«These are images British civilians and tourists got to upload to social media, often shorty before being captured. The Thames river dyed red with the blood of the men, women and children, most of them disabled and elderly, this individual known as Tul-La has executed in fatuous rituals. It is unknown how many people have been brutally murdered but unofficial numbers suggest dozens. The so called 'empress of the world' has sent a message to the German people, disturbing images we are not going to show you here, but with a clear message: their nation is dead, the German people are now her property and she shall take them to the path of glory if they willingly submit to her. We will keep you informed.»
Romano turned his head to his brother when he started sobbing and placed a hand on his shoulder. What could he or anyone else say to him to console him? Germany's demise had been a sure one right from the start. Tul-La was determined to destroy her enemies' descendants, and Germany had the bad luck of resembling Germania so much. Hungary, Vatican, Seborga, France...The death of so many friends, with barely the time to get used to them before he knew of another one had taken Veneciano to the limit, reduced him to a silent self-exclusion; but this, this was the last straw. Everyone knew how attached he was to Germany, how he considered him his best friend in the world.
Tears flowed, of course. But Tul-La also awoke an instinct Veneciano hadn't felt in a long time, a rage which turned the cherub into a demon.
His brother and companions saw his crying eyes light up with flames.
"You are witnesses. Even if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill her with my own hands."
They were getting close. Soon he would have the chance to see her face to face.
In Buckingham Palace, Tul-La waited for them.
Where was the Queen and the royal family? She didn't know and she didn't care. The old lady left behind a big bed, a shiny crown for her to wear and pretty luxurious whims to distract herself with. Still, she had always preferred blood over wine. The source of life. Liechtenstein, in her arms, squirmed seeing her lips soaked in red sip after sip, and Tul-La held her tight, not containing a smile.
"Play another one."
Slaughtering people was in many ways like a feast: it fed her with so much power, it was such pleasure, but left her so tired afterwards...It was the time for a little pause, to drink and enjoy some music. Austria took deep breath and played another song. A somber piece by Mussorgsky, matching his mood.
Delightful instrument, Tul-La thought. The 21st century had brought some excellent inventions. But the best was no doubt the weaponry. She had studied America's and Russia's arsenal. The modern man had fascinating ways of massacring his fellowman.
"It is taking him a bit long to come, isn't it?" She said out loud.
"He is coming, no doubt." Russia said. "China will not let England suffer any harm."
"Diplomacy can be so convenient sometimes..." Tul-La caressed Liechtenstein golden hair and the child closed her eyes, trying to repress a shudder.
"Oh, you should have seen what diplomacy brought us to last century. Now that was a mess! Blood and misery wherever you looked! You would have loved that." Russia chuckled.
"He will put up a fight. I hope so, at least. Taking control of this world is so easy it's almost boring. Humans don't believe in magic anymore, they just can't grasp its influence, the mere idea of its existence, so seeing it with their own eyes leaves them dumbfounded. And they are so bland, so...pathetic! Afraid of death, of suffering the minor inconvenience or pain, of losing their commodities...They have wrongly affected nations today, shaping them into wimpy fools. I really hope China did not lose that sparkle of his..."
"Yes, they got rid of illnesses, war and poverty, but forgot that it is precisely that what gave them guts. Without those, they are like fat, domestic cats."
"They, huh? So you don't include yourself in the picture?"
"My house has always been a cold hell. Only one survives there becoming a devil."
"I am kind of sorry I encouraged the boy to wreck you. I grew pretty fond of you. I don't want to kill you...for the moment."
"Thank you. You are giving me a fun time. Seeing all of these people who have been mean to me act like headless chicken is so nice...I'm glad I can be useful to you."
Tul-La looked at him with a side smile, how he approached to her. Austria, on the other hand, frowned with disgust.
"What a pity that I'm not looking for a consort." Tul-La smiled, taking a step away from Russia.
"Protecting your virtue?"
"Rather my possessions. I don't like sharing."
Tul-La drank what remained in her glass in one gulp, licked the blood from her lips and pulled Liechtenstein.
"Come, precious. Before China comes, there is one thing I have to do. We have to dress you well for the occasion. Russia, please bring the jester."
Russia nodded and left the room first. He returned some minutes later dragging America into the dining room.
"Get your hands off me, you prick! Judas!"
America found Greece standing there, by Tul-La's side.
"You never knew Hellas, am I right?" Tul-La asked him as soon as he was taken to her presence. "She was a warrior but prided herself in being highly educated. She adored arts and knowledge, the useless kind of knowledge, really, but she thought it was important. I don't know how she got to live so long. She thought I was a barbarian, so she tried to destroy me like I was vermin. But here I am, and where is she?"
"You're not going to lay your hands on anyone else..." America groaned, and he pounced on Tul-La. But he didn't get to touch her: there was a flash of red light and he was sent to the floor. The blow hit his stomach; his shirt was burnt there, showing an also fried skin. Liechtenstein, covering her mouth, wanted to take a step toward him but repressed herself, because Tul-La was watching.
"But she still lives." Tul-La continued, placing a hand on Greece's chin. "In him. Today, her enlightenment will be put out forever."
"Is that what you think?"
Greece spoke softly, not showing the smallest concern, looking at her as if she wasn't terrifying the whole world.
"Do you think killing me will kill the memories of my mother?"
"No, but it will be a start." Tul-La replied. "Her temples, ruins, literature, chronicles, everything which can remotely be linked to her will follow. Future generations won't know her name and there will be no trace of her existence, as if she had never lived in this world."
"I swear, if you don't get that claw off him...!" America threatened, but he made Tul-La chuckle, struggling to stand up after that last blow.
Greece didn't seem to listen to him or to Tul-La. Still, he furrowed his eyebrows a little bit, in a kind of meditative way, and surprised his captor when he said: "Ah. You are so week you need to do that..."
Tul-La could bear the meanest, most disturbing insults ever made, but she, the big and menacing, flinched at those words, as if such simple observation had touched somehow a sensitive fiber. For such a fierce individual, 'weak' was the worst insult.
Greece turned to both America and Russia.
"You know what happens to a nation who is left with nothing, not even their own people?"
He could say nothing else. With her face barely able to show the tension that took over her, she did to him what she did to Germany before. Even crueler. Even more vicious. She did not give Greece a quick end, like others got. The son of Hellas was torn apart by her own hands before his heart was ripped off and consumed. And the others had to watch. Liechtenstein covered her eyes and ran to a corner, whimpering. America tried to get up desperately, yelling at the top of his lungs, but the more he tried to stand up, the more he tore his own damaged body.
Only Russia had his eyes on Tul-La and not in her brutal action. She definitely was not doing this for pleasure. It was the animal-like impulse of making sure a threat would never disturb again.
And he smiled, because he understood.
"Now I am ready to greet China and the heirs of Rome." The splatters of blood disappeared in Tul-La's crimson dress. "Russia, take the jester back to his cage. And you..." Liechtenstein sobbed, clinging to the wall, away from her; Tul-La grabbed her from the wrist in a way that could have easily broken it. "Come here, I said!"
"Come on, do your part." Russia said to America. He didn't move. Tears ran down his cheek and moved around like a puppet with no strings. Russia decided, since it was being so hard to move him around, to carry him in his back, to which America barely reacted. Not even when Russia approached his lips to his ear.
"Cheer up. It will be easier to get rid of her than we thought..."
Italy jumped off the plane and left the group behind, charging his rifle.
"Where are you, Tul-La?!" He shouted.
"I-I don't think you should do that..." Canada said, fearing that witch could come out of nowhere.
"Do you really think she doesn't know we are here already?" Zimbabwe told him, looking around them.
China said nothing, even though he agreed with Zimbabwe. There was no one in the streets. The London people had fled as soon as blood started to be spilled, and those who couldn't hid as good as they could. They wouldn't be seen until the foreign powers and their own nation got rid of the threat. This was a ghost city. And seeing the hundreds, maybe thousands of corpses of soldiers with American uniform scattered on the pavement didn't make them feel any better. As they walked, they observed the wounds in their bodies, like a ray had fried some, others with holes in their bodies...Their weapons had already been stolen.
They reached Buckingham Palace. Italy wanted to storm in but his brother stopped him. "Hey, hey, hold on. Remember the plan."
"To hell with the plan." Veneciano replied, showing a harshness none was used to. "I'll find her and do to her what she did to my friends."
"Hey, V for Vendetta," Morocco stopped him, "Stop. Look at that."
People were coming out from the palace, so quick and silent they seemed to have just popped up. There were also silhouettes at the windows and in the rooftops. As the rescue group approached, they could distinguish familiar faces among them. It was their fellow nations from Europe, South America and the Middle East.
And the weapons the dead soldiers couldn't be found with were in their hands.
They barely had the time to ask, or to realize what was going on. All those nations, so many friends, former colonizers or partners in servitude, aimed at them and fired without hesitation.
"They're shooting at us! Why are they shooting at us?!" Seychelles cried, dragged away by Madagascar.
"Spain!" Romano cried. Spain stopped shooting and turned his head with an expression of deep regret. Still, Romano got shot in the cheek by someone else.
Tul-La watched with amusement how that army was mowed down without resistance. What, weren't they even going to try to defend themselves? She kept caressing Liechtenstein's hair, keeping her close to her, just in case Switzerland thought of attacking her.
Love. Friendship. Such stupid feelings only were good to submit others, to turn wolves into lap dogs. Good she never wasted time with such nonsense.
Russia didn't waste it either. He turned around from the window he was greeting China and the others from, right in front of Tul-La and was about to pull the trigger. She had a second to realize what was going on, but didn't need to do anything at all. Because, in order to shoot her, Russia would have had to shoot Liechtenstein too, and Switzerland was not going to let his sister become a human shield. He did it all for her, shooting Russia in the stomach before he had the chance to move his finger.
"You can't trust anyone these days, not even devils..." Tul-La shook her head. "Thank you, Switzerland. Take the garbage away before my guests come..." And she loosened the grip on Liechtenstein's neck a bit.
Russia was too big for Switzerland, he had to ask Qatar for help. She wished he had asked someone else, but at least she did something useful for Tul-La. She had money but no more interest for her...
"Why did you do that? You didn't need to..." She whispered, looking at the Helvetian.
"Shut up. You don't have little siblings..." Switzerland didn't look at her.
"She's not what we think she is...Remember what we did to Prussia? Remember Prussia?" Russia muttered as if he was suffering a strong fever, pointing at Tul-La with a finger covered in blood.
The door opened and the nations dragged their fellows in. Tul-La made her way to one of them, of long hair in his face, covering a bleeding eye. She crouched in front of him to get the hair out of his face and smile at him.
"Hello, China. Long time no see..."
China panted.
"Can't say it's nice to see you, Tul-La..." He said weakly.