Particles of dust floating in the light's beam, sounds of birds chirping outside, the soreness in his muscles, a slight metallic taste in his mouth. Every morning he remembered the posters of famous musicians hung up on his wall. The music discs that he would collect and play on his old gramophone. The smell of morning breakfast that always somehow made it all the way into his room. Erich slid his feet onto the cold floor. Was he getting ready to attend school? He ran his finger across the gramophone's cold metal until his finger was completely covered in dust.
He stood up to go to the kitchen to greet his mom and eat his breakfast before heading off to school. Then afterwards he would hit up the opera house alongside some of his buddies. His hand reached out towards the door, but something was wrong. He took a step back and stumbled over towards the mirror.
As his eyes locked with the man standing before him, he realized that he was no longer who he thought he was. They were tired, his eyes. He remembered now, he was Generalleutnant Erich von Stapel, leader of the revolutionary army. His room had stayed exactly how he had left it when he moved out to join the military academy. Not a single thing had been moved. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the family album taken back when he was just a naive 17 year old teenager who dreamed of becoming a music composer for symphonies. He couldn't help but dig through his old box filled with discs to find that one special song he held close to his heart. Blood moon.
For the moon I bleed. For the moon I sow. For the moon I live. Embrace the gentleness of our mother. Bathe in the shine of her love. I listen, I smile, I bleed. Her wishes lie in my heart and for her flowing tears I caress them away. -
His head slowly lifted as he heard the sound of his door creaking open. The sound of metal clattering against the wooden floor was drowned out by the sound of the song playing in the background. But just as the goddess wept tears for humanity, his sister was weeping as well.
Erika took one step forward before stopping before her next.
Those eyes of his, why were they looking at her like that?
He lifted the pin off of the disc and the room turned completely silent.
"I'm home, Erika," he said with both his hands clutched, sitting on the bed looking at her with a sincere gaze.
"Welcome home, Erich," her fists loosened as she said those words. It felt as if the puzzle pieces were falling right into place as those words left her mouth, it had been 9 years since he returned home.
Erich, as he was savoring the flavors of his childhood, couldn't help but smile while chewing. His sister finally caved in and asked him about all the years he was gone. After a bit of hesitation, but after a lot of bargaining from his sister, he relented and told her about the Royal family. The situation with the Luvian empire and Fukviyu. About Alaric who the Royal family set up to control the resources of Wien.
The atmosphere grew dense and heavy after the mention of Alaric but his sister told him to continue anyways.
He told her about the atrocities Fukviyu committed in the Luvian-Wienian war and the proposition of merging Wien with Fukviyu proposed by integrationists and socialists wishing for benefits by joining with a mighty country.
Continuing by saying that the time he spent as a general made him see the worst of humanity. He knew that the destruction of Wien would commence the moment the Royal family managed to seize the country. He started a nationalistic independence movement against the Königsteuers and due to growing resentment from unjust treatment people flocked to him. It wasn't just that, these soldiers he commanded were people who were sent to labor camps to work their entire lives 13 hours a day. They could never dream of seeing their families again.
After 9 years Erika finally saw it, those curved lips of her brother, a look that wasn't filled with despair but one graced with satisfaction and joy.
"I fulfilled my promise to my soldiers," he said.
But as quick as the smile came it went. The fate of Wien could no longer be altered. There was nothing more for him to do for his country. He began rambling about if only he had done that or achieved that.
"Felix, Steiner, Robert, Lieman, Hanz, Reid…" he continued muttering names.
"I could have saved you. I could have saved Wien. I could have put Alaric on the right path. I couldn't protect the people of Wi…"
Arms wrapped around his neck. Hair cascaded down in front of his face. Erika's soft hands covered his mouth. He could feel her head shaking and her shallow hot breaths.
"You have done enough… Thank you Generalleutnant of Wien, Hero of the people of Wien, my brother Erich." Wet droplets fell onto his cheeks and dripped onto the kitchen table.
"You did enough, it's enough Erich… you…"
His hands that were covered in calluses ran through her silky soft blonde hair. Erich stood up suddenly and nudged his sister, wiping off her tears.
"Thank you. You don't know how much those words mean." His chest started to jerk while he smiled at her.
Erika embraced him in a hug that felt like it lasted an eternity, gently patting his back as if he was the younger one.
After both of them had regained control over their emotions Erich finally asked how he got here. That's when memories finally came like a flying bullet. He remembered the sky being clouded, that he could see his own reflection in the sky, the platform shaking, SELINA!
Erika asked him to follow her and led him to her office. His last lieutenant, the second last Umstürzler, was in a deep sleep. Her entire body bandaged up. Multiple IV bags hanging nearby connecting to her veins.
Erich slowly approached his last soldier and despair filled his face just looking at her injuries and burn marks. How was she even alive?
"I found her in a pool of blood in the entrance of our café. She carried you from the platform to the café, I don't know how she was able to endure such a thing with all of her sustained injuries. She was barely alive when I found her. But I did a few operations on her and somehow managed to stabilize her for now."
Erika paused and started to dig through her pockets.
"She was holding onto this, like no matter what I couldn't get it out of her hand but eventually her hand relaxed and I managed to get it out."
It was the silver necklace Erich had given her.
"I gave her it, I promised it would keep her safe."
"Sure one hell of a lucky charm," she put the necklace into her brother's hands.
Erich couldn't take his eyes off of Selina, he wondered why she would go to such lengths to save him. She had no important family here in Wien, she had her family in Nautilus. Why would she so brazenly sacrifice her life here when she had so many loved ones back home? He couldn't understand why. Why this person who had no connection to Wien would do this to themselves.
But nevertheless he couldn't be more inspired by her service and performance. She was undoubtedly a part of the Umstürzlers and the last one to stand by his side.
Erich and Erika decided to leave Selina to rest. They had some sibling catching up to do and in Erika's office, a silver necklace lay on a brave girl's chest.