The Sun

2 months ago....

- Sun? - asked an old man. - Do you mean the sun itself?

The simple word made Ozai and everyone else fall silent, trying to process the information. 

It was obvious to everyone that they were in the presence of someone or something that was difficult to explain, but the idea of literally speaking to the very source of Firebenders' power was hard to describe.

- Yes, I'm similar to Tui and La, the Spirits of the Moon and the Sea, but the difference is quite clear when you think about it. - Sun remarked with disinterest, looking at Azula.

- When you say you're the sun, does that mean you're the spirit of fire, our source of power? - Azula asked, her body instinctively shaking with fear, but at the same time feeling protected by the presence of the spirit before her. 

- That will become clear when you realise that not even you can bend your fire in my presence, only with my permission. - Sun explained, looking at Azula with curiosity.

Without warning, the fire sages gathered around and began to worship the spirit before them, some crying with emotion, others wanting to capture the image of the being in their minds and eternalise it in their records.

- Now I want you to answer me. Why did you summon me and how did you gain access to the Celestial Dragons' Ritual of the Celestial Embers? - Sun question made most of the elders shudder, thinking they had offended the spirit. 

- Lord Sun, we don't want to offend you, the truth is that we didn't even imagine that this would happen, we just believed that we could use this method recorded by our predecessors to help with an investigation. - said the oldest Fire Sage of the group, not daring to raise his head out of respect and fear.

- What is the investigation about? 

- We're investigating a young man called Kai, he has a similar appearance to you. - The sage replied anxiously, ignoring the scorching heat he was feeling.

The golden spirit looked away from Azula and back at her arms, examining the body was in. Then, for no apparent reason, it turned its gaze to a wall, as if looking for something that couldn't simply be seen.

- I see, it seems that a new dragon has been born... But how strange, why is it in human form? - Sun asked himself, searching for answers in his mind, 'seeing' and 'feeling' the strange presence of the dragon with his sunbeams. 

- Lord Spirit. - Azula spoke, drawing the Spirit's attention back to her. - Why do you look like that?

- The Ritual of Celestial Embers is something only dragons should know, and only they should perform. Since they are mortal, the ritual was deeply flawed. - Sun replied as if his answer was logical for humans, but quickly noticed the confusion in the girl's eyes. - To put it simply, the ritual is a process of summoning the dead kings to ask for wisdom or guidance for the new dragons to rule the spirit world. 

- Dead kings? - Ozai spoke, regaining his composure despite feeling vulnerable without his powers. 

- Exactly, for example, I'm currently the king of the dragons, which means I'm the one who rules over all the light that touches the world. When my reign ends, I'll join the stars you see above the night, where kings rest. 

- Wait a minute! When your reign ends? - Fozi asked, perplexed.

- Like the kings of the past, each of us fulfils a spiritual cycle. When our light fades, one of the celestial dragons must take the title of King of the Dragons and shine a new light on the world, maintaining the balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. Without the Sun, everything we know will fall into the void. - said the Sun in all seriousness. - Without the light, the plants will die, the animals will become extinct one by one, the temperature will drop dramatically to the point where all life cannot recover, and as the physical world dies, it rots the layers of the spiritual world so that the rot corrupts and destroys the spirits. This task has existed since the creation of the Universe, just look at the stars and see the legacy of the Ancient Kings that have existed or will exist.

All of them, without exception, had their mouths agape and their minds ready to explode. The revelation, so casually given by the spirit, made them feel small, as they realised how ignorant they were of the world or the universe.

Throughout his life, Ozai had never feared or even considered kneeling before a higher power, believing himself to be that power, but in recent months his view of the world had changed, and now he was facing the most powerful being he knew, who could be the most powerful of all spirits.

- I have a question. - Ozai watched the golden being carefully. - You introduced yourself as someone older, but you said that there had been many kings before you.

- When a king takes office, the life experience and wisdom of each king is collected and passed on. I may be different from the thousands who came before me, but we are still the same being. - Sun said, his voice accompanied by thousands of voices, both male and female.- This wisdom transcends time itself, interacting in the past and future, but so much information is sometimes more of a curse. 

- Can you see the future? - Ozai asked, impressed. - You could help us ...

- Your ambition to conquer the world doesn't interest me. - said Sun sternly. - I don't care what humans do, because you are the cause of your own extinction.

- If you join forces, you could put all the spirits under your command and have total control over the world. - Ozai insisted. 

- It seems you still don't understand, I am above every spirit in this world, if I wanted to I could simply destroy this world in seconds. My existence maintains the balance of the universe, I don't want to waste time in a war that has no real purpose.

Ozai soon realised that he was going over the edge, in a second he felt as if he was being crushed by an indescribable pressure, his body seemed to succumb to something invisible. The whole environment shook like an earthquake, and cracks began to appear, especially under Ozai. This phenomenon even affected people who were sensitive to the spiritual changes in the world, so much so that some thought that a cosmic event was taking place or that the end times had arrived.

- Enough, please! - Azula shouted, her scream causing the Golden Spirit to cease exercising its power over the world. - I apologise for my father, I imagine it must be difficult for someone like you to understand how amazed we are by your presence, of course your divine duties cannot be compared to ours. 

Azula took control of the situation and managed to influence the powerful being. The golden spirit turned to face Azula, looking surprised and confused.

- There's nothing to worry about, Azula. - Sun said calmly, but with a singular difference from the other times, his voice was reminiscent of Kai's. The golden creature quickly regained her composure, but seemed to understand what was happening. - Hmmmm... I never thought that I could be stopped by a human. 

The change in the cosmic entity's personality didn't go unnoticed by some, especially Ozai.

Azula was the most perplexed; she felt that for a brief moment, the imposing being who made everyone around him nothing more than vermin, suddenly changed, a familiar feeling that she liked when she was in Kai's presence.

- I don't care what your motives or intentions are, human. - Sun stared at Ozai. - But know that fire is a primordial and most important power within the four elements. If you want to master fire, you must learn to be fire.

Ozai listened in confusion, not understanding the true meaning of these words, especially in his pitiful state, but he decided not to dismiss them, as they were spoken by the most powerful being in existence.

The figure of Sun turned to Azula for the last time, smiled slightly for the first time, and gradually disappeared into particles.

- I must go, it's not easy to maintain the cosmic balance of the universe. - said the Sun, disappearing completely from everyone's view.

There was silence for a few minutes, no one could find the courage to move, in fact they were trying to calm their spirits, beaten down by so much power.

- Everything that happened today will remain confidential. - Ozai ordered, getting up from the floor, still a little groggy and feeling like he might have broken a bone. - If the information gets out, it will be considered an act of treason against the Nation of Fire and will be punished with execution, without exception. - He turned to look at Azula, who still seemed to be in a trance.

Though reluctant, the Wise Ones understood that it would not be easy to report such a miraculous event, but they also learned that the future of the Fire Nation could be even greater.

At dusk, Ozai stood on a balcony and watched the stars with a new perception.

- Legacy is not. - Ozai whispered to himself, watching the stars with a kind of admiration and envy. - How can I leave a mark on the world like those ancient kings?

***

2 months later... the day of the attack.

Kai was in a final meeting to prepare for the final assault on the enemy fortress. Zoho was orchestrating the final steps for Tizo to release the troops. 

Huzo made final preparations with the squadron to take the lead against the main gate. 

The truth was that Huzo, Zoho and Tizo were aware of the "Under Fold: Solar Fusion" that Kai had been patiently waiting to use that day. As destructive as it was, the technique would render Kai incapable of fighting immediately after use. 

Over the past few months, Huzo has had to develop his new powers at an impressive rate, and could be on a par with Captain Tizo. The pressure of war has meant that the entire newly formed squadron has undergone a frightening evolution compared to their early days.

- They look excited. - Kai said, approaching Huzo who was wearing his armour. 

- Yes, they all want to give the Earthbenders a taste of their own poison. - Huzo replied sarcastically. - What about you? Ready to blast the bastards?

- I just want to go back to sleep. - Kai replied sleepily. 

Kai and Huzo clashed their fists in a last battle between warring brothers. If they won, there would only be four fortresses left in the Earth Kingdom to fall, two of them being Omashu and Ba Sing Se.

When the moon was visible, illuminating the room as its light reflected off the sun, you could see some young soldiers from the Earth Kingdom on the wall, playing a game of cards, just killing time. 

- It's a good night for a few drinks. - said a young man with brown hair. 

- I'd like to see my girl again. - Said another young man with a scar on his chin. 

- So the rumours that you're dating the general's daughter are true?! 

- A man has to make sacrifices. - I said with pride and superiority. 

- If the General knew, he'd scream louder than the firebenders when they were crushed by my dominion. 

- Better keep your mouth shut....

- AHHHHHGGGGGGGHHHHH. - A booming voice was heard, causing the two soldiers to rise from their chairs in surprise.

- Was that the voice of the General? - the two young men asked, not understanding what had happened. 

As the soldiers turned in the direction of the scream, they saw their barracks collapse, burying several comrades and innocents.

The alarm was sounded by a bell, and the whole fortress was awoken by the chaos. Those looking for their superiors were in for an unpleasant surprise, captains and other high-ranking soldiers were dead, some by hanging, others with their throats torn out or impaled for earthbending.

At the edge of the forest, Kai and Huzo waited with their soldiers, some of them sharpening their knives to pass the time, even though they no longer needed to; the vast majority of the group had gotten used to fighting with weapons before they received their powers. 

- Looks like that's our signal. - Huzo said, listening to the chaos in front of his enemies.

- Keep our men at a safe distance, I don't want them to get hurt in the crossfire. - Kai ordered, getting up from the ground and walking slowly towards the enemy gate.

The guards on the wall were unaware that a figure dressed in the colours of the Fire Nation had come into range with their bows and arrows. Still disoriented from the destruction and lack of command, they made a grave mistake in not manning their posts.

Positioning himself 80 metres from the enemy base, Kai spread his arms in a characteristic circular motion until he brought his palms firmly together. 

A huge orange flash mercilessly illuminated the area, many trees went up in flames during the night, not to mention the enormous heatwave that surpassed the hottest day in the region.

The enormous light caught the attention of the Earth Kingdom soldiers, causing them to become confused.

- What the hell is that light? - complained a soldier on the wall, unable to look away from the blinding light.

- This shit is hotter than the Firebenders' fire. - complained another soldier. 

The other firebenders, waiting for Kai's group to attack, could clearly feel their powers increasing, as if they had been bathed in midday sunlight.

- Amazing, so this is Kai's level! - Hugo marvelled at the display of power he saw in their eyes. 

- The rumours are true. - Zoho said in disbelief, feeling his powers even stronger than before. He watched the entire invasion from a mountain with a rearguard of more than 300 emergency soldiers. - What a terrifying power you have.

Without wasting any more time, Kai fired the small sun at the wall of massive rocks with a speed faster than a bird diving to catch a fish. The explosion was so powerful that it caused an earthquake that could be felt miles away, coupled with a storm that made the trees of the forest almost collapse from the force of the explosion's shock, forming a mushroom cloud that sent a feeling of fear to the heavens.

The blast destroyed the entire front wall and some of the nearby neighbourhoods. The energy of the blast was so powerful that it even caused the metal in some of the structures to melt. 

The only reason the war zone wasn't silent was because of the screams that could be heard inside the fortress, men and women screaming for help. 

Tizo shouted after a while to recover, seeing the opportunity and launching a massive attack on the city. Huzo, noticing the advance of the allied army from the outskirts, called in the attack with the 40 firebenders towards the obliterated front zone.

The man who had caused so much destruction was on his knees on the ground, catching his breath but still looking serious, not as incapacitated as the last time he had used this technique. Huzo approached Kai and helped him to his feet, a little surprised to see his leader still standing. 

- I thought you didn't have the strength to get up. - Huzo commented, supporting Kai with his arm.

- I've grown stronger in the last few months, I still have the strength to bend my fire if necessary. - Kai replied, still affected by the technique. - Come... we have a battle to win.

The invasion of the Earth Kingdom's fifth fortress was completed at dawn, with a crushing and cruel victory for the Fire Nation. 

***

Several nobles and a few generals were at a ball celebrating the birthday of Fire Lord Ozai. In fact, the entire capital was celebrating the fact that their king was turning another year old, and the strict schools were even allowed to have a holiday to commemorate the day. 

Ozai was dressed in a gilded outfit and chatted with various nobles and military officials in his best humour. Celebrations like this were rewarded with countless treasures sent his way.

Wearing a red dress with her crown prominently displayed in her hair, Azula was almost the centre of attention, second only to her father. It was all a performance to her, and she was bored with the party that had been going on for most of the day. 

Zuko was cornered and pressurised into talking to people he didn't know. In recent months, he began to imitate Azula, trying to please Ozai with a new attitude in the hope of gradually making up for his mistake.

Iroh, being a free-spirited person, only concentrated on experimenting with new culinary dishes, considering himself an expert on tea and firmly believing that his knowledge would apply to other types of food. As a result, many nobles were frustrated in their attempts to establish a relationship with him.

As he entered the lavish party, a messenger appeared in front of Ozai, kneeling down and showing a scroll in his hand.

Ozai decided to read the parchment to demonstrate that even at a feast, his royal duties would not be ignored. Many who saw the messenger's entrance were genuinely curious, but to see a smile on His Majesty's face sent a shiver down their spines.

The Lord of Fire raised his drink high to draw everyone's attention to the occasion, and even the musicians stopped playing their instruments to allow their king to speak uninterrupted. 

- Noble citizens of the greatest nation in the world! - Ozai raised his imposing voice, controlling all the flames in the hall to rise with his words. - As you know, today is my birthday, and of course I am grateful to all of you who have been able to come. Of course, the war unfortunately prevents some loved ones such as family or friends from being here, as they are either at war or resting with The Spirits.

The words managed to touch the hearts of some who had experienced loss, and others who agreed with the stark reality that came from the Fire Lord's mouth.

- The Fire Nation's victory is inevitable, but until then, let's take it one step at a time, one victory at a time. - Ozai walked majestically through the palace, making sure everyone could hear him. - Today was not only my birthday, but the victory over the fifth largest fortress in the Kingdom of Earth! 

The news of the victory over one of the Earth Kingdom's cities lifted the spirits of everyone present, sending many into ecstasy.

Azula couldn't hide a smile now that she was sure Kai would have no problems with the Fire Lord. The revelation that they weren't really brothers had shaken her deeply, as she dreaded the thought of feeling alone again, but this victory will ensure that their paths will never part again.

Zuko was almost hyperventilating with despair, his routine over the last few months had been hell for him and he was counting on Kai failing on his first mission to the Earth Kingdom. He moved to a balcony, away from the crowd, and grabbed the railing with all his might, smoke pouring from his hands.

All the celebration drowned out the despair of one person, who was practically frozen with terror, a general who had defied and put his honour on the line by betting against a young man in front of Ozai, that man was Dozo, who officially lost his title of general that night.

next chapter: Promise