Yay! A new story XD Heh. I almost rarely never finish these chapter ones.

-x-

I've been called many things in this lifetime, and insane is not one of them. I never truly thought I was crazy. Perhaps mad... but insane? Surely not! My throne, my kingdom... all ripped from my powerful grasp and passed onto my foresaken son! It was not suppose to end this way... it was suppose to be mine... ALL MINE!

It's all that damned Avatar's fault... yes... what was his name? Aang? Ah. Yes. It was. All because of that damned Avatar... I'm in this cell... left to rot for the mice! Why, if it wasn't for him... I would be the Pheonix King... Ruler of the world! Those... inferior beasts... all those Earth Benders... and Water Benders... they were not fit to live in my world... Just like those Air Benders...

I am insane for wanting to rule the world you say? Why, it was my birthright... My family's appanage! Me and my daughter... Azula... we were to rule this world! Kill all of those damned people... Have the world born into Fire... Damn the Avatar... Damn him to the deepest pits of hell!

But, I admit it... I am insane... I haven't always been... It's only begun recently... A few nights ago, actually. That night my son came... demanding to know where his mother was... but I couldn't give a damn about that woman. She got what she deserved, and she's out of my life.

Please, listen to my story... Perhaps there is a chance I'm not crazy...

Ozai looked up at the guard standing beside him, just outside these bars of metal. If only he was an experienced Earth Bender; he'd be able to destroy these barriers. Other than inside his mind, it was quiet in this cell. There was also the drip drip of water from the ceiling. "Should've had that fixed when I was Fire Lord..." He'd mumble every once in a while. The soldier would only shrug.

Why was there a soldier even here? Ozai's firebending was gone... he was powerless. He'd have his revenge on the Avatar... someday. The guard wasn't always there. He went home at night, but outside would be heavily guarded.

One of those nights, when the guard had left... The former Fire Lord laid in his bed and stared at the wall. He hasn't gotten sleep in days. His son's visit didn't really help his nerves. He was the one to lock him in this Hell on Earth...

He continued to stare at the stone wall that was across the room. His golden eyes followed each crack that decorated the rubble. His mind had memorized this entire place... from the stool in the upper left corner, to the very rat that ate his remains of food.

There was no light in this cellar. Once night had come, there'd be no ray to see. The only source of light from the outside world was from the very door Ozai had been dragged through. Of course, if he still had his firebending, he'd make his own light. But now, he'd have better luck rubbing two rats together for a spark. God knows there is enough of them running around!

His eyes were following their second crack when an orb of light appeared. All around him, the colours began to fade more than they were before. Sounds of the night began to vanish, like someone hit the "mute" button. The orb was red, and it was quickly forming a human-shape. "Who's there?" Ozai sat up in bed. He kept his face expressionless.

The figure before him, was a man. He was in torn up Fire Nation armour, badly burned with a a stick in his chest. His lips moved, "I promise... This war will be over soon... I'll be back before you know it..." it was as quiet as a whisper, but it seemed to echo throughout the cell.

"The war is over. Now, state your name."

"I promise..." the scene around the two began to change. Colours were blurring everywhere, slowly resembling themselves. When they did, Ozai was in a completely different room. There was the soldier and his wife in front of him. But the man was unharmed. In fact, they were all standing on a hill that over looked the city. The field was covered in flowers. "...This war will be over soon..." He kissed the woman's cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."

His wife was about to cry. She held him tightly. "I'll miss you..."

The scene froze with the couple in each other's arms. "Baojia there was killed a month later." Ozai slowly turned around to come face to face with a ghoulish demon. His eyes were covered under a black cloak, along with his body. He had no fingers, just a slab of flesh. Same with the legs, only a bit of flesh, he seemed to hover above the ground.

"How did he die?"

The figure moved closer to him. "How do you think he died?" Ozai didn't say anything. His answer was in his eyes. "From the war." The new scene faded and a new one quickly appeared. But this time, the gruesome man stood next to Ozai. All around them was ruins... Fire, rubble, discarded weapons, dead bodies... It was gruesome. "Look up there."

Ozai's eyes moved to the top of a rubble pile they were standing below. On top was two men, fighting with spears with occasional bending of elements. The man named Baojia was doing quite well. He was fighting an Earth Kingdom Soldier... by the looks of it, the Fire Nation was winning this battle.

Ever so slowly... another Earth Kingdom Soldier snuck behind Baojia. Before he could even notice the man behind him, a spear ripped through his chest. Within seconds, the poor Fire Nation Soldier laid on the ground, dead.