Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Spirit of Pyro

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

As expected, the funeral was depressing, so I'm not going to say too much about it. Shots were fired by serving men and women in the King's honor. Many words were spoken with extraordinary passion, often driving the crowd to tears. The last speaker was the son of the king, himself, Governor Gregory Kemtall.

The high priest of Pyro bowed as he took the podium. Surprisingly, his speech was the shortest of them all: "I can't stand here and tell you how great my father was, because my words would be too many. And yet, they would never come close to doing him justice. I looked up to him in so many ways. I loved him more than any of you can imagine. That is why I shall leave it at that. I apologize, but I cannot bear any more of this."

With that, the high priest closed out the ceremony, giving rise to another: the coronation. For this, Gregory Kemtall remained on stage. "Now, this won't be a long and fancy ceremony. I'd much rather get it over with as soon as possible," he pronounced. "As the one chosen to serve as Aridia's next king, I, Gregory Kemtall, accept the nomination."

The crowd erupted with gasps, cheers applause, and chatter. I, on the other hand, wasn't really surprised.

Placing a crown on Gregory's head, the priest handed him a scepter, adorning him with a regal robe. The King awkwardly set the scepter down against the podium, then continued, "This may not be a very good time, but I have one other thing that I must announce." Clearing his throat, he looked at everyone in the press section. "But first, I must inform you that I have some very urgent business to attend to after this. I will attend my father's burial, then meet with the Legislative Council promptly thereafter. Consequently, I will not be available to take any questions or interviews. I apologize for the inconvenience, but that's just the way it is."

The media members grumbled and moaned, voicing their displeasure.

King Gregory pressed on, "It has been brought to my attention that there were a series of letters discovered, all addressed by Thomas Adaleen to the king of Krenshia himself, Dennis Liberio. In addition, there were a few letters written by him to Adaleen as well. With all of this evidence added up, I can only conclude that the sovereign state of Krenshia was directly involved in the recent attacks. This fact cannot be ignored, for the justice and safety of our people. While it is unfortunate that I must announce this on the day of my father's funeral, it must be made known regardless."

He leaned forward on his podium, getting closer to the mic.

"As king of Aridia, I officially declare war on the Imperial State of Krenshia."

Once again, the audience erupted, while I was unsurprised. I figured it was only a matter of time before a declaration of war would ring out. After that, King Gregory said a few more words about how he would rule Aridia. Then, the national anthem brought the ceremony to a close.

For the entire duration of the two ceremonies, neither Cameron, Senti, nor Lola were anywhere to be found.

After leaving to have dinner with Sarah, the General called the two of us to his hotel room for a private meeting. Lieutenant Samson was also there.

"What's up?" I asked Moreilene, sitting down on the sofa next to my girlfriend.

Lieutenant Samson, who continued to wear his sunglasses even indoors, popped a fresh piece of chewing gum into his mouth before speaking first: "Listen up, cupcakes: In case you haven't heard from your dreams already, it appears that a message of fate has been dropped on our doorstep."

"What is it?" inquired Sarah.

Samson blew a bubble. "Destiny has told us that you two—and only you two—must face the resurrected King Lectavus in Pyro."