Seulgi let out a muted gasp as she splashed herself water. She looked up, inspecting herself in the ovular mirror, ensuring that her appearance carried none of the trademarks of Stardust’s appearance. Hair brown and messy, cheeks soft and unmarked, blemishes and scars dotting her skin. She’d never been so happy to see her ordinary face.

    Stardust hadn’t spoken since the… incident with Seungwan, but Seulgi could feel her presence. Distant, but aware. The ring at Seulgi’s finger thrummed with a similarly tempered glow.

    Seulgi allowed her head to sag, reorienting herself to reality. That had been the longest that Stardust had been in control for. Exiting the twilight of the Astral Plane - or wherever she was when she wasn’t inside her own head - left her with a hazy, clouded mind. A sense of existential displacement not unlike the comedown from a hard psychedelic. As if she didn’t belong in her own body. As if she were a piece of Stardust rather than the other way around...

    “You are Seulgi Kang,” she muttered to herself, staring into her own eyes. “You are real. You are not a Cosmic Representation.”

    And you love Joohyun. And you have no feelings for Seungwan. You barely know her.

    Reminding herself of these obvious (yet comforting) facts brought her peace, mentally aligned her perception of the universe. She swallowed the panic attack that had been welling up in . She could barely remember the things she’d done as Stardust that day. There were only small bits, highlights such as her slaughter in the Galactic Lounge, her daring ascent to the top of Bridge Tower, and her duel with Seunwgan. The in-betweens were obscured by films of pure white.

    From outside the door, Solar knocked, asked if everything was alright. Seulgi confirmed that she hadn’t spontaneously died while on the toilet, then listened to the Representation’s footsteps as she retreated down the hall.

    Seulgi didn’t want to relinquish control to Stardust again, but she understood that it was a necessity. After all, what could she, the powerless, fumbling, anxiety-ridden mortal, do? They were in the middle of war. Solar had been clear about what she’d seen on her scouting excursion that morning. Droves of people crammed into basements, abandoned buildings, and one overrun neighborhood. All enslaved by Eodum, minds erased and replaced by monsters. 

Seulgi shivered at the thought, then the shower and began to undress, hoping it would help with her nausea. The marks where Seungwan had cut her were still on her skin, now resembling scars that had been healed over for months rather than days, despite the pseudo-neuropathic pain that continued to accompany them. 

    Hot water engulfed her, and she breathed deeply in the rising steam. She remembered how excited she was to find that she had powers. Less than two weeks ago, that was. The prospect of the apocalypse had seemed so romantic to her. And for what? Because it was an excuse for her to “break free” of the mundanities of her life? The career she never wanted, the social grace she would never have?

    Seulgi laughed bitterly, the noise gurgling out of her chest like vomit, like the black slime of Eodum’s minions, insidious and unconsenting in its presence. She slipped into a bout of hysterics, alternating between sobs and laughter, a hand over to muffle her breakdown. She wrapped her arms around herself, crouched low beneath the spray of the shower, and wept. There was no Joohyun to offer comfort or love, no Sooyoung to offer humor or chemical reprieve. She wanted to run away, hide from the hell that her reality had become. She didn’t want to think, didn’t want to feel, didn’t want to exist.

    Fortunately for her, that was an option.

***

    Stardust swept down the stairs, running a hand over her dry, silky tresses of silver. She wore a special outfit for their planned adventure tonight; a white top that ended just above her navel, and a pair of tight cloth pants with gold sequins at the waist. She’d transferred the gemstones from her ring into a golden choker that hugged . Naturally, she wore black high-heeled boots. She’d spent a little too much time in the bathroom after Seulgi had stepped aside for her; admiring her own figure was something she was seldom afforded the opportunity to do. She was, after all, a sculpture of the zenith of womanhood, svelte and sleek and alluring.

    Stardust smiled to herself and ran a finger down the center of her prominent abdominal muscles as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

    Solar was there, sitting at the counter and eating fruit. Moonbyul and Seungwan could be heard chatting in the backyard.

    “You dressed to fight monsters or to protest for women’s rights?”

    Stardust sniffed. The reference was lost to her, but its meaning was obvious.

    Let her mock me. Envy from those below you is to be expected.

    Seulgi, who had been oddly silent up until then, let out an exasperated chuckle.

    “When are we planning to leave?” Stardust asked, glancing at the clock, then noting the slant of the sunlight as dusk approached. It was almost eight.

    “You’re leaving when the sun sets,” Solar replied. The corner of twitched. “I believe it’s just going to be you and Seungwan, tonight. By her suggestion.”

    Stardust felt an unfamiliar jolt travel up from the core of stomach to the base of . She dismissed it as leftover discomfort from whatever emotional turbulence her host had been experiencing.

    Managing to keep a calm appearance, Stardust cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “Smart of her. We wouldn’t want you or Moonbyul to get injured.”

    Promptly, Stardust turned away, cutting off Solar’s response and striding into the backyard.

    There, Seungwan and Moonbyul shared a cigarette, clouds of pungent smoke rising between them.

    “Solar tells me there’s a specific plan for the night?” Stardust asked.

    The brunette turned a pair of bloodshot - yet pointedly lucid - eyes toward Stardust. Seungwan’s hair was tied up into a bun at the back of her head, a hairstyle that Stardust considered both functional and fashionable.

    “There’s a particular building that Solar was investigating, where a bunch of Geulim Ja’s minions seemed to be congregating,” Seungwan said, passing the cigarette to Moonbyul. “We’re pretty sure there’s a Sirdar there.”

    “Then we’re going to storm it?” Stardust asked, holding her hand out for the cigarette as Moonbyul finished taking a drag from it. The violet-haired Representation seemed surprised, but handed it over, and Stardust took two short, shallow puffs from it. She didn’t want to intoxicate herself too much, but she was a fan of the aesthetic of smoking.

    “Yeah, pretty much,” Seungwan said. “It’s in the basement of some place called ‘Tilburn Hall’, on the Caldwell Campus. Seulgi knows it, I’m sure.”

    I do, Seulgi said from within Stardust’s mind, It’s a pretty important academic building… is it totally overrun?

    Stardust repeated Seulgi’s words almost as they were spoken. The connection between their minds allowed for an almost instantaneous transmission of information, if they so desired.

    “From what Solar said, no,” Seungwan answered. “Just the basement, which is pretty big, according to her. She wasn’t able to get a good look around, but she guessed there were at least two hundred of them in there.”

    Two hundred?! Seulgi said in horror.

    Stardust had to agree. Those kinds of numbers would prove a challenge to manage.

    “That’s one-hundred each,” Stardust said thoughtfully to Seungwan “Doable. Difficult, but doable.”

    Moonbyul shook her head slowly, but Seungwan remained appropriately stoic.

    “We could be overwhelmed easily, if we don’t find a way to bottleneck them,” Seungwan said. “It’s going to be tight quarters.”

    Stardust held her hand up, formed her blade before her, and flexed her fingers around the grip. Since the construct was of Vis, it had an airiness to it, a near-weightlessness that made the mind simultaneously insist that it was both there and not there. It would have been impossible for a mortal to wield without the help of a Representation.

    Moonbyul bristled at the sight of Stardust’s weapon, but Seungwan’s imperturbable bearing stayed true. She knew, through both word and action, that Stardust was not their enemy.

    “Thankfully, we’re both well-suited to such environments.” Stardust said, allowing her weapon to dissipate before turning to regard the horizon. The sun was all but gone by then, an intrusive band of pink on the night’s canvas. “We depart at sunset?”

    “Yeah,” Seungwan said, “There are two entrances to the building, corresponding with two separate staircases down into the basement, one from the east and one from west. We can enter through different ones, lure Eodum’s minions into the stairwells, and thin their numbers through there.”

    “And the civilians who may be in the area?” Stardust asked at Seulgi’s urging.

    Seungwan blinked, pausing for a moment as if the possibility of bystanders hadn’t occurred to her. Stardust understood; she would have similarly overlooked them without the touch of Seulgi’s experience and worldview. Bystanders would be an issue, serving both as distractions and fresh host bodies for Eodum.

    Then again, bystanders would be observing keenly. An audience of mortals for a Galactic dance, unable to tear their gazes from their saviors: Seungwan and Stardust. The grand heroes, the world’s defenders.

“I can do crowd control,” Moonbyul suggested.

Seungwan furrowed her brow. “That would still be pretty dangerous…”

To Stardust’s surprise, the violet-haired woman clicked her tongue. “As if I didn’t survive that mess at the Galactic Lounge with Sooyoung and Yerim.”

“What’s the problem?” Stardust asked, “She has her powers, as ineffective as they are compared to our own, and she can utilize them to help keep any nearby mortals safe. Or at least take them to a place where they can’t disrupt us.”

“Ignoring most of her comment, she has a point. I can fend for myself.” Moonbyul said tersely, as if agreeing with Stardust was physically painful for her.

“I don’t doubt that,” Seungwan said smoothly, looking away. “But think of this: if you die, the moon ceases to exist. It would cause catastrophic consequences from the shifting of the tides. The entire university… no, the entire East Coast, would probably be underwater. The less chance of that happening, the better.”

I didn’t know killing a Representation destroys the object that created them, Seulgi said, sounding concerned. Is that true for us too?

Probably, I don’t know. Would it surprise you if that were the case?

No. Seulgi answered after a pause.

“I can’t just sit around and let you guys do all the work. It’s barely even your fight,” Moonbyul said sincerely. “This is me and Solar’s system.”

“It might not be our fight, but it’s our fault that the world is in this position.” Seungwan said, patting Moonbyul on the shoulder. The lunar Representation was in obvious distress, but Stardust found it hard to fathom why. The universe’s strongest beings were on her side of the battle. Why bother worrying?

Stardust moved away, allowing Seungwan to offer Moonbyul comfort in private. Stardust knew enough about the violet-haired woman that any words of reassurance from herself would fall on deaf ears. Others simply didn’t see things the way she did.

And what do you think that says about your worldview? Seulgi inquired, apparently still listening in on Stardust’s internal reflections.

Stardust didn’t answer immediately. She knelt down and ran the tips of her fingers over the sloshing, azure surface of the pool. To her rear, she heard Seungwan and Moonbyul talking in soft voices, wishing that Joohyun and Yerim were with them.

The level of understanding that I innately have of the universe comes from Joohyun’s experience, Stardust said. We are children of prophecy, Seulgi. Destined to save this planet and destroy Geulim Ja. These other Representations have been living in fear of Eodum since they were created. To them, he is intangible, a force of nature to work around rather than what he truly is; a monster that must be slain in order for the universe to thrive and grow. I know that difference. I can see it. I understand that he can be conquered. My worldview is correct.

Stardust stood, wicking the moisture from her fingertips and smiling at the star-flecked sky above. Dusk had come and gone.

***

    Stardust was absolutely baffled by the fact that Moonbyul was unable to fly. It was difficult to imagine that the Vis of the moon - a celestial body that had accompanied the Earth for billions of years - didn’t flow through its Representation with enough volume to facilitate flight. Seungwan explained it away with the excuse that though all Representations channeled Vis from the Astral Plane, the quality, and thus the presentation, of that energy was altered by their predispositions. It was the reason that Solar could command rays of sunlight with her palms and ignite flames with her mind. Moonbyul was, allegedly, adept at commanding water and ice. Which Stardust only found more confounding. What did the moon have to do with ice of all things?

    Complex philosphications set aside for another night, the trio left their home base around nine thirty.

The flight was quite the amusing experience, one in which Seungwan and Stardust flew parallel to one another with Moonbyul sandwiched between them. Seungwan did much of the work. Expertly, like the veteran leader she was, she directed their Vis into a shared bubble of gravity around them. All Stardust needed to do was output a constant amount of energy, and Seungwan took care of the rest.

Though it was a short journey - twenty minutes at the most - Stardust revelled in it. She could feel Seungwan’s Vis as it flowed around and through her, thrumming with a delicious radiance that melded so well with her own.

Jesus, Seulgi quipped as they landed, the first thing Stardust’s vessel had said since they’d left Solar and Moonbyul’s home. I was afraid you were gonna start touching yourself up there. Or, myself. Or whatever the correct term is.

Stardust laughed to herself and shook her head, touching down in a grassy field. She remembered Caldwell Campus as being barren compared to the others, with large empty spaces between the buildings. Few people congregated here, aside from popular locales such as the square and the cluster of academic buildings to the north. Even given what she’d known about the place beforehand, however, as soon as they arrived, she understood that something was fundamentally changed.

The night seemed blacker here, more sinister. Shadows stretched long and wide, encroaching on the world around the trio with a pernicious awareness. Lamp posts flickered, weak and dull as if the light itself was afraid to be in this cursed space. The moon and stars seemed far away, smaller, less significant.

Something is really wrong here. Seulgi said as Stardust glanced around, taking in their surroundings.

“Eodum’s influence is strong here,” Stardust said, allowing her blades to form in her hands. Though she certainly didn’t fear the creatures that awaited them, having her weapons ready was reassuring.

Seungwan nodded in agreement, her own blade drawn. Moonbyul was alight with the blue-tinged Vis that she employed. Its glow was insignificant compared to that of Stardust’s and Seungwan’s.

“Seulgi knows the way to the building. I will lead, and she can guide me.” Stardust said, stepping forward.

“Alright. Moonbyul, stay between us,” Seungwan said, ushering the violet-haired woman forward as they began to walk. “Keep an eye out for any of Eodum’s minions. They’re probably spying on us right now.”

Moonbyul looked around suspiciously, a rigid fear in her posture, a twitch to her movements, reminding Stardust of the ways of small prey animals. Furtive and afraid.

Turning to face the stout - yet simultaneously looming - series of academic buildings ahead, Stardust resolved never to allow herself to fall so far. She would die before she allowed herself to live with such unseemly weakness.

Speak for yourself, Seulgi chimed in, If you need to cower and hide in order to avoid killing us both, please do so.

Stardust rolled her eyes, stepping onto one of the paved paths that led to Tilburn. She continued to keep her own watch, picking up on the minor indications that something was amiss on Caldwell Campus. Far from disrepair, but details that were distinct enough to notice. Weeds curling over the edge of the walk, the grey fuzz of immature dandelions brushing against the cement; Seulgi pointed out that the grass was usually well-kept here, trimmed several times a week. Caldwell Square would have been open late this time of year, with crowds of students sitting near the fountain, buying ice cream, and popping in and out of restaurants. Instead the place was deserted, shop windows covered by corrugated metal sheets.

    I always wondered what would happen if one of us was to die while piloting this vessel, Stardust said thoughtfully, though the use of the phrase “one of us” was out of politeness rather than honesty. From a practical standpoint, it was doubtful that Stardust would misdirect them to an empty grave.

    Same here, Seulgi replied. I assume if you died while piloting my body, that would kill me as well. Since you know, it’s my body.

    Stardust chuckled to herself and shook her head, earning her a quizzical glance from Moonbyul.

    Not true. We have different bodies, Seulgi, Stardust said didactically, Do you not see the changes?

    I mean, besides the superficial stuff, like the hair and makeup, I’m pretty much just wearing a costume. Seulgi said, but she didn’t sound certain.

    Untrue again. To your mortal brain it may seem that differences are minor, but my facial structure, body, and mannerisms are entirely… distinct from yours. Stardust informed, just barely avoiding the use of the word “superior”.

    Stardust waited patiently as Seulgi confirmed these facts. Stardust, Moonbyul, and Seungwan passed beneath a bridge \between the two buildings. Falling into its shadow brought an unnatural chill, and Stardust felt herself tensing.

    I mean… Seulgi said, startling Stardust slightly, I see what you’re getting at, but it’s not that big of a change.

    Stardust decided to switch topics; they couldn’t afford to waste their attention on useless debates and explanations. They’d reached a crossroads of sorts, a circular connecting point between the walkways, flanked on each side by clearings and gardens. To their immediate right was a building with a pillar-supported overhang. The words “Caldwell Library” were engraved above its glass doorways, within which the sentient night seemed to glare hatefully at the three women before it.

    Focus. Where do we go from here?

    Oh, right, Seulgi said, as if just remembering that they were in enemy territory, Keep going straight down this path. It’s the building at the end there.

    Stardust followed Seulgi’s internal direction, then ushered Moonbyul and Seungwan along behind her. Though Tilburn Hall’s lower levels were partially obscured by the branches of crabapple trees, the higher stories stretched to the sky like a grotesque, deformed finger. The state of the building was deplorable. Broken windows, cracked rafters, gaping chunks where the brick was shorn off. The air seemed to thicken with each step in its direction. The essence of doubt, paranoia, and madness spurted from it at various intervals like blood from a cut artery.

    “I can go around the back and enter through the eastern doors,” Stardust said without turning around, making a genuine effort to keep her voice steady. Not that she was afraid - that was ridiculous, she understood that the creatures inside were nothing to her - but Eodum’s aura made her feel disconcerted.

    “Then I’ll go through the front,” Seungwan said, “Moonbyul, you can stay outside, keep people from entering the building. If Eodum’s minions arrive, you can alert us.”

    Moonbyul looked around at the deserted campus. Allegedly, there were dormitory buildings about a half mile away from Tilburn Hall, but the walkways were empty.

    “I doubt there’ll be anyone coming any time soon,” she said. Then, with great trepidation in her tone, “I could go inside with one of you guys, provide backup that way.”

    Stardust grimaced, ready to reject the silly suggestion, but Seungwan spoke first. “Yeah, that works, if you’re comfortable with it.”

    It isn’t about what is comfortable for us to do, Stardust thought, biting her tongue in order to avoid contradicting Seungwan, It’s about what is necessary.

    “Go with Seungwan, then,” Stardust said with a dismissive wave, “She can better protect you.”

    Seungwan shot Stardust an angry glare. Such poignant emotion in those sparkling eyes. Stardust didn’t even mind the negativity behind them, so long as they were focused on her.

    “So the plan is to just charge in and start fighting?” Moonbyul asked, staring fixedly at the metallic double doors out front.

    Stardust grinned, shared a meaningful glance with Seungwan.

    “More or less, yes.”

The amiability of their silent exchange had a razor edge to it, and Stardust wrestled with the urge to seize Seungwan and press their bodies together.

    Don’t cream yourself, Seulgi muttered, causing Stardust to blush and look away.

    Moonbyul let out an exasperated sigh and muttered something to herself that sounded like: “What have I gotten myself into…”

    “I’ll count to one-hundred before I breach the doors,” Stardust said. “Is that enough time?”

    Seungwan nodded. “There should be a stairwell on either side. We each fight through to the stairs and meet up at the bottom.”

    “Remember, one-hundred kills each,” Stardust said, summoning a second blade for herself and stepping up to the front door, “Even considering the fact that you have a teammate.”

    Seungwan arched an eyebrow. “Do you want a handicap?”

    “Bold of you to assume that I need one. I consider myself enough to equal both you and Moonbyul.” Stardust said, mirroring Seungwan’s grin.

    For once you’re actually joking about your insufferable ego, Seulgi quipped.

“Leave me out of your violent flirting, please,” Moonbyul said, stalking off to the other side of the building.

Cheeks reddening, Seungwan hurried after her.

    I still don’t know how to feel about you and Seungwan, Seulgi said, watching Stardust track Seungwan as she moved behind the building and out of sight.

    Me neither, Stardust said, turning to the double doors and beginning to count.

    I have a bad feeling about this, Seulgi said, drawing herself forward and hovering behind Stardust’s awareness.

    As do I. It seems too easy, Stardust replied, flexing her fingers around the semi-solid handle of her swords. I fear that we are walking into a trap.

    You think we should’ve said something?

    No. Seungwan likely suspects the same thing. Should problems arise, we’re both capable of handling ourselves. Stardust said, taking a bracing stance in front of the door.

    And Moonbyul? Seulgi asked, sounding worried.

    Seungwan will take care of her.

    The count reached one-hundred, and Stardust sprung, throwing the doors open with a Vis-infused kick. She heard the metallic snap of the hinges being separated from the frame, a noise that was echoed from across the building, marking Seungwan and Moonbyul’s entrance. There was nothing to greet her in the unlit foyer besides a dusty bookshelf, broken bricks, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding. Beyond was a lobby with open balconies above.

    Can you see anything? Seulgi asked as Stardust hurried forward.

    Barely.

Eodum’s influence was thick, concentrated enough to manifest without one of his avatars exuding it. Like a dense smoke - not quite tangible by touch, just on the precipice of perception - it curled and wafted through the air. Stardust’s Vis seemed to repel it, though the smog was reluctant to part for her, clinging to the fringe of her glow in clumps like muddy weeds. Eodum’s fetid breath was so thick, in fact, that Stardust was unable to see more than twenty feet in front of her at a time. Had she been a mortal, she would have been suffocated by it, seized and altered by its poisonous touch.

    Stardust slowed her advance, feeling the press of Eodum’s influence at her back. Stooped low, blades held in both hands, she crept through the lobby, using Seulgi’s knowledge of the building’s interior to guide her.

    I thought it was only the basement that was overrun. Seulgi said, her fear evident, bleeding into Stardust’s own stolid demeanor, making the Representation itch with misplaced worry.

    It appears that has changed. Or perhaps Eodum is simply more powerful during the-

    Behind you!

    Stardust twisted, blades spinning around her, meeting two creatures as they jumped from the shadows. Less than skeletons, bound together by strips of darkness, stained by hanging strings of flesh and coagulated blood. They dropped easily, becoming heaps of dust, clouds of white powder and jagged edges of bone.

    Two.

    From beyond the murk came a shriek, then the sound of several sets of feet shuffling about on carpet. Seungwan and Moonbyul were engaged.

    The staircase should be directly to your left here, Seulgi said, turning Stardust’s head to face where she’d indicated. Stardust allowed one of her swords to dissipate, then reached out, groping through the floating, almost-liquid darkness with a hand. Her fingers eventually wrapped themselves around the cool metal of a door handle.

    More of them are coming, Seulgi said, concentrating. Due to her current positioning - half in her own mind, half in the Astral Plane - Seulgi could sense things that were out of Stardust’s perception. As much as Stardust hated to receive help in battle, Seulgi’s presence was a useful tool. They’re coming from… above?

    Stardust didn’t bother looking up. She wrenched the handle back, ducked, and rolled out of the way. There was a satisfying smack of bodies colliding with the heavy door. Stardust swung her empty fist, forming her blade as she did, running through one of the beasts. The thing was decidedly fleshier than the previous companions, and it exploded in a spray of decaying organs. A cold hand clasped her shoulder from behind, and she switched her blade to a reverse grip, it backward. Stardust turned, slashed at the two monsters coming at her, then beheaded the beast that sagged over the top of the open door. She jumped, coasting on twin streams of Vis as she soared down the steps.

    Six.

    Stardust’s heels squelched in a puddle of moisture as she landed. There was a moment of pause, a sliver of time stretched thin by the pump of battle. A sea of faces - ruined, broken, hazy faces - turned to her. The darkness was more than a gas here; it was a glue, an adhesive, sealing bodies together. It streamed out from the masses, seeping into the walls and clinging to the overhead rafters. Arms hung from its sides, fingers grasping at nothing. Sloughing flesh dripped from toothless, endlessly working jaws. Piles of viscera sat by its side, discarded like refuse, like unused parts.

    Stardust gagged as the stench assaulted her nostrils.

The creature screeched, a roar that came from its center, an ear-splitting noise that came from around Stardust and from within the Astral Plane. 

Stardust ran. She took the stairs three at a time, keeping a single blade drawn as she went. The floor trembled, and a great, gurgling moan rang out from behind her. The building began to quake, drywall cracking, wooden support structures groaning in protest. Stardust stumbled, slashed at the gut of an attacking monster, and continued on. Seulgi provided unconscious guidance, but even that was stilted, altered by the agonized screaming of the awakened beast. Stardust ran into a bookcase, felt her way around it, accidentally grabbed the rotted torso of a monster. With a grunt, she kicked the creature in its chest and stabbed it through the head. As she did, the floor beneath her feet buckled inward, and she took off, scrambling for the exit.

Stardust fled through the open doorway, wind gusting behind her as a chunk of ceiling crushed the spot she’d just occupied. She leapt from the platform beside the building’s entrance and sprinted onto the lawn.

Stardust turned, breath evening out as her Vis reoxygenated her. The upper levels of the building caved inward at irregular angles, windows flowing with streams of solid shadow. Like the tendrils of a great monster, they whipped outward, brick and metal and glass flying around in a frenzy. A beam of black shot up from the building’s shattered roof and splashed against the interior of the atmosphere, blooming outward, spreading across the sky.

What the is happening? Seulgi said as she and Stardust gaped at the growing darkness. We have to find Seungwan and Moonbyul.

As if summoned by Seulgi’s thought, a pair of streaks - one of white, one of blue - zipped around the side of the building. Seungwan and Moobyul sailed over to stand beside Stardust.

“Holy ,” Moonbyul huffed, doubling over, “What was that?”

Stardust looked to Seungwan. Both women flinched as a particularly large piece of building struck the ground.

“Geulim Ja’s eternal night is progressing much quicker than I thought it would,” Seungwan muttered, marveling in horror at the writhing, possessed building before them. Then, like a woman snapping from a trance, she tore her gaze away and looked to Moonbyul. “Start getting people away from here.”

“People?” Stardust asked, looking around. Seungwan had spoken true. Students were moving in droves from the direction of the dorms. They were easy to distinguish from their beastial counterparts; they moved with regularity and awareness, releasing verbally coherent expressions of shock. Still mindless idiots with no concern for their own safety, but lacking the bloodlust and deformities of Eodum’s underlings.

    Moonbyul straightened. Another quake of the earth threatened to knock her over, but Stardust caught her by the arm and righted her.

“I’ll start getting them to safety. And you guys?” the lunar Representation asked, hands and feet glowing a lustrous violet.

    Simultaneously, Stardust and Seungwan summoned their weapons. Stardust noted that the chosen length of their blades was nearly identical.

    Why do you have to be so weird about it? Seulgi said with a mental groan.

    Stardust ignored her; the girl was just talking out of nervousness. The possessed building bent forward, sparks flying as metal grinded against metal. Together, Stardust and Seungwan jumped out of the way as a hail of shattered glass threatened to pepper them.

    “Keep them safe, but let them watch,” Stardust said in a low voice, earning incredulous looks from Seungwan and Moonbyul. Thinking quickly, Stardust continued, “They should see the danger that their world faces. Spread awareness of their plight.”

    “Uh… sure,” Moonbyul said, moving toward the crowd, “Guess I can do that.”

    Stardust nodded, then watched as tendrils curled from the lower level windows of the building, burrowing into the earth in order to stabilize the building’s integrity. The ground cracked, fissures creeping across the surrounding lawns, moving inexorably in the direction of the dormitories.

    “We should probably hurry up with this, right?” Seungwan asked as she and Stardust began striding forward in tandem.

    “Indeed,” Stardust said, stretching her calves and rolling her shoulders. She nodded up toward the roof of the building. Darkness continued to spread across the sky, a massive shadow that seemed to taint the atmosphere. “If we cut that connection at the top, will it stop the eternal night from spreading?”

    Seungwan shrugged. “It should. We may have to destroy the core of it, in the basement.”

    As they drew closer to the living building, tendrils writhed at them, smashing into the ground with such force that the shockwaves threatened to bring the two Representations down. They swathed themselves in Vis, visible momentum exuding from their sides in order to keep them upright.

    Stardust could feel the eyes upon them, the emotions that flowed out in pulses. Despair shifting to curiosity. As reality crumbled before these mortals, two beacons of salvation appeared, beautiful figures cloaked in ethereal white, marching into battle, goddess warriors from another world.

    Stardust and Seungwan reached the limits of the building’s swooping appendages, writhing in the air and dragging through the dirt, all aimed in the direction of the glowing women standing just out of their reach.

    “I’ll meet you at the top.” Stardust whispered, falling into a crouch.

    Seungwan let out a low, sardonic snort. “I’ll already have killed this thing by then.”

    With a chuckle, they kicked off as one and careened toward their enemy.

***

    Moonbyul corralled the gawking students onto a relatively debris-free section of the lawn. She told herself that it was for the good of the people, not because she wanted to obey Stardust’s whims. Above, students hung from the windows of their dorms, pointing and yelling various creative expletives, many of which Moonbyul had never heard before. Nonetheless she called for them to stay inside, and then (remembering how Solar had told her to be more assertive) provided some encouragement by throwing harmless, stinging slivers of moonlight at the ones that didn’t listen. At first, those nearest to her on the ground expressed wonder at her use of Vis, bombarding her with inquiries that she pretended not to hear as she used moonbeams to shove away the occasional piece of rubble that threatened them. The questions ended the moment that Stardust and Seungwan began their assault.

    They moved so fast that their features were blurred, made indistinguishable by the comet trails of their Vis. They shot up the side of the building, hopping from rafter to rafter with pauses just long enough for her to track them. When they ascended, they crossed over one another, identical hues mingling and leaving afterimages that repelled Geulim Ja’s tentacles. By their movements, Moonbyul could tell who was who. Seungwan attacked only the tendrils that were in her way, opening a path for herself. Stardust zigzagged from side to side across the building, spinning and cajoling and generally making a huge show of it all. At one point, she even allowed her Vis to dissipate entirely, freefalling backwards for several seconds before catching herself midair and soaring back to Seungwan’s level.

Moonbyul’s distaste of Stardust was nowhere near as intense as Solar’s, but she couldn’t deny that Seulgi’s parasitic Representation was pretty unpleasant to be around. She was haughty, way too proud, and a bit of a . The onlookers seemed enthralled by her, however. Their amazement was apparently too strong to contain; they clapped, gasped, and cheered for Seulgi Stardust. Moonbyul couldn’t really blame them; they were just mortals, and even minor Astral phenomena would appear striking to them, evidenced by their fixation at her own measly Vis.

Seungwan and Seulgi reached the roof of the building together, albeit at different angles. They themselves disappeared from view, hidden by the lip of the rooftop, but their Vis shone bright, intensifying as they fought against whatever lurked up there. In a tandem that suggested a premeditated maneuver (though Moonbyul knew that they didn’t have time to plan such a thing), they leaped past one another, simultaneously cutting into the beam of eternal night that the Sirdar was exuding.

From within the building came a roar, and the structure sagged, liquid slime spilling out from the upper stories as the beam was gutted.

Stardust dropped to the earth, performed a last-minute somersault before landing, then sprung sideways into an open window. Seungwan followed, Stardust’s incessant need to make a spectacle allowing the shorter Representation an opportunity to catch up.

For nearly a minute, everything was quiet, motionless. The students fell completely silent, freezing in place as though they had been bewitched. The building itself stilled, twisted at an irregular angle that would have been impossible to maintain without the gluey slime holding it together.

Then, the building exploded.

***

    Stardust rode on a wave of shadow and light, skating on nothing as she left the wrecked basement behind. Releasing her blades, she flipped off of the wave of Vis, landed kneeling before her audience, and threw her arms up to either side of her. Males and females alike screamed as the shockwave - a mixture of white and black Vis that flew in every direction, riddled with pieces of the actively-vaporizing structure - threatened to smash into them.

    A screen of Vis sprung from Stardust’s hands, forming a bubble around the students that Moonbyul had gathered. It was a risky, difficult move, one that expended far more vitality than slaying the Sirdar. Fortunately, Seungwan followed the lead - as expected - and overlapped Stardust’s shield with her own. The result was a double-layered barrier of opaque energy, knitting itself together just as the wave crashed.

    The collision resulted in a spray of multicolored mist, blues and oranges and greens and yellows puffing out from the shield like dust kicked up by a comet’s impact. A deadly, toxic force meeting one of purity and goodness, neutralizing it, making it harmless. It was over within a matter of seconds, mist floating away in the air, restored moonlight illuminating the empty plot where Tilburn Hall had once stood.

    Did we just destroy that entire building? Seulgi asked.

    Stardust and Seungwan released their Vis, allowing the shield to drop. Stardust spun around, flashing the most winsome, elegant smile she could muster.

    Immediately, she was showered by a waterfall of praise. Applause. Cheers. Jubilation. Motivation. Inspiration. The raw, uplifting emotion of it all fueled an extra burst of her Vis, and she floated into the sky, looking down upon those delighted, reverent faces like a queen addressing her subjects.

    “My name is Stardust,” she said, and they fell silent at her words. “And I’ve come to save your world.”

    The students burst into another round of applause, whooping and screaming and eventually falling into the chanting mantra of her name. Their voices were her water, their emotions were her food.

    At the back of the crowd, Seungwan and Moonbyul slipped into an alley between buildings. Before departing, Seungwan gestured for Stardust to follow.

    “I must go now. There are other matters to attend to.” Stardust said solemnly. Then, at Seulgi’s insistence, she added, “I would advise you to remain indoors during the nighttime, and - if you are able to - flee the university. The danger is far from over.”

    With that, Stardust swept over the crowd, allowed them to admire her briefly, then moved to follow her companions.

    Where did all that extra Vis come from? Seulgi asked as Stardust emerged in an open field, I thought you’d expended all of it creating that shield. 

    I thought I did, too, Stardust said, redirecting her flight as she located Moonbyul and Seungwan near a lone oak tree. An immense surge of exhaustion began working its way into her. Perhaps it has something to do with being the chosen one.

    Maybe... Seulgi said, Just uh… don’t talk like that next time. It sounds really lame.

    Stardust came to a landing several hundred feet from the other Representations, legs giving slightly beneath her as the last of her strength petered out. She released all of her Vis, allowing her Astral Aspect to feed freely from the Plane. It would take some time, but she would recharge.

    Talk like what? she asked, trudging on.

    You know… all grand and cliche. Just, uh, talk normally instead. Seulgi said with her awkward cadence.

    I derive my mannerisms largely from your knowledge, Seulgi, Stardust said as she walked slowly along, That is, apparently, how you think a hero should speak.

    Seulgi was quiet for a moment. Really? Huh.

    Stardust didn’t answer, as her attention was stolen by Seungwan. The auburn-haired woman jogged forward, pace light and springy, no signs of tiredness in her step. No signs of slowing her gait either, even as she drew near.

Stardust’s heart leapt as Seungwan embraced her. It was short (less than two seconds, really, but who was counting), yet liberating in a way that Stardust didn’t remotely understand.

    “That was amazing!” Seungwan exclaimed. It was the most excited Stardust had ever seen her. There was a fire in her eyes, a flame that Stardust wished to immolate herself within. “But it’s not over.”

    “What do you mean?” Stardust asked, still holding Seungwan by her shoulders, running her thumbs over the tender bellies of the shorter woman’s deltoids.

    Seungwan turned and pointed, forcing Stardust to - begrudgingly - release her hold. To the north, three beams of blackness spasmed upward, staining the sky with unholy filth. At the sight, Stardust swallowed.

    “You used a lot of your Vis back there,” Seungwan said. “It was a nice gesture, giving the people hope like that, but maybe in the future, take it a little easier. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Stardust gave a confident grin, then reached over and took Seungwan’s hand. Her skin was soft, the contours of her knuckles perfectly shaped, the inside of her palm warm and slightly moist. Stardust longed to feel that warmth and moisture against the yearning, aching fold of her core.

Oh my God, you’re actually going to cream yourself, Seulgi said in amazement.

“I will be fine.” Stardust said in answer to both Seulgi and Seungwan.

Moonbyul’s footsteps grew nearer, and Seungwan pulled away.

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Moonbyul asked, fear running high through her tone. 

“Yeah. I think we should head back first, see if Solar wants to join us,” Seungwan suggested. “We’re going to need the extra hands… And then some.”

As Seungwan finished her sentence, the closest of the beams stuttered, lost its connection with the sky, and retreated back to its origin. Its end was less climactic than the one Seungwan and Stardust had triggered, but it was broken nonetheless.

“What?” Seungwan said, brow furrowing. “Who could’ve done that?”

Stardust felt Seulgi’s internal smile and immediately understood. “I think I have a pretty good idea. We should still go back for Solar, though. It would appear that we have a long night ahead of us."

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

Jesus (or maybe I should say "Stars!") this chapter was a lot to write. It wasn't just long, but it was also difficult to decide on what I wanted to include, how I could convey the information I wanted to include in the most concise way possible, etc. Especially now that I've kinda resigned myself to going over my original planned word count for this story. That's alright though, it's a first draft for a reason. Next two chapters will be Joyrene, and the working titles for those chapters are "Blackstar" and "Rose Golden", in that order. From there, I plan to start writing the final sequences of the story. Hope you're excited!

Thanks for reading (: