Morning arrived at 14:46 AD at the Wanderlust Headquarters. Sunlight peeked through the window in Jay and Sunghoon's room. Sunghoon had been up all night, listening to his mom's long explanations. Groggy, he crawled out of bed and checked his watch—it had stopped. He hoped it was all just a bad dream, but it wasn't.
There was a knock on the door. It was Jay, who had woken up early. He smiled at Sunghoon.
"I wish you were just taking me to school," Sunghoon mumbled.
Jay pointed to a luggage bag in the corner. "Your stuff's been unloaded from the car."
"Thanks," Sunghoon replied. He paused, then hesitated before calling out, "Jay?"
"Yeah? Still confused?" Jay grinned. "No worries, I'll explain everything. Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes. I'll be waiting downstairs. Do you remember the way?"
Sunghoon nodded. The house was massive, almost like a hidden complex, tucked away from the locals.
Sunghoon splashed water on his face and glanced at the mirror. As he wiped his face dry, his eyes were drawn to the necklace his parents had given him. It flickered dimly, its light faint but steady. He didn't remember it ever doing that before. Yesterday, it had glowed brighter, especially when touched. The dragon symbol etched into it seemed to shimmer, almost nervously.
He left his room and found his sister, Karina, standing nearby.
"Are we really the ones who have to save Dad? I'm not accepting this," she said, frustration clear in her voice.
Sunghoon sighed. "I don't think it's a dream anymore... but are we even capable? We're just normal teenagers."
Karina rubbed her forehead, wincing. "This is giving me a headache."
They gathered around the Wanderlust table, a mix of familiar faces, some looking their age, others seeming out of place. Sunghoon chose to sit beside Jay and Jake, while Karina, on the other side, greeted a girl named Giselle.
"Sis, where's Mom?" Sunghoon asked, glancing around.
Karina took a slow sip of the coffee that had just been served to her. "She left with the lady who greeted us yesterday, the one who called us in," she replied, her tone still distracted as she savored the drink.
"Alright, let me fill you in on Wanderlust," Jay said, speaking half-whispered as the hall buzzed with conversation.
"Well, you know me—I'm the best Wanderlust here. But your friend is from 2024," he added proudly, pointing toward himself. A girl seated nearby giggled, then shot them a playful glare.
"Stop lying, Jay," she interjected, rolling her eyes.
"As always, Ningning, you're such a party pooper," Jay shot back, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Ningning laughed, shaking her head. "Just ignore his nonsense. Hi, I'm Ningning. I'm actually from the Wanderlust in China. I think we're about the same age, since you two," she said, pointing at Jay and Jake, "are the same age."
Sunghoon and Karina exchanged confused looks.
Ningning saw their confusion and continued, "Well, it's kind of strange. Age is tricky here. Some people are technically the same age but weren't born in the same year. It's all because of time travel. While you wander through time, our time stays the same, or sometimes... it's stuck. And there's no two people exactly the same at the same time. It's... complicated."
Karina nodded, trying hard to absorb all the information, though it clearly left her overwhelmed.
"I'm Karina, and this is Sunghoon," Karina introduced them, glancing at her brother.
Jake, ever the observer, smirked. "You know, you're already kind of famous here, even though it's your first time."
"You two disappeared four years ago, and the Chief found you in 300 AD, I think," Jake continued, his voice filled with admiration. "Everyone noticed right away—you're Wanderers, but with no media coverage, and you've become the hot topic around here. It's amazing."
