Author's Note: Merry Christmas, dear Wastelings! Welcome to the 2024 Christmas Special! I got the idea for this one after I saw a Reddit post about Halloween masks for the Hetalia characters. Add some Facebook posts that I had saved and here we were. A bit of a struggle to write, but I pulled it off. What is this? Is there a bit of sabotage in the works? You will have to stick around and see. There will be one more match on Monday. It will be the last one of 2024. I don't know what it will be, but look forward to that. For now, enjoy this year's Christmas special.

Match Twenty-Nine: Ritual:

And now it is time for the main attraction. Everything is going to take place in this church here. But there is nothing holy about this place.

This church sat abandoned in the very center of the house. The wood on the outside was crumbling. Some of the paneling had already fallen off. The windows were long since broken out. Everything around this church was dead. None of the trees looked like they were going to grow leaves again. The grass was a dull green and smelled like mud. A shallow lake completed the look. (Lake would be generous. It looked more like a swampy drained pond in the middle of nowhere.) In any case, this place was the perfect setting for the ritual.

But first, the guests were going to need their masks.

"Are you ready?" Johann asked. Feliciano smirked without turning around. He rose to his feet and walked out the door.

"Heh," the doctor said. He put on his mask and followed behind.

The show had just begun. Let's see what happens next.

What do they see?

Everyone sat in two rooms on the floors. They had their masks on their faces. Heracles kept his head down. He had on a white mask that wouldn't be out of place for a Greek tragedy. The man looked down to see a small brown dish in front of him. A piece of candy that shone like a jewel sat in front of him.

He wasn't the only one seeing this.

Feliciano stepped into the main room dressed like a lord from the fifteenth century. He wore a gold and black masquerade mask. In the crowd, Ludwig felt his heart sink as he looked up. The corrupt Italian man held out his hand.

"Everyone! Thank you for coming!" he said. His voice filled the room. The masked guests looked up transfixed. Feliciano smirked at his audience. Good, everyone was here. Feliciano cleared his throat.

"Pick up the candy on your trays and eat," he commanded. The guests did so without question. Heracles' hand moved on its own. Before he knew it, he popped the candy into his mouth. The sweetness overpowered his very being. The sugar was enough to drown his mouth. Heracles wanted to spit it out but found that he couldn't. What is this?

That's when the Greek man looked up. What he saw next put him in a confusing place.

Two dogs sat in front of him. One was a deep brown with big horns. The other one was white and transparent with horns. He looked like he was made of clouds. Heracles cocked his head to the side.

"Who are you?" he asked. The ghostly dog vanished into thin air. The deep brown dog turned and took off running.

"Wait!" the Greek man yelled. He got up and ran off the little animal. The Greek man was surprised that he could move so easily. Heracles chased the dog all the way to a door. By the time he reached his destination, the dog had disappeared. The Greek man frowned to himself.

"Now where did it go?" he asked. He happened to look up and notice something else peculiar. Heracles found himself standing in front of a door that blended in with a beach landscape. The sky, ocean, and sand made it almost impossible to see the door at first. Only the brass doorknob stood out. The Greek man tilted his head to the side.

"What is this?" he asked. Suddenly, the door started to creak open by itself. Fluffy clouds floated into the room. The Greek man froze. As if in a trance, he started walking toward the door. The closer he got, the wider it opened. Not even the sand at his feet could stir him. Before he knew it, Heracles walked through the door.

The Greek man found himself standing in an empty field. Heracles looked around. It felt like he had been here before. The name of this place was on the tip of his tongue but it just wouldn't come out.

Heracles turned his attention to further ahead of him. He spotted a woman dancing in the field. She stood out in her long black dress. The Greek man had seen her before.

"Mother," he said with a gasp. Heracles picked up the pace as he started running toward her. Ancient Greece didn't look up from her dance in that foggy field of green.

Tino

He saw a body lying in the middle of the forest. They looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. The Finnish man couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. The body was just dressed in a simple white shirt and dark blue shorts. It stared up at the sky with empty eyes.

What is this?

This body suddenly disappeared under the ground. It was stripped naked. Tino couldn't take his eyes off of it. The body started breaking down before his very eyes. First was time eating away at the flesh. Tino got a good look at the slick internal organs. It didn't take long for them to slowly crumble away as well. The Finnish man couldn't take his eyes off of the decaying body. He could see the veins and arteries. Most of the body had rotted away to the bones.

Tino wanted to look away but he felt a home on his shoulder.

Keep watching.

The Finnish man's body felt stiff. But not as stiff as the mostly skeletal body before him. Before he knew it, Tino was staring at nothing but bones. The show didn't end there. Gradually, the bones started breaking down into dust in the ground. In the end, the dust was used to grow beautiful flowers on the other side.

Tino didn't get a chance to try and make out what he was seeing. He was about to ask questions when he heard barking behind him. The Finnish man turned his head to see a large black dog running toward him. Fire was coming out of its mouth. The large chain around its neck made a clanking noise as it ran closer. Tino's eyes widened.

"Fenrir!" he shouted. The dog took off charging toward him. Tino wanted to turn and run but something held him in place.

No! Let him take you!

Tino's body went still. Fenrir ran closer to him. The Finnish man shut his eyes just as the big dog leaped toward him.

Alfred

Alfred looked good in his black glowing astronaut mask. The x eyes and creepy grin glowed in the dark. That was the one thing that he had going for him. He looked out on this empty dust-covered land. Nothing as far as the eye could see. Not even clouds of dust flying by.

However, the American man wasn't really alone.

At first, he thought that he was seeing things. Alfred shielded his eyes for a better look. A black monster was holding two wooden cages chained together in the distance. It stood with four powerful legs. Another pair of arms held chains in it. Alfred took a step back. The American man thought the creature looked like the aliens from the Alien movie franchise. He didn't know what to do.

Alfred looked to his right. Another monster stood in the distance. The two pyramid heads reminded him of Silent Hill. Its four razor-covered arms and four razor-covered legs were enough to make Alfred take a step back.

"Nope," he said to himself. However, the American man turned around and found himself in for another nasty surprise. A giant metal crab-man was crawling toward him. The many legs sounded like heavy machinery. He snapped his claws as he inched closer. Was that a black hockey mask on his face?

The American man turned and took off running as fast as he could.

Ju and Yao

This was getting ridiculous. Where did all of these panhu come from? The little buggers kept running around and barking. They all kept multiplying too. Yao put his hand on her shoulder. Ju shoved him off.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Yao asked. His wife didn't have an answer. Ju froze to her feet and walked down the path.

"Ju?" Yao asked. Ju walked with her fists clenched by her sides. Something inside of her told her that this crap had to stop. The barking on either side of her only served to push her further. How long was this going to go on? The endless maze of confusing rooms, the long stretches of silence, the back and forth that she and Yao went through, not being home, and not being in her bed were starting to grate on her nerves.

"Ju!" Yao shouted as he ran to catch up with her. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder. His wife whipped around with a demonic look in her eyes. Yao about jumped back.

"Ju?" he asked. She was about to speak when her body froze up.

"Sweetheart?" her husband asked. Suddenly, he froze up too. Strange images flashed in their minds.

A wash of red ran through a desert of black. Suddenly, a flash of black and white clouded their shared vision. Silent shock waves were sent throughout the area. The desert scenery shook violently. Animals and plant life were evaporated in the path of the waves.

What… What is this?

More people were evaporated and burned up in a series of small shock ways. Yao and Ju found themselves trapped in the path of the explosion. There wasn't any time to run. Where would they go? Ju pulled her husband close to her body and closed her eyes. A third violent wave swallowed them in its path. The couple didn't make a sound. Their clothes and skin burned up in the invisible heat. Their bones were charred black. Only the glow of their hearts remained. In their final moments, Yao leaned down and kissed his wife on the head.

In an instance, Yao and Ju were snapped back into reality. Both stood there panting with big eyes.

"What was that?" Yao finally asked. Ju stared at him as she tried to free herself from his grip. Her husband pressed his lips together. Grim realization washed over him as he looked into her eyes.

"Ju… Is this what's at stake?" he asked. She didn't need to answer for him to know. In that moment he could see her reasons for her decision. The question was what happened now?

Im Yong and Mi-Soon

Mi-Soon's jaw dropped. How was it even possible for a bul-gae down here in this lab? She rubbed her eyes many times. This couldn't be happening, right?

"You alright?" a voice asked behind her. North Korea turned her head. Her brother stood inches behind her. She slowly nodded.

"Uh… yeah, yeah," Mi-Soon said. "I'm fine." Her brother wasn't convinced, but he said nothing.

"Look, let's just move along, okay?" he asked. Mi-Soon nodded.

"Right," she said. The twins walked through the abandoned lab. North Korea looked uneasy. There was something not right about this place. I mean being in an old underground lab would do that, but still…

"Im Yong," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

"How long has that bul-gae been following us?" she asked. Her brother looked out of the corner of his eyes to his right. The bul-gae was keeping pace with them. The glowing eyes made it hard for them to ignore. Im Yong moved his eyes forward but didn't answer. Mi-Soon pressed her lips together. She held her gun close to her side.

This was supposed to be a standard mission. Go out, gather information at this alleged hidden base, make the report, and return to their base. Ever since that storm on the way here, things haven't been going right. But they still had a mission to carry out.

Suddenly, Im Song stopped in his tracks and held out his arm. Mi-Soon stopped behind him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Shhh," he whispered. Im Yong looked around. His sister took a look around for herself. Was that a humming noise? The twins were ready to draw their rifles. The Koreas held their breath as they took a listen. Their eyes scanned the darkness.

The humming started to get louder. Footsteps accompanied it. But from which direction? Left? Right? Left? Right? Behind them?

Wait!

A bright light pierced through the darkness. The Korean twins had to shield their eyes. It looked like a man was walking up to them. The man looked so powder white in the light. His body was so frail. He was floating off of the ground. No, not floating. The man had no feet. All he had on were white robes and a white and red kitsune mask. The twins should have been afraid. But there was something familiar about this man. Im Soon tilted his head to the side.

"Kiku?" he asked. Mi-Soon peeked out from behind his shoulder. The man in front of them floated in front of his siblings.

"Kiku, what are you doing here?" Mi-Soon asked. The man didn't answer.

"Kiku?" Im Yong asked. The man just stood there silent. Nobody dared to move. Mi-Soon looked over at her brother.

"Im Yong?" she asked. South Korea didn't answer. He took a step forward.

"Are you really Kiku?" he asked. The man in the kitsune mask didn't answer. Instead, he pulled his sash loose. His robe fell to the floor. The twins yelped as they shielded their eyes.

"Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?!" Im Yong yelled. The man stood naked in nothing but his mask. The twins didn't know how to handle the situation. It got stranger when the man reached for his chest. His fingertips sank into his skin. A soft tearing sound filled the air. The Korean twins had their guns ready to draw. The tearing sound got louder as the man started to tear his skin open. However, Mi-Soon and Im Yong found themselves in for a shock.

There was nothing inside his body. No organs, veins, or arteries. The twins were looking into a black hole. What the hell were they looking at?

"What… What are you?" Im Yong asked. The man with the mask said nothing. From its open hole shined a light brighter than the sun. Tiny stars joined its brightness. The man closed his eyes under his mask and took it all in. He didn't even make a sound in his rapture. The twins had to cover their eyes.

"We have to get out of here!" Mi-Soon shouted. But she and her brother didn't get the chance. The light from the man's chest swallowed up everything in sight.

And then the darkness fell back into silence once again.

Mam and Arthur

The black dogs circled around looking for blood. They weren't the only ones on the hunt. Allison held up two lit incense sticks as she searched the fog around her. There was no one else in sight. Still, Allison could see where her daughters were. She too knew what was going on with the plan. That was going to have to wait.

The nightcomer let out a loud whistle. She heard barking in the distance. Allison held the incense at her side. How many of them were out looking for blood? Right now, it sounded like two of them were running toward her. Allison took in a deep breath.

"Stopio!"

The sounds of footsteps stopped on either side of her. Allison reached down and patted the dogs.

"Good boys," she whispered. The black dogs panted next to her. She glanced down at one of them.

"Which way is the throne room?" the nightcomer whispered. The dogs stood up and started running in the right path.

"Very good," Allison said under her breath. She started walking in the path they ran.

Hecate could hear the dogs running toward her. She let out a low whistle. They suddenly stopped next to him. So this was what was going on. The nightcomer looked closely into the dog's bright yellow eyes.

"How deep is Mum involved in this? Hm?" she asked. The dog stared at her. Hecate didn't mind the smell of sulfur around him. Not the right question to ask. She decided to try something else.

"Do you know which way I am supposed to go from here?" Hecate asked. The black dog turned and took off running down the path in front of her. Why was she not surprised? Hecate shrugged to herself and followed behind. Alas, this farce continues. Still, she was bidding her time. The time to act was drawing near and closing. Hecate knew that she was going to start acting on her plan. Starting right now.

Sabine was having an easier time with her dogs. She followed behind four of them. They stayed quiet the whole time. It looked like things were going to be easy. But Sabine was not fooled. She too burned incense in her hand. The nightcomer worked on her plans as she followed behind. The plan that Feliciano and her mother's allies were going with was obvious once she gave it much thought. Sabine shook her head to herself.

"Child's play," she said under her breath. The question became what she and her sisters going to do next. They had let this farce go on long enough. It was like the three of them silently dared each other to make the first move. Sabine smiled to herself.

"Looks like it will be up to me then," she said. Once she reached her destination, she would act on her plans.

Tessa herself was working out her plans as she followed behind the dogs. She too figured out what was going on with the house. The nightcomer also decided that it would be time to act on her plans. She had a guess that Sabine would be the one to make the first move. Usually, she would be the one to talk her sister down. But this time was a bit different. Maybe because Tessa wanted to see what was going to happen next. Maybe it was all part of her plans. The nightcomer tossed her head around.

"This is so boring," she muttered. Tessa looked up at the sky and sighed.

"When are things going to get interesting around here?" she asked. The nightcomer looked when she heard a low whistle.

"Hm?" she asked. Tessa could see little fireflies flying around in front of her. She cocked her head to the side. She smiled and gave off a low whistle.

"Well now, it looks like it has already begun," Tessa said. She followed the dogs as she saw the little fireflies. The nightcomer couldn't wait to see where this was heading next.

Arthur still wasn't altogether there. He stood in the middle of the field in his black sequined plague mask. This was just put on him without a thought. The black dogs sniffed around on his hands. They didn't seem to know what to do with him. It was like he was already dead but living at the same time. Meanwhile, Arthur was still trapped in his head. The further away he gets, the more he can't get away. Will the Englishman be able to escape and come back to his old self?

The black dogs weren't the only ones who didn't know what to do with the catatonic man.

Johann Faust watched as Arthur just stood there. The gears were already turning in his head. The doctor had just found his next plaything for his part in the apocalypse game. Faust straightened up his black coat and made his way over to the dazed Englishman and the black dogs.

He wasn't paying attention to the fireflies flying around in the fog.

Feliciano smiled coldly to himself. He had no idea that he was going to enjoy how this was unfolding. A woman dressed like a black and white clown waltzed over to his side. He didn't look up as she whispered in his ear. The Italian man covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh.

"Why yes, Bella," he said. "That sounds like a great idea." And just like that, the third part of the ritual started to unfold.

But what's with all of the fireflies flying around for some reason?