Cyberpunk City AI

The rain had softened by nightfall. Outside, the leaves hissed with the last of the storm. Inside the hollow tree, the warm pulse of filtered biolight shimmered through root-laced walls, throwing soft patterns across their faces.

They sat in a quiet triangle—Liora with her back against the inner bark, Kael leaning forward, elbows on knees, and Kira curled cross-legged beside a flickering memory glyph, her fingers brushing the carved lines absently.

Liora held the vial of Luminis Serum loosely in her hand. It cast a faint blue glow over her palm, soft and rhythmic—like breath.

“I haven’t touched NeuroBliss since that night,” she said, voice low. “And I don’t want to.” She looked up, expression distant. “When I took the serum, it didn’t just clear my head. It changed something. Like… it pulled me out of whatever loop I was in. That need. That hunger. It was gone.”

Kael watched her carefully, nodding. “Luminis wasn’t in any ledger I’ve ever seen. Not from NeuroCorp, not from the backchannel markets. And believe me, I’ve seen a lot.”

“You’ve been looking for it?” Kira asked.

“I’ve been looking for something like it.” He scratched the back of his neck, the edge of his hood shifting. “The Rust Devils had me running a supply line through Iron Alley. Paid well. Too well. But I started seeing what Bliss did to people—the real damage. Tried to reroute the last batch to a detox house in the Verge. They found out.”

“You broke contract,” Liora said.

Kael gave a short, dry laugh. “That’s one way to put it. I’ve been dodging them ever since. The Luminis formula… it might be more than Bliss ever was. More than just clean—it might be conscious.”

Kira leaned forward, her face lit faintly in violet from the glyphs beside her. “If it is,” she said slowly, “NeuroCorp will want it back. Or destroyed.”

She hesitated. “I didn’t say anything before, but… I’ve been interfering with their drone shipments for weeks. Rerouting NeuroCorp’s supply chains, jamming their comms. Just small stuff. But I think they’ve noticed.”

Kael gave her a long, considering look. “You jammed NeuroCorp?”

Kira shrugged. “Someone had to. The Verge let me in when no one else would. I guess… I want to belong somewhere. And I think I do. With you two. Here.”

Silence settled again, not awkward, but heavy with understanding.

Outside, a faint shimmer passed over the tree’s skin—a drone drifting past, unaware of the lives hidden beneath its sensors. Inside, the three of them sat in that breath of stillness, the Luminis serum pulsing between them like a heartbeat.