The Ganju's, the other Munju's, and the Alliance Chief were fools to expect anything else.

Un-Wol stood there, his hand plunged into his chest, blood trailing down his body and Gi. While Chun-Woo Han looked on in absolute horror, and the Alliance Chief stood there enraged at once more losing the secrets to the Black Heaven and Earth Technique, Un-Wol felt only relief. For his death meant the survival of his students, one of the only things left in the world that mattered to him. All he could wish is that he could do more for them, and that they didn't have to shoulder the burden placed on them by being his disciples. The world grew dim, the voices faded into muffled tones and ringing in his ears… and then he died. That is where the story of Un-Wol, Munju of the Black Heaven and Earth School was to end. It should've ended here. Yet, for reasons beyond the understanding of Murim, it didn't end so simply. There was much left for him to do. Not here though, his time in Murim had truly come to an end. But in a world where Ki is used to bend the elements… there was one thing left to do before Un-Wol could get his much deserved rest.

Year; 160 AG

Rather than oblivion or an afterlife spoken of in a religion, Un-Wol's eyes slowly opened to find the sun hanging in the east, the birds singing their melodies, the spring breeze blowing through the viridian leaves. His lips parted and air filled his lungs to is surprise, considering the roughly four fingers that punctured them moments before. Was he in paradise? Even after what he had done?

Then the roaring of a car engine shattered the notion of an eternal reward. A sigh parted his lips as the man slowly picked himself up, finding that he was still in his Gi. Once he made it to his feet, all he was greeted with was more confusion. He found himself within a large park, not that unusual, but the city surrounding most definitely was. It resembled one of those american cities, yet had a sense of familiarity in its aesthetics that couldn't be shaken off. It was some strange amalgamation of western and asian styles, unlike anything he had ever seen before. Many signs littered the place, all distinctly chinese characters. Un-Wol could read the language fortunately… but speaking foreign tongues would be something of an issue. The dress of the people wandering around also seemed… off. Of course, in terms of clothing Un-Wol was always something of a bare bones person (His wardrobe consisting of roughly 14 pairs of the same Gi and one suit which stopped fitting him years ago because he got too bulky) but regardless, they seemed to have regressed somewhat. Still, spending a decade in a cave meant his knowledge of the outside world came purely from Chun-Woo Han, and Un-Wol never was one to pry into such things.

From the general populace he received some glances as they stared up at the massive man with blood drenched clothes. Most starred, some walked away faster. Either way, stranger things are seen on a daily basis. Un-Wol started making his way out the park and into the city, thinking it best to at least figure out where he was. He stuck to the sidewalk as he drifted around, examining some of the vehicles and other machines of the city. Everything seemed… old. Old enough that his own Master may have owned them as family heirlooms. The cars were like those old Model Ts he vaguely recalled, cameras were bulky and extended outward, and up above there was some sort of zeppelin hovering. Finally, the former Munju spoke in a tongue nobody around him could understand.

"So, rather than death, my exile continues into the next life… if that is how it must be."

Suddenly, Un-Wol felt a swelling of Ki to his right as many slanted pillars of earth rose from the ground at the foot of one man. The rising stone shattered the glass of some shopkeeper's establishment, also tearing through some of his wares. To his ears, both their voices were illegible, but Un-Wol understood the language of violence. The moving of earth was troubling though, he had never seen a technique like that in his life, and his understanding of Ki made such an action seem improbable at best. He approached the two, staring down at the earthbender who made some sort of threat he didn't understand. But when a stone began rising into the air, Un-Wol wasted no movement. There was no need to perform something as extreme as the Soul Crushing Strike, so instead he gave the hoodlum a series of quick taps with the knuckles of his index and middle finger, causing him to collapse to the ground, twitching. A simple nerve attack, one not actually part of the Black Heaven and Earth School, but over decades of training you pick up a few things. Afterwards, before the shopkeeper could even properly thank the man, Un-Wol simply continues forward on his way, as if it were nothing at all. Of course, to the denizens of Republic City, this was far from nothing. Then a thought emerged in the Ex-Munju's mind…

He had no idea what place he had entered, what the people could do, and how to survive in this new world. He looked back at the man who had his store assaulted, weighing his options. He couldn't speak the chinese of these people, but he could read it… and he had no doubt that this man would offer a job. But Un-Wol ultimately kept going on his way. Something about that idea didn't sit well with Un-Wol, he'd find a job properly.

Three Days Later

News about a tall muscular man who beat one of the Triple Threat Triads enforcers without breaking a sweat tends to spread fast. And when word spreads fast, word changes. So instead of describing a man two heads taller than the thug, they say he was taller than a goat gorilla and buffer too. Instead of a few quick taps they say he flicked the bender once and sent him flying across the street. Instead of him just walking away, he disappeared in a sudden mist. And where was this legendary fighter who'd stand up to Republic City's most notorious gang?

Sitting in the park eating dumplings.

A few odd jobs here and there meant he had scrounge up enough cash to feed himself, but Un-Wol knew he needed a stable source of income, and while many places were hiring for manual labor he wasn't above, there was the communication issue. He needed some work that didn't require too much instruction. Something simple. A newspaper came blowing through the wind, hitting him in the face. He pulled the partially crumpled up sheet off his face, finding a section calling for work on the docks. Mostly unloading crates and unpacking. Seemed simple enough, so Un-Wol went on his way. He didn't feel the need to use a Walking Technique, preferring a slow walk towards the docks. He never knew what would happen. Like when he heard the sound of aluminum crashing to the ground, along with the thuds of fist meeting another body. Un-Wol took a look at the sky, examining the sun's place. Still early. He had plenty of time. So he decided to head over and take a peak.

Five people in total, all of them kids. Three of them whaling on the other two, especially the one in front. The three were older, dressed in decent, clean clothes and had fair skin. One with black hair, other two had shades of brown. The two being beaten down had a darker skin tone with pitch black hair. Traits normally associated with the earth and fire nation respectively. The one in front was a young boy, no older than five or six by the looks, while the child behind him was an older girl around twelve.

Un-Wol didn't ask questions, they wouldn't understand anyways. So he performed a Focus Stomp to get their attention, giving the three others a serious dirty look that got them to scram.

The bruise covered boy, one eye almost swollen shut shouted at the three. "Y-yeah! You all better run! Next time I won't go easy on ya!"

His turned towards his sister, helping her back up. Her eyes evaded his own, a mumble escaping his lips. "R-Ryūhi, you need to stop getting involved…"

Ryūhi shook his head, while Un-Wol watched from nearby, only managing to get what he assumed was the boy's name due to its placement in the sentence. The boy responded at the top of his lungs "No way Jaya! I'm not just gonna sit by and watch those guys beat on ya!"

One could almost see the explanation mark above Ryūhi's head as he became aware of the massive man behind him. He approached him, stumbling slightly due to an injury he took to his leg. "Hey, thanks old man. Don't know how you did that… but you seem alright! Jaya, come meet this big guy!"

Jaya followed after her brother, bowing. "Um… thank you for that…"

Un-Wol stared down at both of them, getting a better look. They both were dressed in dirty clothes a bit too small for each of them. Ripped and torn, with Jaya's moreso. Ryūhi's shorts came to just above his knees, his blue shirt stained with dark and yellow splotches, where his sister had a longer shirt with actual pants, albeit shorter than it should be. He was able to recognize that they were seemingly from the earth kingdom mostly, and given the outfits… well, such an assumption wouldn't be the best. So Un-Wol simply ruffled their hair and started making his way down to the docks.

Ryūhi started trailing behind without hesitation. Jaya's eyes grew wide and she rushed back to his side, leaning down and whisper yelling to her brother in poverty. "Ryūhi, what're you doing!?"

Ryūhi shrugged. "Hey, this guy seems really tough! If we stick with him then it'll be no problem dealing with the punks from before. They won't come near ya anymore!"

Jaya looked away, a sigh parting her lips as she silently resigned to her blood brother. So the two continued following Un-Wol, who didn't seem bothered by it… but the name of the boy reminded him of his first student, making the air around the former Munju grow warm with a brief sense of nostalgia, than cold with worry. No… there was no need to worry. Ryuji was strong and talented, he'd be fine. Chun Woo Han was even greater in potential… but his attitude made Un-Wol worry. At some point he came to a stop, turning to look at the young children. Jaya took a few steps back while Ryūhi stared up at Un-Wol. He crouched down to the boy's level, staring right into his golden eyes. He then looked at Jaya, who actually managed to look Un-Wol in the eye with her own deep green gaze. The Ex-Munju started carving a question in the ground, one word.

"PARENTS?"

Jaya grew disheartened, staring down at the sidewalk below. Ryūhi grunted, looking away and scowling. And so Un-Wol had his answer. His nostrils flared while considering what to do. Seemed pretty obvious in hindsight. He brought Jaya closer, placing a hand on each their shoulders. He gave each of them a nod, giving the only piece of information he could. His name.

"Un-Wol."

Chapter 1: Water, Earth, Fire, Air… SOUL CRUSHING STRIKE!

Year: 170 AG

A lot happens in ten years. People die, people change, people grow old, and children grow up. Buildings get erected, buildings get torn down. Businesses fall, businesses rise. Change happens, change is the state of nature, a state of nature one cannot change.

The Dragon Flats borough was a residential district primarily populated by middle class and lower income nonbenders. Triads are active all too much here because of that fact, and most people see it only as a monument to the inequality between benders and non benders. But for those who stay long enough, only one words can describe this place.

Home.

So what if it was a crime ridden neighborhood that everyone associated with hoodlums and drugs? It was home, and you don't abandon your home. At least that's what the majority of people who lived inside it believed. There was always the dream of making it into the city with its golden glowing skyscrapers, but here? That's where the heart is. Everybody knows your face not because of how many Yuans are in your parket, but because they see you every day. Take the train and streetcar with you to the factories and the docks. Celebrate festivals in the street with you, eat with you, work with you, morn you when you drop dead with Komodo Flu.

And it's why Ryūhi loved being here.

The young half earth and fire nationer could be found sitting on the roof of an apartment building, staring off into the distance with his legs and arms both crossed, a clear smile on his lips. No longer skinny with malnutrition, now his lanky and paler skin was a rich brown and muscled. Not the hulking, brutish build of triad muscle, but the lean, toned body of a martial artist. His messy black hair now the shade of a crow, reflecting the sun's glow, while his golden eyes burned bright with passion. Dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and simple black pants, no shoes, shoes were evil.

He slowly stood himself up, looking towards the downtown with its massive steel buildings. Ryūhi let a yawn part his lips, stretching his arms into the air before hopping down the fire escape and into the apartment building, leaping through the window and taking in the environment. A crummy radio in the corner, open kitchen on the left, couch and a few chairs near a coffee table, two bedrooms down a short hall to the right. His and Un-Wol's bedroom door swung right open, their guardian and master having left to work at the docks as a foreman. Ryūhi peeked into the other room, finding the sheets partially pulled back, only for a white cloth to block his view, followed by a swift knee to the face, sending him spinning through the air and into the back wall of his own.

Standing at the doorway dressed in a nightgown was Jaya, her hair similarly unkempt, allowed to flow down and spike up naturally and extend about halfway down her back. She had developed same as Ryūhi, growing from a nearly starving child to a beautiful young woman. Had muscle, but not as defined as her brother by bond. A curvy build with flawless skin, perfect lips, a beauty hidden within a neighborhood almost everyone considered a slum.

She looked down at her blood brother with a raised eyebrow and a frown. "What do you think you're up to Ryūhi?"

Ryūhi chuckled, falling out the wall which now had a large dent, shattered wooden support, paint chipping off as well. He got up off the floor, seemingly unhurt. "Just wanted to make sure you were up."

Jaya sighed, heading towards the only shower in the small apartment. Ryūhi started making his way over to the fire escape once more, watching his sister head to the bathroom while his plan played out in his head. But right now, he had work to do. Once he was on the fire escape, he crouched down low, grabbing hold of the railing before leaping higher and farther than any human should be able to, even giving airbender or firebender boosted leaps a run for their money. As he made his way to the rooftop of a distant building, he started sprinting across the rooftops of the borough, synchronizing the flow of his Ki with each and every step, sprinting at top speeds as a blur of black and white towards the city, aiming for a Future Industries factory. As he was though, he came to a grinding halt on catching some water tribe looking girl standing in front a shop owner and a few triads. He checked a wristwatch for the time, saw he had plenty of time, so decided to duck into an alleyway nearby. As he heard mention of her being fresh off the boat, he crept up behind and decided to see what he could pull on these guys.

"Triad Territory? Hah, don't make me laugh."

The three gangsters along with the new girl in town looked over at Ryūhi with confusion, who stood leaned up against the shop with his head bent down, hair obscuring his face. There was a toothpick in his mouth that he got from somewhere, which he bobbed up and down before tossing his hair back.

The water tribe girl got a weird vibe from him. Nothing that she ever felt from a bender, this was different. "Sir, stand back, I can handle these thugs."

The earthbender among the three cracked his knuckles and started walking forward, glaring heatedly at Ryūhi. "Oh, Triple Threats are funny to ya, are we punk? Well, be sure to laugh it up at the morgue-"

As the earthbender was about to lift a good sized stone and toss it, Ryūhi spat out his toothpick with enough force to push it through the thug's shoulder like a bullet, causing the stone to fall and for the earthbender to hold his shoulder in pain. It caught all the passersby, the triad members, and the water tribe girl by surprise, something he took advantage of. He disappeared in a blur, delivering a kick to the waterbending enforcer's cheek and sending him flying a clear five meters. From there Ryūhi pivoted on his right foot, sending an elbow into the firebender's gut, causing him to collapse on the floor.

In now more than five seconds flat, one weird kid dropped three benders from the triad with a toothpick and his fist. Ryūhi smirked, putting his hands at his hips and tossing his hair once more. "Well well well, looks like the threat just got divided by three."

Crickets broke the relative silence, and Ryūhi could only sigh. "Hard crowd I guess."

The earthbender started to pick himself up, prepared to create an earthen spear from the ground to run Ryūhi through. But before the concrete could rise up or Ryūhi could react, the earth came flying out from under the thug and sent him flying into a lightpost, bending the metal with the impact before falling. Now that got the attention of Ryūhi.

"Water tribe girl who can bend earth? That's pretty hardcore… get it? Because earth is ha- I need a new gimmick."

The Water Tribe girl got up to his face, making Ryūhi bend back slightly while she gestured over to the beaten benders. "How did you do all of that? I've never seen a person take down three people that fast by just… who taught you to do that?"

Ryūhi chuckles, stepping back as he heard the metalbending police coming. "Uh… thing about that is, Sonsaeng isn't one to uh… find me after you get out from jail, name's Ryūhi, bye!"

And with that, Ryūhi ran off before the metalbending police could arrive, leaving the water tribe girl to deal with them. He felt pretty scummy about it, but he had work to do and today was an important day. He continued using Walking Techniques across the rooftops, easily closing the gaps between buildings and sliding over ledges. Ten years have made his movements through the urban jungle smooth and stylish, able to slip through any obstacle like spirit vines. Soon enough, the factory was in sights and he landed in the back, getting in line with the others.

Un-Wol was working at the docks as usual, a streak of white running down the middle of hair, ponytail included. He considered cutting it off, but both Ryūhi and Jaya seemed to like it, and he had almost grown attached to the style, so he kept it. Having long moved past the work of actually picking up and unloading crates, now it was his job to make sure other's did it right. Although every once in a while he'd come down and surprise the new dock workers by picking up a box it took five guys to load onto a cart. It took a while to learn the language, but his two students and adopted children were competent language teachers. As he was walking down towards a truck being loaded up, he noticed a flyer on a nearby wall. Another one of those equalist propaganda posters. Without a sound he tore the paper off the wall and tossed it aside.

This caught the attention of one of the longtime workers who chuckled. "What's wrong boss? Don't believe in the whole bending elite thing?"

Un-Wol didn't voice any displeasure, but did respond. "Of course it's real. Anybody could see it. I don't disagree with their ideology, and I believe that they have a right to voice their opinions and defend themselves from aggressors. But I won't support the cultural death and forced way of life they seem to want."

Of course, he neglected to mention the fact that a few years back the Equalist approached him, seeking his techniques for their own ends. Fighting for what you believe in is one thing, but coming to him to gain tools to start a war? He would not allow that.

Work on the Future Industries assembly line wasn't exactly the cleanest job, nor was it the highest paying. A good day was going home with your hands covered in oil and grime, instead of it being all over your face. But Ryūhi didn't mind all too much. Just an extra workout with precision instead of beating the crap out of a steel beam. His hands moved with machine like precision as he helped assemble the engine. He accepted that making it past a labor job wasn't exactly in the realms of possibility given his… intellect, but as long as his belly was full, Ryūhi was content. The day was nearing its end, so soon enough he'd be off the line and out the factory, ready to continue on with his evening. He expected the day to be as mundane as usual… but expectations shouldn't be held too closely.

A loud groan echoes through the second and bottom floor, part of the ceiling collapsing and allowing chunks of roof, support, and the whole bodies of Satomobiles fell from above, with the men on the second floor getting away fast enough to avoid their deaths. Some of the men on the bottom were able to scurry away, but some were caught like deers in the headlights, raising their hands in the vain hope of not being crushed.

So Ryūhi moved without thinking.

His legs tensed and the young man went soaring through the air, his golden gaze becoming cold as steel while the smile faded from his face. Each large chunk of rubble, each tough metal satomobile, each piece of steel support got sent flying across the factory with a series of kicks and jabs. His hands slid back into his pockets as Ryūhi somersaulted through the air, landing on his left foot and then stepped forward with his right. Everything fell down only moments after he met the ground, far away from any of the people in the factory. Everyone who would've died or been injured, along with everyone else could only stare in amazement. One earthbender on the floor checked to see if there was a rock pillar an Earthbender might use to jump high, or scorch marks from fire… nothing.

Ryūhi snapped back to reality, his shoulders jutting up as he very slowly turns to look back at everyone, then the people in front. "... well, I think I'm gonna call it a day… uh… bye."

And with that, he started running off at great speed, not using a Walking Technique, simply using his leg muscles.

Ryūhi made his way down to a nearby alley, falling back against the wall and sliding down while a groan escaped his lips. He held his hands to his face, loudly grumbling out his problems. "Uggh… what is up with me today? I'm so off my game."

Ryūhi dragged his fingers down his face, staring up at the sky and seeing the shifting colors. Bright blue shifting into golden and orange, brilliant greens and purples and reds in the distance. A sigh parted his lips, and the teen picked himself up off the ground and headed back to the downtown. There was something he needed to get. Ryūhi dug into his pocket, pulling out a wad of yuans. A smile formed across his lips as he made his way to an expensive grocery store. He stepped inside and grabbed a small basket, filling it with some Kyoshi Elephant Koi, Fire Nation Spices, emerald tea leaves, komodo rhino meat, cooking oil, an assortment of vegetables, chicken rabbit meat, and some additional flower. Every Yuan was spent at the counter, and once his bag was full he ran off to his apartment to prepare everything.

Two Hours Later

Both Un-Wol and Jaya were returning home from their respective jobs, Jaya visibly sweating while dressed in fairly normal Republic City women clothes. A simple white shirt with a jacket and skirt, both green.

Each were greeted by an incredible smell, and only one possibility as to what could cause it. At the table was seared kyoshi elephant koi covered in a special red sauce, fried dumplings of both meat and vegetable varieties, a kettle of tea, and a bowl of fried rice. All of it placed before Ryūhi who was grinning. "So… do y'all know what day it is?"

Both of them seemed confused… but then it hit Un-Wol. That most rare of occurrences in the world took place. Un-Wol smiled. He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Has it been ten years?"

Jaya's eyes lit up, then looked over at her blood brother. Ryūhi nodded excitedly, crossing his arms. "Yep, ten years since that day! I thought that we could have a little "Adoption Anniversary" or somethin along those lines, ya know?"

Un-Wol sat himself down, while Jaya seemed lost in thought for a moment. All the smells… the way the food was prepared reminded her too much of something she'd rather not acknowledge. That time was gone, and soon nobody would have to go through what she went through. So when she returned to the normal world, her eyes were met with her real family. She sat down soon enough, as did Ryūhi himself, and the three started to dig in.

The last time they'd share a meal as a family.