*absoluta discrede: absolute disbelief

The surrounding was eerily silent, as always, but it always managed to make Jongdae shudder in discomfort. The steady beeping of his heart monitor echoed around the cold room, making Jongdae think as if he's the only person in the world. 

And his memories backtracked when he got his first panic attack.

He didn't know what happened, it all went so fast- he was laid back on his bed and he was thinking about his parents- it still made his blood boil- and everything that happened that day. His heartbeat just increased- and- and he fainted again. When he woke up the next day, he was told by his doctor that he had a panic attack. That he shouldn't think to much about the accident.

And in that moment he wondered why Min still wouldn't come to the hospital to see him.

Jongdae knew that he was selfish- and he shouldn't be selfish. It was his fault, that he collapsed on the damned streets- he should've stayed home that day. So that he wouldn't be here, suffocated by the smell of the alcohol and antiseptics, blinded by the white surrounding of his room. He should've never stepped out from his room that day, because he knew he would still do a selfish thing that would send himself to this dreaded hospital.

Groaning, he could feel the needle in his hand, pumping down whatever liquid into his arteries and veins. He closed his eyes resentfully, clenching his fists in an indescribable anger. Why? Why would this happen to him? He never did anything wrong, never-

He could hear the door opening and his butler entered the room, his smile weary and forced. Jongdae gulped again, because it was his fault- he should have never woke up that day. Mr. Sen cleared his throat again, and looked at him. "Master Jongdae, your friend Min is here to visit you. Will you accept her or not?"

Blinking his eyes in confusion, it was only for another couple of seconds that Jongdae understood his question. "N-no," he spluttered, not believing his own ears. "I'm- I'm still not ready."

Mr. Sen nodded stiffly, and before he got outside, Jongdae can feel bile rising in his throat, because he never thanked him- he was the one that coped up with his mood-swings, his anger, even with years of loathing because he needed his parents by his side, not his butler. He just can't leave Mr. Sen feeling dejected, because he- he was already part of his family. His life.

"Mr. Sen?"

The butler looked at him, and Jongdae smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you. For- for everything."

The butler nodded, and even when he was outside, Jongdae didn't miss the small smile on Mr. Sen's face.

"L-Lay."

Yixing grumbled, opening his eyes carefully. Everything was white- so white, it made him automatically close his eyes shut again. The person chuckled, and then he felt something darkening- and he opened his eyes again. The surrounding was still white, but it was dimmed- it became light gray now, and Baekhyun chuckled.

Baekhyun sat down in front of him, smiling sadly. "You remember our makeshift reality?"

Yixing blinked for a while, and widened his eyes. "Oh!" he gasped in realization, making Baekhyun snicker and Lay still blinking his eyes in surprise. "You conjured it yourself-? But- oh- oh."

Baekhyun smiled, looking at the older. Lay closed his eyes, remembering what he and Baekhyun made when they were still the Guardians- no you both are still Guardians you idiot- when they needed a way to communicate each other- and he gasped.

"The mirrors, isn't it? We found our mirrors, haven't we?"

Baekhyun nodded.

There was a few seconds of comfortable silence, both of them mulling over whatever thoughts they have in their head.

"I have a different name here," Lay sighed, finally breaking the silence, and Baekhyun tilted his head slightly, confused. Lay looked up to him, and he can see the curiosity in Baekhyun's eyes, and- bewilderment. So- so they don't know. The ones in the other universe doesn't know. Lay sighed. "My name's Zhang Yixing here, Baekhyun."

A few seconds passed, and then Lay heard a hesitant gulp from Baekhyun. "So- so you're like Suho-hyung," Baekhyun said slowly, and Lay wanted to cut him off because what the hell does hyung mean, but the look from Baekhyun's eyes asked him to please I need to tell you this. "His name here is- Kim Junmyeon."

Lay stared at Baekhyun, dumbfounded. "How does Kim Junmyeon relate to Suho?"

"How does Lay connect to Zhang Yixing?" Baekhyun deadpanned.

Lay looked dejected for a split second, but he smiled and ruffled Baekhyun's hair, chuckling under his breath. "Even after years, Baekhyun," he laughs, messing up Baekhyun's hair for a little bit more, "you still haven't lost any of your sharp tongue."

Baekhyun pouted, but then he sighed, and smiled at Lay. "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"

"Insult."

"That hurts," Baekhyun whined.

Minseok sat down in confusion as the person sighed and went out to the kitchen while mumbling tea- he just didn't know what to feel. Another part of him is sighing in contentment and breathing thank you thank you for everything I owe you so much while another one is staring heavily at the person that brought him here while blurting out what the hell do you think I am why are you doing this to me while panicking.

He just- didn't know. Minseok wasn't mad, he's not happy, he just felt numb. Numb because all of the emotions he's feeling.

Inside, he knew that he should be thankful to the person (Minseok thought that he already introduced his name but he didn't remember), because he saved him. Minseok could be robbed and mugged for all that happened, but the person searched him and brought Minseok to safety. He didn't even know what caused himself to get away. Was it fear?

"Xiumin-ge, here's your tea-"

"I don't need your tea." Minseok coldly said, and it made the person freeze in shock. There was a hint of fear and confusion, and Minseok didn't know if he should hug him or scoff at him. "And why are you calling me Xiumin. My name is Kim Minseok, stop using your petname on me."

Minseok felt weird. He has never been this rude and straightforward before- he would always whimper pathetically, staring at everything but the person he's talking with. Somehow, he felt a sense of loathment to the person he was before.

The person spilled a little bit of tea on his hand, and the said person swore, but never got up to tend the wound. "My name is Tao," Tao stated, biting his lips. "Huang Zitao. Does that ring any bell?"

"No." Minseok answered flatly. Tao's face fell. "And you still haven't answered my question. Why did you call me Xiumin-ge? And why the honorifics after that? After all, we have never met. We don't know each other."

Minseok's word seemed to stab Tao repeatedly and he felt guilt seeping inside him. He's rather afraid of Tao, too - how did he trail after Minseok without leaving a trace? He was sure to look back between his escape, but Minseok never saw the raven-haired boy stalking up to him. And- oh- Tao stopped time.

Tao wasn't talking- well then, if he didn't Minseok would start.

"You stopped time," Minseok shot at him. It wasn't a question, it was a statement- and Tao felt weird about that, because yes, I did stop time, why did you ask. Tao, however, wasn't prepared for the next question. "How?"

"You don't know?" Tao answers, seeming disoriented. "I have the power to control time and you have the power to control ice. Xiumin-ge-"

"I am not Xiumin," Minseok retorts, slowly moving away from Tao. What is this freak talking about? Himself, having power over ice? He bit back a laugh of disbelievement, his rational mind not accepting this. "And no, I do not have any powers, thank you very much."

"So what about that ice you created? What about me stopping time, as you said?" Tao asked forcibly, making Minseok wince.

"I didn't," he answered weakly, slumping down. "I didn't."

Jongin rolled his sleeves, still thinking of that doe-eyed Kyungsoo person. Damn, the doe-eyed nickname is stuck in his mind. His friends weren't lying about it- Kyungsoo's eyes were really big as a doe's, and it unnerved Jongin, somehow. Somehow it made Kyungsoo look looking for something in him, and how he ran when their eyes met-

He stopped in his tracks. What the hell was he thinking?

"Jongin," someone grumbled. "Don't just stand there, help me out here."

Glad for the distraction, Jongin skipped to Victoria, who's currently stretching. He held her in position, her relaxed breaths filling his ears. It was a good distraction, really, better than thinking about Kyungsoo, because-

Rocks began to swirl around the man, who was running with signs of exhaustion contorted in his face. There's another man on top of a plateau, hands following the direction of the rocks- or he was the one who controlled the rocks. His face was grim, as if he's disappointed.

"Kai," he sighed, closing his fists. The rocks stopped, and the other fell in tiredness, lying down. The other jumped from the top, landing at the bottom in perfect condition. "What happened to your stamina? Speed? Endurance?"

"Piss off, D.O," the other groaned, covering his face. "I'm tired, give me a break."

The other grinned. "Never."

The rocks began to fly again and the so-called Kai rushed off for another sprint, The Earth Master's laugh echoing around him.

"Jongin-" Victoria's pained gasp awoke Jongin from his hallucination (or what he thought was a hallucination), and Jongin apologized immediately when he realized that he has been pushing her legs way beyond her limits. Victoria calmed him, saying that it's okay, but Jongin wasn't so sure. He accidentally did that to himself once, and it hurt like strong bruises.

"You should go," Victoria murmured to him. "You seem distracted. Go."

Jongin scurried off, not before bowing repeatedly to her and apologizing more under his breath.

He didn't know what was scarier- the fact that he hurt his fellow ballet classmates, or that the man he saw hurling rocks in his so called hallucination has Kyungsoo's face, Kyungsoo's body- Kyungsoo's everything.

Another day, another dull day in Yi Fan's life.

Well, if you think that being in an asylum without even being mentally disturbed is your usual definition of normal. This wasn't normal, this- this was insane. He- he didn't ask for any of this, any of this at all. But after that Yi Fan thought about it, he did ask for all of this. He was the person that admitted himself in this asylum, scared of the prospect of hurting his friends and family. It hurted- it hurted a lot, to think that he could have been studying abroad, grappling for his dreams, but he wasn't.

Yi Fan was, instead of making his way for the future, stuck in an asylum full of psychopaths while he himself wasn't crazy at all.

That day. That very day.

June 12th, a date imprinted inside Yi Fan's (and everyone's, but he didn't know that yet) mind- and, to most of them, a cursed date. The date where everything they know and believe would flip over, bending the laws of this universe, bending the beliefs that they were taught when they were kids. It's just a hallucination, their textbooks would whisper, it's just a trick, don't mind them.

But how did those so called 'hallucinations' and 'tricks' hurt them physically, if it was all inside his mind?

Panic attack, would be the simple answer to that question, the result of a Google search. Your mind controls your body, controls how you feel.

But what would even cause scorch marks and bloodied stab wounds- those so called 'hallucinations'?

Yi Fan shook his head, shuffling even slower. The guard that was assigned to him had eyed him suspiciously, possibly because of Yi Fan's quick strides. He was always a quick walker, but life in the asylum changed that. He didn't want to be trapped inside his hideous room- not where he could possibly be tortured by his own mind, not where Yi Fan knew there was only him protecting himself from his hallucinations.

"Tsk, eager enough to be shut inside that hideous cell, aren't you, Patient 126?" The guard sneered at Yi Fan's lanky figure, and Yi Fan can only squeeze his eyes and hope for the guard to just shut up. He had encountered a lot of guards who were cruel to him- two of them humiliated him in front of the other insane patients, who jeered at him, and one forced him to strip and-

Yi Fan gritted his teeth. The image of those bruises from that torture device (he would rather like to not know how this asylum has hold of it) is still imprinted inside his mind.

But this guard. This particular guard only has a sharp tongue as his weapon- and it hurted Yi Fan more than the bruises from that torture device. "You think you're all good and stuff for being so behaved and nice. Well guess what, Wu Yi Fan."

"I don't want to know-" but Yi Fan was yanked to face the guard, and his mind screamed why, why is he made out of flames, why is the clock not ticking, why, why why, why is this happening why am I scared why did his touch burn my clothing-

"We're all insane here, Flight Master."

The guard bursted into ing flames and Yi Fan screamed, the other guards going in, bewildered- there are ashes and burned flesh in front of him- and he was hurled into his room, sounds of cursing and shrieking and the smell of rotten flesh invading his mind- and Yi Fan, frustrated and frightened, muffled his mouth with a moldy pillow and shrieked.