Thanks to Trapaopo, ToolboxHDR, Kattie, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, Allans, StuffyJinx, Shattering Colors, ScandinavianTrash, Trying To Try My Best and three anons for reviewing.

I know a few of you are disappointed with the previous chapter. But there were certain things that I wanted to happen that I wanted to keep in the same chapter. I did set the stage for it, but didn't get a chance to actually use it. As it is, what I wanted to write in the previous chapter makes up more than 2200 words of this chapter, and I like to keep the wordcounts at about 3000. So, you can see just how big it is that I wanted to add.

And Trapaopo, I wanted to do it like that, but the story took a different direction. And I keep asking myself why the questions I know I have to answer are always guest reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 25

Vlad sighed, looking worriedly at Matthew. After calling Feliks, the Canadian had practically passed out on the couch, whimpering in pain. Vlad had sliced a piece of cake for him as well, but when he tried to bring it to him, Matthew had looked at him with bloodshot eyes. So instead, Vlad had retrieved a glass of water and an aspirin, which Matthew happily took.

He hoped that the headache wasn't anything serious. He also hoped that it was a natural headache, and not the result of anything Death was doing. He also felt bad, because Matthew had wanted to sleep it off, but they were interrupted by Francis's arrival. He feared that the headache had gotten worse by waiting for a while.

Shaking his head, Vlad took his plate with cake to his room. He would give Matthew all the space he needed. He didn't want to make the headache worse.

…

"What did I tell you about videogames, Alfred?" Megan Williams demanded. "You're grounded, remember?"

"Come on, how long are you going to torture me?" Alfred asked.

"It's not torture. It's punishment. And until you apologise to your brother, and mean it."

"Why should I?"

"Because he's your brother. And you've done a lot of awful things to him. Do you realise that you're facing the possibility of expulsion?"

"How do you know that it really happened? Mattie could just be lying, and using the police to do so."

Megan sighed in frustration.

"Alfred, the police wouldn't get involved if it wasn't serious," she said. "And Matthew wouldn't do something like that."

"How do you know?" Alfred demanded.

"Because if he was going to do something like that, then he wouldn't have wanted you to attend this school too."

"What do you mean?"

"We were originally only going to send Matthew. Let him come on his own. When we discussed it with him, he said that he wanted you to have the opportunity as well. Our family had just gotten back together again, and he didn't want us to separate again."

"But… what about what I wanted?"

"You didn't object when we discussed it with you. You were angry when Matthew got the invitation, but happy when you found out that we would all be coming."

Alfred bit his lip. He couldn't deny that it was true.

"Do you realise how much it hurts me to see my sons fighting?" Megan asked. "I just want there to be peace between you again."

Alfred winced. He hated seeing his mother like this. After a few moments of silence she sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm going to the store," she said. "I don't want to see you breaking any of the rules. You're still grounded, remember?"

"Hard to forget it," Alfred griped.

She shook her head again, before closing the door. Alfred heard her footsteps disappear and he sighed.

Matthew… had wanted him to come?

He had been clouded by jealousy. After all, Matthew was asked to come to one of the best schools in the world. Alfred didn't even earn a second glance. It was clear among the teachers as well. They all knew that Matthew was the one that the school wanted, while Alfred was only there because he was Matthew's brother.

But… Matthew wanted him there?

Alfred's stomach dropped. He had gone out of his way to ensure that Matthew's school life was as horrible as possible. He didn't want to accept the fact that Matthew was better than him. He also made sure that Matthew had as few friends as possible. If he had his way, Matthew wouldn't have any friends.

He had hoped to chase Matthew's friends away by torturing them, but instead it had brought them together. Alfred resented the fact that they were so close. Far closer than Alfred's friends, at least.

He was also upset by the fact that Arthur had ended their friendship because of Matthew.

No, because of Alfred.

He thought back on the last few months. About the amount of times he heard Matthew crying in his room, and how he would feel smug when he heard that. Or how Matthew seemed to shrink in on himself. He wasn't as talkative as he used to be.

But when he thought back to his conversation with Matthew earlier, he felt his stomach twist.

Matthew had asked him what he would do if Matthew ended up dying. And Alfred had basically told him that it wouldn't matter. Alfred had told his brother that it wouldn't matter if he died. And suddenly he found himself breaking out in a cold sweat.

He remembered when he pushed Matthew down the stairs. What had set him off was when Matthew told him that he was a villain, instead of the hero that he wanted to be when he was little. And when he thought about the fact that he had told his brother that he didn't care if he died, he realised that Matthew was right. Alfred was the villain.

Alfred realised that he should apologise. He had taken it too far. And he didn't want to think of himself as the villain anymore.

Alfred was lying on his bed, but started to stand without thinking about it. He absent-mindedly made his way out of his room. He only snapped out of his daze when he realised he was in his parents' room.

And he realised in horror that he had no control of his actions.

He couldn't stop his body from moving, and when he tried to speak, no sound would come out. He was forced to watch as he went to their closet, and the safe kept inside. He didn't know how, but the safe had already been opened. His hand reached out and grabbed the gun that his father kept for safety purposes.

Alfred returned to his bedroom with the gun in hand, feeling terrified. He had no idea what was happening, or why he couldn't stop himself.

He sat on his bed, facing the mirror. And his eyes widened when his reflection changed into Matthew with red eyes.

"Do you see what you've created?" 'Matthew' asked. "You made me a monster. I hope you realise that everything that's happening now… It all starts with you. This is 'goodbye', Alfred. Remember, you brought this on yourself."

Alfred felt the fear grow when his hand moved on its own, and he opened his mouth, only for the muzzle of the gun to enter his mouth. He tried to scream. He tried to tell 'Matthew' that he was sorry, but the image in the mirror calmly watched.

He felt his finger move and heard a click, and realised that the gun had been taken off safety. His finger then rested on the trigger, and he closed his eyes, unable to stop himself.

…

"And everything's still fine there?"

Vlad smiled. As promised, he had called his mother, and in spite of the time difference, she was quite eager to talk.

"Da," Vlad said. "I have wonderful friends, and even found fellow magic users."

"That's wonderful," his mother said. "And how is the school?"

"It's great," Vlad said. "The building is huge, and you wouldn't believe how many clubs there are."

"And how are the other students?"

Vlad hesitated slightly, before he forced a smile on his face, even though his mother couldn't see it.

"They're great," Vlad said. "Really friendly."

"I'm glad to hear. And are the neighbourhoods safe?"

"As safe as can be."

"Bine. Oh, Alexandru wants to talk to you too."

Vlad waited as the phone was presumably passed on to his younger brother.

"Frate mare, how are you?!" Alexandru asked excitedly.

"Hey there," Vlad said, smiling as he heard his brother's voice. "I'm great. And what's going on with you?"

"It's boring without you here. Do you think we could visit sometime?"

"I would like that."

"But do you think that's a good idea?"

Vlad ignored Blood, choosing to focus on his little brother.

"Yay! What do you think Mama?" Alexandru said.

Vlad waited a while, hearing his mother's voice in the background.

"Mama said that we might be able to come for Christmas," Alexandru said.

"Da, I think that would be good," Vlad said.

They chatted for a while longer before finally hanging up. Vlad sighed, sinking on his bed.

"You know that you would probably disappoint them, right?" Blood asked.

"Shut up," Vlad muttered. "All I'd have to do is ignore you for a few months. I can do it."

"Yeah right."

…

Megan sighed when she returned home, carrying a few bags of groceries. She hated punishing her sons, especially Alfred. When she and her husband had originally divorced, he had gone to live with his father. Megan rarely saw him.

When they remarried, the main reason was to keep their sons together, and not to torment themselves by living apart from one son. They weren't exactly loving towards each other, but they were amicable. That was already an improvement.

After depositing the groceries in the kitchen she went upstairs, intending to check on Alfred. His door was ajar, and she knocked before poking her head in.

And she screamed in horror and anguish.

…

"So, we going to do it?" Mathias asked.

He was walking down the street with Ivan and Natalia. They had decided to go to Feliks's house. Alfred had managed to warn them that Vlad wasn't completely alone, but apparently Feliks would be.

"Of course," Ivan said. "Before our fun is ended permanently."

"Wait," Natalia said, holding her arm out and urging the other two to a stop. "Look."

They followed her gaze, and saw what she saw. They were just about on the corner of Feliks's house, but a block away they could see the presence of police cars.

"What do you think's going on there?" Mathias asked.

"Don't know," Natalia said. "But if we tried anything now, we'd end up in a lot of trouble."

"Da, I agree," Ivan said. "Looks like we'll have to have our fun another day."

…

It was almost time for dinner, and Vlad went to the kitchen. Since Lovino wasn't there anymore and Matthew wasn't feeling well, he would probably have to provide dinner.

They hadn't touched the snacks that Francis had brought, so perhaps they could eat that? He hadn't really checked if they were dinner material. If they were savoury snacks, then perhaps it was possible. Sweet might be difficult for dinner.

Vlad glanced towards Matthew, and noticed that he was extremely pale. There was also a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, but his breathing was at least normal. He was tempted to check Matthew's temperature, but wasn't entirely sure if they had reached that level of friendship yet.

He would wait for Matthew to wake up to ask about how he was feeling. But for now, dinner should be the priority. Matthew might want to eat when he woke up, and Vlad was starting to feel peckish.

Vlad continued to the kitchen, and he checked in the basket. They looked like pastries, and he took one. He took a bite, and he was pleased to see that it was, indeed, savoury. He went to one of his cabinets to get a plate, and placed three of the pastries on it.

He returned to the living room and saw that Matthew was waking up.

"Hey," Vlad said. "Are you feeling better?"

Matthew nodded, smiling softly.

"Are you hungry?" Vlad asked.

"A little," Matthew said. "But… I need to go to the bathroom first."

"Alright."

Matthew quickly rushed off after grabbing his glasses. Vlad sighed, thinking that he should probably prepare a plate for Matthew when a ringing sound distracted him.

He looked to the table to see that Matthew's phone was still there. He wondered if it was right to answer, but it wouldn't hurt.

He saw the word 'Mother' on the screen, and knew that he should answer.

"Matthew's phone, Vlad speaking," Vlad answered the phone.

"Vlad?" Matthew's mother asked. "Where's Matthew?"

"He's in the bathroom. Ma'am, is something wrong?"

"It's… It's Alfred."

"What happened?"

"He… He shot himself. In the head. We called the ambulance to see if he could still be saved, but… Matthew's brother is dead."

Vlad felt his stomach drop. Another one of their bullies had been killed. And he didn't know if it was in fact suicide, or…

Was it possible for any of the others to set a trap, allowing the victim to die later and thus keep it hidden who was truly responsible for the death? The same way Elizaveta had been killed?

"I'm… I'm sorry to hear that," Vlad said. "I'll… I'll tell Matthew as soon as he's out of the bathroom. Would you want him to come home?"

"I… I would appreciate that. But… tell Matthew to call me as soon as he can."

"Alright. I'm… I'm sorry about what happened."

"Thank you."

…

As soon as Matthew entered the bathroom he locked the door. He didn't want Vlad to walk in, even if the other was too polite to simply walk in. The next thing he did was remove his glasses. He didn't need them anymore.

He looked into the mirror, seeing the red eyes staring back at him. If he wanted to, he could change them back to their original colour. But he only wanted to do that if he needed to continue passing himself off as a human.

He cocked his head to the side, before he snapped his fingers. He wanted to see what he looked like now.

A dark mist enshrouded his body, and when it disappeared he looked completely different.

His hair was longer, becoming a darker, more golden blond. It hung slightly past his shoulders, but it retained its original wavy texture. He wore what appeared to be a white coat with a fur collar. Black pants were tucked into fluffy white boots. On his cheek was a tattoo of a maple leaf with a thorny vine trailing down his jaw, down his neck and disappearing under the coat.

He was a demon that was once human. He was no longer Matthew. He also was not Death anymore. As stated, the two had merged into one.

The ritual was complete.

He could manipulate death, determining who would die, how and when. He could watch his intended victims as it was happening. He could control their actions that would lead to their deaths. He could also arrange events to ensure someone's death.

That was what he had done to Alfred.

Matthew had really had enough. And upon finding out exactly how little his brother cared for him, he knew that it was time to end it. All it brought was pain.

But Death was right. He was incapable of regret now.

He could hear the whispers around him, and knew that several shadow worlds were pleased. They had chosen him as a potential demon, and now their wishes were fulfilled.

One down, three to go.

He found that he didn't mind much. It would be lonely without his friends. So perhaps he should help them complete their own transformations?

He rather liked that idea. He wouldn't be alone, and he would have his friends with him. Most of his compassion had already disappeared, but he was still attached to his friends.

Another thought crossed his mind. No one would take a demon named Matthew seriously. He needed to think of a new name.

He snapped his fingers, returning to his human form. He placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, before turning his attention to the toilet. He had told Vlad that he needed to use the bathroom…

As he left the bathroom, a name popped into his mind, and he smiled at the thought.

He returned to the living room, where he found Vlad looking distressed. He adopted a worried look that wouldn't look strange for Matthew.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked.

"Your mom called," Vlad said. "She said to call her back. She'll be picking you up."

"Why? W-what happened?"

"Alfred committed suicide."

Matthew widened his eyes, looking shocked and horrified. Of course, he already knew that it had happened. He had pulled the strings, after all.

"W-what?" he whispered. "But… But how?"

Vlad shook his head, handing Matthew's cell phone to him. Matthew quickly dialled his mother.

"Mattie," Megan said. "D-did Vlad tell you…?"

"He said that Alfred committed suicide," Matthew said. "But how? And why? Did he leave a note or something?"

"No… no note. He shot himself. He took your father's gun out of the safe and shot himself."

Matthew sank onto the couch, pretending as though he was absorbing the "shocking" news. He could feel Vlad watching him, trying to determine if he was the one responsible for the death. But Matthew knew how to pretend to be normal.

"I can't… I can' believe that he would do that…" Matthew said.

"Matthew, are you alright if I come pick you up?" Megan asked.

"Yes… Yes, of course."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

"See you soon."

Matthew hung up the phone, and he turned to Vlad with teary eyes. Vlad came closer, looking concerned.

"I-I know he was a j-jerk and everything," Matthew said. "But… He was still my brother. Do… do you think he… he was hurting and… and then…"

Vlad shook his head.

"Nu, I don't think so," he said. "I don't think that was the reason why he did that to us."

Matthew sobbed before he threw his arms around Vlad, who hugged him back. And while he was externally the picture of grieving brother, internally he was a triumphant demon.

He could tell that Vlad had lost his suspicions. He would just need to be careful not to cause suspicion again. He was also pleased that he could destroy that poison that had threatened his life.

But he knew that he wouldn't want to go on alone. Even if he was a demon now, he still wanted to be surrounded by his friends. And they couldn't find out. Not yet. He wondered how long it would take for the three remaining bullies to push them beyond the edge, and whether or not it was necessary for him to arrange things so that his friends could become full demons as well.

He thought back to the name that had popped into his head earlier, and he played with the idea a bit more.

Morthew.

I was thinking that they would want names to reflect their new demonic personas, since their human names would probably remind them about how weak they used to be. Morthew is a combination of "mort", which means "dead" in French, and "Matthew".

Alfred finally realises how big of a bastard he is and was thinking of apologising and making peace, but it was a little too late.

Biggest news in South Africa at the moment is the storm in the Western Cape. When the Portuguese originally landed there, they called it the Cape of Storms. Wonder why… It's not a hurricane or anything, but a rainstorm. A huge rainstorm, combined with the dreaded winds of the Western Cape. The waves have reached swells of over 12 metres. And in Hout Bay, the surfers are excited… If you want to get an idea, go to YouTube. Specifically, check for Eyewitness News and SABC Digital News.

And as though nature in South Africa isn't angry enough, there's also the Knysna fires, which started because of lightning and spread thanks to storm winds. Now, it's common to hear of squatter camps being burned down. Last night we saw Rheenendal affected. As my dad puts it, he doesn't think that there's a house under R3 million there. All of it, destroyed.

Never before had I been so happy to live in the Highveld, far away from any ocean.