Vienna – Day After the Bombings
The sun rose over Vienna like an accusation—smoke still hung in the air, and the ruins of the garden ballroom smoldered as bodies were recovered. Over two hundred injured, fifty dead. The flames had licked the edges of power, but Hans Ehrenfeld Adler stood tall, his black coat ash-dusted, his eyes steel.
He stood before the cameras now, not in secret rooms, not in whispered councils—but on the grand balcony of the Iron Crown Palace, flanked by Eliska Vranova and Colonel Engelhardt.
Below him, the square was silent. Above him, the flags of Austria, the Iron Crown, and the Danube Confederation flew side-by-side.
Hans's voice, amplified through rebuilt speakers and satellites, thundered across Austria—and beyond.
"Citizens of Austria. Subjects of the Crown. Allies of peace. I come before you not with grief—but with resolve."
He did not blink.
"Last night, the Old Guard proved what we always knew: they do not seek to preserve our nation—they seek to own it. Through bombs, they slaughtered their own. Through treachery, they raised arms not against a tyrant—but against a united people."
He raised his hand. Eliska stepped forward.
"I hereby declare the Old Guard Government—the Karling Cabal—to be illegitimate. Its claims are null. Its forces will be treated as traitors and enemies of the state. There will be no compromise with those who bomb children and diplomats."
He took a breath.
"Furthermore, as a symbol of our future—of a new and enduring strength—I announce the official annexation of the Danube Confederation, by consent of its leadership, into the Iron Crown's authority."
Eliska nodded, visibly calm. Behind her, Slovak and Czech envoys raised the twin banners of their homeland—no longer separate.
"Let the Danube rise with us. Let the phoenix of Central Europe soar again."
He wasn't done.
"I also declare the full integration of Czechia into our banner. No longer will our lands be fragmented. No longer will ancient lines divide our destiny."
And then, with a voice not of hope—but of command:
"Today, I declare the formation of a new order. One born not from ambition—but from survival. From unity. From flame."
"Let the world know that the Iron Crown is no longer merely a remnant of empire. From this day forward, we are the Ehrenfeld-Austrian Empire. A sovereign union of people and nations, forged under the Iron Crown and tempered by the fire of rebellion."
He turned toward Engelhardt.
"You will serve not only as my Marshal—but as my co-founder. This Empire bears your name, too. You stood when others fled. You bled when others schemed. History will not forget it."
Engelhardt saluted, voice hoarse: "Then we serve. Together."
The crowd, stunned, began to cheer.
Some wept. Others saluted.
The world would not be the same again.
In Berlin, alarms rang. In Ankara, emergency meetings were called. In Geneva, the Coalition envoys packed.
And in the mountains of western Austria, Albrecht von Karling watched the broadcast in silence. Then he turned to his generals.
"Then let the Empire burn."