But anyone who actually knew him would've called that bullshit instantly. If he were really that kind of guy, he'd have already done it with Margret.
Zagan finally picked up the bracelet from the bed and slipped it onto his left wrist. Instantly, thousands of nanofibers shot out, burrowing deep into his skin. A sharp pain tore through his nerves.
"Fuck… this low-tier crap," he hissed through clenched teeth. The higher models were supposed to be painless.
Blood oozed from the punctures, but the wounds quickly began to close; the blood nanites were already out of hibernation, repairing the damage now that his metabolism had kicked back in.
After what felt like an eternity, the bracelet finally synced. A flood of holographic displays filled his vision, data streams cascading like neon rain. One hologram showed the nanites coursing through his veins:Echelon-tier, the highest possible grade.
Nanites, serums, augmentations — everything in this world was ranked across five tiers, from lowest to highest: Low, Standard, Advanced, Elite, and Echelon.
And every single enhancement inside his body was Echelon-tier.
"Holy… Airin, you damn nepo baby," Zagan muttered, eyes wide with disbelief. A grin crept across his face. "Whoever your sugar mommy or daddy was… thanks for the donation."
Zagan turned toward the main hologram displaying an empty ID panel. His identification number flickered at the top, and below it, a blank field awaited his chosen name. Once filled, it would finalize his profile — officially binding the NSI bracelet to him and unlocking its full functionality.
"A name, huh…" he muttered, smirking. He was tempted to use his full name, Zagan Omen Lysander, but Synths rarely carried such long ass names. And besides, he had plans: Two personas. One for the real world, a Synth. The other for the Soul Realm, a human.
He smiled faintly as his fingers brushed the projection, typing in three letters.
Zol.
The first letter of each of his names.
The hologram pulsed once, then began to sync.
[ Identity Created. ]
[ NSI Core Synced. ]
[ Welcome, Synth Zol — to the world of digitization and dominion. ]
Zagan's lips curved into a triumphant smile. It was finally done. In the real world, he was no longer human — he was Zol, the Synth. In the Soul Realm, he will be Zagan, the human. Once Margret is taken care of, he planned to step straight into the Soul Realm.
After all… that's where the real fun began.