Bloody Freedom

Pov Yoshie:

I was in a private room, sitting on a wooden chair as I folded water around my hands.

A glow characteristic of the healing ability completely covered the water in my hands.

I was having a treatment to reduce the pain in my hands, mainly in the joints. Every day I used my healing to reduce the pain I felt in the bones of my hands.

This kind of pain wasn't caused by an illness, but by training, especially the manipulation of Absolute Zero. Controlling this state of ice had the effect of permanently damaging the strength of the bones in my forearms.

Years of practice and refinement may have cost me both arms, but that doesn't mean I'm vulnerable. I've had to learn to use my powers as ingeniously as possible.

Currently, my waterbending skills are second only to those of my teacher, Ayumi. The problem is that I can't fight hand-to-hand or lift heavy objects unless I accidentally break my bones.

*Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!*

I open my eyes to the door, give an irritated sigh and put the water back in my water canteen on the desk.

- Come in.

The door opens, revealing a masked soldier, 181 cm tall, with a large physique. His uniform bore the symbol of the Special Forces, with a golden flame surrounding a smaller one.

- Sorry, you can go back to your treatment. - The soldier took off his mask. His swarthy face was accompanied by golden eyes and a short beard that covered his body, and he was on average 20 years old.

- Yuto, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. - I couldn't help but smile when I recognized him. I quickly folded the water to return it to my hand and went back to my pain-relieving treatment. - That's much better.

- Did your pain get worse?

- Just a little, because I had to give a heart massage to a sick woman.

- I understand, but you'd better take it easy. - Yuto went behind Yoshie and started massaging her back.

- If more people know about my medical situation, I may never become a Fire Nation general. - I admit my frustration, raising my head to see Yuto worried about me.

- You can retire, you don't have to destroy your body. - said Yuto.

- It's not just an ambition, if another non-fire bender manages to become a general, the social pressure on other soldiers like me will be less. Prejudice against other elements is still very strong in the Fire Nation.

- You can repay your debt to General Kai in other ways; he's very understanding of these kinds of issues.

- I really don't want to upset him, not to mention that he's getting married soon, so it would be unwise of me to distract him from other things. - I blurt out, convinced of my opinion. - Apart from the flattery, did you have any problems with the new prisoners this afternoon?

- Just a girl in a water tribe outfit making a speech to get the earthbenders to revolt. - said Yuto, concentrating on the massage he was giving his secret girlfriend.

- Hmmm? Was that girl wearing a black necklace around her neck? - I looked at Yuto, worried about an escape attempt. 

- Yes, do you know her? - Yuto stopped rubbing Yoshie's shoulders.

- I have a theory... it may be wrong, but perhaps we'll soon be dealing with the Avatar. - I got up from the chair, returned the water to my canteen and put it behind me.

- Do you think the rumors about the Avatar's return are true?

- Some high-ranking officers, including myself, have received news from Vice-General Huzo confirming the Avatar's return. We are currently preparing our troops to guard the West until the next decision is made.

- How can you be sure that the girl has anything to do with the Avatar? - Yuto took his helmet and put it on his head.

- I saw this girl with a group of young men who matched the description of the group accompanying the Avatar. - I turned to look at Yuto in his mask, something I didn't particularly like. - If you use logic, a girl wearing a Water Tribe outfit in the Earth Kingdom is pretty obvious.

- If you think about it that way, it makes sense. - Yuta opened the door, let Yoshie pass in front of it and closed it.

We walked down the corridor until we saw the prison " director" arguing sternly with two spear-wielding guards.

- Is there a problem, director? - I asked, putting my hands behind my back.

- NOTHING! - said the director, terrified. - It's just that these two idiots are delirious because they think they've seen a bison or a buffalo flying, something completely ridiculous.

- There's a big difference between a bison and a buffalo. - Yuto commented, realizing that he had the attention of everyone present. - I like studying animals...

- What color was the animal? - I asked, ignoring my friend's idiocy.

- Hmmmm, I think it was gray. - replied the spear-wielding soldier, scratching his beard in doubt.

- No idiot, it was white! - scolded the other soldier.

- In fact, there's a big difference... - Yuto intervened.

Yoshie immediately turned her head with a serious expression to silence Yuto.

- No matter what color the animal's fur is, we know it's the same animal that the Avatar rides. - I made a quick comment to focus on what was important in the conversation. - You two, I want you to send a message to the other troops on the west coast, summoning all available soldiers to this location.

- What are you going to do? - said the director, afraid of becoming Yoshie's victim. - Are you going to believe this nonsense about the return of the Avatar?

- Pretend that nothing happened. - I looked coldly at the director. - Yuto, help the soldiers with the details of the message, we have to be as discreet as possible.

- Understood! - The two soldiers said.

- You may return to your accommodations. - I'm referring to the principal, who was visibly frightened.

Yuto stood next to Yoshie and waited for the principal to leave so that they could have a private conversation.

- Don't you want me to go with you? - Yuto asked worriedly.

- It won't be necessary... that director could still be a problem. He's very unstable under pressure. - I muttered to myself. - Yuto, I want you to keep a cool head now, don't be reckless.

- What are you going to do?

- I'm going to talk to the girl from the water tribe.

- I don't like this...

I interrupt Yuto with a kiss on the lips.

- Trust me, there's nothing to worry about.

Yoshie and Yuto split up, each taking a completely different path inside the metal prison.

It took me a few minutes to reach the prisoners' area because it was night and I didn't have to worry about people's curious stares.

Looking carefully and paying attention to my steps, I see a bald boy in a very flashy outfit who makes me wonder how the guards didn't notice him. So I quickly start sneaking around in the shadows to camouflage myself.

I quickly realize that there were five voices talking, three male and two female. I hide in some boxes at the back and use my keen hearing to listen to what they're saying.

- We don't have much time, we have to come up with an escape plan. - Said a male voice.

- I wish I knew how to make a hurricane! - Said a more childish voice.

- [Create a hurricane?!] - I thought, amazed at the causality of his words. It might have sounded like a simple idiotic comment, but the tone of his voice meant that he was capable of doing something on that scale. - [Create a hurricane? That means he's an airbender like Professor Ty Lee and Kai's apprentice. He's the Avatar!]

Yoshie closes her eyes and concentrates her spiritual sensitivity to confirm her assumption.

I concentrated on feeling every nuance of the world, immersing myself in every micro-energy of the universe around me. I opened my eyes, feeling my heart beating faster, and covered my mouth with my hands, trying not to reveal my position.

I was terrified, four of the five individual energies were weaker than mine, but one in particular was absurdly powerful, a power that easily surpassed my own.

- [This is crazy, not even Ayumi is this powerful] - I admitted my thoughts to myself.

I knew exactly how powerful Professor Ayumi was, to the extent that Kai himself had already confessed that she was more powerful than Ozai himself. However, the power I felt was completely absurd, which made me realize that the title of Supreme Warrior wasn't that exaggerated.

- I don't intend to run away without getting these people out of here. - Said another male voice.

- We won't leave anyone behind, Haru. - Said a female voice.

- [Haru? Damn it, do you really want to risk these people's lives?] - I felt a huge anger growing inside me.

The conditions in which the earthbenders were left were not something anyone would wish for, but the vast majority of them had managed to keep their lives safe until today.

Normally, any non-Fire Nation bender could be executed, but Kai's strong influence in the West meant that many managed to survive and were only captured.

Huzo once told me that Kai and Azula were interested in uniting all the elemental nations, and one of those goals was to allow other dominions to join the Fire Nation without causing internal conflicts.

Omashu is an example of these long-term changes, with the native population already getting used to the new government for the sake of prosperity.

I know Haru is quite spiteful towards the Fire Nation, but the Earth Kingdom itself is practically corrupt to the core. As a scholar of the subject, I've realized that dividing nations by elemental factors is a completely prejudiced practice.

Water, earth, air and fire are elements that coexist in the balance of the world, and in thousands of years, no one, except the nation of fire, has tried to unite the world as it should be. It would be an extremely long process, but in a few decades the division of the world could finally end and everyone would be united as one people with the victory of the Fire Nation.

I heard the whole plan, which was created by the group's strategist called Sokka. Using the ventilation ducts to slow down air circulation and blow up the factory with the built-up pressure, forcing the coal to be ejected from the furnace, a clever but stupidly dangerous strategy, the shockwave and debris could easily blow up the entire platform, killing everyone in the process.

- [With someone so powerful, there's no point in fighting him, so I'm going to have to do something.] - I looked at the furnace and moved away silently, hoping not to be noticed.

When I was far enough away, I ran towards the large furnace. It was obvious to me that the Avatar had a level of power completely beyond my reach, so all I had to do was find a way to thwart his plans.

When I got close to the furnace, I could easily see that the factory was still burning coal at full power, which made me extremely anxious. I knew that even if I closed the factory to stop the Avatar's plan, the pressure would still be there.

- How can I prevent this madness? - I muttered to myself.

I was very undecided until I heard the sound of the sea, the force of the waves.

- Ayumi once told me that the power of the ocean cannot be completely tamed, a power that can destroy cities and animals with its violence. - I watched the moon, completely full, the moment when a waterbender can reach the peak of his power.

I looked at my hands, my skin was paler in this region as a result of using my cryogenic power at its maximum.

- *sigh* This is going to hurt. - I start to manipulate the water around me, not just the ocean, but all the water in the atmosphere around me.

No one could have noticed, because of the dark night, that the chimneys no longer emit black smoke, but a cold mist that could easily freeze any living being to death.

***

The Avatar sneaked up on the guards before dawn, using his airbending abilities to move at great speed without being detected.

The Air Master noticed that some soldiers were discussing something to do with the factory, but didn't bother to listen.

When he entered the factory's hot air vents to forge large pieces of metal, Aang was surprised to feel no wave of heat, not even the Minimus.

- How strange! Have they closed the factory? - asked the Air Master, moving quickly through the pipes, worried that his friends might be discovered by the guards.

As he crawled along the duct, it became increasingly difficult to move forward, the cold was so intense that he could burn his hand if he touched the ice.

- Damn, I wish I knew how to bend fire! - said Aang, frustrated at not being able to go any further. - I'll have to find another way.

After a few minutes in the duct, Aang found an area less affected by the ice, where the control room was, a room full of levers and cranks to control all the metal production.

- Perfect! - Aang noticed an entrance through the ventilation and entered the control room as quickly as he could. - How cold! Not even the South Pole is this cold.

The Air Master realized that he was alone in the control room, but due to his natural ignorance, he didn't find it strange.

As he examined the room, he noticed that the pressure and temperature manometers were practically at zero, and the Avatar feared that the plan would fail. Although he wasn't a strategist, he realized that a high temperature was necessary for Sokka's plan to work.

- I don't understand... - Aang noticed that one of the walls had a lever; out of curiosity, he tried to use it, but it was quite difficult.

Using the weight of his body, he managed to lower the lever all the way, causing part of the wall to open, revealing a large glass panel used to monitor the burning of fuel.

The Avatar's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that a layer of ice covered the other side of the glass, realizing that somehow all the coal that was being burned at a temperature of thousands of degrees Celsius had simply frozen in a few hours, in a way that was inexplicable to his eyes.

- That's impossible! The factory had only been running for a few hours! - Aang put his hands to his head in despair, not knowing how to proceed with the plan to free the earthbenders.

Unconscious of his despair, Aang didn't notice that a Fire Nation soldier had entered the same room he was in.

The soldier removed his calming mask and revealed himself to be Yuto, looking rather annoyed with the person in front of him.

- So you're the Avatar. - said Yuto with a tone of disgust in his voice.

Aang jumped into battle position with his staff strapped to his back. The Air Master pointed the staff as a warning in case he was threatened.

- I don't want any trouble! I just want to save these people.

- You want to save them? How? By blowing up the factory? - Yuto grimaced in disgust.

- If it's to stop the cruelty you're doing to these innocent people, then yes. - said Aang with conviction.

- Yoshie might even be afraid of his power. - Yuto summoned a fireball in his hands. - As far as I'm concerned, you're just an insignificant idiot!

Yuto fired the fireball with all his might, but the young Avatar deflected it with difficulty. The collision of the fire with the glass behind Aang caused the sudden change in temperature to explode the glass, sending a cold blast of ice into the room like a snowstorm, damaging Yuto's ability to manipulate fire freely.

The Air Master and the Fire Nation soldier were cruelly hit by the temperature change, which affected them in the same way. However, Yuto drew air into his lungs, increasing his body temperature and restoring his physical abilities.

Realizing that the Avatar was disoriented due to the cold, Yuto moved in quickly and delivered a powerful kick to Aang's face, knocking him violently to the ground. Aang groaned in pain on the ground, but unfortunately had no chance to retaliate, as before he knew it, he was savagely kicked in the stomach.

As incredible as Yuto was at fighting the Avatar, it was impossible for him to fight Aang fairly. Aang was still suffering the consequences of Kyoshi fighting Aki with his body and, without the ability to manipulate fire, he was practically vulnerable and limited by the cold that was cruelly attacking his body.

***

Yoshie's POV:

I was completely tired and for the first time I felt that I had overused my powers.

No matter how I dealt with the group of avatars, I couldn't defeat them in a surprise attack at that moment, and that's not something I would do. I would never break my battle code by killing someone behind their back.

Even if I somehow managed to fight off the avatar and his group, I might not be able to defeat them on my own and the consequences could be disastrous anyway.

I was catching my breath, but my five senses were almost impaired, not to mention the fact that my bones were almost completely compromised.

I looked down at my right arm, but there was nothing beyond my shoulder. Somehow, I could still feel my arm, but I knew it was just an illusion of my mind.

Sacrificing my arm to freeze the factory was the best solution I had to avoid a tragedy. Even if the Avatar managed to free the prisoners, at least there wouldn't be an explosion, and the prisoners and guards wouldn't suffer this kind of accident.

- Captain Yoshie! - Said one of the prison guards, with a letter in his hand. - The reply message has arrived!

I stretched out my left arm with difficulty to pick up the letter, it was practically the same as trying to lift 50 kilos while training to increase muscle mass. It was incredibly ridiculous to me how the simple act of moving my arm was so difficult for me.

Reading the letter quickly, I realized that reinforcements from the west coast would be arriving at this prison in less than an hour.

- Now all we have to do is wait. - I commented to myself, ignoring the soldier who had noticed that I was missing a limb. - The avatar will have to wait longer to come up with a plan to get the people out of here.

I was relieved because with the arrival of the army, the Avatar and his group would only have their logical options: flee or fight to exhaustion and be captured.

- Captain Yoshie! - shouted a soldier in a worried voice. - The director had summoned other guards under his command to stop a group of intruders.

My body unconsciously tensed, sending a wave of pain through every joint in my body. I bit my lips so as not to show weakness, but I couldn't help groaning in pain.

- You idiot! - I muttered, quickly getting up from my chair and clenching my only fist in frustration and pain. - He wants credit for capturing the Avatar.

- What should we do?

- Gather our troops and prepare for battle. - I order quickly.

Accompanied by some soldiers from my squad, I walk as fast as I can to the courtyard where the prisoners are camped.

Even in this weakened state, I was probably the most powerful Bender in the region, not counting the Avatar, so I was inevitably forced to face him without the arrival of reinforcements.

As I approached the iron gates, the guards opened them for me, giving me a full view of what was happening to the intruders.

Haru was standing with his fists raised in a fighting stance, next to a dark-haired boy holding a weapon typical of the water tribe, probably Sokka. Next to the group's strategist was a girl wearing two metal fans, probably a weapon capable of cutting and deflecting fireballs, and the last person was the same girl wearing the Water Tribe necklace around her neck.

All the prisoners and intruders were surrounded by guards with spears and fireballs ready to attack.

- I will never surrender! - Haru shouted at the guard, his gaze reflecting the pure hatred in his heart.

- You're practically like an animal that needs to be trained. - teased the director. - So... which one of you is the Avatar?

Team Avatar looked at each other, realizing that the news of the Avatar's return wasn't fully available, giving them the opportunity for a surprise attack when Aang triggered the explosion.

- Why don't you try to find out? - Said Sokka, ready to fight, confident in his enhanced abilities due to his journey to save the world.

- Guards, prepare to...

- STOP! - I shouted, finally being noticed by everyone.

When the prisoners saw Yoshie, everyone immediately became even more tense, thinking that someone might end up being killed at her hands. Team Avatar was very worried, especially Katara, since she was a waterbender. Suki, on the other hand, quickly realized that Yoshie's imposing demeanor was rather weak, and realized that the Fire Nation's powerful waterbender was drastically weakened.

- Enough of this waste of time, give up the escape plan, we can end this without any tragedy.

- We have no intention of bowing to the tyranny of the Fire Nation! - Haru replied, expressing his contempt for the waterbender who killed his father.

- Your plan has already been foiled. - I take a few steps forward. - Your plan to blow up the factory won't work.

- How? How did you find out? - Sokka asked, confused, since his plan was practically perfect and no one but the Avatar team knew about the escape plan.

- You may have noticed that the factory hasn't been smoking for a while.

The Avatar team, the prisoners, the director and the guards all turned to the factory chimney, which was constantly spewing smoke from the burning coal.

- Even if they close the factory, my plan will still work! - said Sokka, confident that Aang would be able to execute the plan perfectly.

- Your plan might work, but not if all the coal is completely frozen. - I replied good-naturedly.

- What are you talking about? There's no way anyone could freeze a furnace that size in just a few hours! - said Katara, trying to believe that it was impossible for someone to be so advanced in waterbending. 

- Is it because your Avatar didn't blow up the factory? - I asked sarcastically, watching the intruders begin to realize the seriousness of their situation.

- That's impossible...- said Katara, completely astonished.

- ENOUGH! - shouted Haru, pointing directly at Yoshie. - I WANT A DUEL! YOU AGAINST ME!

A feeling of disappointment rose up inside me, I understood the pain of losing family members, the same pain as Haru. When I found out that Tyro had a family, I investigated whether his son or wife were earthbenders. I didn't want such an honorable and kind warrior to die in vain at my hands, just to set an example.

- You're grieving, Haru, you need to rest and come to terms with your loss. - I speak, hoping to ease the tension.

- YOU KILLED MY FATHER! MY MOTHER DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! - Haru's accusatory cries seemed to carry all the emotions he had repressed over the years.

Unexpectedly, the metal floor began to shake uncontrollably, as if the waves of the sea had taken on a life of their own, frightening everyone present with their tremors.

Fear seized me and I quickly looked towards the factory, afraid that somehow an explosion would be heard that could kill everyone. But it wasn't what I expected: a huge pillar of rock came crashing down onto the platform.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard by everyone in the direction of the factory. The metal structure exploded into several pieces, revealing a hurricane of air inside the structure. Each fragment that flew through the air was like the sharp blade of a sword, and some soldiers and even prisoners were cruelly hit.

Some lost their arms, legs or even their heads, while other unfortunates were hit in even more grotesque ways, even exposing their organs to the air, with a shower of blood flying in a vortex of air.

The air storm calmed down, revealing a bald boy, with several bruises on his body, lying on the ground. For a brief moment, those who had the opportunity to see the cause of such a disaster would have noticed that his eyes and tattoos glowed intensely, with a touch of pure power.

Everyone seemed shocked and frightened by the sudden display of power, so many simply ignored the large sea rock that had been magically drawn to the surface, concentrating only on trying to process what had just happened.

I tried to get up from the ground, clearly feeling my body boil with pure pain. I stood, still stunned by what had happened only moments before. Excruciating pain shot through my leg, and the next thing I knew, a piece of metal had gone completely through my thigh, making me wonder how I was standing.

- EARTHBENDERS! THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE! - Haru shouted, with a few pieces of metal piercing his right shoulder.

Many were still confused by what had happened, and some were even in complete shock at seeing their friends practically dismembered on the ground.

- Haru... Don't you realize what's happening? This is a disaster! - I said, trying to regain my composure.

- FOR THE KINGDOM OF EARTH! - Haru shouted, completely driven by his anger and adrenaline.

The Earth Master used the huge sea stone that had broken the platform to create a stone spear and threw it at Yoshie's heart.

Seeing that she was about to be fatally struck, Yoshie tried to bend the water in her water canteen, but quickly realized that her canteen had been damaged and she had no water to bend to defend herself.

The world seemed to move in slow motion for me, I could see the stone spear flying slowly towards me, but I couldn't move my body, as if I had used all my strength just to stay on my feet.

Realizing that my time was coming, I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to take over my body. However, I felt something pushing me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Yuto, all wounded and missing an arm, receiving the blow that would kill me. I could clearly see the spear going through his flesh and back with ease, and my heart stopped for a second at the sight.

When I finally fell to the ground, my eyes couldn't help but see Yuto's eyes, which were gradually losing their color, that glow that had captured my heart.

By some miracle, Yuto was standing with a spear in his chest, but it didn't take him more than two seconds to fall to the ground with no life in his eyes.

From that moment on, Yoshie's world fell apart. A great battle was taking place on one side of the platform, with the fire benders unleashing their flames with full force on the prisoners, and the prisoners launching attacks that crushed the flesh and bones of the Fire Nation soldiers.

Without the strength to stand up, Yoshie crawled across the bloody battlefield to her lover's body. Without the help of his other arm and with an injured leg, he seemed miles away from Yoshie's perspective.

- Yuto! - I spoke with difficulty, tears streaming down my face as I stroked his increasingly cold face. - Please wake up! Please wake up!

Yoshie instinctively tried to heal Yuto, even though there was no water near the waterbender. Within minutes, dozens of attempts were made to save what she considered her soul mate.

Yoshie's insistence on saving Yuto turned into despair, fear and loneliness. Ayumi's best pupil was completely drenched in blood and looked like another victim of the violent battle taking place on the metal platform.

Haru approached slowly with a few stones floating in his hands, apparently focused on taking revenge. 

- Now you understand my pain! - said Haru, manipulating the earth in the form of sharp-pointed stakes.

Without realizing his anger, Haru didn't notice that the blood covering the corpse of the man he had just killed had a few drops of blood floating in the air, as if the blood was attracted by some mysterious form.

Yoshie raised her face to Haru and looked furious. Because of the blood covering the floor, her face looked like it was crying tears of blood.

Next Chapter: The Ocean's Compassion