Refresh (Stray Kids Hwang Hyunjin)

Thirty-one

"You're crazy," Amber stated as she glanced down at the book. "Absolutely insane."

"Please, Amber, please."

"That's a technique no one has managed to pull through in billions and billions of years, Jackson. Everything could go wrong."

"But at some point in time someone did it. There is a chance. Even if it is 0.0000000000000001%. A chance is a chance and we need to take it."

"Find something else."

"You think I haven't? I've checked all the books you have. It's the only thing risky enough to work. We need to do it."

"Going back in time isn't something to play with."

"Well good for me because I'm not playing with it. This is serious. Probably the most serious thing I've done in the 783 years I've lived."

She studied his features for a dozen of second before running her hand through her hair and heaving a sigh.

"Are you sure about this? Are you ready to lose everything you've ever owned if anything goes wrong?"

He nodded.

"I'm sure."

"Then let's do it."

***

They began on the mixture as soon as they collected all the ingredients the needed which believe it of not, was harder than you would think. It took a whole two weeks. They had to travel to each and every world because at least one ingredient was needed from each. Lucky enough for them the only ingredient needed from Wonderland just happened to be a poison ivy plant that Jinyoung had given Jackson for his birthday two years back. Jackson had planted it in his garden in Skilt.

"This is it," Amber mumbled. "We are actually doing this."

She hesitated as she stared at the water. Jackson understood why. The longer a pot of water is left brewing in a cauldron, the better the outcome of the potion is. Quick note: this isn't Earth so evaporation isn't a thing. Had been brewing for over five hundred years.

"The water is for an emergency," she stated. "Spirits are always out to kill me. I need to protect myself."

"This is an emergency," he replied. He needed to show her the video of Wonderland all over again before she actually dropped the first ingredient in. From then on it was like a spell had been cast on her. She didn't blink, hesitate or look up once. She just threw things in, recited a spell under her breath then repeated over and over again.

At first, Jackson was intrigued as he watched her quick movements but as the hours past, he grew less and less interested until finally he left the room and found something else to do instead.

Three days past until Amber left the room.

"So, how did it go?" He asked, looking up from a magazine about 'Reasons Why Humans Should Just Jump Off A Cliff'.

"It looks pretty good so far," she grinned as she grabbed something to eat and drink. "It's the right colour for the mixing stage but we'll see how it looks after the brewing stage."

"Brewing stage? How long is that?"

"Five days."

"Five days? I've already gone through three agonising days. I just want to set time back to a year ago then get out of this place. It creeps me out."

"My office?"

"No, Scolxer. I watched the news yesterday... Big mistake. Better than Earth though. At least Spirits aren't killing other Spirits."

"I have more magazines in my room, if you want."

"Please give me one. I've read this one nineteen times already. Yes, I counted."

So they spent five days waiting around for the potion while things only got worse in Wonderland. Hyunjin became blind while Jinyoung couldn't even move anymore. Jisung had caught a cold and now almost everyone had it too. Their immune systems were weak and the symptoms just seemed to get worse day by day. It really seemed like the end of the royal family and Jinyoung.

"Is it ready?" Jackson chirped as he skipped towards Amber and ran in circles around her like an excited child.

"Let's go check. It has to be a turquoise colour and we have to pour all of it." She looked around the room. "I think behind the couch would be the best place."

"Yeah, yeah. Can we go already?"

Amber chuckled at him but led him to the room anyway and to both of their delight, the potion was turquoise.

"Help me carry this out of here. The room is too small."

And so Jackson grabbed the other side of the cauldron and the carried it out into the main room.

"Well, this is it," he beamed at her.

"One last thing though, everyone who was hurt by the event will remember everything that happened in the past year. Everyone who died remembers they died. And of course, we remember too. This is also permanent. No spells or magic can make them forget."

"What about someone like Naymoor? Will he remember?"

"The event didn't hurt him. He won't."

"Alright then. Should be pour it down?"

"Yes."

The turquoise liquid splashed against the ground and went everywhere but as soon as the last drop spilt out of the cauldron, they got back together and formed a portal that neither of them had seen before.

"You ready?" Jackson asked as he held his hand out to her.

She only nodded as she grabbed his hand and they both walked into the portal together.