STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

Chapter 23

Morning light filtered through the cracked windows, streaking the room with gold. The group had gathered in the main hall of the civic block, their usual meeting place for updates and plans. The space was brighter now, thanks to Lyra and Leona ’s insistence on salvaging old lights and hanging them along the walls. But no amount of warm light could temper the thickening air.

The rebels gathered in a loose circle, their faces a mix of curiosity and unease. Harun leaned back in his chair, arms crossed in easy confidence, but there was an edge to his expression. Jaris stood, rigid and silent, while Corin perched on the edge of a crate, dark eyes locked onto Lucien with thinly veiled suspicion. Aarik and Selene lingered by the window, watching quietly. Only Leona, sitting closest to Lucien and Lyra, seemed unsurprised.

Lucien took a steady breath.

Lyra, standing beside him, glanced his way and gave him a small nod.

He stepped forward.

“We need to talk.” His voice was steady but quiet. The murmurs that had filled the room moments before faded, all eyes turning to him.

He hesitated, scanning the faces around him. These were the people he’d come to trust—the ones who had fought beside him, who had worked tirelessly to turn this place into something. People who had built a fragile hope from nothing.

"Lyra and I..." He hesitated, then continued, "We're leaving the city."

The silence that followed was absolute, a vacuum that seemed to suck all

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