Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 99. The Third Eye

98 years after the genocide of the Air Nomads.

Somewhere halfway to the capital. Zuko and Azula.

The Fire Lord's children were returning home after nearly a year of training at their Academies. They had passed their exams successfully, and soon they would enjoy several months away from their nagging teachers, which lifted their spirits.

"I can't wait to continue proper training with Master Wan!" Azula chirped, talking more to herself than to Zuko, who was busy polishing his favorite swords.

"I doubt I'll learn anything new. I'd rather focus more on my swordsmanship," he finally replied.

"Are you serious? The teacher tailors our training to our progress. You should open your eyes a little wider and see the techniques I'm already mastering!" Azula wouldn't tolerate any disrespect, especially when it came to anything related to Master Wan.

"Whatever," Zuko muttered. But what couldn't be taken away from him was his polarizing view of things—he tended to exaggerate or downplay the significance of events in his life. His mind simply dismissed anything he didn't like or that didn't fit his patterns of thinking.

The familiar silence settled between them again. Each remained stubbornly in their corner. Over the years they'd spent together, they'd learned that neither could truly understand the other.

The quiet rumble of their carriage wheels was interrupted by a sharp whistle, followed by a powerful impact that sent the cart tumbling onto its left side. Azula and Zuko slammed their heads against the iron roof.

Gasping for breath and groaning in pain, they began to regain consciousness. Everything swam before their eyes, and an unpleasant, incessant ringing filled their ears. On the periphery, they heard the loud voices of their guards.

"Blood," Azula muttered, touching her head. Glancing to the right, she saw a massive dent that had nearly torn apart their reinforced carriage. "Another hit like that, and we won't survive. We need to get out now."

Pushing Zuko aside, they worked together to pry open the roof hatch. Climbing out, they were met with a scene of chaos. Several guards lay motionless near the carriage, and one of the komodo dragons had been torn apart.

It was the sight of the dead and the smell of blood mixed with scorched flesh that finally brought them fully back to their senses.

"Prince, Princess! You need to get out of here now!" shouted one of Ozai's trusted guards. Some of the riding animals were dead, while others had fled in fear. "Mako, Naru! Escort them!" The soldiers rushed forward, ready to lay down their lives.

"I see him! That man is firing some kind of long-range fire-based weapon at us!" one of the archers shouted. Another explosion followed, completely destroying their carriage.

"He's realized you're not there anymore! Hurry!" Naru urged, pushing Azula and Zuko forward. "The terrain is too open, and he's on higher ground—the perfect position for an attack..."

"Protect the Fire Lord's children!" someone shouted. The remaining warriors rushed toward them. But before they could reach the children, another fiery beam shot toward them.

Without a word, Naru and Mako shoved the children as far away as possible. The blast tore through the two brave warriors. A severed finger landed directly on Zuko's head. Already at his limit, Zuko couldn't hold back and vomited.

Azula wasn't in much better shape, but her natural talent combined with her survival instinct forced her to scan the attacker for weaknesses. It paid off—she noticed the attacks were coming from his head.

"Archers, aim for the head!" she shouted. They'd already tried hitting it—after all, it was always a guaranteed kill—but the opponent shielded his head with his hand, from which arrows seemed to bounce off. "We need at least one of Yu Yan's special arrows..."

While the remaining soldiers provided cover, the two archers took aim, pulling special arrows from their quivers. The arrowheads were tipped with a small explosive mixture.

"As soon as he attacks, fire immediately!" another, more experienced warrior added.

A new beam of death targeted their group. The Fire Lord's children were quickly pushed back, their bodies shielding them.

"Sometimes I regret we don't have defensive techniques," a soldier said with a bitter laugh, standing his ground, ready to take the hit and minimize the damage.

"At least our families will be taken care of," another mature voice echoed.

The beam struck, sending their lifeless bodies flying.

"Fire!" the warrior shielding Zuko shouted.

Two arrows whistled toward the enemy. But at the last moment, a metallic hand shielded his head, protecting the third eye of the notorious mercenary known in certain circles. Upon contact with the hard surface of the prosthesis, the explosive mixture reacted, causing some damage.

"He's retreating! Let's go!" No one knew how long it would take the enemy to recover, so every second counted.

*

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Wan. Slightly earlier. The Fire Lord's Palace.

I heard the unsettling news just as I was channeling my neutral energy into the golden dragon egg. Specifically for it, I'd briefly connected with Roku, who helped me carve a niche in the wall where I hid the future Avatar. Fortunately, given the neighboring volcanoes, the entire Palace structure was designed to withstand the elements, with wall thickness playing a crucial role.

The dragon still required a specific amount of energy only once a week. The egg had grown slightly, and the life within it felt more distinct.

I learned of the incident no sooner than anyone else, when the unharmed children of Ursa entered the city. Quickly finishing the "feeding" procedure for the dragon, I rushed to the throne room, where Ozai was gathering people to hunt down the attacker.

The room was already filled with prominent figures of the Fire Nation. Amid the whispers, I managed to gather some useful information.

"I'm telling you, it was definitely the Fire Mercenary. He was quite popular for a while, winning several Agni Kai!" Among the various conversations, I heard something worth noting. "Some of the people here have definitely hired him. And who else concentrates their attacks near their head like that?"

"So it's Sparky Sparky Boom Man," I thought. I'd heard something about him. They say he doesn't turn down any well-paid job. "Most likely, the Fire Sages hired him. They have enough resources to pay a hefty sum for the heads of the Fire Lord's children."

"Silence!" one of Ozai's guards shouted as the Fire Lord himself entered. Beneath his perpetually calm face, barely contained rage simmered.

"Ozai! No emotion—only peace!" I wanted to shout. And it seemed I understood what the Sages were after...

Over time, one would have to be blind not to notice Ozai's perpetual detachment. More than once, he'd been seen drinking some herbal concoction, though he'd previously preferred jasmine tea, like his elder brother. Having uncovered the truth, they decided to jolt Ozai out of this state by plunging his mind into the depths of Vaatu's energy. And what better way than to harm his own children? Ursa hadn't been visited in a long time, so she was out of the question. Iroh didn't fit the criteria either, leaving Zuko and Azula as the targets.

"An attack was carried out on the heirs!" Ozai confirmed the circulating rumors, sparking a new wave of outrage—some genuine, some feigned. "Fortunately, the children are alive and relatively unharmed. The area is already cordoned off by soldiers, and ships are patrolling the other side of the island. The criminal is cornered and awaits capture! Whoever brings him to me alive will be richly rewarded!" His surrounding flames flared at the end.

"It's only right to punish whoever dared to threaten my students' lives," I thought—well, Azula's, to be precise...

Among the crowd, I spotted a familiar face. The Dragon of the West was also there, and his expression was far from benevolent. After the announcement, everyone hurried to join the hunt, except Iroh, who remained still. Interesting...

Near the now-closed doors of the throne room, small interest groups discussed the news. Joining them, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two brothers.

"This is exactly what we expected, Ozai! I hope you've made a decision about Zuko?" Iroh pressed, with a hint of urgency.

"Yes..." Ozai's voice suggested he'd finally regained control. "I give my permission. Zuko can travel with you." In a way, they were right. Traveling the world would make their location harder to track. "Just keep a close eye on him!"

"I won't let him come to harm!" Iroh vowed. "And perhaps I'll join the search as well."

"I just hope Iroh doesn't make things worse..." I thought. It had already taken me considerable effort to shape Zuko into something worthwhile.

I didn't rush headlong into searching for the Fire Mercenary. Instead, I waited for the children to arrive, to confirm Ozai's claim of their relative safety. And Ursa, upon hearing the news, was beside herself with worry—she needed support too.

"They're fine, and they'll be here soon," I assured the anxious Ursa, who had been waiting by the Palace entrance for minutes.

"Mom! Master Wan!" Azula called, waving. Beside her, a slightly pale Zuko trailed, managing a timid smile. Both had bandages wrapped around parts of their heads. Scanning their life energy, I confirmed there was nothing serious. So, I only slightly boosted their regeneration—everything would heal within a couple of days.

"Your first encounter with a real enemy was successfully passed! I'm proud of you!" Words of comfort were unnecessary here—their upbringing was different.

After spending some time with them, I set out to find the mercenary with the third eye. I also asked Yi to research the combustion technique in the Wan Shi Tong Library.

The unique language of the spirit of knowledge greatly helped me, allowing me to find the information even faster. I learned that many years ago, a Guild of Mercenaries had been created. Its founder had used life energy to redirect the firebending channels to the head, the so-called third eye. This enabled long-range attacks, which were preferable in their line of work. However, the clans unanimously agreed that such abilities could lead to their downfall. Before they could gain power, they were all eliminated.

Apparently, the Fire Mercenary was a descendant of a guild member who had managed to escape. But the question remained: why had he never been seen speaking? Regardless, he posed a threat and needed to be eliminated. The animated series reminded me of how he had relentlessly pursued the Avatar.

"Jun's sensing ability would come in handy now," I thought, as it allowed me to feel "life fires." In the area where the mercenary was presumed to be hiding, there were no settlements, only sparse wildlife.

Extending my senses to their maximum range, I managed to detect a human life. Five minutes later, I stood before a massive boulder that blended into the cliff. That's where my senses led me.

"He's not lacking in strength either!" I thought. With closed chakras, I wouldn't have been able to handle such weight.

The narrow passage of the natural cave ended in a small, inhabited chamber. There, the mercenary awaited, ready to attack, directing his ability at me.

Ducking sharply, I let the beam pass over me, sending a stream of white fire at him with my foot. The cool cave instantly warmed.

"Aaaah!" the mercenary screamed in pain, one of his legs caught in my attack. While he futilely tried to manage the pain, I was already beside him. Touching his head, I forced his body to sleep.

"His nerves are definitely damaged," I thought. It took only a second for me to extinguish the fire on his body, but his leg was already charred black.

My energy, flowing through his body, revealed the state of his channels.

"Dubious experiments have negative consequences even years later," I noted. The channels not only affected the part of the brain responsible for speech but also caused frequent outbursts of rage. After healing his leg, I decided to help him a little. It wouldn't save him from prison, but it might ease his suffering.

For the next five minutes, I untangled his channels, moving them back to their proper places. But I wasn't kind enough to forgive the attack, so I severed his connection to life energy. He would have no source for the necessary spark to create fire.

Soon, other soldiers joined me. Together, we returned to the Palace, where Ozai rewarded me with a plot of land and an estate.

"I'd forgotten I didn't have my own home here," I thought. I'd grown accustomed to living in the Palace.