The automatic door hissed open as Zagan carried Margret in a princess carry, Furball paddling dutifully behind him.
He had already seized control of the house and, through the private node storing Margret's data and personal records, became Furball's owner.
If Margret ever got another NSI bracelet and uploaded the node's data back into it, she could reclaim her digital identity. He hadn't deleted anything permanently — only cleared it from the bracelet he was now wearing. Mainly so he could work toward gaining permanent ownership of her house and assets.
City laws, security protocols, and anti-theft measures made stealing property nearly impossible. But controlling the house's functions? That was easy. Later, he could either move into a new home or force Margret to transfer ownership.
For now, his plan was simple: fit her with an NLI collar, the kind normally used on humans.
Furball had already spilled everything about her after he took ownership. There was a collar on the second floor, one she'd used for her Vassals before. It could sync directly with the NSI bracelet he was wearing, allowing him to monitor and regulate whoever wore it.
He couldn't control her every move… but he could make sure she didn't do anything stupid. For now, she would stay locked in the basement cell until he returned from the Soul Realm.
He finally reached the second floor and found the collar. With Furball's guidance… and a few quick tweaks using AndroNet tutorials, he fastened it around Margret's neck. The white lines tracing its sleek, metallic frame pulsed once, then shifted to blue, signaling that she now had an owner.
Margret had become Zagan's Vassal, and he her Dominus. Humans without an owner had collars that glowed white.
Even if Zagan died, the collar wouldn't just fall off. It would simply revert to its default state: white light restored, ownership link severed. She wouldn't be free yet, though; she'd still need to visit an Enforcer station to verify her Synth status and have the collar officially removed.
After finishing, he descended to the basement: a sterile chamber lined with four sleek, opaque-white cells. Only one was occupied. He knew who lay inside but wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now.
He carried Margret into another cell, where a white rectangular pod lay embedded in the floor. Its surface pulsed faintly with azure light, like a sleeping beast. He opened the hatch and gently laid her inside, fastening her wrists and ankles to the restraint rings. The pod's neural helmet slid into place, sealing over her head.
It wasn't a cryopod, this one was for simulation. Usually reserved for prisoners, it could project endless virtual environments into the subject's mind: panic loops, nightmare hunts, even sensory rewiring.
Zagan's smirk deepened as he configured her scenario. A peaceful family life, a warm home… with his original face coded in as her husband. Maybe the system could even correct her corpse-loving tendencies.
Once she gained consciousness, she'd be dumped straight into that illusion, again and again, until he decided to end it.
"Haa… I hope you turn out better, my dear wife," he chuckled. "Maybe you'll make a good housewife after all."
With the cell sealed and the pod humming to life, Zagan turned away. He locked the basement behind him, then engaged a full lockdown on the house.
It was time to see what this Soul Realm really was.
* * *
The Soul Realm — a metaphysical plane of existence running parallel to the real world. It manifested after the cosmic phenomenon known as the Exotic Particle Surge [ EPS ].
The exact cause of the EPS remained unknown. When its energy wave struck Earth, it annihilated every satellite and orbital station in existence. Miraculously, the planet itself survived. Even today, moonlight carries a faint lavender hue — a lingering trace of the cosmic energy that reshaped reality.
In the years following the Surge, Synths tried to reestablish an orbital presence, launching countless satellites and rockets… but every signal was cut the moment they breached the atmosphere. Even the most advanced telescopes could only capture violent bursts of color, as if space itself had gone unstable.
Then came the Awakening Phenomenon.
Starting their 18th birthday, humans across the world began falling unconscious without warning. Some awoke changed — stronger, sharper, imbued with new abilities. Others… never woke again.
Synths, ever the observers, were the first to notice the pattern. They soon uncovered the truth: the human soul was no longer bound solely to the body. It had also begun manifesting in another plane: the Soul Realm.
Inside this new plane, each soul appeared as a metaphysical replica of its real-world body and underwent what became known as the Trialof Awakening.
Those who passed the trial awakened a Soul Core, a luminous core embedded within the heart that gathers Soul Essence. They also bore a Soul Sigil, a mark that granted them permanent access to the Soul Realm. They became known as Eidolons / Awakeners.
And those who failed either perished within the trial, or returned as they were… unchanged, unable to ever re-enter the Soul Realm again.
* * *
Zagan's eyes drooped as he scrolled through yet another article of premium-grade bullshit on the AndroNet.
He was lying inside the cryo-hibernation pod on the second floor, ready to attempt entry into the Soul Realm.
Technically, he believed he could enter — after all, he'd never done it before. But there were both pros and cons to trying it now.
Awakening could occur as early as Eighteen, triggered when the mind entered a state of calm — sleep, meditation, or even a moment of peace. That didn't mean those older than 18 couldn't try their luck; it just meant the older you got, the harder the Trial became. Of course, the tougher the trial, the greater the rewards… if you survived.
Zagan sighed. His case was complicated — a 20 year oldbody housing a 23 year oldsoul.
"Meh… whatever," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Let's see how it goes."
"Butler Furball, activate the pod and inject the Mind Serenity Serum [ MSS ]," Zagan commanded, his voice calm but firm.
"Meow, meow. Captain," Furball replied, already initiating the process. Zagan had transferred some pod functions to the cat and even tweaked its systems to mimic human-like behaviour.
Moments later, the rectangular pod's hatch sealed shut. The nutrient infusion system stood ready… just in case Zagan lingered too long in the Soul Realm. His body would need sustenance while his mind journeyed elsewhere.
Soon, due to the serum, his eyelids drifted shut, and an unusual calm washed over his mind. It was as if he were ascending towards some ethereal plane. Thoughts, worries, even the pull of the body… all of it faded.
Then a resonant voice echoed through the void:
[ Welcome, Seeker. Your 'Trial of Awakening' begins now. ]
[ The Realm grants you passage. May you prove yourself worthy. ]
….