25th March, 1700.
United States of Philippines.
An elderly man and a middle aged man sat around a round table, surrounded by numerous men in military uniforms, each radiating the rigidity and resoluteness that came with the military. If it had been anyone else, they might not have been able to maintain their composure in the presence of so many seasoned veterans who had fought on battlefields and seen blood, yet the elderly man and the middle aged man did not let their expressions change at all. They looked unbothered.
On the contrary, their presence seemed to suppress that of the military men. Both the elderly man and the middle aged man radiated an air of majesty and infallibility, something that made even seasoned veterans careful not to speak out of line, especially in the presence of the elderly man. Looking at him was like looking at a mountain, its pressure bearing down upon the viewer, shortening one's breath and clouding the mind.
