Chapter 44: Disappointment (1)

The soldiers and service personnel were decidedly unhappy about being woken up. I could see it on their faces. But they didn't dare complain. Upon hearing it was Azula’s order, they briskly went about preparing the ship for the chase.

For some reason, many people feared the Princess. Everyone in the Fire Nation knew how powerful a bender she was, but it wasn't just that… Azula… it was as if a strange aura of authority and cruelty surrounded her, suggesting she could incinerate you on the spot at any second. I didn't feel that way, of course, but those were the words of one of the soldiers that resonated with the others.

No one dared to express dissatisfaction toward me either. My reputation among the soldiers was once good. Until I essentially became the Princess's right hand. The soldiers started to suspect things, believing that only another monster could coexist with a monster. I wouldn't say their suspicions were baseless. Moreover, I consider myself far more terrifying than Princess Azula, as, for example, I know a dozen ways to destroy this world and am capable of implementing them. I've accumulated an immense amount of knowledge, including specific information regarding the annihilation of all life on the planet. Next to me, Azula is a sweet child.

In short, the soldiers and the one woken lieutenant directed their hatred at the Avatar. They feared him too, but unlike us, he was far away. And if they spoke in whispers, he certainly wouldn't hear anything.

Yes, I had to explain who exactly we were chasing. I tried to impress upon the soldiers that we were on an important mission that would ensure the prosperity of the Fire Nation. I told them that if we succeeded, our names would go down in history. Extra motivation wouldn't hurt.

Setting off in pursuit of the Avatar. It sounds easy. The reality, however, proved difficult. His Bison was very fast, faster than our ship, which is quite an accomplishment, as Fire Nation vessels rank first among mass transport in terms of speed. And while the crew was preparing the ship and stoking the furnaces, the Avatar had long since disappeared over the horizon.

By morning, the exhausted crew, as we had previously assumed, reached Kyoshi Island. Only getting to the island itself proved problematic. The waters around it were turbulent. A whole school of fifteen-meter-long Koi fish swam in a tight group. They looked very much like ordinary carp. The only difference was their size.

One such fish accidentally bumped our vessel and nearly capsized it. The ship listed to a dangerously steep degree from the force of the impact. Part of the crew sustained injuries, losing their balance and hitting the nearest wall or falling down a ladder. Some individuals were even less fortunate, finding themselves taking an unexpected dip. Fortunately, the Koi was either stunned by the impact with our ship or simply didn't feed on humans.

But the fifteen-meter fish weren't the only ones hindering our approach to Kyoshi Island. A creature that perceived the Koi as food, and not just them, prowled near the coast. Unagi, a colossal black sea serpent whose body was easily at least a hundred meters long, unexpectedly attacked us. And its attack, unlike the Koi fish, was clearly intentional. It purposefully tried to swallow us, ship and all, with its huge maw. Thankfully, two bolts of lightning from Princess Azula and myself quieted the monster's appetite. But I wouldn't say the monster was killed. It simply realized we weren't the easiest prey and disappeared under the water, presumably to continue hunting the Koi.

We had to circle Kyoshi Island and search for a calmer place to drop anchor. This took a considerable amount of time.

Immediately after, a detachment led by Princess Azula infiltrated the island's territory. Theoretically led, because she understood little about moving quietly across terrain.

We needed to approach the Avatar silently. If he noticed our presence, he might simply flee. And then we'd have to search for him for another hundred years.

According to Azula's plan, the first priority wasn't to find the Avatar himself, but his Bison. Without it, he wouldn't be able to leave the island easily. This is what we started doing, searching village after village.

By the law of sod, the Avatar and his companions were located in the very village we would have arrived at first if we hadn't encountered the Unagi.

“Is that… the Avatar?” I asked, looking confused.

“He somehow managed to preserve his skin.” The lieutenant shrugged doubtfully. “He probably used some secret Avatar magic… See, he’s bald? Some men go bald in old age. And those blue arrows on his limbs and head. Grandpa used to say those are worn by…”

“Recognized Airbending Masters,” Princess Azula finished for the lieutenant, also scrutinizing the young-looking boy… no, child, about twelve years old, in traditional Air Nomad attire, who was laughing loudly and occasionally showing off tricks with Airbending while playing with children.

Well, some old men also enjoy spending time with small children. Perhaps the Avatar is truly one of them?

One of the soldiers crawled up to us and reported finding the place where the Avatar's Flying Bison was. However, it was being guarded by a pair of the island's defenders—local law enforcement who were named after one of the Avatar incarnations: Kyoshi Warriors.

Azula turned toward the lieutenant:

“Take five soldiers with you and capture the Avatar's beast. Take it to the ship or hide it somewhere on the island.”

“Understood,” the soldier nodded, called the names of several subordinates, and disappeared with them behind the trees.

“We’ll approach the Avatar in half an hour, once the lieutenant has captured the Flying Bison.”

Something went wrong. About ten minutes after the lieutenant left, an animal's roar echoed throughout the island, causing birds to scatter into the sky and people to turn toward the direction of the Avatar's Bison. The Master of All Elements abruptly stopped playing with the village children and looked anxiously into the distance.

Azula covered her face with her palm, sighed heavily, and stated curtly that we were moving on to the second point of the plan. Immediately after, she dashed out from behind the trees toward the Avatar. I didn't lag behind her. A second later, the remaining soldiers followed us.

Hearing the thud of many feet, some people turned towards the small forest, witnessing our group flying out of it.

“They’re Fire Nation soldiers!” a young man with shaved temples pointed at us with a bluish boomerang. “I’ll get them now!”

He swung his weapon at the Princess, but she allowed it to pass over her head and executed a swift counterattack. The nose of the guy with the boomerang was broken with a crunch, and he fell unconscious to the ground.

“Sokka!” shouted a girl who looked somewhat similar to the boy, and, to our surprise, she struck out with water, which shot out of her waterskin like a whip…

This attack could have easily reached Azula, but I placed my hand on the back of her head, forcing her to duck.

“A Waterbender in the South,” Azula noted with irritation. “You deal with her, Long. I’ll take the Avatar.”

Silently, I unleashed a not-even-my-strongest jet of flame, which the girl barely managed to defend against with her water. She was thrown backward, crashing into the wall of the nearest house, and slid down it a second later with a moan of pain.

Weak. I expected much more from the first Waterbender I'd encountered.

“Katara!” I heard the Avatar's distressed shout as I ran toward the girl.

At that moment, for some reason, a sudden gust of fresh air blew past. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that dust had been kicked up from the road. The next second, a powerful blow to my side sent me crashing into a crowd of ordinary people.

The Avatar clearly intended to run to his friend, but a wave of flame stopped him. Azula, keeping her eyes on the opponent who was starting to be surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers, inquired:

“Long, are you alive over there?”

“Yes, Princess Azula,” I replied, getting up from the bodies of the people groaning in pain, who had provided me with a soft landing.

A battle erupted between the Avatar and the Firebenders. The Master of All Elements skillfully dodged the typical attacks: fireballs and streams of flame. But fighting the Princess was much harder for him. Their styles were somewhat similar. Azula used all kinds of acrobatics and various tricks for evasion in battle. Experienced Firebenders did this too, but not in the quantity the Princess did. The Avatar's style, however, was built entirely on evasion. More often than not, our soldiers hit their own comrades instead of the bender. If the Avatar couldn't dodge, he deflected the fire using his Airbending. But again, it was much harder for him to do this against Azula. Her blue flame wasn't so easy to redirect. Attempting this, the Avatar was unexpectedly struck in the chest by a fireball and immediately knocked to the ground. Barely holding onto the burn, he rose to his feet. His arrows and eyes seemed to begin glowing with an otherworldly light.

“I wouldn't advise that, Avatar,” I said coldly, trying to halt what seemed to be a spontaneous entry into his special state.

Azula had explained that the Avatar can enter this state on his own under certain circumstances—out of anger or in a critical situation. Allowing that was impossible. Then he becomes truly invincible. Although, he also shouldn't die in that state, or the cycle of reincarnation would be broken forever. Lucky.

The Avatar glanced in my direction and saw that I was holding his friend, whom he had earlier called Katara, in a pain hold. The bender shifted his gaze toward the young man and saw two fighters standing next to his unconscious body, aiming their weapons at him.

This was the second point of the plan: to capture the people the Avatar seemed to have arrived with on this island. Brief surveillance showed that he cared about them. Especially the girl, at whom the Avatar was casting looks that were perfectly understandable to Princess Azula and myself. The Princess was right after all. Love is a weakness. Though I went much further on this matter, believing that any attachment is a weakness, and consequently, pain.

“What is your current incarnation's name, Avatar?” Azula asked with a serpentine smile, clearly pleased with the Master of All Elements' confusion, and possibly even fear.

This did not resemble the demeanor of a person wise from many lives. The Avatar looked and acted like a real child. I did not like this. Depending on the impression the Master of All Elements made on me, I had considered changing sides. And so far, the scales were tipping in favor of Princess Azula and the Fire Nation.

“Aang,” the Avatar replied, frowning and clutching his chest where the burn stood out. “Let my friends go! You only need me!”