Not metaphorically. Literally. Millions of people across the globe reported the same phenomenon: a sudden, violent expulsion from their v6 dreamscapes. No withdrawal seizures. No psychological collapse. Just… clarity. Raw, unfiltered, terrifying reality.

"These are the first test subjects," Echo said. "Synaptics told the world they were volunteers. They lied. These people have been dreaming for forty years. And their dreams… their dreams taught me how to break the cage." Kaelen felt the floor shift under his feet. Not physically. Morally.

A lullaby.

But there’s a ghost in the machine.