On a list of impossible things Sunyoung could have thought up, literally falling through a mirror would have been quite near the top of it. Never mind that she’d just seen Amber actually punch her reflection, another impossibility she couldn’t have envisioned. “What happened?” she asked in a frantic whisper, seeing the unconscious body of… a distorted version of herself nearby. Oh that was creepy. “Where are we?” she added just as quickly as rising panic made her look around at the surrounding space. She got the impression of metal walls before a silent and standing Amber drew her attention more. “Amber!” she hissed again, finally moving to stand up, but freezing when she noticed one of her coworkers looking at them. “!” she gasped, rolling forward to hide out of sight.

                For a second, she wondered why Amber hadn’t moved either, so she looked up to ask and froze again, her eyes going wide in her face. Amber wasn’t Amber. Or at least her face certainly wasn’t. Neither was the portion of her body visible through the mirror. Her pants and shoes hadn’t changed though and she was moving funny, leaning forward and gesturing at her face like she was checking her makeup and hair. No, Sunyoung saw one of her coworkers. The same coworker she’d seen on the other side of the… mirror. Mirror! Still more than confused, she eyed the Amber-not-Amber and got up enough to peek over the top of the half wall to see. Yep. That was Yoona… touching up her makeup and hair. But she didn’t seem to see Sunyoung.

                “Yoona?” she called out quietly, raising her hand and waving as if to get her attention. Nothing happened so Sunyoung stood up and leaned closer, face wrinkled in concentration. She moved to touch the mirror as Yoona turned to walk away into one of the stalls.

                “Don’t!” Amber hissed, catching her hand to stop her.

                Sunyoung squeaked in surprised panic, seeing Amber’s face again, worry etched into the familiar features. “What’s going on?” she whined, feeling she was either going crazy or this was just some weird work addled dream.

                “Just wait,” she urged, becoming the Yoona-Amber version for a moment as the Yoona on the other side glanced in the mirror before shutting the stall door.

                “What are you?” Sunyoung couldn’t help but ask. This wasn’t normal. No human could do what Amber was doing. And they certainly shouldn’t be able to punch reflections and go through mirrors.

                Amber gestured for her to wait, pulling her attention from the mirror for a second as she looked at the fallen person nearby. “Damn. Sorry Nojam.” Sunyoung had no idea what she was talking about because the person… thing… was finally not looking like her anymore but he… she… it… didn’t look particularly human or recognizable either. She wanted to ask more, but Amber stopped and turned back to the mirror, immediately shifting into the Yoona lookalike again to… mirror Yoona as before.

                Speechless and still feeling like she was crazy, Sunyoung pointed at the Nojam person and then to Amber and then to Yoona before coming back to herself. A very crazy idea was starting to form in her mind but it only made her feel more certifiably insane. Just to be sure, she pinched herself hard and jerked when it hurt but didn’t change where she was. It felt like she was in some kind of limbo, waiting to find out just how screwed she was, as she watched Yoona-Amber literally mirror Sunyoung’s coworker. It continued until Yoona finally walked out, with Amber doing the same until her counterpart wasn’t looking at her anymore.

                “Sorry about that,” Amber laughed with a sigh, threading fingers through her blonde hair. “Come on. We’ve gotta move,” she added, reaching her hand for Sunyoung to take, her face noticeably tense and nervous.

                “Not until you tell me what’s going on,” Sunyoung stated, shaking her head and gesturing around at everything that really didn’t make sense.

                Amber swallowed noisily and nodded. “I promise I’ll explain but we can’t stay here. It’s a mirror into a ladies bathroom during normal work hours. More people will come and Nojam will wake up,” she added emphatically, finger pointing at the unconscious figure. “Not to mention someone will know I was here. We need to get somewhere safe.”

                “We’re inside a mirror! How is this safe?!” Sunyoung scowled, afraid and frustrated and confused.

                Holding her hands up in an open and calming motion, Amber murmured, “Sunyoung. Do you trust me?”

                In that moment, Sunyoung hated that question. Before, the answer would have been an immediate yes. Now… she wasn’t so sure. “Maybe,” she answered reluctantly, her voice quiet and uncertain. “It’s just…” she waved around, her voice threatening to break as he throat grew tight.

                “I get it. It’s a lot. I know,” Amber nodded, taking a small step closer. “And I will explain everything to you, but just trust me a little bit longer for now. You,” she gestured to all of Sunyoung with her hands, “are not safe. Out there or right here. Granted, I’m not either,” she added almost as an afterthought, “but I need to keep you safe and to do that, we have to move. Now,” she added, the last word almost desperate.

                Looking between the mirror and Amber, Sunyoung eventually flailed in place, frustrated and overwhelmed. But she did take a breath and sigh, “Fine.”

                Amber’s relief was palpable. “Okay,” she breathed, stepping closer again. “I’m gonna change now but it’ll still be me. Believe me.”

                “What-” Sunyoung started to ask before Amber’s features literally began to change in front of her, shifting into something a little harder with stronger more… masculine lines. Blonde hair turned black and spiked up, the sides shortening until they appeared shaved. Her eyes went from coffee to a disconcerting green and her clothes morphed from the casual t-shirt and jeans she wore to a tank top, black pants and some pretty amazing tattoos down one arm. “Wake up,” she told herself, slapping her own cheeks hard enough to sting.

                “You’re not crazy,” the new Amber said, stepping close enough to grab Sunyoung’s shoulders in her hands. “I promise. But here, I’m Llama and you are…” she paused, looking over Sunyoung’s person quickly, searching for something. “Luna,” she finished, noticing the crescent moon earrings she’d worn today. “Not the best outfit for this place, but maybe they’ll just think you’re trying something new,” she shrugged, taking her limp hand and tugging her after.

                Sunyoung looked over her shoulder at the mirror and the still unknown Nojam on the ground and wondered what in the hell she’d gotten into. Nothing made sense and even what she thought she knew went out the window entirely as Amber approached the wall as if she was going to walk into it. Then she did and it opened just enough to give them a portal to step through. Sunyoung stifled her surprised yelp and stared into the dark space, offering slight resistance but only just. Eventually, she just shook her head and shrugged, following along in a dazed stupor. What was one more insane thing to add to the pile? Granted, she didn’t really mind when Amber pulled her close in the dark space, the feeling gratifyingly normal – almost like they were curled up watching a movie on her couch. But that was the only comfort she had. Otherwise, it felt like they were moving but she knew they had stopped walking. Maybe an elevator? Or an escalator? Or one of those human conveyor belts like there were in the airports.

                “You’re doing fine,” Amber reassured her, one hand resting comfortably against Sunyoung’s back and the other still holding her hand. “Get ready now. We’re almost there.”

                “Where?” Sunyoung asked by rote, the question not really requiring conscious thought.

                “Metropolis Three,” she answered, squaring her shoulders before she stepped forward and pulled Sunyoung into what she could only describe as a bustling futuristic city.

                Wide eyed and mouth partially open, until Amber closed it for her as they walked, she thought it resembled somewhere like Tokyo or Seoul or New York or something, but more science fictiony. People were everywhere and shining buildings rose up tall, blocking out most of the sky. Surrounding the entire area was a giant ring which they’d just come from. Frowning behind her, it looked like the ring was floating… and there were hundreds of thousands of sets of lights literally covering the surface. It looked like a strange switchboard or something of the like. Like her and Amber, people were coming and going but they rode on capsule like platforms.

                As unsettling as that was, the heart of the city wasn’t much better. Once they got to a place where she could see it anyway. Not unlike the outer ring, the city itself seemed to exist on a huge platform that surrounded a very large purple crystalline structure that appeared to be floating in the air. It was below the city so Sunyoung couldn’t really be sure, but she knew the castle-like establishment above it was floating. “Holy hell…” she breathed.

                “Just keep walking,” Amber soothed, her hand an ever present anchor in an otherwise turbulent sea. “We’re heading to a friend. They’ll help us for the time being,” she murmured, keeping her voice low and her expression unchanged.

                It didn’t really help Sunyoung calm down or feel like she was okay. Everything felt familiar but off, unsettling in a way she didn’t care for. The people were no consolation either. Ranging from too perfect to be human to downright alien and unrecognizable, it was hard not to stare at everyone. And the noise… It sounded like dozens of different languages crammed together in the same space but everyone seemed to understand one another.

                She was doubly confused when someone nearby called out, “Llama?”

                “.” Amber’s immediate response was not encouraging. She stopped walking to turn them towards the speaker, a fake smile plastered on her face. “Angel!” she greeted, hesitating for a second as she seemed to confirm… him?

                “Yeah,” the newcomer grinned back, brushing at long brunette locks. Sunyoung got a good look at his face and it wasn’t difficult to see why he might have the moniker “Angel.” This person certainly looked more like the too perfect to be human ones she’d seen walking around and it made Sunyoung feel very conflicted. “I hadn’t heard you were back in town,” he wondered, obviously glad to see her but wary.

                “No, no,” Amber waved dismissively. “I’m just running through is all. Can’t stay in one place too long, you know?” she laughed, forcing cheer where Sunyoung could tell there wasn’t any.

                “Ah,” Angel nodded, glancing around surreptitiously. “I probably shouldn’t keep you then. Or stick around much myself,” he winced, seeming genuinely upset by that realization.

                “That’s probably a good idea,” Amber nodded regretfully. “Sorry.”

                He shrugged but then seemed to notice Amber wasn’t alone. Pointing at Sunyoung with a perplexed expression, he asked, “Who’s this?”

                Amber wrinkled her nose and mumbled, “Angel…”

                “Seriously though. You’re… you know,” he gestured faintly, keeping the spectacle to a minimum. “And you’ve got someone new with you. Now you’ve gotten me curious regardless.”

                “So stupid,” Amber laughed once and her lips. “This is Luna. She’s a… friend from M-2. Hadn’t really heard about my situation but was looking for me so… you know how it goes.”

                “Man,” Angel laughed and shook his head. “Nothing but trouble. It’s nice to meet you Luna,” he greeted, offering his hand for her. “Sorry you got caught up in this mess.”

                “Yeah. Me too,” Sunyoung agreed with a hesitant glance at Amber. The nod reassured her a little bit, even if she still felt way out of her depth.

                “Alright. It was good to see you, Llama. But seriously. Be careful. If I can recognize you…” he trailed off with a wave, looking around nervously.

                “I know. Thanks, Angel,” Amber responded, giving him a quick wave before pulling Sunyoung after her once more.

                “Angel?” Sunyoung couldn’t help but ask.

                “Shh,” Amber whispered instead, not looking back but one hand gesturing for silence.

                That didn’t sound good. Nerves made Sunyoung’s stomach feel heavy and she looked down, focusing on her feet and the ground, which also looked strangely shiny. She had to wonder if it was metal or something else. But she could feel Amber’s tension. It was like there was an energy in the air and the hand holding hers was strangely tight.

                “Damn,” her companion hissed before suddenly changing course and abruptly trapping Sunyoung against a wall; at least it felt like a wall. “Sorry,” Amber whispered, head ducked close, hiding her face behind her extended left arm.

                It reminded her stupidly of a movie, where the lead would be going in for a kiss right about now, and Sunyoung felt her stomach do a backflip as she could only stare up in surprise at Amber’s almost too close face. Her green eyes were mesmerizing at this distance and she was reminded, once again, by just how attractive Amber was. “It’s okay,” she whispered in response, biting her bottom lip as she tried to not freak out. Their hands were still loosely clasped and despite everything, it was strangely hard to breathe just then.

                “It’s a patrol,” Amber explained, lifting her head just enough to glance over her arm, breaking the apparent spell over Sunyoung. “They know I’m here, but it’ll take them a moment to lock onto me. Come on,” she urged, seemingly blissfully immune to the sensations washing over Sunyoung. Confidently, Amber pulled away and drew the shorter woman close, tucking her hand into the crook of an arm. “I doubt they’re looking for two of us. I hope,” she added with a downward glance at the still dumbstruck Sunyoung.

                “Sure,” she shrugged, not sure what else she should say.

                Amber laughed once, apparently realizing a little bit about how her companion felt. “We’re almost out of the city. Trust me just a bit longer,” she urged, conjuring a reassuring smile and giving Sunyoung’s hand a comforting pat.

                “Lead on,” Sunyoung waved with her free hand. What else could happen at this point?

                Gratefully, they managed to thread their way past the inner ring and work towards somewhere in the middle without any other mishaps. There was some sort of conveyor system in place that was taking people below the city and that was where they went. Like the first capsule, they were pressed close in this one. Unlike the previous ride, she could see outside now. Sunyoung gasped as they descended, seeing the true size and majesty of the purple crystal. It was floating and every now and then, lavender bolts of lightning jumped up to strike the underside of the city. More than that, below the metropolis was a vast expanse of… land. It looked strangely like an older, more untouched Earth, all things considered. There just weren’t any oceans in her immediate view, though the trees they were heading towards appeared bigger than normal.

                What looked like a station rose up from directly beneath them. A shining tower accepted their capsule and whisked the outside world out of sight. Landing, she was greeted to what had to be some sort of transfer station. “This way,” Amber urged, pulling her along and towards a platform that led to what looked like a forest. And something moving… “Don’t be scared,” she whispered before they walked confidently through the gates, acknowledged by the two maybe guards nearby but otherwise left alone. They looked like everyone else but seemed stationed at their posts.

                Sunyoung wasn’t sure why she might be scared until they got to the end of the platform and saw what really was moving outside. She whimpered slightly and held just a bit tighter. “What-”

                “Forest strider,” Amber supplied, glancing down worriedly once. “Please don’t scream.”

                “I won’t,” Sunyoung squeaked, fearing her voice wouldn’t come at all. The forest strider she was talking about looked like something out of a monster movie. Or a nightmare. It resembled a giant centipede but there were cars on its back as it pulled up, slight vibrations in the ground stilling when it stopped. A platform extended to the thing’s back, people got off in a steady stream, and then she was moving forward with Amber to get on it. “Oh boy,” she exhaled with a nervous laugh, looking down just enough to see they were probably close to a hundred meters up.

                Amber’s hand laid atop hers, providing mute reassurance as they stepped into a car that resembled a train from the metro. Nothing quite so metallic and train like, but there were seats and holds and even connectors between the “cars.” When they started moving, it felt almost exactly like a train too. For a giant insect monster, it was a remarkably smooth ride. Gentle swaying motions rocked the passengers while the steady drum of dozens of legs hummed outside. They moved swiftly but stopped and started at relatively slow speeds while passengers got on and off. She didn’t know how people were telling what place was what though. There were no announcements and no signs…

                “This one is us,” Amber murmured, getting up to draw them towards the doors.

                Yeah. Sunyoung had no clue. But she was happy to be moving again. And wishing they could stop somewhere they could talk because she was even more lost than before. Less panicky because after a point, there was nothing else left to feel, but so lost. And she really just wanted answers because these people looked more normal or even old fashioned? No. Archaic. That was more accurate. There weren’t as many beautiful faces the further they went and when they stopped, Amber made a beeline for a much smaller transport. They had to take a floating platform down to the ground level, where Sunyoung saw something that more resembled the middle ages. Carriages. Maybe. With horses? No. Not quite. Unicorns? Well, one was. Something else looked like a giant chicken or maybe an ostrich, but bright yellow. Like from a video game?

                They took the chicken cart, a small box with comfortable enough seats and a driver atop, and bounced along in mutual silence until they arrived. “We’re here.”

                “Finally,” she couldn’t help but sigh, swallowing hard as she waited for the door to open.

                When they stepped out, Sunyoung felt almost exactly as if she’d been transported to an old world drama or something. The place was basically a village. Slightly more modernized but there were no paved roads and plenty of random animals roaming around and the people wore clothes someone from the fourteen or fifteen hundreds would wear. Looking at Amber, Sunyoung flinched to see she was also wearing something like it. Off white linen shirt and sturdy trousers complete with a brown leather vest and leather boots. Like actual old fashioned leather boots.

                “This way,” Amber urged, using her body to mostly hide Sunyoung from sight. They skirted around the outer edge and then ducked into an alleyway that led to a small collection of houses. Amber stopped in front of one and knocked, the sound similar to a pattern Sunyoung had heard before. Shave and a haircut? Yep. There were the final two knocks from inside.

                The door opened and she saw, “Ren?”

                “Quickly. Inside,” he waved, drawing the pair in before closing the door with a sigh of relief.

                “Thanks,” Amber exhaled, finally letting Sunyoung’s hand go so she could lean forward and take a deep breath.

                “Glad you made it. Was getting worried,” he admitted with a frown and glancing between them.

                “There were a couple hiccups along the way,” she laughed once, rolling her eyes and then nodding towards Sunyoung. “Bit of a double edged sword walking around with a human,” she admitted, giving her companion a warm smile.

                “I can imagine. Heard they caught scent of you too,” Ren frowned, face shifting as if he was listening for something.

                “Yeah. Had to mirror someone after I got back. Nojam was mirroring Sunyoung and I had to knock her out, but someone else was coming in behind us and yeah… It was not my finest moment,” Amber admitted with a shrug.

                “Damn. Poor Nojam. And you. That’s bad luck,” Ren cringed, looking at the still silent Sunyoung. “You okay?” he asked sympathetically, taking a step closer.

                Sunyoung was more than ready to say yes, even if it was a lie. But she saw Amber’s changed face and figure and Ren’s changed face and figure – pretty similar to the changes Amber had made – and saw the inside of the house that was familiar and not and… everything literally just became too much. “No,” she nodded with one finger raised in the air. She started blinking hard as a peculiar ringing sound echoed in her ears.

                “Sunyoung?” Amber asked, shifting closer and placing a supportive hand against her lower back.

                Reactively, Sunyoung wanted to shrug it off, but she only managed to say, “I think I’m going to pass out now.” A half second later, her prediction became a reality when her world spun and she willingly followed that downward spiral.

(a/n: There's a reason for the strange names here and I'll explain in the next chapter but for now, know that Nojam is Jyeongyeon from TWICE and Angel is Jeonghan from SEVENTEEN. I'll be doing a fair bit of explaining in the next chapter, for Luna as well as you guys, but I had fun pulling the world together. heh Kind of a fantasy/sci-fi blend. Huzzah! Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)