Hardly Fair

"Yu the Dreaded sat in his throne room, in the sixteenth year of his uncontested rule, when his dark sanctum was disturbed by a girl. This surprised him on many levels. His fortress rose out of flying island, a piece of the Unified World that Yu had torn from the rest and floated above all. Should someone even make their way through the empty sky, the fortress itself was filled with nothing but corrupted Animas, starved shadows that devoured body and soul. Yet a simple girl, wearing the robes of a field worker, stood before him. As ever, Yu wore the polished silver Goblin armor that concealed his body and face. His booming voice echoed out of the snarling visage of his helmet. He said, 'Why has one so weak come before me to die?' The sound echoed off the ebony walls.

"The girl did not bow before him, but her voice was soft and deferential. 'Please, lord,' she said to him. 'Spare my life. I heard talk of your evil grandeur, and came to see if the rumors were true.' She presented a shy face, partially hidden by bangs of black hair.

"Yu the Dreaded was not without pride, and so smiled beneath his helmet. 'And what do you see, child? Does Yu live up to his legend?' The warlord was, of course, completely without mercy, and would not spare anyone for mere flattery, but he felt no rush to end this brief distraction.

"The girl lowered her eyes and said, 'Oh, certainly, lord. I understand now why no one has stood to oppose you for as long as I have lived.'

"Yu the Dreaded laughed boldly. 'The last rebel to contest my will died sixteen years ago, when I slew the Element Bender. He had plagued my rise to power for over a hundred years, and only when all his friends and allies were destroyed did he finally stand his ground and fight me to the death. All the Unified World now labors under my will.'

"The girl gaped. 'One hundred years! I did not realize that you were so ancient. And yet you are so full of life!' The last was added quickly, as though to avoid giving insult.

"The Dread lord was not so petty. He slowly came down the staircase that extended beneath his throne, to the chamber floor where the girl trembled. 'I am much older than a mere hundred years,' he said. 'I have lived centuries beyond count, as did my greatest enemy. Both of us were masters of the Bending of Energy, and used that power to grow stronger and more powerful with age. Mine was always the greater power, and after countless defeats, my enemy turned to the Spirits for help. A Heron taught him the Elements, but even the combined power of Water, Earth, Fire and Air could not stop me.'

"At last, the girl bowed. 'I at last understand. I have heard so many stories about you, but foolishly thought that not all could be true, for it would require the lifespans of an army of men. But now I see, all the stories are but one story, The Triumph of Yu the Dreaded.' Her bangs hid her face, but her voice was fawning.

"Yu stood in front of her, and looked down at the girl with something approaching the stirrings of affection. He thought that he might take her as a wife, to see how long she might continue to amuse him. 'And what do you say happens next in my story, woman?'

"The girl looked up, and smiled. 'The ending, my lord.' Then she rose, swinging a petite arm as though attacking with a sword, and a focused gust of wind struck the dread lord in the chestplate of his armor, cleaving it cleanly. The warlord tried to speak, but the girl moved again, and a stream of water flew from the canteen on her belt and washed into the helmet, choking his words. Unable to breathe, he moved too slowly to stop her from punching the exposed flesh of his chest with a fist flowering with flames.

"Yu the Dreaded fell to the ground, unable to even scream in pain.

"The girl, though, was not without mercy herself. She waited until Yu could speak again. He said, 'How is it you knew me so, to manipulate me. How did you know the secret arts of my enemy? You knew me so thoroughly, the fight was over before I could join it. How?'

"The girl smiled. 'I am your enemy. I died sixteen years ago, but the Spirits intervened again, and bound my Anima to the earth. I was reborn as this girl, trained by the Lionturtles with the goals of finally seeing your tyranny at an end, and leading the world into a new age. The Spirits now watch with satisfaction as I end our long feud.'

"The dread lord had but one last response before the girl did bend the stone of the throne room to crush the life from his body. 'You and the Spirits are bloody cheaters, you rat-bitten stinkyhead! When you die, you're supposed to stay dead! I bet no one is going to reincarnate me. Bloody cheaters.' Then Yu the Dreaded was destroyed by his greatest enemy.

"She then used her command of the Elements to sunder the Unified World, dividing it into two lands- the realm of Anima and the realm of Body. Her own Anima would serve as the bridge between the two, and so long as she was reborn, a human would never again hold dominion over the Spirits.

"The two worlds knew peace, and learned reverence for the elements.

"Well?"

"That was... interesting. Very interesting, Mai. You're getting better at this writing. I liked the classic structure and language, and it was neat to discover that the hero was one of my past lives. Maybe a few bits of dialogue could use some work, though."

"...now you're just being completely unreasonable."

END