Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.

Chapter 13. The Truth.

One week later – Spirit World, Ek'Noshi Pond.

With the scrolls he borrowed from Wan Shi Tong's library, Huo began to study firebending on his own. Since he was used to practicing waterbending with his mother, his moves were more fluid, but that wasn't a problem. The ancient forms of firebending used more natural and flowing movement; thus, Huo had no trouble adjusting to the training of the new element.

Despite that, it was hard for him to properly firebent. Not that his flames were weak. They were big, but Huo instinctively knew that he was doing something wrong. Still, the boy had an idea. Since the phoenixes didn't want to train him, his father, who was a firebender before the lion turtle took his bending, could give him some tips. Huo asked Shen'Rai to contact his father in the physical world so that he'd meditate in the pond, and the phoenix spirit agreed, knowing that the boy had no idea that his father never left the pond.

Soon, Shen'Rai took Huo to the Ek'Noshi Pond. Both Huo and Yan Zu were happy to see each other. Huo told his father about the Realm of Keepers and his trip to the library. He also showed him the book and the scrolls, asking for some tips regarding firebending. Yan Zu was more than happy to help.

"Remember, firebending comes from the breath," Yan Zu instructed as he watched his son, who sat on the grass with an orange flame in his palm. "Your muscles, no matter how big or small, will not help you become a better firebender. Skinny soldiers who mastered breathing control are able to create bigger flames than soldiers twice their size."

Huo nodded and inhaled through the nose. Then, he exhaled slowly through his mouth. The flame grew and shrunk in tandem with his breathing. Shen'Rai, who sat not far, observed the two and noticed that the boy could take very deep breaths. When he was born, Yan Zu brought Huo to him since he was sick and had trouble breathing. Now, however, the boy had perfect lungs for firebending.

"Very good," Yan Zu praised his son. "You have to be patient. Just like when you tried to meditate for the first time. Mastering the basics is very important."

"My flames were bigger in the realm though," Huo pointed out.

"From what you told me, you were surrounded by a lot of fire and lava," Yan Zu explained. "It's a perfect environment for firebenders since aside from the sun, we can draw energy from many sources of heat."

Huo nodded and continued his breathing exercise while Yan Zu looked at the illustrations in the scroll. He didn't see such forms before, proving how old these scrolls were. It was indeed created even before the rule of Fire Lord Sozin. The forms were advanced and not suited for a beginner.

"Okay, now let's start with the basics moves, a fire fist and a fire kick," Yan Zu suggested and stood up. "They are perfect for beginners since they're very repetitive." Huo put out the flame in his palm and stood up as well.

"Step out into horse stance and tuck hands down to your sides," Yan Zu said and took a horse stance himself. He knew it was better to also show rather than just instruct. Huo immediately moved right next to his father and mimicked him.

"Now inhale and take a step forward with your right foot while exhaling and firebending with your right fist," Yan Zu continued, and Huo followed. While the man simply punched the air, Huo fired an orange flame.

"Good, now bring your right fist back to your side, and take a step forward with your left foot and punch with your left fist in the same way," Yan Zu said, and Huo mimicked him, creating a flame from his left fist.

"Inhale when you bring your fist back and exhale when you punch," Yan Zu added as the two moved forward with each step. After a few more steps, they turned around and repeated the same exercise till they reached their starting point.

"Okay, now we'll use a fire kick," Yan Zu said, taking a horse stance once again. "Throw a front fire kick using your right leg. After the kick, while keeping your balance, lean forward and extended the same leg towards the back and firebend, it's called a back fire kick. Don't forget about breathing. Inhale before each kick."

Huo continued to firebend using fire fists, and fire kicks with other variations for quite some time until he finally got tired. The boy sat on the ground with his father and rested.

"Thank you for showing me the basics," Huo said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"No problem," Yan Zu replied with a smile. "Too bad I cannot firebend myself. It would be able to demonstrate it personally. You'd see how your old man did it in his time."

"Shen'Rai can take you to the lion turtle and he can give you your bending back," Huo suggested. "Maybe he's not busy anymore."

Yan Zu looked at Shen'Rai, who met his gaze. Of course, that was impossible since Yan Zu was dead. The man looked back at Huo and sighed, closing his brown-colored eyes. "Huo, I have to tell you the truth about who I am just like I've told your mother."

"Huh?" Huo squinted his orange-colored eyes.

"I wasn't a simple soldier serving under General Zen Yuo, in fact I am General Zen Yuo, or at least I was," Yan Zu confessed while Huo looked at him confusedly. "Since childhood, I was raised by my mother and father to crave power, no matter the cost. I quickly became an exceptional firebender and a swordsman. I climbed the military ranks pretty quickly just like my father wanted. He also pulled some strings so that I would get to the top faster."

"When I finally became a General, I still wanted power," Yan Zu stated with a downcasted expression. "I had many rivals with whom I compete for power and favour of the Fire Lord. I was merciless and cruel to everyone, even my own soldiers and even women and children. I was a bad person to put it simply."

Huo listened to his father silently, but it was tough for the boy to imagine his father as he described himself.

"Everything changed when Admiral Wei Cho made his move to get rid off me," Yan Zu continued. "He planted blasting jelly on my ship and the explosion left the scar on my back. I got blasted into the sea and I woke up on an island... without any memories of who I was with only my sword."

Huo's eyes widened. "You forgot that you were a General of the Fire Nation?"

"Yes," Yan Zu confirmed. "Luckily for me, the island on which I woke up was inhabited by Bhanti sages, a tribe that predates the first Avatar. They have strong spiritual connections and serve as the origin of spiritual sages in the four nations. They took me to their village and began to heal me. While my body was slowly healed, my mind didn't recover at all. The leader of the Bhanti sages told me that time would heal my memory."

"Did you regain your memory?" Huo asked, and Yan Zu nodded. "Yes, their leader suggested I meditate and calm my mind. I was allowed to stay on the island until I'd recover. That's how my journey with the spirits began. I meditated with the Bhanti and started to visit the Spirit World. After around a year, I woke up one night with all my memories... and a tremendous feeling of guilt."

"The time I've spent with the Bhanti changed me for the better and the knowledge of what I did haunted me," Yan Zu continued. "It also turned out that the Bhanti knew who I was all along."

"What? Then why didn't they helped you right away?" Huo asked.

"Because of my reputation," Yan Zu explained. "Although the tribe is isolated from the rest of the world, its members are aware of many current events with which they choose not to involve themselves. They heard about the infamous General Zen Yuo and decided to try to make me a better man since I had lost my memories. They could've healed me right away, removed the scar, and even restored my memories with their precious spirit water, but if they did, I would simply return to be a ruthless General. They decided to take it slowly and show me a peaceful way of living. Heh, they really did manage to change me for the better."

"So you never hurted anyone else?" Huo asked hopefully.

"No," Yan Zu shook his head and smiled reassuringly. "I decided to start a new life and I've left the Bhanti island. My firebending was the source of suffering and death of many people so I really thought about a way to get rid of it. Of course not using firebending would be much simpler, but if I'd use it by accident or instinctively, it would raise many troublesome questions. Not to mention firebenders in other nations during the war, would have serious trouble, so removing my bending was the best option. Little did I knew that I would meet a very ancient creature, who'd help me with that."

Huo was silent for a moment. Then, his eyes widened with a gasp. "The lion turtle!" he exclaimed.

"Exactly," Yan Zu nodded. "During a storm, my boat, which I've borrowed from the Bhanti, was tipped over near him. Of course, I thought it was an island, so I tried to swim toward it. He saved my life by pulling me out of the water with his paw. We talked for a while, and I asked him to take away my bending, explaining my situation. The lion turtle was surprised by the unusual request, but he agreed. With my bending gone, we parted ways, but it wasn't over for me."

"I wanted to leave the military, but I was aware that it wasn't a simple thing," Yan Zu said. "Thanks to Admiral Wei Cho, the Fire Nation believed I was dead, but my face was easily recognisable. If the news about me being alive would reach the military and the Fire Lord, I would be accused of desertion. Living in shadows would be a pain, so, I needed to become a completely new person. Someone who could walk freely without being recognised. Can you guess, which spirit helped me? I've told you about that spirit during our first visit in the Spirit World."

"You wanted to change your face, soooo..." Huo pondered silently, trying to remember any spirit which had the power to change a person's appearance. "Ahh! Mother of Faces!"

"Very good, you remembered," Yan Zu smiled. "The Mother of Faces would only grant one request to one human once a season. When that time comes, she travels through Forgetful Valley, following the path her wolf spirit had chosen for her and looks for a human whose wish she would grant. I've traveled to the Forgetful Valley to find her. Unfortunately for me, she already gave a new face to a human so I had to wait till next season. I made a camp and waited patiently. During the next season, I found her again. She gave me a new face just like I asked and proposed to give me a new mind so that I would forget about my bad past, but I refused. It would be an easy way out and I needed to remember my sins if I was to atone for them. General Zen Yuo was gone and Yan Zu took his place. That's why I can become a firebender never again."

Huo leaned back when Yan Zu finished his story, not really knowing what to say. His father had quite the adventure and a dark past, but he became a good person. "I'm sorry I've never told you before about my past, but I was afraid of your reaction," Yan Zu stated as his smile faded. "Especially after I learned about you two being waterbenders. The vision of your mother leaving and taking you with her was too hard for me to risk it. I told her who I was when you went to see Shen'Rai, but it didn't really matter anyway. Her mind was already set on nothing else, but revenge."

"Do you think my mom could change as well?" Huo asked hopefully. Yan Zu was afraid of this question. He wholeheartedly wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure if she could let go of her hatred towards the Fire Nation. Hama didn't care if someone was a ruthless soldier or an innocent civilian. To her, everyone from the Fire Nation was evil. That hatred was rooted deeply into her being.

"If she could understand that not everyone from the Fire Nation is evil, then I think she could change," Yan Zu replied as truthfully as he could. Huo smiled with relief and hugged his father, who smiled and hugged him back. "She's not a bad person, Huo. Cruelty and suffering she experienced caused her to become vengeful, distrustful, and bitter. Such things can change a person into something completely different."

"I understand," Huo replied and pulled away. "I'll try to change her back to who she was before."

Yan Zu's eyes widened for a moment. He then sighed a smile and ruffled Huo's black hair. "I'm sure you will," he said.

Shen'Rai listened to their conversation in silence. The thought of Yan Zu losing his son or Huo learning that his father is dead filled the phoenix spirit with sadness and guilt.

After some rest, Huo continued his training while Shen'Rai and Yan Zu watched him from afar. "So how's everything with that... woman?" the man asked, keeping his eyes on his son.

"It's okay so far," Shen'Rai replied. "Huo tries to remain calm and cheerful. He's a brave and smart child. He suggested to learn firebending so that he'd have something to focus on. I'm worried about him though. My sister visited him a few times when he slept and heard him mumbling. He tossed back and forth in his sleeping bag, covered in sweat."

Yan Zu looked at Shen'Rai. "He has nightmares," he said. "That's no surprise considering what he experienced."

"We never had nightmares so I can't say that I know how it feels," Shen'Rai replied. "But I can only imagine it's a terrible thing. Now that I think about it, we know very little about human children or how to properly take care of them. Even when we're reborn as young phoenixes, we don't need any protection or guidance. Funny and sad isn't it? Despite living longer than the humankind, we know very little about them. Perhaps if we'd bother to learn more, things would turn out differently."

Yan Zu looked at the phoenix but said nothing while Shen'Rai added. "I'll do everything I can to protect Huo. Even if it cost me my own life, I promise I will keep him save."

"You already saved his life once," Yan Zu pointed out. "I can't ask you to sacrifice yourself even if you're an immortal spirit, who'll be reborn anew."

"You once told me that the only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be," Shen'Rai quoted Yan Zu's words. "Maybe I should choose to become someone who I want to be."

"I got a feeling you have something on your mind," Yan Zu stated.

"I think I do," Shen'Rai replied.

Sometime later – Spirit World, Realm of Keepers.

Since Yan Zu explained how vital breathing was, Huo's flames were even bigger when he firebent in the realm, surrounded by many heat sources. While Shen'Rai returned to his siblings, Huo decided to try some forms from the scrolls, and he began to train in front of the entrance to his cave.

With fluid motions, Huo created arcs and balls of fire and even managed to propel himself off the ground for a short moment by conjuring flames from his feet. He did lose his balance and fall to the ground, but progress was made. Huo chuckled and continued.

One set of illustrations confused him, though. Huo assumed the author made a mistake and used blue color for the flames, but when he looked closely, the boy realized that the sharp edges were more similar to lightning. The figure used the index and middle finger to create and shoot lightning.

The movement was simple enough for Huo to try. He moved his arms in a circular motion, just like in the illustration, but something didn't feel right. Huo stooped everything and looked at his hands, feeling a tingling sensation and noticing how they trembled. The illustrations showed that lightning should appear during the circular motions, but there was no lightning when Huo did it. That meant he made a mistake somewhere, and his gut told him to stop before something bad happened. The last thing he wanted was to get his arms burned or worse.

Not wanting to overdo it, Huo decided to rest and entered his cave.

Huo fell asleep and once again had a nightmare. This time, however, the nightmare felt very real. His mother yelled at him, telling him he was a failure and a traitor for becoming a firebender. Hama hurled an ice disc toward him, and Huo woke up from the nightmare with a scream. When he calmed down, Huo closed his eyes. "Mom," he mumbled and sniffed, trying not to cry.

The boy slowly got up and headed deeper into the cave to reach the hot springs. While the water wasn't cool, he could wash the sweat off his face with it. Huo left the cave and sat down on the yellow-red grass. Casually, he conjured fire in his hand and shot it at the grass in front of him, creating a small fire. He pulled his knees and wrapped his arms around them. The boy began to rock back and forth, trying to think about something other than the nightmare.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the fire he had created turned black. Huo squinted his eyes and stopped rocking. He moved and looked closely at the flames. "What is this?" the boy asked, thinking that he had created some kind of new firebending trick. Immediately after, he heard a female voice coming from the black flames. "Hello, Huo."

"Ahh!" Surprised, Huo sprung to his feet and backed away. "What or who are you?!" he asked warily.

"I'm a friend who watched you for some time now," the female voice replied. "I'm using a firebending technique to see and talk with you through fire. I don't want to hurt you, just the opposite, but we can't talk out in the open. We need privacy and you can help with that."

Cautiously, Huo watched the flames. Somehow, the female voice sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. Still, at least now, he had someone to talk to. "How?" he asked.

"Create a fire inside the cave," the voice answered. "I'll use the technique again and we'll be able to talk. There are some things you need to know about your father and the Keepers." With that, the black flames once again became orange.

Huo was really confused but also intrigued. The boy wanted to talk more with this mysterious 'friend,' and he actually saw no harm in it. He picked a large portion of the grass and returned to the cave. Once again, he lit it on fire, and just like before, the orange flames became black after a short period of time. Huo even noticed that the cave's interior became slightly darker, and he'd be completely engulfed in darkness if it weren't for red luminescent crystals.

"Greetings again, Huo," the female voice said.

Huo sat down on his sleeping bag and stared at the flame. "So, who are you?" he asked. "And what do you know about my father? He told me about his past, if that's what you mean."

"I have many names, but you can call me, Yuan'Shi," the voice replied. "I know nothing about your father's past, but he no longer has a future, at least not in the mortal world."

Huo looked at the flame worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"The Fire Keepers withhold many things from you, Huo," Yuan'Shi stated. "For starters, they lied about me."

"But... I don't recall they ever mentioned you," Huo replied, confused.

"Oh, they already told you about me," Yuan'Shi replied. "You cannot get too angry, sad, or scared, or else I'll escape from my dream, but that already happened."

Huo's orange-colored eyes widened in shock, and he immediately got up. Now he knew why the voice sounded familiar. It was the woman from his dream. "Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you," Yuan'Shi reassured. "I only want to help you."

"You lie!" Huo said firmly, pointing his finger at the black flame. "The Fire Keepers told me you're evil and that you want to hurt me."

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already," Yuan'Shi replied. "The Fire Keepers, all Keepers in fact, are the ones you should be afraid off. You see, I've observed them as well and overheard many things. They observe you for now, but if it turns out that they can't keep you calm, they'd have to kill you to make sure I won't get free."

"I don't believe you!" Huo replied. "And I'm going to tell them you escaped!"

"If that's what you want to do, go ahead," Yuan'Shi replied. "But if you do that, you'll end up alone without your father."

Huo narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?!" he asked.

"Since I'm free, they no longer have to keep you here and will take you back to the physical world," Yuan'Shi explained. "You probably think that you could simply return to your father, but the harsh truth is, your father is dead and can no longer leave the Spirit World. He was killed by your mother."

"That's not true!" Huo replied decisively. "My dad would never let himself be killed!"

"And what if I'm telling the truth?" Yuan'Shi asked. "I can prove it to you by teaching you the same technique I'm using right now, so you can watch and hear their conversations to learn the truth yourself."

Huo didn't really know what to do or say at this point. It was too much to take all at once. "You don't need to decide right away," Yuan'Shi assured. "Take your time, Huo. If you decide to talk to me again, simply create a fire in your cave, and we'll talk."

The black flames once again became orange, and the cave brightened. Huo sat back down on his sleeping bag, completely confused and terrified. He didn't want to believe a single word, but he needed to be sure and get to the bottom of this. He needed to learn the truth.

Please R&R ;)