ʟɪꜰᴇꜱᴘᴀɴ: 1.3k

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ(ꜱ): odd

ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ: y/n, skz

ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ: none

ʟɪꜰᴇ: friend

ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ: oddinary - maniac

It's been three weeks ever since it came about. Three weeks of turmoil, uncertainty, and madness. No one could elucidate it, not the police, not the doctor, not even the smartest scientist. It was only a regular day with brewing coffee and busy civilians. It was like a bolt out off clear sky, an upside-down city began to form in the sky, unexplainably not covering sunlight. However, any aircraft sent upwards would vanish and never returns. People argue it's hell that God brought upon us and we'll ultimately go there, while some have asserted that it is a glitch in the universe.

And for y/n, she speculates it was another earth, a parallel universe. She yearned to go there and explore but was discouraged to hear that no one could surpass the barrier, where all aircraft and birds disappear. Y/n had invariably wondered if there are living beings like herself, out of our reach and somewhere in the infinite universe. They might be aliens to us, just like how we are to them.

Things wouldn't have exacerbated with its arrival, since humans did get efficient sun and water. But the constant activities arising in their town were something that fascinated y/n more. Every night, the town would shift and jumble, the roads would be upside down and people will lose much stuff that end up in several places. Some civilians have confessed to seeing a group of boys was doing this, arguing that they were from the upper world.

Y/n cheerfully made her way towards the diner, the very place her other eight friends hung out. While four of them worked there, the others were spread out with their jobs. Y/n had been friends with them ever since she could remember, but whenever someone asks 'since when?' she seems to stammer. She doesn't recollect when or how, and when she questions her friends about this, she only remembers asking them and not getting a reply.

"Here comes the science freak" Jeongin's voice calls out and she rolls her eyes at that. Everyone except Minho was seated and stood around a table, on which a birdcage was placed with a yellow bird inside it, chirping loudly. Minho was done hanging up a picture and climbs down from the seat he used to leverage himself. "Call me what you want, but first, let me show you what I found!" Y/n was no idiot, she noticed the tense glances each of them gave and she couldn't help but take note of it. Choosing to ignore it, for now, y/n sat opposite to the blue-haired male; the oldest of the group. Y/n proceeded to open her laptop. The eight boys soon huddled around her and watched.

File after file, the girl finally opened a folder with a blurry picture. "Look" She pointed her cursor on various shades of colors and each had a silhouette of a person. "Red, blue, purple and blonde, then three blacks and one green highlights" Y/n stated, not taking her eyes off the screen and silently declaring her accusation. The eight surrounding her tensed up again, knowing well that the girl had effortlessly revealed their secret. Y/n quickly raised her hand and held the wrist of a person, inches away from touching her head. It was Seungmin.

"I knew I wasn't forgetting things, you were making me" The girl smirked, but yet held joy in her findings. "Y/n we're sorry. But-"

"I'm not looking for an apology, what I want is an explanation, about who you are and what the upside-down city is" Though they were not supposed to be happy about their blown cover, something's in them confided it was alright as y/n had simply forgiven them, atleast they hopes she did.

After a session questions and answers, y/n was silently perched on a chair, next to Jeongin. "So... You guys are from the parallel world and you send the real eight persons up there?" Y/n recited, attaining a few nods. "And you came here to find a stone, to protect your world from intruders and it is situated on earth? Wait- then why is our place getting all messed like inception?"

Bang Chan scratches his neck, looking away from the curious girl. "When we travel away from our world, the locations we visit tend to alter, particularly when we utilize our capabilities to find the stone" Y/n bobbed her head, glancing back at her open laptop. "How are you gonna find it?" Her question was inquired with enthusiasm, rather than the apprehension they anticipated. BangChan stuttered for an answer and Seungmin took the initiative to respond. "The ruler of our world gave us a compass, that leads to our true destiny, and it leads us to... to you"

Y/n has never been stunned and confused simultaneously before. Her mouth opened to say something, anything, but she was incapable to do so. "Wait- things just got more confusing. I don't have any 'stone' with me, let alone anything special. All I have is this stupid laptop and my dumb research"

Changbin spoke up next, getting up from his seat next to the window and moving to stand next to Hyunjin. "The compass does not lead us directly, it shows us a way, the only way we can find our goal, the stone" Y/n groaned, messing up her tidy hair as she leaned on her elbows. "Okayyy enough about that. For as long as I can remember, you guys were here for a long time. Then why is your world only appearing now?"

"Because it's losing its protection, the original stone was stolen and brought here and you'll help us to find it no matter what! It's been six months already!" Minho roared from the corner, having enough of the ongoing conversation. Unlike the other seven, the death sentence given by their world is always on his mind. As their previous job was theft in their world, dying was their trial result. They were the best in finding valuable things and who could be better for the mission than eight criminals? Maniacs as they call them.

Y/n sighed, obviously exhausted with all the new information. It was like she laid the first stone in a whole new era with millions of things to uncover and analyze about. She deliberately got up from her seat, shifting to the window and looking up at their city, their world. Y/n was their only means of survival, but how? And why?

"So, you guys made friends with me for that huh?" Y/n painfully concerned, the memories of her crying on the swing and out of nowhere Bang Chan entering the park flickered in her mind. The only memory she has. The group once again fell into silence, some of the embarrassment and some of the sorrow. "We may have been using you, but... You truly were a great Fri-"

"Oh stop it! I was kidding with you guys! It doesn't matter, I've learned to live without friends!" The confidence in her voice was no stranger to those eight and it occurred before her occasionally depressing days. The subtle trembling of her voice already stabbed millions of shards in their hearts. Y/n turned around, punching her left hand on her right palm. "I got an idea! I had done this research on strange stones, space stones, and stuff. They are manually recorded, so we gotta head back to my house"

Felix was the first to get up, seizing the girl in a hug. "I knew we could rely on you! Y/n you're the best!" The short-haired girl only nodded, shutting her laptop and gesturing outside. "Let's go find a stone then"

Minho was the last to get out, locking the diner door and flashing the yellow bird a wave. As the nine made their way to her house, y/n looked up briefly and saw a shiny layer over her head, scarcely noticeable. As she looked up further, the same one could be seen over their upside-down city, and it shined a sparkling shade of white. "What the..."

"ᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇꜱᴛɪɴɪᴇꜱ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʀᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ɪᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ꜰᴀꜱᴄɪɴᴀᴛɪɴɢ"