The space beside me distorted like churning water as we arrived at a neutral place in the spirit world: a calm and colorful forest.
Now that I looked at her closely, her green skin was still as pale as ever, and her hair floated in every direction, completely ignoring gravity. What stood out most were her red eyes—cold and calculating—fixed on me with a dangerous calm.
She no longer fought her situation. Her ability to adapt to an existence bound to me was... interesting. Even terrifying.
"Where are the spirits you made a contract with?" I asked bluntly, looking straight into her eyes.
She nodded. She was clever. Clever enough to know that if she tried to play me, there would be no second chances. I couldn't afford to be merciful to someone who had tried to kill me. She was only alive because her existence was useful to me.
Suddenly, dozens of dark portals opened in the air. She indicated them with a subtle gesture.
"You can choose whichever you want. But be careful... some are extremely dangerous."
Oh? Was she really trying to deceive me?
Her eyes barely widened when she noticed me watching her.
The Evil Lady looked tense. Maybe she already guessed what I was planning.
"Who said I was going alone?" I asked calmly. If one of those spirits was too strong, fighting solo would be suicide. I stared at her. "You know that trying to sabotage me would end your existence. Don't test me again."
"It was never my intention to put you at risk," she replied softly. "I just gave you options."
Smart girl. She had already found a loophole in the contract. She didn't hide information from me; she just omitted some points.
But I had anticipated such tricks. I even designed the contract to prevent more subtle things, like trying to erase her memories. The chain binding her covered that too.
"You're coming with me. Show me which of those portals leads to the strongest spirit," I ordered. My voice was emotionless. I didn't need to show it.
I knew that by failing to manipulate me, she had just shortened her own life.
It wasn't worth getting angry over a minor trap. In fact, this worked to my advantage.
That's why I kept tolerating her. Every attempt she made to manipulate me was a way to train my mind.
She pointed to a portal.
"That one leads to the Spirit of Resistance. His name is Nemea. He's the strongest I've managed to make a pact with."
"His abilities?"
"Physical invulnerability," she answered as if it was no big deal. "No weapon can hurt him, no fire burns him, no arrow can pierce him. He also has superhuman strength and speed. Even I would have trouble defending myself if he attacked me."
I looked at her silently. Something was off. Although I couldn't read her expression, logic told me she was still hiding something.
"If you hide anything else, the contract will kill you. Do you want to risk it?"
"Tsk..." she clicked her tongue for the first time. Her mask cracked a little. With a resigned sigh, she added, "His eyes also have a protective layer. They can't be pierced either."
Wow… that was important information. She had phrased it so anyone would assume his eyes were his weak point. I almost fell for it.
"Does he have any weakness?"
---
POV — Evil Lady
Damn smart bastard. It was frustrating to keep my expression neutral. How could such a young human play with me like this in a mental war?
He outmatched me! And the worst part was, I had no more cards to play.
"No... I don't know of any clear weakness," I admitted coldly. "While he can't kill me directly by contract, with you he has no limits."
Damn! I thought it would catch him off guard. That he'd be arrogant or impulsive. Should I have seemed more terrified upon meeting him? No. This kid was clever enough to see through any act.
Nemea was my best chance to get rid of him. But I'd already used all my moves… and lost.
Now that I knew not even I could contain Nemea, he would surely refuse the fight.
…Or not?
"Alright. We'll fight the Spirit of Resistance. Was it Nemea, right?" she said suddenly, amusement in her voice.
An emotion I'd almost forgotten washed over me: hope. I struggled not to show it. Still, I kept a serious face and nodded.
"I'll try to contain him as best I can."
A lie. Not even I could do it. I was young, yes, but Nemea was physically superior to almost any spirit I knew.
This kid... he might be smart, but his arrogance would be his downfall.
Yes! This was it! After all, he was still human. Too impatient to handle something like me.
I took his hand and we crossed the portal. As darkness enveloped us, I made sure nothing would harm him. I couldn't afford even an accident.
How the hell had I managed such a contract? I could still feel the shackles bound to my soul. Worse yet: the contract would remain active even after his death.
An injustice, yes. But now I could only think of one thing: finally, this kid would die.
We landed in mountains surrounding a vast valley. And in the middle of it lay a lion the size of an elephant, with golden fur shining as if each strand was made of gold.
Sokka waved his hand and then smiled.
"You know? Some time ago, I faced a lion similar to this one," his voice came out with nostalgic amusement.
What the hell was he talking about? How could he have faced a spirit like that? Nemea is the only spirit with these characteristics, unless...
"Really?" My voice cracked, unable to hide my surprise and interest.
"Yes, though that one was a spirit that possessed a polar bear," he answered neutrally, recalling his story. "By possessing it, it became huge, very strong, and almost indestructible. I wonder if it was related to him."
My eyes widened in surprise. It was true! Almost a thousand years ago, when I fought Nemea, I used his son as a hostage and that's how I made the contract. But his son hadn't yet taken a stable form and managed to escape into the physical world through one of my portals.
"Did you kill him?"
"Of course. The bastard nearly tore my limbs off, but I killed him in the end." His confident voice made me angry.
But this worked to my advantage. Maybe he killed the cub by luck. But with Nemea, he wouldn't be able to do it. Not when he's a non-master.
"Does bending work here?" he asked while moving his arms.
"Yes. We've been physically transported. It works," I replied. That shouldn't matter to him.
As I watched him, I thought about how lucky he'd been so far. But luck doesn't last forever.
"Do you want me to distract him or contain him?" I offered, knowing that if he gave me permission, I wouldn't break the contract.
He shook his head.
"No." Then he looked at me with a smile that sent chills down my spine. "You're very smart. But living so long has made you arrogant… and one-eyed."
Bah, keep talking. I want to see you fall.
"By the way, after this, you'll be punished."
I didn't care. Still, I nodded with all the submission I could fake.
"Yes."
"Good. At least you understand that," she replied.
POV Sokka
The Evil Lady was playing her part quite well, accepting her future punishment neutrally. But I know that inside, she's laughing at me.
Still, my main concern now was this lion. The lion Nemea, like in the myth of Hercules, except in the myth Nemea was a place, and I don't remember how he died there. But I don't care about that.
For years, in my other life and after killing the Arctic lion, I began thinking of ways to kill someone indestructible, and now, with my waterbending, I could do it a thousand times better than the first time.
I watched him sleep peacefully in the middle of the valley. His golden fur reflected the light as if each strand were a thread of gold. I stopped at a safe distance. Then, with a motion of my arms, I began extracting water from the nearby vegetation. Large volumes poured from roots, leaves, and stems, moving around me in a fluid arc.
The spirit, Nemea, didn't even wake up. He slept with the confidence of someone who doesn't fear being harmed. I assumed his senses were dulled from centuries of invulnerability. But I didn't care. I didn't plan to hurt him. I just had to beat him.
Even the most powerful spirits… need to breathe.
Eris, the Evil Lady, watched my waterbending in awe. I could guess what was running through her mind: terror, despair. Her plans had crumbled in the time it took me to gather the water from the plants. She kept underestimating me as a common human, but now she regretted it.
She'd lived too long. She had forgotten what it was like to face a human who didn't play by her rules. She had come to see us as inferior creatures. Maybe that was what allowed me to trap her in the first place. That arrogance that made her one-eyed was catching up with her.
She thought Nemea would kill me. That would break the contract.
But she forgot to read the fine print.
Slowly, I closed the water around him. A giant bubble enveloped the golden lion, trapping him completely. At first, he didn't react. Then he opened his eyes heavily and noticed his confinement.
He tried to break free violently.
He struck the water walls with his paws, his titanic body creating internal waves. For a moment, I thought he would break my technique by brute force.
But no.
I had energy to spare. And his strength, though brutal, was physical.
While keeping the bubble sealed, I moved my hands like in a dance, rhythmic and precise. The water began to seep through his nose and throat, small currents infiltrating inside him. I was flooding his body from within. If I couldn't hurt him from outside… I would destroy him from inside.
I remembered the old stories. The times of Wan, when humans faced spirits mercilessly, using elemental bending as their only advantage. They didn't always win, but they learned even the oldest beings have weak spots.
Some forgot that.
She, for example.
I glanced at the Evil Lady. Her expression had changed. No more arrogance. Only tense stillness… despair.
Risky tactic to bet against me. If I had been more impulsive, I would have fallen. But that's why it worked: many would have let their guard down at the first confrontation. She counted on that.
Damn it. If I were in her place, I probably would have done the same.
I understood her. And that's why… I surpassed her.
"Prepare to compensate me," I said suddenly, looking her directly in the eyes. "You're going to offer me something valuable if you don't want me to eliminate you after this."
I smiled at her.
Not warmly. Not mockingly.
Calmly, peacefully, like someone looking at a dear friend.
Showing anger would worry her, but not showing it when I'm angry would scare her.
But... smiling when I was angry terrified her.
I wasn't a master manipulator or anything like that. But as a man who had seen many horror movies, and once was a failed actor, I knew how to give a good scare. Being angry was normal, even expected. A killer chasing you was scary, but a killer who smiled kindly was downright terrifying.
With a flick of my wrist, I drew more water from the place. A river ran nearby—I took its water and kept pouring it over the bubble trapping the lion.
But the bastard still had air in his lungs; I knew by the way he fought to get out, how he looked at me. Against common sense, I threw him a confident, even mocking smile.
And, to my fortune, it worked. Nemea let out a thunderous roar that shattered my water bubble.
The sonic waves of his roar traveled across the area to my ears, making them bleed.
I ignored the pain for the sake of my victory. I resisted the gusts of air just to watch him, watch his chest. I saw it shrink, showing his lack of air.
My vision turned red as the roar finally ceased. With quick movements, I directed all the water back at him before he could inhale even the slightest oxygen.
The water violently entered every orifice of his miserable body: nose, mouth, ears, even his anus.
He tried to roar in pain or fury, but it was impossible. He had no air or strength left.
With more fluid movements, which now caused me pain, I sealed the water dome while forcing more liquid into his body.
With a firm motion, I froze parts of the water and made them move violently inside him.
Tiny sharp shards of ice liquefied every single one of his organs... He must have had them. If he could unleash such a roar, he had lungs and everything else.
It all became clear when his face showed agony and blood began to flow.
With his body and spirit weakened, I started to extend my chi into the dome.
The liquid turned golden as I summoned a whip of water approaching me from the shining dome. I began extracting some of Nemea's energy; I used it to replenish the spiritual chi of my waterbending and strengthen my body. I could feel my muscles burning with new power.
Finally, when I had enough, I kept moving my hands, overcharging the water with energy and, in turn, overcharging Nemea.
With a golden explosion, everything dispersed. The lion was dead... permanently.
I fell to the ground with a dull thud. I was exhausted, and even more: I was literally seeing red.
My eyes, mouth, and ears were bleeding from the lion's roar, which had left me partially deaf.
"Heal me," I told Naenia. It felt strange to speak without hearing my own voice.
But the warm energy entering my body relaxed me. I felt my blood vessels healing and finally heard the sound of air rustling through the trees.
She was quite a good healer—I had no doubt after seeing Zhao alive despite his grotesque wounds.
"M-my lord, I…"
Naenia tried to speak; her fear and doubt were real, but hearing those words from her disgusted me.
"Pain," I said calmly.
A sharp, piercing scream filled the place. The Evil Lady, lying on the ground, covered her ears desperately.
Was it cruel to do this to someone? Yes. But it was necessary: she had to understand she couldn't just play with me.
"Stop calling me that," I answered as I made the noise stop tormenting her brain.
"I-I'm sorry, I…"
"Just take me to another one," I said annoyed. I had to do this as fast as possible to get the spear and get out of here.
She opened another black portal through which we traveled to a different place.
The site was completely silent. Every breath, every step, echoed like a distant sound trapped in the darkness.
Naenia explained bluntly: a bat-shaped spirit awaited us. Almost blind, with sharp senses and absolute hearing. That explained why the place was so silent: here, any sound was a threat.
It hadn't attacked me yet, maybe because I came with Naenia. But as soon as I ordered it to stay away, the air shattered with a sonic boom.
A thin, dark figure with huge wings emerged from the shadows, flying toward me at inhuman speed.
My danger sense vibrated violently when its sharp teeth grazed my neck.
As fast as a reflex, I drew my spear and imbued it with Chi, ready to strike. But the darkness gave it an advantage: I couldn't see or track it.
However, it wasn't the only one with good hearing.
I held my breath, cleared my mind, and focused my senses to the max. When it flew at me again, I moved the spear with surgical precision and cut one wing. A piercing shriek filled the air. Then the other.
The creature fell, and before it could react, I drove my weapon into its back. Placing both hands on it, I absorbed some of its Chi and then exterminated it, just as I had done with Nemea.
Each portal became a new physical trial: speed, strength, agility, endurance.
I faced a snake tangled in a forest covered with debris, which forced me to be flexible and light. I fought a mole charging from underground, fast and brutal.
With each encounter, I understood the spirits better. Most were thoughtful, civilized. But others, like these, were wild. They didn't know how to shapeshift or vanish to evade attacks. Not because they couldn't, but because they didn't know how.
I also discovered I couldn't track them with my Chi sensing. To feel their energy and absorb it, I had to touch them directly… or use waterbending.
As days passed, I forced Naenia to take me to each of the spirits under her control. One by one, I eliminated them,
growing a bit stronger each time.
I ordered her to mark on a map the exact location of the Great Library in the physical world and bring it to me.
The days were heavy and exhausting. Each trial left me with new wounds and more scars.
Until, finally, I reached the last one.
A shadow spirit. No defined form... until it took mine.
I looked at it in astonishment as a thick fog enveloped the place, as if darkness itself breathed.
"You are a failure..." its arrogant voice echoed, bouncing between shadows.
"You couldn't save her," it spat, and its figure vanished in a blink.
A shiver ran down my spine. How did it know?
"The guilt over your uselessness consumes you," it continued, now closer. "That fake ego of yours, that illusion of grandeur… as weak as your body. As broken as your soul."
I scanned in all directions but in vain. No vibrations, no noise—nothing betrayed its movement.
"Your life, pathetic as always," it hissed with venom. "You run away. You travel. You strive not to think about the truth: that you're alone. That you never saved the one you truly loved."
A dense silence followed those words. My jaw tensed.
"Does it hurt? Of course it does. You're the boy who couldn't do anything when it mattered most. You still believe that training, that fighting, will protect your sister… but you will only drag her down into hell with you."
The air shattered as I turned, slashing into the fog. Nothing. Just the echo of my fury.
The fog twisted in front of me, and from it emerged… me. My eyes. My face. My own shadow.
"You can't kill me. Because I am you. I am what you have always been: weak, empty, an attempt at a warrior hiding behind words and masks."
"Maybe I was…" I said, gripping my spear. "But I already know how your trick works."
The fog was its own Chi. By contacting me, it read my memories without entering my mind. Its words were designed to focus my attention on it… and not on what I was doing.
Then, without hesitation, I drove my weapon through its chest, the blade shining with Chi. A muffled roar emerged from its lips as the fog split like glass and consumed it.
"You are not me. Your words are for someone who no longer exists. For the echo of a past I buried."
I dug my fingers into its chest and began absorbing part of its energy. I felt its Chi merge with mine, like two rivers converging in a single current. In that moment, body and Chi were equal: an immense force flowing in harmony. I couldn't absorb more… my body couldn't handle it. But what I did absorb was enough.
In the end, it exploded from being overloaded with energy like the others—and that was the end.
Turning my body, I looked at Naenia; her tired face was shrouded in faint despair. Her hope that any of the spirits under her control would annihilate me was now a thing of the past.
"Cheer up," I said, giving her a pat on her ample backside, which angered her. Being here so long—with her naked—was already getting to me. "We still need you to take me to the spirit of the spear."
Naenia looked at me with an annoyed, reddened face, tinged an even deeper green.
"He is very strong," she warned. "Stronger than all the ones you've killed combined."
"Aww, worried about me?" I said playfully. Then my tone shifted. "Take me," I demanded, already annoyed.
However, something on the ground caught my attention: where the shadow spirit died lay a pair of odd black boots.
Curious, I picked them up. I felt accumulated energy in them.
"What are these?" I asked the green woman.
"Looks like teleportation boots," she responded.
"Teleportation?"
"Yes. They can take you in an instant to places you've visited before... though with limited uses. And judging by the energy I perceive, they have about twenty-five uses left."
"Damn... twenty-five uses is very few. But at least they'll come in handy," I grumbled as I took them from her and put them on.
They were comfortable... and stylish.
Finally, Naenia opened a portal. She didn't tell me the name of the spirit we were about to see, and to be honest, I didn't care.
We arrived in a giant corridor, like the interior of an ancient temple, illuminated by green flame torches. Water cascaded softly down the walls, creating a hypnotic echo.
It was an impressive sight. But at the end of the corridor, on an altar, sat the spear: a gleaming silver blade with a red ruby at its center. Its shaft was nearly two meters long. And behind it… a huge humanoid figure sat.
His body was muscular and covered in tattoos, his long hair tied in an ancient military style. He looked like a war statue.
Neutral POV
"The Sky-breaker is mine... only mine... I, Heian..." his hoarse voice thundered through the hall.
A chill ran down Sokka's spine. The mere presence of that spirit was overwhelming. Naenia, who had entered behind him, instinctively recoiled in fear.
When the spirit lifted its face and its gaze latched onto the young man, Sokka took a step back without thinking. That figure was imposing.
With a thunderous crack, it rose—bones and joints groaning with each movement. He stood at least two and a half meters tall, built for war.
Seeing Sokka's spear ignite with Chi, the spirit blinked into his sight. There was no warning, he didn't even see when it seized its polearm—but now it held the halberd firmly: raised and ready to decapitate.
Senses screaming in alarm, Sokka forced himself to step back just as the weapon sliced through the air with such force it created a violent wind.
Gathering all his leg strength, he charged forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet from the power of his momentum. He aimed a direct slash at the spirit's throat, but it dodged with inhuman ease.
Swinging his hips, Sokka delivered a punch to the enemy's chest, seeking any small opening. But the spirit barely flinched. Its halberd moved again, this time from below, slicing toward the young man's waist.
Sokka dropped in desperation, feeling strands of his hair fall to the ground. That strength... that speed... was monstrous. And paradoxically, it terrified and thrilled him in equal measure.
He slammed the base of his spear into the ground. A Chi wave exploded forcefully, momentarily unbalancing the spirit.
Exploiting its awkward stance, Sokka pivoted on his right leg and dealt an upward kick directly into the creature's abdomen.
The impact was brutal. The upward kick, propelled by all of Sokka's weight and energy, knocked it off balance for an instant. The spirit only staggered half a step—but that was enough. Sokka didn't waste time: upon landing, he spun and swung his spear horizontally, enshrouded in Chi.
The spirit blocked the blow with its halberd in a metallic crash that reverberated throughout the hall. Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, and Sokka's arms trembled from the force. The spirit was a living wall, each movement precise and lethal.
Naenia watched from a distance, face tense with fear and awe. She had seen countless warriors die in this place, but none had endured so much.
Sokka breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his face, but his eyes burned with determination.
The spirit raised its halberd again and attacked Sokka's left flank, who blocked with his own weapon.
The blow knocked him into a stone pillar that cracked on impact, and blood spurted from his mouth as his arms trembled numb with pain.
His vision surged upward as his danger sense warned him of an imminent strike.
Heian descended, blade aimed at Sokka as he moved heavily.
He imbued his arms and spear with golden energy.
Taking advantage of Heian's opening, Sokka etched several Chi-charged cuts across the spirit's back, which roared in fury.
Sokka stepped back a pace and kicked the knee of the massive monster, forcing it to the ground.
Despite his situation, Heian defended with calm. His weapon skill was clearly superior to the young human attacking he with reckless force.
Heian caught a slash with his halberd's shaft and spun, unleashing a burst of energy that pushed Sokka back several steps. The ground creaked underfoot, raising a cloud of dust and stone.
Naenia gasped. The spiritual pressure in the air was so dense she could barely stay upright.
The spirit didn't pursue, didn't lash out with rage. It walked. Step by step. Like an executioner confident in its sentence.
Sokka swallowed his saliva, his right arm numb from the previous clash. He knew he wouldn't hold much longer at this pace.
Heian raised his halberd high, and the energy surrounding it seemed to consume the very light around them.
But at that moment, Sokka inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for an instant. Time seemed to stop. All his training, the battles, the mistakes, the lessons converged on this single point.
When he opened them again, calm filled his gaze.
He lunged forward, his spear buzzing with pure golden Chi, more intense than ever. Every movement was precise—not through force, but intention. He struck Heian's wrist at an unexpected angle, unbalancing him, if only slightly. Enough.
He spun, slid beneath his arm, and sliced his chest in two imperceptible movements—overwhelming speed followed by lethal focus. Sokka attacked without mercy.
In that state, it seemed Heian didn't move. The blows and slashes from his Chi‑charged spear dealt devastating damage. Nothing the spirit could do reached him.
He raised his weapon in a murderous stance, confident of victory.
But something made him hesitate: Sokka's absurd speed—so fast even Naenia couldn't follow it.
He assumed his opponent couldn't—but then, why did Heian's eyes track him effortlessly?
From afar, Naenia watched in terror as a thunderous impact echoed through the hall. Moments ago, Sokka had landed a successful strike—but now he was embedded in a wall. His spear lay shattered on the ground, and his arms...
Somehow, his forearms were severed from his body, connected only by thin threads of blood.
He couldn't scream, but the expression of agony was clear—his battered body betrayed broken bones.
He thought he was prepared after all his fights with spirits. But he had lied to himself...
Even so, he refused to succumb to despair. Summoning every ounce of willpower, he extended his water‑control spiritual chi towards the bleeding stumps.
The conditions for bloodbending were on a silver platter—his own blood still tethered to his severed limbs.
He tried to sense it, to master it. Eyes closed as Heian's heavy steps neared.
He concentrated fully, infusing his chi through the blood‑marshaled pool tethered to his arms.
Slowly, he controlled the red liquid, drawing his limbs back together until they reunited—too late. Heian stood before him, halberd raised, thirsting for blood. His end... or so he believed.
A sharp roar echoed. Wild, cutting... and familiar.
Heian was distracted when a massive beast shoved him into a stone pillar.
A white‑furred leopard‑caribou stood furiously protective beside Sokka. His majestic horns ended in sharp points.
The warrior, still attempting to reunite sinew and bone with bloodbending, stared in disbelief as a long‑buried sorrow returned.
"Spat..." he whispered—voice weak, breaking with tears welling in his eyes.
His mount—his ancient companion whom he had killed in desperation to survive—stood before him, fiercely defending him.
Ignoring the sickening cracks as bones realigned, Sokka hastened to heal himself with water control.
He staggered to his feet and approached the creature, fearful it might attack—but the look it gave him dispelled that fear.
Pure happiness shone in its eyes. Its little tail wagged in elated joy.
Yet Heian rose, murderous rage in every motion, and charged at both.
Sokka looked to Spat with sorrow—for forcing him to fight—but also relief. Without words, they charged together at the spirit. The beast's sharp jaw and horns struck while Sokka filled his renewed limbs with Chi.
The caribou‑leopard leapt into Heian's strike, responding with a powerful kick to the legs that forced it to kneel. Sokka seized the moment and delivered a barrage of blows to its face, not giving an inch.
When senses warned of a counterattack, he leapt back. Spat bit the spirit's shoulder, drawing a pained growl.
With a spinning kick, Sokka struck its face. A shockwave staggered it.
Yet Heian, clinging to his will, grabbed Spat and hurled him at his rider, who caught him with care.
The spirit charged both, swinging its weapon.
Sokka looked to his companion then lunged at the enemy. His chi‑reinforced limbs propelled him down the vast corridor, disorienting the spirit.
A precise strike to the face sent Heian reeling. Unaware of Spat's next move—Spat rammed his horns into the spirit's chest.
Heian screamed in pain, but it wasn't over.
Sokka appeared at its back, brutally thrusting through its spine and destroying the vertebrae.
With the spirit's legs useless, the warrior attacked mercilessly. Each strike echoed through the hall—but the spirit refused to drop the weapon.
Growling, Sokka dug his hands into its left shoulder.
His chi‑glowing arms inflicted agonizing pain, but he did not relent.
He forced every ounce of strength. His muscles bulged, veins pulsing with extra blood—intent on ripping off that arm.
Heian screamed as flesh tore, and the arm finally came off. Dark blood poured out, yet the spirit still gripped its halberd tightly.
Sokka stopped loading chi into his limbs, instead channeling his arms fluidly. Water from nearby falls gathered into a sharp torrent aimed at the spirit.
Heian glared in demonic fury, but it was too late. Sokka doubted even regeneration would save it now.
As expected, its weapon arm was cleanly severed, and the massive halberd clanged to the floor.
Sokka retrieved it with difficulty. It was enormous and heavy—but the ruby at its center glowed brightly, and its scale adjusted to fit its new owner. The young warrior gazed in awe: such a magnificent weapon... could it really change form?
Heian's agonized wails interrupted his thoughts.
"It's mine! My Sky-Breaker!" he bellowed as Spat withdrew his horns from the spirit's chest.
Sokka glared with disgust. Without hesitation, he plunged the halberd into the spirit's torso. Heian cried out as his chi was absorbed. Simultaneously, Sokka searched through its memories for anything useful about the weapon—and he found it: the blade could adopt any form the wielder desired, from a dagger to a simple ring.
Satisfied, Sokka infused the halberd with his own chi and began overloading Heian. The spirit no longer resisted; instead, it looked at him with unexpected serenity. No hatred—only gratitude for having been defeated.
When its form disintegrated into shimmering dust, Sokka turned toward Spat.
There stood the first life he had ever taken, now returning his own. Their eyes met, and a deeper sorrow flooded Sokka's chest. Yet Spat held no resentment. He gently pressed his head to his master's as though forgiving him. It was the second time he'd saved him in this life—and though he had died by his hand, he seemed free of blame.
"My master..." came the animal spirit's voice—vibrant yet childlike, barely more than a twelve‑year‑old's—piercing Sokka's heart with renewed strength.
"Please forgive me, Spat. I didn't want to kill you... I really didn't... I had no time... I had no..." he sobbed, embracing him tightly.
"It's okay, master... I know," replied Spat softly, his innocent voice wrapping the young man in a warmth as painful as it was soothing.
Sokka held him close, burying his face in white fur as tears burned his cheeks.
"Forgive me... please..." he repeated, as though pleading could erase the past, as though it might cleanse the blood on his hands. "I didn't want you to suffer, but I had no choice."
Spat wrapped his neck around him, cuddling him against his body.
Time stood still.
No coldness, no battlefield, no pain. Only the warm touch of the spirit who had once been his companion.
"I stayed here..." Spat began, voice breaking slightly as if speaking of it hurt him too. "I stayed here all these days, years... I don't know. I just wanted to see you again."
Sokka looked down, red and wet eyed.
"Why?"
Spat tilted his head as if confused by the question.
"Because I love you, Master."
Sokka pressed his lips. The knot in his throat tightened, almost unbearable.
"I took your life. I killed you, Spat... I shouldn't have... I don't deserve this. Your forgiveness."
Spat pressed his muzzle softly against his forehead.
"I know. I felt everything. Your despair. Your guilt. Your pain. And yet... I just wanted to tell you I understand you. I don't hate you."
His words were blades wrapped in tenderness.
"And I wanted you to stop blaming yourself."
Silence followed, dense and cold as southern ice.
"But now I must go," he added with sadness. "I can't stay here. Now that I found you, my time is ended."
Sokka shook his head, tears falling again.
"No, no—wait... now that you're here... we can be together when I return, I can visit you." His desperate voice echoed in Spat, filled with childish hope.
"It isn't possible, Master... I must go..." he replied sadly.
"No... I don't want to try forgetting anymore..."
"All right..." whispered the caribou‑leopard. "Everything will be fine. I will always accompany you... but please, tell my brothers I love them..."
His voice, warm and innocent like a small child, still seemed to wish to play, still longed to see his siblings once more.
Sokka shut his eyes. Forced himself to breathe deeply and clear the tears. For the first time since arriving in the spirit world, he felt something undo in his chest. As if invisible chains had broken.
He stroked Spat's head with tenderness he couldn't fake, then stepped back. He wanted to memorize his face before he vanished again.
"Sir?" Naenia called softly—they stepped back into reality—but Sokka ignored her.
When he looked again... Spat was gone.
He didn't fade with light or wind. He... was simply gone.
Sokka lowered his gaze. His mind refused to accept what his eyes saw—but his heart knew. It was real. And so when he spoke to Naenia, his voice had changed. Cold. Sharp.
"You are powerful, sir..."
"Take me to the physical world."
Naenia nodded, intimidated. A portal opened before them, and they crossed.
The forest greeted them with its ancient silence—the same place where this journey began over a week ago.
Sokka took a deep breath—real air felt heavier.
"You know..." he began calmly, as though speaking about the weather. "I really missed Spat. The first time I used waterbending... I was reckless."
Naenia watched him, confused. Why was he speaking like that? Why so composed?
"My waterbending was a gift from the spirit of moon and ocean... but apparently, they aren't good at bestowing gifts." His tone hardened with a hidden edge. "I didn't know, so I used it without understanding the consequences..."
He clasped his hands behind his back, upright, imposing.
"But consequences... they always arrive. That time they came without warning. I nearly died. And to live... I had to absorb someone else's vital energy. Can you guess whose?"
Naenia turned pale. The memory was now clear: that spiritual caribou‑leopard... Spat.
"His..." she murmured tremulously.
"Correct." Sokka stared intensely at her. "And it was painful. Horrible. Unexpected."
He caressed her with a cruel calm, and his voice became a whisper laced with fury.
"He suffered... a lot. Far more than you could ever understand."
One word. Just one: "pain." And Naenia screamed.
Her skull felt like it was exploding from the inside. She writhed on the ground, shrieking.
"Yes," Sokka said, unmoving. "Pain like that... but a thousand times worse. Can you imagine being murdered by the person you love the most? Seeing their face... as they steal your life?"
Naenia begged.
"Please! Stop!"
"I saw him again today. He saved me. He forgave me. And you..." he crouched down to her level, "you interrupted the last moment I could have had with him."
His face twisted with fury.
"You took him from me!"
"I'm sorry, please! I'll serve you forever!"
"You're no longer useful to me," he declared. "You have no purpose."
"No! No, please!"
Sokka didn't shout. He simply spoke the word like an execution.
"Die."
Chi surged through the air. The final clause of the contract was activated. Naenia's body began to unravel slowly, in prolonged agony, as if every fiber of her existence was being torn apart one by one. Her scream was long. Piercing. Desperate.
Sokka never looked away.
When only dust remained, silence returned.
Only then did he close his eyes... and think of Spat.