Thanks to awaw, EllaAwkward, Zaaze, Squeeeeee, Olivia Kirkland, Yvette, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash, Mehloveshorror, CosmicDucks, missycanucks, Myrna Maeve, Elizaveta Hedervary - Hungary and an anon for reviewing. 250 reviews reached. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 35

Vlad was flying through the air, scanning the ground below for any of the demons. If they were about to do something, Vlad wanted to know what it was and stop it before it could happen.

But he kept being distracted by the thought of the white feather. What did it mean? Never before had something like this happened. No fallen angel had ever had one of their black feathers become white.

They usually became demons before too long.

Vlad wanted to know what it meant. In nine thousand years he had never experienced anything like this before. Everything had remained constant for so long. Except after the times Ivan had tortured him. Then, for some time afterwards, his wings had appeared to become darker.

Vlad didn't know what it meant, and he didn't know anyone who he could ask. If he didn't know, then there was no way that someone else would know. After all, he was the expert on Nephilim and fallen angels.

For now, he would allow Heracles to form his theories. Perhaps a former angel of philosophy would find a solution.

One thing was for sure: he couldn't allow Ivan to know about this. It might spur him on to speed up his plans. And the one that would be the first to be in danger wouldn't be him, but Lovino.

And as luck would have it, he didn't find the demons at all in the surrounding area. He didn't know if he should feel grateful or worried.

…

Heracles sighed, looking between Jason, Marcello and Henri in turn. Feliciano looked worriedly at Heracles, while Lovino kept his gaze on the window where Vlad had disappeared.

"What's going on?" Feliciano asked.

"Well," Heracles said, "they're definitely hypnotised."

"But I feel fine," Jason said, before looking at the other two. "Right guys?"

"Si," Marcello said.

"It doesn't matter," Heracles said. "There are still traces of a hypnotic suggestion. I didn't think that Raivis was that powerful. And unfortunately, it's extremely deep. I can't reach the suggestion in order to dispose of it."

"Then how do we get rid of it?" Lovino asked.

"Well, first we have to hope that Vlad would be able to reach it. The only alternative is that we wait for the hypnosis to set in."

"Why do we have to do that?" Henri asked alarmed.

"It needs to be brought to the surface," Heracles explained. "That's the only way we can make sure that it's disposed of."

"W-what about me?" Hans asked.

Heracles looked over towards the younger boy.

"You're fine," Heracles said. "You may want to rest, though."

"He's right," Alexandru said. "You should rest and recover. Having someone invading your mind can place quite a strain on you."

Lovino frowned at the statement.

"Vlad's been inside my mind a few times, and I've been alright every time," Lovino said.

Heracles and Alexandru exchanged a look before turning back to Lovino.

"Vlad knows how to be careful," Alexandru said.

"And unlike him, Raivis didn't care whether or not he causes mental damage to you," Heracles said. "In fact, causing mental damage might work in his favour. I think."

Lovino sighed.

"And speaking of Vlad, what is that white feather?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Heracles said, crossing his arms. "I've never heard of something like that before."

"Only the angels of justice can redeem a fallen angel," Alexandru said. "Especially the one that condemned the fallen angel in the first place."

"You think it's redemption?"

"That's the first thing that popped into my mind."

"I don't think it's that," Heracles sighed. "Otherwise, Vlad would have been redeemed a long time ago. He would have been redeemed after the Nephilim Hunt."

"He didn't want it, remember? It involves being forgiven, and Vlad has nothing to forgive, according to him."

"And besides, he's made up for it a thousand times over."

"What else could it be…?"

"Does it matter?" Lovino asked.

"You're the one that wanted to know what it was," Marcello pointed out.

Lovino blushed.

"We don't know what it means yet," Heracles said. "We don't know whether it's a good or bad omen. All we know is that a strange white feather has appeared on Vlad's wing."

"How can it be a bad omen?" Henri asked.

"With everything that's been happening lately… One can never be too careful."

…

Matthew was wandering through the house, searching for something to do. He didn't want to be a bother to anyone, and he wanted to be useful…

He never realised how boring it would be when their option to go outside was taken away from them. Even if it was to protect them…

He looked into the 'library'. It was actually a living room with a bunch of bookshelves filled with books. It wasn't large enough to be considered an actual library. He smiled when he saw Gupta there, reading avidly.

"You sure love books," Matthew said.

Gupta glanced over towards Matthew before turning his attention back to the book. Matthew flushed, wondering why he had spoken out and thought it best to leave. As he turned, though, Gupta's voice stopped him.

"You may join me, if you want."

Matthew turned back to Gupta, who was looking at him and smiled softly before going to an armchair across from Gupta.

"So, what's that you're reading?" Matthew asked.

"It's a book written by Vlad," Gupta said. "It's kind of like a guidebook for Nephilim, like us."

Matthew blinked in astonishment, staring at the book.

"What does he say?" Matthew asked.

"It's hard to explain," Gupta said. "It describes many aspects of being a Nephilim. Including what might happen in the case of corruption."

"You mean…?"

"Right. Becoming a demon. Nephilim that become demons… Apparently, they're truly feral. They have no sense of reason. And only demons can control them."

Matthew swallowed nervously.

"According to this," Gupta continued, "Vlad has never allowed a Nephilim under his watch to become a demon. But… there's only been one case when a Nephilim was killed. Someone named Vas."

"H-how did he die?" Matthew asked.

"It doesn't say."

…

Jason went to the game room where Alfred was yet again. He looked at the screen with an unamused expression for a moment before plopping down on the sofa.

"Yo, bro," Alfred said, pausing the game and looking at his brother. His expression turned serious. "Did something happen?"

Jason sighed, before he turned to Alfred.

"I saw a demon," Jason said. "It flew up to the window."

Alfred immediately grew alarmed.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked. "Did it hurt you?"

"Not… really," Jason said. "But… apparently, it placed some sort of hypnotic suggestion in my mind. Al… If I start acting weird, I need you to knock me out. I… I don't know what could happen."

Alfred sighed, before throwing his arm around his little brother, pulling him closer. Jason allowed himself to be hugged.

"Don't worry about it," Alfred said. "I'm the hero, remember? And I will always protect you, little bro."

Jason smiled, but he snuggled closer to Alfred nonetheless. He would trust his brother to keep him safe from the demons.

And he would go to his other brother for added protection.

…

Vlad returned, feeling just a little upset. He hadn't found any sign of the demons, and it worried him. They were up to something, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be good.

He was just about to enter the house when he smelled it: old blood and smoke. The scent of a demon.

Vlad growled, summoning his wings and launching himself into the air again, flying as fast as possible to the location of the source of the scent.

He was disappointed when he saw that it was Nikolai. Nikolai noticed his disappointment but didn't comment on it.

"What are you doing here?" Vlad asked.

"First, I'd like to thank you for the blood," Nikolai said. "Things went pretty well. He's not overthrown, but at least he sees me as more of a threat."

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you're here for more blood," Vlad said.

"That would be nice, thank you. And I have some information that you would want to hear."

"Da?"

"Ludwig had managed to return a vampire from the dead by retrieving the consciousness from purgatory."

"I am aware of that. It's not exactly useful information."

"Ivan has done the same."

Vlad was silent, his eyes widening slightly.

"Vampires that had died a little over a week ago," Nikolai continued. "Vampires that are acquainted with you, and who, frankly, don't like you very much."

"Dammit," Vlad said, hitting a tree. "He went after them. He went after the two members of the Bad Touch Trio that had been killed."

"Not just them, from what I've heard," Nikolai said. "All of the vampires that had died that night."

Vlad stared at him blankly.

"Shit," Vlad said. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"I take it you know what that means," Nikolai said. "How bad would the damage be?"

"Bad," Vlad said. "I don't even know who exactly had been killed. But the two members of the Kirkland brothers alone would cause problems. They're all gifted at magic." Vlad looked at Nikolai seriously. "How valid is this information?"

"You can trust it. I have checked multiple times. I even heard it from Natalia."

Vlad ran his hand through his hair.

"This isn't good," Vlad said.

"Now, about my payment…"

Vlad sighed, snapping his fingers and conjuring a small glass bottle. He bit his finger and allowed the blood to drip inside, filling the bottle. He placed a stopper in the bottle before handing it to Nikolai.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Nikolai said, before he disappeared.

Vlad sighed again, withdrawing his wings. He had retracted them when he had landed, since he didn't want Nikolai to see the white feather. Not until he knew what it meant.

Scanning the area one more time, he made his way back to the house.

…

Lovino was relaxing on his bed when someone knocked on his door. He turned his attention to the door to see Marcello.

"What is it?" Lovino asked.

Marcello stepped closer, not answering. Lovino sat up. Something was wrong with his little brother.

"You are completely oblivious, aren't you?" Marcello said, his voice void of emotion. "So trusting of Vlad."

"You…" Lovino said, eyes wide. "Y-you're that demon."

"At least not completely stupid."

"S-shut up! Leave my little brother alone!"

"Not so fast. You know, it's a shame that I can't put you under my spell like this."

"L-leave him alone, you bastard!"

Lovino had jumped off of the bed, and he raised his fist.

"You wouldn't want to hit your own little brother, now would you?" Marcello, or the demon using Marcello, said.

Lovino hesitated, and the demon chuckled.

"I just like to know something," Marcello said. "Has Vlad been completely honest with you?"

"He's entitled to his secrets," Lovino said. "If he needs to tell us something, then he will."

The demon scowled.

"So, I guess he hasn't told you about Vas," the demon said. "The one Nephilim he allowed to be killed. The one person he loved more than anything else in the universe."

Lovino's eyes widened. Somehow, hearing that… It made him angry. And he didn't know why. He didn't know the reason behind his emotions, and it made him confused and angry.

Marcello's eyes rolled back, and Lovino's own widened. He lunged forward and managed to catch his brother just in time as he slumped to the floor.

"Damn," Lovino said, dragging Marcello to the bed. "You should really start watching your weight."

He sighed in relief when he managed to place Marcello on the bed, wiping his forehead from the effort. He would search for Heracles to tell him about what had just happened with Marcello, and then he would go searching for Vlad.

He was suddenly very interested to hear who Vas was.

…

Toris, Eduard and Raivis had returned to Ivan's palace. They were supposed to help Ivan with the former vampires, though Raivis had been given a break in order to see what he could do regarding Vlad and the Nephilim.

Judging by his smile, he had been successful.

"Share with me, my little Raivis," Ivan said cheerfully.

"W-well," Raivis said, "I used the brother to speak to Vlad's heartwing. I brought up the subject of Vas."

"In what context?"

"As the only Nephilim that he had allowed to be killed. And as the person he loved more than anything else in the universe."

Ivan chuckled.

"Even if Vlad manages to explain himself, the seeds of doubt have already been planted," Ivan said. "Now we just need to get him out of the house."

"That might take a little while longer."

"That is no problem. The longer it takes, the more chances we have to hurt him."

…

Vlad made his way up the stairs, but before he could get off on the third floor landing he was suddenly tackled by Lovino. He widened his eyes in surprise when Lovino grabbed hold of his shirt.

"Lovino?" Vlad questioned. "What's going on?"

"Who the hell is Vas?" Lovino asked.

Vlad stiffened.

"How do you know that name?" Vlad asked.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Vlad was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"I'll show you," Vlad said. "Let's go to my room first."

Lovino nodded his head, releasing Vlad's shirt. Vlad started to walk towards his room, Lovino following him closely.

Once they were in his room, Lovino spoke up.

"I want to see with blood," Lovino said. "I want to make sure you're not lying to me."

"What's gotten into you?" Vlad asked.

Lovino huffed.

"No one said that the demon would be able to speak through the ones that he had hypnotised," Lovino said.

Vlad's eyes widened.

"Who?" Vlad asked. "Where?"

"Marcello," Lovino said. "He's on my bed. You can go to him after you let me drink enough blood to know what's going on."

Vlad was hesitant for a moment before he caved in, biting the wound from earlier. Lovino was instantly there, ready to lick up the few drops.

Lovino went limp, and Vlad helped him onto the bed before going to check on Marcello.

…

He saw Vlad, sitting next to a woman who was drenched in sweat, though her eyes were staring blankly. In his arms he held a baby. It was obvious what had happened.

Vlad had helped the woman to deliver the baby, and she had died in childbirth.

Vlad looked down at the baby and smiled.

"It looks like it's just you and me now," Vlad said. "Now, what shall I call you…?"

The image shifted, and the baby had grown. Vlad was teaching it how to walk. The baby had scruffy black hair and red eyes. Lovino gasped when he saw the eyes.

They were Vlad's eyes.

"Come on, Vas," Vlad said. "Come to papa."

Lovino realised that this was what the demon had meant. Vlad had a child, whom he had loved more than anything else.

The scene shifted again, and this time Vlad was on his knees, crying in anguish. In front of him was the tiny corpse.

"Ivan!" Vlad shouted. "You bastard!"

Lovino noticed Ivan, who had a smile on his face.

"You should have realised that that would be the child's fate," Ivan said. "And if I didn't kill him, then the angels would have."

Lovino felt his throat constrict when he saw Vlad pick up the tiny corpse, rocking him in his arms. Tears were streaming down Vlad's face.

"You will never be loved, Vlad," Ivan said. "And everything you love is mine to take away."

…

Lovino gasped as he returned to his senses. Vlad was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down.

"He was your son, wasn't he?" Lovino said.

"Da," Vlad said. "His mother died in childbirth. She was a woman that would have been executed by her tribe if she didn't choose a husband soon. If she didn't bear a child. I helped her, and it was all for naught." Vlad sighed shakily. "I took care of Vas. He was my son. My precious son. The angels couldn't take him away from me. He was a light that shone in my dark world. And then, when he was only five years old, Ivan came again. He killed my son, and I was forced to watch. I couldn't do anything to stop him."

Lovino swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Is that why you have a soft spot for us?" Lovino asked. "Because… You had a son with a human?"

Vlad chuckled before nodding his head.

"I suppose it's the primary reason, yes," Vlad said. "Angels had hunted down the Nephilim, not caring that their fellow angels were losing their children. That a small piece of happiness was being stolen from the angels. They were unknown, so they had to be destroyed."

Lovino nodded.

"Humans are the same way," he said. "We destroy something we don't understand." He was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me about your son?"

"Would it have mattered?" Vlad asked. "It would have just reinforced any doubts you guys might have. That I wouldn't be able to protect you."

Lovino swallowed nervously.

"You once told me that you're afraid of telling your heartwing about your connection," Lovino said. "This is why, isn't it?"

Vlad was quiet, as though in thought.

"Da," he said. "I don't want history to repeat itself."

…

When Hans opened his eyes, he saw that asides from Alexandru, there was someone else in the room. Someone that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hello, Hans."

Hans's eyes widened, and he threw his arms around the other. He felt incredibly happy when he felt the other hug him back.

"I missed you, Vater," Hans said.

"And I missed you," Roderich said, kissing his son on the head.

I've been asked about the progress of the CanadaXWorld story. This applies to all the stories that I have yet to post: I'm swamped. It's my final semester, and it's as though all the lecturers are just dumping everything on us. For next week, I have a 12-page paper due, of which I only have three pages, I have two tests, I have a project due, and I have overdue homework to submit, and I have to present a seminar. So, I've been busy and had no time for the other stories. I barely have time for the stories I'm posting. The exams start in two weeks, and I might have some extra time there. And I should be free after the 8th of November. So, just be patient, alright?