The year 2031, November, 23:00 P.M
Somewhere in Chad, Africa
. . .
. . .
Looking at the 'slaves' in front of me dancing, drinking grape juices, laughing, and talking with no concern of the world around them made me sick. The sight was nothing but pure vomit forcing itself down my throat. It was sickening, indeed.
A young girl assumed to be the age of fifteen or so, handed me a cup of grape juice. She was wearing a simple, pale blue dress. Her forehead was sweating and her hands trembled as she held the cup in her hands.
"Um, h-here you go, master. It's t-the drink that you w-wanted."
I looked at her from my elaborate chair made from ebony. "Do you expect me to drink that?"
She bit her lip. "Um, my master, you said you wanted this drink."
"I did say that. But, I don't remember saying that I have to be the one who drinks it, slave."
"So, I leave it h-here on this t-table, master?" She almost put the cup on the ebony table in front of me, and I stopped her.
"No. I don't want it. I asked you to bring me that drink because I want you to drink it," I said.
"Um, okay. I'll drink i-it, m-master." She drank the juice slowly, almost to the point where I almost lost my patience. I wanted her to drink it, and she did it so slow.
"Slave! Drink it faster!" I yelled.
She drank it in two huge gulps and looked at me. Her eyes almost tearing up. "So s-sorry, master! Forgive me!"
"Get out of my sight!" I shouted.
She walked away with the cup hastily.
I wanted her to drink it because she seemed so lonely among the other 'slaves' who were enjoying themselves. At least, I had the slightest bit of enjoyment from seeing her frightened.
After a while, the banquet that I had forced my loyal subordinates to join was over. It was nothing but a joyous celebration for the prosperity of my country maintained throughout all these years. They cleaned the palace after that. It was obvious since they were the ones who littered and made it dirty.
. . .
"Um, Master?"
The same fifteen-year-old girl from before entered my throne room and bowed. "One of the higher-ups of the Great Corporate United has arrived. She wants to see you, M-Master."
I stood from my ebony chair. "What is her name? How dare she come to my place without telling me first."
The girl whimpered. "M-M-Master. Her name is Jennifer. She's the one in charge of external affairs. The one who talks to the representatives of other nations aside from the C.U."
"I know. You don't have to tell me what she does. Tell her to come in."
"She w-wanted to meet you outside, at the garden."
"She proposed such thing? How ungrateful." I sat back on my chair. All of those talking made my throat parched. "Tell her to come to meet me here, and only in my throne room here. If not, I'll kill her myself. And bring me some water."
. . .
Jennifer walked in with two of her bodyguards each at her side. She wore a standard dark blue uniform befit of the dogs of the Great Corporate United. Her bodyguards were Teria soldiers. "I see you have not changed over these past years, Gheele Folami."
I narrowed my eyes at her from my chair, a few feet from the floor. "Do not address me so casually, woman. When you're in my place, you're nothing but a slave in my eyes."
"How dare you treat her like that! She's one of the high-ranking officers," said one of the Teria soldiers.
I pointed my finger at him, and his body was coated with vibrant orange crystals, popping out from each part of his body.
"What the-" His entire body succumbed to my Aegis and rendered immobile, resembling a sculpture. I could add him in one of my collection.
Jennifer sighed. "I'm sorry, Master. He doesn't know how you do things around here."
"I see. Well, I just hope your other bodyguard is not as foul-mouthed as him."
The other guy stood firm, refused to meet me in the eyes.
"You may speak, woman. Why have you come here, to my place, uninvited? I would like to remind you I'm in a really bad mood right now."
"Allow me to commend your glamorous clothing first, Master. You wore such elaborate attire. Magnificent. It suits you very well," said Jennifer.
She tried to soft talk me first before the negotiation started. Such insolence fit the dog of the C.U.
I looked at the mirror I had placed on the right side of my chair. I wore a golden coat that covered my entire body. Underneath it was a thin piece of clothing with an intricate orange design, including my trousers. My dark hair was quite messy, but it gleamed under the light.
"Be straightforward, slave," I said.
Jennifer bowed and looked at me. "His Supremacy wants an alliance with your nation, Neo Africa, which region covers the whole of Africa until Thailand, bordering Kazakhstan and China. Your nation is the only place that is not associated with the Great Corporate United."
"INSOLENCE!" My left fist slammed onto the armrest of the ebony chair. "This is the fifth time you dogs of C.U have come to my place to discuss this stupid thing."
"His Supremacy do not want to make an enemy of you, so this alliance is the ideal choice. You will have great benefits."
I tapped my left feet a few times. "Get out of my sight," I said.
"Sir Gheele," said the Teria soldier. "We have your palace surrounded this time. You have nowhere to run. In this room, you don't even have any bodyguard. Outside the palace, the few people that you have guarding this area have been caught."
Jennifer adjusted her glasses. "Your Aegis is from the Great Corporate United, Gheele. You stole our weapon from one of the cargo ships."
"Your ship dared to cross my border. And you said my palace was surrounded? Not only have you come here without my permission, but you shamelessly brought your armed soldiers to step onto my soil." I was angry deep inside. I had to let it out somehow and I knew of only one thing that could satisfy the feeling I had.
I pulled out a cell phone from my shirt's pocket and made a call. The Teria soldier pointed his gun at me. "I don't remember saying that you can point that metal at me, knave," I said.
The rifle he had was pierced from orange crystals out of nowhere, and his body suffered the same fate. Of course, it was my doing.
"We had figured out how your Aegis works, Gheele," said Jennifer. "You covered this entire throne room with Aegis particles in the air so small even for human eyes, and you can manipulate them at will. Outside of this room, you're powerless. You need to scatter your Aegis particles to an area and that takes time."
I heard a 'beep' sound on my phone. "Anuman, it's me. Fire the missiles you have onto this palace. Are you disobeying me? Yes, get it done quickly. There are foreign soldiers outside and I want you to take care of them. Call me back when you have launched them." I pressed a button on the phone and slid it back into my pocket.
Jennifer was grinning that entire time. "You want to kill yourself, don't you? Even an Aegis User cannot withstand a blast that obliterates the entire body."
I rested my head on my right hand. Maybe I could kill some time talking to her. "Tell me, woman. How do you bring soldiers this close to my place without my subordinates knowing anything?"
"Your technology is lacking, Gheele and your nation are under-developed compared to the Great Corporate United. You will lose."
"I see. You have an invisible Teria airship with you. How convenient. Entertain me, woman, why are you here instead of joining your comrades out there?"
"I hope to achieve a peaceful way of doing this," said Jennifer.
"Hmm. How nice of you."
"Please surrender, Gheele. Even you cannot take on eight Vasquez by yourself."
I was silent. I waited for Anuman to call me back, and after a few minutes, my phone rang. "The missiles are on the way? Great."
"What are you planning?" said Jennifer.
"You know, woman. I have an idea. After I have destroyed the soldiers outside, you will serve me. Of course, as one of my servants. You will clean the palace, clean the garden, feed the animals--"
"What do you mean by that, Gheele? Even if you take me hostage--"
"No, I won't do such a thing. It's troublesome enough." I flicked my wrist and snapped my finger. A deafening 'boom' sound was heard outside, and the palace shook violently. The missiles had hit the soldiers that dared to step outside my palace.
"It's the missile. But this palace should be destroyed too," said my future servant, Jennifer.
"You said that my Aegis particles covered this entire throne room, no? That is correct. But that's only a part of it."
Jennifer's eyes widen, almost popping her eyes out of their sockets. She stumbled onto her knees. "Y-You don't mean... "
Her face made me laughed so hard, I slammed the chair a few times. That was a nice view. "Yes, it's exactly how you think, my servant Jennifer."
She looked at me. "You have scattered your Aegis particles throughout t-the entire region of Chad?"
"Now you're underestimating me. No wonder you only brought that much Vasquez with you. You should bring the entire army of the Great Corporate United to attack me if you really wanted to win."
"N-No. Don't tell me... you have your entire nation, Neo Africa, covered with your Aegis particles?!" exclaimed Jennifer.
"That is correct, woman. The missile's impact didn't reach this palace and everything around it and that is because, at the time of the impact, I had protected the buildings by using my Aegis. I just need to make the particles combine to form domes around each building that could be affected by the blast."
My future servant, Jennifer was silent. It was not that bad. She would be working for me and just for that, she should be grateful.
. . .
"M-Master," the fifteen-year-old girl called me.
"You know, I have been thinking. You need a name." I was in the garden in broad daylight, enjoying a cup of grape juice, which was my favorite. I turned to face the nameless girl standing a few feet away from me. "Why don't you have a name? I'm sure when I chose my slaves, they already have a name of their own."
The girl fidgeted the end of her dress. "Um, Master. I volunteered to be your servant a few months ago. The guy who was your right-hand man said I just can start working on that day. He did not ask me anything."
"You don't answer my question."
"U-Uh. I'm an orphan. I was raised by a w-woman by the streets."
"You have been abandoned since you're a baby."
"Ah, yes. I never had any name, to begin with, even that woman just called me her child, something like that. After she passed away, I began wandering the streets on my own."
I tapped my head. "Why did you decided to become my servants? Is it because I pay well?"
"Y-Yes. That's a part of it. I heard so much about you from everyone, and I wanted to serve under you. Everyone admired you, Master, so I figured serving under you would be the right thing to do."
"Hmm. You're sincere. I like that."
Her face reddened. "A-Ah, thank you, Master."
An inspiration flashed through my mind. I clapped my hands once. "I know. I'm going to name you... Amaryllis."
"T-Thank you, Master. Um, if I may ask, my Master, what does the name mean?"
I stood from my chair and began to walk back inside the palace. "It means, to sparkle."
"W-Why do you gave me such name, Master? I do not deserve it." She walked behind me hurriedly.
"I already gave you the name so you should accept it. Your behavior suits the name. In your own way, you brighten up the people around you."
Amaryllis was astounded. "D-Did I managed to brighten you up too, Master?"
I gave her a stern look. "No. I just saw a lot of men seem to take a liking to you. Maybe I can sell you in an auction."
"N-No, Master."
"You dared defy me, Amaryllis?"
"Uh, no. I'm s-sorry, Master."
For whatever reason, she was smiling. It was the opposite of apologizing. She was a strange girl. This world was strange, to begin with, so its inhabitants were bound to share that too.
I gestured at her to clean up the garden, and she moved. I watched as her feet tripped and she fell face first onto the grass.
"A slave is bound to be an idiot, huh. You give them a little bit of praise, and they start to work hard for you. How predictable. Then again, humans are humans. They follow that same pattern over and over," I muttered.
I walked into a hallway and my mind reminded me of something important. "Oh, I forgot to check on Jennifer. She must be halfway done cleaning the throne room by now along with the other servants." My feet changed its course and shuffled slowly towards the throne room.