Thanks to an anon for reviewing.

Sorry this chapter's late. I'm spending the weekend with my sister, who lives in one of South Africa's three capitals. There was a Francophone festival yesterday, and the last time I went to something like that was pre-Covid. The festival was also bigger than what I've experienced before in my university town. First of all, there were 14 embassies present! I also got to taste an alcohol from Madagascar (which I can't remember the name of), and I had a long conversation with a woman at the Egyptian embassy's stall. We ended up discussing Ancient Egyptian history and mythology. And my sister also took me to three malls yesterday, and four bookstores. So… My day was so busy that I completely forgot to update. Sorry!

And it was nice to see how many other embassies had the Ukrainian flag raised, and the trees were also draped in the colours of the flag.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

RusViet: Hiatus

Lien sighed, staring at the screen in front of her. She'd already logged out of her social media, seeing all of those messages asking her how long she would keep them waiting. But she didn't know. And as long as the screen remained blank, she couldn't know.

She stared at the three books she'd already finished. The fourth book vexed her. Perhaps, if she reread the first three books again, she could recall what her original plan had been, and she could carry on from there.

Just as she reached out for the first book, her study was filled with smoke. She coughed, but before she could stand in alarm, she saw a figure emerge from the smoke. He was a large and handsome man, but what stood out the most about him were the two horns on either side of his head.

"Lien Phan…" the man said. "I am Ivan, one of the princes of hell."

Lien would have dismissed him, but something told her that he was speaking the truth.

"So, let me guess," she said. "You're here to drag my soul to hell."

"Nope," Ivan said, before he summoned a chair and sat down in front of her. "I want to know why you've gone on hiatus."

"…What?"

Lien stared at the demon. He only plastered a smile on his face.

"You see, eternity is… boring," he explained. "And we enjoy literature. Among the most popular is the Bloody Coffin series."

Lien's jaw dropped, and she looked at the books on her desk. Ivan's smile widened.

"I have to say, I am very happy right now," Ivan said. "You are, by far, my favourite author. The way you combine mythology from the East and West, and have all of the characters being incredibly enjoyable. Even your villains are well rounded, and the main villain being ultimately motivated by their love for their childhood friend… I admit, in Chapter 15 of Coffin Rose, I cried when I read his backstory. If he were real, I know that it would be truly difficult to condemn him."

"O-oh…" Lien said. "Um, thank you."

In truth, she was still not used to people enjoying the product of her imagination. She bit her lip before she sighed.

"Writer's block," Lien said. "That's why I'm on hiatus. I know how I want the story to end, but… I'm having trouble getting there."

"Oh," Ivan said. "Da… I suppose that is a problem. If you don't mind me asking… What have you already written of the new book? Perhaps I can help you. I-I don't want to know the ending! N-no spoilers, please!"

Lien couldn't help but smile at Ivan's behaviour. For a moment, she forgot that he was a demon. He became just another devoted fan. And so, being as non-specific as possible, she started to give a synopsis of the plot so far, and what she hoped to achieve.

Ivan reacted appropriately, and Lien could see giddy excitement at a few places, but he also frowned in other places. Lien took note of these reactions, and she resolved to look back at the parts where he frowned.

Silence reigned for a while after Lien finished. Ivan appeared deep in thought, and Lien closed her eyes in anticipation.

"I think you should add a new character," Ivan said. "Someone who was on the villain's side, but who lost their memories. They can get close to Kasem's party, and subconsciously steer them towards the villains' plot. And during the climactic battle, it is revealed that their amnesia was deliberate on the villains' side, and there were hypnotic suggestions planted in their head. Their memories are then restored, and they are conflicted between helping their original comrades and helping their new friends, because they grew fond of the heroes, and the conflict is resolved after they sacrifice themselves for the hero. This helps to strengthen Kasem's resolve to find a way to defeat the villains once and for all."

Lien blinked, before frowning. It wasn't a bad suggestion, and it fit into the plot of the book so far. Lien nodded her head.

"It could work," Lien said. "So, do you expect my soul in return for helping me out of my writer's block?"

"No, that's not necessary," Ivan said. "But, if you feel that a price needs to be paid… Could you sign my books?"

Lien couldn't help but laugh when he summoned his copies of the books. She dutifully signed the front of each book, and Ivan smiled in gratitude.

"Thank you," Ivan said. "I hope to see the next novel soon."

Ivan disappeared, and Lien grabbed her notebook, writing down all of the ideas that danced in her mind. She wondered if Ivan would recognise that the new character was based on him, or at least the side of him that she had seen. She just needed to think of a good name.

The prompt is: 'A shy author who writes a novel series which is super popular but is on indefinite hiatus. Soon after the ruler of hell appears in front of them in a dramatic burst of smoke demanding for them to continue because apparently demons are also very fond of popular literature.'