STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Blissful, even. Like everything... disappears.”

He paused, his brow furrowing. “But then I come back, and it feels... heavier. Like this world, this fight, is too small for whatever I’m touching out there.”

Lyra studied him, her expression unreadable.

“It’s been happening more and more. In dreams, in moments when I’m

alone... sometimes I don’t even notice it happening until it’s over. And every time, it feels... bigger. Like it’s pulling me closer.”

He looked at her, his expression almost pleading. “I don’t know what it means, Lyra. I don’t know if it’s some kind of... awakening, or if I’m losing my mind. But I can’t ignore it. It’s like... it’s part of me now.”

Lyra leaned back glancing at the others in the room, who were busy with their own conversations, then back at Lucien. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? ”

He gave a rueful smile. “Because it sounds insane. And because I didn’t want to put more on your shoulders. You ’ve got enough to deal with without me talking about... whatever this is.”

She shook her head, her voice firm. “You ’re part of this fight, Lucien. If something’s happening to you, it matters. To all of us. It matters to me.”

Neither of them spoke.

She leaned forward. “Do you think it’s connected? To what we’re doing here?”

Lucien hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe. But it feels... bigger than that. Like it’s not about us, or the city, or even AstroSYS. It’s... everything.”

Lyra stared at him, and for the first time, he saw uncertainty in her eyes. “You scare me sometimes, you know that?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Me? Scary? That’s a new one.”

She smiled. “You’re not just part of this fight, Lucien. You’re... something else. And I don’t know what that means yet.”

He had no response to that, so he didn ’t try to find one. Instead, they sat, side by side, the unknown stretching like the space between stars.

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