The screaming.
There was darkness.
And in this darkness, there was crying and incessant screams of countless people.
I could hear them all.
Some were old.
Some were young.
There were the sound of men.
There were the cries of women.
And the wails of children.
Just like me.
Yes.
Just. Like. Me.
Terror and hopelessness in each of their voices.
Each one crying out for help.
For someone to free each and every one of them from their torment.
The feeling of being bound in my cell was prevalent. I was here with them.
It all seemed so familiar.
As though a veil had simply covered my eyes, waiting till I could recall.
Then, and only then, would I could see.
And then in a snapshot it dawned on me.
I knew exactly where I was.
I was in the prison on the fire navy ship laying down in the corner facing the wall fast asleep the third day after they took the people of our village as prisoners.
~FWOOSH!~
All at once I could hear the coil whine of the red light outside the door. I could feel the vibration of the ship being powered by the coal from the mainland. Dozens of guardsmen women soldiers roughly escorting my people into their holding cells with fetters of iron.
The sound of a young girl being ripped from her mother. The sound of a fist striking the woman against the wall as she cries for them to not take her away. Eventually hearing her being chained to the wall and left in the cold damp room with nothing but rags to keep herself warm.
This. This is all that WE have left. Where WE were taken. From now on this is where we call home. We have no saviors here. No one will come for us. No one will rescue us. WE. ARE. ALONE.
And it was all allegedly done by one whom I called family. "What a fucking joke." I breathed out with a shaky voice that was hoarse from crying for two whole days.
{I find nothing to be remotely humorous myself but to each his own I suppose.} A crisp voice cut through all the noise in the background.
"...." Instead of responding I shrunk further towards the wall.
{So, this is your inner self. The real you. I must say out of all things this is not what I expected.}
"....."
{So small of a space. You have so much potential and yet you waste away with only this much-.}
"You shouldn't be here. Not yet. It isn't the right time." I cut him off.
{And who dictates when is the right time? You? Me? ...Fama?}
At his mention I clenched my fists and the entire area shook as though we were caught in a storm.
Even then he stood as though his feet were fused to the floor.
{Does that upset you?}
"...."
{And who do you blame for his death?} He stepped till he was directly over me. I could see him in my peripheral vision.
"...." Averting my gaze from him I aim my focus to the rusted floor where oil and grease had seeped through the cracks.
{What were you doing while he was being tormented?}
"...."
{Did you attack the soldier who threatened him as you two were together?}
"...Grr."
{Did you even πππ to resist your captors?}
"I couldn't."
{Couldn't or wouldn't?}
"WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO, HUH!?! I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD!" I rose from the floor and shoved him back. "I had no power! I had no one! Mom was-" I began to choke back the tears as they threatened to fall from the corners of my eyes.
"Hey, dirt-bag! Keep it down in there!" One of the soldiers outside had banged on the door.
"She was burned alive and I-! She told me to-!"
"Don't make me come in there!" The blunt end of her spear once again hit the door.
"What else could I have done?" My breath was hitching as I seethed between my teeth. "AND WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?! YOU COULD HAVE CRUSHED THEM ALL IF YOU WERE THERE!" There were cracks forming all throughout the walls with my every outburst.
"Are you listening to me?! I said keep it down!" She was reaching for her keys.
"NO ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN PRISONER IF YOU WERE THERE! YOU'RE THE STRONGEST PERSON I KNOW! " With my fingers clawed into his shirt my tears were flowing freely by now. The entire cell was rocking back and forth by now but it didn't matter to me at all.
"I'm gonna roast you alive when I get my hands on you you hear me?!" The locks were being disengaged.
"AND THAT STUPID AVATAR! IF HE WAS RESPONSIBLE AND JUST WENT TO LEARN FROM THE OTHER KINGDOMS MY ENTIRE FAMILY WOULDN'T BE DEAD! MOM AND DAD WOULD STILL BE HERE!"
As the door slammed open the Fire Nation woman sent a blast through Shifu as if he was never there, almost as if he were a phantom. The blast hit me square in the chest slamming me into the wall.
"When I tell you to shut up you do it! You hear me?! This is your last warning!" She turned to leave but paused as I started to laugh. "The hell?"
"Kuku....Keheheheh...Hahahaha," Raising my head I held my face with my free hand. "...hahahahahaha.....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Standing up I supported myself with my arm on the wall.
"You got brain damage and went crazy?" She muttered stepping closer to get a better look at me.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-" Seeing that she was so close I launched off the wall catching her by surprise sending my heel into her gut.
"Kugh! Khack!" Leaving her wheezing doubled over I snatched her keys and freed my restraints from my wrists and neck.
By the time I was free she had recovered to where she sent a constant stream of flames at my face. As I glided underneath it I rushed past her to the exit leaving her behind.
Once I crossed the threshold I found myself back in the old vacation village surrounded by burning homes and dozens of people fleeing the area. As I looked behind me I could see the cubby hole I had crawled through that my mom had told me to use.
"I'll take all of you to the next world before any of you bastards lay a finger on her!" The sudden shout brought my attention back to my surroundings to a man that was fighting off a few non bending men with swords and glaives. In order to not get spotted I hid behind a tumbrel filled with hay.
"Papa!" A small girl that was a head shorter than me was clutching onto one of the mans pants leg.
It didn't last more than five seconds for her father to defend against the first two by dislocating their limbs, killing the third by forcefully spinning their head a full 180 degrees before being fatally wounded by the fourth.
A blade from a halberd was thrust into his back piercing through his belly staggering him to his knees.
"You filthy animals aren't good for anything but kindling!" The man jeered as his victim struggled to breathe.
The small girl froze as she was lost as to what she could do as she stood next to the bloody man. "Papa! Papa is hurt!" Her voice trembled as she stood in front of her father.
'This is too much,' Crouching further I blocked my view from the tragedy from my sight. 'I've seen enough pain befall my people. I just wish for this to end already. Why am I even here to begin with? What's the point of being reminded of the evils of the raiders?
"...Sa-yo..." He choked out as blood flowed from his wound.
'Wait. I-Don't I know that name?' As I stole another glance I studied the girls face even more, and then it hit me. She was the daughter of my mothers servant. I had only played with her once or twice when we first met back at my grandparents villa on my mothers side.
In a quick motion the girl snked her arms around his neck. "I- If I hug papa it will stop hurting! Whenever Sayo gets hurt mama and papa hugs her and the pain goes away!"
"Aww. Isn't this just touching? Too bad it has to end." The soldier spun his glaive behind his back.
"No," I muttered under my breath. "She couldn't have been there. It's impossible."
"Sa-yo....run..." Her father sputtered as blood pooled underneath him.
"No! Papa is hurting!"
"NOOOOOO!" With a guttural shout I rushed from out of cover and charged the soldier grabbing a dagger from one of the fallen corpses.
Taken off guard I was able to plunge the blade into his chest forcing him to fall on his back.
"...Haah...Haah...Haah..." As I stared into the light leaving the mans eyes I heard a breath hitch.
Looking up I saw the girl have a frightened look on her face as she stood in front of her father as if to shield him.
"Are you alri-"
"Don't hurt my daddy!"
"Huh? No I'm not-" I had reached my hand out and noticed it was gloved with blood from the soldier, causing me to swiftly bring it back behind me as I stood up. When I looked down at the corpse my body froze with what I had done. It was the dead body of Fama. Lacerated all over especially around his throat. My whole body covered in his life-blood.
"How is- This can't- It's- Why is- He shouldn't-" I couldn't even bring a coherent statement out as I stumbled aback shocked as to what was going on.
"Isn't this the reality that you are running from young lord?" An ominous voice called out to me making me whip around to confront the person that snuck up behind me. But there was no one there. Just the empty black that once again swallowed my surroundings.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Have you not considered that the world has never concealed anything but you have simply closed your eyes to the truth? The choices you have made has given you what you selfishly desired. A strong delusion. That is the consequence of your actions." The voice spread throughout the dark. From one shoulder to another. In front and behind me. It was everywhere.
"The only delusion is this place! I know what is real and what is fake! I never killed Fama! He didn't look like that! He-!" The image of his body dying in my mind as he cut into his own jugular locked the words from exiting my mouth.
"What difference does it make if you were the one to take the shard or not? It is all the same that you are the cause of why Fama is dead."
"It makes all the difference!"
"Oh really? Then tell me. What did you do to prevent his death?"
"I-!" Once more I had no words to rebut his point.
"You are simply a victim. You do nothing. You don't fight. You don't even try. All you do is wallow in self pity and expect this world to give you something because you feel entitled. You are a spoiled child. You are a failure."
"Tch!" I grit my teeth in frustration.
"You. Failed."
"You don't know me. You know nothing at all. What would you have done?"
"Oh but I do know you. It is you who have forgotten his own name. Isn't that right, [ ___ ]?
"What the hell do you want?"
"For you to do...something. Anything. Even if it is the wrong choice, at least you would have achieved something worth addressing."
"That is irresponsible!"
"But it is not evil."
"What evil deed have I done?!"
"Witnessing the worst crimes and choosing not to act. A complicit bystander. You let it happen."
"I. Was. Seven."
"You. Are. Guilty!" At that exact moment the emptiness quaked as though the entire space was trying to collapse on itself. Reality tore open and he was spewed out of the dark and into the light back to his jail cell to where he lied on the floor facing the wall. The sounds of crying no longer audible but an ache seated back into his soul. It felt as though his entire being was crumbling even in his bones.
"It hurts..." He muttered into his clasped hands. His knees were brought close to his chest as he made himself as small as possible, hoping he could keep himself together without falling apart.
And then as though time rewound, the voices of cries faded back to his ears. "No."
"Kyaa! Please! Not my daughter! She's but a child!"
"No no no." I gripped the sides of my matted, grimy hair.
"Ha! That'll teach you to talk back. Send the brat with the rest. Lock this one against the wall in this cell."
"NO NO NO."
"Hey, dirt-bag! Keep it down in there!" One of the soldiers outside had banged on my door.
"NO NO NO NO NO!"
"Don't make me come in there!" The blunt end of her spear once again hit the door.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" Once more....The entire space shook once more. My eyes pinched shut as my scream echoed all throughout the entire ship. I was wrong before thinking I knew what this place is. It is not my old cell. No. Far from it.
This.
This was Hell.
And I.
Well... I was home.