Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 14

Arthur felt strange as he watched the hug between Lukas and Mathias. He couldn't exactly describe the feeling. It wasn't similar to what he felt when Raj had Vlad captive, or when Ludwig had his arms around Lukas or Vlad. He didn't feel alarm or fear while watching Mathias and Lukas, but… there was almost this angry feeling in his chest. He didn't quite understand it.

He knew that he shouldn't feel like this – Lukas and Mathias were old friends, and it was natural that they would show concern and affection for each other – but still, Arthur didn't want Mathias near Lukas.

"Why did you bring up that Lukas had been attacked?" Arthur whispered to Vlad.

"I'm not sure," Vlad whispered back. "I just… had a feeling that we shouldn't let there be any misunderstandings."

Arthur frowned, but he supposed that it would be better for them if they didn't have anyone angry or resentful. They followed the two old friends to Emil.

"Good to see you made it," Emil said. "I hope things went well."

"We've had a few bumps in the road," Lukas said.

"They were attacked," Mathias said. "One of Nemthys's followers."

Emil's eyes whipped back to Lukas, who averted his own eyes.

"Dylan said you managed to find something," Lukas said, an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"…Right," Emil said, staring at his brother. He clearly didn't want to drop the matter. "So, I found something about the jewels. Apparently, they go through cycles. Every few centuries, the jewels gain new life or something. I don't know the details – and I get the feeling that the person who wrote about it didn't either. For a time, the jewels are out of Nemthys's hands, but his followers find them before long."

Arthur shuddered at those words. He turned to look at Lukas and Vlad. Vlad bit his lip, while Lukas frowned.

"Is there anything else?" Lukas asked.

"That's what I found," Emil said. "I know, it doesn't make a lot of sense, unless there's something that we're missing."

"…They lose their power after a while," Vlad said.

"What makes you say that?" Arthur asked.

"A few of my dreams… it feels as though the life is being drained from me. What if…?"

"Those dreams are what happens to the jewels?" Lukas finished. "I've had those kinds of dreams too. And if they separate from Nemthys… It could be that they need to regain their power."

"It still doesn't make sense," Emil said. "But… Well, it does explain the 'new life' thing. I'll see if I can find out more."

"You're still doing better than me," Mathias said. "I only managed to find one reference to Nemthys, and it was in a list of deities. By the way, why are there so many?"

"You'll be surprised by how complicated the world can be," Lukas sighed. "So then, anything that we can help with?"

"How much rest have you managed to get?" Emil asked.

"…Not a lot," Lukas admitted. "But…"

"Then go back to your inn and get some rest. The three of you have dark circles under your eyes. We can meet up later, but for now, you should get some sleep."

"He's right."

Arthur jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to glare at Alistair, who seemed unbothered by the glare. He also noticed that Patrick and Berwald were behind Alistair.

"You look like shit," Alistair said. "Not to mention the fact that you didn't sense us coming. So, go back to your inn, get some rest, and we'll see each other again for dinner. We'll get what little information we found in the meantime organised."

Arthur wanted to protest, but a gentle hand on his wrist stopped him. He turned to look at Vlad, who gave him a small smile.

"I think they have a point," he said. "We could rest for a day or two. At least we know… we can trust them."

Arthur looked over towards Lukas. Trust wasn't the issue. Arthur was worried that what would happen in the Aewern Desert would happen again. He didn't want Nemthys's followers to track down their brothers and friends again and use them as bait, or as a means to convince them to surrender. He was sure that Lukas felt the same way.

"Arthur," Patrick said, "don't worry about us. We know to stay away from people we don't know. We don't want a repeat of last time any more than you do."

"That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Alistair asked.

"…Yes," Arthur admitted.

"I'm worried about it, too," Lukas admitted.

"We'll be fine," Berwald insisted. "Besides, you're the ones that need to be careful. And if you're too tired, you won't be able to protect yourselves."

Arthur knew that they were right, but he still felt uncomfortable. It was one thing for their friends and family to look around for potentially dangerous information when the three of them were not around, but it was another when the three of them were there to provide a reason for them to be targeted.

"Either you go back to your inn now or we drag you back," Alistair said. His gaze flickered to Vlad. "I take it you'll show us which inn it is?"

Arthur looked over towards Vlad, in time to see him eagerly nod. Arthur sighed, before he nodded as well.

"Alright," Arthur said. "Where should we meet you then, and when?"

"We'll meet you guys after sunset at your inn," Patrick said. "That alright? And then we can get dinner together."

"Very well." Arthur told them the name of the inn. He, Vlad and Lukas then left the library, and once they were outside, he sighed heavily. "I wish they'd stop treating me like a child."

"I think it's nice," Vlad said. "They care about you."

"True," Lukas said. "It still doesn't make it better."

Lukas used the spell that allowed them to retrace their steps, and the trip back to the inn was shorter than the trip to the library. They returned to their room, and Arthur took a moment to look at his bed.

This time, they managed to get a room with three beds. For some reason, this bed seemed too small. No matter. It wasn't as though they were staying permanently.

But as he slipped underneath the blanket, he couldn't help but feel that this bed was uncomfortable. After all that time sleeping in the wilderness, it should have been the opposite. Why wasn't it?

…

In a different corner of the library, three people watched the scene that unfolded. After days among dusty books, they finally found what they were looking for.

"You were right," the youngest said. "They would come here eventually."

"At least Antonio and the others' failure had an advantage," the eldest said. "We know what they look like. And they weren't too quiet."

"Did they honestly think that they would find enough information about our master?" the third asked. "Especially since we've already destroyed most of it."

"It's just annoying that they know something about the cycle. At least they don't know too much about it."

"So, what are we going to do now?" the youngest asked.

"We know where they're staying," the eldest said. "I'll go and get them. The two of you can start working on appealing to their friends."

"Will that work? I mean… they're not exactly ignorant."

"I think we can convince them," the third said, smirking. "That tall one, Mathias… I think I see potential there."

"Then get to work," the eldest said. "I don't want to be punished for failure."

The other two shuddered. Things the last few days had been tense, and they knew that their master's patience was running thin. He wanted the three sorcerers. The longer he went without the jewels, the longer he had to delay his plans. The three of them had waited a long time for their master's return, and they wanted to get to work on more important matters.

…

Mathias groaned as he leaned back in the chair. The words were swimming on the page, and he was reading the same thing five times. He needed a break.

He looked around at the others. They all looked to be focused on the tasks at hand, and he wondered how they managed to do that. He looked back towards the tome in front of him and buried his hands in his hair.

"Is everything alright?"

He looked up. A pretty woman with blond hair and green eyes stood next to him. He perked up when he saw her smile.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'm just… I'm a bit bored."

"What are you doing?" she asked, eyes flickering towards the open page.

Mathias wasn't too worried, since the open page contained no useful information. He understood that it was a bad idea to let strangers know too much about what they were doing. Tino had been a good actor, and he wasn't going to take any chances.

"I'm helping a friend to do some research," Mathias said. "This is really boring. Especially since I can't find anything."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," she said. "So… would you like to take a break? Get some fresh air… Go to the tavern with me?"

His head snapped up in surprise. Was she really asking him that? Usually, Mathias was the one that asked the ladies for a drink, and most of the time, he was rejected. Did she really want to go to the tavern with him? Was she really showing interest in him?

His excitement soon shrivelled as he looked over towards the nearest person, which was Berwald. Berwald was still a distance away, so he didn't notice Mathias's interaction with this girl, but if he looked up and saw that Mathias was wasting time, he would be furious, especially since Berwald had at least half a dozen books with him, and he seemed to be taking careful notes. His eyes then went to Emil, who yawned before he wrote something down. They were all tired and frustrated, and Mathias couldn't abandon his friends just to flirt with a girl.

And then there was Lukas…

The image of Lukas returned to his mind. Lukas was pale, despite just coming from a desert. He also had bags and dark rings under his eyes, and it looked as though he was putting a lot of effort into not swaying. Lukas's life was directly in danger. Mathias couldn't disappoint him.

"I'm sorry," Mathias said. "As tempting as it is, I don't want to disappoint my friend."

She blinked in surprise, and Mathias wondered if she really had been interested in him. Perhaps, if he could find just one important piece of information…

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed.

He looked back towards the page, though his eyes were becoming a bit glazed. Perhaps he should find another book.

"Then… Would you at least like to go outside a little bit to get some fresh air?" she asked.

Mathias looked back at her, before looking back towards the page. He wasn't going to concentrate, and he knew it.

"…Alright," he said. "Just to get some fresh air. I'm just going to let one of my other friends know. Oh! I just realised, I never introduced myself. I'm Mathias."

"My name's Bella," she said, smiling brightly.

…

Lukas awoke with a start. He looked around the room, seeing Arthur and Vlad still fast asleep, with the sun still shining brightly outside. It was nowhere near the time to meet with the others. He tried to work on his breathing as he looked around the room, trying to find the reason why he was forced awake.

Vlad muttered something, and Lukas's attention snapped to him. It took him a few seconds to realise that Vlad had only muttered in his sleep, and his eyes scanned the room again. His ears were perked up to hear every sound, but other than the normal sounds of a city, he could detect no disturbance.

He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. He suddenly felt very cold. It was strange, since he normally had no problem with cold temperatures. Something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

He hissed in pain and clutched his head. He closed his eyes as a series of visions assaulted him. He could see three people, each with blond hair and green eyes. They looked as though they could be related. The three of them laid waste to a village. One of them walked closer to an unsuspecting person, and when that person turned around…

"Mathias!"

His eyes snapped open and he gasped when he saw his old friend, seemingly being approached by this new danger. He looked over towards the other two before he climbed out of bed. His old friend needed him.

Lukas quickly pulled on his boots, before he rushed out of the room. He started to mutter the tracking spell that would let him find the library again. He hoped that Mathias still was in the library. He didn't know what he would do if he was too late.

He only managed a few steps out of the room when he stopped, staring in horror. Down the hallway, a man was approaching. It was one of the men he'd seen in his vision. The man saw him too and smirked.

"There you are," the man said. "You saved me the trouble of looking for you."

"D-do I know you?" Lukas stammered, willing himself to not take a step back. He already made a blunder with the stammer. But, perhaps, there was still a way for him to turn this around. Perhaps this man didn't know what Lukas knew.

"I have some… history, with the Ocean Soul," the man said. "Granted, it was seven hundred years ago, but it still remains. Your predecessor reacted to me in much the same way."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

The man cocked his head to the side.

"It may be that you're not lying," the man said. "But I know that you don't know the full truth." He smirked again. "Now then, why don't you tell me where the other two are?"

"Why should I?" Lukas asked. All pretence was gone.

"…Tell me, how is your friend Mathias?"

Lukas tensed. The man's smirk widened.

"My sister is with him now," the man said. "And my brother is waiting in the library with the rest of your friends. I think he's still deciding on a target, but he seems to be close in age to your own brother. Emil, was it?"

Lukas trembled. This was the very thing that he had been worried about. His loved ones were being targeted again, and if he wanted to save them…

"Who are you?" Lukas whispered.

Perhaps they weren't Nemthys's followers. Perhaps they were just another dangerous group. Perhaps they weren't even sorcerers. Perhaps he could still turn this around.

"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?" the man mocked. "And seeing as I already know your name, Lukas, you must feel it to be unfair." Lukas bristled at the man's use of his name. "My name is Lars. And my master, Lord Nemthys, would really like to meet you."

Lukas's blood froze as he received the confirmation of his fears. He took a step back as Lars moved closer.

"Don't give me problems, unless you want your friends to get hurt," Lars said. "Now, let's fetch Arthur and Vlad."

…

Vlad's eyes snapped open. He suddenly felt afraid, though he didn't quite understand why he felt afraid. He looked around the room, seeing Arthur in his bed, and seeing Lukas not in his bed. Whatever sleep still burdened him quickly abandoned him.

It was the same thing that happened in Aewern Desert. He was sensing Lukas's fear. Realising that, he quickly scrambled out of bed and stumbled towards Arthur's.

"Arthur!" he hissed, shaking the other's shoulder.

"What is it?" Arthur muttered, burying his head into his pillow.

"Lukas is gone, and I feel his fear again!"

Arthur sat up with such speed that Vlad almost thought their heads would collide. Arthur turned to look at Lukas's bed, seeing that he was indeed gone. He turned back to Vlad, his eyes wide with worry.

"Can you sense where he is?" Arthur asked. "Like last time?"

Vlad opened his mouth, before he closed it. He turned to the door.

"He's close," Vlad whispered. "I think… He's right outside."

There was a beat, before the two of them ran towards the door. Vlad was slightly faster as he yanked open the door. The two of them stumbled out before they froze.

Lukas was struggling against a taller man, who had wrapped one arm around his chest, pinning his arms, while the other hand was pressed against Lukas's mouth, muffling his screams. The taller man looked up, probably as a response to the door slamming, and he grinned when he saw them.

"Well, well," the man said. "Arthur and Vlad. How very considerate. You saved me the trouble of looking for you."

Vlad repressed a shudder. He instantly knew that this man was one of Nemthys's followers. Somehow, they needed to get Lukas away from him. But how? Vlad still wasn't confident with using magic, and they were in a narrow hallway. His magic was still a bit wild, and he didn't want to accidentally harm Lukas.

Lukas screamed into the hand when he saw them, and Vlad understood the terror in Lukas's eyes. It was the same terror that Vlad had felt when Raj had held him captive in much the same way as Lukas was being held at that moment. Vlad felt a surge of protectiveness, and he wanted to find a way to get Lukas away from that man.

"Now then," the man said, "we're all going to play nice, and no one gets hurt." His hands glowed, and Lukas screamed again, but this time, there was pain in his muffled voice. "Understood?"