STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

When Lyra finished, she leaned back, stretching her arms over her head. "We should turn in early," she said, casual but firm. "Harun’s got half the maintenance bots working overtime, and Corin ’s already muttering about patrol schedules."

Lucien snorted, shaking his head. "Corin’s always muttering about something."

"True." Lyra grinned, stacking their bowls on the crate. "But he’s not wrong. We ’ve got a lot of ground to cover—roads, housing, security..." She trailed off, eyeing him. "You okay?"

The question caught him off guard. He looked up at her, hesitating for half a second before nodding. "Yeah. I ’m fine."

Lyra didn’t push, but she held his gaze before letting it drop. "Good." She held her nose closed in jest, "Now go take a shower. You’ve been covered in dust and grease all day."

Lucien rolled his eyes, standing. "Alright, alright. I get it. I’m a mess."

"You said it, not me." She smirked as he disappeared into the bathroom.

***

The apartment’s bathroom was small and utilitarian, its walls lined with chipped ceramic that bore the stains of years without use. But the water worked. And for the first time since arriving in the sector, it wasn ’t ice-cold.

Lucien stripped off his clothes, letting them fall to the floor, and stepped into the narrow shower stall. He turned the handle, waiting until a steady stream of hot water cascaded over him, loosening the knots in his shoulders, washing away the grime and tension of the day.

By the time he stepped out, the small space was thick with steam, swirling in lazy tendrils around him. The cracked tiles were slick beneath his feet, the air damp and warm. He grabbed a towel, raking it through his hair before wrapping it loosely around his waist.

The mirror above the sink had fogged over completely, its surface a blank slate. He leaned forward, swiping his palm across the glass, watching as his reflection began to emerge —

He stopped.

His reflection wasn’t there.

The sink, the tiled wall behind him, the soft glow of the lantern outside the door—all of it reflected back at him. But he was missing.

Lucien blinked. Rubbed at the mirror again, harder this time, his pulse

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