The click of your feet against the pavement shattered the silence like a bullet through a pane of glass. The cold January air tickled along your back, forcing you to shiver. It wasn't normally like this; winters were usually kind to you here in the city. There might be a few snowfalls, helping to cover up all that had happened here, but aside from that, the city remained untouched. You guessed even God didn't want anything to do with the wretched city. Stopping for a moment, you let the elements toy with your hair, blowing it into your face. The corners of your mouth turned downwards in an expression that could only be disgust. Disgust that things had ended up this way. That anybody would let them. That anyone would even consider the possibility. You sighed, the warm air turning to dragon's breath on first contact with the outside world. This was it; this was the moment you would finally see him again. After nearly ten years. You could already see him, even though you were a good fifty meters from the designated meeting spot. He hadn't changed; blond hair still pulled back, the same obsession with being early, the same deep blue eyes, sorrow hiding just under the surface. If anything, you were surprised there wasn't more sorrow that there had been last time you saw him; he had every reason for them to be so.

You swallowed and walked towards the tree he stood under, taking tentative little steps, like a doe leaving the cover of the underbrush. Watching for any signs of danger and then running back to safety. Even if the possible threat was somebody who seemed familiar.

Especially if it was somebody familiar.

Where do all the lovers meet with one another,
In an effort to uncover what has happened to the silent days?

He recognised you immediately; a spark setting fire in his eyes. But it was nothing like what you had seen before; a pale imitation of what you knew he could be. He waited until you were only a few steps away from him to make contact though, the wind whipping up his scarf, the cords of wool starting to come undone. You recognised that scarf immediately though, threadbare and worn as it was. And it was because you knew what it was that you understood the significance to what he was doing. You bit back tears.

"[Name]", he whispered, his voice starting to crumble, to fade away. He said it almost like nobody was supposed to hear it, like nobody was supposed to find that little weak spot of his.

"Ludwig", you replied, your lips and tongue treating those precious syllables like they were priceless treasures, as if the mere mention of his name could keep him with you. But you knew it couldn't. And that was why you were so desperate. "It's time. It's time, isn't it."

He turned his head downwards to look at you directly. He towered above you normally, distant, like some celestial being that only a fool would chase after. Though that was changing now, wasn't it? The heavens weren't so far from earth any more.

"Ja."

Despite ones on the corner, dream of something warmer
A semblance of our old ways, what has happened to our handmade days?

"He's gone Ludwig. There's nothing you can do to bring him back."

Ludwig turned away slightly, his frown deepening, as if he was physically repulsed by your words. He'd never believed it, never accepted that his brother was gone. Gone. And there was nothing he could do about it. Sure, he wasn't dead. But he was over there, and if he was over there, he might as well have been on Mars. No wonder Ludwig would never accept the idea; his brother had been the only person who had always been with him and who always would. You loved Luddy more than anyone or anything else, more than simple words to describe, but you weren't going to lie and promise to always be with him. You knew enough about his kind to know how futile any attempts to do so would be.

"We don't know that."

"Luddy, it would start a war. Besides, we have nothing left."

As soon as you said those words, you felt a pang of regret. He might have tried to hide it, but those words must have cut him deeply. You swallowed, your mind drifting, feeling nothing but your flushed face and the cold air caressing you. You swallowed the bile rising in your throat.

"We still have hope."

You placed your arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug, resting your face on the rough wool of his coat, burying yourself in his chest. You inhaled deeply, wanting to hold this moment forever. A single tear slid down your cheek.

"Hope can't shatter concrete."

We can pull out a map detailing the direct route
Young ones grow anxious to proclaim their advances to the fray

He hesitated, before pulling you closer to him, resting his head on your shoulder. Any passing stranger would have mistaken it for a romantic embrace, but it was anything but. His fingers dug into your back with an iron grip, he clenched his teeth and hissed a reply into your ear. "It has to. It has to."

It was nothing like the old Ludwig, the old, logical, self-respecting Ludwig. He would never do something like this, would never deny such an obvious truth. This wasn't the same Ludwig you knew, you worked with, you loved. You let the rest of the tears fall. He gripped your back harder. You knew then that the old Ludwig was dead. There was nothing anybody could do to change things back. The old way was gone, or better or for worse. Between your sobs, you stammered out a few words, "W-wake up L-Ludwig. The r-real world isn't like that. T-there's nothing left."

He didn't move a single muscle. Your words must have made some impact. Even if it wasn't the one you wanted.

If we don't wake up and the truth never comes up
You will never have our old lane, you will never have a right of way

Eventually he pulled away, a new fire burning in his eyes. He swallowed, forming mist in the air in front of him. He regretted this; you could tell. But there was no other option any more.

Was there?

"Do you really have to do this?"

He looked away from your gaze. "I do."

Despite yourself, you let out a smile. A smile that didn't reach your eyes. A sad smile. A broken smile. In an effort to reassure you, Ludwig spoke again. "It's a sacrifice that needs to be made."

You laughed, a dry, humourless laugh. "It's a pointless sacrifice."

Ludwig didn't see any point in replying, instead just turning his back to leave in silence, the wind once more the only sound. You dragged your sleeve across your face, wiping away your tears. It was only when he had become a blotchy figure in the distance that you spoke again.

"Stay safe, Ludwig."

Where do all the lovers meet with one another,
In an effort to uncover what has happened to the silent days?
Despite ones on the corner, dream of something warmer
A semblance of our old ways, what has happened to our handmade days?