Chapter 151 - Johan

"...leader of the Ghosts...?" Johan mumbled inaudibly. "... So all this time, they have been asking about you..."

Kyle didn't respond, instead popping open a metallic case strapped onto his waist, revealing three health potion flasks. But instead of offering them to Johan, he closed the case again, knowing Johan had seen the flasks. Kyle paced around the kneeling Johan, clearly having something else in mind.

"I've heard a lot of stories about you, President Johan. Leader of the Versian revolution, the soul of the rebellion. Unmatched in combat, no noble was able to hold you down forever. You always got away, resurfacing again to bring the fight to the tyrants." Kyle said while still pacing around slowly, each word measured while Johan did not seem to react, allowing Kyle to continue.

"Three years of hard-fought victories allowed you to finally usurp the throne. Yet, for some reason, the Yual Dominion did not crush your rebellion. Perhaps it was too far from Tryas, or perhaps it was a lapse in judgment. But you somehow still stood strong, a beacon of freedom that could never be put down. Until you went missing." Kyle concluded. "And so here you are, unable to escape like the Johan of Old. Betrayed by friends and comrades alike."

"You're not Versian. Just exactly who are you?" Johan gritted his teeth, some of his strength returning upon seeing a new face.

"A man with a proposition. I have a way to restore Versia to what you wanted - and I'll need your help."

"I've heard. You've been running circles around Mornero and Harrison." Johan let out a weak grin. "Go on."

"In exchange for rescuing you from this prison, I want everything Harrison has," Kyle stated. "Simple as that. You'll get back to your old position as the President, and everything will return to normal. I'll venture so far as to say that you'll find me a much more reasonable man than Harrison was."

Johan stared for a few moments in silence before an incredulous smile broke out on his beard. "Seems like you are not lying at all. So, this is the true motive behind the leader of the Ghosts. What a surprise. I knew Dekar alone wouldn't have the chops to pull off such a movement..." Johan's voice trailed off, his mind in contemplation. "One question before I give you my answer. Why tell me your true motive? You could have lied to me, rescued me, and worked behind my back."

"And risk another coinflip in a conflict?" Kyle scoffed, raising the Spear's tip to face Johan directly. "Because if you refuse, I will kill you right here. Saves both of us the guessing game."

Johan barely flinched from the sharp, glistening tip of the Spear that still had blood on it. To Kyle's surprise, Johan inched his face forward even closer to the tip like a madman, forcing Kyle to retract the Spear slightly lest he gouged Johan's eyes out. "You don't seem to know me that well, do you now, Ghost leader?"

"I don't need to. My actions are clear." Kyle held his ground. "Say yes, and I'll heal you - rescue you out of here. Say no, and this will be the end of the road."

A low, rumbling chuckle emitted from Johan's throat before growing into a burst of hearty laughter, the force of the laugh shaking the very air around Kyle. "Then it seems Dekar hasn't told you just who I am!" Johan clenched his fist, arcia energy suddenly visibly surging through his skin up to his arms. He yanked down on the chains with a roar, breaking the thick metal restraints off their anchor in the wall as though they were thin vines.

Kyle readied his Spear while Johan rose up to his full height, towering over Kyle by more than double his height. The metal chains dragged on the floor as Johan stretched his body, warming up for a fight. "I am Johan Setoul, born of giants. Bearer of the sins of Versia, the herald of freedom and dignity. Champion of all those who are oppressed, a crusader against the evils of tyranny. First President of the Versian Republic, Bulwark of Tenar! And you, a no-name rebel leader, wish to negotiate a bribe with me?!" Johan bellowed, each word he spoke like a thunderclap while he stomped his foot on the cell.

The tremor nearly caused Kyle to topple over backward, but Kyle dug his exosuit's shoes into the cell's damp flooring, holding firm with Spear ready to strike. His battle sense kicked in, and the cell's area visualized in his head as he played out all the potential attack patterns of Johan. Each movement was predicted, Kyle ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"I've heard the rumors, Ghost leader." Johan spat. "Miracle after miracle, thousands flocking to your banner. Victories in the field against entire divisions of the Versian Army. You may think yourself unstoppable, but today, fortune is not in your favor, for you have met me! Do you really think that I would let another snake back into Versia, now that I have already been betrayed by Mornero once?! FOOL! I will no longer yield nor compromise to those who seek their own selfish profits at the expense of others. I fight for the glory of Versia and its people, not for greed or wealth! There will be no deal, Ghost leader. Not even if you kill me!"

"Last chance, Johan," Kyle spoke carefully, grip tightening on the hilt of his Spear.

"No. It is your last chance." Johan retorted, slamming his knuckles together in preparation to fight. "You shall relinquish command of the Ghosts and hand over the reins to me. And maybe I will not imprison you for more than half of your life!"

"So be it." Kyle let out a disappointed sigh, watching Johan charge toward him, Johan throwing a single direct punch straight at him. Kyle half-expected a fake-out or a follow-up attack, but Johan barreled in a straight line. Without breaking a sweat, Kyle expertly stepped to the side, using the spearhead to cleave off Johan's outstretched arm in one smooth motion, before following up with a spinning stab to the stomach of Johan.

The force of the stab sent Johan tumbling back in an uncontrolled roll before crashing into the wall headfirst with a loud bang, loose dust, and soot kicking up all around the cell. Kyle kicked aside the dismembered arm on the ground, walking with the intent to finish off Johan. Yet as the dust settled, Kyle instead came to a complete halt, pure shock plastered on his face in his helmet as his gaze landed on Johan's back.

The entire back of the half-giant was ruptured, with several missing organs and blood-clotted flesh long hardened. It was as if Johan was simply a walking empty shell, a third of his body already carved out from before. The numerous whip marks and iron branding stood as a testament to just how much suffering Johan had been put through. Instead of Kyle finishing off Johan with another Spear strike, he reopened the metal case on his belt, fishing out a health potion to pour on Johan. "You're not dying until I say so," Kyle ordered as the liquid entered the gaping cavities on Johan's back.

Yet, to Kyle's surprise, the health potion did not seem to have any effect; none of the cells or organs were regenerating at all. Has it been too long already? Kyle hurriedly took another potion, this time pouring it over the fresh stab at the lower waist of Johan. The health potion too did not have any effect either, the wound barely reacting to the presence of the potion. Kyle even tried the Necklace of Healing to no avail as well, the green glow barely enveloping Johan.

"... hah... don't bother..." Johan panted with a tired but satisfied grin, turning over to face Kyle as he lay in the same spot he had been kneeling in for months. "Those potions won't work... they never did..."

"You..." Kyle's grip trembled on his Spear. "You knew you were dead no matter what."

"... of course... giants don't take well to potions..." Johan smiled weakly. "... I knew I never stood a chance..."

Kyle could feel something strange welling up inside of him, something that had been exorcised centuries ago in his former Galactic Era life. He clenched his right fist tighter than ever, the gauntlet squeaking from the force while his left hand tried to restrain himself. What the hell is happening to me...? Is this a mental attack by him? Kyle raised the Spear to blow Johan's head off, but that strange feeling stopped him in his tracks, a part of him knowing that Johan was already on the edge of death. "Why did you say no...? There could have been a chance you would survive!" Kyle's voice was laced with rage and disbelief.

"... look at you..." Johan spluttered, a mix of blood and saliva welling up in his mouth. "... you are the same as them... Believing that you are in control. That everyone bows to you..."

"Nothing ends until death. How can a man like yourself choose death willingly?!" Kyle raised his voice in anger for the first time in what felt like forever. "You could have agreed and betrayed me later. You could have played the fool and lived a little longer. We might have found a solution to heal you! You could have killed me later!"

"...and live out of shame, in fear of my own guilt...?" Johan's expression remained peaceful, infuriating Kyle even more. "... I'm done compromising... I've cut deals... and caused this whole situation to happen in the first place... Now... I've finally said no... at least my last moment is in truth... in ideals that I believe in... Dekar...I am finally human..."

"Human...? Ridiculous! The purpose of life is to live! To survive!" Kyle roared at the dying façade of Johan. "Death is the true end. Everyone from here to the end of the stars knows that. There's no reason to give your life up for something so meaningless, for something so temporary. No one would even know what you stood for or what ideals you believed in! I could bury your body so deep that not a single trace of you would ever be found."

"... yes... no one would know... and my friends might never know the truth... but at least... I... will." Johan closed his eyes, the life leaving his body as his shoulders slumped to the ground, his expression losing its life.

MG404: [System Message | You killed Johan Setoul | +15000 EXP]

Kyle suppressed a furious shout, instead slamming the Spear into the floor out of rage. His armored hands clenched tight enough to warp the metal around his fists, Kyle storming up to the dead Johan and checking for signs of life despite the System Message. He could barely hold in the urge to pummel the satisfied grin out from Johan's face, his mind a swirl of confusion and anger. I know I don't need him for the government - there's still Dekar. In the worst case, there's still Hayden. But what is this feeling...? 

Kyle knew very well that Johan refusing shouldn't have affected him in the slightest, yet the suicidal attack of Johan struck a chord within him, something that had been long removed since his childhood centuries ago. Even when Keith was kidnapped, or when Guang Hwa turned against him, it was all par for the course. A minor hiccup in a grand plan back to power. He barely even knew Johan personally before this, but still, he could feel his heart clenching up. Plenty of people have said no to me in the Galactic Era, but I hardly felt a thing then. This time it's different. 

His newfound body had all of the bells and whistles still intact, so Kyle grappled with the emotions, struggling to rationalize and accept Johan's suicidal death for a meaningless ideal. The peaceful expression on Johan's dying visage clung to his mind even as Kyle walked away from the cell in a stupor. Kyle could hardly recall the last person he knew that would accept death like that. I don't understand. The world just isn't like this. Life is meant for life, not for death. How can... Kyle punched a hole in the walkway out of frustration, before finally realizing the real reason why he was so upset. It wasn't about the fact that Johan died a seemingly useless death. It wasn't about Johan being an original part of his plan to puppet Versia when he found out about him from Yona.

It was a nagging feeling in Kyle's subconscious that, somehow, Johan had won despite Kyle coming out on top. No. He did not win. I won. I am alive, he is dead. And there is nothing to fear from a man who is dead. Kyle asserted to himself, regaining his former demeanor as he climbed back up the stairs to the floor where Dekar's cell was on.

"There he is! Shoot-" The Nest guard squads who tried to intercept him were only faced with an unspeaking monster, clad in black exosuit armor along with a rage to match the fury of the stars. Kyle took his frustration out on the enemies, though each kill felt meaningless like he was simply cutting down chaff or bushes that stood in his path. Each swing he threw only reminded him of Johan's face, before he finally got himself in control. We're still on a time limit. There will be time for pondering this... emotion later.

Returning back to the corridor leading to Dekar's holding cell, an urgent telepathic call from Sasha came in. [Sir! The Nest soldiers from the rest of the city are starting to re-converge on the prison! We don't have much longer!]

"I'm on it. Get everyone ready for extraction as soon as I come." Kyle shedded off all the emotions he had, suppressing his rage. He knew that the schedule was strict, and even though he was far stronger than Nox, he couldn't hope to face a force that outnumbered his men twenty to one. It was to be a smash-and-grab with distractions, but Johan's death took up too much time. Now to deal with Dekar.

Kyle burst into the holding cell of Dekar, where the music was still blaring loudly. Kyle immediately destroyed the speaker, severing the engraving before cutting Dekar free. "Dekar, I'm here to rescue you."

"... Goddess alive, you actually came. But there's someone more important than me here." Dekar coughed violently. "He's down ther-"

"I know. President Johan." A flash of irritation crossed Kyle's face, though the helmet prevented Dekar from seeing it. He hoisted Dekar up into his arms, carrying him out of the holding cell.

"Wh-what? How did you know?"

"Yona told us very willingly. Unfortunately, President Johan has already been long dead, killed by the Nest guards." Kyle lied with a straight tone.

"But Nox said..."

"Whatever Nox said to you was an effort to get you to speak up. Even if you told them anything, President Johan was never going to come back to life. He was too much of a danger to the rest."

[Sir, we don't have much time! We need to go, now!]

"I need to see the cell, I need to see the-" Dekar's plea was interrupted by Kyle suddenly breaking into a sprint, though he took great care to not accidentally smother Dekar with his armor. Kyle raced up the staircase, finally resurface back at ground zero of the collapsed building which had turned into a veritable warzone.

Ghosts and Nest soldiers exchanged fire with one another while cowering behind debris that served as cover, while Sasha dueled Nox, pinning him down to prevent him from attacking the others. Prisoners were the largest casualty, with countless bodies littering the floor, many having died in a frenzy for freedom. Only a few of the more experienced prisoners who were Ghosts in Tenar fought smartly, taking potshots at the Nest soldiers to create a buffer zone, while others were already leaping into the same tunnels from which the Ghosts had entered.

"I have Dekar on me. Sasha, swap." Kyle ordered, Sasha effortlessly leaping backward to catch Dekar as Kyle charged forward, meeting Nox head-on. Nox was caught off-guard by the sudden switch in opponents, unable to dodge the incoming strike by Kyle's Spear of Defiance.

The tip hit Nox head-on, Kyle charging the acceleration engraving to its limit and sending Nox flying and tumbling more than fifty meters away, crashing him into a wall. "Now! Get into the tunnels!" Kyle motioned towards the dug-out underground tunnels that the mineral ants had used to infiltrate the prison. They performed a slow retreat, Kyle and Sasha holding up the rear while the timed explosion on Nox's armor blew up with a loud bang, shaking the loose dust off the surrounding debris and stunning the nearby Nest soldiers, their eardrums ringing violently.

As soon as everyone was cleared, Kyle collapsed the tunnel entrance, joining the others as they ran as fast as they could under the tunnel, some of the more heavily injured ones carried on mineral ants. Arctech lanterns held by the Ghosts helped to illuminate the path for the prisoners to escape as the tunnels snaked out of Creuliz, reaching a designated meetup point where eight Aurtla planes were already waiting to evacuate the prisoners.

With the Nest soldiers thoroughly distracted by both the prison raid and the destruction of the recruit camps, the bulk of the Ghosts and surviving prisoners managed to make it out. Not all prisoners were rescued, some of them having been apprehended or caught by Nest in their attempt to rendezvous with Sasha and Kyle. Still, Kyle didn't care about the extra manpower, though it was a boon. The real focus was Minister Dekar, who was still struggling to come to terms with what happened in the prison as he sipped on a stamina potion, trying to recover his frail body.

"Johan... how could they..?" Dekar mumbled under his breath as he sat in the corner of the expanded passenger cabin in the Aurtla plane, the droning sound of the arcia energy running through the wyvern-like wings making it hard to even hear himself. "I swear I will kill Mornero and Harrison with my own hands even if it is the last thing I do!"

The moment they landed in Desham, Kyle had Minister Dekar brought to safety, posting multiple guards and Sasha to protect him in the event of an attempted follow-up assassination. A day passed before Dekar finally regained enough energy to walk about on his own, though as soon as he entered the governor's office, what he heard nearly caused him to fall back down again.

[ The Ghosts have mercilessly killed President Johan in Creuliz, who had been missing for months! ] Mornero's sickening voice was playing on the radio while Kyle and the leaders stood about, listening in. [ Their brutal campaign deserves no recognition, and we shall dispense full justice onto them and anyone who collaborates with them. Let this be known - all those working with them shall be shot on sight! This is a presidential emergency order! Desham has been taken over by the rebels, and anyone caught trading with them will be punished heavily! ]

"FUCK THEM!" Dekar roared with whatever might he had, using the table to support his weak body. "Such a coincidence they 'found' him in Creuliz the very moment we attacked!"

"Our existence is now fully exposed to the entire public." Diya pointed out. "There's nothing stopping the Versian Army from coming to crush us in its entirety."

"Except for Count Leon's forces, who are still pushing Ocra and areas around Tenar," Kyle explained over the war map. "The infamy we have gained now will destabilize the Versian army and cause splits, especially with our Ghosts working the rumors in Tenar. Count Leon has the clear advantage now and is well poised to take Tenar. Though our first order of business is not that - it's handling the people of Desham. Get the Ghosts on standby to suppress any riots. Make sure no one leaves the city yet. Dekar, you're with me. You need a change of clothes."

True to Kyle's words, the unrest in Desham began to bare its fangs soon after as the Versian government's announcement spread like wildfire. It hit like a hammer to the morale of the people, especially those who had their newly-built homes destroyed in the previous attack. Everyone here was a refugee or former citizen of Desham, all looking for survival and a stable life - the declaration of war by Mornero certainly did not help them assuage their fears. Already a few families were packing up their stuff, preparing to evacuate and leave, while disagreements broke out across the reconstructed outer district and factories.

"You must think me a fool for staying here just to be attacked again!" An angry construction worker tugged his arm away from his friend. "I gave up everything in Ocra just to live my life in peace - at this rate, Desham would be the furthest from peace."

"Desham IS the safest!" His friend urged. "Haven't you seen how we repelled an attack while being vastly outnumbered? Now that our numbers have grown drastically, we are more than a force to be reckoned with!"

"Repelled an attack...? The house I was promised was annihilated in a few short hours, and now I'm still on the waiting list! ENOUGH! I'm leaving Desham." The construction worker lugged a cart laden with his valuables and prized possessions, his family leaving with him in tow toward the outer district walls, which had already been reconstructed. The gates were already jampacked with similar-minded folks, all clamoring for the gate to open and shouting at the city guards atop the walls.

"LET US OUT! LET US OUT!" The crowd chanted in unison, throwing whatever junk they could at the city garrison. They yelled and jostled, fighting against the barricade set up just behind the large wooden gates, the city guards struggling to keep them at bay.

"You have no right to keep us in this damn city! We came here free, we are leaving free!" A former refugee roared at a city guard, shaking the barricade's wooden fence violently. "Let us out, NOW!"

"Sir, we can't let you leave, we have orders!" The city guard tried to explain. "Please return to your houses!"

"WHAT HOUSES?" Another refugee roared. "I've been waiting for three months - WHAT HOUSE? If you aren't going to get out of our way, then call the man who gave the order down here, so we can give him a good beating."

The clamoring and jostling continued for ten minutes, the waves of evacuees only piling up especially at the north gates, many hoping to flee to Creuliz instead. It wasn't until an evacuee snatched a repeater rifle off the city guards that things began to escalate. "PUT THE RIFLE DOWN!" A city guard roared at an agitated evacuee who was waving it about dangerously.

"NOT UNTIL YOU LET US GO!" The evacuee roared, bringing the rifle up to bear at the city guards, when suddenly he saw a wrinkled old spindly hand grab the barrel of the rifle, gently pushing it down. The evacuee was about to hit back, only for his eyes to widen as he realized who it was. "... The Minister...? What...?"

"It's Minister Dekar! He's alive!" Another exclaimed in shock, the surprise arcing through the crowd like lightning. Many peered over the heads of others, their eyes landing on a well-dressed old man, wearing an traditional Versian official uniform. Still, despite the prim and proper attire, those nearer could see the countless wrinkles and aging skin on his face, cheeks gaunt from the malnutrition and torture.

"Open the gates." Minister Dekar motioned to the city guards, who complied immediately. The large wooden gates rumbled with a force that sent reveberations through the newly paved roads, signalling an open exit to the evacuees. A few of them began to shove their way to the front, but the moment their eyes laid on the Minister, they too came to a stop out of confusion.

Minister Dekar coughed slightly, the arctech radio mounted on his shoulders, picking up his voice and relaying it to the rest of the city. Factory workers, lumberjacks, and even children all stopped to listen to the familiar voice they had heard for a decade. Every Versian citizen knew who he was, and even more so when he was a wanted criminal by the Government before the Ghosts showed up. Still, many had assumed he was dead, now waiting with bated breath on his every word.

"I am Minister Dekar. Born of farmers on the slopes of Ulut. Raised under the yoke of Yual nobles. Silenced by knights when my family farm first burnt down. I ran. My family ran. We ran to Creuliz." Dekar spoke with a grave tone. "Again, we suffered. Enslaved to work the sewage drains, day and night, for a mere tenar a day. I tried to run, only to be imprisoned. It was there that I met Johan Setoul. And from that point on, I never ran again. Not even for my sake. So I ask you - for what purpose do you run?"

"Don't treat us like idiots, Minister!" The refugee who was still holding onto the rifle shouted back. "We run to survive!"

"And so did I. Do you run to survive at the feet of others? Do you run so you can eke out a meager living? Do you run so you can cower whenever disaster and suffering arrive? Do you run and give up everything you have worked for, just so you can live?" Minister Dekar shot back. "I do not run. And whoever hears all of this and still wishes to run again to Creuliz, to Tenar, where you will be reduced back to a refugee, feel free to do so."

Minister Dekar stepped to the side, the city guards removing the barricades out of the way to clear the path to the gate. Yet none of the refugees moved, not even the one holding the rifle. A few of them showed signs of making the first step, but they did not want to be seen as cowards. Some began to have second thoughts, already fearful of what might happen in another city.

"You may leave, and when you reach that city, let them know you come from Desham. How do you think the army will treat you?" Minister Dekar warned. "They will treat you with suspicion. They will treat you as a rebel, as a Ghost, whether you want to or not."

"That's not fair! We never asked to be Ghosts!" A mother shouted.

"Yet you ate! You drank! You worked! For months to build this city to a greater height than it has ever been. Look around you, everything that you have accomplished in such a short timeframe. You all closed a blind eye to the ones protecting you, feeding you. You earned a salary, you provided for your family." Minister Dekar retorted. "When the Versian government let all of you down, the Ghosts stepped up! They helped when it mattered most. Many of you might not even be alive without the Ghosts."

"And we wouldn't be if we stay any longer! We're leaving!" The mother ignored the Minister, leaving with her family. She half-expected the city guards to stop them, but as her family lugged the carts and rucksacks past the gate, not one of the guards tried to block their path. A few other families also left along with her, yet the vast majority of evacuees stood rooted in place, still unsure of what to do.

"Then you have made your choice in peace." Minister Dekar nodded to the families leaving before turning back to face the city. "As for the rest of us, it's clear that there is more to Desham than just a simple shelter for survival. It's the very ground we worked on, the soil that our ancestors and forefathers before us have tilled and supported for generations. If we run, what legacy do we leave our children? Our grandchildren? What will they remember us as? Will they call us 'those who ran in fear of death'?"

"I say NO!" Minister Dekar bellowed with vigor, resuming his previous demeanor as a Versian Minister. "Versia was not built on such foundations - all Versians know that, deep in their heart. That we fight for what is right, that we suffer for what we believe in. And if we only live for mere survival, then we are no different from an animal, and even worse than a Yual noble!"

Minister Dekar unbuttoned his uniform, revealing the torture scars all along his chest and ribcage, his bones on the verge of poking out through the skin. The surrounding evacuees gasped in shock while Minister Dekar continued. "I, too, have fought. I was captured by Mornero and his cronies in Creuliz, tortured for months on end. All that time, I stayed true to my convictions, never betraying a single word to my captors. I say this with full certainty, and let the whole of Versia hear my following words: President Johan was captured and murdered by Mornero himself!"

All across Desham, the citizens were flabbergasted by the revelation. A good majority did not believe it at first, but they did not try to shut down the Minister immediately, letting him continue. "You may be inclined to believe Mornero over me, but look who is benefitting the most from President Johan's death! Mornero is now not just the acting nor temporary President, he is the President! None of his ministers were a revolutionary, the old guard having been eradicated to sate his lust for power and control. Look at how he has treated you refugees - do you believe you will be treated any better if you were to go to Tenar? Many of you have sons forcibly conscripted by the army, all for a game played between the rich and powerful, uncaring of your plight and tribulations. Will you still run? When will we stop running away, like rats unable to even defend their loved ones?"

"Today!" A lone city guard shouted back, clenching his fist and pumping it in the air.

"When will we stop being weak? When will we stop fighting just for mere survival?"

"Today!" The city guards roared in response.

"When will we wake up? When will we learn that Versia as it used to be is but a shell of itself?"

"TODAY!" The city guards chanted again, this time a few evacuees shouting back in unison.

"When will we learn to never surrender, to never give up what is right and just?"

"TODAY!"

"WHEN WILL WE STAND UP FOR OURSELVES, AND TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM?" Minister Dekar shouted his lungs out.

"TODAY!"

"Then it is TODAY!" Minister Dekar roared with all his might. "It is TODAY, that I declare the current government, Mornero and his cronies illegitimate rulers of the Versian Republic! It is TODAY, that I declare myself the leader of the true government, the last of the old guard, the banner under which all who wish for the return of Versia to glory shall rally! For it is TODAY, that we rise in anger, in solidarity, unified in heart and mind to claim back our country for ourselves! No longer shall fake pretenders steal what belongs to us, and no longer shall we run away from those who seek to oppress us. It is TODAY, that we fight for what is right. It is TODAY, that we declare ourselves true Versians, ready to put in our lot with the truth! Are you with me?! DESHAM, ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

"YES!" The entire city that had been listening vibrated with a thundering resolution, the force of the resounding cheer shocking the fleeing families who were long past the city walls. Some of those who tried to return were turned away by the city guards, unable to re-enter Desham again.

Minister Dekar was hoisted from below, three city guards propping him up over the cheering crowd. He pumped his fists into the air, his face filled with confidence more than ever before. Each time he blinked, he could only see the visage of the President guiding him. Johan, if only you were here to lead. But I will carry on your legacy. 

The minister was paraded through the city as workers and kids alike rushed out of the house to join in the impromptu rally, all of them eventually converging on the main square of Desham where a stage had already been set up by Kyle and the Ghosts. Minister Dekar climbed onto the stage in his full glory, vindicated after his months of torture as he soaked in the cheering crowd that snaked down the roads into the distance. He took a deep breath, clenching his fist with vigor, his eyes burning with a determination that seared into the hearts of all those who were listening.

"THEN TODAY, WE RISE! WE RISE AS THE NEW VERSIA! GLORY TO VERSIA!"