— MC POV / Sasuke (Yan Hai) —
The Earth Kingdom roads were rougher this far inland. Cracked stones, uneven paths, and the silence lingered when a village had nothing to give.
It had only been a month since I left Shu Jing.
The road hadn't been easy, but I didn't expect it to be. I traveled under the name Yan Hai. It worked when I needed coins—I slept on rooftops more often than in beds. The sword stayed close. The mask always tucked on my person. It game me comfort.
I didn't wear it often.
But I never left it behind.
I met a boy on the road—I never caught his name—helped the carriage I was on with a broken harness outside a stable near the coast. Maybe ten minutes. The kid was good, with quick hands and sharp eyes. The coachman gave him some rations and water. He smiled like I'd handed him gold.
The coachman kept the carriage going and glanced in my direction.
"I can see you're curious." he said.
I glanced at him, "Maybe a little" and replied.
The coachman smiled and said, "That's Dan and Nelsa's boy, Tensa. He has been going around helping people for some food since his parents passed away. We don't have an orphanage here, but we take care of them as a community. Tensa though, hates getting stuff for free." He smiled warmly, as if recalling some fond memories.
"And his parents?" I asked. I am not sure why but a part of me wanted to know what became of this kids parents.
The coachman's reminiscence left him quickly. "His parents were earth benders. They took part on the resistance and were killed. There are a few children with parents either killed or taken by the fire nation. Its unfortunately what its like in these mining colonies."
I took it all in and didn't reply. He took my silence and understood.
We kept going after that. I never expected to see him again.
Now, in this backwater fire nation colony skirting the Earth Kingdom's central roads, I found him on the ground, blood on his face, being dragged away by two armed men. Tax enforcers, they called themselves.
They weren't military—just muscle for whoever controlled the flow of money in the region—corruption in a uniform.
I watched them.
Then I turned my back and walked on.
Until the sun set.
— Evening —
The village dimmed under soft torchlight. Smoke from cooking fires hung in the air. Somewhere near the center, the tax office still bustled.
I sat on a slanted rooftop, watching the warehouse behind it.
Two guards.
The boy, Tensa, was hauled inside an 10 minutes ago.
I hadn't moved.
Now I did.
I reached into my cloak and pulled out the blue spirit mask. The edges were worn smooth from the road, and the inside was still shaped to my face.
I slipped it on.
The wind shifted.
—
They didn't notice me until it was too late.
I dropped from the rooftop with barely a sound. My blade flashed once—not to draw blood, but to disable. The first guard crumpled from a kick to the side of his head. The second shouted and swung wildly.
He was slower than snail-sloth.
I disarmed him. Flattened him with a heel to the chest. He took the key from his belt.
The boy was tied to a post and breathing hard. Eyes wide.
I crouched beside him.
"Don't move," I said.
The words came cold through the mask.
I undid the shackle. His wrists were red, skin scraped.
He blinked at me like he wasn't sure if I was real.
Then he ran.
Good. Next I looked towards the tax office. Infiltration was easy and there was only one guy on night shift.
Quickly bringing him to sleep, I dragged him outside and went back in to look around. I found some documents about earth benders on a prison rig somewhere but I just collected it all and used a candle to set it on fire.
I kept collecting documents and added it into the pile to make a big bonfire. If that kid is to have a future, there can be no records of him.
As I walked around the area to asses the size, I saw a strangely placed picture frame of the fire insignia on the wall, it was crocked. I'm not sure what came over me but I decided to burn that too.
As I took it off the wall, I found out there was a safe behind it.
"Oh?" I smiled.
— Later —
I watched from above as the guards stumbled out, limping and swearing. Their fear would do more than any sword ever could. The whispers would spread fast.
No one saw my face.
They only saw a mask.
And fear did the rest.
— The Next Morning —
The cliffs overlooking the coast offered a view of the whole village. There might be problems for these people after this, but by destroying all the documents, it will take a while for the fire nation to collect information on these people again. Essentially I swept away their debts.
I ate in silence—dried rice and pickled radish, barely enough for breakfast. But the wind was calm. The sky is clear, and my pouch a little more full.
CRUNCH.
A presence is getting closer.
The boy found me.
He stopped a few feet away, bandages around his wrists, and gazes steady.
"You were him, weren't you?"
I didn't answer.
"I didn't want to believe it at first, thought it was just a dream. But my wrists show me reality."
He paused.
"…Thanks."
I gave a nod. That was all he needed.
He left without another word.
I didn't ask his name. I already knew it.
And I didn't give mine.
I reached into my satchel. I pulled the mask out again.
I hadn't planned on putting it on this early in the journey.
But I could already feel it—
There would be more towns like this.
More people like him.
And more men like them.
The mask went back into the bag.
And I continued walking.
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(A/n: A new volume! And a major step into new territory. This will really test my ability as an author because these next 4 years will give me a lot of freedom into how I want to shape Sasuke's character, as well how he will interact with other key figures in the story.
Leave a comment on what you think! I really like this chapter.
If you want to donate: buymeacoffee.com/Anoton
POWER STONES <333)