“You have beaten
Truth. Take it all.”
One
Hundred Years Ago, A Certain Location
“Sozin's”
Comet burned across the night sky, slowly receding from the world.
The flicker of its tail grew dimmer and dimmer with each passing
second. Soon it, and the power it bestowed, would vanish entirely
from this world. It would be another hundred years before the comet
would return, more than a human lifetime. Yet it had done its job.
The
door thundered open and Sozin himself strode proudly into the
chamber. His hair was grey from age, his face lined by the years yet
he stood proud and strong. His life work had finally been
accomplished. He quirked a corner of his mouth into a gentle smirk as
he beheld his chief science adviser.
“How
went the campaign, my Lord?” There was really no need to ask. He
could read the results of the day in his Lord's face.
“Absolutely
perfect. The monk's stood no chance. With the power of My Comet we
struck down all three of their temples. The few who escaped will be
hunted down easily enough.”
He
bowed his head. He could imagine the outcome of that battle. No, more
rightly a massacre. He had felt the power of the Comet burning in his
own blood, stoking the Fire within him to unimagined heights. All
that hot breath swirling around him. Plus, he had his own, much more
obvious proof of the victory of the Fire Nation today.
“And
the Avatar, my lord?”
Here
Sozin's expression darkened, but only for a moment. “We almost
certainly destroyed him in the raids. None of the children were
spared. Though none displayed any master of any additional
elements...”
“Perhaps
he merely had not come into his power?”
“Perhaps,”
the Fire Lord Sozin agreed. “Whatever the case, it turned out your
preparations were not necessary. I will not need your secret weapon
against the Avatar.”
“Ah.”
He was not disappointed or surprised. “And what I am I do to with
my research?”
Sozin
glanced imperiously around the chamber. It was a circular chamber
full carved into the rock with only a small hole in the cieling open to the night sky. Its walls were bright with the sheen that
showed stone cut with Firebending techniques and not Earthbending.
Into the floor and walls were carved elaborate mandalas and formula.
The momentary look of confusion was quickly and professional erased
from the Fire Lord's face. He may not understood how the formulas
worked, but he understood what they meant. A threat. His adviser had
promised him a weapon capable of defeating the Avatar, or at least of
turning the tides significantly in the Fire Lord's favour. With the
Comet receding into the depths of space for another hundred years...
“Burn
it. All of it.”
The
adviser bowed briefly. “Of course, my Lord.”
Sozin
examined his servant's face for a long moment, perhaps searching for
some sign of disobedience or disloyalty. Apparently satisfied with
his investigation he nodded curtly and stepped out of the chamber.
“See that you do,” he called over his shoulder as he walked out
to where his loyal dragon mount awaited.
A
few seconds passed after the door closed. Then the shadows of the
room shifted. Eyes opened in the darkness. Too many eyes. Large eyes.
Small eyes. And great grinning teeth,
“Well,
are you going to obey your lord?” a voice called from the darkness.
“You
appear to serve no purpose now,” he answered.
“Oh,
really?” The teeth glinted and the eyes filled with merriment.
“Tell me, old man, do you want to live forever?”
Time
Unknown, Location Unknown
Emptiness.
They took something
from me. Something important. I can't remember what it was. I feel
like I'm deflating, all my vital stuff just leaking out all at once.
If nothing happens I'm just going to fade away, lost and broken.
“Hey!
Hey you, wake up!”
A
voice? Is that a voice?
“If
you don't wake up, you're going to die!”
I
struggle to respond to the voice, but it seems so far away, like its
calling to me from the other side of a thick wall. Still, its very
presence seems to give me strength. I can feel something inside me
responding to it.
A
warm hand presses down on my shoulder.
That's right. I
have a shoulder. I have a body, I am...
[ ]A boy, of
course.
[ ]A girl, of
course.
[ ]A
boy... wait, that isn't right...
[ ]A girl... wait,
that isn't right...
“I
can't exactly get out of here on my own. I need your help. You need
my help.” My shoulder is jostled. “We're running out of time.”
I
can feel my body now, it feels familiar and
[ ]Strong.
[ ]Tough.
[ ]Agile.
[ ]Fast.
Just like it always
has been. However there is something still missing. Something
important. My body is just a body, nothing more. I am missing... even
as I think that the presence of the Other pulls something up out of
me, the fills me with an explosion of thought and emotion. The sense
of Self makes me feel
[ ]Perceptive
[ ]Imaginative
[ ]Devious
[ ]Centered
in a way that is
hard to describe.
A
resounding noise fills the air, the ground shakes. I'm on the ground.
It's hard and damp, but rapidly getting hotter. The Other starts
pulling on my shoulder more roughly, shaking me. I had better respond
because
[
]They need my help.
[
]I'm in danger.
[
]I want to know what is going on.
[
]They'll stop annoying me if I do.
With
that thought, I wake up.
How
Does This Work?
Every
weekday (barring emergency) I plan to do a scene of this story. I'll
end every post with at least four options for the character to follow
up on at the end. You vote on which option you want (one person, one
vote, and please indicate if you change your mind). I follow up. I
start writing at Midnight, EST. But first we need to know who our
protagonist is! So you have until Midnight, Sunday June 19th
, EST to offer your
opinion.
-----------
Epsilon
Truth. Take it all.”
One
Hundred Years Ago, A Certain Location
“Sozin's”
Comet burned across the night sky, slowly receding from the world.
The flicker of its tail grew dimmer and dimmer with each passing
second. Soon it, and the power it bestowed, would vanish entirely
from this world. It would be another hundred years before the comet
would return, more than a human lifetime. Yet it had done its job.
The
door thundered open and Sozin himself strode proudly into the
chamber. His hair was grey from age, his face lined by the years yet
he stood proud and strong. His life work had finally been
accomplished. He quirked a corner of his mouth into a gentle smirk as
he beheld his chief science adviser.
“How
went the campaign, my Lord?” There was really no need to ask. He
could read the results of the day in his Lord's face.
“Absolutely
perfect. The monk's stood no chance. With the power of My Comet we
struck down all three of their temples. The few who escaped will be
hunted down easily enough.”
He
bowed his head. He could imagine the outcome of that battle. No, more
rightly a massacre. He had felt the power of the Comet burning in his
own blood, stoking the Fire within him to unimagined heights. All
that hot breath swirling around him. Plus, he had his own, much more
obvious proof of the victory of the Fire Nation today.
“And
the Avatar, my lord?”
Here
Sozin's expression darkened, but only for a moment. “We almost
certainly destroyed him in the raids. None of the children were
spared. Though none displayed any master of any additional
elements...”
“Perhaps
he merely had not come into his power?”
“Perhaps,”
the Fire Lord Sozin agreed. “Whatever the case, it turned out your
preparations were not necessary. I will not need your secret weapon
against the Avatar.”
“Ah.”
He was not disappointed or surprised. “And what I am I do to with
my research?”
Sozin
glanced imperiously around the chamber. It was a circular chamber
full carved into the rock with only a small hole in the cieling open to the night sky. Its walls were bright with the sheen that
showed stone cut with Firebending techniques and not Earthbending.
Into the floor and walls were carved elaborate mandalas and formula.
The momentary look of confusion was quickly and professional erased
from the Fire Lord's face. He may not understood how the formulas
worked, but he understood what they meant. A threat. His adviser had
promised him a weapon capable of defeating the Avatar, or at least of
turning the tides significantly in the Fire Lord's favour. With the
Comet receding into the depths of space for another hundred years...
“Burn
it. All of it.”
The
adviser bowed briefly. “Of course, my Lord.”
Sozin
examined his servant's face for a long moment, perhaps searching for
some sign of disobedience or disloyalty. Apparently satisfied with
his investigation he nodded curtly and stepped out of the chamber.
“See that you do,” he called over his shoulder as he walked out
to where his loyal dragon mount awaited.
A
few seconds passed after the door closed. Then the shadows of the
room shifted. Eyes opened in the darkness. Too many eyes. Large eyes.
Small eyes. And great grinning teeth,
“Well,
are you going to obey your lord?” a voice called from the darkness.
“You
appear to serve no purpose now,” he answered.
“Oh,
really?” The teeth glinted and the eyes filled with merriment.
“Tell me, old man, do you want to live forever?”
Time
Unknown, Location Unknown
Emptiness.
They took something
from me. Something important. I can't remember what it was. I feel
like I'm deflating, all my vital stuff just leaking out all at once.
If nothing happens I'm just going to fade away, lost and broken.
“Hey!
Hey you, wake up!”
A
voice? Is that a voice?
“If
you don't wake up, you're going to die!”
I
struggle to respond to the voice, but it seems so far away, like its
calling to me from the other side of a thick wall. Still, its very
presence seems to give me strength. I can feel something inside me
responding to it.
A
warm hand presses down on my shoulder.
That's right. I
have a shoulder. I have a body, I am...
[ ]A boy, of
course.
[ ]A girl, of
course.
[ ]A
boy... wait, that isn't right...
[ ]A girl... wait,
that isn't right...
“I
can't exactly get out of here on my own. I need your help. You need
my help.” My shoulder is jostled. “We're running out of time.”
I
can feel my body now, it feels familiar and
[ ]Strong.
[ ]Tough.
[ ]Agile.
[ ]Fast.
Just like it always
has been. However there is something still missing. Something
important. My body is just a body, nothing more. I am missing... even
as I think that the presence of the Other pulls something up out of
me, the fills me with an explosion of thought and emotion. The sense
of Self makes me feel
[ ]Perceptive
[ ]Imaginative
[ ]Devious
[ ]Centered
in a way that is
hard to describe.
A
resounding noise fills the air, the ground shakes. I'm on the ground.
It's hard and damp, but rapidly getting hotter. The Other starts
pulling on my shoulder more roughly, shaking me. I had better respond
because
[
]They need my help.
[
]I'm in danger.
[
]I want to know what is going on.
[
]They'll stop annoying me if I do.
With
that thought, I wake up.
How
Does This Work?
Every
weekday (barring emergency) I plan to do a scene of this story. I'll
end every post with at least four options for the character to follow
up on at the end. You vote on which option you want (one person, one
vote, and please indicate if you change your mind). I follow up. I
start writing at Midnight, EST. But first we need to know who our
protagonist is! So you have until Midnight, Sunday June 19th
, EST to offer your
opinion.
-----------
Epsilon