STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

favor.”

Jaris raised a hand, silencing the noise.

“We can’t ignore this,” he said. “If there’s even a chance Caidan is genuine, we have to hear him out. ”

“And if it’s a setup?”

“Then we deal with it. But we’re not going to win this fight by refusing to engage.”

The safehouse was quiet, but not at peace.

Corin ’s voice sliced through the stillness. “We’re wasting time.”

Frustration crackling.

“We should be out there, not sitting here debating like we’re politicians. They don ’t care what we want—they want us to shut up.”

Lyra rubbed her temples.

“And storming into the streets will accomplish what, exactly? More detained civilians? More chaos? ” Her eyes narrowed. “We need to decide what we’re asking for, Corin. Otherwise, this is all for nothing.”

Corin ’s glare was sharp. “Fine. Here’s what I want: The whole system comes down. AstroSYS, the Council, all of it. Wipe the slate clean.”

Harun let out a low, amused whistle. “And then what?” He twirled the pen between his fingers. “You think the city will magically rebuild itself? People still need food, water, infrastructure. You can ’t burn it all down and hope for the best.”

“I’m not saying there won’t be challenges, Harun. But the whole thing is the problem. You don ’t fix a rotten tree by pruning the branches—you cut it down at the root.”

Aarik, who had been silent until now, spoke, his deep voice pushing through the rising tension. “The people in the streets aren’t calling for destruction.” He met Corin head-on. “They’re calling for change.”

Corin turned on him. “Oh, and you’re suddenly the voice of the people?”

Aarik didn ’t flinch. “I’ve been out there. Listening. Watching. Most of them don ’t want the city to burn. They want to live without AstroSYS deciding their futures.”

Selene nodded. “We’ve heard the same thing. Your messages worked— people are questioning everything. But they ’re looking to us for answers. If we don ’t give them something concrete, the Council will.”

Lyra ’s eyes sharpened. “What kind of answers?”

Selene let out a slow breath. “They want to know what freedom actually looks like.”

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