visiting burbank just a week after defeating gwi-ma was certainly a change of pace. the whole ordeal had left the girls shaken up, so zoey convinced them to come visit her family with her during their well-deserved three-month hiatus.

the plane ride there was long and uneventful, mostly spent on their phones, snacking, or zoey wanting an opinion from mira on a line for a song. when they finally landed, while zoey and mira were talking to the younger girl's parents, rumi decided to take a walk on the beach.

gods was she glad she didn't have to hide her patterns anymore, with the sun beating down on her even if it was sunset, she was sure anything more than a crop-top would be torture.

rumi took a deep breath, the salty air and endless blue such a change of scenery from seoul's high-rises and neons.

just as rumi was about to start walking back, she heard something - something haunting, mournful, but oh so magnetic. rumi looked out across te sea and saw something peaking out from behind a rock. she drew her sword from the honmoon, but couldn't stop herself from walking closer. were you a demon? just a regular person?

the sound floated across the waves again, tragic and low. rumi couldn't stop herself from calling out.

"hello?"