[EDIT: 11/10/2024]
6:00 AM - The Day Everyone Rises
Ozai awoke to the cool wind touching his face. Stretching, he let out a small groan as his joints cracked in unison as he reluctantly sat up from a comfortable bed for the first time in months. Looking over the window, it seemed to be...morning?
He must've slept longer than he thought.
"Hm…interesting," Ozai murmured.
'I must have slept through the whole evening and early morning.'He began to rub the sleep away from his face. 'I do have to admit though, the rest was actually quite pleasant.'
"Dear?"
His hand dropped and his eyes widened instantly as he whipped his head towards the sound, his fists raised into a fighting stance out of years of training. Calmly but frantically, his eyes scanned the room for any intruders, but found none.
After what seemed like a minute of tense silence, his muscles finally relaxed, and he could feel his heartbeat beginning to slow down back to its normal pace.
'What in the name of Agni was that?'He wondered, letting out a frown. 'It better not be any pranksters, otherwise whatever mercy I am giving will quickly wear out.'
Letting out a sigh, he got up from his bed and began to get dressed for the day. Despite the rush being over, he still couldn't help but feel like something was still off-
His eyes widened again as he finally remembered why the voice sounded so familiar.
"...Ursa...is that you?"
Silence answered his question.
Azula woke up ten minutes after her father. She got up with a groan as well, feeling well-rested like everyone else. Looking over at the window, she saw that there is still light outside, albeit a little dim.
Raising a brow, she thought, 'It's still daytime? ...No, my slumber felt much longer than that. It must be morning.'
Getting up from her bed, she began to do her morning stretches in her prison garb, having slept in them. She then walked over to grab the key on her counter, before walking out of her room. As she walked down the hallway and to the stairs that lead to the main lobby, she spotted Jemusu walking towards the stairs as well. The man saw Azula, and smiled as he waved at her.
Azula rolled her eyes and kept going down the stairs.
Jemusu frowned and sighed.
"Yeesh, Princess Snobby can't even say 'Hi'." Someone muttered out of Azula's earshot.
Jemusu turned to look at the newcomer. "Oh, hey Edi."
"Hey yourself," Edi said with a small yawn. "Man, I slept like a sloth-bear."
Just then, another door opened, and Meira passed by them without a word, her head hung a little low.
"Oh, hey Meira." Jemusu greeted.
"Uh...hey," Edi said a little awkwardly.
Meira looked at both of them. "H-Hey." And with that, she quickly walked down the stairs.
Seeing her weird interaction, Jemusu turned to Edi, who in turn, winced like he'd been slapped. Jemusu realized that since the events from yesterday, they were still on delicate terms with each other.
Seeing Edi's look of shame, he gave him a weak pat on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay?"
"...Yeah. Still feel kind of bad about it though." Edi mumbled.
And with that, they left it as it is, and went downstairs, with Anjera shortly following them.
Ozai and his group of followers sat at the same table. It was quite odd and humbling for both sides to have the (former) Phoenix King and Fire Lady sit at the table with them, although they quickly realized that the former royals didn't see it the same way. Jemusu theorized that the only reason why they sat with them was because, one it would've been awkward to actively move to another table, and two, because for some inexplicable reason, they all felt better when they were huddled together like a school of fish.
At least that's how Jemusu felt anyways. He's been on this island for only half a day, and already the place gave him the spooks.
Azula noticed that Jemusu was looking at them, and one nasty look sent his eyes back onto his plate, praying that she wouldn't cause a scene. To his surprise, she said nothing else, and resumed eating.
"Wow, whoever made breakfast did great!" Edi complimented as he devoured his scrambled eggs.
"Hm…" Meira hummed, eating a piece of fruit.
Anjera, however, was thinking about something. "...Who made our food?"
Jemusu blinked at that. "Hey, yeah...this just appeared on the table when we came down here…"
"Maybe these people who got us out of prison made it. Tell ya what, they can cook!" Edi said as he happily took a bite of his pastry.
Azula rolled her eyes again. "I don't care, so as long as we have a proper meal." She turned to look at her father, only to find him looking lost in thought. This threw Azula off guard, since while as the leader of the Fire Nation, he did have to do a lot of thinking, he never put his guard down, but now? Azula could strike him down where he stood, and he would die before he realized what she did.
Azula shook her head. Why in the name of Agni did she suddenly think about doing that? Silently scolding herself for her treacherous thoughts, she called for her father.
Despite his best efforts to enjoy his breakfast, the morning incident still haunted him. Ozai wondered if he was finally losing his sanity. Was it the loss of his bending that was getting to him? Was it his time in prison? Or could it be this dreadful island, which was miserable in every ways, and yes, just as unsettling as well?
"-ther? Father?"
Ozai blinked, and he realized that his daughter was trying to say something to him.
"Father, are you alright?"
This was, admittedly, rather embarrassing, and not to mention unfitting for the Phoenix King. Clearing his throat, he looked at his daughter as if nothing has happened.
"I am alright, Azula. I merely had some… concerns. Nothing to worry about it."
Azula looked at her father for just a moment with slight concern in her eyes, but said nothing of it. She learned many years ago to never question his actions or words, and to follow them obediently, else they end up like Zuko...or worse.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.
Everyone turned their head towards the sound of heeled shoes walking towards them, and paused, stunned at what they saw. The kitchen doors were swung open to reveal a fair-skinned lady* with beautiful, raven-black hair that almost seemed to glow in the dimly lit dining room. She wore an elegant dress, which was woven together by the finest of cotton and silk, its blue, white, and brown painted on it. Despite her beautiful outfit, they could tell that she was a maid, which was made evident by the tray she held behind her hands, which she clasped together on her corset-bound stomach.
However, her beauty wasn't the only thing that grabbed their attention. What really grabbed their attention was her feet-or rather, the lack thereof
When they finally looked down at them, they realized that there wasn't a single spot of flesh in them. Instead, what they saw were metal, feminine feet, which were shaped to look like heeled shoes, but with the least amount of metal used as possible, resembling prosthetics.
"We do hope that you enjoyed your breakfast." Her soft, gentle voice ripped them away from their thoughts. "Were they to your satisfaction?"
"Uh-um, yes!" Edi finally said. "It was very delicious, ma'am!"
The woman's eyes then traveled to Edi's, and he flinched under her gaze. To his surprise, she merely smiled, and let out a cheerful chuckle.
"We are glad that you liked it! If you desire more, please just ask. If you are done, then please do check out what the rest of Silent Hills has to offer, and have a wonderful day!"
She then gave them a rather deep bow, which leads to what was arguably the weirdest thing they'd seen so far. On the back of her head was what looked like a golden wind-up key, which was commonly used in their childhood toys. It protruded out of her intricately tied bun, which seemed to be pinned together with a gear-like clip. In the few seconds in which the lady gave them a bow, it further revealed that the windup key was jammed into her head, which creaked as it turned by itself.
The lady gave them another warm smile, before she spun around and left, her metal feet clunking on the hard, wooden floor.
They sat there for a while, unsure of what to make of what they saw.
Azula raised a brow. "That was...bizarre."
Ozai looked at the spot where the woman once was and muttered to himself, "Maybe that was the sixth member…"
The former Fire Lady heard her father as she glanced back at him with a puzzled look. 'Member? What does he mean by that? Does he mean the sixth resident?'
"Well, at least we have some faculty here…" Meira said as she went back to eating her breakfast.
Azula, however, sat there staring at her meal.
'...She looked familiar…'The former Fire Lady then shook her head. Something about the lady made her head (and her heart) hurt, so she didn't want to think about her. She then continued to eat her breakfast.
Unbeknownst to Azula, Ozai was wondering about the same person.
'She looked...oddly familiar.'Ozai contemplated as he ate his meal. His eye kept on flicking back to the maid, who was silently standing near the kitchen, staring at the new member of Silent Hills. Her key continued to turn from behind her head as she hummed a song.
7:00 AM
After the strange, yet hearty breakfast, they decided to go their separate ways. Of course, they made sure to not wander too far from each other, since they still had no idea what to expect from these people, but at the same time, everyone either wanted to enjoy the fresh air, or they just wanted to stretch their legs. Ozai went out as he simply told Azula that he's "going out" for a while. Jemusu and Edi decided to have a walk around the town to check out what the town has to offer.
"You know," Jemusu said as he walked outside. "I bet this would be a nice town without the fog."
"Yeah," Edi muttered. "And maybe without the absence of people."
"Hmm…" Jemusu hummed in thought.
"Hey!" Meira's voice called out for them. "Wait up!"
The two men turned around to see the young woman running towards them. They waited patiently as she caught up to them, huffing for a minute before she spoke. "Is it, um...okay if I go with you two?"
Edi and Jemusu glanced at each other, and looked back at Meira. "Uh...sure." Edi said slowly, sounding a little unsure.
"Yeah, that's fine." Jemusu said with a shrug.
"Okay then! I just...need some air." Meira said, before taking another breath.
Glancing at each other again, Jemusu and Edi just shrugged. They then went off into the foggy streets of this seemingly abandoned town, trying to find anything that could help take their minds off of their troubles.
"... " The three of them walked together in awkward silence, unsure of what to say, nor of who should start talking.
Edi cleared his throat. "Um…"
Jemusu and Meira turned their attention to him.
Edi then looked at Meira. "Okay, look, Meira, right? I, um...I'm sorry that I called you a bitch, okay?"
Meira blinked at his apology, obviously not expecting it. Too stunned to reply, Edi took it as an invitation to continue. "I mean, we didn't exactly get on the right foot or anything, and...I guess we were just cranky with all the traveling we did out of prison, and…" He sighed. "Look, how about we start over, okay?" Edi stopped in front of Meira, who in turn stopped as well. "Um...I'm Edi. And...I was kind of born fat I guess. I mean, babies are born fat I suppose...um, anyway, my mom, uh...thinks I don't amount to anything, and it kind of took a toll on my self-esteem, and I...well, there you go. Other than that, um...sorry for gettin' mad at ya."
Meira stood there in slight shock. "Um...n-no problem. I'm...sorry for taking out my frustrations on you. It really isn't your fault...not one bit actually."
"Oh! Um, I'm glad to hear that. And, uh, yeah, like I said, I'm sorry too." Edi blushed, unable to look at Meira in the eyes.
Meira looked at him for a bit, until she looked away as well.
"Um...okay." Jemusu said, feeling like the third wheel. He wordlessly turned around, and resumed walking. After a few more seconds of some more awkward shuffling, they quickly tried to catch up to him.
Ozai was walking the opposite way from where they were. He had his eyes set on finding one of these so-called "members of The Order".
'They say they can bring my fire-bending back...I must know how this will work.'
When the letter came to him in prison, he couldn't believe the notion that he would be able to have his bending back. The Avatar himself took it away, so he didn't think it was possible! The letter, however, said otherwise. These people call their group "The Order" - whatever that means - and although they were cryptic on how they were going to bring it back, they did fulfill their promise of breaking them out. Therefore, they must be confident on what they have to offer will work. They wouldn't go to this much trouble to break them out if they didn't have a plan.
'Either way, I have to find them. Maybe I should ask this Mother Daria...I believe they said that they were in the town hall from what I heard yesterday. If that's the case, then I just need to find it.'
Ozai then proceeded to walk through the streets of Silent Hills, finding his way through the fog.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Azula sat on one of the lounge chairs that occupied the waiting areas in the lobby, her hand on her chin and her elbow resting on the armrest of the chair, feeling quite bored out of her mind. Meanwhile, Anjera sat quietly in one of the other chairs opposite from her, hunched over.
Azula sat there still, but couldn't help but think about that strange lady that appeared before them at breakfast.
'Who was she, and what's with her strange accessories? Her feet and the key in her head are quite...unconventional. Is it some sort of theme they have going on in this hotel? Or could it be from a past injury?'The former Fire Lady wondered. She glanced at Anjera, who still just sat there.
As if on cue, Anjera looked up at Azula once she felt eyes were on her.
"...So, what was your reason for being imprisoned?" Azula asked, deciding to strike up a conversation.
Anjera looked surprised by that question. "Oh...um…" She looked down in her seat, looking very nervous all of a sudden.
Azula raised a brow. "There's no need to worry. I mean, we're all fellow prisoners here. You might as well tell."
Anjera remained silent.
The Fire Lady lifted her head off her palm, and gave the older young woman a look. "How old are you? You don't look that much older than I am."
"...Nineteen." Anjera answered.
"Hm...only four years older than me." Azula estimated. She then leaned back in her chair, but continued to look at her in interest. "Have I seen you before?"
The frail girl looked at her curiously.
"Hmm...aren't you part of the Orocho family?" The young princess asked.
"... " The girl said nothing, but eventually nodded. When she didn't say anything else, Azula thought about threatening her for her insolence, when she finally noticed something that she was used to seeing whenever people spoke to her: Fear.
Puzzled, since she knew that it wasn't her that she was afraid of, she decided to patiently wait for her answer.
"...Yes." She finally said. "...It all started when I was fifteen. Mother had just died, and father was… going through a difficult time."
Azula said nothing, but had Anjera have looked into Azula's eyes, she would've seen that they have softened just a little for a microsecond, before they were hardened.
"He began to drink a lot, and would often get pretty angry." Azula noticed that her fingers were clutching the armrests, her bones sticking out from her flesh. "Our servants eventually left us, growing terrified of his private outbursts. Because of this, I tried to do everything I can to help my father and my brother."
Her eyes then grew distant as she began to return to her memories.
"Then one day while bathing, I noticed that I was bleeding. Since I was young, I didn't know what that meant, and ran to my father for help."
Her lips then trembled, as if she was about to burst into tears. Her fingers clenched the armrest even harder, and Azula wondered if her fingers were going to break from the pressure.
"I suppose that's when everything else went wrong."
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Azula cautiously asked, "...What happened?"
"...Father was extra drunk that day." Anjera finally continued. "And my brother was...well, was always the spoiled one that did whatever he wanted. What made it worse was how our father simply paid off whatever misdeeds he had done."
She let out a shudder as her mind went back to that fateful day.
"...They wouldn't stop touching me." Her teeth began to chatter. "It felt so wrong. It didn't feel good. I wanted them to stop, but they wouldn't listen. It went on like that for years."
Her fingernails began to scratch the chair she was sitting on, the cotton beginning to stick out of the damage she was causing.
"Everytime they did it, they seemed to calm down though, so I thought that if I let them do that to me, everything would go back to normal. But then, but then-"
She then began to tremble, and tears began to pool from her eyes. At this point, Azula wasn't sure how much more she wanted to hear. Still, some twisted part of her wanted Anjera to continue her story, so she remained silent.
"It was my 19th birthday, and the guests were beginning to leave. Like that night, my father was more drunk than usual. My brother's girlfriend left him after she found out he was cheating on her. My father...he wanted me to put on my mother's wedding dress."
Azula's eyes widened as she paled at that last part, suddenly regretting her desire to hear more.
"I thought that they were just going to do the usual touching and kissing… but then they began to put their fingers..." Anjera stopped scratching her chair, and hugged herself, as if she was trying to stop herself from shaking out of her skin. "It...It...It was so...it felt so disgusting...I wanted them to stop, but then they just hit me again…"
Even Azula wasn't feeling too good at this point. She began to fill in the blanks herself, and felt quite sick herself.
"...I didn't mean to do it." She finally managed to say. "It just hurt so much, and it was so disgusting...and-and-the next thing I knew, they were on the floor, just-just-burnt to nothing…"
The girls sat there in uncomfortable silence. The former Fire Lady shifted into her seat as the girl's story began to sink into her mind. Even Azula had to agree that such an ordeal was quite twisted, and that no girl, no matter where they came from, deserved such a fate.
'...would Father would've done that to me?'Azula began to wonder...
She shuddered, and stopped herself from thinking that scenario any longer. Suddenly feeling quite cold, she brought her legs onto her seat, and tucked her chin into her knees as she hugged herself.
"I'm sorry," Anjera spoke out, still looking distant. "but that's my side of the story."
"..." Azula got from her seat and walked away from the waiting area, leaving Anjera all alone.
She needed…some space right now.
The former Fire Lady began to make her way to the back, where she heard that there was a deck outside that overlooks the lake. She walked over to the railing and leaned over it, trying to erase the conversation with Anjera from her mind.
She looked down at the rippling lake below, watching as the wave moved back and forth in a gentle, majestic manner. For many, the sight is a beautiful one, but Azula clenched her teeth in fury as the wooden railing began to smoke under her palms. For Azula, the blasted lake only served to remind her of her humiliating defeat at the hands of the damned waterbender.
Azula cackled as she chased the waterbender. After striking down her brother with her lightning, the pitiful waterbender would be next. With a yell, she thrust her fist out, sending a beam of blue fire at her.
The waterbender, Katara, if she remembered correctly (not that she cared), was currently running for her life, like a coward. Using her waterbending, she created ice as she skated away from her. With every shot that missed, Azula grew angrier by the minute. Why won't this pest just die?!
"Ah!" The waterbender suddenly tripped, and fell onto the metal grates on the floor. Azula grinned as she looked around frantically, before she stood up.
'Hm, it appears that she's finally ready to fight.' Azula sneered. 'Good. Now I can end this once and for all!'
And with that, she charged. The waterbender threw the last of her water at her, which she deflected with ease. This was it! She was now out of water! With a roar, she leapt at her, her arm stretched out. Hot, burning, energy coursed through her veins, as they worked quickly to leave through her fingers. This was the end-
And suddenly, her world was filled with water. After a second of stunned silence, she remembered to hold her breath. What was going on?! Where did the water come fro-?
Her eyes quickly looked underneath her, and to her horror, she realized that she was standing underneath a water grate. This filthy...peasant, had somehow tricked her. HER! Azula, the cold, calculating soon to be Fire Lady of the Fire Nation, was somehow tricked by this lowly, inferior bender, who came from some backwater frozen wasteland she called her home!
Infuriated, she tried to move, but to her horror, she found that every muscle in her body was locked down by the water prison she was stuck in. To make matters worse, the waterbender could somehow move through the water.
CLINK. CLANK. CLINK. CLANK. CLINK.
In the waterbender's hands were some chains she had found nearby, and suddenly she knew what she was up to.
No. No. No. NO!
Azula could do nothing but helplessly watch as the water-tribe girl slowly tied her arms together with the chain, before pinned her down onto the grate.
SPLASH!
The water finally came down on both of them, and she was able to breathe again. Despite this, however, Azula found that she had preferred if she had drowned her, for she had lost.
Lost? Lost! LOST! She lost against the waterbender girl!
The minute this processed in her brain, Azula began to panic. Her breathing became erratic, before she finally exploded. She roared in rage, a jet of blue fire erupted from her throat. Like a trapped animal, she began to tuck and jerk her body about, desperately trying to free herself from her chains. Despite her best efforts though, she knew that she was done. She had lost, and there was nothing she can do to get herself out of it.
And just like that, for the first time in years, Azula cried.
CRUNCH!
Azula was ripped from her memories as she realized that the railing she was burning had been crushed underneath her hands. She realized that she was trembling, although whether it was from fear or from anger, she didn't know. Azula looked at her ash-covered hands, and swore as she found burnt splinters in her palms.
Azula stood there as she gritted her teeth. She clenched her fists together, then winced, remembering the splinters in her hands.
She couldn't believe that someone like that little water peasant bitch would outdo her. She made her feel like a-
'Don't think that! Just don't!' Azula trembled as it took all of her willpower to not shed a single damn tear.
She doesn't want to ever think that accursed word. It belonged to Zuko, not her!
Failure.
And suddenly, Azula began to break down again. Sobs escaped her throat as she fell onto her knees, her tears spilling onto her wounded hands.
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.
Azula suddenly looked up, and saw a familiar pair of metal feet. She lifted her head higher, and saw the concerned look of the maid from before.
"Oh my. Dear, are you alright?" The maid asked as she knelt to Azula's level.
Eyes still wet from the tears, Azula said nothing, a little dazed from her sudden appearance.
The woman grabbed her hands, inspecting the damage. Azula's eyes widened at the soft touch, suddenly realizing that the maid had witnessed her meltdown.
"G-get away from me!" Azula snapped, slapping her hands away. Azula then hissed with pain, since a splinter had sunken further into her flesh from her action.
"Now, now, please calm down. I am trying to help you." The maid soothingly said as she reached out for her.
"HELP ME?!" Azula all but shrieked. She painfully fell back on her hands and her rear, and tried to crawl back. "No one can help me! How do I know that you're not up to something?!"
"You don't." The maid said quietly. Her blunt answer made Azula pause. "But I will assure you that I mean you no harm. I only wish to help you with your injury."
The dark-haired woman stood and then backed off a little, giving the terrified firebender some room.
"I will not help you if you do not want me too. But I can show you where the infirmary is, so that you can have the proper medical supplies you'll need to help clean up your wounds. Does that sound alright?"
Giving her a pointed look, Azula gazed at her suspiciously. She then pushed herself up (all the while wincing at the splinters that were going further in her hands), and stood before her as she replied with an irritated mumble. "Fine…just take me there."
The woman nodded. "Certainly, Dear." And with that, she turned around to lead Azula to where the infirmary is in the hotel.
Azula followed her, slightly waving her hands a bit to ease the pain in her palms. While they walked, the woman began to hum a soft tune.
The younger woman stopped for a moment, her eyes widening.
"What...what is that?" Azula asked her in a stunned manner.
The maid stopped as well, and turned towards the former royal. "That? That is just a simple tune to a song."
Azula just stared at her, unsure of what to say. "...Wh-what is your name?"
The woman smiled, and said, "My name is Ai, Dear. I am the maid, or rather, The Caretaker, of this lovely little town." She then gave her a curtsy to conclude her formal introduction.
"...Alright." The former Fire Lady said. "Then...Ai. How do you know of that song?"
The Caretaker gave her another smile. "That particular song is quite popular amongst mothers around the world." She explained. "It is something we sing to comfort those in the dark, especially to those that we care about. It is also something we sing to help remind ourselves of the world we live in, and how simple, yet beautiful it can be."
Ai then turned around, and resumed leading Azula to the infirmary. The said firebender could only follow in stunned silence, unsure of what to make of her answer. The maid began to hum that song again. Azula winced as her heart began to ache. She gingerly moved her right hand to her heart, almost as if to soothe its pain. Strangely enough, despite the fact that hearing the song hurt her heart, she never once had the heart to tell Ai to stop humming.
"We're here." Ai's gentle voice echoed through the empty hall. The door was a slider, which squeaked rather loudly when Ai pulled it open.
"All the materials you need are in those cabinets and drawers." Ai explained. "Help yourself if you like." She then sat down on a chair nearby. Closing her eyes, she slowly slumped over, remaining as still as a doll, looking quite asleep. Despite this look, her key still turned, indicating that she was still awake.
Azula couldn't help but stare at the mysterious woman. '...She really looks like a doll.'She thought, before shaking her head, the stinging wounds in her hands bringing her back to reality. She then turned her eyes away from the woman, and began to poke through the cabinets and drawers.
Azula was growing more frustrated by the minute. It was hard to remove the splinters in one hand if the other one screamed in agony every time she moved it. No matter how hard she tried, removing one splinter caused more tears to drop from her face, since using her other hand and pulling out the splinter seemed to hurt equally.
In other words, it was like pulling your own teeth, and with each one you pull, the less likely you are to successfully pull out the next one.
"Would you like some help?" Ai asked suddenly, making Azula yelp as she accidentally ripped another splinter out quite painfully.
"Are you mad, woman?!" She hissed through her teeth. "Look at what you made me do!"
The maid at least had the courtesy to wince in sympathy.
"I'm very sorry about that." She apologized. "I just thought that you needed some help. Would you-"
"No!" Azula snapped. "I can do it on my own! I don't need anyone to help me!"
And with that, Azula resumed her painful method of tearing out the splinters. Despite her determination to fix the problem on her own, she found that it was too painful to do so. Each splinter left behind a painful tear that bled profusely, the floor growing wetter with each drop of blood spilled. Her hands were trembling harder and faster, making it impossible to even grab the next splinter.
Azula couldn't take it anymore, and finally put down the tweezers. That made Ai lift her head back up, her dreamy eyes now staring into Azula's cold, unwavering one. They looked at each other for a moment, until Azula sighed.
"...Fine. I'll...let you help me."
Many would've frowned at her attitude, and many more would've blown her off for it, but Ai just smiled, before she stood up, walking towards her slowly and quietly.
Ai stopped for a moment, before she turned to her left, and began pulling out more tools and other items from the nearby storages. She then took out a small grinding bowl. Pouring various herbs, powders, and liquids into it, she began to mix it together, mashing it into a paste.
"W-what is that for?" Azula demanded. Ai smiled without looking at her.
"This particular paste is meant to numb the pain." She explained. "That way we can not only take out those splinters with minimal pain, but we can do so without spilling too much blood."
She then took out another grinding bowl, and began to make another solution with it.
"This one is to help make sure that your wounds do not become infected." Ai explained before Azula can ask, making her shut her mouth with a click.
Ai was finally done making her mixture, and walked over to Azula. Taking the first bowl, she grabbed a stool, before sitting down.
"This may sting a little." Ai warned, before slowly pouring the paste into Azula's hands. Azula hissed in pain, as it did sting. What made it worse was how she was spreading the newly made ointment all over her hands.
Azula's hisses and grunts of pain came to a gradual halt as she realized that her hands were quickly feeling very numb. Curious, she gingerly moved her hand, and found that she felt only a minor tingle from the wounds in place of the stabbing pain she had once felt. That's why when Ai plucked out a splinter, it only made her blink in surprise.
Thanks to the newly made anesthesia, Ai was able to remove her splinters without much pain, much to Azula's delight. However, seeing as how it was still a frightening process to go through, Azula winced in fear every time she saw Ai rip out a large shard of wood from her flesh.
Seeing her reaction, Ai began to hum the same song from before, and Azula suddenly found herself relaxing to her song. Closing her eyes, she began to forget about her splinters, as well as the small pricks she still felt from their removal, as she allowed herself to fall into a quick slumber to escape her pain.
Ty Lee giggled as she did a perfect cartwheel, eventually stopping right in front of a tree.
"Look, Azula! Wasn't I amazing?!" Ty Lee hooted. Azula merely nodded, secretly jealous of her acrobatic skills.
Ty Lee then began to do some impressive flips, landing on her hands without stumbling at once. Azula's eyebrow ticked as her jealousy grew even bigger. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Out of the way, Ty Lee!" She called out, making her stop in her tracks. This caught the attention of Zuko and Mai, who were talking about something that she didn't care enough to listen to. "I'm going to do exactly what you did!"
Ty Lee blinked at that, before she leapt back onto her feet.
"Uh, Azula? I don't think that's a good idea-" She started to say, before she was silenced by her glare.
"I'll be fine, Ty Lee. Unless you're doubting my skills?"
Unwilling to answer that question, Ty Lee kept her mouth shut, which thankfully satisfied the princess. Taking a deep breath, Azula raised her hands, before she attempted the cartwheel towards the tree.
SLAM!
"OW!" Azula wailed as she clutched her left palm. As Ty Lee had silently predicted, Azula was not ready to do such a stunt. Azula had somehow managed to do two successful cartwheels, before she lost balance, and ended up hitting a tree. She managed to stop the fall with her left hand, but in doing so, ended up cutting her left palm rather badly.
"Azula!? Are you okay!?" Zuko yelled out to her. He, Mai, and a slightly hesitant Ty Lee went over there to check up on her.
"Don't crowd me!" Azula exclaimed as she clenched her hand with her other. She looked at the damage, and winced at the amount of blood that was oozing out of her wound.
"What's going on here?" A woman's voice called out.
Zuko looked at the direction of her voice. "Mom! Azula hurt herself!"
"Shut up!" Azula shouted, trying to not shed any tears.
"Oh my. Azula, what have you done?" The woman ran up to the little girl. Mai and Ty Lee immediately backed up and bowed in respect at Ursa, the Queen of the Fire Nation, silently hoping that they wouldn't get blamed for her daughter's injury.
"Nothing! I just-OWWW!" Azula whined in pain.
"Azula, what happened?" Ursa said as she knelt down to her level.
"Azula was doing a cartwheel, but failed." Mai said without blinking.
"Darn it, Mai!"
Ursa just shook her head. "Oh Azula...here, let me look at it."
Before Azula could protest, she took Azula's hands, and inspected the damage. Ursa's beautiful face crinkled as she too winced at the damage.
"Alright honey, come with me. We'll get it cleaned up." Ursa took Azula's hand, and to everyone's surprise, she didn't object. She just looked away, unable to meet everyone's eyes.
"Ow!" Azula winced as her mother cleaned up her scrap with a cloth. The said cloth had some sort of mixture that her mother made herself, which was supposed to help with the pain. And indeed it did, since she found that the searing pain in her left hand was growing more numb by the minute.
What the medicine failed to do, however, is sedate the growing horror, fear, and disgust that Azula was feeling every time she looked back at your injury. It was disturbing to watch her torn flesh, shredded almost to ribbons as the separated tissue was whitening, while her blood still oozed out from it.
"Don't look at it honey." Ursa warned her too late. Azula couldn't help it. She began to whimper as tears threatened to roll down her face. She began to tremble as her breathing became more erratic.
"Shh, shh." Ursa whispered, hugging her daughter to try to comfort her. "It's okay honey, you don't need to be scared."
Despite her effort, Azula was on the verge of a breakdown. Ursa's face tightened in concentration, trying to figure out what to do, before she thought of something. Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to sing.
"Let's go in the garden, you'll find something waiting. Right there where you left it, lying upside down.
When you finally find it, you'll find something waiting. The underside is lighter when you turn it around."
Hearing this familiar song, Azula began to calm down. Her sniffles gradually grew less in numbers as she leaned into her mother, focusing on the song.
"Everything stays, right where you left it. Everything stays, but it still changes. Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays."
Hearing this song a thousand times, Azula knew the words by heart. And yet, every time Mother sang it to her, it was always magical. For the first time in a while, Azula let out a genuine smile.
"Go down to the ocean, the crystal tide is rising.
The water's gotten higher as the shore washes out.
Keep your eyes wide open, even when the sun is blazing.
The moon controls the tide, it can cause you to drown."
Ursa smiled as she heard her daughter sing. She felt Azula gradually relaxing, as the fear of the unfamiliar, painful sensation was replaced by feelings of comfort. Looking at each other, they both resumed the rest of the song.
"Everything stays, right where you left it. Everything stays, but it still changes.
Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays."
"There, all better." Ai's soothing voice snapped Azula out of the pleasant memory. "...Are you feeling alright?"
Azula blinked, taking her a minute to remember where she was. In the well lit, yet gloomy infirmary, with just the two of them together. Azula then looked down at her hands, and found that they were cleaned up and bandaged properly. To make things even better, the anesthetic was still working, making her feel little-to-nothing when she flexed her hands.
"...Yes." Azula finally said. "I'm alright."
Ai's smile turned into a slight frown, not believing her words. After wiping her hands, she sat back down in front of Azula, gently grabbing her hands.
"Are you feeling alright?" Ai repeated her question, this time a little more slowly. Just then, Azula went through many emotions at once. Anger. Fear. Mistrust. But finally, it all ended with a singular emotion: Grief.
"...No." Azula confessed, looking down at her hands. "No, I'm not alright."
And just like that, Azula began to cry again. Her face was pressed against the maid's shoulder. Ai closed her eyes as she embraced Azula in a hug. For a while, they just remained there, silent as a grave, save for Azula's muffled sobs and the sound of Ai's key turning.
Azula, for once, didn't care that someone knew that she was crying.
8:00 AM
"Man, this fog is not letting up," Jemusu said as he trudged through the mist.
"What time is it now? It has to be close to the eighth hour in the morning." Meira said in irritation.
"Yeah...how long have we been walking?" Edi asked them.
"I don't know, but I'm getting a little...tired…" Jemusu said feeling his eyes becoming heavy all of a sudden.
"Huh...yeah...me too," Meira says, feeling the weight of sleep on her eyes as well.
"Hey, that's...weird...I feel...sleepy too…" Edi said drifting off.
The three slowly made their way to a bench and each of them sat down on it, Jemusu on the left, Edi on the middle, and Meira on the right.
"Maybe just...a little sleep...will make us...feel more awake..." Jemusu murmured.
"Yeah...sounds good…" Edi slurred, his eyelids already growing heavy.
"I could...use the rest...right now…" Meira yawned as she leaned onto Edi.
Jemusu leaned on the armrest as he began to snooze away, while Edi leaned back on the bench. Within seconds, the three youngsters lost the battle of will, and succumbed to the wave of change that was spreading across the island.
Anjera sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. She then let out a yawn, feeling quite drained from her meltdown.
'Feeling sleepy already?'She thought bitterly to herself. 'I guess a weak monster like me shouldn't have expected much. I didn't even...get too…'
Anjera then slumped over in her chair, dropping her damp handkerchief onto the floor. Her eyes watched as the fireplace suddenly began to die, despite how large it was just seconds ago.
'...find out what Azula thought.'
Ai was carrying Azula in her arms as she cried herself to sleep. The maid hummed the same song as she did so, which seemed to help the princess sleep with better dreams.
"Hm?" Ai looked to her right and noticed Anjera had suddenly fallen asleep. She also noticed that the fireplace had suddenly begun to gradually die, despite the fact that she had replaced the firewood herself not that long ago. She walked over to the fireplace and narrowed her eyes at the smoldering, yet still plentiful pile of firewood.
"...So, it seems it's about to start for all of them," Ai let out a sigh. Putting Azula down onto the chair near Anjera, Ai then set out to lock the front double sliding doors with a key. Placing it in one of her pockets, she then lets the window curtains down to block out any light. The only things she got out were candles that she got out of a drawer in the reception desk, and placed them on candle holders. She placed both of the candle holders near the two young women on a table stand that was in between their seats.
As she was done with that, Ai then took another look at the two sleeping women.
"...Good luck. Stay close to each other, and don't let it consume either one of you," She whispered softly, before kissing their foreheads. She then sat down on her knees, and began to pray, humming the same song she had hummed to Azula.
"Damn it! Why am I growing...so...tired?" Ozai muttered.
After a couple of steps, he knelt down on the ground and landed on it, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
"What's...happening…?" Ozai asked in a daze. Despite mustering all of his willpower, he discovered in horror that he couldn't move a single muscle! All energy in his body was suddenly zapped by an invisible force, which hungered for more every time he grew weaker.
It was as if they were being overcome by a peaceful silence. Everything was calm. Everything was quiet. EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT. THERE ARE NO WORRIES.
Just a peaceful, dreamless sleep…
...Now...we can finally play...
"We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves."
Present Time - 11:13 AM
The Avatar and his friends kept on walking into the forest. The light began to fade away from sight as they went deeper. The trees began to grow closer. The fog began to thicken. And to make matters worse, it smelled like it was going to rain.
It was growing harder to see, with the fog consuming everything in their path. The air grew so opaque that they all held hands to make sure that they didn't lose each other. Zuko, Iroh, and Aang were still using their firebending to light their way as the rest followed them. Aang even went as far as trying to clear away the fog with some of his airbending so they can see clearly.
But strangely enough, the thick fog would roll back into existence. It's as if the mist was a stubborn entity trying to make itself known.
After a while of doing that, Aang decided to play it safe and keep using firebending to guide them. The light is meant to comfort those who are lost in the dark, but somehow, this didn't seem to help their nerves.
It was about thirty minutes into the deep forest that Aang noticed Toph's growing look of confusion and concern.
"Are you alright, Toph?" He finally asked, grabbing her attention.
"...Not really, Twinkletoes." She finally said. Her head kept on moving side to side as if she was trying to look for something on the ground.
"What's the matter?" Katara asked, shivering slightly from the cold.
"I don't know," The blind Earthbender confessed. "I mean, the ground feels fine, and yet, something just seems...wrong."
"Wrong?"
"I-I really don't know how to describe it. But," Toph began to tap her foot. "It really makes me feel...uncomfortable."
After that, everyone fell into a pause. Finally, Iroh cleared his throat.
"It would be best for us to stay on our guard." He said wisely. "Oftentimes it's always the animals that leave first before the storm. Perhaps nature is trying to tell us something through our earthbender's connection to her."
"Then what is the earth trying to say when..." Toph asked with a shudder. "...when it feels like it has a pulse?"
"A pulse?" Suki asked her. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I mean. Like...it has a pulse. A slow and steady pulse." Toph clarified.
"Really?" Aang asked in wonder. "But...why would the ground have a pulse?"
"I don't...wait," Toph then set her feet firmly into the grass. "...Now it's gone."
Everyone looked confused by her statement.
"...Are you trying to mess with us right now?" Sokka asked in an unsure tone.
Toph groaned. "Snoozles, I'm not joking! It really felt like it had a pulse for a second."
"That's...weird," Katara said as she hugged herself, trying to get rid of the discomfort she was feeling.
Zuko stood there thinking, until he asked Iroh, "Uncle, did you say this island has no volcanic activity whatsoever?"
"That I did...but it could just be a small tremor on the island as well. I mean, it does have these three hills surrounding the town. It's not too possible that these hills could have some volcanic pressure in them...but if Lady Toph says that something felt wrong, depending on her connection to Earth, then...we must really be on guard." Iroh said warily.
"Well...it's gone now, right? Maybe it actually was a tremor?" Aang told Toph.
"...Yeah. Yeah...that's...what it probably was." Toph said, mostly to herself.
Everyone stood there in the quiet. The fog was still thick, and they can barely see each other as they thought about what Toph might've felt.
It was then Zuko broke the quiet. "Well, we need to keep going either way."
"Um, I'm sorry for being pessimistic," Began Sokka, "but to where exactly? We've been walking in this fog for who knows how long, and we haven't even seen this town. We could be walking in circles for all we know!"
"Nope. We've been walking a straight line for a while now." Toph confirmed.
"Well, how faristhis town then?" Sokka said, a little frustrated.
"Sokka, we just have to keep going," Suki said assuringly.
"Suki's right." Iroh said, "We need to trudge forward. We've been walking for quite a while, so I'm certain we shall reach the town at some point."
While they were talking, Zuko glanced at Katara, who was hugging herself as she looked bothered.
"You okay?" Zuko asked her. Aang, wondering who he was talking to, turned his head to where Zuko was looking. Upon seeing that the young firebender is talking to his girlfriend, as well as checking up on her, Aang felt a little envious. However, those emotions quickly faded when he saw that Katara was indeed looking quite uncomfortable. "Katara, are you alright?"
The rest of them looked at Katara, who stood there looking at them, snapping out of her daze. She looked uncertain. "Well…" she shivered, "It's just...I don't know why, but...I kind of get the feeling that...someone is watching us."
"Watching us?" Aang asked her.
Zuko looked around the area, as well as Iroh. Turning to his uncle, he gave him a nod, while the older man nodded as well.
"Everyone, huddle together," Iroh announced. "Zuko and I are going to check and see if anyone else is in this fog."
Zuko and Iroh then went back to back and began making quick hand motions, before unleashing their fire at the ground, creating a protective circle.
The fiery barrier lit up the foggy area, revealing...nothing.
Seeing that there was nothing, Katara began to blush.
"I'm sorry for the trouble." Katara apologized meekly, but Iroh merely shook his head.
"It is quite alright, Lady Katara." He said. "In these unfamiliar territories, it never hurts to be careful. I do hope that we were able to dissipate your worries."
Katara nodded her head, feeling a little better, and at that, the two firebenders turned out their flames.
...However, something can be heard in the distance.
"Wait a second. I hear something." Toph told everyone, listening intently to whatever she was sensing.
Everyone else paused as they tried to listen to what the earthbender could be hearing.
...She was right. There was a sound.
"Hey...I hear it now." Aang said in a whisper.
It sounded like...hysterical wailing...
Sokka raised a brow. "What is that?" He asked quietly.
The rest of the Gaang stood their ground, as the wailing comes a little closer...
"...sorry! Please, daddy, I'm so sorry! Come back! Daddy, are you there!? Please!Please! PLEASE!"
Zuko blinked. "What the…?" He mumbled in confusion.
Iroh also looked puzzled. The rest of the Gaang went on high alert when the noise started to become audible and comprehensible.
"Daddy! Daddy, I'm lost! Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME!PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!" The voice became frantic, more desperate. "AAAAAUUUGGHHH!"
The wailings became more coherent as the creature grew closer. Its voice sounded hoarse as if it had been screaming for hours, and yet, it still sounded like the voice of a banshee, screaming in fright of an unknown being.
It was then they can see a man coming into view in the fog. He looked to be staggering, hunched over and babbling incoherently. His shape was rather bulky, looking like he's wearing Fire Nation armor, but without a helmet on…
Zuko's eyes widened as well as Iroh's.
"DADDY!? D-Daddy, is that you!?"
Katara and Suki looked on in slight fear, uneasy of what will emerge from the mist. Sokka and Aang gazed at the figure with bated breath, wondering what they'll encounter. Toph stood her ground, but at the same time, she was becoming uneasy as well.
"Daddy!? Daddy? P-Please...please be here…"
The figure came into view, proving Zuko's and Iroh's suspicions were correct.
"Torubi?" Zuko said, letting out the breath he was holding.
Indeed it was Torubi. However, he doesn't have his helmet on and looked…anguished, scared, even mal-nourished. His eyes were wide open, almost lifeless, like he was trying to stay awake throughout the whole day. He was also fidgeting as he kept looking around him for...something. Or maybe someone. Even his armor was really worn to the point that he was missing a shoulder pad and a leg armor pad.
All in all, he looked...horrible.
"My word...Torubi, what happened to you?" Iroh asked in shock and horror.
Torubi still fidgeted as he stared at them all, his right eye twitching as he started mumbling gibberish. "Wh-what-you-you're-not-not-not-I-how-when-what is-D-Daddy-Daddy-Daddy-what-"
"Torubi!" Zuko exclaimed, trying to make him snap out of it. He couldn't bear to see him like this. When the soldier didn't respond, Zuko placed his hands on his shoulders. This gave Torubi a startled yelp, almost making the Fire Lord jump back.
Feeling disturbed by all this, Zuko tried again and slowly placed his hands on Torubi's shoulders, all the while saying, "Torubi, what happened? Who on Earth did this to you?"
Torubi twitched and twitched, until he slowly said, "I...don't...know…"
"You don't?" Iroh asked, jumping in on the conversation.
"He's...not lying," Toph said, feeling the same unease as she listens in.
Zuko asked, "What do you mean? Where are the others? Your captain, your fellow soldiers?"
Torubi's eyes widened in dread. "Captain...the others...I was going to…try to call for more backup..." His breathing started to fasten as he grabbed each side of his head, grasping his hair, "O-Oh spirits, I'm-I'm-I'm lost! I'm lost again!"
"Torubi, please calm down, you are okay now." Reassured Iroh. "Just tell us what happened. Are the captain and the soldiers alright? How long have you been wandering here?"
He looked like he was about to hyperventilate, his hand on his chest armor while the other grasped his hair.
"Torubi," Zuko said, feeling such great pity for the man right now. "Please, tell us what happened. Give us a shorter version of it."
That seemed to calm him down, as Torubi slowly gave out slow deep breaths. His whole face almost looked tranquil and with one last deep breath, he said in a shaky voice. "I was...trying to go back to the airship, but...I...I was lost."
"In this fog?" Katara asked him, trying to see if she can help the man as well.
The man took one look at the waterbender for a moment, before he burst into soft deranged chuckles.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heeeeh. Ooooh, no-no-no, nooo...the fog is just a physical maze. I meant...I was, and still am, lost in my own mind. He-he-he-he-heeee..."
The man's chuckles then grew more erratic as they turned into giggles, sending chills up everyone's spines.
"Uuuuh...okay…" Sokka said, looking quite disturbed.
"Uh...sir, um...we just want to help you ou-" Aang tried to say to him, but was quickly cut off.
"It knows who you are." The man continued giggling, scratching his head as he looked at Sokka, Aang, and everyone else. "Whatever it is, it digs inside your brain as itconsumesyou! And there's no escaping it!" He chuckled softly, and as he began to look at Zuko, his chuckles died down. With a loud whisper, he said to him. "THERE'S NO ESCAPING YOUR OWN DEMONS."
Zuko blinked at the claim. "Torubi, what...what in the world are you talking abou-"
And with that, the man drew out his knife, sending everyone into a panic.
"Woah, woah, woah, take it easy man!" Sokka said, drawing his trusty space sword. "We're not your enemies. Look, this guy's your Fire Lord, dude."
The man's eyes twitched as he looked around everywhere as if searching for an invisible enemy.
"You don't get it, do you?" The man whispered harshly. "The real enemy is within. Within you. And it's in Silent Hills. And it will come after you...it will consume you." Then with one last faraway look, he said in a normal tone. "I'm manning up for what I've done now, Daddy…"
And with that, he raised his dagger to his throat.
SLASH!
"TORUBI! NO!" Zuko exclaimed.
"URG! ACK! GURG!" With a horrible gurgle, the man fell onto his knees as his throat bled out. Aang and Katara screamed in horror. Sokka felt sick and ran into the nearby bush to puke. Suki shut her eyes and covered her ears. Toph whitened as she stumbled backward onto her rear. Zuko and Iroh simply looked away, unable to see the death that had just occurred in front of them.
The man laid there on the ground, his form twitching as the last remnants of his blood poured out of his fatal neck wound. Silence wafted in the air, as well as the fresh smell of blood and death. Sokka regained his bearings after he puked and shakily got up from the bush.
"...Spirits, what the hellwasthat?" Sokka panted as if trying to hold back another vomit. He glanced at the dead body, and almost puked again.
"..." Zuko suddenly fell on his knees, despair and guilt written all over his face.
"Zuko?" Katara immediately ran to his side, concern evident in her voice. "Are you alright?"
"...I...I couldn't save him," Zuko said, his breath trembling. "I couldn't save him...and...and maybe...maybe the others..." he grimaced in dread, "...I just lead them to their deaths."
"Zuko," Iroh said softly, "It was not your fault."
"Yes it is!" Zuko grasped his head in his hands. "How am I any better than my father if I just send my own men to their deaths!?"
"Zuko." Katara softly said to him in worry, feeling sympathy for him, but also trying to let him get him back into the mission at hand.
But the Fire Lord wasn't listening, letting go of his head and slamming his hands onto the ground, his fingers digging into the soft dirt.
"What kind of Fire Lord am I?!" Zuko exclaimed as he pounded the dirt ground.
"Zuko…"
"Am I no better than my father?!"
"Zuko."
"I'm soworthless!"
"Zuko!"
"Why can't I just do something right for-?!"
SPLASH!
"ZUKO!"
Zuko's thoughts were interrupted by a slap of water, quite literally. He blinked, his head now soaked, and he realized that Katara had waterbent some of her bottled water on him.
"Zuko." Katara's voice returned to its gentle tone again, making him relax now that he was truly listening. "We couldn't have known that these men were going to...lose their lives."
Katara let out a shudder, still remembering the look on the dead man's face.
"There's nothing we can do about it, except for finding any survivors and finishing our mission. So please, Zuko, can you stop beating yourself up about something that you had no control over and couldn't have known anything about?"
Zuko's look of self-hatred melted away from his eyes from the moment that his eyes met hers. Her gentle, blue eyes seemed to cool his own, and he let out a sigh.
"Fire Lord Zuko," Iroh said in a gentle tone as well. "The lives of those soldiers were lost needlessly. However, as Lady Katara has already stated, their lives were not on your hands. Whatever could've done such a thing to them was far beyond your control and knowledge. We shall honor their sacrifice by finding any of the survivors, as well as completing their mission. Can you do that for them, Zuko?"
Zuko had a blank look on his face, before it morphed into determination.
"You're right, Uncle, Katara. Thank you."
Aang looked on at Zuko, Katara, and Iroh. Somewhere inside his mind, he was surprised that Katara went to Zuko without ceasing. The way she looked at Zuko with such concern for him...it made him feel…
Aang shook his head. 'Stop being selfish! Zuko just had a breakdown, and you're jealous of Katara just being a friend to him!?'
"Can someone help me up?" Toph said quietly, her tone sounding far-off. "My legs feel too weak."
The Avatar looked over at the blind earthbender, and saw the look of shock still etched onto her face. He looked at her legs, and it was still trembling, no doubt from the horrific sight they just saw. Or in Toph's case, heard and felt.
"Uh, I-I'll help you up." Aang offered.
Toph nodded and put her hand out to him as he grabbed it, heaving her up. Her balance was a little shaky, but she eventually stood on firm ground.
"Thanks," Toph muttered.
"No problem…" Aang said a little awkwardly.
"Dear Spirits, what made him go crazy like that?" Suki wondered out loud as she cautiously looked at the dead body.
"I'll tell you one thing…" Sokka spoke up, finally getting the barf back down in his throat. "We really need to keep moving. Preferably before something else can jump out at us."
Zuko got up, his back facing the others, and gave a nod. "You're right. Wehaveto keep moving." He turned to face Toph. "Can you feel anything around this perimeter, Toph?"
"Give me a sec," Toph said, grabbing her head to clear out the aftershock. When she regained her bearings, she slammed her foot on the ground. Everyone stood still, silently waiting for her answer.
"...There's something straight ahead," Toph told everyone. "And, well, good news: I think we're close to the village."
Toph's declaration gave them a bit of a relief, their long, seemingly aimless journey finally coming to its conclusion.
"Then let's go," Katara said, before turning her head to Zuko with a nod.
"Right," Zuko said with resolve and with a nod of his own at the waterbender.
And with that, they continued on forward...
11:35 AM
They continued to walk in silence, the only sounds they could hear were their own heartbeats, their footsteps, and their breathing. Occasionally, paranoia would get the best of them, and they would think that something was creeping up behind them, only to find out that there was nothing at all.
Then-
"There it is!" Toph shouted.
"Finally!" Sokka cried out. "I was starting to think we never get to this village!"
"Yeah, me too," Toph muttered. "...Hey, do you guys smell smoke?"
"Smoke?" Katara asked. She then blinked as she saw something in the fog. She squinted and walked closer to the falling particles from the sky. Holding out her hand, the particle glided gently onto her hand, and she took a closer look at it.
Katara paled before she threw the particle away. The black snow had brought back too many bad memories, which she did not want to think about at the moment.
"Ash!" She yelled, quickly huddling back to the group. "There's ash in the air!"
Everyone grew tense at this, seeing the black snow rain from the sky, followed by the unpleasant smell of fire consuming its prey.
Only Zuko and Aang noticed Katara trembling like a leaf. No doubt that the sight of the black snow had triggered some unpleasant memories of her past.
"Katara? Are you alright?" Zuko asked her in concern. He made a motion that looked like he was reaching out for her.
Aang, deciding not to let Zuko get a chance, came up to Katara. "Katara, is this about when the Fire Nation, well, you know…"
Katara could only nod as her trembling fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. She grew pale as she tried to hold back the feelings of anger, sorrow, and terror from spilling out of her. Tears threatened to pool out of her blue eyes as her emotions suddenly began to spiral out of control.
Zuko, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, decided to step back with a wince.
"I'm...I'm sorry." He hastily apologized in a vain effort to help her feel better.
"No...it's fine." Katara wiped her tears with her sleeves.
Iroh frowned at how this effect of fire and wood had made the waterbender feel. He put a hand on Katara's shoulder. She looked at the older man with surprise at first, but was appreciative of his reassurance. Iroh gave her a kind smile and a nod.
Sokka, who looked at his sister with worry, asked, "Are you going to be okay, Katara?"
She nodded and said to everyone. "Yes. I'm...I'm going to be fine."
Suki looked up at the ash-filled droplets. "What do you think made these?"
"A large fire probably. Duh." Sokka said.
Suki glanced at her boyfriend with a sour look. "I know that, Sokka. I actually meant...who made them?"
"Well, whoever made all this is probably close by, right?" Aang asked curiously.
"Probably." Sokka looked towards the town. "Either way, I guess we're gonna find out soon enough."
"I'll check if anyone is nearby." Toph stomped her foot, then froze. "...Huh."
"Huh?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" Sokka asked her.
"...I don't feel anyone close by," Toph explained.
They all looked at each other puzzled.
"Then...it's actually raining ash?" Katara asked dumbfounded.
"Hmm…" Iroh put a hand to his beard. "...Very peculiar." He looked at all the kids. "Either way, we should still keep moving."
"Yeah. Uncle's right. We won't get anywhere if we just stand here." Zuko told them.
Everyone nodded, and they advanced toward the town.
As soon as they went into the village limits, they were surrounded by homes that looked too still and lifeless. They don't have any activity inside them, no voices of laughter even. It seemed like everything was...abandoned. Some doors were even slid opened, letting the group look inside some of these homes, only to find them empty.
The first thing they saw when they passed through the ruined gates was...nothing. Sure, there were homes, stores, and other buildings, but there was no sign of life anywhere, human or inhuman. Like the forest they had just exited, the entire village seemed to be devoid of all life, leaving nothing behind but fog, structures, and the ominous, loud silence that rang in their ears.
The group reluctantly decided to split up in order to increase their chances of finding any source of life. Aang went with Katara, Sokka, and Suki, while Zuko went with his uncle and Toph.
When they all regrouped back after checking through some houses, Sokka said what was on everyone's mind.
"Okay, this is really spooky."
"Tell me about it. This place can't possibly be abandoned, can it?" Suki said, feeling unnerved by all this.
"Man, I can't hear anything besides us talking," Toph commented.
Katara looked around the area to try to give herself some ease. "Do you...do you think the rumor of this whole island being cursed is true?"
"I sure hope not," Sokka said with a shiver.
Zuko looked unsure. "...I hope not either."
Aang glanced around the area. "Hmm...I wonder if some spirit is the cause of this town being empty."
"Aang, can we…*yawn*...stop talking about ghosts and spirits for a second?" Zuko said as he yawned for some reason.
Sokka's eyelids suddenly began to feel heavy. "Yeah..." she shook his head, "Ugh, man. I'll say this, I'm a little tired right now."
"Really, Sokka?" Katara said to her brother, before her eyelids grew heavy as well. "I've never seen you get…*yawn*...so tired from just walking."
Suki gave out a yawn. "Yeah...I'm a little tired as well." She shook her head, trying to wake herself up.
"Why are you all-" Toph's words were cut off by her rather cute yawn. "...so tired?"
"We have been walking quite a lot…" Iroh reasoned, letting out a large yawn as well.
"We...we shouldn't sleep right...now." Zuko drifted off. "At least...not outside."
Aang and his friends tried to stumble to the closest building but found themselves growing more sleepy by the minute. Their vision was rapidly blurring, with the outside fog having nothing to do with it. With all the strength leaving them, they soon collapsed onto the ground, lying on the dry ground or leaning on the building walls.
"Goodnight you guys," Sokka muttered, before his eyes began to close. Too sluggish to even open their mouths to reply, the others began to drift off into a dreamless sleep. Their bodies refused to move a muscle, even as they heard heavy footsteps slowly walking towards them. Their heads were too fogged up to react appropriately, their unconscious brains disregarding the loud sounds of the emergency sirens going off, the sound muffled by water in their ears.
Their bodies tugged...until they gave way and were pulled through the ground.
Everyone, from Jemusu, Edi, Meira, and Ozai, was asleep for about three hours...until they too were carried and dragged away...placed where they should be. Azula and Anjera both slept on their chairs in the hotel, while Ai sat there in her chair, silent as she looked to be asleep as well.
They didn't wake up when they heard the sirens.
...But they, along with the Avatar and his friends, will come to, soon...
And one of them will wake up to a whole new nightmare.
Heh heh heh...no turning back now, everyone...
No. Turning. Back.
End of Chapter 8
AN: Hey all! Finally got this chapter done! :)
*By the way, the maid character is basically Clone from Atelier Escha and Logy, but with different hair color. This was Lucius Walker's idea, by the way. She's there for a reason. ;)
Until then, keep on rocking everybody!