Location: Imperial Train – En route to the Neutral Rhine Zone
Hans rode aboard the imperial armored train, its Iron Crown insignia dulled under a shroud of secrecy. Only a few accompanied him: Eliska (disguised), Engelhardt, Mehmed, and a handful of elite Officer-class guards. The rest of the world believed him still in Vienna.
The Rhine, now declared "Neutral Imperial Ground" by the Neo-German Revivalists, was a land suspended between states—ruined castles, rusted railways, and ghost towns. It was here that Wilhelm had chosen to host their meeting.
"We go not as emperors of war," Hans told his party, "but as men of vision. If he is mad, we contain him. If he is dangerous, we end it. But if he is... something else…"
Eliska looked out the window. "Then history might bend tonight."
Location: Castle Drachenfels, Rhine Highlands
A cold wind met them at the mountaintop fortress. Drachenfels had once been a ruin, but now stood eerily restored—stone by stone, seemingly overnight. Hans sensed it: magic had rebuilt this place.
Wilhelm awaited them in the throne hall. The stained-glass behind him was not religious—but imperial. He wore no crown, only a laurel wreath. Two guards knelt beside him, more zealot than soldier.
"Herr Ehrenfeld," Wilhelm greeted, "I have studied your rise. Your battles. Your survival. You are a ghost of empire… but I—"
He pointed to himself.
"—I am empire reborn."
The Conversation
They walked alone along the Rhine cliffs.
Wilhelm: "You built peace with democracy shackled to monarchy. Clever. But too soft. The world won't survive soft hands."
Hans: "And you wish to bring back Prussian militarism? Flags and salutes? The past drowned us."
Wilhelm: "Then let us build a new past. You and I… Two crowns aligned. We divide the continent. Order by blood and skill. No councils. No parliaments. No monsters."
Hans studied the young man. His aura was imperial—legitimately powerful. The Skill pulsed beneath his words. And for a moment, Hans felt… something. A flicker in the blood. Was it awe? Kinship? Rebellion?
Then Hans spoke:
"I didn't rise to be someone's mirror. Or rival. Or shadow. I rose to lead people out of fire. You want an empire of statues. I want one of breath."
"So no alliance?" Wilhelm asked.
Hans looked at the Rhine waters far below.
"Not yet. But I won't declare you enemy. Not until you prove you are one."
Later – On the Train Home
Hans remained silent for most of the ride. Eliska asked what he saw in Wilhelm.
Hans whispered, "He believes in crowns more than people. That's dangerous."
Mehmed muttered, "So what now?"
Hans stared out the window as old castles passed in the night.
"Now? We prepare… in case the Kaiser wants more than words next time."