A cliff overlooking Omashu, noon.
Surrounded by her elite guards, Kaen stood at the edge of the cliff. The wind greeted her, sending strands of her long silky black hair fluttering.
Her amber eyes, usually as still as a pond, wavered as she took in the sight in front of her. A miniature moon roughly sat on one side of the gorge. Meanwhile, a significant chunk of the city was missing and is still in the middle of being rebuilt.
"That can only be his doing."
Giving one deep glance at the surreal view, she turned around and spoke to the nearest guard.
"Send someone inside the city. I need information on where the person who caused the damage went."
"Understood, Princess."
As the guards discussed how to execute their task, Kaen was left alone to herself.
She turned her head and gave one last glance at the miniature moon on the cliffs near Omashu. Her face remained stone-cold, but the slight shaking of her clenched fist gave away her true emotions.
'I'll find you. And you won't escape alive.'
***
Stepping out of the carriage several coins poorer, Ren stopped as he took in the sight in front of him.
"This is the mansion?" He asked the soldier nearest to him.
"Welcome to the Han Estate." The soldier replied with a smirk.
As the guards got off the carriage, Ren took in the sight in front of him.
The Han Estate stood atop a gently sloping hill, with high walls separating it from the Seedy Merchant's Pier below. Unlike the obstrusively bright and overly pretentious mansions of most nouveau rich traders, the estate was a perfect example of sophisticated luxury.
Ornamental towers dotted each corners of the wall, with guards stationed atop in full attention. The entrance gate was flanked by a pair of stone lion turtles, their weathered only making them more imposing.
"Follow me, please."
As the butler stepped forward, they entered through the front gate. Guards in lacquered armor stood on each side, silent and dangerous. As they entered, the courtyard came into view. Pale cherry blossoms decorated the yard, their petals drifting across the smooth flagstone paths. A koi pond was placed in the centre, surrounded by wooden walkways and shaded gazebos.
Beyond the courtyard, the main residence loomed majestically—a sprawling, multi-winged manor with arched windows, open balconies, and thick pillars supporting the upper levels. Servants moved in coordinated silence, exceedingly trained and experienced.
Before he knew it, Ren had followed the butler inside to the main hall.
In front of a dual staircase leading to the upper floors, several figures waited. As they reached closer, the butler stepped aside and gestured for Ren to go forwards.
As he did, Ren took in the current situation.
A line of guards stood in attention, spears on hand. Kneeling in front of them, gagged figures sweated in silence, as if the slightest sound would have them executed. Ren even saw the same scarred guy he saw from earlier, silent and unmoving with his head down.
"You've arrived."
A calm yet cold voice broke the silence first.
Turning to the side, Ren saw the same lass from before sitting on a table with a teacup on hand, legs crossed over the other. She was dressed in deep navy robes with silver trims, her charcoal hair pinned up with ornate combs shaped like lotus flowers. A maid proficiently refilled her cup from a pot, which the lass gracefully savoured with the demeanor of person who knew they are above everyone else.
"Quite a display you're putting." Ren replied, looking around the lavish hallway. "I must say, I'm impressed."
The lass only took a sip of her tea, not even giving him a glance.
"These people are detained directly right after the explosion. My soldiers stationed near the inn deemed them suspiscious." She began, her burning blue eyes meeting his for a moment.
"You mentioned that you saw a man placing crates around the inn before the incident. Can you confirm if that person is here at the moment?"
Hearing her words, Ren turned his eyes to the gagged individuals. Without missing a beat, he pointed at the scarred man.
"This one. He was with another one, but he's not here." He added.
The scarred man in question only raised his head. His eyes, bloodshot, met his. Ren smiled at him, and the scarred man began to let out feral sounds through his gag.
"Take him away. Get everything you can and dispose of him afterwards. Report to me when you finish." The lass emptied her cup and stood up. With her hands hidden within her sleeves, she began ascending the staircase, accompanied by a pair of maids.
"And you," she turned around and glanced at him, eyes still as cold as ever, "follow me."
As she turned around again and began walking away, Ren sighed inwardly. It should've ended here and he can just go find another inn to sleep at before leaving at sunrise. But then, he expected this much. It doesn't seem like a simple case of destruction of property. And just to his luck, he's probably going to be a part of it.
He could always just leave. He's confident enough with his prowess to just leave unscathed even if the entire state ganged on him.
But then, that's boring. He wasn't in a rush to get to Makapu Village anyway. And he remember hearing about some Feng family causing all of this. They, willingly or not, tried to kill him by bombing the inn. It's only fair that he does something back, right?
After all, this world relies to balance. Goodwill must always be repaid will goodwill, hostility works the same way.
***
The study was tucked away in the eastern wing of the estate, past several guarded corridors and beneath an intricately carved archway depicting koi circling a crescent moon.
As the maids stayed outside and closed the door of the study, Ren took in the sight of the room. It was rectangular and minimalist, with every object clearly chosen for both form and function. A wide writing desk of dark red sandalwood sat at the far end, neatly arranged with scrolls, ledgers, and an inkwell of black jade. A single ink brush stood upright, untouched, its presence mirroring the stiffness of the person who owns it.
Behind the desk, the wall was dominated by a massive silk tapestry embroidered with crashing waves and rising cranes. It fluttered gently from the draft of a cleverly hidden ventilation window.
Bookshelves lined the left wall, filled not just with classic Earth Kingdom philosophy, but merchant codes, military treatises, and even Fire Nation civil texts. Each spine was lebeled in both Earth Kingdom script and Fire Nation calligraphy. Ren had read a few of them, being a bookworm in his past life, and instantly categorized the lass as a massive nerd.
The room was dimly lit by a set of paper lanterns that cast soft amber hues across the lacquered floor. And near the centre, opposite her desk, were two chairs—one plush, one plain. She gestured toward the plain one without a word, before sitting gracefully on the plush one.
A tea set had already been prepared. Still steaming.
"So, is anything the matter?" Sitting on his designated seat, Ren spoke first.
She said nothing at first, and only served tea on both his and her cup. As she sipped her own with closed eyes, Ren waited patiently.
"I have a proposal." She spoke.
"And that is?"
"I need your help in destroying the Feng Consortium."
Ren raised an eyebrow. Not that he recognize who she's talking about—he only heard about them earlier—but he confused on why she's even asking him.
"Why me though?"
"Stop pretending, I'm aware of your identity." Her icy-blue eyes met his, as still as a pond in winter.
She broke eye-contact first and rummaged on the drawer below the desk. She took a rolled up parchment and placed it on the table.
"Ren, the Rock Devil. A mindless psychopath who kills not for the money, but for the thrill of it. Takes commisions from just about anyone, even the Fire Lord himself. The Earth Kingdom even dropped a hundred thousand gold bounty for your head." She said as she unfurled the parchment, revealing a wanted poster with a rough illustration of him.
Ren didn't speak for a moment, only staring at the parchment in silence.
As the silence continued, her eyes wavered slightly. A creeping sense of dread began to dawn within the study.
And then—
"They butchered my face. I don't look that hideous." Ren spoke, frowning at the parchment.
Her shoulders visibly lowered.
"Two hundred thousand gold." She said, putting the parchment back on the drawer. "For your help."
Ren thought for a moment.
Well, he's not against the money. He could certainly help her with what she wants to do. Besides, he's still a bit miffed about the explosion thing. He probably wouldn't be able to go to sleep if he just let such a thing go.
So what's stopping him from grabbing the deal?
Simple.
"It's a good deal but," he stared at her for a moment, "who are you, exactly?"
As much as he would like the massive amount offered to him, he can't just take it. He doesn't even know who she is. Who knows, she might just stab him in the back and reveal his whereabouts to an entire Earth Kingdom battalion. That would be manageable, but troublesome. Those blokes are incredibly hard-headed and would run after him through hell and back.
She's definitely rich, given how extravagant and large the estate is, but can she actually give that much money? It's unknown, and he has no reason to trust her yet.
Besides, it's irritating him that she knows about him, but he doesn't know anything about her at all. Not even her name, for that matter.
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she reached for the teacup in front of her, lifting it with elegance. The silence stretched just long enough to feel intentional.
"I am Xianru Han. Heiress to the Han Family." She began.
"The Han Family and the Feng Consortium had been rival merchant families for several generations now. The Seedy Merchant's Pier has been a battleground for a war in the shadows for many years."
"Two years ago, my family discovered a metal mine. We've immediately started operations, and is successful in forming a deal with the Earth Kingdom army. But just then, my father was assassinated. It was just me who remained in the main family, and the Feng Consortium monopolized that by convincing our partners to jump ship. After all, who would trust a young girl to run a massive merchant family?"
Ren was silent. The lass, Xianru, sipped her tea.
"Everyone else from the side families used the death of my father to take a piece of our riches. After two years, the current Han family is merely a shadow of what it once was. And if I did nothing, this family will be erased from history soon."
"But that's not what you want to know, is it?"
She gave him a cold smile, her icy-blue eyes peering straight at his soul.
"You want to know if I'm worth trusting. If I'm even worth your time. If you should even listen and not just ransack the place of its riches."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"I know how powerful you are. But I'm not stupid enough to just bring a threat to my house if I can't do anything about it. The Han family would've stopped existing a long time ago if that's the case."
She suddenly raised her hand, and Ren felt his stomach drop in that instant. His instincts yelled at him, but it was too late.
With a gesture of her hand, he felt his entire body move against his will. He was dragged out of his chair, and is forced to kneel on top of her desk. His arms stretched against his will on his side, and his head forcibly found itself facing her.
Like a puppet with its strings grasped by its master, Ren found himself unable to move and under her mercy.
'Thi—This is...'
Staring into her icy-blue eyes, he saw his reflection—eyes-wide, face pale, and pure dread masking his visage.
'...bloodbending.'
She stared at him, face blank.
She reached out and held his chin with her right hand. Her fingers were cold as ice, and Ren felt like his skin burned when it made contact with her.
"Who I am, mercenary, is the only reason you're still breathing. But if you're asking whether I'm someone worth trusting..."
She tilted her head with a hauntingly beautiful smile.
"Well. That depends. How much gold does trust cost these days?"