12 In Search of Unification

"The warriors have returned victorious once again; it seems the elders will be angry again."

Thorian walked through the training grounds without removing his mask; in fact, he didn't like being seen by people, so most of the time, he passed by completely invisible.

"Commander, there's a meeting that requires your presence." A young girl glanced at the blood on Thorian's clothes and only lowered her head, afraid of angering him.

Thorian looked at the girl and gave her a gentle pat on the head, saying, "Very well, take care of cleaning the weapons."

Saying this, he walked towards one of the largest buildings; people, whether warriors or not, looked at him with absolute adoration because they believed Thorian would be the one to lift the South out of the misery it was in.

"If we continue attacking, they'll send a fleet we're not prepared to stop. How will we defend ourselves against something like that?" An elder shouted to the rest upon learning that Thorian's group had gone hunting again.

"What are you so afraid of? We're driving invaders out of our seas; how should we react to that?"

"They know we're not strong enough to face an entire enemy fleet; so far, we've only dealt with scouts, not real warriors."

Thorian walked into the building and sat in one of the empty chairs, his gaze sweeping over each of these elders as if he wanted to know what they were thinking. "I understand everyone's concerns, but I am pleased to inform you that the plan we've been discussing is about to begin."

"Are you talking about that plan?"

Everyone fell silent; none dared to say anything when Thorian spoke of the plan for great change.

"The place for our future permanent home has been selected; the plans have been completed, and tonight I will begin to create our home," Thorian said after discussing this for the past four years.

The grand plan is just the beginning of unification—a step for the entire South to establish itself as a truly united and powerful nation. All this would begin by creating a great city designed to be impregnable, and this plan involved mobilizing everyone to the new home.

"If everything goes as planned, this place where we live now will be where we operate from. If the Fire Nation decides to attack us, what they'll do is damage a place that is empty."

This is great bait for the Fire Nation.

What they know is about the existence of a group of assassins who control ice and water, but in all the tribes they've passed through, they found no one, and every year it became more difficult to find human traces, as if everyone had disappeared.

"Our fleet consists of fifteen cruisers, all of which have been modified so they can be used by us, and they are ready to be used at any time," said an elder with the calmest expression.

Thorian looked at these elders and said, "We will need a ruler, but that ruler must be a warrior, not an old fool who sits on a comfortable throne giving orders. What we need is a leader, someone who knows how and when to attack the enemy."

Everyone fell silent again; their gazes focused on Thorian, insinuating something.

People believe in Thorian; everyone has relearned the mastery of their abilities and is increasingly confident in facing the enemy, as they still do in the north.

"So that would be you..."

"It would be better if we proposed a marriage alliance with the princess of the north; both are special because of their hair color, and if we unite, we could create a unified nation that could turn this war around."

"That's true."

"I totally agree."

Thorian furrowed his brows; he didn't want to marry, let alone in this way, so he refused as he always had. "We must speak again with the other tribes that are still scattered; there are only a few, so we must quickly convince them to join us."

"We won't force them to fight; this decision was made from the beginning, and I remember very well that you proposed it," said an elder, looking directly at Thorian.

"Then that's it; prepare everyone for the move except for the most veteran warriors."

With that, the meeting was adjourned, and Thorian, who had a lot on his mind, walked back to his room. Taking off his mask, he looked at his reflection in a mirror; his gaze showed a lack of emotion, which he didn't mind. As he had heard, his father was the same before meeting his future wife, who would be his mother. The first thing he needed to do was think about the retaliation from the Fire Nation.

During these last years, he hadn't attacked frequently, but in the last five months, they had been much more active, eliminating invading soldiers and making the enemy believe this place was one where very few humans could easily live.

"Tonight, it all begins..." Thorian looked at his reflection in the water and felt a sensation filled with excitement.

If he is crowned ruler of the South, no matter what he does, everyone will have to accept his orders; although he was just a boy, he would soon be fifteen years old, which is considered the age of majority.

At that moment, they will start the counterattack, and once that happens, there will be no turning back. But the important thing is for the other tribes to join; there were at least a hundred tribes that didn't want to risk the lives of their children in a war they saw no future in.

And to change that, Thorian needed to create a safe place, one where they would all feel secure.

"If those waterbending-powered submarines of Daro's are a success, we could start the counterattack as soon as possible," Thorian murmured as he lay down on the bed to rest; he needed to be in perfect condition for what would happen later.