---
My body was drenched in blood, a thick crimson coat clinging to my skin like a second layer. The scent of iron hung heavy in the air, mixing with the cold stone beneath my feet, slick with the blood of the fallen. I stared down at the puddles pooling around me, gazing into the distorted reflection of my face.
In the rippling red surface, I saw **my eyes**—cold, emotionless—and **my face**.
.
.
.
HAD A SMILE.
'A smile?' My hand twitched as I lifted it to my face, tracing the curve of my lips. I slid my finger along my mouth, feeling the smile there, mocking me. I didn't know why I was smiling. There was no joy in it—only something primal, something dark, lurking just beneath the surface.
Clap. Clap.
The sound of slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the blood-soaked chamber, pulling my attention from the reflection. Azula walked toward me, her hands still clapping, the sound reverberating off the cold walls. Each clap was sharp, precise, like the snap of bones breaking.
"Well done," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "You survived the experiment."
"Experiment?"I asked, my voice coming out rough, like gravel. She stopped just in front of me, close enough for me to reach out and grab her if I wanted. But I didn't move. I couldn't.
Her eyes gleamed with twisted delight as she flicked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, an experiment,"** she repeated, her smile widening. "To produce a primal candidate who can kill without hesitation. And guess what?" She leaned in slightly, her gaze boring into mine. "The experiment worked. You're the result."
Her words were ice, cutting into me. But I didn't react. "I see," I muttered, rolling my neck until it cracked audibly. The tension in my muscles screamed for release, but I kept my composure. The weight of what had just happened settled over me like a heavy blanket, but I refused to let it show.
Azula's eyes flickered with interest, watching me closely. She seemed intrigued, almost fascinated by my lack of emotion. 'This boy,' she must have been thinking, **'he kills like he's done it a hundred times. No fear. No remorse.' I could feel her curiosity, her mind whirling with dark possibilities.
She created this whole experiment out of sheer boredom—thirty children thrown into the jaws of death just for her amusement. And I was the last one standing. A living, breathing testament to her cruelty.
"You're interesting," she mused, her tone shifting from mockery to a strange sort of admiration. "You'll be useful. You need a bath," she said, eyeing the blood covering me from head to toe. "From now on, you will be my partner during training."
[System Initiated]
The voice in my head was abrupt and mechanical, like a computer booting up for the first time.
[Quest Generated: Due to specific conditions]
[Quest: Accept the Princess's offer and become her training partner. Reward: Energy Bending.]
'Energy Bending?'My pulse quickened, but I didn't let the excitement show on my face. Instead, I kept my expression neutral, my smile hidden beneath the mask of indifference.
"Okay, Princess," I said calmly, the words slipping out as a maid stepped forward and grabbed my hand. Her touch was gentle, but there was an underlying urgency as she led me away from the training ground. I glanced back at Azula. She was still smiling that twisted, satisfied smile as she watched me disappear down the corridor.
I was taken to a bathhouse, where the maid hurriedly began scrubbing the blood off my skin. I stared at the water as it turned pink, then red, swirling down the drain. The maid worked in silence, her hands shaking slightly as she washed my hair and face. She was careful, almost frightened, as if any wrong move might provoke me.
As she washed away the last remnants of blood, I finally caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My reflection stared back at me—a boy no older than eight or nine. My features were sharp, hardened by whatever cruel twist of fate had brought me here. I sighed, the sound barely audible over the splashing water.
'This is me now?' I thought, gazing at the hollow eyes in the mirror. 'I don't even recognize myself anymore.' My body felt foreign, smaller, weaker than I remembered. But the weight of my past life was still there, like an anchor tied around my soul.
When the maid finished, she left without a word, and I was guided to a room. It was nothing more than a storage closet—bare walls, a straw mat on the floor, and a small, worn pillow. I stared at it, my mind going numb from the sheer exhaustion of everything that had happened.
"Good enough," I muttered, lying down on the straw mat. The moment my head hit the pillow, a red text box appeared, floating in the air before me.
'Status.' I thought, and the screen blinked to life.
---
**[Status]**
**[Name]**: Alex
**[Age]**: 9 Years Old
**[Race]**: Human
---
**[Passive Skills]:**
[Hand-to-Hand Combat Lvl 70]
[Cooking Lvl 20]
[Accuracy Lvl 20]
[Swimming Lvl 23]
[Instincts Lvl 15]
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**[Active Skills]:**
[Sprint Lvl 67]
[Stealth Lvl 30]
[Lying Lvl 89]
[Firebending Lvl 1]
---
I scanned the list, my eyes narrowing as I took in the details. "Hand-to-Hand Combat… Cooking… Accuracy… These are all from my past life. But..." My heart skipped a beat as my eyes landed on the last entry. "Firebending?"
I shot up from the mat, my blood pumping with sudden excitement. 'Can I really firebend?' I stared at the red screen, adrenaline rushing through me. I clenched my fist, feeling the heat building in my chest. The air around me seemed to thicken, growing hot.
I threw my fist forward, mimicking the firebenders I'd seen earlier.
Nothing happened.
"Well… that was anticlimactic." I let out a frustrated sigh, but before I could give up, I felt a faint pulse of warmth. I glanced down at my hand just in time to see a small burst of flame ignite from my fingertips, flickering in the dim light.
***SHWOOSH***
A wave of heat exploded around me, the fire roaring to life. It licked at the air, making me break into a sweat. My pulse raced, and a grin spread across my face. "It worked." I stared at the flames dancing on my fingertips, feeling a surge of power flow through me. "I can firebend."
But as thrilling as it was, I knew I needed control. Fire wasn't something to be taken lightly. It was dangerous, unpredictable. One wrong move, and it could consume everything around me.
The maid had left a candle to light the small room, its tiny flame flickering in the darkness. 'Maybe this will help.' I thought as I sat cross-legged in front of the candle, closing my eyes and focusing on the flame. I could feel it, its warmth, its energy.
After a few moments of quiet concentration, the familiar voice echoed in my head again.
[Firebending Level Up]
[New Skill Unlocked: Meditation]
A smile tugged at my lips. 'I guess I'm a fast learner.'
I stayed up all night, meditating, feeling the fire's energy, letting it flow through me. For the first time since waking up in this strange, cruel world, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time:
Control.
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