Chapter 29 — The Return of Discovery
The year was 1643 by the Imperial Calendar, and dawn over Manila Bay shimmered like the edge of creation itself.
Three great ships rocked at anchor — San León, Santa Teresa, and Espíritu del Mar.
Their sails bore the sigil of the Royal Geographical Society, and upon their decks stood the chosen men who would dare the unknown southern seas.
Admiral Cristóbal de Mendieta, the youngest captain ever appointed by Emperor Leon, knelt as the Archbishop blessed the fleet.
"Go with God, child of Aragon," the archbishop intoned, his voice echoing across the harbor.
"Sail where no Christian has prayed, and let every star guide you home."
Emperor Leon I himself stood on the pier with Queen Isabella, their faces illuminated by the morning light.
He handed Mendieta a golden compass engraved with the words "Non Terminus, Sed Fides" — There Is No End, Only Faith.
"You are to find the southern land spoken of by sailors and savants alike," Leon said.
"If it exists, claim it for Christ and Aragon.
Let its first cross rise higher than its tallest tree."
Mendieta bowed low. "By your leave, Majesty, I shall not return until the Lord Himself commands it."
The cannons thundered, the crowds cheered, and the fleet slipped from the bay — southward, toward the white edge of the map.
Into the Unknown
Weeks passed, and the fleet traversed seas no chart had ever named.
They encountered vast swells that rose like cathedrals, skies filled with unending storms, and creatures of the deep that glowed like living stars beneath their keels.
Many men began to whisper of El Mar del Silencio — the Sea of Silence — where compasses failed and prayers were swallowed by the wind.
Yet Mendieta stood firm, his eyes fixed on the southern horizon.
"The Lord does not test cowards," he said. "He reveals Himself to the faithful."
Then, on the forty-third day, the mist broke — and there, stretched before them, was a coastline vast and pale as marble, bathed in sunlight.
A new world.
Landfall upon the Southern Continent
The fleet anchored in a broad bay ringed by eucalyptus and golden dunes.
Sailors fell to their knees, weeping, as priests raised the Cross and chanted the Te Deum.
Mendieta himself planted the Aragonese standard into the sand and proclaimed:
"In the name of Emperor Leon I, servant of God and light of mankind, I claim this land for the Aragonese Empire and for Christ the Redeemer!"
The priest beside him declared the land's name:
Santa Australis del Espíritu Santo — Holy Southern Land of the Holy Spirit.
A chapel of driftwood was built upon the shore, and Mass was held as the sea winds howled like the breath of angels.
The men believed they had touched the very edge of heaven.
The Voyage Beyond
For months, the fleet explored the coasts of Santa Australis, charting its rivers, deserts, and strange creatures.
They traded with coastal tribes who painted their bodies with ochre and sang songs that echoed the rhythm of the tides.
Scribes recorded their language, and friars preached through interpreters, speaking of a God who ruled the sea and sky alike.
Though the people did not yet understand, they listened — curious, reverent, wary.
Mendieta named the northernmost port Puerto de San Rafael, after the angel of travelers, and the southern cape Cabo del León, in honor of his emperor.
On a wide grassy plain, they raised a stone pillar engraved with the empire's motto:
Per Fidem et Scientiam — Through Faith and Knowledge.
The Return
Two years later, one ship — Espíritu del Mar — limped back into Manila, its sails torn, its men gaunt but triumphant.
They carried maps, journals, and relics of the new land — the first evidence of a continent untouched by Europe's hand.
When Emperor Leon held the charts, he was silent for a long time.
Then, in a voice filled with awe, he whispered:
"So it is true. The world is wider than the faith that claims it. And yet… now it knows the Cross."
He ordered that the discovery be proclaimed across the empire — from Mexico to Formosa — and that a feast be held in honor of those who had sailed beyond death and returned bearing light.
Legacy of the Southern Cross
The new land, Santa Australis del Espíritu Santo, was entered into the imperial records as the Crown Colony of the South, to be settled by missionaries, scholars, and farmers from the Philippines and Mexico alike.
It would serve as both a spiritual outpost and a beacon for future generations of explorers.
From that day forward, the southern sky — its stars forming a cross of fire — became the emblem of discovery and divine purpose.
Sailors called it La Cruz del Sur — the Southern Cross — and its light guided every Aragonese ship that followed.
And as Emperor Leon gazed upon it from the balcony of his palace one night, he murmured:
"We have not only encircled the earth…
We have touched the edge of creation, and found God waiting for us there."