Wake me up in 2395

Chapter 12: Welcome Address of Empress Wynzelle Astarria

Chapter 12: Welcome Address of Empress Wynzelle Astarria

Day 1

Welcome address of the Empress

The Imperium Union National Anthem

The Pledge of Loyalty

Imperium Union Forum

Magkasama na kami ni Lag sa kaniyang kuwarto sa buong araw. He also spent the entire day trying to tell me the things I am allowed to do, and not allowed to do. He pointed out several times the matter regarding the importance of consent. Mukhang naiinis pa rin siya dahil sa aking ginawa kaninang umaga. Because we were on one of the highest part of Imperial Palace, if you look at the transparent windows that can also go black or show anything you want as a view, I can see the entirety of the city-ship in here.

Hindi rin maalis sa aking isip ang pagtataka kung bakit labis na lang ang galit at pagkainis ni Lag kay Chun, are they not good friends? Speaking of, hindi nagwagi si Lag sa pagpapatanggal kay Chun sa aking contact list, Chun has been very kind to me and he even treated me for breakfast, kahit na may kasalanan ako sa kaniya—because I bumped into him. An honest mistake on my part. I know Chun is kind, and that is why I will not remove him. Saka ko lang gagawin iyon kung talagang may masamang ginawa iyon sa akin, pero magaan naman ang loob ko sa kaniya.

You trust too much, Prim. That is your problem. Remember Astaroth Ghani? He was your closest man, a best friend too, yet he betrayed you. This is the other side of my mind, a voice telling me and warning me otherwise. I sighed.

“Are you ready?” Lag asked. We were both wearing a formal attire already—and somehow, I managed to convince him that we share the same motif. There is the insignia of the Imperium Union in our clothes now, which is also required according to Lag... But we can choose any motif we want, as long as it was formal. So, I went for this dark lavender look for the both of us—Lag was wearing an almost black tuxedo that shifted to a dark lavender when there is light hitting it, and he had a lavender tie as well. His tuxedo was embroidered with a few stitches of roses, and the same thing was with my dark lavender dress that fell until my knees, and I wore black leather boots.

With the Tech-Wardrobe, hindi na rin naging mahirap pa ang magsuot ng make-up. The Tech-Wardrobe will do it, you can simply just select the type of make-up you want, or you can even customize it and get the look that you want—in my old world, this is just a filter... But now, this has become a reality. Everything really has changed. Speaking of make-up, I decided to go for a seductive look, something that I never usually do—I had cat eyes, and my eyelids were marked with this radiant and gradient shades of dark blue to light purple, and my lips had this shade of dark red, and I had my small nose highlighted, and my cheekbones looked high as well.

As for my hair, the Tech-Wardrobe was also able to style it—I chose a curly hair, and my nails were immediately painted by this wardrobe too, all of my nails were painted black, except for the ring fingernail, which was painted with a lavender color.

I was contented with how I looked. It was very comfortable.

“We look like a couple,” I told Lag, “and yes, I am ready. Shall we go?”

Tumango siya at naglakad na kami paalis. It was almost time for the opening ceremony.

“Where will the opening ceremony be held?”

“At the Imperium Stronghold, located at the middle of the city-ship.” Sagot naman ni Lag—and my initial hunch and guess was confirmed, “there is already a hovercar sent for us at the top of the building.” He added after. We walked down the corridor, until we were at the edge already where the elevator lies. It took a few seconds before it opened, revealing another robot who seems to be in-charge of the lift. We went inside, and Lag said that we will go to the rooftop, and the robot pressed the topmost button at the side of the lift, and I felt us ascending towards the topmost part of the hotel.

When we were finally there, the door automatically opened, and we hopped out. There were five hovercars that were slightly bigger than usual, like limousines of the old world. All of these cars are labelled with numbers—1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. At mula roon, alam ko na agad kung ano iyon—Uno, Duo, Tre, Qua, and Cin—the remaining countries.

I am guessing that the individuals who were being escorted towards these cars are the mayors and their partners, and other powerful individuals who were invited by the Imperium Union. Gaya ng aking akala ay tumungo kami sa ikatlong hovercar na may tatak na 3, or in other words, Tre, which used to be Philippines. Pumasok na kami ni Lag sa sasakyan at sa loob nito ay may nakita akong apat na mga tao. Two guys, and two girls.

“Mayor Lucius.” Ngumiti ang isang babae kay Lag at hindi ko alam kung bakit pero nakaramdam ako ng kirot sa aking dibdib. The woman was beautiful, she was petite and I guess a feet smaller than me, but her features were soft and she had this platinum-blond hair. She was snow-white, and her eyes were almond-shaped and golden. Alam ko na agad na isa siyang produkto ng teknolohiya rin—I guess she underwent various surgeries in order to gain the look that she has now. It was too unnatural.

“Mayor Elizabeth,” Lag acknowledged. He also looked at the other lady beside us who looked very Filipino, like me. “Mayor Marina.” Tumango naman si Mayor Marina. It seems like the men beside them were their partners, and they were silent.

“This is my adopted sister, Primrose.” Pagpapakilala sa akin ni Lag sa dalawang mga mayora. “Primrose, meet Mayor Elizabeth of Caritas City, and Mayor Marina of Fiducia City.”

I smiled at the two power figures in front of us, and somehow, the thought that ladies are taking over this world made the feminist animal inside of me happy. “Hello...”

Tumango silang dalawa sa akin. Tuluyan na kaming umupo ni Lag din. The seating arrangement were like of a restaurant, and the chair where we sat seemed like soft and a comfortable sofa. Nakita ko naman ang screen sa gilid ng silya at tila mga opsyon iyon o setting ng upuan. There is an option to make it into a bed as well. I let it stay in its default setting.

Naramdaman ko ang paglipad na ng hovercraft papunta sa Imperium Stronghold kung saan magaganap ang lahat ng kaganapan.

“So, who is the tribute or champion that you sent?” Tanong ni Mayor Marina kay Mayor Elizabeth. Naalala ko na ang Caritas City pala ang magpapadala ngayon ng ‘sacrificial lamb’ para sa hinihintay na kaganapan bukas.

“I sent Maxwell.” Nakangiting sagot naman ni Mayor Elizabeth, “we have to retain our crown as the Home of the Champions which is why we always only send the best—and I know Mayor Lucius will agree on that, which is why he also willingly sent some of his people to my city in order to prepare and get trained,” aniya. Tumingin naman ako kay Lag at nagtataka ako.

“Home of the Champions?” I asked.

“Oh, sweetheart... You should know that! We’ve been winning the Battle Royale for a decade already. If we win again this time around, it shall be the 11th time. Which is why there is this big pressure on Tre...” Mayor Elizabeth laughed at me, as if my question was dumb and stupid. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I saw Lag bat an eye at me and I simply sighed. Hindi ko na pinatulan ang babaeng ito. I guess she did not mean any harm too, and I guess it is because she is oblivious of the fact that I came from the year 2020, and not from this year.

The hovercar had transparent windows, which is why I was able to see the view outside the city-ship. Nakakamangha talaga. Pakiramdam ko ay nasa isang utopia ako. But everything here is artificial, this city is an artificial paradise where everything that seems real to the point of surrealness, is unreal.

“This is one of the reasons why we get also the highest share during the reimbursements of the Imperium Union Fund, the e-money allocated to Tre is 30%. In the Imperium Auction, we are also the top 1 bidder...” Saad naman ni Mayor Marina, “also, we have Mayor Lucius with us, who is known to be the man that the Empress is seeking for... The favor of the Empress in itself means our advantage.” Ngumiti si Mayor Marina at bahagya namang sumimangot si Mayor Elizabeth.

Doon ko na lang napansin na tila kinopya ni Mayor Elizabeth nang bahagya ang itsura ni Empress Wynzelle Astarria—from those golden eyes and to that platinum-blonde hair. And basing on her reaction, I guess she is also fond of Lag. Kaya naman pala nang nalaman niyang magkapatid kami ni Lag ay tila naging mas maamo ang kaniyang pagtingin sa akin... It makes sense. She likes Lag.

Matapos ang ilang minuto ay pumasok kami sa tila isang arena. The hovercar parked, and the door automatically opened. Lumabas naman na ang mga kasama namin sa loob at nahuli kami ni Lag. The fashion sense of this futuristic world is far difference than the old world—I have observed that much. Everything here seems exaggerated and too sophisticated. Mula sa make-up, hanggang sa pananamit at hairstyle. I suddenly felt out of place... Ngayon ko lang din napansin kung gaano kagrande ang make-up ng dalawang mayora na kasama... At ang mga lalake naman ay may mga balbas na swabe, and the hair around their jawline were also decorated, some looked like flames, and such. Si Lag naman ay nanatiling malinis ang mukha. There was this slight green spot on top of his lips though, a sign that he has been shaving off the hair.

“Guests from Tre, please follow me towards the Arena of Imperium Stronghold.” I looked up into the sky and it was already dark. Though what I am seeing here is just another artificial sky, it still looked very real. Sinunod namin ang robot na sumundo sa amin, at tumungo kami sa isang malaking arena kung saan maraming mga taong nakadamit din na sopistikado.

“The guests from Tre have arrived.” Anunsyo mula sa mga malalaking ispiker na nakapalibot sa paligid. We went straight to the row of chairs and sat next to each other. We were on the spot that has been marked 3 as well, and I looked around and realize that there were markings again around the arena—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 0. The 0 marking had more people and they all looked extravagant. Doon ko na napagtanto na ang mga tao ay mga tao sa city-ship. Other numbered cubicles in the arena already had people in them too including 1, at doon ay nakita ko si Chun, we were quite far from each other, with a vacant 2-cubicle, though it seems like he saw me too and he waved at me. I waved back, and Lag took my hand and put it down.

“What?”

Hindi umimik si Lag, he simply glared at me and I rolled my eyes at him.

Ang mga wala pang tao ay ang mga nasa Duo at Qua. A few minutes later, unti-unti nang nagdatingan ang mga tao. Alam ko na agad na mga mayor ang mga ito, I guess since they are the ones who are directly in the service of the Imperium Union, at saka isa pa, ang ibang mga tao at bisita ay dadalo sa araw ng Imperium Auction upang bumili ng mga items. The more items that a country has bid and won over, the higher the chance that the share they get for the year will be higher too. It was like a gamble though, and I guess that is what this is truly about. This foundation week was not only meant to celebrate the establishment of the union, but it was also meant to be a test—of allegiance, obedience, and willingness. I decided to write this down later when we get back to the Palace.

“The guests from Duo have arrived.”

“The guests from Qua have arrived.”

“All guests have arrived.”

Kasabay ng anunsyong ito ay biglang dumilim ang paligid dahil namatay ang lahat ng ilaw, at biglang nagkaroon ng ilaw sa gitna ng arena, a very grand music started to play and echo across the stadium and place, kasabay nito ay ang biglang pagbuka ng mismong lupa ng arena. The marble floor started to move mechanically, revealing a hole, and from that hole, rose this seems to be like a golden platform that glowed, on top of it were these individuals who had platinum-blonde hair and golden eyes. Nakaupo ang tatlo—isang matandang lalake, isang batang lalake, at isang binata.

Ang nakatayo naman ay isang pamilyar na babae, kilala ko na agad kung sino ito. Through the hologram screens across the arena, mas maaaninag ang kanilang itsura at mukha. She looked like a goddess of beauty... She was smiling; however, her smile has reservations. She was looking around the arena, as if she can see us from this distance.

“Hoy, tumayo ka.”

Bigla akong napatayo nang tapikin ako ni Mayor Elizabeth sa braso, doon ko naman napansin na nakatayo ang lahat ng tao ngayon upang magbigay ng respeto sa Empress at kaniyang pamilya. I awkwardly smiled as well.

“What were you doing? If you were seen, that could have been minus score for us.” Umiling na lang si Mayor Elizabeth pagkatapos.

Hindi ko naman alam na tatayo pala.

Tiningnan ko ang kabuuan ng Empress, she really looked like a doll... Napaisip din ako kung retokada ba siya, but looking closely at her family—I guess no... They looked like gods and goddesses. Damn. To have that gene that she carries must be very nice.

Nang nasa taas na ang plataporma kung nasaan sila, ay biglang tumikhim ang Empress. Her voice was amplified by the speakers around the room. Biglang tumigil na rin ang musika. I guess that was her signal for silence.

“The welcome address of Empress Wynzellia Astarria shall commence.” A mechanical voice of a woman announced.

“Welcome to the bicentennial Foundation Week of Imperium Union, my dear Imperials, to Capitans, Unons, Duons, Trens, Quans, and Cinns—or simply, my dear Imperials in general. It has been two hundred years already since the establishment of the union—and it is due to your allegiance, obedience, and loyalty that we have come a very long way from the past. We have developed and created cities that protect us from the hazardous world...” Her voice was soothing, she looked like a perfection reincarnated. I cannot help but feel insecure about myself. She looked expensive too... With her porcelain and pale skin, and her lips that were covered with this glowing golden hue. Her voice was powerful too, if I must add.

Sobrang haba ng talumpati ng Empress, and I listened very carefully. She has this presence and very commanding aura, and she seemed very intimidating despite having soft features. I wonder why Lag does not want to marry her... And I wonder if he can still resist if the Empress starts to command him to marry her, rather than court him where he has the option to say no. The thought of it made me shudder.

“The welcome address Empress Wynzelle Astarria has been commenced. We shall proceed to the Imperium Union National Anthem.”

And with that, the hologram shifted from the face of the Empress towards the flag of the Imperium Union, biglang nilagay din ng lahat ang kanang kamay nila sa harap ng kanilang kaliwang dibdib habang nakakuyom ang kamao nito. Sinunod ko naman ito.

“World of brave, heroes fought for our subsistence... Imperium Union, my beloved Imperium Union... Showing a world of promise, of survival, and glory...”

Nang matapos ang anthem, ay biglang tinaas naman ng lahat ang kanang kamay nila na tila nanunuma. Sumunod muli ako.

“The Imperium Union National Anthem is finished, proceeding to the pledge of allegiance.”

Mula sa hologram ay mababasa mo ang panunumpa gaya rin ng liriko ng national anthem ng Imperium Union kanina. Binasa ko na lang din ito.

I am an Imperial

I pledge my allegiance

to the flag of the Imperium Union

And to the Imperial Capital that it represents

with honor, loyalty, and faith

put into motion by the five nations

and the Capital

for the Astarria,

People

And World.

After that was done, biglang bumalik ang pinapakita ng hologram sa mukha ni Empress Astarria at alam ko na agad na ang huling kaganapan ngayong gabi ang mangyayari, the Imperium Union Forum.

“Commencing now is the Imperium Union Forum.” Saad muli ng boses ng isang babaeng robot.

“We are now commencing the forum for all Imperials, this is your avenue to share your concerns, questions, and such.” Saad ng Empress. “If you have any questions, there is a screen beside your chairs, press it and once you are connected, talk.”

Walang kumilos. Halatang walang balak ang lahat. Kumunot naman ang aking noo, “wala kayong tanong?”

Umiling na lang sina Mayor Elizabeth, Marina, pati si Lag.

“Why?”

“Because the less you speak, the less chances of committing mistakes.” Mayor Marina said. And she was right on that part...

Biglang nagkaroon ng tunog, at mula sa hologram ay nagpakita ang mukha ni Chun Lee.

“Mayor Chun Lee of Uno.” Saad ni Empress Wynzelle, “tell me your concern.”

“Regarding Project Light, this is not a concern, Your Excellency, but a good news that I would like to share. I have spoken to a woman regarding the application of Quantum Physics, and she has greatly informed me of things beyond my knowledge and that of which helped a lot. I have sent the information she told me in regard to the application of quantum teleportation to my laboratory in Lexus City, and the scientists working under me has told me that they are seeing promise and great progress in this project that will be very beneficial for us, as it will change our way of transportation too...”

Tumaas ang isang kilay ng matandang lalake sa likod ng Empress, he seemed intrigued—this man is the founder of the union... At doon lang nag-sink in ang sinabi ni Chun sa Empress matapos ang ilang sandali.

“May I know the name of the woman you are speaking of?”

“She is from Tre, in the Ancora City, and she is the adopted sister of Mayor Lucius Arturius Ghani... Her name is Primrose Ghani.”

And that is the moment that my heart stopped.