Book 1 Chapter 1: A Man's Crime Becomes His Punishment
Character: Ryan Gaia (Orion)
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-Dream Vision-Scene At: The Gorge Outside of Ba Sing Se
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The smell of mooselion cooking, I laughed in the field as my mother sways me through the air gently through her Earthbending. Throwing me and catching me, the sun was setting and father was almost done cooking. "Time to come in!" he yelled. My mother had been blind her entire life yet she said she could "see" with her feet, and until the time I was five I had thought her eyes were down there. "Go get your brother, Orion" my mother said. I ran out to the fields where he was training earlier, he was in the Earth Kingdom's army, but he wasn't there. I had this odd feeling of un-comfort. It felt like I was turning in slow motion as a wave of dust showered and blinded me. I turned my head back to where the wave came from and started running. I was running towards my own house. I saw my mom thrown into the air and then nothing. I had been surrounded by Earthbending and dug into the Earth. I knew I was underground because it got real cold and it felt like I had sunk into the ground. There was a silent jabbing at the ground above me, but it wasn't a jab of want it was a jab of pain. Through Earthbending I am allowed to feel one's emotions. I helped the jabbing hand reach me and it pulled me out from the Earth. It was my brother. He lay there nearly breathless with cuts and blood everywhere. His eyes were unfocused and full of fear and regret. "Orion, Orion," he called "I couldn't save them, I couldn't do it, I'm sorry……." "Sousasu, please, don't leave m…." "But you can my little brother, take this!" he screamed with every ounce of energy in his body as he placed his index and middle finger of his right hand on my head "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh" and then nothing. I saw my mother, she wasn't dead because she was coming to me, my father as well, but they were pail. One moment it was like I could see through them. Then Sousasu hazed inbetween them and they started to speak in unison "Orion, we could not be saved, we do not have closure, take our power and seek closure."
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-Wakes up with sudden rush-Scene At: Dragon of the Wests' Sauna
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(Heavy Breathing) That was twenty years ago. That was the day I lost my family. I was 7. I leaned forward and wiped my forehead clean from the sweat. I get in the shower and my day begins. My entire life I had been seeking out the person who destroyed my family and ended my freedom. I searched the entire world. I knew his name too. It was the Earthbender that had once been honorable to work for the Daihlee after the end of the war against the fire nation. But none of it matters. He has been long gone. Untraceable and impossible to find, like trying to out fly an Airbender. I got up and walked out of the store, no one was at the frontdesk so I left the money on the counter and walked outside. Dawn already. I continued towards the inner ring of the city. By the time I was halfway there, although I didn't know where I was going, people were starting to get up and by the time I was there the streets of Ba Sing Se were ablaze by people. I greeted an old friend as I entered the door, my Godfather, Zuko, my Godmother, Mae, and their son Firelord Iroh. "Orion! My gosh you look horrible. Shop's not open for another twenty minutes but come in come in." said my Godmother as she combed my hair and straightened the top of my wardrobe. I greeted them all with a low bow and a compassionate hug. "Well I see the little Iroh is starting to shape like the Iroh I am in search of." They all laughed except for their son who glanced down at his belly. "Uncle's in the back room preparing tea. You should stay and chat a little after you finish talking with him" said Zuko. "I just might do that" I replied and with the flick of my hand I slid the door into the wall and entered the backroom. "Ahh Ryan, what brings my second youngest of nephews to this side of town? I believe your Go-" "Yes Iroh I have seen them. I really wanted to talk to you though." "Straightforward, interruptive, and young as ever I see, what is it that you request from me?" he asked. "Information" "What kind?" "The kind that involves my families destruction" "Ahh, so you know then? He was a member of the White Lotus group until we exiled him for his radical ideals. He created an establishment called the Black Rose society and killed off the people who revealed the monster he was. Your parents, Orion." There was a cold silence of confusion between me and him. "You didn't tell me this before, Iroh. This is important. I needed to know this. I could've caught him, and enlightened my families closure. How come you didn't tell me this before??" I screamed at him. Zuko and Firelord Iroh rushed in and said "Is everything alright?" and Uncle replied "Yes Zuko, in fact this young man here is about to embark on the same change that you went through. He has just learned the truth and now has to decide which road he wants to take: revenge and hate or forgiveness and tranquility." "That's an easy choice" I mumbled as I walked out of the room. I was about a block away from the Jade Dragon when Zuko ran out of the door and yelled out "Wait!" I turned quickly to see what the commotion was about. He ran up to me and spoke "If you wish to face the honorable Kamome to a bout then you need to learn the way of the Kyoshi." "The way of the Kyoshi? I thought that was just a technique used for hand to hand not bender to bender." "Well when combined with Earthbending, rock, stone, and possibly metal, become your hands. I shall show you the way to Kyoshi Island, and from there you must go on your own." "Thank you Zuko, you've been like a distant father all these years and I never have gotten a chance to thank you and Mae." "Well now is not the time to be all thankful. Mae will kill me if I'm away for too long. So let's get going. I have a ship off the coast we can take you to Kyoshi Island and drop you off."