ATTENTION! THERE ARE NOW 37 CHAPTERS, NOT 24! I HAD TO REDO THE LENGTHS OF EACH, STRETCHING IT OUT MORE! THE NEWEST CHAPTER IS CHAPTER 37 (STRATEGY)! START FROM THERE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN READING THE NEWEST CHAPTER! IT WILL TAKE PROBABLY A FEW HOURS, POSSIBLY DAYS FOR ALL THE NEW CHAPTERS TO BE UPLOADED! PLEASE GO TO CHAPTER 37 AND READ THE NOTICE AT THE BEGINNING FOR EXPLANATION! MY APOLOGIES FOR THE CONFUSION!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
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Aang opened his eyes when he felt himself arrive in the Immortal Realm. It was a darkened, shadowy place; it was decaying, and he wondered how he had not felt the atmosphere when he had been in the Immortal Realm looking for Vaatu after Samir and Ursa were taken, but he presumed that it was because he had been preoccupied.
Azula appeared next to him, and when she punched her fist forward, she sighed in woe when no flames appeared before she nodded; her face was set in determination. "Where will we find Wan Shi Tong?"
"At his library." He gestured for her to follow him, and a path of light appeared before them, guiding them. "We'll follow this."
"Did you do that?"
"Yes."
"I was not aware that you could."
"My will can shape the Immortal Realm, remember? I'm willing a path of light that leads to Wan Shi Tong's library." Aang took her hand and pulled her into his arms as he flew down the path. "It shouldn't take too long. I intend to get all the answers we need."
Azula's brows rose. "Even for Indra?"
"Especially for Indra," he stressed. "Indra will be how we rescue Samir because Indra will know where Samir is. It's all that matters. I'm willing to make any bargain Wan Shi Tong wants if it means we have Indra's location."
"Do you think Vaatu has already asked Wan Shi Tong?" Azula looked up at him as they continued flying quickly, but she was heard easily. "He may have- "
Aang shook his head. "No. If he had Indra, things would be too different; he would already have won, which he would have boasted. He's going in order—he has to, really. He's the reverse, remember? He's my inverse; while I went Air, Water, Earth, and Fire, he goes Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. I stopped him from getting Tui and La- "
"Whom you hid in a place you refuse to tell me," she pointed out.
"- and I'm going to stop him from getting Indra. I don't tell you for Tui and La because I need you to have plausible deniability. No one will know—only me. It's the only thing I can have over Vaatu. Vaatu can reach any of you and get to you, but he can't get to me—he never will, and he knows it. It's protection for you."
Azula hummed. "Most gracious of you, Avatar."
He knew that she was displeased he kept the location from her, but he refused to budge. "My mind's not changing. I can't tell you everything," he teased, nudging her. "Isn't every romance supposed to have some mystery?"
"Is that what we are, a romance?" she quipped, single brow rising in intrigue.
Aang grinned. "Of course. The Avatar and the Fire Princess—I bet the poets will tell it for generations."
Azula smirked and nodded. "They will have much history to draw from—we will be legendary."
"We already are."
"Spare me your ardor until we return to the Mortal Realm," she commanded, though her golden eyes were delighted—before they darkened. "I want Samir and Mother returned as swiftly as possible."
His spirits plummeted as he was reminded of the glaring void in their lives now—their daughter was kidnapped. "I'm relieved they have each other- "
"I am not relieved they have Father there," she snapped. "Who knows what tortures he inflicts on them?"
Aang's grip on Azula tightened at the thought. "I know. I'm going to figure out how this was even possible, how events themselves made this possible."
"Is that something you intend to ask Wan Shi Tong?"
"No. We have more pressing concerns."
Azula nodded in approval. "I agree. What is your plan to rescind Jet's plague?"
Aang was relieved for the change in topic. "I have a good idea for it. I was only able to really think of it after I encountered Jet's chi the first time. For so long, we focused on how the plague is weakening Agni, but the key to reversing it is through Agni himself based on how the plague works. My solution will help restore firebending to everyone who was infected and is still alive, infected. Agni is the key."
She frowned, gazing up at him, brows pinched in thought. "Meaning?"
"All Firebenders are affected by Agni just as Agni is affected by the infected Firebenders—it's a relationship of balance. I realized that since the plague itself is born of that connection, actively seeking it out, I can tap into that and use it to my advantage."
"How will- "
"We're here," he interrupted as Wan Shi Tong's library finally became visible, and to his utmost relief, it was in perfect condition; there was no sign that Vaatu had ever visited Wan Shi Tong or anything—he hadn't thought Vaatu did, but it was still a relief to have the confirmation.
"It is smaller than I thought- "
"Shh!" Aang hissed and craned his head forward as he registered the sounds—and felt the vibrations in the earth. "Did you hear that? Do you feel it? I feel darkness—can't you?"
Azula absorbed his question and frowned, peering forward. "I hear nothing except my voice and your breathing. My senses are not nearly as attuned as yours, particularly for energies."
"I heard something else—I know I did," he muttered, straining, but he heard nothing. Instead of relaxing, he followed his suspicion and moved his hands and manipulated the air forward toward him, drawing it from as far as he could, pulled from Wan Shi Tong's library. Immediately, howls of pain screeched in presence. "It's in the library!" he cried out and blurred forward. "Come on! We might be too late!"
Dashing into the library, Aang paled at the sight of a horde of dark spirits—they were the darkness that he felt! Wan Shi Tong was fallen in the middle and the dark spirits who attacked him viciously, colluding to destroy him.
"Where is Indra?" the familiar voice of Devi screeched, and Aang found Devi looming over the beaten Wan Shi Tong; she looked the same as she did before he destroyed her body after Azula's death, forcing her into the painful process of reforming herself. "Tell us! Where is our sister? Where has she stayed hidden for so long? Where has she hidden herself? Where?"
"Look at Agni," Azula whispered from beside him. "Look at him; he looks ill."
Aang followed her gaze, and next to Devi, Agni stood, but he was plainly weak; he was dreadful, and his bearing was half-slumped as if he were in pain. Agni leaned heavily against one of the many bookshelves near Devi, his flames flickering lightly, nowhere near the potent inferno that he was the last time when Aang had seen him.
The source wasn't the painful process of reforming himself but from Jet's plague, which, according to Jet, had its source in Agni himself. As a result, Aang felt no pity for Agni because Agni had literally invited it upon himself.
Suddenly, Agni turned to look at Aang, and he weakly shoved himself towards Devi. "The Avatar! He is here!"
Devi snapped her gaze; her eyes blazed with hatred. "No! Stop him! Attack!"
The horde of spirits whirled around and snarled all at once before bolting forward. Aang punched his fist forward, and bright flames surged towards the swarm, and those who were burned howled in pain. Wan Shi Tong's wing snapped forward, and while Devi avoided it, the sudden movement swept the weakened Agni off his feet, sending him crashing into one of the bookshelves—one that wasn't already destroyed.
Wan Shi Tong slowly rose to his towering height, owl-face contorted. "I am familiar with every fighting style in the history of the Realms." He forward and brushed aside part of the dark spirit hoard like they were weeds. "Now you shall feel my prowess with them."
"We can hold them off!" Azula cried out, golden eyes burning as she fired her spiritual lightning; she had gotten a lot better at energybending since he had shown her some things. Wan Shi Tong suddenly snatched one of the dark spirits in his beak. "Get Agni and Devi!"
Aang turned and flew at Agni and Devi, punching through the sudden walls of earth that rose in his path. "Where is my daughter?" he screamed, evading sudden pillars and boulders thrown at him before he smashed into Devi, sending her flying into one of the numerous bookshelves; it toppled and countless tomes and manuscripts landed on the ground. "Where is she? Tell me! Don't make me make you reform yourself again!"
"Vaatu has plans for her, Avatar!" Devi crawled out from the remnants of the bookshelf, features contorted into a sneer. "You will not ruin this for us! We will find Indra, not you!"
He sent an explosive wind blast at Devi, and when she was safely away, just before he could respond to her words and expand on those 'plans,' he was forced to jump out of the way from a weak, tepid fireball that Agni threw at him.
It was time to implement his own plan.
Immediately, Aang dashed at Agni and entered The Avatar State; his mind filled with countless other thoughts and memories, but it was a pleasant sensation, merging with all that he was—he knew what to do. His glowing hands reached into Agni, and when he pulled away, his hands held some of Agni's own flames.
"What are you doing?" Agni gasped out, falling to his knees, hands clawing at The Avatar's chest, but it was useless. "Why?"
"Creating the solution," he intoned before he stepped away as The Avatar State faded away. Aang looked down at Agni's flames and felt their warmth and live-giving qualities before he felt their destructive potential, their death-bringing aspect; it was Fire in its purest, raw form. It was beyond any other fire that he had ever felt, and he contained it with all his might to keep it from escaping to return to Agni—as it desperately tried to.
Holding the flames in his hands, deciding it was more important for the long-term, he did nothing as Agni stumbled towards Devi, and he noticed that there seemed to be patches of his flames missing from where he reached in; Agni's legs hardly seemed to respond. Aang only watched as Devi snared Agni's arm before they disappeared into the earth.
While he could have continued the fight to try to get answers, he inherently knew that both Agni and Devi would never tell him the truth, and he had more important tasks to fulfill instead of wasting time. He had won a critical battle since he had acquired some of Agni's flames—the key to reverse Jet's plague! It would weaken Vaatu's power and deprive him of a powerful army. Aang didn't dare try to put out the flames, either, and he would have needed to during a battle with Agni and Devi, to heal them; this was the best outcome for now.
Aang turned around while still holding the flames and watched as Wan Shi Tong purified the only remaining dark spirit using energybending. For some reason, it didn't surprise him that He-Who-Knows-10,000-Things knew energybending.
"Are those Agni's flames?" Azula asked in an awed whisper, reaching out a hand, as if to touch the flames, drawn to the allure—it was verification that his plan to reverse Jet's plague would work. "How did you…?"
"The Avatar State," he replied while still holding the flames; he wouldn't let them go. "I let Agni and Devi go because I couldn't fight them both and keep the flames all at once."
Well, he could have, but it would have resulted in Agni and Devi's destruction, forcing them to reform again, which wouldn't be good for future relations with them.
Wan Shi Tong leaned down, head peering at him; his eyes were ancient. "What is your purpose here, Avatar? Our last encounter was not a pleasant one."
"You made it unpleasant, not me."
"You are still a child in spite of your position. I possess the strength and knowledge of ten-thousand things. Knowledge is not unpleasant, and you dare tell me that I am unpleasant?"
"You still continue to be as arrogant as I remember," he muttered. "I had hoped that you would change."
"And you still continue to stand in the company of bold deceivers."
"You're really still angry about that?" Aang asked in disbelief. "We were children! What choice did we have? We didn't know what else to do! And you weren't any help!"
"You tried to steal from me!" Wan Shi Tong hissed out, wings flapping in aggravation, producing small bursts of wind that Aang made vanish. "You thought to deceive me, something unforgivable!"
"What are you talking about?" Azula cut in. "What happened between you two?"
Aang glared at Wan Shi Tong. "During the Great War, we were desperate for any advantage that we could have over Fire. We found his library in the Si Wong Desert, and we entered only to- "
"To lie to me," Wan Shi Tong condemned. "You abused my knowledge."
"We wanted to end the Great War!"
"Humans always have wars to fight. What is one war next to another? Your insular kind worships war, desiring conflict—as you do now."
Aang shook his head. "I don't care for your illogical logic. We needed to end it! So many were killed- "
"Sentiment clouds your judgment. You dare think you know more than me? While you have lived amongst those wretches, I have watched them—my observations and purer than yours. Humans slaughter each other for simplicity—because they like it. There are always so many killed in every generation—in every day that passes. It is inevitable. Humans think so highly of themselves, but they are only deceivers forever. I am above them all; no one is as knowledgeable as me. All knowledge is good, and I am knowledge's master." Wan Shi Tong turned to stare down at Azula. "You hail from the Fire Nation. Agni's last Child I permitted in my study destroyed all of my Fire Nation knowledge."
"Leave her out of this," he snapped before Azula could speak. "She has done nothing to you- "
"She is human, and all humans are the same; they exist only because of the lion turtles' altruism—and the Face Stealer's whim."
Azula spoke: "You hate humans- "
"A human killed Tui, the Moon Spirit, out of unspeakable arrogance, an emotion that lies within each human—like the insatiable desire for conflict. You are all deceived deceivers."
"- but was it not your knowledge that Zhao used to kill Tui?" Azula questioned evenly, raising an eyebrow, and Aang was filled with pride. "You blame humans for something that, ultimately, you provided. You claim all knowledge is good, but that knowledge was never good."
Wan Shi Tong's owl-face twisted. "My knowledge was abused! That human should rot for daring to exploit my knowledge."
"He suffers Tui and La's wrath now," he cut in. "But it's your fault, Wan Shi Tong, that you failed to create ways to prohibit humans from abusing your knowledge, such as when Zhao burned down the Fire Nation section in your library to keep the Fire Nation superior and shrouded in secrecy. If you had wanted to, you could have ripped the knowledge out of Zhao and recreated the entire Fire Nation section. You've memorized every book and scroll that has ever entered your library—I know you have. You could effortlessly copy that knowledge onto new scrolls, but you chose not to."
"Pilfering knowledge is against my nature."
"But you pilfer it by denying it to others, robbing others of having the chance to learn," Azula observed dryly. "Knowledge's master, indeed."
Wan Shi Tong looked ready to try to eat Azula, and Aang stepped forward with Agni's flames. "While you don't want your knowledge used for war and, thus abused, you allowed it to happen anyway."
Wan Shi Tong bristled. "You are not wrong, Avatar. Yet, the only reason why you are here is to obtain knowledge for this new war against Vaatu. Do not bother saying I am right—I know I am."
"It's all tied together to it," he agreed. "But you have done nothing about Vaatu—you have not even tried. I need the knowledge to win this war so no more people die. Vaatu took my daughter and- "
"That is not my concern. Humans always die."
Azula inhaled sharply beside him, but he paid it no attention, focused on Wan Shi Tong, eyes turning to slits. "You will make it your concern!"
Wan Shi Tong looked affronted. "Are you threatening me?"
"Yes!" Aang roared, shaking the library. "I am raw, furious, and in no mood for your 'knowledgeable' obstinance! There is no debate here—there is no negotiation. I have something I am willing to offer, and you will tell me what I want to know. I'm so much more powerful than you, no matter your knowledge. You will help me—or I will put you in a position where you will never be able to help anyone, least of all yourself. You claim that humans always die, but you will die if you don't help me. You have two options here, Wan Shi Tong—you know it. It's either me or Vaatu. Who do you take your chances with? Vaatu will destroy you and corrupt your knowledge, depriving it of its prized purity. I've seen it happen. You may think of yourself above it, but you're not—I promise you you're small next to Vaatu and next to me. Help me, and I can ensure that neither you nor your knowledge is destroyed by Vaatu. Unless, of course, you believe that you can fight Vaatu on your own—or wish to ally with him."
"I would rather face the Void of Eternity than ally with Vaatu."
"A wise decision," Azula commented. "Show that same wisdom now."
Aang nodded. "Help me, and I will make sure you won't need to face the Void of Eternity."
Wan Shi Tong was silent for several tense moments before humming. "Very well, Avatar."
He sighed in relief. "Good. After I entered the Immortal Realm to find Vaatu after he kidnapped my daughter and mother-in-law, it- "
"It was impossible not to feel; we all felt your power during those moments."
"- was impossible to feel him, to even track him and his energy, not at all. How is that possible? He can't just disappear."
"No one disappears, Avatar, not even a spirit as strong as him," Wan Shi Tong decreed in dismissal. "It cannot be done."
"Vaatu does! I've seen it! How does he do it?"
Wan Shi Tong remained quiet.
Azula sighed. "You do not know but refuse to admit it."
Aang closed his eyes and inhaled slowly to quell his rising temper, knowing that it was the truth; he moved to a different topic—the one he was really after. "Devi and Agni were asking you about Indra. Do you know where she is? I need to find her before Vaatu does."
"I know where she is," Wan Shi Tong confirmed with a touch of pride. "Indra has remained in the Mortal Realm at the first Air Temple since the Great War."
He dimly recalled that his parents, named Tenzin and Jinora, were killed by the High Council at the first Air Temple, but he had never considered such a place for Indra—nor had he thought to ask Gyatso which Air Temple was built first
"She gave up her immortality?" Azula asked, though Aang already knew answer—and suspected that Azula already knew the answer by the expression on her face.
"Yes."
Aang thought quickly. "Which Air Temple was built first?"
Wan Shi Tong huffed. "You ask the wrong question, Avatar."
"What question must we ask?" Azula demanded, face pinching—she clearly wanted to be closer to finding Samir. "Your indulgence in vague pursuits of conversation deprive us of solutions. It would behoove you to be candid."
"You are becoming increasingly bold, human."
"She has free leave," Aang cut in harshly. "She can say what she wants and to whom she wants."
"You allow a human to possess such power?" Wan Shi Tong sounded disgusted. "That is irrational."
"You're being irrational by not telling us where Indra is."
"I already told you, but you failed to listen."
'What question must we ask?" Aang echoed Azula's earlier words, trying to remain patient. "Where's Indra?"
"She is at the first Air Temple, where she has stayed- "
"Since the beginning of the Great War," he finished, irritated. "Yes, we already know that, but what is her actual location? Which Air Temple was built first? Which one?"
"The one in which no human has set foot for thousands of years."
Aang blinked. "What? No, my parents set foot there, and so did Gyatso and the High Council. My parents were murdered at the first Air Temple!"
Azula's eyes widened. "What?"
He ignored her surprise, realizing distantly he forgot to tell her that detail. "What are you saying, Wan Shi Tong? Air's murder happened 110 years ago! Did you misspeak?"
"I never misspeak, Avatar," Wan Shi Tong hissed. "To presume such a thing angers me."
"Your ambiguity angers me!"
"Wan Shi Tong," Azula calmly cut in; she would have looked serene if it weren't for the deadly light in her golden eyes. "You may not care for humans, but you care all the same for your knowledge. We are trying to save the lives of many, but your indistinct answers leave much to be desired. Your reaction to the loss and abuses of your knowledge is telling; it reveals much. You do feel emotions, so picture our motivations as your own. What if you needed to save all your knowledge? You would do anything to succeed. That is what we are doing. Tell us what you know; use concision. About which Air Temple are you speaking? All four Air Temples have been occupied in the past centuries."
"Your mistaken assumption is that there are four Air Temples." Wan Shi Tong lumbered past them to the middle of the library, where he had been contained prior to their arrival. "There are five."
Silence.
"There can't be another Air Temple," he protested after overcoming his shock. "I would know about it!"
"It is forgotten by humans, including your slain race, with the notable exception of Air's High Council in its last generation." Wan Shi Tong's wing swept over one of the fallen bookshelves and turned back to Aang; he opened his wing, revealing a scroll. "The information that you seek is in this manuscript."
"Thank you." He almost reached forward but remembered that he had Agni's flames; he looked at Azula, to which she nodded, understanding. She reached forward for the scroll, but Wan Shi Tong jerked back.
"I have done much for you, Avatar. Because of Koh's sly words, I ordered my servants to copy all of my Air Nomad knowledge as a gift for your Air Temples, including the ability of true flight that I learned from Laghima, the ability that you now utilize. While stealing knowledge is against my nature, gifting it is not. I require payment."
Aang was unsurprised; he was prepared. "What do you want?"
"In repayment for the priceless knowledge that I have given you, and for the location of Indra, I require a knowledge that is similarly priceless. The same rules apply, Avatar. What can you offer me? What is it that the humans say? You must give to get."
Azula grit her teeth. "Your help is not helpful."
"Rules are rules," Wan Shi Tong intoned. "I require- "
"I know what you require," Aang snapped; he inhaled slowly to calm himself, reassuring himself he was doing the right thing. Anything was worth Indra's location so he could find Samir! "I still have more questions, and after you answer them, I'll give you that priceless knowledge."
"Why should I wait? I should turn you away."
"You are more foolish than you are knowledgeable!" Azula spat in anger, fuming. "Aang, ask Avatar Kirku about it. Remember that Kirku said he helped the Air Nomads by building their Air Temples? It was why he was unable to stop the Children of Earth and Water from going to war, how Water was almost slaughtered to extinction. He should know."
"That's right," he murmured, staring at Wan Shi Tong, though he didn't like the idea because it would take longer—and what if Kirku didn't know. It was a theory that Kirku knew, whereas it was definitive that Wan Shi Tong knew. He didn't want to risk it, not when Samir's life was at risk!
Wan Shi Tong bristled. "Perhaps, but I still require compensation for my role in giving you- "
Azula hissed between her teeth. "I hope your collection is destroyed by- "
"You insolent human!" Wan Shi Tong's neck extended, but before anything happened, Aang stepped between them.
"Enough!" he bellowed."You want priceless knowledge? How about The Avatar State?"
Silence.
Both Azula and Wan Shi Tong froze at his words; her face was carved with horror and astonishment, whereas his face showed awed delight.
"Interesting… Elaborate on your proposal."
Aang breathed deeply, feeling Agni's flames surge with the movement, but he held onto them tightly. "I'm not going to ask Kirku because it would take too long. I want that scroll. In exchange for the scroll that details the location of the first Air Temple where Indra is staying, your knowledge about questions that I have, your forthcoming assistance, and most importantly, the erasure of my debt to you for all of the Air Nomad knowledge, I'll allow you to see some of the amassed knowledge of The Avatar State."
Wan Shi Tong stared down at him. "We have an accord, Avatar."
"Give Azula the scroll."
"Will you keep your word, unlike last time?"
Aang stared back at the spirit. "Yes, I will."
"What are you doing?" Azula hissed out, glaring at him. "You did not think this through!"
"I'm doing what I have to," he said softly but firmly. "I've already thought about it- "
Her glare intensified. "You did not discuss it with me- "
"It is mine to give, not yours. I always knew I would have to pay a big price for this—an indestructible string, remember?"
"I remember," she recalled, face twisting it. "I hate this price."
"So do I. Do it." He watched Azula relent as she held out her hand, in which Wan Shi Tong dropped the scroll. "I want to know everything. Why else were you attacked besides your knowledge of Indra's location? Was that the only reason?"
"No. Vaatu seeks to eliminate those who would oppose him, such as myself."
"How long have there been dark spirits?"
"Their total is increasing steadily. You need to focus your attention on the Immortal Realm for the moment."
"Why?" Azula demanded. "What's happening?"
"These dark spirits are becoming more common, and their existence strengthens Vaatu. You must deal with them and heal them. I cannot do it, only you can. Your power is above all but The Tree of Time."
"After we finish speaking with you, and after I complete the Phoenix, we will do that." Aang ignored Azula's questioning glance. "When a spirit is created, how long does it take to form? I have an estimate based on my instincts, but I want to hear your judgment."
Wan Shi Tong's massive head tilted, intrigued. "Why do you ask? What need is there for you to know such knowledge?"
Aang held up Agni's flames. "Because that's how I'm going to restore firebending and save Fire from extinction. I'm going to create a new spirit—the Phoenix."
"Why?" Azula asked with narrowed eyes. "How could that possibly do anything? It appears a waste of your power."
"It's an extension of it," he corrected. "It has to do with Jet's plague—how it works. It's clear to me that part of Vaatu's plan was to absorb the chi-stealers into his army, using Agni as the ultimate Fire, to which they are drawn—but can never absorb, making them stuck there, trapped, with Vaatu, as his soldiers. However, this new spirit—the Phoenix—will change things; it may change everything. It puts the favor on our side for the first time, when it never was before, which is something Vaatu didn't anticipate. The Phoenix will become the most 'Fire' thing alive, replacing Agni temporarily—Agni won't be destroyed, but he will be diminished- "
Azula's golden eyes lit up. "For he is already diminished."
Aang nodded. "Exactly. Because Agni's diminished, it's possible—and we diminish him more by doing this, which only increases our advantage. The chi-stealers will all be drawn to the Phoenix. When I return to the Mortal Realm, no matter where I go, the chi-stealers will come to the Phoenix, drawn to it, impossible to resist. I'll plan the Phoenix where I want, and I'll wait for all the chi-stealers to come to the Phoenix, where I'll be waiting; I'll cleanse them and return their firebending, saving Fire—something only I can do."
"Avatar, Avatar," Azula whispered, smirking up at him, impressed, awed, and amazed—maybe even a little arousal. "A godlike solution—made by a god. You intentionally name and shape it as a phoenix to slight Father, a direct insult to Father's persona as the Phoenix King, seen as a manifestation of evil and menacing power."
"That's why I need to know how long it takes to form a spirit."
"A clever solution, Avatar." Wan Shi Tong's voice carried new respect. "A wise course of action from a tactical standpoint."
"How long does it take to form a spirit?"
"In the measure of time that humans comprehend, around two weeks in the Mortal Realm. Then The Phoenix will be ready for its ascendancy."
"That's what I thought."
"It will also need a place of shelter to have the time to form; it must be protected from Vaatu. It must stay in the Immortal Realm during its formation."
"I know just the spirit who will help with that." He glanced at Azula before looking back at Wan Shi Tong, knowing it couldn't hurt to ask. "Do you know where our daughter- "
"And my mother are?" Azula finished. "Have you any idea?"
"They are with Vaatu."
"Yes, but do you know where Vaatu is?"
"No."
"Do you know what Vaatu is doing to them? What will he do next?"
"No." Wan Shi Tong's expression darkened, owl-face elongating slightly. "Even my knowledge has limits."
Aang sighed heavily, not feeling surprised, but it still hurt to hear. "Vaatu broke the Laws of Balance; he brought a spirit out of the Gardens of the Dead using energybending and put the spirit in a new body. Have you ever read of something like that happening before?"
"Fascinating. That is an intriguing concept of which there is no known occurrence of such an event, Avatar. What a paradox—the deceased walking among the living."
"You don't know anything about it?"
"No. I must admit that not knowing things feels enjoyable; it feels good to learn still."
"Well, congratulations." He turned away, hiding his bitterness. "That's all that I want to know. Since you did your part, I'll uphold my end of our agreement." The Avatar's eyes and tattoos glowed white, and he turned back. "Here is part of my knowledge."
He floated upward, and his glowing hands gripped the sides of Wan Shi Tong's massive head. Using energybending, he allowed memories and knowledge that some of his past lives had amassed and experienced to flow into Wan Shi Tong. It only took a few moments before The Avatar removed his hands, and the glow of The Avatar State faded. Aang floated back to the ground and stared up at Wan Shi Tong, curious at what the reaction would be.
Wan Shi Tong staggered back and looked appeased. "I was right. It does feel good to learn still—and to learn such incredible things from The Avatar State. While you hold almighty power, you experience so much. This has been valuable, Avatar. Thank you."
"Thank you for giving me all of the Air Nomad knowledge and for your assistance today."
Azula didn't look happy that such a bargain had to be made. "We must depart. We need to find these dark spirits, heal them, and return to the Mortal Realm."
"With one more stop," Aang added, bowing his head to Wan Shi Tong. "Until next time, Wan Shi Tong."
"With the knowledge that you possess, Avatar, there will be a next time."
XxXxXxXxXxX
No matter how long she stared, Katara couldn't look away from the horrible sight—it was worse than she ever imagined! Ba Sing Se was gone, only scorched rubble remaining; everything had been burned away. Bringing a shaking hand to her mouth, the fear and horror brimmed inside. Were her friends dead? Had Chin V succeeded with everyone? And what about Sokka? He could have already run into Ozai!
Beside her, Zuko stood, features that were once shocked now pinched with worry. Druk was laid on some of the scorched earth, breathing deeply and Appa laid behind Katara, his steady exhales of air a relief during this chaotic time. Based on what they had gathered from the brave people who dared dig through the extensive, unbelievable rubble to find bodies, two kings were killed violently—with so many more dying—and Bumi was one of them.
Katara still felt the tears on her cheeks; she had no idea how Aang would react, but she knew that it would devastate him deeply, and she dreaded having to be the one to tell him. There was no hope in the air, only terror and hatred and distrust—it clouded everything, which she felt! The only reason she felt relatively comfortable—if she could feel comfortable with such evidence of evil all around her!—was that Zuko was with her, along with Appa and Druk. Unfortunately, there had been no news or sign of her friends, of Suki, Toph, and Bor, and she still felt terrified that they had been killed—just as Bumi was!
"I didn't imagine that Chin V's attack would succeed," Zuko whispered, turning to her, sadness in his golden eyes. "We learned of the attack, but I thought that everything would be fine. I thought King Bumi would win—he's the Scourge of Fire. Not even my grandfather could kill him, but Chin V did somehow—nothing makes sense."
"I know," she croaked, and when Zuko pulled her into his chest, she closed her eyes gratefully and sunk into him. "Everyone… they all could be dead except us."
Zuko tensed, but his arms were reassuring; she squeezed him desperately. "We know what happened to King Bumi—his body was found- "
Katara felt hysterical. "It was found limbless! He was tortured before he was murdered!"
"But he got Chin V," Zuko reminded gently. "He did it. He made sure that Toph, Suki, and Prince- King Bor could get away- "
"We don't know that," she choked out, desperation drowning her. "And Suki—she's pregnant! She could have- … The baby! Zuko, the baby!"
"No bodies were found that were like theirs," he whispered, soothing her teeming mind. "From what it sounded like, once Chin V's army found out he was killed, they left in grief. All the bodies that were found—they were all part of the invasion, except for King Bipin and his entourage—and King Bumi. The rest were the invaders. Toph, Suki, and King Bor are still out there. Toph and King Bor are two of the strongest Earthbenders in the world; they are resourceful, and they will make sure that Suki is okay. Nothing is going to happen to her or your nephew or niece. Okay?"
Katara swallowed and desperately believed Zuko's reassurance; she could do nothing else. "But where are they? Where would they go?"
"My guess is Omashu because Queen Anju is King Bor's cousin, but we will find them, regardless." He pulled back to stare down into her eyes; she was mesmerized by the honesty and seriousness in his beautiful golden orbs. "We will find all of them."
"I believe you," she whispered.
"Good." Zuko's worried gaze drifted upward and past her, body stiffening from new, distressing thoughts. "Azula's spirit is still in the Spirit World; it has been too long. Something must be wrong."
Katara stepped back and wiped away her tears. "Time works differently in the Spirit World, remember? Aang is with her, and he won't ever let something happen to her. Even if she died, he'd pull her back."
Would Aang do the same for Bumi?
Zuko frowned, and she suspected that he was thinking of Ursa and Samir. "She's vulnerable out here; there could be more invaders somewhere, hiding, waiting for Aang to show up."
"Then we'll protect her body," she vowed.
"We can do nothing else until she and Aang get back," he muttered.
After they both jumped into Appa's saddle, keeping an eye on Azula's lifeless-looking body, Katara turned to him. "Please talk about something. I need a distraction from… this."
He sighed tiredly but nodded. "Well, Bor will have a lot of work to do when all of this is over because he's King of Ba Sing Se. Ba Sing Se will need to be rebuilt—again—and new nobles will take the places of the old ones."
"Is that what's going to happen in the Fire Nation?" Katara asked softly, eyeing him after she swallowed to keep herself from thinking too much of Bumi. "Almost all of your nobles betrayed you- "
"And are now dead because of their treachery, but yes, new nobles will take the place of the old ones. They will be my nobles instead of Father's nobles."
Desperately looking for that much-needed distraction, she pounced. "How would that work?"
Zuko's only brow rose in surprise. "I would decide—it's my choice. I don't know since the plague, but there are always people in-line to become a noble who have a claim." He smiled slightly, but the echoes of sadness corrupted the smile into something bitter and exhausted. "In fact, I think that I want your help in choosing my new nobles—or our new nobles. You're a better judge of character than I am."
Katara was taken aback. "You want me to help you?"
"You are my Fire Lady—or will be."
She swallowed. "Your mother explained that this is the only time in Fire's history where something like this is possible—an outsider marrying the Fire Lord and becoming Fire Lady."
Zuko didn't look surprised, single brow rising. "Yes. I am the first Fire Lord in the history of my race who has chosen to marry a woman of a different race—someone of Water, no less. Fire Lord Houka sired his heir through the Air Nomad nun centuries ago, never married her, and you remember the reaction, right?
Katara flinched at the thought. "He was killed in a mob by accident because of the outrage."
"But our fate will be different. Our marriage will be seen as a sign of peace for the world, of my willingness not to be my forefathers. For any of the other races to feel comfortable, there must be a son who has Water blood in-line to sit on the Dragon's Throne." He shrugged and leaned back against the saddle. "But I don't actually care about that, if I am honest—I just love you and want to marry you. Yes, everyone will view our son as embodying peace between the races, but he's really simply going to be the embodiment of our love."
She smiled. "That's very romantic, Fire Lord."
Zuko scowled. "Honest, not romantic."
"It's sweet."
"It's standard."
"It's love."
He sighed. "I accept that. Love is the main reason you are my Fire Lady, after all, though the political advantages, possibly only in this generation, are beneficial."
"How will Fire feel about me being your Fire Lady, mother to your heirs?" she asked quietly. "I know there will be some who hate it- "
"There might not be enough left to hate anything," he muttered before sighing. "Yes, there will be some who hate it—there are always some who hate whatever I do, which includes you. But they will abide by my decision; this is the only time something like this is possible. In any other generation, I could never marry you." Something vaguely amused crossed his face. "I'd just have to keep you prisoner or something."
Katara rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's happened before."
"It has."
"And what else would I do as Fire Lady besides choosing new nobles?"
"I was thinking that while I would handle the military and economy while you would handle the people; it's what my grandparents did. You are nicer than me; you are good with people, something that I've always admired. You may be able to help me keep the peace with my nobles. It's clear to me that the nobles got a lot more powerful during Father's reign; they were never such a nuisance during Grandfather and Sozin's reigns. I think Father's usurpation of Uncle's birthright, which the nobles allowed, likely because they saw it as an unthinkable, once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain power, made them a lot more powerful, and that was one of the man reasons why I had such trouble with them. They were too powerful, which produced friction. They expected me to sacrifice power to benefit them, but I refused to, and they hated me for it—and other reasons. I think making new nobles would revert the system to how it was before Father's reign, putting things back in their places—making things balanced, ironically. I think there can be a lasting peace with new nobles; we just needed to clean house—the only good thing about this new war, I suppose."
It was fascinating to learn about the environment she would help rule over after the war with Vaatu and Ozai was over. "But how can I possibly help you choose new nobles? You said I'm a good judge of character, but I have a history of being a poor judge. Look at Jet."
Zuko snorted and shook his head. "You look for the best in people; I look for the worst in people—you'll help me actually be able to choose nobles to begin with. Otherwise, I'd pick no new nobles, which would destabilize Fire."
Katara nodded, flattered, his words chasing away some of her grief, she smiled in relief, still trying to find reprieve from the news of Bumi's death—and the possible deaths of Suki, Toph, Bor, and Sokka! "But what if there is no one with a claim? Many have been killed."
"More than 'many,' but there is always someone."
"But what if there isn't?"
Zuko shrugged. "Then I would raise someone to become a noble based on his achievements and loyalty. Maybe Uncle met someone who's worthy while I have been away—I need to ask him."
"It should be like that already," she said, unable to help herself. "In the South, that's how a Chief becomes Chief- "
"That's how it always starts; there is always a man who has exceptional achievements who rises to rule because everyone loves and respects him—but that is where it stops as that man's son rules after him, not another man in the nation. It has to do with legitimacy; the only way for legitimacy is for something stable and dependable, which is only possible with lineal inheritance." Katara looked around, trying to make sense of it all; she took in the pervasive desecrated grounds of what was once Ba Sing Se, and she found that she preferred the strangeness of the revelations that Zuko was sharing. "If not, it would be a massacre as, in every generation, men would fight and destroy each other for the right to rule—before repeating again in the next generation. That's what happened in the South—I don't know who started your royal line, but one man did, but since that one man, there has been a royal line, stemming from him and his greatness. Chief Kuhna, Chief Hada, Chief Hakoda, and Chief Sokka—an unbroken line that goes back farther. Accomplishments had nothing to do with Chief Hada becoming Chief after his father died—and the same for your father, and it will be the same for Sokka."
Katara blinked, realizing he was correct. "I never thought of that. I thought accomplishments would be better. Isn't it better?"
Zuko laughed. "If it was better, we would already be doing it. What we realized quickly is that accomplishments would only lead to massacres as men sought and fought to exceed one other. And frankly, men don't actually want that to happen. None of us actually want to fight a blood-soaked fight for the chance at power. We embrace the lineal inheritance because it works and provides stability, which is what everyone wants. We want to leave to our children a world we recognize, which is only done through lineal inheritance."
"But blood fails," she pointed out. "Look at Arnook in the North."
"There are many reasons why blood fails, but there are more reasons why accomplishment fails—we chose between the lesser of two evils. Either leads to extinction, yes, but blood passes to many contenders, keeping it alive, whereas few men are capable of accomplishments that would raise them to rule. Even when the main bloodline dies out, there will always be an heir who can be found. By going back up the family trees and then down different branches, you will inevitably find a living descendant, legitimate or illegitimate, who has a claim, however weak it may be. However, that can lead to chaos as there would be too many claimants to the Dragon's Throne- "
Katara nodded, following along. "The Splintering."
Zuko nodded. "Yes. But lineal inheritance is more stabilizing and ensures more longevity. It's not perfect, but it's the only one we have that works. What happened to Arnook is one of the many reasons why I was so pressured to sire an heir after the Great War because, after me, there is no one left of Sozin's line. I am the last true heir because Uncle refuses to remarry, and Azula will never be accepted even though she is currently my actual heir; the memory of Fire Lady Akemi is too horrifying. Then there is the fact that Azula is done with Fire; she loves Fire still, but she has moved onto something more. She is The Avatar's wife now and will be the mother of an entire new race. Her home is no longer in the Fire Nation; her home is now the Air Temples, frankly. While it is possible that she could bear Aang a firebending son, whom Fire would accept with great celebration- "
Katara jumped, surprised. "What? But why? I thought you said that nobody would accept Azula."
Zuko looked amused. "They would never accept Azula, but they would accept her son; they would accept my nephew—I would accept my nephew if I had no son of my own. Especially a nephew with not only the strength of Sozin but two Avatars surging through his blood. In fact, Fire would probably accept this fictitious nephew over me if they were given the choice; I might have a rebellion on my hands if Azula bears such a son. Remember, Fire embodies Power, which my race worships, and a Firebender with all of that mighty blood in his veins would more than qualify for the Dragon's Throne."
"You've thought about this before."
"I was forced to study these scenarios when I was a child," he admitted with a shrug. "When I realized Aang and Azula were married, it occurred to me that one of their sons, a Firebender, could be my heir."
Katara realized how deeply she wanted to be the one to provide Zuko his heir when she flinched at the thought. "You don't have to worry about it. I think 'lineal inheritance' works, and I'll make sure you have a lineal inheritance."
Zuko smiled. "I chose my Fire Lady wisely."
"Of course," she agreed, smiling.
"It's the only way the majority of your power is able to be wielded as Fire Lady. That's how it works; that's how it has always worked." He appeared to scan her, face pinching. "Do you still want the burden- "
Katara shook her head. "Of course. It's just that I never knew all the context and depth of everything with being Fire Lady, especially as an outsider. But we're going to be fine, Zuko—we will have peace, I promise. We will have firebending sons and daughters—with maybe a Waterbender or two. Your mom was able to put up with Ozai; if she was able to do that, I can put up with you."
Zuko tensed, and she immediately felt guilty and fearful; Ursa was in Ozai's grasp—and Samir, too! "I try not to think about her right now. I go insane when I start."
"This is horrifying," she whispered, distraction gone, trying to keep back her tears. "Samir and your mother were taken by Ozai. Sokka, Mai, Ty Lee, and the Kyoshi Warriors might be dead because of Ozai. Bumi was killed, and Suki, Toph, and Bo are nowhere to be found!"
He pulled her closer, and she sunk cherished his warmth, letting it envelop her. "Everything will be okay. We'll be okay."
Katara closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, calming herself. "I'm just like that actress in that play," she sniffed out. "I keep crying."
A huff of laughter rustled her hair. "What a perfect time to repeat the theme of your character in the play—we can only hope that our friends are okay because hope is all that we have."
A smile stretched across her lips, and she felt better; he knew just what to say. "Careful, or I'll use my tearbending on you."
Zuko tilted her head up; his eyes locked onto her own. "But you would fail. You are not crying anymore."
"Thanks to you."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Her mind was calmer—it no longer felt like it was on fire, breaking under the stressful onslaught of all the new information thrown at her, healed from its brutal abuse.
She had taken to avoiding Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai, who was Azulon's son!—and citing sickness, as she really did feel sick. She had vomited multiple times, body feeling heavy and worn—such was the toll on her mind from Ursa's confession to her about Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—and his cruel deception.
However, was it a cruel deception on his part? What if it was a cruel deception on Ursa's part? After all, Ursa had offered no evidence of Piandao being Fire Lord Ozai—it had only been Hama's too-easy assumption that she was telling the truth, but it was a lie. Ursa just got a lucky guess and used the right name based on the previous instances of 'Fire Lord Ozai' being mentioned with Piandao. It was Ursa being cunning, subtly trying to make discord between her and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—so she could find an opportunity to escape with The Avatar's daughter.
Right? It had to be—it had to be!—a lie from Ursa.
But instead of simply accepting and writing it off as a lie, she had to confront Ursa again—she needed the truth!
Unlike the last time, Chin V's kinsmen guarding Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's?—tent let her pass without a word. When she entered, she saw Ursa and The Avatar's daughter sitting at the table with cards between them, playing some sort of game. There were the remains of discarded food—of fish, specifically, since Piandao had mentioned that Ursa loved fish—brushed to the edges. Piandao had visited for a meal, clearly. However, upon her entrance, The Avatar's daughter scrambled to Ursa, pushing her face into Ursa's chest in an embrace, clearly trying to hide herself in the safety that Ursa offered.
Ursa left the cards on the table as she stared at Hama, holding The Avatar's daughter close. "Have you reconsidered escaping- "
"I reconsidered that you lied," she said with a scoff. "You're good—very good. But it was a lie—I know it."
"It was no lie."
"Tell me why I don't believe you."
"You are in denial," Ursa defended. "It is understandable- "
Hama's fists clenched. "What I deny is your lie. Piandao isn't Ozai."
Ursa kept her gaze with an impressive, maddening ease. "He is."
She sat at the other end of the table, resolute. "Prove it."
Ursa's brows rose. "What is there to prove?"
"Everything," she snapped. "You could be lying. I need proof. You think your word is enough?"
Ursa shook her head. "Ask anything."
"Your children," Hama said after several moments of thought. "What are their names?"
"Zuko and Azula; he is Fire Lord, and she is the princess, married to The Avatar."
"That tells me nothing. You could be lying. I don't know who the Fire Lord is, and I don't know who Azula is beyond betraying Piandao to The Avatar, clearly because she married him- "
"We named Azula after her grandfather," Ursa interrupted with maddening knowing. "Azulon to Azula—a striking similarity if it is a mere coincidence."
Hama knew it was a strong coincidence—it had to be! She wanted to believe Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—and it seemed much easier to the more she thought about it. Ursa had no evidence! "That's all you have?"
Ursa simply stared at her. "Believe what you will—I do not care. Your peace of mind is not my concern in the slightest- "
"You tell me that Piandao is Fire Lord Ozai, and you don't care what I believe?" she echoed, outraged, voice a hiss. "No, you have to do better than that, Fire Lady. You said you killed Azulon. Was that a lie?"
"I wish it was," Ursa replied, voice saddened. "Ozai manipulated me into thinking our son's life was at risk. I acted and killed Azulon."
Her eyes narrowed. "How did you kill him?"
"Poison," Ursa said instantly but with a riveting melancholy—it was an impressive performance. "He told me the truth as he laid, dying. You wonder why I abandoned my family? That is why—I was banished on Azulon's last order to atone for the crime in Agni's eyes."
Hama was quiet for several moments, trying to decipher a flaw in Ursa's story, but she realized she couldn't—because she had no beginning awareness of the event. "Piandao said he hated Azulon; he said he was responsible for Azulon's death."
Ursa's brows rose. "He was. Why do you think he manipulated me into killing him?" If Ursa was distressed by The Avatar's daughter learning everything she revealed, she did not show it. "I killed Azulon, manipulated by Ozai. Ozai is responsible for it. It is a thankless burden I bear."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—had said he was responsible for Azulon's death, but what were the odds that Ursa's testimony, as she was already confirmed as Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's?—wife by Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—himself, included Azulon's death with key details that separated blame from Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—because she was manipulated. Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai?—had admitted that he didn't kill Azulon directly but was responsible for it all the same, which aligned with Ursa's confession of the events surrounding Azulon's death. Then there was Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's?—daughter, married to The Avatar and allied with the new Fire Lord, Ozai's son, whom Ursa confirmed was Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's?—son, named Azula, named after her grandfather, Azulon. Then there was everything that made her believe Ursa in the first place.
Ursa's evidence overlapped too much, too often, too consistently, and too deeply.
Hama's breaths shuddered as grief hit her; the denial dissipated. "He is Ozai," she whispered, voice breaking—along with her heart.
"He is," Ursa confirmed softly with gentle but firm judgment on her face. "He is my husband, and I love him. Thus, I can—and do—admit what and who he is."
She squeezed her eyes shut to disperse the tears, but they came regardless; she felt too anguished to even attempt to use her waterbending to make them go away. "I taught him everything—all that I am. I gave him bloodbending."
She taught Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—her priceless skill, ensuring she could never defeat him! Had it always been planned? Had Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—seen an opportunity and manipulated her, exactly as he had manipulated Ursa to kill Azulon, to seize more power for himself?
Was any of it real?
"Help us escape," Ursa urged, golden eyes beckoning.
Hama laughed. "There is no escape, not from him—not from Vaatu."
"We can escape—we will if you help us."
She knew it with dreaded certainty. Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—would kill her for helping Ursa escape, taking Ursa, his beloved wife he evidently, eminently adored, away from him. He would choose Ursa over her—already had, in fact. He would murder her to preserve Ursa's life in his life.
She had never meant anything to him.
"I can't," she gasped, tears spilling down her cheeks. "He'll kill me. I can't have him kill me; it can't be him—anyone but him. I can't die like that."
"My son is betrothed to a Waterbender like you," Ursa said softly. "She reminds me of you; you look similar somewhat- "
The Avatar's daughter nodded. "Aunt Katara."
Hama squeezed her eyes shut—she should have known! Katara had opened her legs for the newest Fire Lord, but how could she judge? She had opened her legs for the old Fire Lord. "Never speak of that traitor."
Ursa's brows rose. "Why?"
"She betrayed Family."
"You are family?"
"My grandniece!" she snapped. "She betrayed me and left me to rot in prison! She betrayed Family."
Ursa blinked in shock. "I never imagined her capable of such a thing."
Hama sneered. "No wonder you killed Azulon, who you obviously loved like a father—you have no imagination to see the obvious."
Something like ire flashed in Ursa's brilliant golden eyes before she hummed. "Hama, I ask this of you not as a grandmother worried for her granddaughter; I do not even ask this of you as a mother worried for her children, whom Ozai professed he will destroy. I ask this of you as a woman—one woman to another. Help me escape with Samir—come with us. You will be so valuable to end this war- "
"I'll stay with Vaatu and Pianda- Ozai just so I can kill Katara!" Hama vowed in a hiss. "I was promised vengeance, and I will have it against her."
Ursa frowned. "And Ozai?"
Hama considered her options, muddled in all the grief choking her. "I don't know."
"You do not have long for ignorance."
"I have as long as I want—you're going nowhere," she said with a scoff. "You think Pianda- Ozai will let you go? You think he'll let you escape? I know he would rather die than see you leave him—again."
It was a low blow, but low blows were all she had left—they were all she was capable of.
Ursa stared at her, rubbing one hand across The Avatar's daughter's back. "I will be here when you change your mind."
Hama stormed out without another word, heart dying with each step she took.
Piandao was Ozai.
XxXxXxXxXxX
For some reason, Azula expected the Face Stealer's lair to be different in a subtle way, but it was not; it looked exactly the same. The realization was striking; she was mortal, and she continued to think in a mortal's perspective. She could not afford such limitations, not now. She was in the Immortal Realm, the land of immortals, and she would fail in her endeavors if she continued her mindset; she needed to change, to transform her perception.
"Avatar," the Face Stealer hissed, and the haunting sound of talons scraping against the stone in an unholy rhythm reached her ears; it was the same as last time—another striking thing she realized about the Immortal Realm. Nothing changed in the Immortal Realm—because immortals themselves never changed. "You come to visit after such a short duration since your last. Consider me touched. Have you missed me?"
"We need to talk," Aang greeted, voice calm.
"What about? Those warm, power-touched flames in your hands? I feel the heat, a rare novelty."
Aang looked at ease beside her, and Azula was reminded that the Face Stealer would never dare attempt to harm her; she, too, felt the great warmth of Agni's flames. It even strengthened her, fire coursing through her chi and blood.
It was difficult to look away from the flames and focus on anything else, even with a spirit as powerful and dangerous as the Face Stealer so close.
"We need your help."
The chitinous-shaped Face Stealer appeared before them; his face was that of the fanged baboon Azula remembered from last time. "My help?" With what would the almighty Avatar need help? The ocean stills at your gaze, and you hold Agni's flames without effort."
"You are correct," she cut in, easily staring into the fanged baboon's pinched, snarling face. "These are Agni's flames. We need you to protect the Phoenix Spirit Aang intends to create."
The Face Stealer's face changed seamlessly into a face that she had never seen before; it looked like a Child of Earth's face, features flat. "Creating a new spirit, Avatar? That is a tall task. You seek to add a new immortal to this Realm."
"Balance has been broken, and this will help mend it." Aang held the flames towards the Face Stealer, and Azula was curious at the subtle hiss that escaped Koh. "The Phoenix needs- "
"I know what this plan needs, but why come to me?"
"You hate the imbalance as much as I do."
The Face Stealer hissed. "I hate it more—never doubt it, Avatar."
Aang looked unimpressed. "I doubt many things about you."
"I doubt even more about you."
"How balanced of you," Aang mocked, disgusted. Azula wondered distantly if there would ever be harmony between The Avatar and the Face Stealer. "Do you keep your stolen faces at an even number?"
"How about I add yours to the number?"
"Your menace is laughable! Steal your own face—if you have a face. You're why Kuruk got so bad, you stupid, lazy spirit- "
The Face Stealer's lair rumbled in outrage as his stolen face flashed. "You know laziness like you know the air you breathe, Avatar!"
"Your knowledge is as paltry as Wan Shi Tong's!"
Azula rolled her eyes. "We have a purpose here other than exploring animosity."
Aang nodded, finding himself through the haze of hostility. "Will you help us, Koh?"
"Your strategy to convince me to help you is distinct," the Face Stealer drawled.
"A distinct strategy for a distinct solution," Aang pointed out. "I need your help."
The Face Stealer circled them with artful grace, weaving past pillars, gliding inn and out of the shadows everyone across his lair. "Again, why me? Why not bother another spirit- "
Aang's face flashed in irritation, but Azula spoke before he could: "You are a Great Spirit, and we need your protection. If Vaatu knew of our intention- "
"Do not claim ownership of this," the Face Stealer derided, face shifting again—into a Fire woman's face. Azula felt the promise of a threat linger in the air. "This is The Avatar's intention, not yours. You are not welcome here, mortal."
"Touch her, I destroy you," Aang warned with a casualness that Azula commended—and vowed to reward him later. "Many things have changed since we last spoke. And she isn't wrong—we need your protection to ward off Vaatu. I don't know why you argue; I don't know why you test me—it's pointless. You agree with balance, and it must be torturous for you, just as it is for me, to feel and watch what has happened because of Vaatu."
The Fire woman's face stretched in a snarl. "Because of you," the Face Stealer snapped. "It is up to me to clean up your mess, as you are nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum."
"Because you did such a great job with Kuruk!" Aang snapped back, face twisting in ire. "What are you going to do, Koh? Unlike Kuruk, I know everything about you—I know where you go and how you think; I know where you are. If you think I won't destroy you, attack me now and- "
"Enough," Azula interrupted, shaking her head. "Face Stealer, will you help us? We know our—yes, our—request is troublesome, but it is the beginning of restoring balance, something we all desire."
The Face Stealer and turned his attention to Agni's flames. "You entrust to me a great task."
Aang's face was blank, but his gray eyes were stormy. "I'm aware. If you betray me, I will destroy you—I swear on my essence."
A shudder passed through the Face Stealer. "Very well."
'Will you do it?" Aang's words were flat, face carved with a subtle anxiety.
"It is my pleasure to do so."
Azula had no idea if such a decision would haunt them in the future but she did not care; she only cared about rescuing Samir and Mother before stopping Vaatu and Father. In comparison, regardless, the Face Stealer was an unimpressive threat. Anything the Face Stealer elected to do could was insignificant next to the threat of Vaatu.
Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed after he let go of the flames, which fluttered in the air but did not dissipate or move. His glowing hands caressed the edges of the flames, and slowly, Azula watched in awe as energy flowed from whom The Avatar into Agni's flames, and a golden glow pierced through the darkness in the Face Stealer's lair—followed by a powerful fire that made it appear like Agni himself was before her
Her lips curled in triumph; their advantage over Vaatu and her father would soon be apparent.
The Phoenix would succeed.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"We need to stop." The words were breathless, and Bor turned his head back, stopping in his tracks as he saw Suki bracing herself against a tree. Jin stood next to her, gentle hands on her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" He adjusted his hold on Toph and cursed silently; he hadn't even noticed. "What's wrong?"
"What's happening?" Toph demanded, fingers digging into his neck. "Is it Suki?"
"Yeah." Bor walked back toward Suki and Jin, concerned. "What do you need?"
"Rest," Suki panted out, face pale; she closed her eyes and slowly slid to the ground. "I don't know how much more I can do this. I don't think I can make it to Chyung."
Bor sat down across from her, and Toph gingerly slid off his shoulders; he gripped her knees and lowered her to the ground, ensuring no contact between her feet and the ground. "We'll stay here for the night," he decided, unsure of what else to say. "I'll start a fire."
"How much longer?" Suki whispered, hugging herself; Jin offered comfort, but it was clear that Suki wanted more—she likely wished for Sokka. "We don't know if Aang and the others are already in the Fire Nation or not; maybe they decided to go somewhere else. It's been so long since we have been in contact with them—with anyone. We don't even see those other survivor groups anymore—it's been weeks. I don't even know what day it is anymore. Even the towns we pass, we can't stay because we have no money. And the balm for Toph's feet is running out. We can't keep this up; I can't keep this up."
"I know," he soothed, feeling overwhelmed. "But what else can we do? It's only a little longer- "
"I'm traveling for three. I have to think of them. I'm tired, Bor, and I fear what will happen if we keep this up." Suki's hand shook from where it rested in her pregnant stomach. "I- I can't lose them. Sokka and I have waited so- "
Jin placed a sympathetic hand on Suki's shoulder. "As King Bor said, we will rest here for the night. You and your babies can rest. We will find a permanent location- "
Bor shook his head. "No. We have to keep going- "
Shockingly, Jin leveled a glare at him, fire in her eyes. "No, King Bor—she must rest. It is an unholy thing to lose a child, let alone two. I do not even wish it on my rapist. We must stop."
His fists clenched; his anger surged forth. "We're going; we can find- "
Toph's hand patted his shoulder. "Stop," she whispered, voice cracking in resignation. "It's me; it's my fault. I'm the problem."
Bor's eyes bulged from their sockets, shocked, as he whirled on Toph but swallowed when he saw her arms were wrapped around herself tightly. "What?" he breathed, noticing in dread that neither Suki nor Jin looked at Toph. "What are you talking about?"
A horrible pallor was on Toph's gaunt face. "It's me, Bor. I'm why we're going at it like this."
"No, the Butcher's men are- "
"The Butcher's men are gone," Toph interrupted, huddling against him; tears leaked out of her milky eyes. "If anything, if we're really worried about the Butcher's men, we wouldn't be going to Chyung in the first place because Chyung is where the Butcher was from."
Bor shuddered before jerking his head. "No, we can make it—we have to. We can't let your feet get infected. It's a miracle that they haven't already- "
"It's starting."
A heaviness hollowed his stomach, in which his heart cratered as he stared at Toph, horrified. "What?" he choked out. "No, it's- "
Toph wrenched her foot up, holding it near her tear-stained face; it clearly was a practiced movement with no signs of awkwardness—she had done it before, doing it often since his father maimed her feet. "I can smell it, Bor—it's starting. It's inside, and it smells; it's a sickness that's going to eat me from the inside out. I probably have a week before we need to amputate my feet, maybe two weeks- "
Bor flinched as if burned—like Grandfather had been when his father amputated Grandfather's limbs! "No! We're not doing it- "
"It's not your decision- "
"It fucking is!" he roared, heart seeming to burst in his chest as a terrible nausea swept across his sense. "We can get you healed! Avatar Aang will heal you! We have to get to Chyung! We have to tell him what happened!"
Suki's face was downcast, grim, and resigned. "We don't know if he will be in Chyung- "
"Then to the Fire Nation! He or Princess Katara will be there."
Toph shook her head. "No, Bor—it's been weeks. It may be months for all we know. I'm causing this. They've been thinking it, and I'm saying it."
Bor slowly moved his betrayed gaze away from Toph to the Suki and Jin, who did not need to speak to confirm Toph's observation; the answers were on their faces.
With a sudden burst of rage, he jumped to his feet. "You fucking cunts!" he exploded, body buzzing with all the fury and despair ravishing him—the powerlessness felt similar to when he watched his father maim Toph's feet to begin with. "What the fuck is wrong with you? How can you- "
"It is the truth." Jin stared up at him warily, but her noble upbringing ensured their eyes remained locked. "This is a relentless pace that cannot continue. At the risk of sounding callous, and I believe Toph agrees with me, Toph is not the priority. Suki is the priority. Toph let herself be captured to be maimed to protect Suki. Suki has always been the priority. We all must come to a collective consensus about our course of action. We three agree that we cannot continue, but you do not- "
Bor turned to stare at Toph in disbelief. "And you want this? You're okay with it?"
Toph didn't look okay, not at all—she looked worse than he had ever seen her—but she powered through. "I'll get over it. I always do."
"No! You shouldn't have to get over it! We're going to find Avatar Aang! Even if he's not at Chyung or in the Fire Nation! Even if Princess Katara isn't! We'll heal your feet!"
"How?" Toph cries out, angry tears swimming in her milky eyes. "We don't know where Aang is! Or Sugar Katara! We- we need to stop. I will not be the cause of a miscarriage, Bor! Suki's exhausted, Jin's exhausted, and I'm exhausted. You should be exhausted from carrying me across Ba Sing Se into Zaofu, traveling who-knows-how-many miles- "
Bor shook his head rapidly. "But I'm not tired! I can keep going!"
"But we can't! Weren't you listening?" Toph stared at him desperately, face pale. "All of us, we can't keep fighting. You can, but we can't. Suki's pregnant, and my feet are- I can't even walk, and Jin's tired. She was nearly raped by the Butcher's men, and you want to take her into the heart of Chyung, where the Butcher came from!"
"But- "
"Ultimately, how you feel is irrelevant, Bor," Suki spoke softly but firmly; she met his stare sadly. "Only our feelings matter. Yours do not."
"What?" Bor hissed and whirled around, trying to keep his temper at bay; it was a losing battle. "We're in this whole fucking position because of you! Toph keeps saying it's her fault, but it's your fucking fault! If you hadn't been captured by that- "
"Stop it!" Toph snapped, milky eyes gray with intensity. "You're not going to blame Suki for this- "
"It's her fucking fault!"
"It was Bumi's for not reacting until it was too late."
Silence.
Bor stared down at her. "No. We would have survived it if Suki hadn't- "
Toph's face reddened—it was a relieving change compared to the terrible pallor. "No, it was my fault because I'm the one who left her alone to save you!"
He inhaled heavily, rapidly, eyes misting; reality crashed around him. "It's always my fault," he croaked. "My mother's death, Grandfather's death, and your death."
"Those weren't your fault," Toph said softly. "Bumi would come back from the grave just to set your head straight. None of that's your fault. It's all the Butcher's fault- "
"Who lives in me," he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. "He's my father!"
A deafening silence prickled his flesh, and when he dared open his eyes, he was thankful for Jin's silence and lack of questions; her eyes were wide, but she remained quiet.
Suki swallowed. "We don't blame you for that."
Bor laughed, feeling hysterical, on the verge of madness; he wanted to slice into his veins, dig around, find the parts he inherited from his father, and destroy them. "You should."
Toph reached up and gripped his hand, pulling him down to the ground; he nestled into her, too weak to deny himself. Her hands found their way into his hair and massaged, going back and forth—like she used to. "Bumi doesn't blame you."
"He should more than anyone," he croaked, resting his face against her shoulder, sagging, slumping—dying. "I was the curse of his life."
"He'd be the first to tell you that was Sozin—and he'd be the first to tell you that you're full of badgermole shit."
"My father took everything from me—he's taken what I've loved most. He took my mother, took my grandfather, and now he's taking you."
Toph's face cracked with pain—but also a brief smile. "I'm not going anywhere—literally."
He shuddered. "Don't say that, please."
"You're stuck with me, Bor," she said, several tears spilling out of her eyes. "I hope that's okay."
Bor wanted to scream to the sky about how it was exactly what he wanted but not in the way he wanted it. "You're stuck with me, too," he whispered. "I don't know of any other girl who would take me."
Toph pulled his face with her hands, gripping his head, toward hers and kissed his cheek before moving at an angle until she found his lips; it had been over two years since they kissed, but he remembered it—experiencing it was much better than remembering it.
When she pulled back, she laughed slightly, forehead leaning against his. "We're some ugly fuckers—perfect for each other."
Bor stared at her face, though she couldn't stare back. "I don't want you to lose your feet. Please don't make me let you lose them."
Toph flinched, but her face hardened with an admirable but fragile determination. "It's too late—I know it. I've known it for a while."
That explained her various boisterous overcompensations in the past weeks.
"I'm sorry, Toph," Suki said, voice shaking. "If it was possible, I'd- "
"I'm still alive," Toph interrupted, face spasming with grief and devastation. "I can't be sorry for that. It wasn't as bad as it could have been."
Bor gripped her tighter, mind racing as he tried to think of a solution. "There has to be something we can do."
"There isn't—I accept it."
"I can't," he said, feeling hopeless. "I can't let my father destroy everything good in my life."
Suki swallowed and wiped away stray tears. "That's what this is, isn't it? That's why you're pushing so hard. You feel you can redeem your past failures with your father, avenge the murders he inflicted on those you loved, by finding Aang or Katara to heal Toph's feet—something else he took from you. You're trying to heal your heart from Bumi's death—and all the knowledge you learned that day."
Bor stared, wide-eyed, before he snarled: "Don't turn this on me. I'm doing this for Toph! I love her! I wish it was my feet instead of hers!"
"Bor, it's okay." Toph's features filled his vision, somehow knowing where he was; she blindly but accurately grabbed hold of his shaking fist. "It's okay. It's not your fault; it's none of our faults. It just happened, and we live with it."
"I don't want you to live with this," he pleaded, voice breaking.
Toph smiled slightly, but it broke. "You don't want to live with everything you learned."
Bor's breathing came in gasps. "How can I? Everything I thought I knew was a fucking lie, but yet the things that I'm left with knowing can only say that if I was stronger, Grandfather would still be here. We wouldn't be in this position!" He bowed his head into Toph's shoulder. "I know Grandfather doesn't blame me—I know. But he should blame me. The fact he doesn't and never did makes him the greatest man to ever live. I wish he was still here; he should be."
"We all do," Suki said gently, truthfully; their eyes locked, and he was relieved that she wasn't angered by his accusations. "He was an amazing man, and it's your duty, as the one who knew him best, to carry on his legacy and memory."
Bor stared at the ground, the words resonating in his heart and he thought of his cousin, Anju, Queen of Omashu. He knew the news of Ba Sing Se's destruction and Grandfather's death had spread, and he dreaded seeing her again. The last time they spoke, he promised her to look after Grandfather, but he failed, and his hands were stained with the blood of that failure.
"I've made my peace with this," Toph whispered, and Bor looked, impotent, at her ruined feet, beginning to rot with infection, according to Toph's nose. "Can't you?"
He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. "Never, but I can live with it—I can live with a lot."
He was learning how to live with too much.
"Then we must discuss what to do," Jin commented quietly. "Our only option is to stay in Zaofu."
Suki nodded. "We need to figure out where Aang and everyone else is, and message them about what happened and our location when we can. That will probably be months from now, maybe when this war is over, but we'll need an income- "
"We'll go back to that town we passed earlier today," Bor notified tonelessly, feeling lifeless—all his aspirations were dead. "We'll stay here for the night since it's getting dark. Tomorrow will be the last day of travel. We'll figure something out for money."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The dark spirit hissed, snarling in a rage that was intensified by Vaatu's darkness; it tried to escape, but Aang trapped it in the earth. Azula fired a spiritual lightning attack into the other dark spirit, paralyzing it for a moment; she leaped forward, and her own spirit began to glow with intense energy. He watched with pride as she wrapped her glowing hands around the dark spirit's head, and slowly, the corrupted spirit stopped struggling as Azula's energybending purified it.
"A prodigy," he observed before turning to the dark spirit that he had trapped; he quickly used his energybending to purify it.
The two spirits returned to their true forms and they bowed before him.
"Thank you, Avatar."
He forced a small smile. "You're welcome. Stay away from Vaatu."
They nodded before they dashed away.
Azula slowly walked towards him, features pinched. "That is an arduous process."
"I know, but you'll get used to it. You wanted to learn energybending."
"Will you do the nest?" She pointed at the large nest before them; he felt the dark energy inside of it, but thankfully, all of the dark spirits were hidden beneath the stretch of crackling, darkness-tainted earth.
They were feeding on spiritual energy, absorbing it to grow stronger—and, in turn, strengthen Vaatu all the more.
"Yes." His outstretched hands rested on the nest, and he closed his eyes, centering his mind and chi before attacking the horde of dark spirits. It was his will against many but slowly, he continued to work, and his endurance won. When the nest opened, no dark spirits rushed him; they had returned to their original states, and Aang sighed in relief.
All the spirits floated into the air, staring at him, bowing their heads as their gratefulness became tangible, for they all sang in unison:
"Hail to The Avatar! Foremost is he
Whom holds Power against his foes, who flee!
Storms answer your calls and burst in the skies
As your holy furies, eternal, rise!
The Elements answer to your voice, joyed
To be loved by you instead of destroyed!
To you we owe our gratitude and love;
You live with us when you are from above,
Undying, most willing to sacrifice
All that you are in an abundant price!"
Aang quickly found his tongue after having momentarily lost it. "Thank you. And you're welcome. Avoid Vaatu and his allies at all costs, okay?"
"I married wisely," Azula commented, smirking as the spirits departed peacefully. "Perhaps we should get a scribe to capture your brilliance as they just did."
He glared at her half-heartedly. "We're not talking about that."
"Are you embarrassed?"
"A little."
"Very well. We will return to that topic another time, but for now, a new one will take its place. Do you know how many spirits that Vaatu has corrupted?"
"No, I don't. That's another failure I need to make sure that never happens again."
"You must remember that Vaatu has had eons to think this through." Azula gazed at him, trapping him. "The fact that we know more of what he has planned to accomplish attests to your willpower and resilience. This is the greatest enemy that anyone in existence has ever faced, and in spite of the severity, we are still standing."
"I… I feel so tired," he admitted softly. "I haven't slept since Samir and your mother were taken. It's like I'm back in the past, trying to save Air."
Azula stared at him. "I am aware. I have missed your warmth beside me."
Aang winced. "Sorry. But every time I close my eyes, all I see is Ozai looming over her and Ursa. They are trapped in his presence. I'm so scared because I know… I know what he might be doing to them."
Her fingers spasmed, as if she wished to shoot real lightning—at Ozai. "I do, as well, but you cannot allow that to stop you, Aang. I lived under him for years, and I know more than you about his depravity, but we must keep marching on; they are depending on us to rescue them—and we will. This is not permanent; this will all end one way or another." Azula stared up into his eyes, and he was mesmerized. "We will never be here again. This has been building for generations, and only now have we reached the zenith. Air is vacant, Water is cleaved, Earth is in ruins, and Fire is devastated. The worst has happened, worse than anyone, including myself, imagined, yet we still stand. No matter all you have endured, you are still here—we both are. You told me you experienced Air's slaughter when Sozin invaded."
He closed his eyes at the memory. "I did; I didn't stop it."
Azula stepped closer. "You can stand against anything because of it. Nothing knocks you down, Aang, certainly not Vaatu. We will never be here again; Samir and Mother will never be gone again, as this day ends and another begins, where possibility and rescue are imminent—because we get closer to rescuing them with each day that passes, and Vaatu and Father know it."
A tenseness in his frame lessened at her words, and he slumped. "To hear you say that, it gives me hope."
"I used to believe that hope was foolish, and that only the foolish believed in it. You showed me that my belief was false, among so many other things. Now it is my turn to help you. As we have already concluded, Samir and Mother are valuable to Vaatu and Father. They will not be killed, and we will find them before serious harm befalls them. I believe that, and you should, as well."
"You're remarkable," he breathed out. "You say I have endurance, and while I've endured things you can't fathom, I still doubt. You don't doubt—thank you for not doubting."
Azula's golden eyes beckoned him. "I will never doubt The Avatar; I will never doubt you."
He sighed at the thought of all those who did, in fact, doubt him, something he had done little to mitigate. "It makes me angry how few people trust me. None of Earth trusts me. They hate me. For not allowing them to gain vengeance on the Fire Nation and the death of Kuei at my hands, they allied with Vaatu or were easily corrupted into joining him. And the North is too ransacked to hate me, but I know when they rebuild they will start their hatred—same for Fire."
"Likely. While Water and Fire's is theoretical, Earth's is present- "
"All their choices led to Samir's kidnapping! And Ursa's! Because of them, I was occupied when I should have been stopping Vaatu and Ozai at the North!"
Azula nodded in agreement. "I know. And I wish the majority dead, but if you want to understand, look no further than the fact that they fear you. I feared The Avatar as a child. Everyone in the Fire Nation did; we heard the legends filled with barbarous woe—how you can throw lightning at those who rebel against your authority that is absolute."
Aang shook his head at her words. "Those legends are wrong."
"They came from somewhere, and all legends contain the truth, no matter how small."
"It was probably Kyoshi," he muttered.
"Chin the Conqueror's wife," Azula reminded. "You never told me."
He sighed. "I had other things on my mind—and I didn't really think you would care."
"I care about all your past lives, for they are you, though you are not them."
Aang nodded in approval at her understanding of The Avatar, which he taught her. "Well done. I'm above kings and Fire Lords, but I'm not a god. I'm a man. I wish everyone knew that, but that's how everyone always treats me. I mean, during the Great War, everyone looked to me for hope, guidance—even when I was just a kid without a clue."
"But now that you are an adult, a man in more possession of power than they can fathom, they fear you. Accept it, Aang." Azula's eyes locked onto his own. "There are many reasons for it. It is more than Kyoshi's actions; it is more than any previous Avatar's actions. It is an instinctive recognition of a higher authority and bearing, in which a great man reaches into the world and keeps it going."
"I'm sick of having burdens," he admitted. "I should only have one burden—not all of this. I should just have to revive Air, not worry about Water, Earth, and Fire's revivals—because they are all in need of deep revivals now. I shudder at the thought of how close extinction is to the Races."
Azula's eyes were hypnotic. "But you can handle it. Out of anyone alive, only you can cope with such unimaginable pressure. You were born with supreme power; only your shoulders can bear it. No one sees a man upon looking at you; everyone sees The Avatar. Few can understand you, only the legends that may or may not have been inspired by Kyoshi. And they fear the legends. Stories of The Avatar State, though they do not call it that, are surely told. Why else is my lineage besmirched with men who fear you? Sozin, Azulon, Ozai? To challenge The Avatar is to pursue death. That is what I was taught as a child. I believe the other races must have similar teachings."
Aang swallowed. "Yes… When I enter The Avatar State in anger, people die… So many… I'm as bad as Ozai."
"Stop it!" Azula snapped, glaring at him. "You are not my father, not at all. Yes, you have killed people, those who are deserving and those who are not, but my father feels pleasure every time when he ends someone's life. You feel regret and guilt regardless of whom you killed. The only ways in which you are similar to Ozai are that you are both men of great power, authority, and a desire to see the world how you visualize it."
He sighed and nodded. "You're right, you're right—I'm sorry. I feel so stressed and all of these thoughts are brimming inside. I can't avoid the truth. I see and feel the wind blowing this way and that, and I wish I could blow away with it—but I can't. I know I can't. I can never do it again, not like I used to. I know this war, this conflict, this chaos, and this desolation is my fault—I know it's The Avatar's fault, stretching back many lifetimes. I feel the truth—I made it reach this point because of my many failures, because of some mistake I made that I can't pinpoint. I know it—I feel it. Koh was right. It was my mistakes, my decisions, my laziness, my limitations, my incompetence that led to this—because I'm the only one who could have stopped it. Thus, because I'm the only one who could have—and can—stop it, I'm the only one who could make it happen. This is my fault—I'm going to think it forever. This has never been my intention, but the results matter more than my intention- " Aang abruptly stiffened, feeling Vaatu enter the Immortal Realm—a shocking event he never accounted for! "Vaatu's here!" he hissed, whirling around, stretching his senses before he paled. "He's leading another horde—a massive one! They are attacking Koh's lair! And some are coming this way! The Phoenix!"
Azula's eyes filled with determination and quiet fury. "Hurry! Lead us!"
XxXxXxXxXxX
Something was wrong.
Hama was different, walking differently, standing differently, and looking at him differently. She thought she was subtle, but she had never lived at Fire's court, where everyone watched everyone. Ozai learned to master the game where he mastered watching unseen—and revealing nothing to those who watched him. He had to learn quickly under Father's dismissal—as Father left him to fight on his own, to learn the lessons of survival on his own with none of his guidance.
There were no such lessons that Hama ever learned, staring at him too often with a unique look on her face—one he had never seen before. Then there was the fact that when he used his bloodbending, he sensed her heart racing too quickly, much swifter than normal, almost unnaturally so.
Something was happening.
"Care to explain yourself?" he greeted, cornering her after the latest session of his waterbending training—according to Hama, he was a master, but there was always room to make improvements. He intended to be a master greater than The Avatar—he would succeed! "Do not cite ignorance."
Hama frowned, but her heart hammered powerfully; her blue eyes were wrong. They no longer looked at him like they used to; there was not even anger or bitterness like he expected since their separation. All he discerned was pain and grief. All that remained was determining the source of the pain. Perhaps it was the fact he had surpassed her in mastery; perhaps it was the fact the Ascension would 'destroy' him; perhaps it was the fact he returned to Ursa, to her detriment.
"There's no ignorance," Hama whispered, blue eyes roaming his face, seeming to memorize him, trying to remember something she forgot. "I know."
Ozai smiled, amused. "Yet you say nothing of it. What is your worry? What bothers you? I know something does."
"Then you should know the cause of it."
"I look to higher things," he dismissed in challenge, watching her carefully. "I look to the Ascension. Do you look to the Ascension, as well?"
Her reaction instantly ruled out her being grieved over the Ascension. "I look to my reflection," Hama said, brows pinching as she stared up at him. "I wonder if I only see reflections."
"Your mastery is enough to look past reflections."
"It's when the reflection is cleared, when it's forgotten, that things make sense."
He realized the source of her change in temperament—the very fact he sat her aside in favor of Ursa. It was a boring reason but an understandable one. He had personally hoped for one of the more interesting options. However, he still felt satisfied as he would have all the interesting options with Ursa—they were together again! "I see," Ozai said, stepping toward her. "You despise our separation. I will admit to you that if this miracle never happened, we would be as we were. Yet, when a miracle occurs, you cannot dismiss it; you can do nothing but embrace it in awe. Ursa is mine, and I am hers—you are yours and no one else's. I understand your grief. Let me make it up to you. What do you want?"
Hama squeezed her eyes shut, though there was a sudden bitter fury in her blue eyes—it was a remarkable change. "For things to be how they used to be."
"We make things new," he reminded. "That is our goal. This newness will bury The Avatar."
"It will bury you with it."
"Your concern is futile."
Fire filled blue eyes. "What makes you think I won't bury you? Vaatu is gone—he couldn't stop me."
Ozai laughed and reached out, brushing his thumb against her chin, gripping gently for a moment. "Your capability is less than your willing, and your willing is even less than your words."
Hama looked away from him; her body was tight, almost shaking. "And if I start to mean my words?"
He felt little concern as there was no true way she could harm him, particularly since he had mastered bloodbending under her tutelage—she held no advantage over him while he held every advantage over her. Even with Vaatu gone to the Immortal Realm to restore to Agni his stolen flames, stolen by The Avatar, there was nothing Hama could do to him. "Then practice saying them. I do not believe you now, and I never will. We both know I am above you, regardless. I use waterbending more in a day than you do in a year. That is all I do—train. All I do is master. I have no time or concern for anything else."
"Apart from your wife," she hissed.
"Only she is worthy of my time."
She glanced at him, and the dark glimmer in her blue eyes intrigued him—perhaps something interesting would happen, after all. A woman scorned was capable of many things, and Hama was a woman capable of many more things. "Do I have to prove you wrong about my words?"
Ozai shook his head. "You must prove only your loyalty."
"What about trust?" she hissed, fists shaking at her sides; the water on the coast swayed in reaction to her emotions. "You never trusted me."
He frowned, unsure at her intelligence. "I trust you—I did trust you. I never imagined I would be reunited with Ursa—it was an unforeseen miracle for which I thank The Avatar, ironically enough. It was his stupidity that culminated in this. I still trust you. If I did not trust you, you would be dead." He gripped her shoulders and rubbed with his thumbs, smiling as she shuddered from the contact—she was still attracted to him. "Do not do something that compromises my trust in you."
Hama's eyes blazed. "It's hard to do that when there was no trust to begin with."
Ozai was in no mood to decipher her riddles, not when she was being unreasonable. "I told you many things."
"But not the most important thing."
He rolled his eyes. "I mentioned Ursa, not by name, but I never lied about my preference for my wife." He tightened his grip on her shoulders and shook her lightly. "She is my wife, Hama. You will do nothing to threaten her. I will unleash on you devastation if you do."
Hama laughed, and it sounded frail and mocking. "You already have. A wife you must lock up is no wife. If you want to keep her, you can never let her go. What kind of wife is that? What kind of husband are you?"
"Better than any man you can attract," he muttered and released her, annoyed. "Have one of Chin V's kinsmen soothe your obvious grief. Your grief is not that deep. Surely one can hit it with his penis. Go lay out, spread out, and see which one can."
"I will see it that your grief's so deep that nothing can ever hit it," she hissed, glaring. "I'd wish your wife death if I didn't think it was a gracious alternative to being with you."
Ozai's eyes narrowed as he assessed her. "Is your heart broken, Hama?"
She flinched, confirming his suspicion. "Many things more are."
"Did you think this was love?" he asked in disbelief. "It was rejuvenation, nothing more- "
Hama swallowed. "It didn't just rejuvenate my body; it rejuvenated my heart, too—even more than my body."
He sighed in aggravation. "I laid bare my intentions; I left no misinterpretation viable. It was never love; it was impossible."
"Because you love your wife," she whispered. "You love your Fire wife."
"So I do—as I should."
Hama laughed in hysteria; there was a scorn and disgust in her voice. "She is worthy of you! Murderers, both of you! Monsters, both of you! You should choke on your crimes!"
"Do not think to manifest your desire," he warned, mood darkening. "Think, Hama. Your use is nothing as I am a master beyond you now. I do not need you for waterbending."
"You don't need me at all; you don't want me at all."
Ozai stared at her, taking in her broken ferocity. "I want you to be Chiefess of Water- "
"I don't care to rule—have Water for yourself."
"I will have it, regardless, but I offer you regency- "
"I don't want it."
He frowned. "Your vengeance against your grandniece is guaranteed—I will see to it. I never betray my promises. What else do you want me to promise you?"
Hama shuddered. "Your life."
Ozai scoffed. "My life belongs to Ursa, not you—you know this. What else?"
"Atonement."
"Find it yourself," he dismissed, disgusted—all sense of goodwill evaporated since she wasted his time, which was so valuable.
Hama's blue eyes were vivid with promise. "I will."
She marched off before he could respond, but he did intend to respond; he intended to find peace with a woman reasonable to her core. When he entered his tent to find Ursa, every reason he had ever loved her was apparent instantly.
She was perfect. If there was ever a great woman born to the world, she was that great woman. It was an unbearable shame that their children elected for the wrong path, but they would make more children, equally powerful but worthy.
He anticipated it with an ache in his heart.
"Grandpa's here," The Avatar's bastard whispered to Ursa, and Ozai felt himself shake his head in disbelief; he was beginning to admire The Avatar's bastard's audacity.
It was actually impressive, even from a spindly thing.
Ursa patted The Avatar's bastard's cheek, though her golden eyes were riveted on him—as they should be. "I see."
"Grandpa, can we go please?" The Avatar's bastard begged, staring up at him with hopeful gray eyes. "Please-please?"
He could not wait for Vaatu to find him an airbending master to take over her body. "You go where I command," he replied. "I command you stay. You are mine—you are both mine."
The Avatar's bastard stuck her tongue out at him, face red. "You're mean! You hurt Uncle Zuzu! I hate you!"
Ozai smiled. "Do you want me to hate you, bastard?"
Ursa's eyes narrowed into slits. "Careful," she warned in a low voice. "You do not want me to hate you."
"You love me."
"You make it hard. I want to hate you."
He laughed as he sat down across from her and The Avatar's bastard, separated by the table. "Hate something possible like the world; you can never hate me—you never will. We are too connected; we mean too much to each other."
"I hate the world because it made you," she whispered, but her gaze never wavered.
Ozai watched her, wondering if she meant it; when it occurred to him that it was possible she did mean it, he sprang to his feet, determined to blot out any possibility where she meant it—there was only one solution! "Go to your room, bastard."
Ursa looked at The Avatar's bastard and nodded. "Go on, Samir."
The Avatar's bastard obeyed without a word, scurrying into her 'room,' and Ozai stalked after her and shut the stone in place, providing privacy. "My sweet Ursa," he said, turning to her, waving her to the bed. "You should not say such poison—now I must suck it out of you."
As they undressed, he savored the memory of her—and began making new memories of her. All his primal passion surged forth as he devoured her, accepting everything she gave him, which was everything. He took his time tasting and feeling her body, exploring her as he had so many times previously; as always, her sighs and gasps of pleasure guided him, commended him, rewarded him, and encouraged him. Ursa's lips were fervent, warm, and moist against his, which swallowed her whimpers and gasps—swallowed them and savored them deep inside, invigorating his spirit. Her fingers scratched at his back in a well-trodden path, producing familiar sparks of desire, and he felt the familiar fire stir in his loins, a pleasant sensation that demanded his attention—but he rebelled, for Ursa's sake.
His eyes were drawn to the inviting swell of her breasts as she shuddered, and he felt the deepest remorse that he betrayed her with Hama—Hama was unworthy to ever compare to Ursa! What had he been thinking? Why had he mired himself with Hama, not even of Fire? Why had he betrayed his beloved wife, despite her unholy betrayal, with a savage?
Ozai intended to repay whatever slights he dealt her and exorcise them both of the sins tainting them, holding them back from reuniting as they needed to be—as they should be! He moved against her, creating a rhythm, never holding one part of his body in one place, always acting, always pleasuring, always loving. If one hand targeted one breast, its twin kneaded the other; if his mouth sloped down her navel, he did not stay long, hitting every spot, every position, he could conceive, doing nothing but preserve her, keeping her with him, banishing all poison out of her, leaving only the sweet nature he adored. Unlike the previous times, her pants and gasps were louder and more intense; her hands grasping at him were more flush against him; her sweat was active and validated his undertaking; her face was flushed with passion, golden eyes dazed, locked only into the euphoria he made her experience, the forgotten mists that he revived with his precision and devotion; and her vagina emanated warmth and dwelling resembling a volcano—it called to him!
It was only when she tugged at him with hooded eyes, desperate for conclusion, that he began his crescendo, beginning a steady sway, made possible by his blood, taking her with him—into the wonders of euphoria, the shared inheritance they would always share. The pleasure was theirs, building, crackling in warning, roaring in presence, pulsing in imminence. Ozai held on, determined, arching his back, rolling his shoulders, thrusting his hips, hailed by Ursa's rhythmic moans, and emptied himself of all that he had—except for his seed—in his endeavor to rid Ursa of the poison gnawing at her love.
He continued his ardent performance, sifting through his memories, traveling back to the days when they first learned of lust, followed by passionate love, maturing into contented trust and dedication, remembering everything all the experiments they lived, figuring each other out, deciphering the mysteries of not only their hearts but their bodies—and he applied everything he had ever done, experienced, encountered, tried, and accomplished. He watched in delight as Ursa lost herself, body shutting down from the onslaught—she was consumed. It was only when he felt the familiar contraction, where pleasure rippled through her in waves, that he gratified himself, increasing his pace, gripping her hips for stabilization, building momentum—until it erupted in spurts of emission.
Ozai rolled off her, proud and satisfied, when she patted on his side, relieved to have deprived her of the poison. When she rolled with him, laying on her side, breasts prominent, he smiled. "My patience is one of my foremost traits."
Ursa's lips quirked as she rubbed a hand across his bare chest, slanting her head, relaxing. "Only due to your extensive experience with rashness."
"The only way patience is learned—it is a learned trait, not a born trait. However, my patience dwindles now—I anticipate the world we will make; it will be a bright age where possibilities are never impossible. We will have the world, Ursa—like we promised when we married."
"We were happy then," she whispered, kissing his chest. "I miss it."
He brushed his fingers across her side, drawing indistinguishable patterns. "We are happy now."
Ursa was still—too still. "You are happy, Ozai; I am not."
Ozai sighed and kissed her forehead. "You will be," he promised, understanding her grief. It was not a pleasant thought to kill their children, but he accepted its necessity. Ursa, possessed by maternal follies, would not reach such acceptance yet; it was understandable, and he understood her reluctance—and he was patient, willing to wait for her to catch up to him. "Years from now, you will look back on this and smile, recognizing it as our resurrection."
"I will weep, for our children will be with me, but you will not."
His arm tightened against her, jaw clenching briefly. "Is that what you prefer?"
Ursa sniffed and tears hit his warm flesh. "Out of the options available to me, yes. They are our children, Ozai—there are worth so much more than us."
The gentle spirit within him was beaten by the surging bitterness with harsh smacks and violent promises. "They are worth the effort we give. They exhausted my effort. I look to new children—with you. I only want you to bear my children—you are the only woman worthy of me."
Her hands quivered against him, gripping for support—and in demand. "I would rather become infertile than let you kill our children—our babies. My promise still stands—it stands forever."
"As does mine," he said, knowing it could never be otherwise. He despised that it could never be otherwise! "I must destroy them."
"We are such a tragedy," Ursa whispered in anguish. "We should be on the same side, but we can never be- "
"We are on the same side now," he hissed.
"Why do you keep Samir chained?" she challenged softly. "You do it to keep me here—you know I will never risk her health. We are not on the same side, Ozai; if we were, you would free Samir. How can I be on your side when you intend to destroy our children?" Her fingernails dug into his flesh, making him grunt in surprise; her eyes burst with flames. "I hate the side to which you pledge yourself! I hate your ambitions! I hate your aspirations! I hate your obstinance! I hate your hatred! I hate the life you live!"
Ozai twisted away from her and rolled off the bed, planting his hands, glaring. "You want me to die?"
"Never," she breathed, voice cracking
"Then live with me!"
Ursa stared at him, face faltering—and closing off. "Never," she repeated. "Not like this—not when you are this."
"What I am is a great man!"
"Does a great man destroy his children?"
Ozai grit his teeth. "When his children are worthless traitors! Despite my pride in Zuko, he deserves death! You know it—do not plead ignorance! You know how this works! Your intelligence is one of the most beautiful things about you! Cease your ugliness!"
Ursa began dressing herself with sloppy intensity. "You put ugliness on his face, Ozai! How can I forgive that? You deserve death more!"
"I told you what happened!" he exploded, disbelieving. "I explained to you everything! It was never my intention until he failed- "
"You failed as a father, putting him in that position!" she snapped. "Who cares about the nobility? You never should have!"
Ozai wondered what happened to her delightful intelligence. "My position was at risk! Iroh was right there as a possible replacement!"
Ursa's face cracked in furious despair as she yanked her upper garb over her head, covering her breasts, slipping her arms through the sleeves, pulling the robes around her. "Damn the nobility! Damn them to Agni's shadows forever! You should have slaughtered all of them yourself before ever raising a flaming hand to our son's face! You should have abandoned the Caldera with Zuko and Azula, even pleading with Iroh to join you, to return with an army to destroy the nobles! Iroh would have joined you, even if only for Zuko and Azula's sakes!"
"Do not make it so simple!" he roared, heart slamming against his ribs with powerful force. "It is not that simple! You know it! I refuse your simplicity!"
"I refuse your refusal!" Ursa cried out with raw intensity, voice shaking with powerful emotion. "It was your fault! It was no one but yours! If you were, truly, a great man, you would have conceived a solution and never maimed Zuko's face! If you were, truly, a great man, you would have unleashed your wrath against the nobility in slaughter! When you had the ultimate chance to prove yourself a great man, you failed to the depths of your heart! I always wanted a great man, but you are not one!"
"I am!" he spat, outraged. "Not even Father matches my greatness! Look at me! I look to the world and seize it to remake it! There is nothing greater than it! There is no man greater than me!"
"It should have been your father I married!" she screamed. "He was the real great man, the greatest man I have ever known!"
Ozai stared at her incomprehensibly, mind malfunctioning, locked in a stuttered echo, repeating in a loop. Cold horror seized hold of him in an icy, permanent grip, tainting him, making it hard to breathe—the cold froze his lungs, forcing his breaths to pass in rattled gasps, like after The Avatar drowned him in that mountain's powder after Azula died. "What?" he choked out, heart racing, cold making way for a heat rising inside him in a nauseous wave.
If he vomited, as it felt like he would, he knew he would vomit up not only his stomach's contents but his very heart.
Ursa's golden eyes were on fire, desolate and furious. "You know how close he and I were. I loved him unlike any man in my life but Zuko and you. As I could never and would never marry Zuko, my options were you and your father—the great men I have known and loved with all my heart. Knowing what I know, knowing of everything, I look back and realize I made the wrong choice—I chose the wrong man. It should have been his arms around me at night! It should have been his love nourishing me! It should have been his promises assuring me! It should have been his seed meeting my womb! I should have been his Fire Lady, not yours; I should have been his wife! I should have borne him a son to replace you!"
"No!" he screamed, the guttural exclamation ripping out of him, mangling his throat.
"I always adored your father; I adored him more than you. I loved him in all the ways I loved you."
"You laid with him?" he gasped, almost choking—it was too much!
"I always wished to!" Ursa cried out. "When we laid together, my thoughts were not on you but him!"
"Liar!" Ozai roared, knowing it was the cruelest lie she could utter. "You never did! You never touched him!"
"But how I wish I did! I adored him! It is the greatest tragedy of my life that I never experienced him as only a woman can!"
Ozai was strangled by the grief and horror seizing hold of his heart; spit sprayed out of his mouth as he tried to speak, but only grotesque and garbled sounds echoed, audible to his own ears. Ursa simply stared up at him, tears staining her cheeks.
"How does it feel?" she whispered, voice breaking. "How does it feel having everything you knew shattered by the one you loved and trusted the most? How does it feel when your love turns bitter? How does it feel when your dreams, the very things you treasured most, are tainted? How does it feel when your memories of love lie to you- "
"Stop!" he shouted, holding a hand to his chest, overwhelmed. "You love me! I am your husband!"
Ursa swallowed, face devastated—but resolute. "You are my mistake."
Ozai roared a strangled scream as he staggered out of his tent in a possessive daze and killed the guards, crushing their hearts—but he did not stop. He kept going, running into several tents and tripping over various items—he had no idea which. His eyes no longer saw; he felt blind, passing through darkness, obliterated of all understanding. When he encountered anyone, he killed anyone in a dazed wrath; all of Chin V's kinsmen's hearts were crushed like Ozai's own was—because of Ursa, who hated him. He may have killed ten thousand; he may have killed one hundred thousand; he may have killed his entire army—he had no idea. It was not until he reached the ocean's coast, when his feet sank into the chilled water that he began to feel warm again—it was never to be borne!
He seethed as he unleashed his ire, spinning his naked body through every waterbending form he could think of, again and again, raising the ocean and slamming it down in colossal power—he could never stop until he forgot Ursa's confession about Father!
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sokka sighed and yearned for Suki, who was back at Ba Sing Se—he had heard no news of Ba Sing Se being hit, thankfully. Since entering Chyung, there was a void; no one knew anything—he didn't know what it meant. The only thing he knew was that he missed Suki a lot. Even training his chi-blocking skills with Koko and the Kyoshi Warriors didn't help that much anymore.
"And if I miss one of the pathways, I just keep going?"
Ty Lee hummed. "That's why you keep going—no one hits every point. That's why you hit as many as you can—so you get enough momentum to hit enough of them. You don't need all of them, just some of them."
"I need all of Suki," he said, reminiscing with a deep sigh. "I've had all of her."
Koko rolled eyes. "I don't need thoughts of that while we're training."
"Those are good thoughts!" Sokka defended.
Ty Lee giggled. "I think it's sweet that he loves Suki so much."
"It's not as sweet when you look up to Suki as a sister," Koko muttered.
Sokka flexed his arms. "She could never do better than me."
"Avatar Aang."
He chortled. "Aang? Aang would never take her! Haven't you heard? Aang likes them insane. Suki's anything but insane."
Koko smirked. "Well, she married you, didn't she?"
Sokka mockingly applauded her. "Alright, alright—well done." He reluctantly turned back to Ty Lee.
"Like this?" He exaggeratedly displayed his movements with rapid speed, mimicking hitting the chi-pathways up her arm.
"Yes!" Ty Lee beamed at him. "That's perfect! You will be a very skilled chi-blocker."
"Not as good as you," he pointed out.
Ty Lee's smile had a hint of pride. "No one's as good as me."
Recalling her special heritage—he still had to figure out how to bring it up to Aang, like he had promised Ty Lee—he saw her point. "But I'm not in danger of accidentally killing someone, right? You said that chi-blocking someone wrong leads to death."
"It depends who it is, but someone with a really good chi can heal from it, but it would take months—it would be painful. Even those I chi-block, it can be different. Some benders recover from chi-blocking a lot faster than others; it has to do with how strong the chi is to begin with. I don't even think anyone, including me, can block Avatar Aang's chi."
"Not to mention The Avatar State."
"The only way to know is to try to get close enough to use chi-blocking on him."
"Good luck doing that," he muttered, recalling the terror and overwhelming power of The Avatar State—and even when Aang was without The Avatar State.
"Don't worry—you won't kill anyone," Ty Lee assured. "But the duration of your chi blocks won't be nearly as long as mine; you'll have to do it a lot if you want to keep someone's chi blocked. If I chi-blocked an average bender, he'd be chi-blocked for around a day; your chi block would last for a few hours, at most."
Sokka nodded. "That's not too bad. I can do a lot in a few hours."
"How about a few minutes?" Mai called out dryly in front of them. "We are close to Piandao's location—we must be. Do you see this place?"
He stepped forward, and his eyes widened in dread, staring in horror, when he saw the massive encampment outside the forest; they were hidden in the forest, but he had the sudden fear that their concealment may not last long. "We can't sneak inside," he realized, swallowing; he had underestimated the size of Ozai's camp. "Look at that. There must be at least one million people here."
Haru's face was grim. "What do you want to do? Do you want to come back with Aang?"
Sokka shook his head. "That would take weeks. Piandao may be gone by then. And if we play it right, we can cause a lot of mayhem and destroy as much as we can. I bet they think no one could possibly walk into their camp and make havoc; they're arrogant and careless. We can use that."
"If Ozai is here, we are dead," Mai said, features showing a slight wariness. "We could be fried with lightning before we even know it."
"And that's not including Dark," he muttered, watching the massive camp, which bustled with incredible activity—it was too much to keep track of. "I had no idea it was this big."
"We may really want to turn back," Koko suggested, face pinched. "What can we do against an army this size? We need Avatar Aang."
Ty Lee frowned. "If we were benders, I'd agree to leave, but we're non-benders—except for Haru. What if we pretend we are here to join?"
Sokka recalled the drunk man who told them about the camp. "We could say we were recruited to join the Children of Chin—say we spiel about how we hate The Avatar and want revenge after what he did. They would eat it up."
Haru considered it. "We could get inside the camp and learn a lot; we could prepare something to destroy. Of course, the moment it gets to be too much, we need to get out- "
"We still need to find Piandao," he interrupted. "That's the goal; that's the aim. Anything else is a bonus. Piandao is our insider. It sounds like he's close to Ozai—he's high up the hierarchy; he's trusted. Piandao will give us all the knowledge we need about what Ozai and Dark's plans are; he can tell us everything. It will be the winning ingredient to this war. But we have to be really careful—we could die."
Mai snorted. "The thought occurred."
Koko nodded, solemn. "We knew the risks and accepted them—we still do. Whatever it takes to stop Ozai and Dark, gain an advantage over them, is worth it. Our lives are small prices to pay."
"It won't come to that," Sokka promised. "We're going to go in and get out as quickly as possible. The first goal is Piandao. Depending on how that goes, we can try to sabotage—but that comes after. We can't get distracted."
"That sounds as good a plan as any," Haru agreed.
Sokka rubbed his hands together. "We're outnumbered and could be surrounded at a moment's notice. This is just like Sozin's Comet all over again; those airships were a similar situation. We need to avoid Ozai at all costs—and Dark. I don't know if I've ever felt so alive."
"It will take incredible stealth," Koko said, eyes serious in contemplation. "We'll have to blend in with everyone, pretend we're just like everyone."
"That's always been the plan," Sokka reminded. "This was never meant to be an attack—like, a real attack. It's a rescue mission that has massive risks but massive rewards. From everything we've put together, Piandao is one of Ozai's right-hand men. To have an informant with all that knowledge is priceless. We'll learn what's being planned and take that information—that informant—back to Aang in Ba Sing Se. It's worth it. We have to do this. We have to use stealth—no fighting unless we're exposed. All of us but Haru are non-benders, and I think it's more than obvious that a bender can annihilate us in countless ways. That's why chi-blocking is so important to learn, especially for this, where we'll be surrounded by benders."
"You are aware that Piandao will never leave willingly, correct?" Mai asked flatly. "If he is as Ty Lee and I were, the sight of your face will not cure him. We need rope to tie him up, and either you or Haru will need to most likely carry him."
"Shit," he cursed. "I should have thought of that."
"The Dai Li did rock-gloves," Haru pointed out. "I'll do something similar to cover Piandao's mouth to keep him from making a sound; he'd still breathe through his nose. I could trap his arms in place with stone and carry him."
Sokka sighed in relief. "You amazing man. But we must remember that Piandao is a Firebender now. Agni gifted him firebending."
Ty Lee rubbed her hands nervously before she nodded, determined, perking up. "I'll block his chi or you could. It would be good practice."
"I think that's a plan. Haru, let's go to- "
Haru shook his shoulder urgently, and Sokka cut himself off, turning to see what had happened. Two men who looked similar to the drunk man who Mai had killed were coming near the forest, voices loud. Listening from their hiding position in the bushes, Sokka craned his head forward.
"I hate how demanding he is," one of the men whined, a stark contrast compared to the permanent fury etched into his ravaged features. "I mean, you'd think that he was a king or something—like he's better than Chin V." Sokka glanced at Haru at the mention of Chin V, the destroyer and murderer of his father and village, but Haru said nothing, listening intently. "Whenever Vaatu leaves, his head inflates like one of those damned war balloons we saw in the Great War. Matter of fact, it's even inflated when Vaatu's here!"
"I don't know, Mizin. Piandao isn't a man we want to question. Even Chin V obeyed him."
"Yes. How could I forget the sight of such humiliation, Toro? And I don't know why he sends us out every day to get fish for people when he could be doing it himself. And just the two of us for the whole army! We have to raise enough ground under the ocean to make a city! Piandao could do it himself! He could do it easier than us, but he still makes us do the work! He demands that we get the fish! What the fuck? That bitch of his could get the fish, too, but he still tells us to do it."
"He wants you to get them."
"What?"
"Piandao told me to make sure you actually go to get the fish; he wants enough to feed everyone. You did something to piss him off. Knowing him, it could have been anything."
"That fucking- "
"This is where I'll be leaving you. I'll be waiting right here until you get back."
"You son of a bitch."
"We're cousins; our mothers are sisters."
"You're still a son of a bitch."
"You forgot 'lucky.'"
"Fuck you!"
Mizin stomped off, and Sokka watched with keen eyes; he felt an idea flood his mind. They all remained silent, observing Toro, who remained in his spot before Toro laughed, amused. "I can't believe he bought that—stupid fucker."
Sokka's lips twitched at the practical joke, but said nothing, still watching. Time seemed to fade, and Sokka didn't know how long they all remained watching, but eventually, Toro pushed down his hand, and a slab of earth rose behind him. Slowly, he reclined on it, head staring up at the sky. The sound of snores soon followed.
"Perfect," he muttered and turned to face everyone else. "I have a plan. Just follow my lead. It's been long enough that it will work. Trust me." Upon no interjections, Sokka slowly stepped out of the bushes, the others following behind him with trust—he felt grateful that they trusted him, literally, with their lives. Thankfully, Toro had remained asleep, so he confidently walked up. "Hey!"
Toro jumped to his feet within a second, fists outstretched, feet sloped into an earthbending stance. "Hey! Who the fuck are you?"
"Are you Toro?"
"Yes…"
"Mizin sent us." Sokka remained calm and continually reminded himself that he was so close to rescuing Piandao. "He said that we were people with hearts like the Children of Chin. We ran into him while he was fishing."
"You're a Water Tribesman. And you others loo- " Toro cut off when he pointed at Haru. "That one there's an Earthbender, but the rest of you are non-benders, right?"
"We want to join Piandao to destroy The Avatar."
"Really?" Toro asked before nodded. "Well, you came at the right time. We just lost a lot of our kinsmen at the North—The Avatar ate them, the fucking cunt. All we have here are Earthbenders. Maybe we should have some non-benders. But this camp is already tight as our assholes, you know—we're going to start sleeping on top of each other if we get more people. We don't actually need you."
Sokka kept as much of a straight face as he could. "I don't know. We want The Avatar destroyed, and you need all the help you can get, right? You're going to reject some extra hands? I mean, The Avatar is powerful, right?"
Toro sighed. "We'll take the Earthbender only."
"We all want to join."
"Why the fuck do we want non-benders without fucking bending?"
Sokka floundered, not expecting that question. "Well, we're all, you know, all pretty good at what we do. We can help. Mizin sent us. That's all we know."
"Mizin's actually recruiting?" Toro asked, brows rising; his face was impressed and incredulous. "That's new. Like, actually new."
"I don't know- "
"I know, I know! Mizin sent you." Toro waved them away, the gesture final. "Go ask Mizin, and he'll tell you all about it. Ask him why he started recruiting now. Is it payback for the fishing?"
Sokka latched onto it, playing along. "That's exactly it. He said that the fish aren't playing nice. He left to go to a new sport, and I don't know where; he said he didn't know, either, but that's he's going. He said he won't be back until tomorrow."
"That badgermole shit!" Toro threw his arms into the air in outrage. "He's just going to leave me to deal with Piandao—and while Piandao's in such a bad mood?" The arms suddenly lowered in suspicion, and Sokka stiffened. "You're a Water Tribesman. Why didn't you help him catch those fish? That's all your race does, right?"
"Um… I… I never learned." Sokka ignored the incredulous look Koko was shooting at him. Everyone else, even Mai, looked nervous out of the corner of his eye. "No one taught me."
"What? That doesn't make sense."
"You're telling me," he said with a sharp laugh as he desperately tried to keep the situation from slipping out of his hands. "I never knew my father, and I was raised in, wouldn't you guess, Ba Sing Se. There were no Water Tribesmen there—no fish to catch."
Toro's eyebrows rose. "That makes sense."
"I know." He tried to keep the relief out of his voice. "Look, can't we just come- "
The eyebrows fell as Toro groaned. "Now Mizin's the lucky son of a bitch. All we need are more people—and non-benders won't be any actual help."
Sokka smiled tightly. "That's why we're here. We are a help—because we have information about The Avatar. We need to meet Piandao and talk about it with him. It's important. It's about where The Avatar is going."
"And how do you know that?"
Sokka did his best not to twitch. "He took my sister."
"Ahh, I see." Toro nodded and looked at him with sympathy. "I heard that The Avatar's fucking Fire Lord Zuko's sister. The cunt must have a thing for taking men's sisters."
He nearly gagged and shivered at the thought, but when he saw Mai subtly pull out a shuriken, he thankfully regained control. "Look, before my sister was taken, I heard The Avatar talking about where he's going. I want to tell Piandao because I want The Avatar destroyed." He pumped his fist for effect and saw the others nodding eagerly. "Can I see Piandao? Tell him what I know? It will be worth it, trust me."
"Might as well tell him." Toro turned around, and Sokka and the others followed him—the plan was working! "If he accepts you, be prepared to do a lot of work. Since you're non-benders, we'll probably give you all the slave work—you have to earn the respect of my kinsmen. Piandao will probably like you because you're telling him about The Avatar, but it's a different story for the rest of us. We won't like you—except for maybe the Earthbender. What's your name, Earthbender?"
"Haru," Haru notified with a notable tightness in his voice.
Toro's face twisted. "Haru? What kind of name is that? Don't worry—we'll change that."
Before Haru could snap, and it looked like he might, Sokka cleared his throat. "Where's Piandao?"
"Who knows?" Toro said with a shrug. "He's always training—I've never seen someone train so hard and often, not even Chin V." Toro's face flashed with evident grief as he made some sort of symbol with his hands. "May he rest in peace. He was our leader- "
It really looked like Haru was going to snap, so Sokka risk it and slung an arm across Toro's shoulders. "Mizin told us all about him. He sounded like a great man."
"The best. But Piandao's our leader now. He's going to make sure we get revenge on The Avatar."
Sokka swallowed as a thought occurred to him. If Piandao was the leader of the army, acting as one of Ozai's right-hand men, it was very possible that Ozai had another army hiding out somewhere with an equal number of men, headed by another right-hand man.
It was a terrifying possibility.
He wanted to ask about Ozai, but he didn't know how to without raising suspicion. "We want to make sure of that, too. Fuck The Avatar."
"That's right—fuck him!" Toro looked appeased and gladdened. "Mizin actually did something right for once—got some actual recruits who care about saving the world."
"We certainly care about saving the world," Sokka promised but didn't clarify that he was talking about saving the world from Vaatu and men like Toro himself.
Toro led them into the camp—the plan was working! The camp was massive, stretching far and wide with countless tents set up and bodies mingled close—they were all notably Earthbenders based on their appearance and the way they carried themselves. There were no Firebenders at all, which scared him because it gave a lot of life to the possibility that Ozai had another army hidden somewhere with actual Firebenders everywhere—the ones who had escaped Lee the Energybender's plague and seen Ozai and Vaatu as a source of refuge.
"We'll start working you immediately, just so you know," Toro said. "We'll probably have you as cleaners to start with. We make messes here, and we need someone to clean it all up."
Sokka nodded and glanced at the others; they seemed amazed that they were now walking in the middle of the enemy camp—there were countless enemies!—and no one gave them a second glance because they were obviously being led by Toro. "That sounds good."
"And don't think about whining," Toro continued. "We want you to carry as much shit as you can since you're not a bender. Carry as heavy as you can—that's our motto. Why do you think we survive with the weight of our testicles? We dare challenge The Avatar."
A disbelieving laugh escaped him. "We dare kill him."
"Exactly! You're a good recruit."
"Will Piandao like me?"
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't."
"Where is Piandao?"
"Either training or fucking his two women—he recently got another one, a Fire woman. He visits her multiple times a day from what I heard. With the amount of times he's visited her, she's probably pregnant by now and doesn't know it. Piandao seems like a fertile man." Sokka shared a horrified glance with Koko but he continued to march on; he couldn't become distracted by how far Piandao had fallen because of Vaatu's darkness. "That's all he does. It gets worse when Vaatu's gone, just like now."
Sokka nearly tripped. "Da- Vaatu's gone?"he asked, astonished. "Gone where?"
"The Spirit World, I think. We don't know when he's getting back."
Narrowly concealing his triumphant grin, Sokka rubbed his hands together. "That's too bad." If Vaatu was gone, it meant that the mission was not only possible but achievable! They could rescue Piandao and probably actually sabotage the camp!
"What's your name?"
"The name's Wang Fire."
Toro's face twisted in surprise. "Wang Fire? That's an odd name for a Water Tribesman."
"Don't think I don't know it," he said slowly, thinking quickly. "My mother was Water, and um… she was on her way to Ba Sing Se during the Great War when a Fire Nation soldier attacked her… I was born nine months later."
Toro stiffened and looked at him with thinly hidden loathing. "You have Fire blood?"
"Yes, but I was raised by my mother." Sokka was lying through his teeth, and he was thankful that none of these Earthbenders were like Toph and could tell that he was lying. "Like I said, I never knew my father."
Toro nodded. "Everyone of Fire's an evil fuck. Piandao's the only good one—and maybe his whore he just got, too. I'm not sure about her, but if Piandao likes her, she can't be that bad. Piandao promised us that once we wipe out The Avatar, we'll wipe out Fire."
Sokka nodded in horror at how far Piandao had fallen, willing to destroy his own race—it was unthinkable! "They deserve it, right? I'd gladly kill my… my unknown father."
Toro relaxed and nodded in understanding as he began to lead them to wherever Piandao was. "Come on. Piandao's tent isn't that far—right in the middle of the camp. But just be warned—his bitch may be with him. They're either fucking or training—you can never tell until it's too late. Although, there hasn't been any fucking from them as far as I know since Piandao came back with his whore. But you have to look out for his bitch—trust me. She'll crush your heart with a smile on her face—literally."
"I've met that type before," he said, smiling tightly as he remembered Azula during the Great War. "I'll watch out for her."
"You have to. Piandao lets her do it—he likes her. Before he came back with his whore, there was a pool going on that Piandao and the bitch would marry each other or something. I'm relieved to say I didn't put a wager. Piandao's not stupid; he'd never marry the bitch—no man would, and Piandao's a great man who knows what he's doing. Anyone who wants to destroy The Avatar is a great man."
It felt hard to think straight with how much information he was learning about Piandao's new activities, but he puffed out his chest in show. "Thanks."
"You're welcome—I mean that. You know, your friends don't talk much."
"They don't have much to say," he dismissed, forcing himself to chuckle. "They're practically mute."
Koko glared at him but remained quiet as Toro glanced back at him as they continued walking. "Piandao will like them, then. I doubt that he'll like you. You talk too much."
Sokka shook his head adamantly. "Oh, Piandao will like me. I think that deep down, he'll be happy to see me."
"Whatever you say, Wang Fire."
"Piandao's a great man—he'll see that I'm one, too, willing to risk my life for this."
"But you know what makes Piandao an even greater man?"
Sokka didn't like the amused glint in Toro's eyes. "What?"
"The fact that he's just using the bitch for fun; I heard him call it 'rejuvenation.' That's all she is to him—just a vagina."
While Mai and Ty Lee looked grim, Koko looked murderous and appeared willing to reconsider the rescue mission for a man who had fallen so far, but Sokka laughed; he hoped it didn't sound too forced. "He knows what he's doing. He knows how to take advantage."
"More than anything else, he does," Toro muttered, dissatisfied. "He gets to fuck the whore and bitch and do nothing but train. He's never going to lift anything heavier than the whore and bitch in the middle of his sessions with them. He's the vessel, Vaatu loves him, so he can do whatever the fuck he wants. We get all the grunt work while he gets all the glory. He's going to be the one to destroy The Avatar, not us."
Sokka looked at Toro strangely, thinking that 'the vessel' was a weird way to describe a messenger and recruiter, but before he could comment, they stopped in front of the biggest tent, right in the middle of the camp—but all was silent as they saw the corpses surrounding the entrance. They were notably Toro's kinsmen, possible cousins.
Toro's eyes were wide; he barely seemed to breath as he stared at the bodies of his murdered kinsmen. But what was most disconcerting was the lack of gore and blood to any of the bodies; it was just like their bodies had stopped working and collapsed, like something internal happened rather than external—but all the men were in the primes of their lives.
Sokka didn't know what to do—and he saw the others looked panicked, possibly wondering if they would be blamed for it, but before he could do or say anything, Toro whirled on them with a reddened face. "That fucking bitch!" he snarled. "Look! What did I tell you? She'd crush your heart! Here's the evidence! I bet she took the whore and prisoner with her!" Toro stepped over the corpses and jumped through the tent's flaps, vanishing inside. Within moments, he exited with a sour, outraged look on his face. "She didn't even take them!"
"What prisoner?" he gasped, wondering if Piandao had fallen any lower.
"The whore's granddaughter," Toro answered, distraction. "It's how he keeps her here with him—using the granddaughter as control."
Yep—Piandao had fallen lower. But it made his determination to rescue him and restore his sense, deprived by Vaatu's darkness, burn all the brighter, hotter, and stronger. It was horrible knowing that a Fire woman and her granddaughter were kept prisoner by Piandao, amazing how Vaatu could corrupt someone so thoroughly, but he reminded himself to somehow come back for the prisoners.
Koko gripped his arm. "Are you sure about this?" she hissed. "About him?"
Sokka nodded. "It's Piandao; it's Vaatu, not him—trust me."
There was no satisfaction on Koko's face, only a disgruntled pinch, but before he could reassure her further, Toro gasped. "No, she's going after Piandao." Sokka followed Toro's gaze and saw the destruction—the trail of bodies and tents overturned and ripped away on the other side of Piandao's massive tent. "Going to the coast," Toro said, swallowing. "She knows Piandao's training and wants to take him out, where she can leave without consequence across the ocean. We have to help him! Come on!"
He and the others followed Toro, silent as they passed all the destruction; it was carnage—there were countless bodies everywhere! It was like no one had any chance to react before sudden death, coming out of nowhere. All the bodies were thrown together, smashed together in a careless way, like a tornado swept through the section of the camp by Piandao's tent, many tents destroyed and toppled. And the reason why no one noticed is that the camp was actually so massive, literally disconnected at various points.
"Get ready," Toro warned as they reached the coast. "The bitch will be- … She's not here. What? Piandao's alone…"
Sokka saw past the two thick trees, and a man stood, knee-deep, in the water; he was strong, broad, and powerful looking.
Who was also naked for some reason and appeared in a daze—while performing unbelievable feats of waterbending.
"He's put on a lot of muscle," he whispered, feeling anxious all of a sudden. Although it had been years since he had seen Piandao, he would have sworn that he had a much darker skin tone, rivaling his own—he had even thought Piandao had some Water in him, making him feel closer to him—but Piandao's flesh was now pale, like a typical Fire man. "That's Piandao?"
But what was most astonishing was the powerful waterbending display Piandao was doing—it was unbelievable. He wasn't sure he had ever seen Katara do anything like it.
"Where is the bitch?" Toro demanded in a hiss, looking wildly around—before he shuddered. "No, Piandao killed them all."
Alarm bells began to go off in his head as he realized that something was wrong—it didn't make sense. Piandao couldn't know waterbending because it was already determined that Piandao had Fire blood and was also gifted firebending by Agni. How was he waterbending? How was he capable of such power that clearly surpassed Katara's waterbending power? And how was his appearance so different? The man labeled as 'Piandao' was broad, tall, strong, and powerful—the epitome of what he always thought a Firebender looked like.
In fact, Piandao looked very similar to Zuko—no!
Mai gasped in a croak; she looked paler than normal. "No, no—a trick."
At the same time, Ty Lee swallowed and began to back away; terror was on her face, every move made in dread and fear of being heard and caught. "It's Ozai."
Toro paused and whirled on them. "What- "
Before more could be said, Mai ripped a knife into Toro's throat and killed him. "We have to go," she hissed, uncaring, panicked.
Sokka just stood at the man who was not Piandao—an imposter! There was no Piandao; there was only Ozai—Ozai! Explosions erupted behind his eyes as he saw the truth that Mai and Ty Lee had realized, and he cringed, horror the only emotion inside him. He wavered on his feet, feeling faint, swallowing thickly; he had never forgotten Ozai, how he lacked empathy, and anything that resembled sanity—and what was everything he learned from Toro about 'Piandao' but a lack of empathy and sanity? Reality crashed around him as he put the pieces together. The powerful appearance and pale flesh were Ozai's; the waterbending was Ozai's because he was Vaatu's vessel, capable of waterbending; and he was the leader of the army because he was the actual leader, the one in control, the top of the hierarchy.
His master was really dead, identity stolen by Ozai to deceive everyone.
He fled with the others back into the camp, horrified and anguished.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Not even the sinewy Earthbender's entrance into the tent warmed her of the chill that drowned her. Nothing meant anything anymore—she and Ozai were finished. She felt it deep inside, informing her spirit—raping her. They could never go back; they could never pretend again. While the agreed on so many things, they did not agree on the most important subject, which is what mattered always at the end of the day.
Ursa could never destroy their children while Ozai could.
What had become of them? How had things been so brilliant and bright at the beginning when they met, fell in love, and married? How had things darkened and dimmed to such a miserable, haunting extent? How did the beautiful love they shared deteriorate into bitterness and distrust? How did the children their love produced separate them onto opposing sides? How did the promises they made to each other in their youth become warnings and wastes? How did they lose each other?
Despair gripped her as she heaved at the stone to Samir's 'room,' out of which Samir crawled and hugged her tightly upon seeing her notable weeping and grief. "It's okay, Grandma," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Grandma."
Ursa tangled her fingers in Samir's hair, holding her tightly, grateful to have such a beautiful granddaughter. Ozai did not love their granddaughter because she was not blood, but Ozai also hated their children, who were of their blood—it did not matter. "You make everything okay, Samir."
"I want Mommy."
"Me too," she breathed, thinking of her precious daughter, who Ozai had already killed once and vowed to again. "She is a beautiful daughter, and you are a beautiful granddaughter."
"You're a beautiful grandma, Grandma."
She wiped at her tears, which were replaced instantly by more tears. "Thank you."
"And Uncle Zuzu's beautiful, too."
A hysterical laugh escaped her at the thought of what Zuko, often dour, would think of being called beautiful by his niece. "He is."
Samir nestled her face into her chest, where Ozai had recently paid loving attentions to. "He looks like Grandpa."
"He does."
"He's not mean like Grandpa."
Ursa thought of Zuko's legendary temper and powerful temperamental resemblance to Ozai, things Samir knew nothing of. "No."
Samir's fingers played with the edges of her robe. "I'm glad. I love Uncle Zuzu; I don't love Grandpa."
It was a vicious agony to her heart as she wanted Samir to love Ozai, but Ozai had done nothing to Samir to make himself worthy of such love—it was a haunting truth, made more bitter by the fact Ozai could have done it. Samir and Ozai should love each other, and he should cherish being a grandfather to her, but he never would, choosing to conceal that part of himself.
"I know."
"Do you still love Grandpa?" Samir whispered, head hanging low, refusing to look up.
Ursa did not have the strength to lie, not after she had lied so vividly to Ozai about Azulon. "Yes. I will always love him, Samir, but I understand why you do not and never will."
Samir sniffed, trembling. "You're not mad at me?"
She rubbed a soothing hand across Samir's back. "No, not at all—I am so proud of you. You are strong, Samir."
"Strong like Mommy?"
"Absolutely."
Samir looked up at her with wide gray eyes. "Strong like Daddy?"
Ursa laughed slightly and brushed several wild strands of hair out of Samir's face. "Even stronger."
Samir giggled. "Nuh-uh! Daddy's The Avatar. He's the strongest."
It was such a simple, inevitable truth that even a child understood—but Ozai could not. The Avatar was the ultimate power and strength across the Realms, but Ozai believed he could surpass The Avatar, a folly above all follies. It was the symptom of a madness too deep to uproot—not even her love and cunning could reach it, could reach him, as she always had before. His belief in himself manifested his hatred for their children, who held no belief in him like he did in himself—she was convinced it was the source of his adamance that he needed to destroy their children.
"Yes, he is," she agreed in a whisper, knowing that Avatar Aang, who was her son now because he was married to Azula, would destroy her husband, the love of her life. Some days, it was difficult to love him because of it; some days, it was difficult to love Ozai because of it. Why did so much go wrong? Why did they have to be on opposite sides? Avatar Aang and Ozai were remarkably similar to each other—they should make excellent allies and friends. But their similarities only resulted in differences between them, preventing any compromise and understanding.
They were not born enemies but made enemies, something so much worse and lasting.
"Is Grandpa gonna kill Daddy?"
Ursa swallowed and kissed Samir's temple. "No."
"Is Daddy gonna kill Grandpa?"
There was no strength to lie; there was only exhaustion and grief. "Yes."
Samir nodded with a tight anger on her tiny face. "I'm glad. Grandpa's mean."
It broke Ursa's already broken heart.
She heard voices outside the tent and prepared herself for Ozai to return, and for the first time in her life ever, she did not want him to return; she wanted him gone, which made her want to die because it was so evil and wrong—so unlike anything she had ever wanted! She had lost her husband forever, and she wanted to die—there was no having him back.
She wanted to die.
XxXxXxXxXxX
They all dashed back to the middle of the camp, bypassing all the countless bodies in a consuming panic, and it was obvious that some of the other Earthbenders in the camp were migrating, sensing something was wrong—they ran into many and had to kill them quickly. Cries of pain and warning echoed through the air as the camp became aware of an enemy, making their terror grow.
"Watch out!" Koko screamed as several Earthbenders leaped at them; Sokka reacted on instinct, diving to the side and lashing out with his sword. A choked gasp echoed, and green eyes stared at him in shock, and he numbly yanked his blade out of the man's chest.
"Come on!" Ty Lee chirped frantically, gliding across the ground towards the tents. "We can hide and think of something"
Sokka's eyes widened in realization. "The prisoners! They can help us! If Ozai has prisoners, they must be powerful and dangerous. We need to free them! They'll help us! Hurry!"
"Let's go!" Haru shouted and punched a boulder at an approaching Earthbender; the earth rumbled violently. "We're about to be surrounded!"
"This way!" Sokka hollered and bolted back in the direction where Ozai's tent had been, dimly recognizing the area, mainly because of the massive trail of bodies. During the brief journey, they tried to stay silent, stealthily traveling back to avoid any of the Earthbenders and Fire Lord Ozai. To the few Earthbenders who saw them, Mai buried knives in their throats before they could alert everyone else of their presence; they didn't care about people seeing the bodies.
There were already too many bodies everywhere—what difference did a few more make?
"There it is," Koko hissed and drew the unguarded tent's opening, stepping over the bodies; they burst into the tent, heaving in gulps of air, the flap of the tent closing behind them.
Sokka's eyes wildly looked around and fell on two figures; he blinked and felt hysteria sweep through him once again when he recognized both of them. "Ur- Ursa? Samir? Wha- "
Samir—Samir was a prisoner with a chain wrapped around her waist, attaching her to a stone wall!—beamed up at him, awe and joy transforming her pale features into something unbelievable. "Sokka! You're here!"
"Thank Agni," Ursa breathed with a raw, tear-stained face, and Sokka wavered on his feet, not understanding—what were they doing here? "I feared you were Ozai returning- "
"What the fuck?" he demanded in stunned horror. "What is going on?"
Ursa swiped a bright, flaming hand through Samir's chain, which melted instantly, freeing her, standing to her feet; Samir's eyes bulged as she wiggled her body, clearly amazed at the lack of chain. "Hurry! We must escape before Ozai knows- "
"He knows now, I imagine," Koko drawled. "There are too many bodies everywhere."
"You know them?" Haru asked warily, eyes staying locked at the entrance to the tent, body prepared for a fight.
"This is Avatar Aang's daughter and mother-in-law." Mai's knives began to spin faster between her fingers, aggravation and shock clear in her usually bland features. "You were taken at the North? Were you the only ones? What about the others?"
"Taken? What happened?" Ty Lee held Samir's face in her hands, gray eyes full of worry—Sokka recalled distantly that Samir was Ty Lee's cousins, both descended from Airbenders who survived Air's murder. "Your auras are horrible!"
Sokka stared at Ursa, at what exactly she wore, something formal but more revealing than normal, and a horrifying, sickening feeling enveloped him. He saw the wrinkled bed sheets and remembered Ozai's nudity—and recalled Toro's remarks about the 'whore' that 'Piandao' brought back with him from the North.
"You were- "
"Later!" Ursa hissed out, golden eyes on fire, and he swallowed. "We must escape!"
"We have to hurry!" Haru warned, pointing to outside the tent. "I can feel them getting close! We need to get out of here!"
"Prince Sokka, take Embers," Ursa said.
Sokka blinked. "What? The sword that Sozin- "
"Behind you."
He turned and saw Mai pluck the most beautiful but deadly-looking sword he had ever seen from a mount on a chest and hand it to him.
He grabbed the blade from Mai's hands with numb fingers, noticing the perfect balance, and at Ursa's beckoning, he approached her, placing the tip of Embers at her fingers. Fire surged up the blade, and he nearly dropped it on instinct, but he held on, mesmerized by the beautiful flames. For the first time in his life, he saw the beauty of fire, but the observation was overshadowed by the dire need to escape.
Sokka felt powerful with such a mighty weapon in his hands, and with a single swipe of fire, he ripped the tent's fabric in the back and dashed out, prepared to fight his way out.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"There!" Azula's cry reached his ears, and Aang saw what she was pointing at. "Those must be who you felt!"
"Can you deal with them?" Aang demanded urgently, trusting in her energybending capabilities. "I need to get to Koh's lair!"
"Keep going!" she yelled back as he flew even faster. "Let go of me! Drop me!"
Aang followed her command and didn't need to watch as she plummeted to the ground; she would be fine. Zooming faster, Aang approached Koh's lair, determination clawing at his sanity.
He would end it now! He had to! If he ended it now, everything would be alright! He could stop Vaatu now!
Ahead, he could feel Vaatu, and as he got closer, he saw the outline of carnage. Part of Koh's lair was destroyed, and outside of the lair, the chitinous form of Koh battled against Vaatu.
Aang's eyes widened, and he dug deeper, flying faster, and when he was close enough to see that Vaatu and Koh were even in strength, he felt his inner flame expand, filling his chi and surge into his forehead, timing it perfectly.
But then Vaatu abruptly disappeared.
Angered, he unleashed the blast from his forehead, and it erupted into the ground where Vaatu had just been. Aang smashed into the crater as he landed, immediately leaping toward Koh, who was wounded.
"What happened?" he demanded. "You let Vaatu escape!"
"Spare the accusations, Avatar," Koh hissed out. "The Phoenix is being attacked."
Aang drove inside Koh's lair with Koh behind him, saw a horde protecting Devi and Agni, who had begun the long process of draining the Phoenix of the flames in an attempt to restore himself and destroy it, undoing so much of the work he accomplished already. He hissed and plowed past the horde of spirits and into Agni and Devi, ripping them away from the Phoenix and blasting out of Koh's lair, ripping a glaring hole.
"Do you ever stop?" he roared, glaring in scorn. "You know you can never win!"
"We are winning!" Agni derided. "We have always been winning! Vaatu is on our side!"
"I will destroy your side!"
Devi snarled, face twisting. "We will destroy you first!"
He stomped toward them, smacked aside all attacks, and dominated them with power and ferocity; he was in no mood for negotiation or gentleness. Thankfully, Agni was too weak to continue attacking him while Devi recognized the futility of doing so.
They both stopped, to which Aang stopped.
Why?" he demanded, staring at Agni. "I know Devi's reasons, but why do you do this, Agni? Why hate me? Why help Jet create a plague that wipes out your own Children? Why work with Vaatu going back over a century? Why help free him from the Tree?"
Agni quivered in place, weakened. "Because of you, Avatar!"
Aang was unimpressed. "I know that already! Everyone hates me—I get it! I know why I am hated; I know the hatred of me stretches back for eons! But what did I do to you to hate me? You were the first to betray me out of the Elementals. Why were you the first? What did I do to you? What made you look to Vaatu for salvation?"
"You betrayed your race! You betrayed my Children and abandoned them to tyranny!"
He had a sinking feeling that he knew what Agni alluded to; he suspected the source of Agni's hatred. "Roku."
Agni's face was hateful in defiance—and motivation. "You turned your back on Fire, rejecting Sozin's pleas; you did not care to learn of the problems you have inflicted, going back lifetimes; you did not care to learn what your apathy as Kuruk culminated in for Fire's enslavement to Air! Sozin saw the truth! He begged you to right the wrongs; he pointed to the other races and observed their enslavement to you! Sozin freed Fire and wanted to share the glory and freedom with the other races, share the greatness and prosperity, but you denied him! You ignored him and let Air make terrible threats! You did nothing to mitigate the disasters that would happen! You advanced the disasters! Your betrayal is worse because you were born of Fire in that lifetime, born of that race, but you betrayed Fire, a cardinal crime!"
Aang closed his eyes. "And you went to Vaatu because you couldn't attack me directly."
"Yes," Agni hissed. "You deserve everything that has happened to you and everything that will happen. You think Vaatu is the source of all the chaos and imbalance, but you are the source, Avatar. Everything that has happened, including Air's murder, in the past generations, stretching over a thousand years is because of you. This is your reckoning for all your failures; this is a response to your failures—because you are a failure. We are your reckoning; Vaatu is your reckoning. This was always going to happen."
He knew the grim truth, deep down—he had always known it. "I know."
Koh lumbered out of the hole in his lair, approaching. "The horde is gone, Avatar."
"And the Phoenix?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Agni and Devi.
"Present; he will be okay."
Aang felt no gladness. "You know what this means, Agni and Devi."
Devi's spite was obvious. "We know it ensures your tyranny!"
He attacked in a devastation display of violence, taking no pleasure in destroying their bodies to make them undergo the long, agonizing process of reforming—again.
"Perhaps there is hope for you yet," Koh murmured behind him.
Aang turned to him. "You need to take the Phoenix somewhere else and hide him—protect him."
"There is nowhere I can hide him that Vaatu will not be able to find him with enough time. I will need allies to help me."
"Just do it—this isn't going to last much longer. The Phoenix will be ready soon."
"Longer than soon," Koh warned. "Agni damaged him. It will take closer to a month."
He wasn't concerned. "That's not too much longer. Just hide him and protect him—please."
Koh nodded with a new stolen face—one of the spirits from the horde, likely. "I will. You will sense him—follow your senses to find him. However, Vaatu escaped; he could be anywhere- "
Aang gasped in a strangled croak as he realized that he made a mistake; it was confirmed when he reached out and sensed Azula—and Vaatu with her. "Azula!"
He took off.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Azula landed on the ground, but since she was only a spirit, not her flesh and blood body, she did not feel any pain or break bones from such a fall. She glanced upward and saw Aang continue streaking towards the Face Stealer's lair. She refocused her attention; the snarling dark spirits—there were ten of them—were just ahead, having paused when she landed. For several moments, all was quiet as they stared at her, but within moments, they rushed forward in unison, loud roars reaching her ears.
She prepared herself and dashed towards them; her steps were light but powerful, and when she was close enough to feel the darkness in the air, she ducked under a sudden attack from the leading dark spirit. In a smooth movement, she rolled forward and sprang up, crashing into one of the other dark spirits.
It felt like hitting the steel doors of the palace in the Caldera.
The dark spirit swiped at her, and the malevolent-tipped claws were painful as she was shoved backward. Her legs sunk into the earth somehow, and Azula immediately regretted her actions; she could not afford to focus solely on one spirit. Her instincts prickled, and she jumped forward and whirled around in one fluid movement.
She had narrowly avoided a feral, wrathful, and powerful attack. In response, while not allowing herself to ponder what would happen if she failed to purify them, Azula centered her chi and used energybending to fire a spiritual lightning attack. The energy blasted out of her fingertips, and several of the dark spirits were blasted; they howled in pain, stumbling back. Not pausing, she spun around and pivoted her stance, snapping her hand forward; it was pressed firmly against one of the dark spirits that tried to sneak up on her.
Azula grit her teeth as the darkness was intense, but while aware of the incoming threat of more dark spirits, she gathered her energybending and purified the former dark spirit. Immediately, not pausing to see if it had worked, she jumped to the side and painfully contorted her body in mid-air to evade a strike.
She landed, but before she could react, there was a surge of power; she froze in realization, cursing angrily. She turned around and saw the spirit that she had just purified return to its darkened form. Darkness was thick around them, and it grew in a massive wave, augmenting beyond her senses. The feeling was terrifying, a piercing assault that overwhelmed her; she felt dizzy and fell to her knees as she desperately attempted to recover her senses.
Suddenly, she choked as a cloud of stifling black energy expanded before her, rising until it became a tower, a corporeal form of pure darkness. Azula felt the raw power simmer around her—she was being attacked! Like a flame burning against her mind, she gathered her energy and with her mastered chakras, stood strong and did not succumb.
The intense energy relented, and when Azula opened her eyes, Vaatu loomed over her; the dark spirits were nowhere to be seen.
"You!"she hissed and jumped to her feet, unafraid of the spirit who could kill her effortlessly. "Where are my daughter and mother?" Azula wound her fingers and fired spiritual lightning. "Where?"
"Where are Tui and La?" Vaatu demanded, and the lightning connected to his corporeal form but did not even seem to register; Vaatu had grown in power since Azula had last encountered him—a terrifying thing.
Azula realized instantly that Aang's strategy of forcing on her ignorance was the correct one—if Vaatu promised her Samir and Mother's return for Tui and La's location, she would give the location, despite knowing its wicked deception.
"I cannot say," she confessed.
"Then I cannot say where your daughter and mother are—a pity."
"The only pity is that I cannot destroy you!" she snapped.
"You would make a worthy ally, Ozai's daughter," Vaatu purred. "Such strength—I feel it. No wonder The Avatar was drawn to you. You are your father's daughter; you would have made a unique vessel. I could have used you to seduce The Avatar. Perhaps he would have become mine if you were mine. Perhaps my strategy was wrong."
"You would never have me," Azula spat. "I would never be yours. Father embraced you gladly, drawn to the power. He loves holding power over others, whereas I love holding power for myself. You would never give me such power."
"How assuming you are."
"Where are they?" Azula demanded fearlessly, furiously. "The Avatar will- "
"Be preoccupied with the horde of my spirits attacking Koh and his new spirit to rescue you."
Azula froze in realization before she stood tall. "I will never be corrupted by you. I am myself. Never again will I be controlled."
"Which makes this encounter regretful but necessary," Vaatu said, circling her, shadows confining, so thick that she could not walk through them; she could only choke on them. "Bringing you to me would break The Avatar, but your mastered chakras prevent it. I was suspicious of his reasons for taking Agni's flames, but now I have the confirmation needed. There is a way to make sure that he is never motivated to complete the process of that new spirit—your destruction."
"No!" she hissed, glaring. "Even if I die, he will never- "
"You died once, Ozai's daughter," Vaatu intoned. "The Avatar pulled you back, spent months doing so, and now I sense that he has killed Agni and Devi's bodies—again."
Azula's eyes widened as she glanced in the direction of the Face Stealer's lair, but the shadows surrounding her were too thick to penetrate.
"Now is the opportune moment to destroy you again, making him distracted, focused on returning you with Agni gone instead of the world—instead of me."
She wanted to deny that Aang would not become thus distracted, but she knew he was right. "Destroying me ensures your destruction."
"How much can The Avatar lose before he ceases to be as whom you know him?" Vaatu floated closer, but Azula was frozen in place, the words of his question a physical hold on her mind. "First his race and master, then his daughter and mother-in-law and friend, and now, as Ozai would say, his whore."
"They are dead?" She stumbled back, her sense of balance failing her. Samir and Mother were dead!
"No, but they will forever remain lost to him; they are in my grasp. You will soon be lost to him more so; your spirit will be eradicated from existence. I will not simply kill you; I will destroy you, and all the Avatar's searching, even for eternity, will be fruitless."
Azula's relief was all-consuming; her eyes closed briefly before she stared directly up at Vaatu, gazing at the purple swirling lines of energy. "If I die again, if you destroy me forever, you will fall, never to rise again. He will never rest until I am avenged; he is The Avatar and, more importantly, a man. That is my prophecy."
Vaatu began to glow. "An empty one, Ozai's daughter."
"No," she promised.
"But you will not exist to see who is correct."
Vaatu reared back, and Azula tensed before a remarkable calm passed over her. Her eyes remained open, and her perception of time slowed; she observed Vaatu. Slowly, the purple glow spread over the black mass of shadows, consuming every shade of darkness until it became an intense light. In spite of the need to close her eyes, Azula stared at her incoming destruction with clear golden orbs. She refused to give Vaatu the pleasure of witnessing her to be anything less than poised as he tried to destroy her spirit.
However, just as the energy seemed to thicken in Vaatu, he froze before he whirled around, the glow swiftly fading.
"Ozai," Vaatu hissed in alarm before the shadows swarmed around him, and Azula was knocked away, flung to the side.
When she looked back up, Vaatu was gone; she was alone and still existing.
Azula took a shuddering breath, panting as she recovered her composure. She had not wanted to die, not at all; she had not been ready. She still had so much more to accomplish; she still needed to rescue Samir and Mother, defeat Father, and then when the new war was over, she would birth the new nation of Airbenders.
Her destiny had almost been stolen from her—just as Samir and Mother were!
Azula's lips curled into a snarl. "Never again."
A crack exploded from the heavens, and her eyes glanced up to glimpse Aang blurring down towards her; he landed with a thunderous crash, but Azula was unaffected. Aang's face was frantic, and before she could speak, he pulled her into his chest, body shaking.
"I- I thought…" His breathing was uncontrolled, furious like a darkened storm. "I felt Vaatu. I feared the worst. I- I thought he was going to- "
"He nearly did," she admitted into his chest, hating the sight of his terrible flinch, the horrible guilt shining in his eyes that were, too, thick with powerful remorse. "His aim was to inflict an unhealable wound on you."
"I'm sorry." His lips pressed to her forehead and somehow, even though she was a spirit, she felt the action, the warm love flowing into her. "I'm so sorry. I never- "
"Samir and Mother are still alive,: Azula interrupted, trying to keep him from dwelling on something that did not happen; she knew him, how he thought, and she refused to let him drown in his irrational guilt and fear. "It was confirmed. Something happened to Father—it is why Vaatu vanished before completing his aim. Do you think Father was killed?"
That was the only thing she could conceive to put such alarm in Vaatu's arms—or Father being close to death.
Aang's eyes slowly cleared, and she basked in the sight and the feeling of relief—she lived still and lived with Aang, her husband. "We'll find out soon enough."
"And the Face Stealer? The Phoenix?"
"Koh, apparently, was holding off Vaatu, but he was unable to stop the others from attacking the Phoenix. Agni and Devi were there, and Agni was draining The Phoenix of his flames, but I arrived in time to save it. When Vaatu sensed my presence, he vanished- "
"To appear before me," she finished.
"Yes. Koh dealt with the horde, stealing the faces that he could, while I dealt with Agni and Devi. I destroyed them- "
"To make them reform, depriving Vaatu of his strongest allies."
"Right. But because of Agni's damage to the Phoenix, the process will take longer, unfortunately; probably closer to a month or longer now. Without my intervention, the Phoenix would have been destroyed while Koh was distracted. Koh promised to guard The Phoenix, and I suspect he may bring in other spirits to help him. He's going to hide the Phoenix in a new place, and I'll sense it when I'm ready to bring the Phoenix into the Mortal Realm."
"I believe that enough time has been exhausted in the Immortal Realm," she murmured after a moment's consideration. "We do not know what has been occurring in the Mortal Realm in our absences."
Aang squeezed her. "We're about to."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—had dared her to find atonement, and she intended to! She lashed out in wrath against all of Chin V's kinsmen, crushing their hearts, not giving them a chance to attack her. She had long since lost count of how many she had killed, but with Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—back with Ursa at the middle of the camp, she traveled to the other side of the camp near the forest and unleashed her wrath and grief, all the scorn and betrayal she felt. While she could not attack Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—it was obvious that she could attack his allies, especially with Vaatu gone to the Spirit World.
A trail of bodies, piled in places, surrounded her as she kept going, making her way back to the center of the camp—she wanted him to see! She had found atonement for allying and loving Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai! But as she approached the middle of the camp, she felt the earth rumble and heard the clash—smelt the death in the air. It was not a whiff but an odor, present and inescapable.
There was something else going on.
As she got closer, the rumble was shaking everything, and she could barely walk in some points; she had to rip water out of the ground and create a water tornado for herself. The devastation became apparent quickly—there was another attack happening, not only hers. The sounds of battle were loud, jarring in the air, and she felt a deadly calm overtake her; she followed the sounds, and what she saw surprised her. When she reached the source, she saw Ursa leading a powerful assault against Chin V's kinsmen—bodies were everywhere.
It was chaos.
Screams rang in the air, followed by condemnation and warnings—followed by lightning from Ursa.
With Ursa were The Avatar's daughter, huddled, terrified in a Fire woman's arms who moved with a fluid grace that was surprising and fascinating, avoiding all attacks, even with The Avatar's daughter in her arms. The Fire woman, dressed in pink, stayed close to Ursa for obvious reasons—while others branched out more. It was never more apparent why Ursa had enticed Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—to such an unbelievable degree—because it was very believable now. She was a renowned Firebender, stronger than anyone she had ever seen except for Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai! In fact, Hama did not think she would survive a fight against Ursa if she did not have her innate, unstoppable advantage of bloodbending. While she had seen Ursa at the North unleash power against her husband, it was but a glimpse compared to the flames and lightning springing forth from those rage-powered hands in the fray before her eyes. Ursa led her supporters against the masses of Chin V's kinsmen, which weren't so massive in number anymore, but it was obvious whom the victors would be.
There were green-garbed Earth women, all non-benders, who fought admirably hand-to-hand, wielding fans as weapons, but it did not do anything to Chin V's kinsmen, who were much more concerned by Ursa's attacks—an another Earthbender on Ursa's side. The Earthbender was skilled, meeting Chin V's kinsmen in ability, and had even killed many, but he was not great enough—it was obvious. Another Fire woman, dressed in black, threw a seemingly endless supply of knives, killing many of Chin V's kinsmen, but she would run out quickly.
Then there was the Water Tribesmen swinging two swords, one of which was Embers, fighting with a wild determination on his face—he looked familiar to her. However, she was unsure where she had seen him before, least of all a Water Tribesmen so young when all the Water Tribesmen she ever knew were dead or ancient.
Unless it was her grandnephew, Sokka, Katara's brother.
It was the only explanation.
Hama watched Sokka fight, memorizing his face, and was more certain than ever that she knew his identity—that she was correct in her assumption. What better vengeance than to let Katara's brother die? After all, she had never felt close to her grandnephew, who bored her and never possessed anything remarkable.
Regardless, the tide of battle was clear; Ursa wasn't enough, and the desperate plumes of fire that were swallowed by the combined waves of earth proved it. The Earthbender on Ursa and Sokka's side with was doing his best, but while countless slain bodies surrounded The Avatar-supporters, they were weakening, tiring.
And Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was nowhere to be found.
Had he been killed? Such a thought made her heart race in a mixture of grief and rage—if anyone would kill him, it was her and no one else!
However, elation filled her when she saw Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—run onto the scene; he was naked for some reason. Had he engaged with Ursa, who knocked him out and fled? Had Ursa finally taken her chance and seized it? But how did Sokka and the others arrive? What happened?
An applause appeared, piercing through the air as Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—clapped his hands, parting through Chin V's kinsmen, much less in number. By Hama's estimation, half of Chin V's kinsmen remained, which astonished her because she had no idea Ursa was capable of such extraordinary power.
Hama had possibly killed a fraction—maybe a sixth—of the army, but how had Ursa killed so many? But also, all the chaos that had clearly happened killed many of them, trampling over each other because there were, in fact, too many of them in a tight place. The overwhelming numerical advantage was actually a weakness, which Ursa had seemingly intelligently used to her advantage. Then there was the fact that not all of Chin V's kinsmen were present; some were away, trying to gather recruits to increase their army.
A mission that now appeared most necessary.
"Ursa, you chose treason," Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—greeted with an anguished but grim look on his face. "You have taken many of my army to the death—you are exquisite."
Ursa held The Avatar's daughter close, keeping the other Fire woman, dressed in pink, nearby. "You did many of these deaths yourself."
Instead of responding, Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—gazed at those supporting Ursa, and he apparently recognized the two Fire women. "Mai and Ty Lee, I thought you lost forever."
"We were found," Mai said.
"By The Avatar, I see. Is that what this is, a rescue mission?"
Sokka's face was dazed but determined. "Yes, but we found worthier people to rescue."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—took a step forward, a suspicious look on his face as he looked at Sokka. "I know you. How do I know you?"
"Because you know I'm going to kill you?" Sokka guessed, twirling the swords in his hands. "Let me tell you, I see the future, and I know how this ends. You're going to get your ass kicked."
"I remember you," Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—whispered, golden eyes narrowing in fury. "You were there after The Avatar shamed me!"
Sokka grinned in confirmation. "Best day of my life."
When Chin V's kinsmen reared to attack in mass, Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—held up his hands. "Hold!" Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—roared. "They are mine—they are my mistake. I must deal with them."
Unsurprisingly, Chin V's kinsmen stopped fighting, letting Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—take over. Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—motioned with his hands, though his eyes were focused on Ursa. "Well? Complete your treason, Ursa."
Tears were on Ursa's cheeks, but before she could say anything, Sokka whipped out a boomerang and flung it at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai! It thinly sliced his cheek, eliciting a hiss. "Get him!" Sokka screamed hysterically. "Fucking kill him! Come on!"
The black-dressed Fire woman flung her knives at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—and they narrowly missed him as he moved to the side, amused; and ripped water forward to meet Ursa and the Earthbender's combined assault.
It was obvious to Hama that Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was playing with them, not treating them so seriously, likely because of Ursa herself. However, Hama saw a way to sabotage Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—and began making her away around Chin V's kinsmen, killing each man, crushing his heart. As the bodies fell, she began to see more clearly the battle happening.
While it was obvious that Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was holding back, it was equally obvious that Ursa was, too; compared to her remarkable strikes previously, her current ones were weak and lacked conviction. Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—had even let his opponents get so close to him as to fight hand-to-hand—such was his disregard for their capabilities. The black-dressed Fire woman continued to throw knives from her endless supply, and the green-garbed Earth women were attacking Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—hand-to-hand, but it was terrifyingly obvious that Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was much more skilled than Hama ever imagined him to be hand-to-hand.
It was clear that Ursa, who simply held The Avatar's daughter against her, was no longer actively participating, unwilling to murder her husband, but she was not actively preventing his murder, either—she knew it was necessary but could never go through with it herself.
Hama watched Sokka try to enter the fray, but just as he was about to try to attack, enter the fray, his attention was caught by something. She followed his gaze and saw the gleaming shine of his boomerang finally returning; it whizzed through the air until it landed in the ground. Sokka dove for it, and when he wrapped his fingers around the metal, something changed. One of the green-garbed Earth women smacked Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—hand with her fan, and he hissed in pain, taking several steps back instinctively, opening a target, making himself vulnerable.
"Now!" Sokka cried out, but Hama watched as she continued killing Chin V's kinsmen, who were too mesmerized by the conflict in front of them to see the enemy at the back, killing each man off one-by-one, silent and enduring.
The Earthbender leaped forward and stomped his foot; he punched his fist forward, and a boulder shot out at the vulnerable Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—and bounding behind the boulder was the pink-dressed Fire woman, prepared to unleash some kind of attack after the boulder connected.
However, as Hama expected, water appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the boulder, whipping it back at the Earthbender. The pink-dressed Fire woman was forced to jump out of the way, and the Earthbender effortlessly punched through the boulder, but it was obvious that Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—no longer intended to mess around. His feet shifted into a waterbending stance, and water surged around his body in a violent, powerful rotation, spinning so quickly that it produced an ominous hum.
"You think to attack me?" he roared. "I am superior to all men in the world! The Avatar has sent you here, and I will return you to him—in pieces! He wanted you to die by sending you to me, and I will accommodate his request! It will be a brief reprieve to sate my yearning for his blood!"
"Fuck you!" Sokka shouted.
However, Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—rose onto a massive water tornado, higher than Hama had ever dared go, and glared down at them. The black-dressed Fire woman hurled knives up at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—but his reflexes were astounding; he simply moved his head and even caught one of them in his hand.
"Ursa," he called out, hovering in the air. "There is still a chance—there is always a chance."
Ursa's face paused Hama in her tracks; it was a devastated, like Hama herself felt. But within that devastation, there was a willingness to do what was right, even if it devastated her further. Ursa shuddered before spinning back and surging forth. The largest lightning strike Hama imagined slashed through the air in a vivid color, directed up at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—but it was avoided with a brief movement of his body. But it had been enough, for whatever reason.
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was no longer playing.
Instantly, Hama felt it happen—all their blood was within his bloodbending grip. Ursa and her supports struggled as Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—lowered himself off his water tornado, walking to them. "We are not done, Ursa," he whispered, holding her face in his hands. When he kissed her, bringing his lips down to hers, Hama killed as many of Chin V's kinsmen as she could, so infuriated by the sight—but clarity reached her quickly as all the bodies collapsed around her. She, at first, did not know if Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—still held Ursa in his bloodbending grip, but when Ursa's hands came up and clutched at his face, she realized Ursa was free. Yet, she kept watching, realizing; she hated watching it, felt sick, but it notified her of the inevitable.
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—kissed Ursa with a tenderness and promise for future ones, whereas Ursa kissed Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—with a passion and goodbye to hers.
Ursa had made her choice.
When Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—pulled his lips away from Ursa's, Ursa stared up at him with an expression of love—and anguish. "I love you so much," Ursa whispered, and if she cared that there was an audience, Hama could find no evidence of it. "You are the love of my life; there will never be anyone but you."
"And you are mine," Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—said with such ardent, meaningful conviction that Hama hated how her heart quivered in agony.
Ursa's hands rubbed his bearded cheeks and descended slowly with love, caressing his chest. "I will remember you all my life with love, not hatred."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—shook his head. "Ursa, we will be together."
"No, because I love our children more than you." Suddenly, Ursa jammed a dagger of fire into Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—chest, and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—gasped in choked surprise, golden eyes wide in disbelief. "And I love you enough to stop you, to save you from damnation, and to keep you from becoming something you never should be, which is not you, whom I love."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was wounded mortally.
Hama stared with wide eyes, disbelieving at the sight—but it was proven when Sokka and the others were released, which released chaos as all that remained of Chin V's army surged forward with cries of rage and despair. Hama's decision was made, and she joined the fray, killing everyone and everything, making her way through the chaos to be close to Ursa and dimly saw Ursa hold onto Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—and gripped his face between her hands, keeping him from doing anything as he collapsed to his knees. Hama tried to concentrate, killing everyone she could, but she kept glancing back at Ursa and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!
"I am so sorry, Ozai," Ursa cried out. "I am so sorry; I am sorry for everything. I lied to you—I lied. I never loved your father like I love you. I never thought of him."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—swallowed and gasped as blood dribbled past his lips, which Ursa wiped away gently. "I know."
"You are not my mistake, I swear; you are my husband, and I love that you are my husband. I am not ashamed of you; I never have been, and I never will be. I am sorry I am not a better wife."
"I am sorry I am not a better husband."
Ursa's laughter was loud and hysterical, echoing through the air like a whine. "I will see you again one day."
Before Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—could say anything, one of Chin V's kinsmen reached Ursa and smacked her across the face, to which Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—roared in impotent fury as Ursa was dragged away by her hair. Hama struggled against the assault of all the other kinsmen, who had turned on her, recognizing her as the biggest threat—and she could not find Ursa! She could only stay where she was, fighting. A terrified cry of 'Grandma' echoed from The Avatar's daughter, but Hama saw Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—struggle to his feet, brought one healing hand to his shoulder while fending off the sudden combined assault of the green-garbed Earth women, the Earthbender, and Sokka.
It was chaos, and Hama lost sight as she kept killing as many as Chin V's kinsmen she could.
While Hama kept crushing hearts and repelling various attacks, feeling the horror of exhaustion, to her side, almost immediately, one of the green garbed Earth women lurched forward as her foot was trapped in the earth.
"Koko!" Sokka exclaimed, but it was too late as a boulder ripped through her skull, killing her.
All the green-garbed Earth women cried out in rage at the sight of their friend's demise, attacks becoming fiercer, but also sloppier. More bodies fell, and The Avatar's child shrieked in terror as one of her green-garbed guardians collapsed, dead.
Hama's eyes locked onto Katara's brother, who was screaming commands, trying to keep everyone alive, but it was pointless.
It was only when Ursa returned into the fray, seemingly none the worse for wear, that Hama saw Ursa see her; their eyes—golden versus blue—met for just a brief second. But it was enough. It provoked something inside of her, a brief kinship, a spark of understanding. They had both been brutally used by Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai! They weren't allies by any means, but maybe during this battle, they could be kindred spirits.
Hama screamed in effort as she raised her hands, her own blood exalting in praise as she gripped Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—by his blood and lifted him into the air, halting the battle. She had no idea how he was alive, but he was, incredibly so, fighting with the force of his spirit. "Stay your hands!" she screamed at all of Chin V's kinsmen, many of whom still remained. Of course, they were depleted vastly from their former glory, but their numerical advantage was too powerful.
Escape was only possible if Chin V's kinsmen surrendered.
"Surrender!" Sokka roared, recognizing the opportunity. "That's it—if you don't want to see your leader killed, surrender! He's your only chance at vengeance against The Avatar! You don't want him to die!"
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—garbled something in the air, but it was indecipherable. However, the action seemed to convince Chin V's kinsmen of their decision.
Ursa's supporters sagged in relief as Chin V's kinsmen surrendered, bodies relaxing and backing away, and Ursa went to The Avatar's daughter, hugging her tightly. The Earthbender, pink-dressed Fire woman, and black-dressed Fire woman checked on the dead, closing the eyes of all of the unmoving, green-garbed Earth women, all of whom, it appeared, were dead.
Sokka looked away from one of the slain, green-garbed Earth women and stared at her in horror, eyes wide, Embers shaking as it was pointed at her. "Hama?"
Her energy was drastically reduced, but she nodded at Sokka. "Grandnephew."
"Grandnephew?" he choked out in a sputter.
Before she could reveal their familial connection, darkness immediately exploded behind Fire Lord Ozai, and terror enveloped her as the pressure in the air compounded around everyone; it was suffocating.
Vaatu.
Hama gasped, her grip on Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—vanishing, and she had just enough time to dive to the side when the corporeal, towering, furious Vaatu reared back and fired a sizzling energy blast at her. The ground erupted near her in a crater, but she hadn't jumped far enough. Some of the energy blast connected to her back, and she screamed in pain, feeling her flesh slough off her back, dripping to the ground in small droplets. Hama's vision wavered, the pain so severe, colors swirling as she tried to stand to her feet, but collapsed back to the ground, yelping in agony as her seared back hit the dirt.
She tried to watch what was happening through pain-filled eyes.
Chaos had erupted once again, and Hama saw Vaatu merge with Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!— to heal him of his wound, which healed instantly, and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—stood to his feet before looking out at Chin V's kinsmen, whom bowed to him, recognizing his supremacy. The glowing black orbs were reviling, and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—reached out with a hand, almost grasping at the air, the darkness in the air clouding everyone's senses.
"One chance—who struck my wife? Must I make all of you pay for the sin of one man?"
None of Chin V's kinsmen responded, to which Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—clenched his fist, crushing their hearts.
His army was no more, collapsing to the ground, dead, in unison, like a thunderclap smashing against the ground.
"A petty challenge," Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—derided, turning to Ursa and her supporters. "Once I ascend, these challenges to my supremacy will cease. That is my promise. Ursa, you shall join me."
Ursa shook her head, gripping The Avatar's daughter tightly. "I cannot."
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—spread his hand, and the earth rumbled, lava spurting upward from the rupturing cracks in the ground. The Avatar's daughter screamed in terror, Ursa and the Earthbender and Sokka jumping back.
"Stop him!" Sokka cried out, and Hama stumbled to her feet, stepping in her sloughed-off flesh and blood, the ringing in her ears and pain in her body compromising her strength, barely able to comprehend what was happening as Ursa's flames and lightning were futile, swallowed by the earth, overwhelmed by Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—own attacks. The Earthbender fired a boulder at Fire Lord Ozai, but lightning destroyed it, dust and dirt floating in the air.
Just as the haze cleared, the black-dressed Fire woman threw shuriken at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!
Through dazed eyes, Hama watched a wall of earth rise to stop the projectiles, and when it lowered, more lightning sprung forth from those darkness-drenched fingers, streaming through the air into the black-dressed Fire woman, who was blasted into the trees. She laid, unmoving, and Hama knew she was dead; terror spread through her as a power floated in the air that was second only to The Avatar.
She was going to die.
"Mai!" The pink-dressed Fire woman screamed in fury before bounding forward, somehow avoiding all of the lava and fire thrown by Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai! He snarled, stomping his feet to trap the pink-dressed Fire woman, but incredibly, it didn't matter.
It was almost like the air was on her side. She was so light on her feet, so graceful, so agile, and she spun in the air, avoiding plumes of flames, and drifted over Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—head before landing behind him.
With lightning-quick speed, Hama watched, stunned, as nimble fingers moved in a deadly pattern, harshly jabbing particular points in Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—body.
Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—swayed and grunted before falling to his knees, hands curled into the earth. "My chi."
He shook, and Hama felt foreboding.
The black orbs looked up, and Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—roared before a wave of darkness erupted outward from his body, and the wave smashed into the pink-dressed Fire woman, sending her flying back into the camp, out of sight. Ursa and her supporters and Hama all fell back, avoiding the wave of darkness.
"Ty Lee!" the Earthbender cried out, devastation and horror on his face as the rage swiftly overwhelmed them; he sent boulder after boulder, wall after wall, at Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!.
It was futile, for all the Earthbender's attacks were smacked aside and blown apart with an effortless ease. When he tried to pull Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—into the earth, crushing him in the soil, a barely-avoided wave of lava was the response.
Ursa desperately held The Avatar's petrified, screaming daughter behind her, attacks of fire and lightning crackling through the air but nothing worked. Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—was supreme.
"Conjure The Avatar himself—I am unstoppable!" Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—unleashed a torrent of fire that Ursa narrowly managed to stave off, spreading her arms in both directions to combat it. "My Ursa, you love me. I am forgiving—you know I am. I love your love. I destroyed my army for you. I want you with me; there is no one more worthy than you. There is still a chance- "
"Not anymore!" Ursa cried out, tears on her cheeks. "Ozai, please!"
"Nothing can stop me." Lightning sparked in Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—hands, a brightness hard to look upon. "Not even my wife, whom I love."
"I will never stop!"
"You know I will not, either—I cannot stop."
Ursa's show of powerful defiance sparked something inside Hama once more, and she shakily jumped to her feet, the ringing in her ears and pain screaming at her becoming more intense. She shrieked in effort as she seized Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—blood just as he was about to unleash his lightning at Ursa's supporters, not Ursa herself.
He was strong.
It was similar to The Avatar, but it wasn't as potent or overwhelming. Yet, because the ringing in her ears was so loud, the pain consuming all her strength, she couldn't hold him for long. Hama fell to her knees and noticed that Ursa and her supporters were beginning to run away, and feeling weak, she tried to crush Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—heart, but her bloodbending grip was slipping, her vision shaking.
And there was the fact that she was unsure she wanted to kill him.
The pain was too much.
Piandao's—Fire Lord Ozai's!—black orbs grew darker, sucking in all sources of light, and it was all she could see. "A pitiful, infantile display, Hama! I will make you suffer!"
His condemnation ignited a last spark of strength. "You already have!"
Hama gasped, and with the last of her strength, flung Piandao—Fire Lord Ozai!—as far back as she was capable of in her weakened state into the camp.
Her strength vanished, vision blackening. The last thing she saw were piles of bodies everywhere, all of whom she would soon join.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sokka paused and looked back at the collapsed Hama—he refused to think how Hama was decades younger! She was unmoving, but from his vantage point, he could discern the barely perceptible rise and fall of her chest.
"Wait," he called out and saw Samir's face hidden in Ursa's bosom, small body shaking; based on the stains on the Air garbs, it looked like Samir had pissed herself in terror—understandably so. "I'm getting Hama."
Haru's eyes welled with tears, and he stared back at the camp. "Ty Lee," he whispered, fists clenching. "Can we…?"
Sokka swallowed and shook his head. "You saw how far she went after… Ozai did that wave. You saw how far Ozai went when Hama threw him. I'm sorry, Haru. She's gone."
He blinked back his own tears, controlling his emotions. He couldn't think about Koko and the other Kyoshi Warriors nor Mai and Ty Lee. He had to focus on those still alive and getting back to Suki and their child growing in her womb.
Ursa's hand gently stroked Samir's hair, her golden eyes brilliant with tears. "Hama helped us; she is why we survived. She also knows his plans. If we bring her with us, Avatar Aang will have the information he needs to defeat- "
Sokka handed Haru Embers before Ursa could even finish and ran towards Hama's body, making his way across all the corpses, stepping on chests and backs and heads—there were no other places to step! He ignored the sight of Koko's crushed body. He couldn't afford to think about it, think about how badly he failed to see the trickery of Ozai.
Piandao had never been alive, only a stolen identity.
He swallowed and kneeled down over Hama's body, wincing at the sight of her back. He had no idea how she was still alive with that wound. Blood was everywhere and muscles were ruptured; the bone was visible, the white color marred with soil and blood.
Sokka blocked her chi, wary of what she could potentially do even with that wound—she had held Ozai and Vaatu merged briefly together!—and picked her up, dashing back towards where the others were outside the camp.
Their faces portrayed their utter exhaustion, and in Ursa's case grief, and while he felt the same, they had to move. "Come on. Ozai could return any moment. We have to get out of here. We need to get back to Ba Sing Se."
Samir's face was stained with tears, gray eyes flooded. "I want Mommy and Daddy!" she wailed, traumatized. "Mommy! Daddy!"
Ursa looked at him, and he tried to smile at Samir, but he knew it came out as a grimace. He still had no idea how any of this had happened, how they had been captured. What about Katara? What about Aang? "You'll see them," he promised, trying to speak over the sound of Samir's sobs. "They're waiting for us at Ba Sing Se."
"We must go," Ursa urged and held Samir closer to her chest as she turned around, body moving in a swift jog. "Come. Hurry."
Sokka began to follow Ursa, but he noticed that Haru hadn't budged, staring at the camp in defeat, Embers dangling out of his numb hand. "She's gone," he mumbled, face pinched. "I- I didn't tell her that I loved her."
He adjusted Hama in his arms and placed his hand on Haru's shoulder for just a moment before pulling back, centering Hama's weight in his arms once more. "She knew. I'm so sorry. But we have to go. I don't know how far Hama threw him, but he survived it. He'll return any second. We need to be out of here when he does."
Haru wiped away tears and turned around with him. "What are we going to do?"
"Find Aang. Even if he's not at Ba Sing Se, we'll find him. It's all we can do."
With a deep breath, Sokka ran after Ursa and Samir, Haru next to him, fleeing from the possibility of more death and Ozai's wrath.
XxXxXxXxXxX
That's all for this one, everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'd also really appreciate it if you left a review; it would help me out!
**Aang and Azula get to Wan Shi Tong's Library in time to save him from Devi, a weakened Agni, and a horde of dark spirits! I hope that the plan to restore firebending by taking some of Agni's flames and creating a new spirit with them seems realistic. Shoutout to gaara king of the sand, who gave me the idea. If you think that Wan Shi Tong should know how Vaatu disappears, just remember that in Legend of Korra, Wan Shi Tong didn't know how a radio worked. Let that sink in. Wan Shi Tong clearly doesn't know everything, so he wouldn't know about a fact of creation when Raava and Vaatu created the Mortal Realm.
**Zuko and Katara arrive at Ba Sing Se and learn the truth about Chin V's invasion and Bumi's death! Obviously in grief, they can do nothing else but wait for Aang and Azula to return because Ba Sing Se's no longer burning, which leads to a discussion about the Fire Nation and about philosophies surrounding kinship, inheritance systems, and how a king/Fire Lord is chosen. There has to be a reason why the Fire Nation believes so greatly in bloodlines, so I gave them one, which is absolutely based on real-life history and beliefs.
**Hama goes to Ursa in denial about Ozai's identity, but she accepts the truth, heartbroken.
**Aang and Azula get Koh to agree to protect the Phoenix Spirit, and the process begins.
**Bor, Toph, Suki, and Jin argue and Bor realizes some truths. Their blistering pace is unattainable, illogical, and with his own judgment compromised because he's grieving his grandfather's death, Bor needed to hear the truth. While Toph had been playing a strong game, realization has to sit in sooner or later. She knew they had to stop, just like Suki and Jin did, but Bor needed to realize it.
**Aang and Azula purify a nest of dark spirits and discuss The Avatar's burden, which Aang faces unlike any other Avatar—but they are both still standing, despite it all.
**Ozai confronts Hama about her strange behavior before having sex with Ursa, after which they erupt into an argument that leaves both of them dazed and broken.
**Vaatu goes to the Immortal Realm to jeopardize the Phoenix, but Aang arrives in time—but not before Vaatu gets Azula alone and gives Aang a big scare.
**Sokka, Haru, Mai, Ty Lee, and Koko and the other Kyoshi Warriors finally reach Ozai's camp, trying to rescue 'Piandao.' They are rudely awakened by the fact that they had been played and so many people on both sides die, and Hama betrays Ozai, turning on him. But then Vaatu appears and saves his future vessel. Ozai and Vaatu's army is devastated from a mixture of Ozai, Hama, and Ursa's wrath—a convoluted progression that ends with Ursa, Samir, Haru, and Sokka fleeing, but not before rescuing Hama's wounded body.
I think that was everything so leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter. I'd really appreciate it!
Stay Safe
ButtonPusher
