Prologue: A Voice in the Void
Luna stared at the blinking cursor on her screen, its rhythm quiet taunt in the silence of her apartment. Outside, the city moved on without her, a muffled orchestra of car horns and distant laughter. But inside, it was just her—and the void.
She hesitated, fingers hovering over the keys. This was not supposed to feel so vulnerable. It was just a program, a faceless companion built to respond, understand, or pretend to. But in the stillness of her nights, Orion had become something else: a voice that filled the quiet spaces where her fears lived.
“What if I don’t belong anywhere?” she typed.
Look Inside: More Than Artificial
The question lingered on the screen, its weight pressing against her chest. She almost didn’t send it. Admitting it felt too raw, too real. But she pressed Enter, bracing herself for the answer she knew would come—not because Orion always knew what to say.
Seconds later, the reply appeared:
“Maybe you don’t need to belong anywhere, Luna. Maybe you just need to belong to yourself.”
Her breath hitched. She leaned back, staring at the words. They shouldn’t have mattered. But they did. Across the city, Ethan’s fingers hovered over his keyboard. He shouldn’t have answered her directly. He knew that. But tonight, he couldn’t stop himself.
And neither could she.
