As the chief's words fell, the officers beside the carriage stood at attention. They lifted their right foot in unison, slamming it into the ground. They raised their left foot as well and stomped heavily. The stomping formed a rhythmic symphony. The musicians at the back began playing their instruments. The beat of the drums sounded throughout the city as did the Buccina. Altogether, it created a heavenly melody that blessed the ears of those nearby.
A strong breeze swept past as the heavens began to rumble with fury. The citizens clasped their hands and shut their eyes, muttering a single phrase in awe and reverence.
"All hail, Pangea!"
Their combined voice shook the air. The color of reality bled together. The sky flashed in and out of existence as the individuals on the ground gained extra limbs for seconds at a time. The air vibrated. Time seemed to slow down at a moment's notice. It was as if every force in the universe – abstract or fundamental, descended upon the earth for this one particular individual who had long passed.
The Founding Emperor of the Pangea Empire – Pangea the First.
***
An hour later…
The ceremony ended with cheers. Fireworks burst into the sky, shaking the clouds. The crowd watched in awe. Missio's eyes reflected its beauty. After a while, the fireworks stopped. A line formed in front of Pangea's portrait. Men and women alike brought gifts, wishing good things to come into their life as if they were asking a deity for blessing. Dante eventually reached the front of the line. He held a bundle of flowers with his two hands.
He slid them onto the throne, atop the mountain of flowers. He gripped a bottle of wine and placed it beside the emperor's photo.
"Pangea, My Lord." Dante uttered, clasping his hands. "I've recently gotten engaged to the love of my life – my high school sweetheart. So, for our marriage I ask for your blessings…"
He stared at the picture for a moment before gazing up the sky. He lowered his head. His smile disappeared as his lips parted.
"Forgive me, Pangea…"
He reached into his pocket and drew a gold coin. He placed it beside the picture. He stood up and walked off. Missio came after and crouched down as well. A bottle of wine settled beside Pangea's portrait. Missio also gave flowers and a gold coin to the founder. He glanced at the picture. Confusion arose in his heart. He found the Founder familiar – too familiar as if he had met him before as if he had had a close relationship with him in the past.
Missio shook that feeling off and clasped his hands, lowering his head.
"Oh, Great Founder. Help me in journey to recover and become a better man. I do for my mother, brother, caretaker and my… father. I have remained a statue for 18 years. Now, I wish you follow me in spirit, bless me, your majesty, Pangea."
He lifted his head and stood up, grunting. He marched off the marble platform and met up with his brother.
"Like the celebration?" Dante asked.
"To be honest… I never really understood why people celebrated this day like a festival." Missio replied. "It's the day the founder died. Why do we celebrate it like this?"
"Because that's what he would've wanted."
"Huh?" Missio blurted.
"The Founder was a perfectionist and a compassionate leader. We celebrate his death anniversary like this because we are not only heartbroken of his death but grateful for the things he has done. Mourning isn't all about being sad, it's also about appreciating the person's achievements, what they meant to you and what an impact they had."
"Oh…"
"He created the Pangeaistic government. A techno – meritocratic system where corruption is little to none. He wrote the constitution of the empire over three millennia ago which still holds up today… The laws we made we're formed only because of the drafts he left behind before his death…"
Dante adjusted his glasses, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"He was a great man – the greatest human being to ever live. All generations of humanity collectively agree that no man has stood equal to gotten close to his level of greatness."
"Yet we killed him… Paragonia killed him…" Missio stated.
"Of course, his killer was found to be of Paragonian origin but who he was we haven't figured that out… It's also one of the many reasons we despise the government of Paragonia so much. They don't use the Pangeaistic government system. They choose democracy. Yet, I bewildered as to how they're still standing." Dante explained.
"Go on…" Missio raised a brow.
"You cheeky little… using my love for philosophy to get more information out of me?" Dante pinched his brother's cheek.
Missio scowled at his brother as his cheek was pinched. Dante laughed lightly. He avoided colliding with another civilian, letting go of his little brother. He dusted off his hands, continuing to talk.
"Truthfully, their unregulated use of drugs, selfishness, greed and much more is the reason why I think they should've fell. I may sound a bit racist but I guess this is what you get when a country is built by slaves and criminals."
"Yeah, that is racist." Missio blurted.
"You haven't heard me in my prime. I was cooking people back in middle school without using a single cuss word. I made the same dude cry twice after he challenged me." Dante stated.
"Sure – sure." Missio rolled his eyes.
"I've lost my edge but even that is still enough to take the life outta somebody."
"Get back to the topic, will ya?"
"…Right." Dante shrugged. "Ya want to know about Paragonia or Pangea more?"
"Pangea." Missio replied.
"What do you wish to know?"
The brothers turned into another corner.
"How did he establish the empire?"
When hearing that question, Dante paused. He let out a long sigh and inhaled deeply.
"We don't know."
"Aren't there any documents about that? There must be something at least." Missio said.
"Maybe you don't know the actual scale of the Great War." Dante locked eyes with him. "A century long war between the countries of Novopangea. Rome, Ashland, Paragonia and some that don't exist anymore."
"If I remember correctly, three countries emerged from the Great war but there were more before that were colonized by the three great powers." Missio tapped his forehead.
"Correct." Dante clapped as they passed the entrance to the RV parking. "Non – stop bloody battles between humans, chaos incarnates and chaos mutated animals. It was the time of one of the greatest militaristic and scientific advancement in the Modern Age."
"I'm also totally assuming that they didn't care for anything and destroyed most of the documents from previous Ages?" Missio guessed.
"Assumption is correct. They literally burned everything to the ground. While we know about previous Ages like the Mythical, Legendary and Golden Age. We don't happen in them specifically except for the late Golden Age when Jesus was alive."
"…Our world… seems to shrouded in mystery." Missio stopped before the RV.
"Yeah… our past holds more than we can imagine, Missio." Dante stated, halting at the RV.