Shisui took a step back from Koh, breathing heavily. It wasn't because he was tired; it was because he was fed up with just how resilient Koh was. Perhaps it had something to do with its insectoid form.
The sage clenched his fists and slammed them together. A thin layer of water covered his body and shimmered constantly, healing the burns he'd suffered from the hot steam and the muscle tears he'd sustained from straining his muscles.
Koh lay sprawled on the stone floor, its many legs scattered everywhere along with pieces of its carapace and shattered masks, all of which had been shattered by Shisui's fists.
A shimmering liquid oozed from its wounds as if it were blood. The spirit was worn down, both physically and mentally. Several ice spears were embedded in its flesh, trapping it in the hallway and preventing it from moving or escaping.
Koh's current face was that of a dark-skinned woman. Her expressionless appearance stood in stark contrast to the gasps of pain the entity emitted. It had been beaten to a pulp! No one had ever dared to reduce it to such a state before!
Not even Avatar Kuruk, who wanted to kill it, had dared to harm it so much since he had to consider his mother's opinion, the Mother of Faces. But Shisui didn't care who it was or where it came from.
The Sage was clearly determined to kill it! Koh finally understood what despair was. He, who had so often inflicted that feeling on others, both human and spirit, was now experiencing it himself.
And it hated it. Koh tried to stand on its remaining legs, but the movement caused the spears in its body to hurt more. Several ice discs were fired, severing the remaining limbs.
"Who told you that you could move, you disgusting bug?" Shisui didn't care if centipedes were insects or not, or if Koh had anything to do with those creatures. He simply didn't like this spirit, which had been clear for a long time.
"There's something I hate very much, something you spirits are all too accustomed to. I hate possession. You have no idea how much I hate it. I also hate mind control and everything related to it. But there's something else I hate: when you play with people's essence, whether it's their soul or spirit.
Koh, I hate that you steal faces. I hate the meaning of your name and your existence. I hate you and everything you represent in this world. Shisui's intensity grew with every word he spoke. His footsteps echoed in the stone hallway, terrifying the entity, which had never felt fear before.
Yes, it used fear to steal the faces of others, but it hadn't experienced fear itself. Shisui made it feel fear through sheer force. The Sage stood over Koh's head and stomped on it hard, causing cracks to form in the rock.
"I have severe trauma regarding everything I hate. I have been influenced by a higher power. I have technically been possessed by that power, and my essence was lost with every second that the power acted upon me.
I dare not think of that phenomenon. There was a time when I, a Waterbender, was afraid of the moon. I pray every night that the night will not be illuminated by a soft crimson glow," Shisui whispered. His voice echoed throughout the hallway.
Koh didn't understand what 'force' Shisui was talking about since he knew a certain being in the spirit world wasn't as powerful as Shisui claimed. It also had nothing to do with the moon.
However, the spirit could understand that pure, unadulterated hatred. Had Shisui been a spirit, he would have likely drawn in the influence of Vaatu released into the atmosphere. It was surprising to learn that Shisui's spirit was excessively pure yet harbored such an intense negative emotion.
If it knew that Shisui was constantly purifying himself, it would understand this situation. But no one was willing to say a word to Koh, whose expression kept changing as the Sage pinned him to the ground. Yet he wasn't about to give up.
"Well, we all have things we hate," the spirit began, but Shisui stepped down harder, causing Koh to groan in pain. Yet, it still wasn't going to let things end there.
"But you can't do anything against me, Sage Shisui. I'm a spirit with some standing in the spirit world. You don't care who I am or who my mother is, but have you thought deeply about what I represent?
You could say I'm on my way to becoming one of the aspects of death!" the entity shouted. Inside, it was somewhat terrified since it had dragged an important being from the spirit world into this. But it had to convince Shisui, or it would truly perish here.
"Huh? Are you telling me that your face-stealing is a crucial step in the cycle of death? Are you kidding me?" The Sage grew angrier and angrier, and finally decided to end it all rather than prolong the torture.
Shisui reached out to touch Koh's hard shell and felt the cracks he had caused with his attacks. Suddenly, the air temperature dropped sharply, and a small icicle began to form in his palm. However, it was unlike anything he had made before.
Due to Shisui's lack of control, the ambient temperature continued to drop, and the entire hallway was covered in frost. This was the first time he had fully executed this technique. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead as he pushed himself to the limit, slowing the movement of the water molecules as much as possible.
He knew achieving Absolute Zero would be impossible, but he wanted to use the lowest temperature possible. He wouldn't reach Absolute Zero, but he would reach a temperature that would satisfy him.
Shisui's murderous intent pressured Koh, who began screaming and writhing in agony. The spirit could feel the breath of death. Ironically, it had recently reached the same level as this phenomenon.
The spike in Shisui's hand began to float because he didn't want something so cold touching his skin. He didn't want his cells to undergo necrosis. White mist rose from the small object, mingling with the vapor emanating from the human.
Just as the Sage was about to use this improvised weapon, a soft sigh was heard in the room. Suddenly, the corridor expanded until it became an open field with a distant horizon and sky.
Under a soft bluish glow, a figure materialized behind Koh. Enormous and powerful, the figure had rough, greenish skin that resembled tree bark or intertwined roots. It had a vaguely feminine form. It had several faces, all pale with delicate purple lips.
It had no eyes, and the area of its forehead and head was covered by the same material as its body, which twisted into several horns. Its body appeared slender, but the spiritual energy surrounding it was so vast and dense that no one would think it fragile.
Around her floated lifelike masks with closed eyes. The faces ranged from infants to the elderly, and the skin colors represented those of the Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads.
Just by appearing, she made all beings feel a strange sense of familiarity, as if she were a loving mother who had always been silently by your side, giving you all the support you needed without you noticing her existence until she appeared right in front of you.
Her ethereal aura gave her a unique sense of beauty, too. To humans, her appearance might seem strange, but Shisui thought she looked like a beautiful being when he saw her.
If you looked at her face long enough, you could find features resembling your own or those of your relatives. If you looked at the masks floating beside her, you could catch a glimpse of your own face at different ages or from different backgrounds.
Her presence in the material world was simple; this being seemed to have the right to exist in both earthly and spiritual realms. Reality adapted to her power and stature, which explained the strange place the three of them now found themselves in.
Although she had no eyes, Shisui felt watched. This gaze came from a superior being capable of seeing far deeper than the other entities he had encountered. He could tell that this beautiful spirit knew a great deal about him.
"I know. After all, I gave you the face you wear now, Shisui... Román," that soft voice echoed again. The spirit walked toward them and bowed his head slightly to look at the Sage, who was stunned by what he had just heard.
"I suppose if there is one being who should know that name, it would be you." Shisui did not stop stepping on Koh, even though he was standing before one of the most important figures in his world.
Mother of Faces. This spirit was no small matter. One could argue that she was part of the world's cycle of reincarnation, making her as important as Raava or Vaatu. However, he was not frightened to stand before her, even though she was about to kill his son.
"But what are you doing here? Do you think that if you mention that name, I'll change my mind?" Shisui asked, pointing at the ice spike he had created at Koh. Instead of intervening, the Mother of Faces simply shook her head.
"I didn't come to change your mind. I just wanted to see how karma reacts to my child. I warned him that he had the potential to become caught up in the cycle of reincarnation since the faces of the deceased must be collected.
But you know how it used the gift it was born with. So much wasted potential. It doesn't even remember the face I created so carefully for it," said the Mother of Faces, making Koh feel as if it had fallen into the deepest abyss, despite thinking it was going to be saved.
"Mother! You can't let that happen! I'm your child! I'm young! I can change! I can make up for the mistakes I've made!" Suddenly, Koh's cries stopped. Shisui had driven a spike into its body without a trace of mercy or hesitation, causing it to explode.
The most powerful cold the Sage had ever unleashed was unleashed. It covered Koh's body in an instant and threatened to spread further. However, the Waterbender kept it contained, focusing all his attention on it.
"Well, who am I to stop karma from taking its course?" Shisui muttered, looking up to see that the Mother of Faces was wearing multiple smiles, which surprised him. Why was a mother smiling after having just watched her children die?
"Your thoughts are written all over your face, Shisui." But, in answer to your question, they are all my children in a sense. I take great care in creating their faces. Why wouldn't I consider them my descendants?" The Mother of Faces extended her hand and made a subtle gesture, signaling for Shisui to climb onto her.
Shisui wasted no time, positioning himself on the spirit woman's palm. She lifted him until he reached the height of her many faces. She then extended her other hand, holding a small wisp of light.
"Faces are not unchanging. They change over time. They represent the passage of life, the experiences lived, and the dreams fulfilled. But they also represent the disappointments, failures, and losses. Shisui, have you noticed any changes in your face?" The Mother of Faces released the sphere, which transformed into a replica of Shisui's face. This made the Sage feel strange, but he soon focused.
"Why does it feel like a spirit?" the Waterbender asked, sounding doubtful. He had several hypotheses in mind, but the Mother of Faces simply remained silent, bringing her finger to the human's head and touching it gently.
"It is said that if a human lived long enough, they would become a spirit. This immortal human may have achieved that, but the way they lived prevented them from undergoing that transformation.
But you don't do that, Shisui. You are like water: always flowing and changing. You are seeking spiritual ascension, and that has brought about certain changes in you. These changes aren't visible to the naked eye but are evident to me in your face. Haven't you noticed that your thoughts have become more 'mischievous'?" The Mother of Faces' words made Shisui unable to help but smile, no matter how much he wanted to hold back that expression.
"So am I a mischievous spirit? Interesting," murmured the Sage, who was deeply meditating on the implications of this matter