Awkward silence filled the square after Rimuru revealed that he was sent by Roku, the Avatar before Aang, to help the last one.
"Wait, wait, wait. Are we talking about the same Roku? The Avatar before Aang? The one who was betrayed by his childhood friend, Sozin, who caused the Hundred Year War? The one who turned out to be Zuko's maternal grandfather?" asked Sokka.
"Yes, that very one." said Rimuru.
"But Roku died many years ago. How do you know him?" asked Katara.
"Well, you could say I'm not from this world." said Rimuru.
"Do you come from the spirit world?" asked Aang.
"Not exactly." said Rimuru.
"That's impossible. There are only two worlds. Ours and the spirit world." said Suki.
"As it turns out, there are many more worlds than you can imagine." said Rimuru.
"Toph, what can you see of it?" asked Sokka.
"Well it's going to sound very strange to you, but I don't see anything in him. No heartbeat. No breathing. Nothing." said Toph, to everyone's surprise.
"Are you a spirit?" asked Ty Lee.
"No, but I'm not human either. Listen, I know you all have questions and I'll be happy to answer them all, but I think it would be better to talk about it in a more private place." said Rimuru.
"I agree. We can talk about it at the palace. I think Zuko and Mai should know about this." said Aang.
"Of course." said Rimuru.
Soon after, several guards arrived to take care of the situation and arrest the downed men.
With the whole matter settled, they all made their way to the palace, where, as soon as they entered, they went to the throne room where Zuko and Mai were waiting for them.
"Is everyone all right?" asked Zuko.
"Yes, no one has been hurt." said Katara.
"Except those guys we made eat the floor." said Toph with a smile.
"By the way, who's your new friend?" asked Mai looking at the human slime.
"Well, after we defeated all the attackers, we discovered an archer who shot an arrow towards Aang." said Ty Lee.
"But then, he appeared and caught the arrow." said Suki.
"Just before he destroyed Ozai's statue with one punch." said Sokka.
Zuko was shocked to hear that while Mai did a good job of hiding it.
"Well, that will save us some work." said Mai seeing the good point of that.
"And besides, he says he was coming from another world and Roku sent him to help me." said Aang.
"Really?" asked Zuko.
"Yes. Allow me to introduce myself, Lord Zuko. My name is Rimuru Tempest." said Rimuru introducing himself with an outstretched hand.
Zuko was a bit taken aback before reciprocating the greeting and shaking his hand with his.
"Uh... Nice to meet you. So, you really come from another world?" asked Zuko.
"That's right." said Rimuru.
"Okay, first answer us this question. What the hell are you exactly?" asked Sokka.
"Sokka!" said Katara scolding her brother.
"It's okay. I understand your suspicions. Regarding your question…" began Rimuru before his body unraveled and, to everyone's surprise, transformed into some sort of water droplet. "I'm a slime."
"What happened? Why did that guy turn into some kind of blob?" asked Toph.
"That's what I'd like to know too." said Mai.
"So, is that your true form?" asked Aang.
"Yes, it is." said Rimuru before Ty Lee grabbed him and hugged him against her chest.
"Aw, you're so cute and so soft." said Ty Lee hugging the slime.
"Ty Lee!" said Suki surprised by that.
"Don't worry. I'm kind of used to it." said Rimuru remembering the times some girls hugged him.
Soon after, Rimuru pulled away from the acrobatic girl's embrace and returned to his human form.
"If it's not too much trouble, what's your world like?" asked Aang curiously.
"Well, for starters, instead of elemental control, there's magic." said Rimuru.
"Magic? I thought that was just a story." said Sokka.
"Maybe it is in this world, but where I come from there is plenty of it. There are many kinds and it can be used by humans and monsters alike." said Rimuru.
"Are there monsters in your world?" asked Katara.
"Yes, but most are harmless and more so if you name them." said Rimuru.
"Name? What do you mean?" asked Mai.
"In my world, monsters are born without a name and when they get someone's name, they become their minion." said Rimuru.
"That's horrible. I can't believe that someone can be born without a name and when they receive it, they become the slave of the one who gave it to them." said Aang.
"Oh, it's not exactly like that, I would never name someone who doesn't want to serve me." said Rimuru.
"That's very thoughtful of you." said Katara seeing that the human slime was kind.
"So, you've named monsters before?" asked Suki.
"Yes. In fact, I've named so many monsters that I became the leader of an entire nation." said Rimuru with shrugged shoulders.
That shocked everyone else in the room.
"Are you... Are you the leader of a nation?" asked Sokka.
"Yes. I am the leader of the Jura Tempest Federation." said Rimuru.
"That's amazing!" said Ty Lee with a smile.
"Well, it would give me a headache if I had to remember the names of everyone I named." commented Toph.
"In that case, I regret my discourtesy to your person." said Zuko bowing in respect, for he had the leader of a nation in front of him.
"There is no need to bow to me, as we are both leaders of our respective kingdoms. I was taught this by a fellow ruler for whom I have much respect." said Rimuru.
Zuko was surprised to hear that.
In fact, he even thought about whether he could use that advice for later meetings with other leaders.
"You must be a great leader." said Aang with a smile.
"Especially if you've gotten a lot of minions." said Katara.
"Yes, I am." said Rimuru.
"How powerful is your nation?" asked Sokka.
"Let's just say, if I wanted to attack this nation, it would all be over in a matter of minutes." said Rimuru.
That made Zuko nervous, as he thought that, if he bothered him, it could cause trouble between the two nations and from what the human slime had said, they wouldn't stand a chance against his subordinates.
The same thought went through everyone's mind.
"Truly they are monsters." thought they all in unison as they imagined the tremendous power Rimuru's subordinates possessed.
"But how is the leader of an otherworldly nation aware of this world and Roku?" asked Toph.
"Well, a friend of mine is a spirit who often goes to the spirit world for a visit. That's where she met Roku and it's because of her that I know him." said Rimuru.
"And why did he send you here? You said he did it to help Aang, but in what?" asked Katara.
"I don't know exactly. He just told me that this world was in trouble and that Aang wouldn't be able to solve it on his own." said Rimuru.
"What?" asked Aang in surprise.
"But Aang is the Avatar. What kind of danger could there be that he would need help other than ours?" asked Sokka.
"Who knows. All I know is that I came to this world with that mission." said Rimuru.
"Out of curiosity, how powerful are you?" asked Mai.
"I am so powerful that I hold the title of Demon Lord and there are currently only eight who hold it, including me." said Rimuru.
Everyone on Team Avatar and friends were shocked.
If there were only eight people who held that title, then they and Rimuru were very powerful.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Suki.
"The only thing we can do is wait and see what happens." said Rimuru.
"I agree. The monks taught me that patience is a virtue." said Aang.
"Great. So do we have to sit around and wait for something to happen? If so, I'm going back to my students." began Toph as she headed for the exit. "Call me when something exciting happens."
"I guess I'll see you around." said Rimuru jokingly.
"Not if I see you first." said Toph joking back with a smile as she walked away.
"Well, since you are going to stay in this world, I would be honored if you would stay in the palace as my guest." said Zuko.
"I will gladly accept the invitation, Lord Zuko." said Rimuru.
They might have all been worried about this threat that Rimuru said was approaching, but with his help, they will have a better chance of defeating it, so they felt calmer.
"Great. With Rimuru on our side, everything will be fine." said Sokka.
Meanwhile, in a tower far from the capital were some of the biggest criminals of the Fire Nation and possibly the world.
Of all the prisoners, there was one in particular, for he was the former Fire Lord and self-proclaimed Phoenix King, Ozai.
After Aang took away his powers and Zuko took the throne after defeating Azula, he was sent to the dungeons where he would remain a prisoner for the rest of his days.
It was then that a guard who was on patrol in the tower approached.
"Long live the Phoenix King." whispered the guard in a low voice before walking away from the cell.
That caused a small, sinister smile to form on his face, for even though he was locked up and powerless, he wasn't really finished.
Elsewhere, inside a cave illuminated by green fluorescent stones, there was a person sitting on a throne.
Then, a person, whose appearance was hidden by shadows approached the one sitting on the throne.
"Everything is ready, sir." said the person.
"Well, proceed with caution. We mustn't attract attention." said the person seated on the throne.
"As you command." said the person before leaving the room.
"Soon my vengeance will be fulfilled and not even the Avatar will be able to stop me." said the person sitting on the throne.