#cromer

A Map of Strictland and the areas around

Also I worked very hard on the alt text please read

While researching deep into ATEEZ's lore, I encountered some points that just kept bugging me:

Why is ATEEZ at times violent, power hungry, and overcome by a certain powerful desire?

Why is the Lord of the Rings "one ring" reference relevant?

You see, these bother me a lot because the desire to rule over everyone else and accumulating so much power you can't handle doesn't fit in well with ATEEZ's intentions of an anti-authoritarian revolution at all. Also using/threatening to use too much violence for emotional reasons doesn't fit that well with the narrative. So what is going on?

Let's start with what "the Ring" is in the Lord of the Rings:

The Ring is a ring created by Sauron to rule over the bearers of all other 19 Rings of Power. In the story, wars are started for it and various people race to be its holder; for the power, to hide it or to destroy it completely. It augments its bearer's abilities but it also gradually makes them obsessed with it, to the point they become violent and lose their sanity (for example Gollum developed a dissociative identity disorder). It also allowed the bearer to move between realms (the physical and the unseen). In the movies, the Ring makes a whispering sound to symbolize the intrusive thoughts it projects on its bearer.

The ring is repeatedly and obsessively called "my precious" by Gollum. He says it in a whisper-like voice when talking to himself.

So there is a precious in ATEEZ's lore, okay. Also in the extended song "Precious" a whisper that makes someone addicted it mentioned. These go well with the effects of the One Ring. Also at the end of the "Precious" stage in concert we see Hongjoong obsessively looking for the Treasure.

On to "The Ring", which talks being overflowed by a power that ATEEZ is unable to handle, and its stage. In the VCR, we see the Cromer in the back with crescents.

The Cromer does carry resemblances to the Ring: it is an object for which people fight each other, it basically rules all the sides that want it, it allows for travel between two realms and according to THE WORLD EP. FIN : WILL diaries, it augments its holder's abilities.

Crescents are also very important to ATEEZ's worldbuilding as it is the title to two instrumentals and also shows up particularly in "Crazy Form" MV. We also don't see ATEEZ in their obsessed, power hungry, violent state often. Could this VCR mean the Cromer has this side-effect on its holders particularly during a crescent?

"The Ring" also has a theme of using this power to fight in the name of the fallen rebels as well as protecting those who live. Could the Cromer be poisoning ATEEZ to make them more focused on revenge and causing them to lead the Black Pirates recklessly and use more power and violence than necessary?

There is also another noticeable thing in the "The Ring" stage: the performance starts with Yeosang making a particular hand sign and ends with all the members doing it.

This sign is then repeated quickly by Yeosang again in the "Outlaw" (which is one of the songs mentioned above) performance.

I don't really know what the sign means, but this makes two connections between the songs now.

Ateez’s alter egos,the one who started to slowly appear during Ateez’s first visit in Strictland that call themselves as Halateez as if they are a separate entity is the “Fever” inside Ateez, with another name the flame inside them. 

 This inner voice was actually born for the first time when Ateez, after receiving the mission from the Black Fedora wearing pirates to sing and wake up the people of Strictland, found themselves in a black fedora, mask and black suit at the speed of light. 

The Fever series is actually named after this, after the awakening of the flame inside Ateez. With the inclusion of those who call themselves Vampires in the story, the main theme of the Treasure Series is actually born, the battle of red and blue lights.

The presence of Halateez, which we can see as the darkness within Ateez, is felt from time to time with the events and emotional changes they experience during their journey between dimensions and then worlds. 

Halateez, who can pull Ateez into an illusion, especially when their control over Ateez increases, actually acts as a key in Ateez's mission to save Strictland, which is their reason for searching for treasure. We see the reason, especially at the beginning of The World Series.

In the Treasure Series, it was their whispers that drove them from here to there, pushing them to pass through the “Door of Truth”, which could have been a shortcut.  It was only by making a deal with Halateez that Ateez was able to get out of the abyss where the Door of Truth opened. 

 They raised their glasses and showed everyone that they were in control after the agreement. Just as the songs implied, the blue flame had appeared, but it hadn't rained yet.

With the World Series, Ateez returned to Strictland, that dark place where the stars seemed to have stopped shining, to fulfill their duties. In a world where emotions had disappeared and art and war had been buried in history, Ateez slowly began to lose consciousness.

Just as they thought there was nothing left they could do, the reflections they saw in the mirror awakened them from this black-and-white adult world. The flame within them had become a guiding light. And thus, Guerrilla Ateez was ready to change the world.

In other words, the alter egos that Ateez never accepted and wanted to escape from, the real emotions they saw in the mirror, brought them closer to the utopia they wanted to transform Strictland into. 

But just as they were about to witness the transformation of this adult world, sudden events caused the last cromer in their hands to break, forcing them to return to their own world—successfully.

Ateez is entering a new era, realizing that the world they live in, the place they had  dreamed in, is also an Adult World, just like the people they encountered in Strictland's reflections in their own world. 

And they are adapting to this situation.

With the Golden Hour Series, Ateez returns to this world where they will now have a normal life, and their alter egos—the fire within Ateez—return to their hearts, back to where they came from.  Thus, approximately 1.5 years have passed in the real world since their last appearance. 

Until the release of Part: 3.  

During that time, the only thing on Ateez's mind was to survive in this world and be like other people. Thus, some were reunited with their families, whom they had waited years to be noticed by, while others were living in the world they truly longed for.

One day, this situation would change following their final reunion,

 with Wooyoung's decision—driven by the fire still burning within him—to use the red cube inside Cromer, causing the alter egos at the depths of Ateez's heart to awaken once again.

It must have been a long sleep for them, because the first thing Ateez did after this event was to party until sunrise, the night after the meeting.

This small but bright cube that Wooyoung uses is actually made up of Halazia's breath, which is considered important in Strictland. 

It learns the emotions of the person it enters and allows other people to experience them as well. When Wooyoung uses it, Sopro, or breath, awakens. Just like Halateez suddenly finding themselves born in Strictland.

Halateez watched Ateez like a spectator, like watching a movie on television in the evening. Without knowing what would happen in the end, but knowing that one day this state of passivity would end... 

With the awakening of Sopro, Ateez awakens once more from the cold, frozen world, the ice melts, and what remains is a blue flame that should actually be red.

And so they stand apart from people who seem to wear masks because they have lost their importance and identity.

Now that they had regained their freedom, Ateez wanted to continue their journey in search of the treasures, but a shadow awaited them.

However, long before that, there were some clues about future events. Just as when Ateez gathered all the treasures together, the New World would emerge.

Ateez was chasing after Sopro, trying to figure out what Sopro was, but Sopro had disappeared. Maybe he was really gone, or maybe he had just run away, but Ateez was trying to find out what the forgotten legend of World Z was by chasing after the little red cube.

During Ateez's separation, Yunho found himself searching for a new item in the Egyptian Pyramids and discovered a section of books that were not recorded in the library where he was working on his research. It was as if this place was calling him, where he found the clue he was looking for. 

In one of the books, he came across the writings of a researcher discussing multiple dimensions. He needed to meet this person as soon as possible. The researcher was quite old but had a familiar appearance. Wait, he recognized him—and even his daughter.

This researcher was the reflection of the Left Eye in this dimension, who helped them in Strictland. He was the only person who joined them in their loneliness about knowing all the different dimensions that exist in the same world.

Strictland was located in the 4th dimension, similar to the underworld, while Ateez was in the 3rd dimension where we actually exist. Perhaps the dimension to which the Black Fedoras truly belong is the 5th dimension. For now, the existence of these dimensions was known.

According to legends in this world, one day a tomb belonging to an ancient king was discovered. This discovery added historical value to the legend. 

According to records and research, an artifact was missing from this tomb. When they looked at the photograph taken, the object that should have been around the king's neck appeared to be made of glass. 

It was red and resembled Sopro.

According to the legend, it had been given to the king as a gift by a bird-like creature. The king's identity is currently unknown.

Perhaps it is truly Ateez's reflection in the fourth dimension that we have never seen before. Although we cannot be certain of this, Ateez's alter egos, awakened by Sopro, redirected their goals and the ship'course toward space as they regained their freedom.

In short, during the new moon, Henry Jo was in the Mayan Musium,  to actually capture the Sopro from the very beginning, not Cromer ,to save humanity. 

Sopro was dug up from the king's grave which was  given to the king as a gift by the bluebird. During Ateez’s last time in Strictland, the red moon rose and Sopro emerged from the broken Cromer, and so the Bluebird appeared to follow the King, but Sopro found herself in a glass display cabinet in the end in Yeosang’s mansion.

 Meanwhile, Ateez had put their crown away in the empty box. Perhaps the Bluebird's intention was to give Sopro away and make Ateez a king again.

 A king.

According to Mesopotamians and Incas, the blood moon symbolizes the death and the downfall of the king.

This time, the way for Ateez to get to their destination quickly was to use the door, just like in the Treasure Series. The key to the door was Sopro, part of Cromer.

But just as Ateez was about to set off, they received an invitation from someone unknown. Following this strange invitation, Ateez finds themselves in an opera house. During this process, where we see Sopro wandering around, Ateez is watching another Ateez. But wait, isn't this the treasure Ateez have been searching for all these years?

In this clip, which members expect the Atiny's to be surprised by when they watch it, many events unfold.

In this clip, where alter egos and old vampires awaken, it is unclear who is who. Just as it is unclear who is a vampire, because also the one Ateez on stage's eyes are red . The reason may be that they are not vampires but Lucifer. The devil who hides himself. An apple that is actually a lemon. Someone is hiding their identity here.

While Ateez and Halateez had been looking for a party, cake and colors, the true owner of the show is hiding their identity behind the curtain. And somehow, the door Ateez is supposed to use is locked. But how can a dimensional door be locked?

Perhaps this door is not the gate to another dimension they were looking for, but rather a gate to the Mansion of the Black Star, where ATEEZ's fate crossed. But because ATINY forgot the rules there, we couldn't learn more.

Sopro's effect on people, absorbing the emotions of the person she enters and imposing them on others, actually narrows down the possibilities of who the real owner of this show might be. Because it's like a shared dream. Have you ever seen these men in your dreams?

Now, in this song the fallen angel is called “Her,”, which actually makes sense, at least since we know that she is connected to Sopro.

In addition, Lucifer was an angel before and was also known as the Morning Star. The Morning Star is actually another name for Venus. This means that Venus passes in front of the Sun. It appears and shines in the morning instead of at night. And at the beginning of this year, Venus entered this phase. This will continue until the end of 2025. It aligns well with the concept.

Additionally, when Ateez talks about their own stars, we see that they refer to the Queen of the Night.

“The star of my eye”

So who is this?

Is it the king I mentioned earlier? Another star, or not the angle they seek but a devil.

Ateez holding the Sopro and reaching the same position as the King (Hades as well…) But there is not an ensurement of their state, if they are save or in a time loop in a fantasy.

The red wounds mentioned in Legacy and Ateez's new beginning with their awakened egos…

While following the clue leads to the conclusion of The Phantom of the Opera, something feels missing.