Sometimes, I find quite a few fortnights where a certain dull-eyed boy will lie in his bed and wonder strange things. Some nights, he will wonder what kind of family his next victim is like. Others, he will wonder if his brother will finally look his way, but the rest of those nights, thoughts of “does God really does exist or are things actually a coincidence.” With the latter thought, the chance of him asking himself absurd questions about events that surely altered his life. Was he destined to meet his brother, and was he destined to be the good, little solider he was made into today? Was he destined to meet that little girl whose radiant, innocent smile burned into his mind forever on his first day of his personal mission?
Was it really “coincidence,” he thought now in the ugsome site of the soon-to-be church, that the girl with radiant eyes and jubilant personality was suddenly taken into custody now stood on the Braginskys’ side, facing him with such hard eyes. Eyes. Those things he always noticed first-
The first time he met the girl, he remembered those irises of hers being clear and watery as well as beautiful. How Ivan managed to turn those fluid things of innocent beauty to perfect spheres of dry ice was a mystery.
"You fire at the little girl first with me, yeah?"
The sharp string of words from his brother put a hell of a rusty spike through Ludwig’s thoughts. Ludwig tilted his face to thoroughly study at the sunset-colored orbs which were his brother’s eyes. “It’ll be easier for the both of us. Both of us love that girl, you know?” Ludwig’s throat felt incredibly stiff. His brother did love Allanza. There was something about the girl that managed to put a certain feeling of power and pride within the two of them, but now, he had to scratch all that.
The boy could only nod absent mindedly back. His brother gave him a grin in return (he could have sworn the smile had wavered slightly) and turned his head back to resume the traditional pointless threats and riposte clever squibs. yell pointless threats at Ivan.
Despite being the leader of their specific gang, his brother had the awesome nerve to stand at the front lines and laugh his insults to the others where the first rounds of bullets would surely find themselves ingrained into his body. But, it was alright. His brother knew every last detail to these things, and his tactic of standing in front would intimidate the others with his boldness for sure.
But, instead of feeling battle-hungry from his brother’s introductory banter between Ivan and himself, Ludwig could only stare steadily at the elegant stature of Allanza.
It was only a few minutes before Ivan was gritting his jaw through a smile and had had raised his pistol to fire a bullet into one of his brother’s men. With a sickening cry, all hell broke loose. But, how silly the boy was. Ludwig didn’t even seem to notice the immediate danger. True, he raised his rifle to his shoulder in defense, but despite the bodies cloaked in the black of midnight, fleeing and finding cover all around him like phantoms. Ludwig began to run directly to Allanza.
Protect, he thought desperately. It was funny. It was almost as if he had forgotten that virtue. Protect what is good, and do what is just.
He didn’t even notice the multiple bullets that went through his shoulder and sides before he felt a stinging pain originating from his Achilles tendon and lungs and tackled the girl down before his brother could even begin firing. Ludwig felt his breath start to fill with sticky, red fluid, and a darkness darker than the night that began to creep through the corner of his eyes. He tried speaking, but the metallic fluid drowning his voice was hindering him. The boy, with a sickening groan, cleared out out what he could see, violet blood. After a few, cold breaths, the boy found his grimy voice and used it to the best of his ability.
