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"That doesn't look good, Aang. Let's stop a bit away," Sokka warned. The mark of fire nation around the marked Makapu Village in Sokka's map came with a cloud of dark smoke and armored vehicles that could be seen from a distance.
"It matters not. We've been discovered. Boy, use those needles only in the most dangerous situations. You can accidentally cause fatal injuries," Pakku looked at Tom-Tom.
"Hey, how are we discovered—" Before Sokka could question, a giant flaming projectile whistled through the sky aiming directly at Appa.
"It's because if you can see them, genius chieftain, then the chances are they can see you, too," Pakku scoffed, standing up with impeccable balance while calling out, "Aang, with me."
There was something different about Appa. He had two giant pouches made of animal skin tied to his saddle which contained water. Preparing for the shift in balance by the sudden removal of water, Pakku and Aang waved their hands in the same flow and created a giant globe of water that seemingly swallowed the flaming projectile. The water heated up only for a moment as Aang's expression brightened, "Check this out!"
He picked his staff and began to rotate on Appa's head. Much to Pakku's surprise, Aang seemingly took complete control over the giant globe of water as it began to rotate, too.
By now, the situation was already clear and Team Avatar was discovered but that didn't stop Aang from suddenly waving his staff in the direction of the metal catapult as the velocity of the spinning water instantly made the rock fly out with a whooshing sound.
"It's... like a boomerang," Sokka smiled. Tear of happiness escaping his eyes.
"Hmm, aerial battle against Fire Nation troops without the numbers is suicide. Let's get down," Pakku spoke up.
"Hey, I said that the first time!" Sokka scoffed.
"Yes, but your reasoning was stupid, granted that we were also discovered. My reasoning is considered a tactic," Pakku snorted. The old and the young glared at each other.
---
"And you did not tail the prisoners? Warden Hara, you had enough resources and manpower to command a few soldiers and have them tailed."
In a well-pitched tent sat Hara. In front of him stood Zhao. A few guards stood within the tent while the Admiral interrogated the warden. Of course, it was an informal one. A more personal use of his title than anything else.
"The villagers resisted the idea, Sir," Hara replied. He had already explained how Nik not only defeated them but also made the prison disappear at the same time which made Zhao already gnash his teeth.
"And since when do you care about the village's opinion?" Zhao questioned coldly.
"Since it was exposed that these prisoners were kept away for reasons as diabolical as having their minds controlled eventually. Everyone knows it. Sir."
Zhao's expression froze up. All it took was one point of exposure and things had already begun to crumble.
Hara stood up at this point and Zhao instantly growled, "What do you think you're doing?"
"To demand a few answers from the Fire Lord." Hara snorted.
"Have you lost your mind?" Zhao shouted in rage, the torches dug into the ground had their flames growing in intensity as Hara turned around.
"Fire Nation military responds to the highest title at any given point. You aren't the one with the highest title now, Admiral Zhao. I have done the courtesy to inform that the kids you couldn't handle destroyed the Phoenix King's plans and now, I want to explain similar things to the Fire Lord because he was never even aware of our presence."
Zhao's gaze turned colder as he saw Hara leave.
*Bang*
The earth shook for a moment with a loud sound making the recently pitched tent near the Makapu Mountain tremble.
"What's going on?" Zhao walked out with his body already ready for battle when other soldiers hurried out of the tent, too. They saw the payload from the catapult flying into the distance towards a very familiar target. Zhao may not have seen Aang's sky bison but he knew the description of it already and when the giant blob of water caught it, his lust for catching the Avatar reached his peak.
"Set up a response unit to accompany the Fire Lord. Have other firebenders ready by the perimeters of the camp," Zhao commanded instantly to one passing soldier with a clearly better armor.
"Admiral Zhao—"
Zhao didn't listen as he continued with an ambitious glint in his eyes, "We'll catch the Avatar even if we have to burn down this entire forest!"
"Admiral Zhao! Fire Lord has only ordered to shoot out warning shots should the Avatar approach the campsite." The man finally spoke up.
"Huh? That's not right. Where is he?" Zhao instantly confronted the man only for him to shrug.
"Fire Lord made it clear to me that he had a prior appointment with someone. Hmm, I told Warden Hara the same thing. Fire Lord is currently visiting the Makapu Village."
The only reason Zhao refrained from rolling his eyes was that he personally felt the shred of strength the Fire Lord still held at his disposal and now realized the level of strength even needed to rule.
"I will bring him back," he groaned reluctantly.
---
*Bang*
"What do you think this second sound was?" Within her mansion, Wu hosted a special guest and if Katara was here, she might just realize that this who Wu was talking about as a 'special' someone.
Sitting in front of her was an older man with his body draped in regal red. His eyes were closed while he held a cup of steaming tea close to his face, letting the aroma drift into his senses naturally with a content smile on his face.
"Well, the previous noise was the launch of flaming payload. Of course, I don't know the target," Iroh answered.
"You don't?" Wu questioned.
"I can guess," Iroh's smile deepened as he took a sip of the tea, "Ah, this isn't just the Panda Lily. Its repellent taste is masked by... tropical honey. And, this noise was, of course, about something large hitting the ground at a good speed. Given that my army's catapult was launched, my guess is that the target managed to return it back."
"Is that your experience talking?" Wu continued.
"Conversations regarding everything either come from experience, or simply accumulates to our experience," Iroh opened his eyes finally, "Wu," the man flashed a grin, "I must say that your beauty is more soothing than the cup of tea in my hands."
Wu chuckled, "Well, you will be glad to know that the cup of tea isn't the only thing you can get in your hands."
Iroh and Wu stared at each other for a few seconds before chuckling.
"Fire Lord Iroh, I must say that my predictions still fail at describing how endearing your presence is," Wu shook her head.
"Whatever you're saying, Wu? Call me Iroh," he shrugged and placed the cup down, "And I'm sure you have felt it, right?"
"Six years ago... there was a shift," Wu took to the point and narrowed her eyes, "Even I can't see everything but I know that many things that happen now were never supposed to happen."
"Sigh, worrying about what could be and what shouldn't be is not something a human should worry," Iroh waved her off with an expression of ease, "What I meant, however, was that you must have felt that interacting with a spirit so intimately is corrupting and you have begun to pass it on to others. Precisely, that lovely assistant of yours, Meng."
"Spirits guide us," Wu's brows creased slightly into a frown, "I felt that a learned man as you would know it."
"Learned?" Iroh questioned, "Me? Is this something that the spirit you interact with stated?"
"Yes," Wu nodded without hesitation.
"Then isn't it already evident that spirits are similar to human beings? They have presence and intellect at varying levels. If considered from a broader perspective, of course. And I'm a General of war. Disruptor of peace... Slayer of the Last Dragon... these are not the titles of a learned being but a killer."
"Spirits are immortal. They are very different from humans and just because a person kills in war doesn't mean it is their destiny."
Iroh simply chuckled, "Immortality... well, you speak with a tone of certainty. Do you know what my destiny is?"
"No, destiny is in one's choices. I could never know that."
"But you know the future."
"Just because Destiny is capable of being changed doesn't make it easier to budge from the path it is meant to take."
Iroh nodded.
"Would you like to know your future?" Wu questioned.
"An old like me only has one event left in my life and I would rather be surprised," Iroh shook his head.
A flash of disappointment passed through Wu's eyes and she shook her head, too.
"Iroh, do you think the Phoenix King is the rightful ruler?"
"Wars are fought to determine the conqueror itself. If every conflict could settle with the morality of right and wrong... even I fail to comprehend such a world," Iroh issued a sigh.
"That's not the answer."
"It's an answer," Iroh smiled, chuckling, "Why is it that when after six years of tirelessly working for my nation I take a break to tour the Earth Kingdom, enjoy the natural hot springs, and the local cuisine, I have to focus on my duties again?"
"It's not pleasure for you, right? You don't think that the Phoenix King is doing right. I know something he has already committed and it's something worse than just keeping prisoners like that," Wu narrowed her eyes.
"Did the spirits inform you of these things you are so sure about?" Iroh smiled, "Any spiritual guru, if they still remain, would recommend that one's spirit should not be tainted by another. Wu, it's still not the point of no return."
Wu, however, remained staunch, "Spirits are the beauty of this world. And my information is not entirely dependent on my spiritual guide. What they did mention was the thing you actually returned to the Earth Kingdom for."
Iroh finally lost his composure for a moment when he held the cup again, "Aw... it's lukewarm. We can't have that. A lukewarm tea is worse than a cold tea!"
As he heated the cup, he glanced at Wu, "So? A man of my age really loves surprises. Do stun me with what I am really here for."
"To try appeal to the Phoenix's human side by recovering what he lost in his arrogance and quest for power," Wu replied confidently.
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"I'm sorry... even I can't return my Younger Brother's age. War just takes too much time and now he is older. Existential crisis really makes one attempt extreme actions," Iroh smiled.
"Oh?" Wu grinned, "I'd say that you're planning something more... possible. Something that you desperately wish for but have made your peace with while your younger brother never truly treasured his own."
Iroh grew silent and sipped.
"And you expect something in return for this information?" Iroh questioned, causing Wu's eyes to gain a strange brilliance.
---
Zhao had just stepped into the village after understanding the location where he will find the Fire Lord but he also found his footsteps slowing down as he began to feel multiple sets of eyes focused on him filled with disgust.
"What is it?" Zhao finally stopped in front of a stall selling dry fishes with his hands behind his back.
"Nothin'!" The villager scoffed and then fanned himself again without even glancing at Zhao.
Just as Zhao moved slightly, he heard the villager snort softly, cursing him and spitting, "Filthy swine, phuuey!"
Stopping again Zhao looked back at the stall owner peacefully fanning against his face.
"Excuse me, Peasant. What did you call me?"
Zhao remarked with a smile saturated with cold fury. His words now instantly earned him the ire of those around him.
"My name's no peasant. It's Fishy Yao! And lemme tell you something. Aunt Wu says nothing will happen to me today so I will call you. swine and a whoreson fucked by some old cripple probably and you will roll over!"
Zhao gaped slightly. He seemed to have fallen back into the cold metal cell where Bumi would visit to constantly insult him and his mother.
His fists lit up and he instantly punched out without any warning when a sharp needle accurately stabbed through the cuffs of his sleeves as his arm was pulled sideways instantly, causing the streams of flame to pass by the stall without causing any damage.
"What a fucking rookie! Oi, whoreson! I told you, even if the Volcano erupts, by the end of the day, I'm gonna sleep like a baby!"
"Who the hell did that?!"
Zhao shouted with fury seething in his eyes while he looked around. Only a lone figure in dark hooded robes caught his attention this time.
"Some Terrorist wannabes and now the man responsible why I am single again and also chasing my mother's... dog," the figure scoffed while pulling back the hood. "No wonder the merchants in the caravan don't like this village."
Mai muttered under her breath. She didn't look as fresh as before. There were a few shallow scrapes on her face, too. Evidently, the fight before was slightly taxing but the Caravan that was attacked owed her a great deal. That was the only reason why they were even willing to drop Mai on the other side of the encampment.
"You're..." Zhao's eyes widened while he looked at the needle still stuck in the cuffs of his leather armor.
"And now... you just tried to attack my brother," Mai whispered. Her clenched fists opened up and four blades appeared between her fingers mysteriously.
"Hey, Aunt Wu said that my stuff is gonna get burnt today so I'm just leaving it here and heading back for the day," An elderly woman much older than Wu herself yawned and walked away. The other villagers had a casual response, too, shocking Zhao and Mai a great deal. The only difference was that while Zhao was more expressive of his emotion, Mai's eyes merely widened for a few seconds.
---
"They aren't following us with an attack... the way how the Fire Nation Soldiers operate is that they report to the highest commanding authority present at any given authority and when it comes to war, the Fire Nation has men, and types of equipment to dominate our destitute party," Pakku frowned.
*Crrt*
Momo jumped on Pakku's balding head.
"Master Pakku, I don't think Momo liked you calling him destitute."
"I call it as I see it. We have a Sky Bison, full of fur, that will take no time to light on fire unless he was trained to fight with aggression. We have this critter—"
*Krrt* *Krrt*
Pakku rolled his eye, sighing, "Ugh, fine, Momo, here, can catch small bugs with outstanding predatory nature but lack the size to do the same against fire nation soldiers."
For a moment, the Aang, Sokka, and Tom-Tom imagined a human-sized Winged lemur attacking humans out of a sudden and shuddered.
"And among us, let's not kid ourselves. Their mechanical vehicles will stump Sokka and Tom-Tom. And you have yet to master Waterbending much less all the elements," Pakku looked at Aang.
"Great, we wasted our time understanding what we lack when we know it already so, if you don't mind, can I say something?" Sokka scoffed.
*Aaannnghhhhh* Appa growled.
"Thanks, big guy, I always knew I could count on you," Sokka stroked Appa's forehead and continued, "We shouldn't fight them. Katara and others are supposed to be here by now. First, we retreat from this location and use Appa's flight to sneak from the other side of the mountain.
We find my sister, a Suki, and a man who can make things disappear. Then, we use the said individual's strength to break free the prisoners while hoping to the spirits that their minds are intact and then we will have a force of our own!"
Pakku blinked.
"Hmm... surprisingly adequate."
"You're old." Sokka snorted.
"You mean experienced. Yes, I am," Pakku narrowed his eyes as Tom-Tom and Aang gazed at each other with an exhausted look. Even the two children understood that the two 'older' men compared to the two actually enjoyed each other's presence.
"Well, let's make our way out from there then," Tom-Tom shrugged as he was quick to climb back on Appa's back.
Just as the group turned around, Aang gasped, "Who are you?"
He had felt a recent presence that he only now registered.
"There!" Pakka wasted no time. Five sharp saucers of ice sliced behind them...
Only that—
*Wurrppp*
*Hsssss*
A small wave of lava rose from the ground instantly, causing the saucers of ice to melt into steam before it could even reach the intended target while Appa and Momo screeched and roared, backing away quickly.
"So pretty..." Tom-Tom muttered.
"Try tossing your booger there," Sokka replied, equally dazed. However, as the wave of heat smacked the group of four against their faces, only Aang and Pakku regained their composure quick enough.
"You're the Avatar?" A marked Aang from behind the still deadly wave of Lava.
"You... know me?" Aang finally looked at the youth, not much older than him. Neck-lengthed dark hair. His brown skin was covered by the fire nation's soldier armor and his steps causing the earth to tremble ever so slightly that indicated one particular alignment of bending.
"I heard that friend of yours saying you're looking for a guy. A Suki. And a sister," the youth's words caused the group to frown.
"Where are they?" Sokka questioned, aiming the tip of his spear in Sun's direction.
"Where the rest of them are," The youth shrugged, "Too bad you won't get there now. Do you want to know how they passed on?"
He moved his hands, causing the lave to splash forward instantly.
"Move back!" Pakku hissed as he shoved Sokka and Tom-Tom using two bolts of water while retreating himself. Aang meanwhile rotated his staff, flying up using the staff as a propeller before blowing against the wave of lava.
*Krk* *Krk*
The previously melting lava solidified as the temperature around it dropped in a flurry, causing steam to escape as a result once again which Aang used to his advantage for his group.
"Who are you?" Aang questioned as he landed on the ground, "And why—"
"For better or worse, your friends left me angered and they may have a way about them but you certainly failed to rub me off the right way!" Sun scoffed. He slammed his foot down as a small chunk of earth flew up and turned into a blob of lava that Sun surprisingly controlled in a way of waterbending. He slapped his palms and the lava in his control also turned into a saucer.
Not as sharp as Pakku's but the lava will still melt through anything it touched anyway.
"Should I?" Tom-Tom questioned with a panicked expression.
"No, he meant something else when he talked about Nik, Suki, and Katara..." Sokka groaned before rushing forward.
"He is bending lava!" Pakku shouted, a whip of water accurately catching his foot, causing Sokka to fall as he was pulled back.
"So? I can still take him out," Sokka grumbled.
"No, you can't," Sun gazed at the water tribe warrior then looked at the Avatar, "But you're right. Your friends really aren't dead. But they aren't here either."
"Where are they?" Aang inquired, still in the position to defend himself.
"How would I know?" Sun narrowed his eyes, "You haven't placed me in a position to answer anything yet."
"What do you mean?" Aang frowned.
"It means, I can turn the earth in lava. You all, including the giant and small furballs are standing on the ground and all it will take is one move to actually end all of you," Sun's words instantly made the four drench in a cold sweat, "So, you will answer my questions instead."
"What?" Aang continued.
"Let's start with... where were you when you were the one supposed to stop the war?"