Time for the next part! I don't own Hetalia! Sorry this took so long, this chapter is basically a condensed version of the altered idea of this story and half the chapter got deleted multiple times for some reason... Also, I'm kind of doing a lot right now: I'm working on two webcomics called "My Name Is Alice" and "Welcome to the REM," working on a game I've been working on since 2014, trying to make plushies of characters from said works, and just in general trying to raise a thousand dollars for something important. But I have been trying to get back into the swing of writing fics weekly! Slowly but surely...

Around a hundred years ago, there was no magic.

Magic was illegal. It was frowned upon to even know how to heal with magic. The Council had deemed it so when one of the members was found cursed outside the castle, unable to speak and unable to use his hands to communicate.

While the whole kingdom suffered deeply for it, none were quite as affected as a small boy named Alfred.

"Is he going to be okay, Mom?" Alfred had asked upon seeing his mother's patient after the ban began.

She solemnly shook her head. The dying man's hand was clasped in hers.

Matthew was hiding just outside the door at Alfred's side; he didn't really have the heart to see someone injured. Because of this, he never witnessed the magic of healing as Alfred had.

"Why not?" Alfred questioned innocently. "You can just heal him and make him all better!"

His mother shook her head again. Alfred lost the smile he had when he saw tears run down his mother's face.

"I can't do anything..." she sobbed. "There aren't any herbs that are as strong as magic. I can't..."

It was after this that Alfred started studying magic.

Matthew, while he was apprehensive about the whole ordeal, never told anyone his brother was becoming a sorcerer.

Unfortunately, their lives took a turn for the worse.

"Ms. Jones," the knight standing at their door had said. "You're hereby under arrest for the use of healing magic while under the ban of magic."

She crossed her arms. "Your proof?"

From behind him, the knight brought out a small blonde man, a rival healer. Her lips tightened into a thin line in disgust.

"Take her away."

"Mommy?" Alfred poked his head out of the door frame. "What's going on?"

The rival healer suddenly had a look of pure shame upon his face. She glared him down before looking back to the knight.

"What about my boys?" she asked. "I'm the only one taking care of them."

The knight looked down at Alfred with something akin to pity in his eyes. "The castle can always use more servants..."

Alfred's mother sighed in defeat. She then straightened herself up and forced a smile onto her face as she called for her other son.

"Matthew! We're going out! You've always wanted to see the king's castle, haven't you?"

They didn't get to see her again after that. They both had to work at the castle as servants while she stayed in the dungeons.

Alfred had to work even harder to hide that he was sorcerer. He had to force himself to find some time to practice magic between his work hours and sleep. He hated it and was dying for an excuse to leave the castle.

"You're going on the expedition, Al?" Matthew had asked.

Alfred was shoving clothes and cleaning rags into a rucksack; which was which didn't really matter. Other servants occasionally glanced over or murmured about their nostalgia over their first expedition.

"Yup!" Alfred slung the bag over his shoulder and beamed at his brother. "They need someone to watch the horses and polish their shields and stuff."

"Isn't that what you already do?"

Alfred brushed the comment off. "Details, Mattie, details!"

"Well... Um... Have fun on the expedition," Matthew said sincerely. "Don't get into any trouble."

"Mattie. Trouble? Me?"

"Well, we're lost."

"Really lost."

Alfred had gotten himself tangled in the reins of his horse. A knight in training, Yong Soo, happily stayed behind to help him. However...

"Which way do you think this village is supposed to be?" Alfred asked.

"They said it was east but..." Yong Soo said uneasily.

"How the hell are we supposed to know which way is east when the paths are in the mountains?"

"I dunno. We guess?"

Yong Soo shut his eyes and pointed in a random direction, his arm hanging in front of Alfred. The finger pointed directly into a wall.

"This way good?" Yong Soo said with his eyes still closed.

"Nah," Alfred moved Yong Soo's arm toward the closest path. "Here is fine, though."

As they were about to go, a glint in the wall caught Alfred's eye. He grabbed Yong Soo's arm before the other could walk off. He wordlessly pointed to the glint in the wall before the two of them went over to examine it.

"Yong Soo... Gimme your sword for a second."

Alfred chipped away at the rock surrounding it. Their eyes widened as more and more of their treasure was revealed.

A purple gem.

Alfred packed up his things. He was being banned from the castle but that was just a minor inconvenience in light of things.

The gem he found amplified magical power. The "Stone of Life," they called it. Once he told the king, the ban on magic was instantly lifted.

But he had to confess that he was a sorcerer so...

"I could go with you, Alfred!" Matthew said firmly.

"You don't have to do that, Mattie," he protested. "I was kicked out, not you."

"But you're my brother! Shouldn't I go with you?"

Alfred set down his bag on the bed and grabbed Matthew's shoulders. He gave him a weary but reassuring smile.

"Hey, look... He said that I broke the law and stuff, but I still helped the kingdom enough to let me still work for him. He kicked me out of the castle but he gave me this cool lab to work in. You can still visit me whenever, he even said so, Mattie."

Matthew sniffled a bit before launching himself into Alfred's arms. "B-But I'll miss you, Al... You're all I've got."

Alfred gently wrapped his arms around his brother's back. "I'll miss you too."

The tower was fine, if a little dusty. Incredibly quiet.

It annoyed the hell out of Alfred.

Before him was a bubbling cauldron filled to nearly the brim with a pink potion. It was a healing potion that he was trying to invent. If it worked, it would even remove curses from someone! All it needed was a powerful ingredient to give it a little kick.

He held a stone of life on some pliers. All he was planning to do was dip it in and quickly pull it back out. His hands were shaking with excitement and he was completely wrapped up with his task.

"Hi, Al."

Alfred jumped at the sudden noise and dropped the gem. It disappeared beneath the potion, making it turn a bright red and start shaking the cauldron. Alfred grunted in annoyance and turned to his brother.

"Mattie! Bro! I'm kinda busy right now!"

Matthew recoiled. "S-Sorry. But it was time for my monthly visit. I didn't mean to interrupt you."

Alfred sighed. "It's fine. Just... Geez, we need to put a bell on you or something-"

"ALFRED!"

Matthew ran forward with his arms stretched out in front of him. His eyes were wide with panic. He shoved Alfred to the ground just as the cauldron tipped over. Alfred recovered from the fall just in time to look up.

The two locked eyes for a brief second.

Then there was an explosion.

And a wet splatter.

Sorry this took so long. Not sorry for what happened.

Review, please.