Two, Three, Four heads darted through the metal gates. Germany closed and locked it behind them just as the creatures rounded the corner coming down the hall.

"Do you think it'll hold them?" Italy asked panicky as they came within feet of the bars.

One of them began to shake the bars violently, another charged them. The bars didn't budge. "I think so... At least for now. But we should head deeper in while they're distracted," England added warily.

They had never been down this way before. They had just found the key in the attic along with the front door key, and one that was titled "Annexe". It was lucky they were all labeled or they might not have been able to escape here.

"Agreed," Germany nodded stepping away from the gate. They needed to get out of sight from these creatures or they would only continue to try and get through.

"L-let's go this way!" Italy led them to the left, unsure of where it would lead.

America looked over his shoulder as he ran after them, waiting for some sign from the others, any of them. They weren't dead right? This wasn't real! They couldn't all be... America turned and looked forward again, wiping his tears away as they came like buckets.

They passed through the little study room and to the tunnel-like halls that came next. Their goal was distance. This wasn't a time to explore, it was time to retreat. The cave like halls led straight for a while until making a sudden turn left. A mysterious light emanated from that direction. What exactly was down here?

Italy, who was in the lead, was the first to see it. He stopped running halfway down the tunnel. He fell to his knees as he saw it, heavy tears rolled off his cheeks as he cried.

"Italy, what's wrong?" Germany asked rounding the corner, as well.

The four of them looked ahead. Bright light filled a large opening in the ceiling down the hall. A ladder made from rope swayed from its entrance all the way down to the floor.

"It was here. We could have. We could have all gotten out from the very start!" Italy cried, remembering every time he had watched his friends die. For some of them, it was more than once now. How many times was this? They had been here three times already! And to think... They could have escaped the first time.

America walked up to the ladder with disbelief. Was this for real? They found an exit now?! What was the point in escaping now?! Everyone was dead! America looked up at the bright blue sky as he placed his hand on the scratchy rope ladder.

The physical touch of escape made America so angry he couldn't control himself, "FUCK!" America yelled punching the wall to his immediate left.

The rock tumbled away, leaving a sizable gap. America almost fell into it with the weight of his propulsion. He clasped onto a small ledge on the other side for support.

"America!" England shouted worriedly. England and Germany started to pull him back.

America took a deep breath, letting his anger go. He was still beyond upset, but he could think more rationally if he stopped punching walls. "Sorry..." He apologized.

"You're hurt!" Italy pointed out.

America looked down at his hand, which was bleeding, and had bits of peeled skin and dirt stuck to it, "Oh this? I'll be fine," America assured him. America thought about the ledge, and about what just happened. They were going to reverse time, so they wouldn't be able to remember what happened at the front door, nor rope ladder, nor half a million other things that happened during this time. He needed to warn them somehow. "Say, Italy. do you have an extra sheet of paper in that journal of yours?" America asked.

Italy pulled out the journal, "Why do you ask America?"

America took it, before Italy could complain, and tore out the last page in the book. "A-America that's!" Italy worried about how well the journal would work with a missing page.

"Sorry I needed the paper. What about a pen? Do you have a pen?" America asked handing the journal back to Italy.

"America, what are you doing?" England asked, as Italy pulled out a pen.

"Writing a letter," America replied.

/\

"Hey!" America shouted alerting the rest of the onlookers who had become silent after watching the horrific events that had just occurred, "This is it! This is where the letter must have come from!"

"What letter?" Canada asked.

"The one we found when we were searching the basement," England confirmed.

"It said: 'To the me in the future. Somehow I doubt anyone else would be able to find this spot. Which is why I'm sure it won't get snatched up by one of those creatures. We aren't doing so well here in the past, although I guess that's why there's still a future me who would read this. Anyways, if you find the front door key, Don't go to the front door! It's a trap! ... That's how we lost everyone. We've been cornered down here. Which is how we discovered this ladder. It's too late for us, but if it's still there in the future, that's our best shot. As soon as you can get everyone try and escape from here. The front door was...

I won't be able to remember this so I hope this note makes it in time.

From, your past self - America'" America read the letter aloud.

"Unfortunately. We are a little late to use the rope ladder in the basement. But the warning of the front door was something far more alarming," England mentioned.

"But we've spent all this time trying to find the front door key! Where else can we go?" China asked.

"We found what looks like a tunnel system behind bars in the annexe," France mentioned, "It's possible they could lead to another way out."

"UGH! I can't believe it! So even if we had found the key in the attic. THIS would have been the outcome?" Prussia complained. Talk about unfair, this mansion played by a set of rules none of them had ever seen.

"Maybe not..." Canada mentioned, "We've gotten stronger after every time we've been here. And, thanks to Germany's safe room, we weren't exhausted and beat up before we went there. Also it looked like it was the same creatures... at least to start with, that were in that cage in the attic. We had to fight them off too. It might not be so impossible for us to fight them off now."

"Still... That's not a risk I'd like to take..." Spain uttered thoughtfully.

/\

"Actually. That's not such a bad idea..." England agreed with America, "At this point we are staying with this timeline only until we can find a way to reverse time again. Knowing that we're going back may give us an advantage. We could set things up for that future where everyone is together. Make sure they don't fall down the same paths that we did."

"But, what can we do for the future?" Italy asked.

England thought it over, "Alright, so here's the plan. We leave notes, warnings, all over the mansion. Create fail safes to protect the future. Whatever we can, until we find either that clock, or the spell book I found last time."

"I like it. I won't pretend I understand any of this time traveling business, but if there's a way that I can still do something to - to change this outcome," Germany agreed.

"Let's start by finishing our search of this basement. The more we can find out about this place the better," England encouraged them.

/\

"It get's a little confusing for us here," Italy spoke as the scene around the observers from the future began to change, alternating between several scenes, "As to which part came first." Italy explained holding his head as he struggled to remember.

"Don't strain yourself," England patted him on the back, "Let the memories come. It doesn't really matter what order they came in as long as we can explain them."

Italy nodded and a single memory surfaced.

/\

Italy sat in the room in the basement just before the cave-like portion where they discovered the rope ladder. He had open the last - or second to last seeing as America tore out the last - page of the journal. He needed to write a letter as well. It was important after all. He wouldn't be able to remember this... He needed to make sure the him in the future did though. They were all depending on it. Of course it wasn't easy. It took him such a long time to finally open up... And some very precious words. Italy wrote as much of them as he could think of.

Italy read it over to himself when he was done, "'To the me who lives at some point in time... and who isn't alone. Once again, I made some mistakes, and also some progress. Meanwhile, I finally, but slowly, began to learn to rely on my friends. I was constantly afraid that everyone would blame me for dragging them into this, and that they would hate me, or be appalled at me, or get mad at me, and leave me... But then I was told that I had the wrong idea. They were very mad at me. Not that they hit me, but it really hurt. I finally figured it out, but I can't pass this memory onto my next self. Unfortunately, I'll lose my life yet again. That's why I'm writing a letter. Say thanks to England. And tell them the truth. I'm sure they'll get mad, but it's not that they hate you or think you're a pain. Why didn't you rely on your friends sooner? What are friends for? That's what they told me, and that's what they're going to tell you too. I'm sure I'll cry.'"

Something was still missing. "... and then... and then..." He added trying think of the right words. He needed something. Some powerful words. Something special that after reading, the future him would have no choice but to understand. Of course very few words like that existed. There were a few though...

"Look around yourself!" Italy shouted smiling as he remembered those important words his brother had told him.

/\

"This was when I wrote that note. The one that I addressed to my future self... and the one that gave me the courage to finally tell all of you," Italy explained. He smiled elaborating the further importance of this scene, "It was because of this letter, that I was able to feel confident in telling you all. And it was because of my brother that I ever found the words to explain." Italy laughed smiling warmly at his brother, "I have to thank you once again Romano."

So, even in their own timeline. When Italy found that letter, it was still because of him? Romano wasn't sure how to process this information. What was he talking about? since when had he done anything useful?! Was this some kind of prank or something?!

But it wasn't. Every word of it was the truth. He still adamantly tried to deny it to himself, but it was the truth. Tears started to brim at Romano's eyes and spilled over suddenly.

"Romano? are you crying?" Italy asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not crying dammit!" Romano rubbed away his tears quickly before anyone could see. His voice shook as he spoke, "I'm fine!" And he would be. Once he let it sink in that he had made a difference, maybe one of the greatest differences. Once he noticed that he had saved his brother.

/\

Power surged through England's palms as he attempted to record the strongest message he could send. This was important and everything had to be said just right. It was a warning, and also a gift to his future self. Spain had mentioned, there might be something wrong with England's magic in the past, and that something had happened to Italy. These were his main concerns as he addressed his future self.

There. It was set up, now he just needed to record the message, he needed to making it brief in order to ensure he would still have enough magic to do a few more things he had plans for. "To my future self who is watching this. There is no time to explain much. If by any chance Italy dies, find the journal! In return, you'll get his memories as well as my life! Go back without fail! Go back in time! Save Italy," England took a deep breath sealing it off. The message should be enacted as soon as the box was opened next.

Italy walked into the room. "I wanted to write a letter to my future self too, considering we won't be able to remember this. Can I add it to the time capsule too?" Italy asked.

"Go ahead," England answered trying not to invade Italy's privacy about the contents of his letter. England placed a clock he found in the other room into the little box as well. He managed to record his memory of Italy's death onto the clock. He didn't know the exact details of what happened to this future Italy but he assumed it was similar to what happened in the past. Therefore, England thought this might serve as a warning at least.

The box closed and the magic set in place.

/\

"I found that clock in the other room," England explained, "The past seemed to be out of order all the time in the mansion, and we were really at a loss as to how to correct it. At some point in this jumbled world we discovered it had a physical form in the clocks. Clocks recorded all of time, taking note of each moment in our past. Breaking them would cause us to remember things we had forgotten at those specific points in time. However I was able to imprint a few of our memories onto two of these clocks, in order for us to be able to use this information in the future. The clock I placed in the box is one of them. The other, is the one we are all experiencing right now... I'll explain that one in a moment."

"That's incredible!" Canada commented, impressed by England's power.

"Unfortunately, that's the same reason why our memory is all jumbled about the last part. We began messing around with time so much, it became unclear what order things were happening in," England explained.

/\

England handed Germany a box similar to the one they found in the pantry in the kitchen. In fact it was a duplicate he found in the same room. "Germany, I've placed that mysterious key inside this box, it's passcode protected so hopefully it won't vanish suddenly. It's important, as we still have no idea where it leads. It could even be another way out. I need you to hide it someplace safe, until our future selves are in need of it," England passed the box to Germany. They had looked all over this mansion for something it could open. Or, given it's name, something it could lead to. But they found nothing. Their only certainty at this point was that it must lead to something important.

/\

"Wait, a key that you weren't sure where it led to?" America asked reeling in the information.

"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. That key is the one we need to open the cell in the annexe ...ha... I almost forgot about it," England put his hand to his head taking a deep breath, so many things to remember at once! He looked to Germany, "Germany. You wouldn't happen to remember where you hid it, would you?"

Germany shook his head, "I'm sorry, but other than this, I don't remember anything from the past."

/\

The four nations stood in a circle in the room on the fourth floor across from the lever room. Each of their hands touched the the clock in front of them as England recited a spell. "I want each of you to focus on your memories of this time, hopefully we can record it as a warning for the future," England asked of them.

/\

"This is when we saved this memory. Given how delicate everything that happened in this time was we decided it was best to leave a message for our future selves. However, quite intentionally, saving the memory to the clock, blocked it from our own minds. Due to the sensitive nature of this world we needed to make absolutely certain we did nothing to alter its course further. It wasn't supposed to really affect us until we rewound time, but of course it also took on some immediate effects," England explained the situation.

"We had trouble remembering suddenly, what we had already done, and the things we had witnessed within the mansion," Italy added.

NEXT: PART 5