Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 118
Black was slumped against the wall, arms wrapped around his frame and glaring at the door. He knew that he was somewhere in Egypt, but he didn't think that it would be so cold. He didn't know if that was the design of this room, of if it was because of whatever those gods had done to him.
Egypt had already informed him that the room had been sealed from any forms of magic, unless it was what the gods used. He would be staying there for some time, but he didn't want any of his allies to come find him. He had a feeling that this base would be far more difficult to deal with than the other one. And with the presence of the Egyptian gods, it would be even more difficult. He didn't want anyone to endanger their lives in order to rescue his.
He reeled back when a figure came in through the door. Literally. He couldn't quite pin down the other's ethnicity, but he was neither European nor African, and he appeared to be a teenager. Still, Black could tell that this boy was very dangerous. There was just something about him that set him on edge.
"Hello there, Zulu," the boy greeted. "I hope you aren't too uncomfortable."
Black felt colder than he had before. It had been a long time since anyone referred to him as 'Zulu', and being called that by someone he'd never met before in enemy territory didn't bode well for him.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you with Requiem?"
The teenager's smile fell, and there was anger in his eyes. Black refrained from shrinking back.
"Hardly," the teenager spat. "I wouldn't be with the group responsible for torturing and killing me. Oh, wait, I think the term they use is 'experiment'."
Black paused. What this boy was saying…
"Are you being serious?" he asked. "You… You were… k-killed by them?! So then… that means that you're… a ghost?"
The boy chuckled and nodded.
"I suppose you could say that," he said. "Though, I'm not quite a ghost anymore. I suppose I should thank you for the role you played in that."
"What do you mean?" Black asked. "What role did I play in your 'change'?"
"Four deaths to start it all. Four magics awakening. And four more deaths to set it all into motion. You were one of the magics awakening. Connecting to the minds of other nations."
"You seem to know a fair deal about me. But I don't even know your name."
"Cayo. And don't worry, you'll learn everything about me soon enough."
Black sucked in a breath.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"I need to use your power," Cayo said. "And don't worry, you'll get something out of this too. I'll tell you a little secret about Imane."
Black gritted his teeth. He didn't know what bothered him more: the fact that Cayo apparently knew a secret about Morocco, or that he called her by her human name.
"And what secret are you talking about?" Black demanded.
Cayo grinned. Black flinched when he crouched down in front of him.
"It's a secret she shares with Anika, Angela and Sierra," Cayo said. "Do we have a deal? I don't care if you agree or not, I'm using your power anyway. But it would be easier on you if you agree, and I get to thank you for your role in helping us."
Black pursed his lips. He had no choice over whether or not he would end up helping the boy in front of him. He only had a choice over whether or not it would be easy for him. And after what he experienced with Egypt and his gods…
"Alright, fine," Black sighed. "What do I have to do?"
"Hold still," Cayo said, and Black did not like the grin on his face.
Cayo touched Black's forehead with the tip of his finger. Flame burst in the back of his mind while images flashed in the forefront. He saw children playing together, and by their attire alone he could tell that they were from a long time ago. And one of those children… he could vaguely recognise him. It looked like… Belize.
And then there was another child. A child that looked a lot like the person in front of him. He knew that Requiem experimented on regions, so did this mean that he might have been one of Belize's regions?
The scenes of children playing were replaced with scenes of a child in a laboratory or other facility, and sometimes there were other children present. He could feel the pain from the torture. And he could feel the anger and resentment growing. And then, finally, it was as though he was slipping away.
Black was breathing heavily when all of it faded away. He glared up at Cayo, and it disturbed him how happy he seemed.
"It really works," he said. "Connecting to the minds of other nations. Even those that died. And now you know my story."
"What was the point in all that?" Black demanded.
"We're fairly limited in what we can do right now. We need to form a connection with our lands again. And that's where you come in. Belize's magic was great when it came to manifesting again, but we need more. And fortunate for us, Requiem decided to take you too. You fell into our laps. It was pretty hard to approach you while you were with your allies, and we couldn't just spirit you away. Requiem, despite destroying our lives, keep giving us more opportunities."
Black glared at the boy in front of him. He hated being used, and being used by this otherworldly being filled him with fear. He hoped that he didn't ruin things for his friends. But he had a feeling that Requiem wasn't the worst threat that they would face.
"Now then, we had a deal, correct?" Cayo said. "So then, the thing about Imane…"
…
Romania frowned, his hand on White's lower abdomen. Brazil was glaring at the older nation, and it was clear that he didn't feel comfortable with anyone else touching his girlfriend there. The only reason why he didn't speak up was the presence of the white glow around Romania's hand.
"Well, it's too soon for even a human to tell, to be honest," Romania said. "It takes a while for the egg to reach the uterus, even after fertilisation. But there's definitely a progress going on that hasn't happened before. It should be another week or two before even a human doctor should be able to tell."
"I didn't think we'd see results so soon," White admitted. "And the way we found out…"
"Requiem knows," Brazil said. "And I don't like it. What if they decide to see how it worked?"
"Ireland asked Will about it," Romania said. "I don't know if Will told him anything, but… this is still too bizarre."
"You're the one that made the potion!"
"I'm talking about how we found out, and everything else. For example…"
Romania clenched his hand into a fist before lunging at White's arm. Before he could make contact, he was thrown backwards with an electrical jolt. White sat upright while Romania shook his head and stood.
"That's definitely bizarre," Romania said.
"Fair enough," Brazil sighed. "That goddess said that something older than something called the nun was protecting her."
"They're referring to the primordial waters that the Ancient Egyptians believed came before creation," White explained. "So, something older than that… Why, though?"
"I have no idea. But if it's something that wants to use our baby… Then they would need to go through me first. There is no way I would allow anyone or anything to harm either of you."
White smiled, and Brazil knew for a fact that he would not allow anything to harm them. So, as long as whatever was protecting her only decided to protect her, he could let it be. But if it had something else in mind, then Brazil was going to fight to protect those dearest to him. He would not allow anyone to harm or use them.
…
"So, what do you think?" Sweden asked.
Norway placed his spoon down, and Iceland looked between the two. They were allowed to have their breakfast in one of their bedrooms, and they used the opportunity to discuss everything they'd learned.
"I wouldn't mind fighting against Denmark's allies," Norway announced. "I want to repay them for what they did to Emil, Tino, our royal families, the micronations…"
"I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to pressure you or anything," Sweden said, before looking towards Iceland. "And what about you?"
"I… I'd like to get back at the people that messed with my mind," Iceland said. "But… To be honest… I think my mind's still messed up. I already saw something that wasn't there, and I think I hear voices every now and then, and there's this ringing in my ear, and there's this pressure in front of my head… I don't think anyone would want me involved in a war right now."
"Are you okay?" Norway asked. "Do you need me to give you a check-up?"
"Unless you're a neurologist, I don't think so. How long did you say I was in that state?"
"A while," Sweden said. "It might be the aftereffects of that. But we'll still need to monitor you."
Iceland heaved a heavy sigh.
"I guess I can live with that," he said.
Sweden nodded his head, and this was one of the few times he was grateful for his lack of facial expression. He knew that he would have appeared concerned, and he knew that Iceland would have had a problem with it. But it was concerning. Iceland wouldn't normally agree to something like this so easily and so quickly. The only reason why Iceland would agree to being monitored like this was most likely because he was worried as well. And that was problematic. Iceland was the type of person that would have a fever for three days, a red nose and an entire wastebasket full of tissues before he admitted that there was a possibility that he might have had a cold.
"You should talk to Andorra," Norway said. "He went through the same thing too, and if anyone can help you, he's a good choice."
Iceland looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding his head.
"I guess that's a good idea," Iceland sighed. "I'll ask him later."
"Good," Sweden said. "And what should we tell Portugal and the others?"
"If we decide we don't want to take part, we could go with France later," Norway said. "He's going with the neutral nations. But I think fighting against Denmark's allies is the best option. I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to attack us again. I want to fight."
Sweden nodded his head. So then, now all that was necessary was to find Portugal.
…
Central African Republic checked the sun before going into the tent. They had travelled through most of the night, but in the mid-morning they decided to set up camp. The tents offered protection from the heat, and they had a few hours to rest.
They were a few hours away from Cairo, but there was no way that they would be able to travel through the desert at what was approaching the hottest time of day. That was suicide, and with all these humans, that would probably be manslaughter as well.
CAR turned his attention towards Chad, who had already rolled out his sleeping bag and lay down. It was clear that the other didn't anticipate a conversation. And he supposed that it was a smart move. Egypt still hadn't come, but if they managed to reach his capital, then there was definitely a chance that he would attack them. And they needed to alert someone from Alvora the moment when it happened. Egypt was the main target, and it would help if they knew where he was.
CAR knew that both he and Chad were light sleepers, so he was confident that no one would sneak up on them while they were asleep. And in the event that Egypt came to them, it would be a good idea to be rested.
So CAR rolled out his own sleeping bag and made himself comfortable. After a few seconds he climbed out of the sleeping bag and lay down on top of it. It was too hot otherwise.
…
It was a bit difficult to move about, but France was determined to show that he was well enough to return to Spain. He had no reason to complain about Alvora's hospitality, but he still wanted to go back.
He came to a stop when the door opened before he could reach it. Andorra blinked at France before smiling.
"Sorry, I thought you were sleeping," he said. "You want brunch? You slept through breakfast."
France winced, before he nodded. He definitely needed to get some food in his body as well. Still, sleeping through a meal didn't sound reassuring.
"Who made it?" France asked.
"Czechia," Andorra said. "It's not too rich, so you shouldn't have a problem with it."
France nodded his head. He didn't think that he could handle rich food right now. He also didn't think that he could handle much food right now.
He tried to move without alerting Andorra that he was in discomfort. His body had mostly healed all his injuries, but it still left his muscles stiff and sore. Even if he wasn't repeatedly killed, he was confined with little room for movement for a week. He still couldn't believe that it had been only a week. Even with the time he spent dead, he expected it to be more.
Of course, Andorra wasn't fooled, and he was immediately at France's side, France's arm wrapped around his shoulders.
"Don't push yourself," Andorra scolded. "I know you want to see Antonio again soon, but you shouldn't force yourself to do things before you're ready."
France sighed.
"I know you're right," he said. "But I want to go back. I don't…"
"You don't completely trust Alvora yet, right?" Andorra asked. "Well, speaking for myself, they've given me no reason to be afraid of them. I mean, they've done a lot to help me. And I can't complain about their hospitality."
France took a moment to look at Andorra. He looked a bit tired, but not enough that France should be worried. He also didn't look as frantic as the last time France had seen him. So perhaps Alvora was helping him in some way. And for that, France was glad.
"I guess I'm still distrustful after all their secrecy," France admitted. "After all, if they weren't up to something bad, why keep it a secret?"
"Because even positive changes are met with resistance," Andorra replied. "I think the history books are filled with enough examples."
"…Touché."
…
Portugal was sitting in front of the computer, reading the news. He had several nations' news sites open to get as broad an opinion as possible. Almost everything had to do with their activities in Denmark, New Zealand and Africa.
He looked up when someone knocked on the door, and he smiled softly when he saw Norway and Sweden standing there.
"How are you two feeling?" he asked.
"We're doing better," Norway said, glancing towards Sweden, who only nodded his head. "We actually came to talk to you about what we're going to do now."
Portugal arched his eyebrow, prompting them to speak.
"We want to join you," Norway said. "We want revenge for what they did to us, and we want to stop them before they can do even more damage to other nations."
"Are you sure?" Portugal asked.
"Ja," Sweden said. "We're sure."
Portugal scratched his cheek, a frown on his face.
"The thing is, we'd be happy if you'd like to join us," Portugal said. "I'm just worried about Spain and the other nations. They don't really have a particularly strong magic user on their side. If Scotland and Northern Ireland were there, I'd feel a lot better about it, but since they're not, they don't have that extra layer of protection. I had to send one of our own members to help out when someone got cursed there. So, Norway, I really want you to help the others out."
Norway appeared taken aback, before his eyes shifted towards conflicted. Sweden observed Norway for a moment before turning his attention back to Portugal.
"Lukas's main concern is Iceland," Sweden said. "He doesn't feel well after being in that… trance for so long."
"I understand," Portugal said. "I would have said that Iceland could go with you, but with so many other nations there, it might be risky. We don't know how… stable he is at the moment, especially since he's been in that state for a while. It wouldn't be a problem if Sweden stays behind, will it, Norway?"
Norway sighed, before he shook his head.
"I understand what you're saying about the other nations," Norway said. "And about Iceland. It's just… can I think about it for a while?"
"Sure," Portugal said. "Just don't take too long. I promised my brother that he can have France back today, and considering they're in China right now, it would be best to do it before the sun sets."
"Alright. I'll give you my answer later."
…
Black was staring at the ceiling, still slumped against the wall. What Cayo had told him was… unbelievable. But he recalled this moment of jubilation from both White and Morocco, as well as Angola, and then afterwards he and Morocco…
Why didn't she tell him? Did she even know herself? And how was it possible?
The only conclusion he could make was that they somehow found a way to make it possible. And that was why they were cheering.
He tensed when he sensed something else in the room with him, and he looked away from the ceiling to see the two people that had been in his visions of Libya.
"It's our turn now," Fezzan said.
Happy New Year everybody.
