STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Lucien stared at the dark screen, his breath uneven. “Why?” His voice cracked, thick with disbelief. “What do they gain from this?”

Hers eyes met his, dark and unwavering. “Control.” The word piercing his mind. “Society can’t function if people deviate too far from its design. They don ’t just predict our lives, Lucien—they shape them. And anyone who doesn’t fit... ”

He pushed himself back from the table, struggling to catch his breath. Memories flashed—hours spent at the Bureau, reviewing charts without question, the quiet disappearances of coworkers and acquaintances, always explained away with reassignment notices.

Harun ’s voice sliced through his thoughts. “You alright?”

Lucien shook his head, his grip tightening on the edge of the table. “No. I’m not alright. None of this is.” His voice rose, thick with frustration. “How do we fight this? It ’s not just a system—it’s a machine. It’s everywhere.”

Lyra straightened. “We fight it by giving people the truth.” She stepped toward him, her voice unwavering. “They’ve been asleep for too long, Lucien. It’s time to wake them up.”

Harun let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples. “We’ve got what we need. But getting it out there... that’s the hard part.”

His mind was racing as he dropped back onto the worn sofa, his resolve sharpening. It ’s not about me anymore. It’s not about AstroSYS, the charts, or even the Order. It’s about the people—the ones who’ve been erased, the ones who’ve been silenced.

Lucien ’s eyes met Lyra’s, and for the first time since this all started, his voice was steady. “Then we’d better figure out how to show them the truth.”

***

The sound of the door clicking open startled Lucien from his thoughts. He turned to see Corin stepping into the room, his frame hunched with exhaustion, but his expression softer than before. “Didn’t think I’d let you finish all this without me, did you?”

Harun let out a bark of laughter, the first genuine sound of relief all night. “About time you got here. Thought you’d bailed on us.”

Corin rolled his eyes, dropping his bag onto the floor with a dull thud. “You’re lucky I didn’t. The city’s crawling with Stewards right now. Had to take three different routes to make sure I wasn’t being followed.”

Lucien tensed at that. Three routes. That meant the Order wasn’t just

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