36 Chapter 35: The Boy and the Bat - 98 AG

The sun, inching toward the horizon and making its final descent into the embracing sea, found Sozim still seated in serene contemplation. His gaze fixated on his hand, as if he were acquainting himself with an entirely new sensation that had recently befallen him.

"Right? Who would've thought." he murmured. "It's quite a stroke of luck."

The bat, its slender form now clearly visible to Sozim as it struggled to rise, let out a deep chuckle. "Congratulations then. What do you intend to do now?"

Sozim shrugged, still entranced by the subtle movements of his hand. "I'm not entirely certain. I'm still getting used to it. Being free of your presence has lightened my burden, and my thoughts are clearer than they've been since I was stranded. But before I delve any further, I need to understand something: why, Chio, the spirit of bloodlust, offspring of Father Glowworm, finds himself in this peculiar state?"

"Are you mocking me?" the bat spat. "You know the answer to that."

"I'm not asking why you're here," Sozim sighed, placing his hand on his lap and turning his gaze to Chio. "I want to know why it's come to this. Why did you attempt to possess a boy's body? Why did you cross over from the spirit world to the physical realm?"

"I took a gamble," the spirit sneered. "A gamble I believed I could win. It's inconsequential now; the world is far more complex than I'd imagined, and luck hasn't been on my side."

Sozim raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The spirit shook its head. "I should've heeded my parents' mistakes. I shouldn't have been so greedy."

Sozim continued to study the spirit, prompting a tense exchange of glances, though Chio relented, clicking his silvery tongue. "I am the spirit of bloodlust, thriving on all acts related to it. Over the past century, as the physical world descended into war, I grew stronger. The pleasure, the ecstasy, I had never felt them before, and I didn't want them to end. So I devised a plan: once I gathered enough strength, I would cross into the physical world to ensure a perpetual stream of strife and murder."

Sozim scoffed. "You crossed over to keep the war alive? How did you intend to do that, and why did you have to inhabit a boy's body?"

"Let me explain," the bat chuckled. "I aimed to prevent the Avatar's return and ensure ongoing violence with my own power. The key lay in the water tribes."

Sozim furrowed his brow. "The water tribes?"

"They possess a unique gift, the ability to control the water within a human's body," the bat explained. "A power akin to mine. Using this, I could manipulate them from within, instilling notions of supremacy and perpetuating the cycle of violence, with the water tribes at the forefront instead of the Fire Nation. It would be a fresh all-out war, wiping the slate clean after years of stalemate."

"You have a peculiar plan," Sozim murmured. "Waterbenders can only bend blood during a full moon."

"I could impart a fraction of my essence to select benders and instruct them to breed rapidly," the bat countered. "Their offspring would have the ability to bend blood without the need for a full moon. Do waterbenders need the full moon, or do they simply require rigorous training to master the art?"

"Breed rapidly?" Sozim chuckled in amusement. "You are indeed a unique character. By the time your 'breeding program' nears completion, the Avatar will have resurfaced."

"And where is the Avatar now?" the bat sneered. "Hidden from the world, cowering before the Fire Nation. If he fears firebenders, shouldn't he fear bloodbenders more?"

"The Avatar isn't hiding; he's—" Sozim shook his head. "You're mistaken if you believe the Avatar is so easily vanquished. Remember, your parent fell to one."

The bat scoffed but remained silent.

"And why did it fail?" Sozim questioned. "Hmm… I should change the question. Who kicked you out of this body?"

"The world itself probably." the bat scoffed. "I was so close to starting my goal, but just as I was nearing that village, something seemed to pull me out of the body, like a beast ripping a prey's tendon, it damaged me, wounded me beyond recognition. I was able to possess the body again of course, but I became weak to the point of not being fully conscious. And the next thing I knew, a thief had gotten the body."

Sozim raised his brow. "You don't what did that to you?"

"Did you not hear what I said?" the bat growled. "The world itself, probably. There are a lot of things that are still a mystery in this world, child, I was simply too arrogant to see it."

Sozim hummed, looking down. "Everything is connected…"

Finally, the boy just sighed at the words he just said.

"Well, then, it's time to end this," Sozim declared, calmly rising and approaching the bat. The sky had darkened, and the stars were few and far between. Clouds, heavy with moisture, surrounded him as he walked, yet he paid them no mind, continuing his approach.

"What do you plan to do? Absorb my essence?" the bat spat. "Do you even know how?"

"Iroh once shared a story about your parent, how the false Avatar devoured his eye to consume his essence," Sozim replied, causing Chio's eyes to widen. "Which part of you should I consume?"

"You brat…" the bat scowled. Suddenly, the spirit extended its wing, and the tips of its small fingers grasped the air before it, halting Sozim in his tracks. Chio's grin turned sinister as he stood upright. "You've lost your bloodbending abilities, child. What chance do you have against me?"

However, to his astonishment, Sozim moved once more, stretching his body as if nothing had occurred. Chio tightened his fist, but again, the boy displayed no reaction.

"What?!" the bat hissed. "How are you—"

"You obstructed my waterbending when you were a parasite within me, and obviously, it isn't obstructed anymore." Sozim interjected. He assumed a stance that merged his unique style with firebending martial arts. With a swift spin of his body and arms, the clouds dissipated, transforming into swirling water droplets surrounding him. As the clouds disappear, the full moon emerged behind him, casting his shadow onto the ground.

"Coincidentally, it's a full moon tonight," he continued, a sly grin crossing his face. "As you know, I happen to be quite proficient in bloodbending, too."

The spirit's face quickly contorted to a blazing fury. "YOU!!"

Before Chio could dash toward Sozim, the young boy harnessed the water he'd captured, launching it with a swift, two-fisted punch. All Chio could discern was an impending deluge, rushing towards him, its icy grasp just moments away. Upon contact, the water solidified, imprisoning the spirit within an icy cocoon with his head sticking out.

Desperation welled within Chio as he tried fruitlessly to break free. Sozim, however, remained the picture of serenity as he calmly advanced. "You're in a weakened state, Chio," he remarked. "An eight-year-old could overpower you."

"RELEASE ME, YOU—" Chio's plea was abruptly silenced as Sozim ruthlessly seized his left eye. With a swift and brutal motion, he wrenched it from its socket, causing Chio to scream in agony. Through his one remaining eye, Chio witnessed his essence oozing towards Sozim's hand, where the stolen eye now resided.

Under the watchful gaze of the full moon, Chio observed as Sozim devoured the eyeball in one gulp. As the essence of Chio gradually merged with the boy's being through this macabre communion, the spirit's consciousness slowly fading.

"I'll... see you again, you brat," the spirit whispered faintly. "Whether it's in a few years or in another lifetime, it matters not... spirits can't truly die... as long as there's human bloodlust to sustain me, I will return."

With Chio's last vestige of essence extinguished, his corporeal form crumbled to ashes, leaving Sozim alone, bathed in the radiant glow of the full moon. "I'll be waiting," the boy murmured, his gaze fixed on the celestial orb above.

[Book 2: Truth, End.]

[Book 3 When? idk probably next week]