Thanks to SpacePotato117 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 162

"That was disturbing," Panama said.

Turkey idly nodded. They'd taken Algeria's body inside one of the rooms along the hallway, so that it at least wouldn't be lying in the hallway. They tried not to think about the fact that that room was probably one that Requiem used for brainwashing.

The hairpin was light, but the weight was heavy in Turkey's pocket. He couldn't imagine what went through Algeria's mind, but it was obvious that she was disturbed and terrified by it. This was just another reason why Requiem needed to be stopped.

"I wonder…" Panama said. "She mentioned her and Myanmar. Do… do you think they slept together?"

"What does it matter?" Iran asked.

"Well, it's just… If both of them were brainwashed, then every time they had sex… Basically, they were raping each other. I-I mean, they're not in their right mind, which means they can't properly consent."

Turkey felt cold. He wondered if, near the end, Algeria realised exactly what the nature of that relationship would be. He clenched his fists. He hoped he found one of Requiem's members. He needed some percussive therapy. And it would be a bonus if he managed to find either Greece or Egypt.

"They're dead," Turkey growled.

…

"A moat," Haiti said. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Well, it was a good form of security," Spain said. "Still, I don't see a drawbridge."

"We should perhaps look around the perimeter," France said. "There has to be an entrance."

"No need," Romania said, narrowing his eyes. "It's hidden with magic. You wouldn't be able to find it unless you knew how to look."

"And do you know how to look?"

Romania nodded, before he pointed towards the far wall. None of them could see anything, but they trusted Romania on this matter.

"So, how do we get there?" Spain asked.

Romania didn't answer. He knelt down and picked up a rock. He threw the rock into the water, and they watched as electrical currents gathered around the place where the rock fell, until the water stilled.

"Ireland is going to have a lot of traps," Romania explained. "We need to be very careful."

Wales walked closer. He, North Korea and Scotland had joined them after Romania called to let them know that they had found Ireland and Portugal's location.

"There are also kelpies here," Wales said. "I can guarantee that, if we get too close, they would drag us in."

"I thought kelpies trick people into getting onto their backs before they drag them into the water," Haiti said.

"Usually," Scotland said. "But these aren't independent kelpies. They're specifically working for Ireland, which means they're going to ignore their usual natures in order to obey his bidding. And his bidding would be to keep us outside."

"So, how are we going to get inside?" France asked.

"Well, we need to figure out how to get the drawbridge down," Romania said. "And then we'll need to see if we can cross safely."

"How can we do that if we can't even see it?" Spain asked.

"We'll need to find a spell to counter that glamour first. And then we can see if we can bring it down. And then we need to make sure it's safe."

"And how do we do that?"

Romania didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Wales, who looked annoyed. Scotland also had that same annoyed expression on his face.

"What do you think?" Romania asked.

"Our brother is a spiteful bastard," Scotland said. "There are several spells in place. That's not the annoying part. It's the fact that other people were also involved. The magics intertwine, which makes it difficult to undo."

"That in itself isn't the problem," Wales said. "It's the type of magic they used, and how they used it. Some of them are done in reverse. They aren't going to allow us to brute force our way in. And trying to figure out how to counter all of that is going to take forever."

"And then there's the fact that this is Ireland we're talking about. He's a prankster. He's going to make this as difficult as possible."

"So then, what are we going to do?" France asked.

"Miguel needs our help," Spain said. "And we've already wasted too much time."

"We could try casting our own spells," Haiti said. "Instead of undoing Ireland's spells. If we cast the right kinds of spells, and powerful enough, then we can cancel out his spells. It would be easier than undoing all of Ireland's spells, and faster."

"It doesn't sound easier or faster," Paraguay said.

"Unfortunately, it is the best idea we have," Romania said. "The alternative would be to figure out Ireland's keys, and that could also take a while. So then, I suppose everyone's going to decide what they're going to do?"

"Explain those keys first," Spain said, "and wouldn't it be easier to figure them out?"

"Not exactly," Wales said. "These spells are designed to keep intruders out. And based on what I can see, Ireland and his allies would also have trouble getting in. For that, they would need the keys, but unless Ireland gives the keys, it's going to be nearly impossible to figure them out. There's no telling how many keys there are, and they could be anything, from a spell to a phrase or an item. To figure out the keys, we would need to analyse all of the spells and work past them, but since some of them were cast in reverse, the nature of those spells is altered, and trying to identify them is going to be even more difficult. So, the best course of action is to cast our own spells to try to cancel out Ireland's."

"I suggest that everyone that can't use magic makes themselves comfortable," Romania said. "Because this is going to take a while."

…

Myanmar kept pacing in his room, his mind too hyper for him to relax. He kept seeing and hearing things that he knew he shouldn't, but there was no way for him to stop them. And he recognised these for what they were.

Memories.

He remembered all the times he spent with his friends. He remembered Nepal's betrayal. He remembered going to save Tibet. He remembered failing, and being killed by South Korea. He remembered the torture he went through in the Washroom. He remembered the time spent with Algeria.

He was supposed to look fondly at those memories, but now, he realised that there was something wrong. Whenever he thought of kissing her, touching her, he felt repulsed. And it didn't help that he remembered the time she took a bite from him.

He knew that their relationship, as brief as it was, was only because of Requiem. He felt disgusted that they were able to mess with his mind to such a degree that he thought he was in love with someone. It made him wonder what else they were capable of.

This was all that spirit's fault. Ever since encountering that spirit, his mind wouldn't leave him alone. His blissful illusion was shattered, leaving him angry, confused and afraid. This was worse than any torture they could have inflicted on him. He wondered if it would have been better to live with the lie, instead of recognising the lie for what it was. The truth was painful, and that also caused him to get a new fear: What would happen if Requiem realised what was happening to him?

No matter what, he didn't want to be back inside the Washroom. He didn't want to have his mind raped like that again.

He wondered how Algeria was doing. Even though he now knew that their relationship was a fabrication that Greenland constructed, he recognised that Algeria was just like him: a victim, and she had also been affected by the spirit. He just wanted to check on her. He wanted to make sure that she was okay, and how deeply she was still affected.

Faroe Islands had told him that the enemy was there, and that it would be best to barricade in his room, but he surely could go to Algeria's room and make sure that she was okay. And, maybe, if she was going through the same issues that he was, then they could work through them together.

He hesitated before leaving his room. He tried to listen to determine if he could detect the enemies, but everything was silent. He turned towards Algeria's room and felt his stomach drop. Her door was open, and when he looked inside, he realised that she wasn't there anymore.

He stood there frozen for a long while, before he looked down the hallway. Did Algeria go to find the enemies? And if so, for what reason?

He jumped when he heard another door open, and he turned around to see Nigeria. The African smiled, and instead of relaxing Myanmar, he only felt more nervous.

"Hey," Nigeria greeted. "I'm going to fight the enemy. Do you want to come?"

"I thought Faroe said to stay in our rooms," Myanmar said.

"You're not doing that now. And it doesn't look like Algeria is either. She must have already gone to have a bit of fun."

Myanmar wondered if that was the case. Perhaps the interference inside her head made her desperate to quiet the thoughts in some other way. Perhaps she thought that combat would be a good outlet.

"Maybe…" Myanmar mused.

Nigeria frowned, before clapping his hand on Myanmar's shoulder. The Asian tensed while the African didn't seem to notice.

"You've been tense since we came back from the battle," Nigeria said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Myanmar said. "There's just… something on my mind. I'm sorry for worrying you. Why don't you ask Sudan to join you? I think I'm going to go back to my room."

"Nope. I think that you should come with me. Maybe bashing a few heads will help you feel better. And what would Algeria say when she finds out that you chickened out?"

Myanmar closed his eyes before he nodded. He knew that Nigeria wouldn't let him get out of this. Nigeria was a victim like him, and he didn't yet understand that they didn't all want to fight all the time. That there were other things to occupy one's mind.

"Great," Nigeria said. "Go get your weapon, and I'll ask Sudan if he wants to join."

Myanmar could only nod his head. He had a bad feeling about all of this.

…

Nepal had thought it wise to go to the Vatican base, along with South Korea's body. He hadn't wanted to just leave it there, and he also thought that he would be better to guard the Vatican base.

Besides, there was something else he wanted to do there.

He placed a soft kiss on South Korea's forehead before he walked out of the room. He would confront Romano about a proper burial for South Korea later. And then, perhaps, he would have to raise the issue of Denmark and Switzerland's bodies. It bothered him now that they hadn't given them a proper burial, while he was aware of the fact that Alvora buried their dead.

They'd managed to find a satellite through which they could see the proceedings. They knew where their enemies were buried. And they decided to leave it at that. Desecrating graves just felt so… petty.

Nepal stopped in front of his destination. The key was nearby, and he grabbed it and turned it in the lock. It only took a few seconds for him to stare into startled golden eyes.

"Hello, Bhutan," Nepal greeted.

"W-what are you doing here?" Bhutan asked, backing up on his bed.

"I would like to know something," Nepal said. "My battle with India… Does it come before or after I had my revenge on North Korea?"

Bhutan shuddered, and Nepal narrowed his eyes.

"I-I don't know," Bhutan stammered. "I-I only saw that you each had a body behind you, and you were both really angry. Murderous anger."

Nepal frowned. He could understand why he was murderously angry, but what would provoke India to that point? Would it be the death of an ally, or the death of his lover? Nepal really didn't care about which one.

Perhaps that was why he had been assigned to the Vatican base, instead of going to Ireland to help there. Egypt knew that Nepal would seek revenge, and with their ghostly problem, that wouldn't be a good idea at this time. However, he really didn't care about the matter anymore. He knew that his allies were strong. They would be able to resist anything that the ghosts would do to them.

"And you didn't see who the bodies belonged to?" Nepal asked.

"No," Bhutan said. "I-I'm sorry."

"I know you're not actually sorry, but it doesn't matter now. So, anything else you can tell me about the location, at least?"

"N-no. I-I don't really notice locations all that much. I think… I-it's because the place doesn't matter so much, a-and not all of it is literal."

"That's too bad. And you can't see the outcome of our battle?"

Bhutan shook his head. He looked terrified, and Nepal could understand why.

"I suppose that can't be helped," Nepal said. "If you saw the outcome, and you told us, then that would alter the outcome. And at this point, it's anyone's game."

Nepal turned around and left, locking Bhutan's room behind him. In a way, he was happy that Egypt had sent him to Vatican instead of Ireland. He needed to calm his anger. And once he was calm, he could plan.

His battle with India was inevitable, and to get to that point, India needed to be murderously angry, just like him. And Nepal knew the perfect target for that purpose: Israel.

So then, he would need to get revenge on North Korea, and then he would need to use Israel to get to India. And if he could hurt or kill North Korea and Israel in a short period of time, then India should be eager to fight Nepal. And they would fight to the death. Perhaps Nepal should also make sure that all of their capitals were attacked. He could weaken them, and it would anger India if he was aware of Nepal's involvement.

For now, Nepal had other business to take care of. And if he wanted Romano's cooperation, then he had someone else that he could turn to first.

He knocked on the door, and only when he received permission to enter did he do so. Vatican looked confused for a moment before he smiled softly.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Vatican said. "What brings you here?"

"A request," Nepal said. "Two, actually, but they're related."

"And what do you want from me? After all, I'm not very strong."

"But you do have a power that most of the others don't. You can appeal to your brothers."

Vatican blinked, cocking his head.

"Alright, so what is it?" Vatican asked.

"The first request is for Yong Soo to get a proper burial," Nepal said. "Egypt promised, but… I get the feeling that the expected attack was on his front."

"It's still early. There might be a chance that…"

"We haven't heard anything from around here, and I tried calling Egypt a few minutes ago. The call didn't connect at all. And I figured… Since this is our main base, we might also be able to use this as a place for our fallen."

Vatican's face fell. He closed his eyes, and after a while, he nodded.

"I agree," Vatican said. "I'll admit, it has bothered me. So, what is the second request?"

"We need to get Switzerland and Denmark's bodies so that we can give them a proper burial as well."

"That's going to be harder, and I'll definitely need to speak to Lovino and Feliciano about it. They're both in Denmark, and right now, Alvora and their allies are trying to 'restore' the country. Last I heard, the Netherlands and Belgium have taken control."

"I'm surprised they haven't enlisted Norway and Sweden. They're closer, aren't they?"

"I have no idea what any of them might be thinking. But, I'll see if I can convince my brothers to negotiate to retrieve the bodies."

"Thank you."

Nepal gave a small bow out of respect before he left. He returned to South Korea's room, where he would continue his vigil until they could make other arrangements. He took South Korea's hand, hating how stiff and cold it was.

"I promise, I'm going to make him pay for all of this," Nepal said. "Maybe I could repay him equally."

North Korea was with Wales. There was just a little issue with Wales being Ireland's brother, and Ireland being rather fond of him. Perhaps Nepal could negotiate with Ireland. Or, if Ireland didn't manage to survive the attack on his base, then Nepal could see what Wales and North Korea's statuses were. And then, he could react accordingly.

He didn't want his ally to die. But he hadn't thought that South Korea would be killed. He knew that he would be foolish to assume that they were unstoppable. He couldn't afford to be surprised.

He would hope for the best but would expect the worst. And he would adjust, depending on the results.

…

"Finally!" Romania exclaimed.

Not only did the drawbridge become visible, but it also went down. They now had access to the fortress.

"Part one is finished," Romania said. "Now then, I don't think that we should split up. I get a feeling that things are going to get more difficult."

"Aye," Scotland said. "I can sense it too. There's a lot of magic in there, and a lot of magical creatures. It would be best to not be on your own, and if you start hearing voices, cover your ears."

"…Things are going to get weird, aren't they?" France asked.

"Possibly."