Refresh (Stray Kids Hwang Hyunjin)

Twenty-nine

Things changed though. It just took a couple more months of waiting but finally a video was sent from inside Wonderland to all the universes. What Jackson had watched that day was horrifying. The grass around had turned from yellow to grey, a sickly, gloomy, ugly grey. In fact, everything turned grey. The sky, the trees, the water, the palace, the clothes, the skins, everything. But that wasn't what made him vomit later on. He watched one of those occasions where Hyunjin and Jinyoung were stoned. And how the King Naymoor ruled the land. He saw how he embarrassed the royal family. Jackson watched and watched until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Scary, right?" Amber shivered. He had met her the other month. She was a witch too and she was from Scolxer, a world in one of the further universes.

"Disgusting, I would say," Jackson said as he wiped the vomit around his mouth.

"Wonderland used to be the happiest land after Skilt. Now it's like a juvenile... Like Earth... Worse, if you ask me."

"I know them," he finally revealed as he tried to fight off tears. "The ones being stoned. I know them."

"You do?"

"Jinyoung and Hyunjin. Jinyoung was my best friend. We knew each other since we were two hundred years old. And Hyunjin... He was next in line for the throne. That was before Naymoor returned."

"That's crazy! But cool at the same time."

"Where did you even get that clip from?"

"It was sent to every universe."

"I didn't see it here."

"Did you not just watch it? Of course the Skilt leaders wouldn't allow it in."

"We need to do something. We need to help them..."

"Are you kidding me? The King is a spirit! All we are are witches. He isn't a human, he could kill us."

"Those are my friends over there suffering, Amber. I can't just watch them then turn a blind eye. I have to do something."

"If you go alone. They'll find you and lock you up. Universe keepers are the last people you want to mess with."

"Who said I was going alone?" He smirked at her.

"Um, no. Should I show you the clip again. A whole five minute video has all the reasons Wonderland is the last place I want to be at."

"Oh come on, Amber! Do this for me, for them."

"Don't you think there's a reason I left Scolxer, you doof? It's full of spirits," she shivered. "If I see another spirit, I'll kill myself. You hear me, kill myself."

"But you're my only hope right now..."

"Find some other witch."

"I don't want 'some other witch'. I want you."

"Why?"

"Because you're one of the most skilled witches I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Not everyone can build a working portal from Scolxer to Skilt. That's over five hundred billion light years away! I can only get to four billion light years, and that's impressive enough."

"Flattered but you don't need a portal that long. You just need to get to Wonderland. A simple witch could do that in his or her sleep."

"The portal realms are closed. I bet you can break them open. And if you can build a portal that long, you can do a lot more than many witches."

"I could open the realms if I wanted to but the question is: do I? We're taking a gamble here, Jackie. Are you sure you want to risk it all?"

"Yes. I have some unfinished work with Jinyoung... I guess we will need your help too."

"I only work on cash, I hope you know that."

"What about delight? Or joy?"

"Those are overrated. I came to Skilt to feel both of them. Ended up feeling like an Annabelle doll walking amongst Barbie dolls."

"That's only because you want more for your life. I've been feeling that way for the past year. The life any witch could live is traveling the worlds and helping people. I've done that for the past however many years and it was only until I sat down that I started feeling all depressed."

Amber studied his face for a moment before sighing.

"What do you mean by unfinished work? And how can I help?"