Thanks to Purella and archerie for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 43

Alistair and Patrick ran in, but Lukas's eyes were focused on Roderich. He was pleased to note that there was a hint of apprehension on his face.

"What's going on?" Alistair asked. "What was that sound?"

"One of Nemthys's followers," Lukas said. "He was one of the people directly responsible for taking Arthur and Vlad."

"I don't understand," Roderich said. "You shouldn't be here. And how did you…?"

Lukas took a step forward, and Roderich froze. It would seem that someone fully in control of the power of one of the jewels was enough to frighten them, at least. And Lukas could understand why.

"What did Nemthys do with Arthur and Vlad?" Lukas asked.

Roderich scoffed.

"Why do you think I would tell you that?" he asked.

"Because I can see your fear," Lukas replied. "The Ocean Soul is the jewel that grants you immortality. Which means that I can take your immortality away. You must have been scared of dying if you decided that becoming Nemthys's slave was better."

Roderich bristled, but he offered no denial. The room became illuminated. Alistair or Patrick must have turned on a lantern.

"What did Nemthys do to Arthur and Vlad?" Lukas demanded.

"…Nothing, really," Roderich said. "He can't drain their lives if all three of you aren't there. It offers a bit of… imbalance."

"So, we were right," Alistair said. "As long as they don't have you, Artie should be fine."

"…How do we get to Nemthys's lair?" Lukas demanded.

Roderich scoffed. Lukas raised his hand, which was glowing with the jewel's power, and Roderich's eyes went towards the hand.

"It's not a place on this plane," Roderich said. "It's a separate realm. You need the help of someone that knows where it is. And you can threaten me as much as you want, but I'm not going to take you there."

"Oh, I wasn't planning on going with you," Lukas spat. "The last thing I want is for you to take the opportunity to turn it around and hand me over to Nemthys."

Roderich blinked. Clearly, the thought hadn't occurred to him until Lukas pointed it out. And now, it was too late for that possibility.

"What are we going to do with him now?" Patrick asked. "We can't just leave him here, and we can't let him go."

Lukas narrowed his eyes, before he placed his glowing hand on Roderich's chest.

"What are you doing?" Roderich asked, the panic in his voice.

"Whatever I need to in order to save Arthur and Vlad," Lukas said.

Roderich gasped as his body convulsed. There was a light that came from Roderich's body, which went inside Lukas's hand. When Lukas pulled his hand away, Roderich hung limply, before he shuddered.

"You're mortal now," Lukas said.

"What?" Roderich whispered, his eyes widening. "No!"

"How many people have you brought to their deaths at Nemthys's hand? Do you honestly think I would allow you to do that again, whether it be to Arthur, Vlad or myself, or any of our future incarnations?"

"N-no. I don't… I can't… I was sick! I had a mortal ailment before I joined my master. If you leave me, then I will…"

"Oh, don't worry about that. You won't die a slow death by disease."

Roderich's eyes widened as Lukas used his magic to create a dagger of ice, which he quickly stabbed in Roderich's throat. Blood pooled around the dagger as the light faded from Roderich's eyes, and the sounds that escaped his throat grew silent.

"Damn," Alistair whispered. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"We need to go now," Lukas said. "I don't know if Nemthys would be able to sense Roderich's death. And if he sent him here…"

"He'll probably know where you are," Patrick finished. "We managed to get a few supplies. We should be able to leave in a few minutes."

"We can't afford to take too long. The longer we take, the bigger the risks."

"…Got it. Let's just get everything we already packed up. And we need to get dressed."

Lukas looked down at his borrowed clothes and nodded. He returned to Alistair's room, before the full weight of what he'd done crashed into him. He emptied the contents of his stomach on Alistair's bedroom floor. He'd killed someone, and even though it was an enemy, it was still a life that he snuffed out, without a second thought. Even though it was necessary to do so if he didn't want to create more problems for them in the future, it was still someone that he'd killed in cold blood.

He got dressed as quickly as he could and used a spell to clean Alistair's floor. When he left the room, his eyes strayed away from Roderich's corpse and sought out the other two. They were waiting for him.

"We need to do something about him," Alistair said. "The last thing we need is for one of my neighbours to come in and see that."

Lukas nodded. He raised a shaky hand, and a blue flame wrapped around Roderich's body. When it faded, there was no trace of Roderich left. Not even a drop of blood.

"…That's some pretty scary magic," Patrick said. "So… Are you okay?"

Lukas took a deep breath.

"I've never killed someone before," he whispered. "And I just…"

"You've had a long and hard day," Alistair said, "and this guy didn't help. Let's just push that aside for now. So, how are we getting to Loadei Mountain?"

Lukas swallowed, the taste of bile still burning his throat.

"Take my hands," he said. "I-I think I can take you there."

The two of them took his hands, and Lukas recalled the vision that he'd seen of Gupta earlier. He longed to go there, and focused on that longing. Soon, the surroundings shifted, and they were in a dark cave.

"Whoa," Alistair exclaimed. "Didn't expect something like that, to be honest."

"Are we in the right place?" Patrick asked.

"Let's hope so," Lukas said.

"Huh? You're not sure?"

"This is only the second time I've done something like this. And the first time, I didn't realise that I'd be arriving on your doorstep. Literally."

"Let's just get this over with," Alistair said. "So, which direction?"

Lukas looked around. Logically, he knew that he was in a cave in the middle of the night, but everything seemed so bright. It wasn't due to any external force, but because of his own power. The jewel radiated a light, and as the embodiment of that light, he could choose whether or not to share it.

He wished there was a way to properly thank Alfred for allowing this to happen.

He thought of Gupta, and his attention shifted to a side tunnel.

"This way," Lukas said.

He summoned a light, mostly for Alistair and Patrick's sake. He recalled the time he, Vlad and Arthur went through the mine in search of the red gem, and his lips quirked. They were so naïve and innocent back then.

They soon heard the sound of creatures stirring, and Patrick jumped when something scuttled over his foot. Lukas frowned. His vision had shown Gupta being continuously eaten by small creatures. And when Lukas looked down, he saw a few curious rats surrounding them. But they weren't hungry.

"We're close," Lukas said.

"What the hell is going on?" Alistair asked. "What's with the rats and… are those bats?"

"Are you familiar with the story of Alodnus?"

"Yeah. He managed to anger one of the gods, and as punishment, he was chained to a large anthill, where the creatures would eat him for all eternity, as he was given immortality so as not to escape this fate, and his wounds always healed."

"…Oh," Patrick said after a moment. "That's what's happening to Gupta, isn't it?"

Lukas could only nod as they pushed their way through the narrow and low tunnel. Alistair in particular had a bit of trouble with it, as he was slightly wider than the other two. But finally, they arrived in a small chamber. And they could see the hunched figure.

"Gupta," Lukas said.

Gupta started, and he looked up. His eyes were hazy with pain, and he had to blink a few times in order to clear it enough to properly see Lukas. The creatures scurried away. Lukas was radiating the jewel's light, and he didn't want them there now. His intent was clear, and the creatures knew that he wouldn't be food even without that light.

"Lukas?" Gupta croaked. His voice was hoarse from screaming, and he probably hadn't spoken anything in a while. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help to rescue Arthur and Vlad," Lukas said. "Nemthys has them."

Gupta shuddered.

"You should avoid saying his name as much as possible," he said. "He can use the mention of his name as a way to find you. Since there aren't many in this modern world that know about him… But you shouldn't waste your time with me. You can't save them."

"I know that Arthur, Vlad and I are the real jewels," Lukas said. "And I know how to use the Ocean Soul's power."

Gupta blinked, before he looked straight at Lukas again. He stared for a moment before he lowered his head.

"Even with that power, you won't be able to fight him," Gupta said. "He would use Arthur and Vlad against you."

"Listen, they didn't go willingly," Lukas said. "So, he has limited power over them. And you managed to get Alfred and the others out last time."

"And I had to hide for centuries. We managed to get to Mount Alasbu quickly, but I don't think he will fall for it a second time. He'll be careful, and he will have guards present this time."

"…Roderich is dead. I killed him."

Gupta's eyes widened, and he jerked in his bonds.

"What?" he asked. "How?"

Lukas gave a small smile.

"The Ocean Soul is the one that grants his followers immortality," he said. "And I can take it away."

Gupta pursed his lips. Of course, this offered new possibilities, and it was only a matter of whether or not it would be good enough.

"Even if you have that power at your disposal," Gupta said, "he still has a lot of power. He managed to steal the power from dozens, if not hundreds, of past incarnations. Even if he is in a weakened state, he would be too strong to face."

"Hold on," Patrick said. "How do you know that he's in a weakened state?"

"I saw him. He has a strong aura, but it's not as strong as it used to be, and he can't go out into the light. He also went to rest immediately after condemning me to this fate."

"Why didn't he just kill you?" Alistair asked.

"Because he knows that I want to die. I want to be reunited with Matthew again. With my family. If my soul isn't too dark after working for him for so long."

"…Help us, and I can release you from your immortality," Lukas said.

Gupta sighed.

"This is going to be very dangerous," Gupta said.

"Nothing is too dangerous, if it means getting Vlad and Arthur back," Lukas said. "Please. Both of them… They're very important to me."

Gupta looked at Lukas before his eyes narrowed, and after a few seconds they closed.

"Alright," he said. "I can see that you won't let anything stop you. I just hope you understand what you're doing."

Lukas nodded. He hoped so as well. He extended his hand, and the chains that bound Gupta fell away. Gupta stepped away, looking at the shattered links of the chain, before he kicked some of them away.

"So, out of all the things he could have done to you, why did he go for this?" Alistair asked.

"Because there's nothing worse than being tortured and unable to die," Gupta said. "And being continuously gnawed by small teeth is particularly bad."

"So, how do we get there?" Lukas asked. "Roderich said it was on another plane."

Gupta nodded.

"You may want to hold on to me," he said. "And whatever you do, don't stray away from me. I know the location and layout of the place, while you don't."

"We understand," Patrick said. "Plus, I don't really look forward to running into any of them."

"We need to go now." Gupta looked over towards the chains. "He would be able to sense if his curse is no longer valid."

Lukas looked over towards the chains as well and shuddered.

"Can he sense us if we go to his lair?" Lukas asked.

"No," Gupta said. "Not unless we interfere with the magic in that place. There are thrones which he uses to imprison the jewels. If we were to undo any of those restraints, then he would know, so we would need to work quickly."

Lukas nodded. He wanted to get Arthur and Vlad out as quickly as possible. And he would take whatever risk was necessary to do so.

They all took hold of Gupta, and soon he was glowing. Lukas closed his eyes when the vertigo hit him. When he opened them again, he gasped when he saw his surroundings.

"What the…?" Alistair whispered.

"This is his domain," Gupta said. "Try not to touch anything."

They were outside a building made of black stone. It looked somewhere between a temple and a palace. The sky was a dark shade of purple, and red grass crunched under their feet as they went towards the door. When Lukas tried to see the horizon, he only saw an empty void.

"This place is creepy," Patrick whispered.

"Don't speak unless it's absolutely necessary," Gupta said, "and keep your voice as low as possible. The last thing we need is for anyone to notice us."

Lukas bit his lip. He could sense Arthur and Vlad inside. It was like he was being pulled towards them. It felt similar to the fake Ocean Soul, but stronger. He had never been able to sense them like that. And now he wondered if the stronger sensation had anything to do with him being able to use the true power of the Ocean Soul.

Gupta led the way, and Lukas wanted to know why they had materialised outside when he heard voices. Gupta guided them to an alcove, and a few seconds later, Antonio and Miguel came into view.

"Roderich's taking long, don't you think?" Antonio asked. "I mean, how long can it take to kill two worthless sorcerers?"

Alistair and Patrick bristled at the words, and Alistair wisely pressed his hand against his mouth, in case any sound of outrage should break free.

"He might be having fun torturing them," Miguel said. "I know that I would."

"Yeah, but Roderich isn't one to play on the job," Antonio said. "He usually finishes his orders quickly."

"True. Perhaps they are giving him problems."

They waited for the brothers to disappear, and they waited a few more seconds. Lukas listened for any other footsteps, but realised that there was nothing, and then he looked down at his own feet.

"We need to silence our footsteps," Lukas whispered.

Gupta looked down at his own feet and nodded. He cast a spell, and when they finally left the alcove, their footsteps were silent.

They had to hide two more times, and the second time, it was because Ludwig passed. When Lukas saw him, he felt the weight of the red gem in his pocket. Ludwig had searched through Vlad's pockets in search of this very gem, not because his master wanted it, but because it was the last thing that remained of the brother that he had betrayed. Their previous interactions made Lukas think that he had some guilt over it, and Lukas considered giving the gem to Ludwig. If he had any trace left of Emil, Berwald or Matthias, then he would gladly take it. But it involved revealing their presence, and just because Lukas would give Ludwig the shell of his brother didn't mean that he wouldn't alert the others to their presence. It was too dangerous.

Lukas breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped in front of a large archway. Gupta looked inside, and after a while he nodded.

"He's not here right now," he whispered. "Let's hurry."

Lukas nodded, and he followed Gupta. He swallowed the nausea that came with the feeling of familiarity. He had seen this throne room in his dreams, and when he looked down, he saw stones of red, blue and green littering the floor.

He was wading through an ocean of corpses.

The thought brought to mind another dream that he'd had, and he bit back the bile. Something had been trying to warn him, and he had been too blind to see the signs.

No, not blind. Just ignorant.

They walked up to a circle of three smaller thrones, and Lukas realised that he had seen these too. Two figures were slumped in the thrones, and Lukas clamped his hand over the first. Vlad's eyes snapped open, but he didn't make a sound, and he looked at Lukas with panic. Lukas slowly removed his hand, worried that Vlad was still asleep or something. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alistair waking Arthur in much the same way.

"Vlad, it's me," Lukas whispered. "We're here to save you."

"Y-you shouldn't be here," Vlad whispered. "Nem…"

Lukas placed his hand on Vlad's mouth again.

"Saying his name is too dangerous right now," Lukas whispered. "Let me get you out of there."

When he pulled his hand away again, Vlad shook his head, and Lukas frowned. Could Vlad really be that scared that Nemthys would return to find him?

"You need to get out of here," Vlad whispered. He looked about ready to cry. "He's behind you."

Lukas's eyes widened and he spun around. The shadows in the corner of the room shifted, and Nemthys stepped out of them.