The sun was beginning to set over the small town of Shimori, a humble settlement built on the border between the desert zones and the fertile valleys of the Earth Kingdom. The adobe houses glowed in orange tones, and the warm air carried the murmur of the inhabitants gathered around the makeshift dock where the White Lotus Company had temporarily set up its logistics center.
And there, in the middle of it all, was Ren.
He was talking to a group of village elders, leaning slightly to listen to them with genuine attention. Around him, several children tried to imitate the posture of his arms as he explained how to organize water routes to improve the land's irrigation.
The inhabitants whispered among themselves:
—"That young man… is different."
—"He treats us as if we were important."
—"No one from the Earth Kingdom has ever helped us like this…"
—"He seems more like a spirit than a man…"
Azula was listening to these comments from above, leaning against a stone pillar.
Her golden eyes followed Ren's every move with exquisite concentration.
Shimori was starting to worship him.
Not just respect him.
Worship him.
It was evident in the way the men looked at him with newly born confidence.
In the way the women bowed their heads with quiet devotion.
In the children who followed him as if he were a hero from an ancient story.
Azula pressed the railing with one hand.
Not out of anger.
Not out of threat.
Out of something… more intimate.
More dangerous.
Because she worshiped him too.
And now she had to share him.
Ren moved toward another group, explaining how to redirect wells.
The softness of his voice, the precision of his hands, the serenity with which he imposed respect… it was impossible to ignore.
Azula took a deep breath.
Ren had always been hers.
Not in the vulgar sense of possession…
but in the intensity of the bonds they had built since childhood.
She had chosen him.
He had molded her.
And together they had understood each other as no one else could.
But now, all of Shimori saw what she had always known.
That cut deep.
It hurt, even.
Azula descended the earthen stairs with her elegant and perfect walk.
The warm breeze stirred her hair as she walked among the villagers.
Everyone moved aside with instinctive respect, but she barely noticed.
She only saw him.
And when she was a few steps from Ren, she stopped.
He turned his head, and his gaze met hers.
Ren's expression changed slightly.
Just a millimeter.
But for Azula, that tiny gesture had the weight of a world.
She approached him, not too close.
Just enough for their shadows to touch.
—"You're having an interesting effect," Azula said in a neutral voice, but with a palpable emotional edge. "Shimori already speaks of you as if you were… something more than a man."
Ren watched her calmly.
—"Does that bother you?"
Azula lowered her gaze for a second.
A second.
A disguised sigh.
A tiny crack that only he could see.
—"No," she lied with elegance. "I just find it curious."
The truth was something else:
It bothered her.
It hurt.
Because Ren wasn't for everyone.
He was hers.
Her ally.
Her star.
Her… only true source of light.
Ren took a step toward her, close enough for his voice to reach only her:
—"Don't worry, Azula.
I will never share with you what you do not wish to share."
Azula felt something loosen in her chest.
But she didn't show it.
Upright, silent, proud.
While Ren returned to attending the villagers, she watched him from a meter behind.
And she understood something she had never accepted with such clarity:
If Ren desired to conquer the world, then Azula would conquer the world with him.
And if the villages began to worship him…
she would make sure she was the only one by his side when he reached the summit.
Shimori could pray to him.
But only she would be his equal.
The morning in Shimori dawned with a pale, almost milky blue sky, typical of the desert strip that marked the route to the Earth Kingdom's trade routes. The air was thick with fine dust, suspended in the light like golden particles dancing in the warm wind.
It was a heavy day.
And perfect for consolidating power.
Ren walked among the villagers as if floating.
It had only been a week since his arrival, and yet the inhabitants followed him with the gaze of devotees before a priest. Women who had previously avoided any foreign presence now brought water jugs to offer him. Men who distrusted anything that wasn't Earth Kingdom now called him "Master Ren." Children ran around him with a mix of admiration and hope.
Azula watched him from afar, leaning against an adobe column, tensing and relaxing her fingers.
She worshiped him.
But she couldn't let anyone else possess him.
Ren knew it.
And that's why he walked with a strategic serenity that made him seem harmless… even human.
His voice carried the calculated softness he used when he wanted to get into someone's mind:
—"Thank you for gathering," he said to the villagers waiting in the central square. "The Earth Kingdom has forgotten these villages.
We will not."
A murmur of approval spread through the crowd.
Ren continued:
—"The White Lotus will not only restore this village.
It will open routes, raise crops, secure water, and defend your lives.
But for that…
we need allies in every settlement."
The villagers began to nod.
Ren could feel it.
Devotion transforming into obedience.
Obedience transforming into loyalty.
Loyalty transforming into power.
Just then, an old woman raised a trembling hand.
—"Young Ren… will you travel further? To the desert villages too?"
Ren smiled with perfect humanity.
—"Of course. And I will take with me anyone who wishes to join this cause.
Especially those with talent…
and with will."
The word "will" ignited expectation. The people of the Earth Kingdom respected determination even more than power.
That's when it happened.
A man came running from the village entrance.
—"Master Ren! Master Ren!" he panted. "A woman is asking to speak with you. A foreigner.
She says she doesn't belong to the Earth Kingdom and… that she controls water."
The murmuring turned to uneasy murmuring.
A water master.
In the middle of the desert.
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
Azula's lips tightened.
There was fire in her gaze, a blue fire of territorial possession.
Ren raised a hand to control the collective reaction.
—"Guide me to her," he said simply.
The desert began a few meters outside of Shimori.
The soft dunes stretched out like a golden ocean, and the breeze lifted curtains of sand that made the horizon glitter.
And there, standing in the sand, was she.
Tier Harribel.
She wasn't wearing the traditional tribal uniform, but an outfit adapted to the heat: dark blue pants, thick fabric on her torso, her arms bare showing fine, feminine but powerful muscle. Her skin had a golden tone; her long, blonde, wavy hair fell down her back as if reflecting the sun itself. And her eyes… cold, intelligent, watchful.
Ren advanced until he was about five meters from her.
She spoke first, her voice low but firm:
—"I heard you help the weak.
That you rebuild villages.
That you give water in the middle of the desert.
I wanted to see if it was true… or just another man who speaks pretty."
Ren didn't smile.
Keeping her at a distance was essential to lower her defenses.
—"It depends," he replied. "Did you come to ask for help… or to offer it?"
A flash crossed Harribel's eyes.
Interest.
Curiosity.
Caution.
—"I came because I heard rumors of a man… different." —She studied him in detail. "But I didn't expect to see a fire master with that… reputation."
Azula, from behind, gritted her teeth.
Ren felt her tension, but remained impassive.
—"I'm not just another fire master," he replied with soft danger. "Nor are you just another common water master."
Harribel raised her chin.
—"What do you know about me?"
—"Everything I need to understand why you're here," Ren replied. "You're from the Northern Water Tribe.
You left because their tradition denies women the right to fight.
Because your power was too great to be locked in an igloo.
Because you needed space to grow…
and because you wanted to help those who have no voice."
Harribel blinked.
A single second.
And Ren knew he had been right about every word.
—"I can give you that," he added. "I can give you purpose.
I can give you freedom."
The air between them grew dense, almost electric.
Harribel took a step forward.
—"And what do you want in return?" she asked.
Ren looked her directly in the eyes.
—"Your strength.
Your loyalty.
Your will."
Azula exhaled through her teeth.
A mix of jealousy, pride… and something darker.
Harribel watched Ren for long seconds.
The grains of sand gently hit her skin, as if measuring the tension of the moment.
Finally, she spoke:
—"Let me see your cause.
Not your speech.
Your real cause."
Ren took a step toward her.
Nothing abrupt.
Nothing invasive.
Just presence.
—"Look around."
He turned and with a soft gesture, he indicated the village.
Children helping to move rubble.
Women organizing water.
Men following instructions Ren had left days before.
—"This is just the beginning," he said. "A world where no nation limits anyone's potential.
Where no one is weak because someone else decided it.
A world… unified.
But not by chains.
But by purpose."
Harribel contemplated him for a long time.
Then she lowered her gaze, thoughtful.
And in the end, she said something that made Ren smile inside:
—"Let me help you.
And you decide… if I will be a weapon or a shield."
Ren extended his hand.
Not to shake it.
But to invite her to take the first step.
Harribel did.
And Ren sealed the moment with a soft phrase:
—"Welcome to the White Lotus, Harribel."
Azula, from behind, watched it all.
The wind stirred her hair, her inner fire and her… new competition.
But she also understood something:
Ren wasn't just gathering power.
He was planting the first generation of his elite warriors.
And the world…
didn't yet know what was being born in Shimori.