Chapter 53. Beyfong.
Kenji's story ended without pain or suffering. At sixty-nine, he simply never woke up. With his final breath, I was finally free.
"This... this was too real!" I thought. Well, I still recognize myself—just much wiser, I guess. Or more experienced, really. His life definitely affected me, though it's hard to notice at first. Teenage problems, for example, feel huge at the time but seem trivial years later. I should've told my parents about my abilities and extended lifespan sooner. They wouldn't have blamed me.
"Wan Shi Tong! This was enlightening, but let me out already!" I tried to think "loudly" so they'd hear me. I don't believe this was random—the Spirit of Knowledge must've orchestrated it. I'm starting to understand why.
"Again?!" I felt another vortex pulling me in.
I could sense my body but still couldn't see. Something felt familiar. Focusing, I realized it was seismicsensitivity. This time, I was a Earthbending mage.
The body felt too light, and I seemed to be a girl?!
Once again, I was sucked into a kaleidoscope of memories—hers or mine, I couldn't tell. This time, it was faster. The girl was about eight. First, she was blind, but it wasn't all bad—she could sense vibrations through the earth as an Earthbender. Second, her parents were killed near a city they'd hoped to move to for a better life. During the time of the Dao Fei, safety was rare. A child's memories are fragmented, and further analysis was cut short as I was thrust back into her body.
At first, I survived on scraps thrown away by wealthier residents. In hard times, no one cares about a blind, ragged street kid.
"Scram! You're scaring away customers!" a harsh woman shouted, chasing me away from a food display I'd been staring at.
"Haha! Look, she's fighting dogs for spoiled food!" mocked guards, watching me struggle to push away a starving dog's snout.
"Mommy, where are you? Take me with you..." I mumbled, wrapped in rags, shivering at every sound.