Kenji's story ended without pain or suffering. At sixty-nine, he simply never woke up. With his final breath, I was finally free.
"This… this was too real!" I thought. Well, I still recognize myself—just much wiser, I guess. Or more experienced, really. His life definitely affected me, though it's hard to notice at first. Teenage problems, for example, feel huge at the time but seem trivial years later. I should've told my parents about my abilities and extended lifespan sooner. They wouldn't have blamed me.
"Wan Shi Tong! This was enlightening, but let me out already!" I tried to think "loudly" so they'd hear me. I don't believe this was random—the Spirit of Knowledge must've orchestrated it. I'm starting to understand why.
"Again?!" I felt another vortex pulling me in.
I could sense my body but still couldn't see. Something felt familiar. Focusing, I realized it was seismicsensitivity. This time, I was an Earthbender.
The body felt too light, and I seemed to be a girl?!
Once again, I was sucked into a kaleidoscope of memories—hers or mine, I couldn't tell. This time, it was faster. The girl was about eight. First, she was blind, but it wasn't all bad—she could sense vibrations through the earth as an Earthbender. Second, her parents were killed near a city they'd hoped to move to for a better life. During the time of the Dao Fei, safety was rare. A child's memories are fragmented, and further analysis was cut short as I was thrust back into her body.
At first, I survived on scraps thrown away by wealthier residents. In hard times, no one cares about a blind, ragged street kid.
"Scram! You're scaring away customers!" a harsh woman shouted, chasing me away from a food display I'd been staring at.
"Haha! Look, she's fighting dogs for spoiled food!" mocked guards, watching me struggle to push away a starving dog's snout.
"Mommy, where are you? Take me with you…" I mumbled, wrapped in rags, shivering at every sound.
But there's always kindness in the world…
"Hey, what are you doing here?" an old man asked, sitting beside me. "You'll freeze. Can you hear me? Oh, you're blind, poor thing. Come, I'll take you somewhere safe," he said, offering his hand. Too weak to resist, hungry, thirsty, and cold, I followed.
We didn't walk far. Soon, we stopped at a rundown house.
"Sorry it's late, Nana, but I have a reason," he told the woman who opened the door.
"It's fine. I just started putting the kids to bed," she said wearily.
"I found this girl near my lodgings. I know you're already full, and donations are scarce, but…" He brought me into the candlelight.
"Spirits, she's blind! Covered in dirt—how long has she been on the streets?" The woman examined me. "You know I'll never turn away a child. Leave her here. Thank you. She could've faced worse than just dirt."
"Whatever," he shrugged. "Teach her not to trust strangers," he added. "I didn't trust anyone—I was just too weak!"
The next day, I met the other children.
"I'm Nana," the woman introduced herself. "What's your name?"
"Beyfong," I whispered, hiding behind her skirt from the other kids' eyes.
"Such a beautiful name!" she cooed, stroking my head. "Kids, we have a new family member! Don't bully her!" she warned sternly.
"We won't!"
"No one will touch her!"
"Her eyes are so pretty!"
Here, I felt love and care again. Though food was scarce, clothes often torn, and illness common, no one complained. Most had experienced street life.
It wasn't all bad. Older kids found work and contributed what they could. We helped around the house. Sometimes, bad people took our meager earnings. I wanted to fight back! But my body was frail, so I practiced Earthbending. It was hard to learn alone, but I had a goal, and it drove me.
Time passed, and more children arrived. Even elders said our king was weak, and Dao Fei factions tore apart more territories. I never stopped training—those skills would soon be needed.
Aunt Nana overworked herself in her old age and was now bedridden. I became the oldest in the orphanage.
An underground Earthbending arena opened in the city. They promised good money for finalists, and you could bet on yourself. Disguised in a hooded cloak, I fought to earn money for the orphanage. Early on, I got bruised, but my skill grew.
Soon, Nana passed. She refused to leave until she knew the orphanage was safe. Before I knew it, I became the beloved aunt to the children.
Life went on. Once, during practice, I sensed metal particles! The feeling grew daily until I could manipulate a coin.
I never started my own family—why would I, with nearly thirty children? Older kids left, but sadly, fewer were abandoned. The frightened people hoped the new Avatar Kyoshi wouldn't be as careless as Avatar Kuruk.
One calm summer day, I indulged in my forced hobby—embroidery.
"Lu, you can't do that! Aunt Beyfong, tell him!" The most energetic kids in the Earth Kingdom ran to me.
"Wumei, why follow me if you disapprove?" Lu, a fifteen-year-old, gestured wildly.
"What happened now?" I asked, setting aside my embroidery.
"Lu spent food money on something else again," Wumei taunted, sticking out her tongue.
"I can explain!" Lu began. "An unplanned caravan arrived. I bought spices, thinking I could sell them in a richer part of the city before news spread. The profit would double or triple! It worked—look!" He dumped coins into my palm.
"But buyers might beat you again!" Wumei worried.
"You don't get it! Real money always involves risk!"
"Did you hear that from a merchant? Do you have your own thoughts?"
"Enough fighting," I clapped, grabbing their attention. "Lu, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A trader, of course! I'll have an army of workers!" He gestured grandly. "And mountains of gold!"
"Why so much money?"
He paused, serious now. "Then you won't need to fight in those arenas anymore," he said, pointing to my bandaged ankle. "Others might not understand, but as your Earthbending student, I know that's not a random sprain."
"I'll provide for our family," he continued, fire in his eyes. "We'll eat our fill daily! When I'm richer, I'll open orphanages in every city—you'll see!" He raised his fist.
"I'm with you, Lu!" Wumei added, raising her tiny fist.
"Already have a symbol?" I asked.
"A flying boar!" he declared confidently.
"That's tasteless! What does it mean?" Wumei scoffed.
"Many wrongly see boars as easy prey. But once they charge, they're unstoppable. We'll be that unstoppable boar!" he said proudly. "And wings just look cool," he added, scratching his neck.
"I should start thinking of a surname. All aristocrats have one, and I'll definitely become one," Lu dreamed.
"Wait! Do you hear that?" Wumei asked, worried.
A bell rang. Dao Fei had avoided our city for too long. Our luck had run out.
"Kids, pack essentials and head to the underground tunnel! It leads outside the city! Hurry!" I urged the panicked children.
"Too late," I frowned, hearing bending clashes.
"Lu, you're in charge. Take the hidden money and raise worthy people. I believe in you," I ruffled his hair.
"You're coming with us," he grabbed my hand.
"They're here," I said, raising an earth wall to block a boulder. "Don't just stand there! Take the smallest kids—they'll spare no one!"
"Okay," he nodded weakly. "Soon, the Earth Kingdom will know the wealthy Beyfong family! Lu Beyfong—sounds good?" He smiled through tears, sealing the tunnel with Earthbending.
"I hope you achieve your goals, Lu," I said. No, I *know* he will.
"Some bitch is resisting! Get more men!" someone shouted outside.
"I love breaking female benders. They're so proud at first," a bandit laughed disgustingly.
Time for metalbending. Sensing hidden metal spheres in the house, I pulled them toward me. One man entered my range. A sharp hand motion sent a sphere through his empty head.
"She killed Zik! Kill her!"
Their first attacks destroyed the house. I dove underground.
"She's behind you!" Too late—a foot twist sent spikes through two more.
Within a minute, I was surrounded by ten benders, dodging arrows. I took down twenty before…
"Who'd've thought this backwater had a master Earthbender—one who controls metal, no less. Pity you killed so many of my men. I'd've made you my right hand," the Dao Fei leader sighed.
"You'll be jerking off with your right hand," I spat out a needle I'd hidden in my mouth.
"Figured you'd pull something," he dodged. "Kill her—too dangerous alive!" I had no strength left, physical or otherwise. Sharp stone projectiles and arrows pierced my body.
"My kids are safe now," I smiled despite the pain.