Whisper of Thoughts
The safety was still on.
For a split second, Julian’s eyes flickered. A strange, sharp twitch ran down his jawline. He stared at me, and for that brief moment, the sterile, blue light of his programmed directive seemed to glitch. A shadow of pain—deep, human, and agonizing—crossed his face. His hand began to tremble, the weapon slipping slightly in his grip.
"Clara?" he whispered. The name sounded foreign in his mouth, yet it carried an echo of something ancient. He gasped, dropping the weapon as if it had burned him. He clutched his head, his body buckling as if struck by a physical blow.