Seulgi woke with what was easily the worst headache she’d had in her life. was somehow both dry and slimy at the same time, her stomach felt like someone had dropped a switchblade into it, and the room was rocking back and forth as if she was on the bottom deck of a boat. She made the decision never to drink again.

She looked around the room. On the table next to her bed was a cup of apple juice with a few ice cubes in it. She hadn’t seen ice cubes in so long that she took a moment to marvel at them before gulping down the entire glass in one go.

Besides her and a still-sleeping Yerim, the room was empty. Even the injured Wendy had left.

Someone was taking good care of the hungover girl. The dirty bucket that was previously by her bedside was gone, and the ice in the apple juice was mostly unmelted.

After a short amount of time, Yerim stirred as well and sat up in her bed. The younger girl looked just as sick as Seulgi, despite the amount of sleep she’d gotten and her lack of alcohol consumption.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“Morning, unnie. No, I didn’t sleep well, I kept waking up.” Yerim said grumpily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, “How are you feeling? I saw the bucket next to you last night and I thought you’d gotten sick or something.”

“No,” Seulgi said with a chuckle, “I just drank too much. I’m pretty hungover right now to be honest with you.”

Yerim’s sleep-dazed expression switched to one of concern.

“Do you need anything? I can go get some water if you want, and see what the other girls have to eat.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Thanks though.”

“So… have you made your decision yet?” Yerim looked away from Seulgi and down at her blankets. The movement caused her neck to be exposed momentarily, revealing two small bruises behind her curtain of red hair.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Who gave you those?” the black-haired girl asked, pointing to the spot on her own neck.

Yerim’s eyes filled with terror and she clasped her hand over the marks.

“No one! I think I might have scratched myself in my sleep or something. I don’t know where they came from.”

Seulgi narrowed her eyes but chose to let the issue go for now. She’d known that Lisa had taken a liking to Yerim but hadn’t expected the blonde to make a move so fast. Or maybe it had been Jisoo, who seemed innocent in front of everyone but had made plenty of dirty jokes during their drinking session.

“Okay,” Seulgi said, and watched as Yerim instantly became relaxed again, “I did decide. I’m gonna stay and save the world.”

Yerim beamed and lept up from the bed, rushing over to encapsulate Seulgi in a bone-crushing hug.

“Yeri, I’m sick, please stop.”

“Oh no! Sorry, Seulgi unnie.” Yerim said, releasing her and moving to sit at the side of the bed.

Seulgi’s eyes flitted to the love bites on Yerim’s neck once more, causing the younger girl to nervously move her hair over them.

“What about Irene? Did she decide yet?” Seulgi asked.

“I don’t know.” Yerim said softly, looking away. Seulgi furrowed her brow.

“And she didn’t talk to you about it? I figured you guys would have been discussing it.”

“No, we didn’t. We didn’t talk much actually.”

“Are you okay?”

Yerim was visibly unnerved now. Her face had lost all color and she looked as if she was about to cry.

“I’m fine. I’m going to brush my teeth and wash up and stuff. I’ll talk to you later okay? Feel better, unnie.” Yerim hastily fled the room.

Seulgi watched her friend leave. She couldn't help but feel that something much deeper was going on.

***

After leaving the glass of apple juice by Seulgi’s bedside, Jisoo decided that perhaps it was time to start worrying about Jennie and Rosé. They’d been gone for awhile. Both humvees had been taken, so there was no way to search for them. Jisoo couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance at the two of them. They had both acted recklessly, regardless of the situation or their intentions. This was the worst time to disappear. Their entire world was at stake and Jennie was off throwing a temper tantrum somewhere.

Jisoo would have conferred with Lisa, had the blonde girl been awake, but she was never much of an early riser. So, Jisoo decided to talk to her father instead.

Her father hadn’t left his seat in years. His body had degenerated far too much for him to walk any more. He didn’t need to sleep, ate and slept little, and only drank water once every few hours unless he had to talk for extended periods . In truth, Jisoo wasn’t sure what the ancient man did most of the time. She had asked him once and he had told her that he meditated and thought about things he had done in his life. The meditation was, presumably, where he got his near limitless knowledge from. He was so different from other ghouls that Jisoo had encountered that she never fully believed his backstory. But he was her father, and he had taken care of her and the other girls throughout their lives, so a few unanswered questions mattered little to her.

When Jisoo walked into her father’s hut, the undead man lifted his head and smiled. He was always happy to see one of his daughters.

“Jisoo. What brings you here?”

Jisoo sat down cross-legged in front of her father. Looking up at him from this angle was the way she was used to seeing him.

“When Jennie left, she took one of the humvees. Rosie went to follow her and took the other humvee. They’ve been gone ever since. I’m worried for them, and I don’t know what to do. What if they’re hurt?”

Jisoo wouldn’t have been able to be so forward with her emotions wirth Lisa. With their father, it was easy.

“You and I are both aware that those two are more than capable of surviving on their own. They’ve been on hunts far longer than this. That isn’t what’s bothering you, is it? It’s Seulgi and Irene. The ones who haven’t decided yet.”

The black-haired girl sighed. She should have known better than to try to hide things from her father like this. He knew pretty much everything.

“It’s just Irene. Seulgi got drunk with us last night and told us that she would go. I know that she was drunk but it seemed so sincere… I believe in her. Irene, on the other hand, has been silent ever since. She talked to Yerim, I think. I heard them talking in the showers when they were in there together. It sounded like she was crying or something. She can’t be taking this well.”

Jisoo’s father nodded in a knowing way but offered no direct response.

“I need you to bring Wendy here to me. I want to heal her leg for her.”

Jisoo’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

“Dad, you know what that does to you. Do you think you have the strength to do it? And why now?”

The girl knew had seen her father’s extraordinary abilities in action before. He was able to heal even the gravest of wounds (such as five years ago when Jennie’s thigh had been completely impaled by a scorpion stinger, or two years ago when Rosé was hit in the stomach by a stray bullet). However, it was an increasingly exhausting endeavor for the old man, and the girls had refrained from requesting it of him, barring the most dire of situations.

“Because with what those girls will be going through soon, an injured comrade will not be conducive to their success. And if I wasn’t strong enough to heal a broken bone, then you might as well just shoot me now for how useless I’d have become.”

Jisoo frowned and her father chuckled.

“But what if they decide to go home? Then there’s no point in healing her leg.”

Her father shrugged as quickly as his ancient shoulders would allow.

“Either way, I’m saving her from a great deal of pain in the long run. Can an old man not perform a simple act of kindness?”

“You know something, Dad.” Jisoo said stubbornly, turning to go fetch Wendy.

“I do. But like many things I know, you will simply have to find out in due time.”

***

Irene was brushing her teeth when she heard the shower room door open behind her. The familiar streak of red she was able to see through the mirror caused her stomach to drop. She turned her head back and down and resumed cleaning her teeth furiously, hoping that the younger girl would simply walk past her and go to the showers. She didn’t. Yerim instead walked over to the farthest sink from Irene’s.

“Good morning.” Irene said weakly. There was no response for a few seconds. She contemplated repeating herself until she noticed Yerim give her a sideways glance through the mirror before returning to applying toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

“Yeri, I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” the younger girl’s voice was so curt that Irene was taken aback for a second.

“Okay?”

“Yep.” Yerim began brushing her teeth.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Sure.”

Irene, now more than fed up, rinsed and walked over to Yerim’s sink. The younger girl didn’t acknowledge her presence.

“You’re mad at me.”

Yerim continued brushing her teeth.

Irene grabbed the younger girl by her shoulders and spun her around so that she was forced to make eye contact with her.

“Don’t touch me!” the redhead yelled, shoving Irene away. The shove itself wasn’t painful; Yerim wasn’t a very strong girl. But Irene found herself hurting deeply nonetheless.

Just then, the door banged open and Joy walked in, a curious look on her face.

“You guys alright?” she asked, looking from Yerim to Irene, noting the anger on the former’s face and the sadness on the latter’s.

“What do you want?” Yerim asked irritably. Joy blinked at the younger girl’s uncharacteristically terse tone.

“I literally just walked into the bathroom. It’s not like I came here specifically to interrupt your stupid lover’s quarrel.”

“Hey, take it easy on Yeri, okay? She’s not in a good mood right now.” Irene said, stepping between the two girls.

“That’s no excuse to be rude to someone who has no involvement in it.”

Irene opened to defend Yerim again, but the maknae spoke before she could.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Joy. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“It’s whatever. Just resolve your arguments somewhere else. I have to pee.” and with that, the taller girl departed.

Irene turned to Yerim. Her anger was gone and replaced by a regretful sorrow.

“Can we talk?” Irene asked, careful not to try and make physical contact with the younger girl again.

“Okay… but let’s go somewhere more private. How about by the edge of the lake?”

Irene nodded and proceeded to lead the way.

***

After Jennie had cried out all the tears she’d been capable of producing, the couple had come to their “secret” spot. It was part of the cluster of mountains that made up the eastern horizon of their homeland. This particular mountain was lower than the others, but tucked away in the shadow of a larger rock formation that obscured it from view. There was nothing inherently special about its existence - it was the same dull grey color that the rest of the mountain range took on - but it was special to the girls because it had been the spot where Jennie had confessed her feelings to Rosé. Lisa and Jisoo were unaware of the spot’s existence, so whenever Jennie and Rosé wanted to be alone, this is where they would go. They had shared many fond memories up there, including the first time they’d made love to each other. Jennie could still remember the blossoms of crimson that had arisen in her partner’s face as she’d ed, how her hips had into Jennie’s face, how her hands locked so tightly to Jennie’s, how her moans had echoed through the mountains like a magical, everlasting symphony. It had been such a viscerally beautiful moment for the two of them that the mountaintop had become imprinted in their minds as a sort of small paradise.

They had just finished recreating that initial moment of bliss when Rosé had stood up and noticed something in the distance. Jennie had joined her immediately, extinguishing the cigarette she’d lit and taking the violet-haired girl’s hand in hers in order to prolong the post- bliss that was still rushing through her veins.

The darkness of the world they had lived in their whole lives was something that Jennie and Rosé had grown accustomed to. It was consistently the same moonlit gloom with very little variation. However, looking across the desert from their vantage point, they noticed something profoundly different.

There was a deeper blackness above the forest now. It moved like a low-hanging cloud, obscuring the view of whatever it engulfed as it went. The fringes of the cloud rolled forward, not unlike the waves of a tsunami as it struck the shore. The forest seemed to be bending away from it, as if trying to avoid any contact with the madly roiling formation. Its efforts were futile.

“Jennie, I have a really bad feeling about this. We need to head back.”

“Right. Let’s go.” Jennie turned and prepared to start her descent.

“What do you think that is?” Rosé asked, following close behind.

“I don’t know. But I have a bad feeling too. I think something terrible is about to happen.”

As Jennie hurriedly made her way down, she couldn’t help but curse her terrible luck. It seemed that every time she left home, something would go wrong.

The pair reached the humvees at the base of the mountains with very little issue. Jennie took off first, flooring the accelerator and praying that the fuel left in the tank was enough to bring her back to their home without having to stop and refill. She had to warn the others.

***

Since Joy had gone to the bathroom, Jisoo helped Wendy make her way to her father’s hut. The blonde girl seemed apprehensive to the suggestion of using what she saw as black magic to heal her leg, but after some coaxing, she had reluctantly agreed to go along with it.

Jisoo’s father was as friendly as an undead man could be, but she still found herself getting anxious as the two of them approached his throne. He had the air of someone you should respect. She would never understand how the four girls who had lived here acted so nonchalant around him.

“Hello, Wendy.” the man said, his signature smile taking on his features. It dawned on Wendy that she had no idea what his name actually was, as he had only ever been referred to by his patriarchal position. Her nervousness dictated that she’d rather not ask, so she merely returned his hello with a bow.

“I trust that Jisoo informed you of the reason why I summoned you?”

“She did. She said you wanted to heal my leg?”

“Yes. It will not be a complex procedure, since the damage is relatively minor. I know my dear daughter has her misgivings about my capability to perform this act without injuring myself, but I am almost one-hundred percent sure that this will be fine.”

Wendy looked over at Jisoo, who was biting her lip in nervousness. She reached over and patted the black-haired girls hand to comfort her.

“This doesn’t require any physical contact, though you will feel a bit of an uncomfortable sensation. You will need to remain seated for this, and Jisoo will hold your leg absolutely still. It makes it easier for both of us that way.”

Wendy took a seat in a wooden chair provided by Jisoo. The black-haired girl then knelt before Wendy and removed the bandages and splint to reveal her black-and-blue-tinged ankle. The slight movement caused her a bit of pain, but once her leg was settled into place, she signalled that she was ready to begin.

The old man sat back in his seat, his thin lips pressed into a hard line. There was no way to tell if he had begun or not, as Wendy felt nothing and the man had no readable expression. She noticed that his hands were gradually tightening around the ends of his armrests, and his body was beginning to tremble slightly. Jisoo offered a comforting smile to the blonde girl, who was starting to shake from anxiety. The anticipation was rising up within her rapidly.

As Wendy was about to ask when it would begin, she started to feel odd. It was like something cool was moving beneath the skin of her leg, snaking through the area that had been wounded. She felt it settle onto her fractured bones and begin to move them around. In theory, this should have been mind-numbingly painful. However, it merely felt… wrong. As if the girl’s body was aware that this shouldn’t be happening, but wasn’t alarmed enough to make a fuss about it. Still, the sensation was far from enjoyable, so she gritted her teeth and waited for it to be over.

The coolness retreated and Wendy breathed a sigh of relief. She timidly flexed her ankle forward, preemptively bracing for the shock of pain, but none came. Her foot moved smoothly, as if it had never been injured in the first place. Jisoo relinquished her hold on Wendy’s foot and stood up to check on her father. The old man looked exhausted.

“Dad?” she asked, removing her flask from her belt and beginning to unscrew its top.

“I’m fine, Jisoo.” the man said, although his voice was considerably weaker than it had been before. Jisoo carefully raised the flask to his lips and allowed him to drink.

“Thank you, sir.” Wendy said, standing up. It still felt wrong to put pressure on her previously injured leg, but when she did, it was completely painless, “Thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

The man detached his lips from the mouth of the flask, causing some of the water to spill out and Jisoo to jump back in surprise.

“Dad! Be careful!”

“There is something you can do to repay me. Bring me Irene, please.” he said, ignoring his daughter as she wiped away the excess water from his chin and uniform front.

“You should probably take it easy for the rest of the day,” Jisoo said sternly, “You need your rest.”

“After I speak with Irene. Privately.”

Jisoo frowned and look perplexed, but obeyed.

“Me and Wendy will get her for you, then.”

“Thank you again, so much, sir. If there’s anything more I can ever do, don’t hesitate to ask.” Wendy said, bowing again.

“Stop being a kissass. Let’s go get your weird friend.” Jisoo said endearingly, pulling the blonde girl gently by her shoulder.

As Wendy turned to go, she could have sworn that she saw a look of regret painted on the old man’s face.

***

The reflection of moonlight on the spring beside the two girls illuminated their bodies with a ghostly glow. Yerim stood with her arms crossed and her eyes focused on Irene. The older girl felt that she was being scrutinized, as if she was on trial for some great crime and Yerim was the judge. It made her want to look away, but she didn’t allow herself to.

“So?” the younger girl said simply. She truly was intimidating when she wanted to be.

Irene took a breath before speaking.

“So, I’m sorry. I took advantage of you. I knew you were uncomfortable and you probably weren’t ready to do something like that. And I still forced myself on you anyway, because I knew you were too sweet and kind to say no when I was sad and confused and lonely. It was stupid and selfish and those few minutes of pleasure weren’t worth it, because I hurt you.”

Irene reached out to Yerim and took one of her hands between both of her own. The younger girl allowed it this time, but her steely gaze still didn’t let up.

“You mean so much to me that it hurts my soul when you’re mad at me. I couldn’t sleep at all without you next to me. It felt like something was missing. I just laid there for a long time. And when I woke up I was holding my pillow the same way that I used to hold you when we were traveling with Seulgi. You’d put your head on my chest and I’d rest my chin on it, and I’d feel your little breaths on my skin and it made me feel so… so nice inside. I miss that. I miss you. I didn’t realize it until you were mad at me, but without you, I wouldn’t have survived in this world.”

Irene felt the tears coming and did nothing to fight them. She allowed them to roll down her cheek and drop onto the front of her shirt. Yerim released her hand, and Irene felt her heart drop in despair. Had her confession not been enough?

The younger girl reached out with a finger and carefully wiped the tears away from Irene’s face, leaving the older girl speechless. She then moved her hand so that she was cupping Irene’s cheek. They stood like that for a moment before Yerim spoke.

“Did you really mean all that, Irene?”

Irene nodded. Yerim’s eyes softened completely, and she leaned forward.

Yerim’s kiss was much different than the kisses Irene had given her in the shower. Yerim’s kiss was careful and tender, as if everything good in the world was sealed within her lips, and contact with them allowed Irene to absorb all that goodness at once. It was brief and tame, but the raw emotion behind it warmed Irene to her core.

The pair remained holding one another afterward, Irene’s arms around Yerim’s waist and Yerim’s arms around Irene’s shoulders. The younger girl laid her head against the older girl’s chest, and everything felt right.

“Hey!” a voice called suddenly from across the spring. The girls turned to look and saw Jisoo and Wendy emerging from the undead man’s hut.

“Is Wendy walking by herself?” Irene asked incredulously, glancing down at Yerim for confirmation.

“I think so.” Yerim replied, looking utterly confused.

The two girls released one another (Irene already felt a modicum of loss from not being in physical contact with the redhead any longer) and jogged halfway around the spring to meet Jisoo and Wendy.

“Really robbing the cradle on this one, huh Irene?” Jisoo said mischievously, causing both of the girls to turn red.

“Leave them alone, Jisoo,” Wendy said, punching the girl lightly on the arm, “They’re a cute couple.”

“How are you even standing right now?” Yerim blurted out, eliciting a round of laughter from Jisoo and Wendy.

“Jisoo’s dad healed me. It was amazing. It only took a couple of minutes, and it didn’t really hurt at all, but he fixed me completely! No surgery. It was literally magic.” Wendy bounced up and down in excitement, inadvertently showcasing the wonder of her brand new ankle, “In exchange, he asked me to come get you. He wants to talk to you in private.”

Irene’s eyebrows wrinkled together as a wave of dread replaced her previously pleasant emotional state.

“Um, alright, I guess. Is it about…?”

“We don’t know.” Jisoo said, “But knowing Dad, it’ll be important.”

Irene nodded and looked over at Yerim. The younger girl smiled reassuringly.

“I’m gonna go check on Seulgi. I’ll see you after you’re done.” Yerim then took Irene’s face in her hands and planted a fleeting kiss on the older girls lips before skipping away happily, leaving Irene dazed.

“You’re a lucky gal,” Jisoo said, watching Yerim leave, “Well, except for the part where Lisa’s gonna hate you.”

Wendy then departed to find Joy, and Jisoo went to wake Lisa. Irene stood alone at the edge of the spring for a second, taking in the events that had just occurred. For once, everything seemed like it was going to be alright.

***

Irene stood in front of the old man. He looked much less lively than the previous day. His skin seemed thinner and more sallow, and he slouched slightly. It genuinely saddened Irene to see the man like this; it reminded her of how old he truly was.

“Irene, how are you?” he asked pleasantly.

“I’m good,” she said, “A lot of things have happened recently and I’ve kind of just been taking it all as it comes.”

“I understand. And I am aware of how burdensome of a decision this is to make. But time is running out. We have less time than I expected.” the old man’s voice had shifted from pleasant to grave very quickly.

“What do you mean?” Irene asked.

“The world is crumbling much faster than I initially thought. Seulgi has decided that she will stay here. You must decide now.”

Irene felt a familiar rush of panic. It was all on her. Truthfully, she hadn’t given anything but Yerim much thought since their encounter in the shower room (Of course you didn’t, that was the point of that whole encounter anyway). Irene ignored the sinister inner voice and inhaled deeply, fighting off the urge to start hyperventilating again. The old man waited patiently, allowing the black-haired girl to deliberate fully.

“I’ll stay.” the girl said. She pushed the doubt from her mind and fully committed. She had to be all in on whatever she chose, and she chose to remain in this twisted world. There were people worth saving here. Leaving would be the equivalent of committing genocide. She missed her family, she missed her friends, she missed the sun... but if there was a possibility that she could undo all the damage here, to let the sun shine on this damned land once again, then maybe it would all be worth it.

The old man beamed.

“I tried to remain as impartial as possible in order to give you the freedom to chose whatever you decided, but I am truly overjoyed that you chose to save my world, and my daughters. Thank you, Irene.”

Irene smiled.

“Thank you for housing us, and providing us with food. And healing Wendy’s leg.”

“You’re welcome. But most of those things were provided by my daughters,” the old man said modestly, “I need you to take the crystal from me. I would normally remove it myself, but alas, I simply don’t have the energy to do it myself right now.”

Irene walked over, reached behind the man’s neck, and unclasped the necklace. She took the crystal in her hands. The small gem was much heavier than she’d expected it to be. It was almost as if it were radiating an aura of frightening power.

“Remember, none of you must wear that necklace, for it would transport you back to your own world. You can clasp it onto your belt. The string is impossible to break with physical force.”

Irene did as she was told. The aura the crystal had been emanating still remained with her. Carrying it around would take some getting used to.

“So what do I do now?” she asked nervously.

Just as she did so, there was the sound of twin rumbling engines approaching, followed closely by the slamming of vehicle doors and frenzied voices.

“Go see what the commotion is. Everything will be clear soon.” he said solemnly. The expression on the eyeless man’s face was one of resolution, as if he were preparing for something. Irene fought back the urge to shiver in fear.

She gave the old man a quick pat on the shoulder before rushing outside.

***

Seulgi stood up from the bed carefully, ensuring that her nausea was almost entirely absent before getting up. Yerim took her by the arm to steady her, but the older girl shrugged her off.

“I’m alright. Come on.”

The two girls exited their sleeping quarters and found Joy, Wendy, Jisoo, Lisa, and Irene standing in a half circle around the two humvees. Rosé and Jennie had returned.

“There’s something coming. Something huge. From the west.” Jennie pointed and everyone turned as a group to look.

“I don’t see anything.” Joy said, squinting.

“Neither do I… what do you mean?” Lisa asked. The blonde seemed half-asleep still, as if she didn’t truly believe in the direness that her two friends were trying to convey.

“Exactly!” Jennie yelled, grabbing Lisa by her shoulders and shaking her, “You can usually see the forest from here, right?”

The implications of Jennie’s words dawned on them and an icy silence overtook the girls.

Looking closer, Seulgi could see what Jennie was referring to. It was like the darkness was moving, spilling over itself so that it was rushing forward over the sand. Everything in its path was being engulfed, and it stretched as far across the horizon as she could see.

“Holy ing .” Joy said.

“We have to go,” Rosé said, rushing towards her father’s hut, “We have to get Dad, we have to go, there’s no time. Someone pull the humvees around.”

The girls immediately sprung into action.

Jennie and Jisoo each took one of the humvees and followed Rosé. Wendy, Joy, Irene, Seulgi, Lisa and Yerim followed at a dead sprint.

Seulgi’s temples were still pounding from the hangover, so she was unable to move as fast as the others. Irene, Lisa, and Joy ran into the hut after Rosé, and Yerim and Wendy opened the backs of the humvees in preparation. 

Seulgi turned to check on the progress of the approaching darkness. As she did, she knew it was too late.

The cloud was only hundreds of feet away now. She had no idea how it had managed to get this close this quickly, but it had. She sprinted forward to the humvees in order to get some kind of cover. She was cognitively aware that her efforts were futile, that this cloud would devour everything regardless, but her will to survive refused to let her simply wait for death.

The sheer force of the cloud was releasing a wind that made it difficult for her to move, but she was able to reach the humvees anyway. Seulgi grabbed Jisoo, who had gotten out of her humvee to assist the girls in the hut. She wrapped her arms around the younger girl and pulled her behind the vehicle.

As the cloud was feet from meeting them, Seulgi felt Jisoo tighten her hold.

At least they wouldn’t be dying alone.

***

Rosé rushed forward to her father’s chair. The old man had no reaction to her approach.

“Dad, something’s coming. Something big is coming and we have to get out of here, right now. If we don’t we’re all gonna die.”

“Relax, sweetheart.” the old man said. Rosé almost screamed at him in her urgency; what was going through his head?

“No, Dad you don’t understand, it’s this big cloud that’s coming, I don’t know what it does but it’s taking over everything and-”

“Rosé. Regardless of what happens next, I want you to know that I love you. That you and Jennie and Lisa and Jisoo are the only reasons I’ve carried on this long, and you are the only reasons that I kept that crystal. I have no doubt in my mind that those girls will save the world.”

“Dad what are you talking-”

Just then, the windows of the hut blasted open, and the darkness came pouring in. Bits of shattered glass sprinkled Rosé as she was knocked over by the sheer force of the impact. The cloud came flooding into the room, sweeping low at first and quickly filling the entire area with its wispy, insidious presence. She couldn’t see or breathe, and she was crawling towards the general direction of her father, desperately trying to find him even as her life force slowly drained away.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light that was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was brighter than any light or fire or explosion. It was pure white, rushing outward from the center of the room, from where her father had been. Like the darkness, it too engulfed everything it touched, and it surrounded Rosé completely. She could feel her senses leaving her. Before she slipped completely into unconsciousness, she realized that she could breathe again.

----------------------

Okay so admittedly, this chapter is a bit slow too. But there were some things that needed to get done before the big event at the end, and they wouldn't have fit the previous chapter thematically, so they had to be here. Some of this chapter got kinda sappy/fluffy, I know, but again, it was necessary. At least things are moving again!

Thanks for reading (: