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"Master Iroh, welcome back to the Sun Warrior's city." A tribal man with a headdress greeted the old general with a respectful bow. "Thank you, Chief Tai. It is good to see you again." Iroh replied with the similar gesture.
Zuko couldn't help but felt star-struck by the actuality that unfolded before his very eyes. The grand ancient city that stood in front of him, and the very existence of the Sun Warriors who were supposed to be long gone.
The tribe leader, Chief Tai then noticed the young man standing next to Iroh. He raised his eyebrows upon realising who the boy was. "I presume you are Prince Zuko." The chief said as he narrowed his eyes and examine him. Zuko simply clapped his hand with his fist and bowed humbly at the chief, "It is an honour to meet you, Chief Tai. Uncle told me that the Sun Warriors were the first to ever learn and master the true art of firebending. I've come and hope to learn from you." Chief Tai nodded his head slightly as an acceptance on the boy's attitude.
"If you wish to learn the "Ways of the Sun", you must learn them from the true firebending masters, Master Ran and Shao." Chief Tai said it earnestly. The young prince was puzzled for a second but he remained quiet as he allowed Chief Tai and his people to guide both Iroh and him towards the top of an ancient pyramid. From there, Chief Tai presented Zuko the very first flame that was gifted to the man by the dragons and has been burning continuously for over thousands of years, the Eternal Flame.
The chief offered the young man a small bit of the Eternal Flame and tasked the prince to deliver it up to the masters who lived in two caves that were located atop of large rocks that overlooked the ocean just beyond the ancient city while maintaining control over the flame that was resting on his hands. He was warned by Chief Tai on how the masters would judge his soul and deem whether the young prince was worthy enough to learn the true art of firebending. Should they deemed him undeserving, they would eradicate him on the spot.
It took Zuko no more than an hour for him to journey took from the pyramid to the rocks. To his surprise, by the time he was there, his uncle, Chief Tai and the rest of the Sum Warriors were already waiting for him. The ceremonial began as soon as Zuko started climbing the stairs. With some warriors banging the drums while others were controlling fires in a circular motion, shaping the flame in a form of a sun.
Once Zuko reached the long bridge that were connecting the two separate caves, he thought he heard low growls coming from the caves. What came next made the boy let out a gasp of astonishment as something humongous flew out of the caves and began to circulate around him. The prince widened his eyes in an awe as the pair of creatures that were surrounding him were dragons. A red and a blue dragon.
The dragons parted from one another and landed on each side as their eyes set on the young prince. Not knowing which to face Zuko instinctively turned towards the red dragon and presented the fire to it as the majestic beast was closer to him. The prince shuddered in admiration and fear as his eyes were drawn towards the red dragon's sharp gaze. Without breaking eye contact with the young boy, the red dragon let out a soft growl which was directed to the blue dragon behind Zuko. The blue firebending master replied softly and began flapping its wings. It retreated a little, providing some more space for its mate and the prince. Zuko began to tense up when he felt as though the dragon was staring into his very soul. He cautiously observed the dragon as it started to move around him.
All of a sudden, the red dragon revealed and spread its exalted wings wide before launching itself up into the sky. The strong gust of wind easily blew off the fire on his hands, and it almost forced Zuko to stumble. But he was able to maintain his footings and rooted himself to the ground. Zuko watched as the dragon flew and circled a few feet above him. 'What is it doing?' Zuko thought with a frown as he watched in perplex.
The red dragon continued hovering in the air in a repeated yet detailed pattern of curves, turns, and twists. The sight of the dragon's movement was truly stupendous for the boy, and Zuko could not help but stare at it with his mouth slightly opened. It was as if the dragon's dancing in front of him.
Then it hit him. Zuko had a feeling that the dragon wanted him to mimic its movement. It was then the prince eyed the dragon's movements with great attention. He took a deep breath and started to follow the dragon's forms with his fists, moving slightly forward with his legs as if following a series of dance steps.
As the dragon shifted its position, Zuko went along and changed his arms to the side following the dragon's flow. He pushed his hand up when the dragon angled its head upwards, and the moment the dragon dove down and below him Zuko dipped towards the ground. The two of then continued in the same formation for several minutes until their movements were finally harmonized.
Once they finally stopped moving, the red dragon landed in front of him and let out a soft snarl which resulted in the blue dragon to finally advance towards Zuko from his back. The young boy looked over his shoulder and saw the blue dragon was just as close to him as its mate. Then, the firebending masters reclined their heads slightly as their throat began to glow. When the dragons finally opened their mouths, they breathed out a stream of fire.
Zuko didn't even have the time to react, as he watched the fire was reach him. This momentarily brought back the memory of him being scarred by Ozai. The boy braced himself for the burning sensation. But when seconds passed and he felt no pain, the young man slowly and hesitantly. The boy was engrossed when he found himself trapped within a whirlpool of flame that was mixed with variety of colours. Unknowingly, he reached out with his left hand and touched the fire. There was absence of discomfort, instead, he felt the energy, the comfort, the warmth and the life coming from the fire.
"I understand now..." Zuko muttered as he watched the flames slowly disappeared into this air. He set his gaze on the dragons as his left fist was held against his right hand and inclined his body to show his utmost admiration and gratitude to the two masters. "Thank you." Ran and Shao immediately let out a roar of approval and took off into the air. They circled around Zuko a few times before finally returning to their own caves.
"Well done, Zuko. I am so proud of you." The young man was greeted with a crushing squeeze once he reunited with others on the platform. "Uncle...can't breathe." The elderly man instantly released his boy and offered him an apologetic grin while proceeded patting the boy in his back. "You uncle is right about you. You are worthy enough to learn the true meaning of firebending." Chief Tai stepped forth and joined the two of them. "It was incredible." Zuko spoke as he lowered his sight onto his hands, "All these times, we were taught that fire is power and destruction and to channel it with our aggression, malice and the desire to dominate others. But...it's more than that. Fire is also energy and life. And there are other methods to channel our inner flame. The desire to do good. To bring balance to this world." He said it confidently as he clenched his hand into a fist. Both elderly men who stood beside the prince nodded in agreement.
"But there's one thing I don't understand, Uncle. You told the Fire Nation that you faced the last dragon and killed it. So, it was all a lie?" The boy shifted his attention to the retired general and waited for his reply. But then, it was Chief Tai who answered Zuko's doubt. "Not entirely, Prince Zuko. You see, your uncle was indeed the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret to him as well."
"Now that you've learn the true firebending, Zuko. I have a proposition for you. I've discussed it with Chief Tai, and he agreed to it. But the final decision falls onto you." Iroh said. "What is it, Uncle?" The prince queried. "We will stay here for the next 3 years. During these periods, I will train you and teach you everything I know. Once you turn 16, you will have to start your journey to find the Avatar and help him defeat the Fire Nation." The young prince remained soundless for a minute and thought about the elder's suggestion. He soon replied with a nod of his head.
For the next 3 years, Iroh spent majority of his time teaching Zuko all he knew about firebending arts. He even taught Zuko lightning generation and lightning redirection. The latter one was a technique he, himself invented by studying the waterbenders' moves. Iroh also enlightened Zuko on how to meditate and make tea as he emphasised the importance of the two because they could calm one's mind.
Learning lightning generation was incredibly difficult for Zuko as the young prince struggled to maintain an inner peace for quite some time. But with the combine effort of his uncle's patient advice and the Sun Warrior tribe's constant encouragement, along with his persistent stubbornness to never give up, Zuko successfully shot out his very first lightning from his fingertips without finally getting himself blown off.
The retired general then educated the young prince regarding the importance of drawing wisdom from other elements and nations as it would help the prince to further improve himself and broaden his perspective on the world. With his deep understanding of the spirits and the Spirit World, Iroh taught Zuko the method of entering Spirit World. Much to his delight, the elderly man had a pleasing smile on his face when he discovered his beloved nephew also has an affinity for spirits. After that, Iroh advised Zuko to always hold the spirits in high esteem while simultaneously warning the boy to never ever insult them or detrimental circumstances may occur.
On top of gaining vast knowledge from Iroh, Chief Tai and other Sun Warriors also volunteered to teach Zuko few of their firebending moves, katas, as well as survival skills. Zuko would also offer his help to deliver the freshly hunted meat to the masters whenever he could just so he would get another glimpse at the magnificent creatures.
On the 2nd year, Iroh decided it's time for him to divulge the truth of his involvement with an ancient secret organization known as the Order of the White Lotus to his nephew, and the fact that he, himself is a Grand Master of the organization. The retired general explained to the prince that the White Lotus is a society that transcends the boundary of the four nations. It seeks philosophy, truth and beauty across the world. He also revealed to Zuko that the purpose of the White Lotus is to protect and train the Avatar. This led him to begin teaching Zuko on how Pai Sho works, along with the cryptic exchanges the members would do.
As the time progressed, the young prince bonded with the firebending masters. During that period, he discovered that the existence of a third dragon. The young crimson-scaled dragon towered over the prince at the height of over 5 meters. He later learned that the dragon he met was the son of Master Ran and Shao, and Sun Warrior tribe named him, Druk. Once a while, the firebending masters Ran and Shao would descend from the rocks along with their child, Druk to visit the prince, his uncle and the others. However, when the masters first visited the ancient city, there was a complete pandemonium because for all the tribe knew, the masters never left their caves. From there onwards, Druk's curiosity on Zuko increased. The young dragon started visiting the ancient city more often to observe the prince performing his daily tasks. This allowed the relation between two of them flourished as the time passed.
He took the opportunity to travel to the Southern Air Temple with Druk to witness the destruction his nation had caused. The emotions of horror, guilt and shame ran through him when he stumbled a into tattered, ruined tent. To his horror, the young prince found a lone skeletal body of a monk in the room while countless bodies donned in old Fire Nation soldier attire lied around it. It was there and then, the young firebender paid his respect to the deceased air nomad and vowed to end the war by finding and helping the Avatar.
When he turned 15, the whole tribe threw a grand feast at night to celebrate for the prince's birthday. Even the dragons came to congratulate the boy. As everyone was having fun and enjoying the night, Zuko smiled warmly as he savoured the very moment before his eyes. Because the boy knew that the day of him leaving to search for the Avatar was coming. These past few years were precious to him. Although he was scarred for life, and he had lost his birthright, his uncle was always there for him. The Sun Warriors and the dragons came into his life and became his new family and friends. Zuko took out the creased letter from his inner pocket and reread the message left by his mother. This fragile piece of paper was one of his main anchors that prevented him from falling into the wrong path. The amount of love he felt from his mother's writing was boundless. Oh, how he missed her dearly.
Zuko brought his attention back to reality when he felt a sudden nudge on his shoulder. Breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned his head slightly to see his best pal, Druk was sitting beside him with a chunk of meat in his mouth. The young dragon lowered his head slightly and dropped the meat next to Zuko. "Heh. Thanks buddy, but I'm good. You can have it." The young man smiled appreciatively at Druk's action and gently stroked his friend on the neck. Understanding what his companion has said, Druk proceeded to munch on the meat.
"You want to what? Are you sure about this, Master Ran?" Zuko directed his interest towards Chief Tai and the elder red dragon when the leader of Sun Warrior tribe sounded stupefied, just as the blue dragon huffed at the chief through her nose with a gruff. "Very well. As you wish, Master Shao." Chief Tai merely bowed his head and he began approaching the young prince.
"Everything alright, Chief Tai?" Zuko asked with a curious gaze as he stood up. Druk seemed to know what was happening as he repositioned himself next to the tribe leader. "Zuko, Master Ran and Shao wish to bestow a gift upon you. Please follow me and Young Master Druk." The young prince complied and followed them. The three of them arrived at the pyramid of Eternal Flame, but instead of ascending towards the peak, they entered a spacious dark vault that was located underneath the pyramid via a secret passage. Once they were in, Chief Tai casually lighted the wall torches around them with his flames. The young man spotted a pair of golden chalices and a few jars of potion resting on top of an altar located right in the middle of the room. There's an old, damaged mural behind the altar that depicted what seemed to be a human and a dragon with the chalices on their hand, and a drawing of a horned-human with scales on his body at the centre of the two.
"What is this place?" The boy asked as he studied the drawings while the chief began concocting the potion. "This immemorial room was built during the time when humans first learned firebending from the first dragon. The existence of this room is passed down only to the leader of the Sun Warriors." Chief Tai paused for a moment as he warily mixed the liquids, "This chamber can only accessible when a firebender is chosen and permitted by the masters. This ritual will allow the chosen one to attain a whole new level of potentials. We call this ritual, the Dragon's Ascension."
As he finished formulating the potion, Chief Tai poured the potion into the two separate chalices. He then handed the boy a knife. "The rite requires a few drops of your blood." Zuko stepped forward and took the knife from the chief. While the boy made a small cut on his palm and squeezed some of his blood into a chalice, the elderly man took out a small vial from his pocket, uncorked it and released a few drops of red liquid into the other cup.
As soon as it's done, he offered the cup on his hand to Zuko and took the other one and gave it to Druk. Initially, the prince wavered to drink the content at the sight of its colour before he watched his friend dipping his tongue into the cup without any hesitation. Bracing himself for the worse possible taste, the young took a big swig at it. The taste of the bitterness hit his tongue instantly and it nearly forced the boy to spat it back into the cup. But Zuko managed to endure it and swallowed the potion hard, causing him to cough strenuously as the taste still lingered within his mouth. "This is awful…" He complained as he wiped his watery eyes.
Almost immediately, the boy's body shuddered upon having the sensation of a surge of power coursing through his veins and body. A tribal dragon tattoo soon appeared around his left upper arm and extended to his left chest. Minutes later, a pair of horns protruded from his forehead. Zuko could feel his canines growing a little, while his amber eyes sharpened into slit. Golden scale-like marks appeared at the side of his eyes as crimson scales started forming around his forearms and lower legs. From the corner of his eyes, Zuko could see Druk's body was shaking as well as every edge of its crimson scales shimmered in amber gold light. When they finally adjusted to the changes, "I feel…incredible." Zuko muttered amusingly as he felt the sea of chi within him and and his five senses were amplified. Zuko and Druk silently stared at each other for moment before exchanging a smirk with one another. Knowing that they were officially bound in this life.
"Remarkable. Did I ever mention that the ritual will only work when there is a strong bond and trust between the dragon and its chosen companion?" Chief Tai pointed it out as he gently stroked his beard. "Zuko, remember this well. Never mistreat or betray Young Master Druk or you will face the fury of Master Ran and Shao. Even Agni will never forgive you in the afterlife." The leader apprised sternly. "Don't worry, Chief Tai. Druk is my best friend. I will never betray him." Zuko assured it as Druk came forth and rubbed his face on the prince's cheek. The young man later named his transformation as the "Dragon Spirit".
The prince's understanding on firebending grew exponentially when the dragons guided him in his training from time to time. His trainings with Druk have allowed the young man to create and use numerous types of fire, ranging from yellow to orange, red, blue, and white. This surprised both Iroh and the Sun Warriors as the number of firebenders capable of doing it in the entire history of firebending were as few as a hand count. Iroh proudly explained to his nephew that bending white flame is considered as a mastery in firebending element. The downside of using the white flame, however, was the massive consumption of his stamina and chi. But the boy was determined to overcome the flaw by continuously raising his endurance.
Few days have passed since he turned 16, the prince was done preparing for his journey and the sun wasn't even up yet. Iroh came to his nephew and wanted to speak to him in private. "Zuko, I want you to have this." Iroh retrieved a small package from his sleeve and handed it to the young man. Once he unwrapped the gift, the prince stared at the headpiece that was on his hand intently. "This is an ancient royal artifact worn by the Crown Princes of the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Sozin gifted this to Avatar Roku as a gesture of their friendship." Iroh explained it serenely. "Why did you give this to me, Uncle? When the war's over, shouldn't it be you who's going to rule the Fire Nation?" Iroh shook his head as a simple reply. "No, my nephew. It has to be you, Zuko. You exhibited an unwavering honour when you confronted General Bujing on his disgraceful tactic. Your refusal to fight against Ozai proves that you are a good-hearted young man. You care for your family and friends, your people and your nation. You are the only one who can truly restore the honour of the Fire Nation."
"I…I will try. Thank you, Uncle. For everything." The young man accepted the gift and the elder a warmth hug. His action left Iroh stunned for a second, before the retired general responded the hug with fatherly pat on the teen's back. As they separated from one another, Chief Tai approached the duo with the remaining of his tribe. "We, the Sun Warriors will forever welcome you, Zuko. This will always your second home." Chief Tai said it with a wide smile on his face. The young man thanked him and the tribe with a respectful bow.
As he climbed onto the saddle located on Druk's neck, Iroh gave his nephew one last parting gift by flicking a gold coin with a white lotus symbol carving to Zuko. The young man studied the coin for a moment as he listened to his uncle's clarification, "This will be the proof of you affiliating to the White Lotus as my pupil. Don't ever lose it. I'll contact you whenever I can. Be safe, my child. May Agni guide safely in your journey." Zuko nodded as Druk started flapping its wings, lifting them off the ground. "Thank you, Uncle, Chief Tai and everyone! This is a temporary good-bye! I'll see you guys again in the future!" He shouted as his companion and him ascended into to sky.
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