Behind the Flames .:H2OVanoss:.

.:Chapter 2:.

          When was the last time Jonathan had the right feeling about something? He didn't even know himself. However, what he did know, was that this feeling of uncertainty was occupying every second of his thoughts, driving him to near punch a hole in a wall.
          He sped down the stone roads under the warmth of dawn's dewy glow. Upon entering the wide open area that marked the center of town, he noticed a difference in the large metal sign that stood in the middle of the clearing. Usually, very few are inclined to read the outside messages- but this time, it was crowded by anxious civilians. Not only that, but there were many Fire Nation soldiers standing around, ignoring the panic and chaos the island natives were causing.
"Jonathan!" He heard the distressed call from behind, and turned to greet one of his best friends, Luke. "Did you hear the news?!" His dark brown and amber eyes reflected with worry.
          "Is it about Avatar Roku?" He asked back.
          "Ya- well, yes and no, a little of both!" He threw his hands on top of Jonathan's shoulders, startling him. "Avatar Roku was killed two days ago by the volcano! Not only that, last night three Fire Nation ships landed on the beach and put up posters, warning us that the island was now a part of the Fire Nation's expansion across the world! Also, a lot of people are going to be banned from the island!" He spoke it all in a single breath.
          Jonathan choked on his own, trying to respond as Luke shook him vigorously. "W-wait! What d-does this m-m-mean for th-the island?!"
"I don't know, but with Avatar Roku dead, Fire Lord Sozin will have the power to expand his empire as far as he wishes! And the next Avatar can't even stop him, it probably isn't even born yet!"
          As Jonathan's mind whirled, he was unaware of the sudden cluster of people around him. Looking up, he saw his friends surrounding him in panic, tossing around questions or predicting what would become of them. Through the crowd Jonathan's eyes subconsciously flew back to the sign in the middle of the square, and to the guards around it.
          Rattling his head were questions like, 'What if we die?', 'What if the fire nation kills all the non fire benders?', 'Will we never be able to leave the island?', and 'Why is this happening? Now, of all times, why did it happen now?!'. Clutching his chest, he finally understood that anxious feeling from last night.

          Six hours passed. It was a little after noon, the day was nearing its hottest, and there were more people crowding the center of town than any other part of the island. People were panicking, throwing insults at the foreign guards, who stood without any acknowledgement to them at all. Jonathan sat next to Evan, Luke, and the rest of the gang on a large stone slab along the outskirts of the open area. They surveyed the discord in silence, jumping at any sudden noise.
          "Woah, hey, look over there!" Jonathan turned at the sound of Evan's voice, following his pointed finger towards the tussle of a large, heavily armored soldier and an even bigger, angrier islander. The guard took multiple steps away from the man, raising his arms defensively without a word, while the larger man yelled profanities. The native suddenly thrusted his fist into the ground, chopping the stones beneath his feet into large chunks. One by one, the stones rose into the air and remained afloat until the man's muscular calf round kicked them towards the foreigner.
          The soldier said nothing and was quick to retaliate, flipping on his feet and springing out of the way, dragging behind him a large metal whip that suddenly burst to life with electricity. The native's eyes went wide and he stepped back carefully.
          "Do not threaten the Soldiers of the Fire Nation! We will not hold back!" Another enemy soldier spoke for the one with the whip. The larger civilian quickly brought the earth up from beneath him, launching himself out of the way of the sizzling explosion. By now all the people of the town gathered by to watch the fight go down. Even a few Fire nation guards began to run over to assist their fellow soldiers.
          "Sir, stand down, or we will have to restrain you!" One of the approaching guards shouted as flames burst from his fists. The native had his hands in a brawling position, but he hesitated due to the many outnumbering him. Slowly and humiliatingly, he lowered them.
"Good. Hopefully in the future you all will learn a little self control and respect. Once the Commander gets here, the new laws will be laid down, and all of you must obey! Or there will be terrible consequences!" A soldier smirked as the earth bender spat in his direction. The quiet man with the whip and the other fire benders turned away from him, chuckling to each other like nothing had happened at all. Jonathan could see the earth bender grind his teeth angrily.
          "You do not own us, you have no right to tell us what to do!" A man from the crowd screamed, surging into the air, spinning and releasing a huge razor of wind from the tip of his staff. The guards were rammed back by the powerful gust, flying high off their feet and landing face first in the dirt.
           The air bender landed next to the earth bender, bravely defying their opposers with a shout, "I will not stand aside and watch this happen! The Island of Unity exists to be a beacon of peace between nations! Do not let it lose that name! No nation should overpower another, the Avatar forbade it!!"
          The air bender received many shouts of agreement. Even some Jonathan's friends got to their feet and cheered the man on. Jonathan himself stood after a moment, adrenaline mustering up his courage to shout against the guards and take the side of freedom.
          "Take you and your filthy servants and get off our island!" The Earth bender chimed in as more islanders took a stand behind him, pushing the fire benders back.
          "Get the hell out!!"
"Leave us!"
"Scram, you cowards!" The people of the island pushed towards the soldiers. The fire benders, however, stood still as statues despite the protests against them.
          "You cannot disobey the Fire Lord! He will end all who oppose him!" One of them shouted bravely.
           The crowd roared, now throwing rocks or other elements at them, driving them back until they were cornered against the walls of the nearby buildings. Jonathan fidgeted in his seat, guilt crawling up his spine. This was wrong, he shouldn't be sitting here watching, he should be helping his people fight!
          He looked down at Evan, who still sat next to him with an unreadable look on his face, as if he was in really deep conflict. Without asking if he wanted to join, Jonathan leapt forward and ran towards the gathering, picking up a stone and standing proudly alongside the earth bender in the front.
          "Go back to the dead lands from whence you came!" The air bender picked up a large stone, preparing to throw it.
          All of a sudden, a bright blue light flashed the crowd. Loud snaps and crackles popped in Jonathan's ears, scaring him out of his wits. Then everybody went deathly silent. Nobody moved, save for the air bender with the rock in his hands. Time seemed to slow as Jonathan's eyes trailed up to the man- just as his body tumbled to the floor. The rock rolled out of his hands as smoke streamed from his face, which was now nothing but a boiling mess of flesh and blood.
          "W-what the hell?!" The earth bender leapt away from the body. Jonathan dropped his stone immediately. The once living man in front of him was slowly paling, drilling an image into his mind that he could never unsee.
"Such a shame. He showed potential, for an air bender." A shadow slithered behind the smoke. "However, my soldiers were right," a man in all black and red fire nation armor stepped into view, revealing a face that has seen at least thirty or forty years, unshaven with a spiky dark brown beard and mustache, with bright hazel and amber eyes that could melt your skin. A scar ran from his right cheek all the way down his neck, possibly going even further down his torso. "Those who oppose the Fire Lord should be put to death."
He grinned sinisterly as he raised a fist. Tiny static bolts leaked from his fingertips and spiraled up his arms, jumping the crowd back with a nervous gasp.
           "Listen to your Commander!" A soldier spat at a group of panicking people.
           "Y-you are not in charge of us! We have lived here without a ruler or belonged to any nation for generations- you cannot take that freedom away! You will shatter the truce the Avatar built-" The earth bender shouted.
            "You are foolish," The Commander snickered. "I can take away much more than just your freedom." The man smirked, slid a foot back, taking yet another fighting stance. He breathed deeply, focusing his energy into the slowly building lightning bolt that danced around his fingers.
As he did, the beat of Jon's heart and the heat from the static caused him to tremble. The commander's face glowed from the bright blue light, casting a horrifying shadow before him. His eyes revealed a demon that sucked the very soul from Jonathan's being. The earth bender was no better than Jonathan- he stepped back, teeth clenched, his face reading nothing but rage and fear for his life.
          Then, everything went silent, save for the soft exhale from the lightning bender, and the bolt was set free. Like a dragon's roar as it struck down its prey, he whipped his body forward, extending an arm in a fluid motion, giving his living weapon a path to its destined target- the earth bender next to Jonathan.
          There was no time to react. In less than a heartbeat, a flash of white and cyan consumed all of Jon's vision. Then, a sound so loud he thought he would be crushed beneath its weight, his ears crying into a ringing chaos, like a thousand needles being plunged into his eardrums and sewn through his skull.
           He couldn't feel anything but a ghostly numbness, like a supernatural being with fingers of fire and ice dragging his unmoving body to hell. He couldn't scream, he couldn't move, he just let his body tumble into the churned up stones and dirt that once had a form beneath his feet.
          Moments passed before his eyes exploded into the light of the real world. He was choking, unable to breath as the world faded in and out. He felt his hands trying to cover a part of his face that stung like it had been ripped off and nailed back on. His lungs screamed for air, only arable to swallow a thick, wet substance that continuously oozed down his throat.