Sehun's eyes widened as he stepped onto the sandy ground, eyes widening as it did indeed become darker down the path, although there weren't anymore strange floating boxes.
    Yifan hung back, a face that glared at anything that came close to him, which was mainly just the other five and the walls surrounding him.
    "Why did I agree to come?" He mumbled under his breath and Sehun almost laughed but held it back; he didn't want to be in an argument with the him when he knew that he still had some work to do with him.
    As they tread their way through the slippery sand covering the floor and getting thicker by the moment, suddenly there was a violent shake surrounding the small group, it lasted for about a minute and rocked the whole place about, the streetlights that barely worked anyway getting shook around and flickering to a point when Sehun was unsure if they were able to continue, and the sand beneath them slipped and slid, making some, specifically Sehun, Junmyeon and Kyungsoo slip over and fall onto their backsides with a loud thud.
    Sehun hit his head on the wall, and when the shaking finally decided to stop, he sat up and rubbed the new pain entering his head.
    "Are you okay?" Chanyeol asked, kneeling down to help him up, Sehun not wanting to look too weak but accepted the help anyway and made his way onto his feet, making sure the sand beneath his feet didn't send him down on to the floor once again.
    "Maybe it knows we're close," Kyungsoo observed as he dusted himself off with help from Junmyeon.
    "How do you know we're close?" Zitao asked, looking tired as he rested his head against the wall on his right, but his eyes electrified with excitement and curiosity as he asked the question.
    "Look," he rose a hand and pointed with his index finger to the deep darkness at the bottom of the path that didn't even have the pleasure of dim lights, and there was a small shimmer, like the cross between water and a mirror in the darkness.
    "I wonder what it is..." Sehun tried to narrow his eyes and squint to enhance his sight, but it made no difference and after Chanyeol was sure that he was okay, he gave a large grin and started to walk hastily, commenting, "Well why don't we just go and look?"
    No one protested or even said anything, even Yifan as they followed Chanyeol at the front.
    When they entered the section where there weren't any light, Chanyeol simply raised a hand and opened it up to open up a flame that was just bright enough for everyone to see where they were going.
    Then it came, the shimmer, close and closer, until finally the flame was reflected among it and they came across a large mirror that looked like it was made out of mercury.
    It stretched all the way up to the top of the two walls on their sides, and despite looking like some sort of liquid substance, it stayed completely still and upright.
    "This must be it," Zitao whispered, leaning forward to touch it before Kyungsoo stepped forward and swatted his hand out of nowhere, hissing, "You don't know what it could do, don't touch it," making Zitao shrink back towards the back of the group.
    "Okay," Junmyeon suddenly decided to take charge, stepping forward, explaining in the small light provided by Chanyeol, "I'll go first, if I don't return in five minutes then wait until Jongin comes to check up on us, and if I send a signal of some sorts it means you can come through. Only come through one at a time, Yifan you come after me, then Kyungsoo, then Chanyeol, Zitao, and then Sehun, okay?" He turned to look at everyone for approval and all gave him exactly that.
    Junmyeon took in a large breath, before taking another step forward, then another, until he had stepped through the liquid and had been immersed fully through the portal.
    No one said anything, the tension in the air spoke for them, and Yifan whispered softly, "What happens if he doesn't come back?"
    But no one answered, because he had to, he had to come back.

The feeling at breakfast was weird, and Yixing had noticed this very well, being the way he was.
    Minseok and Luhan, normally very close, weren't talking, while Baekhyun and Jongdae looked closer, yet were very gentle with each over, not touching each over and speaking like the other would break at his words.
    No one spoke throughout breakfast, and Yixing gave a few glances at Jongin, hoping he would say something to break the awkward silence, but he said nothing, as he was too busy concentrating on devouring a special piece of toast.
    Finally Luhan finished, slinging his plate and cutlery in the sink like they were pillows before disappearing.
    As soon as he was out of sight, Yixing leaned forward and asked Minseok gently, "Minseok is something wrong?"
    But the older just gave a very hurried shake of his head and a nervous smile full of the exact opposite of his words, "I'm fine, Luhan's fine, everything's fine," before almost repeating exactly the same action as he stood up, slung his plate and cutlery in the sink, except more in a hurried way than an angry way, and scuttled after Luhan.
    "Something is defiantly wrong," Jongdae whispered under his breath, while Baekhyun gave out a loud sigh before explaining, "Their relationship has always been weird, I don't know if they're friends or enemies or loners or distant friends or best friends or what, I wish they'd make it more clear."
    It was quite roughly put, but Yixing had to agree, and turned to see Jongin nodding in agreement too. 
    "Well," Jongin swallowed some water before starting, "I'm not sure if we should say something or let them sort it out between each over, I have a feeling if we interfere then so-"
    "GET OUT!" There was a loud roar from Luhan and Minseok's room, followed by the sounding of banging and then the back of the door hitting the wall and Minseok ran out, down the hallway and into the living room that was connected to the dining room for everyone to see, hands over his head as Luhan appeared from the hallway, a broken bottle in his hand and Minseok in a hurry to get away, fell over Yixing and Jongin's blanket and Luhan stormed over to him, Minseok squirming under his feet.
    "NO! Luhan, stop!" Jongin jumped from his chair like lightning and ran over to the scene, grabbing Luhan's raising arm with the bottle in it and bringing it down quickly, wrestling with Luhan to get the broken bottle off him.
    Yixing sneaked around from the back of Jongin and his own made-up bed, and crouched down to help Minseok up, who still had his arms over his head, but as Yixing tried to pull him away from Jongin trying to get the bottle out of Luhan's hand, the two's feet awfully close to Minseok's limbs, Yixing realised that Minseok was in fact trying to cover a cut bleeding badly on his head.
    So Luhan had actually hit him.
    "Come on Minseok," Yixing tried to lead him away as if he was a fragile animal, and slowly the two made their way behind the large sofa, Minseok looking just as scared and as frightened as an animal anyway.
    Yixing placed his hands over his ears, his shoulders, and then his face, before resting a hand on top of the bleeding area emerging on his head and started to heal it.
    As he did so, he felt around Minseok's arms before going down and down and then grabbing a hold of his shaking hand gently.
    Yixing tried to ignroe the screaming from the other side of the sofa, and the yelling and the fighting.
    But he didn't even want to imagine how hard it must have felt for Minseok.

All felt very relieved as out of nowhere, a hand that could only be recognised as Suho's slipped through the portal, extending as if waiting for the next person to also put their hand and be brought through the portal alongside.
    Yifan, almost looking embarrassed, brought out his much bigger hand and dropped it into Suho's, Suho holding onto the hand firmly for a moment before pulling Yifan through, who was gone just as quickly.
    The others waited, going through the list in their head, before turning to look at Kyungsoo who simply walked through the portal with no problem. 
    Then the light went out as they waited a few minutes and Chanyeol was gone.
    Zitao gave a firm slap on Sehun's back before disappearing through after Chanyeol.
    Sehun waited in the dark, counting to ten before reaching out first to check, not expecting what it was going to feel like and not knowing what was going to be on the other side.
    But as he reached out, expecting to feel a cool breeze or maybe water, he felt something...solid.
    He didn't believe it at first, but as he drastically ran his fingers, then his hands, and then his whole body along the hard surface, he tried to see where it was, because instead of the portal everyone had just been walking through, he was met by a smooth metal surface.

"Are you okay now Minseok?" Baekhyun asked, passing him a coffee as Minseok lay on the sofa, wrapped comfortably in a cocoon of blankets.
    "Yes," but of course he wasn't, Jongin observed as he sat in the sofa opposite.
    Apparently they had a major fallout, although neither would say why, and Minseok tried to confront Luhan about it, but Luhan got very angry very quickly and tried to throw a bottle.
    Wait...a bottle?
    Jongin in fact had the specimen on the small table on is right and reached forward to grab the smashed bottle and looked at the label.
    It was a brand he didn't have in the house...which meant...
    Jongin jumped out of his seat, not knowing whether to be angry, annoyed, confused or worried as he stormed over to Luhan's room where Jongdae was talking to him, although Jongin wondered what about.
    Not even caring through, he smashed open the door to be met with the two facing each over and looking like they were in deep conversation.
    "Where did you get this!?" Jongin asked, rushed as he raised the broken bottle in his hand.
    Luhan tensed, said nothing, and looked down.
    No, no, no, no, no...
    "You got it from a shop didn't you!?" Jongin asked, shocked that he would purposefully break the rules, and not just his own safety, but everyone else's as well. 
    There was no answer, and throwing the bottle to the floor, both hands now free he was able to storm forward and grab the collar of his shirt and lift him up from the bed, spitting, "How many times?"
    No reponse.
    "HOW MANY!?" Jongin was fuming, and shaking Luhan who looked not bothered anymore, he finally got an answer.
    "I went twice, at night, and got ten bottles..." he whispered under his breath, Jongin look behind him to see Jongdae looking just as shocked.
    The breath must have left Jongin because he couldn't breathe and certainly couldn't argue about the matter.
    "Why?" Jongin finally managed to ask, not even wanting to look at Luhan.
    "It numbs the pain," he answered in a glum tone.
    Jongin didn't have enough time to deal with this.
    Not even wanting to discuss the matter any more, Jongin left the room and back to the living room, looking down at the Box still on he ground and explaining over to Yixing and Baekhyun who tried to comfort Minseok still, "I'm going in to see if they are already gone or even better if I can get them out, we're in serious danger at the moment, don't answer the door, in fact put anything you can up against it, make sure no one can see through the windows and that they're firmly locked, and whatever you do, protect the Box, okay?"
    The three looked dazed by the sudden panic and line of instructions, but slowly brought themselves onto their feet except for Minseok and started to get to work without a question against it.
    Jongin turned to the Box, looking down at it, before descending so he could run his fingertips over it and closed his eyes.
    Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate...

Sehun sat on the sandy and hard stone floor, the darkness didn't scare him, but the fact that the Box could do anything at any time and Sehun was alone made him...worried.
    He stretched out his hand to feel were the portal was supposed to be, instead in it's place was a metal wall.
    Did it not want Sehun to go through?
    Was there something wrong with him?
    Had it broke?
    The questions were endless in his head, and each new worry made him more and more worried.
    "Hello!?" The loud call in the distance surprised Sehun, but he was pretty sure that no one else was there except from him.
    Maybe he had been alone for longer than he'd thought and had started to imagine things.
    "Hello!? Anybody!?" No, it was defianly real, and belonged to Jongin.
    Sehun leaped up onto his feet and called back loudly, "Here! I'm here!"
    It took a while, but after trying a few times, Jongin finally managed to teleport to the bottom of the path Sehun was waiting at, and as soon as he spotted Sehun emerging from the dark, he ran along the sand and with much shock, Sehun found himself opening up his arms and hanging onto Jongin.
    "Where are the others!?" Jongin asked.
    "They went through the portal, but when it was my turn it froze up or something..." Sehun explained, letting go of Jongin and running a hand through his hair, "I don't know how long I've been here, must've been forever, I feel so relieved to see you," he explained, Jongin smiling before looking over his shoulder and asking, "Could you show me?"
    Sehun didn't want to return to that eerie dark corner, but he did so anyway, walking down into the darkness and grabbing Jongin's hand, placing it onto the metal wall.
    "This is where the portal was..."
    He let go of Jongin's hand and the male felt around the metal, as if to try and find something Sehun didn't.
    "I'll take you back for now," he mumbled, and Sehun turned to look at him, "Why? Shouldn't we wait?"
    "We're in danger at the moment, Luhan's been out buying drinks and I don't think it'll be long until they find us..." Jongin felt sort of embarrassed, the fact that Luhan had let him down when he'd trusted him.
    "Why!?" Sehun was shocked, and Jongin explained lowly, "Luhan seems to be an alchoholic, he only had five a night, but it was really strong..."
    Shaking his head, Jongin grabbed onto Sehun, saying quickly, "We're going now, I know you want to wait but we're just going to have to trust the others..."
    And after a while of deep thinking and silence, Jongin managed to teleport Sehun away.