Ren has two things on his mind at this very moment.
One, being bloodbent (if that's even the correct term) feels weird. It's like having low blood pressure. It's only been a second but he's starting to feel a little lightheaded.
Two, never trust rich people.
Feeling the cold fingers on his chin, Ren had already began scolding himself mentally for following a stranger home. He shouldn't have forgotten what his mum had taught him. Alas, he's been a rebellious kid.
Still, it's not like he expected Xianru to be able to bloodbend. Heck, at this time of the show the only one who knows bloodbending should be that one mentally tilted old lady at some Fire Nation village. This girl was an anomaly as far as he's concerned.
It was simply a minor lapse in judgement.
"So?" Xianru began, tilting her head to the side. "What will it be then?"
Meeting her icy-blue eyes, Ren blinked innocently. Then, after some thought, he spoke.
"I would like to apologize for my earlier bravado. I'm actually a weak, inexperienced young man. I have offended young miss, and I would like to apologize for my earlier transgressions."
Xianru smiled, her red lips rising sweetly. Despite the warm gesture, Ren only felt an ominous shiver run down his spine.
Xinaru waved her hand.
Ren saw the world spin, then suddenly come to a halt following a severe impact on his back.
The girl had thrown him into the wall of her study, knocking the wind out of him and using her control to keep him pinned onto it. She spread her hand, and Ren felt his limbs spread out.
"You think this is a joke?" Xianru walked closer, her face hidden behind the shadows. Even so, her eyes' cold gleam was reminiscent of a predator watching its prey.
Ren's eyelid twitched. This is going a little too far. He needs to deal with this girl as soon as he can.
Fortunately, he had learned to bend using only the tiniest movements. A twitch of a finger should do the trick. He mentally locked onto the jade sculpture at her desk. A little tap on the head should do the trick, right?
"Don't bother." Xianru's cold voice cut through his thoughts.
Ren's pupils dilated. An icicle was floating centimeters away from his eye. His finger froze.
"I don't need you." Xianru's voice echoed through the room. "So, keep your attitude in check. I could kill you right here in this study without the slightest inconvenience. The only reason you're still breathing is out of pure kindness on my part. A single twitch of a finger and the legend of the Rock Devil ends right here."
Ren bit his lip, cold sweat dampening his back.
This crazy lady...
He wanted to call her out, but nothing could even come to mind.
"To be honest, I could deal with the Feng family myself. But doing so exposes my bending. And that's trouble, both politically and commercially." Her eyes met his.
"How so?" Ren asked, a little tense as he tried to ignore the threat to his left eye at the moment.
Xianru didn't answer immediately. She walked back to her sofa and sat down, taking a sip of her still warm tea. As if savouring the flavour, she closed her eyes. Ren remained silent in the meanwhile. She might actually just blind him if he spoke out of turn.
"The Han family originally hails from the Fire Nation. We used to be a small merchant family, trading with both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. Generations passed, and the family grew. Then, it became a business."
She paused for a moment, taking another sip of her tea.
"My father was a Fire Nation noble. His service during his time in the military earned him the title, and he became the head of the family after leaving the army. My mother was the sole daughter of the Lu Family, another merchant family from the Earth Kingdom. The two families allied together in the form of my parents' marriage."
Hearing her story, Ren frowned.
"Wait, if your parents are fro—"
"Yes." Xianru cut him off. "A Fire Nation noble and an Earth Kingdom merchant princess. How could a waterbender spawn from the two?"
"How that is, is none of your concern." Xianru stood up and walked towards him still pinned on the wall.
"If my bending were to be exposed, my position as the Han family's heiress will be void."
"Then—"
"Why am I telling you this?" She cut him off once again. Ren's eyelid twitched. Nonetheless, she continued. "Out of respect, you think? Though I highly doubt your kind is even familiar with the word."
Ren could only grit his teeth. She is really good at getting in his nerves.
"Besides, I have insurance. Dead men tell no tales." She waved her hand, and Ren was lowered to the ground. He still cannot move, unfortunately.
"I'm not asking you to work for me anymore." She leaned over, her face obscured in the shadow.
Ren watched, immobilized, as her slender hand rose and point at his chest. A growing sense of dread sprouted within him, not that he can do anything about it. Before he knew it, his breathing started to hasten.
"Don't move, wouldn't want to kill you right away." Xianru's soft voice echoed in his ears. It would feel pleasant if not for the fact that his life is currently under grave threat.
A weight settled in his chest. It wasn't painful or anything, which scared Ren even more. It wasn't external. It was deep within his body.
It was as if something foreign was inside him.
Thump!
HIs heart began to race. It wasn't out of fear or anxiety though. It was as if it's compensating for something.
Every beat felt like death bells in his ears.
A sense of unsteadiness circulated throughout his entire body. He would've keeled over if not for Xianru's bending keeping him immobilized.
A faint weakness in his limbs grew.
"Done."
Xianru withdrew her hand and moved back. The force immobilizing him also vanished, and Ren found himself on his knees on the ground, breathing heavily. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, his pupils shaking.
A persistent tightness remained in his chest.
It was a low-grade discomfort that just refused to disappear. Like an itch in his heart that he can't scratch. It was as if his heart was choking...
Realization dawned on his face.
He immediately tried to stand up, only to feel a sudden sharp pain in his heart. Ren found himself on the ground once more.
"What... have you done?" He spoke through gasps, hand clutching his chest. He looked up at the perpetrator, her figure standing demurely before him.
A serene smile blossomed on her face, as if admiring the view before her. Raising a finger to her mouth, she answered.
"A clump of blood near your heart. It won't kill you just yet. I positioned it precisely so that you have 3 days before dying of a sudden heart attack."
"That is, unless I move it back."
Ren let out a miserable laugh, head hung low.
He's been duped. Entering the estate was a mistake.
"You'll have to come back to me every 3 days or die. Don't worry though. The first 2 days won't be painful. Just a dull, creeping sensation to remind you that death will always be behind you. Even if you manage to find another bloodbender, removing it requires extreme precision. I'm the only one capable of doing so. No one else can save you."
She kneeled in front of him, leaning over to speak right next to his ear.
"I needed a dog, it's normal that I put a leash on it, right?"
***
"Head to my study tomorrow morning."
And with that, Xianru closed the door and left.
Ren stood at the door for a while, unmoving. He can move his body now, but he felt as if a hand was constantly choking him. He put a hand on his chest, the dull, throbbing sensation still there.
With a miserable sigh, he turned around and took a look at the room.
It's a simple one, with a clean bed positioned at a corner. A table with a sofa was placed at the other side, complete with a tea set on top of the table. A dresser was placed opposite the foot of the bed.
With heavy steps, he walked towards the bed and collapsed onto it.
He's been in this world for a year now. He had killed people before and even got desensitized to it in record time. He's seen brutal scenes that shows the utmost wickedness of humanity. He's interacted with people who the devil itself might find admirable.
And only now did he realize the weight of a life.
His own life.
And he cannot even call it his own life anymore. Someone else had claimed ownership, and he can't do anything against it.
Ren took a deep breath, ignoring the tightness on his chest when he did.
"Fuck!"
Muffled screams echoed through the room.
Passing servants heard the commotion inside and instantly scampered away from the closed door.
Minutes passed, and before he knew it, Ren found himself staring listlessly at the ceiling.
What can he do?
He can escape right now, sure. But then what? Die 3 days later?
Sure, he can find Hama and try to get her to deal with his issue, but hasn't Xianru said so herself? The clot requires extreme precision. She can bloodbend to such a degree, and it's not even a full moon. Her skills are a given.
Besides, travelling to the Fire Nation from his current location will take a while. Risking it all, he can probably arrive with a day and a half to spare. But then, how will he convince Hama to help him?
Katara? Teacher her the principles of bloodbending? Hope she can deal with it? Tough luck trying to teach the most intricate form of bending to a teen in under 3 days.
Ren covered his face with his hands, exhaling.
He has no other choice.
He can only hope that Xianru would remove the clot after he does everything she wants him to do.
"Fuckin' hell."
"The only solution is to be a dog."
Ren suppressed the urge to just bury the entire estate underground and kill everyone and die 3 days later.
"It's not the end of the world. Just endure for a while."
Silence permeated through the room for the following hours.