Chapter Text
Kim Hongjoong is his name, but in this place, the Prestige Academy, it doesn't matter. Everyone is the same and individuality is unnecessary. There is simply no need to show any kind of personality, since it doesn't benefit the society. It doesn't contribute to the efficiency of living in this world.
This World is called World Z, because of the leader Z. He is unknown to almost all people, but he is the one running this whole place in the background with his army of Android Guardians and therefore well respected. His troops make sure that everyone stays in line and doesn't disobey the perfected system he created.
Every day Hongjoong walks into the big and bright entry hall of the Prestige Academy passing by high white pillars left and right to get to class. It is the routine followed by all the students for years, sometimes even up to 40 years to reach the highest level of education. The Prestige Academy is the best school in World Z and is essential to keeping the society going.
All students are divided into different classes ranging from 1 to 5. All of them in some way specialised to take on an important role later on. Most famous is probably class 2, as it is teaching the future generation of Android Guardians, therefore becoming highly respected law enforcers. But also class 4 is outstanding, because it deals with the science behind the energy of the humans and how it can be utilised in various effective ways. But Hongjoong was in class 1. There they learn the work of the government; legislation and developing of new systems to implement in World Z.
In the end all classes work within the same framework of government guidelines; especially the Emotional Regulation Act.
No Emotions
No Art
No Resistance
It's following the moral code of the religion Sciensalvar, Z's politics are based on. That's why his leading slogan for his political party is:
The pursuit of a peaceful world without religious conflict and terror through emotional control.
In the Academy and all the other schools in World Z students are being taught the history of that religion and its core beliefs from a very young age. But it is barely a religion that has to do with believe, because it is science based. It's a fact. There is no wrong to it. Their society is living proof. And the large number of scientists that helped to shape Sciensalvar for decades can be fully trusted, since their discoveries have not yet been disproven.
At such a symbolic place like the Prestige Academy, everything works in perfect harmony. Everyone, without even thinking about it, works as efficiently as possible. Since the Academy is so important there even is a second layer of control; Thunder. They are an elite student organisation that monitors everything, helping out the Android Guardians with what they are unable to catch within the Academy. They try to spot any unusual behaviours of students and any sign of emotion.
Even with this high level of security, accidents occur from time to time. It's not really noticeable when you keep focus on your classes. Recently it’s unavoidable, because hacker attacks and other undermining techniques are used more frequently. For example during the class a screeching sound appears over the implanted link every student has in their ears. It's a chip connected to the government to monitor that everyone is following protocol. Or the projection on the board started to flicker and speakers transferred hard to understand voices.
At first there was no reaction by the students at all. Everyone was sure the source of the disruptions would be found and stopped. But as time passed it didn't stop. Thunder has been patrolling through the school hallways more than ever. Loud sounds of shattering glass were heard in the hallways during class and a forbidden feeling of curiosity started to make itself known in Hongjoong's body.
But it was not only curiosity, but also nervousness. Every time these sounds of chaos ring in his ears, his hands start to sweat and his muscles in his legs tense up. As if he needs to jump up right in that moment and personally take on the responsibility to solve the ongoing issue.
No, no, that is no emotion, that is a rational observation that more help is needed, Hoongjoong thinks to himself, denying the unbalance that has occurred within himself. It is necessary to hide this or else Thunder might get him and that can't happen. He wasn't a traitor, he has always worked hard in the name of the government and their vision.
Everyone at the Academy tries hiding the fact how much affected they are by the recent events, but it is clearly noticeable when you have known this place for as long as Hongjoong has. The perfection is disturbed and simple routines are becoming daily challenges. Outside of the Academy similar instances seem to not appear, so was that a targeted attack against the Academy? Since no one dared to even bring this topic up to outsiders, it seemed impossible to work on a solution together or let alone get information about the existing issue.
One day Hongjoong decides to arrive earlier than usual at the Academy to avoid the inconveniences that happen so often now. The school halls appear calm and empty, but as he turns the corner to go to his classroom he sees something moving out of the corner of his eye. As he turns again he is facing himself. It was his reflection in a mirror. Mirrors didn't exist in this world anymore since Z was the leader, but it was something everyone knew to avoid. He didn't know why, but the way his eyes became glued to the unfamiliar sight of himself, explained itself as a dangerous distraction that sucks you into its spell.
The daze the mirror made Hongjoong fall into, made it hard for him to locate the voice he heard. It could have been the school speakers or the link in his ear, because of its electronic sound it made. At first it was a familiar voice saying "Do not question. Don't doubt yourself at all times." It's a common rule every student learns to follow and is repeated in class a lot. But it became strange. The voice became distorted and the lights around Hongjoong start to flicker until the sounds with the voice now more clearly again says "Do question yourself"
At this moment Hongjoong stands heavy in front of the mirror. His feet wouldn't leave the ground no matter how hard he would try. His eyes are wide open staring directly into the eyes of his reflection. What was that? Which version is he supposed to trust? Is that even real?
Suddenly the sound of a siren makes Hongjoong snap back into his own body. He instinctively starts running towards one of the school exits, as if his body had a mind on its own. Without having a clear plan of what exit to use he takes unnecessary turns through hallways he has never even been in. As he leaps forward in large steps he notices how he passes a large number of other mirrors. Where did they come from? Hongjoong stops abruptly when he hears footsteps of an Android Guardian. Hongjoong is on high alert, he doesn't want to be mistaken for the person who is responsible for the appearance of those mirrors.
Then he crouches down at one of the walls, catching his breath waiting for what would happen next. A chime echoes through the corridor closer to Hongjoong than he would have liked. His heartbeat spikes. Hongjoong hears it pump all the way into his ears, hoping the Guardian standing just around the corner wouldn't hear it as well. But at least one thing made sense now. The sounds that were audible from the outside of the class. It was the mirrors that were gotten rid of by the guards. Now the footsteps move further away grinding the shattered pieces on the hard stone floor with every step. Hongjoong made the last few turns to finally exit the building taking a deep breath of the air outside.
It was still some time before school would start regularly, but it felt necessary for Hongjoong to spend this time until then further away from the Academy. Ducking down in the field of high grass behind the building, he moves with controlled movements all the way to a bigger rock he could lean against and hide himself with. This was the moment where he could finally find a moment of clarity.
He looked directly at the Prestige Academy, which was now multiple meters away from him. The sun is coming up behind the building wrapping it in a golden light, hiding the chaos that Hongjoong knew was going on inside. Surely there has to be more than that one guard trying to get rid of all these mirrors before the students come there.
Hongjoong starts to remember the first days he spent at the Academy and his ambitions to one day be part of something big. Hongjoong can't remember ever having thought back to moments like those, since it is not really the most efficient way to spend time being nostalgic. But since it helped him to see the goal he was following with more focus again it should be ok.
It bugs him that there seem to be people trying to sabotage not only his dream, but also those of the other students. It's not fair to anyone to disrupt the system like that.
What Hongjoong has experienced over the past days and weeks was very much out of the norm. He recognised within himself that there were emotions like curiosity, nervousness and fear crossing through his routines distracting him. He didn't like it whenever it happened. Emotions are a negative element of life and should be avoided at all cost. So now he wants to go back to being his usual way again, making sure nothing would fall out of order again.
All these events just made Hongjoong be even more motivated to work in class. Because that would be the way for him to work his way up to the government and find out who is behind all of it and can help the society gain its balance back.