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"PLEASE SAVE US!" I watched as a titan stepped on a man running for his life, his body nothing more than a bloody mush of organs and bones once the foot was lifted. The titan continued to make his way towards the group of young men heading for the gate of Wall Maria. They must have known that their efforts would be futile, it was impossible to outrun a titan on foot.
Where the fuck is the garrison? They should've been here by now.
"PLEASE!"Screams begin to fill the air as one of them is picked up and being brought in the direction of the titan's mouth. He was a dead man. Still, despite flailing his arms around helplessly, he somehow manages to make eye contact with me from my spot on the tree above them. I don't owe these people anything. I had myself to look after, their blood was not on my hands. This man was a non-bender, he followed orders made by the king. He was part of the problem, the reason my people were murdered. Why did he have to look at me? Damn it, he was no older than me. I swear in that brief moment of eye contact, just before he was about to be crushed to death by the titan's teeth, his lips moved in one final plea. I unscrew the cap of my canteen, maneuvering the water inside to come out and cover both my arms. I keep my left arm with water to help propel me towards the titan, hardening the water on my right arm until it becomes a sharp, ice blade. The ice goes straight through the titan's wrist like melted butter, the nerveless fingers releasing the man. He begins to fall but I'm already releasing the ice blade, forming it back into water to catch the man and place him safely onto the ground. The titan is no longer focusing on the men running for dear life but rather his horrifying eyes turning on me. I hurl myself towards the titan's back, drawing my attention to the nape of his neck where I knew soldiers would slice through in order to kill them. I create another ice blade, carving across his skin effortlessly. The titan falls forward, now lifeless. I make a tiny whirlpool to bring myself down and over to the group of men that had stopped to watch the whole interaction. The guy I saved steps in front of the group, arms spread open as if he wanted to embrace me, perhaps to thank me. I foolishly walk into what I thought was a harmless hug - something I didn't realize how badly I missed until I was standing in his hold - only to slowly register that this man wasn't thanking me, nor hugging me. He gripped me so tight he was practically strangling my body to his. "Hurry, get the garrison! We can reap a huge reward for her!" He yells to his friends. My stomach churns as three of them actually take off for the gate to get the garrison, no hesitation in their actions. I look at the man in front of me who looks back at me like he's just struck gold. "I...I saved you..." He laughs, shrugging a shoulder, "Times are hard, sweetheart."
Trust no one, Isamu. No one.
My mother's words echoed in my head, the mantra that I had come to live by. I knew better. "Pathetic." I mutter, pulling my head back and then swiftly bringing it forward in a brutal headbutt that sent him stumbling backwards, clutching his bleeding nose. "You bitch!"Fueled by anger, I summon my water and drive it rapidly in his path, the force sending him flying against the trunk of a tree with enough vigor to cause him to projectile a gush of blood from his mouth. I freeze the water around him, pinning him to the tree. "For your sake, I hope your precious garrison gets here in time to save you. I could be wrong, but your screaming from earlier seems to have attracted more titans. Best of luck." As if on cue, the floor around us begins to rumble, heavy footsteps making their way over too quick for comfort. "O-Oh come on...I was joking! Y-You can't just leave me here!" He shouts, watching as his group takes off for the wall without sparing him a second glance. I shrug, walking away and ignoring the insults he hurls at my back. I stumble blindly through the dense woods, my energy depleting immensely after bending so much on an empty stomach. I was tired and knew I needed to stop and rest but worried that I hadn't put enough distance between the garrison that would inevitably arrive and myself. There was also the urgent matter of eating, my last meal had been two days ago. A small nap, I just needed to rest my body for at least an hour. Plopping myself onto the damp, dirt floor, I use the last of my energy to create a sturdy ice bubble around me. It should be strong enough to protect me from being stepped on by a titan or immediately being broken into if the garrison did happen to find me. Eyes heavy, I drift into sleep instantly. The flames of the candles illuminated the faces of the village people I knew all ten years of my short life. They all held the same excited expression as they waited with anticipation as I closed my eyes and made a wish.
Please...let me be one of the greatest benders alive.
Pursing my lips, I had just begun to blow out half the candles on my birthday cake when the screams started. Startled, I look to my mother and immediately run into her arms. One second, the waters were calm. The next, explosions of all elements are being thrown at us with the intent to kill. Blindsided, most of the villagers don't react fast enough to really put up much of a fight. My father makes his way towards us, pulling my mother and I into a hastily embrace. "Get her somewhere safe." He abruptly lets us go, running in the direction of the ongoing fight. Mother lets go of her hold on me, screaming for my father as she runs off after him. Scared, I do the same. Why were they leaving me? What was going on? Everywhere I looked, familiar faces with blank eyes stared back at me from awkward angles on the ground. Blood was soaking into the ice beneath my snow boots. Crying children were being grabbed by men and women dressed in onyx-colored uniforms, easily blending them into the night. One of them attempts to grab ahold of me, missing my arm by a hair and giving me the boost I needed to break out of the shock clouding my brain, sprinting towards my parents. My father is in the middle of fighting two fire benders, my mother helping him by keeping the air bender off of him. I look at the puddle of water beside them, focusing my mind on trying to wield the water upwards with my hand gestures, but the water would not move for me. I couldn't even create a ripple. Truth be told, my parents were both considered two of the greatest water benders in our small village. Yet, their only child was now ten years old and still hadn't presented any signs of being a bender.
Please...
I try again, and again, and again. Nothing. My mother manages to knock out the air bender, rushing to help my father with the fire benders. One of them sends a blast of flames at my father - who is momentarily distracted by the other one - catching him off guard. A direct hit to his eye, sending him falling onto his knees in agonizing pain. My mother quickly forms a thick ice bubble around us both, kneeling down and holding my father's burnt face in her hands. I watch in awe as her hands become illuminated - something only water benders with the ability to heal could do - and bringing it to my father's face. Father grabs her wrist, "Please, my love. Let this be my dying wish. Take her and run. Get her somewhere safe. They've seen you're a healer, they'll never stop hunting for you now. Do not argue with me. Please." Mother's lips tremble as she holds back from crying, planting a tender kiss on his lips. Father pulls us both into another hug, though in the moment I had know idea it would be for the last time. She grabs onto my hand with a death grip, her stern eyes piercing into mine, "Do not let go of me, no matter what!" I nod, holding onto her. She drops the bubble, my father rushing to push the fire benders back as mother and I take off in the direction of the ocean. As soon as we reach the edge of the ice, she breaks the chunk we were standing on off the rest, using the water to propel us away from the island. Away from home. It feels like hours pass as I sit on the ice, watching my mother maneuver the iceberg in the endless ocean. "Where are we going?" "The mainland." She answers. "How do you know where that is?" "The ocean tells me." She responds. Her voice didn't sound right. She must have been tired so I refrain myself from asking anymore questions. I dip my hand into the freezing water, quietly wondering how the ocean spoke to my mother. Why wouldn't it speak to me? The two of us spent many days out there. Our only food was fish that mother would catch with her bending, jealousy biting at me whenever I tried to copy her movements only to fail. We didn't really say anything to each other during our journey, whenever she wasn't guiding the iceberg, she was asleep. At first, I knew better than to feel bothered. She was tired and keeping us alive. Yet, after several more days of silence, I started to itch to talk to her again. Whenever she made a certain gesture with her hands, I would ask what that was, and she would tell me. "Bending is something some are instantly born with, for others it doesn't come at all. Sometimes, there are late bloomers. Have faith that the water will talk to you someday, Isamu." Despite her comforting words, after more days out in the ocean with no luck of bending the water, I begin to have doubts. Was I not a bender? At some point while mindlessly staring at the clouds, the ice hits against something. I turn to look and can't comprehend what I'm even looking at. I shake my mother's arm, trying to wake her, "Mom! I think we've found a new island!" She sits up instantly, also looking at the oddly colored ground in front of us. A sigh of relief leaves her mouth, standing on shaky legs and stepping onto the island. I'm slightly alarmed as her feet sink into the floor but she gives me a reassuring smile, picking up a handful of the tan ground. "Its sand, Isamu. We're okay. Come, I need to rest." She holds her hand out for me and I take it, gingerly hopping off the ice and onto the sand. I read about other terrains on the other islands around us during school but as someone that grew up on nothing but ice - this unknown territory made me wary. I also wasn't a fan of how the sand felt as some of it slid into my boots. It wasn't all sand, thankfully. After walking for a while, mother ends up finding trees - something I also wasn't used to seeing but immediately felt infatuated with - and hard dirt, which was cool to the touch. I much preferred dirt to hot sand. We continued to explore until we found a river. We put a little bit of walking distance between ourselves and the river, in case people came by. There was a dense patch of trees that mother claimed as our new home. I helped where I could and together we created a little hut in the trees. As soon as she finished making us cots to sleep on, she deposited herself into hers and slept. I wasn't surprised, I expected her to sleep for a while. Whenever I got bored, I'd use the large vine mother attached to our wooden hut to climb down to the floor, taking my boots off and appreciating the dirt against my bare feet. Over time I began to discover things I had only seen in books, different kinds of bugs and worms. I hated mosquitos. I spent a lot of time by the river, always cautious but still enjoying my time. I created a spear to help me capture fish, as mother never left her cot lately. I sometimes wondered what our plan was from here. Would it just be mother and I from now on, in our secluded little spot? Not that I minded the idea but I did miss people. I missed my best friend, Emi, who I had seen being taken away by the soldiers. Why did they want them? What had our village done to upset the king enough to cause such chaos? From what I heard, the king was a kind man. People respected and loved him. None of it made sense. One day in particular, mother was acting stranger than usual. Most nights I would wake up to the sound of her silently sniffling, however, today she was openly wailing while staring vacantly at the wall in front of her cot. It was unnerving to see. She had stopped eating three days prior, no matter how much I begged her to eat she just wouldn't anymore. I missed her so much that whenever she was deep asleep, I would curl up behind her and inhale her familiar scent for comfort. That day, I left the hut to get us fish in hopes that she would have an appetite after crying so much. I caught three fish before it becomes dark, hurrying to make my way back to the hut with the last remains of sunlight. I developed a bad habit of walking around barefoot after arriving on this island, which I soon realize was a mistake when I suddenly step on a sharp rock that slices the heel of my foot deeply, a bleeding gash causing me to stumble to the floor in pain. It hurt so bad, tears forming in my eyes. I covered the wound with my hand in hopes of stopping it from continuing to bleed - or even hoping the pressure would somehow help with easing the throbbing stinging. I'm tempted to cry out for my mother's assistance but I hold back, deep down knowing she wouldn't come even if I did yell for her. I close my eyes and focus on the pain, willing it to go away. The tiny drops of water at the edges of my eyes come forward and cover my hands, illuminating them. I'm wonderstruck as I watch my wound close almost instantly. I healed myself. I healed myself! No longer worried about anymore rocks hidden in the dirt, I sprint as fast as my legs can take me, the hut coming into view. For a brief second, I forget all about us being on enemy territory. I'm yelling with joy for my mother to come see what I just did. I climb the vine in record time, out of breath but filled with eagerness to show her that her daughter was a bender after all! Finally on top, my heart stills. I fall back, my eyes widening in horror at what I was seeing in front of me. All the words that were dying to come out create a blockage in my throat. My mother's lifeless body hung from a vine, slightly swaying back and forth against the light breeze in such a sickening way that I immediately find myself hunching over the side of the hut and expelling nothing but bile. For a moment, I look around in a desperate attempt to find the perpetuator who did this. Clearly, we were discovered. Mother had been punished, just like the rest of the village. Right? I stand on shaky legs, pushing the wooden door open and looking for the small knife my mother slept with beside her cot. Bending down to retrieve it, I saw words carved into the wall that she couldn't take her eyes off of all day.
Trust no one.
She had repeated those same words almost daily since we left the village.I take the knife and use it to cut down the vine holding my mother up, her ice cold body thumping to the floor. I fall to my knees beside her, lips trembling as the true realization of what was happening begins to sink in. She had abandoned me. I was completely and utterly alone. Would it have made a difference if I hadn't left to get fish? No. She had been broken for a very long time. Consumed in agonizing pain, I didn't care anymore if I was exposing my location, I looked to the sky and screamed out all the grief weighing heavy on my young heart. I was blinded by my tears, holding my mother's frozen hand and trying my best not to think about the fact that this would be the last time I ever could. Why? WHY? "I...I'm not prepared to be alone!" It was then that I heard it for the first time - water finally spoke to me. Clouds formed overhead, rain enveloping every inch of my body in a comforting touch. Together, we mourned my mother's death. Together, we maneuvered my mother's body into the ground, some space away from the hut but close enough for me to visit when I wanted to. I cried until there were no more tears, and only then did the rain finally stop. *I open my eyes to pure darkness. I sit up, realizing I had slept for several hours and that it was now well into the night. A bit disoriented and groggy, I get up on my feet and defrost the bubble, sliding the water back into my canteen. Spending several more years alone at my hut, learning how to master my abilities with water, I finally decided at twenty that it was time for me to venture off and find somewhere new within the walls to call home. I needed to find out information on why my village had been attacked and if it was safe to go back yet. I wouldn't be able to uncover anything by staying in the woods until I perished, so I slowly began to scout around Wall Maria in search of a blind spot that would allow me to carefully get over without being detected. Unfortunately, I was already reaching the end of the front wall with no luck on getting past the garrison. Still, I wasn't going to give up hope. There had to be a weak spot, and if I was lucky then it would be on the side of the wall. As stealthy as I can, I make my way over to the roped off docking station. It was a regular spot I would venture to when in need of clothes or food. After ensuring there were no sailors onboard any of the boats, I begin to forage for any signs of food. I go for the biggest boat that clearly has an underneath deck, slowly inching the trap door open so as to not alert anyone who could possibly be asleep down there. At first, all I see are boxes stacked neatly against the walls, most filled with military uniforms and other unimportant items. Whoever this boat belonged to was clearly setting off for a long journey to deploy necessities to comrades overseas. It left me feeling a bit disappointed as it highly meant attacks on my island probably never ceased. The boat isn't that big, so it wasn't long before I found a crate filled with cans and jars of stored food. I'm astonished by what I see in some of the jars, jelly-like fruit that I had only read about in books. I pry a deep, purple one open and inhale the sweet scent of berries. Mouth watering, I dip my finger in and plop it into my mouth. "Delicious." I whisper, sighing contently. Further down the deck, I hear a thump that startles me. I place down the jar and prepare my hands with water, carefully making my way towards the noise. At first, I'm shocked to see what I think is a boy, gagged and tied slumped against a wall. Upon further inspection, I realize it's actually a man. His eyes are closed, sweat covering his forehead as if he has a high fever. His hands are shackled with spiritual metal handcuffs, his mouth covered with a piece of cloth. Warily, I pull the cloth off his mouth and wet it with water, wiping the sweat off him. His eyes open, a beautiful silver color staring back at me. "Where are you injured?" He doesn't say anything, just stares at me like a wounded animal that is about to pounce. "I'm not here to hurt you, I was looking for food. I can help you...if you'd like." I stupidly point to the jar of jam that I had been eating prior, as if it would prove my innocence. He glances at the jam and then back at me, a frown on his lips. "Have you always been a sloppy eater?" I'm taken aback by the gruff voice, even more so over what he said. I touch the corners of my mouth, embarrassed as it dawns on me that I had literally stuffed my face with jam. I wipe away the evidence, ignoring his rude comment and searching for any signs of bleeding. "You have a fever...but I see no wound." He swallows, looking away from me. "Poison." Crap, could I even heal him? I had only ever worked my abilities on external wounds. I couldn't leave him like this though, despite the tiny voice warning me about what happened to me the last time I helped someone. Literally not that long ago. There was a difference this time, this man had to be a bender. "What element do you wield?" His eyes follow mine down towards the cuffs, "Earth." I bite my lip, trying not to come off as crazy, "I haven't been around another bender in...many years. I'm going to try something, hold still." He watches me with caution as I cover my hands in water, bringing it over to his body and concentrating on healing him. My hands illuminate, and I feel myself connecting with the purified water. It takes longer than I expected, but slowly the pain in his face subsides and he releases a breath of relief. I smile, silently proud of my accomplishment. "What's your name?" He questions. I grab his arm and help him stand, "Isamu. Yourself?" "Levi." I look at the cuffs, wondering how I'm going to help him out of those. With enough pressure of water, it was maybe possible. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable trying with his bare skin so close to it. "I'm telling you I saw something!" A voice above surprises us both.A loud sigh of annoyance follows the first voice, "You better not be wasting my time." The trap door I had entered from is thrown open, the two men peering inside. Levi grabs my arm, pulling me flushed against him back into the shadows. I try to stay focused on the issue at hand and not the heat radiating off him. "Well come on now, go down there and check. I've got a prisoner I have to deliver tomorrow but he's unconscious, there shouldn't be anyone else." The garrison solider is about to hop down the deck and I make the executive decision to spray water below it, hardening it to ice. The man lands on the ice, sliding down the deck in our direction. I create a glove of ice on my right hand, waiting until the man is close enough before swinging as hard as I can against his jaw. He immediately slumps over, knocked out. "Hey! What's going on down there?" Fearing that the other man won't bother to check and would instead take off running to get more soldiers, I whip tendrils of water to grasp his ankles, yanking him down into the deck. "H-Hold on! What's going on? Spare me please!" I freeze water on both his wrists, pining him to the floor. "Where are the keys?" The man's eyes motion to the right pocket of his trousers, "J-Just take it and don't hurt me, I beg you!" I fish the keys out, rolling my eyes at his words. Non-benders seemed to love begging for safety but were quick to bite the hand that feeds them. "Isamu." Levi warns, his attention on the garrison soldier that was beginning to stand up. I toss Levi the keys - which he catches - and summon water from my canteen to use in order to freeze the man against the wall. Both men struggle against their restraints with no luck. Delighted with my efforts, I turn to Levi to celebrate his release and my newfound discovery of jam. In a manœuvre so fast that I don't even have time to process it, Levi has the cuffs on my wrists. Almost instantly I can feel myself cut off from my element. It felt...absolutely devastating.
Trust no one.
She had warned me so many times. Why the hell couldn't I listen? "You're coming with me."