In the dimly lit basement of a high-rise in Neo-Seoul, Leo stared at the blinking cursor on his terminal. The prompt was a relic of the old web:

But as the first synchronization point appeared on the horizon, a red notification flashed in his real-world periphery: Unauthorized Bandwidth Detected. The Central Stream was looking for him, but in the hills of ancient Kephallonia, Leo knew they’d never find him.

Leo didn't hesitate. He clicked execute. The screen didn't show a loading bar; it flickered into a deep, crystalline blue. Suddenly, the sterile hum of his apartment was replaced by the roar of the Aegean Sea and the smell of roasting olives.