Chrome Shelled Hetalia

Chapter 11: Rimpiazzare

Chapter 11: Rimpiazzare

"Italy..." Tempus' voice sounded. Suddenly the next scene faded in. It was a whirl of colors and sounds. It was overwhelming.

"M-My head! I can't think!!" Feliciano grasped his head in pain, curling in on himself. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"You are traveling through time. I've given you a mark as proof that you are doing so with approval. It will burn for a bit, but it won't hinder you. Now, for the replacement—"

"The what?!" Feliciano's eyes snapped open, and he looked at the man before him. Tempus smiled, seemingly unaffected by the sounds and colors whirling past them.

"You are going to essentially consume and replace your past self. That way, we can avoid a paradox. Hold on; this will not be pleasant. After you've landed in the past, I will no longer be able to contact you. You will be on your own."

"So this is goodbye." Feliciano looked him in the eye. "Thank you. I will never be able to repay you for this opportunity."

"It is I who is in your debt, should you succeed." Tempus smiled and bowed to a startled Feliciano. "Farewell, Feliciano Vargas... Veneziano Italy."

Tempus then vanished, and the colors became more vibrant, more violent. What had been greys turned red, like blood, before brightening into vibrant colors. The muttering in the background became deafening, like billions of people talking all at once—some yelling or screaming—layered with every sound of the Old World, before the Initial Blast. Car horns and bombs and alarm systems accosted the nations' ears, causing them all to cover their ears and shut their eyes.

Feliciano's screams were lost to the chaos around him, as he became just another voice in the crowd.

"W-What is this!?" France cried out.

"Time travel." Italy answered as the chaos abruptly ceased. The sound dulled significantly, until all that was left was a ringing in everyone's ears and the distant sound of cars on the road. A distant chatter was hardly registered in the wake of the deafening experience. Colors dulled to a dark room, and the nations checked their ears for blood.

"Time travel? Is that what it's like?" Romano shuddered.

"Perhaps it was best I did not come." England shivered.

"That was us jumping over the timestream to a specific point in the past. We just watched over 5,000 years pass us by." Italy rubbed his own ears. "Though I'd rather have not experienced that twice."

For a moment, Feliciano laid on the floor of the room, before he found the strength to stand up. He looked around himself, recognizing dazedly his old bedroom.

"Is this... Home?" He blinked. Before he could do anything else, he heard a rustling in the bed directly in front of him. He stood up, and looked down upon his past self.

I look so... peaceful... He thought to himself. So... young. He smiled softly, looking at himself in the mirror that hung on the wall. His hair went to his mid-back, and had streaks of silver throughout. He had a bit of stubble and his wrinkles gave him a ruggish look. He was several inches taller than he used to be, and several scars were visible on his person. If I were to face my old friends like this, they'd have a panic attack for sure... He smiled softly, before looking down at his old self.

This feels wrong. Like I'm killing someone... but I suppose the only person I'm killing... is myself. My childhood, in a sense. My innocence. But that's been dead... He reached towards his sleeping self. For a very long time.