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Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 35: The Game's Progress
Two pieces have been claimed.
It is time for a third to be claimed.
Once a piece has been claimed, it cannot be claimed by another.
…
"How?" Matt whispered.
The Deathplayer was wearing a leather jacket, tight leather pants and black boots. That, combined with its black hair, made its white skin stand out.
"We were once humans, and some of us were Nations ourselves," the Deathplayer said. "In fact, I used to be what is now known as the Arctic Circle. You were once a part of me. Strange how it works."
"So you chose to take our appearance?" Matt scoffed.
"The appearances of anyone we play with are available to all of us. I could have become anyone. I could have become the Queen here. But another was a split second before me. So instead of the Queen, I became you, King. Anyone whose appearance has already been claimed cannot have their appearance claimed by another. Although, I didn't count on one thing."
He looked down at his tail, flexed his wings, and touched his horns.
"What do you want here, anyway?" Matthew asked.
"I was intending to give the Queen a little gift," the Deathplayer said. "But I guess that will have to wait. We've started the game centuries ago. We can wait a while for small details."
"What 'gift'?" Matt asked.
The Deathplayer smirked, his eyes flickering between the two Canadians.
"Why spoil the game?" he asked, before he disappeared.
"That damn…" Matt swore.
"Do you mind explaining what just happened?" a voice asked.
Both Canadas jumped in surprise before turning and facing the two Egypts.
"When did you two get here?" Matt asked, trying to regain his composure.
"Sometime before you asked it why it assumed your form," Gupta said. "Or something close to your form."
Omar touched Gupta's arm, and the other seemed to get whatever message he was trying to convey.
"I think we'll need to ask the Sub-Saharans," Gupta said. "They seem to know more about this than we do."
…
Alida's eyes widened before they narrowed.
The Deathplayer had assumed a form she wasn't entirely comfortable with. It looked like her, but with dark red hair and electric blue eyes. Its skin was still as pale as hers. It wore a very skimpy black dress, one that had a too short skirt and a too low neckline. There was a black corset at the waist. The creature had bat wings, an arrow-tipped tail and a pair of delicate horns.
But the most dangerous features were the fangs and claws.
"Get out of that form, now," Alida said with a cold, emotionless voice.
"Aw, don't be such a baby," the Deathplayer purred, the voice taking on a sultry tone that Alida, and most likely Anika, would never use.
"Out of that form."
The Deathplayer chuckled.
"What, you don't like the changes I made? Pity. It's such a nice form. Besides, now that I've assumed it, I cannot abandon it. Unless I kill you and your blonde twin. Then I'll be able to leave this form in… fifty years, perhaps?"
"And I'm going to assume that you don't have plans that involve either of us fading from existence. Do you honestly think I don't know how you play?"
The Deathplayer chuckled again.
"You're somewhat familiar with our game. So is your twin. Which was why, when it became clear that you're the Queen, none of us were really surprised."
"Queen? So this is a giant game of chess. That means there has to be at least thirty-two pieces. Although, if you're playing with two worlds, then that would be sixteen Nations, Black and White. Two versions of sixteen Nations. Am I correct?"
The Deathplayer smirked.
"Correct. It is interesting to play with someone that knows the game." The Deathplayer paused. "It would seem that we will have to continue at a later time. Totsiens."
Alida opened her mouth, but the Deathplayer was already gone.
"At least put something else on!" she shouted. "Next time I see you, you better not be wearing that dress!"
…
Romania was on his way to Brazil's room, intending to check up on him, and then he'd go to South Africa's room.
On the way he passed Romano, Italy and Seborga, who were chatting together in Italian.
Romania paused, glancing back. Without waiting another second, he rushed back and tackled Feliciano and Lovino in a hug.
"What the hell?!" Lovino shouted. "What are you doing, you damn bastard?"
"I spent too much time being the prisoner of a sadistic little psychopath and a fashionista that's eager to force his designs on someone else, and who also knows a thing or two about poisons," Vlad said. "I'm just happy I'm back to the two of you."
Neither Italian said anything, not too sure what to do about this. Seborga walked over to stand directly in front of Romania.
"Did you happen to see my counterpart?" Marcello asked.
"Da. Him, I could handle. He was quiet, polite and didn't try to make my life hell."
"Okay."
…
"Jana!" Gupta shouted.
Namibia turned around at the sound of her name, and was surprised to see both Canadas and both Egypts approaching her.
Mozambique was with her, and the two Southern Africans shared a glance.
"I'm surprised you're not with Anika," Mozambique said, looking at Omar.
"We just came from her room," Matthew said, stopping in front of them. "There was a Deathplayer there."
The two tensed.
"What happened?" Namibia asked.
"The Deathplayer transformed into… me," Matthew said.
"Us," Matt corrected. "A strange version of us, with different hair and eye colour. And wings, horns and a tail."
The two Africans shared another glance.
"They're not finished playing with you yet," Namibia said. "And they're making it clear that they are playing with you."
"They did the same thing to us, around five hundred years ago," Mozambique said. "It took a lot of effort to get rid of them."
"What did you do?" Matthew asked.
"It was five hundred years ago, and we were kids. We can't remember everything. Like all the things we had to do to stop them."
"They toyed with us because we were kids," Namibia said. "The older Africans, like Southern Africa tried to protect us, but they still got away with a lot. Finally, we managed to seal them in one place where it wasn't easy for them to escape. It was the place they went to after they became Deathplayers. The Cradle of Humankind."
"Isn't that in South Africa?" Matthew asked.
"Ja. And Anika kept an eye on things. She knew the most about it. And the Deathplayers had a habit of targeting her."
"They would assume the form of humans," Mozambique said. "Humans they 'played' with. But their forms… There would usually be a hint that they were something else. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Matt asked.
"Unless the human whose form they assumed," Namibia said, "was dead."
…
It was time for dinner. There were many Nations, and they were thankful that the UK brothers had such a huge dining room and such a large table (again, in the event that they had to spend time together). France, China and Turkey made the food, banning the British from the kitchen.
Anika and Roberto were still unconscious, and Omar stayed in Anika's room, just in case another Deathplayer made an appearance, and Valeria stayed in Roberto's room.
"We've got problems," Matt said.
"Dude," Alfred said, "can't it wait until after we finished eating?"
"Ignore him," Arthur sighed. "What kind of problems?"
"Deathplayers have started taking another shape," Namibia said.
"What are you talking about?"
"If a Deathplayer 'plays' with someone, then that someone's appearance is available to them. They're shapeshifters, in a way. And they've already claimed Canada's appearance."
"Dude, so there's another you running around?" America asked. "How do we know this is Mattie and Mattie's evil twin? You could be the Death… what is it again?"
"Player," Matt said, rolling his eyes. "And it looks like us, only with black hair and golden eyes. You'll know it if you see it."
"And apparently, there's another that looks like South Africa," Matthew said.
"What?! How do you know?" Botswana asked.
"The Deathplayer mentioned something like that."
"That's just great," Mozambique huffed. "And because Anika, Jana and I look a lot alike, that Deathplayer might just as well have been Namibia or me. And there's no telling what that form might be."
"Is that so bad?" Ludwig asked.
"Yes!" Namibia and Mozambique said.
"You'll see it soon enough," Angola sighed.
…
Valeria watched the unconscious Brazil. Portugal had been kind enough to bring her something to eat, but it wasn't that big a deal. Nations from her world are used to going without food for a few days.
Roberto was extremely pale, but most of the cuts had been healed. It looked like he went headfirst through a window.
Or a mirror.
She sighed, before she tensed. There was something in the room.
She growled, taking out her knife. Whatever it was, she would not allow it to harm Brazil.
She gasped when something suddenly appeared, standing over Roberto on the bed. It looked like… him.
The figure, or creature, looked like a pale version of Brazil with long white hair tied back in a low ponytail. It had silver eyes with slitted pupils. It wore black pants and nothing else, leaving the feet and chest bare. But that didn't matter. What drew her attention were the wings, tail and horns.
"What the…?" she whispered.
The creature smirked, and looked down at Roberto. It crouched down and placed a clawed hand on the brunet's forehead.
Valeria was snapped out of her stunned state when Roberto started to scream, but before she could do anything, the creature had already disappeared.
…
Everyone heard the scream. The first to react were Portugal, India, China and Russia, with Basch and Camille following behind.
They arrived at Roberto's room and saw said Nation lying on the bed, thrashing, as though he was having a nightmare, with a frantic Valeria trying to wake him.
"Não!" Miguel shouted, pulling her away. "You shouldn't touch him in this state."
"Why not?!" she shouted.
"It's his magic touch," India said, placing his hand on Brazil's face and stroking it calmly. "Through physical contact, he sees either the past or future of the one that touched him. It causes intense pain. But for some reason, it doesn't happen if either Anika or I touch him."
"It must be because of your Imperial Alliance in our world," Valeria said. "You're too closely related for it to affect him."
"An Imperial Alliance?!" Raj asked, turning to face the Columbian.
"Of course. Did you think that they could oppose an entire hemisphere on their own? They are three empires working together as one, out of everyone's free will. It is rare for two empires to work together, let alone three."
"I didn't even think that's possible," Ivan said. "I have never heard of something like that happening before."
Raj looked back at his friend, and saw with surprise that there was a soft green light coming from his hand.
His own magic.
…
Roberto looked around, utterly confused. He wasn't sure where he was.
He was wearing white armour, sitting on a white horse. He tried to spur the horse on, but it didn't change anything.
He looked around and saw Anika standing nearby, wearing a long white dress, a white crown on her head. She was holding a sword in her right hand.
He tried calling out to her, but his voice was non-existent, and she did not react.
He looked around farther, and saw Matthew, wearing a white cape, a crown and also carrying a sword. Nearby was Alexandru, dressed as a bishop.
He also saw Arthur, Feliks, Toris, Gilbert, Antonio, Francis, Vlad and Lukas, each dressed as a foot soldier. Again, also white.
That was when he started to see the surrounding area, and he experienced déjà vu. Each Nation was standing on a tile, either black or white. It was a giant chess board. And each of the pieces, the Nations he saw, was moved from their original position.
He looked farther back, and saw Raj, also a knight, still in what he assumed was the original position. Dimitri was dressed as a bishop, and upon two towers he saw two other figures, whom he hadn't seen before.
Jett and Fletcher.
He looked towards his front, and could see figures in black. Some of them were still in their original positions, but most were moved.
He looked upwards and saw other figures simply floating above him. He couldn't recognise them.
'The game has begun, and it's already progressed quite far. But…'
Suddenly, he saw other figures. Figures in grey. And his eyes widened.
In a game of chess, there are always two parties. But in this game, there was a third…
…
Raj had rushed towards a bathroom. He needed to have a little word with Mahesh. That was the only way he knew of that he could find out what exactly is happening.
He found Mahesh reading a book, and he was accompanied by several Nations, some he knew, others he didn't. They were all simply lounging around.
If Valeria's words were true, then he knew exactly what that was. They were an empire, staying close together.
He frowned, going outside the bathroom. He looked around until he found none other than Jeng Soo, nursing a few injuries. It would seem Gan had gotten to him again.
"How can I help you?" the North Korean asked.
"I need you to tell Mahesh to get in front of the mirror," Raj said.
"Any particular reason?"
"I need to speak with him. It's rather urgent."
Jeng Soo stared at him for a while before sighing, taking out his cell phone and sending a text. A few seconds later he received one in return.
"Alright," Jeng Soo said. "He'll be waiting for you."
"Thank you," Raj said, bringing his hands together and bowing, before leaving.
…
You should have waited.
There was no need for you to assume that form yet.
The Deathplayer in Brazil's likeness chuckled, shrugging.
"What can I say; I've always had a soft spot for the Amazon."
…
Finally, Roberto calmed, and Miguel sighed.
"My poor boy," he muttered. "What do those things want with you?"
He stroked Brazil's forehead, noting the sweat.
He also wanted to check on Anika, but he couldn't leave Roberto alone. He knew that he was mostly responsible for her isolation when she was still young, and felt bad. He had met her mother, Southern Africa, and she was just protective. Why did he assume that the daughter was like the mother?
Kind of like Brazil's mother.
…
Francois had a plan, but there had to be a few things he needed to do first. Like corner Marius.
Unfortunately, said Romanian was still asleep, and the Frenchman was no fool. One does not simply wake someone in their world. They rarely slept, and if their sleep was interrupted they could be even more violent and dangerous than usual. And Romania was already dangerous.
But his mind still had ideas, and he smirked. He knew that Luciano wouldn't oppose to one particular idea, and that idea would serve to help his main plan.
He looked over towards a nearby window, and he could see through the darkness that Francis was chatting with a few Nations. Nations that he vaguely recognised as his own former colonies.
Yes, his plan would definitely work.
…
"Do you think it's safe to sleep again?" Toris asked.
It was already late, and many Nations had already gone to sleep. A few, such as those that were involved in Felic's game, were still awake, and they sat in one of the living rooms.
"You could try," Nicolai said. "You've been through wars before, right? So you should probably be able to fight back, no matter what they throw at you."
"But, just in case," Alistair said, "you should probably go to sleep with someone else in the room, to try and wake you."
"I don't need to worry," Vlad said. "Marius is still asleep. He won't bother me."
"Good for you," Feliks said, rolling his eyes. "Like, I at least have this little guy."
"Have you thought of a name for it yet?" Gilbert asked.
"Totally. Feniksa!"
"…You just used the Polish word for 'phoenix'. Totally unawesome."
"Like, don't even start. What about 'Gilbird'?"
"Hey, that is awesome!"
"I see they're somewhat back to normal," Toris said, rolling his eyes.
…
Luciano looked at Francois, thinking over the Frenchman's suggestion before smirking.
"It sounds good," Luciano said. "Of course, we'll need to wait until Romania wakes up. In the meantime, you can proceed with what you need to do, and I will make a few phone calls."
Francois smirked. This would ensure that the other side had a bit of a problem regarding allies.
…
"Go home."
"No, I want to help."
"It's too dangerous."
"That's why I want to help."
"I don't want you getting hurt."
"And I don't want you getting hurt."
Basch rolled his eyes, regretting joining his counterpart.
Vash and Lili have been arguing about this the entire time. Vash wanted Lili to go home, while Lili really wanted to help, not backing down at all.
Lili really was different from Elise, and it made Basch like the girl even more. His sister had a nasty streak, and he regretted adopting her. She spent a lot of time with Austria, Dominik, since he himself wasn't interested in torturing unless he was paid to do it. She goes to Austria's house whenever she's bored, and together, the two come up with some strange torture techniques.
Basch sighed, and decided to go back to South Africa's room, where he might get some peace and quiet.