STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

cushions. “You’re thinking too hard.”

Lucien let out a huff of laughter, though it lacked its usual ease. “Hard not to, after what we just did.”

She didn ’t respond, her eyes fixed on the table in front of them.

She ’s not saying it, but I can feel it – her calm, her focus. Like she’s holding us all together and making it look easy.

Lyra turned to Lucien. “You’re still doubting it.”

Her voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her, but her eyes were still fixed forward, distant but steady. “I’m doubting... everything. I don ’t even know who I am anymore. Or what I’m doing here.”

There was no judgment in her eyes, only an intensity that made him feel both exposed and understood. “You’re here because you couldn’t keep looking the other way. That ’s who you are, Lucien. Someone who sees the problems and wants to fix them.”

He shook his head, his voice was quieter now, almost a whisper. “And

what if I can ’t? What if nothing changes?”

Lyra didn ’t respond. She leaned forward, her elbow resting on her knee as she tilted her head toward him. “Then at least you tried. At least you gave people the choice to see the truth. That’s more than most can say.”

Her words lingered in his mind. His fingers twitched against his knee, his heartrate quickening as her presence settled over him. Her energy – it’s not calm. It’s fire, coiled and waiting. And now it’s pressing into me, mixing with mine. It feels like chaos, but somehow, I don’t want to pull away.

Lyra shifted, her tone lightened. “Besides, you’re not doing this alone. We’re all in this together”

Lucien blinked, her words breaking through the haze of his thoughts. He looked at her again, and this time, the corner of her mouth lifted in the faintest trace of a smile.

***

The safehouse grew quiet as Lyra slid the data drive into the portable terminal Harun had set up on the table.

Lucien leaned forward, pulse quickening. He wasn ’t sure what he expected to find, but he knew this wasn’t about charts or numbers anymore. This was the truth —raw, unfiltered, and undeniable.

Harun adjusted a few settings. “Alright... let’s see what we’ve got.”

Lines of data scrolled across the screen —routine logs, charts, memos. At

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