Seungwan stood on the brick cobbles of Solar’s backyard and sipped a glass of ice-cold water. She itched to smoke - she knew that Moonbyul kept a stash of in the kitchen drawer - but she couldn’t muddy her thoughts right now. She waited anxiously, tapping her foot and staring up into the heavens.

    Similar to every previous night this week, she’d spent the last twelve hours fighting Sirdar. Identifying them by the gangrenous branches of the eternal night, she hunted them and cut them off before they could ingrain themselves into the atmosphere. It had been her turn to go alone, as she and Stardust alternated in accompanying Moonbyul and Solar. Though she would never admit it to her companions, Seungwan preferred the solitary ventures (a sentiment which Stardust shared, and was far more vocal about). It was easier to stay hidden and to flee from Geulim Ja’s malformed creations as they attempted to exact revenge on her for slaying their kin. The sole drawback was that it left her constantly worrying for her friends’ safety, as she wouldn’t be around to bail them out of trouble.

    So Seungwan waited, unwilling to indulge in her favorite psychedelic herb, too nervous to do much else but stand around, drink water, and ogle at the sky.

    To Seungwan’s rear, the back door slid open, and she turned. A blonde-haired, freckle-faced young woman stuck her head out. Her bright blue eyes fell on Seungwan.

    “I’m making tea and cookies for Evanie,” Summer said, sounding so nonchalant and relaxed that Seungwan felt mildly offended, “You want any?”

    “What kind of tea is it?” Seungwan asked, primarily out of politeness.

    “Aetherium,” Summer said, holding up a mason jar of what appeared to be shavings of gold.

    “Uh… no, thank you.” Seungwan said, brow furrowing.

    “Suit yourself!”

    The door slid shut. Seungwan was glad for the help of these mysterious strangers, but it would be dishonest if she didn’t admit to the measure of suspicion she felt toward them. They - that is, Summer, Tyler, and Evanie - were friendly enough, and more importantly, were willing to help with the disastrous situation Seungwan and her companions were in. Yet, something about them unnerved her; the trio had an attitude of flippancy that bordered on inappropriate and detached. Especially the macabre mannerisms of Evanie, whose blank, soulless demeanor did not suit her childlike appearance. After spending a day or so with the trio, Seulgi had claimed they all acted as if the horrors that were unfolding on Earth were “a side quest in a forty-hour long video game”. Once Seulgi had explained exactly what that meant, Seungwan had found the comparison to be apt.

This morning was a prime example: while Seungwan waited anxiously for Stardust, Moonbyul, and Solar to return, Summer stayed inside, watched television, and made tea and cookies. She seemed so unwaveringly sure that Evanie and Tyler would return, as if the possibility of danger meant nothing to her. Seungwan supposed that everyone had their own personal coping mechanisms, but this seemed excessive. As if the wrath of Geulim Ja, the most infamous dictator in the universe, meant nothing to her.

The staccato chug of a helicopter sounded out, momentarily deafening the birdsongs. Seungwan had been hearing many of those as of late. Constable helicopters, mainly, with large searchlights that honed in on her and the others as they went about their work in the night. The news helicopters approached Stardust most; she was the only one in the group willing to entertain them. She found it perplexing how news stations continued to run their programs. Shouldn’t they be taking shelter as the government had advised them to do?

Seungwan didn’t think too hard about it; she’d never been this invested in a world that Geulim Ja was consuming. The tendencies of mortals were not her main concern; her friends and family were.

    A trio of globes, teardrop-shaped and visible despite the sun’s rays, burst out, catching Seungwan’s attention, making her chest feel tight with anticipation. The familiar colors - white, orange, and indigo - caused her to relax and let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

    Stardust arrived first, landing on the balls of her feet with unconscious grace, arms held out to her sides, star-like specks of Vis trailing in her wake. The glimmers of Vis were translucent, acting as miniature prisms, bathing her in a wash of rainbow. The silver-haired Representation smiled, defined cheeks dimpling as she did so. The sparkle-flecked lines of darkness that ran from her eyes to her jaw - a kind of purposefully, artfully smeared mascara - remained symmetrical in their curves and whirls. The tight black dress she wore was pristine, if slightly ruffled, appearing as though she’d just returned from a ball rather than a battle.

    A second later, Solar landed, Moonbyul in her arms, both hopping awkwardly to avoid falling over. Hair disheveled, sweat-stained clothing, exhaustion making their movements sluggish and weak.

    “How’d everything go?” Seungwan asked.

    “Eight Sirdar,” Solar said, holding her girlfriend by the arm, “We’re going to bed.”

    Moonbyul smiled weakly, allowed Solar to help her up the steps and into the house.
    “The night shift certainly doesn’t suit them,” Stardust said, watching the pair leave. “I managed to take out seventeen of the Sirdar last night. Single-handedly.”

    “It’s not a competition, you know,” Seungwan said, rolling her eyes, smiling despite herself. There was an endearing quality to Stardust’s blatant cockiness that she was positive no one else could appreciate. “You guys kept separate scores?”

    Stardust reached over, slipped her fingers under Seungwan’s, and plucked the glass of water from her hands.

    “We split off midway through the night,” Stardust said, draining the glass with a flourish, somehow making the simple act of drinking water look impressive. “I went to New York, they went to one of the neighborhoods surrounding this one.”

    Seungwan frowned. “You let them go alone?”

    “I asked if they wanted to join me, but they refused. Besides, the Sirdar are not nearly as strong here as they are in the city,” Stardust said. “It seems as though much of Bristol’s surrounding area has been evacuated. There isn’t much for them to feed on.”

    Seungwan bit her lip, thinking of Solar and Moonbyul taking on Sirdar alone. It was impressive that they’d managed to take down eight of the abominations, but the state they returned in was concerning. Those victories had come at a price.

    “I would not have left them if I believed they were truly in danger,” Stardust said, perhaps reading the expression on Seungwan’s face. “Seulgi had her misgivings, but she eventually agreed with me.”

    Seungwan nodded slowly, eager to end the conversation. Each time Stardust mentioned her host, it triggered a cascading sequence of thoughts in Seungwan’s head, always leading back to guilt-saturated images of Joohyun and what she would think when she learned of this surreal mess.

    “Joohyun and Sooyoung should have arrived on Blackstar by now,” Seungwan said, taking the empty glass from Stardust and rolling it between her own palms. “I’m worried for them. I wish there was more we could do.”

    “We’re doing all we can,” Stardust said, boisterousness dialing down with her inflection. She spoke not as the peacocking icon everyone thought she was, but as a defender of a doomed planet. And more importantly, a friend. “Stymying the eternal night’s spread is vital to our cause.”

    “I can’t help but feel that we’re just holding off the inevitable,” Seungwan whispered, looking back to ensure that Moonbyul and Solar were gone.

    Stardust shook her head. Seungwan sensed no condescension in the movement, only the rote reflex of a woman who fully believed that she touted the truth.

    “With my current power, I stand no chance of defeating Eodum,” Stardust said, crossing her arms over her chest, “But I grow stronger by the day, do I not?”

    Seungwan grimaced. How could she put into words that it still didn’t matter? Stardust’s skills were masterful when it came to fighting soulless mortals and Sirdar, but Geulim Ja couldn’t be bested through brute force and expert swordsmanship. It was as if the strongest, most capable mortal tried to challenge the weakest, frailest Representation. The Representation would win, no contest.

    Stardust drew close, laid a hand on Seungwan’s shoulder.

    “I understand your doubt, Seungwan. Your whole life, Geulim Ja has been to you as the forces of nature are to mortals. Immutable, something that cannot be changed or stopped, merely an inevitability of the universe. I understand that he is powerful, but fate and destiny have their ways of working, ” she said, words imparted with such sureness that Seungwan came close to believing her. 

Stardust leaned into Seungwan so that their faces were less than inches away. Abruptly, the silver-haired woman gave a slight wince; Seulgi must have been trying to reign her in.

    “But for the sake of argument, in the highly unlikely event that I’m wrong…”

    Stardust shut her eyes, gave a small smile, and chuckled. It was a subtle gesture, yet it was bolstered by its implied assuredness. A gesture of a woman who defied odds, sneered in the face of death, spited gods.

    Seungwan felt her breath catch in . She tried to swallow it down, found she couldn’t.

    “Then I fight until every ounce of Vis is drained from me, until I can no longer stand, until the darkness swallows me. My body can die, but what I Represent will not. Because I’ll make Eodum understand one thing,” Stardust held up a finger, made it drift forward until it rested at the center of Seungwan’s lips. “That resistance is not futile. That though I may have failed, there will come a day when someone will rise up against him, and he will fall.”

    Stardust removed the finger, replaced it with her lips. It was their first kiss in awhile, warm with the heat of infinity. Seungwan accepted it, allowed herself to be taken by it despite her misgivings. It was too good. She wouldn’t be the one to end this heavenly sensation.

    Stardust drew back, strode around Seungwan, and retreated inside, leaving her to tangle with the ever-deepening mystery of Seulgi Stardust.

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Just a little glimpse at the "resistance" and what they're up to right now, along with some of Seungwan's (and Stardust's) thoughts on the situation. For the next chapter, we'll be checking up on Bogum and his family in California.

That will be up Friday at midnight UTC.

I also want to say thank to my first crowdfund supporter, Mmm2392! I'll be changing my personal upload schedule slightly so that my crowdfund supporters can get the stories early. Depending on when I finish the chapter (as well as editing), each one will be available anywhere from 2 days to 1 week in advance.

Thanks for reading, and remember to upvote and comment if you enjoy the story (: