Disclaimer: The rights of the settings and characters belongs to Hypergryph. I only own the plot divergence and progression here.
Prelude to Repertoire of a Revolution
by Dr. Ren Otonashi
"You have to think this through—Kal'tsit!"
My eyes stared into the Feline's stern figure, who observed me as if they were gazing into my soul. Visible puffs of air came out of my mouth as I exhaled in frustration, brainstorming multiple scenarios where I could convince Kal'tsit of getting her support. It's been an hour since I've been in talks with them for a mission that would decide the very fate of my people.
Kal'tsit sighed, her eyes shutting close. "I said I refuse. You're risking the entire diplomatic status of Rhodes Island by recruiting us into the war."
Jaw clenching, I argued back, "But why?! I'll be reserving benefits such as shared access to natural resources in Leithania, and other demands you might request!" I yelled in distress, knowing that the revolution was on its very last knees without a third party intervening. "As long as it is reasonable and does not compromise the freedom of my people, all Rhodes Island needs to do is provide additional firepower. They don't have to be directly involved in an all-out war."
She did not flinch, her tone unwavering. "Rhodes Island has been neutral in international affairs regarding nations, and you're giving other nations the justification to wage war against a pharmaceutical company—the last bastion for the Infected."
"You'll be having the protection of Leithania, which I remember is supposed to be one of the most powerful nations in Terra."
"A nation in ruins has enough order to protect Rhodes Island from destruction?" Her eyes narrowed. "Furthermore, what is in it for us if you fail the revolution against the Twin Empresses?"
"The nobles, Doctor." I took a step forward, hardening my fist. "I don't give a damn about the Twin Empresses. They could be the leader of the nation after the revolution for all I care if they are to be elected by the people. It's the lack of power they have on the nobles since the aristocracy needs the support of their vassals."
"You're avoiding the question. What if you lost against the nobles?"
"We won't. We have the support of the majority of the population, and the Gendarmeries along with the sabotages the Witch King's Loyalists do in the shadows are our only hindrance to winning the war," I explained, "The problem is that we don't have enough firepower against the spires of the former Witch King, which the Gendarmeries are abusing."
"And you believe that we have enough resources to fill the gaps in your firepower? It's such a foolish notion that I can't even comprehend how a minor military faction can do anything to change the tides of war in your favor."
"But we need all the support we could have!" A loud bang shattered the ominous aura of the room, a fist on the desk nearby. "If they are to break the stalemate in the Northern Defensive Front, it's all over. Leithania's struggle against the oppressive nobles would be in vain." I held on to the table, supporting my bent body as I snarled to the members of the Directive Office. "Our main army has been reduced to 60% after the Bergen Counteroffensive when we tried to infiltrate the Capital after their disastrous infiltration of trying to destroy the machinery inside our nomadic cities."
"The boundaries are full of L-44 Gramophones, ballistas and spires that it's nigh-impossible to invade the Nomadic City without a specialized company who can deal massive destruction within and infiltrate border patrol, deactivating the towers and spires, allowing the main army from the other 2 Nomadic Cities to enter the city."
She scoffed. "Your plan is pure suicide. A company will be sent deep inside the enemy's lines to execute an engagement and take down the borders which are guaranteed to have maximum security. Even the conditions on Chernobog was a far cry compared to the scale of operations you're recruiting us to have."
"The first Chernobog operation was an ambush due to the unexpected takeover of Reunion in the nomadic city. Although you took casualties in Ursus Third Army attacking the control tower during your second operation, it was successful nonetheless."
"The result does not justify the means and costs, General."
"Please don't call me that, it's awkward." I quipped, which she ignored.
"The Ursus event had a total of forty-one sacrifices; forty-one units worth of manpower that greatly affected the capacities of our operators regarding missions. The only reason why they were worth it was because of the immeasurable value the Doctor had, and Reunion sparking a war that would have plunged the Infected further down into a pit." Her shoulders sagged after she took a small pause, and she turned away from me. "It was a decision that I did not want to make. The circumstances and the consequences of failing to act forced my hand into allowing it."
I knew where she was coming from. The duty of sending people to their death was a responsibility no one deserved to be burdened with. My heart was tormented with overwhelming guilt whenever I was confronted to allow it, and the lingering regret haunts me to my dreams. All I could do was to remember the names and faces of every single soldier who sacrificed for our cause despite the constant reminder of my sins, and how my memory fails to abide for the sake of their sacrifices.
So I will endure, because I would lose more by backing down than by doing otherwise.
They shouldn't be the nameless soldiers who fought for our freedom, forgotten by history. Or the legacy of a failed revolution—a dreadful reminder to future generations to those who dare to defy nobility. It disturbs me whenever I am faced with that possibility—a future where we failed.
So I try to ignore it with all my efforts, despite how futile it is.
Having a pessimistic mindset was a godsend for strategists for they could foresee negative outcomes and form contingencies for it, but a curse for those who are given the burden of leadership of men who strived to fight, and live a better future where they could be free. Nevertheless, my comrades knew the bloodshed that would meet them when they joined the insurrection and they had placed their trust in me for winning the war, no matter what situation were we in.
I can't just back down and allow the revolution to crumble now!
"I have a dream, Dame Kal'tsit." She twisted her head the moment words came out of my mouth, eyes wide open as I referred to an alias that only one man had called her. "A dream where every Ancients live in equality and freedom from oppression. Where both the non-infected and infected rise up against the injustices their rulers inflicted on them, and use the power of the masses to bring down society's tyrannical rule. A dream where Terra's nations come together and develop without bringing the others down. And the catastrophes will be long conquered by the perseverance of human wit."
"A dream is merely a dream, General. It can never be realistic if it lacks a foundation in reality. Even the hopes and dreams of the past still aren't achievable now, even after a millennium has passed. Soldiers and civilians alike have died for the same goal, yet they were crushed by the heels of power. And you're just making history repeat itself."
"I know the possibility of such a scenario occurring, Dame. I was never an idealist. I have seen the physical form of what I am fighting for now."
"A delusion of your mind, it is. Never in my life did I see the physical form of your ideals in application."
I smirked. "There is. You have never been there before."A pair of bunny ears behind perked up in response to a nostalgic smile that I made, unbeknownst to me. "An unreachable land beyond what Terrans have explored."
"The land of the free, where the populace possesses the power to choose their leaders. Not dictated by bloodline, nor by ancestry—not even by the right granted to them by accomplishments." I pounded my chest out of pride. "Children and the elderly granted access to free education, and each individual is given the virtue of 'Human Rights', basic rights and freedoms that people are born with."
"Fascinating…" an intimidating, deep voice muttered in the table where the Directory Board sat, listening to us two. "To think that such a utopia, let alone a nation outside Terra exists?"
I shook my head at him, face softening. "I shouldn't give you false hopes of a paradise." Corruption still exists, to be honest. But it is significantly harder to execute since they are kept in check by specific laws, the people and the opposition. Politicians work as a collective, striving towards an ideal rather than personality."
"The philosophy of freedom I have been striving for is called Democracy."
My arms went wide, an invitation to what I believe to be the first step of the application of my ideal in Terra. "And I want your support to lay down the foundations of Modern Democracy in Terra, starting with the Leithanian Revolution."
The feline's facade shattered.
"Your deception is ineffective against me, Vornehm!"
What?! How did she know—?!
"How did you—?!"
The owner of the deep voice earlier, a man with silver, spiked hair with cat ears protruding in his forehead, narrowed his eyes.
"He's not deceiving you," Amiya raised her voice, which caught both of our attention. "He knows he's right. He really believes what he's saying. There's no malicious intent to try and deceive you, Kal'tsit. I can feel it."
The white-haired feline snarled at me. "A madman's illusion—You're insane if you can't discern between reality and imagination."
"But it's true!"
"I can see memories," she pushed on, ignoring the tense situation between us, "Of skyscrapers larger than anything I have ever seen. Taller than Wei Yenyu's tower that encompasses all of Lungmen. Crowds in the streets far numerous than I have witnessed in my life, paling to the likes of Columbia or Ursus, and—" Her legs trembled, and she grasped her forehead as if she was hit by a dizzy fit. "There were no animalistic traits to people there, as if the Ancients' physique were based from those people—"
Before she could collapse to the ground, Kal'tsit rushed to her side to support her. A loathing expression directed at me replaced the apathetic facade she kept earlier, much to my anger. How dare she look at me as if I was the villain in this situation despite requesting assistance for my people.
In contrast to Kal'tsit, however, was the varying reactions of the Directive Board, ranging from surprise, to shock, and unfathomable awe that filled the atmosphere of the table.
"That can't be possible…" A Sarkaz as pale as the silver orb in the night sky that even light glistened over her skin, muttered. "Recent studies about evolution indicate that thousands of years have passed by since humans have evolved to grow traits from various species. Even the genetic engineering of the blood samples I have in person shows that DNA had evolved to the point that the difference between human and animal had become indistinguishable."
"Glad to have the legendary Dr. Blood present her thoughts about my testimony." I gave a confirmative nod to her figure, before proceeding, "Although Amiya already confirmed that I wasn't lying. I know what I saw with my own eyes."
"You're the last Winterwisp." Another notable Sarkaz with sharp ears and dark hair with strands of blue, interjected. "What means or motivations did you have to go beyond Terra and live to tell the tale despite the record of historical expeditions that resulted in a few survivors, total annihilation, or disappearance?"
"It's a secret that I would like to keep privately." I gave an apologetic bow. "Please don't ask about it."
"But the secret you're keeping could, no—it will certainly lead to a new age of exploration!"
"I apologize, really. But even my current self can't replicate what happened before, even with the genius you could have provided me."
"Then answer this instead." Kal'tsit, who finished tending to Amiya, rejoined the discussion. "The Leithanian Revolution began a month after you disappeared. In such a short period of time, how were you able to explore outside Terra?"
"I have to stop you there, Dame," I said, "My biography doesn't matter here, I requested this meeting to ask for support to break the stalemate of the Leithanian Revolution. Keeping the purpose in mind is important, and my need for your support here is borderline desperation."
In the middle of our quarrel, a single beat of a clap stood out, which interrupted the argument between us. An eerie silence filled the room and footsteps soon followed afterwards. The Cautus who collapsed earlier stepped in front of Kal'tsit, a disapproving nod directed to her, making the Feline back off as a response, glaring at me. And so she spoke the words that would end the negotiations between us, which began everything that soon followed afterwards.
"Rhodes Island doesn't have problems supporting your cause, General." Amiya said, my heart leaping at the response. It only took a few words for everything to come crashing down.
"But your facade appears to be fake," she expressed her doubt, much to my confusion. "Fueled by a scar—a burning hatred directed to something, I cannot understand. And there's something inside of your mind that you're repressing, some part of I have no idea why you have, but I do know that wrath is not the answer. The chains of hatred will continue to bind others until it is broken by compassion and unity."
"You're too naive, Amiya." I retorted. "Revolutions start due to the anger of the masses. It would be great if I could just go over to the palace of the Twin Empresses and say 'Your Highness, please strip the nobles of their titles for their injustice in the common populace' while sipping tea in the archway beside the palace gardens."
She gave me a sad smile—one that shouldn't be possible for a girl as young as she was. "Then I can't trust you yet to lead Leithania with your current state."
...
Gnashing my teeth, I fought back the frustration. "So that's your answer… huh." My throat tightened as I coughed. "Then I shall take my leave. I'll somehow find a way to convince you while I stay in Rhodes Island." The Director Board watched in silence as I left the room, an ominous haze trailing behind me.
Domo~
Dr. Ren Otonashi here. Fanfic's actually my attempt of a self-insert OC story that revolves around a possible Leithanian Revolution that comes afterwards the events of Twilight of Wolumonde due to the oppression and negligence the Nobles of Leithania, along with the Twin Empresses' tolerance to the suffering of their people which made the masses rebel after the concept of modern democracy was introduced to them by a person who came from another world.
Of course, I won't give major spoilers. But towards the goal that I'm aiming, this is a massive project I'm working with, the storyline having a total of five routes in a 'what-if' situation where I were to be transferred to another world. The method of which is basically the divergence between the five routes. For specific details, uhh please continue reading the updates.
Just to be clear, I won't be making this as a power wank, self-righteous fanfic. So if you're a person who expects it to be so, then I have to disappoint you since my intention is to have every character in my fic being morally ambiguous, with each operator having major-to-minor roles possessing their own perspective of revolutions and the means of achieving it.
Main heroine here is Eyjafjalla. I have another work in progress, which is the Rosmontis Route with the MC being an amnesiac due to spawning in Columbia as a human (which basically is a surefire way to be a guinea pig for a lifetime if it wasn't for Rhodes Island). Focus would be the inhumane experiments Columbia does on their people.
Stay tuned~
Btw, last question, you have suggestions (motifs) about what kind of Originum Arts would suit my SI-OC here? Won't reveal important details, but my plan is probably shockwave manipulation and creation. Would also probably plan for Ancient Winterwisps Arts due to being the last Winterwisps.
A/N: Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcomed. Better if it has explanations for me to improve. Beta-readers and collab offers are open.