Chapter 73
As soon as the ship set sail, we began to implement our plan—though I prudently kept silent about certain details. After all, they're hot-tempered children, not ready for a bloody massacre. So, having sent them to the flying bison, I decided to make use of the powers I'd received from Schrödinger. Even though, unlike my original teleportation, he couldn't move between worlds, the ability to be everywhere and nowhere at once wasn't just a skill I could activate at any moment—it had become my constant state. Unless someone destroyed my soul, I couldn't die, and I could be wherever and whenever I wanted within this world.
The Exiled Prince's Private Ship
All the soldiers, especially the prince himself, were in high spirits. After all, today their seemingly endless years of searching had finally come to an end, and they could return home in triumph: they had captured the Avatar, who was now locked in a cabin.
Meanwhile, Prince Zuko, burning with impatience, was forced to follow the advice of his uncle and sip jasmine tea with him in the hope of calming his nerves.
"Peace of mind is very important, Zuko," Uncle Iroh, former general of the Fire Nation and brother of the Fire Lord himself, said in a calm tone. Despite his reputation as one of the most powerful firebenders, you wouldn't guess it by his appearance. He looked more like a chubby and good-natured man of about fifty. And unfortunately, he seemed not to notice that his words only irritated the teenager even more instead of helping him calm down.
When Iroh set out the Pai Sho board, the prince finally lost it.
"To hell with your games!" the enraged teenager shouted, jumping up and heading for the exit. "I'm going up on deck."
He strode angrily, not caring that Iroh didn't answer him, but before he could reach the door, his head suddenly started spinning, and he began to lose consciousness.
"How convenient it is at times to control blood…" I smirked, slowly emerging from the shadow in the floor before approaching the unconscious Iroh slumped in his chair and lifting his head by the chin.
"Oh, how I want to sink my fangs into your heart. How much knowledge of firebending I could absorb… Power comparable to a dragon. Still..." I sighed in disappointment, letting go of him, and after just a brief glance at the prince lying on the floor, faded into the shadows. "You gave me too many pleasant emotions in my previous life to kill you."
I remember, as if it were yesterday, back when I was in school and had only heard rumors about the Internet, my school friend gave me a disk with all episodes of the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." That story really touched my soul. Frankly, if I wasn't such a Hellsing fangirl, I might have considered entering that world instead.
"But you—I'll make no excuses," came a female voice behind the pair of soldiers standing guard. And before they could react, a slender feminine hand burst through each of their chests, clutching their still-beating hearts.
With a light jerk I withdrew my hands, letting the lifeless bodies fall to the floor, and focused on their hearts.
"I never understood why a master needs to drink blood from a neck when you can just rip out the heart," I muttered, sinking my fangs into the freshly extracted organ.
As I drank blood from their hearts, I felt something that seemed like it had always been a part of me, as if I were only now awakened to it. The energy, unlike chakra from the Naruto world, literally nourished every molecule of my body. The so-called Qi, now tainted with a tendency toward firebending thanks to the souls I absorbed. I also saw their memories and, honestly, for a moment felt a pang of conscience. They were veterans who had simply chosen to follow Zuko because of Iroh, whom they deeply respected. Sure, they'd burned their share of enemy lives, but they were just soldiers. Unlike the others, they were, in essence, exiled alongside the prince. Some had pissed off someone powerful at court, others had real crimes. But they all had one thing in common: just like the prince, they hoped the Avatar would be their ticket home.
"Thanks for the meal," I said with gratitude to the two corpses before stuffing them into my inventory and deciding to have a bit of fun.
Tili-tili-bom,
Close your eyes tight,
Someone walks outside your window,
And knocks at your door.
The singing of a young girl echoed to the soldiers on duty. Though it didn't seem terribly loud, it felt as if it came from everywhere.
Tili-tili-bom,
The night bird cries.
He's already crept inside your home.
For those who can't sleep.
He's coming... He's already near...
Suddenly, a group of heavily armored soldiers ran into the dim, poorly lit corridor, seeking instructions from the prince and the former general, but they froze in terror.
Tili-tili-bom,
Do you hear? Someone's near.
Lurking around the corner,
And looks right at you.
Bloody threads floated through the air, weaving over the walls, forming words. Getting closer and closer.
Tili-tili-bom,
The silent night will conceal everything.
He sneaks up behind you
And is about to catch you.
He comes... He's already near...
BAM!
Suddenly the door behind them slammed shut.
"AAAAAAAH!" grown men screamed like small children.
For a second the song was interrupted by giggling, as if right at their ears, before continuing:
Tili-tili-bom,
Do you hear? Someone's near.
Lurking around the corner,
And looks right at you.
They desperately tried to open the stubborn door, as the bloody threads drew ever closer.
Tili-tili-bom,
Close your eyes tight,
Someone walks outside your window,
And knocks at your door.
The song began a second verse, but the panicked soldiers didn't notice, now literally trying to kick down the door.
"Get away, you freak!" suddenly yelled the soldier closest to the blood threads and shot a blast of fire at them, vaporizing the source of fear. Silence fell. For now...
"Found you," whispered a voice, after which the one who'd shot the flames was torn apart, his blood forming new threads that, after pulling back 10 meters, continued spelling words on the walls, coming ever closer with the song:
Tili-tili-bom,
Close your eyes tight,
Someone walks outside your window,
And knocks at your door...
Tili-tili-bom,
The night bird cries.
He's already crept inside the home,
For those who can't sleep.
He's coming… He's already near…
Tili-tili-bom,
Do you hear? Someone's near.
Lurking around the corner
And looks right at you.
Tili-tili-bom,
The silent night will conceal everything.
He sneaks up behind you,
And is about to catch you.
He's coming… He's already near…
Tili-tili-bom,
Do you hear? Someone's near.
Lurking around the corner
And looks right at you.
Driven mad by terror, the firebenders stopped caring if red-hot metal would hit them, firing blasts at the metal door—most didn't even think to just melt the hinges.
"Don't you want to play with me?" came a wounded whisper. "But I've already… FOUND YOU!"
"NOOOOaarblbl…"
With a desperate scream, the threads dragged their victim into the depths of the dark corridor until a dreadful sound of rending flesh was heard—just as the door finally gave way, allowing the terrified, now gray-haired men to bolt outside.
"They ran off," came a slightly disappointed sigh, then a giggle. "We'll play again another time, boys. Bye-bye."
"No-no-no-no! I want to go home!" one of the soldiers suddenly sobbed, tossing aside his helmet and sitting down on the floor, clutching his knees.
"Hm. Did I go overboard?" I muttered, looking at the man broken by such an experience.
"Well, it's not every day I let off steam, so who cares," I waved off the thought with a satisfied smile and headed for the cabin holding Aang. Imagine my surprise when I saw him sprawled on the bed, sleeping soundly.
Considering the haunted-house ride I'd just set up, I expected anything—terror, righteous fury—but not… THIS.
"Wow," I sighed, deciding that this turn of events suited me perfectly, I picked him up and headed for the deck, where I was greeted by the sight of people so lost in themselves they didn't even notice a stranger's presence. Luckily, Katara and Sokka arrived just in time, flying up to the ship on the bison, and I landed on its back—which the soldiers finally noticed. And when they saw Aang's bald head, they suddenly realized they should do something about it.
"The Avatar's escaped! Shoot them down!" These once-frightened warriors, seeing a flesh-and-blood enemy, regained their fighting spirit and unleashed fire our way, their shouting finally waking the boy.
"What's happening?" Aang yawned, quickly perking up when a blast of fire swooshed past his cheek.
"We have to get out of here, and quick!" Sokka shouted.
"I'll cover us," declared the Avatar, turning towards the ship and pushing away the attacks with windbending—just blowing away the fire. All the soldiers could do was watch helplessly as their ticket home flew away from them.
Five minutes later.
With a faint groan of discomfort, Zuko regained consciousness, realizing he was sitting on a chair. But what grabbed his attention was his uncle, who looked more serious than ever, deep in thought.
"Uncle? What happened?" the prince asked.
"We were attacked," the man replied grimly, turning toward the exit. "Come, you need to see this for yourself."
"Who could have attacked us in the middle of the ocean?" Zuko asked, confused by the absurdity, but once he stepped into the corridor, his doubts turned to very real concern.
The entire floor was coated in a thin layer of blood, the walls covered with bloody writings, some of which looked more like delirious song lyrics.
Tili-tili-bom The Avatar is ours
Glory to Vaatu
Don't touch what isn't yours
Close your eyes tight,
Someone walks outside your window,
The cycle will end
Warning
Alongside the song verses were various warnings and threats, as well as praise for someone called Vaatu—something that particularly worried Iroh.
"Could spirits really have done this?" the prince asked, a little nervously.
"Possibly. And I'm afraid now is not the time for hunting the Avatar."
"What?" Zuko asked, bewildered, before flaring up with anger. "What do you mean, 'not the time for hunting'? We already have him, don't we?!"
"He escaped."
"Then we'll go after him immediately!" the teenager nearly growled.
"Wait, Zuko. These messages warn of a potential threat to our world and to the Fire Nation as well!"
"What threat?" the prince managed to suppress his anger for a moment.
"During the second half of this century, there will be a Harmonic Convergence. The day when the spirit of darkness, Vaatu, will have a chance to break free; and if the Avatar can't stand against him, it could have dire consequences, especially amid the long war that has nourished the spirit of darkness."
"So this spirit is as strong as the Avatar?" Zuko asked.
"You could say that," Iroh nodded.
"Then there's nothing to worry about," he declared and confidently headed for the deck, where he was met by the stares of astonished soldiers, who apparently thought they'd seen a ghost.
"Who saw which way the Avatar went?!" he called out.
"A ghost…" one particularly sensitive soldier muttered before fainting.
"Zuko, this isn't a joke. We need to send an eagle with a message to the capital. Spirits should never be underestimated."
"If this dark spirit is as strong as the Avatar, then we can beat it without him!" the teenager snapped.
"We can't return home without him! We're going after the Avatar!"