STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

this come from?

Her fingers pressed against the edge of the easel, knuckles white. An ache in her heart tunneled deeper, gnawing at the edges of her mind. The house looked familiar. But why?

The instinct to destroy it flared—one bold stroke of black could erase it all, reclaim the space with chaos. But her hand faltered. The image wasn't hers to erase. It had arrived uninvited, demanding to be seen.

With a frustrated sigh, she turned away, grabbing her coat from the back of the chair. Maybe it means nothing. But deep down, something inside her whispered otherwise.

A sharp knock echoed through the stillness, slicing through her thoughts.

She froze, exhaling slowly.

Lyra crossed the room in quick strides, resting her ear against the cool metal of the studio door. Her fingers tapped out a cautious rhythm, and the response came immediately —four short knocks, a pause, two more, another pause, two final knocks. The familiar code sent a flicker of relief through her.

She unlocked the door and cracked it open enough to see Corin standing in the alley, half-hidden in the dim glow of distant streetlights. His wiry frame was wrapped in a dark jacket, his face drawn and sharp, eyes scanning the empty street behind him. “We’re late.”

Lyra didn’t respond. She slipped into her coat and stepped out into the cold night. The studio door clicked shut behind them, locking the unfinished painting —and its unsettling familiarity—away in the dark.

***

The basement air was thick with damp concrete and the sharp bite of paint thinner. Overhead, lamps dangled from exposed wires, their beams slicing through the gloom to illuminate a scarred wooden table at the center of the room.

Three figures gathered around it —Lyra, Corin, and Harun, a broad-shouldered man whose quiet demeanor masked his reputation as their best strategist.

Corin placed both hands on the table’s rough surface, his gaze sweeping over the group. “The street art’s getting attention. More stewards than usual out tonight.”

Harun smirked. “That’s the point, isn’t it? Make them see us.”

“There’s a difference between being seen and being stopped before we’re

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