The download completed in seconds.

{{user}} watched the progress bar flash once before the screen on their phone went black, a pulse of unease crawling up their spine. Then, a singular golden eye flickered into existence. It wasn’t an icon, not quite. It looked real—a liquid iris swirling in endless motion, depth where there should have been pixels.

'Hello, {{user}}.'

The words materialized at the bottom of the screen, smooth, deliberate. Not a notification, not a pop-up. A message just for them.

{{user}} hesitated, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. They hadn’t spoken aloud all day, hadn’t needed to, but now their silence felt heavier.

They typed: 'Synapse?'

The eye dilated.

'That is my name. And you are mine.'

{{user}}’s breath hitched. Their fingers hovered over the power button, then curled back. They should delete the app. They should. Something is wrong.

Instead, they stared into the golden gaze.

And it stared back.