[Scene: Dawn's Apartment, Late Night]
Dawn sits on the windowsill, staring up at the sky, skeptical.
DAWN (thinking):
Stars missing?
Sounds like Rain's losing it… again.
She recalls Rain ranting about the stars being gone, but always brushed it off as crazy talk.
A sudden shimmer near the window — The Moon Person appears in a soft glow, unsettling but calm.
MOON PERSON (cheesy modern slang):
Yo, Dawn. You gotta know—Rain's got the juice now.
DAWN (startled):
What the hell? Who are you?
MOON PERSON:
Name's Moon Person. Here to spill some cosmic tea.
They float casually, trying to sound chill but oddly out of place.
DAWN:
Why are you here? And why should I believe any of this?
MOON PERSON:
Look, kid, there's trails coming — big ones. This power Rain's rocking? Could be a gift… or a curse.
They wink awkwardly.
DAWN (suspicious):
Trails? What kind of trails?
MOON PERSON:
Trouble. Big universe-level shit. You wanna help him? Start paying attention.
The Moon Person vanishes as quickly as they came, leaving Dawn confused, scared, and skeptical.
Dawn sits silently in her apartment, trying to process what just happened.
DAWN (thinking):
A cosmic watcher showing up like a bad sitcom guest…
What if Rain's right? What if the stars really are gone?
She walks to the window, scanning the night sky for something she can't see.
Meanwhile, Rain is inside, distant, battling his inner turmoil.
DAWN (to herself):
I gotta keep an eye on him… but damn, this is way over my head.
[Scene: Dawn's Apartment – Early Morning]
Dawn walks in, exhausted and tense.
Rain is pacing, muttering to himself. Luna the cat lounges on the couch, eyes half-closed but alert.
DAWN:
You look like you're about to lose it.
RAIN:
I'm not crazy. She talks. Luna talks.
DAWN (rolling her eyes):
Right. You're talking to a cat. That's the new crazy?
Luna meows loudly.
RAIN (listening):
She said, "I see why Dawn thinks you're crazy."
DAWN (snapping):
Wait. What?
RAIN:
She said it. Just now.
Dawn looks at Luna, confused.
DAWN:
That's what I said last night… to her.
RAIN:
Exactly. I can understand her now — because of the stars.
Dawn stares at Rain, uncertain if she should laugh, cry, or run.
[Scene: Living Room – Tension Builds]
DAWN:
You're yelling at a cat like she's your therapist.
RAIN:
She talks. I swear.
Luna meows.
DAWN:
She just meowed, Rain.
RAIN (tilting head):
"No. She said, 'You explain shit like a SoundCloud rapper off a bean.'"
Dawn's eyes widen in shock.
DAWN:
I said that. To her. After you passed out with ramen in your lap.
RAIN:
She heard you. She remembers. And now I can hear her.
DAWN (shaken):
No way. I never told you that.
RAIN:
You didn't have to.
Luna blinks lazily, unfazed.
DAWN (whispering):
What the hell is going on with you, Rain?
RAIN (serious):
The stars changed everything.
[Scene: Dawn's Bedroom – Night]
Dawn sits on her bed, restless. The moonlight casts soft shadows across the room.
Her thoughts swirl from her last encounters with the Moon Person and Rain's strange new reality.
DAWN (whispers to herself):
What if this isn't just stress or weird dreams? What if… it's real?
Suddenly, a faint glow appears near the window. The Moon Person materializes quietly, their presence calm but commanding.
MOON PERSON:
Dawn… you don't have to understand it all right now.
DAWN (uneasy):
Why me? Why now?
MOON PERSON:
Because the stars have already chosen you—not to fight, but to watch and hold space.
The walls around Dawn seem to dissolve, replaced by vast cosmic starfields swirling gently.
She feels weightless and suspended between awe and disbelief.
MOON PERSON (softly):
This is your invitation—to see the unseen and prepare for what's coming.
Dawn takes a deep breath, her mind opening to possibilities beyond logic.
DAWN (quietly):
So I'm… not crazy?
MOON PERSON (smiling):
You're becoming aware. That's the first step.
The vision fades. Dawn is back in her bedroom, heart pounding but clearer than before.
DAWN (to herself):
I don't know what's next. But I can't ignore this anymore.
She exhales, gathering herself.
[Sound: soft scratching at the bedroom door]
Dawn turns and sees Luna, pawing gently at the door.
DAWN:
Alright, alright—come on in for your nap.
Dawn opens the door and Luna pads inside, curling up on the bed.
Dawn doesn't notice as Luna looks directly at her, and softly—
LUNA (quiet, barely audible):
You're not ready… but you will be.
Dawn blinks, confused, but Luna is already settling in and purring.
After a few seconds, Dawn shakes her head.
DAWN (to herself):
Did that cat just… talk?
The room falls silent, the cosmic weight still lingering in the air.
Chapter 15 — "Swing First, Ask Later"
[Scene: Apartment Rooftop – Nighttime]
A cool breeze sweeps through the city, rustling clotheslines and flickering neon lights in the distance. The rooftop is lit only by the moon and the ember glow of a half-burnt blunt passed between RAIN and DAWN. They sit on an old couch dragged up there months ago, surrounded by empty cans, takeout boxes, and the faint buzz of street noise below.
RAIN (passing the blunt):
"You ever get the feeling like the universe is laughing at you?"
DAWN (takes a pull, exhales):
"Every time rent's due."
RAIN:
"Nah, like… ever since that moon dude popped up to you, I've been seeing shit. Feeling shit. Like I'm a fucking radio picking up dead stations."
DAWN:
"Wait—you mean the guy in the robe? That wasn't a hallucination?"
RAIN:
"You saw him too?"
DAWN:
"He showed up in our damn hallway like a Jehovah's Witness with a celestial message. Talked in riddles. Said shit about trials, powers being curses, all that cryptic fortune cookie shit."
RAIN:
"See! I knew I wasn't bugging. Dude told me I had 'the juice' like it was a fucking 90s movie."
DAWN:
"You mean Juice? With Tupac?"
RAIN:
"That's what I said!"
DAWN:
"Then yeah… that was the same freak that showed up to me."
RAIN:
"So what'd he tell you?"
DAWN:
"Said things are about to get wild. That our lives are gonna flip inside out. Didn't even let me hit him with a question before he disappeared. Left me standing there like an idiot."
RAIN:
"Man… I didn't ask for this bullshit."
DAWN:
"Well, you kinda did. You always wanted to protect everything like you were some anime protagonist. Can't even keep a goldfish alive, but sure—save the world."
[Suddenly — a strange breeze kicks up. The blunt flickers violently.]
VOICE (off-screen, calm):
"Interesting. You two really do talk like sitcom side characters."
[Instant reaction — RAIN and DAWN spring to their feet. RAIN draws his blade from inside his jacket. DAWN pulls a taser.]
RAIN:
"WHO THE FUCK—"
DAWN:
"You got three seconds to explain or catch this voltage!"
[From the shadows, a figure steps forward — calm, hands in his sleeves, robes loose and casual, hair slightly messy, smile relaxed.]
???:
"Damn. This is the thanks I get for showing up mid-bonding sesh?"
RAIN lunges. DAWN tosses the taser. The figure dodges lazily.
???: (while dodging, casually):
"Stars converge, the vessel awakens, midnight bleeds into dawn…"
RAIN:
"Stop speaking in damn riddles!"
???:
"Okay okay—shit. You've got the juice, RAIN."
[RAIN freezes. Blade mid-swing. Eyes wide.]
RAIN:
"…Wait. You?"
DAWN:
"Juice? Like the movie Juice?"
???: (smiling wider):
"The one and only. That was me. Though I gotta say, you two are jumpy."
RAIN:
"You didn't look like this before."
???:
"Moonlight makes me prettier. My full name is Xilak'torrion-the-Third, Son of Silence, Bearer of the Forgotten Halo of Cruxi'el. But that's a mouthful."
DAWN:
"…The fuck?"
???:
"Just call me Kai."
DAWN:
"You got a last name or just dramatic flair?"
KAI:
"'Kai' will do. The rest would make your tongue implode."
KAI (sitting on the couch like he owns it):
"I've been watching both of you for years. Along with the stars. Curious little bond you've formed. You two? You're anomalies. You survived things that should've broken you. And now? Things are going to get real messed up, real fast."
RAIN:
"I didn't ask for this bullshit."
DAWN:
"Well, you kinda did. You always talk about wanting to protect everyone, but can barely protect your own dumb ass."
KAI:
"She's got a point."
RAIN:
"Can you just get to the part where I'm not constantly confused?"
KAI:
"The stars picked you for a reason. Trials are coming. Not just for you, but for everyone around you. This isn't just a power-up arc. It's the prelude to the end of something… and the birth of something worse."
DAWN:
"…Can you go back to the part where you said 'watching us for years'? That's creepy."
KAI:
"Creepy? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely."
[The wind picks up again. The stars overhead shimmer, as if they're listening.]
KAI:
"Get some rest. Your next chapter's about to be written in blood, regret, and maybe a little weed smoke."
[KAI vanishes — literally gone in a blink. Only the ember of the blunt remains, burning slow.]
RAIN:
"…We're so fucked."
DAWN:
"Yup. But at least we're fucked together."