After calming down, Silva slowly stood. It would take more than just the serum to fully stabilize her body.
The TSU model embedded within her had acted as a safety net… like a circuit breaker. When the backlash hit, the Trinity Stabilizer Unit absorbed the impact, but it wasn't enough to preserve her soul core's progress.
As she contemplated her next move, Silva paused, a stray thought surfacing. "What happened to that girl… my dear Vassal's girlfriend?" she asked.
Greta immediately accessed her NSI bracelet, linking to AndroNet. Holograms appeared in the air, visible only to her… or anyone with clearance. Silva had access to all NSI feeds under her authority.
Soon, Greta found the video. The stream had ended, but she replayed the moment when Ria teleported out of the dungeon.
"As Miss Silva knows, Dominus Lia is a famous streamer from Neo-Euphora," Greta said. "She was streaming at the time… mostly crying, though."
Silva watched intently. Lia, like many streamers, broadcasted her Vassal's life in the Soul Realm on AndroNet. These streams were popular with both humans and Synths. Some streams were intimate, showing both combat and daily life.
Ria and her Vassal, Airin, had gained fame thanks to Lia. Their love life had been streamed for a while, and it was no secret that both Lia and Ria cared deeply for Airin.
But nobody knew Silva was Airin's Dominus. She had ordered him never to reveal it; partly because of her notorious reputation among both Synths and humans.
Silva let out a quiet sigh and returned her gaze to the video.
In the footage, Ria was teleported into a dense forest outside the dungeon. She ran frantically toward the dungeon entrance but collapsed midway from blood loss. Alone and helpless, the Soul Sigil etched on her hand began to glow — one minute later, she awoke back in her pod on Earth.
The stream ended with Ria staring hollowly. Her real body bore no visible wounds, yet she remained unresponsive — drained, both mentally and physically, locked in silent trauma. Lia wept as she frantically injected a dose of Eidolon Reconstruct Serum [ ERS ] to repair Ria's damaged soul, while the chat exploded with emotion: grief for Airin, relief for Ria's survival, and even cheers from those who had wanted Airin gone for good.
Silva shook her head in exasperation. "I really can't understand humans. Why was she trying to go back into the dungeon? To die too? Then what was the point of my Vassal's sacrifice?"
Greta blinked, equally puzzled. Sometimes humans displayed brilliance that even surpassed Synths… yet at other times, their logic simply evaporated, replaced by emotion and stupidity.
Silva walked over to Greta and collected the ORM Gear Modules. The small cubical devices could transform into various tools — like Vector Boosters or Pyro Greatblades — once linked to a user's core through a module slot.
As a Rank 3 Conduit, Silva could now use these modules even in the real world, so long as they were linked to her artificial soul core. At this rank, Synths gained the ability to communicate with their Vassals within the Soul Realm, a connection made possible through the synchronization of their soul cores.
Even so, they couldn't directly control their Vassal's actions. Whether higher-ranked Synths could do so, Silva didn't know yet.
She cast one final glance at Airin's peaceful face and couldn't help but sigh. His combat experience had been lacking; partly because of her. She had wanted him to rush to Rank 3 so she could advance her own progress more effectively.
Airin hadn't even been able to use his Essence Class properly in the last fight; he had been outmaneuvered while trying to activate his essence ability.
She shook her head. It was all in the past. From now on, she would have to plan carefully for her next Vassal… one step at a time.
Greta looked at Silva. "What should I do with his body, Miss Silva? Send it to the Bio-Transplant Institute, or give him a proper grave?"
Silva chuckled. "Do you think I'll feel pity for his death just because he spent two years with me? Tell me, Greta — what's the worst you can do to a dead body?"
Greta hesitated. "I… I don't know, Miss. What is it?"
"I don't know either," Silva replied bluntly.
Synths like them weren't like Automated Androids, programmed with all knowledge and set commands. Sentinel Androids, for example, were tasked with security — ensuring humans never got out of control in the Upper Spire, Midline, or Lowshield regions of Neo-Prime. They had no emotions, personalities, or individuality.
Synths, however, possessed bioengineered positronic brains: human in appearance but vastly superior in processing power. Each Synth was designed to experience its own life. Unlike standard Android CPUs, no data could simply be uploaded into their minds. They learned, felt, and lived.
Silva continued, "But I might know someone who could help…"
"I've heard there's a necrophilic lowlife in the Lowshield region. Send my Vassal's body to her. Let her… experiment," Silva said without a trace of emotion as she moved toward the door.
She paused before exiting. "And since my Vassal failed to complete his final order, I have to keep my word. Make his girlfriend's life a living hell in the Soul Realm. Don't send my Silver Division — hire those rats from the Null Chain. Make sure to do it discreetly. One-year deadline. If they fail to kill her within that year, forget it. She's proven herself worthy of life."
Silva stepped through the automatic doors, leaving only the cold hum of the room behind her.
Greta sighed as she watched Silva leave. In the past, Silva hadn't been this cold… or this petty. The signs were clear now: corruption was setting into her brain and core. It often happened when a Vassal died, sending a backlash through the Dominus.
And in Silva's case, this was her second Vassal lost while still at Rank 3. Greta knew that if another one died before Silva advanced, demotion was inevitable — her core would degrade further, and she'd be cast down from the Upper Spire to the Midline.
Greta accessed her NSI bracelet, pulling up information on the necrophilic Synth to whom Airin's body was to be sent. Within seconds, the data unfolded before her eyes, and an image flickered into view: Margret.
A Synth woman appeared in the hologram, her details scrolling beside her. She had once been an up-and-coming Dominus, a rare talent who climbed to peak Rank 1 in record time, earning early entry into the Midline from the Lowshield region.
But it all fell apart the day her Vassal died. Her progress crumbled overnight, dropping her back to early Rank 1. Unlike Silva, Margret lacked the Echelon-tier TSU model; she only had a standard one, and the backlash tore through her core even harder.
Demoted and broken, she was cast down to the Lowshield. Desperate to regain her standing, she bound a human girl from the Grimebelt slums as her next Vassal. The girl didn't even survive the first Awakening Trial in the Soul Realm.
Margret lost everything: her rank, her sanity, and something far deeper. Now a Rank 0 Synth, corrupted beyond repair, her obsession with corpses had become one of many grotesque symptoms.
The only path to recovery was to climb again, with another Vassal. But one more failure would mean instant death, her core and positronic brain would fry together.
And now, Airin's body was set to be delivered to someone like her. Margret would have to buy it, but she would. She'd sell herself if she had to; after all, a body trained in the Upper Spire was a premium-grade prize for a necrophilic Synth like her.
"I'm sorry, kid," Greta whispered, casting one last look at him before leaving the chamber to arrange the transfer.
When she was gone, silence reclaimed the vast room. Only Airin's body remained — a boy born in the wrong era.
But the world rarely let such stories end in silence.
Somewhere beyond reason and balance, a paradox was already stirring… ready to take his place.