The throne room was dark except for the flames that shielded Ozai from view. Shūrin stood in front of the wall of fire, silver-haired and stooped like a gnarled tree bent to the wind. Unease slithered through Zuko's stomach as he saw the full extent of the corruption that had taken over her vessel.

How had she changed so much since the last time he'd seen her when he'd escaped with Ty Lee?

Yuzo cursed and lunged forward, but Atsuo was quick to grab him and hold him trapped against his chest before Yuzo could do anything rash.

"What have you done?" Yuzo snarled, struggling against the tight grip. "What have you done to my brother?"

Shūrin's lips curved. "Your brother is gone, child." Her tone became as cold and dark as a void. "As for you, you should have never come here."

She raised her hand and punched a swirl of gold that threatened to engulf them like the fiery jaws of a beast. Everyone quickly put up shields. Everyone was also shoved back from the force. It was like being hit with a mountain. Zuko's head slammed against a pillar and a high-pitched ringing blared in his ears. He groaned, blinking back blurry dots.

"Did you fools really think it would be this easy?" She fired blast after blast, slamming them against the floor again and again. "I have lived for centuries, gaining knowledge, honing my skills. I have mastered the very energy of this world!"

Zuko gasped as fire slammed into his shield and licked at his skin. She was so strong. Far stronger than when he'd fought against her on Wu Yao's island. It was taking all he had just to block her attacks, let alone stay conscious.

"But I do wish to thank you for walking into my trap." Her gaze shifted to Aang, who was on one knee and struggling to ward her flames. "Especially you, little Avatar. Now that your bond is broken with Prince Zuko and you've reforged your connection to the Avatar Cycle, I can kill you and create a new Avatar, one who will do my bidding."

Aang paled but his expression was determined. "There's no way I'll let you do that!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

"Watch me!"

His eyes flashed white and every tattoo lit up. In a rush he was on his feet and thrust his hands out, forcing her fire back at her in an intense wave. Her lips twitched and she grasped the flames and guided them around her like a coiling snake before they dissipated into mere wisps.

Zuko's heart jolted against his ribs. No way.

"You're going to have to do better than that," she taunted.

Aang growled and surged forward, air encircling him like a shield. He pounded his fist into the floor and it jolted up in a gaping maw underneath her. Fire flared from her feet and palms. The stone closed on empty space. Shūrin smiled as she loomed over them, held aloft by the power of her bending.

"Silly child." More flames swelled between her hands, getting bigger and bigger. "Why do you keep holding back? Is it because you hope to save this vessel? Is it because you're scared your friends will get caught up in your attacks?"

She threw the massive sphere at him. Wind burst from Aang, slicing through the fire like a blade. Some of the floor and pillars were already turning black.

Her teeth gleamed in a smile. "Or is it because you really are that weak?"

"I'm not weak!"

"No?" Her eyes glowed bright gold, brimming with power. It was like looking at a second Avatar. "Then prove it."

Flames blasted towards Aang in a vicious roar. He raised a part of the floor as a wall, but it was smashed through the moment her attack made contact, chunks of stone flying off everywhere. Quickly, he crossed his arms in front of him and braced himself, using a shield forged by fire and air to push back at the onslaught. His heels skidded back.

"Come on, Avatar!" Shūrin jeered. "I told you that you have to do better!"

A frustrated sound escaped Aang and his swirling shield pulsed bigger, trying to overwhelm her flames.

That was when Zuko realised their mistake.

They'd all been so focussed on Shūrin and trying to get back on their feet that they'd failed to notice the third person in the throne room. A person who moved like liquid shadow and had only one goal in mind.

Hina's fists struck Aang's back with swift precision. The torrent of flames immediately stopped. His body jerked and the spirit glow that illuminated his eyes and tattoos stuttered to nothing.

"N-no," Aang choked out.

Hina caught him in her arms. A knife glinted.

"Aang!" Katara screamed.

She managed to lash out with a dozen water whips, but Shūrin's fire snagged them before the blade could be knocked away. Steam hissed and heated droplets of water splattered everywhere.

Hina raised the knife.

"Stop!" Zuko cried. He struggled to his feet, rage and fear clawing its way up inside his chest. The room was spinning and his ears were still ringing, but his voice was clear. "Hina, don't do this!"

Her eyes met his. Tortured eyes that begged for release.

That was when the knife struck.

There was an awful scream. He didn't know if it came from him or Katara. Maybe both. All he knew was that suddenly he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything except watch as the knife was wrenched from Aang's throat. Blood spilled. It spilled and spilled even as Zuko's heart became the heaviest of stones, sinking, sinking, sinking.

This could not be happening. Not now, not like this.

Hina threw Aang's body away from her. The bloody knife clattered on the blackened stone not far from his unmoving form.

"So much for the Avatar's destiny," Shūrin observed, touching down on the floor with her feet.

Ozai's laughter filled the hall. "Impressive. I see you do keep your promises."

Zuko's trembling hands curled into fists. His eyes prickled and his throat burned, constricted by the lump that had formed.

"I can heal him!" Katara scrambled towards Aang, half-staggering and tears wetting her cheeks. "There's still—"

Shūrin raised her hand. "I think not."

A fusion of blue, orange, and gold flames blocked the attack that would have sent Katara flying. Then Zuko, Azula and Yuzo were standing protectively in front of her in offensive stances. Atsuo had gone to deal with Hina.

"Go," Azula said. "Heal him."

"We'll buy you as much time as we can," Zuko added.

Katara nodded and dashed for Aang.

Shūrin tilted her head at the three. The glow in her eyes had faded and she looked even more stooped and withered, like a flower about to succumb to winter's chill. "Children, children, haven't you realised yet? You cannot defeat me."

"I wonder about that," Azula said, looking her up and down. "Seems to me you're weaker now."

"Always the observant one." Shūrin's lips curved. "But, you see, I am not fighting alone either."

The flames parted around the throne and Ozai stepped down from the dais. Zuko's heart thudded against his ribs.

Their father? They were going to have to fight him?

Shūrin's smile widened. "I do prefer to keep things within the family, don't you?"

Yuzo glared at her, but Zuko and Azula could only stare, tight-lipped and grim, as their father drew closer. This was supposed to be Aang's destiny. This was never supposed to have fallen on them.

"Azula," Zuko murmured.

"What?"

"I …" He let out a breath. "Thanks for sticking with me."

Her eyes met his and he wondered if she would tell him off for being sentimental, but all she did was nod. Then the fight began.

oOo

Ursa froze. "Something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Shizue walked over, Momo perched on her shoulder.

"I can sense it. A terrible disturbance."

Shizue sat next to her and clasped her hands. "Perhaps it's nothing. Perhaps—"

"No." Ursa pulled her hands free and stood up. "The Avatar is in danger. I know it, and I fear my children are as well."

Shizue's expression turned grim. "What do you wish to do?"

"There's nothing I can do!"

That was the worst part. The boats had gone, the bison was gone. Even if she had chosen to go with the others to the capital, she would have only been a hindrance. Having a heightened sense of spirituality did not make her fit for battle.

Shizue frowned, taking her time to speak. "If it helps, I do not believe they will lose."

"I appreciate your faith, but you and I both know things don't always work out the way we want. Look at our own lives. Look at what has happened during the past three years."

"Yes."

Ursa's shoulders hunched at the simple answer.

"But in all the time I've spent with your son and the Avatar, I have learnt one thing."

"What's that?"

"They can make the impossible possible."

Hope fluttered in Ursa's chest. "You believe in them that much?"

"Don't you?"

She frowned and examined her feelings—beyond the panic, beyond maternal worry—and a sense of calm came over her. A faint smile curved her lips.

Shizue moved to stand at her side. "Whatever you've sensed, Ursa, it's not over yet. Trust in that."

"You're right." Ursa's expression softened and she leaned up to scratch Momo behind the ears. "Besides, they aren't alone."

"Exactly."

oOo

There was too much blood.

Katara blinked back tears and held glowing hands over the ugly wound, but so much had been damaged. The knife had gouged an artery. Normal water couldn't fix this. She wasn't sure if there was a way to fix this. Even if she sealed up everything, he'd lost far too much blood.

"Zuko!" Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Zuko, you have to …"

She trailed off as she looked up and saw flames burst and collide in explosions of heat. Zuko moved to stand back-to-back with Azula and the two worked in tandem to fight Ozai and Shūrin. Yuzo was on the ground, groaning and obviously injured. Atsuo was still struggling with Hina.

There was no one who could help. If anything, they were all counting on her.

Aang was counting on her.

Katara gritted her teeth. She had always found a way to protect the people she cared about when they needed it most. She had turned the rain into a weapon on the Ito Islands, she had forced the spirit out of Ursa, but it wasn't offensive strength she needed now. She needed a healing miracle.

Except there was no Spirit Oasis Water left.

Her hands trembled. The blue glow seemed so futile, so weak for what was needed. It didn't matter how much chi she manipulated within his body because there was too much blood and he had been dying before she'd even reached him.

"Aang," she whispered hoarsely. "Please hold on. I'll figure this out. I'll …"

Her eyes widened as she stared at the blood that stained his front, as she felt the slowed blood in his veins and how it clogged up spaces where it shouldn't.

Could she …

What if …

A shaky breath escaped her lips. His blood called to her just as much as water. Bending blood had allowed her to take control of Ursa's body like a puppeteer, but it had also saved Biyu once from internal bleeding. Could it help here?

Her expression steeled.

She removed one hand from his throat to guide her water back into the flask at her hip. There was no moon to boost her power, no guide to tell her what to do. But she was a master waterbender and she had never let such setbacks stop her in the past.

She seized hold of the blood that had spilled out of him. It took a lot of concentration to sense the impurities and even more to purify everything before she could guide his blood back inside his veins. It was gruelling work. She was conscious of the fight that continued on around her—the shouts, the blasts of fire, the muffled grunts of pain. Her heart thudded faster but she forced her breathing to remain steady. She had to focus.

"Come on, Aang."

She sealed up the last of the damage in his throat, but of course his heart wasn't working. Katara concentrated her bending on the blood inside him and forced it to pump through the organ and spread through his veins. One beat, two beats, three beats …

"Come on!" she gritted out.

He wasn't responsive. How long had he been unconscious?

Fear swelled within her like sticky claws, scraping her insides and scrabbling at her chest. It was a thick coating tarnishing her hope. Yet she didn't stop, didn't slow. She just kept pumping the blood through him and forcing his heart to beat.

There was no way she was going to lose him.

oOo

Zuko grunted as he blocked his father's attack and was shoved back several paces into Azula. She steadied him with a rough hand.

"Is it just me or is he way too strong?" he muttered.

"It's not just you."

Swiftly, Zuko swept into a low kick that fired a crescent of golden flames, and she leapt over him, spinning into a high kick that shot a circular rush of sapphire. Ozai dispersed both. A hiss of frustration escaped her, and Zuko gritted his teeth. This wasn't right. Their father had always been a powerful bender, but never like this.

"You look troubled," Ozai said with a hint of amusement.

Zuko's brow creased. "Shūrin did something to you, didn't she?"

"Shūrin?"

"That thing that calls itself Shen," Azula spat. "She's boosted your bending somehow."

Ozai's eyes glinted. It was all the answer they got before he punched an intense blast of flames. The siblings combined their bending, gold and blue fusing to create a shield. Fire collided in a bone-deep boom of heat. Frantically, Zuko's gaze darted for Shūrin. She had slunk away from the fight the first chance she'd got after taking out Yuzo. He spotted her near the throne. A faint glow shimmered around her, almost gossamer-like.

"Idiot, don't—"

Azula's words were cut off as their shield was overwhelmed and flames hit with the force of burning stone. They both went flying, landing in a groaning heap. She clutched her ankle and bit her lip. Her eyes screamed pain.

Zuko's heart hammered against his ribs.

This was bad. Yuzo was down for the count, Atsuo was trying to keep Hina pinned down, Katara was healing Aang, and now Azula was injured as well. Zuko wasn't sure he could take his father on his own.

His gaze darted to Shūrin and the shimmering light. He had that same power. He could make himself stronger right now if he wanted. Stronger than his father, stronger than Shūrin. But it would mean drawing on the energy of those bonded to him. It would mean absorbing their strength like a parasite, maybe even killing them if he wasn't careful. Just the thought left him sick to his stomach.

Ozai moved his arms in a rapid, circular motion and white-blue sparks crackled and took shape in a hair-raising hiss of energy. Zuko swallowed.

Lightning.

"I've changed my mind," Ozai said in a voice of ice and steel. "The fire healer may want you, Zuko, but I have no need for traitors. Both of you will die today!"

The lightning burst free from his fingers.

Zuko was halfway to his feet—even as his mind screamed too slow, too slow—when a blur of colour and wind stopped in front of him. Glowing tattoos, a firm stance.

"Aang?" he breathed, the name catching in his throat.

Aang caught the crackling bundle of energy and let it pass through him before he shot it off to strike inches from Ozai's feet. The explosion ripped chunks of stone up from the floor but Ozai was left unharmed.

"You missed," Ozai observed.

"I didn't miss." Aang stepped forward, power roiling from him in waves. "That was your last chance to surrender."

"Me? Surrender?" Ozai laughed.

Aang did not laugh.

"Just kill him!" Azula spat. "Do it now!"

Wind swirled around Aang and he did not break eye contact with Ozai. "Zuko, can you handle Shūrin?"

Zuko glanced at his father before shifting his gaze to Shūrin. She had stopped glowing and watched them all with an unreadable expression. "Yeah."

She didn't want to kill him. Plus, even if she had regained her bending strength, her vessel was corrupted and physically weak.

"Then I'm leaving her in your hands."

Aang shot forward, fire, wind and earth surrounding him as he smashed into Ozai and rammed him right through the palace wall. Sunlight streamed through the gap; however, Zuko didn't have time to waste playing spectator to the battle that commenced outside.

He turned to Shūrin. "You failed. Aang is alive and he's going to defeat my father. You wasted all that energy for nothing."

She shrugged. "Killing the Avatar was just a bonus. The main thing was to get him out of the way so he couldn't interfere. As for your father, do you really think I ever intended to let him win?"

Zuko's eyes narrowed.

She stepped in front of the throne, stooped and frail. "I gave the Fire Lord strength because I knew that was what would appease him, but it will not last long." A smile curved her lips. "Not that the fool realises it. He thinks he can use his power to crush the Avatar and then me."

It was strange to hear someone speak about Ozai in such a way. She seemed to look upon him as if he were a child she was humouring. Then again, she had been alive for centuries.

"You won't win either," Zuko said grimly. "I won't let you."

"Then come and stop me."

Flames encircled his fists.

"Wait," Azula said.

He glanced down at her.

"Don't hold back. Forget about Shen, forget about your feelings. Just end this. End it now."

His fingers dug into his palms.

"You have to promise, Zuko. Promise you'll do whatever it takes. This isn't the time for your bleeding-heart ways."

Katara caught his gaze from the other side of the ruined hall where she crouched next to Yuzo. Her expression seemed to say similar words—that Shūrin was too dangerous, that she didn't mind if he borrowed her energy to find the strength he needed.

I've never absorbed chi for combat, he wanted to say. I could take too much. I could kill you!

But of course she knew the risks. They both did. They'd heard all his fears before.

He glanced at Hina and Atsuo—the one who had been controlled and forced to the kill, and the other who was now being controlled and had almost killed Aang. So many people hurt, so many people whose lives had been ruined by this monster that refused to die.

"Promise you'll do whatever it takes."

His eyes slid shut. "I'm sorry."

Energy filled him as he removed the seals on his bond with the girls. Cold fire and a breath of the ocean hummed through his meridian paths, making the fire that swelled from his fists burn an even paler gold. When his eyes snapped open, they glowed like twin flames.

He charged.

"That's it," Shūrin said in satisfaction. "Come closer, my vessel."

Anger and sadness choked his throat as he locked eyes with the decrepit man that housed Shūrin's spirit—anger because he was so tired of fighting and the endless demand for sacrifices; sadness because he knew he was hurting Katara and Azula with every drop of energy he snatched from their already exhausted bodies.

He lunged and punched downwards at Shūrin, flames trailing and pulsing outwards from the motion. They were bright, emotion-fuelled flames that tore a piece out of him even as he slammed her into the throne. Bone shattered. He heard the snap in her left arm with sickening clarity, but she just shoved him back with a powerful fire blast. His body flew across the hall before he twisted in the air to land in a half-crouch.

"You think those measly little bonds will be enough?" she taunted.

Zuko gritted his teeth.

"You'll have to draw on a lot more power than that. Too bad for you that your bond with the Avatar got cut."

She attacked. He ran, dodged and leapt over the blasts. He had to get closer, draw her into close combat. It was the only way now. He refused to absorb anyone else's energy—not without their permission. Not without knowing where they were or what it would do to them. Even now, Katara and Azula were near prostrate on the floor, struggling to bear the burden he was placing on them.

The lump in his throat got more constricting. His eyes prickled.

Enough! he wanted to scream.

But the world didn't work that way. He couldn't demand things to stop. She had made it clear that she would never stop unless he made her.

He threw himself under Shūrin's stream of flames, skimming the floor on his knees with his back bent as low as it could go, heat caressing his chest and exposed skin. The moment he stopped seeing gold, he rose up and kicked out waves of fire. She brought her right arm in a downward sweep, slicing through the flames like an invisible knife and forcing him back before he could make contact.

Zuko hit the ground with a bone-bruising thwack, rolling a few times from the sheer momentum. His shoulder struck a half-crumbled pillar. He groaned and black, blurry spots danced before his vision. Even so, he saw all too vividly Katara's face twist in pain as she curled into herself. His sister looked just as tortured.

That was him. He was doing that to them.

"You're as bad as the little Avatar," Shūrin observed. "Still holding back even though you can't beat me with the way you're fighting."

He took deep breaths to try to ease the dizziness, fingers digging into stone as he pushed himself up. "I won't …"

"What?"

"I won't be like you."

Her head tilted. "What are you talking about?"

"I won't use other people's energy to make myself stronger! I won't hurt the people I care about just so I can stop you!"

He stood up and released his hold on Azula and Katara's chi, sealing it back where it belonged. Both girls gasped and slumped to the floor. There was no rush of energy within him now. He was exhausted, aching, and he was pretty sure he had a concussion. But he still faced her with his chin high and his eyes blazing—not with the golden light of energy absorption but with simple resolve.

"You're a monster, Shūrin, but I won't let you make me one as well."

She held his gaze and a soft laugh escaped her lips. "Then you've as good as surrendered."

Zuko held his ground as she drew closer, every step slow and frail. So much power was contained inside that crumbling body. Power snatched from who knew how many people. It was sickening.

It had to stop.

"Idiot," Azula choked out, reaching for him but unable to move. "Don't do this."

He ignored her warning. He ignored Katara's pleas and Atsuo's frantic head shaking as well. This was all he could do to make this madness end.

Shūrin stopped in front of him. "No more punches?"

"You want my body, right?"

She caressed his cheek. "Of course. You're my perfect vessel."

He tried not to cringe at her touch, even though everything in him recoiled. "Then let's not waste more time. You'll only be hurting your precious vessel, right?"

"True. I would rather not damage your body."

Knots twisted his stomach. Just the thought of her living inside him …

"Right. Well, your arm is broken. You can't do the stance properly now unless you expend more energy to heal it, but I can do it." His eyes hardened. "I challenge you, Shūrin. If you can bend my spirit to your will, you can have my body."

Her lips curved. "You're willing to offer yourself to me so easily?"

"Who said it will be easy?"

A gleam entered her eyes. "You did resist me once, but do you think you can do it again?"

"Yes."

He had not forgotten the guardian's words on the beach:

"To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable."

Zuko's will was strong—stronger than his bending, stronger than anything he could use to fight against her. All he had to do was make sure he didn't bend for her.

"Well?" he challenged. "Do you accept?"

"Of course. I had always planned for this."

Without a word, he pressed his thumb to her forehead while his other hand came to rest over her heart. Mind and heart, mind and soul.

Their energies linked.

It was as intense as he remembered. Just like last time, the outside world and Shen also seemed to melt away. Silver, bald-patched hair streamed into silky black. The bland features became thinner, more feminine, shifting into that of a young woman who looked not much older than him. Flames glowed all around her, bright and powerful, and from the fire were threads of gold connecting to shadowy figures—far more than the last time. The links seemed to go on and on.

He looked over his shoulder and saw his own bonds, five in total, trailing from his fire in shadowed figures. But he didn't touch the links, nor would he. This was between him and her.

Zuko met her void-like eyes. "This is the end for you."

She smiled.

He let his energy roll out from him, pushing and pushing and pushing against every bit of resistance she threw back at him. She burned brighter and hotter than pyre flames and could consume just as easily, but he was a sun.

A sun's light did not go out until it was ready.

Her brow creased and her smile faltered. Zuko's expression remained grim as he burned his way through her defences one by one. He poured everything that drove him, everything that sparked his fire, into the act: the love he felt for his mother, uncle, and sister. The love he felt for Katara, for Aang and all the friends he had made, as well as the nation he was fighting to redeem and protect.

He poured his will into her until she couldn't hold him back anymore.

"How?" she said in shock. "How are you …"

Cracks formed and a new energy slithered out, gentler, almost frail.

Shen.

Zuko kept his thumb pressed hard against her forehead and his hand over her heart. She couldn't break free of him this time, for it was her mind and soul that he had locked into challenge. She had no choice but to defeat him or be consumed.

"No!" she hissed, struggling in earnest. "This isn't possible! You shouldn't be this powerful! I have forged more bonds than you. I have—"

"That's your problem." He pushed harder until she winced, until her flames flickered and stuttered. "You think power only comes from the energy bonds. You've been using people for so long that you've forgotten."

She bared her teeth in a snarl. "Forgotten what?"

"What it means to be human. What drives us to keep going forward even when it seems futile."

A scoffing laugh. "Now you're speaking nonsense."

"Then let me put it this way. I only have five energy bonds, but I would lay my life down for every one of those people. Can you say the same?"

"Of course not. It is they who should lay down their lives for me. What other human has conquered death? What other human has mastered energy as I have? I was meant to change this world! To give fire healers the status and respect they deserve! That was my destiny!"

He shook his head.

"It's true!" Her energy pushed back at him—a last, desperate attempt. "Only I can bring balance to this world! Only I can make things right! I was the one chosen by destiny!"

"You're wrong. This world doesn't need you or your warped ideas of balance. It doesn't want you either."

Her expression twisted.

"It's over, Shūrin."

Fear flickered in her eyes for the first time. He refused to pity her. She had lived long enough, and whatever had happened to her as a child was no excuse for the crimes she had committed.

The fire surrounding her shrunk and shrunk until it was replaced by his golden flames. All the threads connecting to her and the shadowy figures frayed, snapping one by one. Then the figures vanished until she was standing alone, an ageless being that was more wraith than human.

"My legacy will live on," she whispered. "You'll see."

"No it won't. I'll make sure it doesn't."

Anger flared in her gaze, but it was only for a second. There was nothing left to hold her together. She came apart like smoke and dissipated into nothing.

Zuko let out a breath and pulled his energy back into himself. The throne room rippled into focus and suddenly he was meeting a very different pair of pale gold eyes. There wasn't a trace of that disquieting void. "Shen?"

Shen groaned and collapsed against Zuko's chest.

"Shen!" Hina cried.

She broke free from Atsuo's slackened grasp and tore Shen away from Zuko, clasping his face and looking deep into his eyes. "You're okay. Please tell me you're okay."

"My arm is broken and I feel like death, but I'm okay." The faintest of smiles. "Shūrin is gone. She's finally gone."

Tears spilled down Hina's cheeks and she kissed him full on the lips.

Zuko blinked and looked the other way. That was no public-friendly peck.

A sudden shout had them all looking towards the courtyard.

"Aang," Katara breathed. "He's still fighting."

Zuko helped Azula and Katara to their feet, taking on their weight as he placed his arms around them, and headed with them to the hole in the wall. There they saw Ozai trapped in rock, or at least his arms and legs. Aang stood over him with his eyes and tattoos still glowing. He'd drawn water from a nearby fountain and had sharpened it into a long blade. Many people had gathered in the courtyard—Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Water Tribe.

"Is this what you want?" Aang yelled in a too hoarse voice, like he was trying not to cry. "Is this what you want from me?"

No one said a word. The hush was so tangible that Zuko could hear his own breathing.

"Well?" Aang held the blade over Ozai's neck. "Is this the justice you need to be satisfied? Is it?"

His shout was loud enough to shake buildings. There probably wasn't a person in the Caldera who hadn't heard him, but still no one dared to speak.

Aang threw the ice-blade on the ground. "No, not like this."

He pressed his thumb to Ozai's forehead and placed his other hand over the heart. This time, Zuko got to see what the process looked like from the outside. The fiery glow of Ozai's energy collided with Aang's whitish-blue and the two warred against one another, trying to colour over and consume. It was awe-inspiring yet also terrifying.

"Is this what it looked like for Shūrin and me?" he murmured.

"Pretty much," Katara said.

They both fell silent as they continued to watch along with the rest of the crowd.

"Father is losing," Azula said quietly.

It was true. His fiery energy was getting smaller and smaller as he was overwhelmed by Aang. Soon, there was only the whitish-blue light filling each of them, and then nothing at all. The glow had faded. Ozai slumped against his bonds.

Aang stepped back and his tattoos and eyes returned to their usual colour. "The Fire Lord is defeated."

"Wait," one of the Earth Kingdom soldiers said, stirred into action. "You're just going to walk away after putting on a light show? Have you forgotten that he's the—"

"Enough blood has been spilt for this war." Aang looked the soldier square in the eyes. "I've removed his bending. Let that be justice enough."

He walked away without another glance. This time, no one stopped him.