Thanks to Angeldonut, madders10, Chellosity and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 108: Final Countdown
We're almost there.
The countdown's begun.
…
Ferdinand and Chio had arrived with their charges, and now the Nations were just waiting for Basch and Ricardo.
"Do you think they ran into trouble?" Feliciano asked.
"Don't ask such questions," Ludwig said.
"Si," Ferdinand said. "You might jinx things."
"You don't really believe that crap, do you?" Lovino asked, holding baby Antonio.
"It's possible," Ivan said, taking out his cell phone.
"Who are you calling?" Katyusha asked.
"Amerika," he said. "And he's not answering his phone. I'll ask Meksika then."
…
Rosa grumbled when her phone rang, and she quickly dug it out of her pocket.
"Whoever this is, this better be damn important," she growled.
"Oh, I see you spent a lot of time with South Italy."
She rolled her eyes.
"What do you want, Russia?" she asked.
She ignored Alfred's look at the mention of his old rival.
"Is it wrong to ask for a progress report?" Ivan asked.
"Why didn't you call the gringo then?"
"He's not answering."
She quickly pulled her phone away from her mouth.
"Check your phone," she mumbled to Alfred before bringing it closer again. "Thanks to a Deathplayer and the gringo's driving we took a little dip into a river, so now we're walking to London."
"It's totally dead," Alfred interrupted.
"Oh, and it looks like the gringo's phone lost the battle against water damage."
"And your phone?" Ivan asked.
"Have you seen mine? It's one of the old Nokias."
"Ah, I see. Call if something comes up."
"Will do," Rosa said, before hanging up the phone. She turned to Alfred. "Do you understand now why I don't want to upgrade my phone?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said. "So, what exactly did the Commie want?"
"Just a progress report."
They were interrupted by a rumble coming from above, and they turned their attentions to the sky. Rosa then glared up at the bird that was still perched on her head.
"I hate your weather," she said.
"Come on," Alfred said. "We better hurry it up. I don't know about you, but I'm already wet enough."
"Si, let's go."
…
Ivan turned to Bruce as soon as he hung up the phone, seeing the Australian as the one temporarily in charge, especially considering the fact that Ricardo was absent.
"It would seem they ran into some trouble," he said. "A Deathplayer helped them into a river."
"Please tell me they didn't take one of our cars."
Everyone turned to the door, where Alistair was looking less than pleased.
"Da," Ivan said, smiling and not really caring about the potentially angry Scotsman.
Behind Alistair, Alida, Matt, Khemet and Omar were standing.
"It better not be the Aston Martin," Alistair grumbled, before he stalked away, most likely to check on the rest of the cars.
Omar looked around, before turning to Bruce, an eyebrow raised.
Where's Anika?
Alida also turned to the Australian expectantly. He sighed.
"Brazil took the bird version to her country," Bruce said. "As for the Nation version… We think the Deathplayers took her. Matthew too."
"Kak," Alida said.
"You know, I still can't figure out how you manage to figure out what Omar is saying," Sadiq said.
"Well, you need to figure it out soon," Alida said. "Because Gupta is in the same boat."
"What?" Heracles asked, looking horrified.
"A Deathplayer attacked him," Matt explained. "He took his voice."
"Bastard," Sadiq said. "So, where's Gupta now?"
"We found a way to seal the Deathplayers," Alida said. "Both the Minor and Major Players."
"It involves that the Nations that the Beasts had been living in draw them back in," Matt said. "It's the only way to deal with the Beasts."
"Are you crazy?" Mathias asked, looking towards Berwald. "We can't let that happen."
"Unless you want random cities to keep being attacked," Jett said.
Berwald sighed, before he turned to Alida.
"What do we need to do?" Berwald asked.
"Go back to the place where you were attacked, and think about the Beast that was freed," Alida said. "Then try to draw them in."
"I think mine was a bear," Berwald said, before he stood.
"And in case a reminder is necessary, here are the Nations and their respective Beasts."
…
It had taken Basch a moment to orient himself enough to continue on to Ottawa. And when he arrived, he was instantly disgusted.
Too cold, too cold.
He gasped when the bird started to glow, and he quickly searched for a place where he could be out of sight. He sighed in relief when he found such a place, and watched as the change took place.
…
It was Matthew's gasp that alerted the others on what was going on. They turned to Matthew to see him surrounded in a soft light. He smiled gently.
"This isn't so bad," Matthew said. "It feels warm and welcoming."
"Matthew…" Anika whispered.
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close.
"See you on the other side," he whispered, before he dissolved into ash in her arms.
The tears fell, and Oliver and Tolys decided not to say anything.
"The King… is gone…" Francis said, and the Nations turned their attentions to the Reds.
"Check… mate," Gilbert said.
It took the Nations a moment to realise what they meant. They smiled when they realised that they won.
"Don't go celebrating yet," a voice interrupted.
The Nations turned to see the Canada Deathplayer, looking a little upset.
"How are you going to play your game of chess without your King?" Anika asked. "Face it, you've lost."
"Not yet," he said. "We still have several Reds, and the Black Pieces are still around. Most of them. But it doesn't hurt to have a backup plan in place."
"What backup plan?" Anika asked.
The Deathplayer smirked.
"When one game is drawing to a close," the Deathplayer said, "prepare for the next one."
"You're planning your next game," Tolys said. "And… you already know who you're going to play with."
"No!" Anika shouted.
"The next game will be entirely different," the Deathplayer continued. "The rules will be different as well. But the end result will be the same. The Nations will die."
"We won't let that happen," Oliver said.
"You won't remember what I said. A little side effect we noticed. You wanted to start fresh? Well, congratulations, wish granted."
And the Deathplayer disappeared, leaving them to ponder the new piece of information.
…
Alfred and Rosa were trudging along in the rain when they heard a car blare its horn behind them. They turned to see the car slow down, before the window was rolled down, revealing an annoyed Scotsman.
"Get in," Alistair said. "We'll discuss the repayment of the car you sent to the river."
Rosa and Alfred exchanged a look, neither looking too thrilled with the idea, but going into the backseat nonetheless, where they noticed Alistair had brought along towels, blankets and coats.
They were pretty grateful to the Scotsman for that.
…
Khemet had requested a full-length mirror, and they could see her using her magic on it to open a doorway to another world that had been unknown to them, up to now.
She had explained that they had cast a tracking spell on Anika, Mathew and Jett, in the event that the Deathplayers captured them, in order to find their hiding place so they could save their prisoners.
In the corner of the room, Alida, Lars and Bella were on the phone with Luxembourg, telling him how to draw in the Beast that had been living in his body and also convincing him that he had to go through with it.
Roderich and Elizabeta had left, since Roderich would need to return to the site of his attack, and Elizabeta went with him to ensure that he actually went through with it.
"Alright," Khemet whispered. "It's time. Those who want to come, get ready."
"Fine," Ludwig said. She looked over towards Bruce and Jett. "Will you be alright?"
"Yeah," Jett said. "If you can, see if you can get Annie and Mattie back before it's time for them to go."
Ludwig nodded, and everyone that had volunteered for the journey walked through the mirror, mindful of what they might see on the other side.
…
"I have never been so happy to be on solid ground," Seamus said, and Patrick nodded in agreement.
They had arrived at the site of the mass grave that Alida had described, and they were taking a quick moment to settle their stomachs and appreciate being on solid ground.
Manuella and Rebecca were nearby, amused expressions on their faces as they looked towards the Irish brothers.
"Come on," Manuella said. "Shouldn't you get to work now?"
Patrick nodded, and they straightened themselves before they walked farther into the site, the Southern Nations trailing behind.
…
Ricardo sighed in relief when he finally arrived in Cape Town, and he was lucky that he had ended up in Anika's house in said city. Actually, he was glad she had a house in this city.
He held the bird in his arms, this time admiring the transformation. He couldn't help but notice that when it was done she was even smaller than Roberto had been.
She yawned, and Ricardo smiled at the cute display. But it was time to take her back.
There were others they had to take to be reborn.
…
Anika let out a laugh of relief when she saw other Nations arrive. She went over to Khemet and hugged her.
"You won't believe how happy I am to see you guys," Anika said. "The Deathplayers…"
She gasped, and that was when she was surrounded by the light that had become so familiar to the prisoners.
"What's happening?" Ivan asked.
"They took my bird to one of my capitals," she said, a soft smile on her face. "I'm being reborn." Her smile fell. "I need to warn you. The Deathplayers…"
Before she could finish her sentence, she froze before her body dissolved into ash.
The Nations that hadn't witnessed it before watched in horror, while Oliver and Tolys turned to them.
"Matthew said that it doesn't hurt," Oliver said. "We've seen this happen a few times."
"I think what she was trying to tell you was that the Deathplayers have a new game planned," Tolys said.
"What?" Ludwig asked.
"They have a new game, and they've already chosen who they want to play with," Oliver clarified.
Ivan was looking towards the Reds, who were looking back at them all, their faces twisted into snarls.
"What about them?" Ivan asked.
"They're not likely to attack without the Deathplayers around to maintain their influence," Tolys explained. "The Nations inside have been breaking free for a while."
"They want this," Oliver said. "They want to start over."
Ludwig looked over towards the Reds, her eyes landing on Gilbert.
"Bruder?" she asked.
Gilbert looked up, but there was a hint of a haze in his eyes.
"Lud… wig…" Gilbert rasped. "Save… me…"
Ludwig felt the tears gather, and looked away from her brother. Some of the other Nations went to the other side of the cavern where they retrieved the other world's UK brothers and Yugoslav Nations.
"I think it would be best to depart now, da?" Ivan asked. "Before a Deathplayer comes back and they decide they want to paint the cavern red with our blood."
Tolys looked at Ivan oddly.
"I get the strange feeling that you would have fit right in in our world," Tolys said.
…
It looks like they know how to seal us.
Our game is doomed anyway.
We will have more time to plan.
We just need to add a few more final touches.
…
Miguel had gone back for the baby bag, and he smiled when he slung it over his shoulder. He was just about to return to his world when he noticed a figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned and paled when he saw the Brazil Deathplayer casually leaning against the doorframe.
"I bet you're wondering about that 'perfect punishment' I had planned for you," the Deathplayer said.
"I'm not particularly eager," Miguel said, taking a wary step back.
"I was thinking about separating you and Roberto. Make him grow up without any recollection of you. But I know you Nations are going to seal us, and that's going to make things a bit difficult. So I'll work on a compromise instead."
Miguel's eyes widened as intense pain erupted from his abdomen. The Deathplayer had seemingly teleported to right in front of him, and had punched the Portuguese right in the stomach.
"Not a fitting punishment," the Deathplayer said. "But this will do."
The Deathplayer pulled back, and Miguel fell to his knees, curling up into a ball. He glared up at the Deathplayer, who looked back impassively.
"I'll make sure that our next game involves you in some way, shape or form," the Deathplayer said. "Until then…"
The Deathplayer disappeared, and Miguel groaned in pain. He remained still for a while, before he moved over to the baby bag.
The Deathplayers knew what the Nations were doing, and they didn't seem to be too bothered. That scared Miguel.
…
Lovino noticed when the Micro Nations left the dining room, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He quickly followed them, trying to find out what they were doing. He was afraid that the Deathplayers had something to do with it.
He followed them outside, where it was pouring. The Italian hesitated, before following after them, letting out a few muttered curses. The fact that the Micro Nations were unbothered by it all told Lovino that they were indeed under the Deathplayers' control again.
He noticed Raivis and Eduard a distance away, the Estonian holding an umbrella as the Latvian dealt with the Beast. That reminded Lovino that he still had his own Beast to deal with.
The Micro Nations eventually stopped once they were out of sight of everyone in the large mansion. Lovino stopped a few metres away.
"You shouldn't have come, Lovino," Marcello said, turning around to face his brother.
The other Micro Nations also turned to regard him, and Lovino was right. Their eyes were blank.
He felt a presence behind them, and turned to see the Spain Deathplayer.
"Unfortunately, your position as one of the hosts for the Major Players makes things difficult for us," the Deathplayer said. "Yes, we know what you're doing. All it's doing is giving us more time to plan our next game."
"What?" Lovino asked, stepping back. "Another game?"
"Yes. But we have no guarantee when that'll be. It can be in a few years, a few decades or a few centuries."
"No… We won't…"
"If we escaped our seals once, don't you think we're going to do it again? What is the one thing you're noticing?"
Lovino swallowed.
"You're not trying to stop us," Lovino said. "You're letting it happen."
"Precisely."
Lovino looked back, where all the Micro Nations were watching him.
"Why did you bring them out here?" he asked, turning back to the Deathplayer.
"We need to prepare our next set of Pieces."
Lovino's eyes widened when he heard that statement.
"You're planning to use the Micro Nations next time?" Lovino asked incredulously.
"Why not?" the Deathplayer asked. "They're inside our realm of possibilities. And the fact that we've already marked them as ours helps."
"L-leave Marcello alone," Lovino said. "You… you can use me in his place."
"As tempting as that is, no. The face that you have a Major Player…"
"Dammit, you write the rules! So change that one! I want you to leave my fratellino out of it!"
The Deathplayer stared at him for a moment.
"Fine," the Deathplayer said. "There is one way. You have yet to seal the Wolf. If you really want to keep little Marcello, and by extension Francesco, out of it, then you would just need to agree not to seal the Wolf. It's as simple as that."
Lovino swallowed nervously. He knew that the rest of the world would hate him for it, but he couldn't allow his little brother to be used by the Deathplayers. He had seen what happened to the Pieces. He had seen the effect it had on Antonio, and he didn't want Marcello to go through it as well.
"Deal," Lovino said.
The Deathplayer held out his hand, and Lovino hesitantly took it. He hated the fact that he had to shake on it with the Deathplayer, as though making the deal wasn't bad enough.
The Deathplayer smirked one last time, before he disappeared.
"Fratellone?" Marcello's voice asked, and Lovino turned around to face his brother. "Wha… what happened? What are we doing here?"
Lovino saw that the blank look had faded, only to be replaced by confusion.
"You don't remember anything?" Lovino asked, and the Micro Nations shook their heads. "Good. That's good. You don't really want to know what happened."
"Where are Jack and Sheila?" Hans asked, looking around.
"They're in the other world, playing with their counterparts."
…
Jack, Andrew, Sheila and Lucy were confused. First at seeing each other, then their location.
"When did you two get here?" Andrew asked.
"I… have no idea," Jack admitted. "Where exactly are we?"
"Looks like South Africa's library," Lucy said, looking around. "What we're doing here, I have no idea."
"Where are the others?" Sheila asked, looking up at Jack. "Maybe they can tell us what happened."
"Something tells me we should be looking for Jett," Jack said. "I get the strangest feeling we should be with him."
"You're right," Sheila said. "I've got the exact same feeling."
"Come on," Lucy said. "We'll see if we can find Bruce, or at the very least one of the other Oceanic Nations."
"Why them specifically?" Jack asked.
"They're less likely to hurt us," Andrew said.
"I thought the Southern Nations won't hurt anyone," Sheila said.
"We're a little more paranoid in this world than in yours, it would seem," Lucy said.
I wanted this chapter to wrap everything up and then I could make the next chapter an epilogue chapter, but I'm going to need to draw things out a little. There are still a few finishing touches that I couldn't fit in this chapter, so they're in the next chapter.
I'm also posting the prologue for A Different Kind of Vampire today. Things wouldn't feel right if I don't post something on a Friday. And the only OCs in that story so far are the UK brothers, but there are mentions of Native America as well, and a NyoNorway and NyoEngland.