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Once more, I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited and followed the story since the last update.
And as usual, if you enjoy the story. Please continue to do so.
And without further ado, please enjoy.
Devils, Chaos and Suffering – Chapter Eighty
Elle panted as she ran as fast as she could in hopes of making it to her house to find her father and brother.
Only to freeze in her tracks with her wide teary amber eyes staring ahead to find armed soldiers had blocked the street off.
The child stepped back with her little mouth agape in naivety only to find herself trembling in trauma while she watched soldiers begin to advance on her.
She cowered with tears dripping down her cheeks while her terrified eyes now gazed back at the man who attacked her mother.
As Strados walked forward with his torn coat slung over his shoulder.
His pitiless blue eyes stared down at her trembling form just as he came to a stop looming over her.
"Your mother won't be coming back for you. I killed her." Strados announced in a heartless voice with a cigarette burning between his lips while Elle's innocent eyes watered after hearing his words.
"W-what. D-dead? T-that can't be-" Elle stammered in a broken voice only to find herself dropping to her knees when a powerful fist slammed into her stomach.
The little girl slumped into the dirt with saliva dripping out of her open mouth while tears still stained her traumatized cheeks.
Team Azula seethed in rage while they watched a soldier carelessly drag the unconscious girl away.
Strados took another drag of his cigarette while he gazed on with terrifyingly detached blue eyes.
His gaze was that of someone with no remorse or sympathy for the survivors that were crying out in terror across the settlement.
And soon enough a gruesome scene began to unfold across the smoking horizon.
Armed military vehicles sat outside of the village.
While military officials watched from their positions with detached looks in their eyes as the survivors were now being led in a rank and file march.
And in the distance, there was a massive tent.
And to the horror of Team Azula little Elle was now being shoved into the ominous line.
The child gazed on with her traumatized eyes still not understanding what was going on.
A man stood at the front of the line as he called ascertained the value of each prisoner with a peculiar handheld scanning device.
"C-can someone tell me where my parents are? W-where is my family?" Elle sputtered out in a heartbroken voice with her wet eyes gazing ahead in fear as she padded to a stop at the front of the line.
Not one person answered the young child's sorrowful query.
The prisoners could only stare on with despairing eyes as their fates were callously decided by their captors.
Just as little Elle whimpered as she gazed up at a stocky man who glanced down at her for a passing moment only for the device to let out a dull beep.
Just before he spoke savage words that tore into the hearts of Team Azula.
"Trash. Take her to liquidation!" The officer exclaimed in a dismissive voice while the little girl stared up at him with her wet amber eyes unable to process his words.
The four highborn women watched with a sickening feeling in their stomachs when their friend's younger self was seized by a soldier once more.
Azula continued to gaze on with her crimson lips ajar in a rare emotion that she could not place.
Her frigid amber golden eyes shone with great anger as she observed her little servant girl cry out as she was dragged away.
As much as she tried to tell herself that the girl was just another peasant and that she didn't care.
For reasons that she couldn't explain she did.
If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have even blinked an eye.
After all, they weren't her commoners.
So, it wasn't any concern of hers. Right?
And yet she couldn't help but purse her tight lips into a beautiful thin line as she exhaled flames through her wrathful nostrils.
"I-I want my family!" Elle protested in a weak voice with tears running down her cheeks while whimpered as she was roughly dragged towards the ominous tent.
Only for an emotionless voice to cause the man leading her to pause as he turned around to find himself gazing fearfully back at Strados' stony face.
"No. Not that one. She may yet have power in her veins. And I want to see if I can bring it out." Strados declared in an authoritative voice with his cigarette between his fingers while the other officers stared back at him in bewilderment.
"What? But her power reading is zero!" The other officer blurted out with confusion in his voice only to find himself shuddering under the terrifying man's death stare.
"Of course. I could always see what could be done to bring about yours as well…" Strados trailed off in a menacing voice with his lifeless eyes staring back at the now paling officer's face as he rapidly shook his head.
"That's…not necessary. You know best. Take her." The officer assured in a hurried voice as he waved for two soldiers to take the trembling child away.
As young Elle's sorrowful cries continued to resonate into the air in a futile effort to locate her parents.
"Mom! D-Dad! I'm scared! Where are my parents!" Elle wailed in an increasingly distraught voice as she padded along with the men shoving her along like a sheep to the slaughter.
Azula clenched her jaw as she gazed on with her dark hair showing her callous amber golden eyes with a blue fire escaping her nostrils.
Only to find herself torn from her thoughts when the soldiers dragged another struggling child into view.
The two girls met each other's gazes while the other child was dragged to a stop while the sounds of soldier's voices broke out into the air.
"Look at what the cat dragged in. Cerise…we meet again." Strados spoke in a predatory voice as he strode closer with his blue eyes gazing mockingly down at the beaten girl.
The nameless child said nothing as she defiantly gazed back up into his eyes while he exhaled from the cigarette between his lips.
Just as she began kicking at her captors only to find herself reeling from a brutal blow to the belly not a moment later.
And not a moment later the child sunk onto her knees with the breath leaving her lips while Elle watched with horrified amber eyes.
Strados stared on with an emotionless look in his cold blue eyes as the girl was beaten by the two men.
"Looks like we got a fighter in this one!" One of the men called out in a mocking voice just as his fist collided with Naoki's cheek.
"Do you want to know why these things keep happening to you and everyone you see around you?" Strados pondered in an almost offhand fashion as he dropped down onto one knee before Naoki's rasping face.
Just before he took hold of the girl's chin while he exhaled smoke in the coughing orphan's face.
"Because you are weak. The strong have no regard for the weak." Strados declared in a deep voice with his pitiless eyes staring back down into Naoki's widening eyes.
Elle stood with her feet shaking in her shoes while she gazed fearfully up at the man's looming face only to find herself being drug away soon after.
"Take these two away. I will see to them shortly." Strados ordered with his burning cigarette between his lips while he stood back up.
Just as Naoki was hoisted away while she gazed on with her brown eyes never leaving the man's face.
Only to find herself being pulled through the dirt while the sounds of the terrified populace continued to resonate all around them.
"There's another one that we found." The officer from before spoke up from behind Strados while he nodded as he took a drag of his smoke.
"Take that one as well then." Strados remarked with his cigarette between his fingers while he began to walk off.
"And the rest?" Another soldier queried as people stepped to the front of the line.
"Doesn't matter. Whatever you want. I don't care." Strados commented in a dismissive shrug as he walked away while the prisoners gazed on with frightened eyes.
"Understood." The officer replied in a sadistic voice while he turned to appraise the group.
Amar stood gazing ahead with his terrified eyes reflecting a great fear of the tent that loomed before him.
And soon enough he too entered the ominous tent.
And he never came out alive.
The same as all who had entered before him.
Until soon enough the sound of a vehicle engine roaring to life ruptured the air.
Just as the soldiers spun around to gaze back in surprise to see one of their cars driving away like a bolt of lightning.
Strados stared on with his blue eyes widening ever so slightly as he bit down on the cigarette between his lips.
"Looks like a couple stragglers managed to get away thanks to that woman." A soldier stated from behind Elle while the child gazed on with emotional amber eyes.
Elle shook as she stumbled through the dirt with her little mouth dropping open in realization as she processed the man's words.
"It matters not. We'll hunt them down before the day is over." Strados spoke as he held his burning cigarette between his fingers.
And then he resumed his walk with his eyes gazing after the car in the distance for a final moment before he turned away once more.
"Dying to save just three or four people. If you ask me that's pretty pathetic." Another man scoffed as he pushed Elle along while the little girl gazed ahead with watering amber eyes.
Elle walked along with her wide eyes staring on in a trance as she recalled her mother's words of wisdom from the previous day.
'No living being has the right to take the life of another.' Elle thought with a sniffle escaping her lips while she naively trudged ahead.
She continued to cry softly with her hands at her sides while she continued to follow her captors unaware of the further terror that was about to come.
But she would know soon enough.
As would Team Azula.
Elle soon found herself shoved down beside the same brown-haired girl from before who was trembling in fear just like her.
The nameless child was viciously pushed down beside them while the other two girls gazed fearfully up at their armed captors.
Before the two turned to gaze back to gaze at each other once more.
"M-my name is Elle. What's your name?" Elle questioned in a timid voice as she gazed back at the other girl's fear struck face.
Only for the brown-haired girl to simply stare on with a traumatized look in her green eyes almost as if she was too shocked to process the other girl's words.
As the nameless girl gazed at the little blonde in faint annoyance out of the corner of her shimmering brown eyes.
"Names won't matter soon enough. Not if we don't get out of here." The nameless child interjected in a serious voice as she stared back at Elle's quivering face.
Before she turned to gaze up at the soldiers with a more stoic countenance than her once again two crying companions.
And the terrifying thing was that both Elle and Minori knew that the older girl was not wrong.
And it was only a short time later that white water was crashing against a rocky shoreline.
The four highborn women stared on in astonishment with even Azula once more finding herself taken aback by Strados' cruelty.
The Sun was shining high in the sky.
A vast tree sat by a rushing river with a long, large branch extending over the rapidly flowing white water.
The three girls were now standing tied to one another with their backs to each other in the middle of the raging river.
And wrapped around each of their necks was a noose!
Strados walked towards them with a twisted smile once more adorning his lips.
He carried his torn coat over his shoulder before he came to a stop over the three terrified girls with a small golden pocket watch in hand.
"Hold your heads high and be supportive of one another…because if one of you falls…the rest of you fall too." Strados announced in a merciless voice with his cruel blue eyes staring down into their aghast faces.
As he smiled widely down at the trembling girls before he turned to gaze down into the redhead's still defiant brown eyes.
Just before he tauntingly placed the pocket watch between the shivering girl's teeth in her open mouth.
"A little memento. Keep the memories of your loved ones close to heart…think of them in your time of need and know that they are forever lost to you." Strados spoke in a sadistically delighted voice while the child struggled with the pocket watch now clamped between her teeth.
Just as each of the children's eyes flashed with terror as they shook in their bonds when a river rapid slammed into their already trembling legs.
Strados smiled with his subordinates gazing on in similar enjoyment from the sidelines as the girls let out panicked cries as their feet began to buckle beneath them.
The three children now stood knee deep in the rushing rapids with the soldiers watching in unconcealed excitement from the shoreline.
Only for little Elle to release a heart wrenching wail as she cried with her small neck shaking in her noose.
"S-someone please help me! I am so afraid!" Elle cried out in a meek voice as tears streamed down her cheeks only to jump when the water rushed over her legs once more.
As Minori cried out in mutual fright alongside her as they huddled their bodies together.
Strados continued to stare down into their increasingly terrified eyes with a deranged smile that only grew with every cry that they made.
Just as Team Azula watched from the slope with their widened eyes now staring at the man's face in even greater hatred.
Ty Lee's eyes welled up with angry tears as she gritted her teeth together beside the similarly enraged Mai.
Azula gazed on with her beautiful crimson lips pursed into a deepening scowl while she tried to fight down the uncharacteristic protective instincts that were rising up from within her.
She watched with growing discomfort as Elle's tiny body nearly fell over when the waters smashed into her once again.
Yet somehow throughout it all the girl with no name remained strong.
The oldest child stood with her head held high and her pendant hanging from her neck while she bit down on the pocket watch.
Just as the two other girls slammed into her body.
And not even moments later Elle nearly fell into the water with the rope tightly grasping at her reddening neck.
Only for the highborn women to watch in surprise when the nameless girl quickly caught Elle's struggling body with her left hand.
And soon followed shortly by Minori as well.
The second traumatized child sunk like a rock only for the girl with no name to catch her as well.
The two other children leaned against the redhead's shoulders while her legs continued to shake underneath the force of the colliding river rapids.
Strados gazed down at her with a savage smile while he watched their bodies struggle in the powerful white rapids.
Just as he turned to step back onto the shore with his cruel blue eyes still gazing back at the girl's gasping face with the rope starting to press down on her neck.
The two passed out girls slumped against the older girl's body as she too began to waver upon her feet.
"Do you know why I became a soldier? It wasn't for heroics or notions of honor and duty. It was for that face!" Strados commented with his wet boots stepping out onto the shoreline while his comrades turned to him in understanding.
After all each of them joined his unit because in some way or another they felt the same.
Zoi adorned a glower on her lips as she clenched a fist at her hip while she stared icily at the foreign soldier's face as he stood smiling over the waterside.
Azula and her friends also glared at him no doubt with many thoughts of what tortures they would inflict upon him should they ever meet him.
Strados' eyes continued to shine with sadistic joy as he looked the child up and down while she wobbled on her tired feet.
She stumbled upon her feet with the pocket watch still clamped between her teeth while she struggled to prevent the rope from pulling her under.
As water sprayed in her eyes she swayed on her exhausted feet while she momentarily met her tormenter's cruel blue eyes.
Just before she abruptly fell into the water with the two younger girls dropping down alongside her with their ropes tightening around their necks.
The soldiers chuckled in amusement as they turned to walk away only to turn to their leader to find that he was still smiling intently down at the water.
Their gazes collectively watched in surprise when there was a brief struggle underwater.
Only for the rope to be hastily cut before it could break their necks just as the three girls were suddenly swept away by the raging white water rapids.
As Strados still wore a dark smile on his lips while he watched the children's bodies get pulled away in the unforgiving river.
'The other two were worthless but the red-haired one…will one day make for a marvelous kill.' Strados thought in a pleased fashion as he turned to walk away with his lackeys following after him.
If she survived that was.
Only to turn his head around not a moment later with surprise in his eyes to see another force arriving upon the horizon.
"Another military?" One of the soldiers questioned in a concerned voice with his leader squinting his eyes as he scrutinized the approaching force.
Just before Strados quickly walked ahead with his hands already grasping a hold of his pistols.
And soon enough the sounds of gunshots were firing through the air once more.
And then….
Later on, that day.
Elle and the nameless girl washed up ashore as they lay coughing in the wet grass while an old blade fell from the older girl's-tired hand.
The sounds of Elle's renewed sobbing filtered into the air as she turned to the other girl with her brown eyes already appraising the younger girl's worth.
"W-where is the other kid?" Elle pondered in a destroyed cry while the other girl sat up behind her.
"I don't know and I honestly don't care. She probably drowned." The nameless child answered in a dismissive voice only to sigh when Elle's crying only grew louder.
She gazed at the smaller child's back with her eyes fearfully keeping watch out for the return of their tormenter's.
"So…do you have any survival skills of any kind?" The nameless child questioned in a frustrated voice as her damp hair hung behind her while she stared at the crying child's back.
"I-I want my momma!" Elle wailed in a heartbroken voice with her tears streaming down her cheeks while the other girl held her face in her hands.
The older girl said nothing as she sat with her pendant still hanging from her neck.
She reached out to grasp it in her hand while she gazed at it with a sentimental expression in her eyes.
And then she withdrew old golden musical pocket watch from her pocket that she had managed to recover from the river.
As she opened it up as a soft chime began to play while she glanced down at the old photograph of a woman that was nestled inside it.
It was her mother, or at least she thought it was.
But there was no point mulling over what was said and done.
No. There wasn't.
They needed to get moving.
The following day in the ruins of Rosa.
Despite her new companion's protests.
Young Elle decided to return to the settlement in hopes of finding someone.
Anyone.
But most of all her parents and brother.
Strados and his soldiers had left after encountering the other military power upon the horizon.
With the entire populace all but wiped out.
There was nothing more to be done in the isolated valley settlement of Rosa.
And all that remained was an eerie silence that blew through the air.
And the corpses of the slain inhabitants littering the streets and their once happy homesteads.
And now the little girl sat huddled up on the floor of their abandoned house with her downcast amber eyes brewing with wetness.
"Mom? Dad? Felix?" Elle called out once more in a sorrowful voice with her tired eyes gazing around in hopes of seeing her family once more.
Only to find herself sinking back into her ball with her head in her knees with the only reply being the growling of her own belly.
"They're not going to come back you know." The nameless child spoke up from the doorway with her brown eyes gazing back at Elle's quivering back while the younger girl sniffled once more.
"Y-you don't know that." Elle protested in an unusually glum voice as she listened to the slightly older child pushed herself up off the wall.
"I do know. Because they are dead Elle. Just like everyone else here." The nameless child announced once again with her feet padding along the floor while she gazed down at the shorter girl's crying back.
"N-no. They're not! They have to be around here somewhere." Elle blurted out in a stubborn voice with her wide eyes staring ahead while the other girl stared over her shoulder.
"No trust me they are not and the sooner you accept that the better off you will be." The nameless child advised in a blunt voice while she watched the other girl stand up as she wiped at her eyes.
Just before the smaller child turned to face her with tears still fresh in her eyes.
"I-I just can't accept that. I'll find them. I know I will." Elle insisted in a naïve voice as she padded past the girl's frustrated face while she rushed after her.
"We need to get going. He didn't spare us out of the kindness of his heart! He's going to come back for us and he'll catch us again if we don't go!" The nameless child exclaimed as she moved after the younger girl while Elle wandered out the doorway.
Only for her brown eyes to watch in renewed frustration when the other girl began hopelessly calling out for her parents once more.
The naïve child stumbled through the lifeless town with her wet eyes gazing around in search of her family.
She trembled in horror when she ran past a man's corpse lying dead from a bullet wound to the chest.
"Is anyone there!" Elle called out in a torn-up voice as she padded along with her damp eyes staring on in an unusually depressed manner.
Only for her teary briefly widen when she caught sight of a familiar color at the bottom of a slope as she approached the local beach.
Just before the nameless girl's eyes widened when Elle began to ignorantly run down to the beach front unaware of what was in store for her.
"No! Elle! Don't go down there!" The nameless child shouted with a hand over her mouth as she ran after the younger girl.
But it was too late.
Elle had already reached the bottom.
And not even a moment later the child's heartbroken voice broke out into the air when she found herself gazing down hauntingly at her mother's lifeless face.
"M-Mom! Mom! Get up!" Elle cried out as she dropped down to shake her mother's shoulders while the woman lay there motionless.
Only for her amber eyes to grow frantic as she clutched at her mother's blouse while the other girl stood quietly behind her.
So distraught that she failed to process the sight of the bullet holes in her mother's face and chest.
Team Azula gazed down at their young friend's child self with emotion tugging in their chests when the little girl began to choke up.
"P-please wake up Mom. Please!" Elle exclaimed in a shattered voice with her hands furiously shaking her mother's clothed chest.
Only for her lip to tremble when her mother's body limply dropped back into the reddened sand.
She sat there with tears streaming down her cheeks while the other girl stared down at her back.
"She's dead Elle. She's been dead since they killed her yesterday." The nameless child stated in a softer voice than before while Elle's amber eyes grew wide with wetness.
"N-no…that can't be." Elle mumbled in a disbelieving voice with tears pouring from her stinging eyes while Lana's lifeless eyes still gazed back up at her.
It was in that very moment that she finally began to understand that her mother was truly dead.
Just like everyone else. And likely her father and brother as well.
The sky was dark and cloudy just like the pain that was overflowing from within her heart.
Her little fists soon balled up over her mother's blouse while tears still dripped down her anguished face.
And then not even a second later she released a sorrowful cry at the top of her lungs.
"Momma!" Elle wailed in a heartbroken voice with her eyes burning with sorrow while an ethereal glow swept over her body.
The nameless girl now gazed down at her with her brown eyes widening in shock only to find herself taking a stunned step backwards when an aura of energy exploded from the girl's body.
As the child continued to release an anguished cry with her hair sticking to her damp cheeks.
"M-Mom come back! Please come back!" Elle shouted in a sob as she dropped to her knees with an aura of energy seeping forth from her body.
Her tear-stained eyes finally closed shut as she screamed as loud as her lungs could handle while the energy spiraled into the skies above
Just as she pounded her fist into the wet sand below while her small body shook as she collapsed into a ball.
"M-Mom!" Elle called out for a final time as she continued to sob in sorrow.
And then not a moment later it all faded to black.
Azula stared on beside her stunned friends with her amber golden eyes agape in shock.
To think that Elle showed signs of power that far back.
It was just…
Astonishing!
Elle's eyes snapped open to find herself resting against a tree trunk while she gazed around in confusion.
Only for it all to come back to her just like that.
All save for the memory of the aura that she released and the power that her mother displayed when she protected her.
"S-she's really gone. S-so is Father. They all are." Elle stammered with a hand over her wet face while her back slumped against the tree.
Just as she quickly turned around when she heard someone approaching from behind her.
Only to find herself blinking her wet eyes when a fresh apple was dropped into her lap while she now gazed up at the other girl's much calmer face.
"Eat." The nameless child instructed as she held a half-eaten apple in her own hand while the depressed girl still sat against the tree.
Just before the saddened girl took a bite of her apple while failing to conceal a sniffle.
"Why…" Elle mumbled in a saddened voice as the girl sat down opposite of her.
"Why what?" The nameless child asked as she took another bite of her apple while Elle met her pain-stricken gaze.
"W-why did this happen to us?" Elle questioned in a terribly naïve voice with wetness still in her amber eyes while the girl sat in silence.
"Because…people enjoy making others suffer." The nameless child answered in a reflective voice as she stared down with haunted brown eyes.
"S-suffer?" Elle repeated in a solemn voice while the other girl nodded her head.
"Everyone I have ever met has been like that. No matter where I go…or what I do. It's always the same. I get hit and beat just for asking for food. That's why I started smiling all the time. So, that they'll eventually get bored and move on to another target." The nameless child spoke with a fading smile on her lips while Elle stared at her with watering amber eyes.
"T-that's horrible." Elle sputtered in a sensitive voice as she sniffled once more while the older girl shrugged her shoulders.
"It's just the way things are. No sense dwelling on it." The nameless child muttered as she stared back down with pain flashing in her brown eyes while the other girl shook her head.
"T-that's not true. Not everyone is cruel. E-everyone I used to know was so very k-kind." Elle stuttered with more tears streaming from her eyes while she gazed down at her apple.
"It is true. And just like everything else. The sooner you come to accept it the better." The nameless child scoffed as she sunk back with her fruit in hand before she took another bite.
"I…don't believe that. I…just don't." Elle insisted with a sniff while the other girl swallowed her mouthful.
"Then you are a fool Elle. But somehow that doesn't surprise me." The nameless child stated with a shrug only to turn to gaze back at the younger girl when Elle started crying once more.
"I-I miss my family!" Elle sobbed as she broke down once more with tears in her eyes while the girl quietly gazed back at her.
Only for the girl to sigh not a moment later as she resumed eating her apple musing that it was to be expected after all that the girl just went through.
In time she will understand.
If she wants to survive that was.
And so, it went.
The two children traveled together for a few days in search of new civilization.
Elle soon took to following after the other girl like a lost duckling.
And if the other girl had a name.
She never learned it.
And for a short time, they almost seemed to be growing closer.
After several days of walking they stopped when they heard a sound in the distance.
"A train." The nameless child breathed with a bag over her shoulder while the small blonde stood at her heels.
"W-what are we going to do?" Elle pondered in a beyond naïve voice as she wiped at her eyes knowing that the other girl hated it when she cried.
"We are going to board it. That's what." The nameless child declared as she picked up her pace with the little blonde hurrying after her.
"B-board it? But how?" Elle stammered in a fearful voice while hoisting a backpack over her shoulders as she rushed after her friend.
"By jumping onto it from over this hill. How else?" The nameless child replied as she ran up an overlooking hill while Elle panted as she ran after her heels.
Just as they slid to a stop on top of the hill gazing down at the passing train with widened eyes as it rapidly approached below them.
"I-I don't know about this." Elle protested lamely as she shook in fear while the other girl watched the train with calculating brown eyes.
"We have no choice Elle. It's coming…get ready to jump on my mark." The nameless child spoke as she stared down at the roaring train as it sped forward on the tracks.
"I-I'm scared. I don't know if I can make that jump." Elle whimpered as she turned to her friend for guidance while the other girl bent her knees in preparation.
"Just do as I say and you'll be fine!" The nameless child exclaimed as she turned to offer the timid blonde a quick glance of reassurance before turning her attention back to the speeding train.
Just as the train rushed forward while Elle swallowed as she trembled in anticipation.
"O-okay. I'll try." Elle gulped as her legs shook beneath her while the girl crouched with her eyes never leaving the oncoming train.
And then the train finally came into jumping distance.
The girl with no name turned to gaze at her terrified companion for the briefest of moments before speaking out an order.
"Now Elle!" The nameless child called out to the intimidated girl while Elle shook as she shakily met her gaze.
And then just like that she jumped over the hillside into the air.
She fell with her brown eyes flashing in momentary terror.
And then clang!
She landed on all fours with her hands grasping a metal bar as she turned to glance over her shoulder.
Only for her eyes to widen in realization when she saw that Elle had yet to jump.
"Jump Elle!" The nameless child shouted to the fear-stricken girl while Elle stared down with terrified amber eyes.
"I-I…I…c-can't!" Elle blurted out lamely in a shameful voice as tears began to drip from her eyes while she met her friend's widened eyes.
And then just as quickly as the chance had arisen.
It was gone.
"Elle!" The nameless child yelled out only to watch in shock as the little blonde soon vanished from view.
She sunk back against the roof of the train car with her eyes still processing that her only friend was gone.
Only to chastise herself as soon as the thought floated into her mind while she clenched a fist at her hip.
They weren't friends.
Were they?
On the hillside Elle dropped to her knees with her amber eyes spilling with uncontrolled tears.
Her heartbroken sobs soon rang out into the air as she cried her heart out once more.
"I-I am alone again!" Elle cried out in a devastated voice with pain overflowing from her voice while she shouted at the top of her lungs.
And soon enough she collapsed into a ball with her backpack as her only companion while quiet sobs continued to emanate from the hilltop.
And for years to come. That would be the last she saw of the mysterious redhead.
Days ago, back in the Rosa ruins.
Felix walked with cracked glasses adorning his face while droplets of blood dripped down to the dusty ground below.
It was only by a stroke of luck that he managed to make it out alive!
A tank shell had hit the street and caused him to collapse underground.
By all rights he should have died.
And yet…
He was not.
Moments later he pushed his way out from a ruptured wall as he made his way into the building rasping for air.
Until he came to a stop before an old dresser as he rapidly tore open a drawer.
Just as a smile grew onto his lips while he reached in to collect his gun.
"It's still here!" Felix exclaimed with blood adorning his lips while he clutched the gun in his hand before slamming the drawer shut.
Just before he exited the room with his amber eyes gazing out of a broken window.
Only to turn to walk away a moment later before stepping out of the destroyed building.
He walked around with his cold gaze wandering about while he made his way past several bodies with his pistol in hand.
"It appears…as if I am the only survivor." Felix muttered in a reflective voice with his thoughts briefly drifting to his family.
Only to turn his head with his eyes paying close attention when he heard footsteps in the distance.
He immediately jumped behind a building for cover while he listened closely to the rushing footsteps expecting for it to be accompanied by tank fire.
Only to relax when the gunfire never came.
Just as he whipped his head around when he heard someone swiftly rounding the corner.
Only for his amber eyes to widen through his broken glasses when he found himself gazing back into Gregory's startled eyes.
"Y-you survived too?" Gregory asked in a shaken voice while Felix stared back at him with returning rage in his amber eyes.
Felix's eyes took on a focused gleam while he grasped the gun in hand just as Gregory's eyes finally drifted down to the pistol in question.
That was all it took for his eyes to widen in fear when he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun once more.
Just as he turned to sprint away while the other boy stared back at him with monstrous amber eyes.
And for the briefest of moments his mother's words flowed throughout his mind.
No living being has the right to take the life of another.
Only to scoff under his breath while a cool wind swept through his hair.
"What childish nonsense. There are no rules in this life." Felix spoke to himself with a ghost of a grin growing onto his lips while he watched Gregory attempt to flee around the corner.
Only for the sound of a piercing gunshot to rupture into the air.
And not a moment later Gregory fell face first into the barren street with a hole in the back of his head.
Felix now stared down at his lifeless body with his amber eyes widened in momentary shock.
He felt the adrenaline rush through his veins as he gazed down at the blood trickling out onto the street.
Only to be torn from his reverie when he heard a second set of footsteps rushing around the bend.
Just as he turned around to find himself staring directly back at Tomas' pale face while the boy gazed back at him with his mouth ajar in shock.
"W-what the fuck? Felix?" Tomas questioned in a surprised voice with his hands clamming up at his sides as he gazed between the other boy and his slain friend.
Before he raised his frightened eyes as he gazed back at the gun once again.
And before he even had a chance to move a second gunshot pierced the air.
And just like that he dropped to the sound with blood seeping from his leg while his pained shouts echoed throughout the abandoned street.
The vengeful boy rapidly stalked towards him as he desperately tried to crawl away.
He didn't survive that hellish war zone just to die like this!
"N-no! Please! I didn't mean any of it! I was just playing around Felix! Really!" Tomas pleaded as he now found himself gazing up into the other boy's demented amber eyes.
Only to release a cry of pain when he was viciously bludgeoned over the head with the back of the pistol.
He cried out in terror as he was repeatedly beaten from behind while the maliciously boy kicked him the stomach over and over.
And soon enough Felix's maddened shouts resonated throughout the abandoned rooftops while Team Azula watched the memory unfold in a baffled silence.
"Not so fucking tough now without your buddies are you!" Felix yelled out as he stomped down at the screaming boy before savagely beating him over the head once more.
A smile began to form on his lips while Tomas was mercilessly beaten to death.
It was just beyond astonishing that their young friend had survived all of this and still managed to grow up so sweet and kind.
And her brother grew up be…such a monster.
Ty Lee and Mai were more unsettled by Felix's behavior than Azula and Zoi.
Yet even the two ruthless firebenders were finding themselves increasing taken aback by the boy's descent into cruelty.
"Well Princess it appears that in the future you may find yourself with an interesting brother-in-law." Zoi commented in a wry voice with her fellow noblewomen glaring at the back of her head.
Azula too glared at her with murderously narrowed eyes just as Tomas' final screams broke into the air.
Just as Felix slid back panting for air with his mouth still agape in a demented smile.
As his jacket blew over his shoulders as he took an adrenaline filled step backwards with his bloodied hands falling to his sides.
"That…felt good." Felix spoke as he gazed out of broken glasses with unnerving joy in his eyes before he stepped over the boy's corpse.
And soon enough the exhausted but strangely content boy wandered through the vacant streets with growing excitement in his eyes.
"Everything's…gone. Those fools were the only other ones to survive…" Felix remarked as he trudged through the burning streets while his amber eyes gazed around in amazement.
Until he came upon the radio tower staircase.
And then he began to transcend the staircase with his cracked glasses rattling over the bridge of his nose while he held his pistol to his hip.
Only to come to a stop before the open doorway at the top of the staircase while he now stared in with faintly widened amber eyes.
Laying in a heap in the corner of the room was none other than his father.
He couldn't say it surprised him.
The moment that his father went for the radio tower he knew that he would die.
And yet…
Somewhere deep down inside of him he couldn't help but feel a sliver of emotion.
"It's unfortunate…that you didn't have what it took to survive Father. And neither did mother. Or anyone else here for that matter." Felix spoke with his eyes gazing down at Elias' bloodied face while he stared into lifeless blue eyes.
Just before he reached down to collect his father's rifle while he slung it over his shoulder.
Before he glanced back at his father's face for a final time as he turned to walk away.
"But I do." Felix declared in a confident voice as he walked off with his boots clanging upon the metal flooring while he began to stride down the long staircase.
As he walked with a twisted smile returning onto his lips.
Just as he withdrew a pack of cigarettes before he paused to light one before his waiting lips.
He took a long good look over the murdered town with his pitiless eyes gazing about as far as he could see.
"Absence of order…no control. Nothing but fire and chaos." Felix stated as he strode down the steps with his jacket clinging to his shoulders.
He exhaled smoke from his grinning lips as he slowly sauntered down the staircase.
And then he held his cut hand up before his widened amber eyes.
Just before he began to move it methodically before his face as he took a purposeful step downward.
"It's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen." Felix announced with smoke blowing into the air before his smiling face.
The highborn women stared on in disbelief as Felix seemingly strode right by their stunned faces.
Even Azula was taken aback to hear the boy say those words.
"What sort of lunatic is happy that an army attacked his city?" Mai pondered in disgust with her tawny eyes wide in repugnance while Felix happily exhaled from his cigarette.
And suddenly ever horrible thing that Elle has ever said about her older brother rang true.
Just as Felix began to sway his head back and forth with rising smile on his lips while he waved the pistol in purposeful slow motion before his delighted amber eyes.
Team Azula watched in bafflement as Felix danced down the staircase.
"He's…dancing." Ty Lee spoke in revulsion with her brown gray eyes staring hatefully at the back of the boy's head.
And yet even so.
She couldn't help but feel a shiver travel down her spine at the sight of Felix's demented smile.
Azula let out a haughty scoff with her frigid amber golden eyes glaring at Felix's visage as he stomped down onto the next step with laughter escaping his lips.
"Finally. I don't have to pretend anymore. I can finally be myself!" Felix exclaimed with his hands before his grinning face while his joyous laughter echoed throughout the rooftops.
And with that the injured boy resumed his walk while his smile never once faded from his lips.
It was strange but…
There was no mistaking that he has never felt more alive!
Three days later.
Elle sat huddled in a ball with her wet eyes staring down at her feet while she let out another saddened sniffle.
Only to jump back against the tree trunk in shock when she heard someone step over her.
Just as she glanced up only for her young eyes to widen in relief when she found herself gazing up at her older brother's smirking face.
"Crying again I see." Felix commented as he watched impassively when he was assaulted by a blonde blur.
"Y-you're alive! I thought I was all alone!" Elle cried out with her hands grasping at her brother's coat while the boy let out an annoyed sigh over her.
"Yes, Elle I am alive. Now stop being such a cry baby." The brother spoke in a dismissive voice as he pushed his crying sister off of him.
"I-I'll try. Just don't leave me here alone." Elle stuttered in a traumatized voice as she wiped at her eyes while Felix turned to walk away.
Just as she eagerly began to rush after her older brother while Felix walked with his jacket swaying behind him.
Just as her innocent amber eyes glanced up in confusion when she took in her brother's pleased smile.
"F-Felix…why do you look so happy?" Elle asked in a confused voice while her brother just turned to smile down at her.
"It's nothing. I am just glad that I was able to find you. That's all." The brother answered with his rifle over his shoulder while his little sister cracked a smile once more.
And with that the two siblings set off to find shelter.
Team Azula stared on with a growing discomfort in their eyes.
The most horrifying thing of all to all of them was the indisputable fact that they knew that the deranged boy would serve as their young friend's caretaker for the better part of nine years!
It was enough to make more tears pour from Ty Lee's eyes while Azula still glared on with a displeased glower on her beautiful lips.
Countless memories and images flashed before their amazed eyes.
Including one of Elle standing in all black at her parent's funeral.
And then a different memory after that.
This time of Felix.
Zoi turned to Azula with a thoughtful frown gracing her lips.
"Princess. The old sage told us that we would see Elle's memories. As well as her mother's. Did she not?" Zoi questioned as she gazed back at Azula's regal face while the princess scowled as well.
"Yes, Zoi she did. And your point is?" Azula responded in a moody voice with her arms folded over her armored breasts while her soldier held a contemplative hand below her chin.
"So, why then are we also seeing his memories?" Zoi inquired with a frown on her lips while the other three women widened their eyes in understanding.
It was a good question.
One that they were all now thinking.
The princess just pursed her lovely lips into a thin line as she pondered the question herself.
Only to turn her head as she watched the memory world take shape once more.
They gazed on in fascination as a gigantic crowd of people formed before their very eyes.
With many people gazing at a single person in spellbound fascination.
Young Elle and her older brother watched from the back of the crowd in silence as a young woman held her white gloved fist before her face.
It took only seconds for Team Azula to recognize the woman's face.
Her beautiful blonde hair blew in her brilliant eyes while her black Imperial uniform swayed in the breeze.
Just before she shouted out her words in the voice of a charismatic conqueror.
"Gone are your days of sorrow! For too long you have languished in the misery of this war-torn age! I forswear to you that you will never go hungry again! Never again shall war and suffering blanket your skies! I promise you that under me that you shall experience true peace!" Reiko called out with her gloved fist held high in the air while she gazed out at the enraptured crowd.
The four highborn women listened in fascination while the princess rolled her eyes over the woman's offerings of peace.
But even so.
Azula couldn't help but stare at Reiko in grudging intrigue as the young woman effortlessly elicited cries of adoration from the gathered crowd.
The roar that split forth from the crowd was utterly thunderous while both Mai and Ty Lee stared on in wonderment over the vocal love that the people had for the foreign monarch.
Neither one of them would say it out loud but they knew that the people of the Fire Nation were much too afraid to openly express such joy for Azula and Ozai.
As little Elle listened with her six-year-old eyes staring up in awe while Reiko stood in the midst of the roaring crowd with a growing smirk on her lips.
"Never again shall the spoiled wealthy elite hoard mountains of food and wealth in their mansions! For I have seen fit to completely dissolve the elite and restore power to the common man and woman!" Reiko roared with her lips curving into a magnetic grin while the mass of people answered her in kind.
The declaration took Team Azula by surprise as they watched strange vehicles dump cartloads of wealth out onto the waiting streets.
As the princess's callous amber golden eyes widened in disbelief as she watched as the crowd erupted into another ecstatic cry.
'What sort of monarch would be foolish enough to destroy the aristocracy and give her wealth to commoners?' Azula thought in bewilderment as her frigid eyes studied Reiko's smiling face in reluctant interest.
"And…all that I ask in return is that you trust in me. Have faith in me and know that if you stick with me, you will never have want for anything ever again!" Reiko bellowed with her arm outstretched to her sides as the people cried out in one unified voice.
The shout that came afterward was a passionate cry of long live Emperor Reiko while the public gazed on in adoration.
Reiko smiled sweetly as she was rushed by her adoring subjects while they besieged her one after another.
People in the crowd eagerly grasped a hold of her gloved hands while her lips continued to curl into a mesmerizing smirk.
And soon enough she allowed them to hoist her into the air while their spirited shouts echoed throughout the city's rooftops.
The four highborn women stared on in marvelment as they watched the foreign masses carry Reiko over their shoulders while the young woman grinned down at them in delight.
As the princess let out a snide snort under her breath as she tried to squash the sliver of jealousy that she felt over how the people had expressed such open adoration for Reiko.
But she couldn't deny that she was curious to learn more about her otherworldly rival.
'Elle is mine! The girl belongs to me and me alone! I will crush this woman in the wake of my flames just like anyone else who dares to impede me!' Azula thought with fire escaping her constricting nostrils while her crimson lips pursed into a possessive snarl.
She held a well-manicured fingernail underneath her chin before she resolutely nodded her head with another puff of flames escaping her nostrils.
Indeed.
This little peasant was hers and hers alone.
That she knew for certain!
Meanwhile in the world of the present.
Naoki shot up from where she sat on her tree branch with her brown eyes briefly widening in a break from their emotionless gaze.
"That dream again…" Naoki spoke as she sunk back against the tree with her cold eyes gazing ahead while she held her sheathed sword close to her chest.
Her lips dropped into a thin line as she once more envisioned his face as he walked towards her with his coat slung over his shoulder.
She watched with an eerily focused gaze as the man smiled with a golden pocket watch dangling from his hand.
And for the briefest of moments she almost thought that Strados was actually right there standing before her.
Her brown eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched the man rush forward with her hand sliding down the handle of her sword.
She stared on with obsessively determined brown eyes as she imagined that he was drawing his gun from his holster.
And then not even a second later a crimson blur traversed through the air before she swiftly drew her sword.
A branch was cleanly sliced in half while it dropped to the forest floor below as her booted foot now pressed into the branch that she was standing on.
As she now stood with her sword in her right hand while her emotionless brown eyes stared ahead into the distant treetops.
"I am going to kill you Strados…and that is a promise." Naoki spoke in a cold voice with her left hand clutching her pendant close to her chest.
Her icy brown eyes still gazed off into the tree line with the wind sweeping through her red hair.
"And you as well… Saito Sayomi." Naoki stated in a callous voice as she imagined that a blonde-haired woman was standing before her.
Just before she rapidly swung her sword once more as it sliced through the woman's face.
And soon enough her second target too faded away into the breeze just like the one before her.
Make no mistake.
Each and every one of her enemies will die by her hand.
And that too was a promise.
Elsewhere in the Forgetful Valley.
A fleet of puppets jumped from tree to tree with their cloaked master at the forefront.
The puppeteer's pale lips curled into a cold smile as she watched her puppets one by one head into different directions.
Before she jumped into the air once more with one cloaked puppet following closely behind her as she jumped from tree to tree.
"I can sense it…I am drawing closer." Silah remarked in a gratified voice with a silken smile on her painted lips.
She gracefully bounded from branch to branch with her hair flowing behind her.
There was no mistaking it.
The Component was with Mava after all!
She let out a demented chuckle before she leaped into the air while her predatory dark green eyes gazed intently ahead.
Just before she jumped through the thick foliage with her cloak flowing lightly behind her.
All the while as her puppet's cloaked body bounded after her with his lifeless eyes gazing on ahead.
And with that the two vanished into the seemingly endless tree line.
Leaving nothing but the quiet sounds of the forest creatures in their wake.
AN:
I would like to say to loligang, Agent Banana and jaclynencizo that I greatly appreciate your kind comments.
There is nothing more rewarding than hearing that my story is their favorite or that reading the chapter updates is what is keeping someone going this year.
As for the chapter itself, there are a few things that I want to mention.
On Elle's Earth, despite chi/energy based powers being a new discovery unlike on Azula's Earth. They have created technology that can help pin point if someone is gifted or not.
Strados 'saved' Elle from death because he rightly suspected that she may have power in her.
And also, as I stated in the prior chapter. Strados is a dangerous rogue soldier who enjoys hunting and killing gifted targets.
He went against orders to bring them in because he wanted the pleasure of hunting them down later on.
And in the universe of the story, the powers of gifted individuals tend to show themselves when people have their back pressed against the wall.
And that was what Strados was trying to do, he was trying to test them to see if they responded with a show of power.
The moment when Elle's power flared over Lana's body was the first time that Elle ever demonstrated her power, and the moment she awoke it against Team Avatar was the second time.
And the reason that she didn't remember it later on was because her mind blocked it it out due to the traumatic nature of the whole ordeal.
And on top of that, the initial transfer of the power is quite a lot to take in. Especially, for a child. Elle was just far too young to comprehend the scope of all of it.
And as she got older, she never awakened it on her own because she needed a powerful emotional trigger to bring it all out.
Since Elle holds such little value over her own life, it had to be someone that she cared about. And the issue was that there was no one around that she cared for to feel a sense of fear and loss.
Elle had grown despondent and withdrawn over the years as a coping mechanism as a result of enduring all of that trauma. And it wasn't until she grew close with Team Azula that she had someone that she cared for once more.
And that is why Elle got so emotional when she saw Iroh and the rebels trying to haul Azula away.
It brought her back to the day that she lost her parents, her home and all that she loved.
And yes, Felix is without doubt a psychopath.
His descent into depravity in this chapter is what I feel like you might see from certain psychopaths if they woke up to a reality with no order.
Most people like that have to go to great lengths to wear a mask for society.
And that is what makes Felix different from most people. Most people would be horrified, and crippled with grief.
For Felix though, the whole ordeal brought out feelings that he had been suppressing as a member of society for all his life.
Which culminated in his decision to finally give in to the urge to shoot and kill the two bullies, Tomas and Gregory.
And on that day he destroyed the little bit of good that he had left in him.
We saw that he did some slight emotion and regret at coming to find that his parents had died. You could liken him to Ramsay Bolton showing slight remorse over killing his own father.
And while Felix did not kill his parents, he did not mourn for them in the sense that he was sad. He mourned that he felt they were too weak and soft-hearted to survive in the chaotic war torn world that they lived in.
And rest assured, my intent with Felix is not to try to make my audience sympathize with him. Actually my goal is the opposite, I want him to be a repulsive villain, who is evil without remorse.
He is what happens when you take a psychopath that is free to act without regard to societal norms.
To Felix, there is no greater joy than uncertainty and chaos. He enjoys the thrill and rush that comes from chaotic events.
He enjoys hurting and being hurt, because he believes that is that is the truest way to live one's life.
It goes without saying that he is a twisted person, but then again all villains can't be sympathetic can they?
As for Elle and Naoki, Elle's life would have probably turned out very differently if she had stayed with Naoki.
That would have spared her from the many years of further trauma living under her brother's custody.
But Naoki was ultimately captured and used as a government test subject for many years, so Elle may have suffered the same fate had she stayed with her.
And that brings us to Rieko.
If Rieko had completed her conquest of the region before the other military eradicated the town. It is very possible that Lana, Elias and everyone else in the town would have survived.
Of course, this also shows just how depraved Strados is. He was ordered to bring in people of gifted ability, and he turned it into a hunt for sport. Which is to say nothing of the masses that were slaughtered in the genocide.
Rieko will be huge later on, probably one of the biggest characters in the entire series.
For now though, we'll just be getting to know her through other people like Elle and Naoki.
She is a very methodical conqueror, and a complex person with more than one motivation. And we'll explore that and what she is like in greater detail as we get further in.
And also, despite not knowing how to show emotion. Naoki has an urge to kill Strados in retaliation for what he put her through.
And her and Elle's conflict with Strados is something that will come into play in book two.
And finally, we see that Silah is on the move and she is closing in on Team Azula.
And one of the last things that I want to mention is that next chapter will be the peak of Elle's sorrow.
So, while it may be sad reading about the things she went through, her flashbacks will end on a happier note when she finally meets Azula.
And with that said, that will be all for now.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter eighty-one! The Sadness of an Angel!