"There's always some maddness in love. But there is also always some reason in maddness."

-Friedrich Neitzsche

Chanyeol sat at the counter early the next day. He leaned on his hand, eyelids heavy. He risked falling asleep. But he knew he'd be given an extra shift if he failed his first one. That was something he wasn't going to deal with. The restaurant was quiet. The oil lamps were already burning around the room. Early morning sun turned the room orange. As time passed, the room became pink. Birds were waking up, chirping as they passed the windows. It was a soothing atmosphere. Chanyeol dropped his head to his arms, hiding half of his face. He looked out from his bangs. People outside were already making noise as they got their carts ready. The clipping of hooves sounded against the dirt road and wood rattled against itself. People could be heard talking. Suddenly, the town swelled with life and people were bustling about. The sun had come over the horizon and was now a bright yellow.

The restaurant’s front door opened and customers flooded the room. A waiter came from the back room and began taking orders. He must’ve come through the back door, Chanyeol thought. Once again, the restaurant was busy. His mother had been in the kitchen long before Chanyeol woke for his shift. She always prepared food beforehand. Their restaurant was always busy, and it made it easier on her. Chanyeol would help, but he was never handy in the kitchen. Since he still wasn’t used to his height, he tended to be clumsy and knock things over. He decided to stick to counting the money. 

“Hey, Chanyeol,”

Chanyeol looked up from counting coins. Jongdae stood there, smiling. He held a brown, cloth pouch with a drawstring top. He shook it up and down. Metal jangled inside. Chanyeol’s eyes went wide. He swiped for the pouch, but Jongdae was faster. He held it back, smiling even wider than before.

“How’d you get so much money?” Chanyeol asked, leaning against the counter.

“Well, it’s a long story. Do ya have time?”

“Of course I do. C’mon! Just tell me!”

Jongdae cleared his throat and smirked. “Well, I woke up bright ‘n early this mornin’, as I usually do.I was feedin’ the chickens ‘n I saw this huge wood cart go by. It stopped a little ways down the road. When I finished with feedin’ the chicks, I had to go investigate. When I got to the cart, there was this door on the back. It said ‘Open.’ So, I was like, why not? Then I knocked. The door opened by itself. Hey, don’t gimme that look. I swear on my life. I looked behind the door ‘n nobody to be seen.”

“Dae, this is sounding more and more far-fetched.”

“Far-what?”

“Crazy.”

“It’s not! Anyway, the place was full of weird stuff. There were, like, skulls, dead plants, bottles of weird liquids, and two headed things. I was about to walk out when a light in the back. Two, actually. There was this rickety table with a cloth over it. It looked like it was super old. Then there was this guy that was sitting there. He told me to find the strangest thing I could in my home and he’d give me money for it. So I went back home and got those bones we used to collect as kids, ya know, ‘n then I brought them back. That’s how I got this.” Jongdae held up the coins and jangled them around.

“Jongdae! That’s suspicious, and you probably should’ve gone back home!”

“But I wanted to get some money. I needed to buy something for ma mum.”

Chanyeol sighed. “You’re so dumb.”

“Hey, I have more money than you.”

“Because you gave old bones to some creep!”

“Still!”

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Whatever, you’re just jealous. When your shift is over, I’ll show you.” Jongdae his heels and made his way to the door.

“No! Why would I want to do that?” Chanyeol called out, but Jongdae just waved and disappeared outside of the restaurant. Chanyeol sighed and leaned his head on the counter. The rest of Chanyeol’s shift went by without a hitch.

After being let out by his mom, he soon found himself standing in front of Jongdae’s house. He could hear pounding in the stairs as Jongdae descends. The door is flung open and his friend stood there, breathless, with a handful of tiny bones. Chanyeol wrinkled his nose and shook his head. 

“It's ok, these are super old.” Jongdae stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “Onwards!” He started off down the road. Chanyeol followed. When he looked to the horizon, he saw a large cart in the middle of the road. It looked extremely suspicious. Somehow people weren't fazed by it. They walked around it as if it had been there for a long time. Chanyeol frowned as they neared the cart. The wood it was made out of was old. The nails that kept it together looked like they would pop out. A green, cloth banner hung from one side. Chanyeol walked around to get a better look. It read, “Oddities and Sorts.” Underneath a small phrase was stitched. It said, “For those of the craft and with curious minds.” 

When Chanyeol turned to comment, he found the Jongdae was already inside. Chanyeol grumbled and walked to the back. The door was open and a musty scent wafted out. He sneezed but proceeded up the rickety steps anyway. It was dark inside. The musty scent only grew stronger, and Chanyeol could smell the underlying scent of dead animals. When Jongdae said it was a weird place, Chanyeol hadn't expected it to be that weird. It was much weirder than Chanyeol had imagined. He saw a jar with some fluid and an animal suspended inside. The animal’s eyes were closed and its body seemed to be curled in. It didn't look like any creature Chanyeol had seen before. He shuddered and kept walking forward. Each board creaked beneath his feet. The shelves rattled with each step. Sometimes a strange creature seemed to glare down at Chanyeol as he walked by. 

Eventually Chanyeol reached the back. Jongdae was there. He was talking to the man sitting at the table. The man wore a cloak and his face was hidden.  He had a large build and he seemed much larger than both Chanyeol and Jongdae, even sitting down. When he stretched out his hand to accept the bones, Chanyeol noticed his hands were bandaged. How peculiar, Chanyeol thought. Maybe the man had gotten into some fire accident and his hands were scarred. As Chanyeol continued to inspect the bandaged hands when they were giving Jongdae a bag of coins, he noticed a ring on the man’s right hand. It was hard to see the emblem in the flickering light, but it definitely looked like a tree with snakes wrapped around it. 

Chanyeol gasped and tugged Jongdae’s sleeve. He felt his heart speed up as both the man and Jongdae looked at him. He gave an awkward smile and used the excuse of leaving a pot on the stove so they had to hurry back. Jongdae was about to mention Chanyeol being off shift and a bad cook anyway, but Chanyeol had stepped on his toe and dragged him out by his collar. The whole time he was conversing with Jongdae, he felt the man’s eyes on him. As they rushed out, it seemed like the man was staring daggers right into Chanyeol’s back. 

Once they were outside and farther away from the cart, Chanyeol let go of Jongdae. Jongdae proceeded to smack Chanyeol’s arm, but Chanyeol didn't care. He was glad to be away from the place. It was strange that he ran into a guy with the same emblem as the burly men from yesterday. That also explained the man’s larger build. Those in the organization probably were all muscular. They could easily crush Chanyeol’s head. Chanyeol shook the thought out of his head. This meeting was just a coincidence. There was nothing to be afraid of… or that’s what he told himself. He wanted to believe it, but something inside told him to be wary. 

Before Jongdae went back home, he handed Chanyeol the bag of coins with a grin. Chanyeol was left all alone. He returned home first. Then, before he went inside, he thought for a moment. He his heels and headed off down the road. Dust kicked up behind him as he quickened his pace. The sun beat down on his neck and he hoped he wouldn’t get a sunburn. The last time that happened, he was hurting for a week. The streets were packed with sweaty bodies, and Chanyeol was quickly heating up too. When he looked up from his feet, he noticed tall figures in the distance. They were near the palace. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. His palms became sweaty and his heart rate picked up. He sped up his pace and weaved in and out of people.

He arrived at the palace wall and turned the corner so he could peek out from behind the wall. The men were walking in his direction. Occasionally the crowd would move and Chanyeol got a glimpse of them. They looked very similar to the men he had encountered the day before. Chanyeol’s panic was increasing at an alarming rate. They were nearing Baekhyun’s room. He tensed.

Thoughts raced through Chanyeol’s mind. What if they were going to kidnap Baekhyun? What would they do with him? What did they want? Did that mean he would have to save Baekhyun? Chanyeol shook his head. The Emperor would probably have the entire palace looking for Baekhyun. Guards would be roaming the streets and would be questioning all of the civilians. Even if Chanyeol did try to save Baekhyun, the men that were going to kidnap him were much too strong. Their muscles pushed against the cheap fabric they wore. Chanyeol, on the other hand, was scrawny and had never fought anyone before. His punch would feel like a feather. They could easily take him out, and even kill him so he couldn’t return and tell everyone. He shuddered at the thought. 

Chanyeol watched the men walk past Baekhyun’s window, not even giving it a second glance. He released a breath and his shoulders relaxed. He was worrying too much. The day before was probably just the men mistaking Baekhyun for someone else. He wasn’t wearing his usual royal robes. Baekhyun could’ve looked like another peasant. The thought soothed Chanyeol. He pushed off the wall and was going to walk around and wait for the men to pass before he saw Baekhyun. However, it seemed the men had other plans.

They turned the corner and when they spotted Chanyeol, their expressions became dark. They glanced at each other and nodded. Then they lunged toward at him. Chanyeol tried running, but he knew he was no match for the speed and strength of the two burly men. They caught up to him in no time and they grabbed his arms. Suddenly his world was spinning. 

Next thing he knew, he was being shoved into a familiar, rickety cart. It was dark except for one oil lamp. Two men stood a few feet away from him, chatting under their breath. A musty smell wafted up his nose. He wanted to cover his mouth, but he found his hands were bound. He tried to struggle, maybe get the knots a little looser so he could slip his hands out of the bind, but alas! The rope was too tight and it allowed for him to have no shimmy room. A lump grew in his throat. Stay calm, he told himself. He felt anything but calm. His legs felt like jelly, his body was shaking, and his heart was racing. His eyes darted back and forth. 

One of the men walked over to him. He crouched down. Chanyeol could smell his breath. It was warm, sour, and it wafted over Chanyeol. He coughed and turned his head away. The man laughed and showed his rotted teeth. Then he waved his hand over Chanyeol’s face. That was the last thing he saw before he slipped from consciousness.