The last song of the ancestors

The official residence of Ilu Nla's head of state was undergoing a mini renovation. It was being stripped of the decorations and symbols reminiscent of the old monarchical order. This had been decreed by Ojwang. The civil servants, with their eagerness to serve quickly and promptly, were already finishing their work in the evening.

The interim president of the fledgling republic had not yet called for elections to the Constituent Assembly. When questioned about the reasons for the postponement, he claimed that the mediums were still working on behalf of the monarchists. This faction, seen in a generalized way, accused without proof, was considered an element of political instability.

Public support for the mediums had to be buried once and for all. Ojwang saw the perfect opportunity arising from the war between the Central Command and the Fourth Estate. Without the presence of the press inside the favelas, he made the Intelligence Service release data in trickles.

In the first hours of the conflict, it was reported that it was a war between criminal factions for power. Then state-owned NeTV released a first-hand report on the influence of the Circle of Sages in the conflict. Finally, after the conflict ceased and the police forces began to implement the Pacifying Police Units, the mediums were blamed for the conflict.

According to the official narrative, the Circle of Sages, through its intermediary Yasini, used the factions to co-opt agents for a popular uprising against Ilu Nla. The young medium was arrested along with other local criminals. The link between criminality and mediumship was a serious blow to the Circle of Sages, who became even more harassed.

Ojwang was satisfied. He decided to make his second address to the nation in Central Square, in front of the Irôko, the former headquarters of the Ilu Nla Council, where the Circle of Sages carried out its functions. He went back to the presidential office and was left alone to rehearse his speech. He listened to the latest reports via holoprojection.

The special advisor to the President of the Republic, Lomungo, entered the presidential office with a telephone in his left ear. The organizers of the event were shouting in his ear to bring in the president. Ojwang kept his back turned, leaning against the table and staring at the armored glass window in the background. The official paused indecisively.

The head of state noticed him, turned around and saw a brown-skinned man in his thirties. His short hair and the alignment of his suit gave him a dull air of bureaucracy. Stumped as he was, Lomungo didn't know whether or not to hurry the man in front of him.

"Don't make that face. I know I'm late, Lomungo. Unfortunately, I didn't like some points in the speech. I need to emphasize the corruption of the previous government, its meddling in state affairs and the bad influence of the Circle of Sages."

"That's right, Your Excellency! It would be good to include some references to the good Gross Domestic Product projections for the next quarter and the recovery of our Stock Exchange."

Ojwang smiled, showing two horizontal lines of cynical whiteness. He turned to the special advisor who refused to take a step and said:

"The people don't care about graphs and charts, Lomungo. They just want to know if the economy is doing well or not, if their salary is enough to buy what they want, and that's it. Hohohoho, bureaucrats like you only think about statistics, and forget the basics."

"Excuse me, Your Excellency."

There was nothing intimidating about his medium height and ill-kept fifty-six years. Ojwang's hair was sparse, and gray at the temples. Expression marks made his face look tired. His large nose was second only to his expressive eyes, which stared fixedly as he focused on anything or anyone.

He wore a lead-grey Oxford suit and a striped tie in the colors of Ilu Nla: red, black and green. The presidential sash had been made in the same colors, and he wore it across his abdomen.

"I'm ready, Lomungo. Let's go to the central square."

The aide opened the door and gave way to the president. Ojwang took the lead and, with firm steps, walked through the palace corridors to the elevator. Lomungo accompanied him and contacted the security guards, who told him that the vehicles were ready, they were just waiting for him to arrive.

To prevent any attack during the event, the Phalanx drew up a security plan. Jitujeusi, the general closest to the president, would be present at the venue. He would stay out of the public eye and act if necessary.

After reaching the basement of the building, the security team welcomed them. Lomungo and the head of state got into their vehicles. It would be a motorcade with ten armored aeromobiles. In several buildings along the route, elite snipers were positioned with telescopic sights, thermographic and night vision.

Drones guided by brain waves would help monitor the perimeters. Air support would be provided by manned military quadcopters with standby units. In addition to road barriers to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from circulating, there would be bipedal tanks. All monitored by the Ilu Nla military satellite. President Ojwang could consider himself the best-guarded man in the world.

Along the way, people crowded behind police barriers to watch the presidential motorcade pass by. For security reasons, the hood was not removed so that the president could wave to the people.

With false sentimentality, Ojwang looked at the people squeezed between the police batons and said:

"It's a pity I can't feel that human warmth up close."

"I know your kindness towards the people of this country, Your Excellency, but it is not sage at this time. There may be sympathizers of the sage among them."

Ojwang stared at Lomungo and gave him a questioning half-smile.

"Do you think they still have any popular support?"

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. President. But there are always those who seek irrational acts of heroism. They believe that they really are the light of the collective conscience. They are even capable of taking their own lives in order to hurt their target and create the image of a martyr in front of their supporters."

"That's right, I've seen it happen before my eyes many times…"

As he said this, Ojwang's voice took on a distant timbre. As if the words had echoed in another time. He was like that, a mixture of uncertainty and mystery. That's where his power over people came from. Despite being a foreigner, he had carried out a coup d'état that went down in national history as a successful revolution.

No one knew where it came from, and the few who tried to find out disappeared or spiraled into a hole from which they never emerged. Because he had brought innovative technology, and had won the support of the native aristocracy, Ojwang became a successful businessman. He became Ilu Nla's Minister of Science and Technology.

What few knew was his extensive influence in the country's underworld. His shady deals with gangs and mafias that orchestrated the power of the shadows. They all had one and only one enemy: the mediums. This was the only obstacle to the invisible hands pulling their strings and controlling everything at once.

Ojwang was the catalyst for various forces that, united under his mantle of national renewal, would guarantee a new world. What his allies didn't know was that this wasn't a metaphor. The intention went beyond mere word games. Only the statesman and his Phalanx knew. His generals had allied with him not for power, but for the opportunity to be actors and direct witnesses of his birth.

After crossing the pre-defined route, the motorcade parked next to a stage. A long curtain of armored glass separated the president from a belt of military police, who kept the emotional crowd at bay. Ojwang looked at the scene. He straightened his tie and stepped out of the airplane towards the stage.