STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Lucien ’s thoughts fought against each other.

The city was rising.

It was everything they had fought for. Everything they had risked their lives for.

And yet—

He felt unsettled.

It feels like more than just the mission. Like something pushed this forward.

Something bigger than us.

Beside him, Lyra touched his arm. “You okay?”

Lucien blinked, pulled back to the moment. “Yeah…” he said. “... processing. ”

She studied him, her sharp eyes searching his face. But she didn’t push.

Harun and Jaris were still debating the implications of the uprising when the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Everyone turned.

Aarik and Selene stepped into the room.

Aarik—tall, broad-shouldered, unreadable—held a secure comm device in his gloved hand. Selene, smaller, wiry, her eyes always scanning, looked tense.

“We’ve got something,” she said.

Jaris stepped forward. “What is it?”

Aarik handed him the device. “A message. From one of the Council members. ”

Jaris’s turned to Aarik, his fingers tightening around the comm. “The Council?”

Selene nodded. “Intercepted on a secure channel. It’s addressed to the ‘leaders of the rebellion.’”

Harun snorted. “Leaders? Shows what they know.”

Aarik remained serious. “They’re calling it a diplomatic discussion. But let’s be real—it’s probably damage control.”

Jaris turned the device over in his hands. “Who sent it?”

Selene replied. “Councilor Caidan. He’s been pushing for several reforms for years, but he’s always been outvoted.”

Aarik’s voice was grim. “So he wants to talk?”

Selene ’s gaze darkened. “The defiance is growing. They’re scared.”

The room erupted in debate.

“It’s a trap.”

“They’re buying time while they regroup.”

“Or maybe this is real. If the Council is divided, that could work in our

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