The biters disbanded from outside their door to just roaming the first floor and outside around the perimeter. Just for good measures the staircase outside the meeting room was barricaded with chairs and any moveable tables.
This was the last rest. The last break. The last breath. No one needed to say anything about it for everyone knew it was.
Ludwig sat anxiously at the meeting table, his face buried in his hands. Mentally, he was trying to figure out how to word the whole solution he discovered. To tell the truth, he was terrified. That was not a term he would lightly use with himself. Yet, here he was. Ludwig truly feeling terrified.
Luckily, no one was eager on knowing what to do. They were all occupied mourning their loss or having relapsed feelings of defeat. They all kept to themselves as time ticked by.
"Mind if I sit?" Gilbert walked over to where Antonio sat. The Spaniard hadn't moved once since he first entered the room. He remained against the wall with his knees hugged against his chest.
At the Prussian's question, Antonio merely shrugged. Gilbert sat down beside him, saying nothing.
Even though no words were exchanged, there was a comforting aura being passed through the two. The mere knowledge and feel of the other beside them was comforting enough.
On the other side of the room, Ivan moved Toris over closer to a window so he could gaze outside. The Russian was aiding all he could to the injured Lithuanian. Nothing in the room could help his broken leg so Ivan had to merely help by taking Toris's mind off the pain.
"Do you want me to do anything for you?" Ivan asked, really wanting to do whatever he could to help his friend. Toris shook his head with a forced smile.
"No, it's okay, sir. I am okay." He said softly, feeling uncomfortable how Ivan was helping him. It didn't feel right to have his past boss come to his needs like a servant. "Thank you though."
Beside them was Mathias and Berwald. Mathias was fiddling with the Lukas's iron cross clip in his hands, running his thumb gently over the red hue that stained it's cold metal. How long had it been since then? It must've been at least a few weeks maybe a month. He remembered then he was having his last thoughts. Yet, here he was, having them again.
Berwald leaned against the wall beside the injured Dane. He tended to the other's wounds when they first made it in. It wasn't as bad as before but with the status it has now, Mathias won't be able to go so far on his own.
In the corner of the room, Matthew sat beside Alfred's body. Despite being so close to the body of his brother, he couldn't bring himself to look at the other. Even through death, the Canadian had a strong obligation to keep the other safe. Of course, Alfred didn't need to be kept safe anymore... that job has already been failed.
"I'm sorry..." Matthew whispered, bowing his head to stare down at his lap. The statement was directed to no one living but more like the spirit of someone up above.
I'm so sorry, Alfred... I made a vow to protect you. I promised to always be by you and that no harm would come to you. But... Here I am. Sitting beside your.. your corpse. You've always been my hero; you've always protected me. I wanted to repay that debt. Yet, here you are, dead beside me.
A couple of warm tears dripped off Matthew's chin as he raised an arm to wipe his face. No, he couldn't cry again. Not again. He had to be strong. He couldn't be weak. But... what for? Who did he need to protect and be strong for? Alfred was gone. Arthur and Francis are stronger than him already. Everyone else was taking care of themselves.
Some feet away, Arthur still was curled up in Francis's arms. He didn't move from his spot since they first arrived and the Frenchman made no action to make him. Both were distressed beyond belief- especially Arthur. After some time, Francis broke down crying as well with his lover. It was a miserable sight. Arthur buried his face into Francis' shoulder as Francis held him tightly to his chest, both in hysterics. Matthew joined in with them, hugging them both all together. However, he stopped his tear flow quicker due to the hard realization that there's no point anymore.
So, here the fathers are: Francis gently cradling Arthur in his arms as he mindlessly touched strands of his hair. Both as silent as ever. Both desperately trying to hold themselves together.
"Ludwig." Rodriech's voice broke through the endless silence, only acquiring some of their attention. The German looked up from his hands, staring at the Austrian. His blue eyes were coated in worry and despair yet his expression was as hard as ever. Rodriech knew how much he was struggling to keep up his hard exterior so he spoke as gently and as mindful as he could, "Are you ready to tell us the solution?"
That attracted everyone's attention by now, sending all the pressure of everyone's fate on his shoulders.
"Y-Yes." Ludwig responded, not even paying attention to his stutter. Standing up from the meeting table, he stood before everyone, making sure all could see him and he could see them.
All eyes fixated on him, each one holding a different set of emotion and story. Some looked to him desperately. Some looked to him hopelessly. Some looked to him blankly. Nonetheless, whatever look he got made his heart ache even more.
"As you know, we are in a tight situation." Ludwig began, licking his lips in thought. "There are biters outside our door. We have no food nor water in here to keep us well for a long period of time. We have casualties with some of us that prevent any defense and way to fight if needed. And... And it's time I told you guys the solution to this whole apocalypse."
Francis tilted his head, his voice hoarse. "You know how to stop this?"
The German nodded, feeling his chest tighten up a bit. "Yes... I know how to stop it."
"That's wonderful! We can save the world!" Mathias exclaimed with a little smile. "What is it? What do we do?"
Ludwig cringed slightly at that, afraid of what they would say once he told them what they had to do. He kept quiet for a moment, heightening the suspense in the room.
"Listen," he began slowly, "I've researched countless other ways to resolve this whole epidemic or whatever this is. And, there's only one solution that will 100% guarantee resolution and safety for everyone here. The solution is... Evolution."
Silence was his response. Thankfully, it wasn't a huge and abrupt break of conversation. Instead, he received tilts of heads and the confused looks that beckoned him to elaborate.
Ludwig let out a shaky breath. "Evolution... We are nations. We are the personifications of the different land masses that make up the world. Right now, we are the world. Without us, civilization wouldn't exist and it'd be chaos running amuck. Leaders, government, culture, economy, population, races, ethnicities, everything that make up the world is formed by us. That being said... We are what is keeping the world from healing– from moving on from this horrid lifestyle. In order for this world to get better we have to..-"
"Die." Gilbert finished his sentence, eyes wide. "We... We have to die?"
His brother nodded hesitantly, quickly speaking again before anyone interjected. "W-We have to die. When we die, the old world will die and a new one will form. A new one with all living spaces reset and new to take over. The new one will grow accustom to this living condition and eventually clear it from all its harm. So, in order to heal the world we have to kill the world to give the opportunity for a new world to form. A new world without these pests. That's.. That's the only way."
Silence. Once again. However, this silence wasn't confusion centered. It was filled with shock and disbelief.
"What?" Arthur spoke up, sliding off of Francis's lap for the first time since they came there. He stared at the German, not believing what he heard.
Ludwig felt everyone's eyes pierce at him, all not believing what he said. This was bound to happen. He predicted this reaction, except he expected more people to have an outburst and argue about it. That didn't happen though for everyone secretly already accepted defeat. Nonetheless, they still couldn't believe their ears and that response alone sent the German into a panic.
"I-I'm sorry. I really am." He stuttered, causing everyone even more surprise to see him appear... anxious. "I tried, I really tried to find another solution. I read all the books in the study here twice and did countless papers and equations and theories to try and fix this without throwing away our lives. But nothing matched up. There was no other solution possible. This was the only one I could find. I'm s-sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His words transitioned into hasty mumbles of the same two words.
Gilbert quickly walked over around the meeting table and wrapped his arms around his little brother. The past months stress and pain that was condensed and bottled up broke free and Ludwig found himself sobbing into his brother's shoulder. "Shh, shh... It's okay. It's okay. You did so much, little brother. You found the solution and you will be the one to save the world. You've done so much, I'm so proud of you. You have no need to be sorry."
It was easy to deduce that Ludwig had gone through a lot this apocalypse. No one really knew what he was dealing with for he always locked it away so he dealt with it alone. No one had any concern with him for he covered it all up with his little lies and deceiving exterior. While everyone was grieving and dealing with physical and emotional wounds, he aided to them whilst covering his own. It's not their fault though. That's how the male wanted it. He wanted to face it alone. But, it all came out now. And Ludwig had no strength left to hold it back in.
An uneasy aura settled about the room. This was serious then. Truthfully, they all felt pity towards the German since he had to deal with this fact for so long by himself.
Toris stared wide eyed at the floor, the news slowly filtering in his mind. "So... We have to die." It was a restatement everyone needed that confirmed that that was the solution.
Everyone in this room was the remaining nations of the world. All other nations were dead and had already fulfilled the earth's desires. They all needed to die in order for the world's rebirth to commence. The longer they stayed alive the longer it'll take for everything to resolve for the better. It was a horrible conclusion but it was the only probable one that ensured everyone's safety.
"What happens when we die?" Matthew said, voice tainted in a slight fear. "Are we dead for good? Is this really the end for us?"
No one answered right away to that.
In the past, nations have "died" but they've always been revived. However, now they didn't have their invincibility nor their immortality. They were as vulnerable as their own citizens. To think that after centuries, they all would have to meet their final end. Their last chapter.
It frightened all of them.
"I-I'm scared to die. I don't want to die." Ivan whimpered, tears filling his violet eye. His words spoke for them all since that's all they were thinking about.
Ludwig, gaining back some composure, pulled back from his brother's hold. He bit his lip to keep himself from crying again before continuing what he had to say.
"I know... We're all scared of dying. We never died in the past and having the sudden realization that that is what we have to do is truly terrifying." He took a deep breath. "But... Let's not forget our purpose. We were not personified for show. We weren't put here to physically represent our nation. We were put here to protect our countries and make decisions that ensure safety on our citizens. We are here, even to this day, to take care of our people. Right now, there are people out there struggling to live. The remaining population can't grow and flourish from this as long as we are alive. We are the essence of this earth. We need to protect it. We need to give it a chance to grow and mend itself."
It was a convincing speech for everyone. They all knew he was right. Dying was the only option. As morbid as it is, there was truly no other solution. Death finally awaits it's chance to take the world's oldest living beings.
"And... What happens when we die?" Rodriech questioned next, surprisingly stoic at all of this. "We are not normal humans. Certainly there is a different fate to us all. No one could possibly take up our roles as nations. We have so much history and experience."
Ludwig nodded at that, having pondered over that exact thought countless times before. "I can't say exactly what will happen, but I do have theories. We could revive into countries once more, that is if our countries come back. And even if that does happen, we won't have any memories of our past history."
"We won't remember anything?" Arthur questioned, aghast at that possibility. The German nodded.
"Yes. When the old world dies, so does our history. When we die, we lose all our history and memories. So, if we come back, we will have no recollection of anything before the apocalypse. All our relationships and experiences will be as if it never happened."
Francis squeezed Arthur's and Matthew's hands. That meant the family wouldn't be a family anymore. He wouldn't love nor know Arthur. All their history and insults and bedtime talk would go to oblivion. Their cherished times with Matthew and Alfred would all be to nothing. Everything they've ever done in their life would disappear.
"However, another theory is..." Ludwig continued, pulling everyone's attention back. "new personifications could be born and we will be thrown into oblivion. Or, we could come back as normal human beings and be granted a humane and normal life. Yet, with whatever happens, our memories and history are bound to be erased."
It was hard to say what the atmosphere in the room was. Everyone was reacting differently to different sets of the news. Francis and Arthur were worried about losing their memories and forgetting all that's happened since the birth of their country. Matthew, Ivan, Rodriech, and Antonio were afraid of the idea of death. Berwald, Mathias, Ludwig, and Toris were contemplating what would happen after all that and how their fates and how the world's fate would turn out.
The apocalypse will end once the nations die. That is a fact. It won't end instantly, but their death will free the guaranteed possibility of it happening. Ludwig, while researching, knew this would end the apocalypse with a 100% success rate. It would only take time.
"H-How do we die?" Antonio asked, green eyes masked with an unreadable gaze.
Ludwig looked at everyone once more, feeling his body relax a bit. "Like I said, we are still nations. We may not have the immortality nor role as them, but that still is who we are. And as nations, we must protect people on this Earth. That is our job; that is our purpose... There are hundreds of biters outside this building, even inside. Now, if they run free, surviving people throughout this land are in danger. We... We have to fight. This is our last fight. Our last battle. Our last war. So, let's make it the best and most memorable and mean something."
"A suicide mission." Arthur mumbled, staring down at his hands. The more harsher way of putting things, but that was just how the Briton was.
The shuffles of the biters outside and in the lower floors could barely be heard through the silence that blanketed the room. No life was heard outside. No birds chirping, no swaying leaves in the wind, nothing. Only the footsteps of the dead, aching to drag more into their grave. Little did they know that they would have ten more people dammed into oblivion.
"When do we... fight?" Francis asked, struggling to say the last word. It was a mere curtain to cover over the fact that the real question he was asking was 'when do we die?'.
"Dawn. We'll go fight at dawn." Ludwig responded, the hard truth weighing down on his heart. "When the first moments of the sunrise, we'll go fight. That's when... we battle."
Dawn. The time of it all. The moon shined at its highest peak in the sky as of that moment, meaning they had some time until dawn. Those precious last hours before they all run head on into Death's arms. Last hours with those they love (who are still alive). Last hours remembering and reliving their thoughts and memories. It was going to be a tough hour.
That was the end of the speech, end of the whole presentation on the resolution. Ludwig sat back down on at the meeting table, staring at its surface blankly. It wasn't as hard as he thought, but it still hurt.
I couldn't find another solution. I couldn't do it. I said I would; I vowed it would. Yet... I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it.
"Is your leg okay?"
"Yeah. Your eye?"
"It's fine."
Toris leaned against Ivan's shoulder where they sat on the floor, staring off before them. Truthfully, Toris wasn't terrified of dying. He'd suffered so much in his past to the point where he even wished upon death. So, having it finally come at his door step wasn't as frightening as how the others were. He had been waiting for it to arrive.
Ivan, on the other hand, was very scared. He, too, had his own share of painful experiences and suffering yet he never thought of actually dying. Being a nation, they had the luxury of never worrying about their last breath. They could be dismembered, beheaded, hung, poisoned, malnourished, shot, etc., but never die. They never had to worry about dying... until now.
With a sigh, Ivan grabbed the bandage wrapped around his eye and pulled it off. Toris looked up at him, giving him a sad smile. Where his beautifully amethyst colored eye would be now was a closed, battered eyelid blotched with purple and red. He could still feel where the knife pierced through it. The Russian glanced down at Toris with his good eye, forcing a tiny smile upon his lips.
"You look great." The Lithuanian said, holding the other's larger hand in his. "No need to hide it anymore."
Ivan sighed at that, turning away a bit. "There's no point in hiding it anymore. Either way, we won't need to hide anything for long."
"You ever kiss a guy?"
"Who hasn't?"
"You're right."
Gilbert and Mathias sat next to eachother against the wall, talking absentmindedly about who knows what. It was their last hours and them being them they always try and lighten the mood in every situation. Berwald stood by, only half listening to what they were saying.
"Ever do anything extremely weird?" Mathias asked, glancing over at the albino.
Gilbert thought for a moment, raising a brow. "Yeah. Once, I got so drunk and started making out with a tree. What made it weird was that I was actually turned on when I felt it's leaves fall on me." Mathias let out a snicker at that, just imagining the other all over a tree and how anyone around him would think. "You?"
"Hell yeah." The Dane answered, smirking a bit in thought. "Once, I got stranded in Liechtenstein and had to stay at her place for a while. While I was there, I had to borrow some of her clothes. I ended up flying back to my country in a kid sized dress with bows in my hair. The dress just barely came down my thighs. It was awful."
Gilbert let out a snort at that, can't even imaging how that must've been.
Despite the two's attempts to make laughter and jokes and good times happen, it didn't fulfill as they would wish. Behind each laugh and story, they still were in defeat inwardly at the thought of their death only being hours away.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course I am."
"Me too."
Francis, Matthew, and Arthur sat on the opposite side of the room from the others. Francis sat in the middle of Arthur and Matthew, holding both of their hands in his.
"Francis, I don't want to forget you. I don't want to forget any of this." Arthur mumbled, hugging the other's arm as if latching himself on him. "I don't want to forget you. I don't want to forget Matthew. I don't want to forget.. forget Alfred.. I don't want to forget our family. I-I don't want to forget any of this." Tears wet the side of the Frenchman's arm the more the Briton spoke on.
Francis leaned over and planted a kiss on the other's head. "Please don't cry, mon cher. Please..." He hated seeing the other cry for it made him cry.
Unlike his father's, Matthew wasn't as concerned with forgetting. He'd been forgotten so many times in the past. It was as if everyone actually forgetting was nothing. It'd just be another day. That is, if fate granted them another day.
"I love you both s-so much... I can't bare the thought of one day possibly waking up and not knowing who you are." Arthur cried softly, intaking a sharp breath. "Wh-What if we come back and we never cross paths. What if we never m-meet and I never see you again... I don't w-want that to ever happen.. But-"
"Shhh, Angleterre." Francis soothed, using his old name that he would address him as. He rubbed his thumb against both his and Matthew's hands, squeezing them tightly. "I promise you both. Whatever happens in the future, we will be together. This is not the end for us, okay? We will be together if that chance is given to us. I promise."
Of course, even he was uncertain of that possibility. Who knew if they were brought back that he would even remember this promise. Would the promise even be valid then? Would it still exist?
"Promise?" Arthur and Matthew asked at the same time.
"Promise."
Rodriech and Ludwig sat in silence at the meeting table, both keeping to themselves in their own mind.
Ludwig stared down at his palms, shuddering at the constant thought of their end.
This is it, isn't it? This... is where we fall.
A/N:
Yikes, please don't kill me.
Sorry if this chapter is kinda boring or slow. I thought it'd be nice to put in a kinda chill chapter with not much action since the last chapter was very packed.
The next chapter is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue afterwards. :)
I promise I will give you guys a satisfying ending that'll (hopefully) leave you smiling.
Also! Just to let you guys know, if I ever lead any of the characters' informations open and unexplained, I meant to leave it like that! I like giving the reader, you, to play along with the story! So, whatever happened to Ivan and Toris, you choose what happens!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave your feedback in the comments/reviews! I love to read them! ❤️