Honestly, the group was weary of the traps that had activated along the way to the bowels of the underground labyrinth. Many traps were outlandish, eliciting several remarks from England about how impossible they seem to be. How fictitious.

"Really?" Scotland asked, ducking under old axes swinging about in the narrow passageway. The creaked horridly with age, loosening the dirt in the walls and ceiling. "What makes you say that?"

The moment after the swinging axes, a section of the wall before them shifted slightly, causing the group to halt. Everyone but Scotland jumped when the wall shot out and slammed into the other side. The rumble made upon impact was deafening and the dust cloud that bellowed from the walls obscured their vision.

"Like that," England coughed. "How did you even manage to get traps like these to work? And why so many under this castle?! You'd think something like this can only be found in fairy tails or legends or-"

"Can it be helped that I have a very active imagination?" Scotland coughed, fanning the dust away from his face. The wall then retracted, much to their surprise-though Scotland then had an "oh yeah..." expression take over and wasted absolutely no time to leap forward before the wall could jut out again.

"It's only five feet wide," he said hastily. "You-"

His words were interrupted when the wall interfered. The moment the wall returned, Scotland continued without skipping a beat. "-must cross to this point before it comes around again."

"How long do we-" Finland began but the wall shot back out.

"How long do we have?" Scotland asked in confirmation once the wall retreated. "Four, six seconds?" He gave a backwards glance over his shoulder and let out a long whistle. "We actually have to get through...three of these?"

"Three?!" Liechtenstein exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Exactly," Ladonia scowled. "Why'd you put three of these here?"!

Again, the wall separated them with a boom. But the moment it retracted, Scotland was gone and they could see a second wall slamming into the other side of the passageway, but noticeably quicker.

"It'll hurt if we get trapped in between these..." Wales murmured, running a hand through his hair. With a sigh, he tightened his fist and cocked his head with a wry grin. "Well, see everyone on the other side."

Eying the wall, Wales made a dash to the other side, followed closely by Sealand. The sudden movement of the micronation took England aback, but before he could chide him, the wall closed them off once more.

Sighing, Finland gave England a smile. "Well, we better not waste time."

And with that he too sprinted off once given the chance. Liechtenstein glanced at Finland for a split second before taking the initiative to leap forward and follow through.

That only left England, Norway, and Ladonia, each of them giving the two ahead of them a hopeless gaze. The longer they stood there, the farther away the others must be. Plus, the dirt and dust flying all over in the air was starting to sting their eyes. Norway rubbed at his eyes and Ladonia blinked several times before giving in and growling, raising his entire forearm to furiously ease the irritation.

"We can't stay here forever," England murmured.

"We know that," Norway murmured back, and with that he grabbed England's wrist and Ladonia's hand and dragged them through the first wall the moment it cleared the way.

If there was time to stop and shout at how risky doing this without any warning was, England would do it. But the fact that it took him two seconds exactly to figure out how to work his feet again left him with a few more seconds; he did not look forward to being a pancake.

The other five were probably out of the trap by now. Finland and Liechtenstein weren't in between the first and second wall anymore. And they caught a glimpse of Sealand scurrying past the third and final wall, but just barely.

It made England uneasy and he found his palm to be sweaty. Freeing his arm from Norway's grip, he wiped his hands on his pant leg and watched the second wall for a moment, noting the speed increase.

Norway merely watched it for a few seconds before moving ahead with Ladonia still latched to him. "Hey!" Ladoina yelled. "Let go of me you-"

And his words were cut off with the wall.

The silence was unnerving. England wasn't sure if they made it, and if they didn't, what a gruesome, bloody mess he'd come across, and then he realized that he's have to drag them out unless he wanted to leave their physical bodies there to be continuously crushed over and over.

He sincerely hoped that would not be the case. Which was why he was relieved when he saw Norway and Ladonia watching the third wall. Ladonia was still complaining but Norway paid no attention. The country, did, however, glance behind his shoulder at England as if beckoning him to join them already.

And so did the next time the wall came around.

Fire.

A massive form of energy, brilliant gold with the most richest oranges dancing under the darkened heavens. Rings of this roaring element circled the grounds, enveloping the castle in a passionate embrace. It was beautiful. And it was a pure force of utter destruction.

In the eyes of Denmark and his group, it was how they distracted the enemy. Surely Scotland and his side would be safe, going about undetected in their game. If the complexity of the underground tunnels was not enough, then this would surely suffice.

And so the five, including Mr. Puffin, watched from afar in the dark. Ireland and North Ireland stood side by side, eyes glued intently on the fire with a solemn expression. North Ireland's lips parted slightly as if to say something but he hesitated.

"A shame," Iceland said quietly, "how fire can be so stunning and yet..."

Ireland made a small noise of agreement, eyes never leaving the fire.

Denmark was unusually quiet. His expression was placid, eyes incredibly emotionless.

In the distance they could make out the shadowy figures along the castle walls run about. Their voices were drowned out by the crackling of the fire consuming everything in its path.

If the doppelgangers took a moment to examine the flames, perhaps they would have noticed a sudden falter of fire in the east before it burst back into a petrifying inferno. Thrown into a turmoil, one tended to overlook crucial details. To think that doppelgangers had that same weakness.

But they were fragments of their respective country, and every country was made up of people, who were far from perfect.

And the countries watched. In the night with their faces illuminated by the mirage, they watched.

The underground tunnels seemed ridiculous at this point. Worn by the dangers the further they descended, they could only attempt to smile when Scotland announced their arrival.

"Although..." he said softly, hands resting on the knobs of the double doors, "I highly doubt that we'll find anything. How long has it been?"

A quick glance at his watch. "Only three hours..." Scotland breathed to himself. "Unless you lot want to wait another hour as a precaution..."

"Four hours was our limit right?" Finland asked. "What if he's waiting for us in there?"

"What if Denmark successfully caught his attention?" Scotland challenged.

"What if he didn't?" England blurted.

Scotland dropped his hands to his sides and scoffed. "Well this entire thing is a risk, isn't it? Don't ya think that without some risk, we'd get nowhere?"

"Is this risk worth taking if it turns out that he's in there?" Wales asked, furrowing his brows.

"If he kept his word it's only him," Liechtenstein said, fingering the hem of her dress anxiously.

"But do we even know if he kept his word at all?" Norway interrupted. He sighed and folded his arms. "If he has several others here, we won't be able to stand a chance."

"If that's the truth then don't you think Denmark would try to warn us the second time we went back to the surface after we fell into the pit?" Wales asked.

"My doppelganger's magic can create illusions of the others if he wanted to," England snorted. "And even if that's not the case, how would Denmark find us so easily? How would he even know we went back to the surface in the first place? It's not like we contacted them about it."

"Well who's fault is that?" Scotland sneered.

"I'm not the leader now, am I, Scotty?" England sneered back.

"Hey, hey, let's not fight among ourselves, okay?" Finland laughed nervously, placing a hand on each of the two's shoulders.

"So what will we do now?" Sealand whined.

"Shut up," Ladonia mumbled at him. "Don't you whine."

"No fighting," Liechtenstein reminded him gently.

Sealand bit his lips and jerked on England's sleeve. "Oi...can't you use your magic to make us invisible and we can go in?"

"That doesn't explain how the doors opened by themselves."

"Well then you make us invisible and Scotland can teleport us in or Wales can or-"

England decided that if-no, when, things return to normal, he'd have to either explain to the micronation that magic couldn't be used to their liking all the time or he could just erase Sealand's memory about it. He had a feeling that Sealand would badger him constantly about it from that moment on.

"You know, what do we have to lose now?" Scotland asked quietly. "If that dopp is here by himself, we can maybe talk it out. And if we must fight, we can take him. The chance there are others with him...we can still do it. There's no way he'd bring the entire faction here, right?"

He placed a tentative hand on the right knob.

England averted his eyes. Staring aimlessly, he muttered, "America's team...they're supposed to back us up when they're done with their part. If we fail here, they'll come."

"America?" Wales repeated, a wry smile gracing his lips. "The hero? Hah. Maybe he'll be our hero this time around."

"I have a bad feeling about that though," Liechtenstein whispered, but no one caught her words.

Two different futures could play out at this point. One future burdened with cowardice and its consequences. The other suffered of pre-mature fear and anticipation of what was to come. The first would have occurred if they had waited for his wrath. The second; the risk was taken. And the fear that accompanied that risk tormented them.

But they took this route nevertheless.

And he was waiting for them.

Perched on a stone throne, Dark England met their eyes and that mere gaze froze their blood. His dark eyes were on them, and there was not enough light to reveal the scarlet gleam. His pretentious poise implied his victory. He was free to do as he pleased. It was his win, and their loss.

Their loss.

"You..." Scotland breathed. He closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards. "No surprise, really. I have seen it coming. I would be more surprised if you weren't here."

"I'm surprised by the fact you're alone," Finland stated, glancing at the dark corners. He frowned at the emptiness. "No weapons...? Nothing?"

"Nothing?" England groaned, falling to his knees. "You don't mean it, Finland, do you? We spent the game searching for something that is not here? To only be caught an hour before our victory? Is that what we played for?"

His chest tightened. Something seemed to drop to the bottom of his stomach. The weight of failure kept him down. Their victory was supposed to be the turning point in this ordeal. But what would happen now? Just pondering this made him sick. He clenched his fists so that his knuckles whitened. He dug his nails into his palm. He gritted his teeth. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!

"You idiots."

It was his voice that spoke, but they all knew it was not the England shaking in anger on his knees. The others around him met the doppelganger's eyes. But there was silence. Only after a moment of agony did the real England raise his head, green eyes locking with red.

Oh the situation he was in was pathetic. England, the England, who used to be the greatest power in the world, on his knees after losing looking upwards to a cowardly version of himself, situated in some throne. This England was only a part of the original; he was beaten by someone who wasn't even whole. This England was waiting for his predetermined victory; he merely sat there while they struggled against Scotland's maze and traps.

"Oh how I hate you so much," England croaked.

Dark England breathed in and closed his eyes. "I know. I can feel it."

Caught up in his anger, England failed to realize his doppelganger had dropped the old English. "How long...?"

"Since the beginning."

"If you knew that we'd come here in the first place," Norway said nonchalantly, "why bother playing?"

Dark England clasped his hands together. "I was bored."

"You sat there for the past three hours," Ladonia said incredulously. "Of course you'd be bored."

To his surprise, Dark England chuckled. "I monitored everything. Lovely, absolutely lovely. Well done." To add to his praise, he gave them a light applause but ceased when the glares deepened.

"How now? What's the matter? Wasn't it amusing?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Where are they?" Scotland demanded. "Where are you hiding them?!"

"What?" Dark England asked, stunned. "Weapons? Think about it, you idiots. Do you honestly think a castle is the best place to store weapons of mass destruction? But then again the others chose odd places as well...perhaps we really did need Intelligence's help after all. Cunning and intelligence can be very different, mind you."

"I...don't follow," Scotland frowned. "There's nothing here?"

"Not at all. I have nothing here whatsoever. Not that the other hatreds I have around know that. It's all a game to me. I'm not interested in world domination. We all know how poorly that was executed," he snorted. With that, he stood up and took several strides towards an astonished England. Looking down at his original, Dark England kicked his chin upwards and held it despite the blood running from England's mouth staining his shoes.

"What are you on the ground for?" he asked icily. "Is this what you treat yourself? Is this what you treat me? Stand up, you Brit."

England ignored the throbbing pain and the blood dribbling down his front. Two people grabbed a hold of his arms and heaved him upwards. Still dazed, he remained silent, staring into the subtly red eyes of his hatred.

"It was fun, playing around in this world," Dark England continued softly. His face contorted unpleasantly. "America's hatred though...awful. And everyone else? Just loitering around all of their negativity brought back shameful memories. I'm tired. And their plan is incredibly flawed if you really think about it. I blame the fact we didn't think to break out other emotions."

"Other emotions...they can break free?" Wales asked.

"If they have the willpower," Dark England chortled. "Believe me, it was difficult. Never am I going to do that again."

"So why did you all break out at once?" Finland asked. "What caused the increase of willpower?"

Dark England harrumphed. "There was supposed to be a world meeting the day we broke free. Remember?"

Silence.

"At Germany's?" Dark England continued.

The countries coughed and shifted weight.

"Exactly," Dark England sniffed. "Not a single one of you remembered. Is this laziness, this uncaring attitude towards global issues that unimportant? This fault lays in all of you."

"Well...I suppose we can do better," Scotland sighed. "But it's not easy, y'know? It's hard."

"If you can't take it, then leave," Dark England stated. "That's what your hatreds were thinking. But honestly if any emotion should have done this, it should not have been hatred at all. Making a temporary alliance with everyone to accomplish the ultimate goal? And what of the consequences? Afterward, what would happen? War. And if war elicits more hate and antagonistic feelings towards one another, who knows when the fighting will ever end?

"Pathetic, the originals and us," Dark England groaned. "I'm actually ashamed of our stupidity."

"Blinded by hate," Liechtenstein said simply. "It is only natural."

Dark England smiled down at her. "Indeed. Well said."

"So you're on our side all this time?" England asked slowly, finally finding the words. He turned his head away and spat at the ground, blood seeping into the cracks of the cobblestone.

"I'm in the gray," Dark England laughed. "I am on neither side. If we happen to win, so be it. At least I am fed plenty of hate. If you happen to win, then what do I have to worry about? All of this responsibility and putting up with everyone's idiocy? How do you stand it for centuries on end?"

England failed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Stand? Did you not see me earlier? Their idiocy sent me to my knees."

"Oi, it's not like you don't have a part to play in humanity's stupidity," Scotland scolded, smacking the back of England's head.

"How hypocritical," Dark England murmured as Scotland nodded in agreement.

"The irony," England groaned. "Oh how the irony burns."

Though England would have preferred if Dark England could return to his body as quickly as possible, the doppelganger claimed he had a few things to take care of beforehand. Including teleporting the group back to the surface. But before doing so, he placed a sturdy hand on Scotland and ordered, "Whatever you do, do not make a noise when you reach the surface. Do not ask questions until we are off the castle grounds. And do not speak until you hear everything."

Scotland managed to put two and two together rather quickly and paled. Clutching his hair, he repeated Denmark's name over and over along with randomly placed, "What the hell did you do?"s in between.

The illusion died. Ireland and North Ireland collapsed. The last few minutes were spent making the fire seemingly die out naturally. The falling rain made this more believable.

With their backs pressed hard against the ground, faces looking up at the beginning of another typical torrent of rain, the brothers matched each others' breaths. Fatigued and drained of energy, they lied there, silently savoring the cool touches of the rain drops on their bare skin.

Denmark sat down next to them, disregarding the fact that the grass and mud would dirty his clothes, and smiled at last. "Amazing," he said simply. "Absolutely amazing."

Ireland and North Ireland opened their eyes and squinted past the drops. The Dane's blonde hair was damped already and so was the Icelandic. The two Nordics sat next to the two Irelands and the puffin rested under the protection of Iceland's coat.

"Yo."

Not one of the countries or bird spun around. They smiled to themselves and trusted that it was friendly. "Yo," Denmark replied back, staring out at the castle.

"We played a futile game," Wales' voice said.

"Futile?" Iceland asked.

"There was nothing to begin with," England said, although it sounded as if there were two of them.

At this the five glanced behind. Ireland and North Ireland were to weary to care about the fact that Dark England was with them but Denmark and Iceland's eyes widened.

"Long story," Liechtenstein smiled.

Scotland narrowed his eyes at the castle, since Denmark had returned his gaze to it. "Den. What did you do?"

Denmark debated over if he should tell or not. Yes, Scotland would figure it out eventually, but maybe by then Denmark would be in the safety of his own home by then and would have a warning if an angry Scot stormed in his way.

He shrugged. "Just...it was beautiful." He decided not to mention the reenactment of a random battle or the fact they went bowling with armor and cannonballs. He could blame the mess on the nonexistent fights and scuffles they fought.

"We'll tell you about it later, Scot," North Ireland murmured, closing his eyes.

"Mhm. It was a sight," Ireland whispered. "Aye, what a sight."

Dark England clicked his tongue. "I must round up the other hatreds before you lot can be on your merry way. If I froze them, do you think that would keep them here for a bit?"

"It doesn't matter as long as they don't show up anytime soon again," England said.

Dark England smirked. "Of course. Just know that this is a one time thing, alright? If you happen to get into any other sticky situation, know I won't help you."

England turned to give him a bewildered look. The rain fell harder. "You mean you won't go back inside me?"

Dark England turned his back on him. "I will when it's all over. There's still so much more fun to be had." As if he sensed England's aggravated expression, Dark England roared with laughter and waved a dismissive hand at him. "Fare thee well. May luck look favorably upon thee."

And with that he was gone in a cloud of blackness.

No one seemed to want to move, even out of the pouring rain and into dryness. The castle still seemed to be still; there didn't seem to be any disturbances. England wondered if this was all a facade that the cunning Dark England may be pulling off. But he doubted it. And even if it was a facade, at least he could be proud that his doppelganger outsmarted the others.

"He said 'when'."

"Pardon?" England glanced at Finland.

Finland swept his bangs out of the way of his eyes and smiled gently. "He said 'when it's all over'. It implies he's coming back to you, right? If we win, he'll come back. If they win, he remains. He believes in us to win. Isn't that comforting?"

England gaped at Finland and realized he was right. Dark England said 'when'.

You idiot, England thought with a small sigh, just admit you're on our side already, dammit.

But of course, this only meant that he was indeed England's hatred after all.

Five down, two more to go.

Half a year. Or near half a year. I was dead for half a year but I decided to revive a bit.

Junior year sucks. I shouldn't have taken so many AP classes. And even the summer was fruitless, was it not?

I intend to finish this story, no matter what, be it another year, two years, or even ten. I will finish it. And those who will stick to it no matter how long it takes, I thank you. Truly.

I lied. I decided to finish Edinburgh rather than introduce France. Next I will though, because there's nothing else to write for. I finished America's, China's, Japan's, Russia's, and now England's. France and Germany are next and hopefully with only these two arcs it won't be as confusing as it has been the past chapters. All of the different stories and settings? Confusing, I have to admit, and I apologize.

I also apologize for my horrible writing towards the beginning of the story. I looked back on it and I cannot bring myself to read the first chapter anymore. So many flawed ideas and stupid ideas that could have been well thought out. My sincerest apologies.

My writing can be poetic if I want it to, but at certain times, I cannot get it to be more varied. I apologize for this as well. I do hope my repeated syntax and diction will not be a bother.

Thank you again. I never realized there are still people who come back and read.

Until next time, whenever next time will be.