STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Lucien followed him through the low-lit space toward the bar at the center of the room. The closer they got, the more the conversation faded into the background, replaced by the whir of the automated drink dispensers. He pressed his fingers against the counter’s cool surface to ground himself.

Darius tapped the menu screen. “Alright, same as before? Or are you about to shock me with a lavender spritz?”

Lucien managed a small chuckle. “No surprises. Whiskey neat.”

The dispensers whirred to life, filling the glasses with no error. Lucien hesitated, his fingers tapping against the counter. “Darius, do you ever feel like... there ’s more to it?”

He didn’t look up. “More to what?”

“AstroSYS. The system. Everything.”

Darius glanced at him sideways, a flicker of something – caution, maybe – in his expression. “You’re getting philosophical on me, huh? I didn’t think whiskey hit you that fast. ”

Lucien sighed, feeling foolish. “Forget it.”

But Darius leaned in slightly, his grin faltering. “Look... I get it. We all have those moments where we wonder if we’re just tiny specks in a big machine. ” He tapped the counter lightly. “But that’s the beauty of AstroSYS, isn ’t it? It gives us direction, purpose. Otherwise, we’d just... drift.”

Drift. Lucien swallowed hard. He felt like he was drifting, floating further from everything that once made sense. He glanced around the bar—people laughing, talking, clinking glasses. All of it felt not real.

“What if it’s more than that?” Lucien pressed. “What if there’s something... outside the stars? ”

Darius stared at him, then shook his head with a laugh that didn ’t quite reach his eyes. “Man, you really need that drink. Come on, let’s get back before Leona accuses me of hogging you.”

Lucien lingered at the bar as Darius carried the tray of drinks back to the table. His reflection caught in the polished bar surface looked... different. Tense. Fractured.

He ran a thumb over the black disk still hidden in his pocket. They don ’t see it. They don ’t want to see it.

***

Lucien stepped into his apartment, the doors sliding shut behind him with a soft hiss, followed by the familiar click of the lock engaging. He stood in the

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