Consequences

Chapter Dedicated (Fightas).

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The princess of the Fire Nation arrived at the harbour and boarded her personal ship. The captain loudly announced the princess' return. The Imperial cortege bowed with all hands, resting their foreheads on the deck as soon as her foot stepped onto the ship. As she looked around at her subordinates, she habitually anticipated the spirit's caustic comment. For a moment she even imagined what he would say if he were there now.

"Once again belittling others in an attempt to boost your own self-esteem. Why are you so insecure, Azula? Bowing like that instils a false sense of self-importance, and yes, in this position it would be difficult to spot the underhanded assassins..." - But that was just the girl's imagination.

Of course, the spirit would not have said exactly that, confining himself to snide and somewhat haughty comments about what was going on. But he was no longer with her. He was gone, and it was only an illusion of her mind that she was too used to the intense game of trust with the parasite, and now didn't know what to do with herself out of boredom. The game is over, she has won, the spirit is gone. Now she can relax in silence and savour the fruits of her victory. She could get more out of the spirit.

Looking round at her bowed subordinates once more, she fixed her hair. The princess's hair was far from perfect, she had never taken care of her own beauty personally. Even during her apprenticeship with the master, she had arranged for such things to be handled by a spirit who was only too happy to be in charge of her body. Even though he wasn't particularly good at his job, Azula was fine with it.

After noting the need to visit the staff of maids to take care of her appearance, she went to the captain's office.

- Captain," the princess addressed the man who bowed his head first.

- Yes, Mistress?

- Set course for the capital," the imperious order came out of her mouth.

- Yes, my lady.

- I will be in my chambers. Don't bother me with trifles," the princess adds as she leaves the deck.

- As you command, Princess. - After these words, the captain left to give orders.

The usual greeting of the subordinates of their mistress in accordance with all the rules of decorum and etiquette ended, the crew of the ship, along with other servants of the princess dispersed to perform their duties. However, Azula was still feeling the unpleasant sensation of something missing. Some little thing unknown to her. Deciding to get rid of these thoughts in a spacious hot bath, which she had missed all this time, the princess ordered the servants to wait until she finished her ablutions.

Alas, the unpleasant feeling only intensified during the water procedures.

Lounging in the tub, Azula only felt this incomprehensible and unpleasant feeling more strongly. The silence seemed oppressive. She had never felt like this before. Never? The girl had her doubts about that. Probably just weaned from being alone. That was how the princess comforted herself with her deception. The spirit, even with its absence, managed to piss her off.

It will pass, you just need to get used to the silence and everything will be like before....

With such thoughts the girl convinced herself, refusing to notice her own feelings of longing and discomfort. Her familiar surroundings were no longer so comfortable. Everything seemed to be the same as before: servants, adoration, flattery, fear of subordinates, fulfilment of the slightest whim... Except that it did not evoke the same emotions as before.

Having finished washing, the girl went to the servants. Not at all relaxed after the bath, she put her body in their hands, trying not to show her tension. Azula could see that the maids were a little shocked by her appearance. Confusion was evident on their faces. The spirit had taken rather peculiar care of it, ineptly trimmed nails, badly combed hair, no make-up. After examining the princess, they began to groom her in complete silence. No one was interested in her mood, her affairs, her well-being... no one even addressed her by name. It was familiar and at the same time somewhat unpleasant.

The silence was annoying...

Azula could clearly hear the work of each maid. Nail files scraping, tweezers clicking, a comb going through her hair... and other make-up minutiae. Thanks to her ear training, the princess could even distinguish the breathing of one maid from another. But despite all this, somehow it was still too quiet.

She wanted to talk to the servants about something, but stopped herself just in time. It was not proper for a princess to ask how her own maids were doing! It's all the effects of being with the spirit. Yes. That's right. He was often fond of talking on and on. Even when he was tidying up her body, he never stopped talking.

Talking...

Comparing how she was being brought to her best maid form and how the spirit had done it before. There was no way to avoid it. Meanwhile, the girls were in no hurry to finish, continuing to work in almost complete silence. Azula was getting more and more annoyed. Every reminder of the parasitic spirit irritated her, and literally everything reminded her of it. The parasite was so firmly embedded in her mind that its absence was uncomfortable. She was simply weaned from it all! Of course, in time, everything would return to normal. But waiting for that moment to happen was unpleasant.

- Can you work faster? - Azula rushed the maids, tired of enduring this abominable silence.

- Please don't be angry Mistress, we will work faster, - the girls were frightened and sped up a little.

From such a predictable answer, she lost all interest in further conversation with the maids.

Soon they finished grooming their mistress. Looking at herself in the mirror, Azula saw the familiar princess of the Fire Nation. Everything was perfect. Hair, skin, nails, make-up, eyelashes and yet she felt something was still missing. It was still a long way into the night, but she couldn't go out and vent her irritation with the stress of fire and lightning conquest training. As the crew was busily at work getting the ship out of port and out to sea.

Heading to her quarters, on the top floor of the pagoda-like superstructure, she decided to calm herself down over meditation. Her first glance came across reminders of the spirit - a black sword and paired sai daggers concealed in rich sheaths. She had carelessly tossed them on the bed when she left to wash. It looked fine as a wall decoration, but she had her own body and fire magic to fight with. And the chances of her needing that weapon were slim to none.

The cabin was in perfect condition. At a glance, it looked like it had been dusted and tidied daily. Except that this same perfect order no longer evoked the feelings she'd had before. Placing the candles in front of her, she meditated in the centre of the room on the bare floor. The breathing technique was calming, she felt lighter, her mind no longer plagued by the torment of boredom.

Feeling something like peace, the girl resumed her training in controlling her internal energy and trying to open her chakras. The latter she was not at all successful, as she always was. The only consolation was the small successes in controlling Qi. This she did until the evening. Before going to bed, Azula decided to walk around the ship and see how the servants were working. Every single one of them was in fear at her presence.

Except that other people's fear wasn't so pleasant anymore. On the contrary, their conversations and the quick silence at her approach were irritating. The servants talking amongst themselves, the guards talking to each other, or the discussion of the weather between Lo and La. All of it was annoying. After a quick walk around the ship, making almost every person on the ship nervous, she returned to her quarters in not the best of feelings. Night was coming, time for sleep and rest. She wasn't sleepy, but she was familiar with the concept of following a regimen.

She took off all her armour and changed into a dressing gown for sleep. She extinguished the candles and was about to go to bed, but suddenly remembered the moment where it all began. Having called a small flame on one finger, the girl thoughtfully examines the flame, and then comes to the mirror, looking at her reflection, which was barely visible in it, so little light was given by the flame on her finger. It was the same situation that had started it all - the night, the mirror, and her trying to see herself in it. A sense of deja vu immediately came over the girl.

She was the only one reflected in the mirror, she and the darkness with silence. A perfect princess without unnecessary emotions, calm, cold, unperturbed and... lonely?

Her bored mind was throwing up some rather strange thoughts to her.

Unwillingly, looking at her reflection, the girl began to think of the few people she considered close and with whom she could talk about what was happening to her now. Or at least something to talk about! Azula wanted to talk, but her position and reputation did not allow her to talk to her servants and subordinates. And they were afraid of her mere presence. As the spirit would put it, there was no way to have a heart-to-heart talk with such individuals. And those with whom she could have a simple conversation were few, very few and far from her ship.

With her mother, Azula had a bad relationship, she didn't even want to think about her. She had never spoken to her father about such a thing, nor would she ever speak of it. He just wouldn't understand, she doesn't know what's going on with her. Zu-zu? A loser and a moron that she should be glad to be alive. Uncle Iroh? For a long time now, the girl pretended he didn't exist, he responded in kind and everyone was happy. There were only two left. Tai Li and Mei, childhood friends from long ago.

She had met them while attending an all-girls academy. Of course, their parents had facilitated this, as had the parents of all the children in her class. Azula merely chose the two smartest peers, becoming to spend time with them. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and even longer since they had gotten together.

Thinking of her friends, the princess involuntarily caught herself wishing she could see them. The boundless positivity, the easy naivety, the phenomenal flexibility of Tai Li, the silent support of the eternally calm Mei. Azula needed them now more than ever. Except that Tai Li had gone with the circus, and it was always easy to have a conversation with her about anything. Mei, on the other hand, stayed home with her family.

Sighing, the girl exhaled a small jet of blue flame. For some reason being left alone, her mind is visited by increasingly strange thoughts. Deciding to leave it for tomorrow, she heads to the bed, extinguishing the fire, giving her own room over to the darkness. Covering herself with a blanket over her head as if she was trying to hide.

- Good night... - her quiet voice was not heard in the darkness of the big room.

The princess tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep. Her own thoughts continued to torment her in the darkness and silence, no matter how much she tried to distract herself. Escape was impossible; no one had yet been able to escape from herself. On the morning, going to the maids after her ablutions, she startled them with her sleepy and very angry appearance. Unwittingly, Azula snapped at the innocent girls, causing one to beg for forgiveness. No one was thrown overboard, but the maids had become more nervous since that incident.

Fire conquest training didn't help relieve the stress. Even though her mentors spoke of the ideal she had achieved, the princess continued to train, wanting to distract herself from the feelings tormenting her heart. The next day she devoted to herself, training to conquer fire and lightning. Completely exhausted, this time she fell asleep without any problems. The next day was the same. Azula trained like a man possessed, interrupted only for meals. Conquering fire, conquering lightning, body exercises and even training with a sword....

The girl tried her best not to think about the loneliness surrounding her. The journey to the capital took almost five days. They passed very quickly. On the fourth day of the journey, Azula woke up to the deafening sounds of thunder.

Her ship had been caught in a storm.....

(***)

After much torture of my mind, I realised I was in pitch black darkness.

I once again perceived the world as a spirit, not a man. Without eyes, I saw. Without ears I heard. Even though all the senses were habitually muffled, it was different from what it had been before, when I was just looking for a suitable body for myself and not yet trapped in Azul. And it certainly didn't compare to the feelings of a real body. Nevertheless, it was a success!

After the long agony of having my whole being boiled in a boiling pot, even these minuscule sensations were pure bliss. It felt good to be alive, even if not material, it felt good to think, and even if I could see only darkness, I knew where I was, I knew where she was, just as I knew where all the things in her room were. It wasn't a mythical sixth sense, just a memory. However, I couldn't enjoy my ethereal existence for long. The euphoria of emotion quickly disappeared, giving way to a calculating mind.

Azula had done it after all. Sensing an opportunity, she struck out at me without fully realising what she was doing. I didn't fully realise what such torment would lead to. But I was happy with the result, even if it meant I had to endure a little hellacious pain. I didn't set myself up for nothing. All of the girl's memory, to the last day of my awareness, all of her skills, all of her knowledge, everything she knew, guessed, thought and experienced, all of it had been forcibly poured into me by Azula herself, supplementing my essence with hers. And despite the pain, I don't regret it.

As it turned out, as a human, I hadn't done the ritual correctly, becoming not a full spirit, but a spirit invalid. It robbed me of almost all of my senses, some of my memories, and surely damaged my soul. At the same time, thanks to my disability, I could feed off the girl without any consequences, being inside her body, adopting her power, skills and in some places even the very essence....

She didn't even notice. I didn't even notice what was happening to me right away. A month with Piandao didn't just help her, it helped me a lot more. During that time, especially during the period of pain, watching the girl's memory, I had time to understand and think about a lot of things.

Remembering the troubled princess, I turn around. She was there, asleep on the bed, curled up in a ball. I wanted revenge for her actions, but revenge could wait. After all, I had seen her suffer alone after losing me. Azula wasn't going anywhere. With that in mind, I moved closer to the sleeping body. The darkness did not prevent me from seeing her Qi, which seemed to glow with a blue light from within. Reaching for her, I saw my hands.

Looking at them, I found a great similarity to her energy. Looking at myself and comparing what I saw in the girl, I came to some interesting conclusions. Yes, I had become Azula in part. Now, spiritually, we are actually twins. Her inner Qi energy had changed me, giving me not only the girl's memory, but also significantly affecting my spiritual body.

But it wasn't exactly like that. Only a small part of me had become her. Still, I had lived much longer, the scope of my knowledge was undoubtedly broader, and my character and worldview had long since settled, unlike the girl with deep mental problems. I simply absorbed everything the princess had, becoming more whole, but at the same time different. Completely different. After thinking about it and examining myself properly, I realised that I was still me. All of Azula's memory had little effect on me. Just a very detailed knowledge of someone else's life, nothing more.

Now I felt virtually no attempt by the world to dislodge me from myself. That was a definite plus, but I wanted to check something else. In fact I wanted to check a lot of things, but you have to start with the closest thing. Remembering how I'd done it before, I guide my hand to the girl's bed. The blue ghostly hand passes through the physical matter, and all I feel is a slight tingling sensation.

Great, now let's see what I can do with the girl.

With these thoughts, I simply entered the body of the princess without any obstacles. The sensations were familiar and familiar, but there was an added sense of freedom. Putting Azula to sleep, I took control of her body. It was so simple that one could only marvel at the change, or was it the experience, not the change? It didn't matter. Now her body didn't see me as something foreign. I had no problem controlling all the processes in her body, including Qi, no longer being a prisoner. That was great news.

With a snap of my fingers, causing all the lights in the room to burst into a blue flame. The room was immediately awash with colour. Getting out of bed, I walk over to the mirror, looking into the familiar face of the princess. Still beautiful. I paid no attention to the pain in my muscles. It was the consequences of the girl's too frequent workouts.

I wondered. If my control over my body has improved, why wouldn't....

With these thoughts, I bring my palms together, then slowly spread them apart. Little bolts of lightning flashed between my hands. It was easier than I thought, much easier. Conquering fire and lightning became much easier. As I thought about my actions, I realised that I was even breathing perfectly correctly, as if out of habit. I must have moved like the original Azula. Fine, just fine, but there is still so much to check.

Finished playing with magic, I put Azula's body back on the bed. Without extinguishing the lights, I step out of her body. In my spirit form, I approach the mirror. The desire to reprisal that smug bitch immediately increased by an order of magnitude! I guessed it, but I hoped until the last minute that I was wrong! But more calmly, if it happened once, surely it can be changed again. But how annoying it is to see that familiar face!

In the mirror reflection, I saw Azula's spiritual body....