The fact that the town was in ruins and full of fire was definitely not a good sign.
As Appa descended, I handed the reins over to Sokka and moved toward the back of the saddle where Katara and Toph sat.
Another burst of blue fire erupted into the sky.
"We need to get down there!" Katara shouted. "He's in trouble!"
"Appa's going down as fast as he can!" Sokka yelled back. "Just hang on!"
"I'll get you two down," I said, tapping Toph's shoulder to get her attention.
"Excuse me."
Before either of them could question what I meant, I slipped an arm around each of their waists. Katara let out a startled yelp while Toph immediately grabbed onto my wrist.
I took a deep breath and focused.
The wind roared in my ears.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer...
Now.
The instant I judged the distance was safe, I lifted the two and stepped a few paces back.
"Wait, don't tell me—" Before she could finish, I ran and leaped off Appa's back.
For a brief moment, we were weightless. Gravity took hold next.
The screaming started immediately, which was a little deafening, considering Katara was screaming directly into my ear. Surprisingly, Toph was far calmer. Her grip on my hand tightened, but otherwise she seemed completely relaxed.
It took us seven long seconds to reach the ground.
The rapidly approaching earth filled my vision.
Pulling both girls closer against me to shield them from the impact, I pushed Chi through my legs, enhancing them to the absolute limit—
"Hold on!"
The world shook violently a split second later. The sudden transition from freefall to a dead stop rattled my entire body; the impact traveled through me and into the ground beneath my feet.
Still, all things considered, I was fine. A little dizzy and sore on the feet, but after a moment to catch my breath, I'd be good to go.
"Hrrrk..."
That being said, it seems like Katara did not share that opinion, as she looked moments away from introducing her breakfast to the pavement after taking a few shaky steps away.
Meanwhile, I gave the other passenger a light pat on the back as she heaved slightly.
"Never... do that again..."
"No promises," I replied, already looking toward the direction where Aang was.
"Let's go."
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"Throw me!" Katara yelled as she spotted Aang falling from the rooftops, an arc of blue fire slicing through the structure beneath him.
Nodding, I grabbed the back of her clothes.
I spun once, then again, building momentum before hurling her forward with all my strength.
She soared through the air, disappearing into the town within seconds.
I sped up my pace with Toph behind my back, reaching into the ruined town.
"Who's that?" Toph said as she pointed towards something. I followed her gesture and frowned.
An old man approaching... a teenage boy lying on the ground.
And that scar on his face—what even happened?
My thought was cut off as Katara suddenly burst out of a nearby building. Blue fire trailed behind her as, a moment later, the princess of the Fire Nation emerged in pursuit.
But her advance was stopped short as a massive wall of earth rose in front of her.
"Pick on someone your own size!" Toph shouted as she Bent the ground upward, trying to cage the princess.
Azula reached instantly, scaling the earthen walls with ease and leaped free—
Only for her to meet me midair.
I swung a kick.
She blocked my strike cleanly.
"Commoner," she jeered with a clicked tongue.
"Princess," I shot back.
Fire erupted from her hand in a sweeping arc.
I broke off, planting a kick against her stomach mid-motion to use her body as a pivot and twist away from the flames. The blue fire passed just close enough to singe the ends of my hair.
I landed lightly and retreated to regroup with the others.
Azula landed in a crouch, then shifted aside as a familiar boomerang whistled through the space she had just occupied.
It missed, and the boomerang curved back through the air, with Sokka sprinting forward to catch it cleanly.
In the next instant, everyone moved at once, unleashing their attacks simultaneously.
But Azula slipped through them with ease and retaliated with streaking and arcing blue fire through the air. And even while under pressure, she continued to retreat, repositioning herself toward terrain that better suited her fighting style.
Suddenly, she slammed her feet into the ground. A wave of ferocious blue fire erupted outward, threatening to engulf everything in its path. Aang reacted quickly, Bending a surge of air to disperse the flames before they could reach us.
"There!" Toph pointed to the right the moment the flames dissipated.
Azula was gone from our sights.
Turning the corner, I spotted her again—cornered by the same old man and the teenage boy, backed against the wall of a broken-down house.
We moved in immediately, not caring who they were, only that the enemy was in front of us.
"Well, look at this," she said after glancing around, realizing that there was no escape. "Enemies and traitors all working together."
A breath later, she exhaled. "I'm done." Her hands rose into a clear surrender gesture.
"I know when I'm beaten. A princess surrenders with honor."
The tension in the air eased. Around me, I could feel everyone relaxing just slightly.
But I didn't; my body trained on her with every fiber of my being.
Zero had a particular skill that had transferred over to me, beyond the fragmented knowledge that he had left behind.
A very sharp sense for bullshit.
Azula's gaze flicked toward the old man.
I moved the moment her body even twitched in motion, reaching in front of me, with my arms raised.
I barely made it in time—using my forearm to bear the blow that aimed for the old man's heart—as the rest of the group reacted to her fake surrender.
But Azula somehow blocked their attacks by twisting sharply, fire erupting around her as she wreathed herself in flames, using it to block and disrupt their incoming attacks. The attacks collided against her makeshift barrier, exploding into thick plumes of smoke that quickly swallowed the entire area.
"Clear the smoke!" the teenager shouted.
Aang complied, Bending a gust of wind to disperse it.
But it was too late. By the time the smoke cleared, the princess was long gone.
"Ngh..." I groaned, clutching my left forearm. A severe burn had already set in.
Even after coating my arm with Chi to mitigate it, the damage had still gone through. I hadn't expected her fire to burn with such intensity. Maybe that's why it was blue instead?
"Ren!" Toph rushed to my side, clearly noticing the pain in my voice. Katara quickly raised the water in her hands, preparing to heal my wounds.
I raised my uninjured arm to stop them.
"I'm fine."
I ignored the pain and met the old man's gaze as the two groups sized each other up.
"Thank you," the old man said sincerely. The teenager, though, stepped forward in an aggressive stance. "Uncle, they—"
"No."
He pulled his nephew back by the shoulder, giving him a stern look.
Then he looked at me again.
"... We will not pursue you. Thank you for taking the blow that was meant for me."
...
"Guys, we need to leave. Now." Aang's voice echoed.
The group agreed immediately. Sokka kept his eyes fixed on them, still wary, while Toph and Katara moved to my side. The latter quickly began healing my arm, while the former stood silently, clearly deep in thought.
"It was aimed at your heart," I told the old man, before turning away.
We then broke into a run, heading back toward Appa, who was waiting a short distance away.
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NEXT UPDATE: 1 July, Wednesday
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