HetaOni: Italy's Story

Chapter 3: Bonded

As I run to catch up with my friends, I try my best to ignore the sickening feeling welling up inside of me. The Mansion's Grounds are quite large; it usually takes about half an hour of walking to go from the Gate to the Mansion. The area that we're currently walking in is densely wooded on either side of the dirt path, but when we get up further, the trees will start to thin, and the closer that we get to the Mansion, the more dead trees we'll see. I try my best to ignore the time-fragments that, for now, appear every 4–5 minutes or so.

"UUUUHHH! This is soooo un-awesome!" Prussia yells as I try, and fail, to look anywhere but the bloodstained battlefield to my right. "The Awesome Me thought that this mansion was supposed to be three hours away! But we've been walking for at least four!" Prussia complains.

"Bruder, it's just your imagination; we've only been walking for two and a half hours." Germany states after glancing at his watch. Our watches should stop working when we enter the Mansion; but even now, time is warped. To them, this walk from the Gate will feel like 2 hours, where our watches will only show it as half an hour. For me, because my body's internal clock has adjusted to the Mansion's warped time, it'll only feel like half an hour.

"Really?" Japan asks with slight surprise, "It feels as if we passed through that gate an hour or so ago..." Japan looks down and checks his own watch. After seeing that it shows the same time as Germany's watch, Japan holds his watch up to his ear to see if it's working. "Hmm... maybe I'm just getting old..." He mumbles to himself.

I remain uncharacteristically silent, listening to the sounds of the few animals brave enough to live on these accursed grounds. I hang back a little, walking a few paces behind everyone else, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of her.

A flash of silver draws my eyes to meet a beautiful pair of sapphire orbs. There she is. I send a small smile her way. She seems to smile back at me with her eyes, as she keeps pace with me from the shadows. I call her Silver. She's a very special animal who was brave enough to travel onto the Mansion's Grounds in an attempt to find something. She's also aware of the changing of time, and she always accompanies me on the walk from the Gates to the Mansion.

She has stunning white fur that takes on a breathtaking silver shimmer in the moonlight—hence her name—and a pair of deep, hauntingly beautiful sapphire blue eyes. She's fast, agile, smart, and loyal. There have been countless loops where she has jumped into the middle of a battle to help me. There have also, unfortunately, been many loops where she has given her life to save mine. She is a loyal, trusted friend. I still remember the first time that I met her...

~Flashback~

I've made a mistake; again. "Why?! Why do they keep dying?! What the hell have I ever done to deserve this?! What God have I angered?! What being have I wronged so damn fucking badly that would warrant this kind of torture?! This unbearable agony?! WHY ME?!" I cry out to the heavens. My friends are dead again. We had all gotten out once more, and I had even gotten everyone to run for the Gate so that the Things wouldn't catch us... and yet... While we were running, Liechtenstein hadn't seen that pothole in the grass... She had broken her ankle, and she couldn't... The Things were right behind us... Switzerland had taken a fatal blow for her. After that, the rest of my friends fell like dominos. All I could do was watch helplessly as they were cut down, one by one. Then, to top the cake, those wretched Things have left me to wallow in my agony; they know that I'll turn back time again.

A rustling in the bushes nearby snaps me out of my depressing thoughts. I stare into familiar sapphire orbs. "You again?! What do you want?!" I lash out in anger. I don't know who, or what this animal is, but it's been watching me for... probably about 50 loops or so. At first I would just catch a flash of silvery white out of the corner of my eye, or get the feeling of being watched. The first time that I looked into those sapphire orbs, I just knew that whatever this animal was, it meant me no harm. I could only see open curiosity in those eyes. As time passed, that curiosity grew and eventually changed into a sort of fondness. There would be concern, pity, empathy, sympathy, and support in those eyes when I needed it most. Even still, I've never seen the creature itself. I have, however seen a fluffy white tail a few times.