The Realm

CHAPTER 17: The Gala

(Mika's Point of View)

"Show them that wonderful smile of yours, Mika," Sebastian cheered me for me to make a good composure  while I carry a red glittery serpentine gown. I looked at him and smiled, a faked smile, while he held my hand tight.

Women were busy parading their glamoured gowns. Men were just being men. It's only a matter of time until the pioneer shows herself in the whole venue. The orchestra which almost occupied the wholeness of the  stage continuously played a relaxing melody. It did not work for me, but, it took me back three days ago.

We heard Sabrina scream from  upstairs. It was so quiet in the mansion, so we were able to know its from upstairs. Angelo and Daniel who were talking hurried upstairs when they heard Sabrina scream.

"Sebastian, let me go," I convinced him to untie me from the chair. My heart was pounding so hard. Sabrina's scream has driven me into paranoia. "Let me go!" I shouted.

"Just cooperate, Mika," he said. "If I untie you, will promise me that you will behave. Can you do that?" he asked me then he searched for a thing that can cut the rope.

"Yes, I promise," I replied. "It's not safe here, faster!"

It was dark inside the basement. The bulb that lights the whole place often times flickered. Fortunately, he saw a mirror placed in one of the boxes of the room not far from the source of light. After that he shattered it and picked up a piece of it. "This will do," he said. He began to cut the rope using the piece of glass he had. "I'm sorry," he said. "No worries, let's get upstairs," I said. He took the stairs first. I followed him.  Before he finally  gets out of the door, someone blocked our way.

"Who are you?" Sebastian asked while a took one step backward. The stranger did not respond, but rather, pointed his gun to him. He took his first step down the stair. "Please, reveal yourself," I told him. I looked backward and I noticed that it's only one step before I finally reach the basement floor again. The stranger continued stepping down with his gun pointed at us until we finally reached the basement floor. Someone grabbed me from my back, "always side to the one who holds the power," he said. From the moment he spoke, I knew it was him. Miguel. He put let me put a piece of cloth in my nose and eventually I felt dizzy until I was unconscious.

"Mika! Are you okay," Sebastian pulled me back from the reality. "You were thinking too deep," he whispered without breaking his look
in the orchestra.

The music stopped. The chattering stopped. Everything that produce noise stopped.  It signaled the coming of the pioneer.

"Here's the witch," I whispered. "How did he met her anyway?" I asked Sebastian to remind me.

"You said Angelo and Miguel are  close," he replied. "Angelo works for the witch," he added while he folded his arms and looked at me.

"Those eyes!" I escaped the reality once again. "I love those eyes," I told  Sebastian.  

"Just go with the flow, she can get us killed in any moment."

"I can't calm down knowing that there is a chip inside that is ready to blow in any moment."

Before the new pioneer gives her speech, she let her guests and visitors be seated first. We occupied a table a little farther from the stage. "She did spend a good fortune for this gathering," I told Sebastian when I noticed the fine table cloth elaborated by golden designs.  "If you're a leader and your intention is hideous, this is thing that you will do," he replied while rubbing his palm to the table cloth gently. "What?" Impress the powerful families?" I asked. "Exactly," he replied. The new pioneer began to deliver her speech the moment she saw order in the venue.

"Ninth day out of almost a year and a half," Pioneer Cassandra began her speech with that statement. "I can't believe that it's been nine days since I occupied the highest seat in the Realm," she added. "The Hive, maintaining and continuing what my late friend left are the things on my list." The audience clapped their hands by the end of her last statement. "Clap your hands," Sebastian told me. I did clap my hands. It's just hard to clap when you're clapping at a person who does not deserve adoration. "Thank you! As I was saying, I have my list and  at the top of it is to put Tamara, her apprentice, on trial," she continued. The audience clapped again. "Idiots!" I shouted on my mind. After that, she continued her speech. I was not delighted to hear her speech. In my head, I am putting a hole in her throat. That would be against the Holy Commandments and the law of the land. "Thou shalt not kill," just one of the rules both the commandments  and the laws state. The moment was too long, I kept on rolling my eyes out of boredom until she said something about change.

"Ladies and gents, there is an imminent threat that will hinder the Realm from maintaining peace and order," she declared. I looked at some of the faces of the guests and visitors. I noticed that they already have in their minds that pioneer was cooking a proposition to keep them safe. 
It irritated me the most to saw that they were really eager to support the proposition of the pioneer. "There's a war outside the Realm, the Armageddon. It is a war which will end the greatest nations and races of Earth," she announced with a dignified voice. "But, before we mingle with such war, just like the efforts of the ones before us in the last two major world wars, we have to face our own war first," she warned.

She was probably talking about the regression which happens whenever the planets in the solar system align with the sun. The people of the Realm would wake up in clothes they did not wear before the slept. They will begin to communicate with the use of ravens again. Light the path with fire. Fight with sword, canons, spears, axes, and bows and arrows. The regression is the result of mismanagement of Earth. Lucky are those whose memories are safe inside their mind because in times like this most people have their memories  escape from their psyche. They will later on be eaten by regression as fast as advance technology evaporates once it start.

"The courts will rise again," she said. "It means we are going back to those days when we, just like the people of Earth, drag ourselves in the chain of war," she stopped for a moment and waited a few second to speak again. "I propose that we make a decree declaring me the Queen of the Realm." The people started to chatter. "Hear me  please," she managed to stop the noise. "We have to make it as soon as possible. Let the people ratify it and distribute the news in all of the divisions," she convinced the audience. "It's the only way to lessen the chaos that the regression will cast upon us," she really tried harder, being the sacrificial lamb. "It won't be long," were her last words before the audience began to discuss the matter deeply.

"I had a vision," I was not shock to see him backing the pioneer. After all, he poisoned Pioneer Merriah for a position. In addition to that, he always think that the late pioneer only favors Tamara and Daniel despite his hard work. "A Seraphim was in my dream,"  his words that stopped the crowd. "It showed me a great war between the Courts of the Realm. Each is vying
for the crown and a chance to lead the land." The venue became silent for a while. They cannot just set the Seraphim's message out of the picture. Based on their faces, I believe that they foresaw that the plan will work and on the other hand will fail. "We don't know our fate, whether are memories will be erased or we're luckily to keep it by the time of the regression," he continued. One thing is for sure, there will be some who will have their memories in tacked on their minds... their duty is to propagate that there's no need for war, a queen is already seated on the Capitol," he further convinced the people.

"Sebastian, do you have the same feeling that they are just securing the throne, I mean the Capitol?" I whispered.

"You're really an intelligent woman, Mika," he whispered back. "We cannot control the force of regression," he added.

"What a silly idea." 

Pioneer Cassandra took the microphone again. "I'll leave you with that proposition tonight," she said.

"Sebastian, I'm feeling dizzy," I told him while my eyes began to blur. I tried to stop the feeling, but... "Mika... Mika?" were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes.