Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 111~!

"Ready?" Seth asked Willow, who nodded. For added measure, he held a hand out for her to take, which she did just before they stepped through the doorway.

Their vision blurred, his light blue and hers a gray-green. When they could see again, both saw that they were definitely not in Kadi's mansion anymore.

"Whoa," Willow breathed, letting go of Seth's hand as she crept forward.

Would you believe it if I told you what they were seeing? Probably, so here goes.

Their portal was a stately oak tree that reached high into the sky, yearning to touch it with its moss-laden branches. Sunlight beat down from the heavens above, warming the top of their heads and shoulders. The oak tree was clearly prized by someone, seeing as how it was surrounded by a ring of rocks and square-ish stones that fenced it in well. Willow and Seth stood in that ring now.

Stretching out before the two was a town. A town the likes of which had not been seen for so long, except in fairy tale picture books, Disney films, and historic reenactment sites. It was a village of peasant homes made of stone, thatch roofing, and simple wooden doors. What windows there were had no glass, just panes made of sticks and small planks. 'They probably have something to cover those with in bad weather' Willow thought to herself.

"I don't think this is the right dimension, Wisp," Seth said as he came up beside her. "Let's go back and search another one."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Wisp replied without tearing her steady gaze away from the muddy road that led through the houses and right up to the tree, which on second thought was probably treasured by whoever lived in this village. "But..."

"But, what?" Seth asked, already standing right up next to the bark of the grand oak.

"I don't like something about this," Willow admitted as she took a few steps forward and jumped to the ground. "It's... I don't know what it is, actually."

"... No kidding," Seth agreed, grabbing his chin thoughtfully as his blue eyes surveyed the area. "I just figured out what was wrong with this place."

"What is it?" Willow asked worriedly.

"There's no one here."

What he said was almost entirely true; there wasn't another human being in sight. In fact, there wasn't any sort of domesticated animal anywhere to be found, either. Goats and dogs, pigs and horses: wouldn't those be commonplace in a village like this one?

"... Where is everybody?" Wisp wondered softly. She took a few more steps forward, which made Seth roll his eyes before he hurried to catch up with her. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know," Seth replied, grabbing her hand loosely and tugging her toward the tree gently. "But it's not the right place, so let's leave while we still can."

Wisp was torn: leave this world, or go on and see what has happened here? Decisions, decisions...

"Can we just look around for a minute?" Willow asked Seth, who looked back at her like she was insane.

"Are you serious? I thought we wanted to find Alice!" He exasperatedly flung his hands down and posed like he was holding a globe in each hand. You all know this pose.

"I do, I do!" Willow said quickly. "Seriously, no one wants her back more than I do. Okay, well, maybe Mattie does, but whatever. Still... I feel like something's not really right here."

"All the more reason to leave," Seth said as he looped his arms around her skinny vegetarian waist and picked her up like she was a little kid.

"Ah, hey!" Willow cried out in protest. "Put me down!"