Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 69

Botswana stared at the scene in front of him. His mind was trying to process it, and even though he knew that it was a dream, it didn't change the fact that the scene in front of him was so unbelievable.

He was standing on a mountaintop with the only thing nearby being a monastery, and the monastery was burning. He could feel the heat crashing into him in waves, and he wasn't sure if this place or event was real or imagined. Or what the significance of what he was seeing could be.

And that was when he heard the screaming.

He jumped in surprise, and he knew that the screaming came from inside the monastery. He eyed the flames warily, before he rushed ahead, searching for an entrance. There was only one scream, and since he couldn't see Tibet, it was easy to imagine whose scream it was.

After a bit of searching, he finally found what appeared to be the main entrance. He quickly stormed inside, hissing as the heat threatened to drown him. He took a few deep breaths, reminding himself that this was just a dream, and he could feel that the flames were starting to lose their grip on him. Closing his eyes, he tried to determine in which direction to go to find Tibet, when another scream echoed through the building. Determining which direction was the one to go, he quickly ran to see if he could find the Asian male.

It took a while, but he eventually reached what looked like the central area of the monastery, and he could imagine everyone gathering there for morning prayers or something (his knowledge of Tibet was sorely lacking – he would have to remedy that later). But in the centre of the hall, hanging by chains from the ceiling, was Tibet, and Botswana wasn't sure if those were burns or bloody welts that stripped across his bare torso.

And now, the African nation knew that he had to be careful. The flames were nowhere near Tibet, but those screams were pained. That meant that there was something else there, but unless he did something to attract the attention of whatever it was, he should be fine. He was an invader in the dream, after all. Not part of the landscape. Unfortunately, he didn't know Tibet well enough to know how strong his mind was. Some people had minds that were more than capable of throwing out intruders.

"Why do you continue to resist?" a voice hissed.

Actually, it didn't sound like a voice. It sounded like multiple voices speaking at once, and it sounded as though it came from everywhere in the room. The African nation held his breath, waiting for what was to come.

Botswana could hear Tibet whimper, and a moment later, one of the flames lashed out, acting more like a whip than a flame. Tibet screamed in pain as the flame connected with his skin before disappearing.

So, they were burns and welts.

"Don't tell me that you think that this will end," the voice(s) continued. "Let go of your pride, and simply surrender, like the passive waste you are."

Tibet shook his head.

"I-it's not p-pride," he stammered. "I w-will not a-agree w-with you, just b-because it's the e-easy choice. I won't…"

There was another lash. Another scream.

"You won't put your people through any more pain?!" the voice sneered. "That's not what this is about, little monk. You pretend to be spiritual. You pretend as though your people are where your first thought should go. You claim that you wish to save them from oppression, and yet, what do you do?"

Tibet shook his head again, his body shuddering. Botswana knew that he was crying based on the sob he'd just heard.

"The truth is, you long for the days of your empire," the voice continued. "You despise those that had made you their underling."

The flames took shape, and Botswana recognised China and Mongolia.

"You wish to regain your material wealth. You wish revenge on your oppressors. You want to return to glory. You are weak! Weak in body, weak in mind, weak in spirit. Few are even able to recognise you. You are nothing. Do you think that nothing could enter Nirvana?"

Botswana couldn't take it anymore. He now knew what he was dealing with, and the sooner he could get Tibet out of there, the better. And it might have been harsh of him to think it, but the mental beating the Asian nation was receiving actually worked to his advantage.

Deciding that he needed to act before it was too late, he stepped out from his hiding place.

"Don't listen to a single word they say!" Botswana shouted.

Tibet looked up, startled. The copies of China and Mongolia turned to him as well, anger on their faces.

"This is a dream," Botswana said. "A nightmare from Requiem. And I'll admit, I don't know a lot about you, but that's mostly because we Africans don't have a particularly large social circle outside our continent. But hey, you should hear the things the other nations say about us. So, don't listen to what this figment is telling you."

Tibet blinked in surprise, but before either of them could say anything, there was a roar of rage.

"You dare interfere?!" the voices rumbled.

The very fact that they were interacting with him told him that they didn't come from Tibet's mind. So, perhaps, they were a manifestation of Requiem.

Botswana ran towards Tibet, and he could feel the flames lashing out at him. He kept repeating to himself that this wasn't real, and that everything was fine. He hissed in pain as a particularly harsh strike hit his back, but he didn't stop until he reached Tibet.

"I'm here on behalf of Alvora to help you," Botswana announced. "Now, I need you to do something for me."

Tibet looked at him warily, and Botswana wanted to smack himself for how that sounded.

"I need you to focus on those chains," Botswana said. "Since this is your mind, I don't want to interfere more than I have to. In case it isn't clear, I'm leading you into a lucid dream. And I want you to get rid of those chains."

Tibet's eyes widened in understanding, and Botswana could also see relief. The other was relieved that he wouldn't be forced into something that he didn't want to do, or that Botswana was basically blackmailing him.

Tibet turned his gaze upward, and at the same time, there was a roar of rage. Botswana winced when he saw the flames coalesce into a draconic being.

"Keep telling yourself that this is a dream," Botswana instructed as he raised his hands.

His magic wasn't combative, that was something that he would have to make peace with. However, the rules were changed in the astral realm. He could not only enter dreams, but he could alter them to some degree. Of course, the more he did it, the more the mind protested, unless he managed to get the target's consent, which wasn't too easy either. Even if they were in agreement, it wasn't always a guarantee. Their subconscious, as well as their conscious mind, needed to accept his presence.

And of course, there had to be something else influencing the unconscious mind.

Botswana summoned a wall of ice to help counteract the flames, and he glanced at Tibet. The other was frowning in concentration, and the chains were shimmering, and to Botswana's relief, the chains seemed to turn into liquid before falling away. He moved to quickly catch Tibet, glad that at least something managed to be done.

But they still needed to get out of there.

"This isn't the type of dream you can just get out of," Botswana informed him. "I need you to think of your happy place. Or something that makes you feel happy, calm, tranquil…"

"Nirvana?" Tibet asked.

"I'm not entirely sure what that means," Botswana said. "But, if it's a place where you feel calm… Because we need to get out of this nightmare."

Tibet nodded his head, before flinching as a heavy blow landed against the ice wall, cracking their only line of defence. Botswana swore, reinforcing the wall. He hoped that, whatever it was Tibet was doing, it would be done soon. He didn't want to know what Requiem's nightmare apparition would do to him.

"No pressure," Botswana muttered, "but we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

There was the sound of shattered glass as a section of the wall was torn down. Botswana flinched as the dragon slipped through, glaring at him.

"You shouldn't have interfered!" the dragon screamed in the same legion of voices as earlier. "You don't belong here."

"And neither do you," Botswana spat.

The dragon lunged, and he tried to raise another protective barrier, but surprisingly, he was transported to a place with a purple sky. He blinked, before turning to Tibet, who sank to the ground.

"Is this your doing?" Botswana asked.

Tibet nodded his head.

"…It was sooner than I expected," Botswana admitted. "Especially with everything that was going on."

Tibet shrugged.

"I spend a lot of time meditating," he said. "I'm used to tuning out what's going on around me and getting my mind focused on a main goal."

Botswana gave a small smile.

"Looks like I might have to learn a bit more about you, then," he said. "So… What is this place?"

"This is Nirvana," Tibet said, sitting down. "Or, at least, this is my impression of it. When I meditate for long enough… I can sometimes reach this place. This is the most peaceful place I could think of. Though, usually, this isn't something that you should share."

"Right… If you don't mind, I'm going to try to wake you up."

Tibet frowned.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked.

"…That thing isn't going to leave you alone," Botswana explained. "The best way is to get you to wake up. And the longer you remain asleep, the harder it's going to be. That thing is designed to torture you until you join them."

Tibet flinched, averting his eyes.

"After what they'd done to me, I wouldn't willingly join them," Tibet whispered. "There's no way. But… I don't think I can handle any more of that torture. Those voices… I'm not sure if you could tell, but… those were the voices of the other Asian nations. And… What that thing said about my former empire…"

"Whatever it is, ignore it," Botswana said. "Empires fall. That's a fact of life."

"But… You yourself admitted to being ignorant of me. I've fallen into obscurity, and those that do recognise me only see me as an extension of China."

Botswana shrugged, watching the intriguing sky.

"I'll admit, it does feel awful," he said. "I'm sometimes ignored too. But the reason for that tends to be because of the nations that surround me. There was one meeting where White South Africa actually hugged me and thanked me for the lack of drama. So, yeah, obscurity can be a pain, but the times when you're remembered… Well, as long as it's for a good reason, right? You don't want to be remembered for being an embarrassment or something."

Tibet chuckled.

"I suppose not," he said. "But… I still feel… inadequate. I was captured so easily, and… It was all to hurt China. Literally. South Korea used me to inflict pain on China."

Botswana nodded.

"Since you are connected, you serve as a conduit," he said. "Half-nations as well, like Sao Tomé and Principe, for example, which helped me a lot when I had to track down one of them. And even full nations, like… Um… well, any siblings, actually."

Tibet looked at him oddly.

"How did you get here, anyway?" he asked. "If this is a dream…"

Botswana gave a smile of apology.

"Sorry about the invasion," he said. "It was necessary. Anyway, I'm here thanks to astral projection."

Tibet's eyes widened.

"Astral…?" he whispered. "You mean… You can actually enter this plane of existence?"

Botswana nodded his head.

"It's part of my natural magic," he explained. "Though, it's not really useful."

Tibet vehemently shook his head.

"Use and worth aren't the same thing," Tibet said. "Besides, if it wasn't for you… I would still be tortured by that… that thing. So… I guess… It's time for me to wake up, right?"

Botswana nodded his head.

"Let's see if I can manage that," he said.

…

Tibet was jolted awake, trembling slightly. He grew aware of all his injuries, and he wondered if the pain was from torture he received from South Korea and Nepal, or if injuries could be transferred from dreams.

"Tibet!"

He flinched at the voice, and a moment later, someone crouched down next to him. He recognised this person as one of his rescuers, but he didn't know who it was.

"First, tell me that you're not with Requiem," the white-haired male said.

Tibet frowned.

"Why would I be with the group that tortured me and kidnapped me?" Tibet asked.

The other sighed in relief.

"Good to know you still have sense," Prussia said.

"I'm sorry," Tibet said, and he hated how weak his voice was, "who are you?"

"I'm the awesome Prussia."

The other gave a warm smile, and Tibet could see that there was a faint trace of a joke lingering beneath the surface, but…

He jumped when he heard a sharp intake of breath, and he turned around to see who had caused it. That was when he grew aware of the fact that they weren't alone. There were figures lying unconscious on the ground, while other figures were lingering nearby, though he could tell that they weren't mortal. The one that had given the sharp intake of breath was…

"India?" Tibet questioned.

Prussia rushed over to India's side, and Tibet was alarmed to see that the other was shaking. He watched the other closely, and he saw that his clothes were soaked in blood. Combined with the tired look on India's face, and how he clung to Prussia in terror, Tibet could deduce that India had been tortured as well.

"Shh," Prussia said. "It's okay. You're safe now."

"D-David," India said. "W-where's D-David?"

Prussia pointed towards another nation, and India pulled himself away from Prussia's hold, crawling closer to the other nation. He reached out to touch him, before pulling his hand back as he cried out in pain. He turned to Prussia, his eyes full of tears.

"What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

"That sound we heard before we left Requiem's base," Prussia said. "It's designed to keep whoever hears it asleep, torturing them with a nightmare, until they surrender and join Requiem."

India's eyes widened, and Tibet shuddered in disgust.

"But…" India whispered. "I can assure you, I'm not…"

"Nidra and Botswana are working to get this out of everyone's systems," Prussia said. "Problem is, they can only work on someone one at a time."

India's eyes dimmed, and he looked down again at the nation next to him.

"If you want, I can help him next," the woman that had been seated next to India earlier sighed.

Prussia had said that Nidra and Botswana were helping. Tibet had met Botswana. Therefore, he concluded that this woman was Nidra.

"Thank you," India whispered. "Please, help him."

At that point, India looked at Tibet, and it seemed that it was only at that point that he realised that Tibet was there as well.

"Jampa…" he whispered.

Tibet swallowed nervously. India's voice was one of those he'd heard in his nightmare. He didn't know if it would be alright to be around him.

India gave a relieved smile, and he tried to stand up, only to have his legs buckle under him.

"How long were we out?" Tibet asked, turning to Prussia.

"Not long," Prussia said. "Less than an hour, actually."

Tibet blinked in surprise. He could have sworn that it was longer. It felt like an eternity in that nightmare.

"The time of dreams is not equal to the time of reality," Nidra sighed. "It's understandable that you would feel that you've been in there for longer."

Tibet looked around, and he could see another familiar face, sitting on the ground nearby and his head cocked to the side in curiosity.

"Kalyan?" Tibet questioned, and Bangladesh's face brightened. He turned back to Prussia and India. "What happened to him?"

India flinched, before licking his lips. After a moment of self-debate, he focused his gaze squarely on Tibet.

"We found him in one of Requiem's brainwashing rooms," India said. "There was an annoying sound, and the lights were also flickering. To escape the sound… He punctured his eardrums. And it doesn't look as though he recognises anyone except me. Maybe you."

Tibet shuddered at the thought, and he turned to look sympathetically and Bangladesh. He could see the blood on the side of his head, and at the thought that he had done it to himself…

Tibet frowned, before he turned to look around. He remembered seeing Myanmar while en-route, and Nepal was a traitor. But he couldn't remember seeing the fourth member of the quartet. He saw neither Myanmar nor Bhutan now.

"Where are Khant and Loday?" he asked, turning to India.

India flinched again, and Tibet immediately understood.

"They're still with Requiem, aren't they?" he asked.

India nodded.

"Khant was captured along with Kalyan and I," India explained. "And Loday had been captured earlier. They took Loday because of his awakening prophetic abilities."

Tibet shuddered. If they had an oracle on their side…

That could never be good.

…

Bhutan breathed heavily, his eyes flying open. He had yet another dream, but this one felt a lot better than before. This one was good news.

…For his friends, at least. For him…

He jumped when he heard the key turn in the door. Someone was coming in. Someone that most likely wanted to know about his latest prophesy.

Someone that wouldn't like what he would have to say.

Botswana is probably the neighbour that gives us the least amount of trouble, to the point where we sometimes forget about them. Namibia is also pretty quiet, but Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho are the ones we're not too fond of, mostly because of the refugees/illegal immigrants. And Swaziland also mostly keep to themselves, and I was actually surprised to learn the country changed its name (but I'm still going to refer to him as Swaziland in the story because he was still Swaziland when I started this and I am not going to cause confusion by suddenly referring to him by a different name). Any future stories that feature Swaziland (or Eswatini) will have the new name.

And in other news, last week a school in KwaZulu-Natal was cancelled for three days due to a black mamba being found in one of the classrooms. As is commonly said, 'welcome to Africa'.