Fan Fiction ❯ The Forgotten ❯ Past and Present ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I own this story concept, my characters, and the concept of Volt, Spirit, Shadow and Plant Benders. I own the idea of the Unwritten War and basically everything to do with this fanfic, except Nickelodeon, Avatar: the last Air Bender, and the characters and so forth there in.

 

 

Author's Note: In this chapter I'll explain what Siren is and a bunch of more stuff… In the next chapter you get to see what she looks like ^_^

 

Thanks to all of you who have read this far! It makes me feel special. Sweets and cookies to everyone that has at least looked at the summery! *Tosses out yummy goodies of sugary goodness. *

 

Now on with the fic!

 

 

The Forgotten

 

 

Chapter Five: Past and Present

 

“Iroh, your Mind is weak. If I had forced more images into you, I would have killed you,” stated Siren with a disapproving frown.

 

Iroh chuckled weakly as he rubbed his temple. “I had sensed that's why you stopped so suddenly. I quit training a few years after I went home. I didn't see a point in it anymore and people were asking questions. I had no intention of visiting you.”

 

“I saw. And since I am the last Shadow Bender there wouldn't exactly be someone attacking your mind or Shade… I take it you did not speak to anyone of my presence?”

 

Iroh almost shook his head, but winced and thought better of it, “No. I kept my promise… Who's the girl? Another one of your student's or something more?”

 

The Reaper's frown deepened at Iroh's question. “Not a student and not that. She's more of a charge. Fire Nation soldiers ransacked her town and killed her parents. She ran into my woods and was in distress. I protected her, healed her and took hr home. She's been here for ten years now. She had no one to go to, and stayed here.” Siren looked over at the unconscious girl. “Damn her, she's softened me.”

 

“Well, I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing, Siren. At least we know you do have a heart,” Iroh chuckled at Siren's sneer. “Careful, you're almost baring fang, Siren.”

 

Siren ignored him and her hood turned to Zuko. “He isn't yours, but he's got some similarity to you… Who is he?”

 

“My brother's son. It's a long story, one that isn't my place to tell.” Siren nodded.

 

“And from what I saw earlier I don't think that you,” she was speaking to Zuko now, “are on friendly terms with the others.”

 

“Not exactly,” he said, eyes softening slightly at her comment. He unconsciously glanced at the Air Bender before staring at the doorway.

 

“Anger, Longing, Regret… Such chaotic emotions that word has suddenly stirred. You much too young have this many emotions fighting to be dominant.” Siren's voice was soft and he looked up at her with slightly widened eyes. He watched the hood shift to look at Aang. “Hurt, and Regret… Something happened, didn't it? Both of you need to calm down, especially you Boy.”

 

Zuko glared at her. “And why is that?” he asked loudly.

 

“Because she is a Shadow Bender and that is reason enough,” stated Iroh. Zuko looked to his uncle; the old man's easy going manner had slipped since Siren had appeared.

 

“He's afraid you will anger me, Boy. Before, he would have to be worried about your safety around me, but I'm more tolerant than when he was a child. Iroh, quit confusing him, he can ask his questions if he wants.”

 

“Are all the stories of the Beast true?” blurted Sokka. He tensed as the dark hood turned to him.

 

“Some, although your people like to emphasize on the demon part. I haven't ever killed any children, and then only those adults with ill intent. There used to be women and children being slaughtered and strung up on the outer edge of my forest, sometimes the occasional male. But I was never the cause of it. There was a man killing those who annoyed and harmed him or his reputation; something was wrong with him… His Mind was chaotic and filled with imagined worms. Also his Shade had died.”

 

“So… There was a guy who went insane?” Asked Aang. Sokka, Zuko and Katara looked at him.

 

“You understood that?” Asked Katara.

 

The Air Bender nodded, “Monk Gyatso had an old friend who spoke like that.” He looked back at Siren, “He went crazy and killed all those people… And blamed their deaths on you?”

 

The Beast nodded.

 

“What about the monster? You know the Black Serpent?” asked Katara.

 

“It's a Shadow Bending trick.”

 

“I've never heard of Shadow Benders,” stated Aang.

 

“I'm the last of my kind. Most of my people were slaughtered two hundred years ago in an unwritten war. My father led the troupes into battle against the Spirit Benders. They had already wiped out the Plant and Volt Benders, and came after my people next. We were more in tune with our Bending skills than the others and defeated them. But there were barely any Shadow Benders that survived the war; then the others died of complications. My father was one of the last to fall in the war, so at least he did not suffer...”

 

“The other Benders, I've never heard of them before,” said Sokka in a disbelieving tone.

 

“I highly doubt you would have. My people mostly kept to themselves, and worked as crafters and assassins mainly. We stayed in this forest mostly; it was much larger when I was a child. Spirit Benders lived high up in the mountains, Plant Benders lived peacefully in the valleys below those wretched creatures, and Volt Benders lived in the stormy planes to the west of these woods.

 

“People could easily place Volt Benders in with the Fire Benders, but they worked with electricity, not Fire. Iroh has a little bit of Volt blood in him.

 

“Spirit Benders are easily categorized with Air Benders, but they weren't monks, nor did they share your decorative markings Air Bender. They worked with pure Energy, what my people call Shade… you call it soul or spirit; few non-Spirit Benders could see it so it was often mistaken for wind.

 

“Plant Benders were the least in tune with their gift. Their main use of it was to make barren soil fertile, so they could plant their crops and gardens. Only a small amount could summon a plant from a seed, or control plants. Plant Benders taught the Others to make medicines and remedies.”

 

“Why did the war start?” asked Zuko.

 

Siren sighed. “The Sprites, or Spirit Benders. Something happened to them… While they were incredible fighters and mostly protectors, they could be easily confused or persuaded. A man, I don't know his name or was nation he was from, came to the Sprites and began teaching and confusing them.

 

“He somehow convinced that the Healers (Plant Benders), Volts, and us Shades were evil, he even called my people demons. The Sprites were ordered to destroy all of the Healers first, and the foolishly obeyed. The man knew that if the Healers were taken first that there would be less chance for the Volts or Shades to survive.”

 

“But you said the Plant Benders were peaceful… so they wouldn't be able to aid the others very well,” interrupted Zuko.

 

“You're right. They would be more harm than good in battle. The man took them out first because if any of my people or the Volts survived they would go to the Plant Benders and be healed shortly.

 

“Second to go were the Volts. Barely any of them could control their element. It's chaotic and very disagreeable. They did a lot of damage to the Sprites, but in the end they all were mercilessly slaughtered. Then my people were next…”

 

Siren paused and sighed. “I remember the battle going on for days. I was very young and unable to fight. I knew how, but I had to stay put and protect my sister. We ran into the forest and hid from the Sprites in the shadows. Then our father ran into the clearing, this one, and the man personally killed him. He had long dark red hair and violet eyes… When my father fell my sister ran out to him, the man snapped her neck like a stick…”

 

“What did you do?” asked Katara, suddenly saddened by the story.

 

“I don't know, every thing went red, and I couldn't feel or hear… I woke in my mother's arms. She wouldn't tell me what happened but my older brother did. He said that he watched me go Berserk. I had killed the man, and the rest of the Sprites.

 

“My brother died later that day and my mother killed herself a month later. The five other Shades left me the forest and began to Wander. They went in search of survivors and a new place to live. The last one died fifty years ago.”

 

“How do you know that?” asked Aang.

 

“Before they left all six of us Bonded. It's a ceremony where our shadows become tied to one another. We can feel when one of us is hurt or dies. It is mainly done between friends, allies or mates, but in this case it was necessary,” answered Siren. “Any more dire questions, or are you willing to hold off until I catch something to eat?”

 

“You go on and hunt, Siren,” smiled Iroh.

 

Siren grunted and grabbed a cup of the dark blue liquid and handed it to him. “Here, I think you've suffered enough… If Mercy wakes and throws a fit, try to calm her down, I may not get here in time to save my house from falling down if she gets out of control again.”

 

Siren left and disappeared through the thick vegetation to the east. Iroh sighed as he drank the blue concoction with mild distaste. Immediately the headache vanished and he smiled.

 

“Were there really other Benders?” asked Zuko.

 

“Well Nephew, after seeing a Shadow Bender in person; something that until now you hadn't even imagined; you wonder if there couldn't have been others that controlled other things.”

 

“I just want to know why that man did that. I mean, what Nation was he from? Was he a Bender?” asked Katara.

 

“I've wondered about that when I first heard her story, but it seems that we will never know…” Iroh's voice trailed off and he looked over at where Mercy lay.

 

The girl was stirring.

 

 

 

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Well, this is the longest chapter so far ^_^ If you didn't understand Siren's history or anything like that let me know and I'll try to fix that. Um, I'll try not to lose the disk again and I'll work on the next chapter later. Please Review ^_^

 

Thanks for reading this far,

 

-StraitJacket