The deep, pulsating bass of the track isn’t just music; it’s the heartbeat of a city that never sleeps, even if you’re the only one awake in it.

He wasn't lonely, exactly. In a world where every thought could be uploaded to the Cloud, being "alone" was a luxury—a rare, silent sanctuary. As the beat dropped, Kael closed his eyes. The rhythm pulsed against his temples, a steady, mechanical thrum that felt more real than the digital voices constantly vying for his attention.

He pressed play. The intro to Only Im Alone filtered through his neural link, the atmospheric synths mirroring the thin mist hanging between the skyscrapers.

Kael sat on the edge of a rain-slicked rooftop, the neon glow of a "VIRTUA" billboard bathing his chrome-plated jacket in flickering violet. Below him, the megacity was a river of light—thousands of automated cars gliding like silent sharks through the smog.