Chapter 25: Blazing Wrath

Trigger warning: Slight violence, panic attack.

***

Everyone was silent as they gazed at the majestic but intimidating form of the woman before them. They feel safe and secure in the woman's presence, but ironically, they can tell that she is dangerous, that you can't mess with her. A powerful human being who can shatter you into pieces if she wants to.

Every person left inside the Arena wanted to flee, run away from the woman, but for some unexplained reason, they couldn't. Their feet are rooted in the place where they are standing. Everyone felt it but one.

Lin stared at her daughter, concern evident on her face. She doesn't know what happened or how Yuze's appearance changed into something. She doesn't know the meaning of it, but she knows something has changed in her daughter. She's not just referring to the firebender's physical appearance, she's referring to the one inside. She could feel the power within the younger woman that wasn't there before. Like something has been removed that caused the dam to flood in.

Lin took a hesitant step forward, "Yuze?"

Her daughter turned her head, and once their eyes met, Lin felt a shiver go down her spine. Yuze's silver eyes were blank, it was expressionless. It's far from the happy and mischievous gleam she always saw in her eyes.

Yuze tilted her head and stepped toward her before her body suddenly tensed. Lin's eyes went wide, and she whipped her head. She saw that Amon or Noatok had recovered from the blast and was back on his feet. His arms stretched out in her daughter's direction. The older woman was about to rush towards the man, but a movement caught from the corner of her eye. Her head slowly turned at her daughter and saw the younger woman's head slowly face her head at the fraud leader of Equalists— without difficulty.

The mother stared in shock and disbelief as her daughter took a step forward, then another, and another without any struggle. Every step of her feet left a scorch mark on the flooring of the stage. Amon stared at the approaching woman, his eyes wide at the holes in his mask. He took a tentative step backward as he increased the intensity of his ability towards the firebender. The woman's head snaps to the left, her body contorting, but she recovers quickly and continues walking.

Amon's hands shake in horror as he witnesses his ability fail for the first time.

Who is this woman?

The bloodbender took a step backward and another as the woman before her continued her advances in a slow, too-calm phase. Amon senses water nearby and reaches for it with his hand. The water flew towards the firebender, who raised her hand in return. Everyone saw the atmosphere dance before the woman and felt a great heat emitting from it. The water caused a hissing noise and vapor at contact with what seemed like a visible force, creating a fog around the stage.

Once the smoke had cleared, the fraud leader was no longer where he had been standing. However, it was not the case for the firebender who only let out a laugh that brought a chill to the ones who heard it.

"You think you can get away from me?"

A smirk formed on the firebender's face as she gathered energy around her. White lightning emits from her fingers, then she points at the wall, which creates an explosion at contact. The lightning was so intense that it pierced through two different walls. On the second wall, a flabbergasted running Amon looked towards the holes where his eyes had contact with Yuze's silver eyes.

The bloodbender continues running after a moment of pause. Yuze clicked her tongue as she whispered under her breath, "No, you will not."

The firebender stepped her foot forward, leaned forward, and her arms stretched behind her. White flames erupted from her hands, propelling her forward through the holes.

Everyone stared at where the firebender was standing just a second earlier when a voice pulled them back to their senses.

"What... what are you doing? We need to stop her!"

All of the people left— even the Equalists looked at the Avatar, who was gradually standing up. Her legs faltered, and she was about to fall to the ground if not for Mako appearing behind her to catch her.

Korra looked over her shoulder and smiled gratefully, a hue of red coating her cheeks, "Thank you."

The firebender nodded, "It's nothing."

Lin restrained herself from rolling her eyes at the sight of the two teenagers. At this time of crisis, these two still have time to have their own mushy moment. Instead of saying out loud her thought, she chose to ask, "What do you mean, Korra?"

It brought the Avatar into the present and remembered her former teacher. She straightened herself, getting away from the firebender, "We need to stop Yuze. Tenzin once mentioned that if ever her true power came out, she needed to be stopped at all costs."

Lin's brows knitted in concern, "Why? What will happen?"

"Yuze is currently not in her right mind. Her emotions are getting the best of her, and her power is controlling her. If she is not to be stopped," Korra's eyes darkened, "There's a possibility that Yuze will self-destruct and everything around her will be destroyed," shivers ran down everyone's spine, "Everything."

***

"Amon~", the leader of the Equalist, heard the assistant of the former Chief of Police sing his name, "Where are you?"

Amon didn't know how, just a few hours ago, he was just giving back every pain she had caused to give justice for all of the people's lives she had perished, and now she's the one who is chasing after him. Hunting him like prey, chasing after her next meal.

Amon tried to calm his heart down. He took a deep breath to calm his mind to be able to form a plan for his escape. But before he could even think about anything, a loud thunderclap was heard in time with the ceiling where he was hiding, crumbling, making a hole. A pair of silver eyes met his, and Amon felt shivers down his spine as the corners of the woman's lips curled into a smile which didn't match the cold expression in her eyes.

"There you are."

The fraud leader of Equalist saw the young woman's fingers spark, and that's his only warning before he rolled to the ground. Lightning struck where he was standing just a moment before, leaving a trace in its wake. 

Then he saw Yuze jump into the hole, a slight spark at her feet at the contact. Amon backed away, his body shaking, and his blood ran cold. When Yuze lifted her head and turned to his way, Amon knew he needed to get away from here. From her. Now.

The fraud leader of Equalist lifted his hands, calling on his power.

Yuze tilted her head, "You know it's not going to work—"

A large body of water attacked the firebender from her right, coming from the wall and slamming her from the opposite wall. Amon takes this chance to retreat.

The waterbender sprinted through the hallway. His heart became erratic as he heard the woman's cold laugh, but he didn't dare to look back and just focused on running. Then he turned to the corner and halted abruptly, a sudden wave of dread hit him as he was met with a dead end. His mind clouded as a buzzing sound filled his ears. He couldn't think clearly. He couldn't—

Amon jumped as he heard a crashing sound behind him. He was about to turn around when something or someone crashed into his stomach. There was a sense of surprise as his mind processed the pain before blood was forcefully spit out of his mouth. Another impact on him, but this time it's his head. His vision became blurred, and his stomach churned at the feeling of the world spinning. 

Then he realizes he is really spinning. He found himself in the air just a second before he felt the pain course throughout his body, caused by the water of the ocean. Saltwater rushed up his nose and down his throat. The pressure of the water squeezed his ears, his chest, his skull. 

Amon could feel his consciousness slipping. His eyelids were slowly closing as his body descended further down the ocean. He was about to welcome the darkness when he came back to his senses. His dreams. His goals. His brother.

Despite the aching of his body, he managed to bend the water around him and propel himself upwards. Which he realized was a huge mistake on his part, as when he turned around, he was met with a confused, shocked, and angry expression from the faces of the people staring at him. 

"He is a waterbender!"

"The scar is fake!"

"The Avatar is telling the truth!"

Amon's eyes darted to every person on the bridge. Panic began to rise on his whole body, desiring to escape from all of the stares. He was about to dive again into the water when a sound of crashing came from the bridge, making the people panic and run away from the scene.

Then a scream tore from his throat when something hot wrapped around his wrist. Amon looked at his arm and saw white flames circling his wrist. He followed the line, and at the other end of the fire whip was no other than the monster herself.

Before he could even react, his arm was suddenly tugged, and another painful cry came out of his mouth. Then wheezes blood as his back impacts the pavement. 

He felt the struggle from his arm come off, but the sting was still there. Amon tried to open his eyes regardless of the blinding white pain. Tears gathered in his eyes, his body quivering as he let out a cry of terror. The skin peeled where the fire whip circled, and he could even see a little bit of white of his bone. He covered his wrist with his other hand to stop the blood gushing out. 

Amon then saw a movement from the corner of his eyes. He snapped his head and saw the monster walking towards him at a calm pace. He scattered away on the ground, dragging his battered and aching body away from the wicked one.

"Don't! G—get away from me! Get away, you monster!"

The silver-eyed woman froze from advancing for a moment. Amon thought the woman would stop and leave him alone as the woman's shoulder shook. Then he remembered that the silver-eyed woman doesn't like being called a monster. Despised the word. He remembered how the woman wailed, almost begging to stop calling her that. Maybe the same thing is happening now.

But the thought immediately disappeared as he heard a low chuckle, then getting louder until it became a full laugh. The woman looked at him, lips grinning widely but eyes devoid of emotion. A terrifying sight.

"Monster? You? Calling me a monster?" the woman asked, head tilting to the side. Eyes looking at him amusedly, "Looks who's talking."

Amon didn't let the woman's words affect him and let himself speak his piece, "You are a monster! You killed them without mercy! Monster!"

The grin slowly formed into a thin line. Eyes that were cold lit up and were now ablaze with anger. 

Amon felt it before he could see it. His head snapped to the left as the leg of the woman hit it. He came flying and impacted the ground.

Amon tried to stand up, but he felt a hand squeezing his jaw tightly, and his blue eyes met with silver eyes.

"You are not there. You don't know what truly happened," Yuze hissed as the hand holding his jaw tightened.

"I know enough to call you a monster."

The back of the hand of woman connected with his cheek. Before the hand was back to his jaw again.

"So what do you call yourself? How will you justify your action?" 

Amon stared at the monster in front of him. Eyes glaring with a nervousness and fear hiding behind them, "What I did is a must. The world is out of balance and needs to be equalized," he stated with conviction, "Besides, I only took away people's bending, I didn't hurt anyone, not unlike you!"

A fist connected with his cheekbones, and his head impacted the pavement once again. His mind was becoming fuzzy after several attacks his head had received. However, he could still pick up the words the woman was saying.

"Didn't hurt?! What do you call the things you did to those you took bending away? What do you call the things your people do?"

Her mind flashed to the aftermath of the ambush at the arena.

 "What do you call the thing you did to the Avatar?!"

Then the image of Korra's eyes as her bending is being taken away flashed through her mind.

"What do you call the things—"

Then, a memory of a certain earthbender falling to the ground after her bending was forcibly taken away from her. That memory fueled her anger further.

"What do you call the things you did to Beifong?!"

Amon let out a groan as the combination of aching body, pain in the head, and the blood flowing from his wrist became too much for him to handle, to the point that he is wishing for him to be dead.

The fraud leader of the Equalist found himself being lift up. A choking sound came through his mouth as the silver-eyed woman's hand wrapped around his throat.

Amon felt the woman's warm breath as his face was brought close to hers. With a tone full of promise, she said, "Every pain that you cause," her hand tightened further, "I'll make you go through it."

The waterbender let out a choking scream as he felt his neck being scorched. He saw through his half-open eyelids that the woman created a dagger made of flames from her other hand. The silver-eyed woman was about to plunge it to him when a powerful gust of wind struck her, making the woman fly away from Amon.

Mid-air, the woman maneuvered her body to land safely. One of her knees touched the ground while the other one was bent, her flame dagger thrust to the pavement to bring herself to a gradual stop. She hissed as she looked up, white haired flipping through the air. Her silver eyes stared a dagger at the newcomers.

"Yuze, stop this in instant!" Tenzin stated firmly, gray eyes staring at her with steel.

"Stop?!" Yuze asked, the air around her began to dance because of the heat, "On what?! I'm just stopping the man who caused all of this!"

"Do you think what you are doing is just a simple stopping?!" the Airbending Master bellowed, then he thrust his arm towards the fraud leader, "Look at Amon, he is barely recognizable! He is even barely breathing!" 

Yuze, for the first time, truly saw the condition of the waterbender. True to the airbender's words, the man was barely recognizable. Amon's face was beginning to swell and bruise. Blood was flowing from his head down to the other side of his face. A scorching mark in the shape of a hand covered his neck.

Tenzin saw the realization in the younger woman's eyes. His face softened and his voice became gentle, "Yuze, purge the anger. It's over. We won." 

Yuze's body began to tremble. She could feel her pulse in her head, and it was making her lightheaded. Her heart thundered, erratic and wild. Her hand clutched her chest as she felt it tightness.

"You killed those people." Chang's voice echoed through her head.

"You are a monster! You killed them without mercy! Monster!"  Amon's words reminded her of that day.

And then, a voice, faint, familiar. Someone was calling her name. 

"Yuze? Yuze! Breath!"

Her teary silver eyes lifted up and realized that there were several familiar faces behind Tenzin. Zhen, Jiayi, Luhan, Mako, Korra...

Then her eyes stopped on the woman looking at Amon. She recognized the look on Lin's face. Horror. Disbelief. 

No. No, please. 

She could feel her blood run cold at the sight of the older woman's pale face. She could imagine it. The woman will now hate her. The woman will be disgusted by her. 

No, please. Not her, too.

Even before they could form a bond. The chance is now gone. Her own mother will curse and loathe that her daughter is a monster.

No! Please, not you too!

"Yuze! Calmed down! Breath!"

Then at the sound of her name. Her silver eyes met with green eyes. Her mother's eyes were wide, then she saw the water on the corner of her eyes.

Yuze gasped for air. Her fingers clawed at her chest as her vision began to blur. Air. She needs air. She can't breathe. 

However, despite the blurry vision, she saw Lin take a single step towards her, hands covering her mouth. And that's when she lost it. 

She screamed in despair as a wall of white flame circled around her. Protecting her. From the pain. From reality.