Sorry this is a bit late. I was busy the last few days.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 19

Vlad focused on the small ball of light in his hands. He had to make sure that the light became neither smaller nor larger. He needed to keep his thoughts and emotions focused on this one task. It wasn't too difficult for him to do. As a slave, he had to know how to maintain an indifferent appearance or, as his master used to say, the visage of simple beasts.

He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching, and the light flickered briefly. He smiled when Lukas came to sit down across from him.

"How are you doing?" Lukas asked.

"I'm doing okay," Vlad said, looking down at the light again.

"…It's not just with the magic." Lukas looked in Arthur's direction before he leaned closer. "I'm so sorry about that kiss. I have no idea what came over me."

The light fizzled and died. Vlad sighed, before he shrugged.

"It's not a problem," Vlad said. "We were both in an emotional state, and your instincts pushed you. That's it. I don't blame you or anything."

"But you should," Lukas insisted. "I mean… I did something in a moment of weakness. What else might I be able to do if…"

"Lukas," Vlad interrupted, "where's the jewel?"

Lukas reached into his clothes and pulled the jewel out. Vlad hissed as pain suddenly exploded in his skull.

"Are you alright?" Lukas asked.

"I'll be fine," Vlad said. "But maybe the jewel is having an effect on you too. You should ask Arthur if he could hold it for a while."

Lukas looked at the jewel for a moment before he nodded.

"You may be right," Lukas said. "We'll wait for Arthur to finish with the wards. In the meantime, I can teach you something new."

Vlad smiled and nodded. Lukas took Vlad's hands and placed the two of them together. He kept his own hands on either side.

"Picture lightning," Lukas said. "Think of a stormy night, and as much lightning as possible. Once you have that image in your mind, try to imagine that lightning pushing both of our hands away."

Vlad frowned and looked Lukas directly in the eye.

"You do know that I grew up in the desert, right?" Vlad asked. "And that it almost never rains, and when it does rain, it's pretty light? I haven't seen lightning since before I was kidnapped."

Lukas winced.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"Didn't think about what?"

The two of them looked up when Arthur approached. Vlad couldn't help but think that he looked a bit shaken.

"I was hoping to teach Vlad a spell I know," Lukas said, "but he doesn't know lightning, and I don't know how to explain it without lightning as a reference."

Arthur looked confused for a moment, with the question clear on his face, until he seemed to conclude the answer a lot faster than Lukas did. He sat down between Lukas and Vlad.

"That does sound like a problem," Arthur said. "What exactly is the nature of this spell?"

"It's an offensive spell," Lukas explained. "We're not going to have a pitchfork every time, and I thought we could use the time to help Vlad defend himself. With little energy, it's a stun spell, but with more energy, you can cause a lot of damage."

"That sounds interesting. Do you mind teaching it to me?"

"Alright."

Vlad's hands felt cold when Lukas withdrew his own, and he watched as Lukas positioned Arthur's hands similar to Vlad's. Perhaps, if Vlad didn't understand lightning and couldn't use it as a reference, he could use Arthur's attempt at the spell instead.

"Imagine a lightning storm," Lukas instructed. "Picture as much lightning in the sky as possible. Then, picture the lightning in the palms of your hands. Picture the lightning pushing your hands away from each other."

For a while, nothing happened. Arthur huffed in frustration.

"I think this would be a lot easier if you didn't hold my hands like that," Arthur said.

"I'm doing this to prevent you from subconsciously moving your own hands," Lukas explained. "You need to allow the power of the spell to move them."

"Oh, I see."

It was silent for a moment, and then Vlad started to see movement. Between Arthur's hands, Vlad could see several lights dancing erratically. Could this perhaps be lightning? He watched fascinated as Arthur's face lit up, and Lukas nodded in satisfaction.

"That's it," Lukas said. "Now, practise feeding more power to it. Try to make it bigger, and then smaller."

Vlad watched as the ball of rebellious light grew and shrunk. He placed his hands together again, picturing that ball of light in his own hands. Eventually, his hands started to push away from each other as his own ball of dancing, burning light grew in his hands.

"I'm doing it!" Vlad exclaimed.

His eyes were on the ball, so he didn't notice when Arthur's light faded, and Lukas's eyes widened.

"Vlad, be careful!" Lukas called out.

Vlad looked up, and from beneath his vision he saw the light expand. He looked down in time for the light to explode. He cried out as pain seared his hands, and he pressed them close to his body. Lukas and Arthur were immediately at his side.

"Are you alright?" Lukas asked. "Show me your hands."

Vlad whimpered as he brought this hands up for them to see. He flinched when Lukas took his wrists.

"This looks pretty bad," Lukas said. "Arthur, can you help me heal him?"

"Of course," Arthur said as he took Vlad's right wrist.

Both of their hands lit up. Vlad hissed as his hands stung, before the pain gradually faded away. He sighed as Arthur and Lukas released his hands.

"Better?" Lukas asked. Vlad nodded in response. "Alright, I think we're finished for tonight."

"What happened?" Arthur asked. "How did it…?"

"I think Vlad might have gone a little too fast, and he lost control. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?"

Vlad sniffed and nodded. He hated that he had caused such inconvenience for Arthur and Lukas. He also hated the fact that he couldn't help them. They could use powerful spells to protect and heal him, and he couldn't return the favour. He was really useless.

He found a spot where he could lie comfortably and lay down. He closed his eyes, tears brimming behind the lids. It wasn't the pain, he was used to it. It was his lack of usefulness. As a slave, not being useful often resulted in punishment, and while he realised that it wasn't the case now, he still wanted to help the people that helped him.

Vlad stared ahead of him, feeling his breath grow faster as the horror in front of him planted its seed in his mind and the seed started growing. How could this have happened? How could anyone have let this happen?

He was standing in a forest that had been blackened by flames. Only a few scattered remains of the trees remained to inform him that this had been a forest. The ash was thick, burying his feet to the ankles. He was completely alone.

"Useless…" a voice whispered.

Vlad jumped and looked around. He was still quite alone. He looked down, seeing that his search for the voice had disturbed the ashes around his feet.

"You are only a burden to your companions," the voice continued. "You cannot call them friends. You can do nothing to help them. You are selfish. As soon as they're finished with you, they will abandon you."

"S-stop," Vlad stammered, slamming his hands against his ears. "Stop saying that!"

"You know it to be true. You can do nothing of use. What you see is what your own uselessness brought about."

The wind started blowing behind him, and he instinctively turned towards it. The wind blew some of the ashes away, revealing buried beneath…

"No!" he screamed as he saw Lukas and Arthur's blank faces.

"Useless," the voice repeated. "Worthless…"

Vlad awoke with a start. He was covered in sweat, though he was feeling very cold. He looked around him. The forest was still lush and alive, while Arthur and Lukas were still lying beside him. He relaxed when he saw both of them breathing.

He whimpered and curled up into a ball. He still remembered that dream vividly, and it was right. He was useless, and unless he could somehow find a way to be useful, he was going to get Arthur and Lukas killed, or worse. No, the way things were currently, the two of them would be better off without him. But what could he do? He had nowhere to go, and they were still being hunted.

He felt thirsty, and he pushed himself up. They had at least managed to grab some emergency supplies, along with the flask they kept for water. He frowned when he realised how light it was, and realised that he couldn't drink as much as his body required of him.

Vlad froze when he heard movement behind him, and slowly turned around. He relaxed when he saw that it was just Arthur, who sat down next to him.

"Are you alright?" Arthur whispered.

"I'm fine," Vlad whispered back, mindful of Lukas still being asleep. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"It sounded as though you had a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?"

Vlad closed his eyes.

"I just… I feel so useless," Vlad said. "You two can use magic, while I… I'm like a child who needs to learn the basics. And I hate it. I can't do anything to help."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked. "Of course you're not useless. If not for you, then we wouldn't have been able to escape from Raj either of the two times. If not for you, then Tino would have taken Lukas, and who knows what Lars would have done to him. You also rescued us from Ludwig. You've done so much. So, please, don't ever think that you're useless."

Vlad raised his hands, staring at the palms. The wounds had been healed, but it was as though they still stung. Arthur gently took both hands into his own.

"Vlad, you have ten years of magical education to catch up to, and it isn't your fault," Arthur said. "And if it helps, you're doing a lot better than I did in the beginning. Just go at your own pace. Even if you can't fight with magic yet, you've proven to be far more helpful than I am. I can't sense you or Lukas's emotions, so I can't tell if you're scared and need my help. That is something that is unique to you."

"…Thank you," Vlad whispered. "I think I needed to hear that."

Arthur surprised Vlad by hugging him. It felt nice, and he felt as though everything would be alright as long as he had Arthur and Lukas beside him. He didn't think he'd ever felt this way towards anyone before.

His chest was warm, and Vlad decided that this was a nice feeling. He hoped that they would be able to find the next jewel without someone interfering that would make his chest grow cold again.

"Let's try to get back to sleep," Arthur said. "We still have a long journey ahead of us."

"You're right," Vlad said. "But with you and Lukas, it doesn't feel that long. It's fun, being with you two."

Arthur cleared his throat, and Vlad was sure that Arthur must have been blushing. He smiled, and he wondered if he could see Arthur blushing when they were in the daylight. He figured that Arthur would look adorable.

"I think we should rest," Arthur said, coming to a stop.

Vlad didn't look as though he was in the mood to argue. As soon as Arthur announced the suggestion to rest, Vlad plopped down on the ground, looking as though he had no intention of moving anytime soon. Arthur couldn't help but smile at the display.

"That sounds like a good idea," Lukas said. "It's about time for lunch, anyway."

"I saw some berries a few steps back," Vlad said.

"I saw them too," Arthur said. "They're ango berries. Not fit for human consumption."

Vlad pouted, and Arthur felt his lips twitch. It was endearing to see Vlad's childish side. Since his childhood was filled with things that no child should know, it was nice to know that Vlad could still access that part of himself. Arthur was glad that Vlad's experiences didn't leave him jaded.

But Arthur had seen the previous night that there was something dark lurking behind Vlad's innocent smiles. He still suffered from a lack of self-confidence, and Arthur worried what it could end up doing to him. He didn't want to see Vlad get hurt again. He didn't want anyone to get hurt again.

His throat burned as he remembered Dylan, slumped against the tree, his eyes unseeing. Despite what Alistair and Patrick said, Arthur still couldn't help but feel guilty about it all. Dylan had been killed by one of the people hunting Arthur. If not for Arthur, then Dylan wouldn't have been in that position in the first place.

"Arthur?" Vlad asked. "Are you okay?"

He thought of lying, before remembering that Vlad could sense his emotions. He sighed and shook his head.

"I was just thinking of Dylan," Arthur said, his eyes stinging. "Out of all my brothers, he was the one that was the closest to a parent. And now…" He wiped away the tears that had started to escape from his eyes. His breath was shaky. "We shouldn't have gone to them. He might still be alive then."

To Arthur's surprise, it was Lukas that hugged him, and not Vlad. Arthur clung to Lukas's shirt as he felt Lukas's own shaky breaths.

"That's how I feel about Mathias," Lukas said. "Well, not the parent part." He laughed, a sad and bitter sound. "Mathias acted too much like a child. But if we needed help, then he would do whatever it took. He was always good for a laugh, and…" Lukas sobbed. "And I treated him like a nuisance. And now, I can't apologise for any of it. And he won't tell me that everything will be alright."

Arthur tightened his arms around Lukas. It had started with Arthur needing comfort, but Lukas needed the comfort as well. The two sobbed as they held each other. Arthur looked up when Vlad hugged them as well.

"I can feel your pain," Vlad said. "It's horrible."

They stayed like that for a while, with Arthur and Lukas crying and Vlad simply holding the two of them. Eventually, they pulled apart, and Arthur wiped his face free of tears.

"Thank you," Arthur said. "I needed that."

Lukas nodded. Vlad looked between the two of them, an anxious expression on his face. Arthur smiled.

"It's okay," Arthur said. "Let's get going, alright? The sooner we get the other jewels, the sooner we can stop Nemthys and his followers from hurting anyone else."

"…It was Raj that led my master… General Adnan, to attack my home," Vlad said. "I want to stop them too."

Arthur felt a pang. He'd forgotten about that.

"It would seem that we've all lost loved ones at their hands," Arthur said. He looked up towards the sky. "I think we should go."

His stomach growled, and his face grew warmer.

"We never ate lunch, did we?" Arthur asked.

"Let's eat before we pass out," Lukas said. "I really don't want to be unconscious while we're being hunted."

Arthur's stomach growled again, and he nodded. The three retrieved their rations and ate in silence. Arthur wondered how his other brothers were doing, though he knew that they must have been in a state themselves. They had to make funeral arrangements.

Arthur swallowed the growing lump, and his eyes burned again, though he didn't think he could cry anymore now. His brothers were arranging a funeral for one of their own, and Arthur couldn't be there. The best he could do was make sure that the rest of them weren't sent to an early grave as well.

"I think we should stop for the night," Lukas said, looking at the moon and stifling a yawn. Normally, he would have been able to go a lot longer, but the crying session had sapped a lot of strength.

"Agreed," Arthur said, not even bothering to stifle his yawn.

They placed their packs down and Arthur and Lukas went to set up the wards. It had become a routine for them now, and Lukas didn't mind. It was just a shame that they couldn't create a fire. Arthur had mentioned the eyes that he thought he saw, and they decided not to take any chances. They didn't want to have to deal with wild animals or bandits, and especially not Nemthys's followers.

Lukas kept an eye on Vlad. He was once again practising his magic, and Lukas just wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt himself again.

Lukas jumped when he heard the sound of something being dropped, and he looked around. Vlad had also heard the sound, and the small light from his magic disappeared as he looked around as well. Lukas had a bad feeling, and rushed over to the area where Arthur was supposed to be working on the wards.

There Arthur was, lying on the ground, twitching and whimpering. Lukas leaned down and turned Arthur onto his back. Inside his pocket, he could see a red glow, and Lukas felt himself pale. He had given the jewel to Arthur that morning, as Vlad suggested, and now it seemed that the jewel was reacting to something, and that Arthur was reacting to the jewel's reaction.

"What's going on?" Vlad asked, staring at Arthur.

"I'm not sure," Lukas said. "But I think it has something to do with the jewel."