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ooo. YAN QIANG spent her life in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, living quietly with her mother and father, doing her best to maintain a semblance of normalcy. But in a city where every corner was tightly controlled by the Fire Nation and the Dai Li, "normal" was a rare luxury. In this world, people from the Four Nations could manipulate the elements — water, fire, and earth — though airbending had vanished after the brutal genocide of the Air Nomads. In Ba Sing Se, only firebending was permitted, and anyone caught bending another element was swiftly arrested. A free spirit at heart, Yan longed to earthbend without fear, but the oppressive rules and constant surveillance made such freedom impossible. She also feared for her father, whose health was failing, yet who still dreamed of joining the Earth Kingdom army; Yan knew that if he left, he would never return. Though she was a daughter, not a son — according to tradition, incapable of fighting — she couldn't stand idly by. She couldn't keep hiding her earthbending ability, suppressing the call to action. One night, driven by a fierce desire to change her fate, Yan made a choice that would alter the course of her life: she stole her father's sword, disguised herself as a man, and slipped into the night to join the Earth Kingdom army.
