Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Twenty Three❃

Darkness surrounded Asake, burying her in a deep cocoon of misery and pain. Panic settled in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes wouldn't adjust to the dark, but a soft humming ran through her head. Her eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed against the hard ground, her head lolling to the side. Her bad feelings slowly dissipated, leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

A strong wind blew through, forcing her eyes to open wide. Above her, a scene played out. A woman wearing a green dress embraced a man wearing red, the woman's face full of emotion. The background blurred as the man and woman broke apart, the wind pushing them away from each other. A small phoenix spirit floated in between the two, and for some reason, Asake swore it looked straight at her.

Her faith in the Spirits had lessened considerably since her kidnapping and torture. She had believed in them with her whole heart, always trusting in their plans for her life, but this was the last straw. If the Spirits, who wanted to do right in the world, allowed Asake to go through the worst experience of her life, then what kind of Spirits were they? Did they only use those who believed in them to do their bidding and dirty work, and when they were done, just throw them to the wayside?

The phoenix spirit flapped its wings as the scene of the man and woman disintegrated into thin dust. The small frame erupted into reds, blues, and oranges, growing bigger and more grand as it drew near to Asake. A soft voice whispered, "Your mother asked me to watch over you. Asake, you must not lose your faith in the Spirits. Everything happens for a reason."

A loud buzzing noise erupted in Asake's ears. She immediately covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, curling up into a fetal position. There was some sort of pressure in her head that was growing and growing and growing. She cried out in pain as the phoenix lifted off and set out into the distance, a trail of sparks following.

Suddenly, everything went away, and Asake went weightless. She opened her eyes to see that everything around her was a bright white. She climbed to her feet and spun around, catching a glimpse of a figure further away from her. Their back was to her, so she couldn't tell who it was. Their hair was cut short and was immensely dark. The figure was wearing a red robe. She knew something was wrong with him. His movements were jerky, and he could barely move his right arm without wincing.

She wanted to reach out and make everything better, but her arms wouldn't move from her sides. Instead, Asake stared at the figure, trying to see the face crowded out by shadows, but she couldn't. And then the figure blinked out of existence, everything falling to darkness again.

"Asake," the soft and gentle voice said. "You have to wake up now."

—

Asake opened her eyes suddenly. The dreams she had slowly slipped out of her mind as she took a deep breath. Her whole body ached as she sat up, panting. Sweat rolled off of her in waves. Panic gripped her heart as she looked around the room, trying to place where she was. Zuko sat at the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands. It didn't seem like he noticed she woke up.

Running a hand over her face, she was surprised to feel raised bumps along her scalp. Her left shoulder ached, and so did the rest of her left side. She kicked her feet out of the covers, her breath coming quicker when she felt the familiar weight sitting on her chest. An oppressive air hung around them, punctuated by soft breaths coming from Zuko. Placing a hand on her chest, she sucked in a deep breath before touching his shoulder.

Zuko turned his head, and she gasped. A few claw marks traveled across his right eye, looking red and angry. Another claw mark went across the bridge of his nose. A small purple bruise settled beneath his right eye, and another one sat along the base of his jaw underneath the scar from his father. His eyes looked so tired and so sad.