Chapter 9: Avatar part 1.

After appeasing the distraught cabbage stall owner with some money, and thankfully I landed in a world that used copper, silver, and gold, I moved on.

If it wasn't clear at first, I landed in the Avatar world and quite frankly, I felt bad for the cabbage guy.

Everywhere he went, he was cursed to have his cabbage stall crushed in all manners of ways.

I pulled the guy aside and gave him some silver pieces, far more valuable then what his cabbages were worth, and even if it wasn't in the local currency, it was still real silver.

I only asked him to keep quiet about where he got it.

HA.

Yeah right, this is a Chinese style world.

I erased the fucking guys memory of my face before I had young masters or officials on my ass.

My next stop was figuring out where and when I was, along with what I gained from the world.

I quickly moved into a side alley and disillusioned myself before pulling out my iPhone.

[Third world reached!

World: Avatar

Timeline: 100 AG

Location: Ba Sing Se

Time in world: 3 months.]

'3 months huh? pretty simple. And if I'm in Ba Sing Se, I should figure out what part of the year it is. A lot of things happened in short order.'

Next I checked the World Power Selection app.

'I think I need to change that name, it's not really a selection anymore.'

I quickly switched 'Selection' for 'Info'. Simple and easy.

[World Power Info:

Avatar: Energy Bending

Talents:

Fondness with Spirits.

Tea Making.]

I felt cheated.

'Oh come on! Really?! I go to avatar and get energy bending? Fuck you to man!'

As for the talents, I didn't mind.

Spirits aren't only in this world, and I love tea so why not.

It's not like a have a comparison of whatever else I could have chosen so I'll just take what I can get.

Still bummed me out to miss an elemental bending affinity.

'What does one even do with Energy Bending?'

I went into my memories of this world and got some more information.

Energy Bending is the ability to bend another person's life energy. It predates the four main bending arts, the formation of the four nations, as well as the creation of the Avatar.

Before the Avatar came into existence and the separation of the four nations, the lion turtles bent the energy within humans and themselves in order to grant them the ability to bend one of the four elements.

'Does this mean I can just bend my own life energy into giving me access to the other elements? Or perhaps taking others bending for myself?

I think this needs some practice, but not now, first I need info.'

Changing my clothes to look like something like what others were wearing, I went information gathering.

First stop was to get currency.

The shop owner was greasy and haggled a lot for some of my gold, but otherwise was quite fair.

Still didn't stop me from erasing his memory of my face.

Again, this is a Chinese wuxia style world.

The currency here was bronze, silver, and gold, but it was in coin form with only the edges using a small amount of the metal to denote its value.

The city was divided into three main districts.

The upper district where the palace was surrounded by homes where the rich and influential people live.

The middle district where the middle class lived and most of the stores existed.

And the lower district that extended from the slums to the inner wall.

The wall was actually quite impressive.

There were two main walls.

The inner wall that divided the city itself and the outer wall which encompassed a truly massive amount of land dedicated to mostly agriculture.

There were even a few mountains in its area.

Ba Sing Se was truly a small country all on it's own.

For 100 years, it stood strong and completely ignored the war going on outside, but that was mostly because of that fucker Long Feng who controlled the city from the shadows and erased any information of the war during his term in power, following the example of his predecessors.

Anyway, the outer wall was one hundred meters tall and at least a dozen meters thick without a gate or door.

The only way in or out was with earth bending. Unless you could fly of course.

I was currently in the middle district and since I wore the same clothes as everyone else, I didn't attract attention and people were moderately friendly.

I was able to ask questions, but I didn't get the answers I wanted.

I basically had to use math and old memories of the timeline to match with what month I was told it was to reach a conclusion.

'I think I'm about a month or two away from when Aang shows up, meaning the fire nation attack should be around then.'

With that solved, I just walked around the city and enjoyed the sights, tasted the food, and took a bunch of pictures.

Speaking of pictures reminded me to check the world clock app.

[World Clock:

Current world: Avatar

Hunter X Hunter: .2x slower

Harry potter: 1x slower.]

'So if send Menchi a message it would take a bit to reach her, interesting.'

I sent her a text saying I arrived in the next world and I'll see how long it takes to get a response.

As for now, I have to decide what to do with my time.

'I only have 3 months here, and I'm already in this city so I don't really feel like exploring the world. I'll just focus on training and Energy Bending.

Besides, I'm finished with 6th year charms and I can start looking at those wards.'

In the last few weeks I had finished understanding the books in my mind for 6th year, leaving me with the final year, then the mastery books which included all the wards.

There were only eleven real 'ward' type charms, so I was very interested in getting access to them.

My Nen could keep growing stronger in how much aura I had, the refinement of my techniques, and the refinement of using the aura.

Never assume you 'mastered' something, there is always another limit out there.

And thanks to my 'Paths' I would never forget or grow rusty on anything I learned.

While walking around, I came to a stop as I saw a familiar building.

A certain tea shop.

'I wonder if Iroh is working here yet? It would be a crime against tea to not try that mans legendary tea.'

I walked in with an excited smile and walked out with a frown a minute later.

Iroh wasn't there.

'Considering the time line, I guess I need to find the lower district shop. *sigh* I really wish the point me spell was a real thing.'

Sure I could track through my eyes, but I needed to know what their aura looked like first.

So for the next two weeks, my life was quite simple.

At night I trained and tried to figure out how Energy Bending to no success, and at day I searched through the lower district for the tea shop.

Honestly, it only took me this long to find it because even in my memories which I can pull up with crystal clarity, I never bothered to actually learn the name of this tea shop, even in passing.

'I was probably grabbing food, in the bathroom, or doing homework at the time.'

It was called the Pao Family Tea House and I found it after about ten days.

I wasn't searching like crazy, but the lower ring district was fucking big man.

And this was a Chinese style world, so there were hundreds of tea shops.

The good news of my search was I got to find plenty of new tea's that I procured for my own stores and for the ones I really liked, I got seedlings to plant in my gardens.

I even found a couple interesting leaves that are smoked rather than made into tea. It's not tobacco, but they have various medicinal usages with light effects from calming the stomach, to calming the mind.

The one that calms the mind was interesting, it enhanced my meditations a bit. Maybe like 5% I would say.

Smoking weed makes things chaotic. Sometimes I'm super calm, and others I get easily distracted, so I try not to smoke when I'm training and limit myself to a few hours a day.

Thanks to occlumency, I could clear a mental high easily enough.

That was mostly Gol's job to gather seedlings, as for the other two, I decided to let them rest as long as I don't need them, they both needed it.

I didn't get any closer in using Energy Bending, I felt a new form of energy within me, but I had no idea how to utilize it. It didn't work like mana or aura.

I did finally get started on wards.

The spells were simple enough with all my knowledge but required a singular location to cast it on. Plus they were all kind of pointless in this world unless I got myself a real house.

At the moment, my warehouse was my home.

Anyway, after my two weeks of searching, I found the tea shop and also got my first sight of the legendary man himself, Iroh the dragon of the west.

Oh, and Zuko, he was there to.

It was kind of funny to be so excited to try tea but who cares.

I walked in and ordered a pot of Jasmine green tea.

"Ah, jasmine is one of my personal favorites, it truly soothes the mind and soul." (Iroh)

I nodded with a smile and waited patiently.

Iroh came back shortly and chuckled at me.

"Haha, it is quite rare to see a young man look so eager for tea, has something good happened recently?"

"Haha does it show that easily? I finally got to fulfill a long standing dream."

Iroh smiled kindly at that.

"Is that so? I'm truly happy for you young man, please enjoy."

He left the pot and went to help with other customers while I looked down at my cup of steaming green liquid.

I raised it to my lips and took a small sip, calmy savoring the flavor, and felt myself relax.

And I mean truly relax.

It's one thing to come out of a spa feeling refreshed, and another to feel like this.

It felt like my mind and soul had been soothed.

Memories crossed my mind involuntarily as my enhanced mind flowed on like a movie screen showing me the joyous and calming moments of my new life.

The days learning in Hogwarts, the time training in the sun, the feel and joy of the castle itself, and the feeling of being enveloped in magic during my final ritual.

The days in the Hunter world, training with nature in the woods, the laughs I shared with Hisoka and Menchi, the joys of spending time with friends, and those last few weeks with Menchi.

Before I knew it, I felt something move within me, the energy I failed to touch upon slightly moved at this point.

"How are you doing young man?"

I lost the feeling of my inner energy as I opened my eyes and saw Iroh smiling kindly at me.

I blinked when I noticed it was growing dark outside.

'How long was in that trance?'

Looking down, I noticed I finished the pot of tea.

"Young man?"

"Ah, sorry, I think I fell into a meditative trance there."

"Haha I feel honored then. Good tea soothes the soul and energizes the spirit."

I looked down at my empty cup and back around the room, seeing only Zuko cleaning some tables and the owner not in the room.

It was just us and another two tables with a few people slowly enjoying their tea.

I flicked my finger slightly and set up a silencing charm while Iroh's eyes narrowed.

"Master Iroh."

He didn't show aggression but kept a calm face.

"Yes?"

He didn't question how I knew his name.

"May I ask a favor?"

"It depends on the favor."

"May I study the art of tea under you?"

Here he finally looked confused.

"Sorry?"

I offered the seat at my table and he sat down.

"I know who you are Master Iroh, and I do not care beyond my respect for you. What I truly care about is your skills with tea.

I'm not a bender of the elements and I don't seek guidance for the path of fire."

Here I bowed my head slightly to a man I really did respect.

"Can you teach me the art of making tea?"

Iroh studied me for a moment before he smiled.

"Hahaha, this is why I enjoy life, you truly never know what comes with each day.

I would be happy to teach you young man, it's a shame my own nephew doesn't understand the beauty of the art. Ah, I didn't get your name."

"My name is Jin, and I thank you master."

"Very well Jin, you may come in the hour before we open and an hour after we close, and I will instruct you."

I bowed once more and left a heavy tip for my tea before leaving.

Why did I do this some might ask?

One, I don't have much else to do in this world.

Two, I really do love tea and wish to make tea like he served me.

And three, there was some connection there between the state I was in and Energy Bending. If I want more clues, I need to drink more tea.

'Ha, the path to enlightenment is with good tea.'

*Line Break*

The weeks flowed on in a steady rhythm.

Train, study, meditate, make tea, and explore the city.

It was nice and soothing, a way to relax from all the action and chaos.

Iroh was a great teacher and both a funny and wise man.

He combined the state of mind of the person with the emotion you use as you make tea to enhance the flavor of it.

If I'm being honest, I think the man reached a state of creating his own brand of spiritual tea.

I was far from such a state, but Iroh was happy with my current state.

Zuko tried to make some tea on his own, and Iroh's reaction was priceless.

"Bleh! What is this? It just taste like hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's what all tea is."

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible!"

I nodded strongly to that and I may or may not have taken a picture of Zuko's face in that moment, it was gold.

With each time I failed to make the tea as Iroh did, he would explain where I needed to focus on and simple say:

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again."

And we would move on with smiles. It was funny how he never tried to encourage Zuko to try again though.

I truly cherished my time with him, he was incredibly kind and wished the best for others.

Iroh was a man who even if he were starving would give half the money he earned by begging to an orphan on the street.

Or stop a mugging attempt on himself only to offer the mugger tea and give them life advice.

He never asked me personal questions or tried to dig into my story, and when I asked why, he just told me I could talk to him if I needed to, so we went on in a peaceful harmony.

Then one day, a middle ring district tea shop owner came by after hearing the rumors of Iroh's skill and offered him his own tea shop and apartment for him and Zuko.

After that, I just changed locations of my daily walks considering I already walked through the lower ring district.

It was quite funny as well when people had tried to mug or pickpocket me.

Somehow being around Iroh all the time made me not wish to be heavy handed, so I usually just stunned people and left them. Maybe with a simple prank that wouldn't hurt anyone left behind.

After the hunter world, it was a weird feeling not to take life for so many weeks, but I didn't fight it.

I felt my spirit grow soothed, and my aura grew faster along with my connection to my inner energy.

While studying under Iroh, I also visited his shop often just to drink tea and meditate in peace.

When one drinks tea, people do not bother them, so I was able to enjoy being silent.

Over the days, I noticed when a girl kept coming through, looking at Zuko the whole time before leaving.

Me and Iroh shared a smirk at the sight while Zuko grew wary, thinking his identity was revealed.

When we revealed it was just a girl with a crush, Zuko grew confused. The poor guy didn't know how to process that.

It was quite cute honestly watching the guy figure out how dating works and all the emotional pain and thoughts it brings.

I took some pics and sent them to Menchi, and she was loving it like a TV drama.

So little chaos happened, that I was left in this happy state of being until one day two things happened at once.

While training in my workout room, using a training method Machi had taught me by using strings to thin to see to the naked eye, unless I zoomed in, to train my spatial awareness while moving, I felt almost a sort of 'click' happen inside me.

'!'

I had no time to move so I remained in my position and looked inward.

Iroh had shared a very vital piece of information to me in our talks.

He said: "The stomach is the source of chi in the body, it is called the sea of chi."

Thanks to that, I had begun focusing my inner energy into a circular circulation in my stomach a bit at a time without trying to rush it. I wanted to call this energy chi, but it wasn't chi, it was more in tune with spirit energy, or perhaps soul energy.

And just now, the spirit energy began to bubble to the surface.

'So that's how it works…. Hahaha, I feel like such a fool.'

Energy bending wasn't meant to be controlled; it was meant to be allowed to flow naturally. I had kept trying to hit a donkey instead of letting it walk on its own.

I watched peacefully as two tethers extended from the pool of spirit energy, extending until they each connected with two different areas.

My eyes widened slightly at where it was going.

'It's trying to connect with my magic core and my aura source?'

In order to learn Zetsu, I had mimicked my magic core and created an aura core.

Aura exists through out the whole body, by I accumulated excess aura and my reserves in this core.

The new spirit energy extending and wrapped around both cores, sending an electric shock down my spine.

'URK!'

I withheld a shout as something I haven't felt before flowed through me.

Energy like I never contained before, as if I had gotten a few years of extra energy all at once flowed through my veins.

'What is this?'

I stayed as I was, meditating and processing my current state for an unknown time, and then it hit me.

'Is this… is it converting my different energies?'

The spirit energy was converting my mana or aura into the other.

'Is this what it means to bend your own energy? I'm bending my mana into aura, or aura into mana? It feels like I tripled my reserves and now I know why.'

That was a misconception, my deep reserves of mana and aura have combined and can now turn into one or the other, that doesn't mean the reserves of each one had increased.

'What a marvelous feeling. REN.'

My aura exploded around me, three times as large as it was before, and the room shook as various weights and tools fell to the floor.

I pulled the aura back in and raised my hand, forming bullets in my hand and launching them one after the other without feeling any drain.

'This is amazing! I take back my initial insults to Energy Bending.'

But before I could celebrate to long, I felt a new feeling and froze, this time in worry.

'ROOOOAARR!'

My magical animal transformation had finally woken up.

'Uh oh.'

I had to deal with a wild tigers instincts the first time around, and I wasn't looking forward to dealing with this one.

"Gol!"

*Pop*

"Yes master?"

"Send me to the containment room! Now!"

He didn't hesitate to fulfill the order and snapped his fingers, sending me into the containment room. A room I built to hold strong beasts in case I needed to keep one alive.

My bones began cracking and creaking as I felt the transformation start.

'This is going to hurt.'

*Line Break*

It hurt. A lot.

It took me three fucking days to move after I managed to subdue my new savage instincts.

I also dented in the metal of the containment room to the point I would need a transfiguration user to fix it. Better to just replace it at that point.

When I returned to Iroh's tea shop, he actually hugged me and said he was glad I was alright.

It was a nice feeling.

He helped me back into the flow of things, and even with me reaching the point of using my spirit energy, I didn't stop learning from him.

I still wanted to learn how to make good tea, but I decided to find another way to occupy my free time, and I found it in a funny way.

I was just minding my own business when a trio of cute girls tried to advertise a massage parlor in the upper district and who was I to say no when I had nothing else to do.

So I went, and I found their services lacking in technique.

When I pointed it out to them, the masseuse felt insulted and told me to do a better job, so I did.

They had to close shop that day because all four of their full time masseuse's were down for the count after I instructed them on technique by doing it to them.

That's how I basically got four followers calling a young man, actually aged 14, mentally aged 25, and physically looking at least 16, a master.

I think I knew what Iroh felt when I called him master now.

I didn't really care for the money or status, but I found it fun, so I stuck around for a bit, using incense, natural sounds of artificial fountains, good tea, lemon water, various smelling salts, medicinal face pastes, and improving each masseuse's technique, I turned this moderate level spa into a gold star spa.

It was actually quite fun playing manager for a while.

We got more attention from the upper district, but with that attention came something else that I didn't think about.

…

Horny sexually unsatisfied women.

Yeah, all the influential stuck up earth country upper class men had all the hottest women from around the nation as their wives, but most of them weren't *cough* up to task so speak.

You hear a lot of gossip from women.

The military men apparently were the ideal men for their stamina but when they get older they still take on new wives or concubines.

Even the king had a row of concubines.

So that put me in a very interesting spot as my techniques happen to take the moderate leveled relaxation ones this world was used to and upped them to the point where naked and horny sexually unsatisfied women jump you.

After the first time it happened, I sent a message to Menchi about it and her response was for me to send her a picture.

I just laughed at the fact that she was more interested in getting off from seeing the women I fucked then annoyed about it.

I really don't get women some times, but I think men have to take logic and reasoning and put it in a folder under the bed whenever you try to understand a women and her reasoning.

Really, some of the shit these women who keep coming to me for during a spa is kinky and Menchi is only making it worse by getting me to record this and send it to her for kicks and masturbation material.

And they just kept coming! Like mosquito's out for blood!

Blondes, brunettes, dark skinned, light skinned, tan skinned, milf's, twenty year old's.

I was drowning and trying to stay afloat here.

I had to start making a list of which city official's wife I didn't sleep with at this point, and the only ones on that list were the ones with active young military husbands.

Hell, half the kings concubines showed up.

My boy was getting the workout of a lifetime and Menchi was NOT helping me calm down.

I swear that girl is Anko's twin, she sends me nude pics or strip video's of her glorious ass at night just to rile me up.

And these housewives and concubines from an old traditional Chinese civilization were not used to over half the sex positions and toys that modern degenerates and sex fanatics created.

And don't think I'm being a prostitute here, I AM actually giving these women a massage, but they just keep feeling me up while I'm doing it!

It's like they all got some coded message to each other on what to do if you wanted to get fucked.

If the women didn't touch me, I kept it strictly professional.

If they grabbed my boy then it was quite clear what they wanted.

This trend continued for a full month, a month of tea, training, sex, and giving massages.

Hell, even Iroh looked like wanted to punch me when I mentioned it.

I just gave him a lifetime free coupon to our services, considering both of us won't be here in a month or two, and I mean the actual massage services. I do not promote my employees to perform sexual acts.

I don't even promote myself!

But it still happens.

If anyone gets a little too excited or handy, I stun them and toss them outside.

But one thing that made me unsure if I should laugh or shout at the absurdity of was that having so much sex actually increased my aura reserves.

I don't know if it's the world or not, but perhaps the whole Yin-Yang dual cultivation thing had some merit.

Oh and for the record, thank you Hisoka, thank you, for telling me one of the uses of Ten. There is no need for condoms when you have Ten mastered.

Anyway, during my crazy life that not even a male pornstar would understand, the avatar had arrived in the city.

How did I know?

Gossip.

When I'm drowning in hungry estrogen, I hear a lot of the going on's of the city, including all the fucked up things the Dai Lee, the secret service of the city working under the fucker Feng Long's orders.

Never underestimate housewives and concubines, they know a lot of things because men in wuxia settings can't help but boast or talk out loud.

I'm not saying all men are bad, the military ones are pretty self-disciplined and strict with themselves just as much as others.

Hell, the aged military men are the prime examples of upstanding citizens and would easily cave in the skull of any fucker who tried to cause chaos.

They are just usually kept appeased by Feng Long because he knows how much power they hold.

At this point, all the top military generals know of the war going on outside, and deal with the attacks on the outer wall at least two to three times a month, but the king has absolutely no idea.

The military thinks it's the king's orders, the king think's the military is doing drills and staying in shape, and Feng Long, the control freak, is the one with all the power.

So what did I do with all this info?

I waited.

I waited to make a move at the best moment from my canon knowledge, and it came.

Aang and his group showed the king the results of Azula's drill on the wall, and Feng Long was arrested and imprisoned.

Of course, the guards were all still loyal to him, but this was the only time the man would be in one place for an extended period.

And after all this time of peace, even with my instincts being appeased through sex, it still wanted to see some blood.

Especially after my magical beast form came out.

I started growing faster, putting on more muscle, and if Iroh didn't tell me I was releasing an animalistic aura, I wouldn't even have realized that my Nen was activating subconsciously.

I had to consciously reel it in and contain it with Ten.

So on a night without much moonlight, using one of the new traits I gained from my new form, night vision, I strolled through the streets, into the castle, and down to the jail cells without any issue.

Disillusionment + Levitation + Silence + Zetsu = ghost.

Earth benders who are particularly sensitive can sense vibrations in the earth.

Toph as a blind bender is extremely adept at using it, whereas other earth benders might have a minor ability with it.

So I used the Levitation charm to keep myself a few inches off the ground without much issue.

As for where the jail was?

I both have an endless supply of insider information in my 'clients', and I already took a stroll around the palace before to check things out in advance.

I also decided the castle had a bit to much unnecessary gold lying around and procured it for a better cause, being my future.

You can never have to little gold after all.

Finding my way to his cell, I crossed a few Dai Lee agents and stunned them.

They weren't really at fault seeing as how all of them got brain washed by Feng Long, but if they became a problem I would still put them down.

With even my bullets silenced, the only sound in the underground area was bodies hitting the floor, and even that would dampened.

By the time I reached the cell, a dozen agents were out cold with no alarm raised and my target was just laying in his bed, unaware of anything happening around him, which for a man as paranoid as him, is something to comment on.

This guy is like Danzo from Naruto but super weak and he doesn't actually do anything for the benefit of his nation.

So just imagine a weak and more selfish Danzo with all the power of a country.

He even has the whole brainwashing facility meant to keep people forever under his control that the avatar raided, and I intend to finish off.

One silenced unlocking charm on the door and one piercing charm to the head, and Feng Long was long gone.

If you ask why I went through all this trouble, the reason is simple.

I wanted to do it.

Simple as that.

I hated Feng Long just as much as I hated Tonpa back in Hunter.

These types of people are just toxic and should be purged, all that friendship, enemy become ally crap can take a hike in the real world.

Ha, real world in an anime/cartoon world, the irony.

But its true, even though I'm entering worlds I once thought were fiction, are now my actual reality.

Lying to myself serves no point, so don't face the world like some child friendly tv show.

I will do things if I want to do them and retain my morality and honor while I do it.

I will kill someone if I want to, and I will sleep with someone if I want to, as long as my woman/en is/are ok with it haha.

I'm just living my life, enjoying the insanity and chaos I bump into along the way.

If I die then I wasn't prepared enough.

Anyway, inner monologue aside, I finished him off and made my way to Lake Laogai, the place where the Feng Long brainwashed people.

In the show, Aang broke in but ran off without actually doing achieving much of anything in the end. But that's not the kids fault, he actually is a 12 year old mentally.

Again, the irony.

It wasn't hard to get there when I had Gol memorize the location so he could pop me over.

I was still getting the hang of apparation after all this time, and I have to say that it really was a 7th year spell for a reason. It needs a more mature magic core to work.

Getting in was again simple.

There is an added charm on the 7th year curriculum called the area charm. You can pair smaller charms with it to have wide range effects, but it's not very useful battle wise.

For example, if a stunner on one person had a power of 10, using it with an area spell would make the power a 1 or 2 for each target in its area.

It's more useful for something like the unlocking charm, which reveals a hidden door in my general vicinity.

Entering inside was what I would expect.

The activities of this underground military force never stopped just because the avatar broke in and escaped.

So I went around stunning everyone and levitating them to a larger room.

All in all I found over a hundred people in here, around twenty 'trainers' and the rest were in various stages of brainwashing.

I went about erasing the memories of any orders Feng Long gave them and moved them outside.

They would remember what they did, but the mental conditioning to do whatever Feng Long says was gone.

I also implanted a desire to join the military in them.

They were all accomplished earth benders, and they would need a purpose in life to get over what Feng Long had them do.

There was still a sizable force of Dai Lee out there, but without a leader, before Azula showed up as a kyoshi warrior in disguise, and without their home base that I was gladly blowing up, they would have the choice of running or serving the king like their supposed to.

Whatever they choose is up to them.

So after duel shooting a few dozen explosive charms and burying the secret base under water, I closed up for the night and went to bed.

Simple and to the point.

The repercussions of my actions would create ripples in the timeline, and Ba Sing Se will still stand strong rather than fall to an insidious coup from a greedy little man.

As for Azula and her friends, I would deal with them when they showed up.

*Line Break*

After taking down the head of the shadow organization controlling the city, my life continued on as normal.

I also learned a few things about my Energy Bending.

In the show, Energy Bending allowed one to take away and return bending. Only the lion turtles had the power to grant bending upon a human who didn't have it.

I tried taking away bending from two of the Dai Lee agents the other night, and only one worked.

When I combined Occlumency with the idea of connecting my pool of spirit energy with the other persons Chi, I would then smother it and drag it through the connection back into my own.

This created an earthen 'seed' inside my spirit energy.

When I tried it the second time, I did indeed pull out the bending, but a second seed wasn't formed.

The next thing that failed me was that I couldn't actually use the seed for myself.

It seems that to use a style of bending, you need it's specific type of chi from birth. For me who didn't get it upon entering, there was nothing for my energy bending to restore.

I tried putting the earth seed back into the second agent and it worked.

It was a bit technical but once you got the technique down it works well.

Finally, I grabbed the seed back and left.

The only other ability of energy bending I knew from canon was astral projection, but that was quite beyond my knowledge on how to achieve at the moment.

So that was my only real adventure here.

My life went back to normal the next day and thankfully due to the sudden issue with the shadow guards, the king called for an investigation to be done and most of the upper district was on house arrest, saving my hands and my boy some ache.

Instead I just spent the time showing the employees a few more styles of massages and dealt with a much more normal customer flow.

My training with Iroh continued as normal.

By this time two months had already passed.

And then the day came where I heard from gossip that the Kyoshi warriors arrived.

Thankfully for them, I had a booked schedule and didn't feel like reorganizing.

Some of these women didn't take kindly to missing a weekly appointment before and some even threatened to have me made into a slave for them, but after describing in great detail with a smile what I would do to any threats made on my person, none such complaints happened again.

In fact, the ones who complained and got threatened come back more often than the others.

I really, really, do not understand women.

Anyway, I enjoyed my lifestyle for a few more days before making my move.

Similar to with Feng Long's case, I went in, and using the human presence revealing charm, I was able to find them easily enough.

My eyes allow me to zoom in and see aura's, including the change in their aura when they look at me, but it doesn't give me Xray vision through walls to find people I never met before.

If I didn't meet them before, all aura's just look like blue or yellow colors to me.

But the human presence revealing charm outlines life signals in a red color to my eyes only.

It's incredibly similar to the Aura Whisper shout from Skyrim.

Once I found them in the throne room, I took aim and fired three stunners.

And that's when I realized I made two minor mistakes in my planning.

Mistake one, I gave Azula to much time.

Mistake two, I assumed without a leader, the Dai Lee would crawl back to the king or run away.

Combining the two, as soon as I shot my bullets, three earthen walls shot up from the ground to protect the girls, and a cloud of dust blew my way knocking out my disillusionment charm.

The charm only let's me blend in with my surroundings like a chameleon rather than give me invisibility, and any physical touch can break the charm.

'*Sigh* why are Harry Potter spells so versatile but so weak?'

I appeared in full view to everyone around, wearing combat boots, loose red combat pants, a tight sleeveless muscle shirt showcasing my already muscular looking chest and arms, with my long light brown hair flowing over my shoulders wildly, and my twin pistol holsters behind my lower back.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

"My, my, so the assassin finally shows?"

A hole in the wall opened to allow Azula to step through with Ty Lee and Mei by her sides.

All around me, the exits were sealed one by one and Dai Lee agents appeared in full force.

Dozens, possibly almost two hundred to be exact.

'Probably the entire force after I got rid of the hundred or so by the lake. Hell, I see a few I tried to help back at the lake among the crowd.'

"Oh? The silent type? No matter, I have ways of making you sing." (Azula)

"*Sigh* I'm just glad we can stop playing possum." (Mei)

"Oh it wasn't so bad! The king left us his funny bear to play with. And our target looks yummy." (Ty Lee)

With two hundred Dai Lee earth benders around me in a large, sealed stone room, along with a sadistic lightning prodigy fire bender, a weapons mistress, and a chi blocking close combat martial artist, I felt my blood start to stir.

I tapped the pistol in my hand, currently a .44 magnum revolver, against my shoulder and smirked.

"All this for little ole me? I feel flattered at the offering."

Azula raised an eyebrow with a challenging smirk.

"Don't buff your ego worm, these boys here had all voluntarily stepped forward when I made a trap for the so called assassin who killed their boss."

"Oh? And how did you manage to gain these lost lambs allegiance?"

"I promised them revenge?"

"And this was your big plan?"

Azula scoffed and crossed her arms.

"When capturing vermin, you don't need to make an elaborate plan. Now enough talk, your trapped like a rat in a cage, so answer my questions and I might give you a swift death."

At her proud and self-satisfied look, I couldn't help but chuckle.

That chuckle turned into a laugh, and that laugh turned into a manic one.

"HahahahahaHAHAHAH! OH THIS IS FUCKING GOLD!"

A few of the agents took an uneasy step back as the wind which shouldn't have any way of picking up in the enclosed room, began to blow against their skin.

Azula and Mei didn't look like they cared, but Ty Lee, the only one who could actually see aura to an extent, started to look pale.

Azula started to grow annoyed at the laughing and spoke up with a scowl.

"What's so funny worm?" (Azula)

I stopped laughing to look her in the eye as my glamor faded from my eyes to show my hawk like eyes, except now they had an addition slit straight down the middle.

I projected the blood lust I had kept contained for months through my Ten, letting it flow out like a wave and wash over everyone, making them feel like they stood before an alpha predator.

And Ty Lee, the poor girl, she saw the fierce tiger that formed from my aura standing behind me and started shivering in fear.

{~The HU, Papa Roach - Wolf totem~}

"What's funny princess~, is that you thought you trapped a rat in a cage. But no, no, you trapped yourself in a cage, with… ME."

My voice turned deeper on the last word as my aura exploded into Ren and I slammed my foot hard enough on the ground to crack it as my mana flowed and a ward went up.

An Imperturbable ward charm went up and flowed along the floor, walls, and ceiling in the blink of an eye, creating a magic barrier that living things can't pass through.

It wont stop earth from being used by earth benders, but it would stop anyone from leaving this space. It also requires a constant supply of mana, but thanks to my new combined reserves, that wasn't an issue.

The second my foot hit the earth, and Ty lee froze like a deer caught in the headlights, Azula shouted.

"ATTACK!"

From all directions, boulders flew at high speeds and I smiled manically as I let my aura flow rapidly and jumped high, reaching the ceiling in a single jump as all the boulders crashed into each other and made a massive dust cloud.

From both hands, I released another ward charm as my feet were impaled in the ceiling, keeping me hanging upside down like a bat, one that the ministry of magic had used quite often called the Ministry of Magic Fog charm. It was just a rip off of the original fog creation charm I found in the Room of Requirements.

Magical fog isn't like normal fog, what makes this charm special is that it bewitches those inside it.

Voices behind your back, shadows where nothing exists, twisting your perception of how far or how fast things move. It was a deadly ward charm usually used by the ministry of magic to hide major buildings and areas from muggles.

The Bermuda Triangle was said to be the location where a grand magical fog charm was once cast in a massive ritual, assumed to be by the city of Atlantis, that kept the area a mystery to muggles even in modern times.

My hands spewed columns of fog that hit the ground and washed over the whole room, blinding the sight of everyone around.

But for someone who could see aura, it was easy to find my targets when everyone else was my enemy.

While duel wielding my pistols, I began systematically removing my foes one by one.

*Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang*

Lightning, fire, water, ice, piercing, slashing, exploding, there was no non-lethal bullets flying out of my guns, and each one was wrapped in a Nen casing.

A tiger uses everything it has when hunting a rabbit.

Screams and shouts of pain and agony resounded out as the lights of aura were extinguished one after the other.

A bolt of lightning flew in my direction making me throw up a protego charm, but the blast still pierced through and hit my protective Ren, pushing me of the ceiling and back to the earth.

"Don't panic you fools! You are earth benders! Feel the vibrations in the earth for fucks sake!"

'Heh, at least she has a tactical brain.'

Thanks to Azula regaining order, the benders began to hunt me, unaware that they were the ones being hunted.

I ran around the room, along the walls, kicked off pillars, and flew threw the heavily fogged air by using fire whips to wrap around pillars and bisect anyone in the way.

Boulders, rock walls, stone buck shots, and all kinds of earthen attacks came my way.

I either dodged, tanked them with Ren and protego, or redirected them with bullets.

When they got to close, I would pistol whip them or like this poor man who tried to blindside me learned.

My gun's point found their temple.

"Wrong move buddy."

*Bang*

A piercing charm to the head at pointblank was an instant lights out.

As I moved through the room, I had to watch out for the occasional blade or bolt of lightning flying from the other end of the room.

Mai might not be a bender, but she would make Ten Ten from Naruto proud with her aim with thrown weapons.

As for Azula, I could only assume she was following the sounds of combat and the bang of my gun shots.

That's why I kept occasionally silencing the bullets and shooting them her way, getting cute squeaks and loud curses and colorful death threats from that end that made me laugh.

The only one not moving was Ty Lee, much to Azula's annoyance.

"Why aren't you doing anything!" (Azula)

"A-azula.. I t-think we s-should r-run." (Ty Lee)

"What are you talking about you moron!"

"Y-you can't s-see it…. H-he, he isn't h-human! N-no h-human has a-aura like t-that!"

Azula and Mei met eyes with a silent question and they both decided to ignore her advice and keep attacking.

After my 89th victim went down, Azula seemingly had enough of all the persistent fog that her fire or lightning couldn't dissipate and grabbed a Dai Lee agent.

"You! Open air vents in the ceiling now!"

"Y-yes! Right away!"

Half a dozen earth benders opened slits in the ceiling and Azula took a deep breath and released a massive wave of fire.

The resulting air current of hot air rising pushed all the fog upwards towards the vents, and I let go of the ward as I didn't want to waste mana fighting to keep it.

As the fog cleared, I didn't stay still and kept moving, my guns flashing and the echoes of gun shouts resounding in the room to a symphony of anguished and dying screams.

When everything was visible once more, I had hidden with another disillusionment charm, leaving nothing but the wreckage of my rampage behind.

Azula had seen and done worse, Mei paled but held her calm façade, but Ty Lee wasn't accustomed to such a bloody scene and puked off to the side.

Honestly, that was the normal reaction for a fucking 14 year old girl. It was the other two that were weird.

'*Sigh* what's with anime worlds using war and violence everywhere but making the characters so young.'

And again, I say, I'm mentally an adult!

The mental aspect is the main point of things.

Anyway, this was the reality of having a 100 year genocidal war. The fire nation wiped out all the air nomads, down to the last bender.

The water tribes were pushed to the poles with no presence on the main land.

And the earth kingdom was almost entirely conquered under the flaming iron hands of the marching fire nation soldiers.

The fire nation drowned this world in blood and ash, and Azula was born and raised in such an environment.

Mei grew up a nobles daughter and was accustomed to seeing things.

But Ty Lee was an innocent one who just wanted to be free. I felt for the girl.

'I can always erase her memory of this later.'

Azula shouted in rage and started blasting out wide range fire attacks.

"Come out you coward and face me! Face your death!"

I dropped from the ceiling behind her like a silent cat and whispered in her ear.

"I wonder who will be dying today?"

Her eyes dilated and she tried to whip backwards with an attack, but I hit her in the back of the neck with a stunner, dropping her under the shocked looks of the two girls and the paused hands of the remaining 90 or so Dai Lee agents.

I touched a finger to my throat, using a sonorous charm, and spoke up while blasting out my blood lust, or perhaps I should call it my killing intent, through my Ren.

"Your leader has fallen, do you yield?"

The two girls were already on the ground from being so close to me.

I purposely avoided hitting Ty Lee with my intent so as not to make the girl truly break down, but I needed to break Mei's will to keep fighting.

As for the rest, I was curious what they would do.

The agents looked around at each other for a moment before one of the leaders among them spoke up.

"We live and die with Feng Long."

I stared the man down, but his face was blank and firm. Looking around I saw the others firm their faces and look forward.

Brainwashed or not, my respect for these agents raised in this moment.

"Then to those of you who are about to die, I salute you. Come and die as warriors as you disappear from the world like the ghosts you were trained to be. RAISE YOUR SPIRITS AND DIE WITH YOUR HEADS HELD HIGH!"

For what I can only imagine was the first time since they were brainwashed, each and every agent raised their voices in a battle cry.

"UUUUOOOOO!"

Like a well oiled machine, they moved as one and the earth bended to their wills as the room shook.

I turned a final look at the girls and took pity on Ty Lee.

"Sleep, you are not mentally prepared for this."

I hit her with a gentle stunner and turned a glance to Mei, but she shook her head, so I walked past and moved my killing intent away from her.

I stood, with a Magnum Revolver in each hand releasing steam from their rapid firing as their barrels began to deform slightly.

'*Tch*, I need higher quality guns.'

Ignoring that for now, I smiled insanely at the tsunami like wave of earth moving toward me.

One hand went behind me, hitting each girl with a levitation charm bullet and moving them out of the combat area and the other hit me with a featherweight charm as I kicked the earth, moving like a pinball up to the ceiling and kicking off to the earth.

But the agents weren't considered elites for nothing, and I found a dozen waiting for me on the ceiling who grabbed my legs with earthen hands.

The rebound force of my movements being stopped hit my legs and made me grunt in pain.

That didn't stop my hands as bullets launched one after another, dropping bodies from the ceiling to land below as those below launched waves of attacks at me.

Boulders, earthen spears, earthen needles, buck shots, and all kinds from individual preference flew at me.

'~PROTEGO MAXIMA!~. REN.'

With my legs trapped up to above my knees, I prepared my strongest defensive combination with magic using a mental Parseltongue chant and Ren at full blast to face the coming storm.

*BOOM!*

The room shook violently like a 7.0 earthquake struck and cracks appeared all along the ceiling as pieces of earth fell to ground in a massive cloud of dust.

The remaining agents stood at the ready and kept their guard up at max, not believing I would go down so simply.

And they were right.

"*GROWL*"

From the smoke came two glowing golden feline eyes as I charged forward faster then their eyes could see and tore the head off an agent with my claws.

Their eyes widened in surprise while they counter attacked, but using my increased agility in this form, I ran along the walls before diving back in, tearing and biting agent after agent in a wild frenzy, dying my mane bright red with the blood of my foes.

Their attacks, blunt or sharp rained down on my form, making me dodge or tank the hits, but to those with keen eyes, they saw me slowing down.

And I really was.

For all that, these humans were weaker physically than Nen users, their earth bending was nothing to sneeze at with its power and versatility, not to mention the numbers and their teamwork to move as one.

I was running low on my reserves from all my attacks.

'*Huff* *Huff* First fight after combining my reserves with *Huff* energy bending. I wasted *huff* to much energy.'

With deeper reserves, it was easy to get lost in the feeling of euphoric power, but I was still less than two and half years into my journey, my reserves had limits. And I miscalculated with the unfamiliar amount I had available.

Thankfully, Animagus forms don't require mana, they are part of me, pieces of my soul.

"ROAR!"

My sides showed bleeding cuts and bruises, but I never stopped.

One by one, the agents fell to my deadly attacks, but little by little, they wore me down.

That's why the next attack caught me off guard.

"NOW!" (Agent leader)

Like a pyramid being born from the earth, the final thirty agents surrounded me and birthed a cage of earth rapidly before shrinking it just as fast, fast enough that I couldn't get out an exploding charm without risking injuring myself in the aftermath.

"ROAR!"

My limbs were encased in stone, my body was weighed down by tons of solid earth, and my head stuck out the side like an art piece.

The same man who spoke up for everyone earlier looked me in the eye and nodded in respect.

He was covered in blood, his own or others I had no idea, he was disheveled and exhausted, but he didn't lose his will and gave everything he had in this battle.

He raised his hand as all the remaining agents collectively created a massive guillotine.

I looked up at the stone blade hovering high above me, looked around at the rest of these silent warriors, felt my low reserves, and smiled like a loon and roared.

The blade fell under the watchful eyes of every agent. They would see their mission completed and honor the warrior and monster they fought.

At the other end of the room, the only awake girl, Mei, stared at this scene speechless.

She saw me smile and only one thought crossed her mind.

'He smiled at his own death!'

But the sound everyone heard wasn't one of a blade severing flesh, no, it was a loud *CRACK* as the blade snapped in two.

And the reason was being made clear as the Tiger grew a darker grey color and was growing at an alarming speed.

The pyramid shook violently, the tons of solid stone cracking and shattering under some unseen force.

"Reinforce that structure!" (Agent leader)

But it didn't matter what they tried, for the jail that held me shattered in an explosion of dust and debris, smashing into a few unfortunate souls, and sending them on their way.

Out of the smoke came not a tiger, no, this was no mere animal.

This was a monster.

Standing at 14 feet tall, with a length of 22 feet and a weight of 1200 pounds, was a dark grey furred beast covered in sharp deadly looking spikes.

The tip of the tail was spiked like a spear tip, and around its neck was a mane of hair that could grow soft as silk or spiked as deadly blades.

As it growled, toxic looking purple gas leaked from its deadly jaws.

Here stood a Nundu, not a fully grown one, but a true and deadly Nundu, the highest rated danger beast in the entire world of Harry Potter, and my second Animagus form.

The Dai Lee agents stood shell shocked at my appearance, but I easily reminded them what was going on, in a very simple way.

"RRRRROOOOOAAAARRR!"

The sheer force of my roar threw back a dozen agents and shook the room from the vibration, but it did it's job of waking them.

Dozens of earthen attacks hit my hide and did nothing.

Despite my new size, as a Nundu, I could move silently and swiftly, but there was no need.

With each step I took, I killed a man and ignored their attacks.

My tail lashed out, spearing through three at the same time.

The leader and a group of twelve grouped together and tried to pierce my eyes but I avoided them.

The only true downside to this form, was that I couldn't cast magic in it.

At least as a tiger I could cast magic, but as a Nundu, nothing worked.

I didn't need anything to work though.

I faced the final thirteen men with a silent stare and charged like a tank.

"UUOOOO!"

They released their own cries and charged to their deaths.

These men lived as ghosts, but they died as warriors.

As I gutted the last man, the leader with my tail, I undid the transformation.

There was no need to use my disease breath, that would have much more extreme consequences.

I shrunk back to human form and appeared covered in cuts, bruises, and blood, but still standing strong. My clothes were shredded but slowly mending back together under their enchantments. The new scars on my body, however, would be staying as a reminder of this battle.

I looked down at the dying leader as he looked at me.

"I will see you again my friend. But not yet….not yet."

He chuckled and coughed up blood as he managed to squeeze out three words before his eyes lost life.

"Strength… and… honor."

I went down to one knee and closed his eyes in respect.

"Strength and honor."

I gave him a moment of silence.

It was amazing, I didn't know this mans name, any of their names, and yet a bond was there.

A bond of warriors caring not for death or thinking of insidious plots.

Just warriors pulling at everything they had, squeezing out their potential, and giving a final hoorah to give their life purpose.

They were brainwashed, slaves to another man's ambition. But removing the man doesn't remove what was done to them.

They preferred to die with purpose then live in disgrace.

They should be honored.

"Gol. Sil. Bron."

*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*

"Yes master?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Yo~ man~."

I raised an eyebrow at Bron who was wearing pajamas, had a teddy bear in hand, and had stoned red eyes, but otherwise ignored him for the moment.

"Move these bodies to Lake Laogai and clean the blood stains."

My elves loyally went to work without question, but I had to pause a second time as Bron somehow turned his teddy bear into the massively large butchers knife he used back in the chamber of secrets.

I reached over and snatched it away before throwing it in the warehouse.

"No, take the bodies as is. We will be giving them a warriors farewell."

"Ah…aye sir."

I just shook my head at how my high house elf went from depressed from not getting to use his butcher knife to excited at the thought of burning things, I swear he has a few screws loose.

As they got to work, I walked over to the girls I pushed to the side.

Mei was still awake and staring at everything in fascinated horror.

I broke her from her trance.

"You still wish to fight?"

She snapped her eyes to me and paled.

"Y-your k-k-kidding r-right?"

I nodded and released positive emotions through my Ten to soothe her.

"Good, I don't wish to kill children. Do you wish for what you just saw to be removed from your memory?"

She blinked and started gaining back her voice with a remarkable show of will.

"W-what do you mean?"

I pointed a finger at Ty Lee's unconscious form.

"This one is to innocent to have seen such open slaughter. I'll be removing her memory of what she saw here so she can live without being scared from this day.

I can do the same for you if you wish, I leave the choice to you."

She nodded thankfully for looking over Ty Lee before she looked down and fell into her own thoughts.

"Why?"

As I worked on Ty Lee I responded over my shoulder.

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill them all?"

I hummed at that for a moment.

"Because I wanted to."

She looked disgusted at that.

"So your just a monster like the fire lord?"

I shrugged.

"I think you misunderstood me. I didn't kill them because I wanted to kill something. I killed them at first because they were a threat to my life, and after because they faced me like warriors wishing for purpose.

Do you know what that feels like? To lose purpose, to become confused and lost as your sole reason for existing disappears like smoke.

They were made and molded as tools by one man, only to have that man removed.

I took responsibility for removing that man, and I freed them by giving them purpose in their final moments."

She spoke up strongly.

"But they could have just found other things to live for!"

I nodded.

"They could have, but they didn't want to.

Each of them knows what they did, the actions they committed under a puppet masters directions. They have been puppets for so long, so where does that leave them now that they gained back freedom?"

I finished with Ty Lee, allowing her to smile again in her sleep, before turning to Mei.

"They would require intensive therapy and be plagued by nightmares of the horrors they committed for their entire lives.

The Dai Lee controlled this city with a silent iron fist for decades. The amount of civilians brainwashed or buried by their hands is uncountable.

I gave them what they wished, a final end.

So to sum all of this up, I did it because I wanted to, that doesn't mean I have no reasons behind WHY I wanted to.

They lived like puppets but died as free warriors. Honor them and their courage to face death rather than run and cling to life."

Mei hung her head and muttered in a sad voice.

"There must have been another way."

I shook my head and stood up.

"Perhaps there was, but I am no god. I am but a man, and I make my choices for good or bad. That is what it means to be alive."

She looked up at me in confusion.

"Who are you?"

I just smirked and stunned her.

"A tourist."

*Line Break*

On the shore's of Lake Laogai, a large wooden pyre was set up in a long line.

I had no idea how bodies were honored in this world's culture, but it doesn't matter.

I would give these men and women a warriors funeral.

I set up a muggle repelling ward to help keep attention away from the smoke, but thankfully it was night, so it was less noticeable already.

Each Dai Lee agent was lain on their back with whatever intact piece of their corpse remained and had a gold coin placed on each eye.

I didn't mind the waste of gold, I felt it was worth the cause and a cleaning charm did wonders for a corpse.

Gol, Sil, and Bron made the process fast and clean, and within an hour the job was finished.

All I had to do was light the flames.

I asked my elves to stay, brought out Shadow and Athena, and I hovered the iPhone above to record and witness this event as I played a song I felt would fit here.

{ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: ~Song: Fairy Tail Shukumei~}

While standing on the shores as the water of the lake licked my soles in the night air with Shadow on one shoulder and Athena on the other, I spoke up in a clear and strong voice.

"The Dai Lee.

The secret agents that held control of an entire small country from the shadows.

The Agents that were taken as youths and orphans, raised, trained, and brainwashed by a single man.

Untold horrors and unspeakable actions were done by your hands for the sake of that man's ambitions.

You were all but puppets without wills to call your own.

You were ghosts, unknown to all, and to feared to be spoken to by the common civilian.

You had no voice, no opinion, no freedom.

But once the man was gone, once I had taken his life, you were lost and confused, until you finally made a choice of free will.

You chose to enact revenge on the slayer of your fallen puppet master.

Revenge may not be the noblest of goals, but it is indeed one you made on your own.

You men and women have suffered in life, but you died as warriors.

Even when you knew you would die, you still pushed on.

Even when you faced insurmountable odds, when you saw your brothers and sisters fall, and when you yourselves were injured, you all pushed on.

Not a single one stepped back, not a single one fled.

You didn't get to choose how you lived, but you chose how you died.

You faced the reaper, and you walked hand in hand with him.

I am proud to have faced such warriors in your final moments.

I am honored to have been your foe.

And I am glad… I could set you free.

Now, you are free."

"Meow."

"Hoot."

"""You are free."""

As one, all four of us lifted a torch and lit one section of the pyre. Shadow had even put a paw on my arm to participate, and Athena fanned the flame with her wings.

As the flames spread, I raised my hands to the sky above.

"Go now! Your journey is not at an end! Death is not the end! You are free! Find your own happiness on the next leg of your adventure!"

My voice reverberated across the lake and up into the sky.

"I…I will see you again one day.

We shall meet again, on the other side of the unknown.

But not yet.

Not yet."

The flames burned higher, and the light glowed along the water surface, burning into my eyes the final moments of these souls.

And then before my eyes, balls of light left the corpses and rose to the heavens.

We all stood in awe at the display. Except Shadow who tried to claw at one.

Like hundreds of stars rising to the sky.

As I stood there next to the fire with the backdrop of the boundless night sky and cool summer weather, I heard two words whispered in my ear. Two words filled with pure sincerity. Two words, for the souls to say farewell.

"Thank you."

A tear unconsciously fell from an eye as I stared up at the lights, and I whispered back with a bittersweet smile.

"Your free."

I watched as the lights ascended.

I watched as the flames slowly went out.

And I stood sentinel until the morning sun rose over the horizon.

With the morning sunlight shining on my face, I raised my hands to pat my familiars and I looked down at my loyal elves who had silently stayed by my side.

"Come, we have a trio of girls unconscious in our dungeon to deal with."

"Meow!"

Shadow was ready to cause mischief as always.

"Hoot."

Athena just wanted bacon.

"Right away master."

Gol bowed his head as always.

"Right away sir."

Sil gave an honest happy smile and nodded.

"Can I hotbox the dungeon?"

And Bron of course had something to say.

Wait.

"Bron, where did you learn about the term 'hotbox'?"

Bron raised up the iPhone I hadn't collected back yet.

"Oh! Ms. Menchi and Mr. Hisoka send messages from time to time. I usually speak with them when your busy master."

'*sigh* I'm really not surprised.'

I felt like I already knew the answer to my next question.

"And which one told you about it?"

Bron gave a happy smile.

"Both!"

I nodded.

"Right, Bron, I have an order for you."

Bron saluted me sharply.

"Aye sir!"

"Next time you answer the phone, I want you to ask Menchi where babies come from.

As for Hisoka, just tell him I'm fighting a life and death battle against a strong opponent.

Got it?"

He nodded and puffed out his chest.

"Leave it to me master!"

'There, that should be some nice revenge.'

"Good, now let's head back and deal with the princess's in the dungeon."

Because that will be so much fun.

Chapter end.