𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭│𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐮 ✓

100

"Shh just do it." Jihoon whisper shouted as Jun and Wonwoo began to bicker, he did not need to be shot this early in the morning while he still had a mild headache from the night before.

After the scan they were cast into a large room where an almost insultingly propagandised video played, all the anxiety the boys were feeling was being replaced with annoyance, Pledis didn't seem to affect them in their every day lives but after hearing "Trust in the system," About eighty times over they all began to switch off and before they knew it they were being guided onto the stage.

The anxiety came back in floods when the four boys looked upon the audience of family members and friends, it especially felt weird for Wonwoo and Jun. They'd never actually seen a Healinan with real serenity eyes before but past the partition that segregated the two kingdoms they could be found in swaths. "They're kind of pretty actually." Jun said softly, captivated by the different aesthetics of the place, new clothes, new eyes, new faces. Wonwoo hummed in agreement but he wasn't really looking for too long, eyes fixed on Mingyu in the crowd. Wonwoo had shut off slightly, he had a tendency to do that in these sorts of situations, letting his mind focus on Mingyu's features. After all those years together the honey skin, soft eyes and captivating features had this strange ability to calm him down, they made him feel like everything was going to be alright.

Soonyoung and Jihoon on the other hand had been before but being on the other side of the stage was a lot less nerve wracking, "How did Cheol do it?" Jihoon asked, hugging into Soonyoung's arm and not caring what other people thought about it for once. "Sometimes he just acts like a cocky asshole, less so now that Jeonghan is around but I'm sure he was just as scared as us." Soonyoung said, soaking up Jihoon's pretty brown eyes for what he feared might be the last time but he wasn't going to tell the younger that.

There was always such a mix of emotions at these events, Jun had his eyes fixed on two people on either side of the partition in the crowd, no guards bothering to intervene as they pawed at the glass like puppies trying to reach each other, small red trails seeping down from their fingers because they were just that desperate. It just wasn't right. Other people looked more scared about being put on a stage than the actual ceremony and others were incredibly cocky, stood with their arms folded and a smirk on their faces. Soon enough, he was snapped out of his thoughts as the doors slammed shut slightly too violently, making half of the auditorium jump as the speakers ran out again.

Welcome to the 201st annual ceremony, friends and family please stay seated in the audience while all involved step to the front of the stage and take a blindfold from the box.

As per protocol I will run through the proceedings of the ceremony, at exactly 12pm all those 21 years of age will have their eye colours turn either serenity or rose quartz. This will determine whether you will spend the rest of your lives in Healina or Odera. This can't be negotiated, there is a 80% chance you will stay in your place of birth however you must trust your eyes.

If you are assigned to the territory you weren't born in you will be then taken to the other side where you will be temporarily homed with a willing resident or our own lodgings until you find your feet.

Any attempts to dispute the system will result in execution without trial, if the system is compromised the well-being of society as a whole is lost. Trust in the system here at Pledis.

The exact same as last time, Jihoon and Soonyoung had forgotten how threatening the message felt. Mirrors were placed in front of them as the blindfolds were given out and all of their hearts started to beat faster. It really felt like some sort of twisted theatrical performance, wails already being heard from both sides before it had even begun. The dome had fallen into awkward silence, the only noises being the shuffling and adjusting of blindfolds. Wonwoo took one last look at Mingyu before he slid it on his face, Jun grabbing his hand for reassurance. Jihoon and Soonyoung looked at each other, Soonyoung couldn't help but show the fear in his eyes so Jihoon stretched up and placed a soft kiss on his lips, no more than five seconds long before applying his blindfold as well. Soonyoung didn't see why they even needed the blindfolds as if the ceremony was some sort of sadistic reveal for the poor family and friends having to watch the scene all the while being intimidated by the Pledis guards that lined the edges of the dome with their excessive display of guns.

Soonyoung found Jihoon's hand and Jihoon found Jun's, they were all terrified.

Now Wonwoo had broken his stare, Mingyu let the tears begin to fall. He clung onto Seungcheol like he had done when they were little, Seungcheol carding his hand through the younger's hair soothingly to try and hold back his own emotions. These were his boys, he'd watched all four of them grow up, he'd made sure they were fed and had a place to stay. Although he hadn't always made the right choices he knew he'd tried his hardest to be the leader, the closest thing to a father figure they'd be able to receive. The thought of even one of them leaving him after all this time was heartbreaking.

Their hands squeezed tighter together as a drum began to beat.

thud

They could feel each other's pulses begin to quicken.

thud

One last time.

thud

There was silence again until the speakers rang out.

All participants may remove their blindfolds. After this announcement , you will have 30 seconds to process your result and the mirrors will be removed, a following 2 minutes and then you will be filtered and transported from here, thank you.

All the cries had stopped, a few choked out sniffles but everyone was too scared to move. One by one, they worked up the courage to remove the cloth that stood between them and their future.

Two serenity, two rose quartz.

Thank you for reading Split

The second and final instalment of this series 'Converge' is up now