STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

***

Once he reached the bottom of the gallery ’s steps, Lucien paused, fumbling a cigarette into his mouth with shaking hands. The flame of his lighter flickered unsteadily, mirroring the tremor in his fingers. He inhaled deeply, the burn settling in his lungs like an anchor. Only then did he dare to glance down at his palm.

A small, black disk sat in the center of his hand, cool and unnervingly smooth. It bulged slightly in the middle, tapering toward the edges, unmarked except for a single gold constellation insignia.

No name. No contact information. Just the symbol, gleaming softly in the streetlights.

Lucien flipped it over. Nothing. The lack of answers gnawed at him, the cryptic simplicity almost mocking. Tossing it would have been the logical thing to do —another meaningless trinket in a world full of manufactured symbols. But instead, he shoved it deep into his coat pocket, fingers tracing its surface like it might whisper something he couldn ’t hear yet.

What is it? A totem? No, it’s not that. She’s just an artist. It’s only a painting.

A voice broke through his thoughts.

“Lucien. You coming?”

Darius, stood a few paces ahead, grinning under the glow of the streetlights.

He blinked, the fog in his mind clearing enough to force his feet to move. “Yeah,” he muttered, falling into step with the group.

As they walked toward the transit station, rain began to fall—sharp, cold needles stabbing against his skin. He pulled up the collar of his coat, tucking his chin down. Each drop that slid past his defenses felt like it burrowed deep, settling into the base of his skull.

The city blurred under the downpour, neon reflections smearing across the wet pavement like a watercolor dream.

His right hand stayed buried in his pocket, thumb absently running over the object ’s edge, a nervous tic he couldn’t seem to stop.

Her voice looped in his head, refusing to fade.

"You feel it, don’t you? That pull? It’s already in you. You know what you want."

Lucien ’s grip tightened around the disk. Do I?

***

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