“Joohyun left in a hurry,” Yeri said worriedly, “I didn’t get a chance to ask her anything.”

    Sooyoung looked up from the lamb combo meal she was inspecting on the Halal restaurant’s menu. Stress may have robbed her of her appetite in the morning, but her desire to eat had returned shortly after speaking with Summer. Yeri seemed to share a similar opinion. Despite the traumatizing experience of her lover and sister getting into a physical confrontation, the young Representation’s stomach was as bottomless as ever. In fact, she had just finished devouring her half of their hummus and pita bread appetizer.

    “I wonder if something happened with Seul,” Sooyoung said, frowning and taking Yeri’s hand from across the table. “I texted her last night, but I left my phone at the dorm since it was dead. Do you think Eodum has his agents in California as well?”

    Yeri shrugged. The blonde had been quiet since the scene at the Galactic Lounge.

    Sooyoung sighed, took Yeri’s hand in both of hers and wrapped their fingers together. 

“I never really got a chance to say this before, but I’m sorry for hitting your sister and starting that whole argument. It was out of line. I was frustrated because of, well, everything… but that isn’t an excuse. I should have just held it back.”

Yeri looked up at Sooyoung, mouth drooping forlornly.

“You don’t have to apologize, Sooyoung,” Yeri said earnestly, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have punched her, but besides that, what you were saying is true. What she did was rash, irresponsible, and put so many others at risk for her own benefit. I’ve known Joohyun since she was born, and I’ve always seen her as the voice of reason, the person who always made the right decision. She did what was best for everyone, no matter what. She always put me and Seungwan’s safety first.”

Yeri looked up from the table, eyes heavy, swollen by woe.

“Do I even know who my sister is at all?”

Sooyoung gulped, stunned once again by Yeri’s knack for transient complexity. The blonde was innocent and young, but she was far from stupid or depthless. She was observant, empathetic, and morally sound.

And, most pressingly, she was hurting.

“There has to be a rational explanation for the way she’s acting,” Sooyoung said, hoping to sound consoling rather than patronizing. She saw the irony in her defending Joohyun, but for Yeri’s sake, she was willing to entertain the opposite side of the argument. “Maybe it’s something that’s difficult now, but is actually better for everyone in the long run.”

Yeri looked unsure, but the slump in her shoulders diminished slightly. Before she could speak, however, the server arrived to take their orders. Yeri, having gained a measure of proficiency when it came to navigating the nuances of restaurant etiquette, managed to place her order with only a single error, which Sooyoung promptly corrected. Though she couldn’t be one-hundred percent sure at the moment, she suspected that Yeri did not want a full glass of pure lemon juice to drink.

“I hope you’re right,” Yeri said, watching their server as she disappeared behind the counter. She looked away, peered over Sooyoung’s shoulder briefly, then did a double take.

“Someone is watching us.” the blonde said, voice pitching up.

Sooyoung felt herself grow numb. Every instinct in her screamed to turn around, convinced that a predator was lurking directly to her rear, waiting to pounce.

“Don’t stare too hard. Just quick, sly glances, as if you’re just observing scenery.” Sooyoung said, taking a drink of water to give her twitchy limbs something to do. “Do you recognize them?”

Yeri shook her head, started playing with her napkin and silverware, passing them from hand to hand with nervous energy.

“There’s only one person. It’s a girl. She’s tall and skinny, and she’s wearing a white blouse. She’s in that separate line at the front,” Yeri whispered. “She has curly red hair.”

Sooyoung nodded. That was the to-go line. On a Saturday night, a place with reasonably priced, greasy food was liable to have a pretty constant stream of takeout customers.

“Hopefully she just gets her food and leaves. Maybe she’s just staring because we’re so pretty,” Sooyoung said, grinning weakly, not really believing herself. She had to try to throw some levity into the conversation; distressing Yeri further would only lead to trouble.

Yeri, however, didn’t even crack a smile. “She’s just… standing there. Standing there, staring at us. The line is moving around her.”

The blonde took Sooyoung’s hands in hers. Her grip was tight and anxious.

Sooyoung could feel panic rising from her chest and into , threatening to suffocate her. With effort, she drank more water, concealing from Yeri the hard swallow she took in order to relieve some of the tension.

You can do this. You can handle this. Be strong. If not for yourself, then for Yeri.

Sooyoung gave Yeri’s hand a squeeze, released it, then leaned over the table and kissed the blonde on the lips. Was it magic that made Yeri’s kiss send waves of strength throughout Sooyoung, or was it overdramatic human emotion?

Sooyoung ignored the question. Existential contemplation was up more up Seul’s alley.

“Well, only thing we can do now is sit here, finish our meals, and hope that she doesn’t do anything.” Sooyoung said calmly.

Yeri gave a terse nod.

“I don’t want to fight here. There are way too many people around.”

“I don’t want to fight at all,” Yeri said, distressed.

“That’s okay. We can do what we did last time,” Sooyoung said, the back of her partner’s hand. “I’ll fight, you be my healer.”

A measure of relief bloomed on Yeri’s face, and she gave an enthusiastic smile. Seeing her like that, with her cheeks all bunched up and her tiny, porcelain teeth showing, Sooyoung felt as if she could fight Eodum himself one on one.

Yeri’s updates became Sooyoung’s method of tracking their stalker. The woman was still there by the time their food arrived. She had moved slightly, taking an order and sitting at one of the far tables, likely to prevent herself from being questioned by the employees. She sat with her hands folded on the table, and had ceased her constant leering. Instead she scrolled through her phone, looking up occasionally as if checking to make sure that the girls were still there.

Sooyoung, who expected her appetite to vanish with the arrival of their stalker, had surprisingly little trouble eating. Maybe it was because she hadn’t been drinking as much lately. Seul had once told her that alcohol had calories in it, so heavy drinkers (not alcoholics; Sooyoung didn’t want to get into the messy territory of dubbing herself as such) tended to skip meals. In direct defiance to the vice of anxiety clamped around her gut, she cleared her plate.

And, of course, so did Yeri.

“She’s still there?” Sooyoung asked Yeri as the blonde dug into a baklava that they’d ordered.

Mouth full, the blonde nodded.

“Alright. When we leave, we walk by her and start heading to my dorm.” Sooyoung said. She’d spent the majority of her dinner working through what they should do next.

“But… wouldn’t that just be leading them directly to where you live?” Yeri asked.

“Yeah, but doesn’t Eodum already know I live in that dorm? I assumed that all his minions would share that information… somehow.”

“It depends,” Yeri said with uncertainty, “When he’s on a planet, Geulim Ja tends to choose one specific host that he puts the majority of his consciousness into. It’s usually the first mortal he possesses. After that, he infects the others, and they become mindless drones.”

Yeri peeked over Sooyoung’s shoulder, looked away, shoved the remainder of her dessert into .

    “Like her, probably,” she continued, spraying crumbs. “She’s not even aware of what she’s doing. Geulim Ja completely suppresses the personalities of his victims and makes it so that their bodies become empty shells without sentience. They obey whatever command he gives them, and nothing else.”

    Sooyoung leaned back in her chair, stretching her shoulders. “So she’s just assigned to watch us, maybe? Just that one role?”

    “Maybe,” Yeri said, tapping her foot. “I don’t interact with Geulim Ja’s minions too much.”

    Sooyoung took a sip of water in order to hide her grimace. She knew that Yeri’s lack of knowledge was blameless. It was unfair to become frustrated with the younger girl for it. Yet Sooyoung’s emotions were volatile at the moment; she was, justifiably, on edge.

    Their server dropped the check off, which Sooyoung paid for with the small bit of cash she had left in her wallet.

    “We’ll find out either way, right?” Sooyoung said, forcing a chuckle and a smile. “When we see if she follows us.”

    Yeri squirmed visibly in her seat, and Sooyoung leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose.

    “It’s gonna be okay, Yeri. I’ll keep you safe.”

    With that, Sooyoung stood, took her partner by the hand, and led her out of the restaurant.

    Their stalker was a slender-faced, freckled girl. She perked up as they approached, then pretended to rifle through the plastic takeout bag she’d been given - the food definitely had to be cold by then - before the screech of her chair against the floor indicated that she was getting up. At the grating, jarring noise, Yeri jumped, then held on to Sooyoung’s arm with a painfully strong grip.

    Sooyoung walked with the best approximation of her normal pace, exiting the restaurant and turning left on George Street.

    “I’m gonna go ahead and assume that you’ve confirmed that she’s one of Eodum’s agents,” Sooyoung said out of the corner of , leaning close to Yeri and kissing her on the temple. She was able to glance back, and caught a sliver of white cloth and crimson hair behind them. They were definitely being followed.

    Yeri’s nod was tense, quick, and furtive, like the motions of a trapped prey animal.

    “What do we do now?” the blonde asked, urgently drumming her fingers on Sooyoung’s bicep. “Should I give you my energy?”

    “Not yet,” Sooyoung said quietly. “It’ll make my earring glow.”

    While they walked down Main Ave, Sooyoung continuously found reasons to steal glances back. Through this, Eodum’s agent kept a consistent distance of about twenty feet back. The redhead weaved through the Saturday night crowd with precision, paying only enough heed to her surroundings in order to avoid colliding with others. On the two occasions that Sooyoung was able to get a good look at her eyes, they appeared glassy and unfocused.

    As they approached the George Street bus stop, Sooyoung took a sharp turn off of the main road and to the right. Here, the black brick structures of the Student and Athletic Centers created a thin alleyway, just big enough for Sooyoung and Yeri to walk side by side.

    Like the tunnel-visioned robot she was, their stalker followed. She seemed not to notice their odd choice of direction.

    Sooyoung stopped abruptly in the very center of the alleyway, then pulled Yeri close to her. It was an overtly salacious embrace, with their chests pressed together, Sooyoung’s hands linked at the curve of Yeri’s tailbone. The blonde’s face portrayed several emotions, all of which were (given the circumstances) appropriate: anxiety, shock, embarrassment and a bit of arousal.

    “I couldn’t wait until we were back at the dorm,” Sooyoung murmured in her breathiest, sauciest voice, feigning that all her attention lay on the blonde. “I just can’t resist you, Yeri.”

    The redhead’s shuffling footsteps ground their way across the cement. Yeri tried to turn her head toward the sound, but Sooyoung took her by the chin.

    “Relax, baby girl. All you need to do is...” Sooyoung whispered, trailing off, staring into Yeri’s eyes. She concentrated on her earring, located the exact point that it was connected to Yeri’s own spirit, then pulled. 

    Yeri blinked, paused for a half second.

    The redhead pounced.

    Sooyoung’s earring exploded with vibrance, and she felt Yeri’s power surging through her. In a smooth movement, she released Yeri, turned, and hit the redhead with an uppercut. A solid click echoed through the alleyway as the girls jaw was forced shut. She was lifted off her feet, whipping in an arc, arms windmilling in an attempt to keep balance. Sooyoung was atop her immediately, slamming her against the concrete.

    Sooyoung grabbed the girl by the front of her shirt. She trashed, legs kicking uselessly against Sooyoung’s weight, shoulders gyrating as she tried to break free.

    “Hey!” Sooyoung yelled, words echoing through the alley, trying to hold the girl still. “Wake up! You’re being possessed!”

    The redhead snarled bestially, then darted her head forward. Sooyoung drew back at the last second, dodging the possessed woman’s bite.

From behind, Yeri let out a worried shriek.

“Calm down!” Sooyoung said, drawing more of Yeri’s energy in order to keep the girl pinned. “Wake up!”

Spittle dripping from her lips, the redhead convulsed. The glow of Sooyoung’s earring seemed to disorient the girl; she tried with all her might not to look directly at it.

“Geulim Ja will destroy you,” the girl hissed in an unnatural voice, reminding Sooyoung of two steel edges grinding together. “Your end is coming. Cower.”

Yeri screamed. Heart leaping into , Sooyoung spun around. Hands clamped on her shoulders, threw her into the wall of the alley. Breath was shoved from her lungs, and she struggled to inhale just as the redhead stood, turned, and fled at a full sprint. In the short few seconds it took for Sooyoung to be able to stand again, she saw Yeri struggling against a large, shadowed form. It vaguely resembled a man, but where there should have been arms, there were instead limbs made of a flowing black liquid. The muck seemed to stick to Yeri’s body, pulling her into its fold as if attempting to absorb her within its suffocating depths.

The blonde let out another cry, piercing the night, vibrating against Sooyoung’s eardrums like death rattles.

Sooyoung scrambled to her feet, summoned every ounce of power the earring would allow, and charged forward. Her flesh felt as though it were being pressed from the inside by pure potential energy. Around her, the world moved sluggishly. She could see every drop of ooze that stained her beloved’s skin, could smell the fetid stench that hung in the air, could see that the creature wore the distorted - yet recognizable - visage of Andrew Cade. It was that face that Sooyoung honed in on, lashing out with a punch, translucent ribbons painting the air in her wake.

    A tendril shot up from Cade’s left side, coiled around Sooyoung’s wrist, pulled taut. Inches from her knuckles, Cade’s face broke into a grin, corners of his mouth riddled with spreading, cracking lines of darkness. Sooyoung felt herself being yanked forward, into the inky maw of his torso.

    Yeri shrieked again, weaker this time, muffled. was partially obscured by slime.

    Although her own mortality was bearing down on her, Sooyoung could only think of Yeri. Of her blonde angel being swallowed by this darkness. Of that innocent smile, those youthful eyes, that cackling, tittering laugh. Such genuine traits, reflections of goodness and brightness in a raging void of despair. It was those thoughts of Yeri, Sooyoung’s little lighthouse in the storm, that fueled her as she tore away from Cade.

    Sooyoung spun, somehow pushed by the white light that surrounded her. Eodum’s grime disintegrated as a column of white stardust shot up around her and into the sky like a beacon. Rather than coming from the earring, the beam seemed to be generated from within her. It leaked from her nose as she breathed, wisped up from the ends of her hair, leaked from the pores on her skin. It illuminated the alley, turning the dirty cityscape, that slice of urban depravity, into a sculpted depiction of a heavenly hall.

    Cade hissed, retreating as his limbs were seared. His pale, emaciated body remained drenched in Eodum’s filth. In the spots where the slime had come into direct contact with Sooyoung’s light were festering holes of partially eroded skin, wounds that tunneled deep enough to show flashes of white bone.

No longer supported by anything, Yeri fell forward. Sooyoung caught her easily.

“You’re okay now,” Sooyoung whispered into her ear. “You’re safe.”

And you almost weren’t, thanks to me. Sooyoung added internally, wincing slightly at the realization.

Yeri moved so that she was locked around Sooyoung’s torso, pressed her face into the taller girl’s chest. She was shaking.

Cade inched forward, perhaps intent on taking advantage of Sooyoung’s occupation with her lover. His efforts proved less than futile; the wall of light that surrounded the pair was impenetrable. Cade hissed again, clutching his freshly injured limb as it fluttered away into nothing.

Compelled by the force that bounded within her, Sooyoung lifted her free arm, spreading open her fingers. The beam of light around her began to fold into itself as though an unseen vortex had formed in her palm, it in with such swiftness that the alleyway seemed to grow dim by comparison. Cade cowered, growling and hunched over, sludgy appendages dripping uselessly from him.

Sooyoung clutched the resulting shape, a combination of liquid and gaseous porcelain discs, overlapping to form a mobile sphere. With a flourish of her fingers, Sooyoung released the ball.

Cade screeched, banshee-like, and began to run. The air seemed to yield against the sphere’s mass, creating a gust of wind that sent Sooyoung’s hair flying around her head and pulling her clothes tight against her body. In spite of the initial strength of the ball, its momentum decreased the further it flew from Sooyoung’s palm. With each rotation, it shed a layer of its woven exterior, pearl crescents separating from its bulk. These shot toward Cade, their aim true, honing in on him like guided missiles. The first three struck him in the back, dispersing in showers of glimmer that appeared to carry their own blunt force. Cade was thrown forward, losing his footing as they chipped away at the aggregated darkness that covered him. He crawled along the ground, pulling himself around the corner. Streaks of semi-solid, inky blood marked his wake.

As Cade disappeared from Sooyoung’s line of sight, the sphere popped, dissipating into a dusting of white that rose into the wind.

Sooyoung blinked, returning to herself, otherworldly light fading from around her. Her earring still glowed weakly, and the supernatural strength remained within her body, but she no longer had the power - or the presence - of a god.

From the mouth of the alley, Sooyoung heard the voices of students coming to investigate.

Thinking quickly, Sooyoung gave Yeri a gentle, yet urgent nudge. The blonde looked up, eyes puffy and swollen from her sobbing.

“Are you hurt?” Sooyoung asked.

Yeri shook her head. She was still trembling.

“I know you’re overwhelmed right now, but I need you to take us into the Astral Plane,” Sooyoung whispered, pushing the hair back from Yeri’s face. “Can you do that?”

Figures began to appear at the end of the alleyway. Some were curious, pointing and shouting, unwilling to run into the shadows to investigate. Others - four of them, to be exact - pushed through the crowds, running with reckless abandon at Yeri and Sooyoung.

Eodum’s zombies.

Yeri followed Sooyoung’s gaze. Immediately after, their bodies were enveloped in a silvery aura. A rip in space appeared to their left, and they jumped through as one, linked by their unbreakable hold.

***

    Sooyoung stumbled from the dance floor of the Galactic Lounge, Yeri in tow. The Representations nearby cleared the way for them, curious apprehension on their too-perfect faces.

    “Come, sit down,” Sooyoung said, guiding Yeri to a lounge cushion. The blonde’s weight was still insignificant to her. Sooyoung noted that she was subconsciously maintaining a connection to her earring. She didn’t give the idea much thought, as she was too concerned with her lover’s wellbeing.

Yeri appeared unscathed, and Cade’s filth had been cleansed from her skin and clothing. Still, she was slumped over, sweat moistening her brow, chest rising and falling shallowly. Sooyoung crouched in front of her, held her face in both hands. The blonde’s skin was clammy and cool, but her eyelids fluttered open at the physical contact. The bleariness in her eyes cleared as she took in Sooyoung’s face.

Sooyoung flinched in surprise as Yeri kissed her, their teeth knocking together dully from the impact of their mouths meeting. It was the most fervent kiss she’d ever received from the blonde, with bold, sloppy workings that left Sooyoung’s lips wet and sore.

“Hey, girlie,” Sooyoung said, somewhat flustered, “You’re okay?”

“You saved me,” Yeri whispered, hands clutching at Sooyoung’s shoulders, expression saturated with adoration. “Stars… oh, thank you, Sooyoung.”

Another kiss, vivacious and craving. Her hands moved away from Sooyoung’s shoulders, running across any available bare skin she could find with the endearingly awkward lust of a . Sooyoung had to pull away first, as Yeri’s movements were starting to become a bit too inappropriate for a public setting.

“We can’t celebrate yet,” Sooyoung said, taking a seat beside the blonde. Yeri slid over, pressing her voluminous chest to Sooyoung’s arm. “What the happened to Cade? Did you see his body?”

“That happens with… his minions,” Yeri said, wilting slightly. It seemed that she remained hesitant to mention Eodum’s name in the Lounge. “I guess he chose Cade as his main host. That’s why he’s so powerful.”

Sooyoung felt Yeri shiver against her. She threw an arm around the blonde.

“That was so scary, Sooyoung,” Yeri said, staring at her hands. “It was like he was trying to trap me. I could feel myself being shoved into the Astral Plane. But it wasn’t like when I transport myself there. It was like being ripped out of the world. Every little bit of my body fought against it, and I could feel myself being stolen away, piece by piece.”

Sooyoung rubbed Yeri’s arm, brushed her lips against the blonde’s ear.

“Then he was trying to bring you somewhere by force?” Sooyoung said thoughtfully. “Why would he be doing that?”

Yeri shrugged listlessly, gave a mewling yawn.

“You must be exhausted after everything tonight. You need rest.”

Yeri shook her head. In spite of her tiredness, she had begun fidgeting, tapping her feet, biting down on her lower lip. “We still have to contact Joohyun or Seungwan. They’ll know what to do. They…”

Sooyoung watched as the gravity of their situation began to resettle on Yeri. The blonde was becoming visibly distressed, withdrawing into herself, worry scarring her fairy features, lips trembling.

“And you didn’t get a chance to explain anything to Joohyun after I left earlier?” Sooyoung asked, trying to keep Yeri from slipping into the despair growing within her.

Yeri shook her head. “Shortly after you left, I think she was contacted through the Astral Plane. She told me she had to take care of something, then hurried off.”

    “It had something to do with Seul, I’m sure,” Sooyoung said. She dug into her pocket to bring her phone out, only to be reminded by her empty hand that it had been left in her dorm. “I need to go get my phone, and-”

    She cut off as she noticed two women approaching, flamboyant manes of orange and purple making their identities easy to place.

    “Yes?” Sooyoung asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with these defeatists again.

    Solar, who was obviously the dominant one of the pair, ignored Sooyoung and knelt before Yeri. Moonbyul gave an awkward smile.

    “Hey, Yeri, are you alright?” the orange-haired girl asked. If it weren’t for the tenderness in Solar’s tone, Sooyoung would have politely told her to shove off. She still considered doing it; Sooyoung hadn’t forgotten how rude the Representation had been to Yeri earlier.

    “Yeah, thanks to Sooyoung,” Yeri said quietly, giving her partner another smokey, starstruck look. Sooyoung returned it with pleasure.

    “What happened to you guys?” Moonbyul asked. “We saw you come out of the Astral Plane.”

    “We were attacked by Eodum’s minions. They followed us from a restaurant and,” Sooyoung flinched slightly, thinking of her idiotic plan, cursing herself, “Caught us in an alleyway. We managed to fight them off, but it was a close call.”

    “You fought off Geulim Ja’s minions?” Moonbyul said, gaping. “How?”

    Sooyoung gave Yeri a squeeze. “I used her power through the Charm she gave me.”

    Solar and Moonbyul’s eyes met briefly. There was genuine communication in the way they looked at each other. Sooyoung wondered if her relationship with Yeri would have a chance to progress that far.

    “It’s true,” Yeri said, sensing their disbelief. “I’m too scared to fight, so I share my Cosmic Spirit with Sooyoung.”

    Sharing her Cosmic Spirit, huh? Sooyoung thought to herself with a shred of misplaced humor, That sounds kind of .

    Solar frowned and stood, though there was a respect in her expression that hadn’t been present before. If Sooyoung didn’t know better, she might have said the Representation looked impressed.

    “That reminds me,” Sooyoung said, glancing at the two girls, who seemed to have fallen into a quiet rumination, then back to Yeri. “At the end there, when I saved you, I got a lot stronger than I was before, and I was able to create that beam of light above me. You remember that?”

    “Yeah,” Yeri said, scrunching her eyebrows in concentration, “I do. You got really bright, and the light around you seemed to really hurt… um…”

    “Just call him Cade.” Sooyoung said encouragingly.

    “Cade, yes,” the blonde continued. “I thought you created your own Representation but it was still you. I really don’t know what happened.”

    “Mortals can create their own Representations?” Solar half-yelled.

    Yeri, still shellshocked, winced and retreated into her partner’s embrace. Sooyoung gave Solar a glare. Surprisingly, the orange-haired woman apologized softly.

    “They can, according to Joohyun.” Yeri said after some coaxing.

    “I saw my roommate, Seulgi, do it,” Sooyoung affirmed, struggling to think of how wielding that extra power had felt. “But I guess I didn’t create a Representation? It didn’t feel like I was two people. Just this invigoration, and this weird sense, like I existed in between each second that passed, on a level of time that mortals can’t normally perceive.”

    “Hm,” Moonbyul said uncertainly, “I can confidently say that I’ve never felt like that before.”

    Solar nodded in agreement.

    “Oh, also,” Solar said, clearing . “We wanted to apologize for what happened before. We’re just really stressed, and-”

    Sooyoung held up a hand, silencing her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry, too. I was being a real .”

    “We all were, I guess,” Moonbyul said, flashing a grin that faded as quick as it came. “So, what are you two going to do next?”

    “Well,” Sooyoung said, trying to ignore the fact that all three others were staring at her expectantly. “I figured that I would head back to my dorm, get my phone, and contact Seulgi. It seems like Joohyun is with her right now. We need more information, and a better plan, both of which we can get through Yeri’s sisters. Any sign of Seungwan yet?”

    Solar and Moonbyul shook their heads.

    “Alright then, Joohyun seems to be our best bet here,” Sooyoung said, standing. Yeri followed swiftly after. “Me and Yeri are going to walk back to my dorm, get my phone, then use the Astral Plane to come back here. If you see either Joohyun or Seungwan, would it be possible for you to tell them to wait for us here?”

    “Of course,” Solar said obligingly. “Is there anything else we can do?”

    Sooyoung paused. Hadn’t Solar been completely resistant to taking any kind of action against Eodum? And why was she so quick to defer to a mortal now? Maybe she was reassured by Sooyoung surviving an encounter with the dark god, or maybe Solar and Moonbyul had simply thought things over. In any case, Sooyoung wasn’t going to question this pleasant change in attitude.

    “Not that I can think of now, but I’ll let you know.” Sooyoung said, taking Yeri by the wrist. The blonde was a bit dazed, and she let out another yawn as they started to walk away.

    Suddenly, the front door of the Galactic Lounge banged open. Sooyoung spun. Gasps sounded out from the Lounge’s patrons. Frantic footsteps clicked on tile as figures - swathed in liquid black cloaks - began to pour into the club, tearing through and over one another in an attempt to get inside. Students sporting gaping mouths, drunken gaits, and empty eyes. Eodum’s minions.

    At their head was Cade, a wild grin of triumph on his ruined, melted face.

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

Things are starting to get REALLY perilous for Joyri! Hopefully they can get backup from Joohyun and Seungwan soon.

Next chapter will be a Seulrene/Stardust chapter. I have to update my outline and check my notes to be sure, but I think either that or the following chapter will be the end of Act II. Meaning I get to write my favorite, most anticipated parts of the story soon (:

Remember to upvote, comment  and share if you enjoy the content! Thanks for reading!