It was just past midnight on Monday morning, and Seulgi still hadn’t heard from Joohyun. She’d spent the past few hours watching television with her brother, idly playing guitar and chipping away at the massive pile of homework she’d been assigned. Once everyone else had gone to bed, she went out onto the back porch and rolled herself a joint with some weed she'd borrowed from Bogum’s stash. She smoked and listened to music, leaning against the wooden railing of their deck. She sang along in a low, whispered voice, invoking Stardust’s vocal abilities, making them her own, hitting notes that she’d never been able to hit, mimicking the melancholy in Frank Ocean’s perfect tones.

It was a hot, muggy night. The scents of rain and grass were in the air, a rare thing for Diamond Bar, even at this time of year. The peaks of the San Gabriels were black, irregular slices of rock against the navy-hued sky. Storm clouds hung low in the sky, drifting lazily, obscuring the moon and the stars. Seulgi craned her neck back, marveling at how perfect such a view could be, even when compared to the majesty of the Astral Plane.

You only think that way because you’re high, Seulgi thought to herself, taking a pull from the joint. She blew smoke at the sky, watched it diffuse in the wind.

Stardust chose not to respond to Seulgi’s internal monologue; the Representation had been quiet for much of the day. Perhaps she was still ruminating on her defeat at the hands of Seungwan. Her presence was there, at the fringe of Seulgi’s awareness, cloaked by distance. That was alright; Seulgi had no current need for her confidence, and access to the Representation’s power was available to her even without Stardust’s full cooperation.

Seulgi finished her joint, tamped it out, and threw it over her fence. She turned Joohyun’s ring in circles on her finger, thinking of Bristol. There hadn’t been any updated information about the university’s status on the news, and the stories online had been conveying similar information. She’d kept her attempts to talk to Joohyun brief and infrequent; she feared that Geulim Ja may take notice and come after her as well. The thought of fighting against Eodum with her family so close was enough to strike terror in her. She knew that it would be best if she went back to Bristol soon, if only to assess the situation.

Seulgi gazed at her ring, willed its tiny gemstones to fill with a twinkling, successive opalescence. Taking the trip there and back by plane would be expensive and a massive waste of time. The Astral Plane has neither of those issues. Calling upon Stardust’s knowledge, she was able to discern that the time to move between the Touchpoint on Newport Beach and that of the Galactic Lounge would be about thirty minutes. If she was quick, she could be back home before sunrise.

Seulgi frowned, sighed, ran a hand through the messy nest of her hair. It would be reckless to jump into the Astral Plane without Joohyun. She knew very little of the place, and Stardust’s recent instability might prove to be her doom in the harsh environment. That was without taking Geulim Ja into account. If the dark Representation caught her while she was there…

Seulgi shivered despite the warmth, wishing that she had Joohyun’s embrace to calm her.

A thread of light speared its way across Seulgi’s mind, winking with a shifting transience similar to that of a shooting star. She started, feeling Stardust’s presence join her.

Did you feel that? The Representation asked, ready to take over.

Yeah. What was it? Seulgi asked, looking at her ring again. The gemstones were twinkling on their own.

Maybe it’s that Seungwan coming to finish the job, Stardust said. Against her will, Seulgi could feel her arm outstretch, white strands of fog coalescing to form her blade. Though she would have preferred Stardust not to take over like that, there was a comfort that came from knowing that even if Seulgi herself wasn’t prepared to react, Stardust was.

Another twinkle from Seulgi’s ring, brighter now, before it went out entirely. She furrowed her brow.

It didn’t do that last time.

Look up, fool!

Seulgi shot her head up and saw it immediately. Miles away, just above the mountaintops, five iridescent fireballs careened toward the earth. Two were smaller than the others; colored with flowing tones of violet and orange, they twisted and intertwined with one another as they fell. The other three were separate, all glowing with the familiar brilliance of silver-brushed ivory.

Unheeded, Stardust took over. Seulgi watched herself leap over the porch, dropping ten feet before kicking off the dirt and soaring haphazardly upward to clear the fence. Stardust’s flying (it wasn’t flying really, more like intermittent floating) was inferior to Joohyun’s by far. It would suffice. It wasn’t like Seulgi could do any better.

With Stardust’s force throwing them forward, they streaked across the field, half-soaring, half-sprinting toward the falling comets.

How are we gonna know where they land? Seulgi asked.

The comets flared. Their colors combined into one, an intense, lasting glare that flickered like flames at the side of one of the higher peaks. There was no impact sensation, no quake of the earth or sound to indicate that they'd landed. However, the lights continued to pulse, strobing like rescue signals.

Stardust cocked an internal eyebrow.

Shut up, Seulgi said.

The foothills had begun to slope drastically upward. Now that Stardust had an intended target, she was able to run in a direct line toward it. The terrain was less than ideal, but the Representation seemed to be getting the hang of flight. Seulgi was surprised to feel Stardust using her knowledge, the things she’d learned from flying with Joohyun, in order to correct her mistakes. That perfect balance between ing toward the sky and controlled descent remained elusive to Stardust, but she was improving with each leap. Grass and rock streamed beneath their feet like a river of gray, green and brown. Cold mountain air whipped her lustrous hair behind her, revealing the angled beauty of Stardust’s features. Seulgi let out a whoop of exhilaration, and Stardust smirked.

Neither of them had any idea what awaited them ahead, yet they were both filled with a thrill. Seulgi sought momentum, anything besides nervously waiting around for Joohyun to update her. Stardust sought vengeance, convinced that Seungwan had come for a rematch.

Stardust paused atop a mountainside path. The dirt was fine beneath the soles of her heels, kicking up with each step in small puffs of red. Thick brambles lined each side of the walkway, high grass whisking across her exposed thighs as she moved toward the muted glows ahead.

It was only then that Seulgi realized she’d taken on Stardust’s appearance: the outfit, the silver mane, the twists of forest green hair that occasionally brushed her temples. It was, admittedly, disturbing to find how seamless and complete the transformation had been. Seulgi hadn’t even felt it happening.

In an effort to regain a measure of authority over her own actions, she began commanding her limbs, hiking up the path of her own accord. Stardust didn’t seem bothered by it, and retreated, though she still lurked directly behind Seulgi’s awareness.

    Seulgi rounded a corner and found herself in a rocky clearing. Four of the five women were standing; at their center was the fifth, sitting in the dirt, hugging herself and trembling. Seulgi recognized her first, began to jog over, then took in the others. Joohyun, Moonbyul, Solar, and-

    Stardust jumped in, materialized a blade in her right hand, and sprung. Seungwan and Joohyun reacted together, twin blades crossing to block the blow. Stardust hung above the solemn pair, teeth gritted, jaw set. Then, she allowed herself to fall to the earth, landing in a crouch.

    “Seungwan isn’t here to hurt you,” Joohyun said, stepping in front of her sister. Seulgi noted that the woman was still wielding her blade.

    “I’m sorry for what happened before,” Seungwan said, opening her palm and allowing her own weapon to dissipate. Her expression was genuine, and the usual sarcastic bite in her tone was absent. “It was a misunderstanding.”

    “A misunderstanding that almost cost me my life,” Stardust spat, unmoving.

    Solar and Moonbyul glanced at one another, visibly taken aback by the venomous Stardust. Sooyoung showed no reaction. She remained staring at the ground.

    Seungwan gave a patient nod. “I was rash and stupid. I thought that eliminating you would be enough to avoid Eodum’s wrath. It wasn’t, obviously, because things have only gotten worse.”

    Stardust paused and narrowed her eyes. Seulgi saw her opening, drew herself to the forefront of her consciousness, and tried to take over. Stardust wrestled with her briefly, but relented. As Seulgi expected, the Representation stayed close by, a soldier with one hand on the grip of her gun.

    Taking a deep breath, reorienting herself to reality, Seulgi allowed her weapon to vanish. Joohyun did the same, then stepped forward and wrapped herself around Seulgi.

    “Even with that disguise on, I can tell when it’s you,” Joohyun whispered. Then, oddly, the Representation hid her face in Seulgi’s chest. Seulgi held her close, then glanced over at the others, giving them questioning looks.

    “What did I miss?”

***

    Seulgi sat, crammed between Joohyun and Sooyoung, a cup of hot coffee folded in her palms. There were few other patrons in that particular restaurant, owing to the fact that it was one o’clock in the morning. With their assorted outfits and garish styles, the girls had garnered a few odd looks - mostly from older individuals - but the majority of people out this late barely reacted. Some stared at Sooyoung, who wore barely more than an undershirt, but the haggard look on her face and weary shamble in her gait suggested that she was intoxicated. That, of course, made her appearance permissible.

    The restaurant - called the Corral Bar and Grill - had an upscale appearance, but at this time of night, the dress code was nonexistent. Seulgi had only chosen it because of its close proximity to the mountain trail they’d been on. By a of surreal, universal luck, a staticy rendition of “Watch That Man” by David Bowie played on the overhead speakers. Seulgi was too disturbed by the recent events to enjoy it, but Stardust tapped her foot to the beat with a carefree jaunt.

    “You sure you don’t want anything to eat, Sooyoung?” Seulgi asked, turning to her roommate.

    “No,” Sooyoung said in a weak voice. “I’m not hungry right now.”

    After hearing about the nightmare that had unfolded at Bristol - told mainly by Joohyun and Solar, with rare annotations from Sooyoung - neither was Seulgi. She ordered regardless, intent on forcing Sooyoung to eat some of her meal.

    “What’s our next move?” Seulgi asked the table, poking Sooyoung in the arm and prompting her to take a drink of water.

    Solar and Moonbyul gave synchronized shrugs. Joohyun shifted slightly, making herself more comfortable on Seulgi’s shoulder. Sooyoung sipped her ice water.

    “Obviously, we’re going to get Yerim,” Seungwan said when it was plain that no one else intended to answer.

    At the mention of the blonde’s name, Sooyoung straightened in her seat. “Do you know where Eodum took her?”

    Seungwan shook her head, then gave Joohyun a pointed look. The elder sister lifted her head. Her skin was pallid, eyes bleary and haunted. Seulgi took her hand and rubbed it. She’d never seen Joohyun like this before.

    “I have a pretty good idea of where,” Joohyun said in a small voice. “Our… his home planet.”

    “Where’s that?” Seulgi asked, thinking of the desolate, grey surface of Mercury. Or perhaps the volatile, storming gaseous form of Venus.

    “A planet several galaxies away from this one, close to the center of the universe. It is called Blackstar,” Joohyun said. “Tens of thousands of light years away. Though, that distance is shortened significantly within the Astral Plane.”

    Well, I was off.

    Sooyoung blinked hard and jumped as if she were hit with a jolt of electricity.

    “Then what are we waiting for?” she asked, sweeping herself out of the booth and standing. “We shouldn’t be sitting here, wasting time.”

    Now that action was being discussed, it seemed that Sooyoung was able to pull herself from her near-catatonic state. Seeing this granted Seulgi a modicum of relief, partially because her roommate was far superior when it came to planning and leading.

    Joohyun gave Sooyoung a pointed look, motioned for her to sit. Sooyoung remained standing.

“Cade and Yeri have likely already arrived there.” Joohyun paused, pursed her lips tightly, mouth twitching downward. “The girl who accompanied them can use my husband’s power to its fullest, and without repercussions. Eodum wouldn’t order any harm to come to my sister. He knows that my reaction would be… disastrous.”

Seulgi furrowed her brow. But what if Eodum knew of Joohyun’s plans to take him down?

“Who was that girl, exactly?” Sooyoung asked, finally taking a seat.  Now that the curse of her depression had been lifted, she was eager to move. Due to their proximity, Seulgi could feel each of the younger girl’s twitchy, nervous gesticulations.

“One of Eodum’s most trusted servants,” Seungwan interjected. Joohyun pulled back visibly, let her head drop to Seulgi’s shoulder again. “She lives on his homeworld with him, and is one of two individuals who aren’t heavily corrupted by his power.”

There’s something more going on here. Something about that girl and Joohyun…

    Stardust, who’d been relatively subdued since their arrival at the mountain, snorted. Obviously.

    “She seemed skilled, yeah,” Sooyoung said, drumming her fingers on the table. “Do you think we can take her?”

    Joohyun turned sharply. “Take her?”

    “Yeah. Kill her. If we’re going to free Yeri, we’ll have to get through that girl and Cade, right?”

    Joohyun swallowed, chest rising markedly as she took a breath. The hesitation would have been imperceptible to anyone else, but Seulgi knew the Representation’s mannerisms well. She was composing herself, trying to reign in her emotions.

    “I suppose, yes,” Joohyun said. “Regardless, I agree that we should leave as quickly as possible. The faster we leave, the faster we can rescue my sister.”

    “That’s all well and great,” Solar said, speaking up for the first time in awhile. “But the Earth, and this solar system, are still in danger. Eodum’s invasion isn’t going to stop because Yerim’s gone, is it?”

    During their last interaction, Seulgi had made Solar and Moonbyul out to be  relaxed, sardonic individuals with a penchant for showing too much intimacy in public. What she saw now - Solar’s boisterous anxiety, Moonbyul’s subdued fear - was a stark contrast.

Stealing a quick glance at Seungwan (ignoring Stardust’s wave of hatred) Seulgi supposed she understood. Mortal fear could change a person.

“No, it won’t,” Seungwan said, seeming to understand. “In fact, he’ll probably speed up his efforts, considering that he definitely knows we’re working against him now.”

“Is there anything we can do to stop him from spreading the eternal night?” Moonbyul asked.

“Preventing people from being infected would be the best way,” Joohyun said. “Second to that, we would probably need to find the individuals that are closest to him - those that are able to wield his power best - and take them out. My husband calls them his ‘Sirdar’. Cade would be one of them.”

“And we’d need to do this all while avoiding being overwhelmed by hordes of insane sludge zombies?” Solar asked incredulously. “Byul and I aren’t as powerful as you are. Even the mortals.”

Sooyoung let out a huff at the word “mortals”, but Stardust expressed a sliver of humor. Solar grossly underestimated her; perhaps she didn’t understand just how much power and elegance the newly formed Representation held.

Seulgi shook her head slightly. The scariest interactions she had with Stardust weren’t interactions at all. They were the times when Stardust’s personality melded completely with her own, when the lines between them were so blurred that they seemed nonexistent.

“You can’t protect the world and put up a fight against Eodum by yourselves.” Seungwan said.

“I can stay back and help them,” Stardust said suddenly. The entire table turned to her. Within her head, Seulgi shrank back, hating the feeling that she was drawing so much attention to herself. “My abilities should more than suffice.”

“You’ve never even seen any of Eodum’s minions,” Seungwan said with an infuriating grin. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”

Seulgi could feel Stardust’s temper uncoiling, rearing like a hissing serpent as she appraised an opponent.

Stardust pointed a slender finger at Sooyoung. “My powers are similar to hers in nature, meaning they’re close to your own, no?”

“Yeah, but I don’t see why-”

Stardust raised her hand, cutting Seungwan off. The chubby-cheeked woman frowned and narrowed her eyes. “From what I hear of Eodum’s minions, they shouldn’t be any trouble for me.”

“You haven’t fought them, Seulgi,” Sooyoung said, giving Stardust a peculiar look. Seulgi, peering out from behind the opaque screen that separated her from the world, recognized her roommate’s expression. Sooyoung was wondering why “Seulgi” was acting this way. She hadn’t interacted with Stardust enough to know that the two were vastly different.

“They’re relentless,” Sooyoung continued, shuddering. “They just keep coming and coming, even after they should be dead. Swarms of them. And the way they try to you in… to cover you with that disgusting, horrible slime…”

Stardust opened to speak, specifically to say something about how Sooyoung needed to show more resilience, but Seulgi stopped her.

 “My dear,” Joohyun said, brushing her thumb across Stardust’s cheek. The physical contact pulled Seulgi forward, granting her renewed control over herself. “Sooyoung and Seungwan are right. My husband’s demons are not to be underestimated. Even your power, as great as it is, may not be enough.”

“Then I’ll stay back with her,” Seungwan said. “Both of us together, plus Solar and Moonbyul, should be able to coordinate and launch an effective enough resistance. Until Joohyun and Sooyoung return, anyway.”

Stardust’s serpentine presence opened its fanged maw, tried to lunge forward, but Seulgi grappled her, slammed her down. There was a full five-second period in which they struggled - the only external sign of which was a tense grimace on Stardust’s part - before Seulgi won.

Luckily, the food arrived then, providing Seulgi with a reprieve from conversation in which she was able to readjust, mitigate the light-headedness of forcibly switching with Stardust. It also gave her the opportunity to wonder why Seungwan would be so willing to stay behind on Earth when her younger sister had been taken prisoner.

As predicted, Sooyoung shared part of the meal with Seulgi, munching on fries and coleslaw. It wasn’t much, but it gladdened Seulgi to see that her roommate was willing to eat at all. Solar, Moonbyul, and (to an extent) Seungwan ate with gusto. Seulgi supposed that battling the forces of evil could work up an appetite.

“I would prefer to go on this journey alone,” Joohyun said over the sound of silverware scraping. She had ordered a chicken dish, but seemed only interested in the large glass of red wine that came with it.

“And I would have preferred not to have my girlfriend stolen by an Eldritch god,” Sooyoung said dangerously. “But sometimes we don’t get what we want.”

“Well, he’s technically not a god,” Moonbyul said, mouth full of burger. “He’s a Representation.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Joohyun shrugged as if she’d expected nothing less than resistance from Sooyoung. “I assumed you would insist on joining me.”

Seulgi swiveled her head back and forth as the two women sparred verbally. There was an unspoken tension between Joohyun and Sooyoung that she hadn’t noticed before. It was apparent that, during her adventures here in California, she’d missed a lot.

“So you’ve created your own Representation as well?” Seungwan asked Sooyoung. It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but the others seemed to welcome it.

“Well… I don’t really know,” Sooyoung said uncertainly, turning to Seulgi. “I don’t think I did. What does it feel like?”

Seulgi pressed her lips into a hard line and thought about it briefly. “It’s like having another person living in your head, someone with a totally different personality, who can take over sometimes… if needed.”

“Then… no, I haven’t,” Sooyoung said with a frown, visibly discomforted by the idea of sharing a mind with someone.

Moonbyul’s mouth hung open slightly in a comical display of disbelief, then grabbed at her lover’s elbow.

“All that stuff you did at the Galactic Lounge,” Moonbyul said. “You did it as a mortal? You were able to control all of that power without needing to use a Representation?”

“I didn’t know that was even an option. I just direct Yeri’s power through my earring and into my body. It’s hard to explain.” Sooyoung said. Then, pointing at Joohyun’s cold dinner, “Are you gonna eat that?”

The black-haired Representation shook her head, and Sooyoung gladly relieved her of the full plate. Seulgi was surprised to see that her roommate hadn’t ordered any kind of alcohol.

“I saw what you were doing in the Lounge,” Joohyun said with some reluctance, taking another drink of wine. “That type of mastery over Astral energy isn’t something that comes easily.”

Sooyoung shrugged dismissively and forked a piece of chicken into . It was clear that she hadn’t put much thought in her innate prowess with these relatively novel powers. That didn’t surprise Seulgi at all - Sooyoung wasn’t the type to dwell too long on things that she believed were out of her control - but it did make her curious. And perhaps a little jealous. She wondered what Joohyun had seen from Sooyoung that earned such a compliment. 

“Do you think it’ll be enough for her to travel freely through the Astral Plane, without consequences?” Seungwan asked.

“That I cannot say,” Joohyun said. “But with the extended time that we’ll be travelling, we will have to take frequent breaks anyway.”

At this, Sooyoung paused. “What do you mean? How long will this take?”

“The time to travel from the nearest Touchpoint on Earth to the nearest Touchpoint on Eodum’s planet is roughly two weeks.” Joohyun said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Seulgi felt her eyes widen. Sooyoung stood again, abruptly enough to nearly knock over a passing waitress.

“Two weeks? Then what the hell are we actually waiting for?” Sooyoung demanded. “Sure, Eodum might have ordered him not to hurt Yeri, but that guy, that Cade… he’s a monster. Like he was made to be possessed by evil spirits. He enjoys hurting people. I can’t leave my Yeri in his hands for two ing weeks.”

That's a month-long round trip… Seulgi thought to herself as hollowness filled her.

“As soon as we work everything out, we can depart,” Joohyun said sternly, like a mother speaking to an unruly child. “Do not make a scene.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Sooyoung said through gritted teeth. “You aren’t taking this seriously enough!”

“How do you know that?” Joohyun asked, tilting her head to the side, nostrils flaring. “What do you know of this situation? Are you using countless years of experience to come to that conclusion?”

“Alright, alright, look,” Seungwan said, cutting Sooyoung’s response off. “Clearly, this is a ty situation, and time is of the essence. But, in the grand scheme of things, what’s a few extra hours? Like you said, you’ve been fighting nonstop for two days, Sooyoung. Finish eating at least before you go.”

Sooyoung glowered, crossed her arms over her chest, then took her seat. Seconds later she was shoveling down Joohyun’s meal.

Despite her fixation on the harrowing thought of going Joohyun-less for more than a month, Seulgi noted that Seungwan seemed to be significantly more level-headed than her older sister was. Which was, of course, quite ironic given Saturday night’s battle.

She’s just a lying snake, Stardust hissed sinisterly. She may have you fooled, but I will never trust her.

    “Everything is mostly planned out, anyway,” Sooyoung mumbled, gulping down water. “Me and Joohyun go to get Yeri back, everyone else stays here and stops Eodum from destroying the planet.”

    Solar snorted. “When you say it like that, it almost sounds easy. But in so many words, yeah.”

    Seulgi sat back, conflicted. On one hand, she felt a responsibility to protect the Earth from Eodum’s forces. She was the Chosen One, after all. Wasn’t that part of her job description? Yet, leaving Sooyoung and Joohyun - her best friend and her lover, respectively - to raid their enemy’s lair without her by their side felt plain wrong.

Stardust had no such qualms. She was determined to stay on Earth, and Seulgi suspected that the Representation would put up quite the resistance if her host decided against it. Why exactly someone as self-centered as Stardust wanted to stay behind to defend the people of the planet wasn’t clear to Seulgi.

“If we do go through with this, what about my family?” Seulgi asked, thinking of Bogum and her parents, who she hoped hadn’t noticed her absence. “Will they be in danger, too?”

“Quite likely,” Joohyun said sadly. “That is, if Eodum finds out who they are. Since he seems to be focusing his efforts on the area near your school, perhaps we can prevent him from learning of them.”

“Eventually that point will be moot,” Seungwan added. “The eternal night spreads fast unless we can find his Sirdar. Killing one of them kills the people that it infected.”

“What do these Sirdar look like?” Seulgi asked Joohyun.

To this, Joohyun gestured at Sooyoung, who answered:

“Well, they’re much more intelligent than the others. They have their own personality traits outside of just being bodies that throw themselves at us,” Sooyoung rubbed her arms, a haunted cast fogging her eyes as if she were recalling great trauma. “They also have more slime on them than the zombies. At least, that was true with Cade. They were strong, just slightly weaker than me. And I had as much power as Yeri could give me, I think.”

Then they still shouldn’t be a problem for us, Stardust thought snarkily, earning herself a mental jab from her host, which she pointedly ignored.

Externally, Seulgi nodded. Despite Stardust’s disparaging comments, at least she was paying attention. The Representation was a better fighter than Seulgi by several lifetimes. She’d be doing much of the work.

“Besides Cade, I think there’s this one redhead who might be a Sirdar,” Sooyoung continued thoughtfully. “A ginger woman who tailed me and Yeri on Saturday night. She seemed lucid compared to the others. She at least tried to be subtle about stalking us.”

“Can you describe her?” Solar asked.

Sooyoung rapidly knocked her knuckles against the surface of the table, betraying her impatient jitters. Her tone reflected none of that. She likely understood how vital the resistance effort on Earth was going to be.

Resistance effort, Seulgi thought, turning the phrase about in her mind, contemplating it. That’s what we’re part of now.

“Very pale, with freckles. A face that’s too long for her body. Red hair, of course,” Sooyoung said, businesslike, detached. “Skinny, even skinnier than Seulgi. She wore glasses, I think.”

Seulgi could feel Stardust taking note, creating an image and embedding it within their shared brain.

“Alright. Guess our first step is to locate her, then?” Moonbyul asked, peering over the table at Seungwan, who gave a nod.

Stardust greatly disapproved of the others’ tendency to defer to Seungwan, but Seulgi attributed that to her alter ego’s default animosity towards Joohyun’s sister.

“But our measures to take down Geulim Ja’s Sirdar is only delaying the inevitable,” Solar said forlornly, gripping her coffee mug with white knuckles. “He’ll just keep sending more of himself until eventually it’s too much for us, right?”

Seulgi glanced at Joohyun, who gave her a short, meaningful stare. The message was clear: she didn’t want to mention their conversation from two nights ago. That struck Seulgi as odd, considering the dire predicament they were in. Still, she trusted her lover’s judgement. Joohyun had to have good reason for keeping secrets at a time like this.

“As Sooyoung, Yerim, and I return from Blackstar, we will try to rally any Representations we can find to our cause,” Joohyun said, gaze sweeping over everyone at the table. “It will prolong our absence, but we need every available individual for what is coming.”

“And what, exactly, would that be?” Seungwan asked softly.

“War.” Joohyun said without hesitation. “Eodum knows all but the truth now. He has made deliberate moves not only against the planet, but against us and those who support us. I would be surprised if he hasn't come to the obvious conclusion yet. I have finally outweighed my usefulness. I've finally become more trouble than I am worth.”

Paradoxically, the revelation made Joohyun's face lighten up by a few notches. The smile she gave was wild, savage, bordering on insane. Like a caged animal finally gaining its freedom.

The implications of Joohyun’s words mounted a heavy burden on the rest of the group, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Seulgi drained her coffee, marvelling at how rapidly things had changed for them. Three weeks ago her biggest concern was getting an A on an exam, so insignificant now that she couldn’t even remember which class she’d been worrying about.

Sooyoung finished her meal, placed her silverware down with attention-grabbing promptness, and stood for a third time.

“Is that enough planning, then?” she asked, turning to leave. “Because if so, there’s no point in prolonging this.”

“I suppose so,” Joohyun said, straightening, rolling her shoulders, gathering herself. She looked to Seungwan, Seulgi, Solar, and Moonbyul. “Anything else we should cover before we leave?”

“Yeah, the bill,” Solar said as their server approached.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Joohyun’s lips. She reached into her handbag, pulled out far more than was required of the check, and tossed it on the table.

The group began to move now, shimmying out of their seats, donning jackets, preparing to depart.

“I’ll have to explain to my family why I’m going back to Bristol out of nowhere,” Seulgi said as they stepped out of the restaurant and into the night. “I’ll just make something up.”

Sooyoung grinned, lighting her face up by a small margin, creating a flash of the rambunctious, clever, mischievous girl that Seulgi knew so well. “Maybe you should have Bogum come up with something for you. You're not a very good liar, you know."

Seulgi returned the smile, then gave Sooyoung a hug and a squeeze. It wasn’t a prolonged goodbye, but the unspoken sentiments conveyed in that hold were plentiful.

“Good luck out there, uh, you know. Wherever 'out there' is,” Seulgi whispered to her best friend. “Be careful.”

“You know me. I’m always careful.” Sooyoung said, wearing a smirk that was gone as promptly as it had come. 

“We’ll go back to the Galactic Lounge, see if there are any survivors from the attack,” Seungwan said, waving Moonbyul and Solar over. “I don’t have much hope for that, but it’s a good place to start.”

“Good plan. I will see you soon, Seungwan. I know you can keep things under control until we return,” Joohyun said stoically, giving her sister a fond smile. She then regarded Sooyoung. “You can go with them for now. Gather anything you need to bring, but pack light. Astral energy should be enough to keep you from starving, though we will be stopping at certain planets where food is available.”

Sooyoung furrowed her brow. “Wait, what? Aren’t we leaving now?”

“I have to speak with Seulgi in private, first. I won’t be longer than ten minutes.” Joohyun said.

    Sooyoung sighed, went to stand beside the others. “Fine. Just hurry up.”

    With that, space tore around Seungwan, unraveling from behind her to reveal the melodious vacuum of the Astral Plane. Though there was no wind coming from the growing hole, Seulgi felt herself being pulled toward it, as if the Charm on her finger wanted her to enter the dimension. The portal smoothened out at the edges, creating a doorway-like opening that each of the girls stepped through, starting with Solar and Moonbyul. Seungwan nodded to Joohyun, glanced at Seulgi, then followed.

    Sooyoung hesitated, standing on a bluff at the end of the universe, sheet of tangled black hair wafting around her head in the breeze. Shadows sharpened the angles of her face, extenuated the pulsing of her diamond-esque earring. Tattered clothing covering her well-muscled body, eyes filled with a blazing determination. To Seulgi, she looked like a protagonist straight out of a Brandon Sanderson novel. And wasn’t that what she was? What they all needed to become? Resistance fighters. Saviors in the night. Cosmic heroes.

“Do you really think that Yeri is safe right now? Even with Cade holding her hostage? You know he tried to...” Sooyoung paused, marble-solid demeanor cracking slightly. “He tried to me.”

Joohyun grimaced, but she didn’t appear shocked. “My husband tends to choose Sirdar who already have darkness in their souls. Despite that, however, the two girls that are helping to guard her would not allow that to happen. She may not be comfortable, exactly, but she’s in less danger than the people of this planet right now.”

Sooyoung stared at Joohyun for a full second, appraising her, searching for a hint of dishonesty. She nodded afterward, apparently satisfied.

“I’ll trust you on that.” Sooyoung said. She turned, entered the Astral Plane. The portal sealed itself behind her, leaving Joohyun and Seulgi standing alone at the center of the parking lot.

As soon as Sooyoung was gone, Joohyun turned, threw herself into Seulgi’s arms, and began to sob.

“Joohyun!” Seulgi said, shocked by the display. “It’s okay… you’ll, uh, find Yeri soon. It’s gonna be alright.”

Joohyun shook her head, face still pressed to the side of Seulgi’s neck.

“That’s not it,” she whispered. “I worry for my sister, of course, but not as much as… oh, Seulgi…”

Joohyun fell into another round of sobs, and Seulgi held her tight, gradually rocking her back and forth.

“As me?” Seulgi asked, “I’ll be fine, too. I have Stardust to keep me alive. As self-centered as she is, she would never let me get us both killed. Though, I really don’t know what I’m gonna do without you for a whole month...”

From a corner of Seulgi’s consciousness, Stardust muttered to herself in annoyance.

Joohyun chuckled, pulled back, and wiped some of her tears away. She remained in Seulgi’s arms, pressed tightly against her.

“I know you will be fine,” Joohyun said, kissing her. “Of course, I worry for you as well. It hurts my heart to leave you for more than a month, but when you have lived as long as I have, a month is akin to a second.”

“Then what’s bothering you so much?” Seulgi asked, placing a finger on Joohyun’s chin, tilting her head up so their eyes could meet. The differences in their height was miniscule, and only seemed pronounced when the Representation was at her most vulnerable.

Joohyun’s lip quivered, but she stifled it, and kept her composure.

“There are certain variables to my plan that I did not have the time, or knowledge, to work out before this point. I foresaw my husband striking against us in retaliation, but the situation with Sooyoung and Yerim…” Joohyun’s eyebrows knitted together and she sighed. “I couldn’t have seen that coming. I did not plan to return to Blackstar before my husband was dead or imprisoned.”

Imprisoned? Stardust inquired, but Seulgi shushed her.

“The two girls that reside there, the ones guarding Yerim,” Joohyun shut her eyes, tears leaking from beneath both lids. “They are my daughters.”

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

Seven days off from work = lots of time to get writing done (: I have a soft spot for restaurant meetup/planning scenes, so I of course had to throw one in here.

To some people, it might be clear as to who Joohyun's daughters are, but I won't mention it directly for those who haven't figured it out yet.

If you enjoy the story/content so far, remember to upvote and comment!

Thanks for reading!