"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."

-Oscar Wilde


Chapter VI: Running On Empty
-Norway-

The old black phone rattled as if a nearby earthquake came through. My heart jumped at the sound, and I was quick to answer the line that rarely ever went off. Great hope but equally great dread came with it.

"Yes?"

"Norway, we have a bit of a problem."

I winced. He couldn't do one thing, could he?

My teeth clenched, irritable rage beginning to bubble up. "What is it?" I spoke slow and deliberately.

He hesitated.

"Germany has her."

In fury, I pounded my fist on the table of the study. The sudden sound probably made the heavy-feathered birds of late autumn fly from the trees outside. England could surely hear it through the phone line. Nevertheless, I soon composed myself and kept my voice calm and low. "And how exactly did you manage that, England?"

He let out a breath. "Germany was catching on... I had to bring her into the public eye... He- he insisted."

A wave of nausea came over me. "And how did he find out?"

"I swear I have no idea. I suppose my cover wasn't as good as I thought."

"A human being close to a Nation always draws attention, especially at a time like this."

"I didn't think Germany was that paranoid! He believes that she's important, but I can assure you that he has no idea why. I don't have any idea why. I think you're the only one who knows."

"You should have thought this through better." My voice was quick and as sharp as a razor.

"I had no idea about your little plan! Maybe if you told anyone about it, we could have been more prepared!"

"I can't trust you."

"Well now you payed the price."

Silence. England knew he struck a chord. "No, England. We all payed the price. If she is dead or unrecoverable, there is no hope for any of us; and that I can promise." I breathed in, trying to think of any way out of this mess. "You must get her. I don't know how you'll do it, but you must. Use anything at your disposal."

"But then Germany's thoughts will be confirmed and he will know I am working against him."

"I know. Secrecy is a privilege you lost when you lost her."

"I'll have to call America. I don't think I could do it alone."

"Do what you must. Make the sacrifice. It's crucial that she is recovered," I reiterated one more time.

"I'll get it done," he said with finality; the way I was used to hearing England speak. It calmed me ever so slightly.


I was greeted with a firm clap on the back as Denmark made his way into the room. His hair was bigger and more obnoxious than ever.

"You're making me nervous, Norge! The last time you wanted to talk with me like this Russia was knocking on Fin's door. Has anyone else told you that you're like an omen of bad news?" Denmark said with that huge smile of his. I still couldn't understand how he could remain so upbeat.

"I think England is on to something. He had this girl who he thinks is magically imbued."

Denmark rolled his eyes. "He's probably just imagining his nonexistent dream girl."

"This is serious, Denmark." I really didn't have time for his infantile jokes. "If this girl is who he says she is, then she has the power to change things, and by things I mean Nazi Germany."

He looked up, his joking demeanor changing. "Get real, Norge. You think that if half the world couldn't change this destiny that this one human girl can? Sorry, but I'm not biting."

I didn't flinch at his words. "She can be our hope, the one I planned for, all those years ago. What do you have to lose?"

Iceland looked up at me, catching what I said. He was smart. The others didn't give him enough credit.

Denmark looked down at his feet. "I don't want things to get any worse than they are. I don't know who Germany is anymore. There's no telling what he would do if he smells something fishy."

My eyes locked on his. "You look so used and wasted. What happened to the rebel I always knew?" My words were not kind.

"He figured out that sometimes the world was a piece of shit and there was nothing he could do about it," Denmark shot back without hesitation. Where were his jokes now?

I went silent, thinking about his rationale. It saddened me to see him this way. He was always willing to pull off some insane plan, but now he was just drained, optimism and faith ripped from him in the form of starvation and oppression.

"I'm with you, Norway" came a firm and composed voice from the corner of the room. We both turned our heads, looking at quiet Iceland sitting on his chair.

"You are?" I asked, trying not to act so surprised.

A small and cocky smile laced his lips. "I've still got fight in me. I guess Matthias over here is too worried about the big and mighty Germany stepping on his toes."

Denmark gave an indignant huff, and I internally grinned at my little brother.

"I don't know about you," he continued, "but if there's any chance of being able to beat Germany to kingdom come then I'll be the first in line." Ice crossed his arms and shrugged with an air of nonchalance.

"You know Sweden and Finland will be onboard. They're tough as nails. I just thought you would be a bit more ballsy, Denmark," I egged him on, a sly smile on my face. I knew he would take the bait, as he always would.

"Oh don't give me that, Norge! I'm the ballsiest person you know!" He unsheathed his huge axe in a show of strength. I simply cocked my head to the side; hook, line and sinker. After he settled down a bit, he sighed. "Fine. I'll be part of your stupid plan. But just know that if shit hits the fan, you can take your magic and shove it where the sun don't shine!"

I raised my eyebrows, slightly amused by his spark. That was much better than depressed and deflated Denmark.

"I'll also be the first one to go groveling back to Germany because Lord knows I can't take too much more of this," he continued.

My face turned expressionless and my tone was grave. "Trust me, Matthias. I know she's the one. Germany has captured her. He wouldn't have wasted his time if he wasn't certain."

Denmark visibly shuddered. "Damn, I feel bad for her. We going to do anything about it? You know, if she's the chosen one and all?"

"England and America have the lead, and I am going to speak with them later. They're taking control of the situation. Let's just hope that they won't be too late, or else we can kiss our chances goodbye."

"If anyone can do it, Alfred can," Denmark said in a low tone, trying to convince himself of the statement.

"We come in when they get a hold of her. They are going to come up north to hide her out. Finland knows a place that's remote enough. After that, hopefully we'll get some answers. She didn't seem to know anything before."

Denmark paced around the room, filling the room with an uneasy and nervous tension. "This better work out," was all he muttered to himself.


-Rhea Warner-

Pain.

My mind was becoming consumed by it. I didn't know how much time had passed since I was first crammed into the space, but I knew that it had been days since water, and even longer since food. I didn't think my body could take it anymore. I was certainly dying. My mouth was completely dry and when I pulled my skin it didn't snap back to my body like normal.

Huge sores had formed on my back where the weight of my desiccating body sandwiched my skin with the cold, rigid floor. At first I tried to turn over onto my stomach to relieve some of the pressure, but I could only last like that for so long before having to return to my original position. Eventually it got too difficult to move that much with my injured shoulder and the suicide-inducing thirst and hunger pangs.

I couldn't move at all. There simply wasn't room. For days on end all I could look at was the black concrete a few inches from my face. I seemed to be locked into my position, my joints refusing to work as if I was the tin man with no oil. Bleeding cracks on my knuckles began to form just from the dryness of the air.

I could already feel my sunken cheekbones and my decaying corpse-like body. The agony was never-ending. I wished that I could have become numb to it, but it was always there. I tried to think about things to take my mind off of it but my thoughts always came back to the crushing torment that plagued me.

Panic.

Panic attacks became frequent, although my body didn't have nearly enough energy for them. My muscles twitched and my breathing got heavy. I didn't have enough vitality to scream, and I wanted to conserve what little of it I had left. I had been dry heaving, my body reacting to the extreme conditions that it was in. It was excruciating, and the cramped space made it even worse. I started hallucinating, my brain slipping into delirium. I didn't know what was real and what wasn't.

I saw Arthur coming for me, opening the door. I swear I saw it. I took whatever last bit of energy I had to grab the bar of the door, but then nothing was there. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that there was nothing more frightening than not being able to trust my own senses.

I saw my father being taken away from me again. I was forced to relive it with such clarity that I thought it was real.

Hopelessness rained over me as I began to realize that no one was going to save me from this hell that I was in. I only held on to the thought of my family, praying that they were okay. It also made me wonder why I was being kept. Nothing had even started in regards to Arthur's plan to use me in whatever uprising he was planning. I began to think that I was imprisoned for no reason.

My shoulder had gotten swollen, and to pass the time I tried to re-locate it by popping it back in the socket. It was painful and I hadn't gotten anywhere, for fear that I was going to make it worse. Eventually I gave up, thinking that the risk was greater than the benefit. I didn't want to be hurting even more than I already was.

I was fading in and out of consciousness, each time unaware of how long I was actually out for.

There came a point when I started becoming hysteric, banging my hands against the walls. Screaming for anything, anyone, as if I were a madman being burned alive.

I began to think about telling them what I knew. I didn't even know much anyway. Lie. Anything to get out of here. All I knew was that I could help bring down the Nazi regime. That was it. This much for only that little piece of information? It wasn't coordinates or dates or times or people. But if I told them that they would probably just kill me. Would it really be that bad to die? To feel nothing, none of this anymore? Yes. Yes it would. I had to convince myself, but I didn't know how much longer I could hold out.

I was going to tell them. I had to. I wasn't trained for this. I couldn't take it any longer. Let Ludwig and Gilbert hear the minuscule amount of information that I have. It was all just too much.

My body screamed at me constantly as it started to eat itself for any form of nutrition. The protein in my muscles was being broken down, a form of desperate self-preservation but also self-destruction. If I made it out alive I didn't think I would be the same.

I began to hum to myself to keep the abrasive thoughts and hallucinations away. It was all I could do, the time was passing too fast and too slow all at once. And then it happened...

My eyes fluttered open as I heard footsteps for the first time in a long time. I just accepted the illusion as I had come to accept the rest of them. I was so helpless and in so much pain that I didn't even care anymore.

"She's in there" came Ludwig's voice. It was hesitant and uneasy.

The small door swung open and my heartbeat sped up, but I tried to keep it down, afraid that any small change to my environment would kill me. I didn't even turn my head for fear that it would add to my discomfort.

A small gasp came out from whoever Ludwig was talking to. I couldn't see him because my head was facing the other way on the hard floor.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" he asked in shock. There was no reply.

I could sense the unknown man crouch down, "Okay darling, up you come," he urged softly.

I was not going to move. Realizing this, I felt warm hands under my back through my ragged, thin shirt. They stung like bee stings when they came in contact with my ravaged skin. He dragged me out of the cell as gently as possible and I groaned at the ground grinding up against me. As soon as I was free from the cell, the man lifted me from the floor that I had been laying on for days straight. I flinched as my legs began to stretch out. It hurt. Bad. I let out a faint whimper at the sudden change of scenery, scared to trust if it was real or a figment of my imagination. But it felt so real.

My eyes were trying to adjust to the new lighting, and everything in my vision was a bit fuzzy. He had light brown hair and red eyes, but unlike Gilbert's they had a kind and worried expression. He carried me up to the house, all the while I was only half-aware of my situation.

We reached a room and he put me down on a couch. The light hit my retina like the blazing sun, my eyes burning in reaction to the polar change.

"Get her water. I won't help you unless you do," I heard the man say.

Ludwig didn't argue, and he left the room.

The man then put his hand on my forehead, shaking his head. "Nu pot să cred acest lucru" he muttered to himself.

Ludwig then came back with a glass of water. The man propped my head up, giving me small sips at a time. I desperately wanted to chug the whole thing, but he prevented me from doing so, saying that my body would just throw it up. Sure enough, I did feel my gag reflex in action. It had been so long since I had swallowed anything; even most of my saliva was gone.

"Get her some food." He shook his head in dismay. "God, Germany..." he trailed off with a shaky voice.

Ludwig scratched the back of his head, looking at me with an unknown expression somewhere in between pity, regret, and anger. Ludwig exited again.

"You'll be okay. You'll be okay," the man said. I doubted that it was a promise he could keep.

Once Ludwig returned, the man fed me painfully slowly. "I'm sorry but you can't eat it all at once."

I ate steadily, feeling relieved that I could get something in my failing system. But that also meant that I was going to suffer longer. Even though every second was so miserable, I didn't want to die. I wasn't at that point yet, and I couldn't let myself get to that point.

There was an angelic golden glow that seemed to emit from him. He was my saint and my redeemer, my savior and my liberator. He was the resurrection, as if I were Lazarus, choking on my own mind and my own black conviction. My soul, dripping in nightmares from that coffin of corruption and fear. My religion was him in that moment, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.

I was frenzied and incoherent, or as much as I could be with having no strength. I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a few moments at a time.

Ludwig came in with some simple food: bread and fruit. I was terrified of him, but I was too desperate for the food to care about anything else. My rescuer fed me at a snail's pace, one small bite every few minutes. It was horrible. Ludwig in the meantime was keeping his distance, looking depressed and slightly horrified by my state. I didn't understand it because he was the one who did it to me. He wasn't stupid.

The unknown man broke the silence. "Okay I'm going to get you to your room. You need to have time to recover before I can do anything."

I gave the smallest nod of my head in recognition.

Ludwig opened his mouth to retort, but something stopped him. He nodded.

The man looked as if he wouldn't take no for an answer. I didn't even know if what I was living through was real. I didn't move, there was nothing I could do. I knew that I was helpless and there was no point for rebellion now, not that I was physically able to anyway.

My body began to shake again, muscles clenching.

At this, the man scooped me up. "Don't bother coming," he said in a strict tone of voice. He wasn't messing around.

"You can't order me like this Romania. You should remember your place-" Germany started to say before being cut off.

So this was Romania then? My mind was too tired to dwell on it much. I just went with it. I was in their hands and there was nothing I could do about it. Yet, an entire nation was caring for me and wanting me saved. A sort of hope came from that.

Romania bared his teeth, his happy and charismatic demeanor melting away. "I will do nothing for you, so help me God."

Ludwig didn't say anything more. Maybe staring at a skeleton brought him down from his power trip.

Soon enough I was in my old room and set down on the bed. Romania then went to shut the door. He then approached me, keeping his face as cheery as possible given the particularly bleak situation. He smelt like warm candles that you would burn in the winter time right before the holidays. He wore a funny little hat that seemed far to whimsical for the situation at hand. For whatever reason it brought me comfort.

"You have to rest now. You will survive," he said as if it were a fact.

I trusted him and found comfort in his words. I didn't know what the coming days would bring, but I knew that for right now I was safe. He continued to monitor my food intake, but some time later, I was out again.

My dreams were filled of happy things, a surprising shift from my horrifying hallucinations. In them I saw my family, my friends, even Cassia. We were all happy and carefree on a desolate, beautiful beach somewhere having fun and splashing in the waves. I wished nothing more than for that false projection to be real.

I only remembered opening my eyes, still half asleep, and saw Romania standing over me. He was speaking in another language, with his hand on my stomach. Almost as quickly as I saw the scene, I slipped back into my untroubled dream state.


The next time I awoke, I felt like a new person. I was still tired and weak, but all of the pain of thirst and hunger was gone. My shoulder was repaired. The relief that flooded over me was like nothing I could have ever imagined. Still, the nagging thought of what they would do to me sat in the back of my mind as I looked around the room. I was glad to see that Romania was sleeping in the corner. He was on the same chair Gilbert was in when I first awoke in Berlin. He looked exhausted, a drastic change from when I last saw him those hours ago. I took a sip of water from a glass by my bedside. I had never been so grateful for anything in my life.

As soon as the noise of the glass being put down passed through the room, Romania woke up, looking at me with a mischievous yet proud smile. Only then did I notice that one of his teeth was overly pointed and sharp. It was almost sort of endearing.

"I told you you'd survive," he stated simply.

An overwhelming smile came over me, my eyes glossing over with tears of gratefulness. "Thank you," I rasped out, my voice hoarse from its lack of use. It was the first time that I had spoken in days. The warmth I felt from his presence eased me, even though I was far from being out of the woods.

He just bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"It's amazing how much better I feel. Virtually all of the pain I was in is gone. I can't believe my body could recover like that," I beamed, slowly sitting up in the bed. The blood rushed to my head and I soon realized that moving probably wasn't the best course of action. For as good as I felt compared to yesterday, I was still miles from being normal.

He looked down at the ground for a second. "Well, I had to use some of my powers to help you. That's the only reason you feel so good right now." He looked up at me expectantly, eyes giving off a sparkly glint.

"Powers?" I asked. "What powers do Nations have?" I was genuinely curious, but not alarmed.

He shrugged. "Only a few of us. Norway, England, and I can harness the power of magic. Maybe China. That's it. Not that it did any of us any good."

Romania continued on. "I specialize in black magic-but don't worry, it isn't as bad as it sounds. England can use spells, and is quite apt at summoning other-worldly or- ...worldly things. And Norway, well I don't really know what's up with him. He's just a crap shoot when it comes down to it."

Just then it all clicked in my head. England probably wanted to take me to Norway who could use his magic to help us. That was the next phase of the plan.

Romania took my silence as the general human reaction when one is told that magic does, in fact, exist. Oh, and Nations do to. Yeah. That's a thing.

"Anyway..." Romania went on, "I used some of my magic to help heal you. You wouldn't feel this good if you were truly recovering without supernatural aid."

I looked down at myself, making sure that I wasn't glowing or something as a side effect of the magic. After deciding that magic was definitely acceptable because it alleviated the torment, I simply shrugged my shoulders, almost indifferent to it. "Okay."

Romania looked at me with a stare of confusion. "Okay? That's it? No 'this isn't possible' or 'stop with this joke'?"

I let out a weak chuckle. "Well, beings that I was told that Nations exist however many days ago, and I had all that time to myself to think about it, it makes sense. Or as much sense as it can make. The evidence was right in front of my face. Honestly at this point I may be just enough messed up in the head to believe all this stuff."

Romania put his finger on his lips and nodded. "Alright then. Makes my job easier."

A silence ensued that wasn't awkward. I was too tired to concentrate on anything for long periods of time. I lied back, reveling in how amazing it was to have a nice bed to sleep on, food to eat and water to drink. However, the thought of Ludwig- Germany- still plagued my mind. I wasn't out of it all yet. For all I knew he could be planning to put me back down there. I shuddered at the thought. I wouldn't be able to make it if I was sent down there again.

I broke the silence, curiosity eating at me. "Is Lud-Germany going to put me back there?" Although I tried to hide it, the fear in my voice was obvious.

"I sincerely hope not. I'll try everything I can to keep you from that, but you must know that he still has dominion over me. My word only goes so far against his and I've already pushed my boundaries earlier. He will probably ask you questions." Romania then put on a cheerful disposition and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Between you and me, I hope you and England do whatever you two are planning." He then winked at me.

I nodded, surprised by his remark. I took comfort in the fact that I had a friend in this house.

He then sighed, his attitude changing. "I am only here because Germany allowed me to be here. He wants me to test you-magically- to see if I can figure out how you are useful to Arthur. He's getting impatient and wants answers. I can't disobey him. He has power over me. As an occupied country I don't have that much free will."

I bit the side of my mouth, worried about what these tests could entail. "Well there's no point in arguing about it because it's going to happen wether I like it or not."

"I'm sorry. It won't hurt, I promise. Germany wants me to perform the tests in front of him so I can't hide anything that I find."

The last thing that I wanted was to be in the presence of that monster. I hated him, and he only added to the fury in my heart. It was such a shame that he couldn't die...

Romania was standing up now. It was very hard to read what he was feeling. "I will come back in a few hours when you feel a bit better. There is food and water on the table. Try to eat slowly. Germany and Prussia will probably be there." He then plastered on a cool smile and left the room.

Eventually I wanted to get up and walk around. Although it would be a struggle, the monotony of laying down for days on end really made me want to stand. I also wanted to attempt to take a shower because I was filthy and stunk from all the days in that dank cellar.

I slowly sat up, propping myself with pillows. I felt a bit woozy, but soon became acclimated to it. I peeled the covers off and put a small amount of weight on my legs that hadn't felt what it was like to stand in a very long time. Just from that I nearly collapsed, and sat back on the bed. It was going to be a tedious process with the pain shooting through my knees because of the static position that they were in. After a few tries, I was finally able to stand although it was uncomfortable. I made my way to the bathroom.

As soon as I stepped in I looked in the mirror, taken aback by what I saw. My eyes were dark and hollow, my bones showing through my skin. I couldn't believe it. The back of my eyes started getting heavy; the pressure of tears building up. I went to get the shower running, and then moved back to the bedside table to get the water and food. I began eating it as if by some miracle I would look healthy and normal again after one meal. I shoveled it in, frenzied and not thinking straight. I leaned towards the mirror, desperately grasping at my face. It was gaunt and sunken in. Tears were coming down full force now. The star necklace that Alfred had given me hung around my thin neck. With raving madness I took off my clothes, the simple sweat pants and t-shirt that I had been sleeping in that fateful night. My body was nothing. My ribs poked through at every point, and my hands looked abnormally big compared to the size of my wrists and arms. The sores on my back were a dark bluish-black color, with red rings. They marred my back like shells marred a battlefield.

I slid down to the floor, naked and crying. I cried for my family who I missed with all my heart. I was crying for Arthur and Alfred. Perhaps even more I was crying for myself, not understanding why any of this was happening. But I was not the first to go through this, and certainly not the last.

I couldn't get a grip. Soon I began to berate myself about how superficial and stupid I was being. How could I be so upset about my appearance, I thought. I am alive for now. I survived my second round, and now I'm worried about the look of my face? I knew it was wrong but I couldn't stop.

Even though I suffered through what I did, another terrible affliction was my drastic change in appearance. Like a final punch to the gut. My very physical identity was ripped from me, the most basic form of self. Little by little I made my way to the shower. As soon as the water touched my skin, it stung the cuts and sores that were all over my body. I tensed at the searing pain, but eventually got used to it. "Breathe, Rhea. Breathe." I said through hiccuped breathes. Mother had always told me that showers made you feel better no matter what. The hot water made me calm down a bit, and it felt amazing to be clean again. It did soothe me, if only slightly.

After a long period of letting my body absorb the steam, I pulled myself out, combing my hair with my fingers to get it into some reasonable appearance. I had to make up for my emaciated look somehow. The mirror started to depress me. I couldn't believe that I was looking at myself. The person staring back seemed to be so far away.

I didn't want to put on my old clothes, as they were dirty, ragged and torn up. Eventually I just decided to wrap myself in a towel. Decency be damned. I hadn't been treated decently at all anyway.

Soon enough Romania came in, followed by Germany and Prussia. They were a bit taken aback by my clothing choice. Ludwig looked at me with a furrowed brow, Gilbert looked amused and Romania simply smiled his roguish smile. None of them said anything.

"Are you ready, Rhea? That is your name, correct?" Romania asked genially.

I nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." I glared at Germany and Prussia, craning my neck in such a way as to show them how skeletal and wasted my body was. I didn't know if it was going to make an impression on them. They were Nations after all- they've probably seen stuff like this more times than I'd care to count.

Romania's smile faded to a forlorn look. "Please, lie down on the bed over the covers. I will do the rest." I walked passed them and did as I was told, making sure to make eye contact with Germany and Prussia whenever I could. I was not broken yet.

I lied down, facing the ceiling and feeling apprehensive. Why me? Romania stood over me and prepared himself for what he was about to do. Subconsciously my muscles tensed for whatever was to come.

He closed his eyes and began to speak in Romanian. His voice was powerful and it contrasted sharply with his cheery demeanor. As he continued, the building began to shake. My heart rate picked up and I noticed Ludwig and Germany looking around with concern. Wind beat against me as my hair was whipped around my face and soon I felt as though I was being submerged in an ice bath. Suddenly and without warning, my chest started heaving up. My fear escalated when I lost control of my movements. I turned my head, which probably looked extremely unnatural as my body was being contorted into strange positions. Nothing hurt, but I looked up at Romania with alarm on my face. My panic went unnoticed however as he was too busy concentrating on whatever he was saying. I began to feel the blood pumping through my veins, chugging along like a locomotive. I could feel the pulse in my ears, and I didn't think I could take much more of it in my weak state.

As fast as lightning, everything in the room was outlined in that same gold that I had seen around the nations. It grew brighter and brighter until I had to force my eyes shut because it was as though all the power of the sun was beaming the four walls of the room. I simply prayed that it would be over soon.

"What's going on?" I heard Gilbert's alarmed tone. No answer.

My head felt as though it was being pressed back to the pillow, the frigid chill not going away. The room was so bright a gold that I could feel its intensity through my eyelids. I was scared. Full on, completely and utterly scared. We were now far out of the reaches of rationality and reality. The shaking was like one huge powerful earthquake, disrupting the core of me like the bass of a song. I struggled to breathe, forcing air into my lungs despite my twisted body.

And then just like that it was over.

I could relax. The cold was gone and the golden glow was over. I opened my eyes, relieved that the rational, non-magical physical world returned. I was very weary from what just happened.

"Well?" Germany coaxed impatiently.

Romania put both of his hands behind his head. The three of us all awaited his explanation with bated breath. He looked tired yet intrigued. "I-I don't know what that was. There is clearly something magical about her."

Germany tapped his foot on the ground, unsatisfied. "I'm aware of that. Tell us something useful."

I didn't know what I just went through. Did they see it too? It didn't look like it by the way they were acting. Although I didn't want Romania to relay any compromising information to them, I couldn't help but be a bit curious.

"She is deeply entwined in all of our fates," he explained ominously.

Prussia rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Oh come on! Stop being so melodramatic and start making some sense." He looked at Romania expectantly.

Romania glared at Prussia as if he was dirt on the bottom of his shoe. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Humans aren't supposed to be related to this much magic. In fact, they aren't supposed to be related to any. Never in all my years..." he trailed off.

He quickly turned back to me. "Have you noticed anything strange since you've been here?"

I put on an exaggerated smile. "I've been too busy concentrating on not starving to death. Sorry."

Germany gave me a stare that made my blood run cold. His ice blue eyes bore through me, reminded me of the precarious position I was in. He had the power to make me suffer.

I sighed. "Honestly. I have no idea. You can believe me or not. All that I've noticed is that ever since-" I paused, breaking up my sentence. I didn't even want to say his name. "-that son of a bitch told me about being a Nation, this sort of gold aura type thing started showing up. It's hard to explain. Just to let you all know, I didn't choose any of this."

Prussia smirked. "Hear that, West? She's still got some nerve left in her."

Germany remained silent and donned an irritated expression.

"I'll have to do more tests to see if I can figure anything else out," Romania said to no one in particular.

I didn't want to go through anything like that any more because of the frightening and other-worldly happenings that took place when Romania tested me. However it was painfully clear how little of a choice I had in the matter.

Throughout the rest of the day Romania kept testing me. I became more and more used to the strange magic by just closing my eyes and knowing that whatever was going on was going to end at some point. At least it didn't hurt.

Pure liquid gold warped and changed as if from another dimension, enveloping me in its warm light. The world then turned on its axis, the wall was the floor and I could slowly feel my self slipping off the bed and into oblivion. Soon, I saw images similar to the ones I saw before of people and events that I did not know of. Alfred and Arthur were in some of them, but I couldn't get a grasp on what was going on; the images changed too quickly. The gold flooded my vision again and became molten and hot. I couldn't resist opening my eyes. It was too unreal. My mind felt as though it was being opened, read like a book. I was in a Japanese garden, the water from the ponds all a sheer gold, the fish glittered like diamonds with a million facets. I was on a bridge, shaded by the huge jade colored trees that surrounded the small pond. I looked down to see the metallic silver dress that I had worn that fateful night. A cool breeze picked up, the icy feeling pricking at my bare arms.

Suddenly that boy that I saw from my vision before, the one with hair as black as infinity. His eyes shined at me with a blue so bright, my sparkling dress looked dim in contrast. Inexplicably, I began to feel anxious. "Who are you?" I asked, a bit more defensive than I would have wished. He was breathtaking.

He simply laughed a patronizing laugh, then stalked towards me with such intent that I was taken off guard by his sudden and brash action. Before I had any time to react, he grabbed my wrist and roughly pulled me down to the bridge. He was forcing me to touch the golden water. I resisted, not knowing what was going on, but something stopped me. I could have taken him. I had another free hand and I could of wrenched away, but some force, wether physical or mental was preventing me from doing so.

"Stop." I deadpanned, shockingly calm despite my gut-wrenching fear of touching that water. I didn't know why I was so scared of it, but he was forcing it upon me and I didn't like that. My mind was screaming at my body to jerk away, yell at him, do anything, but it was as if my motor neurons weren't connected to my brain.

Soon enough my hand touched the water and the world was spinning again. Everything blurred around me as it happened. I was back at a different time, wearing different clothes. I did not recognize any of it.

I wore a black pants and a smart looking white shirt and blazer. A small scarf was tied around my neck and my hair was up in pin curls. I was in an ornate looking room, with men all around me. I recognized Alfred and Arthur in the room, wearing military clothing. I looked around, terrified of my new setting but slightly assuaged that Alfred and Arthur were there; for which reason, I did not know. No one seemed to notice me as I started moving around the room. My eyes fell upon the American flag and the British Union Jack.

This wasn't right...

The last time these flags were used formally was before The Fall. What was going on?

Alfred was looking confident and powerful in his sharp dress uniform. Arthur on the other hand was looking a bit deflated and fatigued.

"We'll beat these guys back no problem!" Alfred exclaimed in a tone that was all too confident and positive for the vibe in the room. "Come on guys! There is no way that those Nazi bastards could even think of overtaking me. I'm outproducing every single player in the war, combined!"

A few people nodded in agreement. My stomach dropped. When was this? What year was this? I ran around the room, looking for any clues. I seemed to be invisible to the others there. My eyes danced to a table with a newspaper resting on it. The date read April 1942. My heart stopped. How..?

I frantically glanced around the room. I came to an abrupt stop as the pit of my stomach felt as though it was being launched into space. Standing there, just thirty feet away, was me. But it couldn't be. It was just a projection. It had to be.

My projection (me?) sauntered over to the table. "Alfred, darling, although confidence is an admittedly admirable trait, it's wise to go into this without underestimating our opponents."

Arthur glanced over at (me?) my projection with a serious expression, eyebrows raised. Other men looked at me with subtly shocked faces.

Arthur then turned back to Alfred, both hands on the table. "Even though Miss Warner can't seem to take her own advice, it would be smart to listen to her. They can do some damage..." He looked up and those same green eyes flickered with warning and melancholy. "I would know."

My breath caught in my throat. That was my name. But how? This was all too much for me. I started stumbling back, freaking out. This was another hallucination, wasn't it? I was still in that cell. A chair was knocked over as I ran into it, but no one payed any attention.

As if on cue, the image shifted. I was in the dark. "Oh no, no no NO NO!" I screamed. I couldn't be back there. I wouldn't survive! My throat was dry and scratchy as I rasped out those words in terror. Suddenly I saw a man in a dark room. It was that same one who yanked my hand into the luminescent golden water. He sat in a chair, both hands confidently strewn over the armrests. A single light emitted from the wall, creating an eerie lighting in the room.

I looked left, and to my disturbing realization, I saw myself. I was tied down with thick rope to a chair. I was squirming, trying to break free to no use. I couldn't fully see myself because of the dim light. It made my eyes look like shadowy holes in my head.

"Noah, please. I'm begging you. Please don't do this. Oh my God, Noah please!" I was obviously crying to the point of being manic and frenzied. There was no conviction in her (my?) voice as my projection shook in her seat, clanking the legs of the chair with the floor.

The young man from my other visions just sat there with a sadistic smile on his face, seeming to revel in my discomfort. I was so confused. Was this what was going to happen in the future? I didn't know this man, yet he was everywhere in my mind. The situations I was going through were making me neurotic.

Germany walked into the room, hunched over. He did not seem as pleased as the young man was who was sitting confidently in his chair. Actually, quite the opposite. He seemed horrified and broken. His blue eyes dulled to a faint shimmer. He shook his head. Were those tears?

"God help us all," was all he said as he stared up at the ceiling. His voice was quiet and raw, sending shivers down my spine.

The image began to shift again as my frame of view blurred. I had no idea what any of this meant. I felt hundreds of emotions course through me at once, fear and confusion at the top of that list. Exhaustion from whatever magical journey I just went on hit me like a ton of bricks and only amplified my already weakened state.

When the world stopped spinning I was happy to find myself in the room in Berlin. Or, as happy as I could feel when returned to a captor who is willing to torture you for information. The bed spread was completely wrinkled and scattered from what I was guessing my thrashing about. I looked up with wide eyes in response to what I just saw.

Germany was staring down at me, curious and a bit taken aback by whatever he just saw me do. "Well? Did anything happen?" he asked expectantly.

I clutched the comforter on the bed and held on for dear life, scared that I was going to be thrown into some other awful situation that a projection of me was in. But there was one thing that I was sure of: I wasn't going to tell Germany anything. Romania gave me a look, and he didn't have to tell me twice. Did he know what I saw? Prussia and Germany, unaware of the exchange, continued looking down at me, wanting to hear my story.

I gathered my wits and thought carefully about what I was going to say. "I don't know what the hell that was. All I know was that the room felt like it was spinning and gravity wasn't working right." My eyes were wide with fear as I softened my voice. "Please, I don't want to do anymore tests. I can't take it anymore. I'm begging you. I don't have the answers you want." I started choking on nothing, completely drained from the experiences.

Germany put his hand on his head in frustration. "This is useless," he said with irritation, and stormed out of the room, leaving me mollified that he had gone. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Prussia quickly followed his brother's footsteps.

I leaned back on the pillows, staring at the ceiling. I needed to rest. Romania was staring at the floor, deep in thought. I didn't want to say anything, for fear that Germany or Prussia would hear. I didn't know what they were capable of.

Romania then looked up at me with a look of pity and sadness that just didn't look right on the man's generally cheery face. He grabbed my hand, his eyes wide. "Oh my God. I am so sorry," he said with a barely perceptible whisper.

Seeing him upset alarmed me. "It really wasn't that bad," I lied. "I'd rather go through that a thousand times over than be stuck down there again."

He let out a short breath. "You have no idea, do you?"

Now I was really starting to become uneasy. "About what?"

He let out a sardonic chuckle. "Seems as though Norway's playing with fate," he muttered to himself.

Thoroughly confused and still fresh from my 'adventures', his words just made me even more bewildered than I already was. Add that feeling to my still far from normal state of health, and I was a complete wreck.

"You'll figure it all out in time. We can't talk here."

Like the swiftness of a freight train, complete exhaustion came over me. I could barely think another thought about the events of the day before my head fell and made contact with the pillow. Before I knew it, I was out.


The next time I woke up, the sun seemed to be at mid-day. My internal clock was completely screwed up. I still felt miserable and weak and I knew that I wouldn't be able to to walk. I felt worse than I had yesterday. The gnawing hunger was ever present and even though I got liquid and food into my system, my body was far from recovered. I needed professional medical attention.

My stomach felt like a bottomless pit and my mouth was dry again. I moved my arm to feel around for the water glass on the nightstand, but when I found it, it was empty. My heart rate picked up at the thought of being deprived from it. I knew that I would not be able to make it to the bathroom in my state. I groaned as my frail body felt pain all over.

Before I was up for five minutes, Prussia walked into the room. "Germany wants to see you," he said gravely. I couldn't breathe as I thought about what that could mean. I couldn't say anything!

"Where's Romania?" I asked urgently.

"Gone." Prussia said as a matter of fact. His red eyes glistened and his body stood strong, backlit from the sun that shone through the window.

"Wh-what? Please, please don't do anything to me. I don't know anything." I began to choke on my breath as I felt tears pool in my eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. This captivity was eating at me like some parasite. It slowly overtook pieces of me and all I could do was watch. I could tell that I was slowly losing it, along with my ability to survive.

Nations had to have some sort of moral conscience, right?

"Get up!" he yelled, unaffected by my pleading words.

"I can't!" I screamed, but barely any noise came out. "I'm dying!" I clutched at the covers on the bed, overly aware of my scratchy and weak voice. Without Romania's healing I began to feel the toll of what I had been through; my life leaking from me with every breath. Prussia's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"You looked okay yesterday..." he said, as if he didn't believe me.

"That's because Romania was keeping me alive." I could feel myself slipping into the world of madness and death.

Prussia looked as though he didn't know what to do. He was uncomfortable standing there, listening to me beg like a starving dog. He then approached me with a quick stride. I cowered under the blankets as if that was going to protect me. My body flinched as I prepared for the impact.

The steps stopped. "I-I wasn't going to hurt you," he spoke with hesitation. His hands went up as if to prove his words.

My breathing was short and light, barely there. I felt rage and fear mix within me, and I was just insane enough to act on it. "You are the one who locks me up and tortures me to within an inch of my life and you are so shocked that I would dare think that you would hurt me?" My voice was as weak as a whisper. I could feel my face turning reddish purple and I began to feel light headed. All of the yelling was not good for my weakened state.

Prussia didn't know what to say to that, but instead he just scooped me from my bed, keeping silent. I flinched in his arms, feeling his cold white skin up against my feverish body. My neck fell back as he walked and I was unable to hold it up on my own.

"Don't take me there. Please don't." I repeatedly muttered, knowing that it was no use. He still said nothing.

Finally I was put down in that room, in front of Germany. I couldn't bare to look at either of them anymore.

"She was too weak to walk," Prussia stated, explaining himself.

Germany looked over at me. My head was turned, fixated on the corner of the table to my left. I did not move.

"Please don't make me hurt you anymore," Germany moaned, as if he was hating every minute of it. "Just tell me what I want to know."

A tear fell down the side of my cheek and I didn't bother to wipe it away. I kept my eyes fixated on the corner of that table, unable to look at either of them. "You'll just have to kill me then. I'm on the brink of death anyway. I don't know anything."

Out of my peripheral, I could see Germany yanking on his hair in a frenzied mess. He was desperate for my confession. "Rhea, I don't want to hurt you."

I gave a serial killer smile- full of madness and irony. He knew that I meant 'bullshit.'

He brought his head down in defeat. "Gilbert, just put her back down there" he said with exhaustion and equivocation.

"West, she'll die. Surely we can just keep her up here-"

"SHE WON'T SPEAK!" Germany thundered, cutting Prussia off and grabbing his shoulder. Prussia physically stepped back because of the sudden outburst and contact. Perhaps realizing his aggressiveness, Germany ran a hand through his hair and spoke slowly. "It's out of my control if she won't talk. You think I like doing this?"

Prussia sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what to think anymore. Germany's power isn't going anywhere."

"Just take her down there. I can't take any more of it."

I snapped. Just like that I felt the rumble of the earth beneath me creating a tidal wave of terror that crashed and knocked the wind out of me.

I screamed. I didn't know what else I could do. I grabbed the sides of the chair, screaming and shaking it up and down. "No! You can't do this to me, I will die! Please anywhere but there, please!" I got up in a frantic state, but instantly felt the blood rush to my head and was forced to collapse back into the chair. Prussia approached me with an unsure look on his face, not really wanting to touch me in this state. He was smart. I rocked the chair back and forth, tears uncontrollably falling. "Monsters!" I screamed, hysterical. Prussia reached out to take me. I couldn't go down without a fight. His arm reached out to me and I latched onto it with my long nails. I clawed as hard as I could down his arm, ripping his snow white skin and turning it into streaks of red scratches and blood.

"Ow, shit!" he let out, reeling in his arm. Then before my eyes I saw him heal. Even more hysteria came over me. I was truly helpless. Anything I could try would fail. These were not humans. I kicked and clawed as much as I could before completely losing my energy. Prussia easily subdued me by grabbing both of my arms. I was pinned and could no longer move. I crumpled in on myself, my body completely used up. All I could do was take short and quick breaths. My back rose and fell with a quickness that bordered on hyperventilation. I could not utter another sound as he scooped me up.

The future was bleak for me. I was in way over my head and my worst nightmare was coming back to haunt me. As he took me down and the familiar darkness wrapped around me, I weakly beat my fist against his chest. There was no force behind it. I was despondent and demoralized.

I was put back into my god-forsaken cage, whimpering and unable to speak. I vomited into the hole on the floor when I saw the ceiling only inches from my face. Soon I was paralyzed, unable to move because of my lack of energy. My mind was deranged, as a person's mind got when they were faced with a situation like this. I could only wait to die. There was literally nothing that I could do to make my death any quicker. A cold sweat broke out across my face.

In front of me I saw a fire where I was being burned alive. I yelled but not one sound came out.