An idyllic, green haven arose from the sea as the little vessel arrived at Guyana. French Guyana to be exact, serving to confirm Alfred's hunch that France was waiting for them somewhere in the labyrinth of people cavorting on the streets.
"It seems we're in the middle of Carnival. Weird, Carnival happens before Lent, not after it. Anyways, we can bet Francis is here somewhere"
"Why?" asked Japan, who was spellbound and distracted by the costumed crowd.
"Because Carnival is a French-introduced tradition here"
Maria took them to a vacant space in one of the buildings lining the main street, went shopping for arts and crafts material and set to work crafting instant carnival attire from paper mache and fabric. "It's all the same throughout the Romantic colonies, the more colorful and clowney, the better", she said as she liberally applied feathers, sequins and glitter on the masks and suits.
"We look like Stand Users," muttered Japan.
"That's the idea," said Maria. "Don't you always say 'To hide a tree, use a forest'?"
The parade marched on, and Maria actually managed to take the lead, stunning the crowds with her amazing couture. "She's always prided herself on how she hand-makes all her pageant outfits. She's in her element here" whispered Alfred, who was sweating buckets underneath his outfit.
Maria was loving it, she was letting the crowd take in everything about her outfit. It was a much-needed distraction from the stressful time she was having, and-
Gunshots erupted from down the avenue, scattering the crowds and causing a stampede.
Half a world away, Aisha and Aloysius were in a rush to contact Mei, whom they feared was next on Yao's timetable. Aloysius had other plans in mind to help out other nations looking to make a stand against the Hegemony: He was enlisting the aid of various magical and anomalous organizations. Already, his mind grasped the fact that this would be a war that involved not only military might, but the magical as well. The powers that had lain untouched were about to become dragged into a war that could end all life on the planet. He would use this as a pivot to convince the others to lend their aid.
"The former Sinosphere States, as far as I know, all oppose the Hegemony, except North Korea and possibly Macau" said Singapore.
"Not Macau" breathed Aisha, "But then again, I can't vouch for anyone, since-". Her voice trailed off.
"No more blaming yourself for now, Aisha. Focus on our new mission" warned Singapore.
"Right"
"Got room for one more?" said a voice.
"Leo!" Malaysia gasped. "What are you doing here?!"
"It hasn't gone viral yet?! There was a coup in my place. Dad's going nuts, and doing what he's threatened to do all those years in his drunk state"
"Yes, Hong Kong", replied Singapore. "It appears Father wants to devour us all again, and then… this time… he also wishes to devour the Earth".
"This isn't just about the Unification, is it?"
Singapore shook his head. "I have sifted the data, observed the whisperings and motions of political tendrils pulsing around the globe. This is a crisis that eclipses anything the human race has yet seen".
"Well, we gotta help Mei," said Hong Kong. "She's the last one of us left, after that bastard Macau sided with Father.
"So, Macau has crossed over…" murmured Aisha.
"We do not have the power to act yet" replied Singapore. "But we can rally those who have it"
To the north, a slim young woman camouflaged herself in the trees, rifle in her arms. She carried the air of a veteran soldier dragged back into the horror of war. She eyed the PLA unit scouting the border and made mental notes.
Lien Nguyen was able to plan ahead thanks to Aloysius' warnings. The sheer magnitude of the data had yet to fully impact her. That Yao would finally set his plan into motion was something she had dreaded for years. She instinctively knew she and her sisters would be the first to take the blows, so she prepared herself to be strong, again.
She had thought she had left war behind her in that heart-stopping showdown that left the world shook. She, a small nation on the outskirts of Asia, had dealt a blow that brought a mighty world power to his knees. It was not the first power she had fought, but its impact would forever commemorate her to her SEA siblings as the Giantslayer.
Someday soon, she would have to hunt and destroy the biggest giant of all, or die trying…
Still further north a peppy young man prepared a squadron of soldiers for a drill. The South Koreans were no strangers to this, and it would turn out that they were among the most prepared of the Allies for war. Hyun Yong Soo was training his brothers-in-arms, countrymen for war. Hundreds of soldiers marched in perfect formation, belying the Land of Morning Calm's usually mischievous nature.
"They'll be prepared, but we want to be even more than prepared," muttered General Bum. He was a tall, muscular man with a head completely covered in bandages.
"Hey, Bum, any reason why those bandages never come off?" asked South Korea.
"I have my reasons," he replied. "But I think I'll keep them until the right time. The new recruits should be here by now".
As if on cue, a somewhat rowdy yet organized group of seven young men walked into the training camp. Instantly the men within began murmuring and shouting.
"Is that…them?!"
"Sign this CD! It's for my sister, I swear!"
One of the men smiled. "We're not here as pop stars, friends, but as brother soldiers"
"We heard you said we'd dodge the draft" smirked another. "You guessed wrong"
South Korea smiled. "Not me, bros. I knew you could walk the talk behind all that sparkle…"