Chapter 13 · Gilded Cage Wake-up

"Stop fighting it, Kael. You're literally frying your synapses," Nyx’s voice sliced through my skull, sharp and mocking.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My jaw was locked, and my left arm was twitching in a rhythm that didn't belong to me. I tried to bolt upright, but my muscles slammed into a wall of static. A searing heat, like liquid lead, crawled up the back of my neck, settling right where the interface port met my spine.

"Get... out... of my head," I wheezed. Every word felt like I was swallowing broken glass.

"Funny. I was just thinking the same about your clumsy meat-brain," she retorted. "Look in the mirror. Since you're too paralyzed to move, I'll give you a show."

I managed to shift my gaze. A floor-to-ceiling mirror stood a few feet away, reflecting a room that looked like it belonged to a corporate god—white marble, brushed gold accents, and a view of the Eternal Night City that made the slums look like a circuit board.

But it wasn't the room that stopped my heart. It was my eyes.

My pupils weren't black anymore. They were pulsing with a violent, electric violet glow.