This is going to be a long story, fairly dark and spiritual. I have the skeleton of the story mapped out, just need to put the meat on its bones. Warnings (if any) for each chapter will go here. Slow burn Tyzula, mostly centered on Azula. This is a short introductory chapter to get things going. Updates will be erratic but I'm determined to see this through. Reviews welcome.
ravi marga (path of the sun)
Chapter 1: Have you ever thought about becoming a god?
Azula is not a monster. Despite popular belief (and all evidence to the contrary) Azula is not an unfeeling monster. She feels her humanity like a dagger in her chest. It stings and bleeds and hurts and sometimes she can't remember how to breathe or think. She feels her mortality in the way lightning cracks as it explodes from her fingers, as the air boils when azure flames seep from her mouth. She feels it when she cracks under pressure, pointed talon nails digging into soft skin. Azula feels the weight of all she has done, all she has witnessed pressing down on her like a stone. She feels the after shocks of the damages she has wrought like an earthquake, starting from her chest and expanding out indefinitely. The dragon princess feels these acutely, but she does not regret.
Time passes, and she is transferred to the new facility (prison still, she reminds herself). She knows he issued the order out of guilt (out of fear). In heavy chains, (engineered by the acrobat, brought to life by the blind metal bender) the guards lead her down down down through endless stone tunnels and metal doors, past dozens (hundreds?) of faceless doctors nurses orderlies and patients to a large room. Remote and secluded, here, in the deep dark earth she will remain. Quarantined like a sickness. The room is spartan, devoid of anything that would suggest her blue blood. White walls and white tiles. A bed, a chair. the faceless guards toss her in and hold her down while they unchain her. she offers no resistance and soon they are gone and she is blissfully alone in the darkened cell. Azula doesn't move from her position on the floor, rather she closes her eyes waits for the darkness to consume her and for the voices to begin.
It seems that time has not passed at all when she opens her eyes again, there is no change in these walls. She is still alone (in the darkness) in her cell (save for the endless orchestra of make believe voices) Azula still waited, still rotted. The symphony of voices swelled within, they screamed at her, to get up to fight to eat to do something. Imaginary voices echoing inside the cold metal cage. Azula ignored them. How long had it been? Had any time passed at all? Or was it still that day? The constant stream of doctors nurses orderlies never ended, but they couldn't reach her. The slow trickle of days, the incessant whispers. Her memories and her awareness of the world around her blurred into one, a hazy dream she could not wake from. She prayed, for the first time for it to end. Alone in her darkness Azulas apana dimmed and flickered. The voices remained the same.
"She's not eating, hasn't eaten in days! No water either..." the concerned voice of an orderly drifted into her chitakasa, the all -pervading mental ether like a gnat. How does she still live?
Azula wanted to laugh, how long had it been? Since she refused to eat. Since she felt the sun and the breeze on her skin. How long it had been and still they wouldn't let her rest. She was too weak to laugh now.
Alone in the darkness, Azula felt death come for her. The suffocating darkness swirled around her, death moments away. She felt no fear, longing to be embraced by the eternal sleep. Then, the darkness parted into blinding white light. She breathed a final sigh of relief. It was over, she could rest. So tired was she! Out of the darkness stepped a being Azula felt more than saw. The being, taller than any human dark and full as space itself, parted the inky empty darkness and swatted away the terrible voices with a wave of a glittering arm. The star shape shifted and walked closer to where Azula lay on the bed. "My little tyrant, my bharata." Azula heard its many voices echo inside her mind as well as the room she lay in. "It is time to wake from your svapna". The star being commanded with many voices in one. Gold eyes snapped open at the command. Bright eyes strained to focus on the being in-front of her, It had no features, no face or hair. Simply a humanoid shape cut out of the night sky with an ever shifting pattern where a face should be. "You- you arent death!" the princess spat royally, with as much anger and energy as her weakened body could muster. Feeling the princess anger on the ground below it crouched beside her "I exist outside of life and death," said in softer tones, reaching out to gently brush dark locks away from the girls face with its hand. "and I have come from the mahasunya, the great void save you" Azula writhed as hot tears leaked out of her eyes. She screamed inside her mind. no no no it wasn't fair! she had payed her dues she was tired she wanted to rest she deserved to rest "I know my little tyrant, I know. life has not been fair to you, why would death be any different. I am sorry" the star forms voices whispered, still stroking her hair. "I wish i could have done more for you sooner." it sighed "It is not your time. I have many gifts still to show you." Azula whimpered as the star being leaned closer and cupped Azulas face, heat from the shifting stars evaporating the tears. Azula stared steadfastly at the shifting patterns. "You will live child," it said kindly and touched a finger to the princesses forehead. Azula felt he digit slip into her head, gold eyes flying shut at the strange sensation. he felt as though being consumed. "You will live." Azula heard it command forcefully as the world around her exploded into stars before a burning white light seared the inside of her mind. When the light finally faded, inky tendrils of the darkness encroached on her mind again. This time, she didn't feel scared in the ganesan, there were no voices or visions to host and with a smile, the princess drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Long after Azulas body had relaxed into dreamless sleep, the star form held her in its ethereal arms seeping light, fire and life back into the frail princess.
This is the shortest chapter ive ever written, the rest of the chaps in this story will probably be ridiculously long. the italicized words are Sanskrit since A:TLA used sanskrit words like Agni, avatar, ect. you can find the translations for them here . i love etymology