The Martial Unity

Rui had never forgotten that the only reason he had as wonderful a childhood as he had was thanks to his father’s decision to place him in the Quarrier Orphanage and have him adopted by his adoptive mother.

Perhaps his many half-brothers and half-sisters would have been repulsed at the thought, but he couldn’t think of a more perfect childhood. Even if it wasn’t always the easiest life due to the financial tribulations they faced, it was still some of his most cherished memories.

His attention returned to the gathered guests. “My father was the greatest emperor and a beloved father, a wise ruler, and a great steward of civilization. There may never ever be an emperor like him ever again in human civilization, for the confluence of talent, birthright, and upbringing that led to a brilliant leader like him emerging is truly a miracle. We may never ever have a leader like him emerge in our civilization ever again, but…”

His expression grew certain.

“We must not allow his legacy to crumble.”

His tone grew more determined as it charged the air with energy.

“We must not allow his contributions to go to vain.”

His eyes sharpened.

“We must not allow his life to have been meaningless.”

He directed a deep gaze sweeping across the gathered guests. “We must build upon the foundation of power and prosperity that he has given all of us, within and outside Kandria, and honor him by working together in harmony. Only then…”

His expression grew determined.

“Only then are we worthy of the prosperity and power that he has bestowed upon our civilization.”

His ethereal eyes blazed with a burning conviction.

“Rest assured, I have every intention of living up to every word I just uttered.”

His ethereal voice cut through the atmosphere in the air, simultaneously inspiring awe and fear in each of the guests of honor. It was both inspiring and ominous, creating a contrasting atmosphere that bred uncertainty.

It was drowned out by a round of thundering applause as he took a step back from the speaker’s stand, signaling the end of his speech.

He directed his gaze to the many princes and princesses gathered. “I would like to call upon my brothers and sisters, and the many others who knew him well, to speak on this occasion and offer their sincerest thoughts and emotions.”

The Royal Funeral Committee has planned for a slew of small speeches from gathered close and loved ones. Princes and princesses of different ages, as well as people dear to him, came up to the stage, bearing their hearts to the audience.

“It was his heart for the people that inspired me down the path that I have tread,” Prince Raul, now a frail old man with a hunched back, had gone on to say with a gentle and sorrowful smile. “He was a great man. A great ruler whose heart never diverged from the hearts of the people. This loss has indeed hurt our civilization, but it is hurt our people the most.”

“He was cut from a different cloth,” Princess Ranea went on to say with a heavy expression. “He was wise beyond fathoming and deeply insightful as a leader. I worked under him for a long time, and every day, I learned something new from just observing him work. If I have grown, it is only thanks to my father that I have grown to be who I am today.”

“We had our disagreements, but nobody can deny that his brilliance was as blinding as that of the sun in the sky,” Prince Raijun had admitted, heaving a deep breath. “Despite being a Martial Artist, I understood Martial Artists less than he did. He was the Martial Art whisperer, able to tickle our hearts and earn our trust and goodwill. It was precisely that charming charisma of his that prevented our nation from falling into a destructive civil war.”

“He showed me that it was possible for a human being to be even more harmonious than an elf.” Mother Alicia had smiled with deep sorrow as she gazed at her son with a loving expression and teary sapphire eyes. “He earned the approval of our leaders with his capacity to form harmonious bonds with us. It is not an exaggeration to say that we would not have forged such deep relations with your civilization if he were not its leader.”

One by one, the many people who had spent years around the Emperor of Harmony expressed the sheer magnitude of his greatness and his brilliance as the leader of human civilization.

“He was my sun,” Secretary Claris had admitted. “And now, I live in a world without his light.”

“He was an extremely sharp kid when he first found me,” the Shepherd smiled with a hazy expression. “He absorbed, assimilated, and internalized my knowledge on the flow of civilizations and then went on to teach me more than I could have ever taught him. He was worthy of being an immortal sage, but perhaps we were not worthy of him.”

The guests of honor listened in silence and seriousness, never once displaying anything other than sincere attention, lest the press and its cameras catch them lacking in a moment that could bring great dishonor to their image.

Rui simply listened from his special seat in the crowd with a solemn expression as he was forced to confront the death of his father once more. The pangs of sorrow, grief, and guilt were the foundation of his drive to adopt responsibility to do his father justice by propagating his legacy and elevating their civilization to even greater heights of prosperity and power.

Then, his attention was drawn by a strikingly familiar young lady who walked up to the stage with a graceful gait.

His expression grew complicated as he beheld Princess Ru.

It was difficult to get over how much she resembled their father. In comparison to Rui, who one would not guess was the son of the Emperor of Harmony if one did not know, while she may as well have been his clone.

He directed his attention to her with curiosity and interest as she took the stage, directing a melancholic smile at the audience.