The Realm

CHAPTER 1: The Iron Lady

The light from the sun glimmered through my stained windows waking me from my deep sleep. I grabbed a pillow beside me and shielded my face from it. I never wanted to start that day; but, as I remembered, that was my big day.

"On this day, you are going to meet the Iron Lady who was the first Fusion to become a Pioneer!" I said to myself while trying to contain my excitement. So, I began to fix myself and wore the usual black and blue tuxedo, and eyeglasses.

It's already eight in the morning, and I only had six hours before our appointment with Pioneer Merriah. The emotion I had was unexplainable and was really beyond my comprehension. I never imagined even in my wildest dream that one day an apprentice like me will engage in a closed-door meeting with her. I already interacted with her once, at the Apportionment. It was amazing.

I waited on the steps of my apartment. While sitting, my mind began to build the possible scenarios that will happen in the meeting. Then, someone snapped a finger in front of me which brought me back to reality. It was Justice Cassandra, one of the fifteen members of the Magistrate. She never uttered a single word; but, from the look of her eyes, I knew she was commanding me to get inside her car.

The sunrays had a hard time penetrating the tinted windows of her car. I never engage in good talks with her ever since I became her apprentice. We only converse with each other during formal talks. I took advantage of the silence. In my mind, I started to rehearse the words, phrases, and sentences which I will use when I exchange thoughts with the pioneer.

I can't help but talk with Justice Cassandra. That moment, I was so desperate to have someone listen to me, as my emotion was about to burst. Thus, I approached Justice Cassandra.

"So.... Justice Cassandra! It's really a bright day, isn't it?" I said.

"It's actually a gloomy day camouflaging as a bright one," she replied. After that, a deafening silence filled the atmosphere, and our conversation ended. I focused my attention outside, and took a wild stare at the things outside the window, I noticed that we changed our route.

"Aren't we going to the Capitol?" I asked.

"We are headed to Tymera," she uttered with a low and cracked voice. I had nothing to say, she is a woman of few words. I was her apprentice. Where she goes, I go.

As we enter the massive and intricate gate of Tymera, I saw the Freemen together with the Tribunes. They were the main reason why Pioneer Merriah rose to power. Then, next to them were the Fusions. It was like an ocean of colors – blue, red, white, green, gray, and others. As I moved my eyes to the other side, I saw the members of the Statutory and Magistrate. As we reached our destination, Justice Cassandra and I stepped out of her car.

"What is this occasion?" I asked myself, trying to satisfy my curiosity.

"Merrrriiiaaahhh!" Justice Cassandra cried her heart out. They shared the same childhood and fought all odds known to the Realm together. As she made her way towards her greatest confidant, Pioneer Merriah was already turning into dust. It was no ordinary dust as it was full of colors which signified that she had a wonderful journey, and rendered great service to the Realm.

"Her body turned back to dust. Her power and ability reunified with its original Possessor.  As for her wisdom, it will never fade for it will embrace the Realm forever." I told Justice Cassandra as I consoled her.

"Whoever did this to her deserves to be exiled from the very face of the Realm!" she said in a low yet furious voice. After that, she gently dried her face using her hand.

She did not hesitate to talk with the other officials anymore as she believed that they were hypocrites. So, after we witnessed the pioneer's departure, we went straight to her office. It was already sundown when we arrived. The first thing she did was to go to her office. I knew that she was just masquerading as a tough woman that time. She was deeply hurt, I felt that, and that was for sure.

"Justice?" I asked her while knocking on the door of her office. "Justice Cassandra?" I repeated.

Amid that deafening silence, I heard something which triggered my heart to pound so fast. I knew that it was the big stained window at the back of her desk. Someone shattered it. I asked her again, but she was still unresponsive. Given that situation, I sensibly opened the door of her office to know what happened.

It was horrible, seeing the cold and lifeless body of Chief Justice Dominic on the carpet. As I looked further, I saw the shattered window as I thought it was. The first idea that came out of my mind was to call the Constabulary, but I never did. I was intensely afraid. I knew, the moment I contact them, I'll be a suspect. The worst part was, I had no one to testify for my innocence.

I rushed to the front door as if I was a murderer. I looked for options on how I can get away from that office. There was the car, but I changed my mind before I finally get inside it. If I use it, they will notice that its missing. So, I walked my way to my apartment.

It was a cold and unfortunate night for me. It seems that there were eyes watching over me, condemning me. I did not commit nor part of that fiasco; however, my mind kept on insisting that I was involved in that crime. I remembered it was just two days ago when Chief Justice Dominic confronted her because she was secretly paving her way to the Capitol. That was after Justice Cassandra vacated her seat in the Magistrate. Pioneer Merriah is about to go down her post. As her confidant, Justice Cassandra knew that the pioneer will support her bid; besides, she capable of such work. However, the chief justice insisted that they had a pact.

"What was that, Angelo?" I asked myself after I slapped my face believing that it was just a nightmare.