Chapter 2:
Entry 4
For the next several months, I trained extensively with my spear under the tutelage of the White Lotus. Every now and then, Master Piandao would check up to see my progress.
One day, I went down to breakfast to find the other Lotus members standing in a huddle. Some had worried expressions on their faces. I paused. Did this have something to do with me? Was I not practicing hard enough? I went over to them, clearly not at ease.
"Excuse me," I asked. The Order members turned my way. "Is everything okay? Am I not practicing hard enough?"
The members looked at each other. Finally, one of them turned me and spoke.
"Xai Bau, have you heard of something called the Great Comet?"
"But of course, sir. Once every hundred years, it comes to our atmosphere, and gives every firebender on the planet chi-enhancing power," I replied promptly. I may not have been good in my training, but hey,I did know some things.
"Exactly," the Order member replied. "There has been talks of the Fire Lord planning to use the Comet to permanently demoralize Ba Sing Se."(I stifled a gasp of horror.) "However,a select few of our group will be traveling to Ba Sing Se to finally liberate the City from the Fire Nation. In the meantime, it is said that the Avatar himself will deal with the Fire Lord in due time."
I nodded. I did not approve of the Fire Lord's plan, even if I was a member of the Fire Nation. "Is it okay if I come?" I asked.
"Sorry,son, I am afraid you can't," the member shook his head. "However, Piandao will be there, so I will be sure to give him your regards. You stay here and keep continuing to train."
"Oh,"I answered, a bit disappointed. "Okay, I will stay."
The Order member smiled paternally. "Xai Bau, I know you have always wanted to see the world, but I can assure you, it will happen in due time. In the meantime, Piandao expects you to keep studying and training."
I nodded. "I understand."
A few days later, the comet came. I was practicing my form and moves when I heard from outside the cave, a voice cried, "It is here! Sozin's comet has arrived!"
Stunned, I ran outside. And what I beheld next grasped my sight.
The Great Comet was there, a huge ball of fire flying across the sky. It had the light of two thousand suns, and heat of a blazing inferno. I had to shield my eyes from the intense light that the comet gave off. It was so bright, I felt that if I stared straight into it, my eyes would be incinerated. The heat, oh the heat . . .
"Xai Bau! What do you think you are doing?"
The sharp voice brought me of my tragic reverie like a knife to the skin. I looked behind and saw a White Lotus sentry staring back at me, stern disappointment burning in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I really am," I managed to get out when I finally found my voice. "It's just that I heard a commotion outside and wanted to see what it was. And then I saw this . . ." I motioned to the comet blazing its inferno in the air.
The sentry sighed. "Curiosity is no sin, little one," he said at last. "But it must be handled with discretion. Older people than you have learned that in harder ways." He motioned with his hand. "Come. Go inside before somebody finds out that you are here."
Entry 5
A few days after the comet came and went, I was continuing working on my form when I heard a large shout coming from outside the cave. Curious, I tiptoed past the sentries and exited through another entrance in the cave. And the sight that my eyes beheld was magnificent.
It was as if the end of the world had happened. My hometown, Shu Jing, had unraveled into chaos. People were running everywhere without a destination in mind, trampling over helpless innocents. Flames were burning from market stalls, reducing to ash whatever once-valuable goods were in there. It was as if an ancient tragedy had happened, one which was not thought possible to happen but did, an ache to the heart . . .
I snapped myself out of my trance and ran to an Order member.
"Sir," I asked, "what has happened?"
"It appears that the Fire Lord has finally been defeated," he answered. "Now the task remains as to how to bring this city back under control. For the time, we can't really say what we are supposed to do, so until we can decide on a course of action, go and practice."
"All right," I mumbled. "Don't get your hog monkeys up in a tangle."
-break—
The next day, the Order held an emergency session to best discuss how to quell the lawlessness and chaos that had come over Shu Jing. The sentry in charge tasked each of us with putting down riots in different parts of the city. And so, armed with only my trusty spear beside me, I set out to fulfill my task to bring peace and stability to the town.
Let me tell you something, dear reader: trying to quell chaos in your hometown singlehandedly is SERIOUSLY not as easy as it looks. Every time you try to quell a riot or fight in one section of the city, another one would pop up to take its place. It was such that by the end of one afternoon, I must have silenced 5 riots in different sections of the city, only for at least three more to pop up elsewhere. I was so exhausted that by the end of that day, I went straight to my quarters without bothering to change, eat, or even practice my fighting. In fact, if I did not have the Order members backing me up, I would have given up right then and there.
-break—
The very next day, the Order members gave me a surprise. I was sparring against one of the Earthbending members when master Piandao knocked and entered. I was about to finish off my opponent when Piandao interrupted, "Xai Bau. I have some news for you."
Surprised, I stumbled and fell. "Yes, Master Piandao?"
Piandao cleared his throat. "With all the chaos that has happened in Shu Jing, Grand Lotus Iroh has decided that it is the White Lotus's duty to restore order to the areas visibly affected by the war. To this end, we have been assigned to put an end to the madness in our hometown. Would you like to join me in calming our hometown?"
I grinned, so widely I thought my face would break open. "Yes, Master!"
Piandao's mustache quivered. "Alright, but it's going to be difficult. This is not going to be an easy task. In fact, I estimate that it will be at least a week before we get things back to normal in Shu Jing. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course!" I said. "Let's get started!"
Entry 6
Within a week, life was back to normal as it had ever been in Shu Jing. The only differences were that the pictures of the previous Fire Lord, Ozai, were supplanted with those of his successor, former Crown Prince Zuko. Also, it was no longer an unexpected occurrence to hear sentences with the phrase "the Avatar"; before the end of the war, it was customary to believe that the Avatar had died with his people. Now, news would spread throughout the city about the Avatar's latest interventions in returning the Earth Kingdom its land.
Everywhere I would go, the townspeople seemed in no particular hurry, as if they had no particular business to be on that day. Later, I learned that Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang would be opening up negotiation talks with the Earth King Kuei about how to best resolve the territorial dispute in the eastern Earth Kingdom coast.
Then, on the very last day of that week, on my way outside, I passed by a few members who happened to be in deep conversation and caught snippets of their discussion.
". . . should reveal ourselves to the world?"
"Yes, Grand Lotus Iroh feels that . . ."
". . . return these areas of land to the Earth Kingdom . . ."
I stopped dead in my tracks. The mere thought of the White Lotus, which had hitherto operated in secrecy, was horrifying, at least to me. I feared right then and there that grave things would befall the Order if that were to happen. I cleared my throat loudly, hoping to get the members attention. Sure enough, they stopped talking and turned to me.
"Hey," I waved nervously. "I just happened to pass by, and I couldn't help but overhear that we might possibly be revealing ourselves to the world. Are we really going to do that? I mean, wouldn't that go against everything we have stood for until now?"
The members stood around, warily looking around, obviously wondering how much I have overheard. At last, one of the members- a tall, thin one with a crown of graying hair and a bushy beard to match- came forward. "It is none of your concern, little one. What matters now to you is that you be ready for any martial situation."
"Of course, sir," I replied, bowing, though still not at ease with the current situation. If the White Lotus truly were planning on revealing themselves to the world, it would contradict what they have represented in the past. Seeing that they were not going to cough up the whole story, however, I gave up and sulked away, looking defeated. I was ready to go back to my quarters and practice my chi blocking when another member, "Xai Bau, come back. Master Piandao has a message for you."
I stopped dead in my tracks and then turned around, surprised. "He does?"
"Yes," the member continued. "He says that he feels that you have trained hard enough, and that he is most pleased with both your efforts and your apparently rapid advance in skills. For this, he is giving you a little treat: He has invited you to personally visit Ba Sing Se. Do you accept?"
Ba Sing Se! Was he serious? "Of course! Of course I accept!" I grinned so widely that I thought my face would crack. Here was a chance to finally visit the world outside of Shu Jing. And most important, I could meet other people, and most importantly, get a chance to see the Avatar himself.
"Tell Master that I accept his invitation immediately!" I answered, unable to hide my glee (I know, I know, very silly of me, but in my defense, seeing the world outside these wall was like a breath of fresh air). "What will we do there?"
"Well," the member with the greying hair answered, very matter-of-factly, "you will get to see how the White Lotus operates on a global basis. You will also know how to be spiritually connected to the world."
"Okay," I answered, thinking to myself, As long as you stay true to your ideals. "When should I pack?"
"The boat to Ba Sing Se leaves tomorrow afternoon," Grey Hair answered. "I suggest you start packing right away so that we can arrive on time."
"Sweet," I answered. Then I turned around, off to my quarters to prepare myself for the grandest adventure of a lifetime.
