1 Prologue

—The human brain.

This machine holds more information than any computer known to man, with the information it contains being readily available to the user. It is nature's most powerful device, allowing humanity as a species to reach staggering heights in engineering, mathematics, and constructing said principles for themselves to understand the world around them.

For a long time, humankind knew of the brain but never knew its limitations. They never knew the full extent of what it could do.

The science race to find out the truth was always ongoing, with researchers around the globe constantly studying animals and humans alike to muster a blurry image of what was possible, almost like gazing at the stars without a telescope.

It seemed impossible to decipher—until a breakthrough.

A group of neuroscientists in the western hemisphere discovered how to read and manipulate nerve signals in a rat, allowing the rodent to control a separate apparatus in a controlled environment.

These analysts' original device was never named, but its inevitable successor gained a brand well recognized worldwide.

The ~NIE~. (En-Ai-Ei)

An abbreviation for "Neural-Interface-Extender," the NIE is an implant located on the user's body that allows for the use of the device's software through one's mind.

In previous stages—before the technology was readily available for anyone to use—the NIE couldn't read the nervous system as efficiently. The implant would need to connect to cranial nerves in order to read and write data from and to the brain. Behind or above the ear was the preferable location.

Over time, however, the NIE's implant site was moved to the user's wrists. This was because of the further study of our own nervous system using quantum studies.

The NIE could read and write to the brain simply by being connected to a person's nervous system. It had a port that could connect to other software for further uses, but its core function is to read the brain and write information for the user to see.

It can read things out that it has gathered from you, like your daily calorie intake, or your mood, directly into your vision. It can also display information like directions to the supermarket or text messages from your friends, using ~Augmented Reality~ (AR), into your vision as well.

Drawing, measuring, teaching, studying, listening to and recording music, creating, watching, engaging, calling, texting, and experiencing the future...

—It was the most crucial piece of technology in the world.

The device's existence made the governments worldwide establish new rules and regulations to allow it to the public. It came with the fear of the idea of writing code for the brain to translate. Not everyone was thrilled at the thought of allowing that to happen, even though there were generally no threats attached to it.

"Hacking" an NIE was a widespread rumor—since the idea of becoming a sci-fi zombie was present in the mainstream media. The NIE didn't work on a network that was open to just anyone.

Its operating system was its user's neural network. Its wireless communication was under quantum protection.

—Society split.

Those who supported the constructs of the NIE were nicknamed "The Connected." Those who didn't support said constructs were nicknamed "The Naked."

Third Parties made software that could connect to the port attached to the NIE, allowing numerous possibilities for humankind.

Instead of writing code for machines to process, the NIE allowed people to be the code.

Construction workers could operate dangerous equipment and machines from a distance, teachers could understand where every student was in the curriculum, and raw creativity was finally understood to the fullest extent with the help of modern Artificial Intelligence. (AI)

But one of these third-party software developers created a device so engaging that it doomed the rest of the entertainment industry. A device made for people to escape this world and enter a new one, literally.

A device that allowed ~True Virtual Reality~ (TVR), allowing users to experience heat, taste, and life in a reality separate from base reality. All while not moving a finger in the real world.

And this device is known as the ~LucidCast~.