Fire Nation. Fire Lord's Palace. Princess's Chambers.
After the ritual and demonstrating a new abilities to the Fire Lord, in the form of a more powerful blue flame, the princess's life didn't change much. Azula still spent most of her time training, honing her firebending and hand-to-hand combat skills to perfection. Instead of normal relaxation at the hot springs, she preferred to read historical military books, sharpening not only her combat skills but also her mind with what she considered useful information.
No one in the palace noticed that she was becoming increasingly irritable, and to the books on military history and past campaigns, all sorts of books or scrolls about rituals were added.
Partly, it was my fault; or rather, it was the natural consequence of my attempts to take over her body and regain human senses. Azula had always loved to demonstrate her high status and power over the fates of servants at every opportunity, but lately, it had become too frequent. The girl enjoyed the fear of her subordinates, constantly reminding them with small hints of their place and who stood before them.
Over the past four days, I had tried to act as cautiously as possible, giving no extra cause for concern, recovering from the injuries I had sustained. Azula was an extremely intelligent individual, and that boded no good for me. From just one failed attempt to possess her body, I had made her suspicious, and she had begun to study dangerous knowledge. She might soon sense me and find a way to get rid of a spiritual parasite. After all, I was nothing else to her. Unfortunately, this was not far from the truth.
But I couldn't just give up. Not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't!
Her body, in some unknown way to me, had become my real prison. I was simply unable to leave Azula and find a suitable body for myself. Attempts to do so caused unpleasant sensations mixed with pain. Perhaps the ritual was the cause, or the injuries I had received, or something that had escaped my attention… I had no definitive answer.
Fortunately, things were not so bad. When she was awake, I could see through her eyes, hear through her ears, and feel faint echoes of the princess's emotions. I could observe her life from the outside. Azula had titanic control over her emotions, so there was very little of the most pleasant kind. To my great joy, I could see and feel the Qi flowing through her body, and this was the greatest advantage of my situation. Well, besides the princess's emotions, which were like drops of sweet nectar to me.
Thanks to all this, I tried to spend my time as usefully as possible for myself. I studied Azula's character, behavior, habits, preferences, manner of communication, and methods of manipulation. I tried to understand how she perceived lies, and also attempted to adopt her firebending skills and close-combat techniques. The latter was very timely. Seeing how she interacted with her internal energy—Qi—I memorized her feelings, body posture, the position of her internal energy, the interaction between her body and Qi, as well as their connection to each other.
Thanks to my special vision, which was somewhat wider than a human's, I saw the world differently than Azula herself. I could look at her a bit from the outside, and at the same time observe the world through her eyes. It was this, along with the feeling of Qi, that allowed me to adopt her experience in many things. Sometimes I even saw her mistakes and theoretically imagined how to make a particular move better and more effectively.
To confirm my theories, I had to take control of her sleeping body and try out the learned moves. The risks were high, but I decided to take the chance anyway. Fortunately, Azula's chambers were quite spacious, and I tried not to accidentally set them on fire or inadvertently wake the girl. I managed to confirm most of my theories about firebending, leaving the princess in a state of sleep. However, after this, she began to spend more time with books on rituals, becoming interested in various books about spirits.
It would have been a success if not for one small "but"—her undeniable power, which effortlessly, at the slightest whim, took control of the body from me.
When Azula's consciousness slept, I could interact with her body. But the moment she woke up, at best, I was engulfed in heat, and at worst, I began to feel a fiery hell. Moreover, all my actions did not go unnoticed by the true owner of the body. I discovered this immediately after testing my theories on firebending. On the same day, she began to repeat my experiments with Qi. Perhaps the princess could see my actions, just as I could see hers. This was another piece of bad news that forced me to reconsider my immediate goals.
Over time, I often tried to occupy her body, deal with the girl, and remain the sole master of the new vessel. All attempts were in vain.
My attempts either didn't work, or at worst, I felt intense pain and immediately ceased all actions, hiding from the owner's attention. This outcome was logical. It was her body, not mine. I was here purely as a parasite. It was foolish and naive to think that I would easily get an ideal body. I still had to fight for it and use my brain a lot.
But for now… the idea of taking over the girl's body had to be postponed to better times. I simply lacked the knowledge; after all, this was my first attempt. And why did I think it would be easy to take a body from its rightful owner? Ah, yes… I don't even want to recall that foolishness.
While pondering the usual topic of what to do next, I found more and more drawbacks to the idea of taking over Azula's body. And it wasn't just that she was of the wrong gender for me. I simply wouldn't be able to convincingly impersonate Azula. The girl's father would easily see through me, as would the servants… there were enough drawbacks to this idea.
On the other hand, I could use Azula… if only she didn't use me.
After all, the girl is extremely intelligent, a master of lying and sensing when she is being lied to. It wouldn't be easy to use her blindly; I simply didn't have enough skills. It was more likely that she would use me. However, I saw no other way out, and it seemed more advantageous every time I thought about it. Since I couldn't take over her body, I could use all my knowledge to win the girl over. And then I could look for ways to become stronger, and perhaps I would find a way to change my situation as a captive, or even find a more suitable body.
But for that, I would need to establish a connection with her. I had a few ideas on how to do this. Until now, I had been pondering how best to proceed and was in no hurry. And even now, there was no need to rush; I had to think everything through carefully, develop a strategy, learn as much as possible about the princess, recall all her weaknesses, history, end, the slightest details of her life…
Only time wouldn't allow it. By observing Azula's life, I had more or less figured out which part of the canon I had landed in. Within this year, a certain bald monk would awaken from a centuries-long slumber, bringing me no good. So many ideas, so many ways to become stronger, so many opportunities, most of my foresight is limited to a very short period of time because of this bald factor.
A year…
Sighing deeply, I stretched my whole body with pleasure. How pleasant it was, even thinking about the murky future didn't want to. Yes, it was night now, and I couldn't deny myself the pleasure of lounging in a luxurious bed, having occupied someone else's body. Azula's mind was asleep, during which time I had learned well what not to do, so as not to accidentally wake her up. Being in her bed, I could enjoy familiar human sensations, while pondering my next actions.
It's just a shame time is running out…
***
Seven days had passed since the ritual that turned Azula's flame bright blue. The change in color was just the tip of the iceberg; the power of her flame had increased along with her physical strength, as well as speed, agility, and control over Qi. If before, during training, she could easily defeat five fire masters, now a dozen did not pose a problem for her. However, the Fire Lotus Ritual also had its strange consequences. Whether positive or negative, she hadn't figured out yet, and this uncertainty agitated the princess, as did the incomprehensible visions and strange state of sleep.
This day passed like many others in the princess's life.
In the morning, servants tidied her up, after which she went to her training sessions, spending her rest afterward with books, followed by a meal and a return to training. Quite often, her routine days were interspersed with military councils and some orders from the Fire Lord. Unfortunately for the princess, this day was too ordinary.
After visiting the hot springs before bed, she settled into her bed, awaiting another strange dream instead of her usual ones. Although dreams rarely visited the princess's mind, the rest process had changed significantly in the last week. Azula quickly connected this fact to the ritual, and after long searches among books of various subjects in the library, she began to suspect the adverse consequences of the ritual performed.
Sleepwalking.
This was the ailment the princess had received in exchange for greater power. Now she often walked around her room in her sleep, sometimes training directly in her personal chambers. A trifle, but for the perfect princess Azula, it was a great shame that she wished to get rid of before anyone noticed her illness. The girl was overcome by cold fury the moment she imagined someone finding out about her shameful secret.
The situation was not improved even by training in a sleepy state, when she effortlessly played with fire, doing something incomprehensible. Repeating what she had seen in her dreams, Azula considered it a foolish waste of time. It bore the least resemblance to full combat techniques of firebending. Controlling the shape of flames… a useless thing in real combat.
Unfortunately, she found no cure or other way to get rid of this ailment in either books or secret scrolls. But she reread a lot of literature on various topics about spirits, different places, and much more.
Relaxing under the blanket, she awaited sleep, feeling a pleasant ache in her muscles and slight drowsiness after today's training. The day had passed like hundreds of days before—routinely. Having exerted herself in training, the princess was about to surrender to sleep when she unexpectedly heard a strange voice in her chambers.
"Azula," came the immediate reaction of the trained warrior. The girl tossed the blanket aside, hiding from the gaze of the unknown. Quickly darting to a corner of the room, she assumed a combat stance, ready to strike down any assassins to the death. But her eyes saw no enemy who had spoken her name.
Her chambers were empty, only the tossed blanket quickly fell to the floor. Looking around the room again, she found no one. Glancing towards the bed, the princess instantly guessed the location of the unknown. Thoughts and guesses quickly began to form plans in the princess's mind.
— I suppose, since you've revealed yourself, we can reach a compromise. I'll pay three times more for the client's head. I must admit, your skills are impressive, but since you've revealed yourself, there's no need to hide anymore. One scream from me, and all the palace guards will rush here, but I am merciful. I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself, — Azula said, carefully circling the bed, moving quietly around the room.
"I'm not hiding, look under the bed," came the reply, but she couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.
— A foolish attempt, — the princess replied with disappointment, before shouting: — Guards! Guards, to me! There's a killer here!
Less than half a minute passed before two firebenders, clad in combat armor, burst into the princess's private chambers, immediately taking attacking stances, allowing Azula to take cover behind their mighty backs.
Looking at the empty room, with a crumpled blanket lying in the center, they looked at the princess questioningly: — Your Highness?
— He's hiding, you fools, look under the bed! — The guards exchanged glances and surrounded the princess's bed. After a few gestures, they began to approach the bed. Slowly, one of them moved as close as possible. Grabbing the fabric, he lifted it, looked under the royal bed, and…
— No one's here, — the guard stated curtly, casting a questioning glance at the princess.
— Of course, he's not there, the killer might have done his deed and escaped the crime scene! — Azula replied irritably.
The guardsmen stood opposite the closet, exchanged glances. Skepticism was evident in each of their eyes, but duty was duty, and the princess's orders were not to be questioned. One signaled to check, the other slowly approached the closet, placed his hand on the door handles, and pulled it open.
— No one's here, — the man noted, looking at dozens of identical red robes. To be absolutely sure, he even moved the hangers, carefully examining the closet from the inside.
Azula continued to express her dissatisfaction with the situation, frowning. The princess looked as if the stupidest guards in the world had come to save her. Angrily narrowing her eyes, she spoke:
— Naturally, you took so long to save me that the killer could have done his job and escaped the crime scene! An unacceptable delay! If a killer were here, I'd be dead already! — the girl began to scold the men angrily. And only after this did the men begin to realize how they had messed up.
— We beg your pardon, Your Highness! — they replied simultaneously, rushing to Azula's feet.
— Don't make excuses, your inspection is over for today, return to your duties. Tomorrow you will have a sparring match with me, and you'd better show all you are capable of if you wish to keep your honorable positions. Dismissed!
— Yes, — slapping their chests, the guards hastily left the chambers of the enraged princess, not wishing to worsen their situation any further.
Azula remained alone in her room, alone with her anger, her thoughts, and an unknown interlocutor.
"That was amusing," she heard the unfamiliar voice again, with notes of amusement in it.
Peeking into the corridor, she made sure the guards had fled far enough from her anger and wouldn't hear her voice. She didn't need the servants to think she was crazy, talking to the empty air in her room. Majestically sitting on the bed, without showing her true emotions. At the same time, reflecting on what had happened.
— Where are you? — the princess's words broke out in a restrained voice.
"Behind you," — the princess immediately jumped off the bed, turning around.
There was no one behind her. Thinking that her interlocutor was simply invisible to her eyes, Azula took the blanket from the floor and abruptly threw it over the bed. It fell calmly, as if nothing was there.
"It was a joke, you need to relax," — the same cheerful voice with notes of instruction sounded.
— Show yourself! — she commanded, her voice showing her irritation and anger.
"Go to the mirror," — the invisible interlocutor answered calmly, not at all afraid to tease the girl.
Azula cautiously approached the large mirror, seeing nothing but her reflection. Black hair, golden eyes, familiar facial features, a red robe covering her bare body. Her gaze found nothing remarkable.
"If you haven't understood yet, I'm inside you."
— Who are you?
"Finally, the right questions. Who could be in your body? Especially after undergoing an old and dubious ritual under the guidance of a person who has never performed this ritual before?" — the answer was full of the unknown's sarcasm, which continued to mock the girl, further enraging her.
— A demon! — she hissed her guess at her reflection: — What do you want?! What are your goals!?
"No need to raise your voice, unless you want to lie to the guards again. Speaking of which, accept my praise, to come up with a lie so quickly, to play it so naturally, you're a wonderful actress, I'd clap, but I don't have hands," — the spirit continued to verbally torment the princess, forcing Azula to restrain herself lest she grind her teeth.
Such an arrogant tone greatly angered the imperial dignitary. The princess would have ordered lashes for anyone who dared to speak to her in such a tone, but now she was dealing with a spirit whom it would be difficult to harm. The unknown seemed to care nothing for her status or the full might of the Fire Nation. And this state of affairs greatly angered Azula, who had been accustomed to special treatment since childhood.
"And I need nothing more than a trifle, a mere trifle. I want to become a living person again, and you can help me greatly with that," — the spirit continued in a confident voice.
— Why would I, the princess of the strongest nation in the world, help some demon? — she replied in an icy tone, not taking her angry gaze from her own reflection. If the servants had seen such a look from Azula, they would have immediately fallen to their knees, begging for forgiveness. But the demon didn't care about the girl's anger.
"Oh, you won't be left out; I know a lot and can give even more. Your benefit from our cooperation will depend only on your ability to listen, hear, and learn. I can give your nation a lot, offer you help on the path to your goals," — the spirit continued to speak in a sweet voice, until Azula abruptly interrupted him.
— You talk too much, — the Princess spoke in a surprisingly calm voice, completely controlling her emotions: — You're a weak liar, it was naive to think I know nothing about spirits or demons. I will get rid of you. I will make you pay for your arrogance, you are just a pathetic parasite in my body, who is not even capable of taking over the body. Soon you will be sent back to your spirit world. I promise, before that, you will suffer greatly and regret your daring attempt to possess me.
— …
Having finished with the threats, Azula moved away from the mirror, leaving her chambers. The spirit, however, remained silent, confirming the princess's suspicions.