STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

dispenser in the corner. Too clean. Too controlled. Lucien grabbed a mug, his hands trembling slightly as he poured the dark liquid. The burnt scent hit him—bitter, real. He took a deep breath, letting the warmth seep into his fingers, trying to anchor himself.

“Lucien? You look terrible. You okay?”

He flinched, the voice cutting through his spiraling thoughts. He forced himself to look up, meeting Darius’s concerned expression. The usual grin was missing, replaced by something more cautious.

Lucien's eyes fixed on the coffee. “I’m... I’m fine. Just... not feeling great. Need some air. ”

Darius stepped closer, his brow furrowed. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. ”

Lucien tried for a smirk, but it faltered, hollow and weak. He could feel the sweat at the base of his neck, the trembling that wouldn ’t stop no matter how tight he gripped the mug.

“You sure? You’re pale as hell, man.”

The room closed in again —a mechanical heartbeat thumping, unyielding.

The coffee cup clattered onto the counter as Lucien set it down too hard, some of the liquid splashing over the rim. “I... I need some air.”

Before Darius could press him further, Lucien brushed past him, his steps hurried and uneven as he headed for the exit. He needed out. Now.

***

The automatic doors hissed shut behind him as Lucien stepped onto the street. Cool air hit his face, sharp and bracing, but it did nothing to steady him.

The city stretched before him—clean streets, electric transports gliding by, people moving in their efficient rhythms, all perfectly in sync with AstroSYS’s carefully curated order. But something was wrong. It felt wrong. The usual harmony felt artificial, like a thin layer of paint over something raw and unfinished.

He felt like he was falling through a dream, untethered from reality—like an astronaut adrift in the void, his lifeline to the capsule severed, nothing but the endless unknown stretching around him.

The streets blurred, shapes and colors bleeding together like a painting left in the rain. His vision flickered —edges distorting, lines wavering, the same way the data streams had warped on his screen earlier.

People passed him, calm and indifferent, their faces sharp and unnervingly

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