The woman grabbed Kento tightly, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please, sir, he's just a child!"
The commander gave a cold smile. "Calm down, woman. We're not monsters. We know children can be... impulsive." He walked slowly toward them. "But impulses require discipline." In a sudden motion, he lifted his foot and delivered a brutal kick to the woman's face.
Crack!
"Mom!" Kento shouted, but before he could move, the commander grabbed his hair, yanking him back roughly. "Y-you'll pay—"
"A foolish boy," the man laughed, dragging Kento to the center of the square. "But what could one expect from an earthbender, hmm?"
Stopping in the center, he raised his voice. "Look closely! This boy will serve as an example of what happens when our benevolence runs out."
Kento struggled uselessly against the man's grip. "L-let me go!"
With a slow gesture, the commander placed his hand on the boy's face. An orange glow ignited in his palm, and the air filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHhhh"
Kento's scream, a wail of pure agony and pain, echoed through the square.
His mother, her nose bleeding and crooked, tried to get up. "No! Please, mercy!" A soldier grabbed her arms, forcing her to her knees. "PLEASE!... Please..."
The villagers averted their eyes, some with tears streaming down their faces, others murmuring prayers under their breath.
"Behold the price of disobedience," the commander said, releasing Kento, who collapsed unconscious to the ground, a red, smoldering mark disfiguring his face. "Anyone else want to test our generosity?" He turned to the crowd, his tone dripping with contempt.
Without receiving any response, the commander gestured with satisfaction to the soldiers. "Take the boy. He'll learn the rest of the lesson in private."
Two soldiers advanced, grabbing Kento by the arms and dragging him out of the square. His mother screamed, struggling against the soldier who held her, but a swift blow to the back of her neck made her collapse, unconscious.
'How can they do this to a child!' Hana thought with hatred, but fear for Ikari kept her paralyzed on the ground. She looked at her father and saw the same helplessness in his eyes.
"Let the celebration begin," the commander said, turning his back and signaling the soldiers to do as they pleased.
As some soldiers separated the groups, one of them—the same man who had invaded Hana's house earlier—approached her with a smile that made her skin crawl.
He grabbed Hana's right arm forcefully, and yanked her off the ground. "You're coming with me," the soldier growled, dragging her into a dark alley beside the square, between two houses.
Hana let herself be taken. She knew resisting was useless and would only bring more pain. 'I have to endure this… for the sake of my son.' Her feet stumbled over the uneven ground, her arm aching under the soldier's cruel grip.
In the alley, he slammed her against the wall of a house and removed his helmet. "Since I saw you in that house, I haven't been able to think of anything else."
The stench of his sweat, mixed with his rancid breath, enveloped her as he stepped closer.
"I haven't had a woman in weeks. I can't wait any longer."
Hana swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. "Just get it over with," she said through clenched teeth, feeling his hands on her skin.
"Oh, no, no. I'm going to take my time with you, peasant."
***
Human instinct is an immediate biological reaction that manifests itself in moments of danger or urgent need.
In this state, the body operates at its limit, enabling feats that defy normal capabilities, like lifting extremely heavy objects, facing stronger adversaries, or acting in extreme risk situations without considering the consequences.
But above all, in these moments, we become true animals. Instinct reduces us to a primal essence, capable of killing to protect or survive, without thinking about moral implications or consequences.
It's a raw response, stripped of filters, revealing the human capacity to act under extreme pressure, but also the brutal violence we carry within.
That was exactly what took over Ikari when he saw what was happening to his mother in the alley. He had followed them silently over the rooftops, and when he saw the soldier touch Hana, her face twisted in disgust, something inside him snapped.
Instinct took over, and he didn't think — he just acted.
Fwoosh!
Leaping from the roof, Ikari landed on the soldier's back, the impact making the man stagger backward.
"Ah—" The soldier opened his mouth to scream, but Ikari moved his hand through the air, pushing a large mass of air directly into the man's gaping mouth.
The soldier's chest swelled, his eyes bulged, his neck deformed. For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Then... his lungs exploded.
SPLASH!
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.