Thanks to Redbayly, AquaEclipse, NadiaJA627 and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing. Oh my god, I made an even longer chapter. I'm sorry for the wait, everybody, but I wanted to give this a proper ending, so it took some more time. I hope you'll have fun reading! Now, on with the show!

Belize didn't need to be a genius to know that something was off.

Seriously, who wouldn't think so? Haiti practically screamed into their ears demanding to know where his creepy diary, and then suddenly he decides to change his mind and give up? As much as Haiti liked being frustratingly vague, he's not good at being subtle, wasn't he?

Personally, Belize felt that there was something evil about that diary from the very beginning, and not just because of the entries that Haiti 'wrote' in scrawls and symbols that she didn't even want to know the meaning of. Why would Haiti keep that old book? It looked on the brink of falling apart and every singled page was used up. Sentimental value? Please.

Haiti practiced devil-worship. Everyone knew about it; his neighbors were nervous around him because of it, even Belize herself.

It's obvious it's something evil, something dangerous, and Haiti was banking on them messing up somehow. Belize read that diary (or at least tried to, and for the most part she just looked at the drawings), she was there when Seychelles found about that page, just as they were about to leave.

Oh, speaking of which, Egypt just brought that up! Belize perked up and watched with a serious expression. It's about time too. She was starting to think that he was planning on standing there doing nothing with that blank face of his. How much thinking could he need for this?

Meanwhile, on another topic, she felt a little worried for the Caribbean girls. It must have been really frightening for them, to see… well, hear Haiti again after a while. Chances were that the little incident a little shaken. Belize gazed at the two girls. Bahamas was talking with Saint Lucia, and she looked worried, and…

…Wait. Was it just her imagination, or did Saint Lucia look a little pale?

/ / / / /

If it weren't for North Korea, America would've burst into uncontrollable laughter, or at least crack a smirk, but he got his emotions under control.

But anyway, here they were now in Georgia's capital. And yes, he meant the country, not the state.

Georgia lived in a simple but pleasant apartment in Tbilisi, which was where they're going right now. America knew exactly where it was, this wasn't the first time he visited her. She'll no doubt welcome them warmly, or at least America, she loves it when people come to visit her.

In fact, to prevent any feelings of suspicion and to demonstrate their trust in her, America decided to undo the cloaking spell, despite North Korea's disapproval. There was no reason to use it. Georgia's already aware that he's coming to visit and like always she's delighted to have a guest.

And they arrived on record time too! America had to, time was of the essence and he'd really like to get Georgia on board or at least reach some sort of deal by the time an hour or two or three has passed. Russia won't exactly stay standing idly forever, and America was sure that he wouldn't mind at all nuking him now that he had a valid reason now.

Yeah… Get a deal, whatever it'll be, whether it's helping her get Abkhazia and South Ossetia's heads or agreeing to spare nations close to her, get out, use his connections to teleport to Hawaii to pick her up, the key to Russia's defeat, up, drop off North Korea at his place with his troops, then America will go meet with his troops in Alaska.

Yeah… sounds easy, right?

If she didn't want to join, then they'll try to convince her to give them her permission to let their troops pass her northern border to get to Russia.

No force, threats and/or coercion will be used against her in the case she refused to do that too, which was very unlikely.

To be honest it didn't really matter if Georgia agreed or not, they still had plenty of nations from where to enter Russia, America himself included. Still, her help was more than welcome and the decision to included her in the plan also stemmed from being 'too good of a person to get wiped off the map'. America was happy with that, he truly liked Georgia.

Proud, passionate, warm… those were the words America would use to describe Georgia. Pretty outspoken too, which more than often got her in trouble with Russia.

Overall, she's a good person and friend.

When it came to Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and most of all Russia however…

/ / / / /

Everyone went on either discussing or arguing, or even both, about what happened with Haiti, and now Egypt was saying something, but Bahamas was too busy dealing with her nerves to pay attention to a lot of what they were saying. Bahamas could feel her palms sweating, and she nearly wanted to chew on her fingernails from how shaken he felt.

She knew better than to hope that she'd never see Haiti again, but still, she never wanted to see him again. Bahamas felt so nervous and anxious that she was starting to have a stomachache, and she wouldn't be surprised if sooner or later she'll get the urge to throw up.

Bahamas was thankful that no one ended up hurt. In fact, for a moment she was scared that Haiti might go after her and Saint Lucia for revenge…

Oh, look at yourself, Bahamas! She palmed her own forehead in frustration. Fretting over yourself when your friend and only good neighbor left's standing right next to you! How could you have forgotten about Saint Lucia?

Groaning softly, she turned towards Saint Lucia, and she frowned when she realized that the younger girl was hugging her stomach. Concerned, Bahamas lightly poked her neighbor on the shoulder. Saint Lucia flinched and let out a barely audible shriek and whirled towards her. Her face looked like a little pale, as if she was sick. Bahamas began to feel even more worried for Saint Lucia.

"Hey, Lucy…" Bahamas began softly. "Are you okay? Anything I can do to help?"

She expected a complaint, but instead she got a weak whimper. "Stomach… hurts… a lot…"

Bahamas bit her lip in worry, and her first action was to manage a comforting smile and try to "I think it's the nerves, Luce. My stomach's hurting a bit too. I'm sure it'll go away after a while…"

Saint Lucia shook her head, and she scowled a little. "No, it's not going away… It hurts. It hurts so much… I feel sick, like really sick. Kinda lightheaded, head hurts a bit too. The pain feels that it's… it's getting worse…"

Saint Lucia squirmed and hugged her stomach tighter.

"Do… you want to go to the restroom?" Bahamas asked worriedly, gesturing towards the door. "If you feel that bad, then I think you should…"

Saint Lucia quickly nodded her head in response.

/ / / / /

"…and that's when I couldn't take anymore. I left and tried to come back here, though I kind of got lost without Felipe to help me… And, well, here I am."

Indonesia looked at them all expectantly, waiting for them to properly digest all that information, and taking in their reactions. Singapore, as talented as she was for maintaining for a calm disposition, had a shocked expression on her face to put it simply, and even looked slightly pale. East Timor, as you'd expect from a child, looked absolutely confused, and there were probably a million questions popping in her little mind, but at the same time there was worry in her eyes.

She recounted the events that happened with South Vietnam slowly and carefully, as well as with excruciating detail and adding how she felt throughout the whole tragic incident. There were times when she got interrupted, mostly by either innocent questions from East Timor or Malaysia's sleep-talking, but Singapore listened attentively and nodded along and never cut her off once.

She was grateful to them for caring, she really was. Indonesia needed comfort and to pour out her heartbreak for than anything (That and for South Vietnam to just stop what's he doing, please. Please, please, Allah, please stop him and help see reason and make him come back to her!). Singapore and East Timor were all she had, but she couldn't ask for better.

Indonesia once again sniffed and tried to dry off her wet cheeks and the tears she failed to hold back with her sleeve. It wasn't easy telling what happened. The memories pained her, even though it all happened a little while ago, it made her want to tear her hair out and scream in despair.

She didn't see Philippines on her way back here, which she was immensely grateful for. The last thing she needed was him berating her or insulting or whatever he wanted to do to her to make her suffer.

Fisting her skirt, Indonesia swallowed as she kept waiting for Singapore and East Timor to say something, or at least react in some other way, but she supposed that they were still in a bit of a state of shock. She didn't blame them.

It was Singapore who finally broke the silence.

Singapore heaved a long sigh and then looked back at Indonesia with what looked like sympathy. "This is… a lot to take in."

"I know." Indonesia nodded weakly, hugging her knees. "It took me a while to accept all this too. But I'm telling the truth, I swear! I know it sounds really hard to believe, you know I'd never joke about something like this!"

"Please, don't swear." Singapore requested, sighing again, and she took a deep breath before speaking again. "I believe you. Like you said, I know you wouldn't joke about such a thing. Also, I think we can all agree that in our current situation, suspension of disbelief and the possibility of the impossible being possible is... acceptable."

"That's right!" East Timor agreed wholeheartedly, nodding. "I'm not sure what suspension of disbelief is, but I believe you!"

Indonesia managed a small grateful smile. "Thank you."

"But back to the topic. So… So, you say that South Vietnam never… died?" Singapore asked carefully, and Indonesia could tell she was trying hard to find a logical explanation for that. "He never died, because America rescued him, right? I have no problem with that. But… I don't understand. Magic? He's being kept alive thanks to magic?"

"I didn't know you could do that with magic." East Timor commented innocently, "Is it anything like England's magic?"

Singapore surprisingly managed to snort. "You mean like waving a stick with a star around like a madman and nothing really happens or petting the supposed 'flying mint bunny' sitting in your lap? Please."

East Timor looked up at Singapore with big sad eyes. "But England told me that flying mint bunny was real!"

"England also told everyone that the so-called Unseelie Court was out to get him." Singapore retorted easily, and then she scoffed. "Besides, if you can't see the accursed bunny, then how can it be real?"

"You two, please, not now." Indonesia pleaded them, feeling a headache starting. "I'm not in the mood…"

Singapore stopped scowling and winced in guilt. "…You're right. I apologize, Indonesia."

"Yeah, we're sorry, Kira." East Timor said apologetically, hands going up to her head to pull down her straw hat and hide her face, before she realized that she didn't have it on.

Indonesia let out a sigh. "Don't worry, just don't do it again. But to answer your question, no, I don't think it's like what England likes to do."

"Then what is it?" Singapore asked.

"I'm… not quite sure, to be honest." Indonesia admitted, trying to remember her conversation with South Vietnam about the matter, despite the pain. "In fact, I think he told me that he's not exactly alive…"

Singapore quirked an eyebrow. "Meaning…?"

"He wasn't very specific with the details… He's not exactly proud of his condition, but…" Indonesia trailed off for a moment, and then continued carefully. "He told me that he's basically a corpse with is soul forcibby attached to its body, forbidden from moving on to the afterlife. He also told me that in a way, he's dead, but his soul hasn't realized it yet."

"A corpse with its soul forcibly attached to its body…?" Singapore repeated in disbelief, and then she groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Ngh… forgive me, you know I don't believe in such things. So, it may take more time for me to completely accept that."

"More than the fact that South Vietnam's alive?" Indonesia asked skeptically.

Singapore shook her head. "No, no, that too…"

"I don't get it either." East Timor said helplessly.

"Yes, well, neither do I, but maybe it's best if we don't think about it. That's not even the most troubling of all this." Indonesia swallowed, and she began to tear up again. "Chinh wants another Vietnam War of all things. He wants to get his land back. No, he wants to become Vietnam, the only Vietnam. He hates Lien so much that he…"

The heartache came back with full force, and it took all Indonesia had not to burst into tears right then and there.

"I don't understand how he could…" Indonesia bit her tongue stop to herself from finishing that sentence. How he could do this to me. "No, I-I… I do understand. He's went through so much and the… war… the war drove him mad. I know because I saw it. But the things he wants to do…"

"But… But… he wouldn't really do that, would he?" East Timor asked fearfully.

"He wants to use Agent Orange." Indonesia stated bluntly.

Singapore visibly flinched at this, and East Timor gasped.

"He wouldn't…" Singapore muttered in shock. "Is he insane? Doesn't he know from experience that it could affect him too?"

"I highly doubt he cares if it means that North gets hurt." Indonesia said bitterly.

"Forgive me, Kira, but the very idea of another war is preposterous." Singapore protested, rubbing her head for the umpteenth time. "First of all, how can South Vietnam wage another war? He's not a country anymore, so he doesn't have his people to fight for him.

"I don't know… He really didn't…" Indonesia struggled to speak as Singapore continued.

"Second, how could he think he could declare war and win if he lost the first time?"

"I-I think…"

"Third, what makes him think that the world will just take this lying down?"

"I don't know!" Indonesia screamed, causing Singapore to freeze. "I really don't know. I-I think America's helping him. I think I remember him mentioning that he's going to have a lot more help than before…"

Singapore stared at her in surprise for a few moments, before she went into deep thought.

"And combine that with the element of surprise and the fact that Lien will be completely unprepared…" Singapore said aloud as she stroked her chin, and she gulped. "If… If what he's saying is true, then depending on his allies, how brutal America is with his assistance, and have some sort of plan for his people, then he could have a fair shot at this…"

"I think you mean he has a very good shot at this."

Indonesia felt her heart stop. No…

She dared look behind her, and true to her fears, Philippines was standing there in the doorway, looking just about as happy as ever.

/ / / / /

"Is there any reason why we're at your house?" DRC taciturnly asked South Africa as the latter opened the door.

DRC would be lying if he said that he didn't feel at least mildly annoyed by this. He already made his discomfort and impatience very clear to South Africa and Nigeria. In DRC's opinion, he's waited long enough to get his hands around Belgium's neck, it's been put off for long enough. He could feel his bloodlust start to well up. He wanted blood. He was hungry.

And you will' were the words South Africa calmly spoke while he gave that mysterious smile of his. DRC was left a little puzzled, but he decided to assume that would mean they'd go to Belgium… He was wrong.

The fantasy frequently going through his head as of late where he tortured Belgium to no end was becoming too much for him. He was willing to wait before to go after Belgium at another time, but DRC found himself having a lot less patience than usual. The fact that Belgium still existed made his head hurt, which was a first, and it filled him with rage. He wanted to tear off her pretty little head off her pretty little neck to finally shut up that pretty little annoyinggratingunbreablemockinghorrible voice forever…!

DRC bit down his tongue, so much that he began to taste blood. It hardly gave him any comfort.

He wondered if this was what the Africans have had to deal with all these years. Other than hiding their true cruel personalities, they had to bloodlust and ignore their hunger. If so, then he just gained a new level of respect for them.

"There is, and a very good one, mind you." South Africa calmly remarked, gesturing for the others to follow him.

"I hope so." DRC growled angrily.

"Aw, how many do I have to tell you to stop being so grumpy?~" Nigeria sang gleefully, now feeling considerably better than before and he had now reverted to his usual psychotic and cheerful self. "When will you ever understand that we never do anything without a good reason? Don't you remember when we took you to Belgium? You had fun, didn't you?"

DRC's eyes went wide at the mention of the incident from what very well may be one of the best days of life, and he felt a pleasant heat pass through his body before he felt his frustration vanish somewhat. Nigeria's right. He should know better from experience than to doubt them, after everything they've done for him. If this little detour was going to lead to something as thrilling as the Belgium incident was, then he'll gladly follow without complaint.

He nodded, and Nigeria's grin grew even wider.

DRC wondered what they could have for him here.

DRC then heard groaning, and DRC glanced back at CAR to see the skinny nation trembling and hugging his stomach. He stumbled towards DRC, who grabbed him by the arm before he could fall over.

"I feel sick… nauseous…" CAR muttered, looking rather green now that he mentioned it. "Want to throw up… but can't…"

"Oh, that tends to happen to people who aren't used to teleporting…" Nigeria explained, laughing a bit, and then he grimaced. "… especially on an empty stomach. Just walk it off. You'll be fine in about a few minutes, ten at most."

"Huh…? Oh." CAR said distractedly, having stopped tumbling and appearing to have regained his sense of reality, and he smiled sleepily and nodded. "Alright."

CAR's hasn't had a violent mood swing since he ate that meat, and had officially embraced his cannibalistic urges, and DRC's glad for that. It's a sure sign that CAR's recovering. He's still a scared and stressed teenager, but he's becoming… cheerful, as strange as it sounded. He's becoming more at ease, and even laughed for the first time in a while earlier.

"If we're done chatting, the surprise is right down here." South Africa happily announced, gesturing at the floor, or at a carpet to be more specific. "I just know that you're going to love it!"

"I really don't see what you want me to see." DRC deadpanned "The carpet is nice, though. Did Morocco give that to you?"

South Africa playfully stuck out his tongue. "Ja, actually, though it has to be the cheapest birthday present I've ever received. But anyway, I wasn't finished."

After that was said, South Africa kneeled down and pulled away the carpet, revealing nothing but the floor. He grinned and dug his nails into the floor, seeming to be pulling at something, until he ended up opening a large piece of the floor from the earth. A trapdoor.

The rainbow nation smirked. "Well? Come on! Watch your step though."

The trapdoor let to a staircase, where DRC had to carry CAR because he was still feeling lightheaded, and he followed South Africa and Nigeria. Not willing to ask questions until he saw what they supposedly had for him.

"What is this…?" DRC muttered.

South Africa raised an amused eyebrow. "Can't you tell from the smell?"

It took DRC several seconds to realize that he was referring to the strong odor of blood, dirt, steel and rotting flesh in the room, which he just noticed. He was so used to those types of smells that he didn't even...

"So… delicious…" CAR whispered dreamily.

But that wasn't even important. What's important was the room itself.

The sight in front of him was something that could only be described as the ultimate torture storage room. Literally the room was filled to the brim with torture devices and tools of all kinds and from many countries and cultures. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if South Africa had every torture device that ever existed down here.

He spotted Nigeria practically dancing and jumping around in sadistic glee through the room, giggling and cackling. It seemed like a twisted version of how a child would react if they were taken to a shop filled with candy and toys and were told that it was all theirs. South Africa may not share Nigeria's childlike glee, but he was smirking proudly at it all.

DRC couldn't blame Nigeria or South Africa for being so happy. This room was made for broken, psychotic and cruel people like them. It had everything needed to torture anyone physically, painfully.

Then it all clicked.

South Africa and Nigeria wrapped their arms around each other, and they turned to him with identical sadistic grins, and they spoke in unison. "Surprise!"

/ / / / /

"Ve~, I'm glad you're feeling better, Doitsu!" Italy chirped, as cheerful as he always tried to be in rough times. "I was getting really worried when pasta didn't even seem to work on helping you feel happy again!"

Germany wouldn't really say that he was feeling that much better, though it's an improvement from earlier. And he definitely wouldn't say that he's feeling happy, far from it. He just pulled himself together and swallowed all his despair and grief so he could help prevent the other nations from killing each other and start their plans to stop the New World Order.

Still, Germany merely nodded and grumbled 'ja...' quietly, not wanting to put a damper to Italy's mood. He also envied how positive Italy was being, though he wasn't the one with the traitor brother. He briefly wondered how Italy was dealing with Austria's betrayal, and suspected that he might be actively trying to ignore that little tidbit so it wouldn't cause him pain, but again, Germany didn't want to upset him right now.

Italy's been doing his best to remain a positive disposition, and Germany wouldn't be surprised if he was doing it to hide his own sadness.

But anyway, there's much to do now. They needed to go over the list of names again, decide whether to prioritize rescue or plans of attack... Germany was especially concerned for Namibia and Liechtenstein, and he was determined to save them and warn the latter if possible. They also needed to round up as many allies as they could before the Order could do anything to them.

Hence why Germany was on his way to the door to the meeting room now, accompanied by an optimistic Italy and a grim Japan, to restore order and do something before it's too late.

Germany frowned and wrinkled his nose in distaste. The word 'order' felt odd on his tongue now, for obvious reasons. It felt wrong.

As he pondered on this, he couldn't help but overhear Italy and Japan's conversation, and he looked back to see what was going on.

"What if there's someone who wants to hurt me and kill me too?!" Italy fretted and worried, trembling in fear and white flag already in hand.

"I doubt that is likely, Italy-san." Japan tried to assure him. "There has no one mentioned who would have a reason to hurt you, Italy-san. At least… someone who would be motivated by revenge to hurt to you."

But Italy didn't sound convinced, as he whimpered. "N-No! That's not true, Kiku! What if the cannibal nations decide to go after me and eat me?!"

"Then we will do our best to make sure they do not hurt you, Italy-san." Japan responded calmly, again trying to reassure him. "I think I speak for me and Germany-san when I say that we will protect you to the best of our ability."

"Oh, grazie, grazie!" Italy cried out in relief, but soon he shrank back in fear. "But what about Turkey?"

Japan flinched at the mention of his friend and frowned. "What about him?"

"What if he wants revenge for how I kicked his butt back then?!" Italy exclaimed in fear, now trembling more violently. "I'm doomed! Turkey was so scary when he was the Ottoman Empire, what if he becomes scary again?!"

"W-Well, there's no way to confirm any of that until we get a direct answer from Turkey himself, so…" Japan trailed off, sounding uncertain as to what to say to calm down Italy, and Germany nearly wanted to sigh when Italy burst into tears. "B-But, Italy-san, like I said, we will not let him hurt you…"

Italy gulped, and began stuttering again. "B-But-"

"Japan's right." Germany finally decided to interject, looking back at Italy sternly. "You're going to be fine, so stop crying and trust us for once, will you?"

"I do trust you!" Italy protested, sounding hurt. "I-I'm just scared of-"

"What did I just say?"

That calmed him down.

They arrived at the door to the meeting room…

Only to find a smiling Bosnia there waiting for them.

"Well, would you look at this? The Axis are the first come back!" Bosnia exclaimed with uncharacteristic glee. "Not that I'm surprised. England always had rocky relationship with reality, Canada's hopelessly naïve and foolish, and France can only do so much for the two of them. So, good for you, I guess…"

Narrowing his eyes at Bosnia's behavior, as well as remembering Hungary's warnings, Germany stepped forward. "What are you doing out here, Bosnia?"

Bosnia's smile vanished, and he snarled hideously. "What? I can't go wherever I want? None of you have any right to order me around. Besides, it's really noisy in there."

"Hungary's been telling you've been very unpredictable lately."

"Hungary knows nothing."

Germany began to feel irritated. "Bosnia, go back inside."

"Nice… very… verrrryyy nice…" Bosnia snickered darkly, and Germany could hear Italy whimper and hide behind him as he did. He grinned widely. "You think you're so smart, don't you?"

There was something mocking and smug about the way Bosnia spoke and smiled, like he knew a lot of things that Germany didn't, and this immediately made him feel even more concerned about Bosnia. More importantly, he was acting extremely out-of-character.

"I bet you three are feeling real highly of yourselves, da? Like you've seen the light of heaven and believe that everything and everyone will just bow down to your wishes. Just like at the start of your little plan in the forties." Bosnia taunted maliciously, and he burst into cackles when Germany, and no doubt the others, flinched. "Oh, I struck a nerve!"

Germany clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. The more emotional, less logical side of him made Germany feel very tempted to punch Bosnia for that comment, which was beyond uncalled for, but he knew better than to act irrationally. And Hungary suggested to only use force or pain when there's no other option with Bosnia.

"Do you seriously think that you're heroes? That you have the so-called moral high ground?" Bosnia asked mockingly, and he flashed an insane smile. "WRONG! This is war, Germany! There are no saints! You and the Order have their own justifications for their actions, but unlike you all, they're not afraid, they're not thinking themselves as heroes. They're just nations who are fed up with you and the world!"

Bosnia laughed, slightly less psychotically now, but nonetheless still very mad.

"Why even fight them?" Bosnia challenged. "What's the point, besides stopping nations from getting killed? What are you even fi-?"

Bosnia's taunting was unfortunately cut short when the door behind him suddenly opened and out from it came a frying pan that slammed down his head and sent him collapsing to the ground, moaning and unconscious.

Hungary then stepped out, staring down at Bosnia with a very displeased and annoyed glare.

"Miss Hungary!" Italy exclaimed in joy, nearly giving Germany a heart attack.

"Honestly, I knew I shouldn't have gotten rid of the leash…" Hungary made a 'hmph!' sound and picked Bosnia up by the collar, when she finally noticed Germany staring at her in sheer disbelief at what just happened. She smiled. "Oh! Ludwig! You finally decided to come back! How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better…" Germany grumbled, and then he remembered about Austria. "And you?"

Hungary's smile became a little tight at the question, but her warm disposition didn't waver, and she sheepishly shrugged. "Better. I'm not… okay, but I'm feeling better, so there's that."

"Well… good for you, Elizaveta."

"Um… Miss Hungary?" Italy asked meekly, finally coming out of hiding behind Germany and clutching his white flag. "Why was Bosnia acting so creepy and scary?"

"Hmm?" Hungary hummed, blinking a few times before looking back down at Bosnia. "Oh, you don't need to worry about him, Italy. He'll be back to normal when he wakes up. I promise that I'll do my best from now on to keep him on constant watch… and keep him on a leash."

She didn't answer the question.

"Anyway, you should really come back inside, Ludwig." Hungary suggested, smiling sheepishly. "It's getting rather loud in here and we could sure use someone like you, because frankly, I'm not what we're supposed to do now.

"Ja, don't worry, I will." Germany assured her.

Hungary's smile broadened a bit, and she dragged the unconscious back inside.

Taking a deep breath and rubbing his head in a last effort to get rid of at least some of his stress, Germany stomped into the room where he then did what he always did at World Meetings and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"QUIET!"

"What's going on here?! This is not the time to be arguing!" Germany shouted for everyone to hear.

From there Germany was informed of their little spat with Haiti that occurred just a while ago about the latter's diary. Germany did his best not to cringe at the memory of the unnerving entries and scrawls… and that page with the talismans.

"I say we don't do anything to it and keep it too." Egypt suggested calmly. "He… the man you encountered… must have likely had a good reason for giving it to us, if he truly intended to help, and he has."

Germany's thoughts immediately went back to when he met that man, and his conversation with him. Right, he… The African man or the Mystery Man as they all unofficially decided to dub him, his intentions didn't seem to be to cause them harm. How could he? After all, it was thanks to him that Germany and the others now knew the truth.

But still, Haiti's actions were worrying. It was very suspicious that he suddenly gave up so easily. Could it have something to do with the page with the talismans and the warning to not take any of them off no matter what? It sounded likely.

"Perhaps we can save that discussion for later when France comes back, since he has the diary." Germany stated gruffly, rubbing his temples. Suddenly he wished he brought aspirin with him. "I want to discuss some other things first, before anything else."

Part of him didn't want to ask what he wanted to say, but Germany wanted the truth and nothing but the truth. He may not like this, but he needed to accept it.

"Is there anything else any of you haven't told us?" Germany asked slowly, gazing at several certain nations. "…Anything that may or may not involve Gilbert or Roderich?"

Immediately there were some who winced, but hands also flew up, those being the Central Americans as well as Algeria and Tunisia.

Germany turned his gaze to Belize, who was waving her hand around and among the most likely to be brutally honest. "Ja, Belize?"

"There was this time when we went to pick up Nica and Costa. We were about to leave and all, when Honduras got shot and it turned out there was Austria and some others there waiting for us." Belize grudgingly recounted, and she rubbed her shoulder as her neighbors cringed. "We lost… badly. Almost all of us got killed, but not permanently, obviously. I got shot and Austria beat me up a little…"

"Wait. He came to where you were?"

Belize nodded. "That's kind of what I said."

"But… why?" Germany asked, more to himself than to Belize. "You're all here. So, how… why would he…?"

"My guess? Just for shits and giggles." Belize spat, crossing her arms. "He also wanted to meet us and get back at us for disrupting everything, but you something? He didn't seem angry at all. He even congratulated us!"

"I… don't understand."

"You think we do?" Belize scoffed, and she flashed a humorless smile. "I think it's better to forget it, Germany. We're here, we're alive, and that's all that matters."

No, Germany wanted to say. He couldn't forget it.

"China, Russia, have either of you sensed any suspicious activity in your lands?" Germany found himself asking, deciding to change the topic. "Or in China's case,

Before they could answer, however, Egypt cut in.

"If you mean that if they sense that anyone has their entered, then don't." Egypt stated blankly, looking at Germany dead in the eye. "They have some sort of magic that prevents us from sensing them. That's how they caught France, Spain, Belgium, Belize and Honduras by surprise."

"The situation in Hong Kong and Macau isn't getting any better, aru…" China grumbled angrily, and Germany could tell that was true. China looked even more tired than before. "In fact, it's getting even worse. I was so sure that the PLA could quell any disobedience, but somehow they're getting killed off… Someone couldn't have smuggled soldiers to…"

"You sent your army to Hong Kong and Macau?" Germany asked in disbelief.

"China-san, please tell you weren't planning on causing another Tiananmen Square." Japan said worriedly.

China visibly paled at the notion, and then he sputtered. "Of course not, aru! This is different! Besides, you haven't seen the state those two are in and what they're doing! The humans have gone insane, aru! And since those two are part of the Order, then that must mean they intend to secede! Well, I won't let them! They're going to stay exactly the way they are whether they like it or not!"

"Please, if you can't even get Taiwan to become a part of you, what makes you think you can stop Hong Kong and Macau, who have the backing of like dozens of nations including America, from getting independence?" Belize asked disbelievingly, eyebrow raised.

China's eye twitched, and he scowled. "First of all, that's because she's already a part of me, and she has limited recognition, aru. Second, unlike Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau don't have their own militaries and they are cities!"

"That's technically four things, China." Nicaragua scoffed.

Before China could promptly burst into flames, Germany decided to cut in.

"I think we can all agree that the first thing we should do right now is to gather as many allies as we can, even the odds more to our favor." Germany suggested sternly, slamming his hands down the table. "The Order could be planning an attack or to coerce more nations to join them for all we know. The sooner the better!"

Everyone collectively nodded or murmured in agreement. Seychelles shyly raised her hand.

"Ja, Seychelles?" Germany said.

Seychelles slightly flinched, as if she didn't really expect Germany to notice her. "W-Well, now that you… believe us, I… I was wondering if you could help us rescue Mauritius."

Germany's eyes widened. He forgot about that. They mentioned that Mauritius also escaped with the other Africans, but he got captured at some point while in France.

He felt a little uncomfortable and pressured by the way Seychelles was staring at him with desperation in her eyes. Mostly because he's awkward with women, and he was a little concerned that he'll disappoint her and cause her to burst into tears, and Germany didn't want that.

"I see." Germany nodded slowly. "And, where is he?"

"I… we… think that he might be in Switzerland's house, but we're not exactly sure… but who else could it be?" Seychelles asked shakily, and she was beginning to tremble. "Please, Mister Germany! They want to brainwash him! They want him to do horrible things and enjoy doing them! We can't just abandon him! It's already been days and… and…"

"She's right." Egypt agreed, taking over for Seychelles. "We now know where he might be, and we'd like your help in rescuing him. Many participants would be nice, and strong ones too, if the result of the Central Americans, Algeria and Tunisia's little fight is any indication."

"You're not going to keep using that as an example in the future, are you?" Belize deadpanned, obviously displeased.

"Please, Germany!" Seychelles begged, hands clasped together. "I know he and I are just island nations, but he's a good person. He doesn't deserve this!"

Germany stared at her and nodded. "Very well-"

"Oh, merci!" Seychelles cried out in joy.

"But before anything else can be discussed…" Germany continued, hoping to God that his face wasn't turning red. "Is there anyone else who needs to be rescued that I don't know about?"

"Yes, there is." Algeria was the one who spoke. "Western Sahara. I haven't heard from her even before the African Union meeting, in which she was absent, and I'm worried about her."

Western Sahara… That's an interesting case.

"Well, I'm not so sure about her." Germany admitted, and he hastily continued once Algeria's expression contorted in anger "We can't know for sure what she's doing or whose side she's on, especially considering Morocco gave her independence so suddenly, so –

Algeria's eyes went wide. "He what?"

"A few days ago, I remember my boss mentioning that Morocco had granted Western Sahara independence." Germany recalled, and he raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Didn't you hear about it? I was so sure you of all people would. The humans of the refugee camps in your country are returning back to Western Sahara, didn't you know that?"

Germany wondered if he should have been less blunt, because he practically left Algeria speechless.

"I-I… no, I didn't… I had no idea that…" Algeria struggled to speak, stunned and looking pale in shock. "T-There was so much happening that there wasn't time to check the news… and… and… it didn't even cross my mind to…"

Tunisia put a hand on his sister's shoulder and looked at Germany. "So you think we should try and contact her?"

"Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. But do not go over to her house." Germany ordered firmly. "Africa is not safe."

There was an amused snort from Romania. "Was it ever?"

Germany decided to ignore Romania and continued with the main topic. "So, we should all start making some calls, unless the Order had found some way to cut off communications. We are organizing an emergency World Meeting, as soon as possible. And if we can't reach them, then we'll have to get to them ourselves."

"You mean we'll have to teleport everyone here?" Romania asked incredulously, and he hissed. "You gotta be kidding me, Germany. Even with three of us here with that kind of power, it'll be impossible to get the whole gang here in one day! Hard work has its limits, you know!"

Egypt nodded in agreement, frowning at the idea.

"I meant using conventional means of travel." Germany deadpanned, resisting the urge to sigh. "Cars, trains, and planes and the like."

"Oh, in that case, that's alright by me!" Romania laughed heartily, while Hungary rolled her eyes. "Still, I wouldn't mind making a few trips, especially for friends and fa…"

Romania trailed off, and he somehow became even more pale as his eyes went wide in shock.

"…Shit."

Then he exploded.

"Damn it, I can't believe it! I completely forgot about Moldova!" Romania cursed, and then with a fanged snarl he tipped his hat. "Well, sorry, but I'm out of here. I'll be back before you know it!"

"Wait! Romania, what-" Germany could only manage to spout that out before Romania burst into flames, alarming many of those present, and vanished. "…Verdammt, he's gone."

Belize let out a squeak and she held a hand to her chest. "God, I don't know which one gives me more of a heart attack. Why would he set himself on fire to teleport? Why? Why?"

"I have no idea, but you have to admit that it does look really cool!" Honduras chirped in admiration, eyes practically sparkling. "I wish I could do that… Egypt, can you do that? Can you teach me? Por favor?"

Egypt could only blink. "I… that's…"

"That's not the point." Germany groaned, before they could go too off-track. "When I said we could go warn the others ourselves, I meant do it in pairs or groups."

"Ludwig, please…" Hungary lightly scolded him, a disapproving frown on her face. "I wouldn't worry about Pasty Stake Bait if I were you. You know he has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve and all. And besides, I'm worried about Moldova too."

Germany sighed. "I understand, but it's better if we all-"

"Seeing comrade Romania has reminded me of a very important matter as well," Russia piped up, though the usual cheer in his voice was absent, and his face was serious. "I'm worried about my sisters. They, or at least Nat, are in a safe house but now I'm worried that Lietuva and friends will go after them, though I have no doubt Belarus will show them a thing or two."

"Wh-What about Lovino?! He doesn't know we're in danger!" Italy cried out in worry. "And I don't know if he'll listen to me or even believe me! Oh! Oh no! And what about Seborga? And Vatican City and San Marino? They don't know anything about this either!"

"I think I could say the same for Taiwan, Vietnam, and pretty much the rest of Asia as well, aru." China noted grimly, "They're currently in the dark now, and I'd much rather them discover the truth through us instead of the Order. Not to mention Vietnam must be told that South is alive as soon as possible, it might very well save her life."

"And what about Panama?" Costa Rica demanded. "We don't even know whose side he's on or what he's up to! I'm worried about him!"

"And I'm worried about Western Sahara!" Algeria barked.

"Ukraine's been held back by her boss, that I know. But I haven't heard from Belarus or the other Baltics."

"I don't want them to tempt Taiwan with offers of-"

"The other Yugoslavians should know what's going on with Bosnia, especially Herzegovina."

"D-Don't forget about Kelvin!"

"A-And it'll be all my fault for not saving them-"

"You don't know Panama like I do, Nica!"

"Lien might not believe me, so…"

"But then again, the General liked to-"

"Anubis might-"

"And without Switzerland to protect her, then-"

"Haven't heard from Lili-"

"Safiyya wouldn't-"

They were all shouting and talking over each other, just like in World Meetings, except there weren't any chairs being thrown or nations beating each other. They were angry, confused, worried, upset, scared… Yes, just like a World Meeting. It was as loud as you'd expect and it was all it took to push Germany over the edge.

"SHUT UP!"

That wasn't Germany.

All the racket came to a screeching halt, and Germany whirled around to find the source.

It came from the television.

Germany nearly had a heart attack.

He saw Prussia's face at the television.

"Guten tag, everyone… or at least, I hope everyone is there." Prussia said uncertainly, but kept a stoic face on his face, nothing like the brother Germany knew. "This is the Awesome Prussia, as hard as it is to believe, and I come with a message. And before you start screaming, this is a recording."

Germany couldn't believe his ears or his eyes. This Prussia… The real Prussia was… Polite? Calm? Serious? Cold? Bitter? His voice sounded deeper now that he wasn't screaming and cackling every five minutes.

He knew that this was just a recording, but he felt extremely tempted to stomp over to the television set and scream at his brother and demand the answer to one simple question: WHY?

"You all must be thinking very highly of yourselves right now, ja? You must feel so powerful and righteous just because you get to fight us. If so, then you all make me sick." Prussia spat balefully, and despite it possibly not being directed at him, Germany flinched. "How could you feel so proud of yourselves? So smug? How can you be so proud of making it this far?"

Prussia looked truly angry as he spoke, a side Germany hasn't seen in years. He looked almost enraged.

"Despite all appearances and intentions, all I want is a New World Order, and the safety and happiness of all the nations who loyally stood by us, despite the hardships." Prussia declared firmly, with something akin to sadness briefly flashing in his eyes. "This world needs a new order. The insects crawling on the planet's surface known as humankind keep destroying each other an us, while you all keep adding fuel to the fire, you either encourage them or do nothing."

Prussia clenched his fists.

"Humans have brought us many things, good and bad, but in the end, they cause us nothing but pain. Yet, they are our bosses. We're the personification of nations. It's our right to govern our lands, not the humans'. It's our land. Not their land, not God's land, but our land."

Then the rage on Prussia's face suddenly disappeared.

"Granted, despite it all, I do have many regrets." Prussia admitted remorsefully, and he let his head drop to his hands. "I regret not being able to prevent the world wars, which took us completely by surprise I'll have you know. I regret putting too much trust in the people I'm not supposed to trust. I regret putting my friends through so much pain. I regret not killing Russia while he was still a pathetic child."

For once, Russia looked shocked for the first time in what seemed like a million years.

"But in the end, everything will fall, it won't be all for nothing, the New World Order will rule. There will be no more pain for us, no more heartbreak and despair. We will do our best to fix the world and make it remain that way for as long as we live. And the memories we all have made throughout the years and centuries will all have been worthwhile."

Prussia looked back at up, and Germany nearly stumbled when he saw that his brother was smiling through tears.

"I love you, Ludwig. And… I'm sorry."

Then abruptly it went to static before it switched to another image. Austria, with an unfamiliarly friendly smile on his face. Hungary gasped.

"It's me, Roderich. I have to say, it feels really nice to openly smile again…" Austria remarked happily. "Oh, I don't think Gilbert explained this, but we hacked the television to broadcast this recording, in case it wasn't obvious."

Austria laughed a bit.

"But let's be serious, won't we?" Austria said chillingly, and his smile suddenly became more ominous. "Tell me, what are you all fighting for?"

He stared at them expectantly, but no one answered, since it was a recording.

"No, really, what are you fighting for?"

"You all know what we want. We all want a new world." Austria said coldly, and he snarled. "We're sick and tired of everything and everyone. We're angry and want revenge. But you all should know that already.

Austria took a deep breath.

"You. Central Americans, Algeria, Tunisia. Do you want to know the real reason why I decided to let you all go?"

The nations mentioned stiffened.

"I let you go, because I wanted to see what reason or excuse you had for fighting, what drove you to risk everything to fight us. Other than concern for your loved one's safety, or perhaps a grudge against Guatemala for his deceit, I saw no real valid reason. I was hoping by letting you go, I could get the answers I wanted to satisfy that curiosity, but sadly, you're all just as pitiful as the others."

He stopped. Then suddenly, he burst out laughing.

"Look at yourselves! Just why are you fighting? Why do you want things to stay the way they are? The Central Americans and their corrupt, poverty-stricken, crime-filled countries. The Muslim Africans with their persecuted Christians and gays, and their also corrupt governments. Europe with their gradually vanishing culture. China's growing military influence and Russia's increasingly suspicious operations. You all want that to remain. You all want nothing to change. You want to keep us suffering and make our efforts all for nothing!"

Austria has never been this passionate and angry about something. It should have been nice to see, but…

"No! We will not accept this! We will not give up! Our histories were fun and painful. We all laughed, screamed, smiled, and cried. The wait was too long, but our determination is strong. We will not take this lying down! Ja, perhaps we will go to hell for this, perhaps we will one day pay for our own crimes. But I will do anything if it means making a difference."

Austria banged his fist against a nearby wall, and surprisingly, the wall cracked. Since when was Austria strong enough to pull such a feat?

"We will change the world or die trying."

Austria looked again at the screen, and just like Prussia, he was smiling and crying.

"I love you Liz. And… I'm sorry."

And that's the end of this arc! Phew! Be sure to expect a flashback chapter next week! Please review, if you have a minute.