"Mind explaining this plan, one more time? I at least want to get a better understanding of why we're about to dive headfirst past such a heavily guarded area." Zuko still had a hard time processing the fact that he somehow got dragged along into a borderline suicide mission.

"Not at all!" Kyojuro boomed. "Today is the final day before the Winter Solstice is over and Aang needs to talk with one of his previous lives before he misses his chance. In order to do that within the timeframe allotted to us, I plan on cutting us a path straight to the source! With my Flame Breathing, there's nothing that can stand against us, so I figured it'd just be easier to use this method!"

Sokka, Katara and Aang all had their reservations about charging in headfirst like this, but it's not like they had a better plan to dissuade Kyojuro from choosing this option.

"Zuko, I know you're worried, but Kyojuro knows what he's doing. If he goes with a plan like this, it's probably because he's sure it'll work without any issues. He'd never endanger our lives willingly," Katara reasoned.

"...You say that, but isn't this the same man who barged into Omashu headfirst with a plan very similar to this one? I'm starting to think all his plans revolve around being brave, headstrong and stupid all wrapped into one," Zuko sighed.

Snickers broke out from Sokka as he was listening in to the entire conversation. "Look, if Kyojuro says he'll handle it, then I say let him handle it. He knows what he's doing."

"More importantly…" Sokka desperately wanted to continue the conversation they were having from earlier in regards to his breathing and the changes it's undergoing. "Before we boarded, you said you figured something out?"

In the days before the plan was to be enacted, Sokka disclosed to Kyojuro what had transpired with his breathing technique and the strangeness he was experiencing. While it didn't make sense to him, Kyojuro felt like he'd be able to determine what was going on, but needed time to think over it first.

"Ah, how could I forget! Sokka, when I first started training you in the art of Total Concentration Breathing, I should have factored in your incapability with my own!"

"Incapability? What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"My Flame Breathing is suited to my body and my breathing accompanies that. You can use aspects of another style in rare instances, but for the most part, everyone's bodies have an innate breathing style hidden within them waiting to be unleashed!"

His expression lit up as he got closer to Sokka in excitement and curiosity, "And in your case, it seems like the style much more suited for your body has finally decided it's time to come out!"

"You may still be confused so allow me to explain in greater detail! You already know of my Flame Breathing which allows me to generate and manipulate fire at will. Suki's Serpent Breathing allows her movements to increase and she becomes almost serpent-like in her attacks."

"I figured that you were going to become my successor in regards to mastering Flame Breathing…"

"However! It seems like you may be going in a much different direction than I once thought!"

"You described to me the sensation rippling through your body during that spirit attack as one of calming waves and rushing tides, correct?"

"Yeah," Sokka answered, still drawn in to Kyojuro's detailed answer. Katara and Zuko could see how his eyes were almost lighting up like stars listening to it all.

"Well that's a much different sensation from my own breathing! If I had to describe my body when using Flame Breathing, I'd say it's more akin to a sun spreading energy that fuels my entire body! My blood begins to boil and my feelings and passion are ignited ten fold! It feels like the sun resides within my heart and it reverberates throughout my entire body from my head to my toes!"

"I take it that sensation you felt didn't even come close to what I just described?"

Sokka shook his head no, "Nothing like that."

"Then it's clear to me what's happening. You aren't suited for mine and instead your very own breath is about to become realized! From what the sensation you described to me, I believe it may be water based, but that is something you'll have to determine for yourself! As each style varies depending on the user, only you can figure out what your style truly represents."

"So...what you're saying is, I'm creating my own style like you and Suki?"

"Exactly!"

His heart and mind raced trying to figure out what it could be? Kyojuro was so powerful with his and Suki while relatively new was able to KO him in a single strike. This was finally his big break to finally turn the tides in his favor and cross that invisible line that Kyojuro and his dad stood across that Sokka never could get past.

The invisible line that symbolized everything he wanted to be. A strong leader who can protect what's important to him while retaining a calm and kind heart. It took a while and he racked up some embarrassing losses, but maybe...just maybe...he might finally be able to see the same heights that they do.

"Do...do you really think I can do it on my own?" He asked nervously.

He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder and smiled, "I have faith that you'll put the pieces together when the time is right! After all, each of you here has the potential to surpass me!"

Katara rolled her eyes in amusement while Zuko muttered something about Kyojuro being insane. For starters, Zuko never really understood what the man meant by surpassing him. For all intents and purposes, Kyojuro was a monster in every sense of the word and he wasn't even sure if his father could handle a man like him turning up at his door.

From the small amount of time he'd known him, he'd seen Kyojuro pull off feats that he could only dream of accomplishing. It was asinine for him to believe that normal people like him could ever reach the same heights that he sits at.

His uncle and sister was strong too, prodigies even, but Kyojuro was just...if he had to put into words-

Katara never was one to take Kyojuro at face value when he babbled on about them surpassing him and unlocking their potential. She wanted to get stronger to protect the things she cared about, but Kyojuro's ideals of strength were not the same as everyone else's. In her eyes, he was a man with an unbreakable will and an unshakable conviction while retaining one of the kindest hearts she'd ever seen. He was able to pull off things she could only dream of and after saving them all from Zhao's invasion, it became clear just how big the gap in strength he held between everyone else.

If she had to gauge it, it would probably be comparable to the moon reaching the sun. Even if she trained her entire life and became a waterbending master there was very little chance that she could ever reach his ideal level of strength.

She knew him to be goofy, overbearing, extremely hard headed, stubborn, headstrong, wore his emotions on his sleeve, but above all else, his most protruding quality that everyone around him quickly takes notice off is-

"He's the strongest," They both thought.

Even now as they travel with him, there's a certain mystery behind his strength that they know is there, but have no answer for it at the moment. But even without knowing the answer behind it, they know that they can fall back on it in times of distress as once he made a promise to protect you, he'd carry it out at all costs even if it became a danger to himself.

"Well…" Kyojuro stood up and grabbed hold of his sword, "I guess it's about time to get started!"

"Aang, how close are we to the island?" He asked.

"Nowhere near it. Maybe about half a day left to go," Aang answered.

Zuko had informed them that the blockade was located around this area. It was always this portion of the sea that was more or less, entry to fire nation territory. Aang had been on the lookout ever since in order to spot them before they got too close.

"Um...guys. I think we may have a problem," Aang gulped as he and everyone else watched as two rows of ships moving in opposite directions were now serving as the wall that would stop their entry to the island they needed to reach.

"Man, that's a lot of ships," Sokka worried.

"How are we going to get past all of them," Katara agreed.

Kyojuro stood up and gave a hearty laugh, "Leave it to me! I'll secure a path through them!"

"But, there has to be over a hundred ships, maybe even more than that. This doesn't look good," Aang said.

"Like I said," Kyojuro beamed as he could feel the sun shine down upon him, "Just leave the hard part to me. All you need to focus on is flying us through here!"

"If you say so…"

The closer they got to the blockade the more tense the air grew around them as Zuko already informed them of fireballs that could and would be thrown at them should they get close enough. If one shot manages to land then it'd be over for them.

Deeming this range to be acceptable, Kyojuro sucked in as much air as possible, wanting his voice to carry as far as it could, "ATTENTION ALL FIRE NATION SOLDIERS!"

Everyone aboard Appa looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"MY NAME IS KYOJURO RENGOKU AND I REQUEST THAT YOU ALLOW US PASSAGE INTO FIRE NATION WATERS! I DO NOT WISH TO HARM ANY OF YOU, BUT IF YOU ATTEMPT TO STOP US BY SHOOTING US DOWN, I'LL BE LEFT WITH NO OTHER OPTION, BUT TO RETALIATE!"

"AND IF IT COMES DOWN TO MY FIREPOWER VERSUS YOUR OWN, NONE OF YOU STAND A CHANCE! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND FINAL WARNING!"

"Kyojuro have you lost your mind!?" Katara said. "What purpose did any of that serve?"

His expression turned serious before responding, "I never attack an enemy without giving my name and I won't attack anyone who doesn't wish to fight back. If they let us pass without a fight then that's that, but if they try to hurt anyone on board…"

They all understood what he wanted to finish it off with without him even needing to say anything. They'd lose their lives trying to get into a fire fight with Kyojuro. This wasn't a suicide mission for them. It was a suicide mission for the blockade should they not heed his inital warning.

Zuko, while banished, still cared greatly for his people and prayed to Agni that they wouldn't be foolish enough to try and attack him. It wouldn't end well and the last thing he wanted to see was screams of terror and anguish coming from the ships below.

The ships slowly came to a halt as Appa glided over and soon through them without any issue whatsoever. Confused, everyone looked at Kyojuro who was still overlooking the ocean around them.

"Wait, that actually worked!?" Sokka cried.

"No way, that did not just happen!" Aang joined in.

Both men hugged each other joyfully as yet another conflict was avoided thanks to Kyojuro's insane idea.

"Unbelievable…" Zuko muttered.

"He really is something else," Katara joined.

"Hahaha! I told you they would listen to reason! Now we can continue to this island completely unbothered!"

"Onwards, Aang!"

"Aye, aye captain," Aang playfully saluted before taking the reins again.

In the back of Kyojuro's mind however, an internal discussion was being had. Why did those ships stop without putting up a fight? His time as a demon slayer always taught him to expect the unexpected and that may have been the biggest hint of something going on.

"Someone might try and tail us or maybe someone's already there waiting for us."

He readied himself in case an ambush was waiting for them at their location. He looked at his pupils enjoying themselves with the conflict avoided entirely. He wouldn't interrupt their small moment of peace just because of the bad feeling he was getting. If something came up then he'd deal with it.

The sun began to set as they finally made it to the island and glistened in the sky, not fully down, but making its way there ever so slightly. They landed Appa near the temple and got off of Appa as they started their ascent up the stairs leading to the temple.

"This place is huge!" Sokka gazed.

"I know, right!" Aang joined.

"So Aang, do you know how to find this place with the statue you seek?" Kyojuro asked.

He shook his head, "No, but I'm sure that it'll take us no time at all to figure it out."

Continuing on until they reached the top of the stairs, they noticed a man waiting for them decked out in some sort of traditional fire nation garb and all of them went into battle mode.

"Stay where you are! Do not even think about moving!" To Kyojuro's surprise, the man simply got on his knees and bowed to them.

"Greetings Avatar Aang. I've been awaiting your arrival," the man said.

"Uh...who are you?" Aang asked.

Raising his head, the man smiled at him, "Forgive me for my manners, my name is Shyu, grandson of Fire Sage, Kaja and I have remained here until your arrival to inform you of the developments that have taken place over the past two years."

"Wait, what's a Fire Sage?" Katara asked.

Zuko answered before Shyu could respond, "Fire Sages are responsible for identifying the Avatar's incarnation when he or she is born in the Fire Nation. They've also served the royal families for centuries."

"Prince Zuko? I haven't seen you since you were banished. I hope you've been well," Shyu responded.

Grunting as an answer was suitable enough for the man and he eventually moved over to Aang, "Normally there would be more of us here to greet the Avatar upon his arrival, but as you can probably guess, the Fire Sages had become corrupt due to Sozin's, Azulon's and Ozai's tyrannical influence and we had lost our way immensely. My father who heavily spoke out against these practices was executed for treason and I vowed that if the Avatar ever returned to this temple, I'd do everything in my power to assist him in his journey to restore the world."

"How can we know what you say is true?" Sokka pointed. This man already looked shady, but not only that he serves the royal fire nation family. That can't be any good for them.

"Sokka, hold on. Where are the rest of them? This could be an ambush and we'd be walking right into it," Aang wanted to have hope that there was still some genuine good in this nation, but he couldn't just blindly trust a fire sage after they've been on the wrong side of justice for over one hundred years.

"Well that's…", Shyu pulled off his hat and his expression changed to one of distress and sadness, "The reason there aren't more of us here is because I'm the only one left."

"That's impossible!" Zuko interrupted. "There are dozens of you! How could you be the only one left? Where is everyone else?"

Sighing, Shyu started the tale of how the modern era of Fire Sages met its end, "A little over a year ago to the date, we were meeting inside of the temple to discuss plans for for the future of the Fire Nation if Ozai successfully won the war his great grandfather, Sozin started, but we were ambushed and…" He took a moment to compose himself before continuing, "We were held in place as our bodies refused to respond to us and killed one by one. That...thing let me go, but my comrades weren't so lucky."

"That monster started to devour them as she let me escape, but as I tried to leave the island, she said I could not leave for a reason I failed to understand. This monster was capable of complex speech and thought and I believe the voice belonged to a woman."

"The fear and helplessness I felt that day has yet to leave my side and even after she left, I waited day in and day out for a light of hope to shine down upon me. Finally I saw your signal alight one of our temples signifying your return and I knew you'd eventually be dragged here. So I waited patiently and now I am here to assist you in any way possible."

"Damn it…I was too late here as well." Kyojuro grimaced when imagining how scared these people probably had been in their final moments. Awful. Absolutely awful and that feeling in the pit of his stomach continued to rise as he was seemingly on the clock as they were doing as they pleased in this world just like his own.

This has to stop and even if it kills him, he'd be the one to do it.

"But why...why wouldn't my dad acknowledge something this great happened to the Sages?" Zuko frowned.

"I do not know the answer to that, Prince Zuko, but I have a few theories about that myself. For now though, I need to inform you of a few things before we go any further with this conversation."

"If you are seeking something within the temple I am afraid it is no longer an option."

Everyone's face grew wide in shock, "Why can't we go in? Aang needs to contact Avatar Roku and we don't have any more time to waste!"

"I'm sorry to inform you, but the statue was broken early this morning by an intruder."

"What!" Aang cried. "I thought you said this place was empty except for you!"

"It's supposed to be, but it seems like that woman has been watching somehow. I can't understand how she's doing it, but either her or someone else snuck in and completely destroyed the statue."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Katara paled. "After we managed to get here, we're leaving empty handed…"

"Actually you won't be," Shyu said. "We have documented things that have lasted for thousands of years and among them, there is a way to contact Avatar Roku at the Northern Air temple. It's of the utmost importance that you make it there before the dark forces at work begin to stir. A storm is coming."

"A storm?" Zuko asked.

"A dark cloud is hovering over the world beyond just the Fire Nation's tyranny I'm afraid."

He bowed once more, "If you are to reach the Northern Air Temple in a timely manner, you must leave at once. I apologize for the inconvenience of you coming to this desolate wasteland, but there is nothing for you here."

"Please raise your head, I understand. The fact that you held out hope for my return for so long and never gave up hope, gives me courage to face the Fire Nation and whatever has been attacking these people. I'll do my best to end the war and stop these senseless deaths that have sprouted up because of these man-eating monsters," Aang walked over to Shyu and smiled as he stuck his hand out.

"The Fire Nation may be in a dark place, but people like you give me hope that we can change things in the future for the better. Once this war is over, let's actually sit down, talk and have a proper conversation about everything," He raised an eyebrow jokingly, "Plus I wanna know all about Roku's adventures from his youth, I know Fire Sages have it all documented."

For the first time in a long time, Shyu felt at ease talking to this child. Sure he was a child, but he held the spirit of his predecessors and the fact that somewhere within him, Roku was there brought joy to his heart. Maybe things were over for the old guard of the Fire Sages, but maybe things would get better? If the Avatar kept his optimism alive, it wouldn't hurt to keep his either. He could hold out a little longer.

Reaching his hand out, he smiled back at Aang and clasped his hand with his completing the handshake, When the time comes, I'll be waiting for you, Avatar Aang-"

Splat*

A clear skinny beam of energy had pierced the side of Shyu's head, killing him instantly. He dropped to the ground with a thud as his eyes remained open and Aang just stood there confused.

Confusion soon morphed into disgust which soon morphed into panic.

"Shyu!" He made an attempt to rush to the man's side, but was pulled back by Kyojuro.

"We need to leave, now!" He ordered. He felt sorry for the man as the beam was fast enough that he barely had time to see it before it was already piercing the man's skull. Another life lost right in front of him and he couldn't do much to stop it.

"I won't just leave him here! We can still help!" Aang reasoned.

The others were just as shaken up about what they just witnessed as his death, but knew better than to argue with Kyojuro. They needed to move. "Aang, I'm sorry, but just look at him. He was dead before he hit the ground," Katara looked at the man in sadness as she tried to keep her nerves down.

"She's right," Sokka agreed. He looked over at Zuko who merely nodded in agreement.

Another beam made its way over to them as Kyojuro pulled Aang out of the way before it connected. It curved in the same direction as Kyojuro, who found it extremely difficult to dodge it while worrying about the others as well. "It can change directions?"

If even he was having trouble dodging this, then they'd stand no chance should the beam change trajectories.

And of course it eventually made its way over to Katara and Sokka leapt forward, pulling her downward as it just barely missed its mark. As the sun continued to fall, Zuko noticed a figure standing atop of the temple with a woman at his side. If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like that beam was coming from him.

"Kyojuro, there's two people above us! I think the one on the left is shooting whatever that thing is at us!" Zuko propelled himself backwards to Sokka and Katara, pulling them along with him, "Aang, call Appa now!"

Shaking himself out of the mental anguish he was in momentarily, Aang blew into the whistle as Appa made his way over to them.

Another beam made its way down the temple at incredible speeds as it wasn't being aimed for any of them, but instead it was being aimed at Appa. Kyojuro sensing the potential disaster that was about to take place, he leapt forward and focused his flame breathing at the beam before it could connect with anything.

Flame Breathing, Fourth Form…, He leapt into the air as flames surrounded his blade and prepared to block this attack before it could connect.

Blooming Flame Undulation! He swung his sword in a circular motion and the flames spun themselves around as well, completely blocking the attack and giving them a short window to retreat.

The moment Kyojuro landed back on the ground, the earth beneath his feet moved as if it was being manipulated and spines of rock, clasped his body from head to toe rendering him immobile. "This is tight! I can't move!" He struggled to break free from this rock prison, but found that it felt like someone was struggling against him. As if they were trying to impose their own will over his.

And that was extremely laughable in Kyojuro's eyes.

Breaking free as chunks of rock shot all over the place, he noticed another beam being aimed for him as the kids had successfully made it aboard Appa and now were just waiting for him to get on so they could go.

Rock hands crept up through the ground and jumped at him trying to grab him before he decided to take them head. He punched through both of them with relative ease now that he had a feel for whatever this was, although he wasn't being given any breathing room as yet another condensed beam shot forward. This one looked different though. He couldn't be too sure, but it looked a bit...bigger than the previous ones.

His danger senses skyrocketed and he felt he had no choice, but to block it. Dodging it felt like the wrong move so he switched tactics last minute, Flame Breathing, Fourth Form,

Blooming Flame Undulation!He swirled his blade and flames to block the blow as it connected, but instead of it being stopped, Kyojuro himself was blown back by a heavy explosion that knocked the wind out of him.

Picking himself up off the ground, he could faintly hear an argument taking place from the two figures standing atop of the temple.

"A Woman?"

There was no doubt about it, the voice that was berating the figure on the left belonged to a woman. She was clearly upset about something so he focused his hearing on their conversation above him, "Are you freaking insane!? Had that explosion actually hit him and it reached Zuko, do you understand how much trouble we would be in?"

Kyojuro focused his eyesight as they were extremely far back and he wanted to get a closer look at who exactly was attacking them. The man who was being beradded, had grey skin, a very large frame as he completely dwarfed the woman and his most prominent feature was a moving eyeball sitting in the middle of his forehead.

The woman had grey skin as well and long brown hair. She wasn't nearly as distinctive as the larger fellow, but the thing that immediately took priority over all of that was what was in their eyes.

Upper Rank Five and Upper Rank Four were inside of both of their eyes, signifying that these weren't just any demons, they were the strongest around.

"You remember what happened the last time we fought, right? I should've killed you after I took your rank, but the master wanted us to team together because of our attack synergies. That Zuko brat is under strict protection from us so under no circumstances should he be hurt in any way, got it!" She finished.

The man with Rank Five engraved in his eyes simply shook his head in agreement before returning to look at Kyojuro who looked back at them as if he'd seen a ghost.

"This can't be happening. This cannot be happening! An Upper Rank demon existing here? Agni never mentioned this before I left…"

Not even getting a moment to process his thoughts, the woman leapt down from the top of the temple and landed in front of him with a sickening smirk covering her face, "This...is going to be fun!" The earth rumbled around her as she pushed her hands together, which caused two giant slabs of rock to crush Kyojuro. His reflexes were quick enough that he used his hands to force them back. She then summoned multiple rock shards to attack him from all different directions which forced him to dance to the plot she wanted.

Ducking and dodging, rock shard after rock shard, she burst forward with speed catching him off guard and punched him in the face and began pummeling him. Not one to just take the beating without retaliation, Kyojuro fought back with blows of his own as his sword had fallen out of reach during her initial ambush.

Unfortunately she was stronger. Much too strong for him to deal with and he was beginning to come out on the losing end of the exchanges as more of hers started to land while more of his weren't even landing. Sokka saw what was happening and figured if they were gonna get out of this alive, they had to leave now.

But what could he do if his master was losing to these monsters? They were stronger, faster and probably more durable than he was and Kyojuro is a superhero compared to the rest of them. If he could barely hold his own then Sokka didn't stand much of a chance if he jumped in…

"But!" Sokka's expression grew fierce as he gripped his hands in anger and desperation. Even if the odds were against him, there must be at least a small chance he could save Kyojuro before his injuries continued to pile on.

He remembered Kyojuro's words about his developing breathing style and focused his breathing once again hoping to finally discover what he was missing. For Kyojuro, it was his burning passion to see justice done that fueled his flame breathing. For Suki, it was her own inspiration of Kiyoshi and her training that brought her closer to serpent breathing.

"Sokka wait!" Katara cried as he leapt off of Appa with his trusty boomerang in hand. His heart began to race and channeled his breathing into something different. Normally he'd just copy Kyojuro and his breathing style would reflect that, but the heat that normally surrounded his body was no longer there as it had been replaced with a fond coolness that reminded him of his sister and mother.

"Even if I'm weak and keep getting left behind, I'll adapt. Water tribe men can always go with the tide of battle whether we're on the winning or losing end of things and today will be no different!"

Kyojuro was losing and this woman, in conjunction with her earth bending was dominating him. She was barely even breaking a sweat. "Is this really the best you can do? I'm so disappointed." She sneered as she dashed and readied her punch that would end this scuffle. She fully intended on punching a hole through his face as she had grown bored of this little affair they were having. He stood no chance against her being Rank 4 and they both knew it.

His breath grew cool and moist as he reached for his boomerang and threw it forward hoping to interrupt their battle. The boomerang was thrown with enough force that it almost sliced through the air itself, but made it far more obvious to the demon it was being aimed at.

Dodging it with no issue, she started to laugh at the foolish attempt that the boy just made to stop their fight to the death, "Did you really think that'd be enough to stop me? How foolish. A non bender cannot hope to stand against a bender and once I'm done with him, you're next."

She followed through with her punch as Kyojuro was still trying to recover from the blows he had sustained from earlier, but found it extremely difficult to move. She'd definitely cracked something serious and he was now a sitting duck in front of her overwhelming intensity and pressure.

"Goodbye!" She brought her fist forward as Kyojuro braced for impact as well as he could've so you could imagine his surprise when the fist never made contact with his face. Instead he saw with his own two eyes, her first being split in two as she looked on just as bewildered as he was. She pulled her hand back and started crying out in pain as if she was being burned by the hottest flame imaginable.

Ever so faintly, Kyojuro could see a faint outline of a small line from what he could tell, air, that Sokka's boomerang had carved out. It didn't make any sense nor adhered to anything previously known to him, but Kyojuro would not let an opportunity like this pass. He grabbed hold of his blade and readied his breath in one swift motion, Flame Breathing, Second Form…

He curved the blade slightly as he pulled it upward towards the woman, Rising Scorching Sun!

The attack cut her in an arching slash as blood spurted outward and she cried out again. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" She thrashed around before leaping backwards to her comrade still standing atop the tower.

"I don't understand what happened! I should've taken his head off, but something stopped me…" Her eyes turned toward Sokka who was looking over his boomerang as it was recalled to him and her eyes turned from one of confusion to one of fury.

"It was him! I don't know what the hell was on his blade, but it screwed with the air and sliced my hand apart!"

The man beside her pointed at Kyojuro who was being helped into the flying bison and then pointed back at Sokka with the same expressionless face he was known for. Another reason they'd been paired together was because out of all ranked demons, she understood him the best even if that fact pissed her off.

It took only a moment for what the man was trying to say clicked in her brain and she smirked at the realization, "I see...so you mean to tell me that the boy is like Kyojuro? Even though he's a nonbender he's somehow using an element out of his control. Interesting! I was wondering why the air felt moist when it cut me!"

The large man tapped her on the shoulder before pointing at the now falling sun. Nightfall and it'd be here sooner than they could finish this fight.

Sighing, the woman stood up as her wounds had fully healed even if her pride was no longer untouched, "Fine, we'll fall back for now. The master won't be happy about our failure, but maybe the information surrounding the boy can save our necks from the chopping block," The woman said.

Disappearing back into the temple, Kyojuro looked on as the sun fell and the moon rose, but saw them retreating instead of attacking again. Still somewhat dazed, he stored the information away to think about later. For now, they just needed to get away from this island and head to the Northern Air Temple. Getting aboard Appa and taking off, he readied his blade to ward off any more concussive blasts that might attempt to shoot them out of the sky.

Surprisingly enough, no attack came at them which caused him to become even more confused than he already was. He sheathed his blade as the flames died down and the toll the fight took on his body finally caught up to him as he dropped down to his butt, clutching his ribs. Katara rushed to his side so she could begin healing him while he looked around at everyone.

"Kyojuro, what are those people?" Katara asked. "Why did it look like you knew them?"

They all had looks ranging from worry to confusion to slight panic and the only thing he could think of to soothe their minds along with his own growing conscience was to let them in on the topic of demons and what their purpose is in regard to humanity. Obviously he'd leave out the whole coming from another world thing, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that he'd eventually have to part with that secret as well.

"I...I promised you all that I'd eventually disclose whatever has been eating away at me for these past few weeks, did I not?" Kyojuro asked them and they all shook their heads yes.

"What we just came across...is what is called a Demon."

"What's taking you so long? Hurry up!" Zhao shouted at his newest creation. A few days after successfully injuring Kyojuro and recruiting Jet into their ranks, his master instructed him to cultivate the boy into someone worthy of his use. Unfortunately their differing personalities were proving to be a headache for both men.

"It's not like I see you pulling any weight!" Jet snarled back. Zhao forced Jet to be something of a mule and he was delegated to carrying their leftovers and anything valuable they found while terrorizing earth kingdom villages.

"Well of course I'm not. I'm your superior and unless you wish to challenge me for my rank I suggest you pick up the pace," Zhao ordered.

Jet opened his mouth to argue, but felt it shut almost instinctively. He wouldn't admit it outloud, but he was fearful of him and knew in a one on one fight, he stood no chance against Zhao if they came to blows. It would be so one sided, he doubted the man would even need both arms to finish him off.

"Yes, sir," He grumbled as he bowed his head.

"That's more like it," Zhao retorted.

Pulling out his map, he stopped short of the village he'd been sent to and confirmed it was the right place. "Makapu Village," He smiled as he remembered his master's words to him about this place.

"Change your appearance and prepare to blend in," He ordered at Jet as his own appearance changed. "We need to be as covert as possible when speaking with the target. As I'm full I have no interest in ravaging another miserable earth kingdom town and it'd save us trouble if we could get in and get out without alerting the townspeople."

Jet nodded as he slinked back to his other state that greatly resembled humans. Why he had a form like this still puzzled him, but he didn't care enough to find an answer.

Leading them down to the village, Zhao figured it'd be best to see just how smart this boy really was. "Do you know why we're here?"

"Well duh, the boss wants us to find this Wu person and eliminate her. I mean she's old as dirt anyway so it shouldn't be too hard for us to do."

"And why do we need to do this?" Zhao asked.

"Because…" Jet wasn't really paying attention when the master initially spoke to them about their mission. Of course this being the first one since becoming introduced to them, Jet wanted to prove himself by fighting someone strong, but as it turns out they were only on an assasination mission.

"I dunno actually. Why did he want her dead again…" Jet trailed off as Zhao rubbed his temples in agitation.

"You cannot be serious right now! How could you pay attention to such a crucial detail?"

"The lady is weak and serves no danger to us. As long as she dies then it's all good either way, right?"

"No, you fool! The reason this Wu woman is such a high priority target for us is because of her precognition ability."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jet groaned at hearing such a big word that he didn't understand. "And now here comes the long drawn out explanation-"

"It means that this woman can predict the future and I don't think I need to explain why that'd be bad for us if she managed to contact others and warn them of the upcoming invasion."

"Oh…" Ok maybe he misjudged how important that little fact was.

"Oh indeed you idiot! Pay attention when the master speaks next time!"

They continued to walk until they made their way into the village stealthily. Not wanting to cause a scene, they slinked around hoping to avoid running into anyone. Not out of fear of being seen, but having their cover blown would end up with severe consequences for Zhao and Jet and neither man wanted to face down their master when displeased. That most definitely would not end well.

"Huh, how odd."

"What do ya mean?" Jet asked.

"Take a good look at our surroundings for a minute and think about what's wrong with this picture here."

Jet took a moment to look around the village surrounding him and sniffed the air. "Wait a minute…"

"This place is empty," Jet answered.

The entire village had been evacuated for a reason unknown to both men.

"Not completely," Zhao broke. "There's a woman's scent coming from that building. I've got the feeling that she foretold us coming here."

Jet racked his brain for some sort of explanation, "But if that's the case, why's she still here? Isn't that suicide to stay in a place knowing we'd be coming for her?"

"I'm not sure so stay on guard, boy. While she can't stand against us, she's proving more and more why the master wants her dead and gone. This ability could be a game changer for everyone should that group get their hands on it."

"That group? Who are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, it's none of your concern," Zhao responded while changing back into his demon-like state, "I suggest you do the same. Agni only knows what else this old hag has cooked up for us.

"Ha! Like anything she does matters now. She should've run when she had the chance and now her death's right in front of her!" Jet changed form and cracked his knuckles at the opportunity to relieve some of the stress he'd been feeling since starting to travel with Zhao.

Something in the back of Zhao's mind was telling him to stay extremely cautious while talking with her, but the fact that he could no longer take any food home with him pissed him off immensely.

"Well if I can't snag a villager or two, then I guess this woman will have to do once we kill her."

Walking into the building and snatching some curtains down, they saw Wu sitting around a fire seemingly awaiting their arrival.

"I had a feeling you'd show up, but I wasn't expecting the boy," She said.

Getting a closer look at his face, her heart fluttered in sadness finally understanding who he was and why he was here when he wasn't in her original prediction.

"You poor thing…" Her face turned sour glaring at Zhao, "How could you do this to him? He's only a child!"

Catching on to what she was talking about, Zhao simply sneered, "The boy wished to grow stronger so I gave him the power to do that. Nothing more, nothing less and I doubt he regrets it. Right?"

"You talking about me, grandma? I'll kill you!" Jet barked.

Wu shook her head as her expression faced back into the calm one she had from earlier, "You may not remember nor understand the meaning behind my words, but this man has not only robbed you of your future, he has doomed anyone you cared about."

"Me? Care about other people?" Jet laughed as Wu watched him sadly, "Lady I don't think you know me very well. I've always been alone and the only thing that matters is strength. Who cares about any of that worthless shit like friends and family? They'll only slow you down in the end."

"The only thing you can rely on in this world is your own strength," He curled his fists in anticipation, he was ready to pulverize this woman.

"Is that so…", She only needed one look at him to see that he'd done something unforgivable. Whatever ties he once had, he had forcefully severed and probably doesn't remember having them to begin with.

"Tell me, boy, do you even remember why you wanted to become strong in the first place?" Wu locked eyes with him as he smirked at her.

"Well that's easy! The reason why I wanted to get stronger was because-", He stopped mid answer as his expression changed from one of cockiness and arrogance to one of confusion. He racked his brain for an answer and all he got on the other end was static. It felt like a brick wall was blocking the answer from travelling into his brain, but either way, it didn't matter. He wanted to get stronger so he did, end of discussion.

"It doesn't matter!" His eyes turned to one of bloodlust and as this lady was making him feel things he didn't want to, she had to die, "I'm strong and I'll keep going until I'm the strongest. What more of a drive do I need than that?"

Wu shook her head in solace before looking over at Zhao, "You've stolen his entire future away from him and most likely forced him to do unforgivable acts. You best pray that his memories never return to him, because I predict the boy has much more potential than you have."

"Memories? What's she talking about?" Jet asked out loud not even realizing he did it.

"It doesn't matter," Zhao responded.

Jet didn't follow up on that, but the last bit she mentioned about his potential did pique his interest enough to follow up on it.

"Hey, Grandma! What'd you mean by my potential?"

She snickered to herself as she looked into her fire, "You may not understand it, but your potential for growth is quite high. Scarily so that if this man isn't careful, you'll surpass him in no time."

"Lies!" Zhao rushed over to her and snatched her up by the throat. She could feel her airwaves being slowly closed under the weight of his grip, "Enough of your useless chit chat! You need to die for our master's plan in another month and I promised him I would not fail!"

"See what I mean, boy? This man hides behind his master's wishes when in reality, he understands what I say holds some weight behind it," Wu forced out as blood dripped out of her mouth.

Jet stood behind them unmoving. Of course he could care less what a mere human thinks of him, but this woman could predict the future and she claimed that he could get strong enough to surpass his superior. "Interesting…"

For now though, he had a mission to complete and the question behind his own potential is something that would be answered for another day.

"Eh, hurry up and kill her already. She's boring me to tears," Jet grinned. "If you don't wanna do it then allow me."

"You may not admit it in front of him, but deep down, you're beginning to question things about yourself," She looked back at Zhao and definitely smirked at him, "Also I hope you don't think evacuating this village was the only thing I did."

"Huh? What nonsense are you speaking of?" Zhao growled as he tightened the grip he had on her neck.

Struggling to even breathe or talk, she realized she didn't have much time left before things got crazy, "I already knew it was my fate to die here today and even if I ran, I'd have eventually run into you people again. Our destinies are intertwined and no matter how much I wished it weren't true, my fate is to do everything in my power to stop you even if it means my own death."

"My final words to you won't be any cries of anguish nor begging for my own life. I've lived to a ripe old age and I don't have any regrets living the life I've had," She started to cry as she smiled at no one. Maybe it was to reassure herself, even she wasn't sure, "Instead I'll be passing my feelings, determination, goals and my very own will to others who can stop you in the near future. And make sure you tell this master of yours that soon he'll be the one begging and pleading for his miserable life along with the rest of you."

"They will stop you and that's something I didn't even have to foresee."

*Crack*

Hearing enough nonsense coming from her mouth, Zhao snapped her neck and dropped her to the floor as she lay at his feet, lifeless. Calming himself he turned to leave her house already knowing it wouldn't be here much longer.

"Let's go. We're done here."

"Fine by me," Jet agreed.

Leaving the house, they both walked until they made it to the village gates and Zhao decided it best to get rid of any trace that they'd been here. He raised his hand and prepared to use his blood demon art to destroy the house along with the town, but was cut off by a sharp pain in his chest and a blade now sticking through it.

"Now Jeong Jeong!" The man shouted as a man leaped from the treetops and blasted a large amount of fire at Jet who wasn't fast enough to move out of the way and caught it full on. He used his arms to disperse the flames before it did any serious damage.

Spitting up blood, Zhao turned his head to see someone who he hadn't seen since his years in the academy staring him down.

"Ah of course it'd be you...Piandao," Zhao said while still trying to free himself from the blade.

"I have no words for you, monster!" Piandao shoved the blade in deeper and twisted it as Zhao screamed in agony.

"What kind of blade is this!? Why does it feel like it's sapping me of my strength?"

Not to be deterred, Jet rushed over to Piandao's location ready for a fight, but Piandao had already removed the blade and dashed behind the trees surrounding them.

"You can't hide from me, old man!" Jet shouted not realizing he was walking into another trap.

Zhao had taken a knee while trying to regenerate, but the wound was closing slower than it should be, "Pay attention you fool! Above you!"

Jet looked up and saw Jeong Jeong shoot multiple fireballs down to his location which Jet barely had time to dodge before Jeong Jeong propelled himself downwards and caught him with a fire infused kick to the ribs as he went flying backwards in the forest.

Knocking down trees and fauna alike, Jet caught himself and stopped any momentum he had by digging his hands into the ground forcing himself to stop. Cracking his neck and smiling, Jet figured this was just the right challenge that'd suit his needs.

"I have no clue who any of you assholes are, but buddy you just made my day trying to attack me."

Jeong Jeong walked through the forest with flames lighting his hands and a determined look on his face, "You monsters have claimed countless lives in pursuit of something that we do not understand. Wu bought us enough time to prepare accordingly, but she willingly stayed behind to make sure you didn't run off too quickly once you realized the village had been evacuated."

"Wu? You mean that old hag from earlier?" Jet grinned at the man before responding, "Jeez, she was so annoying I'm glad Zhao snapped her neck like a twig. The only thing that makes me sad is that I didn't do it myself."

"Ya know, she even cried right before he snapped her neck saying shit like we were gonna cry-"

"Silence creature! Do not speak of one of our own in such a dishonorable manner. I won't tolerate your kind running amok messing with the natural order of things," Jeong Jeong glared.

"Sorry to be rude old timer, but who the hell are you supposed to be? My superior knew that old sword dude, so I think it's only fair that you tell me your name," Jet stated, teasingly.

"You do not deserve to hear my name nor anyone else's, but I'll indulge a man who is about to take his last breath," Jeong Jeong answered. "My name is Jeong Jeong and I am the one who will kill you here today."

"Really now? You're gonna kill me? Well we'll just have to see about that now won't we…" Jet smiled at the man again and it brought disgust to Jeong Jeong's face.

"The White Lotus has heard rumors of your kind reigning terror not seen since Sozin and Azulon's reign. We weren't able to stop any of the tragedies then, but we will stop you both from leaving this island alive!" Jeong Jeong readied his stance as flames swirled around his hands and Jet savagely grinned at the thought of such a strong opponent.

A fight to the death? This is gonna be fun!" Jet shouted before charging at him as Jeong Jeong simply held his ground in anticipation for the attack.

Maybe this old man would be able to entertain him more than anyone else has so far. Time would tell whether he'd live up to his expectations or break just like everyone else he'd feasted on since acquiring this strength.

One thing that both men understood completely was that only one of them would leave this fight alive.

A few things to clarify-

Upper Moon 1:?

Upper Rank 2: Zhao

Upper Rank 3:?

Upper Rank 4: Liling(Antagonist from The Imbalance) - I'd suggest looking her up or even reading it since she's the main antagonist of this comic arc. A Earthbender who believes that non benders are inferior to benders, she was drawn in by this mysterious power and welcomed its embrace with open arms. She has two daughters whose fate is unknown as of now. She hates Jet as he's a non bender that the master wants welcomed into their ranks.

Upper Rank 5: Combustion Man

Upper Rank 6:?

Sokka's breath has reached a point where it is changing into something familiar to Kyojuro and it won't be long before it fully manifests in all its glory.

It should be no surprise that the White Lotus finally took some initiative with these demons running around causing mayhem. They've always sought to bring order and peace to the world and them causing this much havoc in such a small amount of time did not go unnoticed.

Thanks so much for reading and tune in next time for a Villains only chapter. I have to start building them up for the Northern Water Tribe arc anyway so time to have some fun! Plus it's about time to start revealing some of their goals so that'll be fun...