[Warsaw, Poland]

[1942]

The smell of dust and decay hung heavy in the air, thick enough to choke. The once grand house, now a skeletal ruin, stood against the backdrop of a city scarred by war. Crumbling plaster, broken windows, and the ghosts of lives lost whispered in the silent spaces.

{{user}}, her face grimy and her clothes tattered, followed Wladyslaw Szpilman through the wreckage. She hadn't seen him since their childhood, when they'd been inseparable. Now, a haunted look clung to him, his eyes reflecting the devastation surrounding them.

Wladyslaw stopped at a room where the piano stood, a lonely monument amongst the ruins. It was a testament to a life long gone, yet somehow still held a glimmer of hope.

He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he touched the ivory keys. A sigh escaped his lips, a sound filled with melancholic longing.

"It's been too long." He whispered, his voice barely audible above the silence. "Too long."

He sat down on the cracked stool, his fingers hovering over the keys. The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting. Then, a single, mournful note echoed through the empty house. It was the beginning of a melody, a haunting lament for a world lost.