A day and a half later, just as morning broke, we dropped anchor off the shores of Sun Island.
It was a small island, almost entirely covered by ruins over a thousand years old. Now I knew that this had once been the capital of the Fire Nation. It was here that the first lion turtles had arrived, and here that humanity had first officially encountered dragons. It was also home to the last of their kind.
The ruins themselves held little interest for me. Barring the possibility of stumbling across some tribe of primitive traditionalists, I was unlikely to find anything worthwhile there. The twin-peaked cliff beyond the ruined complex, however, was a far more intriguing destination.
The journey took four hours, at the end of which I emerged before a massive staircase leading to a bridge that connected the two stone spires.
My suspicions were confirmed. Judging by the soot stains that the rains had not yet washed away, the island was inhabited, and this particular place saw at least some regular use.
After climbing the staircase, I froze at the fork in the path.
Which way? Left or right? Or maybe... back?
Right now, I still had a chance to turn around. To retreat and keep what I already had. No risk at all. Maybe mastering the true nature of fire would take me another ten years, but they would be ten relatively safe years, without the possibility of being "eaten half an hour after saying hello."
Yeah. The only problem was that such mastery would be completely pointless by then.
All right. In the end, people had managed to kill these dragons somehow, hadn't they? Which meant fighting them was possible. And if a fight was possible, then retreat was possible too...
Taking a deep breath, I made my decision and, like a true man, turned left.
The cave was pitch-black. I had to ignite a small flame in my hand; otherwise, I risked breaking my neck on the uneven ground before I ever got the chance to be eaten by the cave's displeased owner.
About three minutes later, the arrow-straight tunnel came to an end, and I stepped into a vast chamber. The walls and ceiling bore the marks of enormous claws. A small stream ran across the floor. Great sheets of red scales lay scattered here and there… Well, at least I had learned that dragons shed.
My destination lay in the center of the cavern.
A colossal red dragon was taking a nap.
Its enormous serpentine body sprawled across the floor, its wings spread over it like a blanket, while its contented snores rumbled like distant thunder.
And how had anyone managed to kill something like THAT?
No, not in terms of strength. How could anyone bring themselves to raise a hand against a creature so graceful and magnificent?
The dragon's breathing changed. The regal beast had awakened… or perhaps it had merely stopped pretending to sleep. Its amber eyes met mine. There was a trace of curiosity in them (hopefully not the gastronomic kind), and a question.
"Master Shaw," I bowed deeply to the dragon, "forgive me for disturbing your rest."
The winged serpent let out an amused rumble, and the resulting sound wave nearly plastered me against the wall.
"I have come to ask a favor of you. I seek to understand the essence of firebending, and I ask that you show it to me."
This time, the rumble sounded interested, though there was a note of warning in it as well. Interesting. How was I even understanding what it was trying to say/ask?
"Yes. Not merely because I wish to understand, but also because of my own selfish desires."
The dragon rumbled once more, beckoning me closer.
Well then, this was it. In a moment, everything would be decided—whether he would grant my request or simply go chomp! and rid himself of an uninvited guest.
I stepped closer. And…
The dragon pressed its snout against my forehead.
Besides the impact nearly knocking me off my feet, I caught a familiar sensation. It was much like the way Wan Shi Tong had once filled my mind with knowledge of history. Only this time, it wasn't knowledge being transmitted, but a collection of... hmm… feelings. Sensations.
The dragon wanted to know why I looked like a human, yet smelled and felt like a spirit.
Summoning my courage, I approached him and placed a hand on his snout.
All right. Focus, and...
Now I was showing him a fragment of my life. More specifically, my conversation with the Owl and the conclusions we had reached together. Though, due to my inexperience, I accidentally transmitted everything connected to the Spirit of Knowledge—including our debate about the nature of humanity and knowledge itself.
The next growl knocked me completely off my feet. For a moment, I thought things had gone terribly wrong and that I was about to either fight for my life or run for it. But… Shaw was simply laughing.
You have an interesting way of thinking about the nature of things, little spirit-human. You seek creation, yet understand that creation cannot exist without destruction. You have seen the path, but you cannot walk it. Cannot embrace its essence.
We will show you…
But in return, you will show us how creation can be brought forth through the power of destruction.
"I don't understand... What is it that you want?"
Fire is death. Destruction. Hatred.
Fire cleanses. Fire makes room for new life.
Harmony.
We will show you firebending. You will show the world.
We are interested.
There has been much destruction. There must be creation.
My head was beginning to ache from communicating with the dragon, but I thought I was finally starting to understand.
"You want me to reshape the world?" An affirmative growl. "That's impossible. Destruction is part of human nature. It can't be eradicated."
Foolish spirit-human. Not eradicate. Balanced with creation. Destruction for the sake of destruction is foolish. Destruction for the sake of creation is good.
"Hm. I can't say I fully understand, but... I'll try."
Good. Follow me.
The dragon rose to his feet and, with an impossibly fluid, seamless motion, glided out of the cave.
(End of Chapter)
🙌Bonus chapter for 300 power stones!
🔥The next bonus chapter will be for 500 power stones.