With an understanding of the true origins and meaning of Firebending, Aang was able to progress in his studies under Zuko. In addition, the lesson Zuko had learned had aided him as well. Despite his elevation to Fire Lord, it had not yet hit him that he was the ruler of an entire nation now. He had been so used to looking to Iroh or Cadence or others for advice and direction for so long, it hadn't really sunk in that nearly the entire world was now looking to him in much the same way, whether in hope or fear. Taking that lesson to heart, he became a bit more firm in negotiations at the Peace Conference, and discussion moved smoothly. A lasting peace and a bright future for the world were in the making.
However, a shadow hung over his mind, a silhouette of a familiar figure against a blazing light that would soon be upon the world. With how close it was coming, he knew he could not hide from it anymore, and the issue it represented had to be addressed. So he called those who had to be involved to discuss exactly what to do about it.
"Sozin's Comet will return within the week," Zuko told the gathered group bluntly. "When it skirts the world, its power will amplify the strength of all Firebenders to a phenomenal level. Texts describe it as akin to having a thousand suns inside of you. If my father is going to make a move with the forces he has under his command, it will be with the arrival of the comet, on the last day of summer." He looked around at those gathered. "The question is...how do we prepare? Will he strike? If so, where? What will he be trying to accomplish?" He sat back, steepling his fingers. "Anyone have any ideas?"
The group was silent for some time. Eventually, Sokka stood up. "What we need to figure out is what his motivations were when he ran away," he mused, beginning to pace. "Nobody expected that of him, so if we can figure out why, we might be able to determine his next move." Scratching his chin, he turned. "Cadence?"
Cadence let out a surprised meep, nearly leaping out of her chair. "Y-yes?"
"Iroh would have the best insight into why Ozai would act the way he did, but even he's stumped," Sokka explained. "But you seem to have insight a lot of us would miss. What's your take on it?"
Cadence frowned, struggling to get herself under control. "W-well, maybe he decided confronting Zuko was a bad idea?" she offered nervously.
"That doesn't exactly make sense," Zuko countered. "He's never backed down from a challenge before. And it's not like he hadn't faced me before. It's not like the outcome would worry him, since he had no way of knowing how skilled I'd become..."
"But before we began our hunt for Aang, I explained to him your reasoning for refusing to fight him," Iroh spoke up suddenly, his eyes awed. "What you meant about battles that could not be won. Perhaps he found a parallel in the upcoming confrontation with you? That no matter the outcome of the fight, somehow he lost?"
Toph nodded firmly. "Politics," she confirmed. "If he beat you, he's left with no heirs, since Azula's out of the picture. The Fire Nation - and whatever empire he managed to make - dies when he does, and falls into civil war."
"The world tears itself apart," Aang murmured, lowering his eyes.
"But then why wouldn't he stand and fight, and lose with honor?" Zuko asked, confused. "That seems more like him."
"For your strength," Iroh explained. "The only way your victory over him would be believed as being of your full strength is if the fight was to the death...and even if you could bring yourself to kill your own father, what would it do to your mind and heart to live with it? For all you've grown in strength, skill, and determination...you've never killed anyone. If your first blood was your father, my brother..." His voice trailed off as silence reigned.
"If that's the case," Sokka began again, "then why would he be coming back? What's he hope to gain? If he chose to leave the field of battle, there's no rational reason to return."
"Unless he isn't rational," Katara began, rubbing her chin. "Iroh, Ozai practices the rage fueled Firebending, right?"
"He does," Iroh confirmed. "That style consumes the wielder as surely as the flames generated consumes the world around them."
"And anger feeds on itself, spiraling out of control," Katara continued. "So Ozai's just given up his kingdom and the dreams he's fought to achieve since birth. Probably the strongest emotions he's feeling right then are confusion, regret, and self-loathing. Then the eclipse ends, and his Firebending comes back. The self-loathing feeds the fire, and it starts to spiral in him. He pushes the blame away, pinning it on anyone else. The more he gives into his anger to bring back his fire, the less rational he becomes. He had the world in his grasp, only to throw it away." She looked up, her eyes hard. "If he comes back for an attack while the Comet is passing, then his goal will be to claim the world or destroy it. He'll have reached the mindset that if he can't have the world, no one can."
"Then he won't target the Fire Nation," Zuko murmured, going to the map. "He'll want to make me submit to him."
"And it won't be the North or South Pole," Sokka confirmed. "If he were to get to either of those, he'd have to have set course there almost immediately after leaving the Fire Nation, and that fleet of War Balloons would have been spotted by now." His eyes narrowed, and he jabbed the map. "He's going to strike at the Earth Kingdoms. And he's not going to fight a war. This is about making the world realize we can't fight him."
"He'll burn everything..." Iroh murmured, awed terror in his voice. "He'll scorch the land, so nothing can live there anymore..."
Cadence's ears went flat against her skull as she hunkered down. She was the one who'd talked Ozai into running away. If he did this, then the abomination thus wrought would be her fault...
"Even if he's lost all rationality, he'll want to be methodical," Sokka managed to say, swallowing convulsively. "So he'll want to sweep from one end of the continent to the other, leaving a dead swath in his wake. He would have been spotted making his way around the continent if he was by now...so if he's going to strike, it will be here...from the ocean."
"And we'll be there to stop him," Aang murmured.
As the plans were made, none noticed that Cadence had fled the chamber, and the realization of the consequences of her well meaning actions.
Ozai is a DOUCHE BAG. I hope he has some good reason behind his actions and might be trying to build up Zuko as a worthy king, but I kind of doubt it based on what's been said in this chapter.
Poor Candance
Good. But it only means the avatar is the only one capable to stop him. :P Aaaaaand Candance once again foolishly thinks she can change something for good in a lose-lose situation.... It would have been wiser to tell the truth. But oh, well. :)
Poor Cadance! I feel sorry for the little one!
And that is why chessmastering should only be done by immortal beings with thousands of years of experience.
And from the darkness it did rise, the madness of the king of lies
it's moments like this I think of perhaps one of the few good line from JP 3, "People die because someone had good intentions." though I admit i may have remembered that line wrong when doctor grant found that his assistant had stolen raptor eggs.
6996357
The line is "Some of the worst things in the world were done with the best of intentions". My Mom and I were just watching it earlier.
and wheels of fate turn
Sokka, best teenage strategist ever.
What a terribly planned style, just really.
6996376 The road to tartarus is paved with good intentions.
What about your dad?
Depends on how he is mentally, if he's sane, or if the power will make him go mad.
Yep. Dark innit?
It wouldn't be good for the guy.
What of it?
Dear god...
Good luck stopping his war balloons though.
Karma's a b*tch, isn't she?
6996376 Thank you for the correction.
Looks like they know Ozai is going to comet them after all. At least they know his line of thinking due to his short fuse. This battle is going to go sky high, I can feel it.
As they say about the road to hell... I hope Cadence turns out alright after this. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6996505 NOT NOW SANS!
And it seems the final confrontation between Ozai and Aang will proceed similarly to how it did in the show, only no one's learned about Energy Bending, so the final result is likely to change. Wonder if this is going to be a four part chapter, like the four part series finale in the show, "Sozin's Comet".
6996308 He's not thinking rationally anymore, he is consumed by rage.
Dun dun duuuuunnnn.......!
#1 A GREAT reason for Ozai to have a sudden 180 in his thinking
#2 Cadence now understands the old adage, "The Road to Hell is paved with Good intentions"
Yes, it's almost as though she was destined to. What do people call it, "otter fat"?... No, that's completely stupid. Just because she did one thing without anyone objecting to the ramifications it would have on the world doesn't mean the fat of an otter automatically exempts her from whatever action she DOES decide to do. She does some smart thing the rest of the time, anyway.
I don't know about that, there are successful quadriplegics in the world. One of them could even run his own nation AND lead an army.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/rare/images/d/d2/KripplespacBFD.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20071129020439
See, she's liable if anything bad happens. Therefore, she doesn't have author fiat.
... Could it be? She's... coming to terms with her own actions, and learning to make better ones as a result and become a better person?... Is this the legendary Caricature Devil-elopement I've heard so much about?! Hopefully you do well with it.
6996376
How about "The path to hell is paved with good intentions?" This actually reminds me of a Avatar X DBZ crossover in which post Freeza Goku ends up on the Avatar planet and messes everything up when he tries to help. It's called the Saiyan Contamination.
6996376
Go remind your mom that random people on the internet think she's awesome.
6996678
6996737
The road to heaven is paved with the blood of your demons.
6996833
She says you're sweet.
6996616
Cadence came equipped with Energy Bending.
6996848 Cadance can Bend the elements, use standard magical telekinesis, and project her Spirit. She cannot Energy Bend like the Lion Turtles and the Avatar.
It was at that moment that Cadence learned that no good deed goes unpunished...
6996389 Rebel 1! Action!
Will you continue this story into the comics and/or Legend of Korra?
6996978
No. That's been firmly established for a while.
6996602 YES NOW SANS!!!
6996339 Yes. Because the chessgame that is politics has so many variables that only beings who have seen the patterns in their entirty understands it enough for it not to backfire.
6996897 Cadence... WIN!
6997124 Only to be later blown to bits by a Patriot Apocalypse (Azrael, though )
6997131 Puh-leeze... Celica and Minerva all the way.
Did Aang ever learn how to energy bend? So I take it that Aang will be unable to take away any bending.
6997007 k, must have missed your earlier mention of that
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
6997142 I've yet to play as them, but I do not own CP Extend.
A glorious chapter well done, well done.
NIce work on this Tat~
6996737
facilis descensus Averno. The descent to Avernus is easy.
6997429
Is that a Forgotten Realms reference?
Candy, Ozai was going to do this no matter what.
6997528
...
It's a quote from the Aeneid by Virgil.
Avernus is a volcanic crater in Italy with a lake in the center, believed to be the entrance to the underworld in Ancient Rome. In later years, Avernus became a metonym for the underworld.
6997544
I only asked because I've read several Forgotten Realms books where the lead character goes to Avernus in order to save the world, and that's the only place I've ever seen that word.
6997549
The name also shows up in DotA, it's the name of one of the Grey Wardens in Dragon Age, and plenty of other places. Because all of these things like to draw from mythology, and it's a poetic means to refer to a particular part of Ancient Roman mythology. Today you learned.
6997284 They are freaking broken beyond all belief.
6996339 Uhm...But she needs the experience of her chess matches to become that thoudsand years old chess master.
6997930 Considering they're a clone of Carl and Ada, I wouldn't be surprised.
6998477 they're worse. Kokenoe absolutely demolished the competition for best robot doll. And Celica will HEAL you when you lose, which is just rubbing salt in the wound. Look up some footage of them fighting. You'll see what I mean.