“I see something in each and every one of you that no other candidate can,” Julio began, his voice prominently ringing out from the microphone in front of him, perched with his hands clasped to the wooden stand. Thousands and thousands from the realm of Tieria had gathered for this election; of course, presidential elections were quite mundane, but order needed to be instilled into the towns anyhow. His head raised over the sea of faces standing in the courtyard below him— even the vines beside him were twirling outwards in his direction. “Which is something great. A future. Tiberius has had its ups and downs, definitely, but restoring our land to what it used to be is my goal in this election,” his blisteringly bright ivory eyes viewed the candidate beside him, a half-human, half-horse creature by the name of Alston who been anticipating the election for centuries. “And as much as I think my competitors could do an incredible job in ruling Tieria, I do not want to rule it. I want it to thrive. I want it to be everything that you want it to be.”

The crowd was already buzzing, but Julio’s words seemed to lift their spirits more than any other of the candidates’ previous speeches. They cheered and jostled and erupted until he placed his hand out, facing the crowd. A small smile fit his face, running his tongue along his teeth, nearly cutting through the flesh as they pointed outward, razor-like. He cursed himself internally before speaking, crimson against the backs of his teeth. “I want you all to know that I will be here, for each and every one of you, no matter the time,” his face contorted to solemnity, an inhale preparing his next sentence. “If we encounter the third Feas War with our neighbours, a civil one, or whatever conflict may appear our way. I will be here. Always.”