AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey everyone! I'm still going to be on break before the official first chapter releases, but I just wanted to put this quick little prologue out, just cuz. :) Its set during the events of "Something Kinda Crazy" the fic that came before this one. Chapter 1 begins two years after the events of SKC(Circa Chapter 18.), and 3months after the final chapter of SKC(Ch.19, which is after the two year Time skip from Ch. 18). Hope enjoy, and see you again soon!

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"Give me a little credit Tzuyu, so what if it's my first time?" Chaeyoung said, laughing at me as she flipped through the pages of her book. She was reading "A World Atop Our Own: Musings on the Astral Plane" by Oswald Hicthield. 

"What? I'm just saying. There's definitely a difference between reading about the Astral Plane, and actually.....like...going there." I said, laughing back. 

"I know, I know. But...it's just...I've been so interested in this stuff since I debuted. A place that's just completely untapped, and only really theorized about because there's very few constant parts of it? Not to mention I'm getting to actually go to it? I'm...I'm really excited." Chaeyoung beamed.

"I'm excited for you too, don't get me wrong! I just. It seems kind of risky for you to be going alone. Especially since you have to leave your physical body. That's crazy, to me. " I responded. 

"Certainly not the craziest thing to happen in this place that's for sure. I still can't believe I wasn't here for when Ravi's goons ambushed   Jihyo, Mina, Sana, and Jackson. I would've loved to have seen the new guy, Malik, go off on them. I heard he ripped Ken's arm off?? Like, what the ?? That's awesome! And didn't he just get his powers like...a few months ago? Crazy." She continued.

"Yeah...this whole Glyzuul thing definitely still has me on edge. I wish we hadn't been forbidden to go with them on their summit to YG....for them to have lost Lay and Luna...and for Irene to be in the critical condition she's in. We could've done something....you know?" I pressed.

"Honestly I...I try not to think about that. But if my theories are right, an answer to getting rid of that scaly son of a is in the Astral Plane. In some capacity, surely. Speaking of, you're getting to be pretty good friends with that Malik guy, huh?" Chaeyoung said smiling at me.

"Yeah, actually. He's kind of like a kindred spirit. We both wanna master our powers and figure out what the hell we are...it's nice." I said, pensively. 

"Yeah, I bet. He does seem pretty cool. Aside from the whole...unstable non-idol thing." Chaeyoung muttered.

"True....I hope...I hope you don't think I'm replacing you or anything, haha." I said nervously.

"Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it. In fact I'm glad for you. I know how tough it is for you to...be around certain members nowadays, so it's good for you to have someone outside our group that you can mingle with." Chaeyoung said, her eyes glued to her book to avoid my gaze.

I sighed.

"Please tell me you're not bringing this up again?" I groaned.

"I'm just saying Tzuyu. The sooner you tell her the better. You're only hurting yourself at this point. What are you going to do if and when they get married?" Chaeyoung exclaimed.

"Oh god, why the would you say that? It doesn't matter, ok? Can we just leave it? We're talking about you here. Jeongyeon and Mina aren't on my radar today, and I'm not going to get into this again. No matter how I feel about Jeongyeon, I have to suppress it. She's with Mina, and nothing I can do or say is going to change that....not to mention I'm Mina's apprentice. She's no doubt going to end up getting promoted to Head Librarian soon. And if she does then I'd become the Assistant Head Librarian. I don't wanna ruin that opportunity by letting my heart get in the way." I fired back.

Chaeyoung was silent for a moment. 

"Ugh, I hate that you're right all the time. But...I still think..., nevermind. I just hate seeing you like you are when you're around them. I can tell you're in pain....and I never wanna see my best friend in pain, Tzuyu." She said methodically.

"Let's just get back to talking about you, shall we? Traversing the Astral Plane is way more exciting than my love life...or lack thereof..." I offered. 

"Sure thing, Tzuyu..." Chaeyoung sighed.

"Seriously, Chaeyoung. I'll be alright. As long as I've got you, I'll be alright. This is exciting! A huge deal! You're getting to do what you've dreamt of doing since you were a trainee, even!" I said, beaming at her. 

I had to admit I was a bit jealous. Chaeyoung had always had a strong interest in the Astral Plane, and in her studies she'd been given the opportunity to actually traverse into it, through the Astral Gate in the Extra-Spatial Section of the Library. I had joked that she wouldn't be able to get around that place at all, considering it's constantly shifting and changing, at least from what I've read. Which admittedly isn't very much. 

I honestly don't know how she manages to study so much on arguably one of the hardest subjects in the Library, what with our seemingly neverending promotions. We're apart of arguably the most popular girl group in South Korea right now: TWICE. The entire K-pop Industry itself is not just an industry that trains and produces singer/dancer idols, but also that beneath the surface has been keeping South Korea and various areas of the world safe from many threats by training and conditioning us as soldiers who possess, if able to debut, superhuman abilities. 

Each company possesses a different means of bestowing it's idols with their abilities. It's always sort of interested me how different they all seem to be, and how varied and unique alot of the abilities my fellow idols have. For instance SM Entertainment has the literal heart of an Alien from a distant planet called Icthydia, who crash landed here on Earth years ago. It strikes them with lightning and awakens within them superhuman Abilities by using it's DNA to evolve theirs. They call it the "Heart of Icarus".

YG idols are given their abilities by what's known as "Limit Breaker Technology", or LBT, which are chambers powered by various crystals that have been found both on and around the earth, and even from other planets and moons. The crystals power the machines, and the idols who are inside of the chambers are subjected to intense stimuli that is meant to push them past their "Limits", and cause their DNA to mutate and give them newfound abilities based on the crystal that was used. It certainly seemed like one of the more frightening of the different types of company's efforts.

And of course there's JYP, our company. Our company possesses a Library, the largest in the known world, that houses nearly all the information that has ever been documented. The Library itself is immense. It's actually around the size of Manhattan, the Island in New York. It houses around 2.5 Million books, but varies day by day, as we're constantly receiving and releasing inventory. 

The Library is also on a separate plane, separated from the time stream of our world, in a different subsection of hammerspace, created in part by the help of Hyoyeon, an SM idol, who belongs to the girl group SNSD. As such, time is almost irrelevant in our library. 24 hours in the physical world, would amount to around a decade here in the Library, however we don't age in this place. 

We obtain our powers here by reading certain books and/or scrolls that meld with our souls and allow us to memorize superhuman abilities, or "Spells" for lack of a better term. But these aren't the spells you're used to from the books you read as a kid. This was far from Hogwarts, and we didn't run around waving ing wands like we're Harry Potter. Myself and all my fellow TWICE members, since we debuted have all been given our own abilities.

Jihyo, our Leader, has control over sound. She can emit supersonic waves from her voice and from her extremities. She also has incredible adept hearing, and the ability to mimic any sound she hears. I watched her level an entire 50 foot shelf with her thunderclap on accident once. 

Nayeon, the eldest member of our group, has  the ability to see her opponents moves before they make them, and the ability to paralyze them with her attacks. Her martial arts skills are the second best in our group.

Which brings be to Sana. She has the ability to phase through any surface, wall, or type of matter, as well as make her body intangible at will, and can do this with her whole body or any individual part she sees fit, making her an incredibly difficult opponent to land an attack on. In addition to her ability, she is the most skilled martial artist in our group. She knows 25 fighting styles, and fights using a mixture of ten of them, which she calls, obnoxiously, her "Ohyohyo-Jutsu". The name could use some work, but when Sana is insistent on something, it generally sticks. 

Dahyun, on the other hand, has the ability to create these bubble-like spheres from her hands, which she can control better with the use of these gloves made for her by Sooyoung of SNSD. These bubbles have a variety of abilities. They can turn enemies to stone, trap them in said bubbles, and store sound, light, and objects up to 200 pounds inside them as well.

Momo was our resident healer, and despite being incredibly combat proficient, and holding the title of most skilled fighter among us, before Sana & Nayeon dethroned her, she chose to focus mostly on using her own aura to heal and provide different types of resilience and protection abilities. That doesn't mean she didn't throw down and kick some serious when she wanted to, though. 

Mina had a very interesting ability in that, other than a heightened intelligence, she had  a transformation that she could undergo for battle. She calls it her "Black Swan Reverie". It allows her to take on a hybrid form of a  Black swan, complete with large wings that are attached to her arms, turning her skin a deep Silver, and giving her talons on her hands and feet. Despite how it may sound, it isn't a grotesque transformation at all. In fact she looks quite beautiful, with her gleaming black feathers and her graceful and powerful movements and fighting style, which is a mixture of ballet and the crane style of Kung-Fu. 

Jeongyeon has another very powerful ability, that even I don't think she's truly tapped into. She is able absorb energy from those around her, and also utilize her own energy in the form of these iridescent orbs that she uses to orbit her body, and release at will, to attack her foes. They burst on impact and deal immense amounts of damage. She generally, as she and Sana are both big fans of fighting styles that favor and showcase kicking, uses her legs with powerful kicks to send the orbs toward her foes. It's believed, according to Chaeyoung actually, that what Jeongyeon is using is Astral energy that she's able to draw from the Astral Plane that exists on top of ours. 

Speaking of Chaeyoung. Her ability is arguably one of the strongest amongst us. She is able to draw anything she can imagine, and have that piece of art become a tangible article. She's created bridges that have helped us escape, weapons to fight against enemies, and various other things. She's a pretty strong fighter herself as well, but more of a tactitian with the things she creates. I can't tell you how many single socks I've had her draw for me. 

That's the thing, actually.

I've always envied Chaeyoung because her power and mine are almost identical. She can draw things to life, although she's unable to draw something like a person or any living thing, and I am able to create anything I can think of out of thin air. But the only problem is my imagination isn't the greatest, and most of the things I create aren't exactly the right shape, size, or Composition that they are supposed to be. I've been working extensively on trying to master or at the very least improve my manifestation ability, but it's easier said than done. Especially considering I also have another ability. Something that's incredibly rare in the idol Industry. I, too, have a hybrid animal form, and it is that of a black panther. It enhances my senses and reflexes, and allows me to fight much more nimbly. I actually have a decent handle on that one. Although I do find myself sometimes unintentionally transforming. Luckily it's only ever been partial transformations. At a fan meet I actually sprouted cat ears, my eyes changed, and my tail sprouted. Luckily the ONCEs at the fanmeet just thought I was wearing a headband, and contacts. I was sitting, so even though I felt it, they didn't see my tail. Though that didn't stop me from nearly having a panic attack. 

That's partially why I became Mina's apprentice, so that I could work harder on researching ways to control my abilities. She was a huge help in getting me back to the entrance of the library during our trainee years. She gave me the strength to push forward when we were lost together. Part of the trainee process for JYP idols is to be dropped into the Library at a random area and to make our way back to the entrance without the use of the monorail, or a map. Which I can guarantee you is not as easy as it sounds.

But I digress.

"I still wish you'd go with me, honestly." Chaeyoung said, snapping me out of my head.

"Huh? Into the Astral Plane? No way. Haha. I don't know anything about that place. I'd just weigh you down." I said, laughing. 

"Yeah, maybe, but...you know I always love having my best friend around. As excited as I am, I still can't help but be...kind of nervous..." Chaeyoung said, looking up at me.

I took her hand and gripped it tightly. 

"Don't be, Chae. If anyone can hold her own in that place, that's not a Psychic, it's you. You're a borderline prodigy." I assured her.

"You're the one with two abilities, here, Tzuyu. If anyone's a prodigy it's you." She offered.

I'd never even remotely associated myself with that word. 

"If I was a prodigy I'd be able to control my ing powers. We both know that's not the case." I sighed, annoyed.

"And as I keep telling you, it'll take more time than the rest of us. We all only have one  ability to work with, expand on and master. You have twice the work we have, and once you do find that balance between your abilities and use them both in harmony, you may just be the strongest one of us all." Chaeyoung said, eyeing me.

Despite how I felt about myself and what I was capable of, Chaeyoung always had a way of making me feel like I was more...more than what ever I'd imagined for myself. It was a nice feeling, however fleeting. It was one of the many reasons she was my best friend, and why I loved her so much. 

"Whatever you say." I responded, shyly. 

"Oh really? Well in that case I think you should talk to Jeong-...!" She started before I cut her off by launching an apple I'd created from thin air over to her playfully, she caught it with ease. 

"Ugh, enough!" I said laughing.

"Alright, alright. Hahaha. Yikes. You could've killed me with this unripened apple, Tzuyu-ah!" She said holding up the Granny Smith in her hand in faux shock.

She took a bite of it and winced.

"This tastes like !" She said, pounding the table with laughter.

"Shut up!! How would even know what that tastes like!" I fired back, laughing hysterically as well in spite of her insult. 

"Yah! What are you two doing in here? Did you forget we have to tape Weekly Idol in like 2 hours??" Nayeon said, suddenly appearing from behind one of the shelves that surrounded us. 

"Oh , that's right! Sorry unnie! I was just doing some last minute reading on the Astral Plane for tomorrow." Chaeyoung responded.

"No, don't worry, it's ok, I forgot too, honestly. Will this Ravi/Glyzuul that's been going on, everyone's been kind of frazzled with schedules. Such is the life of an idol, I suppose. Comes with the territory." Nayeon sighed, offering a smile. 

We stood up and headed toward the monorail with Nayeon. 

"You excited about tomorrow, Chae??" Nayeon said exuberantly as we walked.

"Yeah, actually. Getting to traverse the Astral Section of the library and seeing the Astral Plane itself? Hell yeah." She said, pumping herself up.

"And what about you, Tzuyu? You excited to possibly be the Assistant Head Librarian of the ing JYP Library?? Everyone is talking about how Suzy is going to step down soon, and Mina's a shoe-in for Head Librarian when she does. That means her little apprentice gets a promotion, too!!" Nayeon said, hugging me, and jumping up and down. 

Nayeon always knew how to cheer me up.

"I mean...yeah." I muttered sheepishly.

"Oh come on, Tzuyu-ah! You gotta be more excited than that! Lemme hear you roar with excitement!" She said playfully.

"Umm....raaawrrr..." I emoted, cringing.

She and Chaeyoung stared back at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. 

"We'll work on that." Nayeon joked.

Once we'd boarded the monorail, I watched out the window as we passed through the sections at incredible speed. 

"Bring me back something cool from the Astral Plane, Chae." Nayeon said, elbowing her.

"I don't think that's how it works, unnie." She responded, laughing. 

"Well Boo on that." She said scrunching her face and holding up a thumbs down. 

"As long as you bring yourself back, I don't care." I offered, laughing myself. 

"Of course I'll come back, Tzubix Cube." She said, winking at me.

"You promise?" I said holding out my pinky finger.

She held out her arm and interlocked her pinky with mine, looking me square in my irises.

"I promise."