When the apocalypse came, it wasn’t the slow, gradual descent into lawlessness that the philosophers and pundits predicted it would be. The world’s end came as a swift, abrupt event, a firestorm sweeping through grasslands, a sniper in the grave, an executioner hidden by the deceitful guise of dusk. By the time the United States government could even begin to react - to mobilize their armies, to evacuating civilians - Geulim Ja’s monstrosities had all but sealed their victory. Infrastructure collapsed as the wealthy elite retreated to their bunkers, leaving the people without leadership. Major coastal cities fell first as Eodum’s disease began to run its sinister course.

    Seulgi realized a very odd thing as she combed through the destruction wrought by another night of battle. Wearing Stardust’s face but existing as herself, she walked through the streets of Moonbyul and Solar’s neighborhood. What she expected to see was utter desolation, a portrait of vicious human nature that countless dystopian novels and TV shows depicted. Looting and banditry for dwindling supplies, senseless killing and as anarchy took hold, the worst qualities about her race brought to light by circumstantial pressure.

    And yet, that wasn’t the case. Of course there were the rogue outliers here and there - that had been true prior to the apocalypse - but the majority of what Seulgi saw was positive. People came together, small communities of freedom fighters that endured the nighttime battles, gathering resources and continuing on in the darkness. Children and women were afforded shelter. Communications, and even rudimentary trade routes, were established between different groups. In the absence of a main bureaucratic body, the people chose to govern themselves.

    And what of those strange stories Seulgi had heard? Of laser sword-wielding heroes in the west, gun-toting karate experts protecting civilians in the south? Of the magicians (some called them witches) that were defending the northwest? A specific story in California, one about a trio of women and a group of freedom fighters that seemed to be targeting the Sirdar in guerilla nighttime attacks, intrigued Seulgi the most.

    Geulim Ja was used to bending worlds to his whims, to crushing them beneath his hands with impunity. He was a Representation, eternal and omnipotent, but his method of conquering planets was flawed, perhaps the same method that he’d used for centuries. Overwhelming the population, blinding them with a sudden wave of mindless killers in an attempt to stymy any kind of resistance at the source. Stardust claimed that without the Representations, the Earth would have been overrun by now. But Seulgi wasn’t so sure of that. She and other Representations were so small in number that they could barely put a dent in the Sirdar’s forces, and Eodum seemed to generate more of the creatures with each passing day. Seulgi and her friends were essentially just holding out until Joohyun and Sooyoung returned. The people, however, weren’t waiting for saviors, for prophecies to fulfill, for heroes to come to their rescue. The people had to resist now.

    What it came down to, ultimately, was this: the Earth fought back.

***

    If the nights belonged to Stardust, then the days belonged to Seulgi.

More often than not, Seulgi spent her time in the costume of Stardust. The Representation protested this at first, but she allowed it with the stipulation that Seulgi avoid public speaking at all costs. This wasn’t a problem; Seulgi was well aware of her awkwardness, particularly when compared to Stardust’s silky affability. At least their competence with Vis was shared. Seulgi still needed to call upon Stardust’s knowledge at times, but these occasions were rare now. She spent her hours assisting the people in finding shelter and food, or facilitating the repair of essential functions, such as power and water purification plants. When Stardust was in control, Seulgi usually retreated to the back of their shared brain, taking on a kind of meditative unawareness that was similar to sleep. It required a very small amount of Vis for her to maintain that state, but it left her feeling fully refreshed when she emerged from it.

    When the day was beginning to wind down, after she’d helped her groups of survivors with re-fortifications and preparations, Seulgi spent an hour or two in the guest bedroom of Moonbyul’s home. She shared the room with Moonbyul and Solar, but the two Representations usually awoke and went out in the mid-afternoon. Seungwan was napping on the couch downstairs. Seulgi didn’t keep tabs on Tyler, Summer, and Evanie; the mysterious trio seemed to be exactly where they needed to be at the exact time they needed to be there.

    Presently, Seulgi played her guitar, pausing every several minutes to anxiously check her cell phone. Each day since leaving California, Seulgi had tried to contact her brother. He hadn’t responded since the second day. The few reporters and journalists that continued to record (with unstable internet connections and unreliable television networks, nonetheless) told of a similarly grim situation on the west coast, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. According to Seungwan, going to California through the Astral Plane would be too dangerous right now, as Eodum surely had minions waiting there for an ambush. The temptation to check up on her family was almost irresistible nonetheless. Surely, with her and Stardust’s power, they could fight off whatever waited for them out there…

    I don’t think it is a good idea, Stardust said, voice distant as she spoke from a remote section of Seulgi’s mind, And I know you agree. The presence that looms around the planet right now is difficult to discern, but I can feel its potency.

    Seulgi frowned as her fingers slipped, a single discordant note chiming through the room with irregular abruptness.

    Yeah, I know, Seulgi replied, thinking of the massive shadow that she noticed any time she touched the Astral Plane. It seemed to hang in her periphery, a black awareness that radiated a visceral, primal aggression. Do you think that that’s…

    Yes, I believe that it is likely Eodum himself, Stardust said, tone uncharacteristically grave.

    Seulgi shivered, took a drink of the bright yellow tea that Summer had prepared, then returned her attention to her music.

    I hope Joohyun and Sooyoung come back soon. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.

    Stardust didn’t respond; she’d gone back into that pseudo-sleep state.

    As if there wasn’t enough for Seulgi to be worried about, she had to think about the prospect of a confrontation with Eodum without Joohyun and Sooyoung present. They would be gone for another two week and a half weeks at least, and the Sirdar grew in ferocity and tenacity with each passing night.

    Deciding that she could no longer focus on music, Seulgi stood, finished her tea, and stretched. She thought about going out and helping the others, but she wouldn’t have much time to get anything done before sunset. Instead, she decided to get something to eat, and maybe read a bit; she needed to distract herself. Though, her life had already become similar enough to a book that the simple idea of reading a novel was exhausting.

    Downstairs, Seungwan lay on the couch, arms folded over her chest, sleeping soundly. The tightness of her white T-shirt advertised her braless state like a flashing billboard sign. Stardust perked up at the sight of her paramour, but Seulgi resisted the erted urges of her alter ego, fixed herself a tuna sandwich, and took to the front porch.

    To her surprise, she found Summer sitting there. The carefree, blue-eyed girl was standing with her arms crossed, staring up at a cloud-streaked sky with a grimace.

    Seulgi wasn’t really sure what to think of Summer. She never participated in the nightly battles. Mostly she just made tea and baked goods for Evanie. No one seemed to know what she did at night when the others were fighting the Sirdar.

    “What’s up?” Seulgi asked, biting into her sandwich.

    Summer jumped slightly as if just realizing she wasn’t alone. There was a flash of confusion in her eyes, a frigidity that melted as she recognized Seulgi.

    “I’m thinking about what’s going on here,” Summer said. “Can you sense something on the horizon?”

    “Eodum’s coming,” Seulgi said, “Guess he got impatient waiting for his Sirdar to take over.”

    So much for getting my mind off this stuff.

    “Or maybe something happened on Blackstar that made him want to hurry up,” Summer said quietly, sounding thoughtful. “A few hours back, me and Evanie felt a change somewhere in this universe, like a gathering of energy that sent shockwaves out. Do you know anything about that?”

    Seulgi shook her head. She and Stardust hadn’t felt anything, and as far as she knew, none of the other Representations had either.

    “If that was Sooyoung, then hopefully they get back soon,” Summer said, walking out onto the lawn. “I’m going to go find Tyler and Evanie and get them here. That anomalous energy aside, I think that Eodum is getting ready to push a final assault on the planet. We’ll need all hands on deck for that.”

    “Yeah…” Seulgi said, pausing before she could bite into her sandwich again. Then, quickly, “Uh, actually, before you go, can I ask you something?”

    “Ask away. I don’t promise an answer, though.” Summer said seriously.

    “Are you guys Representations? If so, why are you here? We appreciate the help but, of course, but we don’t really… well, we don’t know anything about you.”

    “We’re Representations, yes,” Summer said, scratching her head. She actually looked a little ashamed, wearing an awkward grin, a bit of a pink blush rising in her freckled cheeks. “And the reason we’re here is complicated. It would probably take a whole book to tell you that story. Maybe even a couple of books. In summary, we just came to find something for Evanie. Hope that’s enough of an answer for you… as for why we’re helping, well, we all have our different reasons.”

    A breeze blew in from the west, sending platinum blonde hair flying around Summer’s head. Sunbeams played on the surface of each individual strand, and they seemed to bleed into the air surrounding her, flowing like a sea of gold into a space just beyond the confines of Seulgi’s reality.

    Summer stood there in her T-shirt and jeans, a knowing smile on her lips. 

    “For me, it’s just because I can’t bear to see more lives taken by the Darkness.”

    With that, Summer vanished into the sunlight. The antithesis of a shadow, floating away into a vapor of yellow-flecked white, melding so perfectly that she was gone the moment Seulgi blinked.

    “Did she just ing turn into mist?” came Solar’s voice from behind, causing Seulgi to spin.

    The orange-haired Representation took a seat on the steps with the air of a woman who was utterly spent but was trying her best not to show it.

    “I guess so. She went to contact Evanie and Tyler,” Seulgi said, glancing upward as the sky darkened. A swollen purple rain cloud drifted over the sun. There was a charged feeling in the atmosphere, the type of preparatory static that came just before a thunderstorm.

    “So she thinks there’s something up, too?” Solar asked, sounding contemplative. “Me and Byul felt the same way.”

    “Summer seems to think that Eodum himself is going to be here soon,” Seulgi said. “Me and Stardust agree with her. If not him, then one of his really strong Sirdar.”

    Solar wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. “I really shouldn’t be surprised. Things seem to be getting worse by the day here.”

    “Well, hopefully, when Joohyun and Sooyoung come back, we can figure something out…” Seulgi said, “Stardust is confident that we can win.”

    “Stardust is delusional,” Solar snapped. Then, with an apologetic tone, “I don’t doubt her strength, but Geulim Ja…”

    “Is a force of nature, I get it,” Seulgi said. She was tired of hearing about how all-powerful Eodum was, how everything they were doing was just fighting off the inevitable. “Why does everyone believe that so strongly? Sure, he’s conquered lots of planets, but who's actually tried to stop him? Besides the people he enslaves.”

    Surprised by this boldness, this sureness that she conveyed with her words, Seulgi pressed into a hard line. In the past she would have been worried that she shared a similar outlook to Stardust, but now, it felt right. With that realization came a pulse of awareness from the space around her, like a breeze ghosting over her in another dimension. Stardust noticed the sensation but said nothing.

    Though Seulgi expected a derisive, sarcastic response, Solar merely looked resigned.

    “It’s easy to see things that way when you’re strong,” she said. “You, Sooyoung, and Joohyun’s sisters have the luxury of optimism.”

    “The stakes are just as high for me and Sooyoung as they are for you and Moonbyul,” Seulgi said. Didn’t Solar understand that the destruction of Earth would be an unthinkable disaster for them, regardless of whether they could escape it or not?

    “I’m not saying they aren’t. I’m just saying that you guys have the capacity to stand up to Eodum,” Solar said with depressed patience. “Sooyoung fought Geulim Ja’s strongest Sirdar one-on-one and made him run away. Stardust takes down Sirdar with so much flashiness that it looks like a show. Seungwan is as precise as a surgeon. But me and Byul…”

    Solar chuckled sadly and shook her head. As the conversation progressed, her haggard, defeated attitude seemed to be worsening.

“You guys have to take turns babysitting us, for Star’s sake. Just to make sure we don’t up and get ourselves killed.”

Seulgi felt her face grow warm. “I… I didn’t know it was that obvious.”

“Of course it is,” Solar said, rolling her eyes, “But you know what, I can’t fault you for it. It would be a damn shame if you guys went through all this trouble to save the Earth and then we ended up ing it all up because we got ourselves killed.”

Dumbstruck, Seulgi tried to find a way to comfort Solar, but found that she couldn’t. What could she say? False reassurance wouldn’t help; it would be as good as lying. Hesitantly, she began to reach out to Stardust, but then stopped. She couldn’t just rely on the Representation in every mildly uncomfortable situation.

Another of those weird pulses ran over her, stronger now. It was a foreign sensation, almost like Vis, but not quite. An altered version of the Astral power, tinged by something else. Like a pool of white with a few drops of silver in it.

“It’s not like you guys aren’t doing your part. Sure, you might need some help from us at times, but who doesn’t?” Seulgi gestured at the house. “The first time I met Seungwan, she tried to kill me. If Joohyun hadn’t shown up and saved my , that would’ve been it.”

Seulgi paused, expecting a scathing comment from Stardust, but the Representation merely continued to listen and observe.

“None of us can do this alone. Geulim Ja isn’t the unstoppable force you think he is. Powerful? Yeah. You don’t conquer thousands of planets by being a pushover. He’s definitely stronger than all of us individually.”

A third pulse, swayingly powerful this time.

“But with all of our powers, all of our forces combined… I think we can do it. We can beat him. We can make everything worth it. Nothing is set in stone. We aren’t just victims of Fate. We have to…”

The fourth pulse, striking her now, cool euphoria bathing her skin and bones and spirit.

“We have to have Hope.”

That pulse again. With it came a sense of synchrony, a constitutional togetherness that Seulgi hadn’t experienced before. As if she were viewing the world through two lenses. One from her own perspective, making sharp, poignant eye contact with Solar as the sun’s rays began to pour out from behind the dwindling cloud cover. The other was from within herself, in that intangible wedge of the Astral Plane composed of purple skies and twinkling stars. She felt the boisterous confidence of Stardust’s emotions - certainty, courage, tenacity - blending with her own, becoming balanced. Like an over-sharp blade being tempered to avoid brittleness. White on white, forged by flames of silver, honed into the perfect weapon.

Briefly, Seulgi’s consciousness exploded outward. Rushing through the Astral Plane, breaking the screen of darkness that surrounded her planet. Her awareness traveled of its own volition, magnetically pulled toward an unseen force. She passed a small - but disturbingly formidable - orb of black, and immediately recognized it as the Sirdar, Cade. He was on his way to the Earth! That meant, then…

A flare of gold came into view. Beside it were two blossoms of white, and one of a unique, peculiar mauve. The silver streak of Seulgi’s mind met with that bloom of gold, and the Astral Plane fell from around her.

Seulgi? Is that you?

Seulgi felt herself tighten up. The voice was unmistakably Sooyoung’s.

Yes! What happened? Are you guys alright?

I should be asking you the same thing, Sooyoung said, sounding exasperated. We have Yeri. We’re coming back now. We should be back soon.

Be careful when you get to the Earth. There’s something around the planet right now… something huge. We suspect it’s Eodum getting ready to attack. Seulgi said, momentarily regarding the roiling presence to her rear.

    I think we’ll be able to get through. Sooyoung said, But you need to be careful, too. Cade’s on his way back, and he’s ahead of us.

    I saw him. How come-

    A jagged line of obsidian cut between them, and Seulgi felt her consciousness crying out, flinching back like an injured animal. Momentarily, she was able to catch a glimpse of her attacker. It was the avatar of lunacy, insanity incarnate. Here was the essence of destruction, the evil at the core of all mortality, a lethal, infectious plague that annihilated all that it touched.

    Seulgi ran for her life.

The obsidian presence gave chase, and Seulgi fled with terrified purpose, hurtling back toward the Earth as evil nipped at her heels. Like a bullet of silver, she broke through the screen of shadows that surrounded her planet, crashed back into her body with such impetus that she gasped and staggered. Solar caught her before she could fall.

    “Whoa, are you alright? What was that?” Solar asked, sounding shocked as she helped Seulgi to right herself.

    Seulgi rubbed her head, then looked up. Across the sky, clouds of charcoal grey rushed in from all directions, eclipsing the sun entirely. Bolts of crimson lightning pulled the bodies of each cloud together, fusing them into a low-hanging cloak of malevolence.

    Cries of despair sounded out as people began to pour into the streets; Eodum’s minions, summoned by the vanquishing of the light, were free from the restraints of the day.

From within her, Stardust let out a low growl, drawing forward. Rather than taking control, however, she stood beside Seulgi within their mind. Seulgi wasn’t sure what had changed, but she had the strong feeling that her alter ego could no longer seize control at her own whim.

Mouth dry, words coming with breathless difficulty, Seulgi looked into Solar’s concerned eyes. Both Stardust and Seulgi spoke at once:

“Eodum’s here.”

*End of Act III*

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

At the time of writing this, I've already completed (and am in the process of) editing the next chapter, which is the first part of the battle of Earth. A couple things have changed; the Stardust/Seulgi and Sooyoung vs. Cade fight won't happen until the following chapter, and "Peek-a-boo" Yeri will be playing a slightly bigger role in this story that I initially thought. Nothing insane - she won't be a deus ex machina or anything - but there's a pretty big... event that happens with her later on that I'm very excited to show you guys.

Oh, and in relation to this chapter, I'm very excited for the resulting arc of Stardust/Seulgi, and my plans for its development/conclusion. Aside from Sooyoung, Stardust is probably my favorite character in this and I really want to give her an awesome climactic moment.

Thanks for reading, and remember to comment/upvote if you enjoyed the story!