A Whiter Shade of Pale

Nothing but utter Pain had been following those of the Water Tribes, sucking away there foolish creature comforts of a false joy and fragile peace. In turn Pain had burst forth from his gullet the meaning of true agony in an attempt to teach the children what the true meaning of peace was.
The time that had passed since Pain brought destruction upon a village that relished in the pathetic embrace of peace that gave them the sensation of hollow joy. However there sorrow must be never ending, they all must welcome the dawn of the coming abyss that would bring nothing but ever lasting chaos.

The attire upon Pain's body was a long cloak that was black with red cloud designs on it. The collar covered his neck and a bit of his chin, He wore dark pants and mesh armor underneath his cloak. His face was seamless, perfect in it's design aside from the noticeable piercings on his nose and underneath the corners of his mouth, as well as several piercings on his ears. All of which were black studs. His eyes were purple and his hair was spiky and orange. A head band with a metal plate that protected his forehead.
The gaze of Pain was piercing, A look that could bore deep into one's skull and nag at there brain. An unforgettable look in his eye's with a face that looked as though it was carved by angels, yet the look in his eyes was colder then the weather of northern or southern water tribes villages.

The man who denounced himself as God walked throughout a new village with that gave him a sensation of disgust, the peace these humans forged was far to frail and weak.
Those who do not understand true Pain and never understand true Peace. They were not in peace, but sheltering themselves from the inevitable judgement of God. There truly was no one here who understood Pain, those that survived the ruling of Pain in the last village may have caught a glimpse. However it is only through the inferno of undeniable suffering that they will be forced to grow up, and know a complete peace. The laughing that the children has spewed from there so called 'innocent' lips had brought Pain to a look of regret. These small, developing yet pitiful excuses for kids were being taught by foolish mentors who saw nothing, they would be no better in simply sewing there eye shut and leading those children then in what they are doing right now.

As of now, Pain had to be known to the world. Before that could be done, he had to give the world a display of Pain. Through the fire and flames that would blanket this village a new one that understood Pain would breed, and become a civilization that could live in true peace. Anyone that tried stopped him would only be denying themselves of knowing peace.

It was Pain that would force the world to grow up, for too long had the world denied itself this baptism through fire. Ever since the days when the very first Avatar had shown how much of a failure he was to Pain, he understood that peace could not gifted through fake smiles and helping hands. The world requires an Almighty Push, a push that only Pain, that only God can provide.

Amongst the crowd of rats stood a woman stood out, the clothes that gave her a false sense of protection looked similar to those of the Air Nomads. This was good that she was here, she could bear witness to the progress of peace. If she were too resist, Pain would overwhelm her feeble attempts to delay the coming of peace and force the woman to either submit, or perish into deaths fiery embrace.

Pain walked into the center of the village before he would begin the long yet fulfilling job of cleansing the wretched place.
Both of his arms lifted to point in either direction with his open palms facing two buildings. One was a house, and the other was a playground. A couple kids still played there foolish games. The deception that they had to bear witness to would come to an end, there innocent eyes would see, and there souls would be hardened in knowing Pain.

With no more delays, a small diamond shaped suddenly appeared with an ear bleeding scream because of the intense amount of fire being tightly condensed into these small tiny specks of fire that were located on his palms, one for each hand. The air around the fire rippled as it was eaten by the oxygen sucking flames. The intense whistling soon stopped however as Pain began the wreckage.

Two massive tunnels of pure fire exploded out from Pain's palms, the constant stream continued like a flamethrower rather then quick fireball. The noses of these flames slammed into there targets with an earth shattering BOOM that echoed through out the whole village in an explosion of orange death. The house that was hit could not hold up to the overwhelming pressure of the train sized fire stream that rammed right through it and it hit a market that was behind the house which also could not hold together against the flames.

The playground was the same story, yet the screams of the adults could be heard as the children were forced to watch the sudden demise of the ones that bore them only to deceive them for so long. Pain spared the little ones, for with this experience they would be able to grow into strong adults that were properly ready to live a life of real peace.

The flame continued to burst from Pain's hands as he slowly pushed his arms forward yet keep them extended so they would meet in the middle, where the Air bender was. These massive tails of fire were about the size of a big train, being ten feel tall and around 8 feet wide. With both of these closing in on the Air bender from both sides, if she was caught in this she would be burned to cinder and ashes. Death or not, she would come to know Pain.

The small female air bender attempted to shield a fragile child while jumped away, true Pain watched the faint smoke squeeze out of her thigh and arm. This pleased Pain knowing that she was beginning to feel the sting of change. The weakest armor that could be placed on the human body was burned, her skin failed her because her body was weak.
Pain redirected his hands towards the ground floor of the building she was standing. The massive blasts of hot flame scorched the bottom floor of the building that the weak Airbender was standing on the rooftop of.

Pain's purple eyes had a gaze that could pierce through steel, his eye's looked directly at the Air bender who took shelter on the roof top. In the end her primitive protein reliant body could not stand up to the flames of true Pain. Regardless of what petty titles or feeble names they carried in the end they were all weak human beings.
Like a lemming they needed direction, unable properly set themselves in the right path. They alone could not bring peace, they needed to be shown the way. Pain was that way, suffering was that way, it was the key to true peace.

As Pain ignited the bottom floor of the building he then moved his open hand so the fire was hitting the ground around the building that the Air bender was on the roof of.
He did this so there would be no escape, the intense heat that rose from the flames would burn her if she tried to jump away, the heat was so intense that the icy ground began to crack and give way, causing chunks of the village to break apart and sink into the frozen waters below.

Pain kept that level of heat away from the building the Air bender was standing on though, he made it to hot to jump over, but not enough to sink it into the ocean.
The face of Pain was one of steel, expressionless, empty and void of emotion.
The screams of agony motivated Pain to continue, the more pain he caused the more he knew he was doing what needed to be done.

Once he saw fire swarmed all around the Air bender's surroundings, Pain walked up to the building, fire splitting in half and paving it's own path for him to walk through as the flames licked the sky all around him. The piercings on his face gleamed in the orange light, once he got close to the building he opened his hands and pointed them towards the ground, followed by a suddenly explosion of fire which sent his body straight up into the air. He raced up to the top, to the rooftop where the Air bender and the child were.

Landing on the rooftop he looked towards the Air bender and the child, she was protected the small boy was clinging to the woman, despite the fact she was just as helpless as the child.
These tiny human beings, would they submit to Pain? Would they be willing to accept change? Pain would kill many, to set examples for the few that survived. So would God deem them worthy of being those few?
In order to test them, Pain had to first let them face death.

He walked up to the Air bender and the child, once a few feet away he looked down at them, his right palm facing them. She saw his super charged blasts of fire, he showed he that death was just and inch away by making another small sphere of fire appear in his hand. It whistled quietly this time, there submission had to grace his ears so that he may become the arbiter of there life.

"Have you understood this glimpse of the worlds rebirth?" He asked the Air bender in a deep and unnatural voice. As if that voice box couldn't have come from human vocal cords, his tongue which brought words to life shaped the other worldly tone that came from his throat and turned it into a voice unlike any other.

He needed to see if she understood Pain, if she knew that the world as she knew it was far to weak to exist. The world she knew was not true peace, for undeniable peace could not shaken with such ease.
This world needed to know Pain before it could know peace. Would this woman understand? Or would she need another lesson before she would be willing to accept judgement.

The woman's response when staring death in the face was typical, a stubborn race holding onto a dead form of life. Like resuscitating a corpse she held her foolish ideals of the way to gain peace by mere words. However, this peace as she so called it made her weak, and more of a hostage then a fighter. She thought she knew the way to peace, yet she was not willing to stand up and fight for it. While her old idea's of how to gain peace were still ringing through her mind, these were simply storied told by old men who were blind to the truth. During Pain's time in the spirit world he saw the truth, every Avatar that had ever come, thinking they could save the world ended up dieing in there attempt to bring peace.

Yet here now was the Fire Nation still as strong as ever, not even the Avatar, nor all the nations combined could defeat them. That was what people like this Air bender could only achieve when trying to bring there idea's of peace, failure, that was the extent of what there peace could bring. Any hope she had attaining peace had to be snuffed out and turned to ash.
Pain indeed had the power of God, but God could not do this alone, he would need followers. This Air bender may, or may not be worthy, but even in the face of death she still stood up for what she believed in. Now if only she would do the same for the real way to obtain peace, she would make a good member of the wheat rather then the chaff of this world. Pain was trimming the fat, while leaving the muscle, this woman could be muscle, however he had to see if this was possible first.

"I have existed since the beginning of time, I' am the birth of devastation, I make the world tremble before my might, I unify the people in there plight, I' am Pain...I' am God" He told the Air bender, introducing himself in his unique voice.

He took a step close to the Air bender, his palm pointing towards her and the child still, he looked down at them with his eye's in order to let her bask in the presence of God.

"Those who do not understand true pain can never understand true peace." He announced to her in an Almighty tone, as if God was passing his words down upon the Air bender.

"Avatar's upon Avatar's have tried to bring peace, but all have failed because they lacked the knowledge of pain, the people who they tried to save also did not understand pain, which is why this plague the planet suffers continues to grow."

Pain informed her, giving her the opportunity to live, and to fight for the true meaning of peace. For with pain, comes numbness, with numbness, comes understanding, and with understanding gives birth for true peace to take the place the weak level of peace that remained.
No peace the Avatar had tried to give lasted, true peace is not something that goes away over time, true peace is eternal, true peace is what Pain was giving the world.

This Air bender, was in the presence of who she may some day see as the Messiah.

When the human faced death, it was not resistance that this pitiful creature displayed, but some meager form submission. At the moment the female stood on her frail, breakable legs, she uttered a word that so very few could ever hope to vocalize with there own tongue.
Pain stood, and stared with a gaze like no other, directly into the eye's of the woman. As he looked into her eye's he saw innocence, yet also an intangible feeling with the world, unable to get in touch.

As she spoke the words of what might be a changed life form, the words that could mold a lump of grey clay into some form art.
Pain eye's dug deep into her's, going though the eye's, through the skull, into the brain, then into her very soul.
Her eye's were the windows of her soul, the judge of all discord needed to judge her spirit so that it may be deemed worthy of carrying on in the new world.

Once she spoke the words "I Understand" Pain pierced her very soul with his eye's in order to look deeper into the inner workings of her life force itself.
He saw the ephemeral flame within her, he saw within her the ability to understand Pain, as small as her flame may be.
The flame inside of her though was only small because she was always detached from the world, unable to understand what the planet's faults were in the first place.
With her lack of knowledge of the world, she could still be shown the truth of what the world was without being lied to, she could see the world from God's eyes, and understand true Pain without being bogged down by everyone's idea's of what real Justice was.

However, this flame she carried was small, and could be snuffed out upon the slightest influence.
She had the look in her eyes, of understanding her own death. However, many human's in the world believe there are things worse then death. Many people have faced death but were only brought even closer to there misunderstandings of peace.
Pain needed to make his mark deep within the caverns of her Heart, to ensure an unflinching understanding of Pain inside of her.

She needed to know Pain in a level that went beyond the acceptance of her own demise.

It was then that the eye's of true Pain had set his righteous eye's on the child. The woman did not seem to mind the child so much, however, this child represented her stubborn hold onto her old understanding of the world. She was almost free, however it was Pain that had to give her that final push.

He took a step closer to the Air bender, despite the roar of the flames his footstep echoed through out the area they were standing in, like a ping within nothing but white noise.
One more step, he looked down now at her
His shadow cast over her as the sun hang behind Pain's back. As he looked down at her, he saw the crying child, arms hugging her leg, using it as a shield made of flesh and bone for the child to shield himself from Pain. The boy was far to young to know Pain, however, Pain did not focus on changing the life of the child.

The small plum of condensed fire in his left hand vanished into smoke, as well as the one in his right.
As he looked down at the Air Bender, he left hand suddenly dashed straight down, going behind the woman's leg and grabbing the back of the child's collar of his Water Tribe coat.

The small boy screamed, crying and trying to hold on, however Pain pried the child off with ease.
Reaching for the Air Bender, tears streaming down the boys full cheeks, Pain walked towards the end of the building with the boy in his single hand.
Once at the very edge of the building. Pain extended his left hand, letting the child hang over the 10 story drop, with the rising waters and crimson fire's below. Anything that got near those flames would be scorched.

Pain was a aware of the Air bender's possible resistance, so Pain used his voice alone to stop her.

"Even a foolish child can grow up in a right way, when he learns what pain is, knowing pain controls ones thoughts and decisions" He used his God-like voice that boomed an echo to stop the Air Bender in her tracks if she were to try and resist.
If she did not resist though, the same words would come out from Pain.

"However you saved this child, thus you attempted to save your own humanity...If you understand, then you will let all your ties to the old world go"

He paused for a moment, looking at the child as he began to cling to Pain's arm to escape the flames. This was the true symbol of the world now, it was even willing to hold onto it's own executioner in order to survive. This child displayed that this old world of human beings would do anything to live, even if it had to hold onto the scythe of death in order to escape the blade.
The new world of human beings would accept the coming change, accept the baptism by fire.
The Air bender was meant to witness this so that she could see that all humans, men, woman and children were all the same. Nothing but foolish children running around without any destination, yet when the cause destruction, they then demand nourishment for the trouble they caused. The men and women of the world were no different.

It was this world that Pain would bring to an end, and it was this child that represented that part of the Air bender's life.

"This child is what you have been for a long time" He told the Air Bender

"Let it go, and be free, living a new life as a real human being with the proper understanding of Pain. With that understanding you will come to know peace."

The child turned his head to the Air bender, his desperate cries for help even rang through out the building roof tops.
Would the Air bender try and save the child? Therefore hanging on to her old, and foolish sense of what's right in this world. Or would she let the boy go, therefore showing that she is ready to hang on to true peace now, through the understanding of true pain.

"Let your skin turn a whiter shade of pale, and let go of the old, clouded understanding of peace. Let your old ways be baptized through fire, and join God"

She could feel his gaze on her, it was much more than just looking at her, this stranger was looking at what was in her. Looking at the very depths of her being. What could he be wanting to see?

Suddenly he took a step forward, and a small gasp of breath escaped her lips. He towered above her, being only 5'4" he had a god like appearance over her. Lyra looked up at he man. If death wasnt facing her, she might admire him, however she just stared in his eyes, awaiting the end. Yet the reign had ended. The small whistling had stopped, and soft dark clouds of smoke was what all had risen from his hands.

If he still had plans to kill her, it was with his bare hands. The stranger's eyes fell to the crying child, and she was unsure if it was a look of oppourtunity, or annoyance that came across his face. She breathed in slowly, but it all escaped as his hand darted around her to grab the child. His small hands still cling for her skin, but he pulled him off her like a band aid. Quick.

Lyra didnt say anything, nothing passed her lips, but a look of suprise covered her face. He held the boy by his collar, over the buildings edge, flames trying to lick at his bare skin. He cried out for her help, and she didnt even give him a look of compassion. She didnt stand there scared, she was perfectly capable of moving and to save him once more, but the fact is she didnt.

He tried to cling onto the strangers arm, wanting to escape his death, but Lyra was sure that falling into the blaze was a quicker and less painfull death than one that the stranger could bestow.
"This child is what you have been for a long time"

Blind, that is what she was. Naive, not knowing of the world and its disguise, hiding in Hope of Peace instead of earning it. She knew this Stranger would show her the truth, and to open her eyes. sHe sould no longer be blind and give in to the world.

"Let your skin turn a whiter shade of pale, and let go of the old, clouded understanding of peace. Let your old ways be baptized through fire, and join God"

Lyra lowered her head, and walked up to both the man, and the struggling boy. He was young, and did not understand. That death, was only the true escape of Pain. She held out her hand, and a look of hope and a smile spread across the boy's face. But it all disappeared as a blade was brought from her hand, cutting the fabric that the stranger held on to.

Flesh blistered and burned under the heat, and the only thing left was the smell. That boy escaped suffering, Suffering that would catch up with him later in life. Lying weak in bed, under death 's mighty grasp. Lyra looked into the bright flames and said softly, " How lucky you are to expirence a painless death."

((OOC: Little short this time))

Pain stood firmly as the child was cut away from his hands. It was strange, he was slightly surprised by her sudden action, however his face did not show a hint of shock. He simply opened his hand, letting the piece of fabric he held drift away, he then looked down to watch the child fall into the flames.
A non committal "Hmph" sound came from his throat before turning to the Air bender.
He looked down at her, almost satisfied with her change. However this act meant nothing unless she was willing not only to submit, but to convert.

Pain stared at the Air bender for a moment, his purple eye's of judgement almost ready to give her a final decision in what her fate is.

"What is your name?" He asked her, as if he needed it in order to begin a ceremony.

Pain was ready to give her a new life, to give her, her new meaning in life. God was about to pass to her the mantle of something extraordinary.

((OOC: Yeah yeah, it's all leading to something don't worry))

The one known as God let his eye's sink into her soul one more time. The fire grew stronger inside her, she was on the eve of total, and complete devotion to Pain. Once she spoke her name, Pain simply nodded his head.
Lyra, the first of many to understand true pain.
Once she turned around to face him, he took a quick look at the wounds she suffered.

From the very beginning she was changing, those burns on her body showed him that she was already changing from the moment she saw him.
Soon after speaking her name, Pain responded rather simply.

"Kneel, and bow Lyra...Accept Pain" His god-like voice boomed out.

This would be her final way of acceptance, if she were to kneel before him then she would be giving a final display of her loyalty.
If she did this, Pain final decision would become clear to her, as he would show her and teach her the way to true peace.

A spike of the feeling of being God rose up Pain's spine, his eye's had to stretch themselves down to look at her as his head rose up from the feeling he got. She had just accepted Pain, she was indeed ready for the change that God would bring. Soon the world would burn, blanketed by fire and ash, while the wind she provided would fuel the flames.
Once all the fire was gone, and the ash blown away, a new world would rise. One that would be peaceful.

He looked down at her, into her eyes for a moment before she bowed her head down.
However, he now had to teach her one of the the biggest lessons of this all.

"Listen closely..." He said to her.

Suddenly, Pain began to do something very...Strange for a God of Pain.
He got down on one knee, with Lyra right in front of him. He then inched closer to her, and extended his arms on either side of her.
He began to slowly fold his arms, letting each one wrap around her, pulling her into his center.
He placed his warm hand on her back, and the other on the back of her head, cupping it lightly.
He gently pulled her in until she was lightly up against him.
He positioned his head right beside her's, his mouth right by her ear. His breathing was calm and steady.

"Pain is the tool, but Peace is what we fight for" He whispered in her ear.

"You have felt Pain, now must understand the peace" His voice, almost soothing to the ear, despite it's earlier, heavy presence.

The hand that was on her back got a little warmer, he bended not fire, but warmth unto his hands.

"This is the new world, one where you can be warm and safe...When the time comes"

This "Hug" was what happened when Pain would find someone that wished to join him. He showed them what his goal was in a nutshell. First there was the horrifying trauma of watching everything you know burn away and die, then came the resistance of wanting to fight back, then the failure, followed by the numbness you would feel, and then the understanding of what happened, and finally, the acceptance.

Once the acceptance was finished, Pain would then show you that this was not a God of Pain, but a God of Peace, that used pain as his tool.
As of now, he showed her that when you understood pain, you would be embraced by it, and find peace in the arms of God.
He let her feel safe, and comfortable in the arms of God's embrace. He now showed her what good would come from peace. In time, everyone would be wrapped in Pain's embrace in the new world, and feel the true sensation of happiness.

His hands began to get a little warmer now.

"However..."

He paused for a moment, as now the hand on her head went cool, but the hand on her back grew hot.

"We are the Warriors of peace, one's who all bear a mark of our true pain" He told her in a bit of a stronger tone.

The hand on her back would start to burn now, yet if she struggled, Pain would simply on to her tightly.
She had to always know this pain, for peace would not come after one experience, but several. The piercings that surrounded Pain's body were proof of his devotion, that was his mark, now she had to be branded her mark.

His hand was now burning into her skin, causing the area where her back was to go red and boil, and the area his hand was directly planted on turning black.

"Remember your life former life Lyra, remember what once was. Let those memories fuel your quest for peace." He kept talking to her, letting her hone in on his voice.

While she needed to experience this pain to the fullest, she was still new at this, and was willing to give her a way to filter some of the pain out, by letting herself get lost into both her memories, and his voice.
His hand burned deeper into her back.
This mark would have to scar, it could not ever leave her, she needed to always wear this brand, showing she was a warrior for true peace.

"This brand will symbolize the hand that you will use to strike down the many to display pain to the world. And it will symbolize the hand you will give to the few who accept pain like you have"

After speaking these words, he would suddenly pull his hand off her back, and break away from the hug he gave her, standing up on his feet.
He looked down at her as she would react in whatever way she needed to from this pain she was feeling.

Once she would adjust to the pain of the burn wound enough to regain composure, Pain would then extend his other hand out to her, for her to grab so he could pull her up.

"Stand when your ready"

Now united, Pain and Lyra stood tall, he admired that she did not cry out once during the process of receiving her mark. She was going to make a great warrior of peace, in time she may even find other Warriors such as herself to join Pain's cause. He stared down at Lyra for a moment, observing his student, before he suddenly turned his head, looking at the chaos he had created.

Buildings and houses were torn asunder by the hot flames, water began pooling out through the icy ground, flooding the village in fire and water, drowning it and burning it.
The screams of hundreds of people surrounded Pain and Lyra, that along with the sounds of flame crackling and spreading across the village.
Pain noticed a few Water benders attempting to put out the fire, there feeble attempts weren't even delaying the inevitable.

However, Pain knew that this fire would not last forever, nor was it enough to send all of these pitiful humans to there unmarked graves.
Pain took a few steps forward, so he was at the very edge of the building that they were standing on.

"Observe the creation of the new world" He said out loud to Lyra.

It was time for Lyra to see his true power, for this fire that she had seen was merely a small taste of what he could create.

Pain extended both of his hands out, his arms stretched and his palms wide open. His face was calm, and cold as he did this.
There was a pause before the ground started to shake, everyone on the ground that was still fighting to survive struggled to keep balance. The low rumble that echoed through out the air was the siren, the warning of the incoming destruction that would take place.

So far all everyone had seen here was Pain's ability to bend fire, however his power extended beyond that of just fire.

The rumbling got more and more intense, as if the earth itself trembled before Pain's might, his hands became tense as he struggled with what he was doing.
The icy ground below started to rupture and crack, while the water the flooded began to bubble and boil.
The people that remained looked around, scanning the area, those that were in the water began to scream in pain as they were boiled within.

However, this was merely the prelude to what happened next.

Thick, orange, black and red liquid suddenly shot out from several parts of the village like jet streams, they reached high into the air and rained down on the solid ice ground and people below.

Lava that was pulled out from the Earths very core shot up from depths of the earths crust and into the air, only to rain down molten magma on the village and it's rapidly decreasing population.
Lava that didn't shoot up high and commence raining down the fires of hell over flowed through out several ruptures, fissures and cracks within the ice, blanketing the ground itself into a thick layer of Lava. The was no where for anyone to run now, some even attempted jumping into the icy waters only to freeze to death before the Lava came and melted there bodies into nothing.

The water's that remained began turning the Lava black and hard, yet more and more magma kept coming, flowing all over the village, buildings and houses that remained were surrounded by fire and melted by lava.

A drop of sweat ran down Pain's forehead from the heat, yet he continued to turn this village into a black ocean of magma. As the Lava came, it began to rapidly cool from the arctic waters that began to evaporate.
Pain made sure that the building that he and Lyra were standing on was safe enough for them to stand.
Yet it would eventually fall from the Magma that surrounded it.

"Witness the cleansing of this village, from this Lava that flows a new world will raise" He announced to Lyra in a fiery voice

The Lava continued to flow through out the village, burning everything until the building that Pain and Lyra stood on was the only remaining structure left amongst a lake of fire and brimstone.

"Are you ready to turn the world into what you see now Lyra?" He asked her as he kept his hands extended, controlling the Lava and keeping the fire where it needed to be.

In time he knew he would have to deal with Lyra's wounds, otherwise she would get a serious infection from the burns then she would be useless, for now though he needed her to now see what she was fighting for, and know that this was process of eliminating the old world, so that the new one could rise.

Pain was finally dealt to this pitiful village, leaving nothing but a lake of orange and black lava. Amongst the field of death remained but one building, where Pain and Lyra stood together.
Pain turned his head towards Lyra and looked down at her before turning the rest of his body to completely face her.

His eyes moved further down, looking at the burn wounds on her leg and arm. He also acknowledged the wound on her back. Pain was not unrealistic about this, she had wounds that needed to be tended to.

"You won't be in any shape to see anything if your wounds get infected" He told her.

"Come with me so take care of those burns"

He began to walk to the doorway on the rooftop that lead downstairs and to the lower floors. Lucky for her, the building they just so happened to be standing on was a hospital.

(Going to exit to a new topic after you post Lyra)