STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

***

He was asleep.

She knew the rhythm of sleep – how his breathing shifted, how his body relaxed in a way that couldn ’t be faked. And yet, even knowing that he had drifted into rest, she couldn ’t seem to follow him there.

The room was still. It should have felt peaceful, but the silence was loud, like a question she couldn ’t answer. It disturbed her.

Her mind replayed the moment – the shudder she had felt under her palm, the way his back had arched as though something was being pulled from him. She ’d seen a lot of things in her life, but this... this was new.

The way he had described it, the swirling energy, the feeling of leaving his body – it wasn’t just strange. It was terrifying. And the look in his eyes afterward... He doesn ’t know what’s happening to him. He’s as scared as I am.

That thought unsettled her more than anything. Lucien wasn ’t someone she had ever thought of as uncertain. Quiet, yes. Guarded, absolutely. But not lost. Not like this.

And yet, in those moments, he had looked so small. So vulnerable.

Lyra shifted onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. The darkness enveloping her as thoughts spiraled.

She believed him – everything he’d said. She believed the visions, the strange sensations, the pull he described. But she didn ’t believe that was all there was. He ’s still holding back. I can see it in his eyes.

He was trying to protect her. She was certain of it. Lucien wasn’t the kind of person to burden others if he could avoid it, even if it meant carrying the weight alone.

But this wasn’t something he could carry alone. It’s more serious than he’s letting on. Whatever’s happening to him, it’s bigger than just visions or energy surges. It’s something... fundamental.

The way he had talked about the stars, the cracks in reality – he wasn’t only seeing things. He was being pulled toward them, and the thought made her stomach twist. What if it takes him somewhere I can ’t follow?

The idea felt like a punch to the gut, sharp and cold. She had only just started to understand him, to connect with him. The thought of losing him – not to death, but to something intangible, something she couldn ’t fight – was unbearable.

She clenched her jaw, her fingers gripping the edge of the blanket. No.

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