The penetrating midday rays of the local sun illuminated a lavishly furnished room. On the walls hung masterfully painted portraits of the Fire Lords: Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai, each gazing upon the world with their inherent majesty. The individuals present in the room were no less intriguing.
- I'll try to gather as much information as possible about Ozai's plans, said a man whose appearance clearly indicated he held a significant position within the Fire Nation's bureaucracy.
- I'm counting on that, replied the Fire Sage in a hissing voice. With the person standing beside him, he saw no need to restrain himself, revealing his true firebending nature. – You wouldn't want to disappoint our Lord, would you? he asked, feigning concern.
- N-not at all, the first man nervously replied, appearing much smaller beside his interlocutor.
- Good, the Sage said, satisfied with both the answer and the fleeting fear that crossed the man's face. – Tomorrow I'll leave your company, but tonight I'll stay here, he stated, not asking but declaring.
- The room is ready, and you'll be escorted, the man calmly responded to this imposition. His home always had several rooms prepared for unexpected guests, complete with everything needed for a comfortable stay.
- May the flames guide you, the Fire Sage said before leaving the room.
- May the combustion reign, another voice echoed.
As soon as the Fire Sage departed, the man heavily slumped into a chair. It had taken immense effort to conceal his true state from his interlocutor.
He faced many hours of contemplation. He knew his fate hung in the balance until he completed his mission, so he had to ensure the worst didn't come to pass. They wouldn't kill him, but… they could inflict far greater pain on those close to him.
He could no longer bear to look into his wife's tear-reddened eyes. Guilt gnawed at him relentlessly.
- "Soon you'll be home, my sunshine," the thought lingered in his mind as his brain schemed to navigate the situation unscathed.
None of them noticed the extra ear—or rather, a single ear—that had been listening the entire time. Near one of the wooden shelves, blending with the woodgrain, stood a cartoonish ear, more like a locator, which had heard the entire conversation.
In the next few seconds, the brown ear quickly "retracted" into the shelf, leaving no trace behind.
* * *
Yo and Driya. Same place, same time.
- "Test passed, no one noticed a thing," the ear Driya had grown proved itself beyond praise.
We were now in the home of the Deputy Minister of Economy. Though not a bender, he possessed numerous other remarkable abilities in finance and… economics. He had earned his position solely through his own efforts, which eventually caught the attention of certain individuals who worshipped the Dark Spirit. After all, an additional source of funds was never unwelcome.
For a while, his lack of bending abilities kept him safe from the clergy's attention. But it couldn't last forever. The Sages were gradually gaining strength and influence… and soon, they could recruit new followers without their Master's direct involvement. Wealth, blackmail, and threats became their tools.
- "He'll be a valuable acquisition," I thought as soon as Wan uncovered everything there was to know about him, even things he probably didn't know about himself.
This was our first operation to undermine the festering sore known as the Fire Sages. Their growth had to be slowed; otherwise, by the time of my reign, there would be no true professionals left.
Thanks to Driya's extraordinary earthbending abilities, our duo could rightfully be called the "Gods of Espionage." Before infiltrating the well-guarded residence of the respected Deputy, we had learned the exact location of his daughter. Rescuing her was straightforward, as the house where she was confined was poorly guarded. Mostly, there were ordinary soldiers and a couple of mid-level firebenders. Likely, the Sages had relied on the secluded location. After all, who would search for someone on one of thousands of uninhabited islands?
The clever girl quickly found the boat we had left, which contained a map, compass, and provisions sufficient for the journey to the capital. Nothing could be left to chance, so Driya's earthbending vessel would follow her the entire time. Her creation's intelligence already allowed it to act logically based on its Creator's commands.
There, she would be met by Old Man Jiang's people. From there, Ozai would learn of the situation and seize the opportunity that had fallen into his lap. After all, no one would refuse a fiercely loyal subordinate.
While the sun had not yet set, we spent our time in meditation, focusing on our chi. Only recently had I discovered its true benefits. Until then, I had been convinced it was useless. But certain rare manuscripts by unknown authors had opened my eyes.
The key was that it wasn't some super-secret technique or anything like that. No, it was quite simple: you had to assume a comfortable position, even lying down, and… detach from your thoughts, tuning in to "listen" to the elements themselves.
We are surrounded by millions of tiny particles of the four elements' energy. Some places have more water, others abound with fire, and in others, earth is easier to manipulate. It's no coincidence the Air Nomads built their temples on elevated terrains, where strong winds always blew.
Why are firebending techniques more powerful in their homeland, with its many dormant and active volcanoes? The Water Tribes, with their population, could easily occupy parts of the Earth Kingdom, yet they chose the poles, where they are constantly surrounded by water in one form or another.
Looking at it this way, people aren't much different from spirits, choosing more comfortable places to live. Perhaps, somewhere, the elements themselves whisper their hidden desires to them.
Of course, I wouldn't get much benefit from such practice now, as the air energy in this stuffy, unused room was minimal. But viewed from another angle, it wasn't so bleak. After all, it was a form of training, requiring you to use your senses to perceive these tiny airborne troublemakers.
By this point, I had meditated in all my forms. And as a witness, I can say that each element has its own, perhaps, character. Air particles dislike staying in one place; their mobility makes it challenging to capture them with your senses. In contrast, earth is static and rarely changes position. Water droplets, like different fish species, can gather in schools or "swim" alone. Observing fire particles is no less challenging, as they move chaotically.
Meditation greatly helps calm the mind. Now I understand why peaceful airbenders can spend years doing this. There's a certain charm to it. Plus, it has significant practical benefits. It will aid me in mastering the highest level of bending.
Soon, day turned to night, and it was time to rid the world of one parasite. Moving silently through the house, we reached our target's room. Thanks to my airbending, I knew he was sleeping restlessly. The scoundrel must sense something was amiss.
- "It's a good thing that despite their increased abilities, they remain human," I thought. And that means they all need to eat, drink, relieve themselves, and sleep.
- "Ready?" I asked Driya through thought-speech. It had been a while since I'd used this communication method.
- "All set," Driya replied, opening her eyes. She had been slowly filling the wooden bed, where our target slept, with her earthbending energy.
In the next moment, the sleeper's heart and brain were pierced. He didn't even have time to make a sound, but just in case, I was ready to silence him with my airbending.
Entering the room, we saw the bloodied body of an elderly man, with two gaping holes. The dead man's open eyes seemed to stare at the world in disbelief.
- "Dispose of the body," I commanded.
Suddenly, a massive maw grew from Driya's hand, resembling a Venus flytrap but far more dangerous. Opening wide, it devoured the Sage's body in one gulp, greedily crunching on the bones. In less than five seconds, after a small belch, her hand returned to its normal state.
- "Lovely little flower," it would take time to get used to Driya's earthbending methods…
- "We can leave; our work here is done," I told Driya.
I figured the owner of this residence would be wise enough to understand the delicate situation when one troublesome person vanished from his home. Ozai would briefly gain a valuable asset until we, along with Old Man Jiang, stepped in and revealed the full story.
- "What a fantastic old man," the thought had crossed my mind more than once.
Old Man Jiang didn't ask unnecessary questions; he knew when his help might be needed. If I said I'd handle it, I would. How we got this person wasn't his concern. If Wan wanted to tell him, he would. If not, then not. Everyone has their secrets.
The following week, the blood of the Dark Spirit's minions flowed like a river. Twenty-eight junior Fire Sages would no longer lead my not-yet country to ruin. All of them were from small, remote islands, where they were the only firebending disciples.
Exploiting basic human needs, none of the victims ever saw our faces. We achieved 100% effectiveness by not hesitating to use even the dirtiest methods… in the literal sense of the word.
We caught one of them while he was… relieving himself. I couldn't pass up such a perfect opportunity, especially since the element itself did all the work for us.
- Ooh, shouldn't have overdone it with the spicy food, he groaned, his pants down.
In many places, wooden outhouses, or "country toilets," are still used. Dig a cesspit, build a shed, and you can comfortably dispose of waste.
- Kh, he choked as a stream of blood escaped his mouth. His body, pierced in multiple places by Driya's earthbending, collapsed into the pit along with the entire structure.
Many of them were more cautious than some spies in novels, so they prepared their own meals. As is known, many vegetables and herbs are used in cooking. It was no trouble to replace them with Driya's poisonous earthbending creations.
This couldn't go on forever. Despite our efforts to delay the news of the deaths by killing innocent dragonbirds and disposing of the bodies, word eventually spread.
As soon as some of the birds returned to the Main Temple without answers, alarms were raised. Guards were assigned to each Sage. Some grouped two or three Sages together, traveling between islands as a team.
They paid dearly for underestimating us. We didn't stop the killings, which took on a more combative nature. We deliberately targeted Sages who remained alone, aside from their guards, who were no match for our combined bending skills.
Ten more deaths forced them to hastily change their rules. Now, to request a Sage's services, one had to submit a request to the Main Temple, which would send a team with substantial guards. Such groups would be difficult for the two of us to eliminate unnoticed.
Moreover, our attacks would leave them reeling for a long time. New members of their order weren't trained quickly. There were many criteria for selecting future Temple representatives, and masterful firebending was high on the list.
Such chaos couldn't escape Ozai and his intelligence network. Someone was in for sleepless nights…
Judging by Ozai's actions, he was both relieved that his main opponents were under attack and uneasy about the emergence of a new, unknown player.
While tensions ran high, Driya and I began visiting the homes of respected members of the Fire Nation's elite. We eavesdropped on conversations, discreetly read their reports, and committed many other undeniably unsavory acts. Fortunately, there was no need to waste time copying documents; all the information went directly to Wan.