Chapter 26: Disobey

Vritra was not a patient girl in the slightest. She could be patient, if it were to mess with others, but most of the time she enjoyed direct methods. So of course she would want to get rid of the nations as soon as possible.

Vritra, for all intense and purposes, was not as smart as she was held to be. Which is why she did something very stupid against better judgement.

And just to make sure she really was dumb, she went to find the King after doing such a stupid thing to see if he would approve of her yet.

The King held some kind of unjustified hate for her, which she knew, but never knew why. But ever since she realized this, she had been doubling her attempts to be recognized as what she saw herself as. A powerful, smart, deserving individual that should be posted as the head of the army. That job was rightfully hers! But oh no, the King thought it would be most suitable to give that job to Samil. The brute was as stupid as a brick, but he was loyal, and wouldn't take orders unless they were directly from the King. So Vritra couldn't simply manipulate him to her will. She had to sneak around him, to the even less intelligent beings.

This was for the King, she told herself. She would do his work for him, so he could see what needed to be done in order to take over the world correctly. He would reward her for her efforts! He would see she was right soon enough. Very, very soon.

Vritra was pulled from her musings when she entered the garden the King had one day requested be built for what seemed to be absolutely no reason. He might have just enjoyed the serene feeling, or appreciated nature, but Vritra wouldn't ask him about that. She knew where her place was.

She found him leaning up against a tree, eyes closed. He was relaxed, as always. Maybe too much so. Vritra wasn't sure if she should disturb him or not, knowing it was rude to interrupt a king's personal time. But on the other hand, she needed to say what she'd done. She needed approval. She needed to have control of the armies, to stand at his side while he took over this horrifying excuse of a planet. She needed his words of encouragement, his smile, and she would hardly object to a pat on the head. She needed him to see her for what she was.

She needed him.

Steeling her courage and straightening her spine, Vritra took the last couple steps forward towards her King, just as his eyes rolled behind their lids in her direction.

No matter how hard Arthur, Lukas and Feliciano tried, no matter how many warding spells they cast to hide their presence, no matter how careful they were about not being spotted, only a spell prepared for hours could completely hide an entire crowd of nations.

They hadn't been found yet, which was fortunate, but everyone knew that any moment now, a Nightmare could pop up and attack them. They'd been walking for a day straight, only pausing for bathroom and meal breaks, and hadn't slept. They were all too paranoid. All too warry of the danger around them. Some were sure that, even if they tried to sleep, they would be attacked by horrid images behind their closed lids that would just wake them up again.

The nations had more or less split into their natural groups, or something close to it. Ludwig and Gilbert had migrated over towards Francis and Arthur, Antonio joining them a few minutes later. The Nordics had compacted into their small group, although Peter would run between them and the British Isles group and Tino walked along side Natalia, a sort of bridge between the old Soviet Union and his own group. Through this whole expedition, Ivan had grown very close to his sisters again, which opened him up a bit to making friends among some of the original Nightmare Slaying group, but it was still odd to see Lilli talking animatedly with him while Vash walked not far behind. The Italy twins were speaking in hushed tones, farther from the group. China was with his little brothers, albeit grudgingly since Kiku was still holding onto Alfred's hand.

Things were peaceful, or at least would be, if they didn't have a looming sense of doom hanging over them.

"What is it, Vritra?" The King sighed, not opening his eyes.

Vritra's brain sputtered, and her vocals followed its example. She tried, and failed, to pass it off as a cough.

"King, I- I came to ask you something." She hoped her voice hadn't wavered as much as she believed it had.

The King finally opened an eye, staring her down with a cold gold eye. No, it was no longer completely gold, Vritra noted with a substantial amount of shock. There were flecks of indigo mixed in.

She didn't realize the King had been speaking until half way through his sentence.

"-it? Make it quick."

Vritra nodded stiffly. "I was just wondering- well, not wondering, I'm concerned- no, that's not what I mean, uhm-"

"Did I not say to make it quick?" The King growled, baring his teeth slightly.

"W-What are you planning to do with the nations?" Vritra squeaked out in a panic.

He stared at her for a long time, cogs in his brain turning. Eventually, he tilted his head slightly in her direction and raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

Gilbert blinked up at the sky, unable to process how he was on the ground, or that his name was being screamed, or that Feliciano was about in the same position as him. All he knew was that he was in excruciating amounts of pain. He didn't know he could survive this kind of physical torture. It was even worse than when he was dissolved, causing every joint to lock up and nothing else. His breathing came out shallow. Maybe he was screaming? He couldn't tell.

Something else entered his brain, a sickness, coming from a specific direction. Gilbert, while slowly, managed to roll his head to look to his left. That was where the horrible feeling was coming from. That was what was causing him pain.

Dunkel Wogen, still tucked away in a corner of Gilbert's mind, growled. The demon informed him that there were Nightmares approaching. Lots of them. Gilbert managed to sway to his feet, and somehow, rasp out the information. His sword was out and in his hand when he blinked. Either it had teleported to his hand, or he passed out for a moment. Either way, he was ready to kick some ass.

And by the looks of those around him, so was everyone else.

"W-Well, why haven't you made a move yet? I've checked, and the nations are all weak and practically defenceless. It would be the perfect time to strike."

The King observed her for a moment, before closing his eyes again and getting comfy. "There's no need to. Why get your hands dirty when the time doesn't call for it?"

A flash of frustration ran through Vritra, causing her to speak out of term. "Because they need to die for your world domination."

"No, they don't." The King responded evenly, a fake calm. "Have you even thought this through? The moment we strike is the moment they come after us. If we do it any sooner, we'll just show them they need to finish us quickly."

"Too late for that!" Vritra blurted out. She slapped her hands over her mouth a second later, eyes wide with fear.

It took a second, an agonizing second, but the King caught on to what she was implying. His eyes snapped open, and the next thing Vritra knew, she was being held by the next several feet off the ground. She didn't struggle. She knew that would only irritate the King further.

His eyes were wider than her own, anger boiling slowly, along with something else. Concern? Fear? She couldn't place it, but it was so human it startled Vritra.

She was also startled by how the flecks of indigo widened to loop the pupil, the furthest ring still gold.

"What did you do?!"

Feliciano had let his guard drop, and in those few moments, talking to his twin carefully about the last few weeks, the pain came so suddenly it knocked him over. Feliciano stood soon after, though, not one to let this feeling take over. He glanced around, took note of Gilbert on the ground in a state similar to himself a few moments ago (he'd have to remember to ask about that), before fixing his gaze in the direction he felt the sickest. It was hard to explain, like a kind of 'which direction influences you the most' guessing game, with the threat of throwing up.

A few seconds after Feliciano found the point of origin, and Gilbert stumbled to his feet mumbling something that sent a ripple of tense atmosphere through the group, the tree's burst apart and out leapt a group of Nightmares, all blended together in the darkness. Feliciano gathered his magic, prepared to tell everyone to step back and let him handle it, but that thought was gone when Feliks leapt forwards and touched one of the Nightmares. It turned to dust in his hands.

Feliciano resigned to allowing the others to help there and then.

"What did you do, Vritra?!" He screamed again, shaking the small female to make sure she got the hint to speak.

The King knew it wasn't entirely his own anger and panic he was feeling, or even his own words, but damn the kid was forceful when he wanted to be. The King was quite impressed. He'd tried to shove the kid as far back as he could as soon as he sensed Vritra, but he found that he couldn't. Matthew hadn't resisted, in fact he seemed almost excited to go back to the weird world of the King's almost subconscious, it was that the King was unable to do so because he literally no longer had the ability to do so. This scared him. Especially since he saw Vritra could tell he wasn't entirely him. That made him panic alongside his host.

The terrified demon didn't speak for a long time.

Then she started flailing. "I helped you do what you wouldn't! Let me go!"

He shook her again, more firmly this time. "Vritra, if you don't answer me, I swear to god I will fucking kill you!"

"I SENT NIGHTMARES AFTER THE NATIONS! THERE! HAPPY?!"

He almost dropped her.

In the war between Nightmares and nations, the nations seemed to be winning. The problem was not power, not in the slightest. The nations were all in some way or fashion over powering, especially when teamed up with each other. No, power wasn't the problem.

It was the sheer amount of Nightmares that poured out of the night that gave them grief.

For every Nightmare they took down, another would take its place, in a never ending stream. And the battle wasn't necessarily brutal, it was just tiring. The nations knew how to handle themselves, as well as avoid the things they couldn't during their training. It might have been one session, but it had worked wonders.

They made sure to stay in a tight circle, not allowing the Nightmares to separate them or get them alone.

That was also easier said than done.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"I WAS TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

"VRITRA THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF HELPING! WHAT WERE YOU EVEN THINKING?!"

"I was THINKING that you needed to get your priorities straight. What are you even doing here? Don't you have armies to rule?! COUNTRIES TO DESTROY?!"

The King raised a hand to his face, rubbing it aggressively. Matthew found himself sighing in the King's place. This child knew nothing.

"Vritra, leave. Now."

Eventually, someone did separate from the group.

Alfred hadn't even noticed he had drifted until he was too far away for anyone to help him. He didn't even have his guns, so he had to trust his strength to help him survive.

That and the unrelenting anger he felt slowly bubbling to the surface. It wouldn't take long for it to pop and explode everywhere.

Every punch sent a new flash through his body, a reminder that his brother, his best friend, his other half, was gone. And there was nothing he could to bring him back. No spell or exorcism could undo the damage, no one could find maybe a hint of how to save him in their limited time. The only thing they could do that would be remotely effective against the King was have Gilbert kill him. But if they did that, Matthew was gone for good. No do-over, no second chance, no reincarnation, no anything. He'd just be gone. Forever.

Alfred blacked out for a moment, rage overtaking him. When he was able to come back to his senses, he was surrounded by the dissolving bodies of Nightmares.

He still hadn't gotten all of his anger out.

"What? Why?" Vritra couldn't believe what she was hearing. The King was concerned for the enemy! And more hurtful than that, he didn't trust her at all! She was smart, she could tell. What was it about herself he didn't like so much?!

"Don't ask questions!" He barked, making her jump. "Just do it!"

"I'm confused, my King! What is it you want of me?" Vritra slumped slightly. "What can I do for your approval?"

Snap.

Vritra's muscles all decided to jump in different directions all at once.

Lovino never thought he'd live to see the day he decided he enjoyed fighting.

Ludwig was equally surprised, possibly even delighted.

Lovino worked well as a backup for Ludwig. He wasn't as good at offense, seeing as he spent most of his life avoiding weapons completely, but it seemed the Popato Barstardo could handle it. He found his blood was even better at attacking and defending than it was for healing. He mostly used it as a shield for the German, but he would lash out when the opportunity presented itself. It was sort of exhilarating, battling something for a change. Especially something he knew was bad.

Ludwig had a bad feeling. If the King was sending Nightmares after them, then their time was extremely limited. He might have to rethink the entire plan. They might have to strike sooner, because if the next wave of Nightmares to come barreling out had coloured eyes (these ones were just black eyed ones, thank god) then they would be in serious trouble. Ludwig wasn't sure what they could all handle, but an attack from powerful beings all at once would be detrimental.

Ludwig found himself agreeing with Antonio's previous argument. They would have to strike back sooner rather than later.

Both Matthew and the King had become frustratingly impatient with Vritra. Seriously, why did the girl think she needed their approval? It was stupid and selfish. Well, she wouldn't be asking much of anything now.

The two of them looked around at the scattered bits of Nightmare everywhere. They were slowly dissipating. They sighed. What were they supposed to tell the entire army? Well, that she disobeyed and that's what the consequences were would probably suffice, but there would still be ripples of confusion and seeds of disloyalty that would start. This was why he hated her this entire time. She was bound to ruin his rule one way or another.

Now, she might have just delivered death to their door.

They ran a hand through their hair. Things just got a lot more complicated. They would have to evacuate the Nightmares, since those nations would surely find a way to destroy most of them, find a way to possibly negotiate, not die, possibly find a way to coexist, reunite with his family, and-

…Oh no.

Oh, how had they not noticed it earlier? This was bad. Very, very bad. So bad.

They crouched on the ground, wondering when it had happened.

Antonio was cursing himself out silently, without mercy. How had he not seen this coming? What factor had his visions left out? Was there a sudden change in the time stream his powers or whatever gave them to him didn't know about? That was almost too frightening to think about.

At least their battle was almost over, with no more than a few cuts and bruises. Antonio was beyond thankful that they only had to deal with the weaker type of Nightmares, but he would have thought that a direct attack would have been full of Nightmares powerful enough to get the job done quickly. Maybe the King doubted their fighting abilities? Looked down on them? Either way, it seemed at least now he could convince the others that they needed to strike much sooner.

Another string of curses left his mouth as he took a hit from one of the Nightmares. These were just pests at the most like this. Antonio swung his axe, finishing the Nightmare off in one stroke. He moved on, wondering when these things would end.

They tried taking deep breaths, keep their cool. But how in the fuck were they supposed to keep their cool when they had, when they lower their guard against each other, become one person?

They ran a hand through their hair. Should they call themselves they, or he? It wasn't like they were completely merged, they had separate goals, but their thoughts and feelings were one thing now. They seemed to be their best bet, for now.

Did that mean they would have to call themselves King Matthew from now on? Actually, they weren't that opposed to that. It sounded badass. Or maybe Matthew King, like how Stephan's last name was King. Either way would suit them just fine, if they were actually stuck like this.

They searched their mind, turning to every corner they could reach without being asleep, and found absolutely nothing that would help. They only found each other's memories, remembered things they did and didn't do. Remembered people they knew all too well and were strangers to. Remembered themselves and talking to themselves when they weren't together, when they were separated in both body and mind, talking to a 'reflection' in the mirror. They remembered plans, good and bad, and what they were applied to.

They remembered loving their family and friends.

It both disgusted and comforted them.

There were too many things happening all at once. They curled up. They wanted to cry, but they had never done so and were too proud to. But they had also done it more times than they could count and knew it was part of the healing process. They dug their nails into their scalp. God, this was all so wrong.

They stayed like that, sitting in the middle of the still dissolving Vritra, for hours. They didn't get up until they felt numb. When they did finally stand, their legs were numb, causing them to stumble a bit. They stepped into a bundle of shadows, which dropped them off at their room, and they promptly fell into bed.

They didn't have the patience to think more on this.

Arthur panted, wiping sweat off of his brow, looking around. Everyone was there and alive, thank god. No severe injuries, it seemed, although Elizabeta did have a blood stain in her blouse where her stomach was. Part of her wound must have reopened. Lovino was over near her a few moments later.

Everyone gathered around, grim faced and low spirited. Francis came to his side and snatched up one of his hands. Kiku gravitated towards Alfred, who looked the worst out of all of them. He had been the one the Nightmares got on his own. He was staring at the ground, eyes empty, aside from the small spark that ignited when Kiku took his hand. Arthur worried for that boy's sanity.

They all stayed silent, paranoid that there might be more out in the woods. It was tense, with a mixture of other negative emotions brewing as well. Arthur eventually caught Antonio's eyes, and kept his gaze.

"Do you believe me now?" Was all he asked.

Arthur lowered his gaze to the ground, then back up. He took a breath. "Let's take a vote. All in favour of going after the King, raise your hand."

Arthur's siblings all raised their hands, along with Alfred, Gilbert, the Italian twins, Ludwig, Ivan, Antonio, and everyone who was in the original group. There was a beat, then Francis raised his hand as well.

"All opposed?"

Yao, Kiku, and the remaining nations lifted their hands. Arthur kept his vote impartial.

"It's settled then. We'll start heading towards the King's palace, and dethrone him."

Kiku slumped a bit. "How do we even find him?"

"I've got that covered." Gilbert waved his sword a bit. "Dunkel Wogen knows where it is. He's offering to take us. And before you say it, no, it's not a trick. Dunkel Wogen's not like that."

They all fell back into silence. But it was somehow heavier than before. They were waging war on what might as well be an immortal being, in an immortal body, with a strong army behind him. They were preforming a suicide mission. But this had to stop, soon. And it would. They would finish this.

Even if it took their lives.

A/N: I know that a) this is a shorter chapter, and have absolutely no excuses. School's rough, man. And b) things are happening much quicker now. I'm happy with how this is playing out, though.

Thank all of you, again, for putting up with my irregular updates! I'm trying to create a schedule for myself, but it's easier to set a date than to uphold it. I meant to update on the fourteenth. Whoops.

I'll try to make my next update sooner, but I make no promises. But, we're almost done! I plan for there to only be four more chapters including the epilogue, which means we are coming to a closing. Soon. Thank you all again for reading, commenting, following and favouring! It means so much to me.

Until next time. Bye bye~!