STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Lyra.

She stopped beside him, her eyes sharp as they searched his face. “What was that, Lucien?”

He blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

She took a step closer, her voice lowering. “You know what I mean. ‘We still want access to AstroSYS’?” The hell was that? That wasn’t part of the plan.

Her tone wasn ’t accusatory, but it wasn’t casual, either.

She narrowed her eyes. “And don’t tell me it was strategic, because even you seemed surprised when you said it.”

“I was.” He hesitated. “It just... came out. Like the words were already there, waiting for me to say them.”

Lyra ’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean ‘waiting’?”

She took another step forward, close enough now that he could see the furrow in her brow. “Are you saying something… told you to say it?”

He looked away. “It’s hard to explain.”

She said nothing, waiting.

Finally, he spoke. “It’s like… there’s this voice inside me. Not a literal voice, but this... pull. This need. And when I spoke, it wasn’t fully me. It was something deeper, something I don’t understand yet. I was watching myself speak.”

She didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Finally, she asked: “Do you think it was the right thing to do? ”

Lucien turned to face her. “I do.”

The certainty in his voice sent a chill down her spine.

“It might seem radical now, but it’s not,” he continued. “We’ve been so focused on tearing it down that we ’ve forgotten something: if we don’t evolve, we’re going to rebuild something just as flawed.”

His voice deepened, gaining momentum, like the truth had already taken root in him. “This isn’t about control—it’s about growth. And AstroSYS, stripped down, can help us grow. ”

Lyra ’s arms tightened around herself. “It’s a risk, Lucien.”

He nodded. “I know. But sometimes the biggest risks are the ones we have to take. Time will reveal its necessity, Lyra. You’ll see.”

His conviction unsettled her. She studied him, her mind racing. She wanted to believe him—to believe this wasn’t some impulse born from exhaustion, or pressure, or desperation. But the truth was, he scared her. Not in the way the Order or the Stewards scared her. This was different.

This was something she couldn ’t define. Who is he becoming?

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