Chapter 23

What should I do?

It had sounded as if they were arguing but Emil only hesitated for a moment before he knocked on the door. This was far too important to let their usual bickering stop him, he had to warn Antonio right now. It got quiet inside the room and after maybe a minute the door creaked open and Antonio looked outside. "Oh, Emil! What are you doing here? It's pretty late you know."

"It seems like you were up anyway so I shouldn't really matter" Emil walked up to the door "Can I come inside? I need to show you something."

"Well, actually, right now isn't the best time…" Emil had already pushed himself past Antonio and was making his way through the hotel room.

"It's really important" He looked around but couldn't see Lovino anywhere so he guessed that he was in the bathroom or something. "What happened to your face?" Antonio had just followed him and was rubbing his cheek as if it were hurting.

"We just got into a little fight" Emil nodded and sat down on the bed to open the book.

"I found something and I think it can be connected to your spell" Antonio sat down next to him so Emil moved the book over to his lap and stood up, unable to relax. He paced back and forth through the room and threw suspicious glances towards the moving shadow on the wall as Antonio read it.

"You really think this might be it?" Antonio looked up from the book and seemed really worried. He turned back at the book to reread it once again.

"Probably and if it is, you need to be prepared" Emil looked at Antonio that was reading the page with furrowed brows. Of course he would be worried, he could hurt someone if he let himself get taken. Emil turned his gaze up at the wall and suddenly froze in place. He followed the movement of the shadow closely, it kept pointing from Antonio and back at himself over and over again but Emil couldn't understand, or he didn't want to. Almost unconsciously, he moved slowly across the room towards the wall were the shadow was projected.

"What are you doing?" Emil barley heard him as he, almost hypnotised, lifted his hand. Something, a feeling deep within him, was telling him to go on. "Stop!" His hand reached the wall and he touched the shadow.

"If you can hear me, It's me! Antonio! Get away! He already got Lovi! Find help and warn the others, before it's too lat-"

"No" Emil gasped and stumbled backwards, too shocked to think clearly. He turned and saw how "Antonio" had already stood up, the book now laying on the ground, and was slowly walking towards him. As Emil realised that he knew that he knew, he ran towards the door. But he didn't get far. Just as he entered the hallway he felt an arm close around him and a hand getting pressed against his mouth to muffle his startled scream.

"Youngsters nowadays just can't mind their own business, can they?"

.

"Hello?" Arthur sat up in the bed with his phone to his ear. He looked at the clock, it was already 3.30 am. He had had a hard time falling asleep because of Alfreds snoring and when he finally did, he was woken up by this phone call.

"Hi, did I wake you up?" Vladimir sounded very tired but happy. "I think I've finished the first circle now! I compared their symptoms to the symbols so if I'm correct, the first layer is gone." Arthur could hear voices talking in the background. "Any change with Lukas? Is you theory accurate?"

"I don't know, I just woke up." He yawned and continued "There shouldn't be any major changes yet so I'll check tomorrow. Go get some rest now so we can solve this soon" They said their goodbyes and hung up the phones. Arthur laid back down. He was thinking that Lukas memories would return gradually as the layers were broken. Since there didn't seem to be an actual spell affecting him, maybe his memories had just gotten locked away in between all those layers. With these thoughts running through his mind, he fell asleep despite Alfred snoring right next to him.

.

Lukas sat up in the bed, panting, as the memories rushed in. The scenes were short but it was enough for him to remember him again. He saw the ocean spread out before him and felt the waves hit the sides of the boat, the smell of saltwater was evident. He turned around where he could see Berwald trying to braid Mathias hair so it wouldn't get in the way during the fight but he just wouldn't sit still. They were young, it was during one of their first raids against Arthur, and they were all prepared for battle. The image disappeared and a new one emerged. They were a little older now but not very much. They were standing on the beach were three boats were lined up. It was warm, one of the boats were on fire, and he looked to the right were Berwald was giving him a very questioning look. Right, he was the one who had set the boat on fire. Again, the scenes switched and they were now sitting next to a lake fishing, though Berwald was the only one actually doing it. Mathias had fallen asleep and Lukas himself was being too distracted by poking him to actually fish. Berwald didn't mind though, he never did.

"Lukas!" Mathias voice brought him back to reality and felt how Mathias was grabbing his arms to steady him.

"I remember him" He looked towards where he knew Mathias would be "Berwald, I remember him" Lukas loosened the grip he hadn't realised until now that he was holding on Mathias shirt. He heard a soft gasp escape his lips.

"What do you remember?" He sounded calm but excited and his grip tightened slightly.

"I think it was during our viking days, when it was just the three of us." Lukas felt how Mathias loosened his grip and finally let go completely. "I saw images"

"But why now? There wasn't anything to trigger it!"

"I don't know, but I remember" He felt his way over to the lamp on the bedside table and started it so he would be able to see. But nothing happened as he hit the button. "Oh right, there's no difference" While shaking his head he leaned back again and looked towards Mathias. "Wake Emil, we should tell him about this. I know he's worried"

"That's a good idea!" Lukas heard how Mathias turned around and felt how the warmth that had been next to him disappeared. "Emil! Wake up! We got good new-" He suddenly fell silent. "Emil?"

"What is it?" Lukas felt how his stomach twisted nervously. Mathias sounded worried, confused, and that was never a good sign.

"He's not here" Lukas heard the moving of Emils blanket as Mathias investigated the bed where Emil had been sleeping earlier. "The bed is still a bit warm so he can't have been gone for too long though." His steps moved over to the bathroom where he opened the door to look inside. "He's not in here either"

"You should have knocked, just in case" Lukas stood up and reached out to feel his way through the room.

"Sorry" He felt how Mathias grabbed his hand to lead the way and he bit back his protests. This wasn't the time to let his pride get in the way, Emil was more important. "Let's go search for him okay?"

"Sounds good"

.

Emil watched as Shade paced back and forth through the room. He had introduced himself after tying him up, placing him on the bed and bringing the unconscious Lovino out of the bathroom. He had woken up pretty fast afterwards and they were both now sitting next to each other while listening to Shades conversation with Antonio. They understood it well enough, even though they could only hear one side.

"I can still work it out, I won't give up!"

"No, I can't let him go! Since he could hear you it means he's a threat!"

"What do you mean I've already lost? You just keep mocking me!"

"Can't you be quiet for just one minute? I have to think!"

"Oh so that's why you're not quiet huh? I'm the one with the upper hand! Don't get cocky with me!"

"Why are you doing this?" Emil was surprised that Lovino managed to talk. He himself was too scared to even move right now. Shade stopped in the middle of the room and looked at them. Lovino didn't get an answer, instead Shade only sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the book laying on the floor. He opened it and moved his finger over the page.

"This was good times. We were known, we were feared." He sighed longingly as he looked at the picture.

"You were alive back then?" Emil was finally able to speak again as reality had caught up with him.

"Of course I was!" Shade looked over his shoulder and Emil flinched as he met the eyes. "We shadows never die, we only move when our former host dies. I guess you humans would call it reincarnation" He stood up to place the book on a desk placed in the corner of the room. "Can you believe my joy when I realised that my new host was a country?" It looked like he was lost in thought and he smiled slightly. "If only I could switch place with him I knew that I would get stronger than anyone else!" His smile fell and instead they saw how he got angry again "Then maybe you can understand my anger when I realised that he wasn't a mage? I wouldn't be able to do it!" He slammed a fist into the wall and whispered to himself "Calm down, Calm down"

"Why are you doing this?" Lovino repeated the question, seemingly uninterested in the story. Shade didn't listen and only continued talking.

"All this time I've had to follow this annoying guy, see him smile all day and only let it fall when he knows he's alone. Of course, I saw you, Lovino, grow up. I saw him spoil you every day, turning you into the little ungrateful brat you are now." Lovino glared at him but he didn't seem to notice. "I couldn't understand why he didn't just break you down, making you his pet would have been easy- Oh keep quiet!" Shade slammed his fist in the wall again where Antonio seemed to be furiously shouting at him. He turned towards the bed and made his way over. Emil felt himself tense as he tried to back away as far as he could, but he soon noticed that Shade wasn't aiming for him.

"Stop!" Emil shouted as Lovino was lifted in the air by his collar but he wasn't heard.

"Why, you ask but isn't it obvious?" Shade smiled but it wouldn't reach his eyes that was glowing with years of built up anger. "My plan is pretty simple. Get my revenge on Antonio, take care of anyone that can be a threat and mainly" He pushed Lovino against the wall and Emil heard how he gasped from the hit. "I'll wake up the others. This world will be one of the shadows and I will be their leader!" He dropped Lovino back onto the bed and he curled up in a ball and groaned.

"Lovino, are you okay?" Lovino was panting but other than that, he seemed fine. Emil couldn't breathe as Shade laughed like a maniac and stood up.

"The pet thing isn't too late actually…" Shade walked through the room lost in thought. Suddenly he switched his gaze towards Emil. "Now then, what should we do with you?"

.

"And he isn't here?"

"No, we haven't seen him since the meeting" Lukas heard how Tino yawned but didn't give it much thought. He had a bad feeling about Emils disappearance and he had hoped that Emil had just gone to Berwald and Tino for some reason.

"Okay, we'll check with the others too" Lukas gripped Mathias hand a bit tighter. Something was wrong and he didn't like not knowing what.

"We'll help you" He heard Berwald from somewhere below him and nodded in his direction. Lukas started walking when he felt Mathias pull him but stopped as he remembered.

"By the way, I remember you now Berwald. From our viking days" He continued to walk, not bothering to answer Tinos surprised gasp or Berwalds relieved hum. "Let's go check Francis, Elizabeta and Matthews room now. They are the closest" Mathias nodded and dragged him along, leading him through the corridors.

"We'll check Yao and Ivan!" They heard Tino shout from far behind them. Lukas threw up a hand as an answer. The only luck they had when they arrived at the hotel room was that they gained some more searchers. Soon enough, they were all gathered in the Lobby, some half awake and all of them confused.

"We only got one room left then, right?" Lukas looked where he supposed Mathias was standing and got a confirming squeeze to his hand as an answer. He turned towards the others "Could I ask you to check outside?!

"Sure, we'll search in groups" Arthur stood up and as he walked past he whispered so only Lukas could hear "Don't worry, we'll find him." The room was soon empty apart from Mathias and Lukas standing in the middle.

"Should we?"

"Let's go" Once again, Mathias led Lukas through the corridors now towards the last room, shared by Antonio and Lovino.