AN:
Me: Coming back years later to update guys.
Also me: Oh shoot it's been almost half a year now since I said that.
Someone smack my hand, I've been bad. But alas, here we are! (To be fair I wrote this the next day but I was too hard on myself by trying to revise it enough before I posted it. Finally kicked myself and decided to post it anyways.)
Song is Dark Matter by The World Alive.
Also warning of child abuse in this chapter. Skip the first section if it's too much.
Vinioz screams in agony, wheezing and hurling whatever liquid was left in her stomach onto the stone cold floor. Her breathing is uneasy, her vision blurring through fallen tears. The seven year old gasps, trying to regain any composure she can muster. Her bones are weak and even with her small mass, everything body feels heavy, weighing the child down like a large sack of concrete. Her arms are scorched and blackened, bubbling with puss and possible infection. The pit in her stomach rumbles from eating itself out of hunger. Every meal she tried to eat would never stay down, even if she was forced it.
Not that it mattered anymore. The blistering pain shooting through her entire body overcame any hint of hunger no matter how large the appetite. The idea of death became a plausible thought. Death had to be a sweeter welcome than this.
Shoichi grins above her, arms crossed and looking down with a wild expression of malice and pleasure. They had made a large breakthrough today. His experiment had worked, just as he predicted it would. For months he had known it would be a success just with the right push. It was only a matter of time.
Vinioz pulled through each experiment even when he knew the consequences were dire, enough to kill her, but they never did. She came out alive each time.
They both anticipated it, each time the risk was taken. She could die at any given one. In truth, they both seeked her demise. But in the deeper parts of their hearts, they yearned for her to survive. And survive she had. Blood of blood or not, the girl was a still a tool.
A flame he would burn out and relight as many times as needed until there was either nothing left of the wick or a fire so massive it will catch flame to everything around it in destruction.
"Get up."
The amount of times this has happened was near impossible to count.
'Weak. Pathetic.' The girl would repeat to herself subconsciously. Often in his voice, her own, and a small soft voice in her head. One that said it in not only malice, but in teaching. To break her down only to rebuild.
Each day Shoichi pushes past to new heights, past limitations thought impossible to overcome. In her father's eyes, she was the greatest mistake he had ever made. A success through failure.
Up until the point he didn't need her anymore, she thought.
Vinioz often tried to envision any happy thoughts that may have resigned themselves to the deepest parts of her subconscious, but none ever came, even in the moments of solitude and silence. Happy thoughts did not exist, besides perhaps the laughter of the cruel man each time he began the rigorous torture. The only thing she knew how to do was oblige and obey – no matter what.
"I said get up." Shoichi spits, grabbing the girl and lifting her by the forearm up onto her feet, vomit dripping from the corners of her lips strewn by a long string of saliva dripping to the floor. The pain scorches her arms and in turn intensifies the burns tenfold the moment he snatches her up.
She knows not to scream. Not again.
His conditioning wasn't something a normal child would be able to handle, this they both knew. But she was never normal from the beginning.
"Until your limbs burn to ash," Shoichi pulls her to her feet, his face so close to hers she can smell the last meal he ate from his vile breath. "Until the world is blazed in darkness and the monsters of the night walk these plains again, you will never rest."
Vinioz gulps back a tremble, pressing her lips together hard, then nods obediently in understanding.
The pain is nearly enough to bring on sleep. The last time an order was disobeyed was due to forced unconsciousness. She recalls waking to her face held over a cauldron, inside the iron bowl a concoction capable of burning through human flesh. Just as she remembers seeing him use on his victims in the past. Benders and non benders both, it made no difference. All victims befell the same fate in the end.
Shoichi would never admit it but deep down she knew he was cautious not to let her die. He needed her far too much to let a strong guinea pig go to waste. Not after so much progress has been made. The girl was a prized possession, a key to understanding the connection between the human and spirit world. To combine the two there was only one known being who could. The Avatar.
But Vinioz was no Avatar. Far from it. She had never known compassion, love, friendship, human decency, anything remotely human or normal. His obsession to understand and control both realms was maddening. Using his own daughter for a vessel, a test to see if spirits can be contained and controlled. But he was no fool. Shoichi wouldn't dare test the experiment on himself first regardless if the odds weighed heavily in his favor. The risk was too high and there was too much work left still incomplete.
Shoichi drops her to the ground, standing over her and leans over, his mass large enough to cast a shadow, a favorite position of intimidation. "Now...Tell me...Has it spoken to you yet?"
"Why?!"
Before Vinioz gets an answer from Shoichi a large blast of water smashes into her cheek hurling the cannibal into the air causing her to land in the snow with a hard smack. Grunting, she pulls herself to her feet, eyes meeting the man who caught her off guard and dared to interrupt an important battle, deprive her of the answers that had long needed to be answered. And even more, it was not an officer. This man looked to be an average local, dressed in a burly coat with dark blue shades and white fur trim. For a moment, his face looked familiar. But details weren't important. This impudent waste was of no major threat. Turning to look to the place Shoichi once stood, the man was now gone.
Damn this Northerner for intervening and letting her prey get away. He would pay. He would...
Black energy begins to pool around them, shaking the air just from her aura alone. For a split moment Noatak couldn't tell if her eyes were rolling to the back of her head or not, but a fidget of the lids lead to believe otherwise.
Vinioz dips her head back, chuckling. The blood smeared across her lips drips down the left cheek, her tongue quick to lick it clean. Blazing gold and orange eyes slowly open as she rolls her head forward, calmly breathing, in, then out.
Noatak is quick to take a fighting stance. He's uncertain what's running through the woman's mind, if she's trying to calm down or stall long enough to think of a new plan of attack. Body movement was often tricky to read, but also very important to remember in battle. Noatak was still somewhat out of practice, except for a few occasions here and there. One of the neighbors had a young teenager he often helped spar with upon the father's request. The man and his wife's jobs kept them preoccupied, often times never home long enough to sneak in waterbending practice with their son. His ability in water being was not something he was worried about. As far as bloodbending, that was another story. Noatak had gone this long without using it until just little under an hour ago. Many rules have been broken this week it would seem. But there was also the civilians around to think of. He'd gone this long without being recognized, rarely showing much of his face in public without a heavy hood on, the fur trim lining his face line well, nearly covering his eyes. Keeping his hair down rather than slicked back like in the Amon days also helped. He may have looked much more like a savage with tousled brown fibers matted around his face than he did a civilized political war figure - but he didn't care. Better to throw them off. He never learned their names and they never learned his. Best to keep it that way, even still. But the woman before him, name or not, she was going down regardless.
The bloodbender steps forward and catches sight of the females scarred arms, blackened and peeling. It looks like burned charcoal, almost impossible to tell the sleeves had been singed up to her elbows if not for the blackened cloak blending right in. Yet the woman moved like she was in no pain even as she reached out to touch her cheek from the redness of the attack.
'This is a genuine monster, not just based on what was released in the papers.' he thought. Up close and personal was a whole other ball game. Even the aura alone was powerful enough to deliver a heavy veil that weighed down like wet sand bags. Dreams of Yakone used to be the source the gut wrenching feeling that presented itself in the pit of his gut, but this was far worse. And she hadn't even done anything to him...yet. He did not plan to be the next course on the meal however. The thought of being eaten alive made more than just stir his stomach. Tingles ran up his spine like cold water dripping on his bare body. Surely the hairs on his body stood up in fright as well. He'd faced down many benders who sought to kill, but cannibalism...that wasn't something war taught you how to fight against.
From the dried blood on her face it had to be the cannibal from the papers for sure, there was no doubting that. So they were here just like Shoichi predicted they would be. Just one thing that wasn't a lie of the possible many, including the rumor about fleeing to the Fire Nation.
The smoke in the air grew heavier making it harder to see one another let alone breath. Just as Noatak steps closer, a sharp ice spear slices across his shoulder from behind and hurls past. In the realization of what just happened, his gaze fixates on Vinioz still in front of him, ice shard clenched in the blackened bare hand. Steam emits from inside her palm and melts the shard until the drops of water fall to the snow beneath.
"Looks like I arrived just in time!" Kama shouts, steering the ice sheet that carries both himself and Mako. The speed in which they ride causes a gust large enough to knock the smoke back and clear the air temporarily. They slide past Noatak and stop just beside their teammate. Unboarding, Kama shakes his head and sighs at the look of a bloodied up partner then crosses his arms. "I should have known you weren't going to stay on the ferry. And I see you've set the town on fire. Fantastic." Cursing under his breath in half sarcasm, half irritation, he laughs then pushes up his glasses trying to redirect his emotions. "Alright, that's my fault." Conceding and throwing his arms up in the air in defeat, Kama lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's been an already stressful trip and I'm starting to wish I had asked you to come with me. I could have used your help with the Avalanche back there, but I managed." Taking notice to the red smearing on his partners face, the waterbender reaches out and wipes a finger along her cheek, bringing the bloodied digit up to his nose and sniffs. "Not yours, I presume?"
"Shoichi is here, he started the Avalanche." Vinioz starts, redirecting the subject, voice still festering with obliterate rage. "He wanted to separate us on purpose. I imagine he knew I was back on the ferry...It was just a matter of time before I was lured out I imagine."
"Then where is he?"
Kama eyes then fall on Noatak questioningly. He runs a hand through his saggy black hair and pulls it back some of the curls scattered around his defined cheek bones, curling and twisting around the frame of the lenses. The ice makeshift sled then lifts into the air, directed at the other male threateningly. "And who's this?"
"Amon!" Mako shouts, beginning to approach him. Noatak had almost forgotten the boy was, but the closer he got his features began to look familiar. It took a moment to recognize him at first, but now he recognized him. The firebender who had helped expose Amon alongside the Avatar. But what was he doing here? Unless they were using him as leverage. Or a hostage…
"Where is Korra? She hasn't contacted anyone since she left. And she came here looking for you. I imagine she should be here, and you ought to be behind bars." Mako adds with accusation, luring to the fact Noatak must have done something to her. The orange in the firebenders eyes spark with impatience and a thirst for immediate answers.
'So that's what this is about.' So the firebender knew about Korra's trip up here, did he? What was Noatak supposed to respond with? If they were using the young man they may have been planning to get to Korra, if that was their end goal. But the cannibals mentioning of Shoichi led him to believe she wasn't their main target. If this boy was as close to the Avatar as he imagined, then he wouldn't wish any harm to fall on her, rather to help or simply inquire information. But caution was something that was embedded in Noatak's brains at all times. This matter was no different. The thought crossed his mind that he was practically protecting the Avatar by withholding the information of her whereabouts. A thought that stifled a laugh internally. Perhaps the North has done the opposite and only made him more soft of a man. Concluding that none of them are trustworthy even to tell the truth, he redirects the question."What are you doing with the two killers?"
"I can explain later, but I need to get to Korr-" Before Mako finishes his sentence he's already thrown into the air, Vinioz speeding past and instantly knocking Noatak to the ground like a rabid dog and holding him down by his shoulders, Mako rolling to the grounds surface at Kama's feet.
"YOU LET HIM ESCAPE." The air around Noatak is hot and suffocating, the woman's breath blazing against his face, as though she's breathing fire down his very throat. The saliva in his mouth begins to dry by the second, lips chapping. He struggles to speak but his throat chaffs against itself. Vinioz's fingers begin curling into his skin penetrating the top surface, no doubt leaving blood behind in its wake. Her eyes are wild, just like a wild feral beast. But there's a hesitation in her grip, though faint to notice at first. Maybe she doesn't want to hurt him, just rile him up a bit for scare. 'Or maybe she's growing weak and running out of energy.'
Quick to grab her arms from either shoulder, Noatak stops abruptly at attention. It wasn't noticeable at first from such a far away distance but now it's so easy to see. Her skin was peeling. The burned flesh was falling off and tearing itself away rapidly. The skin beneath rebuilding, growing new flesh that rose to the surface. There were small patches of pale flesh beneath the charred black that became more apparent. What was this ability? She wasn't human, there was just no way.
"What are you...?" Noatak questions in both fear and boldness, eyes glued to the arms that regenerated like nothing he had seen before. He curses for being caught off guard like this. If only he had been quick, kept a sharp eye and kept his guard up this wouldn't have happened. He became vulnerable and more relaxed when Mako approached him, talking about Korra. How careless of a move. Surely his past teachers before him would be scolding him if they had seen such a poor display. To allow himself to be distracted by some woman during a fight that could cost him his life, even the gods must be laughing at how foolish he was.
Vinioz stared down at him, remembering his features, analyzing where she had seen him from before. The man was no different than most men up this far North. Bulky build, dark brown hair, and deep blue eyes. And yet it was a face that had to have been shown to her before.
Then it finally clicked.
"You're Yakone's son." She shifted and removed one hand from his shoulder to his neck, slowly tightening the grip in a choke.
Noatak's neck felt like it was on fire. The sweat either from his nervousness or her own palm felt thick on his skin, like sizzling water dripping down his adams apple. Moving his hands as quick as possible he bent up water from the snow and was fast to create water whips that then wrapped tightly around the cannibals wrists, ripping the woman backwards off of him. Using the given opportunity, Noatak bends the whips downwards like stakes and pierces the ground, causing her body to fall forward down with them. How angry she must be to be thrown in such a submissive position, forced to bow before his feet. It was incredibly demeaning. A move he remembered his father once used on him as a child when they trained.
The restraints did not last for long. When they broke with the intensity of her strength she began to sprint towards him with incredible speed. This time he made sure he didn't lack for reaction time.
Kicks and punches were thrown left and right, neither managing to fully hit the other but each had exceptional skills in hand to hand combat. Between either of them they had to have had obtained the skill set through a lot of training over a long period of time. But the instincts on the woman were exceptionally sharp. It was as if she could read his movements before they happened, easily blocking each oncoming attack with a matter of ease. Mako and Kama watched in admiration of how skilled both of these benders were. While Mako had seen Amon fight, he didn't expect him to keep up with the woman if she were as talented as her partner made her out to be on their trip here. Kama did not speak much on behalf of his partner, only that his advice was to never take her for granted. Worthy words for the display shown before them.
Finally Noatak managed to land a blow on the woman and took a step back to catch a breath of fresh air while she stood back, caught off guard.
"You never answered my question. So I'll ask again, "What are you?"
In those moments, Noatak had wished he had swallowed his words and not asked. The thick power that radiated off the girl became heavier and then began to take form. He watched in bewilderment as the shapes started to mold and solidify into what looked like bodies made out of shadow. The snarling forced his knees to buckle, wolves made of smoke drawing closer to him, fangs bared and eyes flared in hunger. They stepped closer, until their master halted them.
"You ask me what I am…?"
Vinioz takes a step forward. Their faces are so close that he knows she can smell the fear from his body even as he fights the tremble that tries to rise in his skin. They stare into each others eyes long enough for Noatak to find no life behind the orbs that layer her defined features. Eyes full of emptiness. There is no human in this body, not anymore, surely. A monster in the carcass of a human. A black void.
Her hand draws up to rest on his cheek and he bites back his tongue so as not to show weakness from just how bad the touch truly stings. He refused to look away, even if it meant his death.
"I am the Demon of Flames, the monster that feeds off the flesh of men. The bringer of shadows." Vinioz slithers a hand behind his head and grasps a fistful of hair to pull him down to her, her breath hot on his ear. "And I will eat every single man, woman and child in this village if that's what it takes to seek my revenge."
Everything turned to black as unconsciousness took over him with a blow to the gut so hard the last thing that flashed behind his eyes was a vulnerable sleeping Korra, asleep and broken in his bed back home.
