CHAPTER 573

NEW TOMORROW (III)

A grandstanding scene unfolded before the fortress, on the carpet laid out by the stars, shimmering, expanding radially into seeming infinity. Hundreds of thousands of people stood packed, shoulder to shoulder, their gazes drawn toward the fortress’ entrance, anticipatory. There was a strange lull taxing the shoulders, the generational like that was difficult to describe, yet easy to sensationalize.

Far to the front stood the Nobility, forming an inner ring, though still standing; the fortress’ gates opened at last, for the first time in over ten years, the massive doorframe creaking loudly into the cut-clean day of the sun. Right as they opened, the music swelled out into the sky, drowning out all other sounds in a swift manner.

Starting from the gate, a hazy path of rainbow colors unfolded toward an elevated throne standing solitary above the masses, decorated in jagged and old stone. Around it was nothing, guarded by isolation brought by the titular implications.

Three figures walked past the stellar gates, two of them shadowing the central to the sides; Aaria wore a rather simple, yet astute dress, her countenance that of grace, expression a mixture between the calm candor and internal separation from everything around her. Though she stood between the two figures that cast a shadow seemingly unmatched, she still somehow managed to stand out, to be her own, to exist between the undoubted pillars of the entire world.

To the surprise of many, Lino, too, had cleaned up; his usually unkempt beard was tidied, as was his hair, and the hemp clothes he was so fond of were replaced by a proper, courtly attire. However, especially to the young people who have grown up in the stories of his heroics that shaped a very peculiar and specific image of him, it was a strange experience; there was no overbearing atmosphere, no sensation of not even being able to breathe. In their eyes, of the three, he appeared the least distinct, almost like a background drop.

The music slowly came to a halt as the three approached the imaginary stairs leading up to the throne. Right then, Eggor stepped out from the masses, walking over to the trio with a smile and picking Aaria’s hand while Lino handed him a bejeweled crown, taking a step back. Hannah reached out and gently patted Aaria’s head, withdrawing right after as well.

Eggor took charge and led her up the invisible stairs as the masses stared with the bated breaths.

Lino and Hannah joined the sidelines, former yawning while the latter stretched lazily, though it was hardly something that more than a few noticed. All eyes, one way or another, managed to find their way to the figure that most, especially of the older generation, had dismissed. Yet, for all her shortcomings, they’d realized Aaria was no longer an awkward, insecure Princess that was forever stuck in her parents’ shadows. She was her own self, a name that would, too, be etched in the world’s history – not as a footnote, but as someone bearing nearly as much weight as those who came before her.

She was the torchbearer of the new generation, a signal that the times were changing. While those who made the world were slowly withdrawing to the shade and shadow, the new lights were springing out, the ones that would define eons yet to come.

Eggor and Aaria reached the throne rather quickly, stopping in front of it and turning to the masses. The breaths were stilled and the attention was taut; nary a soul, at that moment, doubted that she was now the Empress.

“On this blessed day,” Eggor’s voice broke out strongly, reaching every soul of the hundreds of thousands present, and echoing further out throughout the city. “August the 9th, Year 14 of the Empyrion Calendar, all of us bear witness to a change – to the start of a new Era. There is no shortage of us here, today, who had not seen many eras come and go, some good and some bad, but one thing – one constituent – always persisted: each and every era was started by the young blood, by someone who saw the world, disagreed with it, and wanted to change it. Today is no different; the sole difference that I see is that we do not commence the new beginning by spilling the blood of the old. And, quite frankly, I am perfectly fine with that. It has been too long and too tiring; it was a high time we had one of those starts.

“The world will change, as it always has, and as it always will; and that change is heralded by the shining torchbearers that light up the darkest of nights and guide us to the dawn. This crown,” he said, lifting it overhead. “May just be a somewhat expensive piece of jewelry, but the head upon which it will now rest is that light – that torch to take us from the darkness and struggle, into peace and stability. By the power vested in me, I, Grand Duke Eggor Rimwall of Eversylt, proclaim the end of the rule of Emperor Lyonel Qa’yi, the First of His Name – and by the same power, I officially declare the beginning of the rule of Empress Aaria Qa’yi, the First of Her Name, the Torchbearer. All hail the Empress!”

“All hail the Empress!!!” the resounding shout turned quickly to cheers as Eggor walked over to Aaria and smiled gently at her before slowly putting the crown onto her head, leaning closer into her ears, whispering.

“The crown may be light, young Aaria,” he said. “But what it stands for is heavy beyond any other burden; rule with kindness, yet with justice; rule with words and not swords; rule with the voice of inspiration, and not of decadence; lead the world into its greatest yet age, one of perennial prosperity and peace.”

“… thank you, Grandpa,” Aaria whispered back, her cheeks flushing faintly red. “I’ll do my best.”

“And that’s all I needed to hear.” Eggor chuckled, joining the masses as everyone fell down to their knees facing the throne.

As Aaria turned her gaze around, she saw that everyone was kneeling – even two figures that should never kneel before anyone. Her heart stirred as she noticed her old-boned parents, the two suns that made today possible, on their knees, virtually indistinguishable from the masses. She knew they did it for her; after all, the two felt neither the sense of shame nor the loss of pride no matter what they did, if it was for her wellbeing. However, her heart could not bear to watch the scene any longer; though they may not have felt shame, she did.

“All rise!” her voice quickly swept through the masses as people, one by one, began standing up. She caught Lino’s wry gaze from the corner of her eyes, one that nearly caused her to break into a giggle, though she managed to hold back in the end. Eggor, too, was gone from the platform, joining the masses down below. While the silence temporarily reigned, Aaria swept her eyes over the crowd and slowly moved to the throne, sitting down, taking her place.

“—I may be the torch,” she said, her voice full of confidence and serenity. “But, I can’t usher the world into the best it can be all by myself. For that, I will need all your support – your hearts and minds. Rather than following the empty light blindly, stand by my side instead, and build the world you want to see with me. The world in which all of us can find ourselves, become the best versions of ourselves, and live long and prosperous lives unblemished by strife. Today, I will swear to all of you that, for as long as this crown rests upon my head, I will try and be as just and as understanding as I can ever be, and that I will always strive to better myself. In my heart, I know that Noterra can be a paradise – not just for us standing here today, but for all of those on the outside looking in, and even those beyond them, stuck in the muds and ills of life. For us, for them, for everyone, let us make this world the best place it can be, and then even better than that. Long live the Empyrion!”

“Long live the Empyrion!”

Aaria had tuned out the ensuing cheers and the applause; if just a five years ago somebody told her she would really be standing here today, in front of the Empire’s greatest names, unflinching and confident, she would have laughed at their face – that is, if it was somebody other than the person who brought her here, from the knees of fears to the highs of confidence.

She stealthily turned to the side and found the figure in the masses, clapping and cheering the loudest, the look of pride on his face impossible to miss, the shine in his eyes brighter than that of the brightest stars. In her heart, she knew that many of those who were currently clapping would never see her as the true leader of the Empire and she didn’t blame them. To most of them, her father was too big of a figure, too bright of a light, too resounding of a name to ever be replaced by anyone else in their lifetimes.

However, as her father put it, it was not her job to lead them; they, in his words, were stubborn old oaks that never knew neither peace nor stability. Instead, it was her job to lead everyone else – the young and inexperienced, who didn’t sink their lifetimes into the fires and flames of war. To them, Lino was merely a myth, an empty name. To them, the Emperor or the Empress would be whoever was hoisting the crown, sitting on the throne. And they, rather than those still stuck in the old mindsets, were the future.

That unwavering, unconditional trust and support he put in her was what spurred her, what allowed her to sit here, today, on the uncomfortable chair, bearing the hollow crown carrying the cherished dreams of billions, without fragmenting on the spot. Once again, she realized how much her parents had to bear if her crown felt so heavy in the times of relative peace. What was it like holding the world on their shoulders when it seemed it would burst out into flames at any given moment? She prayed she never had to find out.