Chapter 48: Void
Pov Haru:
I feel a pain in my head, a slight but sharp pain to the point of being uncomfortable. I open my eyes with difficulty, feeling my eyelids heavy and everything around me swaying strangely. I quickly realize that my hands are tied.
I was dizzy for a few minutes until my vision returned to normal and I realized that a woman was looking at me patiently.
- Good morning, Haru. - said the woman.
I quickly realized who she was, a waterbender who had sold her soul to the Fire Nation.
- If you have the strength to look at me like that, it means you're already recovering from the blow to the head. - She crossed her arms and legs in sychronism.
- My mother... MY MOTHER! WHERE IS SHE! - I screamed as I came to my senses. I tried to get up, but quickly fell to the ground, realizing that a pair of handcuffs were holding my legs together.
- Your mother is dead. - said the woman coldly, ignoring the earthbender's sudden silence. - We managed to keep her alive for another 30 minutes, but her body was too weak. She was buried under a tree at the top of the highest hill on her farm.
I felt my throat suddenly go dry, the pain I felt in my head or wrists disappeared, a pain more painful than physical pain arose inside me, I had to bite my lip to keep from shedding my tears in front of this woman.
- If it's any consolation, the old man who betrayed you didn't see today's sunrise.
The casualness of the woman's words, killing a person so naturally didn't seem to shake Haru's spirit, which was silently grieving.
- The prison you're being taken to is the same one your father was taken to.
The waterbender sighed, knowing that she couldn't have the slightest conversation with Haru.
- If you want to honor your mother's memory, be strong and survive. - The woman left the cell, closing it without haste. - We'll be at the prison in two hours.
***
- I have to admit that I'm pleased with your ability to find rebels, Captain Yoshie. - Said an old bearded man with only a ponytail on the end of his head.
The old Fire Nation soldier looked at Haru as if he were nothing more than a worm, with an ego so inflated you could feel it in his breathing.
- I'm the director of this nice place. - He introduced the man with a proud smile. - This place is your new home.
If it hadn't been for the handcuffs, I would have broken his nose.
The warden noticed that Haru wasn't interested in his welcome speech, which made him very angry.
- You'd better look at me when I speak. - The principal made a fireball with his hands, intending to burn Haru as a form of discipline. - You'll learn... AAAAAAAAAAAA!
The principal's arm was grabbed by what looked like a tentacle of water coming from the sea itself. Haru unconsciously turned to face the Fire Nation's water bender, Yoshie.
- I must remind you that everything that happens in the West is under General Kai's rules and one of them is not to mistreat prisoners. - Yoshie kept her hands behind her back and just folded the water discreetly with her fingers.
The pressure the water exerted on the director's arm was gigantic, easily the strength of a platypus bear.
- I am a valued member of the Fire Nation! MY RANK EXCEEDS YOURS! - threatened the principal, only to be casually ignored by the waterbender.
- According to the rules, yes, but in practice, as I'm Master Ayumi's strongest student, I don't have to worry about hierarchy.
The principal's arm was freed, but it was bruised, a clear silent message that the outcome could have been much worse.
- This is a warning, if you dare break General Kai's rules, I'll kill you myself. - Yoshie said harshly.
The director had tears in his eyes from the pain and humiliation he felt. In recent years, ever since Yoshie appeared, she has been fervently watching over the entire region.
Yoshie looked at the soldiers watching her, who instinctively froze in fear.
- Open the gate! - The woman's order was immediately obeyed and a set of three reinforced gates made of pure iron opened.
The prison was a platform built almost entirely of metal, making it impossible for any earthbenders to escape. With no native skills, the prisoners were nothing more than ordinary humans, and their work was geared towards building warships.
I followed her in silence, I couldn't deny that I was impressed by the ease with which this woman kept everyone under her control, and I wondered why someone so powerful would help the Fire Nation.
- Listen to me, this prison is built out of metal, making it impossible to bend and eliminating any chance of escape. - said Yoshie, leading the way. - We're kilometers away from any solid ground. You will work alongside the prisoners building ships, working 8 hours a day, receiving breakfast, lunch and dinner to complete the workload. Any questions?
- Why would a waterbender ally herself with the Fire Nation? - I asked seriously. - Has your family been kidnapped? Are you doing this for money or status?
The Waterbender turned to look at Haru, unimpressed by such questions.
- Loyalty. - replied the woman proudly.
- Loyalty? What do you mean, loyalty?
- Just loyalty. I'm forever in Kai's debt and I don't care if it takes years or decades to pay for the opportunity I've had. - Yoshie softened her voice a little, letting her true personality shine through. - I know it's no consolation coming from me, but... my condolences on your mother's death.
Yoshie loosened the handcuffs on Haru's body, allowing him to finally feel some freedom as he was pushed by a guard into a large courtyard completely filled with men and women.
Several tents were set up in the courtyard, with a large group of prisoners sitting around a fire, appearing to be eating some kind of soup. Haru was confused, as he had expected something much more deplorable, not that it was any kind of camp.
Some older men noticed the new prisoner and were in no hurry to meet the new member of the family.
When I saw a man with a lot of wrinkles and a big white beard, I thought for a moment that it was my father, but once I got a better look at him, it was someone else.
- I know him... Haru? - asked the man, doubting that he had confused the new prisoner.
- It's me... Tyro's son.
The man's expression seemed to change to one of astonishment, his eyes reflecting great respect for Haru.
- I'm glad Tyro's son is all right, even though you were unfortunately captured.
- Is my father here? - I asked without hesitation. I knew I had to tell my father the truth about Mama's death, it was the least I could do now.
- So you don't know... - The old man looked sad, as if he were being haunted by a ghost. - I think you'd better sit down, because what I'm about to say is going to be very difficult.
***
Four years ago...
- You can't treat us like this! - shouted Tyro, along with several other angry men. - They're killing us one by one, we barely have enough food and water! Now they want us to work twice as hard! This is absurd!
- You're nothing but vermin! - said the director, protected by several guards with fireballs and spears. - When you became slaves, you lost all rights to your pathetic lives.
- You bastard! I'm going to kill you! - roared Tyro, on the edge of his fury, restrained by his companions.
- Without your precious land, you're nothing but sheep for the slaughter.
- You coward, come here and fight me! - challenged Tyro, using his honor to challenge the warden to a duel.
- Why should I fight a worm like you? It's a waste of my precious time. - The principal turned his back on the challenge, infuriating the old warrior from the Earth Kingdom even more.
A wall of flames blocked the principal's path, causing him to fall to the ground in disgrace.
- WHO DARES TO ATTACK ME...
A tall man in a Fire Nation military uniform appeared, his face scarred by past battles. His imposing stature was incredible given his height of 178 cm, with his muscles bulging just the right amount.
- Vice General Huzo! - said the Director with a tone of admiration in his voice, feeling instinctively how small he was compared to the man in front of him.
- I hope I'm not interrupting anything. - said Huzo seriously, looking intently at the prisoners.
- Of course not! I wasn't disturbing anything.
- What's your name? - Huzo looked at Tyro seriously, but he was curious about the man's courage.
- My name is Tyro.
- I'll make it easy for you. - Huzo approached the prisoners without showing any concern. - To challenge a firebender is to pit one's honor against another. We call this Agni Kai, where it can sometimes be a confrontation to resolve disaffection or a duel to the death.
The director was confused because Huzo's words clearly implied that he should fight a simple earthbender who couldn't even defend himself.
- Omashu fell a few weeks ago, and the lands around the west are under General Kai's command. - Huzo's voice was petrified with pure seriousness. - To defy the Fire Nation in the west is to defy Kai's honor. However, I understand that the working conditions you are experiencing are humanly exaggerated.
Everyone was surprised by the Deputy General's words. Some were tense because of the threat, but surprised by the recognition that their conditions were deplorable.
- Your mistake was to openly proclaim a challenge. Tell me, Tyro, how willing are you to give these people a better life? - Huzo asked, wanting to test the extent of the man's ambition.
- I would face the Fire Lord himself without my arms and legs if it meant giving these people a new life! - Tyro acted as a great shield for the people behind him, an imposing sight that would crush the spirit of the weakest.
- Very well... - Huzo said regretfully, as much as he respected people with character, Tyro should set an example. - Let's make a bet, if you defeat the challenger, I promise that everyone will be able to return to their families, if you die, I will do everything in my power so that all these people can live with the utmost dignity for the rest of their lives.
- What would my guarantee be? You have more to lose than I do.
- You're right, but I have to set an example of how a true firebender should act. - Huzo looked at the director out of the corner of his eye. - My word is more than enough as a guarantee.
Two days after the start of the duel, Tyro was almost certain that he could be killed, and even believed that he could be poisoned before the duel, but that never happened.
- Tyro, it's time! - Said an old friend of Tyro's.
- *sigh* Then it's time.
- Are you sure you want to do this?
- If it were anyone else, I'd hate myself for the rest of my life. - Tyro said with determination.
With every step he took, all the earthbenders bowed their heads in respect for the most powerful earthbender in the region. Some women wept silently and other men closed their eyes with gratitude in their hearts.
Huzo stood practically in front of all the guards, arms crossed as if waiting for something to happen.
The old earthbender was at least 20 paces away from Huzo, clenching his fists tightly as if ready to fight with all his might with one clean fist.
- I hope you're ready! - said Huzo, showing all the military authority he had learned over the years.
- I'm more ready than ever! - Tyro got into fighting position. - Who will be my opponent? You, by any chance?
Huzo instinctively smiled mischievously, causing all the prisoners to tense up for a moment.
- You're going to fight my best soldier. - Huzo pointed to the sky, causing all the prisoners to look up.
Tyro's and the other prisoners' eyes filled with shock as a thick cloud dissipated, revealing a large rock rising into the sky, at least 30 meters high from the ground. On top of it stood a woman, who watched everyone from above as if she were untouchable.
Without warning, the woman took an acrobatic leap and fell to the metal floor, hitting the ground with all her weight distributed to roll and cushion the impact.
- This is the person you're going to face. - Huzo didn't seem to mind the over-the-top presentation, since he was the one who had theoretically planned this little theater.
- My name is Yoshie. - She bowed.
As soon as the woman said her name, the stone quickly fell to the ground, but was stopped at the last second by the other Fire Nation soldiers who were earthbenders, all of whom without exception contributed to making the combined bending ability something extremely powerful.
The prisoners glanced at the metal walls and saw several of the guards using the Earthbenders' combat positions, disappointed and incredulous to see brothers from the same elemental source helping the Fire Nation.
- Earthbenders? - Tyro muttered, sweat dripping from his head, looking at Huzo with doubt in his eyes.
- That's just a small part of the Fire Nation's power, the ability to unite other types of elemental domain in a single purpose. - Huzo said proudly. - Now, Mr. Tyro, you have your greatest weapon at your side. I hope you remember that this is not a friendly duel.
- I understand. - Tyro raised his arms and began to split the rock into several pieces, seeming to reconnect with the essence of power from many years ago.
Yoshie was in no hurry, as she knew it would take some time to regain her strength. After two minutes, which were quite tense for the prisoners and some guards, the rock was completely destroyed into several fragments between 5 and 10 cm in size.
The two opponents looked at each other patiently for a few minutes, waiting to see who would make the first move.
Tyro, being the more anxious, decided to start at his own pace, using the tactics that best suited his fighting style. The fragments of earth flew violently towards the woman who was holding her initial combat position.
Yoshie began to dodge the attacks in the last few moments, a completely absurd reaction. Jumping or crouching in the face of attacks from the side or the back, the warrior remained calm during the first few minutes of the battle.
Dodging attacks would make any earthbender succumb to fear, especially in the situation she was in, but instead of giving in to despair, Tyro slowly began to refine his fighting skills, becoming faster and more precise in his movements.
With his years of practice, Huzo had finally become aware of the changes in the world in relation to spiritual energy. Although he was still practically a beginner, he could see that the old earthbender was getting stronger.
Finally, one of Tyro's attacks grazed Yoshie's face, causing her to jump back a few steps, 14 paces from her position. She ran her hand over her face and realized that the cut was bleeding, which made her look impressed and finally change her stoic expression to a serious one.
Meanwhile, Yoshie realized that her legs were trapped by the earth, an accumulation large enough to immobilize her for a few seconds, seconds that Tyro took advantage of to concentrate as much earth as possible in a single second and throw her like a stone ball with full force.
The speed of the blow was fast enough to destroy even the metal wall of the prison, but it didn't stop there.
The stone was broken in half by what appeared to be a highly compressed jet of water with enormous pressure, like a sword.
Yoshie used the water she had patiently stored in her canteen to use at the crucial moment of the duel. The blade of water in the waterbender's hands spread across her body, especially near her face.
The water glowed in a blue-green light as if by magic, and when the light faded, it revealed that the cut she had received had healed.
- A waterbender! Now it makes sense why I didn't feel any resistance from you at first. - Tyro was drenched in sweat, not from fatigue, but from the stress of using his mastery at a level he wasn't used to yet.
Huzo couldn't hide the fact that he was impressed by Tyro's skill and wondered if any other prisoner had this level of power.
- Tyro is certainly stronger than an ordinary captain, unfortunately Yoshie is far from ordinary. - Huzo commented to himself.
Afraid of falling for yet another of the veteran earthbender's techniques, Yoshie decided not to underestimate her rival's wisdom any longer. Raising her right arm, she placed her left hand on her bicep and extended her right palm upwards, seeming to concentrate a small amount of water in a single spot.
Tyro, not understanding how he would be attacked, created some earthen stakes as spears, with the ability to easily pierce human flesh, a technique he had developed as an ambitious young man.
Before Tyro could launch his deadly attack, Yoshie jabbed the water core in his hand, creating a high-speed, high-pressure explosion in the earth bender's heart.
Tyro's tired old body was paralyzed, practically trapped and unable to move. A cold sensation ran through Tyro, making him fall to his knees, unable to speak or do anything, not even imagining that his life was practically in the hands of death.
Yoshie slowly walked over to her rival, who couldn't get up or even look at her. Feeling compassion and respect for her courage in defying the Fire Nation alone, she used what was left of the water around her to create an extremely sharp ice scythe.
The drastic result in the eyes of the prisoners was to see the most honorable and courageous of them beheaded.
- I didn't expect any other result, but I must admit it was impressive and instructive. - said Huzo, walking calmly towards the prisoners. A few steps away, his expression turned rigid. - I hope you remember who saved your lives.
Wordlessly, Huzo turned away from the people, not wanting to disturb their grief, and headed towards Ayumi's post.
- I couldn't help but notice that he used that. - Huzo looked at Tyro's corpse and noticed that not a drop of blood had fallen to the ground, as if the body and the blood in the affected areas had frozen. - Absolute Zero is a terrifying ability in many ways, even with a small portion of its power.
- I don't like blood, even if I sometimes have to get my hands dirty. - Yoshie looked at Huzo seriously, making it clear that she wasn't enjoying the situation.
- I hate to do this, but right now we can't worry about a rebellion in a prison like this, we have too many problems to deal with the fall of Omashu and how it affects the west of the Earth Kingdom.
- I hope Tyro can rest in peace in the spirit world. - Yoshie said as a form of prayer.
***
Haru was in total shock, unable to speak, his fists clenched so hard they were bleeding, but the physical pain didn't outweigh the emotional pain he felt. In just 24 hours, he felt that he had lost everything he had, his mother and his father, frustrated to discover that the hope he had of seeing his father had been in vain and that his mother had died just a few hours ago.
A hatred so great in her heart that it disturbed the keen senses of a woman ready to leave. Yoshie turned her attention back to the prison and stared at the iron wall, feeling a large amount of spiritual mass distorting her senses.
- I think it would be wise for me to stay here for a few days, if the boy messes up, I'll have to discipline him. - muttered Yoshie.
A light wind was blowing through her hair, which highlighted her natural beauty for all to see. Yoshie returned to the prison, probably preparing for a possible confrontation, without first turning her eyes to the sea, where she saw a Fire Nation ship bringing in new prisoners.
Unconsciously, the waterbender looked up at the sky, believing for a moment that she had seen a white creature flying among the clouds, wondering if it was an illusion or a strangely shaped cloud.
Next chapter: Bloody Freedom
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