56 Chapter 56

Additional chapter for power stones

200 power stones equal an additional chapter

***

"Will you stay with me?" Azula asked, pressing her entire body against me.

"And how do you imagine that? Just ignore everything and walk out of your room together, pretending everything is fine? I admit, that would be incredibly amusing. Only when the shock wears off followed by bewilderment, they'll try to capture me, and then the number of the living in the vicinity will noticeably decrease. Or are you suggesting I pretend to be a servant? They all know each other there - they've worked together for so long. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about - I've been looking for ways to get in here for a long time and studied everything I could. So that's not an option either. Maybe it's better if you just leave with me? Just take off and leave. With my abilities, I can provide a fairly comfortable life almost anywhere. Not up to royal standards, but we won't live like vagrants either. That much I can promise you."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I've only recently caught my brother and uncle with your help, who were traitors, and now to run away with someone whom my father, the Fire Lord, has declared an outlaw?"

"Does your father really dislike me that much?" I asked.

"If I didn't love you, I would have tried to kill you right here. You've done so much terrible to the Fire Nation that children are now frightened by you, legends are built... you've become a real legend among the Fire Nation. A frightening, terrifying, very dark legend, but a legend nonetheless. My father is no exception and, despite everything, also wishes to destroy you."

"And how do you feel about me?" I asked.

"I... I don't care about all that anymore. When I found out who you were, I couldn't believe it. But then... when you were there, when I realized it was you, I didn't care anymore about it."

"I see... well... good..."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and I, instantly reacting, rolled out of bed from under the blanket and rolled under the bed.

"Princess Azula, breakfast is about to start," said the servant peeking through the door.

"I won't be having breakfast. Now leave and let me sleep. And tell the others not to disturb me!"

The servant quickly slipped away, and I heard the door close.

"Come out, Freo. Was it cold under there?" she asked, looking at me emerging naked from under the bed.

"It was much warmer with you," I said, beginning to dress.

"What will you do now?" she asked me.

"As I've already said - I don't know. Just can't imagine. The only option that comes to mind is to keep developing. Sooner or later, I will become strong enough that your father wouldn't dare say anything to me. And if he dares - he'll regret it, as will everyone who supports him."

"I heard that we are about to be attacked. On the day of the solar eclipse. On that day, firebenders lose their power. Please, will you be with me that day?"

"Again, how do you imagine that? On such a day, everyone will be especially vigilant. And when is it?"

"There's just over two weeks left."

"I'll see what can be done, but it's unlikely I'll do anything. The best option I've suggested to you - leave with me. Just forget everything and go with me right now."

"And what then? When the father conquers the entire Earth Kingdom? Only the last strongholds of resistance are left. And after the eclipse, they will have no chance."

"Hmm... the comet, right?" I asked, recalling the history books I had read in large numbers when I was still the head of the gang. I had a lot of time then.

"Yes. It will make firebenders many times stronger, and the resistance will have no chance."

"In that case... perhaps I'll just challenge your father to an Agni Kai. Then, after defeating him, with all matters settled... I'll challenge him to a duel."

"Freo, are you joking? The Fire Lord is the strongest firebender of all! Yes, you're stronger than me, but even so, he's still stronger!"

"Maybe so, but in my case, he'll practically have to fight an avatar. Without the Avatar State, but still. That's practically a fourfold advantage. And I didn't start fighting yesterday, Azula."

"And if it doesn't work out?" she asked me, frowning.

"And if it doesn't work out... then in the next life, I'll know which power I need to aspire to. I'm not afraid of death, so I fearlessly take the lives of my enemies. I've seen the Spirit World. Twice. It's dangerous, but not so bad."

"And me? If you die, how will I live on?" she asked me after a long pause, as I was almost fully dressed.

"If I die, it means I made the wrong choice. Right now, I've chosen you. I've given up the last step towards gaining power. So, I'll have to gather strength in other ways. By other means. And if I lose, it means my choice was mistaken. That's what I know. As for what happens after—I have no idea."

"So, you're leaving everything up to me? Leaving me alone?"

"Yes. Right now, I had the option to do the same thing, but you helped me choose you. You must understand what this means, that at some point I might not be strong enough. And so, you must be ready for the day I die. Finally and irreversibly. It's your choice too, not just mine."

I fully dressed and approached Azula with a smile, leaned towards her, and kissed her.

"Probably sounds selfish, not romantic, or whatever. But that's me. I'm leaving now. I'll wait for the eclipse. Become stronger. Since you don't want to leave with me, you'll have to wait until I can, thanks to my power, ignore any displeasure from your father or even take his throne from him and place you on it. Now, goodbye, Azula."

I turned around and headed for the door, behind which I felt no life, so I fearlessly opened it and left the palace...

*****

I sat on a hot stone islet four meters in radius, struggling to breathe, without stopping to sit straight and distance myself from the monstrous sensation of heat that enveloped me from all sides, involuntarily bringing with it unpleasant memories of my imprisonment under similar conditions in a stone cell.

Around me, lava bubbled and rhythmically glowed, providing light and heat, and in the midst of this dangerous substance's small pool, there I sat. Judging by what I feel, there should be around me a sort of aura of distorted air, visible evidence of the heat emitted by my body, which I forcibly expel from my organism to prevent overheating. I've been sitting like this not for the first day, though it turned out to be far more difficult than I thought, doing the same as I had with the other elements - conquering! My energy, my chi, became... so obedient after opening six of the seven chakras, that I literally feel the ongoing energy calibration inside me, now trying at my will to align with the energy of the surrounding earth state - lava.

There's little time left. Just two days, which I have left to achieve synchronization with lava. Not that anything depended on it, but all these one and a half weeks or so I did nothing but strive for synchronization with a new element, so I just wanted to finish it and achieve it at least once before I head outside.

Actually, I settled quite well on Phoenix Island, organizing a barely noticeable cave on one side of the island that leads here, to a large and fortified grotto with a huge pool of lava. Creating it was easy. The temperature of lava can reach up to 1200-1300 degrees Celsius, with the minimum average temperature around 500 degrees. With my new powers, it wasn't hard to create a huge pool of liquid rock, melting and liquefying a vast amount of earth and stone with fire. And in the middle of this hellish pool, I raised a stone column from the bottom, compacted by me to the maximum and whose temperature I periodically lower by extracting heat from it. I maintained the temperature of the lava and didn't let it cool, evenly heating almost the entire mass at once. A new trick I learned here - even distribution of heat and warmth to an object. Conducted tests on lava - successfully.

Ventilation in the cave was manual. The air in the cave gradually became saturated with poisonous gases, after which I expelled all these masses of airbending from the cave, releasing it outside under pressure, immediately drawing in fresh air. I could have organized ventilation, but why bother? I wasn't going to be here that long! In any case, with the ability to materialize an air mix right in my lungs, this procedure was not necessary for me.

However, two days passed and I still couldn't achieve control over the new element. Not surprising, really. Once, it took me many months to do this, but here, I felt I had achieved tremendous results in the shortest times, even if I didn't achieve everything I wanted.

And now, a couple of hours later, I sit behind a boulder near the port on Phoenix Island, listening to the sensation of life. Now, after training with Pathik, if I concentrated, I could feel life further than the ships visible in the calm ocean. About two dozen kilometers, no less. And that's more than enough to sense people approaching here.

A large group of people... and among them, I sensed familiar life currents...

And one life current, approaching the volcano from the opposite side at a very high speed in a straight line.

Hello again, Aang.

With a smile on my face, I submerged into the earth and began to move quickly towards Azula. From what she told me, it's clear he will come to her.

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