"Move," Shin Tsang commanded, as he pushed his captive down the gangway.
Azula held her tongue, glaring over her shoulder at him. If only she could bend, she would fry him and be done with this. No chance of that. Shin Tsang had been diligent in having her chi blocked. Every hour, on the hour. Every time she'd thought the effects might be wearing off, when she might be able to bend again and break free, another chi-blocker would come to visit her. She could hardly move for twenty minutes following each session, let alone bend.
Shifting her attention forward, Azula marched down the gangway onto the ground, her wrists bound in chains. Bright moonlight illuminated the nighttime darkness. From what she could see, they had landed on a small island with a single mountain peak at its center, surrounded by a dense forest of tropical trees. High up on the mountainside, she noticed a five-tiered pagoda temple perched on a rocky precipice. A winding path snaked its way along the entirety of the mountainside, leading up to the temple from the jungle below.
"Where are we?" she asked, glaring at the temple in the distance.
"Spirit Island." Shin Tsang pushed her forward to keep her moving, flanked by four chi-blockers. "This was once a hallowed place, highly attuned with the spirits. Ancient mystics used that temple as a powerful medium to meditate into the Spirit World. Over time, it has become abandoned, forgotten about by most."
Azula frowned as she continued her way towards the opening of an overgrown roadway through the trees. "So this is where you mean to take Sen's essence from me."
"Indeed," he replied. "Once I have it, I will travel to one of the spirit portals myself to return it to him. When he is free, well... I will cease to be. I will have fulfilled my destiny, and that is enough."
"And let me guess, after that he'll come for me himself."
Shin Tsang flashed a subtle smirk. "Oh yes, he is very much looking forward to meeting you again."
Azula swallowed, keeping her gaze pointed at the ground. "What will he do with me? Steal my essence? Destroy my body? Trap me in the Spirit World?"
"That is a question I cannot answer. He hasn't decided yet. Just know that your punishment will fit your crime."
Azula remained silent, as they continued through the jungle road. While none of those fates were appealing, which one was the worst? Having her essence stolen by an ancient spirit might be infinitely worse on the surface, but she'd lose her sanity if she were trapped in the Spirit World again. If she were sent back to the Fog of Lost Souls. Her stomach bubbled at the thought. She couldn't go back there. She wouldn't.
She tugged at her chains. They didn't budge, keeping her hands bound behind her back. As expected. Unfortunately for Shin Tsang, he had made one key mistake: he'd left her feet unbound. Perhaps he had meant for her to have an easier time walking up the mountain. Regardless, he had underestimated her. This wasn't the first time she'd been in a precarious situation without her bending. If she could hold her own against the Avatar and his friends on the solar eclipse so many years ago, she could certainly handle a sour old man and a few chi-blockers.
With a deep breath, Azula spun to the side and delivered a thunderous kick to the back of Shin Tsang's head, knocking him clean off his feet. Before the chi-blockers even realized what was going on, she kicked one of them square in the gut, slamming him into another. The other two lunged at her, but she flipped herself over their shoulders. With a firm kick to both their backs, she propelled herself forward and knocked them both to their knees.
Still in midair, she tucked her legs up to her chest, pulled her arms down, and brought them forward. In that single motion, she brought her chained hands in front of herself, rather than behind her back. When she landed on the ground, she took off in a dead spirit through the jungle. All she needed to do now was evade them long enough for the chi-blocking to wear off. Once her bending returned, she would destroy them all.
Shin Tsang staggered back to his feet with a grumble, clutching the back of his head. He pointed to the recovering chi-blockers. "Don't just stand there! Go after her!"
Sprinting through the jungle at night may have been a mistake. While the dense undergrowth offered Azula excellent cover from her pursuers, she could barely see where she was going. To make matters worse, a bright flickering glow emanated through the trees behind her. Oh, wonderful. They weren't just chi-blockers, but also firebenders. As if she weren't already at enough of a disadvantage.
Ducking beneath a low hanging branch, she raced though a cluster of ferns. A small stream greeted her. She turned to follow it, using the stream as a clear path through the jungle. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she noticed the orange glow had faded. Good. That meant she had to be losing them. Just a little longer, and she'd have her bending back.
A blast of fire scorched through the jungle, cutting off her escape. Azula slid to a stop just in front of a burning wall and immediately switched directions. Another wave of fire cut her off, forcing her to double back across the stream. One of the chi-blockers lunged out from the bushes and delivered three sharp strikes to her arms, which fell limp at her side. No matter. She didn't need her arms.
The chi-blocker kicked a blast of fire towards her. Azula crouched low beneath the strike. With the man's leg still lifted in mid-attack, she delivered a kick of her own to the bottom of his chin. He lifted several inches off the ground before collapsing in a motionless heap, unconscious. Two more attackers sprang from the shadows, both punching jets of flame in her direction. Azula expertly danced away from their attacks and weaved between the pair. They turned, fists raised in preparation to chi-block her. Too slow. Azula spun with a pair of whirling kicks. Her boots crashed into their jaws, and they fell. Three down, one more to go. Where was he?
The sound of weighted ropes spinning through the air grabbed her attention. She turned to the trees. In the darkness, she didn't see the bolas until they wrapped around her arms and torso. Their momentum carried her to the ground, but she managed to flip back to her feet seconds later. Still didn't matter. Still didn't need her arms. She could take down this peasant just like the others.
Electricity sparked, surging out of the bolas into her body. Azula screamed, crumpling to the ground. The stunning wave left her limp and motionless, chest heaving to catch her breath. She managed to blink her blurred vision towards the jungle, where she noticed the fourth chi-blocker emerge against the glowing backdrop of burning trees, with Shin Tsang alongside him. Moments later, her head fell against the ground and the world went dark.
Azula drifted in and out of consciousness during the following few hours. She remembered being carried up the mountainside, into the temple near the peak. She remembered the spacious atrium with a pool of water at the center, and she remembered the statues of nameless figures surrounding the chamber. She remembered being thrown into a cell. She remembered darkness. After that, nothing.
When she finally awoke, she pushed herself upright with a groan, ears ringing. Her entire body tingled and ached. She attempted to stand, only to find resistance yanking against her wrists and ankles. Chains. This time, they had made sure to restrain her completely. With a deep sigh, she let herself fall flat against the cold stone floor beneath her. No use struggling. Far too tired for that. Far too weak.
"That was very foolish," she heard a voice say.
Looking towards the bars of the cell, she noticed a figure standing there. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, bringing the man into focus. A man with familiar, burned white eyes. "I have nothing to say to you."
"That's good, because I have very little I want to say to you," Shin Tsang replied, with a deep frown. "I want you to try and enjoy your final moments in this world, Azula. Take time to reflect on the things you've done, on the people you've stepped on and betrayed. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and soon after that you will be no more."
Azula squinted her eyes shut, desperate to think of a response. To think of an insult, or some biting quip. Any display of her usual smug arrogance. Nothing came. She let her head bow, gaze tilting towards the stone floor. Her attention remained there until Shin Tsang was gone. Once she was alone, she pressed her palms against her eyes. A surge of emotion lifted, but she fought against it. Stifled it. Even if she was alone, she couldn't show weakness. She couldn't allow any tears. If she blocked her eyes like this, maybe she wouldn't cry.
It didn't work. Tears flowed, in spite of her best efforts to hold them back. How pathetic. Pathetic and foolish. Her she was, the great Princess Azula, Fire Nation prodigy, Fire Lord and Dragon Empress, broken, defeated, and alone. She had failed. She always failed. No matter how far she climbed, no matter how sure she was of her success, her life always ended in failure. Failure and betrayal. Perhaps this was her destiny—to fail, time and time again, no matter how close she got.
What a shameful, pathetic existence.
Shin Tsang sat cross-legged in front of the central pool of the temple's main atrium. The water appeared to glow, its surface pristine and glossy, like a mirror. Such was this spirit water, left behind from the ancient mystics who had once inhabited this island. The longer he meditated, the more his body heated and vibrated, so close to being overwhelmed with spiritual energy. This temple would be the perfect location to extract Sen's essence from Azula's body, even more so than he had hoped. Tomorrow, he would take new leaps towards fulfilling his destiny.
"Sir, excuse me."
He eased open his eyes to see one of his chi-blockers standing there. "What is it?"
"The Dragon's Wing just landed on shore," the man said. "Fire Lord Yula is on her way here."
"I see." He closed his eyes again. "Make sure she finds her way."
The chi-blocker gave a bow, and hurried out of the temple. Shin Tsang resumed his meditation, letting his mind drift at peace. The journey from the island's shore up the mountain would take close to an hour. That would give him time to focus without any interruptions. There was much still to prepare.
That time passed quicker than he would have liked, as the temple doors opened what felt like mere moments after he had closed his eyes. With a deep sigh, his mind returned to reality. Yula marched across the stone floor of the atrium, with two dozen guards trailing behind her in formation. She certainly hadn't wasted any time in showcasing her newfound power. Still seated in his meditative pose, Shin Tsang lowered his hands and set them on his knees.
"Yula, how good of you to come," he stated, with calm indifference.
"Dragon Empress," she corrected, glaring at him as she approached the other side of the pool.
"Of course." Shin Tsang briefly swept his gaze across the line of guards behind her. "This seems like an excessive amount of troops to bring on a private visit to an unmarked island. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Normally, yes. However, I figured you could use the muscle."
He narrowed a glare of his own. "And why might that be?"
Yula paused, heaving a gruff sigh. "Lord Zuko and Anraq escaped. If I had to make a bet, I'd say they were on their way here."
"No one else knows about this island, or that this is where we took Azula," he asserted, with a subtle bite in his tone. "Even if they did find their way here, they are only two people. They can't stop us."
"They'll have found some way to track you, I'm sure." Yula's gaze intensified with unflinching sternness. "It's best not to underestimate those two. They do have a dragon, after all."
Shin Tsang raised a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Very well. Station your men around the temple and along the road leading up the mountain."
Yula turned to the man next to her. "Captain Han, take care of it."
"Right away, Empress." Captain Han gave a bow, and marched his troops out of the temple.
When they were alone, Shin Tsang stood up from the floor. "I trust you were at least able to take care of the Sun Warriors like I requested?"
"Of course," Yula insisted, with a confident smirk. "They were easy to get rid of.
"Good." He gave a simple nod. The Sun Warriors had outlived their purpose, and he couldn't leave behind any loose ends to muddle things back in the Fire Nation. "I suppose that means you're now officially the new empress of the Dragon Empire."
"Yes, I am. Don't ever forget it."
"Oh, I don't intend to," Shin Tsang replied, as he made his way around the water pool. "I never actually cared about separating the Fire Nation from the empire in the first place. I only needed a way to get to Azula, and to that effect the Sun Warriors worked splendidly."
Yula paced the opposite way around the pool, keeping the distance between them constant. "Speaking of Azula, I want to know exactly what you're doing with her here. You only said that you have plans for her on the solstice. I want details."
Shin Tsang gave a gentle scoff, and lowered himself back to the floor, legs crossed. "Very well, if you must. Have a seat, and I'll explain."
Anraq peered through the jungle, straining his eyes to see through the dim haze of early morning. He could just make out a winding trail leading up the mountainside to a temple near the peak. "What do you think?"
Zuko leaned out of the ferns, squinting. "I think I see imperial troops stationed all along that path. We're not getting in unseen that way."
Anraq let out a frustrated groan. "Damn it, how did Yula get here before us?"
"Well, she took the Dragon's Wing," Zuko said. "I'm guessing she overtook us when we made camp last night. Let's just be glad we got here before the solstice."
"Almost before. The solstice is today." Anraq raised a hand to his chin, thinking carefully. "Still, if Shin Tsang is going to try something, he'll do it at night when the spiritual energy is at its strongest. We have to get into the temple and find Azula before then. Could we crash in there with Druk?"
Zuko shook his head. "No, if we go with the frontal approach, they might decide to harm Azula before we can get to her. I know Shin Tsang needs her alive, but there's no telling what else he might inflict upon her. We need to do this stealthily."
"Well, we'll never get up there in broad daylight," Anraq said, glancing up at the sky. The orange glow of dawn grew brighter by the minute. "We'll have to wait for night."
"We won't have a lot of time then."
"It's fine. As soon as darkness hits, I'll get us up there in no time."
Zuko narrowed a curious glare at him. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because," he muttered, tightening his hands to fists, "it's a full moon tonight."
Shin Tsang gazed out one of the windows of the temple, watching as the sun fell. Night would be upon them in moments. Soon, their plans could commence. "Bring her."
His four chi-blockers approached, forcibly pulling Azula along with them. They kept her bound in chains, wrists and ankles locked tight.
"Let go of me!" she spat, tugging and pulling at their hold. Their grips never faltered. She could struggle all she wanted, but she wasn't going anywhere.
They brought her to the central pool of spirit water and laid her down beneath the surface, so only her head remained in the open air. She attempted to crawl free, but one quick strike to her neck rendered her limp and motionless. With a groan, her head fell back against the edge of the pool, eyes flickering, barely conscious.
"How much longer?" Yula made her way towards Shin Tsang, keeping herself straight and poised, hands held behind her back.
"Soon," he replied, turning his gaze back out the window. The sun dipped below the horizon, pursued by a steadily rising full moon. "Very soon."
Chin uttered a long yawn, stretching his arms towards the sky. "Man, why are we out here guarding this path? No one's coming. No one even knows we're here."
His patrol partner, Jun, offered a simple shrug. "Don't know. I guess Empress Yula is worried Lord Zuko and that bodyguard might show up or something. Don't ask me how they'd even find us."
"Well, I hope they finish up whatever they're doing in that temple soon so we can get home," Chin muttered. "I really don't like being on some remote—huurgh." His body jerked violently to the side, limbs twisting and bending in ways they shouldn't.
"What in the—ack!" Jun's body did the same, now hovering several inches off the ground. "What... is going... on?" Seconds later, they lurched forward and slammed into each other, both falling limp and unconscious.
When the guards fell to the ground, Anraq ran forward into view, waving Zuko along. "Let's go," he called, keeping his voice hushed. "There's another pair up ahead."
Zuko hurried to keep up, pausing only briefly to give the unconscious guards a passing look. Bloodbending... The last time he had seen this terrifying ability, Katara had used it on the man she thought had killed her mother. Dear spirits, he never imagined he'd see it again. Wrenching his gaze away from the fallen guards, he followed Anraq up the trail, towards the next patrol.
Shin Tsang sat in front of the spirit pool, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, posture straight. He closed his eyes, let his mind slip away, and tapped into the growing spiritual energy of the temple. With the solstice upon them, he could feel the line between worlds fading, blurring. The water in the spirit pool glowed brighter, surrounding Azula with a light so fierce that Yula and the nearby chi-blockers shielded their eyes as they watched.
Azula screamed. Her eyes flew open wide and began to glow with the same intensity as the water around her. Within moments, three bright beams of light burst forth from her body—two from her eyes and one from her gaping mouth. Her screams drowned beneath a dull humming. A humming that grew louder as the light grew brighter.
The floor at Shin Tang's feet flared to life with its own glow, as more spiritual energy than he had ever before experienced surged through his body. His muscles tensed and spasmed, struggling to contain it. He steeled himself, allowed the energy to flow like a river, with his physical being as a conduit. A connection formed, binding him to the Spirit World more closely than ever. The wall between worlds shattered, and that connection stretched deeper, all the way to Sen. Shin Tsang stood upright and opened his eyes, both of which now glowed the same as Azula's.
Yula watched closely, squinting her gaze to see through the piercing light. She noticed a bright wisp float free from Azula's mouth into the open air, where it hovered and swirled. "Is that... is that it?"
"Indeed." Shin Tsang's voice echoed like thunder, empowered by the spirits."That is the essence of the Spirit of a Thousand Faces, and soon it will be mine."
An explosion ripped through the mountainside. Anraq ducked beneath an incoming blast of fire and countered by bloodbending the attacker. The man twisted and jerked sideways over the ledge, where he fell into open air towards the jungle below. A second explosion forced Anraq backwards. He stumbled towards the edge of the cliff, but Zuko caught him and pulled him to safety. The old man lunged forward and released two massive jets of fire from his fists. Their attackers fell back on the defensive. One mistake, and they had alerted every damn guard on the mountain.
So much for the element of surprise.
A bright glow seared the night sky. Anraq looked towards the temple above, where white light burst forth from the windows. "Zuko! Whatever they're doing, it's started!"
Zuko took one look up at the temple and pulled out the dragon whistle from the neckline of his uniform. He gave the whistle a single puff, and pulled Anraq towards the ledge. "Well, we've already lost our surprise. Hold on!"
"Wait, what are you—aaaahhhhh!"
Both Anraq and Zuko plummeted over open air, wind rushing against their faces. Anraq screamed, instinctively shielding his face with his arms, as the ground raced up to greet them. Halfway down the mountainside, Druk burst forth from the surrounding jungle and flew beneath them. Mere seconds before slamming into the ground, Zuko and Anraq both landed atop the dragon's back.
Anraq clutched the dragon's scales in a death grip, eyes wide in terror. "Okay, let's agree never to do that again!"
"Come on, Druk! Get to that temple!" Zuko urged, as the dragon soared through the air.
The glowing wisp lifted higher, farther away from Azula. Shin Tsang smirked, raising his arms to guide the essence towards himself. "Just a little more..."
The side of the temple exploded inward. Shin Tsang bellowed in surprise, as the blast lifted him from his feet and sent him spinning towards the far side of the temple. The ceiling crumbled overhead, burying him beneath a pile of rubble. When the dust cleared, a red scaled dragon emerged through the newly created hole, opening his jaws wide to release a scorching jet of flames across the temple floor. Shin Tsang's team of chi-blocking firebenders raced forward, guiding the flames away from the spirit pool. A second burst of dragon's fire sent them hurtling towards the back wall.
"Azula!" Anraq slid down atop the dragon's back and ran across the temple. Azula remained deep in the spirit water, her eyes and mouth glowing bright. "I'm coming! I'm—"
He slid to a halt at what he saw next, eyes steadily widening in startled revelation. The glowing wisp, rising out of Azula's body—Sen's essence. They were too late. Shin Tsang had already removed it. In spite of that, Shin Tsang was not the person standing in the pool at Azula's side. Instead, a woman, dressed in the robes of the Dragon Empress.
"Yula..." he uttered, raising a cautious hand. "What are you doing?"
Yula glanced at him, as she plucked the essence out of the air between her fingers. "I'm sorry, Anraq, but I see an opportunity here. I have to take it."
"Yula, no, don't—!"
A searing wave of energy exploded from Yula's body, as she pressed the essence to her forehead. Cracking thunder followed, deafening the interior of the temple. Anraq lifted from his feet, slamming against the side of a nearby statue. Zuko attempted to hold his ground, but couldn't stop himself from sliding towards the far side of the temple. Even Druk ducked backward and shielded himself with his wings. A second pulse of energy erupted after the first. Seconds later, the world was calm. The light faded, and silence descended over the temple.
Yula staggered out of the spirit water, legs quivering to hold herself upright. She breathed deep, and looked down at her hands. Stared at them. Her fingers trembled. Another breath, and she tightened her hands into fists, to stop the trembling. She shifted her stance, taking a wide base. Her legs stopped quivering. A third breath, controlled and focused. As she let the breath out, she thrust a fist into the air. The resulting blast of fire that exploded from her knuckles tore through the entire back half of the temple roof, pouring forth with the power of a hundred suns.
"This feels..." Yula looked down at her hands again. She grinned wide and turned her body with a snapping kick. Stronger flames, this time. The entire back wall of the temple exploded in a shower of burning rubble. "...incredible!"
"Yula?" Azula crawled out of the spirit water, hands and feet still bound together with chains. She managed a soft groan, shaking her mind clear, awareness slowly returning to her. "What... did you do?"
"I took the essence that you stole," Yula said, with a disdainful glare. "The power you had is mine now."
Azula creased a hateful scowl, slowly shifting herself upright onto her knees. "You... you're a traitor. Do you know what I do to traitors?"
"By all means." Yula shifted into a defensive stance. "You're welcome to try."
Azula glared into her former student's eyes. This evil, spiteful woman who had spit on everything Azula had given her. This woman, who had betrayed her. The billowing rage in her gut ruptured, lifting her to her feet. Even chained up like an animal, she could still fry this backstabbing peasant! With a furious shout, she thrust both hands forward with intent to release a sizzling bolt of lightning fueled by every ounce of her fury and hatred.
Nothing happened. No lightning, no spark, not even a wisp of smoke. She blinked, glancing down at her chained hands. No. No, this didn't make sense. She should still be able to channel lightning. She hadn't been chi-blocked for close to two hours now. The effect should have worn off.
She made another attempt, thrusting her fingers forward at Yula. Still nothing. Another attempt. Nothing. Panic surged into her throat, eliciting a choked cough. There was no power in her, no breath of fire, no connection to her chi. There was only emptiness. "W-what? What is this?"
Yula relaxed her pose, raising a quizzical eyebrow. Dawning revelation lifted into her gaze, as she threw her head back with mocking laughter. "Oh, goodness! How the mighty have fallen."
"No... no, this isn't possible." The knot in her throat tightened, choking her breath. With tears stinging the corners of her eyes, she pulled her hands back and attempted to create a small flame in her palms. Something simple. Something easy. There was nothing. "I... I can't bend."
