PhilNation Media Live Broadcast:
"Hi, this is your reporter Anna, and we're reporting live this evening on the success of our Cebu City's Battle Mages and Magic Knights!
Right behind me is none other than the Honorable Dani.
Thank you for sending in your questions, I'll now ask Mr. Dani to answer them."
.
.
.
Before Anna could speak further, a pulse of mana rippled through the plaza, pressing against every chest like a storm about to break. People wanted to run, yet fear pinned them where they stood.
The air thickened. The Protectors of Visayas moved in unison, dropping into defensive stances as the gravity of the moment carved itself into their expressions. It felt as though the world itself were beginning to fracture.
Dani's eyes narrowed. "What is this!? An entity of this caliber… I need to contact the other two Region Island Kings!"
Amid the chaos, the entity advanced inch by inch until it reached the gates where the terrified crowd waited. When its form finally became clear, gasps rippled through the plaza… it was a human. Dani froze, ready to speak, but then he saw what trailed behind the human: a ghoul and a fairy. Someone in the crowd screamed at the ghoul, "Lich!"
The surviving battle mages and magic knights, still haunted by the word Lich, almost run on instinct except for Sean.
But when they saw Dani's face, vulnerable for the first time… they all stopped and smiled.
'Maybe' they thought, it wasn't such a bad way to die after watching their King's miserable expression.
In an instant Dani's plan to rule the Philippines collapsed. He had no idea how to fix it. Desperate, a cold thought slid into his mind: Murder him and present the wound as an undead bite and claim I was forced to act. Or wipe out the crowd and say the Lich forced me. He swallowed the thought and forced his face into a controlled mask as the cameras rolled.
As Dani weighed his two options, the Mayor stepped forward, hands raised to steady the crowd. "That's not a Lich," he announced, voice steady. "It's a ghoul, they're not as dangerous. Ghouls answer to their creators," he added, pointing at the man who'd emerged with it.
The ghoul bristled. Its voice was a rasp. "I serve no one but myself. I'm not a puppet." Shocking the crowd.
The plaza went tense. Dani's face smiled ear to ear, he thought of a new plan. "This man saved my life," he said, voice bright for the cameras. "Tonight is his debut. He's trained in secret and will represent the Philippines at the upcoming Battle of the World Scepter!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. As Anna lifted her mic to ask the name, Dani cut her off, announcing, "James D. Lopez!"
The man who had emerged from the gate blinked in confusion, unsure what was happening… yet somehow, everything still fit his plan.
The surviving battle mages were all in disbelief. How could he come up with a lie that quickly? They all knew that if this father-and-son duo were ever to take control of the Philippines, the country would be doomed.
---
Before the Dungeon Tower Fell, Somewhere in Space
Leon was finally ready to return home, bringing with him artifacts and the knowledge he'd gathered over the past ten years. During that time, he had met Jabbari the ghoul and bound a fairy as his familiar.
"You know escaping this space is forbidden," Jabbari said.
Leon smirked. "You scared?"
A heavy presence approached the quarters. The fairy hid behind Leon quickly, trembling.
"I'm not," Jabbari replied, his tone flat. "But you should be. You know the law here where escape means… death."
Before Leon could answer, a deep voice filled the air.
"Do I need to remind you of the punishment for your offense?"
Leon froze. Of all the Quartermasters who could have found him, it had to be the First Quartermaster.
He knew the power the First possessed; if he fought, there was no guarantee of victory. If he ran, death was certain.
Jabbari noticed Leon's distress but couldn't understand why he'd do this, why he'd break the iron law. "Leon," he asked quietly, "what's your plan when you get there… back to the land of humans?"
---
At The Present
The crowd erupted in cheers at Dani's surprise announcement a Filipino representative had already been chosen.
In the heat of the moment, Leon stepped forward. "Yes, I am James D. Lopez. That's D for Dawn… because it's midnight."
Everyone fell silent, unsure if it was a joke or his actual middle name.
Dani burst out laughing, tears in his eyes, and soon the crowd followed.
James took the chance to ask the public, "I'm a vlogger who'll record all the histories of this world! I don't have a camera yet, but feel free to send donations here's my 'HeyFriend' Id it's open!"
The crowd fell silent again, stunned that he was actually asking for money.
Across the country, viewers watching the PhilNation Media Live Broadcast all said the same thing: "How shameless can he be? It's your job to protect us!"
Instead of gaining fans, Filipinos began to hate him even more, a complete contrast to Dani, who has mastered the art of showmanship.
Jabbari heard it all and had nothing to say except, "Pathetic."
James grinned and kept talking. "This ghoul right here is my summoner! He called for me after the Scepter had chosen me, James Dawn Lopez to represent the Philippines! Even though I'm a…"
He caught his reflection in a nearby car window and froze. His own face stared back, a Filipino, not Austrian.
.
.
.
The space froze, draining color from the world. James felt the air itself tighten a slow, suffocating pulse as if the world had him by the throat, just like ten years ago, during the tragedy of the Lindberg Family.
As he opened his mouth to speak, a vast presence filled the sky. In an instant, the pressure forced him to his knees, as if an unseen finger pressed him down from above, pointing straight at him.