Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 157

North Korea watched the two brothers as they sat on opposite sides of the magical circle, the only sign that anything was happening being the faint light coming from the circle. The two of them were completely still, and more than once North Korea wondered if they were even still breathing.

He hated it when Wales was doing something like this. North couldn't help him, and he had no idea what was happening. He knew enough to know that there were… things that dwelt in the realm outside human reality. And he knew that some of those things could be dangerous for people doing what Wales and Scotland were currently doing.

The worst part was, he wouldn't be able to tell that something was happening until it was already too late. This had to be the worst thing for him.

Actually, what was worse was when Wales and Ireland had their truce. He couldn't interfere, and it was rare for him to see his lover. The truce forbade bringing harm to Scotland or Northern Ireland. There was nothing that prevented Ireland from harming Wales. And even finding out that Ireland was fond of Wales didn't ease North Korea's mind. Especially since it came with the news that there was a prison that Ireland would use for Wales.

North Korea was nervous about another thing. If they really were in Ireland, did they take Portugal to the prison that they'd intended for Wales? He had no idea what Ireland would do when he saw Wales again, but North Korea couldn't stop the fear that Ireland would try to take Wales away.

North Korea shook himself as first Scotland and then Wales shook themselves. They were breathing sharply, and North Korea allowed them a few moments to collect their breaths again.

"Shit," Scotland exhaled. "Patty isn't playing around."

"What happened?" North Korea asked, looking between the two brothers.

"Enchantments, spirits…" Wales listed. "We have to work hard to avoid them, but they're also messing with our sense of direction. But I'm pretty sure there weren't so many last time I did this."

"When was that?" Scotland asked.

"Probably around an hour ago."

"Then he's been busy, but that just proves that they're likely there. And if not Portugal, then there's something else he's trying to hide."

"Does that mean you're going to be doing that again?" North Korea asked.

Wales smiled softly and wrapped his arms around North Korea. The Asian clung to the European, trying to keep himself from trembling.

"I know you're worried about me," Wales whispered, "but this is something we have to do. Miguel is our friend, and we know that Requiem would like to hurt him more than they would like to hurt anyone else. And with Scotland helping me and with you by my side, there's nothing to be afraid of."

North Korea clung tighter to Wales. He'd heard variations of this many times. It was always in line with them keeping up the charade, and he was worried that something would happen and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. And as usual, North Korea could feel himself start to relax.

"Better?" Wales asked.

North Korea took a shaky breath and nodded his head. He slowly pulled away from Wales and became aware of Scotland watching the two of them. Having his lover's brother witness his moment of weakness made him blush.

"I've got some potions that might help," Wales said, turning to Scotland. "I'd say we could do with protection and energy. What do you think?"

"Sounds good," Scotland replied.

Wales flashed one last smile to North before he left the room. North Korea was very aware of the fact that he was alone with Wales's brother for the first time since Scotland found out that North Korea and Wales were in a relationship. He was also aware of how Scotland had been watching his interactions with Wales, and North Korea was afraid of being on the receiving end of Scotland's disapproval.

"You two seem really close," Scotland remarked.

North Korea jumped. He hadn't really expected Scotland to say anything so soon, and he didn't expect to him to say that.

"I don't think I've ever seen Will so comfortable with anyone," Scotland continued. "Not even us." Scotland pursed his lips. "I don't think I have to tell you not to hurt him. Just… take care of him, alright?"

North Korea gave a small smile.

"Honestly, I think I need him more than he needs me," North Korea admitted. "But I have no intention of letting him get hurt."

"That's all I'm asking for," Scotland said, smiling back.

Wales returned a while later, handing two phials to Scotland with a serene smile on his face. North Korea wondered if Wales knew what transpired between North Korea and Scotland. North Korea could understand Wales's desire to have as little conflict between two people he cared about as possible.

And now North Korea had to see if he could gain the acceptance of Northern Ireland.

…

Botswana scowled as he swallowed the pills. He genuinely wanted to find Portugal, but it was a bit difficult to do when he had a migraine.

Everything had gone fine, until he'd focussed his attention on Ireland. On the one hand, it could be confirmation that something was going on there based on the magical interference. And on the other hand…

It was extremely painful, enough for him to be yanked from the astral realm.

He wondered if Jamaica had a hand in what had happened. There was no natural reason for him to develop a migraine while in the astral realm, and in fact, something like that shouldn't be possible.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Botswana looked over towards Oman and Yemen. The three of them had been bonding quite a bit recently, especially since all three of them had joined Alvora after the start of the war. Botswana swallowed the last of the water and nodded.

"I just need to rest a bit," he said. "Wait for this thing to end."

"Well, if you need anything, you just need to ask," Yemen offered.

"Thanks." He bit his lip. "I think Ireland is intentionally messing with the aether surrounding his country. If his security is reaching the levels of the spiritual realm, then it's going to be that much harder to get anything done."

"I don't exactly understand this," Oman said. "But… Why would he go through that trouble, and how is he able to do that?"

"There are a few ideas as to the 'how', and all of them are complicated and require a lot of energy. As to the 'why'… I'm pretty sure that we're on the right track. The only reason for Ireland to go through these lengths is if he's trying to protect something or someone, or trying to prevent us from finding them."

"So then, you just need to find a way past their defences, right?" Yemen asked.

"Once we can find a way, sure. I'll see you guys later. I really need to lie down."

"Feel better soon," Oman said.

…

Portugal had stopped screaming a while ago and was now staring at Évora's corpse. He didn't know how long he'd been doing that, and he didn't care. He was numb, and that was preferable, given the current circumstances.

He forced himself not to react when the door opened, and he didn't even shift his attention when someone stopped next to Évora's corpse. He also didn't react when that person picked the body up, treating it as though it were nothing more than trash.

He didn't want to give his enemies any more ammunition if he could help it.

"Well, don't you make a sorry sight?"

Bulgaria. Portugal had to keep himself from clenching his jaw in anger. Romania had thought that he and Bulgaria were friends, and then they learned he was a part of Requiem. Romania had gone through a period where he wasn't sure if any of his friends outside of Alvora were really his friends, and it was especially bad when they realised that Requiem had considered recruiting Romania.

"You know, I was wondering something," Bulgaria said, coming close to the cage. "Tell me, how did Vlad react when he found out that I'm a part of Requiem? Was he mad? Sad? In denial?"

Portugal had to prevent himself from clenching his fists. The idea that Bulgaria enjoyed the thought of Romania's reaction to his betrayal was sickening, and Portugal had to wonder if any of the Requiem nations felt guilty for deceiving anyone. If they had any sentiments for the nations that called them 'friends'.

"You can try all you want," Bulgaria said, "but stoicism doesn't suit you. If you think you can just hold on until your friends come, think again." At this, Bulgaria knelt down to properly look Portugal in the eyes, and the Mediterranean nation had no choice but to make eye-contact. "Patrick's been busy with his magic. I don't know what exactly it involves, but it means that they won't be able to find you. Even if they guessed the country, there's no way for them to find your exact location. You'll be with us until you die."

Portugal didn't react. A part of him wanted to laugh in amusement, and a part of him wanted to sarcastically ask Bulgaria if they intended to talk him to death. But it would seem as though Bulgaria was intent to get a reaction out of him.

"You know, Spain called," Bulgaria said. "He knows you're with us now."

Despite himself, Portugal could feel a thrill of fear. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from reacting to it, but he must have given a clue that it affected him, because Bulgaria's eyes brightened.

"We both know that Spain is an impulsive idiot, and his status as empire is long forgotten," Bulgaria continued. "Kind of like how you projected yourself to the rest of the world. Except in Spain's case, he's really lost all that power. What do you think would happen if he charges in to try to save you?"

"If you're going to taunt me, you need to remain consistent," Portugal said, his annoyance becoming great. "If the others can't find me, why do you think Spain could?"

Bulgaria smirked, happy to know that he'd prompted a reaction, or perhaps it was because he thought that he could say something that would get under Portugal's skin.

"He'll still try," Bulgaria said. "Even without magic. And if he believes he knows where we are, then he'd try to get you back. If we can manage to fool their magical nations – although I'm not sure there's someone sufficiently strong on their side – then it would be easy to convince him to run right into a trap."

"Tell me, what do you hope to accomplish?" Portugal asked. "Are you trying to get a rise from me or something?"

"Well, I got you to talk," Bulgaria said, shrugging. "So that's at least a partial victory." Bulgaria smirked again. "We'll see how you react when we bring Spain's head."

Portugal's eyes narrowed as Bulgaria walked away. He knew that Requiem would try to break his spirit. He couldn't let them. He would hold on as much as he could. He didn't know if his friends would be able to rescue him, but as long as he could hold on, there remained a way for him to escape.

At least he knew that physical torture wasn't in the immediate future. There was nothing to indicate that he could be tortured in this room, and considering the lengths they went through in order to prevent him from escaping, they weren't likely to try to move him. Not only that, but he knew from Romania that it was hard to make a room such as this, and it would be even more difficult to make several rooms, and hallways connecting these rooms.

He had faith in his friends, but if they couldn't find him, then he supposed that it was fine too. He had no intention of allowing any of them to walk into a trap. He didn't want to be the reason why his friends got hurt, or worse.

…

Laos's eyes snapped open, his breathing increasing in speed. He just saw something, and it wasn't good.

"Are you okay?" Cambodia asked, kneeling down next to Laos. "Did you see something?"

"Y-yes," Laos said. "But… It had nothing to do with Portugal. I think… I'm the one in danger."

Cambodia frowned, before sitting down next to Laos.

"Tell me what you saw," Cambodia said.

Laos took a deep breath as he focused on the vision and shuddered.

"I saw myself in shadowy shackles," Laos explained. "The image kept shifting until I was in a cage. It kind of looked like a large birdcage. There was even a mirror in the cage, but when I looked into it, it kept shifting between my face and Bhutan's face."

Cambodia frowned.

"Couldn't it have been a regular dream?" he asked.

Laos shook his head.

"I know for a fact that this was a premonition," he said. "I think… Bhutan might not have control over his powers yet. And Requiem… They want me to teach him."

"What makes you think that's the case?" Cambodia asked.

"It's a suspicion. And it's the only interpretation that makes sense. Bhutan was taken when his powers were newly awoken. He wouldn't have control, and he wouldn't know the best ways that worked for him. Requiem might have had an idea on what to do, but it's possible that they're not satisfied with the results."

"…You've thought about it, haven't you?"

"Constantly. I remember what it was like when I first came into my powers. If I didn't have a teacher to help me… I would have gone insane. And I've been afraid for Bhutan's sake."

"Do you think we could ask the others if we could try to rescue him?"

"It would be nice, but I don't think it's going to be easy. It might be easier than Portugal, though. But if they wanted to use a prophet, then they would have chosen to keep him somewhere with a lot of security."

"Then we can use Portugal's rescue as an attempt to see if we can save Bhutan too. If they're at the same place…"

"They're not," Laos said. "I already know where Bhutan is, but I also know that it's Requiem's headquarters. I also know that it's dangerous to go there without being properly prepared."

"…How long have you known?"

"A few days. I was afraid of mentioning it, especially after the whole bombing-the-Vatican thing."

"I think we need to tell the others. They should know something like this."

"You may be right. I just… I need a moment."

He was still reeling from the vision, and the fear that the vision triggered was still present. He had a feeling that it was a definite decision, and that they were now waiting for an opportunity to capture him. There was also the possibility that they were intending to replace Bhutan with him because Laos was more experienced in this regard.

The idea that Requiem had set their sights on him was not one that he wanted to entertain, but he had no power to dismiss it.

…

"How are you feeling?" Romano asked.

Vatican sipped his soup and smiled. Romano was worried about him, and it warmed his heart. He had hated it when Romano acted mean. He wasn't. Romano was the eldest of them, and he was the one that tended to fall into a parental role when the situation called for it.

"I'm feeling better," Vatican said, before he winced. "My stomach and head hurt a bit, but I'll be fine. Do you know what the damage report is?"

"It's pretty bad," Romano said. "About half of your population is dead, and a few dozen tourists."

"Not that those humans mean much. Where's Feli?"

"He's in Ireland right now." Romano smirked. "We captured Portugal. Ireland has a prison that's supposed to make it hard for Alvora to find him."

Vatican smiled.

"That's at least some good news," he said. "Did you already arrange for extra security? Because if they've been so intent on getting less important members, then imagine what they would be like with their leader gone." Another thought occurred to him. "Alvora would be distracted, so we can focus on attacking and conquering other nations."

"You are correct," Romano said, a small smile on his face. "We figured out that Spain and the others are the ones that attacked you. First order of business is to repay them for what they'd done."

"That's sweet of you, but I don't think it would be a good idea to focus on Spain. Or France, for that matter. At least not directly. We'll need someone who… well… wouldn't survive an attack like that. Someone who could easily be wiped off the map."

Romano chuckled.

"And do you have anyone in mind?" Romano asked.

"What about one of the Caribbean nations?" Vatican suggested. "Dominican Republic was one of Spain's, if I remember correctly. And his neighbour is Haiti, one of France's. They share an island, right? What if we destroy the island? We might even be able to seriously weaken an Alvora nation."

Romano's smile fell, much to Vatican's surprise.

"We can't kill anyone from Alvora for the time being," Romano said. "It's because of those ghosts. They can't kill us, but if someone from Alvora dies and joins them, then they will be able to kill us. And they seriously don't like us."

Vatican frowned as he absorbed the news.

"So, we have to wait until we can find a solution to the ghost problem?" he asked.

"Exactly," Romano said. "Anyway, I'm going to go check on the others. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine. Grazie, fratello."

Romano smiled one more time before he left. Vatican sighed, trying to think of a way for him to help with his current state.