Namjoon POV:
After a few hours of research, Taehyung and I started our first 'emotional bonding' trial. That's what the so-called professionals named it at least.
Supposedly, we should be able to feel each other's emotions without needing to ask questions or press for more information. This could be very useful if we can use this to access how our other partners are feeling. Well, it might not help us solve the way that they are feeling, but at least we will know.
I'm not sure how Yoongi and Hoseok are doing with their experiments, but I have not heard much from them. Currently, Taehyung and I are in the dining room sitting across from each other. It might work better if we are closer, but working with distance should do no harm. If anything, it will actually benefit us. Though, progress may be slow.
As the books have theorized, we first hold on to each other's hands. Then, one person thinks of a very vivid memory that stands out for emotional reasons, such as: a funeral, a wedding, or a fear. Finally, the other person will try and feel those same emotions.
For now, it is all a guessing game, and we will not be telling each other what emotion the memory will evoke. That would ruin the whole point of the experiment, of course.
First, I will be recalling the time when I stepped on a snake, and it chased me for about a mile. That's probably the biggest shock and fear I've ever felt in a moment. It wasn't just some garter snake, either! It was deadly, I'm sure of it!
As vividly as I could muster, I replay the memory in my head. By using all of the five senses, I believe I can give myself nearly the same amount of fear and shock as before. After a moment of preparation, I start from the beginning. Oh, how peaceful of a walk.
Then, I peer at an interesting tree trunk as I identify lots of the little creatures that inhabit it. All of a sudden, I feel the strange stick under my shoe wiggle! I have never lifted my foot faster as I felt the struggle of the stick below me. Only, of course, it was no stick. A black, writhing snake violently jerks around on the pebbled pathway.
As I was walking the trail by myself, I had nobody to call for help as I was positive I was going to be ruthlessly injected with a fatal venom. Oh, what a fright! I ran like my life depended on it, yet it chased me down the rocky trail. That midnight serpent slithered hastily as it tried to catch me. Luckily for me, I have legs.
I managed to escape, but barely! My mortality was on the line, yet I conquered and triumphed. That stupid snake was no match for my survival skills!
As I finished recalling the memory, I opened my eyes to view Taehyung. Did he feel anything at all? Because I know I sure did. My heart rate had risen significantly, especially at the part where it chased me! Anxiously, I wait for any form of recognition. Slowly, Taehyung peels his eyes open.
"Well?" I whisper to him. He holds my gaze.
"I felt... something. Were you afraid? I also felt a strange boost of confidence, but maybe I was just encouraging myself." He answers. A smile presents itself onto my face at his response.
Finally, we're in business.
Jungkook POV:
Unflattering snores sound throughout the room as I stir in my sleep. It is the middle of the night, and I've been sleeping soundly for the past two hours, but an unfamiliar feeling pokes me awake.
For the past, what I assume to be, day, I've been aching and groaining in pain. However, I've been too tired to stay awake for long periods of time. There are many positives to that, though. For example, I do not get a long period of time to worry about my soulmates. That would definitely pull me over the edge.
Slowly and with confusion, my eyes peel open. However, I close them and try and fall back asleep because it is unknown as to what woke me up in the first place. Sighing, I lean my head back again.
After a few short moments, I feel it again. Furrowing my brows, I fix my posture, almost like I'm trying to hear something far away. Wishing there was a clock on the wall, I sigh.
Once again, I attempt to fall into a comfortable slumber. As one would predict, I am now unable to do so. Finally, I allow my mind to wander to my safe place, or rather, my safe places. All of my soulmates' faces display in my mind as I exhale dreamily. A warmth spreads throughout my chest, but it comes alongside an ache. The two components of my emotions seem to go everywhere together while holding hands.
Another strange feeling pricks at my heart, but it is much stronger than before. The unusual sensation piques my interest as it does not hurt but heats up my chest. If I were not currently bound to my bed, I would place a hand over my heart. With the strange prick at my heart comes a pressure in my head. It irritates me as it crawls around like it owns the place.
A groan escapes my lips as my eyes roll back into my head, already tired of the excess pain. What else could it be other than the results of the beating? I was knocked out cold for who knows how long! Though nothing compares to the ache in my chest.
The only detail in this peculiar hospital room that captures my attention is the small number seven on the table next to my bed. It appears to be carved into the structure, but I could be mistaken. For some reason, every time I wake up, it steals my gaze. Once again, it does so.
For now, I choose to ignore it, or rather, I am forced to ignore it because of the blaring cramp in my head. A dizziness swallow me whole as I am no longer capable of fighting it. My head rests on the backboard, my neck unable to hold it up any more.
My hands begin tingling, and my toes start to lose feeling. Alarm engulfs my body, but I am unable to move or fight against the feeling. Beads of sweat produce in my forehead and my body becomes dewy. What is happening to me?
A moment passes, and airy whispers echo throughout my haunted mind. Delirium controls my weak thoughts, scaring me further. The whispers get louder, yet I can not understand them. Somehow, there are only two different voices present. It is like one voice is on the left side of my brain while the other is on the right.
As I am in this daze, it becomes more bearable by the second. Soon, the fog clears, and I can hear the voices more clearly. The blaring pain in my head doesn't scream as loudly, and the heat on my body fades.
A sigh of relief parts through my lips as my limbs relax. Even though my physical body has relaxed, my mind still races. The voices still speak indecipherable words to me in a calming manner, yet my heart still races. Are they talking to me? What are they saying?
In an attempt to get answers, I send a question their way. "Can you understand me?" I call inwardly. It is unknown to me if it will work, but it is worth a try. Wouldn't they be able to understand all of my other thoughts? Why would thinking it louder work? Gosh, I must be stupid!
"Yes! Can you hear us?" One of the voices reply. My mouth widens in shock, but I quickly shake my head and respond.
"I can! Who are you, and what are you doing in my head?" I ask quickly. Who knows how long this will last.
"You can't tell by our voices?" The one replies with a sad tone. My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I try to hear a correlation between voices. I can hear all of the words, but I cannot hear it's pitches, which seems impossible.
"I can't really hear the pitches of your voices. Do you know who I am? What are you doing here?" I repeat my second question.
"Well now that we think about it...no. We don't know which one you are. We are here on purpose though!" The one voice answers vaguely. Agitation scratches at the back of my kind, but I do not have the energy to dwell on it. I need answers.
"So what is your purpose, and who are you?" I ask with a hint of annoyance. The voices seem to get the point as they prepare their answer.
"It's Hoseok and Yoongi! We are trying to build our connection so we can communicate with you all telepathically. This will hopefully help us get you out of wherever you are. We don't have much time left considering we are being drained of energy, but we will meet with you again." One of my soulmates say. My heart aches from their response. Leaving so soon?
"It's Jungkook! How can I help it build? Please don't leave!" I call out desperately as I feel them begin to slip away.
"We miss you all, Jungkook. This is help enough, and don't stress out over it. We will do all of the lifting on our end. Please stay safe." My other soulmate says weakly, finally fading away.
My head becomes clear again, and all of my aches have faded. Well, except for the physical ones from the ambush. However, even those seem to have healed slightly. Maybe it was from the prescence of my two soulmates. It was enough to give me a glimmer of hope, and I wish for my other three soulmates to receive the same treatment.
Finally, I shut my eyes and whisk away into a dreamy sleep.
Yoongi POV:
"We did it! Namjoon and Taehyung we did it!" Hoseok shouts as he rises from his spot on the couch.
After last night's first attempt, we became really tired and had to sleep the night away. Though ever since we woke up, we've been practicing and trying new methods. Finally, we found one that sort of worked.
It took us over ten hours today to get there, but we managed to reach Jungkook. My heart swelled when he announced his name, and that alone made my body warm with hope. Hoseok is over the moon with excitement which unfortunately means disrupting Namjoon and Taehyung. Who knows if they have made any progress. We've all been in our own little worlds, and for good reason.
"Hoseok, they're still practicing!" I shout at him, but he still pulls them from their work.
"Guys we did it! We reached Jungkook!" He continues to yell. Taehyung and Namjoon's eyes snap open in shock as they look at each other. They lift themselves up from the seats at the table as they embrace Hoseok.
"Come here, Yoongi." Namjoon calls for me. With effort, I push myself off of the couch and make my way over to join the hug. Speaking with Jungkook took an incredible amount of energy, and I feel as though my legs will give out at any moment. I'm surprised that Hoseok can be so bouncy and joyful.
Taehyung seems to notice my weak state of being as he wraps an arm around my torso to hold me firmly. Though, I still hug them all as I feel my eyes begin to water. I refuse to let my tears fall since the work is hardly over. In fact, it has only just begun.
The hug dissipates and the other two soulmates look at us expectedly. Taehyung still holds me up, but his gaze doesn't falter.
"So? How did you do it? We need to learn, too." Namjoon asks. Hoseok is more than ready to provide an answer.
"Well, we just thought about the happiness that our bond makes us feel, and we just pretended to reach for it. Eventually, we reached a weird foggy state, and we thought we messed something up, but we didn't! We found each other in there via our thoughts, which we can hear. Then, Jungkook asked us who we were, and boom! That was it." He states with pride, his hands on his hips.
They both nod, deep in thought. Then, they look at each other and back to us.
"We may have reached someone too, but we aren't sure." Taehyung admits sheepishly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. My eyebrows raise as the tables turn. It is me and Hoseok's turn for an explanation.
"We did something similar to what you guys did, but instead of communicating, we focused on our internal feelings. Eventually, we reached a weird blockade that we pushed past. Then, we felt an overwhelming sense of curiosity and a bit of fear. Something like that. Though, we don't know who it was." Taehyung finishes. Me and Hoseok nod simultaneously.
"I assume we will be able to combine these abilities to make them stronger. Then, we can know who we're talking to and what they're feeling at the same time." Namjoon says thoughtfully.
"For now, I think we should head to bed. I know it's early, but we can only work when we aren't exhausted." I say finally. Maybe it was for my own sake, but I can see the fatigue written on everyone's features, too.
As we climb the stairs, a small smile returns to my face. I knew they would never leave us.
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