Chapter Text
Chapter 1—Prologue
LU TEN—Prince of the Fire Nation
Lu Ten had lived a rather sheltered life until now. He was born to Iroh, son of Azulon, son of Sozin. He was the grandson of the Firelord, and second in line to the throne even though he had no desire for it.
The four nations had existed in relative peace until a hundred years ago, when his own great-grandfather overthrew that balance by committing a massacre. Using the power of a commit, he was able to decimate the air nomads in a swift strike that marked the beginning of a war that continued to this day.
The Avatar, destined to bring balance to the world, was meant to stop this, yet for the last hundred years, he was nowhere to be seen. So, the war continued, and thousands suffered, and until now, that suffering had only been a tale for him.
Yet now, as he stood on the hill and watched an entire city burn in front of him, the devastation and the suffering turned into a reality. He had thought that he was aware of the reality of war and suffering, but he was wrong.
Smoke and screams filled the air, and the Jasmine Island burned in front of him. A small island southeast of the Fire Nation. A place of peace and commerce that had little interest in their war, yet they burned for nothing but the ambition and pride of one person.
"HELP!" "HELP!" and the screams broke him out of his trance as Lu Ten found himself racing into the town. He saw fire burning through everything around him as he rushed towards the source of the screams.
"HELP! PLEASE! MY CHILD!"
He realized that the screams were coming from a Home, and so he rushed towards the half-collapsed place. There was fire all around him, and soot made him cough.
"I am here," he spoke, and the voices grew hurried.
"My child! My child," and they were coming from a room to his side, and Lu Ten walked into the place and saw that the roof had come down. The large wooden pillars were piled onto a woman's body who was desperately trying to shield a babe as the house collapsed around her.
"Please, take my child...," yet the second her eyes landed on him, he saw them fill with fear and disgust as she began shaking her head.
"NO! NOOO!" she screamed, as tears and blood rolled down her face.
"Get away! Get away!" she screamed as she threw pieces of wood at him to deter his steps.
"I am not here to harm you," he spoke softly, yet it was a lie. He was responsible for this in his own way. The blood running in his veins was.
"LIAR! BASTARD!" she screamed, but Lu Ten said nothing as he simply drew in a deep breath, and the fire in the House began to swirl as the flames moved and began to coalesce into his hands into a ball of fire.
He was young, and he lacked much of the talent of his little cousin, but what he lacked in talent he made up for with hard work, and so he was able to manipulate fire.
The fire did not wish to go out. It screamed at him to be let out. It wished to rampage, and as he realized that he could not contain it, he widened his stance and aimed a strike at the skies through the broken roof.
SWOOOSH!
A pillar of fire erupted from his hand and rose into the skies, and with the crackle of the fire gone, only the boy's wails and his mother's whimpers filled the decrepit House.
Lu Ten exhaled deeply, and saw the woman glaring at him as he slowly walked up to the child and slowly pulled it into his arms.
"Please," he glanced down and saw his mother touching his feet.
"I beg you. Spare him," she pleaded, and Lu Ten nodded.
"I won't harm him," he assured her once more, and as he looked around, he saw the town burning and wondered about how many people had died just like this. How many children had died because of this senseless attack?
Because of this senseless war.
But he had not started the war. Sozin had, and his son had continued it. Lu Ten had been born just a decade and a half ago and had never set foot on the battlefield.
The babe refused to stop crying despite his various attempts, and when the task seemed impossible.
"Bring him down," his mother whispered to him, and Lu Ten nodded as he lowered himself and pushed the babe towards her. She was crying as he looked at her son, who was barely half a year old.
"Shhh, Shhh," and even in her condition, she cajoled the child, who began to smile at his mother's antics. Lu Ten glanced at the wooden pile pinning her down.
"It won't work," she added, as she saw him glancing towards the pile.
"If you move it, I will simply bleed out a bit earlier," she added, and Lu Ten nodded, finding himself unable to string together a sentence.
"You are the Prince, aren't you?" and he felt a shiver run down his spine as she recognized him.
"I saw you walking through the town earlier," she continued.
"You ate at my brother's shop," and he had come into town earlier to look around. The restaurant he had eaten at was just down the street.
"Yes," he answered, with a dry throat.
"I am the Prince indeed," and he met his gaze, and it was filled with hate and loathing.
"Why?" she asked weakly.
"Why do this?" and he had no answer for her.
"We never did anything to your people! So why do this! Why kill us?" and he had no defense.
"I do not know," and he had been sent here on his grandfather's orders. He was here serving under an Admiral, Yueya. She had claimed that the Islands were harboring Earth Kingdom sympathizers, yet he had seen no proof of that.
Even if the allegations were true, this was excessive. This was a slaughter. This was a massacre, and he was a part of it.
"But it will end," he assured her, and he was certain of that. He absolutely was, for he had seen it.
"The Avatar," he spoke, as he remembered a young bald boy trapped in Ice thousands of miles away. The young Avatar who was destined to bring an end to all this carnage.
"He will return soon," he told her.
"And he will end all this," she frowned at this, and he could see life leaving her.
"Avatar," she scoffed lightly.
"I am afraid it is too late for that," and she stared at the burning street through the window.
"I do not know of this Avatar, and I doubt my voice will reach him, so I can only beg you," and she reached for his hand, and spoke in sheer desperation as her breath began to quicken.
"Save him," she begged.
"Sa...v...my...Ren," and with that, he saw the light leave her eyes, as her arm fell limp.
The babe began crying immediately, as Lu Ten felt himself drowning in guilt and sorrow.
He lay there helplessly as the babe cried, when suddenly another figure walked into the room. It was a young captain, one he recognized easily.
"So, you were here, my Prince," the fellow sauntered into the room, and looked at Lu Ten and the crying babe.
"We are finished here," he said to him, and the words only heightened his guilt as he realized the implication of that sentence. An entire town massacred.
Dead.
"Did you find any Earth Kingdom soldiers?" Lu Ten asked slowly, and the young captain chuckled.
"Why would we?" and the words struck him as odd.
"What do you mean?" Lu Ten asked.
"There are no Earth Kingdom soldiers here. It was all a ruse from the admiral. She wanted to take this place, and so we made up everything," and Lu Ten was taken aback by that blatant admission.
"We are going to the next town. You should come with us," and the child's cries grew louder at those words, and his so-called comrade snarled as he gazed at the babe.
"Let me finish this up for you, my Prince," and he took his stance and aimed a strike at the babe.
But just as the fire was about to burst forth from his fist, Lu Ten grabbed his hand and pushed it back.
"Wha...," but Lu Ten had stopped thinking and listening by now, as he spun on his heel and aimed a strike at the man, and the fire hit him in the chest and sent him crashing out of the House.
Yet in that moment, he sensed something strange in his fire.
"AHHHHHHHH!" the man screamed in agony as Lu Ten gazed at the remnants of his fire. He walked forward slowly and saw the metal starting to melt as the fellow captain looked at him in rage and anxiety.
"What are you doing, my Prince?" he asked in desperation.
"I do not know myself," he answered, as rage and guilt filled his entire being.
"Please, stop. I was only following the Admiral's orders," and that may be true, but what else was he to do? He took a stance once more and aimed a strike at the man's head, but he swerved to the right and avoided the attack. This time, the change was more palpable.
He could see it. The color of his fire. It was different.
"No, Please. Spare me...." but he did not relent, as he drew in a deep breath and let his chi flow through his entire being, before he pushed it out through his fist in a storm of purple fire.
"NOOOOO!"
.
.
.
Years ago, her forefather had disgraced themselves trying to take these lands. They had failed to conquer this small and insignificant place, dishonoring their entire line.
But she would wipe away that shame. She would restore her family's honor by doing what Erchtei had failed to do. She would destroy these islands and show them the consequences of trying to fight against her.
The plan was simple. She had spent years planting whispers and rumors about the Island giving refuge to Earth Kingdom sympathizers. Slowly, but steadily, the whispers spread and reached the ear of the Fire Lord.
The Fire Lord was quick to act on those rumors, and she found herself tasked with investigating the very rumors she had spread. The location of the Jasmine Isles made them rather vital to the Fire Nation, and so the Fire Lord sought a quick resolution.
Such was the importance of the mission that he sent with her a member of the Royal Family itself. Prince Lu Ten was known for his quietness. He was the Fire Lord's grandson and son of the famous General Iroh, who was considered by many to be the Greatest Firebender alive.
She had seen him fight, and the way he bent the element was nothing short of a miracle. There were rumors that the Fire Lord had tasked him with bringing down Ba Sing Se, and if the grand city were to fall, then the war would be all but over.
Still, Ba Sing Se was a fortress and had swallowed up many armies over its history. But if there was anyone who could bring the monstrous place down, it was the Prince himself.
Prince Lu Ten lacked his father's boisterous nature and charisma. He was a man of few words and fewer accomplishments. He was a good bender, but he was no prodigy. The Fire Lord had sought to test the Prince in this excursion, but what he did not know was that the fate of these Isles had been sealed long before they had landed on these shores.
Yueya smiled as she saw the Isles burn, and finally, she had exacted her revenge on these people for dishonoring her family. She stood on the top of a hill watching as the island was engulfed in a thick smoke and raging fires.
"Admiral! Admiral!" A captain came and disturbed her peace.
"What is it?" she snarled in annoyance, and the man hesitated.
"It's the Market Town," and this was the third time she had heard that name in the night. Just a few hours ago, another captain had come demanding reinforcements, for somehow the unit sent into the Town had been wiped out.
It was probably the work of those damned 'Protectors,' but no matter. They did not stand a chance against the might of the Fire Lord's army, so she had simply directed the units of the surrounding area to push into the Town and subdue the bastards.
"What of it?" she snarled, hoping to hear news of the Town's decimation.
"The reinforcements you sent into the Town. We believe they have all been killed," and she was not expecting such an answer, and it took a second for the words to register.
"What!" she roared back, raging at the incompetence of her men.
"How could you let that happen!" she roared, but the captain had no answer for her.
"How many units did you send?" she demanded.
"Four," and that was nearly half her men. She had lost half her men to a simple town. Her fists balled up in rage, but she refused to let their incompetence sour her mood.
Perhaps she had underestimated those protectors. No matter.
"Get my personal unit read, and have the rest of the army surround the Town," and if these men were incapable of dealing with these pests, then she would do it herself.
"I will burn the place myself," and with a final glance over the burning Isle, she turned around and headed towards her chambers to don her armor.
Within a few minutes, she was walking into the Town herself, and the place seemed desolate. Night had fallen hours ago, and the clouds roared loudly above them. Rain would come soon, but it would not do these Islands any service.
She was walking through the streets when she saw it. A pile of charred remains surrounding a singular person. He wore the armor of a simple Captain, but the single-pronged headpiece easily helped her identify the man.
It was him. It was the Prince, and he was standing over a simple soldier, yet she found herself shaken by what she saw next as the prince raised his fist and pushed it forward.
The soldier tried to scream, but the fire gave him no time, for it was no simple flame. No. Usually, the fire of a firebender would take an orange or red hue, but this was no ordinary fire.
Instead of a raging red or orange, it was purple. It was hotter, and the fire turned the soldier to char in the blink of an eye as silence filled the area.
"The Prince...."
"Wha...."
"Purple..."
"I have only heard of it in legends...."
And she glanced at the pile of charred remains around her once more, as the realization dawned on her. He had done it. He had slaughtered the four units.
"Surround him!" she roared instantly, and the soldiers hesitated, for despite his rank of captain, he was a Prince.
"Surround him! The Prince is a traitor!" she roared, and the men finally moved as they surrounded the Prince quickly, as he finally looked into her eyes.
"Do you have any idea what you are doing!" she roared.
"I do," and he was not denying it.
"You are a traitor to this nation! A traitor to your family! Surrender now, and the Fire Lord may just spare your life," but he refused to back down as he took a fighting stance.
"I am afraid the world can wait no more," and she did not understand his answer, but that made him no less of a traitor.
"Then, as an Admiral of the Fire Nation, I sentence you to death," and she brought down his arms.
"Attack!" she ordered, and he was a captain, and they all saw the charred bodies around them, and they had seen him murder a soldier in front of them. So, they attacked, and yet as the torrent of fire rushed towards, the Prince simply jumped into the air using a burst of fire from his fists, before he spun around and aimed a strike at one of the soldiers attacking him.
"No," the man gasped as he quickly tried to put up a wall of fire to defend himself, but the Prince's fire was no ordinary fire at all. It burned a dark purple, similar to the legends of Rangi and the Dragons.
His purple flames swallowed the orange flames of the soldier in a blink, and with a single burst, he was gone, and she watched as the metal of his armor melted along with his skin and his bones.
He had no time to scream, and his body was reduced to dust as the prince came down and spun in the air, and brought down his heel in her direction.
Yueya knew that she could not block the attack, so she jumped away as the fire swallowed another one of her soldiers, but afterward, it was absolute carnage. The men, realizing their dilemma, began to fight with desperation, but the Prince was a demon given form.
She had brought twenty men with her, and in the next few minutes, the Prince slaughtered them all, until only she remained. She saw him fighting the last man, as she realized that she could not defeat him with fire.
His purple flames were hotter. They were more powerful. They would swallow her attacks just as they had done so for her men, but thankfully, she had a different weapon to use.
"Help! Admiral He..." but Yueya ignored his cries for help as she took in a deep breath and brought her hands together. She split them apart, along with the chi in the air, and the familiar crackle of lightning reached her ears as sparks began to grow on her fingers.
She was no master, but as an Admiral, she had earned the privilege of learning the esoteric art of Lightning Bending, a technique usually reserved only for the Royal Family.
Just as the Prince turned towards her, she thrust forth her fingers and lightning raced towards the Prince in the blink of an eye, yet much to her surprise, he simply caught the strike and with a single movement directed it towards the sky.
Redirection.
Somehow, he had redirected her lightning. It was impossible. She knew of no such technique that could do such a thing.
He looked down at her like she was an insect, and suddenly, she felt wetness on her shoulder, and in the next few seconds, the rain began in earnest with the roar of the skies.
In that moment, she realized that she had judged him wrong, that he was no ordinary Prince or bender.
"Why? Why would you do this?" she asked, and he was a Prince, and yet he had betrayed his own Nation. His own family.
"With your power, we could end this war in a month," and the purple flames. They were more powerful than anything she had ever seen.
"Why do this! Why become a traitor!" she asked, and the Prince looked her in the eye as he answered.
"Because this war is wrong," and she snarled.
"Wrong! This war is your family's legacy!" and he could bring it to completion.
"This war is a curse..." and he raised his hand up in the air, and she saw it crackle slightly as a thin streak of lightning reached up into the skies.
"...and I will bring this to an end."
Suddenly, the skies roared louder than they had all night, and she found herself glancing up, and up in the skies, a dragon dances amidst the clouds.
A dragon made out of pure lightning, and there was no use in running as the prince brought down his hand slowly, and the dragon followed his hand as it rushed down from the skies.
"Begone with the thunderclap...."
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