"I can't believe it..."
"They're going to kill them all."
Derek gritted his teeth in anger. Not everyone being killed was a warrior; some were simply children.
Meanwhile, Darío signaled for more prisoners to be killed. Their heads were cut off, and blood gushed out, staining the white ice that had formed some time ago.
How long will they endure?
That's the question everyone was asking. Those warriors of the Fire Nation were weak, but if they resisted, they would be more than weak; they would all be crushed by the cannons along with their families.
"Start with the children," said Darío, without any fear or guilt in his voice. His gaze shifted towards all the soldiers on that wall, waiting for their reaction.
As everyone saw that now it was the turn of the children, the feeling of guilt grew even stronger. None of them wanted to see those children murdered as if their ancestors hadn't committed genocides against children.
"Remember what these barbarians did to the Air Nomads when they attacked their temples? Remember that these bastards were looking for the young Avatar among the children, and to achieve their goal, they slaughtered them all," shouted Darío towards his soldiers, who became aware of what was happening.
Everyone gritted their teeth; if anyone was prepared to kill, it would be the fleet outside the colony that would be attacked soon.
Derek, who was at the other end, couldn't help but shout, "What are we hesitating for? We must save those who can still be saved. When the fleet returns, they'll retake this place, so there's nothing to fear."
"Now it's these children; later, it could be our own!"
In that moment of uncertainty, an old voice was heard behind them, saying, "The young one is right; there's no time to hesitate. You must choose: either fight now or surrender to avoid fewer deaths. The enemy doesn't plan to stop; do you plan to hesitate more?"
Everyone turned to see the commander who had left his services many years ago, and that doubt disappeared from their minds.
"Open the gates; it seems everyone has made a decision."
Derek, who looked at the general with whom he always had a conversation, stepped forward and asked, "General, what do you plan to do?"
The old general suspected from the beginning that something was in the sky, and after much hesitation, he said, "We will receive the distinguished guest who has been observing us all this time. It would be bad manners not to do so now that they're here."
Derek's curiosity was piqued, and looking around, he couldn't find anything unless it came from above. "In the sky..."
Boom!
While everyone still hesitated, something black fell from the sky, generating a layer of vapor that exploded between the fire and the ice.
The next moment, all that fog had disappeared, and instead, what appeared in front of everyone was Thorian, dressed in combat armor, and his authority was evident just from looking at his expression. Serious and determined, he alone could say what he truly felt at this moment.
Walking towards the old man, who was an old general, Thorian looked at the young soldiers on the wall and said, "You look at me with familiar eyes, but I'm sure you've never seen me before. Now, seeing an old man like you taking the initiative to step forward for your young soldiers, I must think that you're willing to reach an agreement."
The old general saw an expression similar to the one he saw in Draven but said nothing. He didn't have the right to unsettle Thorian's emotions, so he said, "Let the civilians go; we will surrender as long as you can swear not to harm them."
"Of course, there are many mouths to feed, and I cannot give myself the right to leave them here. I might as well send them back to your nation, but given our situation, the least I can do is send them to a nearby colony of our location." Thorian's words were sincere; he planned to return these people to an Earth Kingdom city, but the problem is that it won't be as simple as it sounds.
The old man nodded, looked back, and asked, "How will you do it?"
"We'll kill the elderly and confine the young ones in the icy barracks that you have prepared for the soldiers of the Earth Kingdom. You must pay for your war crimes and consider your invasion actions. This is not your country; these are not your lands or resources."
As in any other invasion war, people will die; this is no exception. So by killing the older ones, a certain burden is lifted, and forgiveness is granted to the younger ones who have at most participated in one or two battles.
"Everyone out now, we have reached a deal," shouted the old man, looking at the young soldiers.
At that moment, the killing stopped. Everyone smiled in a chilling way, looking at those young soldiers who were coming out one after another.
At the same time, several soldiers behind Thorian stepped forward to arrest numerous soldiers who were very young without them opposing.
"Weak, fragile, and puppets..." Thorian uncovered the enemy army with these simple words.
As the young soldiers were taken to a cargo cruiser, the old soldiers were kneeling on the ground. They all knew their roles, so they didn't beg for mercy; at least they would die knowing they had done something for their people.
"Kill them all!" Thorian shouted, and at that moment, hundreds of heads fell to the ground.
Derek, who was among the last to leave, watched as Thorian decapitated the old general and shouted in anger, "Damned cowards!"