So sorry this one came out later than I wanted but my new college schedule is a bitch and physical classes are even worse. Sorry to say but updates are probably going to be a bit slower from now on until my next break.
I won't keep you all here for any longer, so let's just get this chapter started!
3 Months Later...
Azula had always believed that there was no greater teacher than experience. There's only so much you can learn from books and practice, but actual live training with the real thing, be it writing, fighting or knife throwing.
That being said, this was not what she usually had in mind.
" On your left !" Kazumi called out to her and Azula dodged just in time before the possessed villager tried to stab her with a knife. She quickly followed up with a kick in the jaw for his trouble that knocked him to the ground. Two more possessed villagers taking his place.
They had been called to a village where a hunting party had gone missing. Disappearing without a trace to be found. Not long after people from the village itself started disappearing, those who had wandered out from the village or had gone out to try and find their loved ones also disappeared.
At first, Kazumi assumed it was a dark spirit abducting and eating the villagers...but the actual truth was so much worse.
A dark spirit was involved as Kazumi suspected, but it was not eating people. It was brainwashing them and turning them into its slaves.
They had tracked the dark spirit to a nearby abandoned cave and found the victims they were searching for armed to the teeth with makeshift weapons and quickly attacked them.
The two of them managed to retreat back to the outside with the whole group of possessed villagers following after them. It allowed both Kazumi and Azula both freedom of movement, but it also gave the enthralled villagers more space to move around in. The problem was that there were a lot of enthralled villagers for them to beat through. Worse part? They couldn't use most of their more powerful abilities, swords or fire against the villagers, they were innocent victims in this after all.
So that limited them to kicks, punches and hits to the head with the hilt of their swords. The villagers were easy to enough to dodge to their poor movement and attacks with their sickles, pitchforks and other assorted weapons. The real problem was their numbers and the fact that they kept blocking the path to the dark spirit who looked like a skeleton dressed in a black robe.
The rain certainly didn't help the situation in the slightest. It wasn't coming down heavily but it wasn't exactly making the fighting any easier. Thankfully, seeing through the slits of her mask didn't impede her vision at all. The mask starting to feel like part of face and her controlled breathing reflected that. Her hood pulled up to protect her head from the rain that was coming down lightly.
The dark spirit laughed " Surrender and perhaps I shall make you both my enthralls as well..."
" I prefer sending you straight back into the abyss Spirit " Kazumi responded threateningly as she knocked down another villager " Bloodbriar rise !" Kazumi commanded and a large plant erupted from the ground and grabbed hold of the villagers, restraining them but the plants were quickly cut up by other enthralled.
Azula grit her teeth as she knew they couldn't keep this pace up for much longer.
We need to break this stalemate soon or we're going to get overpowered the second we make a mistake.
Azula sidestepped into a puddle and she looked at the water and the rain coming down, an idea coming to mind.
" Kazumi ! Do these villagers feel pain ? " Azula asked as she dodged another attack.
" They are enthralled ! They don't know what they are doing and they can't feel anything !" Kazumi answered mid-fight.
" Good...because this is going to hurt a little " Azula said as her fingers sparked with lightning and Kazumi realized why she asked.
Azula thrusted the lightning forward, not directly at the enthralled villagers, no...but rather aiming at the wet ground and puddles they themselves were standing. The second the lightning hit, the enthralled villagers let out howls of pain that made Azula flinch. She did try to focus the power and reduce the output, so it wasn't going to leave any lasting damage.
" That's gonna hurt for a while..." Azula muttered.
Kazumi didn't have time to ponder the dubiousness of Azula's strategy but it did take out a good chunk of their enemies. Leaving Kazumi with a clear path straight through to the dark spirit.
" Deal with the rest of the enthralled. I'll deal with this spirit " Kazumi said as she prepared her blade. Azula quickly taking down the few remaining enthralled villagers.
The dark spirit now looking very afraid and tried to escape, but Kazumi was ahead of him. Transversing towards his escape path and cutting him off.
" Get away from me ! You will not send me back !"
" There is no escape for you. Surrender and perhaps I will deliver you back to oblivion quickly " Kazumi said in a dangerously mocking tone.
The dark spirit screeched at her like a wild animal and turned the other way to flee-
Only to come face to face with Azula, who transversed in front of him with her blade ready.
" You're mine " Azula said before she slashed her blade straight across the chest.
" NONONONONONONO!" The dark spirit screamed in agony as flames enveloped it, before Kazumi came up from behind and stabbed it straight through the chest, finishing it off.
The dark spirit screamed in agony as it lit on fire and burned out.
" May oblivion take you..." Kazumi said briefly as the dark spirit burned to a crisp, leaving not even ashes.
Azula let out a breath as she took in the scene in front of her.
" Are you alright Azula ? " Kazumi asked concerned, like she did after every mission.
" I'm fine Kazumi, not a scratch " Azula said with a smile beneath her mask.
" Good, now let's make sure we didn't rough up the villagers too badly " Kazumi said before she went to check on the downed villagers they had essentially beaten up. Especially the ones that Azula had electrocuted just then.
Azula looked up at the sky and saw that the rain had stopped, and the clouds were parting at last. She went up to Kazumi who was knelling by some of the villagers.
" Are they okay ? " Azula asked.
" They'll be okay...I think..." Kazumi said slowly " I fear you may have hit them with more energy than they could take, but they should make a full recovery "
" Sorry..." Azula apologized but Kazumi just smiled at her.
" Its fine, we're lucky that they won't remember this. When they wake up, I'm just going to tell them that the mind control made them feel a kind of shock " Kazumi jokingly said.
" And the bruises and headaches were the result of them tripping over and running into each other " Azula continued with a smile.
Kazumi chuckled " Come on, let's get these people up "
The two of them got to work on providing some basic first aid to the villagers, Azula looking at the sky to see the clouds having cleared and the sunlight of Agni shining down on them. She smiled at the feeling of light on them.
It was a good day to be a Spirit Navigator.
Mai was certain that she was going to go insane from all the fruitless searching. Lying her head down on the table on the balcony space that gave a good look of the city.
3 months had passed since Ozai's escape and they were no closer to finding him than when they had started. The fact that they were pretty much forced to keep Ozai's escape a secret for as long as possible to prevent any open rebellion from sprouting up didn't help. Mai was hoping that offering a huge reward for Ozai's head would entice some of the common people to turn on their dear Phoenix King.
So within the confines of their limitations, they searched high and low for Ozai, but not a trace of him could be found. Mai was almost impressed by the amount of work Ozai had done to cover his tracks, but that just meant a bigger headache for herself. The Avatar and his group had stayed for a while to help find Ozai but they were of no help even with the Avatar flying overhead with his bison or the Earth Girl's super hearing to pick up any sort of trail. Eventually they had to go back to their own respective nations since they had their own things to do, what with the Avatar's Airbending school or the dirt girl's metalbending school.
Mai's own personal investigation had yielded no results either. She had pressed all of her contacts in the noble circles, underground and common people. Yet none had any information about where Ozai had gone, it was almost as if he had dropped off the face of the world itself which Mai would appreciate if that did happen.
The knife thrower let out a sigh as she tried to think what Ozai's next move is going to be. She's already figured out that he's been holding off because he needs to be more prepared before making an attack, but its been months now, what else could he be waiting for ?
She thought back to what Toph said back at the meeting, about Ozai not having his bending and that made her think.
Is Ozai trying to figure out a way to regain his bending ? Is that why he's hold off for so long ?
Mai had never asked the Avatar how his energybending worked...or if there was a way to restore it through other means. Could Ozai be searching for a way to get his fire back ? Seems plausible enough. Perhaps she should send a letter to Aang inquiring about it.
Mai's thoughts were interrupted when she saw a tray with two teacups and a teapot get set on her table. She turned her head to see Advisor Jiang standing there with a servant.
" Hope I'm not interrupting anything Lady Mai " Jiang said with a grandfatherly smile.
" No, its fine..." Mai glanced over at the teapot " Tea? "
" Yes, I figured you could use it since you seemed tense these past few days" Jiang sat down opposite of her, as he dismissed the servant leaving the two of them alone " So tell me Lady Mai, what troubles you ? "
What do you think ?
Mai wanted to snap at him but she was too tired mentally to even muster up the anger in her voice.
" I was just in the middle of thinking of how we're going to catch Ozai before this whole thing balloons into a full on civil war " She replied in her usual monotone voice.
" I do not think we need to worry about civil war breaking out " Jiang said calmly as he took a sip of his tea.
Mai gave him an unfriendly look that told him to continue.
" What do you mean by that ? "
" A civil war typically only breaks out when the nation is genuinely split on something, my dear..." Jiang said " In the case of Ozai retaking the Throne, than you have nothing to fear about civil war " He said vaguely.
" Who are you, Iroh ? " Mai rolled her eyes " Speak plainly or just leave "
" I'm saying that if the people had to choose between Ozai and our reigning Fire Lord Zuko...who do you think they are going to choose ? " Jiang said plainly which sent a shiver down Mai's back " Public opinion among both the common people and nobility of Lord Zuko is very bad and that's an understatement. He has no strong allies to shield him if his position is threatened, the Avatar notwithstanding. But I believe we both know how that would look if the Avatar essentially overthrew Ozai if he did retake the Throne."
It would reaffirm the public's belief that Zuko is just a puppet ruler for the Avatar.
Mai was silent as Jiang voiced his opinions.
" To be honest, I'm more concerned about foreign invasion than a civil war " Jiang admitted.
" Foreign invasion? "
" The Fire Nation is at a serious economic disadvantage right now Lady Mai, thanks to the generous reparations of our Fire Lord Zuko to the Earth Kingdom, they have gained an economic advantage over us. If they tried to invade us now, they would have the advantage " Jiang said gravely.
" The Earth King wouldn't do that. The Avatar wouldn't allow it-"
" Even if it meant preventing Ozai from taking the Throne again ? " Jiang interrupted " I'm sure the Earth King would jump at the opportunity to strike back at the country that besieged his for decades. He almost started the war again over Yu Dao. Even if it was for a short while, it could leave the Fire Nation in an irreparable state "
" To be fair, it wouldn't totally unwarranted on the Earth Kingdom's part " Mai played the demon's advocate.
" Perhaps but let's save the discussion of ethics and morality for another time, shall we?"
" Is there a point you're trying to make here Advisor Jiang ?" Mai asked suddenly.
" What I am saying is that..." Jiang leaned in " If things go bad, perhaps you could convince our current Fire Lord to see things in a more realistic light. Maybe take the easy way out for himself..."
" Are you asking me to convince Zuko to step down and hand the Throne over to Ozai? " Mai scoffed " You must be truly losing your mind in your old age Jiang "
" Not step down...but let us be realistic and blunt here for a moment, Ozai has immense support from the nobility and the common people will join his side out of spite towards our current Fire Lord " Jiang explained " Is it not the same issue you were grappling with Princess Azula returning? "
The two were silent for a moment, Jiang knowing he had crossed a line there.
" I apologize that was low of me " Jiang said sincerely, but Mai didn't respond.
Jiang is right though. It is the exact same problem with Azula possibly returning, but this time its with someone much worse.
" You have a point maybe...but Zuko is strong, he's friends with the Avatar, he can-"
" You're not an idealist " Jiang said plainly " You are a pragmatic realist at heart, Lady Mai...and I think even you know where this is headed " Jiang stood up and walked past her.
" I'm only telling you this because I respect the works your father did during the war and because I respect you Lady Mai..." Jiang explained.
" What do you want me to do? " Mai glanced at him.
" Just listen...when the time comes, maybe convince Fire Lord Zuko to take the easy way out"
" Surrender?"
" Walk away " Jiang clarified " Go to the Earth Kingdom, start a tea shop or something... the Fire Nation cannot survive another time of upheaval"
" And what will you do, Advisor Jiang ? " Mai said dangerously low.
" I will do whatever is needed to save my nation...will you do the same to protect the ones you love, I wonder?" Jiang asked " Enjoy the tea, Lady Mai"
As Mai watched Jiang walk away, her brain was already spinning at what he had said and what it could mean...
Mai had suspected that Jiang was one of the traitors who helped Ozai's escape, but now she was sure of it. She didn't have any hard evidence that proved he was a traitor, but perhaps they need to a closer eye on him and if they do that...
We might just be able to find the bastard.
At first Ozai believed that the only changes were the color of his fire, but then he found out something much, much better.
He was standing in the training room he had requested as part of their hideout, his only company were guards standing by the doorway and some of his more trusted supporters.
Ozai took a deep breath as he threw black flame after black flame at wooden targets made to look human, his spirit and body feeling invigorated from being able to shoot fire again. He had let his body become weak while he was imprisoned and he was more than ready to get back into his former fighting prowess. He released fireball after fireball, relentless in his kicks, punches and forms.
Within less than a minute, all the wooden posts in the room were reduced to mere ashes.
Ozai had allowed himself to get defeated by the Avatar on the day of Sozin's Comet. He will not make the same mistake again.
The former Fire Lord took a deep breath as he moved on to the next course of his training, with his other abilities...
He held out his left hand and pointed it in a specific direction, feeling the essence of fire building up inside him like fuel, he focused on the other side of the room-
And the next time he opened his eyes, he was now standing where he imagined himself to be. Feeling as though his whole body had just been enveloped in energy just a second ago.
Ozai turned to the clapping of his viewers, the more important of which were Fire Sages who pledged their loyalty to him. The men dressed in religious red robes approached him, as his hand burned with a spectral smoke.
" So Fire Sage Hao, what is your diagnosis for..whatever this is ? " Ozai asked.
" Incredible...I have never seen anything like this before " Fire Sage Hao said in amazement.
" You have no answer for what this is or why my fire is now black ? " Ozai questioned, showing the flames.
" No...aside from your late daughter who was the only firebender in history to wield blue flames, nothing like this has ever been seen before..." Hao explained with a grim look " But I have heard stories my lord, about visitors from other worlds, powerful spirits, Outsider gods entering ours and granting strange abilities to certain people. They are very rare and I have never had the pleasure of seeing any in person before "
" What did the person who offer you these gifts look like ? " Fire Sage Feitan asked.
" Old man, perhaps in his late 60's. I was certain that he was not human from the feeling I got from him alone " Ozai held back a shudder at the reminder of the cold " He spoke a few words and then gave me these strange powers..."
Ozai decidedly kept the knowledge about his deal with the man to himself, he didn't want it getting out that he had made a deal with an unknown entity. At the risk of looking weak to his followers about a situation he did not fully understand himself.
" The fact that this man is an unknown entity alone is cause for alarm...but it seems that your powers manifest over the course of some time " Hao said " What does it feel like, my lord ? "
Ozai thought about it for a moment " Like... a burning sensation not unlike my own fire. It feels different, foreign...cold in a way. Like nothing I've ever experienced before in my life "
" Fascinating " Hao noted down in his book.
" My lord, what do you wish to do about these powers ? They may be useful but they can also prove dangerous to you..." Feitan asked.
Ozai thought it over for a moment while he did want to be cautious around these powers...he could not deny that they would give him a massive advantage in retaking his rightful place as the Lord of this nation,
" We will hold off for now...until I have a better understanding of what these powers are or how to control them " Ozai smirked " I have a strong feeling that these 'gifts' will prove useful in dispatching the Avatar "
" Understood, sir"
Ozai stared at his hand, smoking with spectral smoke, and he was certain about one thing...
That he was no longer human anymore.
That was fine with him.
Sorry that this chapter is a bit fillery but I really need some time to figure out where to go from here. Hope this chapter was a good read if nothing else.
Ozai gaining more spiritual powers...originally I was going to have him forced to search for runes to gain more powers, but that would be a little too tedious and pointless for the plot as a whole. So I decided to just have his powers manifest over a period of time, which he will gain more of as this story goes on.
Personally I want to know what you all think about Ozai gaining spiritual powers in the first place...and what sort of powers someone like him should receive. One thing I loved from the Dishonored is how the powers of the Mark bearers reflect their personalities, skills and character. So I wonder what you all think a person like Ozai would receive as his powers, I already have a few in mind but I'm open to suggestions.
And by the way, I was totally going for a Ghost Rider devil vibe with the old man in the last chapter. I was trying to go for more of an Outsider vibe, but the old man ended up coming off more as a devil-type figure. Not to say that he is the devil per say...its complicated.
:)
With that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.