Prologue
The once great fortress city of the Earth Kingdom was covered in smoke from the new factories producing weapons for the Fire Nation. Because of them, the city was rapidly losing its shine and cheerfulness. Even the world-famous mail pipes were blocked or destroyed, and flags with three black flames hung from the walls of buildings. Civilians tried to stay in their homes, soldiers patrolled the streets, and the remnants of the resistance hid underground like worms.
A tall man for his age, who had recently arrived in the city, lazily watched all this. During his journey he had seen and experienced much; the horrors of war and the small joys of life. He had come a long way from a cheerful boy to what he had become now.
His facial features were not widely known, as he hid them well under a mask that vaguely resembled the traditional Water Tribe mask. The mask was white with red stripes and matched harmoniously with his long black hooded cape with a red lining. Underneath the cape, he wore a black suit with red accents and boots, and on his hands he wore gloves with metal plates.
Walking calmly and confidently, he soon reached his destination, the Governor's Residence. It was built on the site of King Bumi's former palace and designed to be different from Earth Kingdom architecture to demonstrate Fire Nation superiority.
The residence was surrounded by high walls and gates to protect against possible attacks by the rebels. They were filled with hatred towards this place, believing that it was here that the symbol of the occupation was concentrated. Rumors quickly spread throughout the city about the wealth of the interior of the residence, decorated with gold elements, expensive carpets and furniture.
However, the residence was no longer in danger, nor was the wealth inside it. The rebels had recently pulled off a very clever and cunning trick. They pretended to be seriously ill, which allowed them to deceive the city's governor and pave the way out of occupied Omashu. The Fire Nation soldiers were afraid of the risk of catching the plague, so they drove the lepers away. The governor released hundreds of rebels who were embittered against his people, but along with them, he also lost his son.
One of his loyal men suggested turning to a mercenary who was rapidly gaining popularity. All his missions ended in complete success or partial failure, and even that was not his fault.
- Hey! Over here! - the young guy waved his hand happily, seeing the man approaching him. He recognized him immediately, because his style of clothing was truly unique. Besides, they had seen each other only recently. - Glad our mail hawk delivered the letter. Huh... - quickly running up to him, he extended his right hand to shake his savior's hand. The latter was in no hurry to squeeze it, calmly looking at Lieutenant Lee's helmet.
After thinking for a moment, the mercenary extended his left hand, and then said, "If you want, I advise you to shake this hand," he suggested in a quiet and cold voice that made those around him listen attentively to every word. This voice was so cold that it seemed as if a winter blizzard was speaking.
- What disrespect, no, I simply have to shake your hand properly, if it weren't for you, I would have died already, - completely unoffended and ignoring the masked man's offer, the warrior of fire tried to insist on his own. Not so confidently anymore, it even seemed that the next objection could completely break his desire.
"As you say," the mercenary removed his left hand and extended his right, which his interlocutor happily grabbed with both hands. However, this handshake did not give him warm feelings. The warrior of fire felt as if he had dipped his hands into icy water. No, the sensation was even worse, as if a hundred ice needles had dug into his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he abruptly removed his hands.
- Uh... did you by any chance trap the ice spirit in your hand? - The attempt to joke was more to ease the tension. The two guards who noticed the handshake wanted to intervene, and young Lieutenant Li did not want them to die. - Still. What's wrong with your hand?
"You want to know?" the masked man asked without any offense, although it was his sore spot.
- Not really. Okay, Governor Ukano is in his office with his wife and daughter. Come, I'll take you there, - taking off his helmet, he showed his cheerful smile and led the mercenary into the residence.
After passing several corridors, stairs and spacious halls, they soon approached the door of the office. Along the way, they were repeatedly cast suspicious glances, and many guards clutched their spears tighter. As if hinting to the guest that he should not do anything stupid.
"Wait a bit, we need to notify him, and then you can come in," observing formalities, Li first notified the governor of the guest's arrival, and only then allowed him to enter.
- So you are that mercenary? - Ukano looked at the guest with displeasure, still holding his wife's hand. Micci suffered from the loss of her son ten times more than he did, although they loved him equally. But Ukano could not have become a high-ranking official if he had not been able to keep many emotions deep inside himself. And he was very proud of his daughter, who restrained her emotions much better than him. Although he did not know that she simply treated everyone coldly.
"Amon," the guest introduced himself briefly with his new name, showing no respect or disdain. He treated all living beings equally, regardless of their nation, social status or origin. All are equal, and deviations from the norm can always be equalized - such was his motto, which came with his new name.
- Amon, that means... Our little Tom-Tom has been kidnapped by the insidious followers of the mad king Bumi. They... They definitely want to use him for their own vile purposes. I... I can't even imagine what these madmen are capable of. Therefore... I am ready to pay any price to get our boy back, - trying to keep a determined face, he was repeatedly defeated in this regard. The love for his son was too great, and his wife's sobs were too unbearable.
"Anything," Micci added, squeezing her husband's hand tighter.
"I do not plan to profit from your grief," Amon replied coldly, as always. "I know your feelings. However, any work must be paid for," he added after a second's pause: "You will pay as much as you deem necessary."
"This all seems suspicious to me," the girl who had been standing indifferently by the wall looked at Amon with narrowed eyes. "Mercenaries have no honor, so we can't trust them. It was a bad idea to call him here."
"Fear, guilt, shame, grief, illusions, attachments and lies," Amon began to list, looking intently into May's eyes. "I gave up all of it."
"And why would a mercenary give up lying?" May asked, raising her eyebrows high.
- If a person is honest with himself and others, his own throat will not become a blockage for the energy channels.
- Ah... - the girl sighed deeply. - A superstitious mercenary, even better.
"Daughter," the governor cast an angry glance at the main irritant in the room, then looked at his interlocutor again. "I will pay you a hundred coins of our People," he specifically named a ridiculous amount to test the veracity of his interlocutor's words.
"In that case, I guarantee that I will do everything in my power to try to return your son to you safe and sound," Amon nodded, not reacting to the check at all. In turn, the governor made a note in his head about a solid bonus, and also felt a bit of trust in the man in front of him.
And it was at that moment that a frightened messenger ran into the office. The young man stared at the governor in horror, which caused even May to feel a little scared. Everyone was already thinking about the disaster with Tom-Tom, when a female voice, reeking of authority and arrogance, was heard from behind the messenger. With a cold smile and feigned respect, she greeted the governor from the threshold:
- Hello, Governor Ukano. I am glad to see you in good health. You know how much my father, Fire Lord Ozai, values your loyalty and service to the Fire Nation. I have come to thank you for your successful work in suppressing the rebels and protecting Omashu. You are truly a worthy representative of our great nation.
The girl's words caused cold sweat to run down the governor's face. Azula managed to keep the grown man in an unprecedented state of tension with her feigned politeness, hinting at possible punishments for any mistake or shortcoming. And what was most frightening was that after such a laudatory speech, any news of failure could cost him his head. But what was even more frightening was that such news existed!
— Princess Azula! I am very pleased and honored by your visit. You do not know how grateful I am to you and your father for your trust and support. I am doing everything possible to keep Omashu under Fire Nation control. I am ready to fulfill any of your wishes or orders. You can count on my complete loyalty and devotion, — with deep respect and devotion, the governor immediately bowed, trying not to show fear or doubt in front of the princess. He was doing poorly at best.
"And so your son was kidnapped right in front of your nose, and all you can do is turn to strangers for help," she showed a smile a little wider than was required by etiquette, but it made a strong impression on the governor. At the very least, his mind was already figuring out a dozen methods of torture that could be used on him or his family. However, there was one hope... "May, I'm glad to see you."
- Just like me... - another girl clung to May, who hadn't managed to finish speaking, taking her into a joyful embrace. - And I'm glad to see you, Ty Lee... But what are you doing here? You ran away to the circus.
"I thought that my help to Azula was much more important, much…" catching the understanding look of her interlocutor, she took a couple of steps back and returned to the princess.
At the same time, the princess carefully examined the mysterious mercenary. She was wondering what he was worth and whether he was worthy of being used. If he was approached in this situation, then he must have some potential. And if so... He could help her catch the traitors and do some other things... small things. After all, she was absolutely sure that the mercenaries' hearts were on the scales. On one side was gold, and on the other - their hearts. The main thing was to find a minimum balance.
"Listen here, you're just a workforce, and yet you dare to hold your head high in front of the princess. I'm curious about what's so special about you, so…" She turned her gaze to one of her subordinates, turning her disdainful and arrogant attention to the mercenary. The fire mages in her squad wore more distinctive clothing, distinguished by style and elegance that emphasized their skill. "You," the princess pointed her finger at one of her companions, not knowing the names of any of them. "Your princess was insulted by disrespectful behavior. Are you going to stand there like a pillar?"
- No way! - Taking a quick step forward, the elite soldier found himself in front of Amon.
"The Magi are given power so that they can resist the threat from the Spirit World," the tall man slightly narrowed his eyes and put his hands behind his back, demonstrating his reluctance to fight. "If you use your abilities, you should be prepared for the consequences," the masked man warned without any arrogance.
"Well…" the princess began. "You know how to threaten."
"Madam... can we do it in another room?" the governor begged, fearing a threat to the contents of his office. Important documents were kept here, and any battle could damage them.
"Are you worried about your office?" Azula asked irritably. "You'll build a new one," she said as if it were easy to do. Then the princess nodded, and the fire mage immediately tried to send a volley of flames at his motionless opponent.
Having released the energy from his body and transformed it into fire, he was already anticipating an easy victory. After all, the enemy stood motionless and did not react to the attack. But as soon as the flame almost reached the target, the magician felt a sharp pain throughout his body. The soldier felt an instinctive fear, and then helplessness. The fear of enslavement is primordial, because no one wants to become someone else's slave or puppet.
The fire mage began to twitch unnaturally and moan in panic, trying to regain control of his body. But it was all in vain, as if obeying the will of an invisible puppeteer, he took a few steps forward. Then the soldier fell to his knees and unnaturally took off his helmet. Everyone gathered in the room did not understand the reason. What was happening and should they intervene? Moreover, the question remained unanswered, because one of the options could lead the others to what was now happening to the captured fire mage.
— What… what's going on? My body… — the rules stated that the elite escorts were not allowed to open their mouths in the presence of the princess, but they were quickly forgotten.
"I warned you about the consequences. Everything in the world is subject to equations; ordinary people participate in one, and elemental benders in another. If you use magic inappropriately, then you fall out of one equation, moving into another," Amon calmly walked closer and placed his fingers on the victim's forehead, and then squeezed them, as if squeezing out magic. And he really did this using a technique called "energy alignment."
Using water, blood and healing magic, it was possible to block all the chakras in the mages' bodies. Once they were blocked, the energy flow was disrupted, and at the same time the mage felt acute pain and panic. The most terrible thing about this technique was that the balance of energy was disrupted forever - an irreversible process, like death.
- Tha... - the magician, having recoiled after the procedure, hysterically threw his hand forward, intending to call forth flames. However, nothing happened, as nothing will happen. - My... magic... no... what have you done to me? - with a distorted face, the man looked at his hands in horror.
"Congratulations," Amon said in a slightly solemn tone. "You have been purified and become an ordinary person."
Looking towards the witnesses of the purification ceremony, the blood mage was satisfied with the painfully familiar reaction. Different benders of the elements react differently to such an act of aggression. Water mages are shocked and outraged by the violation of the law of nature. Earth mages are first afraid of cruelty, and then humbly accept it - they are the strongest in this regard, as strong as stone. In turn, fire mages are always angry at an insult to honor and dignity. And now, Azula, with a face trembling with irritation, looked at her subordinate, who had lost the gift of bending fire.
"I have an important task. I promised to carry it out, so I would be grateful if you let me pass," Amon completely ignored the princess and approached the guards standing in front of the door. They would be the next victims if this all went wrong. Everyone determines their own fate.
— Attack… — but before one of the soldiers could make an independent decision to attack, Amon raised both his hands to his stomach level. He took control of several people at once, and then knocked them out with blood magic in a couple of heartbeats. They all fell like stones after a cliff collapse.
"I guess that's a sign of agreement," Amon joked emotionlessly, stepping over the bodies of the fainted soldiers, heading for the mission. Meanwhile, the disgruntled princess was so furious at such a boorish attitude that everyone in the room tried to find a quiet and peaceful corner to wait out the storm.
Only Mei and Ty Lee could still calmly assess the situation. So, the gymnast girl tried to approach the mage, now an ordinary person, to check his body. With her technique, Ty Lee could temporarily block a person's magic, but she had never heard of it being possible to do so permanently.
"Azula," she took her eyes off the hopeful man looking at the princess. "Um… all his points are in perfect order."
"Then why can't he use magic?" She crossed her arms and began tapping her shoes on the stone tiles in displeasure.
"Well… I don't know," the girl admitted sheepishly, and then added, "Exactly!" Ty Lee exclaimed loudly, as if remembering something, and then pressed her lips together.
- What is it? Spill it! - Coming closer, the princess looked at her friend with the most angriest look.
- Well... I once met a nice guy who could control animals. Maybe they use the same technique.
"Or it's the same person," May added, causing everyone to look at her, from every corner of the governor's vast office. "What? Just assuming."
"It's so annoying," Azula turned away and exhaled blue flame from her mouth, already approaching a nervous breakdown due to her instability. "As if two traitors, the Avatar and the Blood Spirit, weren't enough for us, now we have a person who can upset the balance of power in our army..."
"Isn't the Blood Spirit a myth?" May asked, still in a calm manner.
"Tell that to the shameful Northern Campaign," Azula snorted and began giving orders to find out everything about this mercenary. After all, everyone has weaknesses, all that's left is to find them and use them for the good of the Fire Nation. At least, that's what the princess thought.