When the light faded, Ileana was no longer in that strange pink space, but standing in the alley. She lifted a gloved hand curiously - yep, she was still in that weird pink outfit. Was this really how a legendary warrior was supposed to dress? She looked like a girl from one of those anime that Maite liked to watch!

“Oh, so you figured out how to transform? Great! This might actually be fun, then!”

Ileana looked up to see Sorin staring at her. He still held his sword, but for some reason, Ileana’s heart wasn’t pounding nearly as fast. Perhaps it was a result of the transformation?

The other, older boy - Ileana still didn’t know his name - was nowhere to be seen.

Get down! Now!

Ileana ducked just in time, thanks to her grandmother’s warning. A beam of red light soared over her from behind, barely passing over the top of her head. It continued on past her, almost hitting Sorin, who dodged it by an inch. Ileana snapped her head around to see the older boy standing right behind her, hands outstretched, presumably having fired the beam.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sorin snapped, dusting off his clothes. “This is my fight, okay? Stay out of it!”

Good, they’re divided, Ileana’s bunica spoke in her mind as Sorin talked. You can use this as an opportunity to attack while they’re distracted. Just use Nebula to slash at one of them. And don’t worry about breaking it, Nebula is practically indestructible.

“This is as much my fight as y-”

The older boy was cut off as an arc of pink light slammed into his feet, knocking him to the ground. Ileana stared, awestruck, at Nebula. All she’d done was swing it a little!

Quick, before he gets up!

Ileana turned and sprang at the older boy, swinging Nebula in a wide arc. The boy rolled out of the way by barely half a foot, then quickly stood up. At the same time, Ileana could hear Sorin behind her, so she dodged to the left, just in time to see Sorin’s sword stab the air where she’d just been.

Ice ran down her veins. If she’d moved a second later, she would've been stabbed.

But there was no time to think about such things. Sorin came at her again, slashing at her with his sword, but Ileana countered him with a slash of her own, sending an arc of light to intercept his swing. The light collided with his sword, sending him staggering back, clutching his arm. Ileana moved to swing again, but strong arms grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms by her sides.

The older boy spoke up from behind her, still having her restrained. “Try stabbing her now.”

Ileana struggled in his grasp, trying to move the arm that held Nebula. The boy, however, was much too strong. He slid his hand down to her wrist, then twisted it until Ileana dropped Nebula, crying out in pain.

Sorin looked slightly miffed, but he seemed to shrug it off. “This works too, I guess.”

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Ileana could feel each and every beat of her heart. She could see Sorin raise his sword. She writhed in the other boy’s grasp, desperately trying to get away, but the arms holding her felt like steel.

Ileana realized that she really, really didn’t want to die here. But she didn’t have a choice, did she? She would die here, with no one to save her. Her mother would wake up at home and realize she was alone. She’d call the police, and they’d search the city until they found her bloody corpse in the alleyway. Would her mother cry? Definitely. She’d be all alone, without her daughter, without...without…

“Bunica! Bunica, help me!”

Ileana’s scream rang out into the air. In the apartment buildings by her, a few windows lit up. Sorin glanced at them and swore under his breath.

“Ileana?” The other boy’s grip on Ileana loosened a bit as he spoke her name. Ileana took this as an opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp and grab Nebula from where it had fallen to the ground.

Then, being only so brave, she ran.

Ileana dashed back down the alleyway and into the street, crossing it right before a car rushed by. Turning left, she ran on the sidewalk. She had no idea where she was going, but she had to get away. One near-death experience was enough for tonight. Right, left, left again, then right…the directions she turned in blurred as she ran aimlessly.

As she ran, her bunica spoke to her. Okay, running might be the best idea right now. Two on one is too much for you at your current power. Maybe if we can get them to split up somehow… Or perhaps just hope they leave to report what they found…

Ileana had never been the best runner. She’d never been interested in anything athletic, and so she never developed the slightest bit of stamina. But now, everything was different. She’d been running for several minutes, but she still showed no signs of tiring. In fact, she felt fresh and ready to run for miles. Was this what it felt like to be Stardust?

For that matter, how come that boy - the blonde one, you know - how’d he know your name? He said it after you called out to me. Maybe he was saying my name? I guess it’s tricky to have a granddaughter named after me…

Yes, why had he said her name? She’d never seen a boy like that before - although if she had, she probably wouldn’t have remembered. So maybe she had seen him. Still, it wasn’t like she’d have talked to him - he had to be at least four or five years older than her.

For that matter, Ileana’s grandmother continued, how was he able to use magic? I could sense Nightmare Energy coming from him, but other than that I couldn’t sense any magic at all. That could mean that he’s human, but why would a human work with Terminus in the first place? Void wants to make the world into one giant nightmare - for humans, at least. And he will, if he attains physical form and there’s no one around to stop him.

Okay, this Void person (well, probably not a person) didn’t seem like someone Ileana wanted to meet. But she didn’t dwell on that matter long - she had other questions. “Okay, but what is Nightmare Energy, exactly? And how am I supposed to fight those guys?”

Hmm...it seems like you’ve lost them. Let’s stop for now, and I’ll explain.

Ileana came to a stop in a small park dotted with trees. She leaned against a tall, thick maple, making sure to stay away from the streetlights. Her panic began to diminish as she heard no one coming after her - she truly had lost them, at least for now. Ileana began to become a bit more aware of her surroundings now that she wasn’t running for her life. It was cold out, she realized, and her costume didn’t exactly help. Checking Nebula, she noticed that the clear gem in the middle of the circle wasn’t entirely clear anymore; a strip near the bottom was filled in with pink.

Do you see that? The more magic you use, the more that gem fills up with pink. When the gem is completely full, you can unleash a powerful attack called Starlight Purification - and yes, you activate the attack by yelling its name. The attack destroys Nightmare Energy, but it won’t affect anything else, so be careful.

“I understand. But exactly what is Nightmare Energy?”

Do you remember how that boy pulled something that looked like smoke from the apartment window? The person inside that apartment was having a nightmare, and so the boy used his magic - wherever he got it from - to pull it from his mind and make it into energy. In this case, he sent the energy away to wherever Terminus is hiding nowadays. If Terminus gathers enough Nightmare Energy, they’ll be able to give Void a physical body again. I’m sure that they’ve been gathering Nightmare Energy for that purpose since the day I died.

Ileana frowned. “So I have to stop them from gathering Nightmare Energy?”

Unfortunately, that’s impossible. Those members of Terminus, they’re not stupid. Now that they know you’re in Seattle, they’ll simply gather Nightmare Energy from other places around the world. Nebula can detect them, true, but only from a certain distance. They’ll be so far away, most likely out of the country, that it will be impossible to tell where they are.

“Then why did I transform if I can’t do anything?”

Stardust’s purpose is to fight off Void when he gains physical form. Of course, the members of Terminus know about this, so they’ll be trying to kill you before that can happen. That’s why Sorin attacked you. Now, let me tell you about another use of…

Her voice trailed off, and it didn’t take Ileana long to figure out why. She could hear the sound of footsteps in the grass.

“Stardust, oh Stardust, where are you?” Sorin’s singsong voice rang out.

Ileana took a chance and poked her head out from behind the tree. It was dark out, but she could still see Sorin, who was standing about ten feet away, facing the opposite direction. He seemed to be holding something - what was it?

At least he’s alone this time. He and the other boy must have split up to look for you. As long as he’s facing that way, we can hit him from behind. Ready?

No, Ileana wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to fight again, not when it had gone so badly last time. Not when she could be slashed or stabbed at any moment. Put simply, she was scared.

But there wasn’t any choice, was there?

Ileana grimaced, then swung Nebula at Sorin’s back.

The blow hit him hard, and he fell to the ground, landing flat on his stomach. The thing in his hands rolled out of his grasp, and now Ileana could see what it was - a ball of Nightmare Energy. Had he just been carrying it around this whole time? Why hadn’t he sent it away?

Hurry, hit him while he’s down!

It didn’t seem fair to strike an enemy while he was still recovering from the last blow, but then again, he’d attacked her before she’d even transformed, so that wasn’t fair either. Ileana sent two slashes at Sorin, only for him to roll onto his side, summon his sword again, and cut through the two arcs of light, causing them to dissipate before they could reach him.

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As Sorin moved to stand up, Ileana slashed at his legs, but he jumped over the arc, jumping a little higher than Ileana thought possible, then landed clean on his feet.

“Y-you’re good at this, aren’t you?” Ileana stammered, one hand holding out Nebula, the other clinging to the maple tree, as if it would protect her from her impending doom.

“Well, yeah,” Sorin replied, puffing out his chest like a smug little pigeon. “My father’s been teaching me to fight since I first hatched!”

“You...hatched? Like, from an egg?” Ileana cocked her head in confusion.

“Yes, that’s generally what hatching means.” Seeing that Ileana was still confused, he added, “Look, this bipedal, one-headed, warm-blooded body is just something I use to get around better in human settlements. It’s not my true form. Nobody in Terminus is human, except - oh, there he is now!”

Just as Sorin said, the blonde boy from before was walking into the park. When he saw Sorin, his eyes narrowed.

“Looks like you found her. Once you’ve finished spilling all of Terminus’s secrets, we can -”

“I was not!” Sorin interrupted.

“Oh, I see. Just a little conversation, then.”

Ileana considered attacking while the two boys were busy arguing, but given what had happened the last time she’d tried to take them both on at once...yeah, she wasn’t trying that again.

The blonde boy barely spared her a glance before turning back to sorin. “Let’s go back.”

Sorin looked at him like he’d just sprouted a third ear. “What? But we nearly have her!”

“Do we? We still don’t know what she’s capable of. Besides, there’s something I want to investigate on my own tomorrow.”

“She literally just transformed for the first time!” Sorin snapped. “She’s capable of nothing.”

“At least let me confirm if she’s who I think she is, and if that means anything. Then you can chop her to pieces for all I care. Okay?”

Sorin sighed, crossing his arms. “Fine. But at least let me give her a parting gift.” Scooping up the ball of Nightmare Energy from the ground, he began to twist it in his hands, molding it into a different shape. “Nightmare, take form!”

He threw the Nightmare Energy towards Ileana, who instinctively ducked, letting it pass over her head. She turned to where it had landed, only to see it swell up, growing to the size of a car.

A loud cracking sound came from behind, and Ileana turned again, to see...nothing. Sorin and the other boy were gone.

They teleported away - yes, they can do that, Ileana’s bunica explained. But that’s a good thing, actually. They won’t be around to interfere with your first monster battle.

“My first what?”

Turn around.

Ileana did as she was told, turning back to where the Nightmare Energy had landed. It had changed a little since she’d last seen it; it appeared to have taken on the shape of some sort of animal, with legs, a thick body, and horns. With one last shudder, the Nightmare Energy solidified, turning an inky black color.

Standing before Ileana was a solid black bull, larger than any she’d ever seen.

This is what I was going to tell you about. Nightmare Energy can also be used to create monsters, depending on what the nightmare was about. Looks like somebody’s afraid of bulls.

Who isn’t? Ileana wanted to snap back, but only a whimper left her throat.

The bull’s eyes snapped open. They were a glowing white color, different from the rest of its body, and they narrowed when they caught sight of Ileana.

Ileana wasn’t exactly an expert on animals, but when the boar lowered its head, spread its legs, and began pawing at the ground, she knew she was in trouble. Best to get in a hit before it charged, right? That was her reasoning as she sent an arc of light right between its eyes.

Good move! Keep it up!

The bull staggered backwards, letting out a low cry. Ileana stayed on the offensive, sending slash after slash the bull’s way. After a few more hits, the bull let out a growl, tossing its head.

Look - the gem is full!

Ileana glanced down at Nebula. Just as her grandmother had said, the gem was now completely pink, and it glowed slightly amidst the darkness. Great! If she could use Starlight Purification and dispel the Nightmare Energy, she’d be able to finish the battle quick.

Of course, the bull had other ideas. Seeing Ileana’s moment of distraction, it shrugged off the pain and charged.

Ileana, look out!

Ileana looked up, to see the bull charging straight at her. Swearing loudly, she began to run. Even as Stardust, she couldn’t outspeed a charging bull, but she seemed to be keeping pace with it. She ran in long circles around the park, the bull’s steps thundering behind her. They grew louder - the bull ws catching up, slowly but surely.

Don’t just run in front of it!

Right. Just as it seemed that the bull was about to catch up, Ileana dashed to the side, while the bull continued to run forward. It skidded to a halt, looking around in search of its enemy.

Ileana stood behind an old, thick tree at the other side of the park, trembling. Good God, how many times would she cheat death tonight? How many times would she succeed before her luck ran out?

Okay, I have an idea. Get in front of that tree, where the bull can see you.

Where it could see her? Had her bunica gone crazy?

Then again, she’d only survived all this time by listening to her grandmother, hadn’t she? So maybe it was worth a shot. After a few deep breaths to steady herself, Ileana nodded, then crept in front of the tree. She shivered as the bull locked eyes with her, letting out a deep snort.

Okay, when I tell you to jump, jump!

“Wait, you want me to jump over it? That’s your plan?” That sounded like something that would only work in an action movie! How on earth was she supposed to jump over a charging bull? And a giant bull, at that. That thing had to be at least five feet tall!

But it was too late. The plan was already in motion; the bull was already charging.

It grew closer and closer. Ileana willed herself not to run away, but she couldn’t stop herself from shaking in place. Would she even be able to jump when her legs were wobbling like this? Did it even matter if she could?

The bull was almost on her when she heard her grandmother’s command: Jump!

Ileana jumped.

Much to her surprise, she found herself at least ten feet up in the air, up among the branches of the tree. Holy crap, since when could I jump this high? She landed on a particularly thick branch, just in time for her to hear a thud that shook the tree as the bull slammed into it headfirst. Looking down, Ileana saw the bull stagger, then fall onto its side.

Now!

Ileana aimed Nebula at the bull, then let out her loudest shout.

“Starlight Purification!”

A beam of brilliant pink light burst out of the gem, slamming right into the bull. The bull let out one final cry before it turned back into a cloud of smoky Nightmare Energy. But the purification wasn’t done yet - the smoky cloud gradually turned from black to pink, then rose into the night sky until it could no longer be seen.

“Wow.”

That was all Ileana could say. Had she seriously just defeated a monster? She, Ileana Grace, who couldn’t even do a single pull-up in PE? This was the kind of thing she’d only ever read about in books, and now she was living it.

Don’t get cocky. You were lucky those boys left when they did. Now, hop down out of that tree, and let’s go home. I think you’re out of danger for tonight.

Ileana looked down from her perch up in the branches - it was a long way down.

Don’t worry, you’ll get down fine. You’re Stardust.

Just as her grandmother had predicted, jumping down from the tree and landing on her feet was easy and painless. Benefits of a superpowered form, Ileana supposed. Now, it was time to head home. Though it would be odd to keep wearing that costume. Was there any way to switch back into her normal clothes?

The moment the thought entered her mind, she found herself back in her pajamas, shivering in the cold night air. Her legs were sore, as if all the running had finally caught up to her. And home was a long way away...maybe she should’ve stayed in her Stardust costume longer. Oh well. At least she vaguely recognized this park; she could find her way home.

She’d barely been walking for five minutes when her bunica spoke again.

Ileana.

Was it just her, or was her grandmother’s voice a little fainter?

It’s almost time. I have to go.

Oh.

My spirit can’t stay here much longer. Just a minute more, and I’ll be gone for good.

Gone for good. The realization hit Ileana like a brick. Soon her grandmother would be gone again. Dead, completely this time. And Ileana? She’d be fighting all alone, with no one to guide her. She’d barely survived tonight. How long would she even last?

“Bunica…” Ileana whispered. It was all she could do.

It’s okay. I’m sure you’ll do wonderfully.

But she couldn’t. All that she’d accomplished tonight was due to her grandmother’s guidance. What could she do on her own? Sorin was right - she wasn’t capable of anything.

“I - but - I-”

God, why couldn’t she speak? There were so many things she wanted to ask, wanted to tell her bunica before she left, but she couldn’t get out a single one.

Remember, I love you. Everyone loves you, little star. You’re already a better person than I ever was.

“But I’m not! I’m scared, and I still don’t really know what’s going on, and -”

Don’t worry so much. Love yourself, and love those you care about. That’s all you can do. That’s all you need to do.

Her grandmother’s voice was even fainter, barely a whisper.

Ileana opened her mouth to say something - to say goodbye, perhaps, or to beg her grandmother not to go - but no words came out.

Goodbye, little star.

After those words, there was only silence.

“Bunica?”

There was no reply.

Her grandmother was gone. Forever, this time.

Ileana was alone.

She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. Just like at the funeral, she could only feel a sort of emptiness, like there was a place in her body where her grandmother had been, and it had been cut out of her. What was she supposed to do now?

She already knew the answer.

She would fight. She would fight alone, she would be scared, but she would be strong. She would move forward, for her bunica’s sake. For everyone’s sake. It wasn’t like she had a choice, anyway. The alternative was death, and Ileana was still sure that she didn’t want to die. So she would live, defeat Void, and save the world. Then she would be a normal girl again - well, as normal as she could be, given what had happened.

Ileana took a deep breath in, then let it out. It was time to go home.