His world ended with a flash.
A blast of whitish blue light, and a loud pop.
Just like that it was all gone.
The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils as he stumbled over to his uncle. With trembling fingers, he reached to feel Iroh's heartbeat.
He felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Desperately he grabbed the tattered fabric of his Uncle's robe and pulled his body towards him.
Directly through the heart. He should expect nothing less. After all it was Fire Lord Ozai who had thrown the lighting.
I need you. I need you. I need you. I need you. Ineedyou. Ineedyou. Ineedyou. Iloveyou. YouwerethefatherIneverhad. Comebackplease. COMEBACKOME. INEEDYOU. OPEN*hiccup* YOUR DAMN *hiccup* EYES *hiccup* YOU LAZY OLD MAN.
Thoughts swirled incoherently through his mind. Slabs of pain fluttered through his body. He sobbed into his Uncle's corpse. Pain raced through his blood like venom. His broken arm, ribs and who knows what else felt nothing compared to this.
Soldiers swarmed around him like bees. The sounds were muddled though, like listening from the other side of a closed door. He turned around to the man who had flung the lightning to his Uncle's turned back.
He felt something die- no- shattered that day. Maybe it was his hope, maybe his love or maybe it was his sanity. Probably all three.
He was broken.
Now all that was left was a shell.