STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

drilling into his skull. The lines of code blurred together, nothing more than empty symbols on a screen.

How many lives have I shaped?

How many trajectories have I adjusted without even knowing?

Heat burned under his skin. He inserted a thumb drive. Hands shaking as the files downloaded.

He pushed away from his desk abruptly, grabbing the drive in a sudden, jerky motion.

“I need some air,” he muttered, the words barely coherent.

Darius glanced at him, concern developing, but Lucien didn ’t wait for a response. He was already gone, the door hissing shut behind him.

***

The city was a study in symmetry, its meticulous design a testament to AstroSYS ’s promise of balance and harmony. But to Lucien, it was oppressive now —like the walls of a cage closing in around him.

He walked without a destination, his footsteps echoing against the polished concrete streets. Overhead, drones whirred softly, their lights scanning the facades of buildings in their endless routine. For years, he’d taken comfort in the city's order, the seamless efficiency of its design. But now, every sound, every movement, felt like a threat.

A glance over his shoulder sent his pulse racing.

A Steward stood at the far end of the street, motionless. Their silver-gray uniform blended too easily into the shadows, an indistinct figure that watched without watching.

Are they following me?

Lucien turned a corner, his pace quickening as he moved deeper into the city ’s labyrinthine streets. The towering buildings pressed down on him, their sharp angles closing in with every step.

Calm down. You ’re just being paranoid.

But no matter how hard he tried to shake the feeling, it clung to him, coiling around his thoughts like a noose.

By the time he reached his apartment, the tension had settled into a dull, persistent ache. He hovered outside the door, hand suspended over the scanner. Part of him considered going back to the Bureau. Darius would still be there, waiting, no doubt expecting an explanation for Lucien ’s sudden disappearance.

But he couldn’t face him. Not now.

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