Part 43

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***

In the first second, Yuu tried to call upon his magic. The power responded to the call, but remained trapped in his body, with no way to escape to the surface. Kneeling and fighting weakness, he tried to rise to his feet, but no sooner had he moved than Rem's hand grabbed his head.

-If you move, I'll wring your neck like a chicken. You talk without permission, I'll do the same. Understand?

Ignoring the old man's threats, Yu looked at the broken men in front of him. Most of their uniforms had been stripped off, but here and there, elements of the Fire Nation's armour slipped through. Covered in bruises and wounds from head to toe, these men looked behind Yu's back in horror at their tormentor. Many were missing fingers or parts of their heads, and the disgusting stench of decay and death lingered in the air. It overpowered even the smell of the blood with which the captives were covered. Some were roughly bandaged, but the bandages were soaked through with scarlet liquid.

Feeling the grip on his head growing tighter, Yuu cut himself off from what was happening, staring blankly at the wall. Eerie images of the past, when a band of brigands had looted Shu's village, flashed through his mind. The horrors and pain he had experienced then were many times more terrifying than anything that was happening now. Petty Officer Ping's words echoed in his head. About overcoming his weaknesses, about protecting his loved ones and himself.

'I won't say a word.' The last thought coincided with a blow to his arm. With his knuckles, Rem pierced the muscle. A scream echoed through the cave from the surprise and pain. Quickly pulling himself together, Yuu shut his mouth and continued to sink into a trance, hoping that mindful meditation would help him.

In the background, the old man was saying something and offering a deal or terms, but the wind was walking in the young man's head. He didn't even try to listen to his captor, ignoring the threats and taunts.

-The little shit. Kill a couple of them, maybe then he'll be more cooperative.

Without questioning the order, the two earth mages impaled the captives on the stakes in one motion. Twitching convulsively, until the last moment the soldiers did not take their eyes off the teenager who was looking through them. Seeing the complete lack of reaction, the other prisoners scrambled further into a corner, while the old man's subordinates stared at their leader in incomprehension.

-Hmm... Neat tricks, kid. We're not done yet.

The next few days were mental and physical torture. Each day Rem brought the orphan to the prisoner cave and killed one of the prisoners before his eyes. Using his knowledge of the human body, he hit the boy at special points that blocked magic and caused the teenager severe pain.

Every night he tied the boy to a small rock and sat opposite, not allowing anyone to approach his prisoner.

Sitting by the fire and sharpening wooden stakes, Rem smiled warmly as he looked at the slumped boy. The pressure was taking its toll, sooner or later Yuu would break.

-Why are you doing this, what's the purpose?

-I thought it was obvious or you really don't understand why I'm breaking you?

-No, that's not what I mean,' Yu looked into the old man's eyes as he struggled to raise his head, which felt like it was filled with lead, 'you've served the Fire Nation for so long, why betray it now?

At the last words, the old man's knife slipped, completely ruining the billet. Staring at the work of his hands, he clenched his fists harder and harder until he broke the stake with his fingers.

-It's none of your business...

-What's the point of attacking the patrols and all this killing? The war in the northern province will be over soon, and you're only fuelling it anew, Prince Airo...''

Jumping up from his seat, Rem snapped towards the boy. Clutching his face with his hand, he pressed the teenager's head against the stone. His eyes were red with anger and rage, and his face was distorted to the point where it looked like saliva would flow from his mouth in the next second.

-Nothing! Nothing is over! It can't be over! I didn't start this war. They gave me my orders. I did everything I could to win, but somebody wouldn't let us win. The war could have been over a long time ago, but those bastards in the metropolis just like to make money off our lives.

-End the war, but the Earth Kingdom--

-Just a bunch of bare-assed peasants, they didn't have tanks and metal ships, proper guns and good weapons. You know what their army was before this war? A pile of shit, that's what it was.

Wrinkling her temples in pain, Yui had to take a couple of seconds to catch her breath before she could continue talking.

-When I returned to the capital, I was given a fucking medal and a house in a shitty neighbourhood. My name was forgotten, like all those who fought for this fucking country.

Lifting the teenager's body, Ram shook him by the pecs. Foam was gathering at the corners of the veteran's lips, and the veins in his neck and forehead swelled and began to show brightly on his white, aged face.

-They laughed and said that we were just soldiers and that thousands like us die every day! They insulted me and called me waste material! How dare they say that, I was there, not them!

Throwing Yuu's body into the wall, the old man started walking in circles around the cave like a hunted beast. Clenching his fists, he was ready to pounce on anyone who got in his way. Grunting with pain all over his body, the orphan managed to roll over onto his side to look at his captor.

-They don't know anything, after all, this is a difficult time for everyone. I'm sure they have many regrets too. Why take their words so closely?

-Because it's easy for them,' he stepped towards Yui, Ram's fury and anger roiling through him, 'to sign a new piece of paper and send thousands of other brats to their deaths. It's always easy for them, as long as it doesn't affect them. For me, life out there is shit. On the battlefield there was a code of honour, 'you for me, I for you'. What about out there?!

-But you're a Red Corsair, a member of the Special Forces. Couldn't you handle it?

Wrinkling his nose and breathing frequently, Yuu leaned his back against a rock. Ram, hovering in front of him, glared at the boy for a long moment before he could pull himself together. Returning to his seat, he began sharpening the stakes once more. Slowly and evenly the man peeled off the excess, leaving a good weapon for killing.

-You make it sound so easy. You're as naive a fool as I was. You believe fiercely in your rightness and your country, but one day you will realise that behind the beautiful words of Azulon and his acolytes lie the deaths of millions. Soldiers, women, children, they all die under glorious speeches and shiny signs, but it's all a lie. The Fire Nation wiped out an entire civilisation in one day, and here we've failed in seventy-five years to deal with watermen and shrews? Wake up from your fantasies boy, the Fire Nation's top brass has been rotten for a long time. Ever since Lord Sozin died, it's all been a farce.

Rem remained silent, still carving wooden stakes, ignoring the orphan's other questions. The young earth mage tried for a long time to regain consciousness, but the pain from his wounds and fatigue overcame him, sending him into oblivion.

After this conversation, Rem stopped his bullying. He just kept Yui close to him, not giving him any freedom. Poor feeding and constant silence was all that happened for the next few days. Several times the young man tried to start a dialogue with the old man again, but ran into a wall of alienation. Only constant pokes on his body to block the magic, but Rem did not show any attention to him.

The hours ticked by, Yuu didn't realise when a whole day had passed and when it was only a couple of minutes. All he had to do was eat and sleep and shit in a small hole. This kind of pastime was beginning to weigh on the young mind, but one day several fighters ran into Rem's cave and excitedly began to explain to their commander what was going on.

A couple of sharp shouts and the brigands went away, but the old man who had been lingering for a moment only sceptically hummed and shook his head. Turning to face Yui, he stared into the orphan's eyes for a long time, but finally nodded to his own thoughts and left the cave.

It wasn't long before the sounds of battle began to emerge from the depths of the bandit hideout. Rumbling rocks and roaring flames, war cries and pitiful groans. They came closer and closer until they were close enough for one of Yu's classmates to enter the cave. When he noticed his bound comrade, he immediately rushed towards him.

As soon as the restraints were loosened, the young bodyguard mumbled words of thanks and rushed after Rem. Outside, all hell was breaking loose as battles raged everywhere, bits of earth flying and waves of fire colliding. The Fire Nation deserters were fighting to the last man, knowing that there would be no leniency for them.

Ignoring what was happening around him, Yu felt the magic slowly returning to him. His first modest attempts showed that he would not be able to use it to its full potential any time soon, so he picked up the spear that was lying on the ground and continued the chase. Fending off everyone, he rushed forward, trusting his senses. After running through the widest part of the grotto and avoiding most of the confrontations, Yu was faced with several passages, following the advice of his heart, he dashed into one of them.

There was no way the dark corridor would end, and the teenager was about to turn back when lights began to flicker in the distance in front of him. As he burst into a large cave, Yu saw several brigands led by Rem harnessing a horse-strider. The hardy and fast animals would easily provide them with a few hours' head start, and the general commotion and search of other caves would allow them to escape in any direction.

Determined to attract their attention right away, Yu sent chunks of rubble in the direction of the beasts. Admittedly, instead of the expected projectiles, the horsestrausses were splattered with a pile of dirt, as were those standing nearby. After scaring away most of the animals that were now scurrying around the grotto, he attracted the attention of two dozen men. Clad in good armour and armed with good blades, they glanced at each other glumly and moved in a united front towards the boy. Rem recognised his prisoner and grinned in anticipation.

-Gather the animals and prepare to leave, I'll take care of him myself.

Standing in front of Yu, the stern old man set aside all emotion and adopted a fighting stance. Following his opponent's example, the boy twirled his spear around himself, getting used to the balance. In an instant, the orphan froze, as did his enemy. Standing in silence and oblivious to what was happening around them, the two watched their opponent's movements closely until the younger one snapped forward.