The messenger dropped to the floor, the blasts of fire having killed him instantly. His clothes were burned black, his skin twisted and deformed. The noble lords and generals kept silent and remained completely still. The slightest action could bring the wrath of Fire Lord Ozai crashing down upon any of them. The Fire Lord was never someone to aggravate, but now, with the news of Princess Azula's death, he more dangerous than the Avatar himself. Ozai glared at his subjects. They understood his silent order, turning and exiting, trying not to reveal that they were hurrying.
The Fire Lord collapsed, devastated by this news. Azula was all that he had left. With the deaths of his wife Ursa, his father Azulon, and his nephew Liu-ten, the treason of his brother Airo, and the disgrace of his son Zuko, his family was now shattered. He had a choice to make; allow his bloodline to be broken and let the throne of the Fire Nation pass to the highest ranked noble, or restore the honor of his son. Either choice would be like tearing his arm off. Perhaps this was his punishment for robbing Airo of his throne. Now, like his brother, Ozai truly knew the pain of losing a child. He clenched a fist, trying to put the thought of one of his darkest secrets aside. He had killed his brother's son. He had murdered his own nephew, simply to end his brother's line. He had then executed his own wife to prove himself to Azulon. He had won the title of Fire Lord, but it had cost him everything. His family had been destroyed by his own actions.
A thought pierced his mind, forcing him to remember a missing piece from his past. The single member of his family who had not been raised in the palace of Gaigalos. His illegitimate son, Zanzai.