Heaven or Hell

Chapter 28, Imprisonment part 4

Arnold's POV

As I entered the door at the end of the hallway, I was met with the impatient gaze of Jake. Looks like he did not find what he was promised in here. Then again, Jake was never the puzzle-solving type. He preferred a head-on approach. He says it gets things done. I walked in the room and leaned against the wall next to the door. After a few moments, Jake decided to break the silence.

"What the fuck is this place?" he asked.

"It is the most powerful empire on this planet," I replied. I could tell the glare he had said, "Bullshit". He did not have to believe me, but it was true.

"Why are you here, much less, dressed like them?" he asked again, motioning to my clothes.

"Well, there are mainly two reasons. One, I am the best assassin since Roask's last second-in-command. And two, my genetics seem to be very valuable to Roask's research for some reason," I replied blandly.

Seth's POV

Five years ago

I waited as Roask and the council members convened. He had told me a couple hours ago to meet him in his throne room for an important meeting. I have been standing here ever since. As I looked closer at the group, I noticed three members who seemed out of place. They were the Fire Nation ambassador, the Earth Kingdom ambassador, and the Northern Water Tribe ambassador. The Fire Nation ambassador was a lively man; he was also a general in the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom ambassador was more of a withdrawn man; I take it he was a scholar. The Northern Water Tribe ambassador was outgoing, to say the least; he was the one with a more militaristic view on various political items. The council members bowed and stood in, more or less, of a line on either side of Roask's throne. Roask rose from his throne.

"Seth," he said.

"Yes, father?" I replied. He took a stride forward.

"Since your particular situation has not happened in one hundred years, we have come to an agreement," he said in his commanding tone, "We shall allow you to choose your soul mate from those presented by the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Northern Water Tribe." Three women walked out from a side corridor and stood in front of their respective nation.

"Choose now," Roask said. I quickly noticed the woman standing in front of the Fire Nation ambassador. She was perfect. Her soft, amber eyes shine in the light. Her snow white skin, jet black hair, and soft features are reminiscent of that of a porcelain doll. This, of course, describes my friend Ju. With whom I have been "seeing" behind her father's back. Ju and I started our friendship a few years back, when the Fire Nation sent over an ambassador to improve relations with my father's empire.

Sorry, allow me to explain. My father came to power through his bloodlines and through the bloodbath of his enemies within the kingdom, as it was not as large as it is today. When my grandfather died, he told my father that he had to prove himself worthy of the throne. My father had other plans. At this point I was born. He said he wouldn't let me grow up with foreign ideals. So what was his plan? It was a hostile takeover. He gathered all loyal, "pure-blooded", followers and he took the council. When he had officially taken the throne, he declared anyone with blood of a foreigner illegal, and a threat. He forced out everyone with roots that, in any part of their family branch, were not of the kingdom's origin. Those who did not leave willingly were killed by his death squads. The streets were painted in red that day. The rivers of the precious crimson liquid flowed down the streets. Screams could be heard from various houses. Amy mother and I hid within a hidden chamber underneath my father's throne room, as she herself is not "pure". Her family is from a small town just northeast of here, in the mountains. My grandfather had annexed it into the kingdom many years ago.

My father still had uneasiness about him around the emissaries. I saw the look on the Fire Nation general's face. He did not like this, being that he is Ju's father and knows who I am. Though, he would be wise to keep his mouth shut. I decided to be coy about this, even though I had already decided. I wanted to see the general squirm.

Present Day

"Why are you back here?" Roask asked.

"You know I would not miss The Tournament for anything," I replied.

"Don't lie, you haven't been to one in over five years," Roask said. I could not help but smirk.

"You just didn't see me," I said, "You trained me to be one of the best chameleons in the world."

"That I did," he said, "And since you're here, and we're revealing the past a little more, why don't you tell me where you've been for the past five years." He seemed friendly on the outside, but underneath that lay a cold-hearted tyrant waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with deadly force and accuracy.

"What if I decline because I want a home to go back to after this?" I said confidently.

"No matter," he replied. What was he thinking about?

"I will just have one of my spies in the Fire Nation locate you," he said with a sinister grin on his face.

"How do you know that's where I'm hiding out?" I said emotionlessly. I did not want him to catch on that he hit the bull's-eye, so to speak.

"Because one, that's the one place I cannot openly search. And two, your attitude has become cocky, an attribute that, I can full-heartedly say, derives from such a place," he said monotonously. His stereotype was, unfortunately, true; most Fire Nation citizens are cocky.

"Congrats, you found me. Now, if you want to avoid war, I'd suggest you stay away from the Fire Nation," I threatened.

"As if I care, I've entered the Fire Nation openly before and I'll do it again. War is just a by-product," Roask smirked. I walked to the door. I needed to get out of there as fast as possible.

"I'll see you around," I said as I went to open the door. I opened it only to face a man in a blue mask, one of Roask's new body guards. His mask had three horizontal slashes along the left cheek. This one was ranked as a commander.

"Not so fast," Roask said. The masked man flicked his hands into an odd gesture. I became frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

"So this is the legendary Yakone," I managed to say, struggling against Yakone's blood bending, "Your greatest accomplishment."

"You see, I don't need to find where you live. I've had a spy following you since you left. In fact, I'm sure that your house is being seized by Fire Nation troops right now for… certain illegal items that you 'possess'. Those that you know will have their life uprooted because of you. They will face either exile or execution," Roask said insipidly.

"You bastard," I blurted.

"You know," he smirked, "You actually know who the spy is. But for their safety, I will not divulge that information." I knew that I could not gain the information I desired this way, but I was unable to break free.

"Yakone, squeeze him," Roask said. I could feel my muscles grow more and more compressed by the second. At this rate I'd be dead in less than an hour. Roask sat in a nearby chair and watched.

"You shouldn't have crossed me," Roask said, "Now; you shall be punished for your crime." I knew the punishment already, death.