Overall summary of storyline (5/7)
Excited to post the next parts of this series! There might be many posts related to the lore from The World EP.2: Outlaw because I’m trying to make sure each part isn’t too long!
- The Prestige Academy was like a fortress, built like a spaceship in order to keep outsiders from entering. There was a very strict entry process which made it hard for outsiders to get inside anyway
- At the main gate, one’s entry ID was checked and numerous inspections followed; it was a system similar to immigration offices used to move between countries in World A (the ‘real world’). The security was so strict because only the most talented persons of World Z were allowed to study at the academy
- In World Z, children underwent state-certified tests within six months of being born. After six months, a child’s natural temperaments and talents became more clear, and it was up to the parents to raise the child in such a way that the child’s talents and innate growth potential were nurtured. The children who were identified as ‘talented’ were allowed to enter the Prestige Academy, and were placed in one of five classes based on their entrance exam results
- Class 1 was raised to work in the government, and would be responsible for researching and implementing new systems to improve the control and efficiency of society in the future
- Class 2 (which included future Guardians), were trained to control and punish those who defied control according to the government’s guidelines
- Class 3 was taught to classify new humans while following the system, and educate them accordingly
- Class 4 learned to handle various tasks necessary for human survival (e.g. changing control chips, overseeing new energy exchanges, the supply and manufacturing of essential energy)
- Class 5 were taught about city management, sanitisation and organisation
- The children enrolled at the Prestige Academy were educated and trained thoroughly before being deployed into society after graduation
- By targeting the Prestige Academy, ATEEZ would not only be able to help the young boy’s brother, but they could also damage World Z’s ruling class by awakening the children being indoctrinated there and shake the system by its very roots
- Mingi and Wooyoung dressed in security uniforms and led a group of freshmen who had just entered the school. Mixed among the students were ATEEZ in matching school uniforms
- Thanks to Left Eye and the Black Pirates hacking the ID checkers, ATEEZ were able to pass through, and at the inspection points, Mingi and Wooyoung ‘checked’ them before letting them through
- The boy’s brother arrived at the inspection point and appeared in front of Mingi, who they recognised from a photo the boy had shown them. Mingi let him pass, and sent a signal to the rest of ATEEZ through a transmitter on his waist: ‘He just entered the school’
- Wooyoung watched after the boy’s brother after receiving the signal, and it was clear he was feeling uneasy since his emotions were back. Wooyoung sent his own signal through the transmitter at his belt: ‘He’s passing through the hallway on the right’
- They boy’s brother went up the stairs towards the classroom for the eldest students in Grade 2. Wooyoung sent another signal to ATEEZ: ‘He’s going up to the classroom. Confirm contact timing’
- After arriving at the classroom, the boy’s brother sat down and tried to maintain a blank face, acting as stiff as possible. He placed his glass tablet in the centre of his desk and his pen exactly 7.5cm away in a parallel position as usual. He gazed at a blank monitor, and was relieved to note that so far, no one had noticed that he had his emotions back. Unbeknownst to him, Yeosang sat at a desk near him, watching
- ‘Meet me in the restroom on the left side of the first floor’. A low voice filled the ears of the boy’s brother. He turned in surprise, wondering if there was always someone like this in his class. Thinking back, he realised that in the 40 years he had attended the school, he had never once looked closely at his classmates. Without the need to exchange emotions, there was no need to talk to others face-to-face
- For the first time, the boy’s brother made eye contact with someone other than his family or school faculty: he looked at Yeosang. Yeosang’s eyes seemed to say ‘it’s ok’, and the boy’s brother wondered if he had been caught. Noticing the confusion, Yeosang opened a hand to reveal a breaker, and gave him a small smile. That action said it all; Yeosang knew that he could feel emotions
- Yeosang stood up and walked out of the classroom. The boy’s brother, who didn’t know if was friend or foe, watched him with a confused face. He quickly turned around back to his desk and checked to see if anyone had noticed. No one had; the other students were sat at their desks either adjusting their belongings or focused on their own work
- ‘That’s right, no one’s interested in me’, he thought. He stood up and exited the classroom
- In the corner at the end of the first-floor hallway, he could see a restroom with lights turned off. He worried that wandering in the hallway would be seen as suspicious, when a long shadow appeared behind him
- ‘Don’t worry. We’re here to help you’. It was Seonghwa. The boy’s brother seemed slightly relieved by Seonghwa’s smile, and stepped towards the restroom carefully, Seonghwa following him closely to protect him. Seonghwa sent a signal to the other members: ‘I’ve made contact with the boy’s brother’
- When they entered the restroom, Yeosang greeted them and Seonghwa locked the door. The room was quiet, and the boy’s brother felt his heart beating very fast. He didn’t know what to call that feeling since he hadn’t been taught emotions, but thought it could be nervousness
- ‘Your younger brother came to the Black Pirates’ bunker last night. He was worried that you might get sent to the Disposal Site and asked us to come save you. You know the Black Pirates, right?’
- The boy’s brother nodded as if to say he understood the situation, but inside his mind was racing. His only way out of the situation was to follow them, but would that make the last 40 years of his life? What had he been living the whole time? And what if he survived after following the Black Pirates? What would come next? What if following them led to something worse?
- Yeosang and Seonghwa knew that the boy’s brother was feeling conflicted, but because there was no time to waste, they explained their plan to him. The Black Pirates planned to rescue him, and ATEEZ and the Black Pirates’ goal was to awaken as many people at the academy as possible. This would create the opportunity for them to choose their own paths, but it was inevitable that the sudden rush of emotions would cause chaos and confusion
- The boy’s brother was not fully convinced. In his eyes, emotions and confusion were unnecessary, and all it would mean is that a lot of people would have to go through the same thing he was experiencing
- But Yeosang and Seonghwa had a different approach: ‘Chaos. Pain. They’re not necessarily bad things. You need to feel them to move forward, it’s something all people go through. That’s what growth is. What’s clear is that this feeling of growing through pain is a new, precious experience of yours. It was the same for all of us.’ Yeosang stretched his hand towards the boy’s brother, who stared at it
- His heart began to calm down, and he wondered what this new emotion he was feeling was called. He didn’t know, but he could feel warmth flowing through his blood. The boy’s brother cautiously reached out and grabbed Yeosang’s hand
- ‘Class will start soon, let’s just go back for now-’ Sudden bangs shook the bathroom door. The three anxiously looked as someone outside beat the door hard
- ‘Open the door right now. Otherwise, I will refer you to the disciplinary committee immediately.’ The boy’s brother quickly let go of Yeosang’s hand, and with a painful sigh began to recite ‘Thunder...’
- ‘Thunder?’ The boy’s brother’s eyes shook as Seonghwa repeated the name. As the door shook, the boy’s brother sprang up as if by reflex and unlocked the door. Outside was a group of students in neat uniforms, and on each of their chests was a symbol inscribed with the word ‘Thunder’
- A girl’s clear voice came from the group: ‘Why are the three of you all gathered here? With the door locked at that.’ The group parted as a female student walked to the front. Yeosang understood that this was the student group they had been warned about the previous night, and this girl was their leader
- The girl looked like the personification of the word ‘cold’, and stared at Yeosang: ‘You don’t look familiar.’
