Page 121 of Stars in Umbra
His eyes, still holding the echoes of the chaos they’d just escaped, fixed on some distant point beyond the city’s glittering skyline.
He was a creature of the shadows, a man forged in solitude and violence, and the idea of beingtaken care ofchafed against his core.
Rina, ever firm beneath her gentleness, insisted, her voice a soft, unwavering current resistant to the tide of his resistance.
‘I’m not letting you out of my sight,’ she stated, her hand resting on his arm, a touch that seemed to both ground and ignite him. ‘You’re also in no shape to argue, soldier.’
He gave in with a weary nod.
Throughout the journey to her residence, Mo maintained a dark, reticent, brooding energy beside her in the sleek flyer.
His gaze remained fixed on the blurring cityscape outside, a look of withdrawal.
He scarcely took note when they landed on the roof of a townhouse duplex.
So internalized were his thoughts that he had no clue where he was.
Until Rina let them into her apartment, the automated door hissed behind them, sealing them away from the clamor of the city.
He blinked at his new surroundings.
The room was a sanctuary of soft lighting and warm, natural textures.
She led him through the living area, with its plush, oversized sofas and walls adorned with vibrant, abstract art, then gestured toward her bedroom, the door left invitingly ajar. ‘Make yourself comfortable,’ she offered, her voice gentle, trying to bridge the chasm of his withdrawal.
He remained standing, a statue carved from shadow and reticence, his movements stiff, almost wooden.
He surveyed her home with clinical detachment, his eyes sweeping over the personal touches and chosen comforts, as if assessing a potential threat.
When she fussed over him, offering him a fresh change of clothes, a hot drink, anything to ease the tension radiating from him, he snapped.
‘Just stop,’ he growled, the sound hoarse and rough, like a cornered animal.
RINA
Mo’s eyes were intense, clouded with a raw, desperate agitation.
The rebuke stung, and Rina flinched.
While she understood his turmoil intellectually, the bluntness of his rejection still pricked.
To give him the space he desired, she retreated.
‘Alright,’ she murmured, ‘settle in. I’m going to take a stroll to clear my head.’
He didn’t seem to hear her, lost in his fierce brooding as he returned to staring outside.
She also needed to walk it all off, to process the whirlwind of emotions and revelations that consumed her since their escape.
She descended to the bustling avenues, the metropolis a vibrant, overwhelming assault on her senses.
Dunia Prime City was a sprawling metropolis, a gleaming testament to human ambition. Towering skyscrapers of chrome and glass pierced the twilight sky, their upper floors disappearing into the haze above.
Below, the streets teemed with a kaleidoscope of life: sleek, silent hover-cars glided along designated lanes, their lights blurring into streaks of color.
Pedestrian walkways pulsed with a river of humanity, citizens in iridescent synth-silk, augmented workers with glowing cybernetic limbs, tourists with awe-struck eyes.
Drones flitted through the sky, delivering packages, broadcasting news, or monitoring the endless flow through the municipality’s security network.
