DISCONTINUED

Chapter 19

The room upstairs was empty, it was just a simple room with a door in the other end with two suits of armor and pictures lining the wall. However, when they had walked over to the door, they tried it only find that it was stuck shut.

"Looks like it's locked."England said.

"Though there is a spot to input letters. Perhaps it is a password?" France suggested. He was right, there was indeed a spot to put in what seemed to be a password. And a clue was written above, just like the gate before the factory.

Who is the one I hold dearest to my heart?

"Who is the one I hold dearest to my heart?' " France repeated.

"But who the heck would that be?" America asked. Germany studied the door, then glanced around the room.

"Maybe there's a clue around here somewhere." He said. And so began the search. However, it seemed to be fruitless. The room was empty except for the suits of armor by the door. 

"Back when he was a child, he was blessed with others around him." America suddenly said, standing by one of the pictures. It was of four people. Three of them looking very familiar.

"Round the time he was a teen, those others began to vanish." England read, walking over to the second picture. It was of four people once again, however, two of the people were now grown up.  

"Or more like, he began to vanish to them" France read. The third picture was missing the fourth, the unfamiliar one.

"Through it all, there was one person with him." Japan read. The fourth picture was of the fourth person, sitting with his knees pulled up close to him. A hand was reaching out for him.

"His other half,  one he thought would always stay with him." Germany read. The fifth picture had the fourth person holding the hands with one of the people from the first few pictures, both of them looking happy.

"Everyone makes mistakes though, including him." Russia read. The sixth picture had the fourth person, reaching out for his "other" as the pictures said.

"Reaching out, he finally found the other half that saw him for who he really was." America read. The seventh was of the two, both of them touching their palms together.

"The picture is blank, but there's something hand written below it." Germany commented. America stepped forwards to read it, looking slightly sad.

"Now He Lives Happily Ever After!" He read. "The End~ <3"

"And what point did that have?" Russia asked. America stared down at the ground, thinking.

"It must've held some kind of clue." Germany said. "Maybe it was in the story those pictures were telling."

"Should we reread it?" Japan asked.

"Maybe. Let's see..." Germany was about to walk back over to the first painting, about to reread it. However, America was already walking to the locked door.

"Who is the one I hold dearest to my heart?" America repeated to himself. "Back...Round...Or...Through...His...Everyone...Reaching..." He began punching in letters. "B...R...O...T...H...E...R..." The American stood back, leaving behind the word "Brother" in the password spot. "Brother..."

"Ah, there we are. That should do it." France said, walking over to stand next to him. He stood silent, looking down at the ground.

"America-san? Are you all right?" Japan asked, walking over to stand next to the younger nation as well.

"It's just...the story on the paintings." America said. "I feel like it means something to me..."

"Nevermind that, let's keep going." Germany said. America nodded and reached out for the door. However, two circles of light flashes appeared around the two armor statues.

"Don't be too quick to go yet, comrade." Russia advised, pulling out his pipe and turning to one of the statues. "I think those armor statues are staring at us."

"Figures. Almost would be too easy without having something to battle first." England said, pulling out his wand and readying a light spell.

"Now we're talkin'!! Yee-haw!!" America said, smirking. The armor suits tore their feet off of the pedestals, both of them raising their weapons. America immediately lunged towards one of them, which looked like an angelic warrior, taking a swing at it's head with his bat. He managed to knock the head off, but that didn't stop the statue from slashing at America. He had to roll out of the way to avoid being seriously injured. France took the opportunity to slash at the statue's feet from behind, managing to knock them out from under it.

Meanwhile, with the other one, England was currently sending spell after spell at it. It looked like a devil in comparison to the other statue. It also happened to be jumping away from every spell. However, once England had paused for a moment to quickly catch his breath, the demonic statue shot a darkness spell aimed right for the Brit. He was hit back, right into the wall. It took several steps towards him before being hit in the back of the head with something hard.It whipped around, only to be hit once again.

Germany lashed his whip to it once again, only this time, the statue grabbed the whip, right before it was hit in the back again by something hard. In fact, the hit was hard enough to make the statue drop the German's whip and to put a dent in its armor. Russia stood behind it, holding his pipe up while holding the palm out, sending a shower of icicles right at. It stumbled back, right towards Germany. The nation drew his arm back, hitting the statue as hard as he could. It collapsed right then and there, falling to pieces.

"A-All right that's settled." England said shakily, being helped up by France. "Let's go."

"You okay Iggy?" America asked. England nodded.

"Yes...I just might've..."He hesitated. "I wasn't expecting that blast and I might've been...knocked out for a short period back there."

"At least you are fine now. And you are not dead." Russia said. "Let's go in!" With England being helped by France, the group headed through the door.