Neon Oath, Broken Halo

The silver-haired girl collapsed into Nia Vale’s arms just as the retrieval team stormed the theater. Then the stranger opened her eyes, locked onto Nia’s heartbeat, and whispered, “Commander.” Nia is one late paycheck from eviction—yet now she’s bonded to Rowan Kade, a corporate-made battle avatar who turns neon, sound, and pain into weapons. Rowan obeys every order like it’s a death sentence, protects Nia like she’s the only person left in the world, and grows far too human to remain anyone’s weapon. With an underground reporter, a smiling corporate sponsor, and the truth about Nia’s vanished mother closing in, Nia must hide Rowan by day and fight beside her by night. But when the corporation comes to reclaim its most dangerous creation, will Nia command Rowan to run—or order her to burn the whole city down?