Falling.
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Zuko was falling.
"Wh-what just happened?" Zuko grunted to himself.
The exiled fire prince recalled fleeing the palace after his confrontation with his father, Fire Lord Ozai, by declaring that he would help the Avatar in his journey.
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He remembered the bitter shame he felt when failing to join said Avatar's group as they shouted out and laid bare all the past grievances the prince has caused them throughout their journey.
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The prince also recalled how he spotted the assassin HE hired trying to snipe the avatar. Without thinking, he decided to intervene and tried to stop the assassin from continuing the mission. As a result, he got blasted off the edge and is now falling helplessly.
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"Uncle was right. I really didn't think this through, did I?" thought the scarred young man.
"What was I thinking, trying to fight a combustion bender near a ledge OVER a huge gaping ravine!?"
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As Zuko continued falling, the gravity of the situation finally dawned on him. the young prince finally understood that he is about to die. His final thoughts were not of the Avatar, the Fire Nation or even his Honour but his uncle.
"Uncle, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to truly understand my destiny. I am also sorry that I failed before starting."
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"Uncle, I am even more sorry that I would not be able to beg for your forgiveness before I die."
As the ground quickly rushed up to him, Zuko gently closed his eyes. With regret in mind, the prince accepted his fate.
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Zuko expected to feel something when he finally met the ground, even for a moment.
But he did not feel anything.
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Zuko bravely opens an eye to see what had happened.
What he saw could only shock and confuse him.
"Huh?"
"Wh-Where am I?"