Hello there! So just a brief explanation that i could not fit in the description, this story is one I've been thinking of in my head for years and wanted to put it down in a fanfic. This particular story is one that I believe is a mostly good canon plot to the avatar universe about how the Red Lotus managed to build up their forces and return to the world after 100 years.
Oh an one more thing that I learned while typing this out in case anybody points out a large plothole involving the red lotus, during my research for this fanfic I found out that the Red Lotus actually started after the hundred year war, NOT before. I seem to have misheard zaheer when he explained the Red Lotus for a brief 3 minutes back when I thought of this entire story in my head... But I'm still keeping my idea for the Red Lotus and plan to retcon their backstory a bit for this fanfic to work, because unlike the writers at Nickelodeon, I actually plan to give a somewhat proper backstory to these guys and show just how dangerous they can be. ENJOY
Water
Earth
Fire
Air
Long ago, the 4 nations lived together in harmony… Or rather, that's the story that people believe. The real truth is that all of the nations throughout time have always been at war with one another through their ideologies. Specifically the ideologies that whether their broken world should be forcefully free from the binds of the government, or that the government should rule the world. A leader running their nation is important, but the overall feeling of the power that that type of order brings leads those people down a dark path from order, to supreme rule and tyranny. Never wanting to give it up for anything and anyone, and wanting nothing more than to spread that tyranny across the other nations.
There's only one thing that can counter this type of unchecked order, and that is chaos. Necessary amounts of chaos that keeps order in check, preventing leaders from straying too far from who they were and reminding them why they were chosen to lead their nation. But like the effects of order, chaos has an equally hard effect on the human mind. The feeling of disrupting the establishment enough that it turns you into the enemy gives an incredible feeling of power that some would rather keep going than ever stop. Over time it stops being about chaos and turns into something much worse. Anarchy.
The only person that has ever given society the ability to keep from swaying out of balance between tyranny and anarchy was the Avatar. The master of all 4 elements and the keeper of peace. Each generation of the Avatars life keeps the balance between order and chaos in an endlessly developing world that is almost always at each other's throats, and that affects both sides and the ideologies of what it means to be either at peace, or free. In a rather ironic way, that's the one thing that both tyranny and anarchy have in common in the end… They both hate the Avatar for the fact that they stay neutral and balanced.
For the last 10 years, the Fire Nations One Hundred Year War had been over thanks to Avatar Aangs return. In that time Aang had dealt with various ups and downs with bringing peace and bringing tensions down between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. But now it seemed like things were finally in the right direction to ending the conflict for good… But of course, when one enemy who threatens the balance of society is vanquished, it's only a matter of time before another takes their place.
Fire Nation Capital
Today was the 10 year anniversary of Fire Lord Zuko's Fire Lord Coronation. A weekend long festival had just began in the whole Capital to celebrate the occasion. In the festival, the whole town was decorated with Fire Nation themed lights and streamers, as well as various stands set up with food and games to play, music from not only Fire Nation culture but other Nations bands that were invited to the Capital. Even after 10 years the atmosphere between Zukos reign and the last 3 Fire Lords is incredibly different when they're not at war anymore. As good as it was it still just felt weird to the people, but in a good way nonetheless.
Zuko was walking around the festival with both his mother Ursa, and his half sister Kiyi. "The festival looks amazing Zuko" Ursa said. "It makes me so proud to see what the Fire Nation has become now that you're in charge"
"Yeah! I always wanted to go to one of these festivals as a kid" The 15 year old Kiyi said. "I mean we couldn't because of Ozai and all but these seemed like a lot of fun to hear about"
"Eh, trust me when I say they were nothing like they are today" Zuko said. "Back then it was just the military parading around praising Ozai. Not a single stand with games to play or even good food... Hell, the royal family wasn't even allowed to leave the Palace back then" He said to her. "But that's all in the past. Things are changing now. Not just here, but Republic City is doing better than ever predicted"
"That's great to hear Zuko" Ursa said and smiled brightly. "Oh I'm so proud of the man you became. I knew that you'd be better than your father when you'd grow up" She said.
"Hey is the avatar coming?" Kiyi asked him.
"Yeah. Aang and the others are coming from Republic city so they should be here soon" He said.
"Oh man I haven't seen Aang in years" Kiyi said with a big smile on his face.
"Aangs a busy guy Kiyi. He's been overseeing the construction work done to rebuild all 4 Air Temples. Not to mention building the new one in Republic City" Ursa said.
"Yeah. He doesn't mean to hurt you personally Kiyi" Zuko said then messed his little sisters hair. "Though when he gets here and if you ask nicely enough, he might make a surprise visit at your school"
Kiyi chuckled and pushed his hand away from her hair. "Eh I dunno about that. My Fire Nation history teacher is pretty strict and uptight. She might scare him off" Kiyi said.
"Oh I'm sure he can handle her... He's the avatar after all" He said.
Meanwhile, as Zuko Ursa and Kiyi wandered around the festival together, Aang was on top of Appa the flying bison, flying straight for the Fire Nation Capital with his friends. By the time they got there the sun was setting and the lights of the festival could be seen by him, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. Well Toph couldn't see it for obvious reasons but she was there too.
"Oh wow... the Capital looks beautiful in the night sky" Katara said.
"You said it..." Aang said back. "It's hard to believe this place was once sieged when we were enemies and looked like a warzone"
"PFFT! Speak for yourselves. It looks the same to me either way" Toph said as she laid on her back on the saddle. "But it'll be fun to get out my police work for a weekend. You know how hard it is being the cities best detective? Especially now when I'm not allowed to use my methods of fighting crime? Thing's used to be so much easier before the stupid thing called 'Code of Laws' were invented... What does it even say?!" Toph ranted in the back.
Sokka sighed and shook his head. "How dare they say you cant break criminals legs anymore when they run" Sokka said sarcastically.
"Thank you! Somebody gets it" She said to him.
"Boy you live such a hard life Toph" Katara said equally sarcastically. "But this will be good for all of us. Adult life is taking its toll on us all... Things were ironically more simpler when we were traveling the world to teach Aang his element bending and fighting the Fire Nation"
"If you want to relive those old days we can always ask Zuko to chase Aang around and shoot fireballs at him" Sokka said, making him Aang and Toph let out some chuckles.
Katara just rolled her eyes. "That was just as unfunny when Zuko said it 10 years ago as it is now" Katara said. "Look lets just be on our best behavior. I know we're all adults but some of us need to be reminded not to ruin the festival with their... antics" She said.
"I don't need eyes to tell you're talking about me Sweetness!" Toph said to her.
"Oh good... then Toph, don't do anything that will ruin the festival like cheat at all the games again. I'd imagine Zuko is still pissed at you for winning at every game last year and taking all the carnival gifts for yourself"
Toph scoffed. "Seriously? I'm 22! That type of thing is for kids who need money and have too much time on their hands for childish antics" Toph said.
30 minutes later...
Inside of the Capital's festival, Toph was walking away from one of the stands that she was able to cheat at using her earth bending abilities. The clerk was crying over losing all of his stuffed animals to one girl, while Toph was laughing and had a big smile on her face with her hands full of stuffed animals. "I'm limiting it to one stand this year so you can't get mad!"
"I still am" Zuko said as he and Aang were both watching, Zuko with an un-amused annoyed look and Aang trying not to laugh at Tophs usual antics. "Ugh whatever. At least she's not ruining the festival"
"I BEG TO DIFFER!" The clerk cried out as Zuko and Aang ignored him and walked around together.
"So how are things with you Aang?" Zuko asked.
"Oh its going great" Aang said to him. "My time is mostly spent in Republic city now. The work being done in the air temples is nearly done now and doesn't need my supervision at this point. Now I'm just focused on our new air temple off the coast of Republic city... good thing too because the city is growing bigger and bigger every day and needs me more than ever"
"It's the first city with all 3 Nations can live together. I'd imagine its getting more popular the more it exists" Zuko said. "I'm glad you can take the time to come here though" He said with a smile to his best friend.
"Oh of course. I was more than excited to come here for you" Aang said back. "It's not every day we celebrate the anniversary of a Firelord. It's more like once a year" He joked at him with a chuckle. "Anyway why don't we get something to drink? Is your uncles tea shop stand set up again?"
"Of course it is" Zuko said and lead the avatar through the festival. Soon the two got to Irohs tent that was set up to be a miniature tea shop, with seats to sit down around the tent to wait for their orders. Where the stand was specifically the people sitting had a good view of the small festival stage set up for the entertainment part of the festival, of various bands and dancers that were up one at a time to perform for the festival.
The two sat down together as Iroh walked over. "Ah there you are nephew!" He said and leaned over the counter to give Zuko a quick hug and pat his back. "I was worried you forgot to come see me" He said.
Zuko sighed and pat his uncles back. "I know you're joking but you know I still have to remind you I wouldn't do that" He said as the two then let go.
"How have you been Iroh?" Aang asked him. "How's Ba Sin Se doing?"
"Oh Avatar Aang, The city is more beautiful than ever now that the war is over. You should visit more often" Iroh said to him. "And my tea shop is still the best in the city. I keep having other tea shops trying to steal my tea recipes" He said.
"Really?" Aang asked.
"Yes... I mean I don't mind if they do. But they keep messing the tea up when they try to recreate it on their own. I hear how people keep complaining their recreated teas just taste like hot leaf juice"
Aang raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Isn't that what tea-"
"Don't bother arguing with him about tea... Trust me" Zuko interrupted his friend for his own safety.
"Ah..." Aang said and drank his cup. "Well anyway, it's still good to hear you're doing well Iroh. I'll bet you enjoy these new festivals now more than when you were younger"
Iroh laughed a bit. "Me and almost every citizen in the Fire Nation" He said with a smile as he looked around. "This was how the Fire Nation used to look long before Sozin changed everything with his war..."
"Yeah... I wish I could have been here when I was still a child. Heck, I wish a lot of things could be different in life 110 years ago" Aang said with a sigh as he looked down at his tea cup, to see his reflection in the tea. Despite the size of his cup he could still see his 122 year old face and the small amount of facial hair that he was growing around his chin and side of his face. He could briefly see his 12 year old face in the reflection before he raised his head back up. "But that's all in the past... If I could change the past, I... Well we certainly wouldn't be talking about the hundred year war, that's for sure" He joked. "Despite everything, I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I got to meet a bunch of great friends and rather unexpected ones" He then pat Zukos shoulder. "And most importantly I definitely wouldn't have ever meet my girlfriend" He said, smiling brightly over the thought of being with Katara for life.
Zuko scoffed and laughed. "'Girlfriend'? Come on Aang, it's been years. When are you planning to marry her? You gonna wait another hundred years before you get around to it?" Zuko asked in a teasing tone.
Iroh chuckled at that. "Oh Zuko that's rich coming from you" He said. "When are you going to ask Mai out again and work things out with her?" He asked.
"Oh yeah Zuko how is it going with you two?" Aang asked.
"Ugh, this again?" Zuko took a sip of his tea. "Look it's complicated alright? Mai and I are friends again since Kiyi and Tom-Tom became friends. But that doesn't mean she wants anything to do with me romantically again... She doesn't want to be with a Fire Lord and I sure as hell can't force her to be with me"
"Well... technically you can since you're Fire Lord and all" Aang casually said, which got him a look from Zuko in response. Aang then scoffed. "Well obviously don't do it! I'm just saying..."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Anyway... She's not interested. And probably never will be... End of story"
"Never say never Zuko" Iroh said. "Things may seem rough now for you but time can heal many wounds. You and Mai still have a great connection together even if things aren't the way you two predicted life would be like as adults, but life is just an endless learning curve... that's why you two are still friends now and don't hate each other. Above all when you're with someone that is your true love, you know you want them and nobody else. Why else do you think things didn't work out between you and that Jin girl from Ba Sin Se?" He asked.
"Uhhh who is Jin and why am I only hearing about her now?" Aang asked, extremely intrigued now.
Zuko got red in embarrassment at the fact he brought her up. "Can you just continue what you're talking about please?" He asked Iroh.
"She still comes around the tea shop. Even she has a husband now" Iroh added.
"Literally any day now!" Zuko said, just wanting the story to end.
"Ah yes... Anyway, true love can surely take a toll on us all Zuko. You're probably more worried about letting her down all over again if you're together than actually taking the chance to make it work. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well... When my late wife died shortly after Lu Ten was born I couldn't bare the thought of being with another woman. There are occasional flirts here and there in my life with other women but the thought of actually being with someone new romantically... well it scared me" Iroh said, getting sad now as he spoke but quickly shook it off and cleared his throat. "Uh, my point is that I want you to learn from my mistakes and be a better man than me in your adult life. Take that risky step and get back with Mai. You need it" He said.
Zuko sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll try... Look I appreciate the words of wisdom but can we talk about this later?
"Of course nephew" He said. "Oh by the way, where is Katara and your other friends Aang?" He asked.
"Well I think Katara is having a chat with Kiyi. Sokka is back stage with his girlfriend Suki, and the other Kyioshi warriors before they're up next. Toph is... well being Toph" Aang said. "Seems like everyone is enjoying the festivities in different ways"
"That's what makes it a festival!" Iroh said and drank.
meanwhile as the trio kept speaking and made up for lost time, Sokka was with his girlfriend Suki as she was getting dressed and getting her Kyioshi makeup on for her fan blade performance. Suki being slightly upset. "Ugh, when Zuko invited us to perform a traditional fan blade sequence for the festival, I told Zuko that Kyioshi warriors are fighters, not dancers... And yet here we are about to perform like circus freak because spirit forbid we didn't show up for the Fire Nation of all people!" Suki ranted.
Sokka, being the supportive boyfriend he was, went to stand behind her and look at her in the mirror. "Are you worried the people won't take the Kyioshi warriors as serious?" He asked.
"What? No! I'm scared I'll fuck this all up" Suki said, her upset demeanor now clearly being better seen as a form of nervousness. "I've never performed our fan blade regimes outside of the island before. Hell I've never even performed them outside of our training hut before. What if I choke on stage and they laugh at me?"
Sokka raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit. "Suki, babe, don't tell me you of all people have stage fright" He said.
Suki groaned as she put her hands through her hair to grab onto it. "Of course I have stage fright! I wanted to decline the invitation but sure enough this one had to say yes and get all the other girls to beg us to go" Suki then motioned to Ty Lee, who was applying her own makeup in the other chair.
"Oh relax Suki... And there's nothing wrong with being a circus freak by the way!" She said. "Performing publicly isn't as bad as you think. It actually gives a big rush of adrenaline when you're on stage and a whole crowd is cheering you on. All your nervousness goes away, you feel lighter than air and imagine you can rule the world... Then the performance is over and you go back to normal, but it's still super fun" She said to her leader and friend.
"Eh I dunno about that... Last time I had to be on stage I had to discus the Eclipse invasion plan and completely botched it so bad I practically got pushed off by my dad" Sokka said. That comment delivered him a folded up fan blade to his head from Ty Lee, making him yelp and rub his head.
"Sokka, you're not helping" Ty Lee said. "Now shoo so we can get ready"
"Ugh fine" Sokka said rubbing his sore head now. "I'll see you when you're done Suki"
"Oh Sokka wait" Suki said before he left. "There is one thing I wanted to talk about. And while we're here this is probably the best time before the festival ends..." She said.
"Oh? What is it?" Sokka asked as he sat down next to her.
Suki took a deep breath as she put her hand on Sokkas hand. "Ok... Sokka, I think we should-"
"FIVE MINUTES KYIOSHI WARRIORS!" The stage manager yelled out, completely cutting Suki off.
"Ugh seriously?" Suki groaned at the bad timing. "I guess I'll talk to you about it later. I gotta help the others make sure they're all ready"
"Ah alright... Good luck up there. You're gonna do great" Sokka gave his girlfriend a kiss goodbye then left the backstage to be with the rest of the crowd.
Suki returned the kiss to him and waved goodbye as he left, but then let out a frustrated sigh once he's gone, then turned her head back at the mirror. Good news is she wasn't nervous... Bad news is shes a bit sad. "You haven't told him yet that you want the two of you to move into Republic City together?" Ty Lee asked.
"Nope..." Suki said. "I wanted to wait for the two of us to be together to do that. But with his work in travelling around Earth Kingdom villages as a private contractor, and aiding in village problems, getting time to see each other in person is such a hassle these last few years" She said. "I mean we write to each other all the time and keep each other updated in our lives, but that... well that doesn't make not seeing him any harder" She said.
"I get what you mean Suki. And I'm sure Sokka would love the idea to move into a place with you too" Ty Lee said back. "Let's just focus on this first. Need your mind focused and not running all over the place so you don't look like an idiot on stage" She said.
Sukis facial expression had now returned to frustrated from that comment. "Thanks Ty Lee... You know just what to say" She said sarcastically.
Sokka had sat with his friends Zuko and Aang, and around the same time Katara Kiyi and Toph made it over to the gang just in time for the Kyioshi Warrior performance. Despite Sukis protests and worries, it was all going terrific. The crowd was loving the show and the different cultural experiences that to this day the Fire Nation people missed out on for a hundred years. With Zuko as Fire Lord, the future looked brighter and brighter with every year he was the nations leader.
Capital City Prison
As the Festivities died down for the night, it had come time for the stands to close up for the night and the people to leave, but eager to see what the second day had in store when the time came to return tomorrow. Everyone either returned to their homes, or to the nations palace for the special guests of the festival. There was only one person who did not return to the palace yet... Zuko. He had other duties to attend to.
"The Festival went great for another year... Better than last year in fact. Hell, maybe one of the best ones in the last 10 years... But definitely better than the last 110 if anything. We had so many new performers come for entertainment from the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. We even had a hippie band come perform some of their songs they learned in their travels around the kingdom. You would have loved them, no matter how much you pretend to hate them I know you'd love to hear them sing. Needless to say, the hate for the new Fire Lord has finally died down after years of people still clinging to the old ways of life... when they spent so long believing that burning the rest of the world was somehow necessary in life. It's clear what the people really want... Harmony. REAL Harmony" Zuko spoke, sat back in a chair as he sat in front of the prison cell and stared at the figure inside who was concealed in shadow.
The former Fire Lord Ozai let out a weak and sarcastic chuckle as he listened to his son speak, while he sat on the ground leaning on the wall. "Ah... It sounds like a dream come true... A real Utopia..." He said to him. "So when do I get to see it for myself?"
Zuko gave a slight scoff at the question. "Never... If you haven't noticed by now, the only part of this world that still wants you in it are the 4 walls you live in forever. The rest of the world has moved on from men like you"
"But you sure haven't moved on. That's why you're here" Ozai said as he got up from the floor and walked towards the bars. Now out of the shadows, Ozai could be seen much better now, and it was clear that the decade of imprisonment and isolation from the world hadn't done the man any favors in his appearances. He looked visibly skinnier under his prison rags, and his hair and bears had grown to much bigger lengths and had more grey in it than black. "Why do you still come around? Even after all these years you still come by regularly to gloat about your accomplishments. Are you waiting for me to say 'good job, your doing great son keep up the good work'... or are you just here to torment me about how I did everything wrong gin your eyes?"
"If me coming here every now and then, and telling you how things are going is torment for you then I guess I am" Zuko said. "I just thought you'd be curious in knowing how the new regime is working out. How stronger the 3 remaining nations are together and not under one nation"
Ozai weakly laughed once again as he held onto the bars for support to lean on. "Oh Zuko... You only come around a handful of times every year, and yet I can tell you're full of shit" He said and looked at him in the eyes. "In fact, I already know why you really come here. You're trying to sense my responses. My reactions to how 'great' of a Fire Lord you are as you list off all the accomplishment you made. You're trying to see what I think... because deep down, despite all of your self proclaimed achievements and steps you've taken for the Fire Nation, deep down you still think you're doing everything wrong and need to know if I like it or not. Am I far off?" He asked his son, but getting no response in return. No comeback and no mention of the prison he's stuck in. Nothing. It made Ozai smirk. "How pathetic... an entire Nation under your control and you still need daddy's support from a prison cell. Do you really still need me to tell you how to be a good Fire Lord that badly? I thought you had enough of me after your little 'Harmony Restoration Movement'... you know, the thing you nearly started ANOTHER war over?"
"... If you really must know..." Zuko finally spoke up. "As good as peace and harmony feels, not worrying about war anymore and finally being able to progress the way humanity was meant to, it still feels... off. Like it's all too quiet, and that anything could happen in a moments notice and I might not be prepared to stop it when it happens. The assassination attempts are over. The New Ozai regime has been eliminated. Azula is still out there but haven't heard from her and her asylum friends for years... yet it it all still feels off"
"Ugh, I wish you understood just how much you sound like Sozin" Ozai said with a cheeky smirk. "Anymore talk like that and I'd mistake you for an exact clone of him" He added insult to injury.
This made Zuko pissed. He narrowed his eyes and stood up from the chair and walked to the bars to meet his fathers face. "Don't EVER compare me to that genocidal monster" He said sternly.
"Or what? You'll kill me?" Ozai asked back. "That would be such a relief and end this hellhole of a nightmare I've been put in... Ah, but you wouldn't dare do something for me that I'll enjoy" He said. Zuko glared down at him, once again silent. After a bit of time, Zuko walked away from the bars and Ozai then sat back against the wall again. Even after all this time, getting his elemental energy removed from his body still drained him of nearly all of his energy to where just standing for long periods of time was exhausting. As Zuko got back in the chair in the middle of the room Ozai began to speak up again. "I am serious though about Sozin... your grandfather would tell me stories about how he was, where even in his old age Sozin ran his Nation and his army with an iron fist. The war waged across the Earth Kingdom for so long, and so effectively that even though the Earth Kingdom was strong and resilient against the Fire Nation pressure, they were simply outnumbered and outmatched by the sheer brute force we applied across the land. Slowly but surely overtime we pushed most of the Earth Kingdom back into the walls of Omashu and Ba Sin Se... And yet in that time things were still off with him that caused him to take focus off of the war"
"I know this story already. He spent most of his old age looking for the Avatar who survived the comet attack" Zuko said.
"I'm not talking about the Avatar... I'm talking about the part of our history that was never recorded out of sheer embarrassment if people ever found out. About a powerful force that nearly toppled the nations regime in one night" Ozai explained. "Sozin had his suspicions that things within the Capital fell rather off. Nobody else in his circle believed the claims... Until one day an attempt on his life was made by several rather powerful fire water and earth benders that busted into the palace swiftly and to the surprise of everyone. They fought well together and took a lot of soldiers down with them... but in the end they were all killed. As good as they were and surprising as their attack was that took everyone off guard, they were still no match for the security of the palace in the end"
Zuko scoffed and shrugged. "So some unhappy people wanted Sozin dead to stop the war... I'm sure a lot of people felt the same way but most would never go on a suicide mission to kill him"
"You don't get it Zuko... These people weren't planning to JUST kill Sozin... They were planning to topple the ENTIRE government" He said. "After the attack, an investigation was made to find anymore of the people involved and find out where they came from. The investigation lead to a safe house in town that they were using. Inside was not only plans to attack the palace, but also plans to attack every other palace in the other 2 nations, and bring down the leaders after they dealt with Sozin. As well as step by step instructions on how they'd get the word out that the peoples leaders had fallen, and get the people to riot and go buck wild in their destroyed governments now that they were, quote on quote, 'free' from oppressive rule" He said and looked back up at Zuko. "Less than a dozen so called Anarchists came closer than your friends ever did to invading the Capital. And they didn't even need an eclipse to try and murder Sozin. And even worse, their motives weren't even to end the war... What does that tell you Zuko?" Ozai asked.
"What does that tell me?" Zuko asked, before standing up from the chair once again. "It's that you are the one full of shit now. You expect me to believe such a fake story like that? All for what? To make me paranoid and think it's that easy to kill me? I survived 6 assassination attempts, I think I can handle a couple stupid Anarchists... If they were even real to begin with! Clearly you don't know me as well as you think if you think I'd fall for something like that" Zuko said.
As Zuko picked up the chair and put it back to the side of the room, and got his coat back on, Ozai just laughed some more. "Oh Zuko... You are so unbearably naive to think I'd lie to you about something like that. Societal chaos is just simply an extreme factor to deal with in your role as Fire Lord... There are definitely different levels to Anarchy, and there's probably types that you never even knew existed in your own nation... Or maybe, you chose not to talk about those parts in your self gloating stories you love to share with me" He said, with a pretty mocking tone in the last part of what he said. Zuko stayed silent as he got ready to head out the door. Just before he left however, Ozai had one last thing to say. "Oh and Zuko... The next time you decide to come here and tell me all about how being Fire Lord is going, be sure to look long and hard to find flaws in your Utopia of a nation... Because those are the parts I really want to hear about" He said, before weakly laughing maniacally.
Once again Zuko stayed silent and stood still in front of the door, only listening to his fathers laughter just thinking about the possible failures he can think of for his son to deal with. With that, Zuko finally left the prison cell and soon the prison itself, ready to finally call it a day and get some rest. He had another day to get ready for and he wasn't going to let anything distract him. Not even his fathers ramblings about an Anarchist cult.
Fire Nation Palace
It was now late at night in the Fire Nation. Everyone was fast asleep in either the royal bedrooms or the guest bedrooms. The only ones awake were the Palace night guards, who most of them were slacking off due to the fact that it was the middle of the night and falling behind of their patrols. A small group of them were playing and betting on dice games to kill time in the main hall.
"Ha! That's a 7! Give it here" One of the guards said as he took the copper pieces that were put down.
"Bullshit your cheating! Those gotta be weighted dice" Another guard said. "Or maybe you're using earth bending to move the dice"
"Do I look like an earth bender?" The winner asked back as he pocketed the copper. "You're just mad your number never got rolled"
"Hey 12 is my lucky number! It's how many answers I got right on the Palace guard exam!" He whined to him and crossed his arms.
"That's not something to brag about" Another of the guards said as he and the other guards put their bets down for the next roll. "Hey, is Zuko gonna be mad if he finds out we're slacking off? Like fire us mad?" He asked.
"Pfft nah. He and the rest of the royal family sleep like logs at night. Especially now that people aren't trying to kill the Fire Lord anymore" A guard said back. "The day shift guards are the ones that gotta put up impressions and act professional. They don't realize the night shift guys got it great!" He said with a laugh.
The other guards laughed too at the statement, before another palace guard came flying down the hall and fell on the ground dead where the dice group was. They saw the guard and immediately got up off the ground. "Oh shit not again! We're under attAH-!" The guard yelped as a hooded figure landed on top of him and forced the guard to the ground. That hooded guy had a bow staff in their hands and swung it around to attack three of the other guards in fast pace before any of them could get the chance to fight back or even shout out that they're under attack. They were all knocked down and out cold on the ground in an instant, except for the one that got jumped on, who managed to crawl out and run down the hall and up a flight of stairs while limping.
The attacker figure stared down at the fleeing guard. As he managed to get up and run away, the hooded attacker didn't even bother chasing him down, as someone else handled it instead. The attacker simply leaned their body to the side, as a custom made spear flew right by them from behind, and impaled the guard in the back. The guard was unable to even get a word out as the stab to the back alone got him to barely let out a gasp of air, only arching his back out trying to get a word out, but instead fell backwards and slid back down the stairs with the spear still in him. The person who threw the spear walked over to meet up with their partner and more importantly to grab the spear from the dead guard.
Just then, a door from the side of the main hall kicked open and 4 more guards showed up. The 2 palace invaders looked at them with unamused looks as the guards got into fighting stance. "Any day now you two" The bow staff invader called out. Just when the the guards were about to attack, a fire bender who was also dressed in black like the other 2 flew towards the guards with fire being shot from his feet. He hit the wall that was behind the guards, then pushed out from said wall to lunge at the guards with 2 twin swords. He impaled 2 of the guards on the stomach, making them actually gasping out for air as the swords went through them. The other 2 guards gasped too when they saw what happened just to the side of them. Being outnumbered they had no choice but to fall back and alert the palace for assistance. They did not get far through as once they ran to another set of doors, those doors were then kicked open to reveal the 4th and probably most terrifying attacker. It was a super buff guy who was over 6 feet at least, towering over the 2 now scared shitless guards. The buff guy grabbed both of them by the throats, slowly lifting them off the ground while tightening the grip on their throats. The guards could only let out choking noises as they were being strangled, only able to kick around and try their hardest to get free, but to no avail. The buff guy had eventually stopped messing with them and finished the job, tightening his grip even harder until finally their necks made a cracking noise. Their windpipes finally being crushed in and they went limp as they died.
When the coast was clear and the guards dealt with as quiet as relatively possible, the 4 hooded invaders took their hoods down to show themselves to each other. The first guy, the bow staff wielder, was a male with a fool head of hair pulled back in a ponytail. The spear wielder was a woman, who had the appearance of water tribe origin. The fire bender with his swords, was another man of the group, a bald man with his face full of tribal tattoos that looked as though they run down his body under the robes. Finally the biggest, strongest, and tallest of the group, who with his hood off his face was still covered by a mask. if it wasn't obvious from his massive physical physic alone, he was also a man. All three of them looked at the bow staff wielder who was their leader, as he spoke up. "We have a limited amount of time before the bodies are discovered. We need to get into the palace treasure vault and retrieve the mask before the palace goes on high alert... Once we have it we won't need to hold back anymore to make our escape" He said to the team.
"Good... being sneaky is not what I'm known for" The big guy said under his mask. "What about Zuko?"
"Fire Lord Zukos time will come when he is fully aware of his surroundings and expects our arrival. Not peacefully in his sleep and when he least expects it" The man said. "He needs to know how helpless he really is against us"
The buff man growled and clenched his fist. "He must pay... they must ALL pay" He said.
"Easy Ruhan... Zuko will pay for his misdeeds to the world. They will all pay" The woman said to the man and pat his arm. "But not now... Now Zuko needs to stay in the illusion that he's safe" She said to Ruhan. Ruhan looked over at her and nodded. through the mask he had on she could tell he appreciated calming him down. She then looked back at the leader. "Amun. We should leave now before the guards arrive"
"Right" Amun said. They were about to leave but then saw one of the guards Amun has fought with earlier groaning as he slowly rolled on his back in pain
"You... I saw your faces. I-I'll remember you... F-F-Fire Lord Zuko will hear about this..." The guard said, or rather the very stupid guard said.
Amun sighed and shook his head disappointed. "Oh buddy... You really should have kept your mouth shut. Lian?"
Lian nodded her head, before walking towards the guard on the ground. She pulled her spear back out but this time she flicked a button on her spear that shot 2 spikes out of the sides from the head part of the spear, turning the spear into a trident. "Tell me guard... how are you gonna tell Zuko anything when you can't speak?" She asked before plunging the trident down into the guards throat. The guards eyes widened, wanting to scream out but instead death gurgling noises were made. Blood poured out of his throat and mouth with a puddle flowing around his body, completely choking him on his own blood until finally his body went limp as well, his hand opened up and the 2 dice he had in his hand ended up rolling out of it.
When the dice stopped rolling, it rolled into a 12.
Afterwards, Amun lead the team through the halls of the palace, to eventually get to the courtyard. "The vault full of the Fire Nations most treasured, and mostly stolen artifacts is several meters right below us. The locking mechanism requires a fire bender to unlock the door from a secure room further down in the basement. But I have a better idea... Ruhan, break through the floor" Amun ordered. "Uri, when the vault is open, find the mask. Put it on and don't take it off until we're out of here"
Uri, the sword wielding fire bender nodded while the brute Ruhan had a smirk on his face under the face covering he wore as he walked to the middle of the courtyard, while the other three backed up to let him do his thing. With a few deep breaths, Ruhan began to concentrate as images of his burnt down village rushed through his head. It was building up the rage inside of him to let it all out on the ground below him.
In this same time, Aang was in bed with Katara, cuddling together and enjoying the time they had together in the comfort of the palace bed. for them the walls made the rest of the world outside of their room rather silent, so they could not be disturbed. But of course they had to be disturbed when despite the silence the room provided they were able to hear a loud bang go off and then the entire palace shook. If the palace wasn't on high alert it sure as hell was now when everyone shot awake. Katara and Aang both gasped out loud as they got out of bed. "Holy shit! What the hell was that?!" Katara asked.
Aang looked around too super dazed and yet on high alert from suddenly being woken up so violently, while frantically getting clothes on. "I-I don't know... It wasn't an earthquake. I don't think it was at least" He said. Suddenly, the two of them heard the alarm bells of the palace finally go off. Either that crazy explosion was enough to get the guards to work or the bodies were found in the main hall. Most likely both.
Definitely both, when Aang could see fire being shot out out the window of their room, and the sound of what sounded like earth bending and water bending in addition. Definitely not Fire Nation guards, which means it was more than an earthquake. "Oh boy..." Katara said. "Go. I'll catch up" She said to Aang.
Without hesitation, Aang grabbed his glider staff before running to the window and jumped right through it. He then fell through a few stories up from where he was and the used his air bending to make a ball of air that cushioned his fall when he hit the bottom. Once on the ground he used the air ball to speed his way to where the battle was taking place which also sounded like it was getting worse and worse the closer Aang got. Finally he reached the courtyard where all the fighting was talking place, but once he was there the fight looked as though it was over. The palace courtyard was a wreck, with ice spikes and earth rocks all over the place but a lot more fire damage than anything else. The thing is however that most of the fire damage didn't look like it came from the guards, more like from the other side from whoever the fire bender was. Not the best sign that these guys aren't pushovers whoever they are and wherever they ran off to. In addition to the wrecked courtyard, there was a hole in the middle of the ground which must've been the shake that everyone felt, the wall on the side was busted down as well which may have been the intruders escape, and dozens of guards who were completely massacred upon arrival. They were either crushed by earth debris, impaled by ice spikes, or burnt up, and just like the courtyards damage suggests, their fire bender is pretty powerful because there were a lot more burnt up bodies than there were other dead bodies. Only a handful of guards survived but were badly injured so Aang went to them. "What the heck happened?!" He asked them.
One of the guards groaned as he sat up leaning against a tree. "Intruders... 4 of them I think" The guard said. "They came out of the vault down there and attacked us... Their fire bender was... Oh god it was horrible... I don't know how to possibly explain it" He tried his best to explain while bleeding out. "They murdered us all then just... left. Like almost instantly once you got here"
"There's still time to catch up to them" Aang said. "Ok you guys stay put. Katara will be here soon to heal you guys. I'm going after whoever did this" Aang then pulled his glider out and jumped up in the air to fly off. He went in the direction that the hole in the wall was and followed the direction for anymore signs of structures broken open, in an effort to find where the 4 attackers and where they ran off to. Most likely they had to get out of the palace and the Capital as fast as possible, which was a good sign when Aang saw another hole in the outer walls of the palace. He went further out past the palace to see where they could have gone. It was impossible to say where exactly due to the fact that it's the middle of the night and hard to see in the air. After 10 minutes, Aang figured it was best not to waste time so he flew back to the Capital to meet up with the others who got to the courtyard. Zuko was speaking to his guard captains, Katara was getting to work with healing the guards, Sokka and Suki were around the courtyard checking for anything left behind, as was Toph. Once Aang landed the group went over to him to get any new info.
"Did you find them?" Zuko asked.
Aang shook his head. "No... its too dark to see anything" He said.
"Then we need to get the whole Capital island on high alert" Zuko looked back at his captains. "Get out there and get every guard on high alert looking for a group of 4. close all the docks, keep the airship ferries grounded, do everything you need to do to find them... If they're still here I want them apprehended or dead!"
"Yes Fire Lord" The captains bowed to their Fire Lord before running off, rounding up all the other guards and soldiers to get to work.
"Toph need you to go too. You'll be able to help in finding them too" He said.
"I'll go, but they aren't coming back alive" Toph bluntly said.
"Noted... Now go" He gave her back a pat as she ran off too to help out in the search.
As the soldiers all left to patrol the whole Capital for the criminals who got away, the rest of the gang stayed together in the courtyard. "What the hell happened!? It looks like the invasion 2.0 in here!" Sokka said. "The main hall is filled with dead bodies, and the courtyard has even more"
"the short answer, 4 people broke in and then just left instantly. At least 3 of them are different benders" Aang said. He walked over to the hole to see the bottom. "Zuko what's down here?"
"The palace treasure vault. It's full of various priceless artifacts that Fire Lords have kept in the palace like a museum" Zuko said. "It used to be full of goods taken from the Earth Kingdom but that was returned to them years ago. I dunno what they were looking for down there but it sure as hell couldn't have been worth all this" He said as he looked around the destruction and chaos. "I'll have someone do a full inventory check. See what they took" Zuko said.
"Zuko you should stay here and help Katara with aiding the wounded" Aang said. "Me Sokka and Suki will head out on Appa. We gotta fly around the Capital and be prepared if they're found" He said.
"Stay safe Aang... These guys don't seem like they'll go down easily" Zuko said.
Aang nodded at him then blew his bison whistle. "Come on guys. We're going up in the sky" Aang said to Sokka and Suki.
Capital Hospital
The whole night was spent trying to find the intruders who got away. Despite the entire island being on lockdown and being thoroughly searched by not only the military but by Toph and her seismic senses across the entire city, there was no sighting of them whatsoever. How they managed to get out of the Capital it was without anyone's knowledge, which was needless to say to everyone's disappointment, especially Zuko who has nobody to prosecute for the death of his guards. When the morning sun rose up from the east after several hours of nonstop searching, Aang Sokka and Suki had to return to the ground to let Appa rest. They went to the infirmary where Zuko and Iroh were checking on the injured and their condition
The three of them arrived to the waiting room, which was where Zuko and Iroh were. Both of them stood up once they saw the trio arrive. "Any news? Did you find anything?" Zuko asked in a worried tone.
Aang sighed and shook his head. "The whole Capital and the island have been thoroughly searched all night long. Not a single trace of them anywhere" Aang said. "The soldiers questioned each of the civilians in town and none of them had seen anyone matching the description of the fugitives. And they're not hiding anywhere that Toph couldn't find them so they have to be gone" Aang said.
Zuko let out a frustrated sigh and put his hands on the back of his head. "You gotta be kidding me... They managed to get out that quickly?" Zuko said.
"It makes sense in a way. If they're going to go through all this trouble to break into the palace I'm sure they had a plan to get out too" Sokka said.
"I can't take that risk that they might still be here... Not now. Not during the festival" Zuko said. "I'm gonna have to cancel the rest of the festival. I don't want anyone getting hurt if they attack again" Zuko said.
Suki sat down in one of the chairs. "What did they even steal?" She asked.
"We don't know yet. A soldier will come here soon with a list of the artifacts stolen. Perhaps that will give us an idea where they could go to sell anything or bring them somewhere" Iroh said.
"So, how are the guards by the way?" Sokka asked.
"The ones who weren't killed back there are going to be ok... They're pretty banged up and all unconscious right now but they should live" Zuko said.
"Did they say anything at all that could help identify these guys?" Sokka asked back.
Zuko shook his head. "They could barely get a word out while Katara was healing them. Then once she was done they were sent straight her immediately after" He said. "All they kept saying was that there was 4 of them. but the fire bender one was the one doing most of the fighting"
"Yeah, one of them said that to me last night... The courtyard was a mess too with the amount of burnt up char and sword scrape marks, whoever this guy is he's pretty tough. But there were also boulders and ice shards so there's an earth bender and a water bender too" Aang said.
Just then, a Fire Nation soldier finally came into the hospital with a paper in hand and headed straight for Zuko. "Fire Lord, The inventory in the vault has been thoroughly examined. Only one object isn't accounted for"
"Only one?" Zuko asked in disbelief that they did all of that for one thing. Zuko took the list to see what that thing was. "They broke into the palace, murdered dozens of guards, put the whole Capital on alert on one of the biggest days of the year for... what, for a mask called the 'Ceremonial Fire Dancing Mask'? Why would they come and steal that of everything else?!" Zuko asked out loud.
Iroh's face instantly changed to pure shock and horror hearing that mask name. "Ceremonial... Oh no!" Iroh got up and walked to Zuko to take the paper and read it frantically. He then suddenly grabbed the soldier by his armor to pull him in close. "Are you absolutely certain THIS mask was taken?" Iroh asked the man.
The soldier yelped as he was pulled in and shook around a bit from the nervous wreck that Iroh had just become. "Y-Yes sir! We had the vault checked multiple times to be sure that was the only thing... W-We were just as confused too" He said.
"Uncle what's wrong?" Zuko asked him, as he was rather confused at his outburst.
Iroh let the soldier go. "Get out there and tell the captains to lock down the docks. Double the guards and watchmen around the entire Capital and the royal family. These people CANNOT step foot on this island again!" Iroh said. "Go! NOW!" He shouted, making the soldier yelp and quickly bow, then run out of the hospital.
"Uncle! What the hell is going on?" Zuko asked again. "Why are you freaking out about this mask?"
Iroh turned to him. "Zuko this mask is no ordinary mask. I know because I put this mask in there... 40 years ago Me and your father found it during our younger years in the royal family. We visited a Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom, checking on an excavation site that was suffering from small attacks from earth benders. Anyway, me and him found that mask buried underneath the excavation site, But only I knew what it truly was... Despite where it was buried I had to do everything possible to convince him that that mask was an authentic 200 year old year old performers mask... all so he'd send that as a gift to your grandfather Azulan to keep as a trophy in the vault, where it was supposed to stay and NEVER be worn" Iroh said.
"What?... Convince? Never be..." Aang shook his head a bit, still confused at what Iroh was talking about. "Iroh what exactly is this mask they stole?"
Iroh closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the window. "It's called the Mask of Flames" Iroh explained. "It's one of 4 spirit masks that were made by the original leaders of the Red Lotus"
"I'm sorry... Spirit masks? made by the what?" Sokka asked. "Iroh why don't you start from the beginning? Because we have no idea what you're talking about"
Iroh sighed and turned back to them. "Centuries ago the Order of the White Lotus was created as a method between all 4 nations to seek and preserve the beauty of philosophy and truth. We worked as a society in secret from the rest of the world to organize without the weight of political and national struggle weighing us down from our main goal in life. For our order to survive through our nations wars, it was our duty to stay secret from the world, to prevent our combined knowledge and philosophy from falling in the wrong hands. For years and years of our order being formed and preserving our way of life we survived MANY conflicts, but by the time of Avatar Yangchens era things changed in our group... Members of our order protested our ideas, believing that we would be put to better use by waging our OWN war against the 4 nations and the governments that ruled over them, as an effort to finally end the conflicts that plagued our world and finally achieve a form of harmony that we always dreamed of. In time, a handful of members left the White Lotus, and soon The Red Lotus was formed. An extremist anarchist organization that were more focused on disrupting the established orders of power all throughout the world, than it was about keeping neutral and secret for only like-minded individuals" Iroh explained.
"An extremist anarchist group... Oh man..." Zuko whispered in shock, realizing that the story his father told about the anarchist assassins who tried to kill Sozin was not bullshit after all. "How did they manage to make these spirit masks though that you're talking about?"
"Those original members of the Red Lotus spent a long time studying masterful bending techniques to use against the enemies they planned to eliminate, but it was what they managed to find on spirit infusion that really changed things... in between the end of Yangchens life and the beginning years of Kuruks, the spirits were becoming very restless and ferocious and creeping back into the physical world to reign havoc. I do not know how they managed to create such powerful objects, none of our members to this day understand the method they used... but they were able to have 4 separate masks become infused with both elemental chi and spirit energy, each able to hold a different type of element. The masks themselves seem like nothing but once they're worn by someone with the same chi as that mask, their body and mind changes completely, their element bending abilities are increased to the power of a dozen masters into one, not only that but they're given rather special abilities thanks to the spirit energy that coarse through their veins... they are the ultimate weapons anyone could ask for and the most dangerous" Iroh had explained in addition then sighed. "Or rather... they were. The moment we heard about the masks, we had no choice but to go on the offensive against our old friends and keep those masks out of the wrong hands. Theirs"
"So... Did it work?" Suki asked. "Dealing with the Red Lotus and the masks I mean. I'm assuming it worked, but still good to know how we got here"
"Yes It worked" Iroh nodded. "It took a lot of energy and a lot of lives but the White Lotus were able to defeat the Red Lotus leaders and get hold of the masks"
"Woah... The White Lotus won with all 4 masks against them? How did you guys manage that?" Aang asked.
"They never expected us to come after them. That's how" Iroh said. "After that, the remaining Red Lotus members left when it was all over were dismantled with no leaders to guide them, and the masks were taken away and hidden across the world. The members of the Red Lotus that still managed to stay around once the leaders were dealt with, spent the next few centuries still lying around, continuing their own personal unguided attempts with dismantling government order as best they could but with mostly no major results. By the time the 100 year war started however was when Red Lotus were really all destroyed, by their lack of subtlety that was their downfall... Whoever these people are searching for the masks again, it means that the Red Lotus have returned. And over a century of planning and secrecy from people like even us means they're getting ready for something big, something that will completely turn the tide and shift the balance of the world. And in the process that means they'll most likely come after you too Avatar" He said and motion to Aang. "Before the war, the White Lotus were always supposed to hide ourselves from everyone, even the Avatar. Obviously we've changed some of our rules since then but the Red Lotus believed killing you and ending the Avatar cycle entirely was a better option"
"Then... We have to find them and defeat them once again. All of us" Aang said and stood back up on his feet. "If this new generation of the Red Lotus are as dangerous as you say then it's up to the new generation to take them down. Before they do anymore damage and collect anymore spirit masks"
"Yeah what Aang said. These Red Lotus guys are going to plunge the world right back into chaos and I cannot allow that after all we've done to fix the world. Those masks must be destroyed" Zuko said
"No" Iroh shook his head. "They cannot be destroyed. The White Lotus has tried but they are indestructible to any form of damage we can inflict on them... When the Red Lotus is defeated, the masks must be hidden like before. This time in a place that nobody could ever find them" Iroh then explained to them.
"Ok then I'm sure we can handle that" Zuko said back. "Do you know where the other 3 masks are?"
"Err... Not quite" Iroh said. "All of the masks were originally hidden by the White Lotus leaders back when they were retrieved. But when I found the Mask of Flames all those years ago I had to reach out to all of the other members to hide the other masks in new locations, out of fear that they could be found" Iroh said to them. "The water spirit mask, the 'Mask of Waves', was tasked by Pakku's previous master at that time to hide it. I'm sure Pakku will know where it is... The earth spirit mask, the 'Mask of The Core', was hidden away by Bumi. His mind is still sharp, he'll still know what he did with it... and finally the air spirit mask, the 'Mask of Wind', was still hidden away by the original leaders. The White Lotus's Air Nation members hid it but were all killed in Sozins attack, and all of the information that they had on them as well were destroyed... we have no idea where it is now"
"That's fine. It's not like they'll even be able to use it anyway so it just means we have to worry about two masks for the time being" Aang said. "We can do this guys... We'll get the gang all together and discuss this again with everyone. Then plan out how we're going to go after the Red Lotus. We've dealt with worse people than these guys and I'm sure they won't pose too much of a challenge for the rest of us"
"Aang you must be careful... All of you. Do not underestimate these people" Iroh warned them. "Especially now when they have the Mask of Flames. One of these masks has more power than even the strongest elemental masters. But if they get all of them they have the ability could destroy the entire world, just in order to kill a few people. If you take the fight to them, you must anticipate everything and anything they might do to win" Iroh said. "Now I have to go warn our top members and have them help spread out the world to our order that the Red Lotus are back and making their move again"
"Hold off on that Iroh" Sokka said. We'll spread it for you. Once we get Katara and Toph up to speed on everything we'll spread out and tell the other masters of the Red Lotus when we go pick their brains for info on the masks"
"Yes... Yes that will help. You can make it to them faster than the messages will go out" Iroh said. "You should get going now. There's not a moment to lose now" He said to them. The gang all headed out of the hospital while Iroh went back to looking out the window, afraid and worried above all else. The Red Lotus are no simple enemy. Even with no intense leaders like the original ones guiding the members, they were always dangerous. And now after a century of them being wiped out they come back planning organized attacks on one of the most secure buildings in the world? The wise Iroh believed this cannot be a coincidence. "Someone new must be leading them... Someone with enough knowledge of the Red Lotus and their history... But who? Who would be so cunning and wise that they slid underneath our noses for so long... It makes no sense" He said to himself. In time he will need to rally the order to discuss this more directly. But that will have to wait.
Capital Airship Dockyard
With the whole Capital under lock down, the gang was given an escort to the air blimps that they will use to travel to their destinations. Along the way Aang explained to Katara and Toph the situation. By the time they arrived they heard the whole thing. "So... Those guys who attacked are the evil version of the White Lotus, and they're after 4 super powerful bending masks?" Toph asked. "Jeez... Why can't we ever just deal with a normal enemy for once?"
"What exactly is the plan now? Do we just travel the entire world again until we find 3 random masks" Katara asked.
"No. The masks were hidden 40 years ago by the White Lotus, and we're heading out to see them now. Ask them for information about the masks and warn them the Red Lotus is gearing up for war" Aang said, as he was packing up and getting Appa ready to fly. "Katara I need you to go to the Southern Water Tribe to see Pakku. Sokka, you and Suki head to your master Piandao. I'm heading to Omashu to talk to Bumi"
"Uh what about me?" Toph asked.
"Toph, I need you to head back to Republic City. Keep watch for anything suspicious in the city, like more suspicious than usual. These Red Lotus guys might be hiding out in the most advanced city or somewhere near it and I need the best detective to watch out for them. When we're all done, we'll all return back to the city to plan our next moves from there" He said to her.
"Ah... Well I can do that" Toph said. "But what about Zuko? Kinda seems like he should be tagging along with us on this, no?"
"Zuko said he has some things to deal with in the Capital before he leaves. He'll be meeting us in Republic City too" Aang said. "Listen, everyone, before we all leave I want you all to keep safe out there while we're all separated. Iroh was really REALLY freaked out when he heard this mask was stolen. And frankly for good reason too from what I'm hearing... We don't know what their next move will be but I have a feeling it wont be something that'll go unnoticed to us. If they found this mask on their own they're sure to find the others in no time, which is why we need the help of our masters to get this done... Good luck. All of you" He said to the gang before they all left for their different air blimps, each with a guide to get them where they need to go, especially Toph who will need it most of all.
Everyone got into their blimps, everyone except Katara who stopped to speak to Aang. "Aang... You seem pretty worried. Like more than you should be" Katara said and held his hand.
"Of course I am Katara... I've dealt with chaotic psychos before, but these guys are the most extreme form of extremists I've ever heard of... using spirit energy to be able to wield powerful form of bending elements? They're not making those to handle some political figure or two. Those were made for the Avatar"
"Well it definitely sounds like one of their many goals in all of this, but hey, what evil group isn't trying to these days?" Katara asked. "Look, you want everyone to be safe out there... But promise me YOU will be safe out there too. If anyone is at risk here it's you and we both know it"
"Boy you sure know how to make me feel relaxed" Aang said back and rolled his eyes.
Katara just smiled and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "You know what I mean" She said and then leaned in to give him a kiss.
As Aang kissed her back, they could hear Sokka in the distance, lightly groaning to himself. "UGH! You and your damn oogies!" He said.
"Oh god don't start with that shit again. Your an adult" Suki said in an annoyed tone.
Capital City Prison
Zuko went straight to his fathers prison cell, practically breaking the door open to get inside and see him face to face. Ozai, without giving any reaction to the sudden entrance, just simply rolled over on the mattress he was laying on to see who it was. Once seeing it was Zuko his annoyed and exhausted look turned to smug. "Well well... Has it it already been a few months since our last talk? Or was it last night? You tend to lose track of time when your in a prison cell for so long" He said.
All Zuko could do was glare at him. Millions of thoughts were going through his head while looking at him and all of them with the same exact emotion... Rage.
Zuko went up to his cell door, and shot fire straight at the door lock. He did not stop until the lock was completely melted off, then kicked the cell door open to get right inside. Ozai looked at his son confused at what he was doing, but then shock when he suddenly got into the cell and walked straight to him on the ground. Zuko got down to grab Ozai by his shirt, and proceeded to land a few punches at the old man. "You KNEW the palace would be attacked! Didn't you?!" He shouted. "You old pathetic piece of shit! You had my palace raided by psychos who knew exactly how to break in!"
Ozai was coughing and groaning from the punches he got on the ground, trying his best to speak but his son wasn't making it easy. But when he finally was able to speak, it wasn't anything that helped his case. "Ngh... S-So that was the alarms I was hearing all through the night, huh..." He said with a slight chuckle. "You kept me up all night ya know... My fuckin beauty sleep is all I got left after you took everything else!"
That just proceeded to annoy the Fire Lord. Zuko picked Ozai's pretty much limp body up off the ground and leaned him on the wall. He had one of his hands pressed on his shoulder to keep him staying up on the wall and opened the palm of his right hand to make fire come out of it, he raised his hand further up and closer to Ozais face to get the flame right at his left eye. "Your story about Anarchists killing Sozin... It wasn't bullshit at all, I know that now. I know because they returned and broke into my palace... The same night you gave me your little speech about them!" He shouted.
Ozai cut back on the smug talk as the heat of Zukos flame was right on his face, and right in a spot that he was certain Zuko was going to burn him on. He thought about the words Zuko spoke, confused all to hell before it all clicked at once. "Sozins stupid anarchist group? Well... What a bizarre coincidence, is all I can say..." Ozai said. "But a coincidence... is all that it is! If you really think I had anything to do with whatever happened last night you are sorely mistaken boy and mad at the wrong person"
"Why the fuck would I believe a word you say?!" Zuko shouted. "They broke into my home! Where my mother and sister live and sleep! and countless others who are loyal to me... Who lay their lives down for me!" He said.
"Well that just breaks my heart son... The way you think I'd give a shit about all the people who betrayed me..." Ozai said in a sarcastic tone. "But if you really must know how and why you should believe that I'd have nothing to do with this... It's because if you actually use your head to think, and thought that if I actually WAS planning to have you killed... I would've said nothing to make you suspicious like you are now" Ozai said to him, then gave a smirk. "In fact if I was going to have you killed, I'd say something to throw you off... like... like I love you son. You were always my favorite child" He said, laughing once again.
Zuko growled at him with even more rage. If Ozai was egging him to kill him, then it was working. He clenched his fist while raising it back before shooting a big slame in Ozais direction. the fire was so brought that Ozai covered his eyes as it got close to him. When it was over however Ozai saw the charred up mark on the wall, about a few inches from his face. Seems that Even though Zuko really wanted to he wan't going to get baited into killing his father... Yet. Both of them were panting as Zuko let go of Ozai, making him slowly slide back down to the ground while Zuko backed up a bit from him. "... Why did you not kill me?" He asked him, for once in a more sincere tone.
"Because killing you isn't worth it... Even after all these years it's just not" Zuko said. "Those Anarchist you talked about... They supposedly were weak after the start of the war and had no choice but to attack"
"It was a suicide mission alright" Ozai said. "They hoped killing at least Sozin would probably gain them a lot of attention and support to their group. How embarrassing they were never remembered once it was over"
"But they were... they're back... Their extremist ideology at least is back. They broke into the palace to steal a mask. Long story about that, and I don't quite have the time to explain it" Zuko said to him as he leaned on the wall on the other side of the cell. "Why I don't get is why they didn't bother to go further and kill me. They already managed to sneak in and make it half way through... And with the mask they stole they could have easily kept pushing through the guards. But instead they just... left... Why?" He said, more out loud to himself than to Ozai.
"Because they're taunting you" Ozai simply said. Zuko looked back up to look at him. "They're warning you and symbolically telling you how how unsafe you are with them still out there..." Ozai sat up a bit. "The next time they return here... They'll kill you" He said.
Zuko sighed and stood back up straight. "But why? I've done everything humanly possible to provide aid to the rest of the world as reparations for our nations past fuck ups"
"That's the thing about anarchists boy... They don't care. In their eyes you'll always be an enemy" Ozai said.
"Then I will stop them... It's my job to do so" Zuko said, then walked back out of the now destroyed cell door and walked out of the room. "I'll have someone move you to a different cell... Don't go anywhere" He said.
Ozai scoffed, still sitting against the wall. "I'm not going anywhere... And I think you know that" He grumbled as his son left.
Southern Water Tribe
In the last decade, thanks to the efforts of mainly the Northern Water Tribe, the Southern Water Tribe was not only restored, but their small village has turned into a large developing city that people could live in. As good as the city of the Southern Water Tribe looked and felt, Pakku and his wife Kanna both stayed outside the edge of town in a small snow cabin together to enjoy their old age in the peace and quiet away from the big city. By the time mid day came around, Katara had arrived to her home town and was in the process of talking to her grandmother and grandfather in their home.
Katara, Kanna, and Pakku were all sat together on the porch outside of the cabin talking, mostly hearing Katara talk about her time at Republic City. "Oh and I've started a water bending school in the city, to teach water benders in the city the way of both Southern and Northern water bending techniques so they can have the bending knowledge of both of their lands"
"Ah Katara that's amazing to hear... It's so good to hear how great you're doing in the new city" Kanna said. "Your mother would be proud and amazed to hear about the woman you've become"
That put a big smile on Kataras face, almost tearing up. "Me and Aang have been talking... uh... well about baby names. We decided that when we have one, we'll name the baby Bumi if its a boy and Kya if its a girl"
Kanna let out a sigh. "Great grandchildren..." She said in an exhausted tone. "If I'm still alive for those then I'll be too old"
Katara let out a slight laugh. "Well... We still need to get married first so don't wait" She said and played with her hair a bit.
"Oh Katara, you don't think Aang is thinking about that too with you? After being with you for 10 years?" Pakku asked. "You two are young, very young still to think about things like marriage and children. Take it from me, he's just waiting for the right chance to ask you. You just need patience"
"And wait for when you're ready most importantly" Kanna said. "Though given how much you two love each other, You've probably been ready for a while"
"Yeah you can say that... It just seems like every time we try to get the chance to take our relationship to another level, I'm either distracted by life problems or Aang is distracted by Avatar duties... mostly Avatar stuff though"
"That's definitely a side effect of dating the Avatar, but you're not the only woman in time to make it work with an Avatar. I'll bet no partner of the Avatar ever made it work with them immediately. It's a real learning curve for sure" Kanna said. She then slowly stood up and stretched her arms out. "I think I'm going to heat up some tea... Katara do you want any?" She asked.
"Oh yes please" Katara said as she left. When she left, Katara let out a sigh. "Pakku I, uh... I wish i could be here with better news, but I'm really here to speak to you" Katara said. "Iroh told us to see the White Lots members... the Fire Nation palace was attacked last night"
Pakku gasped a bit shocked. "During the Festival" He asked. "Oh god is everyone ok?"
"Yes we're fine... a lot of guards were killed though in the attack though" Katara said. "They weren't there to kill anyone specific par say... They went to steal something. The Mask of Flames. Something you're probably familiar with?" She asked.
Pakku had a bigger sense of shock hearing that but then nodded. "The spirit mask... Then it WAS the Red Lotus" He said.
"That's what Iroh believes too" Katara said. "Iroh wants the rest of the masks collected before the Red Lotus finds them too. He said you would know where the Mask of Waves is"
Pakku shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm afraid not" He said. "My previous master before me re-hid the mask long ago, he left the Northern Water Tribe in a several month long hunting trip in the open oceans to hide it away but when he returned he told nobody where it was hidden before he died. Not even me" He explained. "Perhaps if I can take a look at his personal belongings back in the Northern Water Tribe, if there is anything left, I can find a clue. I'm certain he had to have documented it somewhere if we look hard enough"
"Great idea. I can help you with that too to make it easier" Katara said. "So... How's life with gran gran?" She asked.
Pakku let out a relaxed sigh. "It's incredible... The time I spent with her the last few years, It really makes me rethink all the time we missed out on together when she left. How many regrets I have, about what I wished I had done better for her. For you. For many women who came to me wishing to learn water bending" He said. "In fact, it makes me rethink a lot of not only the future of the Water Tribe... but the future of the White Lotus too"
"Oh? What about?" Katara asked back.
"For so long, we hid from the rest of the world as a small organization... but when we all joined together to liberate Ba Sing Se, I saw just how much work we could do for the world than just play Pai Sho games" He looked at his grand daughter. "I think we should become a public organization, and get more into the political and national affairs that we should have done a long time ago"
"Really?" Katara asked. "That would be pretty interesting. I'm sure you guys would be able to provide a lot of much needed insight to the world that really needs it.
"Exactly" Pakku said. "I'll bring this up to Iroh and the other members. But for now lets worry about this mask... I dunno how I'm going to explain this to Kanna though" He said.
"Gran Gran is tougher than you think. She can handle herself" Katara said it.
"You said it sweetheart" Kanna said as she returned with a tray with 3 cups of tea. "And don't worry about explaining. My hearing still works and I hear all of that" She said as she sat back down. Katara smiled as she took a cup to sip on, and enjoy the time she'll have with her family before eventually having to leave her home once again.
Piandao's Castle
Sokka and Suki were in Master Piandao's Castle in the eastern Fire Nation islands, a building that for a while was only known as Piandao's home, is now also a training school for non benders all around the world wishing to learn swordsmanship and self defense. The duo walked around the grounds of the castle, observing Piandao's various trainee students practicing with wooden swords. Sokka gave a satisfied sigh. "This brings back memories... While we were getting ready for the invasion, this was where I found my own master to teach me how to wield my space sword" He said.
"Oh, the one you lost during the comet?" Suki asked him.
Sokka frowned at the question. "Don't remind me..." He said. "I looked everywhere in that area where the Fire Nation was setting on fire during the comet. if it wasn't destroyed, I dunno if it'll ever be found"
"Ah well. It could have been much worse during that fight. And we did more damage than anyone could even think we'd be able to pull off" Suki said and pat her back. "Oh hey isn't one of the kids from your village here to train?"
"Oh yeah little Baren" Sokka said and looked around the younger students training and then pointed at him practicing his sword swings with the other students. "Yeah he's reached the age that Piandao will train him. Which happens to be my age when I came to Piandao" He said. "He always had a bit of a bladder problem. But I'm sure he's over it now that hes older"
"I'll bet now he's gonna do great things with his new training. Especially with a great teacher" Suki motioned to the front of the training class, where Piandao is there training said students.
Piandao eventually noticed Sokka and Suki on the side, slightly surprised since he wasn't expecting guests. He cleared his throats and put his sword down. "Take a break students. When we return we will begin sparing lessons" He said. The students all left to return to the inside of the castle, all except one.
Baren noticed Sokka and almost immediately ran towards him before Piandao could get the chance to speak to him. He hugged his friend. "Sokka! Oh man it's good to see you" Baren said.
"Ah it's good to see you too Baren" Sokka said and hugged him back. "How are you enjoying your summer of sword training?" He asked.
"Ah it's great. I can't wait to go back home to the Water Tribe next week" Baren said.
"I hope you're learning from Piandao and not taking potty breaks every 10 minutes" He said jokingly and messed his hair
Baren yelped and pushed his hair away, fixing his already messy hair. "I was 5 you dick!" He said. "Jeez... When are you gonna stop bringing that up?"
"Hmmm... How about when you're older than me?" Sokka asked back with a chuckle, then saw Piandao walk over. "Hey why don't you run along Baren? I have some things to speak to Piandao about... Don't worry we'll speak again before I leave"
"Ok!" Baren said then left the training area with the others, leaving Piandao with Sokka and Suki.
"It's good to see you again Sokka" Piandao said, his arms behind his back.
"Good to see you as always master" Sokka bowed to his master. "You remember Suki right?"
"Ah yes the Kyioshi Warrior... How could I forget?" He said and greeted Suki as well. "What brings you two here?"
"It's probably better we speak more in private... Do you know where we can go?" Sokka asked.
"As a matter of fact I do" Piandao said.
The trio had left the perimeter of the castle to walk out to the open fields, to a location that Sokka knew exactly where they were headed to but said nothing to not ruin the surprise for Suki. "So... How's Baren doing in his training?" Sokka asked his master.
"The boy is a natural fighter" Piandao said. "He was very eager to learn when he arrived at the beginning of summer. He looks up to you a lot it seems"
Sokka smiled at hearing that, nodding his head. "When the war was getting worse and worse for the Southern Water Tribe, the men or our tribe had to leave to aid in fighting the war. I was too young to go with them so I had to stay with the women and the infants. In that time I tried my best to train the kids to fight, but you can imagine how that went" He said. "Thanks again for taking him in as a trainee"
"Don't mention it, not only was it a pleasure taking a new eager fighter in, it was the least I could do for you" Piandao said to Sokka. "Before I meet you I rarely ever trained anyone in swordsmanship, as most people who came wanting to learn from me were Fire Nation soldiers who wanted to learn ways to kill an enemy. You were one of the first who not only traveled from outside of the Fire Nation to seek me out but your reasons were not to kill... But to learn. It was rather refreshing for once to meet someone like you" Piandao said. "After the war, and hearing about all you and your friends did against the entire airship fleet, you inspired me to reopen my doors to people all across the nations willing to learn the ways of the sword for real reasons beyond killing people"
"Well I'm glad that I could be such a help to a man like you, master" Sokka said back. "I try to do everything I can for not just you but everyone... Over the last few years I've spent my time traveling the world either on my own or with other adventurers, providing aid to different villages, whether it be hunting animals or fighting bandits harassing people, I've definitely made it a full time job doing what I can"
"That's a very mature way of seeing the world and assisting those in need Sokka" Piandao said. "I know why you really sought me out for guidance all those years ago... as a non bender in a group of skilled element benders you felt unsure in not only your place in your team but in the world as a whole. Feeling inferior and useless... This world we live in has made people believe that not being able to bend is considered a limitation in what a human is capable of. But the truth, like you probably have figured out by now, is that the only limitations in this world..." He then stopped to turn, and face the cliff side of the beautiful waterfall grassland area that was right in Piandao's backyard. Suki was teary eyed seeing the majestic view while Sokka was smiling too and enjoying the view that to his day he remembers fondly as part of his training to take images in in an instant while fighting, but did not take away from the beauty of nature. "... Are the things you fail to see in front of you"
"Wow... It's incredible. Not even Kyioshi Island has anything this beautiful" Suki said.
"Yes it's one of the few places the Fire Nation army hasn't poisoned" Piandao then turned to look at the duo. "Now what is it you came here to speak about?"
Sokka snapped out of it upon hearing him ask that, remembering the whole reason he came here in the first place. "Right... Uh... Did you hear about the attack on the palace last night?" Sokka asked.
"Vaguely... I heard that the Capital palace was broken into. Such a shame, especially in the middle of a festival of all times too. I do hope they find whoever did such a thing" Piandao said.
"It was the Red Lotus" He said to answer his question. "Something I believe you're familiar with?" He asked.
"The Red Lotus..." Piandao said, frowning a bit unsettled. "The White Lotus's chaotic opposite... I recall the stories about them but they were wiped out shortly after the beginning of the war" He said.
"Well they weren't very wiped out it seems... Or at least that's what Iroh believes" Suki said. "They stole something called the Mask of Flames, and most likely on their way to get the rest of the spirit masks. Aang and Katara are on their way to speak to Bumi and Pakku, and we came to warn you of their return"
"That, and we were hoping you may know anything about the Mask of Wind" Sokka said. "Iroh mentioned the mask was nowhere to be found after it was hidden away hundreds of years ago"
"Correct" Piandao said. "I'd love to help you but unfortunately that particular mask was hidden by our air nomad members of the order long before any of us were ever even born... And then eventually when Sozin began his comet attack on the air temples, all of the air nomads and most of their history were completely destroyed, including most of the documents of our own members in the White Lotus. The masks location has been left as a mystery to this day... The good news however in regards to the Red Lotus is that the mask itself will not work for anyone unless worn by an air bender, So worst case scenario, you will only need to deal with 3 masks, not 4" He said.
"Ah so no pressure" Sokka said back sarcastically. "One mask is already hard enough to fight against I've been told. How are we going to take on 2 more if the time comes?"
"Apapap. You're speaking like a man with limitations" Piandao said and pat his pupils back. "You will find a way Sokka... I know it" He said.
Sokka sighed, giving his master a nod. "You're right master... Right now we just need to focus on getting the rest of these masks. But when the time comes we should really find the air mask too, because I feel like we'll need every advantage we can get with these guys"
Piandao rubbed his chin deep in thought. "Well... It's not much but I can see if I can sift through all of the air nomad documentation that survived the attack. It's not much but maybe there will be something we can find that will give us a location if anything" He said.
"That'll help" Sokka said. "We'll let the others know in Republic City and see what we can find about the other masks... I'll come back next week to pick up Baren and see if you have any updates" He said.
As Suki and Sokka were about to walk back towards the castle, Piandao stopped him again. "Sokka, may we have a quick word actually while I have you here?" He asked him.
Sokka seemed confused about what else he would want, but agreed nonetheless. "Oh, uh sure... Suki why don't you meet us back at the castle?"
"Hmmm... Can I get the students sparing lessons stared?" Suki asked, with a big hopeful smile on her face.
Piandao nodded. "You may... Perhaps they'll learn a thing or two from a real Kyioshi Warrior knocking them down" He said.
"I know I did" Sokka said and kissed Sukis cheek before she headed back to the castle. He looked back at Piandao. "What is it master?"
"I've heard some other things too. In Republic City... Particularly that they are looking for a Council member to represent the Southern Water Tribe in city affairs" Piandao said.
Sokka looked at him confused once again. "Uh... Ok? Where are you going with this exactly?"
"Well, as you're aware with the White Lotus our philosophy and ideology go beyond the politics of our nations... of course, that was long before a good amount of our members gained the positions of the highest royal courts around the world, so perhaps it's time we made some changes with our order if we're going to prevent anything like another 100 year war from happening again" He said. "Other members have talked about making ourselves more known in the public eye, getting ourselves in politics and such like that... My point is, I believe that your the best person for a career in politics"
"What?" Sokka asked. "Me...? But why?" He asked shocked, and confused by the sudden suggestion from him.
"Because your knowledge and experience in not only the Southern Water Tribe, but your experience from traveling around the whole world, taking in every nations cultures and ideals, and their own assorted problems, would make you an excellent councilman for the city of all 3 nations living together"
Sokka took it all in that he was told, as he turned toward the edge of the cliff and stared at the view of the water fall deep in thought. "I... I don't know... My experience has always been in fighting. Defending those who can't defend themselves... doing the small things that most people don't have the time to do for the world" He said. "I really don't think I'll be good for something like that"
"I think your EXACTLY the person they need" Piandao said and stood to the side of Sokka. "It may seem like a lot to think about for a man your age, taking on such a deep responsibility like this, but society needs a strong willed individual who can not only compare themselves with societal problems and speak for thousands of people in a way that most others can't. Not the weak politicians trying to appease tyrannical leaders, something I know a man like you will die before he ever does such a thing. The world will always need warriors... But the world needs leaders a lot more" He put his hand on Sokkas shoulder. "I would just consider it in the future. For the time being just focus on the Red Lotus... THAT is where the world needs you right now"
Sokka sighed as he kept looking out to the distance. "I guess... your right about all of that" He said. "Thank you master. You sure know just what to say"
"That's what makes me a master" He said. "My job is to make you a better man than me when you're my age"
"Heh... I dunno how that could ever happen" Sokka said back. "But I'll do my best"
Omashu Palace
As the sun began to set in Omashu, Aang arrived to the mountain city and went straight to the palace. Once there however he took a deep deep breath as he stood in the halls of the palace, staring at the door in front of him frozen solid in fear. He knew that this day would eventually come. But at the same time he dreaded this day too. His 122 year old friend was in that room and he could not bare to see him. "Umm... Is everything alright, Avatar?" One of King Bumis servants asked who lead him to the room.
"No... Bumi is in that room, and I don't know if I can bare seeing him" Aang said and looked back at the servant. "He's my only living friend from my childhood and I... I just don't want to see him die too"
the servant sighed a bit. "Bumi talks about you a lot in the time that I worked under him... He cares a lot about you, just like you care for him" He said to the Avatar. "It would mean a lot for him to see you"
Avatar took another deep breath through his nose, then out his mouth, attempting to calm down as best as possible. "Ok... I'm ready" He said. The servant opened the door to the room Bumi was in. But it was not the throne room, it was Bumis bedroom, or more specifically his death bed. Bumi's old age was finally beginning to catch up to him, as he spent the last 6 months very ill and had to rule his city from his bed now. Everything in his body wasn't working as good as it used to. Even his signature feature, his muscular old man body was failing him in the end, reduced to skinny bone.
Bumi was coughing badly in a rag when he saw Aang arrive. He waved his hand out to Aang, motioning him to come over. "Aang... My oldest friend" He said in a weak tone. "Ah look at you... You look good for a 122 year old, you know that? Age has been very kind to your looks..." He said with a few snort chuckles followed by coughing again.
Aang would usually laugh at Bumis jokes, and he tried his best to be a good sport to the old man. All he could give was a weak nervous chuckle, trying his best to keep his composure as he got to the side of Bumis bed. "Ah... You don't look so bad yourself Bumi" Aang said back. "The doctors said you're going to be around long enough to see me and Kataras baby... We've even thought of naming him Bumi if it's a boy"
Bumi scoffed slightly. "Cute Aang... Do us both a favor and stick to air balls, and not jokes" He said, slowly raising his arms up for a hug. Aang bent down to hug Bumi, and Aang could feel that his muscular body has deteriorated to a shriveled up skinny boney body. "It's so good to see you Aang... In my final moments I knew you would man up and eventually come to see me one last time"
"Don't say that Bumi, you're speaking crazy again. Your going to be fine..." He said and kept hugging Bumi, with tears in his eyes.
"I've never spoke a crazy word in my life boy... You should know that by now" Bumi said as he let go of Aang, letting Aang stand back up straight. "Now... Tell me why you really manned up to come see me here"
Aang looked down at Bumi with a frown on his face and rubbed his eyes. "The uh... The Red Lotus attacked the Fire Nation palace. They stole the Mask of Flames" Aang bluntly said.
Bumi could only let out a sigh, an exhausted frustrated sigh. "I always knew they would come back... I was still a child when I remember hearing how the remaining members were all killed in the palace back in Sozins day. But that always didn't settle right with me... I mean, how could a group like that think that would work?" He asked, and used all his strength to sit up in bed a small bit. "Open the windows for me please? The nurses keep closing them, saying it's bad for my health. But boy does it smell like old people in here..." He said.
Aang nodded and walked over to the big windows on the side. Only to be stopped by the servant. "N-Now hold it Avatar, the King cannot have a change in air, it will be bad for his health like the nurses said and-" The servant then yelped as Aang lightly tapped his foot to earth bend the servant, and make him slide to the side of the room to get out of the way. "O-Ok, or do..." He said, just holding his hands together and let him do it
Aang went to the closed big bedroom windows, raising the blinds and opening the windows up. The light of the setting sun shined into the bedroom and right onto Bumi's bed specifically. Aang helped by using very light air bending to get the stuffy air out of the bedroom and replace it with fresh air from outside. Bumi let out a sigh of relief feeling the soft breeze hit him. "Ahhh... That's better... So what's this about the Red Lotus again?"
"They broke into the palace. Killed a ton of guards. Stole the Mask of Flames. And then left almost immediately" Aang said. "Iroh believes they'll strike again to get the other spirit masks, so we need to find the masks first" Aang pulled a chair over towards Bumis bed and sat next to him. "Iroh also said that you were the one to hide the Mask of The Core away"
"Ah Aang... I don't even remember what smushed up liquid food I had last night. I can't possibly remember what I did with that mask 40 years ago" Bumi said.
"You remember me" Aang retorts.
"Because you're more important to me than a silly mask" He said back. "If you really must know... I had that mask shipped away and delivered to all over the Earth Kingdom, to make the mask impossible to track down in a long series of delivery changes... Perhaps I written down somewhere in my records all of the locations the mask was to be sent to. I can help you find it in a little bit. Just gotta get a wheelchair or something" He said to him, trying to sit up a bit more, but it just made him groan and cough some more.
"Stop Bimi" Aang said and helped him stay in bed. "Don't worry Bumi I'll get it done... You just stay and rest" He stood up on his feet ready to get going, but then Bumi grabbed his wrist. Aang looked at Bumi, and for once in his life, Bumi was the one tearing up.
"Oh Aang... I... I'm so sorry" Bumi said.
"Sorry? For what?" Aang asked him confused.
"You didn't deserve this... You deserved none of this... The war... Frozen for 100 years... Your own people... You had your whole life ahead of you as a child... and even now the ghosts of your past... they're coming back to haunt you..." Bumi said through his tears running down his face, and despite his weak and frail body he kept going. "The White Lotus know the truth... Iroh said to not tell you... to hide the truth, but you... But you deserve to know... You NEED to know... in order to to stay alive..."
Aang got even more confused as he spoke, but overall worried as Bumi began to pant heavily. "Bumi? Bumi calm down. W-What are you talking about?" He asked, getting more worried about him as Bumi put clenched on his own heart with his other hand, groaning some more and coughing. "Bumi!? BUMI!" He shouted then looked at the servant. "G-Go! Go get help! Hurry!" He shouted to the servant, who immediately ran out of the bedroom doors and called for help from the guards and doctors down the hall.
Just when the servant left, Bumi then reached up from Aangs wrist, to instead grab Aang by the shirt and pulled him in. "The Red Lotus was there... In the air temple, ready to take you, before the comet... They knew war was coming... they wanted it to happen... They're monsters, ALL of them. Especially the one... the one who lead them back then..." He said all to him, through his dying gasps for air.
Aang looked even more dumbfounded at his friend, taking in all that he said despite the emotions that ran through his head, he had to take it all in. But even still it was so bizzare and sudden to just drop on him. "W-W-What are you talking about? Bumi? WHO was their leader?!"
"Beware of the Red Lotus Aang... Trust none of them... even those... you were once closest too..." He whispered in a much weaker tone before taking in one last gasp for air before his last and final exhale of his life, loosing his grip on Aang, and tipping back and collapsing on the bed, limp and lifeless.
Aang widened his eyes in horror and his eyes filled with water seeing his old friend like that. He stood there stunned, even when the guards and doctors ran into the bedroom to their king. Aang snapped out of it when a doctor grabbed his arm. "Avatar you need to leave" The doctor said calmly but in a hyperactive tone. Before Aang could even say anything the guards pulled Aang out of the room for him anyway, the doctors then closed the door and worked on the king while Aang stayed outside of the hall. He leaned on the wall still in udder shock that if the doctors are unable to help Bumi, he just watched his closest friend die. The sheer horror in his eyes as he spoke to him about the Red Lotus, with his last dying breath... It left Aang with more questions about the Red Lotus than ever. Where is the Mask of The Core? Where does Aang go from here to even begin finding the mask without Bumi's help? What was Bumi talking about with "those he was closest too"? If the Red Lotus were there in the air temple... Who exactly were they?