To Prove Oneself: Part Two

Azula trodded deeper into the woodlands; her mood was sour, but she was determined to make Tenten eat her words. She silently hopped over jagged rocks and large branches as she wandered towards an undetermined destination.

"I'll show that wretched girl how utterly wrong she is," Azula grumbled to herself.

How dare that bubbly bitch call her a vindictive, spoiled girl. She trained most of her adolescent life to be the incredible firebender that she is today; Azula had gone through intense firebending and military training while excelling her academics.

Tenten had the gall to downplay her like some brat; it was an insult to her life's work. Well, Azula just going to prove her wrong. She'll show her what she could actually do. As she ventured forward, Azula suddenly felt her foot sunk into the ground.

"What in the- AH!"

Instantly, the ground crumbled beneath her feet, and Azula fell into the tunnel below. Azula tumbled over the hardened dirt, rolling and flailing as she fell. Her hair turned into a jumbling mess while her clothes stained with dust and dirt.

"Ugh..." Azula landed with a thud. She slowly sat up, rubbing her head to ease the pain.

"Where am I?" Azula scanned her environment with confusion.

Surrounding her were ancient sculpted stones of varying sizes, some were as small as a foot while others reached the size of adult humans. Parchments laid across the floor, but they were deteriorated through time. Just ahead laid a skeleton above the fractured steps. A broken sword hung lose against its shattered chest, barely hanging on between the gaps of the bones.

Azula slowly got up and approached the mysterious skeleton with curiosity. A strange blue light pulsated on the skull, almost beckoning Azula to approach closer. She hesitated at first but reached her hand out to the pulsating light. In the moment Azula's hand came in contact with the skull, her eyes suddenly glowed into a piercing blue. She shouted in suprise as she fell backwards, her mind muddled and faint until she quickly passed out. In an instant, Azula found herself in a white void.

"What the hell!" Azula shouted with shock.

She felt herself floating in the infinite expanse of nothingness. Her once calm composure now turned into panic. There was no end in sight for her, only the empty void greeted her back. Was she going to be trapped here forever?

"You're not quite the person I was expecting," A soft voice suddenly spoke.

Azula quickly turned around and saw a woman, her beauty almost ethereal as she floated before her. She donned on a white robe and had her hair in a rather simple ponytail. However, the woman's figure was transparent like that of a spirit's.

"Who are you?" Azula narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

The woman chuckled, levitating closer to Azula, "I am from a forgotten age long past, where the spiritual and physical world were once in harmony. I was once a proud warrior in my time. You can call me Yoona. May I ask this young one's name?"

"Azula, Princess-" Azula quickly paused. " Actually, just Azula."

Yoona raised an eyebrow, "Is there a story behind that?"

"I rather not say," Azula replied. "Where exactly am I?" She quickly changed topic.

"In my spiritual plane, of course," She smiled. "It must be fate that brought us together."

Yoona waved her hand, and the white void around them suddenly transformed into a land of green with a bright, blue sky just above. The land was empty of flora and fauna aside from the lush grass. Azula gazed around her in awe; the power she witness wasn't anything she'd seen before. Everything felt real: the soft grass, the warm sun and the fresh air around her.

"Are you some sort of deity?" Azula asked. Only a god could create a world from nothing in a blink of an eye.

"No, a deity can do much more than this," Yoona said. "Only a gifted few with high spiritual insight may be able to manipulate their spiritual plane to some degree."

"I don't understand."

"Ah right," Yoona shook her head, "This art may have been lost with time, it's quite unfortunate."

"So, let me get this straight," Azula raised her hand out. "You're some sort of ancient warrior ghost with crazy spiritual powers?"

"Well, I guess that's the gist of it," Yoona awkwardly chuckled.

It was the first time Azula encountered a spirit, and it wasn't anything she would expect. She imagined a wandering spirit as a regular animal or a mutant creature.

"Yes, I am human," Yoona said.

Azula looked at her with shock, "You can read minds as well?"

"No, It's practically written on your face," Yoona laughed.

"Hmph," Azula crossed her arms. "I'd appreciate it if you get me out of here."

"Quite the impatient one," Yoona laughter settled down. "You remind me much of myself."

"How so?"

"I could see it in your eyes, Azula. You're a very proud girl. A powerful warrior yet arrogant in her manners." Yoona read her like an open book. She looked into Azula's eyes with reminiscence.

"I presume you're going to tell my fortune as well?"

Unexpectedly, a tear rolled down Yoona's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. Azula didn't understand why Yoona would suddenly cry, but she remained silent anyway.

"I'm sorry. I was reliving some past memories," Yoona apologized.

Azula hesitated for a moment, "How did you, you know, end up like this, if I may ask?"

"It's quite the long story, but I will be glad to share," Yoona smiled again.

*****

"I was once born as a prodigy of Yesong, a noble clan."

Yoona waved her hand again, and the scenery changed once more. They stood in an ancient forest where trees grew to gigantic proportions. Amongst the branches were spirits with strange features; some were born from nothing but leaves while others were animals in bipedal forms. Beautiful stone buildings mixed in with nature's architecture as both humans and spirits wandered about.

"This land is so strange," Azula looked around her in awe; the place she witness seemed so fantastical compared to the current age she lived in.

"This is the city of Dashu, my home," Yoona waved her hand again, changing the scenery.

A decorated building stood before them that exuded a noble flair. A young Yoona, a bit older than Azula, training her firebending just outside the building. Her beautiful face wore an arrogant expression as she guided the flames around her. Her flames were like that of blood, haunting for those unfortunate enough to face it.

A tall man with a long chin beard stood beside Yoona. A pleased smile graced his face as he watched the beauty of her firebending. Yoona was taught in the ways of killing; she learned to close her heart against her enemies no matter who it was.

Her father cultivated her into the next heir of the clan, teaching her clan politics and economics that she needed to know. She quickly understood all internal fighting her father had to face against the high ranking members of the clan.

"I was once hailed as a prodigy by my father and clan; a warrior destined to bring my clan to great heights," Yoona spoke. "His words were like gospel, and I believed everything he said no matter right or wrong. He was a cruel man, but he did everything in his power to ensure the clan's interests."

The scene changed, and Yoona stood above an arena stage with a cheering crowd. Beneath her feet laid a burnt corpse of a man, his flesh blackened to crust against steaming blood. An older Yoona, at age sixteen, stood over the corpse with a sneer on her face. No trace of sympathy or remorse was shown at all. Instead, she relished in the cheers of the crowd with open arms. She felt the rush of spilled blood and the praises of people, and she felt intoxicated by it.

"I believed in absolute strength, and those weaker than me were nothing but insects in my eyes," Yoona spoke with regret as she glanced at his corpse. "This was the moment where I would walk the path of blood."

Suddenly, a river of blood poured into existence as dozens of corpses laid all around Yoona. Women, children and the elderly were not spared in this massacre. Their faces still in shock and horror even after their deaths. In her hand was a sword dripped with blood, her gaze remained emotionless as she peered at their lifeless burnt and mutilated bodies.

Azula nearly vomited from the gruesome scene. She quickly closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore of that horrific carnage. It was her first time witnessing such a massacre. These were innocent lives that were suddenly taken away from them.

"They were the Yuns, enemies of my clan. The Yesong Clan were at odds with them for decades whether its business, politics or war," Her voice turned shaky with each word she spoke. "My father was slain by an assassin, and we all believed that our rival clan were the culprits. In rage, I led my people to slaughter them all in the midst of night."

In the next moment, they were back at her clan's enormous estate. What greeted them was a large blaze that decimated the entire estate. Yoona knelt before her home, tears poured from her eyes as she stared at the fiery destruction that destroyed all that she knew. Her sword dug into the dirt in defeat in blood covered cruelty.

"Not once did I think that there were traitors in my clan; my uncle and his men led a rebellion against us and took everything that I knew," Yoona inhaled deeply to calm herself. "I swore vengeance against all who betrayed the Yesong Clan in cold blood. I travelled the lands to kill those traitors who wronged us and left a trail of blood in my wake. I thought I would forever be on the path of vengeance until I met a certain man."

A tall man stood before them with a head full of spiky brown hair. He wore a simple white robe and a headband. He had piercing black eyes and a gentle smile.

"He was the man who made me feel love for the first time," A gentle smile graced her face.

"What was his name?" Azula asked.

"His name was Ashura."