Yay, Charice is out of the loop~! Let's go save Feli-chan now!

/= "Eden" by HetaOni =/

She clung close onto Li Xiao as they ventured deeper and deeper into the realm. After what had happened, none of them could blame her for those actions. Li Xiao made no move to walk faster than what she could do as the others tried to initiate normal conversations.

"Dude, did you see that thing?" Alfred flexed his arms. "It looked like Tony a little bit!"

"That alien friend of yours?" Arthur sighed. "Why the bloody hell are you making the comparison now?"

"Yeah, Alfred. She had to see him seventeen times in a row, all with our guts dangling off his fingers!" Lovino spat. "How about saving this till later?"

"I'm just saying that because I had a ton of fun pounding his head in the pavement!"

Charice paused, stopping Li Xiao.

"You…you fought him?" She let him go. "I don't get it…I was fighting him alone!"

"No you weren't! That recent time, after I got my ass handed over, I woke up in this really strange room that almost looked like a clock of some sorts." He started gesturing for no reason. "I looked up and saw you staring at the Tony look-alike, and next thing I knew, BAM! Someone kicked it straight in the dirt!"

"Hey, I had that image too…waking up in that room." Lovino looked up. "Only I was the one who kicked him! Was it in the cheek?"

"Yeah, it was in the cheek…" Alfred rubbed his forehead. "And then he tried to stand up and that's when I shot him in the leg-"

"And then something slashed his arm open." Antonio dictated.

"Hey, how the hell would you know that?" Lovino asked.

"…because I was the one who did that." He answered.

"Wait, wait...waitwaitwait…" Gilbert lifted his hands. "Are you saying we fought this guy without even seeing each other?"

"How would that work?" Charice asked. "It never happened the other times, so…what made this one different?"

"It's because you spoke up. Feliciano's not the one to reveal secrets as dark as this." Ludwig stated, his cape making an epic swoosh sound as he turned. "All secrets can be solved with another person in the know. By revealing his secret of this nightmare, he gained the power to overcome it."

"Wait a minute." Kiku blinked. "I thought Charice was the one who had to do it for him?"

"No…" Li Xiao stated. "She was directly connected to Feliciano, so as she did it, he overcame it himself. This was just to save us, who were stuck in the nightmare."

Matthew nodded about it for a minute before realizing that he was holding his right arm as if he damaged it. As he stared at it, he could've sworn that his skin was starting to turn a light green. Upon touching it, he pulled his arm away, revealing that there was nothing wrong with it.

"So…everyone was there at that time…?" Charice blinked in surprise.

"Yes…we all protected you…" Matthew smiled. "And we saw you summon that World Persona too…"

"I never actually saw what it was, so…" She paused. "I smell blood…geez, a lot of it, too…"

All of them tensed as Kiku and Li Xiao jumped in front of her. Matthew and Gilbert took the front row, walking as quick as they could and saw the environment turn a light red. The rivers were quick to turn back to blood, leading to a huge crystal temple that was shining a bright blue.

"That looks like a huge final boss location, if you ask me." Gilbert laughed. "Sooooo…who's up for some Shadow bashing?"

"I'll open the door, Gilbert. Being invisible, I should be able to bypass visual traps."

"…who the hell is that guy?"

"Canada dayo…"

"Greenland, right!"

Matthew was about to cry but then decided to open the door anyway.

/= "Flame, Staring at the Shadows" by HetaOni =/

There was no visual trap that they can see, but they did see that the room was dark and the only source of light came from the crystals that were around them. Everyone entered in quietly and saw the door close behind them, allowing them to see the crystals.

"…they're cool to the touch." Arthur remarked.

"At least they ain't blood colored." Lovino spat.

"Ah…guys?" Antonio turned his head. "Is it just me, or do I have the strange feeling that we're not alone?"

As they debated that for a few minutes, Charice and Alfred found themselves staring at one of the crystals. The surface was smooth, and made a sound that rang out like bells. Upon closer examination, they saw that the inside was hollow and filled with water. A shadow came from the depths, and they braced themselves…

And screamed.

Ludwig turned his head and saw the two of them fly back as the image of Antonio appeared immobilized in the crystal, asleep and unmoving. For her own sake, Charice started flailing her arms around until she felt the Spaniard's arm. She almost cut off blood circulation.

"OK…so this is just his mind's image…OK…" Alfred calmed down. "That's…um…good…"

"Wow…it looks so much like me~!" Antonio laughed (REALLY now?). "Why would he have a copy of me in his mind?"

"Answer that after you turned around."

Arthur pointed at all the crystals around him, and they turned to see that each crystal had a copy of everyone that they knew: Alfred, Francis, Yong Soo, even Rizal was in there. Odd enough, they couldn't find Ludwig in the mess, making the man a little sad.

"That's strange…I thought we'd see that Holy Rome guy that Germany kept telling us about!" Alfred turned his head. "He ain't here either!"

"So would he be further in?" Charice asked.

"I wouldn't be hasty in that decision, but that is the best we have." Kiku lifted up his blade. "I'll be in the front."

/= "Frozen Heart and Death of Parents" by HetaOni =/

As they walked further in, Charice could hear the sound of running water through the images of the frozen nations. She turned her head and saw the small streams of blood that flowed before them, freaking her out. Li Xiao held her hand, making the smell a little more tolerable.

"I-I see something!"

"Fratello!"

Matthew and Lovino raced forward and stopped, seeing a clearing where the crystals held his closest friends (the Kiku copy made the real one shiver) and the floor was completely covered with indents that held blood. She looked forward and saw a sorry sight.

There was a gigantic crystal on the furthest side of the room, holding the images of Holy Rome and Ludwig in them, and a boy was kneeling at their feet. He was facing the golden cross that was in front of him, and his white robes were stained with blood. They were streaming down his arms and legs, dripping into the indents of the floor.

"Oh…GOD!" Alfred panicked. "All the water in here was from his blood?"

Now Charice really wanted to be sick. Drinking from a Shadow's blood was one thing. That Shadow being Feliciano was something else entirely. As they were getting close, she realized that he was praying in Italian hence she had no idea what he was saying. Suddenly, his tone changed.

["Oh merciful God above, give me the strength to vanquish the foes that seek to do harm to His name…"]

The crystals started to glow, and soon all of them were having the images of their other frozen selves. Their eyes opened, revealing shining gold eyeballs.

["Give me the courage to walk forward with His blade…"]

The shells were starting to crack.

["And pray that my penance will save them."]

The crystals exploded, forming warped versions of the monster that Charice faced before. She screamed and clung onto the others as they readied their blades. Kiku was the first to attack, realizing that his blade went right through them. He gasped as another monster smashed him to the ground.

"Kiku!" Charice screamed.

["May Satan's demons not harm your angels…and may they bring true justice to all who wrong you…"]

"My attacks aren't even touching them!" Gilbert looked up. "This is totally unawesome, man! What are we supposed to do?"

"We can't hit them…they can hit us…" Charice mumbled. She turned back to Feliciano's Shadow, trying to connect.

["In His name, I shiver at your feet…"]

"I got it!" She snapped her fingers. "Violence isn't going to do anything! Quick, remember a good memory of Feliciano!"

"Why Feliciano?"

"I dunno, it's just his mind or something! Anything will do at this point!"

Ludwig and the others did just that, seeing the monsters freeze in their place. Alfred was laughing at the faces of them as they were unable to move, struggling to at least try and touch them.

"It's working!"

"We need something stronger!" Li Xiao looked up. "Keep remembering!"

Ludwig dug through his memories…each and every one of them holding the smiling Italian…and he wondered just which one of them would be strong enough for the monsters to be obliterated. None of them seem to be strong enough. What would work…?

"R-really?"

"Yes, really. I wouldn't lie to you."

He froze.

/= "The Decision of Love" by HetaOni =/

At the discovery of that memory, his forehead began to glow, obliterating all the monsters in the room. Gilbert quickly grabbed his shoulders and watched him steady himself, holding his forehead as the final gap began to piece itself. His eyes opened, and Gilbert paused: they were just as bright as Holy Rome's…so long ago.

"I remember everything now…"

"Doitsu-ki?"

He turned his head and walked toward Feliciano's Shadow, who had stopped praying and was now going to his feet in fear. Ludwig made no move to address it, walking even slower until he found himself stopping. No sound was made until Feliciano's Shadow began to twitch in realization.

"Italia…do you remember me?" His voice was different…childish?

["…Holy Rome…?"] He hiccupped. ["I-is that really you…?"]

"Italia, have you been suffering this entire time? All because of a promise that I tried to keep…and failed to do?"

["No, Holy Rome…please…d-don't blame yourself."]

"But this is all my fault. I promised to you that day…that I was going to return to you…winner or not. No matter what had occurred, I would be coming home…" He looked down to his hands. "Can you forgive me for failing you? Can you forgive me for leaving you in such pain and despair for so long…?"

["I-I'll always forgive you…nothing is your fault, Holy Rome…"]

"Then let go of this guilt, Italia. The waiting is over. Cast away your pain and come with me. We're going home."

Ludwig lifted up his hand (causing Charice to fangirl squeal), seeing Feliciano stare at him before slowly lifting up his own hand to comply. However, as he lifted up his wrist, he saw the blood that dripped from his robes. He quickly jerked his hand back, startling him. The fear in his eyes was now shadowed by him staring at his blood-stained hands. He turned around and stared at the crystals in front of him, the one holding the images.

["Who are you…?"] His voice was cold, emotionless.

"…Italia…?"

["Do not…! Call me…that…!"] His fingers tensed. ["The only man who has called me that…had died two hundred years ago! You who is in Satan's image…why do you torment me so!"]

"We're not tormenting you!" Li Xiao stated as they all ran to Ludwig's location. "We only speak of the truth! Holy Rome is back, and he's back for you!"

["How much penance and praying must I do to gain His grace? How much blood must I shed to purify his soul and allow him to join His grace in His kingdom…?"]

"…Ludwig…" Antonio turned his head. "All of this was for you…"

["…I get it…it was never my blood, but yours!"] He lifted his arms.

"Italia, don't…" Ludwig begged, his face covered with fear.

["The blood of evil will be purified today…and His grace will ensure that he will be saved…"] Feliciano began to glow. ["Devils, be gone!"]

/=+=/

I'm trying to update "Hetalian Inserts", but I'm stuck on my limited knowledge of Soul Eater and planning out the Team Fortress 2 chapter that I did this instead.