(Nobody POV)

The soft echo of their footsteps was the only thing that accompanied Phil as they approached the looming doors at the end of the hall where the Powers rested undisturbed beyond them. There seemed to be an air of stillness and peace about this place, something so sacred that Phil almost felt a little guilty for disturbing it. They gently knocked three times and listened as the warm vibrations faded through to the other side. Only a moment later, a familiar voice beckoned them inward as the door parted ever so slightly.

The room was pitch black, not even their halo could shed enough light to see anything but Phil was not bothered by it. A trail of stars parted through the darkness and pulled them forward to where ASEAN lay, his inconceivable form morphed slowly into something more familiar for his student.

"Eugh, EU, a little more light please?" ASEAN requested groggily as more stars, strung with the Union's golden threads, began to gather around them for better lighting. From somewhere in the distance, Phil could hear EU mutter something under his breath.

"Headmaster," Phil addressed politely which felt really strange because they had never really bothered to be formal with their Power and frankly, ASEAN never really cared for it. They were in the presence of the other two Powers, however. It was the safer choice.

ASEAN handed three hairpins to Phil and yawned, "Do me a favor and pin up my hair, would you? EU keeps doing it wrong and stabbing my head like the idiot he is."

"Watch your tongue," the other hissed. "Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you get to slight me like that. I still rank higher than you."

"Not so. Last I checked, you're still serving your sentence, jailbird."

Phil didn't dare speak and simply focused on properly fashioning the Branchmaster's sapphire locks as they stared each other down. The Powers were so childish sometimes, sure, but their authority was absolute. Also, the eldest of the three had yet to chime in so clearly, this was nothing serious.

"So, what is it that you wanted to tell us," ASEAN finally said once he was satisfied with Phil's handiwork. "There was a disturbance earlier, wasn't there?"

Phil recounted the events from that morning when China had come to them, demanding an audience. Of course, he was turned away but his whole demeanor had been off. Phil did their best to describe it and the Powers fell silent in contemplation.

"You're right. That is very unlike China," ASEAN agreed with a small, curt nod. "Knowing him, this could be very troubling but honestly, I'm just impressed that Indo didn't try to challenge him to a duel right then and there."

"He did, sir. He challenged Egypt too."

"Oh. Nevermind then."

EU tilted his head, his burning golden eyes piercing through the dark, "I must admit I'm intrigued by what he had to say. Besides, ASEAN, you have a contract with that one, don't you? His Awakening would pose no threat to us."

"Yet it is not his Awakening that makes him dangerous," ASEAN replied with a drop of sass hidden in his voice. "But yes, I agree. That child never speaks to me unless he deems it important enough. Dignity is a true force with that one."

ASEAN glanced into the void beyond them, where the stars could not illuminate, "UN, what do you say?"

The room fell silent as they waited and for a moment, Phil didn't know if UN was even awake. After a while, they watched as something within it stir before the eldest Power's voice whispered, "He will bring ill news and I believe I already know what of."

The soft rustle of his robes was followed by his shadow stretching over them as his towering figure rose from his resting place. A shiver ran down Phil's spine as they stared into UN's void-like eyes, an unmistakable feature, something they had wisely kept quiet about since most were unaware of this special trait.

"Egypt has warned me already as well," he continued, snapping them out of their daze. "According to her, the celestials are stirring in a bad way. None of her creations are catching attention and she can't seem to reach her patrons anymore."

"And do you truly trust her word?" EU responded. UN's gaze shifted to the star-touched Power but he didn't move. "She is a cunning woman with many plans and visions for this world. Many of which do not align with yours. Would it be wise to listen?"

"I don't know–," UN answered with a soft sigh, " –but if what she says is true, this may be the start of something worse than one can imagine. We might as well investigate and try to prevent and prepare. EU?"

EU stared blankly back until he realized what UN was asking of him. "UN, I believe I told you already that I can no longer control the culmination of all things past and present," EU sighed as he rubbed his weary eyes. His hands itched at the very mention of his past feats.

"Yes, I'm aware," UN clarified, "but I know you will try if the worst comes to pass. Be wary of that temptation."

EU froze at the implication but solemnly nodded in gratitude. ASEAN turned his gaze back to the Filipino, who had been waiting awkwardly while the Powers discussed amongst themselves.

"I believe it is nearly time for the first event to end. When everyone returns, I want you to go find China for us. Tell him we are willing to grant an audience."

Phil bowed and was dismissed, holding onto a trail of stars to be led back out as they listened to the fading conversation of the Powers.

"Speaking of the boy, how do you think he's doing in the games right now?"

"He's a sly one. He has a good, resourceful head on his shoulders. Even so, I do believe he's finding himself in a tight spot."

"Hah, you are truly cruel, ASEAN. You let him down now of all times, especially considering UN's little pet projects are competing as well."

"Now now, they're far more than that..."

The door shut behind Philippines, sealing away their existence again. They couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief now that they were out of the Powers' presence.

"How did it go?" Singapore asked. She stood at the other end, parting the wall to let Phil back into the labyrinth and they shrugged.

"The Powers want to speak with China after the first game. They also seem to be resting well."

Indo appeared from around the corner after finishing his routine security sweep of the space.

"Oh. Well, there's still some time until the game finishes. Wanna start a new round?" He held up a card that lay scattered all over the floor from when Phil had hucked it. (A sore loser, through and through) "Loser has to forfeit all their snacks. Cambodia won't get me extra."

The ex-deity groaned as they pulled over a chair for themselves. Indo grinned and offered the invitation to Singapore as well but she quickly declined, perhaps a little too quickly. She seemed nervous just at the sight of the card being offered to her.

"I'm good, you two play. I'll share my snacks with Phil when they lose."

Indo shrugged and began shuffling the cards at super speed, thanks to his four-handed dexterity.

"Fine, suit yourself."

(SK POV)

China's thousand-yard stare was starting to freak me out as we bounded silently through the sun-speckled forest. The White Tiger's strides stopped for nothing, darting effortlessly through the trees like a windborne cloud and leaving metal scraps behind. It would have been a cool and scenic ride if China wasn't stone silent– he was never this still unless there was a serious problem that he couldn't deal with. Whether it be coming up with an excuse to avoid ASEAN's attempt to cook or solving the 'impossible' question on an exam, it was always unnerving to see him this worried.

I pulled my gaze back towards the endless front of blurry greens, trying to put my mind at ease.

"Young master, you seem so troubled. What is bothering you?"

I nearly fell off the tiger's back when the voice pierced into my head. I had forgotten that my guardian was able to do so.

"Please at least warn me before you do that," I grumbled in my head.

"The child in red," the tiger continued, its glowing heterochromatic eyes never wavering from the path, "would you like me to make him talk?"

I smiled nervously, "Uhhh no, that wouldn't be necessary. Can you even turn against him at all?"

"Of course! He has dismissed me. I no longer hold any pacts with him," the White Tiger declared proudly. "Now that you have proven your unwavering will, I am yours alone to command."

I couldn't help but smile as a feeling of pride well inside me. Despite this tiger's bluntness and ignorance, it did have a way to make me feel better sometimes. Just a bit.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make him talk?"

"Quite," I chuckled. "I'm sure he'll tell us eventually. Just give him some time."

If China knew about our little telepathic convo, he did nothing to show it.

We gradually slowed to a stop as we neared a rushing stream and all agreed that a break was needed. I nearly fell off, my stiff legs and back aching as I hobbled over to where China sat.

"I feel like I just aged a hundred years," I groaned, cracking my back and stretching. China smiled as he rubbed his sore joints.

"I have pins and needles shooting down my legs," he agreed. With a blip, he pulled up the point counter and scoreboard from his wristband and I leaned over. We had made pretty good progress!

"I still have a few more to go 'til I reach the 150 mark," he mused, scrolling down the list, "South, you have nearly 200, our teammates were both eliminated so no points there. This may be a problem."

I stared at the tally of scores from each branch. From how things seemed, there was no way we would be able to catch up now that our Hunters had been eliminated. The other two branches had a huge advantage over us, both in number and overall points.

"Therefore, we have to pick off the other teams' hunters," China suggested. "It shouldn't be too hard. We already wore down the Southern Branch hunters from our previous encounter."

"It feels like we're doing the hunting now, huh," I remarked with a smile and the White Tiger crouched to let us on. China climbed up with ease and directed us toward the river to get a good look at our surroundings and immediately, something was off. The tropical Amazonian rainforest river carried large chunks of ice from somewhere upstream along with occasional shrapnel of metal. Two guesses for where that came from.

"Russia and America are somewhere upstream, it seems," China noted with a frown. "No, it's best not to get involved with them until the very end. Let's go track down the Southern Branch hunters first."

I agreed. As much as I was excited to see them again and have a rematch, I had enough common sense to know I would lose in a head-on confrontation. With a nudge, the tiger sprung into action, as gracefully and nimble as the wind. Venezuela and Colombia were their names if I recalled correctly. In my mind, I said a quick apology for what I knew was going to come next as we raced back into the trees in hot pursuit, our roles now seemingly reversed.

(RUSSIA POV)

The sunlight that pierced between the tree roots was blinding like a spotlight, but inviting and warm, a pleasant contrast to the cool, soft undersoil that we lay on. I let my head roll to the side and closed my eyes. The tense situation we had just gotten out of was behind us and now, there was silence accompanied by muffled rustles and occasional sniffles from America.

He lay face down with his head buried into my shirt, unwilling to move until he had regained his composure and frankly, I was fine with it as long as he dried my shirt afterward. Though I wondered if I should have said something, my lips stayed shut because I didn't know what there was to say so I just lay there and let him decide.

"Thank you for... listening to all that," his hoarse voice whispered after a long bout of silence that he used to calm himself down. America lifted his face, his bangs a tangled mess and his face slashed red from tears and... embarrassment? I pushed myself up and shook my head, showing that I didn't mind.

If anything, I sort of envied him. This was an achievement that I didn't even know how to start but at that moment, I chose not to pay attention to that.

We helped each other to our feet, stumbling a bit from the wooziness that came. America wiped his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, hoping to comb it out a bit but we already looked so tired and ragged that it didn't matter. Actually, he seemed just a bit happier than before.

Of course, the problems that weighed him down didn't completely vanish in an instant but this little bit of relief was well received. There was a new sort of light in his eyes and I admit I rather liked it.

"Oh come on, what are you staring at?" he flushed as his efforts doubled. I blinked, realizing that I had been staring. "Stop, you're making me feel self-conscious!"

"Hmph, you really don't have to try, you look fine," I muttered, embarrassed as I shook myself out of it. "You won't look any better no matter how hard you do that."

His eyes widened before his signature smugness returned,"...Woah, did you just call me good-looking?"

"NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" I quickly clarified, my face burned as my pulse began to rise up my neck. "I meant you'll still look like shit. We all do. We're literally covered in dirt from head to toe!"

"No no no takebacks!" he cackled before cupping my face. "You called me preeeetty!" he sang mockingly and we both snorted with laughter. I couldn't help it.

"All right that's enough," I declared as I took his hands from my face, struggling to straighten out my expression again. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting."

His eyes were still smiling crescents but he said nothing more and climbed back up towards the gap. He ducked out first and I was about to call out for him not to get too far ahead when I remembered that we weren't chained together anymore. He did still wait for me though.

"Oh, one more thing, before we rejoin those two," he said, his voice suddenly devoid of all lightness. "Please, do me a favor and keep everything a secret for now. Especially CSA and the whole Sunfire thing."

"Are you afraid that people will react poorly if they found out?"

He nodded, "It's hard to hide sometimes but I'm just worried... I- I don't know how I would explain it to them. I don't know if they would understand as you did..."

"That's why you lied in front of COE," I murmured. It made sense. Sunfire was Ame's lone symbol of power that he didn't want to let go of, even if it hurt him so. He couldn't let it get out that his Awakening was just a hand-me-down from another person, let alone the actual concept of two people with the same power. His entire reputation would go out the window when reputation was everything in this world.

"I promise," I said finally and our eyes locked. When I didn't waver, he smiled and reached down to help me through.

"Thank you," he grinned before setting off down the path from where we had come. I let his words slide down my spine as a shiver.

There was some satisfaction to be had but the underlying threats still remained. It was too late when I realized that this promise would tie me tighter than the shackles we had just cut off. Such was the nature of trust but at least, he seemed to get a little of his confidence back.

And what about myself? Someday, would I have the courage to take that first step as well? I wasn't sure how long I would be able to stay content with myself as I was now but currently, something seemed to repel me from finding out more. It would be a battle between curiosity and instinct.

There was a lot to think about and perhaps my silence gave it away. America glanced back occasionally, matching my silence as he carefully studied my reaction.

The question on both of our minds was, 'What now? Where do we go from here?'

America seemed to know his answer, at least better than I did.

Was he alright now? No, far from it but this temporary relief was something he should be allowed to enjoy. As we walked, I watched as his masks returned bit by bit to cover up the fact that he was still reeling himself. He was good at quick recoveries like this, pretending as if nothing had ever happened, as he had done time and time again.

"It's pathetic of me, really. I can't even tell when I'm actually smiling anymore."

I caught his gaze and he grinned, his eyes remained clear and bright, though. I didn't want to quash this new freedom of his with my increasing apprehension so I shoved it onto the backburner and watched as he merrily skipped down the hill, nearly tripping over a root on his way down. Perhaps a little too carefree then.

"C'mon, what's the holdup? I thought you were the one who didn't want to keep the others waiting?" he called from the foot of the little hill. I groused back and ran after him. This wasn't the time to think of such things. We had a game to win.

...

Poland was whistling absentmindedly as Ame parted the shrubs, jogging into the clearing with a glowing smile plastered firmly on his face. I followed soon after and Germany's eyes curved into a slight grin as Ame lifted his cuffless wrist, our spirits returned.

"You two did it!" exclaimed the German as Poland peeked over his shoulder. His face lit up in relief for a brief second before he caught himself and scoffed.

"Hmph took you two long enough. Hopefully, this means there'll be no more stupid infighting anymore." We just shrugged, unable to promise anything but it was obvious we were back on stable ground.

"What did we miss while we were in there," America asked. He was clearly ready and raring to go, now that the chains were gone. "I have quite a bit of pent-up violence I need to unleash."

Germany and Poland sent a knowing glance at each other. 'At least he's honest,' they seemed to say before pulling up the scoreboard on their wristbands. Germany and Poland had wracked up a hearty combined sum of nearly 400 points. They had been pretty busy during our absence, it seemed. America grinned at the sight as well but his smile faltered when he moved a little further down the list.

"The Southern Branch hunters..." he paused, his frown deepening, "...they were eliminated as well?"

Germany swiped down to Venezuela and Colombia's tally, their points displayed as a bright red zero. "The Eastern Branch pair probably took them out just a little while ago. That makes us the only hunters left in the game."

"10 bucks, they're gonna come for us next," Poland snickered as he twirled a stick in his hand. "I mean it makes sense. Hunters are basically walking point bags for opposing teams."

America chewed his lip as he stared intently at the points that were continuously inching closer and closer to our spot in first place until he couldn't sit around any longer.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Russia, let's go find some puppets to bash. We can't let anyone else take the lead!" I agreed and we turned to set off back into the center of the forest where we figured most of the robots were but before I could follow the hyperactive Superpower, Germany pulled me to the side, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

"Are you sure that you're ...alright now? You two talked it out?" I stared for a moment before I realized what he was talking about. His earnest eyes bore into my dim grey ones until I cracked a slight smile.

"Yeah, no worries. I'm sorry you had to get caught up in all this but I think we're fine now," I replied truthfully. He seemed to hesitate but was ultimately reassured and we set off into the wooded thickets, our smiles still warm on our lips.

"Good. It's nice to see you two working together again."

...

The area finally fell into silence after the ground had been littered with burning, half-frozen pieces of scrap metal. America wiped away a drop of sweat from his chin, smiling as he observed his handiwork from above.

"Not bad at all," he cheered as he counted up his points, totaling just under 400. "How are you doing over there?"

"320," I rolled my eyes as he pumped his fist into the air in celebration. He seemed to be genuinely having fun with this contest and I was too, though a bit miffed that I was losing.

Germany and Poland were also letting loose a bit now that the team was back together and there wasn't as much to worry about. They were engaged in a game of hacky sack with a puppet's dismantled head before Poland batted it away as far as he could. The atmosphere was light and playful, probably more akin to what the Powers wanted.

"This one looks like you," America snickered as he held up a toadlike puppet that had its eyes smashed in. I grabbed a misshapen fish head.

"Look in the mirror," I retorted before chucking it at him. He caught it with ease and raised an eyebrow as he examined it. It grew searing hot in his palm and he was clearly on the verge of making a heat joke when a soft rustle from the side caught his attention. Without hesitation, he launched the burning fish head toward the sound, causing brilliant orange sparks to shoot up from the impact.

"OW!"

A startled voice cried out as we leapt to our feet. A sparkling crust of frost lines rippled outward toward the sound. America raised his hands, his arms laced with veins of fire that sent waves through the air.

"There's no use creeping around anymore," he called out with a surprising lack of hostility, seeing that he had been fervently stomping on robots mere minutes ago. His tone was more of a joking manner if anything. "Why don't you come out here before I blowtorch you two?"

"Alright now, let's not get so violent now," an amused voice responded as a white tiger stepped out of the bushes, its stunning eyes burning into ours. South Korea rode atop its back, patting out a smoldering patch on his clothes from the burning fish head attack.

"That was uncalled for," he grumbled, sending an accusatory glare toward Ame, who just shrugged it off with a cheeky grin. He wasn't about to apologize for a well-warranted attack. I just stared, still harboring mixed feelings about South's decision. None of us understood why he had suddenly disappeared, only to find out later that he had transferred back to the Eastern Branch and joined their team.

Germany elbowed me out of my head, "Stop that. You're doing the scary face again."

America lifted his nose into the air, his boastful facade returned for an appearance as a crimson country slid off the beast's back. "It's about time you showed your face. And South, what the heck's with that thing?"

The tiger snarled, its teeth glimmering even brighter than its flowing fur. "That thing you speak of is a celestial beast. Your lack of tact is astonishing."

"Hey, it's alright! They're old friends," South assured it and with a hmph, it lowered its gaze and backed off. My attention also returned to the other country which had been shooting subtle glances at me the whole time.

I knew his name, China, but that's about all I knew. If I remembered correctly, this was the first proper face-to-face meeting I ever had with him and I was already on edge. He had briefly introduced himself the night before but I had been so enraged that I paid him no mind. He met my gaze and sent a friendly wave, a honey-sweet smile painted his elegant features.

"Russia, was it? It's good to see that you and America are getting along again," he remarked with a hint of interest. "Though I do wonder what caused you two to fight in the first place. Rumor has it that you've grown quite close-"

"That's none of your concern," America's pronounced sharply as he stepped in between us, shooting an uncharacteristically icy stare at the Chinese boy, who raised his hands in defense. He took the hint and dropped the subject before things got heated.

"Relax, I'm not going to tell him anything, you know," I muttered, pushing his arm that blocked me down. Ame glanced back with a reluctant expression before regaining his composure, a slight spot of color touching his ears.

"Another time then," China suggested with an apologetic smile and I could have sworn I heard Ame start to growl. "We're actually here for the other two, the quiet ones in the back."

Poland jumped a bit at their mention, his eyes flashing dangerously. Germany clutched onto Poland's sleeve to caution him from any rash decisions and we moved forward to block them from the opponent's view.

"And what makes you think you'll get to them?" I scoffed as my expression returned to the 'scary face' as others liked to put it. America crossed his arms, seconding that intent and the two opposing countries tensed up. China's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as his rigid smile faltered. South clenched his fists nervously which prompted his tiger to leap to the defensive.

"Well, the rules never allowed inter-target fighting which is why we haven't taken matters into our own hands. Unfortunately, our Hunters were eliminated before we could regroup so we're just going for the next best thing," explained China but his logic failed to reach us. "So, now that we're here, what do you hunters say to a duel? It is technically your job, after all."

"You're making an awfully big display. Very bold, I must admit, or are you just being stupid," said America as his form began to flicker with licks of fire. "Especially for someone in your sad situation."

I half expected China to laugh or retort but instead, a flash of panic seemed to overtake his tight control briefly.

"Which is why I'm surprised you let your reserves run dry like that." Ame continued without missing a beat, gesturing toward the tiger who snarled, clearly miffed at his implication. Ame knew something that would work to our advantage which made sense since those two were pretty notoriously competitive with each other. I bit my lip, unwilling to acknowledge a subtle hint of irritation that roiled my stomach.

"Either way, if your plan is to engage in a duel with the Branch Hunters, take them down, and force them to forfeit, so be it. I'd like to see you try,"

We glanced behind us, a bit taken aback at the brazen declaration, something Germany didn't usually do.

His eyes glowed a strange, fierce magenta hue which meant he was serious. Was he upset that we were sort of writing him off? Even Poland was a little startled by his sudden determination.

"But I dare say, you shouldn't underestimate us," he added. Ame's dumbfounded stare quickly shifted to an amused smirk as he let out a loud, 'Hah!' in response. He should have guessed that these two were itching for a round two with them. A quick side eye from Germany confirmed that he had a plan and we both shrugged. No objections here.

China smoothed out his clothes, perhaps even a little nervously, "Alright, if you say so." Germany pushed his glasses up before turning to Poland who nodded in agreement, albeit a little reluctantly.

"As the Central Branch Hunters, we agree to the duel. The loser automatically forfeits all points and is disqualified." Germany declared as a pool of thick, dark smog poured out from below his feet, engulfing the surrounding area in a sickly haze. "Ready or not, we begin now."

The battle immediately got off on a heated note as the tiger spirit pounced into action, closing the distance in a single stride. Germany barely had time to duck while thick iron chains burst from the ground, wrapping around the spirit's neck. It lurched in surprise, "A Summoner?" Its claws grasped at the seemingly solid chains. "This complicates things greatly. You must go first."

"I don't think so," Poland grunted as he hauled Germany out of the way, just in time to avoid a grappling force sent by South Korea. His arm was extended and his black veins were slowly crawling down his arms.

"Oh that's cool," Ame admired from afar as he glowered at his arms, wondering how he could upgrade his Awakening presentation. "It's a little frustrating how much he grew under China's guidance."

A ravaging wall of slashes backed the duo into a corner as thin lines of crimson were drawn here and there. America jolted into action, his hands smoldering and ready to assist when a cloud of smoke walloped him in the face, knocking him flat on his back.

"YOU TWO STAY OUT OF THIS!" Germany demanded as Poland launched him directly at South Korea, using the other's pull momentum to his advantage. "JUST LET US DO OUR JOBS! YOU TWO GO DO YOURS!"

I glanced at the situation, bewildered by the German's commands. What was he talking about? Wouldn't this go by faster if America and I stepped in to help them?

Before I could question it, America croaked some unintelligible words that sounded more like choking before leaping to his feet and seizing me by the wrist, now that we were no longer chained together. I barely got a single word out before I found myself hauled out of the clearing.

"Waoh– HEY!" I let my fingers graze the ground in passing, sending large pikes of ice to protrude out of the ground. If anything, at least I provided some extra objects for them to throw at the problem.

"What's your deal?" I finally said as I wriggled from his grasp, forcing him to let go. He turned to face me and opened his mouth to respond when his breaths began to catch in his throat. His nose scrunched up as if he had just smelled something horrid and coughed violently. I grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him before he fell, his hands clutching his throat as cold sweat beaded his face. At last, a wisp of smoke was blown out with an exhale and he collapsed, his chest ballooning with sweet fresh air.

"Ack, Germany. He needs to work on his aim," America gasped with tears pricking his eyes as he continued to wheeze like a rotten-lunged chain smoker. "He couldn't pick a better way to deliver a message?"

Ame had accidentally inhaled the smog that had been flung at him which was probably not Germany's intention, and it spooled into a string of words, forming his secret message.

"Watch the hour. Strike on the dot."

"Germany grows so fast too," America coughed, a hint of envy poisoning his words. "I can't deal with prodigies like him."

"Aren't you hailed as one too?" I raised an eyebrow and he gushed, "Awwww you're flattering me again. You don't have to keep complimenting me like that, you're making me embarrassed..."

He was playing with me again. I rolled my eyes and he cackled as I ignored his stupid mockery. Instead, the message took back my attention. More importantly, the method of message.

A pang of realization stabbed the back of my head, a faint glimpse of a past memory perhaps. I remembered seeing something like this before, at least enough to trigger a faint feeling associated with it. Words carved in smoke hung tauntingly overhead on the rusting ceiling, pressing the feeling of dread deeper and deeper into my soul. A shudder rippled down my spine and Ame dropped his playful nature, replacing it with a touch of concern.

"I'm fine," I exclaimed before he could ask fixing my stare on the words. "Germany, he's a smart one. I nearly forgot about this."

"Agreed," Ame nodded along but I could tell he wasn't ready to dismiss that pause. "If that's what he wants, to do, we should still keep an eye on them. I trust them but it's just in case things go south. It may also seem suspicious if we completely disappeared at the drop of a dime as well."

"Like how you made that pathetic exit, dragging me into the forest just now?"

America decided that discussion time was over.

We would make rounds, taking turns preparing for Germany's plan while the other watched from the sidelines, hidden from view. Most importantly, both of us would have to keep track of the time.

'Watch the hour, strike on the dot,' meant, 'Wait until the exact moment the next hour arrives to reap the most benefits out of fighting the proclaimed, second strongest duo.'

There are only about 10 minutes left. If this plan works, there's no way we would come out of this game as anything less than champions. Sure, we had lost the box and failed one of our only objectives but this would far outweigh that fact. All we had to do was hope that Germany and Poland would last 'til the Final Hour.

(Nobody POV)

"As I said before, this game will span a maximum of 5 hours. If there is still more than one Branch standing, a final winner-takes-all type challenge will be introduced into the area."

This statement immediately hooked every single contestant's attention, much to Olympia's delight. He had been worried that the countries were starting to daydream, especially the Superpower and his partner, who had been doing nothing but shooting death glares at one another.

"The Final Hour will be a special hour, specially designed to crown a champion before the time we've been allotted runs out," he said with a shrug. "Though, with all honesty, I do hope that it doesn't come to that but in the event that it does, and all of you are exceptional at surviving, three new functions will be added to the game."

The border of the screen that displayed the simulation began to glow brightly with gold, like a game power-up effect and the little characters suddenly perked up as changes appeared on the screen.

"The first addition is the trading point system," Olympia declared, ticking off fingers as he spoke. "Targets will be allowed to challenge each other in addition to the Hunters but now, the loser will have to transfer all existing points to the victors. During this time, Targets, zero points does not mean immediate disqualification, for if you still have your teammates and they are willing to transfer their points to you, you are allowed to do so. Note that people can only transfer all or nothing to one another."

A small murmur arose from the groups as people took this information in. It was a huge incentive for inter-branch elimination, especially for those who still had all four of their representatives. Olympia held up two fingers and silence returned.

"The second addition will continuously attract all remaining puppets to your location. The more points you have, the more puppets will be drawn to you. The overall level of such enemies will also be increased which also means their point value will be heightened so be wary and be on the move."

"Finally, the last addition-" the organization declared with an especially wicked grin, "–will be the appearance of a special doorway. Two, to be exact. These doors will appear in the final thirty minutes of the hour if no winner has been announced. They will only allow one person entry each and will appear separately, in random locations near the center of the Colosseum and whoever steps through them will automatically gain 1000 points for their respective Branch."

All the onlooking countries stared as the announcer's words echoed slowly in their heads, their eyes as wide as saucers. If it came to that, surely even claiming one doorway would be enough to ensure swift passage onto the second half of the group games. Everyone would start gunning for those doors as soon as they could. Needless to say, it would be an entire hour with the stakes of all or nothing.

A little while later, Russia stepped back into the clearing, having just finished his rounds where America languished with one eye pinned diligently on the timer.

The duel was still raging as both sides showed no signs of slowing down, though Germany and Poland seemed to have the upper hand. It was pretty evident from the swelling waves in the ocean of smoke, paired with the blitzes of light. America sat on a fallen log, his form already revved up with flickering sparks as he turned to greet the Russian.

"Thirty seconds left. Did you clear out your area?" Russia nodded and displayed his point count, which had gone up by another large chunk. With the surrounding forests cleared, it ensured that puppets wouldn't get in their way too soon once the hour commenced. If they were to fight China and South Korea effectively, they couldn't risk anything getting in their way.

A soft bump to the chest of reassurance prompted Russia to look up as a hand was extended. Ame smiled and though neither could be sure if that was sincere, he chose to trust it.

"Shall we?" he teased which the other scoffed at as he pushed past the trees. Frigid veins seeped into the ground with every step, his breath appearing in cotton-white puffs.

"Yeah," Russia answered as he took his partner's hand, lifting him onto the small platform of ice that had begun to form. "Let's go kick some ass."

TW!!! Gore, blood, death, the works. Proceed at your own discrepancy. 

(Ukraine POV)

If I had to choose somewhere I wanted to be, a sunny, flowering meadow, a soft-sanded beach, or even my bedroom would probably be some of my top choices. Trekking slowly down a tunnel of doom into a rusting old bunker with UN's agent was not one of them.

A black cloak, hood and shawl had been worn to obscure our identities. We were basically walking shadows, morphing into the walls as we went deeper and deeper into this ominous tunnel. A faint smell of iron gusted over us, carried by the slight, chilly draft that wafted from the pit. I shuddered, praying that this smell did not come from pools of red.

I dared not speak, as FVEY had instructed before we descended and I wasn't about to question his orders, seeing that he was frighteningly familiar with these situations.

"Aren't you the least bit afraid?" I had asked him earlier as he wrapped a thick black cloth over his silver hair. He stopped humming and stared at me, "Is that a serious question? Of course I am! Stuff like this doesn't get easier no matter how many times I do it."

"Then why do you seem so calm right now?" I asked, genuinely curious how he wasn't pacing around and muttering 'oh my god oh my god' like I was.

"It's because I'm too busy thinking of how we're gonna survive through this to waste any time on irrational actions. Every situation, every worst-case scenario, I need every second to many as many backup plans as possible," he answered with a strangely cheeky smirk. "Right now, I'm at Plan 32A-IV, in case you're worrying."

Though I had no idea what that meant, I forced myself to think it was reassurance but I was still a bit upset that I had been pulled into this mess. He had said he needed my help with something rather minor and to not worry too much about it but I didn't know what. If there was one thing I hated, it was last-minute improvisation.

At last, the ground flattened and the walls seemed to widen into a slightly larger chamber. In the silent dark, I could faintly pick up a few muffled voices coming from somewhere ahead of us but I couldn't see and refused to move. The last thing I needed was to run into a wall, fall down a pit, or get caught in some other death trap. Standing in complete, utter darkness in some cult base or whatever had a great way of letting my imagination run wild.

A soft tug on my sleeve almost forced a peep out of me as Five began to walk.

"Stay with me now," he whispered in nearly inaudible tones and I didn't dare do otherwise. Five took me by the wrist lest I get lost, and began to move.

It surprised me for a second, how little hesitation there was in all of his movements as he zigged and zagged, avoiding the seemingly invisible barriers and running without a sound through a blind man's obstacle course. I followed, slowly adjusting to match his pace and trusting his weird agent senses. It wasn't long before a flicker of light dawned over to the side, illuminating an archway to a firelit hall. The voices were coming from there.

Five pressed us against the wall and inched as close as he could to the entranceway but made sure not to leave the safety of the shadows. I followed his lead and lent my ears to the sizable gathering of hooded figures just like us, huddled together like a pack of rats.

Two crude platforms of stone jutted out of the sides of the tunnel while a pathetic stream of muck trudged down the middle, knee-deep at best. The walls were lined with torches, all casting their demonic glow and outlining more archways that no doubt spidered out all over the place. Five frowned as he peeked out over the crowd who seemed to be completely stationary and muttering in hushed tones amongst themselves. We were too far away to hear but nothing seemed to be happening right now.

This waiting game continued for another while. I didn't know how long but my feet were beginning to ache so it was probably for a long time. The other people there also seemed to agree with my thoughts because they were getting more restless as well.

Of course they would. The longer they stayed, the more likely they were to get caught and paranoia began to run rampant. Five, on the other hand, stayed as diligent as a statue (though I've heard rumors that he actually was one) his entire form alert for any signal or signs of someone approaching.

Just as I was about to collapse on the ground with exhaustion and tension, a new stir billowed into the hall, causing a slight commotion that immediately reeled in our attention. Five perked up and swiveled fully around, craning his neck just enough to see what was happening. I had the better view though and what I saw nearly made me faint on the spot.

Two new hooded people marched in. One had a large, looming frame, their black cloak doing nothing to hide their bulky, muscular body. A belt was strapped onto their waist with a sword scraping along the ground, unsheathed. What unnerved me more was the clear red smears that slowly trickled down the shining metal and a second later, I would see why.

The second figure was tall and slender, like a walking shadow that could slip through the cracks. They stepped up and thrust forward their arm, easily palming a horrifying sight. A person's glossy eyes stared into the crowd. Their hair was clumped with dried blood. The rest of their body, or at least the upper half of it, dangled limply below that with inner entrails strewn across the platform like a ribbon in a river of red. I forced myself to look away and focus on something else– anything else. I stared at Five and for a moment, I could see that his face was also frozen stiff with shock. I realized it.

"You know him?" I whispered as quietly as I could. He stared for a moment longer before he gave a weak nod, barely a twitch of his head.

"He was one of us, sent to observe their ranks undercover," he swallowed with difficulty as his face turned back to stone. "He was one of the best, yet here we are."

They won't hesitate to kill us too, if we're caught, is what he left unsaid. After the figure was satisfied with showing the traitor off, the corpse of the unnamed agent was thrown to the ground like a bag of trash and the gathering quieted.

"Apologies for the delay, we had to catch a snake," a deep, guttural voice rasped. Just listening to their voice made me want to throw up. "For a man who bares fangs, his lips are stitched pretty tightly."

Suddenly, the voice shifted into a much more silky, but monotonous voice, "The lord has declared to us that it won't be long 'til his plans can come into fruition but there are still a few things that need to be taken care of before we move forward."

The sword bearer continued, their voice barely a whisper compared to their partner as they held up their weapon, "Though we have failed to obtain two of the weapons–" they seemed to shoot a glare at some members in the crowd, who wilted on the spot, "–there is still a third and the master is determined to obtain it no matter what the cost. Currently, your issued-grade weapons won't be sufficient. We must secure more ruin grades at least so be on the lookout for the next shipment"

Even from here, I could sense the ominous aura that emanate from that blade. It was definitely not something humans could create on their own and it seemed that a few members had something similar on hand.

Five tensed as he continued to listen, mentally noting down every word and action, straining to see if any of their characteristics triggered any memories. I just stared, completely dumbfounded and severely lacking in context as a few code words were thrown out here and there. Honestly, I really doubted that I should be hearing this but there was nothing else I could do.

I peeked out from under my hood to see a few shaking hands raised in the air, though all of them were hesitant to do so. It seemed that they were taking questions now.

One of the raised hands caught the agent's attention and he scowled. A bit of their cloak had been pulled back to reveal a messy scrawl of horrid burns that fused skin to bone. How he was alive, I had no clue but Five seemed to know and despise them, his hidden face creased with a passive sort of anger.

The meeting eventually drew to a pitiful standstill since it was pretty evident that no one wanted to be there. The leaders stared at the crowd, shaking their heads ruefully and brought a close to the event.

"Just stay diligent. Soon, our time will come and we will reap what we have sown," the figure exclaimed. "Dismissed."

Five tugged my robes and we moved around the corner just in time for the incoming flood of people. Relieved footsteps thundered through the corridors and into the dark maze, glad that they could finally rest. We stayed hidden for a little while longer, just to be sure that no one would come back and catch us but the stale silence stayed unbroken.

"You look a bit disappointed," I commented softly.

"You could tell?" he tilted his head in regard and I nodded. "It's just that there's no new information to take back. Most of the people who gathered here are just misled humans anyway. There's no tactical value to keep this place."

"What about the two leaders? They seemed important."

Five shook his head, "Yeah. The original plan was to confront them after the gathering but... they have better weapons than I thought. It's not worth it. Unless you're sure you could take them?"

I shook my head furiously, "Oh no no no. No way. I can't really fight. I may be a countryhuman but I haven't even Awakened yet so I'd be no use–!"

"Wait- wait you haven't Awakened yet?!" Five hissed under his breath, his cloak twisting violently from the sudden movement. I tilted my head in stunned confusion as mixed feelings tied my stomach into a knot. Had he dragged me in here without even asking if I had Awakened yet? Asshole!

He settled with an apologetic grin as he whispered, "Oh, well good thing I decided to call it off, though I could have sworn..."

He sighed, quashing the words before they could even form which only prodded my curiosity but I decided against asking. The coast was clear now and we cautiously stepped into the cavern. The torches were barely smoldering embers now, their protective glow diminished.

I stayed near the arched frame of the entrance as I watched him swiftly dart toward the stage with the soft, murky gurgles of the stream harmonizing with my pounding heart. To think that I preferred this place with people more than without.

"I just need to do a quick sweep of the area and see if we missed anything. Hopefully, there's something regarding that weapon shipment they mentioned," Five had told me and I watched him do just that, though it could be noted that he was avoiding the dismembered corpse on the ground.

"Broken weapon prototypes and a note," he explained when he was finally satisfied and returned with a couple of crude daggers and a tiny scrap of paper that had been hidden off to the side. "Though there's really nothing special about this place, it's concerning how many high-grade weapons they seem to have. They must be sponsored by someone with connections to Aliaterra."

He seemed to notice my absent gaze and traced it back to the deceased man. He smiled bitterly, "I'm sorry you had to see this. It must be very upsetting."

"... no it's... I'll be fine. It's not my first time," I exhaled slowly. "Were you two close? What's his story?"

"I acquaint myself with all my coworkers," he replied with a wistful gaze. "Y'know, he was supposed to be the one I was going to rendezvous with tonight. We were going to infiltrate this base, tidy things up, and then go celebrate his homecoming with a round of drinks on me."

But that'll never happen now. I felt my eyes burn but refused to let him see my tears and wiped them away. "Does he have a family?"

Five grimaced, "Agents don't usually dare start a family, seeing how every second could be our last. He, however, was an exception. One might think he's cruel to worry his loved ones like this."

"Then let's take him back. It's the least they deserve." I exclaimed and before I could chicken out, I shimmied along the wall and toward the corpse. Five looked startled but his expression melted into a grateful smile.

"...Thank you. Your kindness, if not foolish, is truly one of a kind."

Despite my bold declaration, I still couldn't bring myself to touch the dead body so I simply offered my cloak to Five as he gingerly folded it around like a body bag. He cradled the pale, bloodless face of his comrade but before he lowered the hood, a glint of red caught his attention.

"Wait, hold him still, for a moment," he instructed suddenly. His entire aura had shifted back to deathly seriousness and I complied with haste. I held his head, looking away as he parted the rubbery, half-opened lips and shoved two fingers down the throat. Two red capsules were lodged at the back; one was cracked.

A suicide pill case.

Five sighed dejectedly, "At least he was dead before they disemboweled him. That's the bright side." The other, uncracked capsule was retrieved as well. A bloodred stone was rolled between his gloved fingers as he studied it in the limited light. His lips were pressed so thinly that they were losing color as he muttered reverently to himself.

"This is unusual... what is a shard of a Conduct doing here... could it be?" He clasped it tightly in his fist as if he had realized something. Before I could ask, he leaped to his feet and hauled the body over his shoulder.

Five grabbed me by the arm with a surprising amount of force, ushering me back toward the archway.

He cursed his own recklessness under his breath, "I knew there's something off about this place, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to stay. Let's get out of here now... I have a bad feeling– !"

He never finished his sentence and all the torches reignited with a 'whoomph', stopping us dead in our tracks.

We were met with the point of a blade, hovering inches from the agent's Adam's apple that slowly bobbed up and down as he struggled to swallow. His clenched teeth and nervous smile was met with a sleek, obsidian black mask of the sword bearer that glimmered evilly in the hot red glow. 

"Haah, damnit. Damn all of this."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 

Unbelievable. Stress levels have been crazy lately and it's not even exam time yet. 

It's a bit sad that time for drawing and writing is scarce these days but it is what it is.

Poor Ukraine got the short end of the stick. 

Anyway, I'm hoping that things calm down a bit so that I can finish some stuff and publish new chapters soon but no promises. CITS is also just about done with the planning (it's a much shorter book than WWMS prob 50 chaps max) but I might hold it off just so my upload schedule doesn't completely go to hell in a handbasket. I can't imagine juggling two books at once.

You guys know the drill by now. See you when I see you byeeee! <3