The Martial Unity

Rui wore a black robe with the crest of the Kandrian Royal Family embroidered on its chest as he took slow, measured steps towards the funeral stage at the center of the open-air meeting. His expression was dark, devoid of any mirth, as he brought forth several people

Behind him, several Martial Apprentices carried a casket, as well as a group of officiants who would oversee the funeral ceremony.

STEP

Rui arrived upon the funeral stage before the casket was placed on a stone slab at the very epicenter of the open-air funeral hall. He drew closer to the casket with a heavy expression, before opening it, revealing the body of his father, heaving a deep breath as his eyes rested on the corpse of his father.

The luster of his skin had faded since he was alive. No amount of make-up could hide the tint of death that had begun to become visible across the skin of his body.

The moment Rui’s gaze fell on his father, the world around him may as well have disappeared.

The many guests of honor, including countless heads of state and both foreign and domestic Martial Sages, the many princes and princesses, and the cabinet of ministers and other high-ranking government officials who were a part of the Rael administration, were all gone.

In that moment, he found himself alone with the dead body of his father.

He heaved a deep, shaky breath as he gazed at his father’s body with tempered sadness, glinting with remorse and sadness, as well as a strong conviction.

“I’m sorry, father.”

His voice was reduced to the faintest of whispers.

He closed his eyes for several moments before turning around to the gathered crowd with a heavy gaze.

“Distinguished guests from within and outside Kandria, members of government, and my brothers and sisters, I would like to thank all of you for attending the funeral of my father and the second Emperor of Kandria and Supreme Commander of the Panamic Alliance,” Rui began with a solemn voice. “Today, we gather here to mourn the death of the greatest leader of the nation of Kandria and of our continent. We gather here to celebrate his life and to celebrate his many, many contributions to our civilization over the span of four centuries.”

Rui’s expression grew hazy as he fell into thought. “He made his mark in history after he ascended the throne during the throne war of his era in a perfect display of his skill and competence for political intrigue. And upon ascending the throne, he quickly dispelled the brewing civil war that was on the verge of breaking out between the political establishment and the newly broken through Martial Masters of the time.”

His ethereal eyes swept through the crowd. “He managed to quell both sides enough to forge peace in the form of the sacred Martial Pact and the Martial Covenant and prevented civil war from breaking out and ravaging the nation the way it had for almost every other nation in the world during the Second Martial Revolution. In a world that blazed with civil strife, the Kandrian Empire emerged from the fires unscathed and soared to even greater heights. This…”

His tone grew certain. “…This is the true origin of Kandria’s prosperity and power. While the world regressed, the Kandrian Empire progressed, and it allowed us to become the fourth powerhouse of East Panama.”

President Margrave of the Republic of Gorteau, Prime Minister Edward, and the Dogun of the Sekigahara Mandate shifted in their seats as their expressions softened. Only one of them had been alive during the era that Rui talked about, but each of them knew the story inside out

Their nations were embroiled in civil war, which allowed the Kandrian Empire to close the massive gap in power between them and become the fourth powerhouse of East Panama, changing the balance of power so much that it later caused the First East Panamic War. Seeing the heights to which the Kandrian Empire had ascended since then moved them to a profound, yet mixed state of emotions.

“He harnessed the full potential of the Kandrian Empire in a harmonious manner, ensuring that all of its constituents came together to produce a nation that was greater than the sum of its parts, allowing Kandria to become, in my opinion, the greatest nation in the world,” Rui continued. “He did this working tirelessly at the throne, day in and day out, making the Kandrian Empire the very basis of his identity and dedicating everything to it.”

Rui heaved a deep breath. “That was who Rael Di Kandria was as Emperor. That was who he was to the vast majority of people in this nation and the continent. But to me…”

He closed his eyes. “…He was simply my father. One that I came to love and adore.”

He opened his eyes as a mixed expression emerged on my face. “Perhaps the price of being the greatest emperor was that he wasn’t always the best father. I didn’t know him for a good portion of my early life and only found out in full view of everybody, in what was essentially a political maneuver from him. He divulged my identity to compel me to take the throne while he was dying of the Eternal Dream disease, regardless of whether or not I was inclined to take the throne. It was not the most heartwarming father-son first meeting, to say the least. But…”

A small smile emerged on Rui’s face. “It was uphill from then on. After he was healed, he respected my will to stay away from the throne and the domain of politics. He was sensitive and caring as a father despite being consumed with all kinds of work. He humored my selfishness during the subsequent war and even after the Beast Incursions, he cleaned up all the political messes I left behind in each nation I visited.”

His attention returned to the people before him, with a wry smile. “Perhaps most of you have different experiences of quality father-son time, but I enjoyed talking about the future of human civilization and what we could do to steer it to a better place. I relied on him for a lot, and he relied on me for a lot. It was a truly enjoyable relationship, and one that I will dearly miss from this point on. Most of all…”

His expression softened to that of tender affection.

“I will always be grateful to him for giving me the family and childhood I had when I was growing up.”