So sorry this chapter took so long but I was busy and you know how it is.
This is going to be the second to last chapter I release before my next sem starts next week, so be prepared for slower updates after the next chapter.
Big thanks to HammerTide for beta reading this chapter and making sure everything was okay !
And I have a big surprise for you all at the end of this chapter, something I've been planning to have happen for a while now and hope you all enjoy.
Zuko wandered the palace aimlessly, without direction and without purpose. It had been hours since the funeral had ended and night had fallen on the palace. He couldn't sleep very well, not after today.
Mai was still with Ty Lee and Mother was with her family, both of them still processing their grief and Zuko didn't want to intrude on either of them. His friends had given him some much needed space, which he appreciated since he still needed to process everything.
At some point, he wandered into the Throne Room and stared up at his grand throne, the sight of it making him feel sick to his stomach. A voice in the back of his head that was in the mocking voice of his father came to mind.
Azula was the one who was bred and trained for the Throne. She was the one who had the skills and knowledge to lead this nation to prosperity. You are nothing more than a foolish boy who is in over his head with no clue for how to fix this broken nation.
Zuko didn't even bother trying to deflect the insults his own mind spit at him, he knew they were true. He could no longer deny his inexperience and lack of preparation for the Throne or handling the nation.
Zuko had dreamed once upon a time ago, that when Azula came back things would be better. They would be a proper family again. Azula would become his advisor or something, and help him bring their nation back from the brink.
But now she is gone. Forever, never to return.
Zuko had once thought he had already learned to process grief, he had lost Lu Ten when he was young and mother had disappeared not long after( Granted, he never thought his mother had died but still). Yet none of it had prepared him for the loss of his sister.
He lets out a quiet sad sigh as he stands there, allowing the loneliness of the Throne room take him.
" My lord, my lord !" A guard suddenly burst into the room screaming his head off, surprising Zuko.
" Wha-What is it ? " Zuko asked in shock.
" T-There's a fire coming from the palace prison, sir !" The guard said...
And Zuko felt his heart drop, as he knew exactly what that meant.
His day has easily just become a hundred times much worse.
Zuko stood in meeting room, his head down and hands on the table. The Gaang, Mai, Ty Lee and Suki were also there. Frustration and anger boiling within him at the fact that this incident had just occurred not even more than a day after Azula's funeral. Mother was still with Ikem and Kiyi, who are no doubt trying to do their best to calm her down.
" Ozai has escaped "
The words were short and simple, yet it seemed to bring a heavy tension and silence over the room.
"...How ? " Sokka asked.
" We don't know. The entire tower was burned down and we only just got the fire under control..." Mai explained with a grim expression " But if I had to make a guess, based on the lack of burnt bodies within the tower and the fact that the guards who were stationed there have disappeared, I would say that the guards sprung Ozai from his cell and got him out of there "
" You mean the guards have been working for Ozai this whole time ? " Zuko asked out of shock " But that would mean-"
That would mean Ozai could have left anytime he wanted. The guards have been in his back pocket for who knows how long, which meant that the entire time that Zuko thought he had Ozai locked up and secure...he was the one in control the whole time.
Zuko didn't know what was worse, that he had no idea that his father was still so influential that he could plan his own escape from inside of a prison cell...or that he himself was so incompetent that he couldn't even properly establish his own rule and stop him.
The Fire Lord felt the anger build up inside of him until he needed to let it out. Without thinking he punched the table so hard it shook " Damnit ! He's still a step ahead of us ! "
" Zuko, calm down !" Mai scolded him " We need to keep our heads straight and think about how to fix this "
" We need to think, who would want to break out Ozai ? " Katara asked.
" Well, we already have a good idea. We think it may be this small resistance we found a while back " Suki explained " We once found a whole warehouse full of Ozai paraphilia. At first, we wrote it off as just some idiots upset about Zuko's rule...but if they are behind this, than it means they are much more organized than we previously thought "
" Upset with Zuko's rule ? Why ? " Aang questioned.
Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee and Suki all looked at each other. None of them wanting to give a straight answer.
" Its a very long story involving complicated socio-economics that we really don't have time for " Mai waved that away " Long story short, these people hate Zuko and back Ozai in return "
" Alright, alright...we need to get into Ozai's head. Figure out what's his next move is going to be ? " Sokka asked out loud.
Zuko didn't need to think long " Well obviously, he'll want to retake his position as Fire Lord. But he would essentially be usurping the position if he does it in a coup, so he would need an army that he doesn't have..."
Mai genuinely questioned whether that was true. Based on her own investigations, which has made her very concerned in recent times, the resistance against Zuko might be much bigger than any of them could imagine. The fact that Ozai managed to stage his own breakout and turn the guards to his side is alarming enough...Agni knows who else is working for him ?
Public opinion of Zuko is really bad right now and only going to get worse. If news breaks out that Ozai has escaped, it'll make Zuko look weak in the eyes of the public and those who are already against Zuko or on the fence will join Ozai's side.
" Do you think he'll go underground and bide his time ? " Suki questioned.
" More than likely " Toph said crudely " Loserlord doesn't have his bending...and he saw Twinkletoes at the funeral. He has to know that if he tries to attack now, he'll be put right back into prison courtesy by us. He'll probably hide like a rat for a while before making any big moves "
Mai agreed with Toph's statement but she wasn't sure about accepting help from the Avatar. Letting the physical god take care of their problems might seem like the quick and easy solution to deal with their Ozai problem...but then there's the issue of Zuko's public image getting worse than it already is. If they just let Aang take care of the problem and deal with Ozai, than its the same issue as before. Zuko looks weak for letting the Avatar take care of all his problems, which calls his right to rule into question and may result in a coup. Be it from loyalists from Ozai or some other opportunistic snake.
It might even reinforce the rumor going around that Zuko is just a puppet ruler installed by Aang to keep the Fire Nation in check, which would be very very bad for them.
A double-edged sword.
" I'll start mobilizing the army to start scouring for where Ozai is hiding. There can't be that many places he could be hiding " Zuko said firmly.
" No, we need to make sure that news about Ozai's escape is kept as quiet as possible " Mai disagreed, making many look at her in surprise " I'm not saying not to look for Ozai, but we need to keep his escape as quiet as we can. If news go out that he escaped, than loyalists of his might start openly rebelling or rushing to join his side "
" Is there even a point to that ? " Suki argued " He might just order his followers to spread news about it anyway "
" Not if it came at the risk of exposing himself or leading back to him. Toph had the right idea, that he's going to be in hiding and biding his time until he's sure he can retake the Throne " Mai deduced " We need to use this time to start searching for him before he can grow his little rebellion any further "
No disagreements were heard, they were all in agreement more or less.
" Alright, I guess we'll just stay here in the meantime in case you need our help, if that's alright ? " Aang asked.
" Of course, we'll need all the help we can get " Zuko agreed " Thank you so much Aang, I know finding Azula wasn't an easy ask-"
" Hey Zuko, its okay. We got your back " Sokka said patting Zuko on the shoulder.
The meeting was over...but many of them knew that what they had right now was just the calm before the storm.
After the meeting was over, Mai had returned to her room to think about the situation at hand. She already had enough on her plate worrying about the potential dissenters within their own ranks, but now that Ozai has escaped things are going to get much worse now.
No time to worry about it now. She needs to start pressing all of her contacts and informants, somebody has to have heard about where Ozai had gone. He couldn't have covered his tracks that well. If they can find him and capture him again, they can hopefully quietly snub this rebellion before it can get off the ground and overwhelm them.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door to the room open and she let out a sigh. It was probably Zuko coming to check up on her.
" If you came to check up on me, I'm fine-"
"Then I guess I should just see myself out ? " The voice asked and Mai turned around to see Ty Lee enter with a soft smile.
" Hey Ty, sorry I've just been...stressed out lately..." Mai confessed as she sat on the bed, without invitation, Ty Lee sat next to her.
" Yeah, its been a crazy day hasn't it ? " Ty said with a fake chuckle.
" Not even a day since Azula was buried and things are already getting worse " Mai said blankly.
" Azula is dead, Ozai has escaped and the Fire Nation is getting close to revolt...feels like the whole world is coming to an end " Ty Lee mumbled as she leaned her head on Mai's shoulder.
Maybe it is.
Its funny really, Mai had spent these last few months dreading and fearing the return of Azula. She had been very worried that if she returned to the capital at this time of uncertainty about Zuko's rule, she would have been able to easily overthrow Zuko and take the title of Fire Lord back. Some darker part of Mai had wished Azula had never been found and simply left to find a new life elsewhere.
Yet now here she is, sitting with Ty Lee, wishing that she was still here to help them sort things out.
" I miss Azula..." Ty Lee whispered.
Mai was silent for a moment before responding, wrapping a hand around Ty Lee and pulling her close.
" Yeah...me too " Mai admitted.
Irony was a cruel mistress indeed.
Ozai had to admit that he had been hoping for finer accomodations after letting himself out of prison, but he supposes that one cannot be too picky when you are planning a revolt.
At least the space he requested for as his office was nice, with a desk that resembles the one he used to have. No matter, he will have it back soon enough.
The room he was in with his supporters was moderately lit, not too bright but just enough that he could see the faces of his men.
" Report " Ozai said simply.
" My lord, it appears your son has begun a search for you...little does he know that the men he put in charge are already working for us " One of his men said with a smirk.
"Good. And what is the status of the Avatar ? " Ozai asked.
" The Avatar appears to have decided to stay in the Fire Nation for the time being, no doubt to aid in your recapture my lord "
Ozai already expected as much " What are our numbers and current forces ? "
" Sir, we have been able to recruit most of the current military forces to our side. Their generals, lieutenants and soldiers all serve you now...and they are itching to get back at conquering the world "
Ozai leaned back in his seat, that was very good for them. The more men they had, the better their odds.
" My lord, we have the numbers now to storm Caldera and retake your Throne. Just give the order and we will cut down your miserable son "
Ozai thought about it for a moment, as tempting as it may be to launch an assault now...he knows he cannot.
" No, we will not strike until we are certain absolute and decisive victory is at hand. I have no doubts that if we tried to attack now, the Avatar and his posse would sabotage our efforts and we would be depleted " Ozai said firmly " Tell the rest of the men to stay on stand-by for now and await further orders "
" Understood my lord " All of his supporters and men bowed before leaving the room, leaving Ozai to his own devices.
Ozai let out a sigh as he enjoyed the silence and peace at long last. He still had many more things to do and organize, but that could wait for a while as he took a moment for himself...
He didn't even notice the lights in the room started to go out suddenly one by one...until the room was very dimly lit and provided little visibility.
" My dear Ozai..."
The former Fire Lord almost jumped as he saw a man standing by the door to his office, he was about to shout when he noticed something...different.
Ozai felt very cold all of a sudden. More cold than he ever had in his whole life.
The man was very old, maybe around his father's age when he died. He was dressed in fine black clothing and used a cane to walk.
" I must say that I am quite impressed with you, been watching you for some time...to be honest, I was little saddened to hear about your failure to destroy the Earth Kingdom but no matter..." The old man said with a smile as he paced around the room.
" Who are you...? " Ozai managed to ask.
" I go by many names, some of which you can't even pronounce or imagine..." The man said " But that is not really important right now, I have been watching for some time and I must say that I am impressed with your work and I would like to offer some...assistance "
" What kind of assistance ? " Ozai asked, the cold getting much worse.
The man smiled...
Before reappearing beside him.
" The kind that will help you win any battle you come across, my friend..." The man explained " We both know that without your bending you won't be able to take the Avatar down and I believe I can assist you there "
Ozai was shocked but he didn't let it show in his face. Was this man offering what he thinks he's offering ?
" You can give me back my bending ? " Ozai asked.
" That and much, much more...the Avatar is not the only being in existence that has the power to alter a person's chi...and I can do it too " The man said with a smirk.
Ozai leaned back, trying to put as much distance between himself and the man.
" What do you want in return ? " Ozai was no fool. He had to know that there some catch to it.
" Oh nothing much..." The man said nonchalantly " Just your soul..."
" My...soul ? "
" Yes...when you are ready please just sign here " The man produced a piece of paper and laid it on the desk.
Ozai couldn't understand a word the paper said, as if his mind was incapable of perceiving it.
His mind was in a haze, as if he couldn't think clearly...but a voice was lulling him into signing the contract.
" Ah !" Ozai gripped his hand and saw a drop of blood hit the paper. As if he had just been cut.
" Oh, that will do just fine..." The man collected the paper " Now please accept this gift...more will be coming soon..."
Before Ozai could say another word, he felt a sudden burning sensation within him. The cold was gone, but it was replaced by a burning fire that seemed to come from within.
Agni ! Its like its burning...from within me !
Ozai hadn't even noticed right away that his left had started smoking a spectral smoke...
And when the burning stopped, Ozai felt something had changed within him. As if the fire that had been taken from him had been replaced by something else.
Without thinking, Ozai tried to summon a flame...and it worked. He had summoned a ball of fire into his hand. But there was something different about it.
Ozai's flames were black.
He didn't even really care, he was both amazed and shocked at this revelation.
He looked around for the man but saw that he was gone...and the lights within the room had returned.
Ozai glanced at the black flame in his hand and felt satisfied.
He has no idea what he just signed...but he will reap the benefits for all they are worth.
Well, I'd say shit just went from 100 to a 1000 real fucking quick in this chapter.
XD
The idea to give Ozai spiritual powers has been an idea for a long while now, originally I was going to have them get it during his escape from prison, but Hammer pointed out that it would be too plot convenient and wouldn't truly show Ozai's influence and skill. Hence why I settled on giving it to him in this chapter.
Things are going to get more and more intense from here on out. Let me just say that things are going to get MUCH worse before they get better.
With that cryptically said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.