Earthly Reigns: A Prince's Retribution Against the Four Nations Ch.2 (Patreon)

I stood in the sparring ground, shirtless, with my eyes closed. My bare feet were firmly pressed into the dirt as I began to focus.

Blowing up the library had resulted in a lecture from one of the many keepers. I had destroyed the royal library and, by extension, several essential pieces of Omashu’s history. Such a thing was considered a crime of the highest order, but whenever it came time for Bumi to deliver my punishment, he told me, “Don’t cause those explosions around Flopsie; his ears are sensitive, hehe!”

I would never say it out loud, but I loved Bumi dearly.

Thus, I was let off scot-free, and now just mere minutes after escaping the lecturing library keepers, I was attempting to tap into whatever the fuck had destroyed the library.

It was powerful, and it was unstable, and because of that, I needed to know what it was. Knowledge will always be power, and what I don’t understand may end up coming to bite me in the ass later.

I clasped my hands together, slowly pulling them apart as I opened my eyes and strained my muscles. A light glow of white appeared in my hands, and I nearly lost focus upon seeing it. I continued focusing, trying my best to make it bigger and bigger.

Once I got it to a size where I was satisfied, I attempted to keep it at this size, all while inspecting it.

A white, glowing pyramid.

I didn’t know what it meant or what the hell sub-bending this could possibly be, but I knew that I had something unseen in this world, and more significant than that, I knew how to summon it.

Now, I need to figure out how to use this thing.

I looked further into the training ground at a group of giant rocks. I attempted to aim the white pyramid at it, and just as I would bend a rock, I ordered the pyramid forward.

The result was…unexpected.

The pyramid remained in its shape but was fired outward towards the rocks with the tip extending out.

*BOOM*

Upon collision, a massive explosion rang out. A blast of wind pushed against me, but I buried my feet into the earth and remained unmoving as the mighty blast died down.

As the smoke cleared, my eyes widened at the destruction I had committed. The giant rocks I had been aiming at were now gone…

Completely disintegrated from my bending.

I looked at my hands and marveled at what this meant.

I was strong! Stronger than anyone should be! To annihilate something ultimately was a feat only the most powerful of spirits possessed!

I clasped my hands together again, slowly pulling them apart as the pyramid formed much easier this time. I grinned, aiming it at another group of rocks and blasting it once more.

*BOOM*

I stood firm as the smoke cleared and grinned like a madman when I saw the same result.

Complete disintegration!

I walked over to where the rocks had once been and inspected the dirt. I had to make sure my eyes had not deceived me and that I was fully capable of erasing things from existence.

It was hard to tell, but I didn’t find any bits large enough to have broken from the mass of rocks, which means-

It was exactly what I believed it to be!

I ran out of the training ground with a massive smile. I needed to take notes! I needed to record data of what exactly was occurring whenever I used this ability-

And I knew just the person to ask.

— Bumi —

“Come, great grandfather!” Ryushi shouted with child-like excitement as he pulled the old king to the training ground.

Bumi laughed, snorting a great deal as he looked at the young boy's excited state. Such excitement was rare from Ryushi; he always tended to be more passive or uncaring about the things around him, but it put a smile on Bumi’s face to see his descendant filled with so much joy.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination, and Ryushit threw down the notepad he was carrying before walking ahead.

“Watch!”

Bumi could do nothing but that when his grandson asked him with such happiness.

“I’m watching, kek, Ryushi.”

The young tan-skinned boy planted his feet hard against the earth, locking himself in place, and Bumi realized quickly that whatever Ryushi was about to do would cause a bit of a kick-up.

The old king followed along, planting his feet firmly on the ground and crossing his arms in amusement.

That amusement quickly vanished, transforming into serious scrutiny as a pyramid made of white light formed in Ryushi’s hands.

Bumi wouldn’t claim to be incredibly spiritual, especially not as spiritual as some of the other members of the white lotus, but even he felt the pure amount of chi gathered in Ryushi’s hands.

The boy outstretched his hands, firing the white pyramid toward a group of rocks. The blast collided, and Bumi’s eye widened minutely as it exploded. A bright light overtook the sparring ground, but a life of fighting firebenders left him less affected by the light than his grandson. He watched as the stone that was hit in the pyramid of light disintegrated in live action.

Such power…

“Did you see that?!” Ryushi asked excitedly with a massive grin.

How could he not? It was unheard of to destroy things on such a scale, and more than that, it was dark.

Such power in the wrong hands could ruin the balance of this world; Bumi knew that well. Sozin was a great example of such a thing with the comet. Eradicating the Air Nomads while they wouldn’t even attempt to fight back against the mighty firebenders. Such a thing… had appeared in his grandson, but unlike Sozin, Ryushi didn’t seem to have a time limit.

“What do you think, Great-Grandfather?!” Ryushi held his hands out, looking incredibly proud of himself, but there was more to his eyes.

Pure, childlike wonder.

Ryushi didn’t think of his power as some sort of incredible force that could dominate the world; he thought of it as a cool power that was unseen in this world.

Bumi ran a hand over his face. He had been a fool and incredibly serious. It wasn’t his style, not at all.

“It was amazing!” Bumi outstretched his arms, and Rysuhi charged into them. They rarely had hugs, but this was a good time as any. “I have never seen anything like it; my grandson truly is amazing, just like his granddaddy!”

Ryushi pulled back, his blue eyes, inherited from his mother, twinkling with ideas.

“This power, I want to see what else I can do with it!”

“Well, of course! You can’t discover a new bending ability and not use it!” Bumi grinned, running his hand harshly through his grandson’s black hair.

“I’ve taken many notes…do you want to see?” The way Ryushi suddenly looked flustered warmed Bumi’s heart. “Of course, let’s take a look, shall we?”

Ryushi smiled brightly, running over to his notepad that he had thrown on the ground and picking it up before running back and handing it over to Bumi.

The King of Omashu opened the notes and read through them slowly. Within it were rough scribbles and guesses of his ability to cause such destruction to his targets, but one of his entries stood out to Bumi.

[I know not how far this bending ability destroys. Still, at the very least, its destructive capabilities affect the target at the cellular level. Perhaps it ascends even beyond that; it may affect things on the atomic level, in which case, I may have a more precise understanding of this ability. Only time will tell.]

Destroying things on the cellular level? More than that, there’s a level smaller than that? Bumi wasn’t sure how his grandson could have known such an incredible discovery to science as a whole, but that point was subjective, all things considered.

To destroy something completely was incredible, in both good and bad ways.

“What do you think?” Ryushi asked, tilting his head curiously as he looked at the notepad. “I am unsure of the full extent of this sub-bending ability, but I have a fair assumption now after further experimentation.”

“I think you’re using too many big words.” Bumi grinned, handing his grandson back his notepad. He enjoyed the deadpan that appeared on the ten-year-old’s face. “It’s good work. I don’t know everything. I may be old, but I’m not super wise or anything!” Bumi wagged a finger, and once again, Ryushi deadpaned.

His grandson was always too smart for his own good; seeing through his wackiness was something the most educated diplomats failed to do.

“Bah! Fine! You want a real answer?” Bumi asked, earning a quick nod from the child. “I think you may be on the right track. I won’t claim to know everything, but even I understand that your ability allows you to destroy anything completely. I’d like to see how these abilities come along, and more than that, I want you to keep it a secret.”

Bumi had grown serious with his last request. Should such power be discovered, the fire nation would either attempt to recruit him or more than likely, kill him.

“...I planned on it.” Ryushi nodded. “But there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Go on ahead, you know I won’t bite, kek!”

“...I-I want to join the Earth Kingdom’s Army!”

— Chapter End —