The screen transitioned through a beautifully fast-forwarded era of reconstruction.
Cities rose from the rubble, cleaner and grander than before. Hospitals reopened. Schools filled. Factories hummed. Technology didn't just return; it advanced at an terrifying pace.
The present world emerged. Modern metropolises stood beneath towering, vibrant holographic advertisements. Silent, hyper-realistic robots walked seamlessly among the humans.
The display highlighted the "grade" they belonged to, showing robots developing distinct personalities, laughing with children, working in medical centers, or sitting pensively alone at cafes.
Then came the grand finale of the world technology: the virtual worlds.
Total environments materialized across the entire stage, projecting lush, rustling forests, deep blue oceans, and shimmering fantasy landscapes that looked so breathtakingly real the audience could almost smell the pine and sea salt.
Yet, amidst the hyper-advanced illusions, the performers still held traditional food, wore ancient styles of clothing, and honored old customs. After thousands of years of ruin, the world had learned its greatest lesson: progress did not mean erasing the past.
The dancers converged at the center of the stage.
The red and white performers locked hands, the rest of the cast gathering around them in a massive, unified circle beneath one enormous, shared digital sky.
The lights across the grand event hall slowly shifted from a cold theatrical hue into a warm, blinding gold.
The performers raised their hands to the sky as the final messages stamped across the screen in bold, pristine lettering:WE REMEMBER.WE REBUILD.
And finally, filling the entire visual space:HAPPY UNITY HOLIDAY.The music swelled to a final, triumphant crescendo and cut out.For three agonizingly long seconds, the massive event hall remained dead silent, the weight of the performance hanging heavy over the ultra-elite crowd.
Then, the spell broke, and the audience erupted into a thunderous, deafening wave of applause.
The applause was deafening. The entire event hall rose to its feet in a simultaneous, thunderous wave as the performers on stage bowed, their chests still heaving from the exhaustion of the routine.
In the southern section, the emotional weight of the performance broke through the usual rigid diplomatic protocol.
Deeply moved by the haunting representation of a war that had almost driven their species to extinction, several world leaders reached into their tailored jackets.
They pulled out sleek checkbooks, rapidly scribbling down immense, astronomical donations before handing the slips to their waiting assistants to deliver directly to the backstage crew.
Seeing this, other elites and Grey Family heads immediately followed suit, eager to show their generosity.
The numbers shown on the screen had pierced through everyone's high-society composure.
The brutal reality of history was actually far worse than the textbook averages—by the end of that three-millennium slaughter, a mere 30 percent of humanity had been left breathing, while the hybrid population had plummeted to a devastating 45 percent.
So many millions of lives wasted across three thousand years of unyielding blood.
"Fuck…" a Crownside student mumbled, his hands trembling slightly as he stared blankly at the stage, completely caught up in the collective awe of the room.
"This is one thing reading it in a history book, but this is another thing entirely actually watching it." His friends nodded.
The Host Takes the StageThe host walked smoothly onto the stage, his polished dress shoes reflecting the gold overhead lights as the final, dark images of the Great War slowly faded from the colossal curved screen behind him.
He stepped up to the transparent podium, waiting just a heartbeat for the deafening applause to taper off into a respectful hush.
"That was a beautiful representation of how the Great War broke us, yet ultimately brought us together," the host began, his voice projecting flawlessly through the advanced audio system.
"Our ancestors made catastrophic mistakes, and we chose to make them right by choosing peace."He paused, letting the heavy truth of the words settle over the grand hall.
"Unity Day is celebrated on October 1st," he continued, looking out across the sea of elite youth and global leaders.
"This year, it fell on Sunday last week, and now we are already deep into a new week, twelve days into October. But October will always remain our month of unity. Not because our ancestors simply declared that there should be peace, but because they finally stopped treating peace as nothing more than a word."
The host slowly scanned the four vast sections of the room."They worked for it. They built it. They created a world where humans and hybrids could share their knowledge, resources, land, technology, and future. They painstakingly restored animals and plants that had gone completely extinct during the Great War. They rebuilt what had been brutally destroyed."His voice softened, taking on a resonant, reverent tone.
"And while we continue building the future, we must never forget the past. We rebuilt pieces of the world that were lost so that we could preserve the memories of those who came before us—the innocent, the wicked, the heroes, and the fallen. Their lives, their mistakes, and their sacrifices are the precise reason we are standing here today."The Nations of the Union
The host took a deep, steadying breath, his smile returning as he prepared to pivot to the core of the event."Our beautiful nation, Averis, is a wonderland known worldwide for its high tourism rates, abundant natural resources, culture, fashion, and immense wealth," he announced proudly.
"It is a nation driven by prestige, performance, and public relations. In Averis, even everyday professions can become grand spectator events."
In the western section, rows of reporters and journalists immediately began furiously typing on their tablets and adjusting their recording levels.
"Courtrooms have live studio audiences," the host listed, his tone bright and engaging. "Surgeries can be livestreamed as premium, ticketed events. Business mergers can be celebrated with the glitz of movie premieres. Entertainment is one of Averis's greatest global industries, but it is far from the only one. Fashion, tourism, media, business, art, and countless other industries thrive under its culture of beauty and prestige."The host smiled warmly, gesturing toward the northern section where the all-girls school representatives sat straight-backed and elegant.
"Averis is home to eighteen countries, and it is not a home exclusively for humans. Humans and different kinds of hybrids live together throughout the nation. Despite the painful history between our two species, Averis stands as one of the clearest examples that humans and hybrids can live together, prosper together, and build a unified future."
Another sharp wave of applause rippled through the hall, led by the proud Averis delegation.
"Our next nation," the host voiced over the clapping, "is Orenthal."The media section erupted into motion again, reporters lifting heavy cameras while news anchors continued recording their live feeds.
"Orenthal is known for education, technology, culture, and advanced research. It is also an undisputed military and energy superpower," the host's voice carried dynamically across the massive space.
"If Averis is known as the city of fame and beauty, then Orenthal is universally recognized as the city of the future."He let the title ring out, the screens behind him shifting to display the geometric, glowing emblems of the tech superpower.
"It is the most futuristic nation in the world and the second-largest nation in the Union, consisting of thirty countries. Its universities, research institutions, technological industries, and cutting-edge military advancements continue to deeply influence the development of our entire world."
A heavy, respectful round of applause followed his recitation.
Cameras clicked rhythmically, and reporters hurried to document every word as the host prepared to introduce the remaining titans of the Six Nations.
"And let us not forget the third nation," the host announced, his expression becoming noticeably more animated as he leaned against the transparent podium.
"The Kaelen Republic."The screen behind him remained dark, an intentional choice that forced the audience to simply imagine the mysterious territory.
"The Kaelen Republic is universally recognized as the paradise of hybrids and demi-humans," the host continued, his voice carrying an undeniable weight.
"It is famous for its terrifying military strength, advanced weapons development, cutting-edge technology, immense wealth, medical expertise, and energy production."He paused briefly, letting a knowing smile touch his lips.
"Beggars are practically nonexistent within their borders. Even those considered poor by Kaelen standards are often multi-millionaires by international standards."
A low, fascinated murmur rippled through the Crownside student section and the official guest tables.
"The nation operates heavily around insular clan structures," the host explained,
"though few outsiders truly understand exactly how those internal networks function. Officially, Kaelen is considered one unified nation, but it consists of only four countries—with the fourth serving as its central, heavily fortified capital. Kaelen is home to countless types of hybrids. Some are born with visible animal traits, while others possess the rare ability to hide or reveal those traits at will. Then there are the demi-humans—those born appearing completely human, yet possessing subtle characteristics that make them instantly distinguishable from ordinary humans."He gestured slightly with his hand."
"They often possess extraordinary, striking beauty, unique eye or hair colors, unusual body proportions or height, and physical traits inherited directly from their animal counterparts. Many are also naturally gifted with exceptional physical strength, speed, and heightened senses."
A thunderous round of applause swept the hall, celebrating the mysterious superpower.
In the northern section, however, the ten girls representing the Averis all-girls school were entirely focused on their own status.
"I have to say, Crownside does deserve their position," one of the girls muttered under her breath, her eyes sweeping across the grand, gold-lit arena.
"Shut up. Stop praising our enemy," the girl next to her whispered sharply, casting a vicious glare across the table.
"It doesn't matter," Jennie said calmly. She crossed her legs with fluid, practiced elegance, her posture radiating absolute confidence. "We're going to win. The grander this competition becomes, the more international publicity we'll receive."
"True," another girl chimed in, her eyes shining with greed as if the trophy were already in her hands.
"Our popularity ranking could easily rise into the top twenty back at our school."
To the Averis delegation, fame was the only currency that mattered. Averis was a nation where popularity was deeply woven into the fabric of everyday survival.
Personal achievements, failures, relationships, scandals—everything was designed to end up online.
In their culture, being broke was practically considered a sin, and maintaining the flawless appearance of an perfect life was an achievement in itself.
But behind that glittering, heavily filtered image lay a grim reality the actual success rate of succeeding in to fake being rich there was low, and the generational debt was frighteningly high Averis itself is immensely wealthy—packed with Top Grey and Top Noble families—but the individuals who try to fake a lifestyle they can't actually afford are the ones drowning in massive, generational debt just to keep up appearances.
It's a hyper-competitive society of extreme prestige, where the actual elite are incredibly powerful, but the posers get completely crushed by the system.
The host's voice cutting through the audio system brought their attention back to the stage.
"And now, the fourth nation—Norelle."
The applause died down as the screen shifted to display the oceanic and medical emblems of the trade titan.
"Norelle is a trade-focused nation boasting some of the largest, most active ports in the world. It is highly innovative and directly responsible for many of our modern scientific and medical breakthroughs." The host said
In the western section, rows of reporters immediately leaned over their tablets, typing furiously.
"It is also the second nation with the fewest countries after the Kaelen Republic, consisting of fifteen countries. Norelle is widely recognized as one of the leading shadow powers in the medical and research world." The host added
The crowd applauded once more, the rhythmic clapping echoing off the high ceiling."
And finally, the fifth nation we have today," the host voiced, his tone shifting into something a bit more formal,
"Vandoria."
The text blazed across the colossal curved screen.
"Vandoria is a financial powerhouse. It is immensely wealthy, politically influential, and possesses a massive manufacturing industry. The nation proudly calls itself 'Humanity's Base."
A few prominent officials in the southern section exchanged quiet, knowing glances at the title. It was a loaded phrase, and everyone in the room knew it.
"Many view this title as an aggressive attempt to recreate an idealized, purely human society," the host continued neutrally, navigating the political landmine with ease.
"In some regions, that vision succeeded flawlessly. In others, it became something closer to a high-end tourist attraction—highly controlled places where hybrids can visit and experience artificial communities specifically designed to preserve a purely human way of life."Cameras continued recording, their shutters clicking rhythmically against the host's voice as the hall listened intently, waiting for him to finally introduce the sixth and final nation—Elysia itself.
"And last, but certainly not least, I would say this as a citizen speaking proudly about our own nation—Elysia."The host's voice swelled, carrying flawlessly across every corner of the vast event hall.
"Elysia is known across the globe as 'The Paradise on Earth' and 'The Oasis of the World.' It possesses vast natural resources, cutting-edge technology, enormous industrial power, absolute military strength, immense wealth, and exceptionally capable rulers and leaders."He paused briefly, letting the titles hang heavily in the air before continuing.
"Unlike many nations, Elysia never attempted to erase its history or abandon its ancestral culture. We fiercely kept both. Some foreign humans say we have pride and egos as high as the mountains... but that is only because our strength is more than enough to back it up."
A resonant ripple of laughter and knowing smiles passed through the audience, particularly within the Crownside student rows.
"Elysia remains one of the world's greatest tourist destinations," the host said.
"More importantly, it is a nation where all twenty countries stand together. Twenty countries, completely different cultures and histories, yet seamlessly united under one nation because we believe that together, we can learn more, improve more, and build something far greater."The host smiled, stepping slightly to the side of the podium.
"Of course, we have our unique weaknesses. Elysia lacks the explosive entertainment and media culture found in Averis, and we have fewer hybrids and demi-humans compared to many other nations. Some people even call us backward because of it."He shrugged lightly, completely unbothered.
"But our goal was never to become someone else's version of perfection. Our goal is to build our own utopia—a paradise on earth. Who chooses to live in it is entirely their decision. We don't discriminate. Human or hybrid, within our borders, everyone is treated as one family."
Sitting in the audience, several Elysian Nobles and high-ranking officials merely shared quiet, amused glances.
The host's speech was beautiful for the cameras, but those who truly held the reins of the empire knew the reality ran far deeper.
The public always overlooked the true mechanics of their supremacy. They forgot that the Elysian Zen was the highest global currency alongside the CU Dollar, matching the Kaelen Republic's currency line-for-line in international trade.
They forgot that while Elysia topped the charts in import and export metrics, its true crowning achievement was technology.
Orenthal was publicly labeled the 'futuristic city,' but in truth, Elysia led the global tech sector by a landslide. It just didn't feel the need to show off. In Orenthal, outsiders were dazed by flashy, sky-high glass roads, neon storefronts, and clunky mecha robots parading the streets.
Elysia took a vastly superior route, seamlessly weaving hyper-advanced tech directly into traditional architecture, stone buildings, and timeless art.
It was a quiet, impenetrable fortress. Anyone foolish enough to test the security systems by trying to fire a weapon at an Elysian building would find that the reinforced structures wouldn't even register a crack—and the offender would be locked in handcuffs before they could even finish pressing the trigger.
It was the foundation of a famous global proverb: Only an Elysian citizen can truly hurt another Elysian.
Because they were the only ones on Earth who possessed the highly classified weapons capable of breaching their own defenses.
The host's expression brightened on stage, bringing the room's focus back to his words."And perhaps our favorite hobby as a nation... is competition."
The audience laughed openly at that, the tension in the room melting away.
"Art competitions, sports competitions, ancient artifact discoveries, history, gemstones, tea, painting, musical instruments, technology, and simply trying something brand new," he listed, gesturing broadly toward the grand hall.
"We even have organizations and families whose entire history and bloodlines revolve around these precise fields."