Kryptonite (Stray Kids Hwang Hyunjin)

Twenty-two

Hills of ash was all that was left. And that was all that was needed to remind them that they lost everything. Three days had past but nothing really changed since then, apart from their will to live which was now dangerously low.

Especially for Chan, whose wounds were beginning to get infected.

Everything seemed hopeless. And life seemed done for.

"So this is it," Hana sighed. "This is how it all ends. I always imagined my departure from the palace to be glamorous, you know. I expected to have the prince I had just married standing at the carriage, waiting for me to make my way down with my hair neatly tied up and a long Queen gown. I didn't expect it to be this way. I expected to be crying of happiness not regret. I wish we could go back in time and fix everything."

"I expected my departure from the palace to be very formal," Chan started. "I expected Knights and Princes all lined up down the patio, bowing as I passed. I imagined wearing a red cape and crown made of pure gold with rubies to decorate it."

"I expected my departure from the palace to be spectacular. A day no one will ever forget with the royal family interacting with commoners," a voice came from behind them. "I wish it happened. Then none of this would have taken place."

Turning around, they all noticed six people walking towards them. Four familiar, two not.

"The day was so close," Eunbyul finished off. "But yet so far away."

It wasn't long until they were engulfed in a 'royal family hug' with Alex and Jinyoung, watching awkwardly.

"Thank goodness you guys are okay. You wouldn't believe what happened,"  Hana said, pulling Eunbyul away to tell her.

"So, who are the two newbies behind you guys?" Woojin asked.

Hyunjin immediately turned.

"That over there is Jinyoung. He cursed me," he simply said, earning an eye roll from the witch.

"You cursed him?" Felix asked.

"Well, yes. But I had my reasons. He barged into my house and stole my pizza. What was I supposed to do?" The witch responded.

"I don't know. Maybe not curse me," Hyunjin retorted.

"You should have seen that coming."

"I didn't know anyone was home!"

"I didn't know you weren't trying to rob me!"

"I was a little boy! How threatening can I look?"

"I was a young witch anything that didn't look like a bunny was threatening to me."

Alex rolled her eyes upon hearing their argument before turning to the rest of the royal family that now looked interested in her.

"I'm Alex," she smiled politely with a bow. She was no longer a princess and had to be respectful now.

"I'm Woojin-" he started but she quickly cut him off.

"I know... I know all of you. For the past two months, I was kinda in Suzy's body and she was in Earth."

"Earth?" Chan repeated. "What's that?"

"It's a planet, like Wonderland, except not in this universe."

"That's cool... How did you get here?" Felix asked.

"I'm the mastermind behind that," Hyunjin butted in, confidently pointing at himself. "Give me any planet in any universe and I'll make a portal for it."

"That's so cool! I want to be able to do that," Yeji squealed.

"It takes many years of practice but once you do it, it's the easiest thing there ever was."

"I'm sorry but are we all going to pretend she didn't just say that she was in Suzy's body for a couple of months?" Changbin pointed out. "Anyone else creeped out by this?"

"Hyunjin just said he can make a portal to any planet in any universe, seems pretty normal after that," Chan shrugged.

"Wait, so you're telling me when Suzy supposedly had amnesia, was when you exchanged bodies?" Yeji caught on relatively quickly.

"Yep."

"That's makes so much sense!"

"I'm sorry for being rude to you back then," Jeongin apologised. "I-I didn't know."

"It's fine, I understand," Alex shot him a wide smile.

"And you guys all knew about this?" Jisung questioned. "Even Seungmin?"

"Well, obviously I knew about it," Hyunjin stated the obvious. "Eunbyul and Suzy knew because they had seen my plans, Jinyoung knew because he is a witch and gosh-knows how Seungmin found out but he did."

"I told him," Alex shrugged.

"And you didn't mention anything to any of us?" Felix pretended to be hurt.

"I thought you guys would figure out sooner or later..." She pouted playfully in response.

"It was pretty obvious now thinking about it," Woojin chuckled a bit.

"So, are you staying in Wonderland or are you leaving? If so, when do you plan to leave?" Jisung questioned.

"Actually," Alex glanced at Hyunjin momentarily. "I'll be leaving sometime today..."

"What? We just met you! You can't leave!" Yeji argued.

"I have no choice. I'm sorry. I really would have liked to know you guys while in my own body but I can't. Hyunjin did everything he could."

They all sighed at this before agreeing to kidnap her but before they could even place their hands on her, a gunshot was heard coming from the North.

Each one of them tensed up before slowly calming themselve down, thinking it was just something else.

But they were wrong and they soon found that out when a scream followed it.

Eunbyul's scream.