Ise Ame

## A Tragic Air Bender

Ise lived with his parents: Rai and Kakia on the outskirts of the Western Air Temple. During a mediation session to the spirit world, Ise was alerted by his mother of metal benders terrorizing the outskirts. Ise and his parents took shelter in their home to avoid the fighting going on around them. One day, two Metal benders broke into their home looking for food and Ise and his parents tried to sneak out unnoticed. When they were discovered, his parents attacked the metal benders so that Ise could escape. The Metal benders killed his father in self-defence and, upon realising they were only civilians, tried apologizing to Kakia. Overcome with grief, Ise used air bending to kill them and avenge his father.

After burying his father, Ise was forced to leave home by his mother and begin wandering in search of food and shelter. With resources scarce due to no one he met would help him until Ise, who had collapsed from hunger, was found by Casei and Brano, orphans like himself. They banded together, acquired food to survive through any means, and shared dreams of a future where they were in charge and could use their bending to eliminate conflict like the Avatar. Casei was particularly passionate about this point, which inspired Ise to adopt the same goal. In order to accomplish this, the three would need to become air bending masters. With few options to choose from, they approached a Northern Air Temple's air bending master and asked to be taught to be an air bending master. The air bending master, Etan offered to teach them how to look out for themselves.

Etan found a village where they could stay and eat. Etan trained the orphans for three years. Ise easily mastered everything he was taught. Once they were able to defeat Etan in a spar, Etan decided they were ready to forge out on their own and he returned to the Northern Air Temple, confident they would bring reform to the nations, The three formed an group they called The Drifters, with Casei as its leader, and began advocating an end to conflict. Their message proved popular and they gathered many followers; even Etan would sometimes hear news of their exploits.

Throughout their quest for peace, The Drifters travelled to Si Wong Desert to spread their help and message. Si Wong Desert's leader approached The Drifters, offering to work together with them to help negotiate with the other nations. The next day, at a meeting to finalise the arrangement, Ise and Casei were ambushed by their leader and his men. The Si Wong Desert's Leader would drop down Brano's corpse to their feet to warn them not to come back with their Drifter's foolishness. Casei flipped into the air, but he was caught by a sand hand then impaled with sand spikes, using his dying breath to state his faith that Ise would change the world. Enraged by Casei and Brano's death, Ise took on the sand benders and managed to slaughter half of them, but the Si Wong Desert's leader escaped. Ise noticed the overwhelming numbers he was against and ran off leaving Casei and Brano's corpses there.

Casei and Brano's death ultimately convinced Ise that his philosophies about achieving peace were foolish; the world would never willingly end the cycle of death and hatred it had operated on for so long. Only through direct experience of war and all the losses and agonies it brought could anyone truly desire peace. Intending to personally bring that level of despair to the world. Ise meditated to spiritual project himself to his mother to tell her about everything. Wise words from his mother calmed his rational mind and he decided to go to Republic City, where he would join illegal underground fight clubs to use as an outlet for his emotions. He would be named The Drifter to honor his fallen friends as well as their dream. A year and a half later, The Drifter would be reigning champion, however Ise would struggle to keep his philosophies from creeping up to him and make him undo the new leaf he has turned.