Chapter 1: Prologue: A Tiger in Distress

Plenty were happily walking to-and-fro around them; they sang all the praises and congratulations. Dishes of different cuisines had filled everyone’s vigor. There were Lechon, grilled blue-fin tuna, lobster pasta — all the types of foods that everyone wanted . Dispirited was no soul. Yet there was this man rushing beside him who seemed to harbor unpleasant news.

 

“Mr. President, I apologize for interrupting you, but we need to head back to the Malacañang Palace. It’s a matter of security.”

 

The lips of Ferdinand Marsus quivered. He mustered himself to conceal the anger that arose inside him. They were many people here; he did not risk being seen shouting to his security detail. “What’s the matter?” he asked calmly.

 

He was now the 17th President of the Philippines. State leaders would probably say yes if someone asked if they were busy. But now he sat in a lavishly decorated chair, sitting side by side with his wife, Marie. It was his surprise party for her 63rd year of age. Many critics of his scowled when they heard such a party. The president’s blood was thicker than the rising inflation and food crisis; they claimed. The president, however, had shrugged it off, and no words were further said.

 

“Sir, something disconnected all form of communications except radio waves. It could be a pre-emptive attack from China according to the national defense secretary. He requested to meet immediately… Please Mr. president, we need to secure you and your family first,” said the man with an urgent tone. He was the head of the Presidential Security Group. Along with him were several armed men. They were the ones whose lives extend that of the president’s.

 

Ferdinand jolted slightly, and his eyes widened. He hurriedly stood, took his wife’s hands, and followed the armed men. The surrounding people looked at them curiously. The birthday celebrant and her husband seemed to be in a hurry. After they passed the stupefied crowds, they explained the situation. It was then that the room erupted into panic.

 

When they reached an open field area, a S-70 Blackhawk helicopter stood there, ready to take off at any moment. They flew at the vast expanse of the Luzon, the biggest among the islands of the Philippines. The fine contours of its coasts were almost wholly visible — so fine that it might seem like God had carved it himself. Beyond the horizon, the great stretches of Sierra Madre Mountains calmly slept. Tales had sung that it formed because of Sierra, who loved her two kids, that protected them against the mighty winds. Maybe that was why it resembled a person laying on her side.  

 

Just then, the sprawling cities of Metro Manila came into their view. There were 17 cities. Manila, the capital of the nation, was where the palace stood. Seas of medium structures surrounded the lumps of its tall skyscrapers. Small houses of informal settlers also dotted the landscape. Some said those were the reminder of the true state of the country. Those houses were made with everything that unfortunate people can get their hands on. It was a serious problem for the nation. One that the previous leaders strived to solve, but none succeeded. Perhaps it was because of the corruption of the government, the culture of the Filipinos, or the enormous debts incurred during the dictator’s martial law.

 

The helicopter hovered and landed at a neoclassical building. The walls were reminiscent that of a white moonstone. Its Spanish colonial windows had seen plenty a wars and revolutions. Halls of it were the testament for the governor generals and Philippine presidents that had lived there. Armored personnel carriers of the Philippine Army were stationed in every corner of its walls. Short ranged air defenses were set. Green fatigue uniforms were running here and there. Shouts of commands can be heard from the commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, Colonel Raul Astrea. Rumors said that he was the government’s executioner. In just 4 years of service, he was raised from the rank of captain to colonel — an unprecedented promotion. But because of his great talents and achievements, none challenged the promotion.

 

Delfin Lorenz, the secretary of national defense, and other cabinet members were there in the bunker when the leader of the nation arrived. The previous presidents built it under the Malacañang Palace for times of disaster. The only noteworthy feature of it was the giant map of the Philippines hanging in its center. Ferdinand took the seat that was noticeably higher than the rest and eyed his cabinet members.

 

Standing at attention, Delfin spoke first. “Mr. President, just an hour ago, all our communications networks went offline except radio transmissions. We immediately send an aircraft for reconnaissance of our EEZ. And… they did not find lands that were supposed to be Taiwan and Indonesia. Instead, an unknown territory was located just 380 km in the south of Sulu Islands.”

 

Murmurs dominated the room. This surprised everyone. All of them expected that the disruption in their networks was an attack by their enemy. The Chinese Coast Guard and Navy frequented the disputed islands of the West Philippine Sea. There was also a huge mobilization of their army just across the Taiwan Straight. Many experts said that it was a good time for an invasion since the United States, the Philippines’ only ally, was busy with the war in Ukraine. Therefore, the cabinet members had been afraid of an attack, but now, something unknown had struck them. They felt as if it was even grimmer than an invasion.

 

“T-that is impossible. What exactly is going on?” asked Ferdinand.

 

“Sir, we tried to communicate with other countries with radio transmissions, but none answered. They also confirmed that our communications were down was because we cannot connect to any satellites, even our own. There were no records of cyber attacks. Our meteorologists reported that the wind direction changed. And so does our climate. Couple that with the unknown land, as odd as it sounds, I believe that this is not on our world.” Silence filled the room. All eyes were on the president.

 

Mystified by the straight-out-of-fiction event, he asked. “So, you’re saying that the entire country was just magically transferred to another world?”

 

“We believe so, Mr. President. I already raised the alert level of our armed forces in case something happened. Should we send reconnaissance missions to the unknown lands? I think it is best we discover them first than they discover us.”

 

Ferdinand held his chin and looked at the map in the bunker. Jumbled were his thoughts. His father had always stressed how disappointed at him for his dull-wittedness. The old man had never been proud despite what he did. Just then, someone broke the silence.

 

“Mr. president, I agree with secretary Lorenz. If this is another world, we should gather information about it. They can be a potential trading partner. We know not if they are friendly. But we know for sure that we cannot live by ourselves. We depend on imports. If we do not solve this problem, there will be a food crisis, energy crisis, oil crisis, and even a defense crisis,” said a woman in the prime of old age. She was the national security advisor, Claire Carnas. Ferdinand held her words with weight. After, she was an accomplished political scientist and foreign policy analyst.

 

The Philippines had been reliant on other nations for food. The main staple of the Filipinos, rice, was even being imported overseas. Not only that, but the meat, salt, sugar, and other essentials as well. For the last decades, farmers and farming lands were becoming less and less. Perhaps to support the growing population, apartments and condominiums had taken over what was previously crop-producing lands. People looked down on Agriculture, and society associated it with poverty.

 

“Yes, investigate the unknown lands… Secretary Gazmin, do you have something to say?” He noticed the secretary of energy motioning for his chance to speak.

 

“Thank you, Mr. president… Currently, our energy sufficiently is only at about 40%. We import most of our energy to China. But because we cannot do that now and it will take some time to look for alternative sources, we should reserve our remaining energy for critical installations. I fear that we have to cut the electric consumption of our people.”

 

“Are you saying that they should go back to stone age? We will earn their ire, I’m sure. My political position is unstable as it is. There were oppositions just waiting for a reason to bite their teeth on me. We cannot do it. “

 

Even though he won at the recent elections, there were still many people who saw him as incompetent and a threat to democracy. He was the son of a dictator who had brutalized his enemies and had multiplied the debts of the nation in substantial amounts. Most scholars and students, in fact, directly criticized him. There was also Maria Leonis, his greatest political threat, that he had been worrying about. Her sheer charisma was immense that she had able to rally millions of people on her side.

 

“But sir, if we don’t do that, our manufacturing ability will be affected, and the produ-”

 

“Enough of that! Make it work. We cannot risk it. Next, secretary Lambert?” said Ferdinand, his voice tinged with utter finality. He breathed a sigh as he saw all the other secretaries that were waiting for their turn to speak.

 

He needed to take care of many things, and the solutions seemed to be in the deepest depths of the abyss. The biggest amongst was the supply of refined oil. Despite the vastness of proven natural gas reserves the Philippines had, there were few infrastructures in place to collect them, and they only had two refineries. They previously imported refined oil in the United States, but now it was not a choice. Although it had its own national oil reserves, it was only a matter of time until it ran out. Their only option was to build more oil rigs and refineries, yet it will take time, and time is not something they had. That was just one of their dilemmas. Their talk went on and on, and slowly drifted to arguments.

 

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Ferdinand, seeing the mess his cabinet had become, slammed the conference table. “Gentlemen! There is no time to argue with each other now. This is an extremely delicate situation. We need time to think.” He looked around.

 

The secretaries were nodding, they already wore worn out faces.

 

“We can present no solutions today. We are all caught up to something we did not expect. For now, let us adjourn the meeting. Your respective agencies will need you,” said the president. He walked out of the bunker and headed to the master bedroom where the first lady, Marie, was waiting. He sighed like he wanted to forget all he had heard from the conference.

 

***

 

In just two weeks of time, huge protests had sprung around the country. They had shouted for stable food supply, transportation, electricity, and even the resignation of the president. The prices of goods went up. Cars became rare and electricity only came in schedule. Those who roamed around the streets and begged for the now gold-priced bread became increasingly plain in sight.

 

When Ferdinand watched the television, his face grew grim. He remembered what his father had experienced — when millions of people rallied in the streets of EDSA to unthrone the dictator. Of course, he did not want to meet the same fate. He brought himself back to the present when he heard someone knocked.

 

After obtaining permission, secretary Lorenz entered his office. “Mr. President, good morning. I hope you are doing well.”

 

“I suppose I am doing well at ignoring them,” he said, glancing at the television. “Is the mission report done?”

 

Secretary Lorenz handed a stack of papers. On its top was a stamped confidential seal. “Yes, sir. Here is the full report of the reconnaissance mission.”

 

They did not want to be misunderstood by anyone who lived there. So, instead of sending an aircraft to patrol the unknown lands, they opted to send a squad of special forces instead. The soldiers were told to wear civilian clothes and blend with the people.

 

“Hmmm… medieval castles, huh? And also magic. Are our agents drunk or something? Have you checked for their mental stability?”

 

“I don’t believe so, sir. They are among our finest. The psychologists also said there was nothing abnormal with them. Except for what they saw… “

 

The report took a while to be verified. Generals did not believe what the agents said at first. When the stories were consistent and the medical results were normal, the higher ups acknowledged it reluctantly. No one had thought that they would find themselves transported to a world that resembled a fantasy world.

 

Like a traveler who struck a golden goose, the president asked, “It looks like their technology was that of a medieval Europe. They use bows and swords… and staves? We can easily conquer them with guns, right?”

 

“I’m afraid not right now, Mr. President. We do not have the personnel for an offensive war. Limited are our guns, ammos, and bombs. We do not even produce any aerial bombs; we get them from overseas before. There is also the issue of what their ‘magic’ is capable of.”

 

“So, you’re saying we need to befriend them then?”

 

“I don’t know about that, Mr. President. I am not well-versed in diplomacy. But we could probably win a battle or two or even four. Anymore than that would put a strain on our supplies. So, sir, we have to avoid a full invasion. At least, until we are ready to do so.”

 

Ferdinand continued to read the report, dismissing the matter. Information of all kinds was there: the land being ruled by a monarchy called the Kingdom of Rovell. A stern man known as King Regulus Julius III was at its head, but its power decentralized. Some agents had even reported that their people regarded the nobles with animosity. When he turned to another page, something had caught his eye.

 

“They produce large amounts of wheat, corn… What a wonderful thing to have. Our current food supply is only for 3 months. And they also have ore and coal… This seems to be favorable to us, don’t you say?”

 

The president sighed and smiled a bit after. It was an extremely delectable proposition. If they had more food, the ongoing hunger would have been less severe. The country also was also in need of ores as the government ramped up building additional infrastructure needed to be more self-sufficient, and coal to power such constructions.

 

The secretary of the national defense looked at him with disbelief. “Surely, you don’t mean…”

 

“They have what we need, and without it, we will fall into crisis. Not just crisis; we might even fall as a society. Millions will die, I’m sure — our heads included. It is as simple as that. If I was going to choose between our people and some people whom I did not even know, the answer is pretty much obvious. The security advisor is a brilliant strategist, and I know you too as well; I’m sure the two of you could come up with a plan to get what we need without a full invasion.”

 

The president stood. He walked closer to the secretary and grasped his shoulder. “And I’m sure that the congress does not need to know about this plan. Not right now, nor tomorrow, nor forever. When you report to them, tell them what they wanted to hear, but not this. I can trust you, right Mr. Lorenz? Aren’t you a soldier? It is, for the sake of our country, the flag you swore to.”

 

The secretary stood there in silence. Ferdinand went back to his desk and ordered his aide to bring him more coffee, which was now a luxury. The television played in the background. Some kids had been happy about being transported to a fantasy world. They said that it was their chance to live in the world of their dreams — or something along that line. Some did not have any opinion about the matter. Almost all adults, however, were in a panic when they saw that the prices of virtually anything rose by enormous leaps. There were even riots at supermarkets when wealthy people tried to buy excessive supplies of food.

 

“I-I understand this duty… Mr. President, I will contact the security advisor as soon as possible,” he said after a moment too long. He bit his lips and bowed at the man before him. His shadow grew smaller as he left the room.

 

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