Five hundred and thirty years, thats how old I am. I have suffered and struggled for my power, I spoke out against the sacrifice of thousands to be burned by my own father, and exiled to perform a seemingly impossible task while being mocked and hated by my own nation. I was tricked into taking credit for another's act so that my honor could be restored, so that my father would love me. After learning my mistake I left to fulfill my destiny, aiding the Avatarand restoring the world. After training Aang he succeeded in defeating Phoenix King Ozai, while Ba Sing Se was conquered by my uncle Iroh, while they were doing that I with the aid of my friend Katara defeated my sister in an Agni Kai for the throne.
If I haven't provided you with enough hints as too my identity, I am the former Fire Lord Zuko, current Lord Zuko, I have many titles: ambassador, war hero, villain, Guru, Grand Master Firebender, Mystic, Spirit Slayer. Those are titles I have achieved in my long life some publicly, some privately with personal trainers. Why am I boring you with the details? Because this is the story of my life, a story of a Villain who became a hero, who became a Villain again. Anyway back to my monologue, I will try keeping it shorter since you young people are impatient.
After winning the throne, I had to deal with the Harmony Restoration Movement, which considering that it nearly started a war, it wasn't very harmonious. Nearly got killed by Avatar Aang, because I was worried about turning evil, after learning from that mistake, I finally matured some more, I have to check my own actions.
My greatest changes started with finding my mother, I with the aid of my sister found her, in her hometown of Hira'a, after stopping my sister from killing her, and showing my sister she is loved after all, the Mother Of Faces restored my mothers former appearance and memories. I eventually brought mother home to the capital, where my sister Kiyi was kidnapped. It was there I realized I wasn't able to protect my family, more so when I was defeated by my sister who was trying to mold me into her image of a proper Firelord. It was then I learned that inspite of the facism in the statement "Safety is born of strength" it is also the truth.
Over the course of the next twenty years I had five teachers. Lo and Li to acquire the same knowledge and skillsas Azula, which I not only succeeded at, but became their greatest student. Jeong Jeong to master control, which I did, and I earned his respect. I learned under a Guru the arts of meditation and Yoga, with what I learned from him and with my own self study I surpassed Guru Pathik himself. After learning all this I decided to reward myself with a vacation on Ember Island, it was there that like Aang before me I met my new master the Lion Turtle he after seeing that I only wish to protect those I love gifted me with Energybending, and to my surprise gifted mewith total and complete knowledge, and capability. When I asked why he said "If the Avatar is tainted with evil from bending anothers energy, he will become an evil, unstoppable, godlike being and condemn the world. If you are tainted with evil you can be defeated with a combined effort of two or more benders". Needless to say I was flattered, honored, and insulted. My uncle filled the small gaps of knowledge during his visits and letters. I was even able to defeat him in a rather intense sparring session. During this time I even developed Blue Fire which requires a great amount of chi at your disposal.
After those twenty years I had surpassed my father in power, my uncle in skill, my control was second only to Jeong Jeong himself. I mastered Lightning Generation and redirection, I even learned how to control the intensity of the lightning. I became skilled in Lavabending, by controlling the heat, I would later after abdicating my throne to my daughter, truly master the skills of Lavabending, Heatbending. I even managed to achieve White fire which I was proud of, it was believed to be a myth till I did it.
I soon arranged a marriage for myself and fathered a daughter Izumi. She was my pride and joy I only wished she were a prodigy like her aunt and great grandfather. She was still worthy of the royal line, more so than myself she became a master firebender at age 17, went on surpass her aunt in skill by age twenty five. Proven by defeating her in a hour long Agni Kai. Fortunately for me, Azula was never accused of humility and challenged me weeks later, only to lose in less than ten minutes. That was great for my ego.
I eventually finished making reparations to the other nations while restoring the fire nations wealth and reputation. We had a massive export based economy, having supplied the United Republic with most of its ships, and communication devices. In honor of the Fire Nations history as warriors I even decreed that former soldiers could form companies if they adhered to the laws of countries where they deploy. They were later called Private Military Contracters.
I was often spending my time studying since Izumi was working on her own family, and my relationship with my own wife was purely physical. I went on to try bending Light, something that took me twenty years to master, at least with my current ideas for uses. I mastered it shortly before I defeated Azula. My raw power grew to not only surpass my fathers, but the combined powers of himself and Azula. I did continue to mostly conceal my full power and skill.
I grew more confident that my bending was the best, I started reading history. I read the name that would take my powers even further: Hundun, a cunning, manipulative man who hates the Avatar. I used my spiritual knowledge to enter the Spirit world. After finally convincing him I resent the Avatar for his power and denying me the pleasure of defeating my father. He taught me over the course of twenty years, his powers, which surprisingly can be good or evil depending on the person. I used meditation in place of sleep, allowing me to essentially train/study all the time.
I decided to abdicate the throne to Izumi, and become an ambassador and train on Ember Island in my spare time. After mastering Lavabending, and Heatbending. It was after this that I met my sister again on her deathbed and the day we finally made peace. I held her hand as she died, I was the only one there by her side. When I asked her why she never married and conceived children she confessed a dark disgusting secret. She only wanted me, she tried to fall for others but it never worked out, she felt cursed. Using my spiritual awareness I confirmed she was, it was then I decided to avenge her, a spirit cursed her with incestuous thoughts for someone who could never feel the same. It condemned her to a horrible fate.
Thankfully years later a mentally unstable Unalaq helped make my revenge possible. Dealing with the Red Lotus was annoying especially while concealing my true power, and not killing them. Thankfully I learned how combustion benders work. I started executing people with death sentences with energy bending, taking their life force, to add to my own, I stayed looking in my eighties for another century. I discovered with energybending I can turn one form of energy into another, I called it energy transmutation.
One Century later...
Due to the lack of spirituality, benders are exceedingly rare. Even my own descendants are non benders, the spirits eventually decided to just conquer the mortal world. One of them made a mistake, the spirit embodiment of love admitting to cursing Azula. I killed that ego maniacal beast, I used Energybending to transmute spirit energy into life force and chi. I finally regained my physical prime of age thirty, after all benders are rare, benders of my level are non existent, excluding myself. What could they do to me if they disapprove? Injure me? The greatest of spirits fell to me, what can they do to me, If the Avatar were around I would crush it.
I have found a way to ward against spirits, creating a barrier that rapidly drains them of energy strengthening the the barrier. I can create lines, or a series of areas which absorb spiritual energy forming bubbles which can overlap with other bubbles, and even merge and feed each other. Not only does this destroy spirits, but it doesn't effect human spirits. Not only that but they keep areas saturated in spiritual energy enabling the birth of benders. It turns out benders are born due to spirituality, but the dedication to certain cults draws the spirits and their energy there. This way it puts the power into the hands of man, the oppressed become the oppressors. The best part of it spirits are born every second, and even if the bubbles shrink or collapse once spirits come back to the areas they get absorbed. Its too late for this world though, the population which was once billions is now under two hundred thousand and shrinking, and even I for all my power cannot protect all those people separated into small groups. But I have an idea, a desperate idea but i'l work towards it, along with growing my power. I'l study hand to hand combat too, including chi-blocking.
Over the next few centuries, I studied magnetism, and gravity, and time. I mastered lightningbending, as a by product metalbending with magnetism, gravitybending. I also studied the effects of heated elements, expanding on my uneducated experiments with Lavabending, I can bend extremely heated air and water, while i'l never match masters who can naturally bend the elements it is a great surprise for that unlucky person. I devised a way to time travel to save the world from its fate. I'l aim for when I was thirteen, and I have found a way to take most of my chi reserves with me. By sacrificing twenty percent of them i'l still have power greater than Ozai, Uncle Iroh and Azula, thats a conservative estimate, I will most likely have power rivaling the Avatar in the Avatar state. Not even counting the power I had at age thirteen. By transmuting Chi to spirit/soul energy then sending it back, then turning it back into Chi, when I reach my five hundredth year again even the Avatar with the combined spirits of the spirit world will look weak in comparison.
630 ASC, Ruins of the Fire Nation Capital, Ruins of the Royal Palace.
Surrounded by the ruins of a once great palace a stands a man of 6'1 in height, a handsome man who would be considered physically perfect were it not for a burn on the left side of his face. His golden eyes glowing with power, his body radiating heat, and emitting smoke. His body desintegrates suddenly only leaving a a humanoid figure made of blue fire with glowing golden eyes.
"The time is now, good bye world, wish I could say i'd miss you, but there's not much left to miss in this spirit infested hell hole."
He vanishes in an explosion of blue light.