Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 20
They had carried Arthur back to their supplies, and were now keeping watch over him. Arthur was breathing with difficulty, and he kept twitching and groaning. Lukas placed his hand against Arthur's forehead and winced.
"He has a fever," he announced.
He reached for the jewel, but Vlad's hand grabbed his wrist.
"Don't touch it!" Vlad snapped.
"I just want to get it away from him," Lukas said. "I think it's making him sick."
"And what are you going to do if it makes you sick too?"
"…I'm going to see if we have anything we can wrap around it. Hopefully, adding a few more layers would help us."
"And if it doesn't?" Vlad bit his lip. "These jewels… What are they?"
Lukas knew what Vlad really meant, but he couldn't answer because he himself didn't know the answer. The only thing he could say for sure was that the jewels were very dangerous, and it would have been better to leave them alone. But Nemthys was still after the jewels, and they needed the three of them to get the jewels. As long as Nemthys was still a threat, they would never know peace.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that he could use to contain the jewel, but he still decided to keep it safe. The jewel hadn't reacted like that towards him, so he could possibly be safer than Arthur. But when he tried to take the jewel, he cried out in pain.
"What's wrong?" Vlad asked.
"It burns!" Lukas hissed, casting a spell to relieve the pain. Vlad reached out to take the jewel instead. "Don't!"
"But what are we supposed to do?" Vlad asked. "We can't just leave it like this."
"I don't know, but I don't think that you need to touch that jewel. There's no telling what it would do to you."
"…You're probably right, but I still want to help."
Vlad's eyes widened, and Lukas saw him remove his jacket. Lukas watched, still cradling his burnt fingers, as Vlad used the jacket's sleeve to take the jewel from Arthur.
"What are you doing?" Lukas asked.
"There's a secret pocket inside," Vlad explained. "We can put the jewel in there, and then wrap the jacket around it. Do you think we'll have enough room in the satchel?"
"Possibly."
Lukas watched as Vlad placed the jewel in the jacket before folding the jacket as small as he could. Lukas held the satchel open as Vlad deposited the jacket.
"I'm impressed," Lukas said. "I can never fold my clothes like that."
"Years of slavery at least has some benefit," Vlad said. "I'm just glad I was on domestic duty in my master's… my former master's house." They had told him to stop referring to that man as his master, since he no longer had that title. "Of course, it was hard in the beginning. I went from an aristocrat to a slave. I was punished a lot because I couldn't even do the basics, as they so 'kindly' pointed out."
Lukas felt the cold nausea that was becoming familiar that tended to accompany the matter of Vlad's past. He was sorry that he had made a remark about it.
"Well, it looks like it's at least working," Lukas said, trying to distract the both of them from the matter.
Arthur was really looking better. His breathing sounded a lot less laboured, and when Lukas reached out to feel his forehead, Arthur was considerably cooler.
"I wonder what caused this reaction," Vlad said. "I mean… It didn't bother you like that, right?"
Lukas didn't answer right away. He was thinking about everything: the relationship between the three of them, their relationship with the crystals…
"I think I might have an explanation," Lukas said. "It's because we're on our way to retrieve the Forest Mind, the jewel that Arthur most likely has a connection with. The jewel and Arthur are both reacting to the same thing, which is making him sick. Of course, this is just a theory."
"But it makes sense," Vlad said. "I mean, I felt pretty bad when we got close to the Desert Heart. If the jewel is also reacting…"
"But you only started getting sick when we were close to the mine. So, does that mean… the jewel is really close?"
"The compass! The map! Maybe they can give an idea!"
Lukas nodded. He had the compass on him, so he simply pulled it out and used some magic to provide a light. The needle had some difficulty pointing in a certain direction, but he wondered if it was because they were close to the thing the compass was pointing to. He then retrieved the map from their supplies, only to find a bit of a problem.
"It's not working," Lukas said.
"What do you mean?" Vlad asked.
"Like I said, it's not working. Nothing's happening." Lukas pursed his lips, before looking towards Arthur. "I wonder if Arthur's the only one who can use this map."
"Well, it would make sense." Vlad looked over towards Arthur. He knelt down and stroked his hair. "I guess we can try waiting until tomorrow morning. But what if he gets worse during the night?"
"There's a spell that I used when Emil was little. If something goes wrong, then I'll be forced awake to check on Arthur."
Lukas placed his hands on Arthur's head and whispered the spell. He felt his energy deplete when it was done, and he pulled away from Arthur.
"There," he said. "If he wakes up or gets worse, then I'll know." He looked up, trying to see the sky through the trees. "I think we need to go to sleep now. We'll figure it all out in the morning."
…
Arthur found himself back in the mine, but it seemed darker than before. He didn't know where Vlad and Lukas were. The air was cold, and he didn't know how he got there.
He heard footsteps behind him, and he turned around, hoping that it was Vlad or Lukas. His eyes widened when he saw the pale figure. He took a step back as the figure reached out for him.
"Wait!" the figure said. "Don't go!"
Arthur turned around and started running. He had a bad feeling about the figure, and he knew that he needed to get away.
"I'm Gilbert!"
He stopped when he heard that name. He recognised it, and turned around to face the figure who was approaching. He saw the red eyes, which looked a bit like Ludwig's except for the colour.
"Are you really Gilbert?" Arthur asked.
Gilbert nodded.
"I tried speaking to Lukas," Gilbert said, "but he ran away from me. Only Vlad doesn't react the same as you do. Maybe because we're connected, while you and I don't have a connection."
"Why did you want to speak with me?" Arthur asked.
"You're getting closer to the next jewel, and you shouldn't be holding my jewel when that's happening. We interfere with each other."
Arthur sighed when he heard that they were growing close. Hopefully, that meant that they would be finished with this soon, and they didn't have to run and hide anymore.
"…If you find the jewel," Gilbert said, "please, let Toris talk to you first."
"Who's Toris?" Arthur asked.
"…He is to you what I am to Vlad."
"Oh. I see. He's my predecessor, you mean."
Gilbert nodded.
"I wish I can tell you more," Gilbert said, "but the same curse that binds the tongues of Nemthys's followers binds ours."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. "What do you want to tell me?"
A pained expression crossed Gilbert's face, and he shook his head.
"I can't," he said. "I'm sorry. I'd like to tell you everything, before you endanger your lives, but I can't. All I can say is that you need to get to Mount Alasbu as soon as possible."
The ground beneath them shook, and dirt started to drop from the roof of the cave. Gilbert bit his lip and shook his head.
"We don't have any time anymore," Gilbert said. "Please, just go to Mount Alasbu as soon as you can."
Gilbert faded away, before the rest of the scenery started to grow black. Arthur tensed when he heard laughter behind him. He cried out when he felt a burning hand on his arm.
"We will meet soon," a voice whispered. "You belong to me."
Arthur tried to turn around to look behind him, only to see a pair of glowing eyes.
…
Lukas's eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up. There was a disturbance, and his mind cleared relatively quickly. His eyes immediately went to Arthur, and he could hear Arthur whimper and see him thrash. He crawled over while he sensed Vlad moving as well.
"What's going on?" Vlad slurred.
Lukas ignored him and summoned a light. Arthur looked pale, sweaty and distressed, and Lukas started to shake his shoulder.
"Arthur," Lukas said. "Wake up. Please."
It took a while, but Arthur finally snapped his eyes open. Lukas moved back as Arthur sucked in a harsh breath, pushing himself to a sitting position. Vlad moved closer as Arthur started to tremble.
"You're okay," Lukas whispered. "It's just a dream. You're safe now."
Arthur sobbed and shook his head.
"N-no," he stammered. "It's… It's Nemthys. He came to me in my dream. He… He spoke to me. H-he said… I b-belong to him."
"It's just a dream," Vlad said.
Arthur shook his head, before he lifted his arm. In the light of Lukas's spell, they could see Arthur's arm, and the burn that looked like a hand.
"What happened?" Lukas asked.
"N-Nemthys," Arthur stammered. "He grabbed me."
Lukas and Vlad exchanged a look, and Lukas pushed himself to his feet. Vlad moved towards Arthur and held him while Lukas gathered the few supplies that they had.
"I think we need to go," Lukas said. "Put some more distance from this place."
"But which way should we go?" Vlad asked.
Lukas stopped and pulled out the compass. He stared at it for a moment in the magical light before pointing in the direction it indicated.
"That way," Lukas said.
Vlad helped Arthur to his feet, and the three of them set off into the night. Lukas led the way, and he felt Vlad holding onto Lukas's clothes. That was fine – it allowed Vlad and Arthur to keep up with Lukas, and Lukas knew that they were right behind him. He could also hear Vlad whisper things to Arthur in an attempt to comfort him, and Lukas wanted to help Arthur too. Instead he needed to focus on getting the three of them to a safer area, and his mind was racing.
Nemthys knew where they were, and could intrude on their dreams. He could even harm them through the dreams. What else could he do to them?
They walked until Lukas's eyes started to burn and his feet were aching. He turned back to the other two, seeing that they both looked exhausted as well.
"Alright," Lukas said, coming to a stop. "I think that's enough for now."
Arthur and Vlad sighed in relief when they stopped. The three of them sat down, not even bothering to find better places. Lukas turned towards Arthur.
"How are you feeling now?" Lukas asked.
"Better," Arthur said. "But if he can enter our dreams…"
"Is there a way to protect ourselves?" Vlad asked.
"There are spells against bad dreams, and protecting one against evil influences. Unfortunately, it's never been one of my strengths. I-it was D-Dylan's."
Lukas flinched. He reached out to take Arthur's hand, who squeezed it in response. Arthur took a shaky breath before he nodded.
"Thanks," Arthur whispered. "There's something else. Before Nemthys appeared in my dream, I saw Gilbert."
"Gilbert?" Vlad asked. "What happened?"
"He said we need to hurry to Mount Alasbu as soon as possible." Arthur turned to Lukas. "He said he also tried to reach out to you, but because you're not Vlad, you didn't want to listen. There's a connection, and…"
"And we subconsciously reject the ones not connected to us," Lukas said. He frowned when he realised that he might have seen Gilbert in one of his dreams, but he ran away. "Now I feel bad."
"He also asked me to speak to Toris when we find the next jewel."
"Who's Toris?"
"He was the former sorcerer connected to the Forest Mind. He's my predecessor."
Vlad groaned.
"I wish there could be someone that just properly explained all of this to us!" he whined.
"That would be nice, I agree," Lukas said. "But there's nothing we can do about it right now. I think we should just get the jewels as soon as possible so we can get to the mountain as soon as possible so that we can end this as soon as possible. The more time we waste, the greater the chances that we'll run into trouble."
Arthur yawned.
"While I agree that we should finish this as soon as possible," he said, "we still need some sleep. If we are attacked, then being tired won't do us any favours. Good night."
The three of them lay down, and it wasn't long before they drifted off. The last thought that occurred to Lukas before he was properly unconscious was that none of them had set up any wards.
…
Arthur stood in front of a large tree. He could feel it. Somewhere within the tree… This was where the Forest Mind was. This was their destination. But where exactly was the jewel, and where was this tree?
"Something's wrong with that tree."
Arthur spun around, but relaxed when he saw that it was only Lukas and Vlad. The two of them were staring at the tree. Vlad in particular looked uncomfortable while looking at it.
"The jewel is in that tree," Arthur said. "It's both good and bad."
"Where exactly is that tree?" Lukas asked.
"We'll need to follow the compass and the map," Vlad said. "But I have a really bad feeling about it."
Arthur turned back to the tree. He had to admit that there was something about the tree that made him feel uncomfortable. He knew that he needed to go towards the tree, but he wanted nothing more than to go in the opposite direction.
As he watched, the foliage surrounding the tree grew darker. Cold laughter echoed around them. Arthur took a step back, and something jumped out. Something wrapped around his wrist and pulled him towards the tree. He cried out in alarm as Vlad and Lukas called out to him. Soon enough, he was engulfed in darkness.
"You're mine…" a voice whispered.
In the darkness, a pale face appeared. Arthur screamed as the face smiled.
Arthur jerked awake, his breathing not cooperating. He stared up at the canopy of trees above him, but he could still see the face of his dream. He'd never really had a chance, like Lukas or Vlad, to see Nemthys. But now he could understand why they were always in a state when they woke up from a nightmare featuring Nemthys.
"Arthur!" Lukas called out. "Calm down. It's okay. You're safe. You're with us."
They helped him into a seated position, and he could feel warmth wrapping around him. He closed his eyes and focused in the warmth. His breathing started to calm, and when he opened his eyes he found that the warmth was Vlad. Vlad squeezed Arthur before he pulled back.
"Are you okay?" Vlad asked.
Arthur took a deep breath and nodded, before he started coughing. There was an acrid stench in the air, one that he recognised.
"Smoke…" he whispered.
"What?" Vlad asked.
"There's smoke!"
He pushed himself to his feet, only for the ground to tilt beneath his feet. Lukas and Vlad helped him steady himself. Vlad started coughing as well.
"What's going on?" Lukas asked, looking around before coughing as well.
"There's a fire," Arthur said. "We need to get out of here."
Arthur searched around, trying to find which direction was safe. He coughed again, before seeing the direction the smoke was coming from. He grabbed Vlad and Lukas, who had thankfully grabbed the supplies, and pulled them along in the opposite direction.
They kept running, and Arthur was pleased to see that it was getting easier to breathe. Finally, when he was sure that the air was completely clear, he slowed down and released the other two. Vlad gasped, before clutching his side. He was not as fit as the other two.
"Sorry," Arthur gasped. "But… I think we're safe."
"Where… are we?" Lukas gasped.
Arthur could only shrug in response. They took the time to regain their breaths before Arthur reached into the bag and pulled out the map. Soon, the forest came into view, along with two dots. The first dot Arthur knew to be their location, while the second dot was their destination. His eyes trailed towards another spot on the map, close to their destination. There was a fire symbol, just underneath the name of a village.
"Oh gods," Arthur breathed. "It was a village that was burning."
"What?" Lukas asked.
"The smoke… It came from a village."
"…Does the map really show something like that?"
Arthur nodded as Lukas moved in next to him. Lukas looked at the images on the map and pursed his lips.
"Any idea where exactly we had been?" he asked.
Arthur had just opened his mouth to answer in the negative when a new dot appeared. As he suspected, it was very close to the village, but also closer to their destination.
"…I have a strange feeling that this wasn't a coincidence," Arthur said.
"Why's that?" Vlad asked.
"We were close, and now we're farther away. It's almost like…"
"Like we were deliberately led away," Lukas said, finishing his thought. "Someone tried to lure us away from the tree."
"That's how it seems," Arthur agreed. He didn't like this one bit.
