The bright light disappeared!
My vision gradually returned to my eyes. The colored spots slowly cleared, and I began to see all the colors of the world. Water… blue and transparent. Beyond it, a sandy bottom littered with shells and various pebbles, and… legs. My own legs with pale skin! Seeing them, I flexed my toes in disbelief, feeling the sand shift. I have legs and arms! They are beautiful, as is the pale skin without any hint of a flaw. Oh, how intoxicating it is to be alive again. These feelings… better than any alcohol. Surely, in all other respects, the great spirit did not let me down, providing a body close to the ideal, exactly as I requested. I feel great strength in my new muscles. Clenching my fingers into a fist a few times, I listened to the sensations. The body was simply full of energy and power, including spiritual energy. How pleasant all of this is. This water, this sand, this air!
— Yoaru?
I am breathing?! I did not even notice the fact that my lungs were working. To behold the reflection of my new body, perfectly tailored to my desires, was indescribable. And what I saw greatly pleased me. Finishing my inspection of my hands, I focused my gaze on the reflection. Glowing golden eyes, long wavy black hair that reached almost to my lower back. The perfectly symmetrical face exuded aristocratic blood. Most of my face was hidden by bangs that reached almost to my chin. And, of course, the muscles—yes, they are there. I am not as huge as Berkrout, but far from a weakling; something in between. I look like a well-fed calisthenics enthusiast. To say that I liked what I saw is a major understatement. Now I am simply sex!
And what is this? While I was examining my reflection, my eyes stopped glowing gold. Gradually, they dimmed until they changed their color to amber. Not bad. I even like this better. Glowing eyes would definitely attract too much attention to my person.
— Yoaru?!
Hm? Lifting my eyes, I immediately found the source of the sound. Because of the intoxicating feelings of the human body, I did not immediately recognize Azula's voice. She, along with Ty Lee and Mai, was now attentively inspecting the new me, while Misu was happily hugging her little brother. Why are they so tense? As if they are ready for a fight. Did they not recognize me? And they are right! As a ghost, I looked completely different!
— Yes, Azula? — Oh, is that my voice? In shock and disbelief, I even carefully began to feel my lips and throat. My voice is so confident, bassy, with a great deal of charisma and a certain cunningness. I definitely enjoy being alive again!
— Is that really you? — the princess asked in a strained voice, drawing my attention again.
— What a silly question? Are you so shocked by my beauty that you did not recognize me? — I sighed with feigned sadness. — You are breaking my heart.
— You look different, — wow, such tension, I feel like she is about to launch an attack; perhaps I should not test her combat skills right now.
— Of course I look different, — I spread my arms wide, not denying the obvious. — I was given a chance to choose my appearance, and naturally, I chose very fastidiously. Do you like it? — I slowly turned around, allowing the ladies to examine all of me from every angle. — For the most part, I chose based on the concepts of beauty among the Fire Nation people.
— Pfft, wipe that smug grin off your face, — the princess scoffed. — It is annoying.
— Oh, you will have to put up with it, — in response, I just smiled even wider. — I am too happy and emotional. After all, this day is my new birthday. How can I not be jumping for joy?
— Pfft, — Azula snorted, crossed her arms over her chest, and inquired: — How much longer are you going to stand in the water? Stop it. The spirit might get angry at such insolent actions from you, and you might catch a cold. You are a living person now; do not forget that if you do not want to become immaterial again. And I think we were a bit wrong about the clothing size. — She finished, glancing at the backpack with the selected clothes. Since I did not know what my measurements would be, the clothes were chosen to be sure to fit my body.
— Yes, I will still have to get used to the new body. And Zula, thanks for your concern; the water in the lake is indeed cool. But first, I want to check something, — with these words, I effortlessly lit a flame in my hand, happily admiring the beautiful dance of the fire. What an unusual feeling…
— Blue? — the princess and the other girls were surprised. Even Rafa and Misu paid attention to me, slightly surprised by the unusual color of the flame.
— From you, my dear, — I answered the unspoken question. That is right, my skills and bending power were preserved, or rather, fully transferred from Azula. Hah, it is impossible to consider me defenseless now, as fire will always be with me. And I have not even checked my other combat skills in hand-to-hand combat and with cold steel.
— Do not call me that, especially in front of strangers, — the girl retorted disapprovingly.
— I promise nothing, — with a little effort, I pretended to blow Azula a kiss. Using firebending, I released a flame from my mouth, giving it the shape of a heart. The blue little heart slowly floated through the air, from my side directly toward Zula, who was taken aback by my actions.
— Humph! — With a smooth flick of her wrist, the heart was scattered into the wind in front of the girl. — Still clowning around, come out already, do not keep everyone waiting, — Azula replied to me with a barely noticeable hint of embarrassment.
In principle, she is right. I would, of course, like to swim, but doing something like that in the great spirit's lake is still foolish. I will have to endure and wait for a better moment to enjoy life. Overcoming my whims with willpower, I headed toward the shore. Every step was pleasant. The resistance of the water, the loose sand, and even the feeling of gravity—how I missed all of this!
— Oh! Whoa! You know, I am completely satisfied with Yoaru's new appearance, — blushing deeply, Ty Lee stared at me fixedly. Following her gaze, I instantly found the reason for the girl's embarrassment.
— Ahem-ahem, — Mai cleared her throat, turning her side to me. However, my sharp gaze managed to catch a slight blush on her perpetually calm face. She, too, was not left indifferent by the sight of my "sword."
— That is… — Azula spoke, not taking her intense gaze off my appendage. — Ahem, did you also ask the spirit to make it so large? — the girl said with embarrassment, forcing herself to look away.
— Of course, ahem-ahem-hehe, — I barely held back my laughter at their flustered appearance, covering it with a cough.
Yes, such a reaction to a man, although handsome, is somewhat strange. However, I expect too much from them. They are young girls in the prime of puberty. Most likely, they have rarely, if ever, seen naked men. Their minds are simply not hardened by the vast amount of porn that floods the internet of my past world. And bodies full of hormones react accordingly. There was nothing surprising about their embarrassment. By the way, Ty Lee was the only one who did not look away. The kind sisters had enlightened the girl about many things. I even became curious about what she was thinking about right now with such a focused gaze.
— You know Misu, I have a wish of my own for the Mother of Faces, — Misu's brother suddenly said, thoughtfully shifting his gaze from me to the lake. Hah, I think I know what he will wish for from the Mother of Faces at the next change of seasons.
— Rafa!!! — his sister exclaimed indignantly. — You just got your voice back, and you are already talking nonsense! Life teaches you nothing! Next time…
Not listening to their family squabble, I calmly stepped onto the shore. Ty Lee shyly handed me the backpack, and I finally stopped embarrassing the young maidens with my naked appearance. But the impressions left still made their cheeks red. Lee even giggled quietly on the side while I was getting dressed. The other girls remembered their manners and turned away, giving me the opportunity to calmly cover my naked body.
— I am done. We can return to the camp, but first, — I took a couple of steps toward the foreigners, — Rafa, Misu, I am curious, what will you do now that you have succeeded? Will you return home, or…
— Uh? — Rafa replied distractedly, scratching the back of his head. — I do not know, any ideas? Sister?
— Oh, I do not know what to say, — Misu replied uncertainly. — So much time has passed since we left our native Tribe. We have probably been forgotten, presumed dead. I did not plan that far ahead, but one thing I know for sure, I do not intend to go back home, — the waterbender finished in a confident voice, leaving no possible hint of a chance to change her mind.
— Then where should we go? — the brother asked, turning to his sister.
These two are pretty good people. I think I will help them out a bit.
— You could stay in this nice place. Take up animal husbandry or become a farmer, if you are lucky, maybe even an actor. You just need to change your clothes, and you will easily pass for locals. Azula will be happy to help you with that, — I pulled the approaching Azula to my side.
— Hey! Do not decide for me! — the princess immediately protested.
— Thank them, and tonight I will thank you, — I whispered in her ear in an affectionate tone, catching the intense gaze of her golden eyes. Ugh, so much indignation in her look. Now she has collected herself; I will not be able to embarrass her anymore, but this is not the first day of my new life.
I did not have to persuade the princess for long. After a little thought, Azula decided to help the foreigners with documents, housing, and work, settling them in Hira'a. A kind of gesture of gratitude for helping the imperial personage. However, I saw that her indignation was purely for show, as if to say: I do not obey you. How sweet. Having discussed this matter, our squad headed back to the city. And, of course, on the way to the city, one energetic person did not stop asking me about the changes that had occurred.
— Yoaru, why did you look like Azula's close relative before?
— We are strongly connected. I will tell you the details of that connection later, if she does not mind, — I answered the acrobat calmly, glancing at the princess. She, like the others, was eavesdropping on our conversation, which turned out to be somewhat one-sided. Lee asks questions, I answer, and then again and again. In this manner, we moved along the overgrown road through the jungle.
— And why were your eyes glowing, and now they have stopped?
— Chakras and spiritual energy. I suppose my eyes will glow every time I strain my body and chakras while firebending, — I explained my theory to the girl, which I will still have to back up with facts. However, this is not such a unique feature. I remember, especially strong firebenders had this characteristic when demonstrating very complex bending techniques.
— And why did you choose this particular appearance? No, I like everything, it is just that now we will have to protect you! — now I genuinely did not understand what she was talking about.
— Protect? Me? I do not think so, — I replied to Lee with a smirk, mentally planning a training session to check all my skills. And I have enough of them; I will have to thank Azula again for all of this.
— Yes, yes! That is exactly right! — Lee spoke with even more emotion, actively gesturing with her hands and nodding her head. — A huge number of girls will want a fiancé like you!
— Oh! So that is what you meant. Do not worry, you will always stand out among everyone else! — Unable to resist the girl's cuteness, I pulled Ty Lee close to me, immediately tousling her hair. How pleasant it is. And what a scent. Nice…
— Why are you all silent? — the girl in my arms cast a worried look at the others. — Do you not want to ask him about something? — she tried to break free, but I would not let her.
Let them watch and envy, although I could have hugged Azula too, but she is too shy to show her feelings in public. All she can do is drill us with a tense, angry look, in the depths of which jealousy mixed with envy was clearly visible. Perhaps Lee felt something, since she suddenly wanted to distance herself from me, but I did not allow it.
— I do not care, — Mai replied without any extra emotion, not even looking at us.
— I have enough of your questions, and there will be more time, — Azula replied with a hint in her voice, not stopping her meaningful glances, first at me, then at Ty Lee.
— Tell me, Yoaru, was it painful?…
Engaged in conversation with my beloved girl, I did not notice how quickly time passed. We met with the rest of the squad, after which we headed to the city, overcoming the jungle without any problems or encounters. The soldiers did not ask unnecessary questions when they saw me. Azula simply said she would explain everything a little later and to all her subordinates at once. How convenient it is to be the lover of an imperial personage.
True, just before the city itself, upon leaving the thicket of the forest, something made me turn around. At that moment, I saw a fox's snout staring straight at me from the jungle growth. Ari, once again, reminded me of her presence, making me flinch. Assuring myself that my pause went unnoticed by anyone, I calmly caught up with the squad. A nasty fox, but no matter, I will find a way to deal with you too!
Once in the city, Azula helped the brother and sister with their problems. They became happy farmers, as well as full-fledged residents of the Fire Nation. This happened quite quickly. Ty Lee and I were looking for suitable clothes at the time. Alas, the city was quite small; good and, most importantly, quality clothes were simply not available here, but we managed to find at least something that was my size, and when we returned, Azula was just finishing solving all the foreigners' problems.
Watching my princess accept words of eternal gratitude from Rafa and Misu, I understood: Azula no longer had demons inside.
***
One day later.
Sunrise. The dock. Princess Azula's personal ship.
Currently, on the frigate, among the military and most of the princess's crew, the daily morning muster procedure was taking place. The soldiers were waiting for the captain to conduct another inspection of the crew and begin asking about the completion of assigned tasks, while simultaneously issuing new orders to the subordinates. Everything was usual, routine; every soldier and every other crew member present at the morning muster had seen this scene countless times. However, this morning muster was unusual. One of the last people to emerge onto the main deck was Princess Azula herself and an unknown man accompanying her.
No, she had occasionally been present before, and even commanded the muster personally, but this was very rare, and for the crew, it meant only one thing… something important was about to happen. And so it was. The morning muster began: reports, new orders, and other routine things. The soldiers listened silently and carried out the orders without asking unnecessary questions. And then, when it was time for the command to disperse, the princess brought up the topic that was on everyone's mind.
— And the last piece of news for today. During the inspection of this region, I discovered a promising talent missed by the military and other firebending masters. Meet Yoaru. — A slight nod toward the stranger standing next to her. — He is now my protégé and student. He will accompany me everywhere I deem his presence necessary. The muster is now concluded. Dismissed!
The soldiers dispersed to carry out orders, take up duties, and attend to their work on the ship. Meanwhile, the thoughts of most of them revolved around the unexpectedly appearing student of the princess, who looked somewhat older than his master. And then it was dinnertime. A large crowd of soldiers gathered in the mess hall. Naturally, they quietly began to discuss the new topic of the day, gossiping about their princess.
— I am telling you, he is no student; he is just a lover. I am sure he is nothing special! Did you see his looks? I doubt that softy has ever held a sword in his life. No scars, no beard, just a young lad whose face caught the eye of our Lady, — a man of solid age expressed his dissatisfaction.
— I doubt that. That is not our Lady's style. It is hard to believe that she would fall for the cute face of some ragamuffin from the slums, — one of his friends sitting at the table replied to him.
— And I heard she is only interested in girls, — the youngest of their company said.
— Ugh, how disgusting.
— Vile, — the others immediately responded with negativity.
— But I am curious, how did they meet? And how did the unknown man manage to impress our princess? — another man joined the conversation.
— Who knows. What is it? Is jealousy gnawing at your heart? — his comrade teased him with a smirk.
— A little, — the envious man admitted without shame. — After all, our Lady is a stunning beauty.
— Yes, but she has problems with her temper, — his friend reminded him. — Although lately, she has become less strict.
— The ideal is unattainable.
— Chen, you have duty on the main deck, do you not? — meanwhile, a completely different conversation was taking place at another table.
— Yes, why? — Chen replied, drawing the attention of his comrade, Li.
— Do you want to swap with me? My duty starts the day after tomorrow. I want to take a look at this Yoaru.
— Hmm, sure. We will settle up later, Li.
— Thanks, I owe you one, — Li replied with a smile, mentally considering that he needed to find out as much as possible about the new face near the princess. The Fire Lord would surely be interested in any information concerning this Yoaru.
While the soldiers in the mess hall were discussing the latest events, somewhere amidst the ice of the South Pole, a bald monk awaited his awakening...
***
The translation of all chapters has been completed. There are no more chapters. And honestly, whether there will be a sequel is also questionable.
No, the author is doing well and continues writing, but he still hasn't continued Azula.
Overall, it's sad.
Take care!