Small disclaimer: there's a word that is a bit.. unethical, to say the least, so for the people that don't like those types of words, be aware.

______________________________

[Russia's POV]

_____________________________

Belarus and I were locked inside an underground bunker. We unfortunately lost connections from the outer world as we didn't really have a choice either way. There weren't any windows available, just a singular lightbulb hanging above our heads, emitting a faint light that ricocheted off the walls and hit our eyes. The room was somewhat filled with stuff of basic necessities such as food reserves and places to rest. But there was something much worse than being held "hostage" against your own will inside such a small establishment.

Paranoia. Anxiety.

There was an inexplicable amount of fright rushing through my veins, injecting more and more adrenaline inside my already numb body. Unknowingly, I grabbed the nearest object with my right hand and I shattered it to pieces out of frustration. The colourful shards of ceramic scattered around the table and some of them fell on the floor, turning into fine dust. A large shard was present in my palm and I clenched my fist, unconsciously making the sharp part of the fragment of ceramic penetrate my skin. Slivers of blood spewed out from the newly formed cracks and before I could even realize, my hand was starting to bleed. I then dropped the shard and looked at my palm, widening my eyes. Even after a short while of staying in a bunker, I had already gone insane. This was not going to be a pleasant experience. Even Belarus was already afraid of me.

"Heeey! That was my favourite vase!" she exclaimed in melancholy.

She looked at the shattered vase with a frown and a sigh of misery escaped her lips. I jolted up from my seat and stood up, staring at the fastened door with a glare full of disturbance and anxiety. Tidal waves of negativity began to flood my mind. What if everything spiraled downward? Would I ever see my sister again? My worst fear was losing my loved ones. Such thoughts haunted my soul that was already a desert of frost. While my instincts usually proved correct, I was praying to the ones above that, at least for this once, I was wrong. Unfortunately, I couldn't know for sure whether my mind thought of it inaccurately or not. It was just a matter of time before the truth unveiled itself.

Belarus picked up my aura of sorrow and drifted closer to me.

"Hey, I can feel the dread from here." she said while frowning again. "Don't be like this, you know I can't tolerate such behaviour."

"I know, but I can't help it." I replied with utter sincerity, spilling all of my worries. "I just can't hold it back, what if Ukraine dies?!"

"Calm down Rus," she insisted for me to chill out. "Ukraine is a literal commander, she can handle everything professionally. Plus, she carries that claymore around her and holds it as if it's just a sword. She's strong."

She was right, Ukraine was definitely strong. She could kill thirty men all at once with such dexterity and sharp abilities, but that wasn't enough to convince me that she would, in fact, be alive and well. I was still worried sick for her, and Belarus was probably having enough of it. However, I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to make her even more upset because of my negative thoughts. I had no other choice but to conceal all of my true emotions and lock them up behind well-guarded gates of iron. It was the time I had to get my acts together.

Or so I thought.

"But Ukraine's your sister! You should care too!" I exclaimed in panic.

"Of course I'm worried, but not as much as you are, that's for sure." she replied in a concerned tone.

"I'm just trying to look after us..." I said in a low voice while looking at the ground.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, you just have to quit being this negative. I hope that doesn't offend you."

"No, you're fine..."

It really wasn't fine. She was right, I gave everything a negative spotlight. It was the time I should have stopped my self conscious from thinking so negatively, but I just couldn't really help myself. I was already starting to overthink everything. Everything overwhelmed me to the point where I didn't even know what was real anymore. It wasn't an exaggeration, I felt like everything surrounding me was just an illusion to lure mortals into believing in nothing but deception.

As I was intensely staring at the door, loud echoes of footsteps enveloped the outside of the bunker. There weren't just normal footsteps, they were produced by heavy footwear and it sounded like it was military marching coming from an external source. I quickly began to back away as I retreated myself to a darkened corner of the room, not knowing what would happen next. Belarus glared at me confusedly, not understanding why I made such an odd choice.

"Uhm, why are you trying to hide from nothing?" she asked while raising an eyebrow. "We're safe here, chill out. I'm sure nobody will find us. It's probably just your mind playing tricks on you. In other words, you're delusional."

I quickly nodded my head as a sign of disapproval and stood in an otherworldly silence. It was clear that something wasn't right. My senses picked up movement that belonged to the ones of The North. Either I stood right against the door and tried to barricade it, or I could have hid myself in a corner of the bunker, trying to make myself naked to the human eye. I had a few ideas in mind, all of which were worse than the other. I kept on contemplating whether I should go for my instincts or the coordinates of my brain.

As I tried my best to hide from any potential threat, loud thuds were heard from the door, produced by an unknown source. Somebody was trying to infiltrate into the bunker. Or should I say, some people. From what I noticed, the sound came from more than just one area. They got louder and louder as time passed. Due to my raging instinct, I started to summon pillars of frost to ward the enemies away and blocking them from entering.

However, before the structures of ice could fully appear, the heavy metal door fell onto the ground, producing a loud crash. Armed men with rifles were encircling us at every angle.

"FOUND YOU!" one of the soldiers exclaimed as they all raised their flashing barrels to aim at our skulls.

I quickly pulled Belarus closer and I hid her behind my back, partially blocking her sight. I abruptly gasped as my eyes widened in disbelief. My sister's body froze in an instant, turning itself into nothing but a helpless carving of ice. One of the soldiers advanced further while the others stood still, ready to launch their bullets at us.

"Any last words?" he asked in a mocking tone.

I backed away from him as the others pointed their glistening weapons to us, waiting for an answer.

"Hey! Back away!" I exclaimed in an angered voice.

The soldier didn't listen and he kept coming closer and closer while his finger was planted on the trigger of the rifle. I clenched my fists in anger as my face got tense. However, I didn't want to fight back, or else I would have triggered them to release their bullets at us. We were outnumbered, which didn't help us at all. My eyes narrowed as I slowly stepped away, approaching the wall behind us. We were in a horrible situation.

"Hah, who's gonna save you now idiots?!" one of them exclaimed with a grin full of pride and malice.

Their foolish behaviour made my soul turn bitter. However, I tried my best to contain myself, not wanting to cause a scene that would eventually lead to our tragic deaths.

As the armed man was just about to pull the trigger and pierce our skulls, a violent slash was heard from the entrance of the bunker. Five soldiers were eradicated in an instant, their bodies collapsing to the ground within milliseconds. Puddles of crimson liquid formed beneath their limp corpses, merging into a pool of silent dread. The other half of men looked in a single direction, all of which were horrified glares and widened eyes.

The person that swept into the scene gave a cold and harsh, yet satisfying reply.

"Bastards."

The person raised their heavy weapon and aimed at one of the soldiers who was standing nearby.

"Would you like to suffer the same fate?" the girl asked menacingly while the sharp end of her weapon was threateningly close to the other's neck.

The four soldiers, including the fifth one that was facing her, didn't spit out a single word. They were all staring at her with glares full of terror.

"That's what I thought." she commented bitterly. "Now get out of here before I slice your head off."

Nobody had the audacity to flinch or move a muscle. The soldiers remained petrified, as if their female commander cast a spell of petrification on her subjects.

"I SAID NOW!" she exclaimed furiously.

The armed men rapidly exited the bunker without adding any comments, obeying her command. They all left like a flock of helpless sheep, blasting through the doorframe and running away with no intentions of returning. Belarus leaned sideways and peeked her head, trying to process what was going on. After seeing the deceased corpses laying on the floor, she let out a faint gasp and her eyes widened to their fullest extent. I never knew a fourteen year old could harness such power and respect from her loyal subjects. Making people respect you, even in the most foul situations, was one of the hardest things to ever achieve.

Ukraine rapidly sheathed her claymore in a protective covering behind her back and reached out to hold our hands. She then started to run away from the bunker, carrying us along with her.

"Hey! Where are we going?!"

"Somewhere far away from this place," Ukraine commented sharply. "Wherever your presence is, you are never safe around here."

"But, aren't you gonna get in trouble for killing those soldiers?" Belarus replied while accelerating her steps, making her pant. "After all, those were the soldiers of The North, and you are their commander. Isn't that considered abuse of power?"

"It's not considered abuse if you do it with your head." Ukraine commented once again. "I did it for a good cause. Those scoundrels were made to be sacrificed, that was their purpose to begin with anyway."

After talking back and forth, we arrived at a classified encampment. Upon entering, Ukraine turned on the lights, showcasing the stealthy and modern interior of the hidden establishment. There were numerous cameras discreetly scattered around the campus, all of which were controlled by a single unit of computers. The surveillance station operated 24/7, its purpose was to catch unknown threats lurking through the shadows. It was one of the most vital weapons when it came to protecting the kingdom.

I looked around the room and sighed in relief. This place looked quite safe since not only we had access to all of the cameras, but there were also weapons of all types on an extended weapon rack, ready for use. Belarus was already intrigued. She stared at the weapon rack, my senses telling me that she had a desire to snatch one of the rifles. Luckily, she hesitated to do so.

"Well, let's hope nothing bad happens." Ukraine replied as she heavily sighed. "This is the safest place I know. Only the high elites know about this station. I can't stay here for much longer, duty is calling me."

Ukraine made a few steps back towards the exit and looked at us with a faint smile.

"If something bad happens, I'll do my best to arrive as soon as I can." she added before waving to us and locking the door shut.

It was now just Belarus and I, in a room full of artillery and tracking devices. I wasn't sure what to do there since there wasn't much to do, but Belarus had already found an occupation. Of course, that was staring at the weapons until she found something else that distracted her to lay her eyes on. You could stare at the bright screens of the surveillance monitors, but nonetheless, that was basically it.

__________________________________

The Watchtower Facility

________________________________

Unpleasant white noise penetrated our ears. We were inside the hidden facility for five hours and I already felt like I was about to go insane. There was literally nothing to do other than blankly stare at more than ten screens and potentially burn your eyes off due to the light emitted by them. Dusk had poured down on both sides of the world and the surveillance monitors switched to their night vision mode, enabling deathly accuracy. I sat down on the nearest chair and drifted it closer to the monitors. Belarus was already asleep... on the floor. There was a hidden extendable bunk bed available for us to rest on, but no. She chose the floor as her bed.

I picked up the nearest mouse and I randomly began to hover it, relentlessly clicking out of boredom. My fingers rapidly tapped on the left and right buttons and I kept scrolling on the video tapes like a small and clueless child. My eyelids began to slip away. It was a battle of remaining myself in a conscious state.

Before I could even get the chance to rest, carmine coloured light hit my eyes. The screen in front of me flickered in a bright tint of red and I rushed to quickly close my eyes, finding it exceedingly irritating to keep them open. After a few seconds, they fluttered open yet again and were greeted with the same flaring light. I quickly woke myself up by slapping my face and...

Good grief...

All of the monitor screens turned into the same carmine shade as before. Beeping and loud static noises were heard, followed by an unknown warning message. This could have meant only one thing.

The station got hacked.

I immediately grabbed the nearest communication device and tried to get in contact with anyone that could hear me, but the audio system got hijacked. I quickly put the device back to its original place and my eyes widened, looking at the monitors. Since the communication system and screens got cut off, it was a major security breach. I have never witnessed anything like this before, so I didn't know what to do. I couldn't remain calm, it was a SECURITY BREACH of heaven knew what grade of severity. But at the same time, I couldn't panic. It wouldn't have helped me at all.

As I was helplessly trying to resolve the breach all by myself, a loud thud was heard behind me. I swiftly turned my head and squinted my eyes. The darkness that enveloped the facility obstructed my vision, however, I could make out a long and thick piece of rope hanging from what appeared like the ventilation system. Someone had infiltrated inside. The worst part?

Rapid footsteps echoed through the room and the uninvited guest began to approach a wall. From what I could hear, they immediately stopped running for a few good seconds until they sprinted towards the file cabinets, opening a few of them at once and extending one of their hands, scavenging through the contents. Belarus was asleep and unconscious, her body peacefully resting on the floor.

I had to deal with all of this myself.