Avatar: shackled earth

Pain had a voice, it whispered in Tomo's ear, curled around his limbs, coiled deep in his bones. It was no longer just an enemy; it was a parasite, sinking its hooks into him and thriving in his suffering.

He couldn't remember how long he had been here. Minutes? Hours? Days?

The room was a cycle of agony, Kael's voice cutting through the haze like a blade.

"You're still glaring at me." Kael sounded amused.

Tomo was glaring. Through the blood clouding his vision, through the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him, he still looked at Kael with nothing but hate.

Kael crouched beside him, studying his face. "I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed. I thought you'd be screaming by now."

Tomo's breath came in sharp, uneven gasps. His body was drenched in sweat, his muscles spasming involuntarily, but his jaw remained clenched. His body might have been bound, but his mind—his rage—refused to bow.

Kael clicked his tongue. "Still so stubborn."

Then he jammed his thumb into Tomo's open wound.

A sound ripped from Tomo's throat—half snarl, half scream. His body convulsed violently against the restraints as fire exploded in his thigh, white-hot and merciless.

Kael didn't stop. He pressed deeper, digging into torn muscle like he was testing the depth of a wound. "You're fascinating, you know that?" he murmured. "All this fury, and yet… you're still so weak."

Tomo's nails dug into his palms, his breath coming in choked gasps. He wanted to rip Kael apart. Tear his throat out.

But he couldn't move.

He was powerless.

The realization clawed at his mind, like nails against glass.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Kael continued, his voice smooth, casual. "Thinking about what you wish you could do to me. If only you had more time. More strength. More power."

Tomo's vision blurred. His limbs trembled. A strange sensation curled at the edges of his mind—a flicker of something unnatural, something wrong.

The air shifted.

Kael pulled back slightly, watching him closely. His eyes gleamed with interest.

"Ahh," he murmured, tilting his head. "That's new."

Tomo barely heard him.

His breath felt wrong in his lungs. Like he was breathing too much. Like the air was too thick.

His chest rose and fell too fast, his pulse too loud in his ears.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It was deafening. Overpowering. His senses were unraveling, spiraling into something unfamiliar.

He blinked, and suddenly, the room was too dark.

No—no, the torches were still burning, the light was still there, but the shadows—

The shadows were crawling.

Tomo's heart slammed against his ribs. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to breathe. It's not real. It's not real.

A soft chuckle.

"Ohh," Kael breathed, leaning forward. "I see what's happening now."

Tomo forced his eyes open.

Kael was smiling.

"You're breaking."

The words sent a violent shudder through Tomo's body.

"I thought you'd last a little longer," Kael admitted, feigning disappointment. "But it makes sense. You were already cracked, weren't you?" He tilted his head, thoughtful. "It's that massacre, isn't it? That little pile of corpses is still stuck in your head."

Tomo's breath hitched.

Kael grinned.

"I can see it in your eyes." He tapped a finger against Tomo's temple. "That same look. That same emptiness I've seen in every poor bastard who watches something they couldn't stop."

He leaned in, voice barely above a whisper.

"You're just a helpless little boy, drowning in ghosts."

Tomo lunged.

He didn't think. Didn't care that his body was barely holding together. His rage surged forward like a storm, raw and untamed.

The air rippled.

It was small—barely noticeable—but Kael felt it.

The grin vanished.

Then it returned, slow and sharp.

"Interesting," Kael mused. "Very interesting."

He stood abruptly, stretching his arms. "I was going to let you rest for a bit. But now?" His eyes gleamed. "Now I want to see what happens if I push you."

Ariya, silent until now, jerked against her chains. "Kael, you son of a—!"

Kael turned lazily toward her. "Oh? Do you finally want a turn?"

He reached for the branding iron heating in the brazier.

Sho clenched his fists as Kael raised the branding iron.

This wasn't war. This wasn't discipline. It was cruelty, pure and simple.

He had fought in battles, burned villages, followed orders without question. But standing here, watching this—he couldn't shake the feeling that this was wrong. Kael wasn't trying to maintain order. He was enjoying himself.

"Hold still now," Kael murmured, his voice sickly sweet. The brand glowed red-hot in his hand.

Sho exhaled sharply. He should stop this. He should say something. But if he did, Kael would turn his sadism on him instead. He had seen what happened to Fire Nation soldiers who showed weakness.

He wasn't a coward. But he also wasn't stupid.

"This is unnecessary," he muttered instead, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kael smirked. "Then don't watch."

Sho forced himself to look away.

Tomo's entire body seized as Kael lifted the iron. His breath came in quick, ragged bursts.

No. No, no, no—

The iron pressed against Ariya's ribs.

Ariya screamed.

Tomo's vision blacked out for a second.

Then came the smell.

Burning flesh.

His stomach lurched.

Ariya's body was shaking violently, her head bowed, teeth bared in a snarl, but her voice was raw—shredded from the pain.

Kael pulled the iron away, admiring his work. "Beautiful," he murmured. "Now, let's try it again."

Tomo snapped.

The air howled.

It lashed out without warning—small, uncontrolled bursts that sent dust spiraling and rattled the chains in the room.

Kael's eyes widened for half a second.

Then he grinned.

"There it is," he whispered.

Tomo didn't hear him. He was gone.

His mind cracked—splintering apart like shattered glass. The shadows moved again. Crawling. Whispering. He couldn't breathe.

No, he was breathing too much.

Too fast.

A face—a child's face—stared at him from the darkness. Half-buried in blood-soaked dirt. Its mouth opened.

Tomo screamed.

The sound was raw, animalistic, ripped from his soul. His body convulsed violently, his vision flickering, warping. The refugees—he could see them—

Kael's laughter cut through the chaos. Tomo barely registered it. His mind was unraveling, slipping into something dark.

Something endless.

And Kael?

Kael was watching.

Amused.

Fascinated.

"Yes," Kael murmured, stepping closer. "Let's break you properly."