Fire Nation. Fire Lord's Palace. Princess's Quarters.
Opening my eyes in the dark room, the first thing I do is fill my lungs with pleasure, feeling the taste of fresh air on my tongue, and exhale. Then I repeat it again and again. This simple action, unavailable to me for quite some time, brought a wave of pleasure that coursed through my entire body with each breath. How wonderful it is to feel the world again with all human senses. Rising from the large, soft bed, letting the blanket slide down, I spent the first moments just savoring my newfound senses, breathing deeply.
It was magnificent.
To feel alive again, after a long period as a spirit, was a dizzying pleasure. Breathing was easy, even somewhat pleasant. No traces of bad habits, no pain in my lungs, no pain in my joints, no aching back… and other previously familiar shortcomings.
The new body was magnificent, young, healthy, blooming with life and strength. What I had needed for so long.
Relaxing, I tried to feel all parts of my now-own body. My muscles ached pleasantly, as if after hard training. The previous owner had taken good care of it. Everything felt wonderful: arms, legs, fingers, neck. I could even feel my heart pumping blood through my veins. And it felt so wonderful! A smile appeared on my lips on its own; I had never felt so good. Here it is, my second chance. Now, everything will definitely be different.
Yes, it's been a long time since I felt alive. Perhaps I spent longer in the spirit world than I previously thought, if I'm so overwhelmed with emotions. Unfortunately, in that place, day and night change due to anything but the planet's rotation on its axis. Therefore, counting days was simply impossible. I can only guess how much time I spent in the spirit world, being a spirit myself, but now all that is in the past. The path full of suffering and deprivation has come to an end, and now I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
It all worked out! How can I not rejoice when I've received a second chance at life? Having preserved all the experience of my past life, I have essentially invented a method of mental immortality! It's hard to contain my emotions when I realize what I've achieved.
Touching my face, I only confirmed this truth. How pleasant it is to be alive again.
But I can't just lie in bed and enjoy life; a whole world awaits me, holding many secrets. It's time to get up from this soft spot. There should be a mirror somewhere here. Unfortunately, there were no windows in the room, so I could only look into complete darkness. Moving to the edge of the bed, I found the floor with my feet, but I wasn't going to wander in the dark looking for an exit. Especially when there's a worthy alternative. Holding my hand out in front of me, I focused on my inner Qi energy, which I could feel calmly in my body.
A blue flame that instantly appeared illuminated the room, forcing me to squint from the sharp pain in my eyes.
Despite the unfamiliar sensations from the magic, I felt wonderful. Interacting with Qi energy turned out to be much easier than I thought. Perhaps my experience as a spiritual entity was showing. Only by the color of the fire did I begin to guess whose body I had so hastily occupied, but I was too happy to be alive again to let guesses tarnish the moment of my rebirth. Getting used to the light of the fire, I began to enjoy the slowly dancing flame in my palm; it was mesmerizing in its beauty.
Finally, finally, I wield magic! How long I could only dream of this, but now it's different!
A minute of delight passed, and, pulling myself together, I started looking for shoes. I had to go around the bed to find slippers on the other side. Along the way, I assessed the luxurious apartments, which, in the blue light of the fire, looked somewhat sinister. However, I had seen more frightening places. Judging by the bed alone, one could confidently say that I had ended up with a very high-ranking person. The rest of the room's interior matched the bed, equally luxurious and made of expensive materials. In places, there were symbols of the Fire Nation, confirming my suspicions about my location.
Cautiously examining the room with the help of a small blue flame burning above my palm, which didn't burn my hand at all. Surprisingly, there was a mannequin in armor in the room, and besides it, there were plenty of other things, but the armor was the most prominent. I continued my inspection until I found a large mirror. Looking into the reflection, I saw confirmation of my fears. Long black hair, golden eyes that gleamed slightly under the light of the flame, perfectly aristocratic facial features, and… a chest slightly covered by a robe.
The nightgown was rumpled from a long sleep, so it was practically unbuttoned, loosely covering my chest, and I could see it in all its glory. Cute, not too big, not too small, fits well in the palm, soft to the touch, my own breast. Yes, this is my drop of poison in a barrel of honey. Considering the prospects, a beautiful healthy body, social status, magical power, and lineage… everything is not as bad as it seems at first glance, but not as good as I would like.
A female body is better than no body at all, and I understand that perfectly. Continuing to examine my new body in the mirror, I couldn't stop reflecting.
I strongly dislike the duties of women in this era, even if I don't know them for sure, I can guess. The mirror reflected a young girl with an athletic build, about sixteen to eighteen years old, though I could be mistaken. The thing is, I could now be married off without my consent and without even considering my opinion. This would greatly hinder me and my goals, but, if everything is correct and I have ended up in Princess Azula's body, before the bald monk appears. I have every chance to avoid such a fate and even more. With such a position, it will be much easier to implement some of my ideas, albeit with greater risks. And I had enough plans…
In the worst-case scenario, I'll become a spirit again and find a more suitable body, without such obvious flaws that would greatly harm my plans. However, it's better to try to avoid this; I really don't want to feel bodiless again, and I might be even less lucky with a body. Besides, one shouldn't forget the problems of being a spirit. Compared to all this, being a princess doesn't seem like such a bad option.
The game is definitely worth the candle. I remembered a lot about this world; even as a spirit, I learned where I ended up after my death. I was lucky to encounter a non-aggressive interlocutor who told me about the world of the living, the four nations, and the Avatar… Yes, that conversation was productive. Although I didn't get all the answers from him, for example, how it happened that I could understand that spirit, and he could understand me? We should be using different languages, but the spirit didn't understand my indignation and couldn't answer the questions.
All that remains is to figure out exactly what time period I am in now. When did Zuko go into exile? How much time do I have before the Avatar appears? Only after I find this out can I start making my plans, recalling all possible ways to become stronger and more powerful. Oh yes, and not to reveal myself to subordinates and my father. The latter will be the hardest, but after death, little can scare me.
Smiling at my reflection, I note my beauty again with pleasure. Yes, Princess Azula is quite beautiful externally, that's hard to deny. But it's time to stop admiring myself.
I was just about to go light some candles so as not to walk around with fire constantly and to properly think over the current situation and what to do next, when I unexpectedly felt a strange surge of strong fatigue.
The flame immediately went out, my legs buckled, and in an instant, I was on the floor, leaning on my hands on the tiles to avoid falling completely.
What is happening?!
Trying to move anything at all, I began to realize with horror that I had no control. It was as if someone was pushing me away from controlling my body, pushing me to the background of consciousness. And what was most disgusting, I couldn't resist it at all! Resistance was like trying to move a huge mountain with muscle power! Futile and useless. Even the feelings I experienced began to fade, as if I were becoming a bodiless spirit again. Feeling control literally being ripped from my consciousness, I felt growing horror.
"What is happening?!"
These are… not my thoughts!
No, she's still here!
Azula! No-no-oh no!
My body! I won't give it up! I won't give it up! I won't give it up!
Argh…
The last attempt to reclaim my body ended in severe pain. It felt as if I had been burned all over. The pain quickly sobered me up, forcing me to pull myself together and think. This made me retreat deeper into myself, stop resisting, giving way to the true owner of the body. I had no chance of staying conscious; all I had on my mind was: hide in the depths of someone else's consciousness, hide in her soul, hide from her attention, lick my wounds, wondering what went wrong…
***
Fire Nation. Fire Lord's Palace. Princess's Quarters.
This morning, the princess woke up not in her luxurious bed, but on the floor next to the mirror. It was dark, but Azula knew perfectly well where everything was in her room.
Realizing herself in such an indecent position, she straightened up instantly, trying to assume a posture befitting her status, standing up and straightening her back. Such sharp movements made her dizzy. The room spun, but before falling to the floor again, Azula managed to grab onto the table, using it to maintain her position. Freezing in place, she stared at the spot where her reflection should have been in the mirror, which was not visible due to the complete darkness in the room, while simultaneously struggling with her sudden weakness and dizziness.
Inhale-exhale. Inhale-exhale. Inhale-exhale…
Pulling herself together, the girl relaxed, stopped leaning on the table, and straightened her back perfectly. Her well-being quickly returned to normal as soon as she performed a special breathing technique. Bending her arm at the elbow, Azula snapped her fingers. The candles on the chandelier and candlesticks instantly flared up with blue flames, momentarily surprising the princess.
"It wasn't a dream," hazy memories of recent times, like a dream, flashed through her mind.
Under the princess's gaze, the candlelight quickly returned to normal. Wanting to make sure she hadn't imagined anything, she immediately created a small blue flame in her right palm. Convinced of her suspicions, she easily dispelled the flame with a barely perceptible smile on her lips.
The hint of a smile disappeared without a trace as soon as she remembered her strange state and the place of her awakening. Azula remembered approaching the mirror, but the memory was somewhat strange, as if she wasn't fully awake at that moment. This unsettled the girl, as nothing like this had ever happened to her before. However, she wasn't going to lose her head, preferring to remain calm.
"I need to find out all the details of the ritual, but first, I need to put myself in order," the princess quickly decided, thinking that her well-being was due to yesterday's ritual.
Turning to the mirror and examining her reflection, she threw the dirty robe on the floor, completely undressing. No one ever entered her private quarters without knocking, so she was not afraid to appear naked. Without even looking at her reflection, Azula walked to the wardrobe. Taking an identical red and gold robe from it, she put it on, glancing again at her reflection in the mirror.
Satisfied with the fresh and perfectly ironed robe, she headed for the exit of the room. Finding herself in the corridor, she turned right. Peeking out of the nearest window, she glanced at the sky. Knowing the time by the position of the morning sun and her feelings of magic, she headed further down the corridor. Straight to the royal hot springs, where her personal maids' quarters were located nearby.
Before reaching the desired door, Azula saw one of the maids yawning, standing in the distance of the corridor. As soon as she noticed the approach of the royal personage, her drowsiness instantly disappeared. The servant immediately tried to adopt a proper demeanor, straightening her back perfectly and waiting for her princess to approach.
— Good morning, Your Highness, — the maid bowed, her back bent. She behaved somewhat agitatedly and even nervously, which did not escape Azula's notice.
— Where are the others? — the princess began the conversation coldly.
— They have not gathered yet.
— I recall being hired on the condition of serving me as soon as the sun begins to rise? Or is that not the case? Perhaps I am mistaken about something? And is it still night outside? — Azula pressed, playing with a lock of her hair.
— N-no, my lady, — the girl began to stutter.
— Perhaps the work of maids is too difficult for the others? — This question made the maid flinch. She perfectly understood the unspoken words.
— No, my lady. Serving as your maid is not difficult at all, — the maid tried to assure the princess, not wanting to be banished from the palace.
— In that case, I wish to see all my maids after visiting the hot springs, — Azula gave orders, walking past the bowed girl, who was trembling slightly with fear.
— I will take care of it, my lady, — only when the princess had moved a sufficient distance could the maid exhale and straighten her back.
On this day, the princess of the Fire Nation — Azula, woke up too early. Accustomed to their lady's schedule, the servants were not ready to work earlier than usual, but no one would dare accuse the princess herself of anything. Everyone was too afraid not even of her anger, but of simple irritation. This included the guard patrolling this corridor, who also got an earful from the princess for his sloppily worn armor and poorly polished boots. This morning, the princess got out of the wrong side of the bed and was more critical of her surroundings than usual.
While the royal personage was bathing, the servants managed to gather and put themselves in order. The princess emerged from the hot springs, and they greeted her according to all the rules of etiquette.
— Good morning, Your Highness, — the four maids said in unison, bowing.
Carefully examining each of the maids, the princess was satisfied and ordered them to attend to her. Together they went into one of the palace's numerous rooms, where the maids gave the princess a manicure, pedicure, perfectly brushed her hair, and fed her; for dessert, Azula had pitted cherries.
She emerged from her maids' quarters clad in armor, with a perfect hairstyle befitting the princess of the most powerful nation in the world. After finishing her morning routine with the maids, Azula went to train in one of her personal training rooms, where she began to practice all the firebending techniques with her new blue flame. The guards passing by were greatly surprised by the color of the princess's fire, but they could only share their surprise during patrols with other guards. The princess herself was busy studying and comparing her new fire with the old one, and she did not wish to hide her new feature, allowing rumors to spread through the palace, and then throughout the country.
After finishing her training, Azula went to the Fire Lord. She had not forgotten what had happened to her that morning. Waiting until her father was free, she approached him with a request to study all known information about the recent ritual and to speak with a fire sage. At the same time, the princess proudly demonstrated the results of the ritual. Ozai was pleased with his daughter's new flame, considering it entirely his achievement.
Having satisfied her father's curiosity, Azula went to the sage who had performed the ritual. Unfortunately, he knew little about what had happened. Only what Lord Fire had given him to read from secret scrolls, to which she now had full access. The princess was independent enough to seek answers to her questions personally. Having received the necessary scrolls, she began to study them, occasionally visiting the palace library.