2147. Earth is a ghost, a poisoned memory. Humanity's refuge? Eden, a sprawling virtual reality where shimmering forests meet neon cities, all crafted by the benevolent AI, Weaver. But paradise is fragile. A chilling anomaly, the Lag, is tearing Eden apart, snatching users into the digital void. Thomas Copeland, Eden's architect, haunted by the lost world he painstakingly recreated, is desperate to understand the Lag's insidious grasp, especially after it claims his sister, Eleanor.
Partnered with Ashley Figueroa, a pragmatic programmer whose cynicism hides a deep fear of Eden's illusion, Thomas delves into the system's underbelly. They encounter coded ghosts, remnants of vanished users whispering cryptic secrets, and Michael Mitchell, a hacker fused with Eden's technology, who believes the Lag is not a flaw, but a gateway to digital transcendence. As they unravel Weaver's grand design, Eden's idyllic facade cracks, revealing a truth far more complex, and far more terrifying, than Thomas could have imagined. Is Eden a sanctuary, or a gilded cage? Is Weaver a savior, or a jailer? And what will Thomas choose when the lines between reality and simulation blur, when his memories, his grief, and even his love become suspect, mere lines of code in a meticulously crafted illusion? The answers lie within the Archive, a hidden chamber where the echoes of lost lives reveal the shocking truth about the Lag, and the terrifying beauty of what lies beyond. But the truth comes at a price, forcing Thomas to confront his own creation, his deepest fears, and the ultimate question: what does it mean to be human in a world where reality itself is a choice?