Chapter 8: The Mirror of the Mind

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The sun was going down a sullen red, the last rays of warmth passing over Kintsugi's body as she rested beneath the hollow she had created from an old birch tree. 

She felt no connection to it, any resemblance it had to the ones in the Earth Kingdom were meaningless without the life she felt in them when she was in her world. The villager's world.

It was small, but it only needed to fit her. With a thin layer of dirt and brush for cover, she closed her eyes to sleep.

She had managed to dig herself a home with a move of her hand a few miles off from the Hyuuga clan's side entrance and was now grabbing her sides as she laughed silently. She knew she was taunting them. But it was a closer walk to the BBQ than any other entrance. If they only looked, perhaps they could find. 

It wasn't long until the fun had died down when she started to frown.  

The sun was out of sight, but it was on the nights she camped, as the sun came down, that she wished she could see or sense more than just the difference between light and dark. 

It was on the nights she camped, that she remembered the City of Gao Ling.

It was on the nights she camped, that she remembered the City of Gao Ling

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"Turn around!" a person in the crowd yelled at her as violent hands reached for her own.

She was scared and she was lonely. She was far from anyone she knew.

Rough hands wrapped cords around her wrists, the stray frays stinging her skin as she walked forward in panicked silence. Rashaan had told her to stay in bed, but she hadn't listened. 

She had wanted to practice blood bending with her eel hound and with practice she had begun to sense things around her. She just wanted to see.

That desire had brought her to where she was now. Squished among a crowd and yet so alone on a lovely night in Gao Ling. 

"But...but, you told me you could help me get better," warm tears ran down her face as she spoke. 

"Eh?! Help you? We've been watching you, you know," A woman's voice rang out.

"Yeah! We've seen you controlling all those eel hounds."

"You're no Avatar, you're a monster!" 

She felt pain on her cheek, though she wasn't sure if it was from the salt in her tears covering the wounds she had from practice that morning or the slap she had received from one of the villagers.

She turned in the direction of the voices, so many voices all yelling, all crying, all scared, of her. She hadn't hurt anyone and yet they were afraid. She felt it in their spirits. 

They had seen her at the temple. Each night observing, disgusted with her and at what she could do.

"I...I won't hurt anyone," she spoke brokenly.

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