Wandering Firebender

Fifty Eight: Father & Son

It was his worst nightmare...

His own father standing right in front of him. He was the one leading this invasion? How was that even possible? Elio never wanted to oppose his father, but now they were standing in front of each other on opposite sides as enemies.

Elio briefly wondered whether he still would've come and fought had he known it would come to this...

"...so you truly have betrayed us all," Sol shook his head sadly. "When I heard about your escape, I'd hoped you would do the smart thing and return to your exile. But you truly are a traitor."

"F-Father...this has to stop. You know what happened last time the Fire Nation invaded! If you go through with this, who knows what sort of chaos will be unleashed?!"

"There will be no chaos! Only order! The entire world will bend its knee to our great nation, and this will all come to an end!" Sol argued.

"Even if that were true, which it's not, the world would be taken completely out of balance! Think about how the Spirit World could respond! It could make things totally worse!" Elio debated.

"The spirits are weak! This is what needs to happen, Elio! I see now that you've never understood that, but I will give you one chance. Lay down your weapon and surrender." His father ordered him. Elio swallowed.

"You would really arrest me? Put me back in prison?"

"You may be a traitor, but you are still my son. I don't want to have to kill you." His father threatened, raising his hands up in a fighting stance. Elio's eyes widened.

"Dad..."

"It doesn't have to come to this, Elio. But if you don't stop, you will leave me no choice. I have been given my role to serve, and I will carry it out no matter what." Sol said firmly. Elio's eyes welled up with tears.

"But I'm your son. You said you loved your family more than anything else." He pointed out, doing his best not to get choked up.

"...this is the fate of the entire world. I will do what I must." Sol remained firm in his resolve. Elio sighed sadly.

"So will I...you told me once, 'If by one life lost, hundreds are saved, then my duty is fulfilled'. I-If I have to die then I will, but you will not win this battle." Elio said, doing his best to sound brave despite his emotions being stirred up.

"Oh, Elio...I wish you could see things as I do." The general said with a sigh.

Sol made the first move, shooting a continuous blast of fire at Elio. Elio yelped in surprise and brought his hands up to block it. The force of the fire knocked him back against the door. He felt his back contort uncomfortably against his staff, which was still in its sleeve.

Sol shot another fire blast at Elio. Elio redirected the fire with his hands before jumping to the side, shooting fire out of his feet to send him flying to his right. Elio landed on the wall and pulled his staff out before jumping towards the controls to avoid another fire blast.

Elio landed right in front of the controls. Sol turned around and shot a blast that was way more intense than the first two. Elio spun his staff to block it, but it was too much. He was thrown back against the controls, pushing a lever forward.

Elio lost his grip on his staff. It flew back over his head and crashed through the front window. The staff went plummeting down to the ground below. Now Elio had nothing to rely on but his own firebending.

"You won't win this fight, Elio! I've trained you for years! I know everything you do!" Sol said as he threw another fireball at Elio.

Elio used one hand to redirect the fireball. He spun around to dodge another one then threw himself to the ground, lying on his back. He shot fire out of his feet and went shooting back. He knocked Sol's feet out from under him, causing him to fall hard on his chest.

"Not everything!" Elio said as he slid back. He rolled backwards to his feet, his back hitting the door once again. As Sol got up, Elio got into his fighting stance, taking in a deep breath.

Something felt different now. It was like he'd just experienced a sudden boost of power. His entire body felt lighter and also stronger. His muscles felt so full of energy that they might explode. Was this Sozin's Comet? It had to be, right?

As if to answer his question, a little alarm started to go off.

"No more holding back now. Surrender now, or I can't guarantee your survival!" The general said once more. Elio could see that his father was as hesitant as he was, but neither of them could back down from this.

"I love you, father, but I can't stop. I won't!" Elio said more confidently.

"Then I have to treat you as a traitor and an enemy! Not my son!"

Sol shot another fire blast, putting all of his power into it. Elio had no choice but to do the same. Two infernos met in the center of the control room. The resulting explosion engulfed the whole room in flames. Sol was thrown into the steering wheel. Elio slammed back against the door, and this time the door came off of its hinges.

Elio slid back on top of the door. The metal groaned loudly until it came to a stop. Elio got to his feet slowly. His parka had caught on fire. He swatted the flames away with his hands. It was singed all over now. Down the hall, he could see his father stepping out of the control room.

Sol shot a continuous fire blast that took up the entirety of the hallway. Elio jumped into the air and tucked his body into a ball. He then spread his arms and legs out, creating a fire wall that spread out and redirected Sol's blast around him.

Elio landed on the ground and threw two fire punches. Sol blocked them both then flew forward with his firebending. In two seconds, he closed the distance between them. Sol slammed right into Elio, knocking him back hard. Elio's back slammed against the guard rail at the end of the hall.

Sol did a spin kick and sent an arcing fire blast towards Elio. Elio leaped to his right to get out of the way. The arcing fire blast cut right through the guard rail. Sol came around the corner. Now they were on the upper catwalk.

Sol shot another fire blast at Elio. Elio brought one hand up to redirect the flame. At the same time, he created a fire whip in his other hand. He snapped it at Sol's head. Sol ducked underneath it just in time. He got in a wide stance and shot another continuous blast at Elio with both hands.

Elio brought his arms up and created a protective sphere around himself to block the attack. He took several steps backwards. His father was much stronger than he was. His fire was pushing Elio back, making his feet slide underneath him.

Sol shot another fire blast at Elio. Elio's shield took the brunt of it, but fire was still shooting out wildly in all directions. Other firebenders on the ship were forced to retreat; the flames were so intense in these close quarters that they couldn't help even if they wanted to.

Sol's flames started to cut through the lines holding up the catwalk. The floor shook underneath Elio, causing him to lose focus. He desperately jumped to the side to get out of the way. Sol hit him with another fireball right in the stomach.

Elio went flying back. His back hit the metal floor before he bounced and fell out of the bottom of the airship through the open hole. His body started to flip backwards out of control.

Elio groaned and yelled out in pain and frantic discomfort as he plummeted downwards. He could feel gravity pulling down hard on him. He groaned again as he tried to straighten his body. With everything he had, he shot fire out of his hands and feet continuously.

Now Elio went flying back up towards the airship. He went right back through where he fell out of. He flew up and his left arm slammed right into a wall. He landed hard on what was left of the upper catwalk, right next to where his father stood.

"Elio! This is enough! Don't force me to take your life!" Sol screamed at him. Elio groaned.

"I'm not forcing you...the Fire Nation is. But you can say no. This can stop," Elio grunted in pain as he tried to get up. He could barely move his left arm. "Please." He begged.

"This will stop," Sol said. He raised his hands up, building up his strongest fire blast yet. "I can't watch you do this to yourself anymore, Elio! You've thrown your life away!"

"No..."

"Forgive me, son, for I have failed you." Sol solemnly apologized.

"Dad!" Elio shouted as he brought his arms and legs together.

Sol held nothing back as he fired an inferno down from his hand directly onto Elio. Elio created another protective shield just as he shot it, but now he was trapped inside a wall of fire that was so thick and intense that he couldn't even see his father anymore.

"Dad!" Elio yelled out again, throwing his limbs to his left. It was a desperate move, but it was enough to redirect the last of Sol's great fire blast.

Seeing that his attack didn't work, Sol threw several fireballs down towards Elio. Elio used his right hand and his feet to redirect the attacks. He continued calling out to his father, but he wasn't listening, "Stop! Dad! Please!" He pleaded with him.

Elio took in a deep breath, pulling his hands and feet towards his chest and creating a star-shaped flame that absorbed Sol's attack. Elio arched his back and roared, shooting fire out of his mouth. It was enough to overwhelm Sol's flames and make him stop, if only for a moment.

Finally, Elio put his hand on the ground and threw a kick into Sol's side, causing him to stumble back. Elio screamed just from the sheer amount of effort it took to pull this off. He got to his feet and created a fire stick in his right hand. It stretched out far from both ends of his fist and became a fire staff.

Sol threw another fireball at Elio. Elio extended his hand out and made the fire staff spin, using it to redirect the fire up into the air. Then with his foot, Elio shot a fireball that knocked his father to the ground.

Finally, he had a moment to catch his breath.

The ship suddenly lurched and shook violently. Elio stumbled to the side and grabbed the guard rail with his right hand. He hadn't realized it until now, but they had burned through the structural integrity of the airship with all of their fire blasts.

This ship was going down!

Elio scrambled to the edge of the catwalk. He jumped down below. He tried shooting fire out of his feet to help him land, but it didn't do much to slow his descent. He fell awkwardly on his side, and his feet stung from the bad landing.

Elio groaned in pain as he crawled towards the opening in the floor on his hands and knees. The entire airship went into a nose dive, causing the floor to tilt towards him and making it almost impossible to crawl up.

"Come on! One more push!" Elio cried out. He shot fire out of his hands and feet despite the pain. He slid up the metal floor and fell out of the floor of the airship just in time.

He couldn't hear anything but the explosion that went off behind him. Metal bent and creaked like it was screaming. Even though he was outside now, he could still feel the heat of the rising fire behind him. Elio's body flailed wildly before he landed in the snow.

His entire body felt numb and his vision was hazy. Where was he? He couldn't see any structures. Only snow. Was he in the empty space behind the palace? It felt like it. He was colder now. His parka was gone. It must've gotten burnt up during the fight.

He huffed and panted tiredly. He tried to shake it off and get back up, but that was proving to be very difficult. But still, he needed to get up. This wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot...

Half of the sky turned red when Sozin's Comet began to make its pass. Cindra and Ansel were hidden by the side of the outer wall so she could heal his wounds. That's when they saw a reddish hue overtake the sky to the south. The light eerily stretched out towards the Northern Water Tribe with its ghastly tendrils.

"Ansel...are you seeing this?" Cindra asked, looking up towards the sky. Ansel, who was laying on his back, lifted his head a little to look.

"I see it...but it doesn't look real."

"Yeah...we need to hurry and get back to the others. I think that's the comet Elio warned us about. Which means that the Fire Nation is about to fight way harder." Cindra said, looking down again and finishing up with healing him.

"Whew...why does the water always have to be so cold?" Ansel complained as he closed up his shirt and parka again. Cindra smiled a little as she helped him up.

"How are you feeling? Are you sure you want to continue?" She asked, putting a hand on his arm until he could stand steadily on his own. He looked at her and nodded.

"We have to. Every second is crucial now. We need to hurry and get back." Ansel said, taking a few weary steps before jumping into the water and using his waterbending to swim back to the other side of the wall.

"Yeah..." Cindra said. She was very worried for her brother, but she couldn't argue with his reasoning, and she knew that he wouldn't listen to her if she told him to stop. So she jumped in the water and followed him back behind the wall.

The two of them popped out of the water and were now back inside the tribe. They looked around to see how things had progressed. The waterbenders had managed to thin out the amount of Fire Nation soldiers somewhat, but now with the comet in effect, the remaining soldiers had become far more difficult to handle.

"Continue the push! This is our chance to overtake the city!" A familiar voice yelled in the distance. Cindra and Ansel looked back and saw that Admiral Huang had somehow gotten free! He was now leading the charge.

"I thought we got him!" Cindra exclaimed.

"Apparently not...look! There's Master Hazo! We need to help him fight that guy!" Ansel exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Cindra nodded, raising her hands up readily.

The two of them were about to join up with the master and charge towards the admiral, but then suddenly they heard an explosion in the distance behind them. They turned back and saw that the leading Fire Nation airship had exploded and was about to crash land in the icy wasteland behind the palace.

"Looks like Elio is taking care of things up there!" Ansel said.

Cindra's eyes narrowed on the airship. It was hard to see, but she could see fire shooting out of the bottom of the ship. It wasn't part of the explosion though. It was firebending. There were still people inside of there! Could Elio be stuck inside?

"Ansel, I think Elio might have been in there! I can see fighting!" Cindra pointed towards the ship just as more fire shot out of the opening in the floor. Ansel's eyes widened.

"I think you're right! You need to go!" Ansel quickly said.

"Me? Are you sure?"

"If he's injured, you can heal him! I'll help the master! Be careful!" Ansel said before running in the other direction.

"Mind your injuries!" Cindra shouted to him before turning and running towards the crashed ship. She used the water canals to skate on the surface of the water. It would take her awhile to get to the crash site behind the palace.

"Please be okay, Elio." Cindra said to herself...

Elio's hands trembled as he placed his palms down on the snow. It still hurt to move his left arm, but he had enough adrenaline to ignore it for now. He got to his feet and limped a little as he walked forward. With his parka gone, now he only had a long sleeve shirt.

Elio took in a few shaky deep breaths, trying to warm himself up. He shook his arms out and looked around. He could see his father collecting himself as well. He didn't look nearly as affected by the crash. Sol was down on one knee, but when he saw Elio, he got to his feet.

Elio pressed his lips together and grunted a little, pushing himself to walk more normally. He clenched his fists and stared his father down. Sol rubbed his hands together and created a flame, indicating that he was ready to continue the fight.

"It's time to end this, father!" Elio yelled, flexing his arms. Two flames shot out of his fists.

"Then let's end this! Once and for all!" Sol shouted back, shooting a fireball at Elio.

Elio raised up his left arm and deflected the fireball. He grunted in pain and clutched his arm after. He spun around once and shot a forceful blast out of his right hand. Sol pressed his hands together, slicing through Elio's attack to deflect it.

Sol shot another continuous blast with both hands. Elio roared as he shot his own blast back with one hand. His feet slid back in the snow. He dug his heels in and turned his feet sideways to avoid being knocked back. Sol started to advance, throwing a series of rapid fireballs.

Elio deflected several of the fireballs with his right hand. He spun around in a half-circle to avoid several others. He jumped into the air and shot fire out of his feet, flying up and flipping backwards. Sol shot several fireballs up at Elio, but they all missed.

Elio landed a few feet behind Sol. Sol turned around and shot a fireball at Elio. Elio rolled to the side and shot two fireballs at once, one out of each hand. With his right hand, he fired back at Sol. With his left hand, he shot a fireball to the side and kept his arm extended out.

Sol blocked the fireball by crossing his arms in front of him. He shot another continuous blast at Elio, putting a lot more force into it. Elio got into a wide stance and moved his hand in small circles to redirect the fire. With his left arm, he guided a fireball around to the side.

Elio swiped his left arm across his body, yelling in pain as he did so. Sol was focused on trying to overwhelm Elio with one continuous blast and didn't see the second fireball coming. It blasted him in the side of the head and knocked him onto his side.

Sol's continuous fire blast stopped once he'd been hit. This allowed Elio to advance and close the distance. He kicked Sol in the stomach and slipped awkwardly, falling on his knees on top of Sol. Sol yelled out in pain before shooting a fireball at Elio.

Elio bent backwards to avoid getting hit in the face, making him stumble back and get off of Sol. Sol scrambled to his feet and threw a fire punch towards Elio. Elio leaned to the side to avoid it. He stepped forward and threw a fire punch into Sol's side. He flinched in pain and tried to throw another fire punch.

Elio hissed in pain as he grabbed Sol's right arm with his left hand. He clenched his fist and punched Sol in the arm several times. Sol yelled in pain and pulled away, but he couldn't move his arm at all.

He'd been chi-blocked!

"Ahh! What is this?! What is this?!" Sol exclaimed.

"A little trick I learned...from the circus." Elio said, raising his right fist up again.

Sol tried to move his arm again but he couldn't. He attacked with his other hand. Elio deflected the attack with his right hand. He stepped in close and elbowed Sol in the chest. As Sol stumbled back, Elio hooked one of his legs with his foot and made him fall on his back.

Sol's back hit the ground and he grunted in shock. He reacted quickly, starting to get back up and throwing another fire punch. Elio kicked Sol's arm and knocked it away. Sol shouted in pain. Elio chi-blocked his other arm while he was down.

"I took away your bending in your arms. This fight is over!" Elio said, pointing his right fist towards his father's face. Sol took a moment to catch his breath before letting out a tired sigh.

"I guess it is...you've learned a lot more than I thought. You've gained a lot of experience." Sol said. Elio grimaced, his lip quivering a little.

"This isn't what I wanted... This was never what I wanted, dad!" He yelled, his eyes welling up with tears again. Since Sol was unable to use his arms, he sat up and shifted to his knees.

"I know. I read your letter...you left us as a disgraced coward. And now, you've become a complete traitor." Sol said. He spoke in a calm tone; not like he was insulting his son, but rather stating the simple fact of the matter.

"No," Elio shook his head. "I'm not a traitor or a coward anymore. I can't...stand by and watch the Fire Nation do the wrong thing! This is wrong! It's all wrong, dad! It always has been!" He argued.

"It was never about right or wrong, Elio! It's about what's best! Best for the world!" Sol said.

"You can't honestly believe that this is what's best for the world!" Elio said, gesturing back to the battle still going on in the Northern Water Tribe.

"You've seen the same instability and turmoil that I have, son. Under the control of one nation, all the fighting and the suffering would stop. The Fire Nation is the greatest nation in history! Just imagine how things would be." Sol said.

"I don't have to imagine. I've seen it. The Fire Nation would just enslave the entire world! The Fire Lord wants to burn the world down! I know you know that!"

"And then we would rebuild a new one! A better one! You can't build something better without first getting rid of what came before it. That's how change works, Elio!"

"But is it the right change?! Killing innocent people, throwing the world out of balance by attacking the spirits, and killing the Avatar?! How is that better?!" Elio shouted. Sol sighed and shook his head.

"Elio...anything worth pursuing in this life will require that sacrifices be made. No society in history has ever been built without bloodshed...is this why you ran?" Sol asked, looking up at him.

"Yes! Yes..." Elio looked down at the ground and wiped tears from his eyes. "I could never fight for that, dad. I just wanted to be neutral and find my own path with performing, b-but I knew you wouldn't accept it. With all of your status, I would've disappointed you one way or the other." He said.

"Elio..." Sol shook his head and looked down. "I've always tried to teach you everything that I know, what I've come to learn in life. I would've wanted you to approach me as your father, not as a high-ranking general...I suppose I have failed as your father in that respect...

"But none of that matters now. You have defeated your enemy, and now his life is in your hands. If you truly believe in what you say, you will take decisive action." Sol said.

"Wh-What?" Elio looked at his father in confusion. Sol lowered his head down.

"I swore an oath to the Fire Lord that I would lay down my life in service to him and our country. I will not fail him. I would rather die than be captured." Sol glared up at him.

"N-No...no, dad, I can't." Elio shook his head.

"Do it, Elio! You can't run away from these things anymore! You have to choose! What are you willing to do? How far will you go to fight for what you think is right?! Would you die for these people?! Would you kill for them?! Otherwise, what's the point?!" Sol yelled at him.

Elio's eyes widened in disbelief. Then his mind went back to something that Rala had told him months ago. It was the same thing he remembered during his fight with Cassian: "Are you willing to hurt others in the name of what is good?"

This was his moment to finally answer that question.

"I've been through way too much to let anyone else influence what I'm willing to do, what I'm willing to fight for. If you want to let Fire Lord Ozai lie to you and tell you what to think and believe, that's on you. But I've made my decision, and I know what I believe in now." Elio said firmly.

Sol lowered his head down and closed his eyes, not saying anything. He just waited...

Then he flinched in surprise. He opened his eyes and saw that Elio had dropped down to his knees and was wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Nothing is more important to me than the people that I love." Elio said through bitter tears. Sol let out a quiet sigh, saying nothing else...

"Elio? Elio!" Cindra called out to him as she made her way up to the top of the ice cliff. While making the climb, she'd found Elio's staff lying on the ground, so she took it up with her. As she reached the top, Elio let go of his father and stood up.

"Cindra? Cindra!" Elio realized. He waved to her and gestured for her to come over. She ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"Elio! You're alright! I thought you might've been trapped in the wreckage!" She said as she held onto him. Elio hugged her back with one arm.

"I'm okay. Still standing somehow...how are things down below?" He asked as he let her go.

"Not great. Fire Nation soldiers are still crawling everywhere. We're trying to drive them out, but the comet's making that really hard." Cindra explained quickly.

"Then this fight isn't over yet...I need you to heal my left arm. I can barely move it."

"O-Okay." Cindra stuttered. She pulled some snow from the ground, turned it into water, and used it to heal Elio's arm. Elio flinched from the cold as the water made contact with his skin.

"Thank you. You see that guy over there?" Elio gestured to the general.

"Yeah."

"That's General Chinen. He's one of the men leading this attack...he's my father." Elio said.

"What?!" Cindra's eyes widened. She looked at Sol in complete shock.

"I need you to take him somewhere secure. I chi-blocked his arms already, so he can't bend, but he can still walk. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Yes, of course. I got it," Cindra nodded. "What about you? What are you gonna do?" She asked, looking at him.

"Fight's not over," Elio said, taking his staff and holding it in his left hand. "There's only a little time left before Sozin's Comet passes. I'm going to help finish this." He said.

"I'll be right behind you." Cindra said with a nod. Elio smiled gently.

"I'll see you soon." He said before turning around.

"Be careful, Elio!" Cindra called to him.

"You too!" Elio called back before running back towards the tribe.

There was only a little time left. This battle was finally nearing its end. Elio knew that whatever happened next would make all the difference...

To Be Continued...