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By Omashu Rocks | Part of the Our Story continuity. |
Zelbo raced through the clear sky like a crimson line. Clouds blurred before the eyes of the passengers on his back. Or maybe that was just the tears welling up in Heng Gan's eyes. The sight of Munni growing smaller and smaller as they flew into the sky played again and again in his mind. No, he thought. Just concentrate on the moment.
"Now where will we go?" Saura asked.
"There's only one other person who can help us." Heng Gan replied.
Mizele was getting worried. Her husband hadn't been home for quite some time. "Please be alright, Munni." She said to herself. Suddenly she saw something soaring through the sky: A giant red dragon. Three people jumped off. She recognized two of them. "Heng Gan! Saura! What a pleasant surprise! Where's Munni?" She questioned.
Heng Gan hesitated. "He's in the town prison. I'm not sure if he's even still alive. " The young man replied sadly.
"What!" Mizele said as tears came to her eyes.
"Excuse me, ma'am." The man who helped them escape spoke up. "My name is Bai Fu. I'm a member of the secret organization your husband was a part of. I think I can help."
Meanwhile in Prison.... "Lord Elder, what shall I do?" a soldier loyal to Munni asked as he jumped in front of him.
"Boy, there is a moment when a man's time on this world is set, as another one begins," Munni said as he appeared to combust. But what nobody knew was that this was only the beginning of Munni. He ran towards the gate stealthily. He used fire propulsion to make it through. In pain, he looked down on his arm to see an enormous burn on the back of his hand.
It was gold, like fire... No, it was red like blood... What would happen to Munni? Why did he do such a foolish thing? What was even happening?
"Heng Gan, are you all right?" Saura's voice awakened Heng Gan from his chain of thought, but only briefly. He looked up from his gold-red tea only to stare ever blankly into void. Steam and sweat moistened his face, a small bandage covering a scorch. Whatever Saura said next did not register in Heng Gan's mind, he was somewhere else. A faint breeze curled through an open window in Mizele's cottage, bringing with it the smell of fresh herbs. The wind shook a small chime hanging from the window frame. He was there again, so many years ago... The chime, he had heard it before. Before... Before him he saw them, his mother and father. Dead. His mother for being and Earthbender, his father for loving one. Then the chime... Those eyes... "Heng Gan! Heng Gan! Snap out of it!" And he did. Saura had finally managed to release him from the grip of his memories, but still he was ruminating, these thoughts still resonated through the darker reassesses of his mind... Would Munni meet the same fate?
While Heng Gan and Saura were by the window, Bai Fu was in the cottage's kitchen with Mizele. "How? How can you help my husband?" asked Mizele, sobbing.
"Munni is a very capable Firebender," started Bai Fu. "I'm sure he can figure out a way to escape himself. But if we do need help, we have allies all over the world. Munni and I are part of an organization known as the Order of the White Lotus. The Order consists of people from all nations dedicated to protecting the peace and balance of the world. Now that Sozin has disrupted that peace, the Order is sure to act quickly. There is one man I know, his name is Pathik. He may be able to-" Bai Fu was interrupted by shouting in a distance. The four ran out of the secluded cottage and looked down at the village of Sakiya. Villagers hurried home for shelter and Fire Nation soldiers were running towards the beach. Heng Gan and Saura rushed down to see what was happening.
"You two! Go home where it's safe!" ordered a soldier who spotted them.
"What's going on?" demanded Heng Gan. "Ships from the Southern Water Tribe have arrived! Waterbenders are attacking the village!" The soldier ran to the beach. A few houses down, Heng Gan could see Ji Qing giving one of his men orders.
"You! Write to the Fire Lord and tell him of the invasion. Tell him that when this is over, we should wipe out the Southern Water Tribe!"
Soldiers from all over the village ran to counter the invasion. They let loose streams of fire, but the Waterbenders raised water walls to shield them. They transformed the water into water jets and set them flying at the soldiers. Several were knocked back, but others sent fireballs into the Waterbenders' ranks. The two sides raised whips of their elements and lashed them together. One Waterbender snuck up behind a soldier and jammed ice claws into his side. "Don't back down, men!" Ji Qing yelled as he sent a flaming ring at a Waterbender's ship. The hull instantly burst into flames. The invaders turned around and scrambled to put out the blaze. Seeing an opportunity, other soldiers launched lashes at the sails of the ships.
Many Waterbenders were stranded with their sails destroyed, but they weren't going down without a fight. "We'll never let you conquer the world!" Their leader shouted. Ji Qing lashed out at the invaders and blew several of them off of their feet into the flaming ships.
"This is bad." Heng Gan stated as he shook his head.
"We have to help them!" Saura cried.
"No! You can't risk being caught again!" Heng Gan shouted as he grabbed her by the arm.
"You can't be serious!" Saura shouted. "How could you turn your back on those poor Waterbenders like that!" Heng Gan saw that she was clearly enraged.
"We have to get out of here and find this Pahtik guy!" He stated.
"But-" she began but was cut off before she could finish.
"You should listen to your boyfriend." Bai Fu spoke up. "It is imperative that we leave now!" He stressed.
Saura nodded. "Alright, get on Zelbo!" yelled Heng Gan.
Some Waterbenders were now trying to retreat as the Firebenders clearly had the upper hand. They continued their attack on the fleeing Waterbenders by catapulting flaming rocks at them. The artillery of fire killed many and left some wounded, but the Fire Nation showed no mercy. Ji Qing soon got tired of fighting and ordered his men to let the Waterbenders retreat. Heng Gan, Saura, and Bai Fu also fled the scene and succeeded in not being noticed.
Despite the dazzling sunny light and the beautiful skyline before them, the mood of Heng Gan and Saura was dismal as they flew away on Zelbo. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Finally, Heng Gan obliged. "We should have done something back there, Saura."
"Like what?" Suara scoffed. "If we had defended those people, we would have had to fight our own neighbors. If we had defended our people, we might as well have participated in Ji Qing's slaughter. Bai Fu was right. The best option for us is to find this Pathik fellow."
Heng Gan merely nodded and began to sulk.
"Is something wrong?" asked Saura.
"I had an image in my mind of when my parents died. My dad used to be my Firebending teacher. I guess you wouldn't know of fathers, as an only child raised by your mom."
"Aren't you an only child, too?" asked Saura.
Heng Gan shook his head. "No. I had a sister. She was an Earthbender like our mom. She ran away the day my parents were killed. She said she was going to make a new life for herself in the Earth Kingdom." Saura nodded sympathetically, not knowing what to make of this.
Finally Saura spoke, "Heng Gan... What if... What if we made a new life for ourselves?" Heng Gan did not know how to react to this new idea. Perhaps... But for now he just stared out in front of him.
One. Two. Three. Four guards had fallen. Silently and swiftly the figure made its way into the luxurious tent. The smell of Lavender and Fire Lilly hung in the air. Gold and crimson covered the walls, floors and ceilings. A man lay sleeping on what seemed to be a bed fit for the Fire Lord himself, but it was no Fire Lord, it was Ji Qing. The mysterious figure made its way over to the slumbering man, the word "west" gleaming on his robe. "I think you should just stay in your cot."
The Fire Lord's chamber seemed to glow in a solemn hue of amber. The fires of the royal throne flickered creating large and twisted shadows on the walls. For a moment it was so quiet. It was that moment Azulon entered.
| v - e - dOur Story | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapters | |||||
| 2-The Lord Elder and the Lotus Gambit | 3-Unexpected Visitors | ||||
| 5-Mysterious Links | 6-Shadows of the Past | ||||
| Main Characters | Locations, Battles, and Organizations | ||||
| Heng Gan - Munni - Mizele - Saura - Tan Shi - Bai Fu - Ji Qing - Sozin - Sha | Sakiya - Thieves of the West - Order of the White Lotus | ||||
| More Related Pages | |||||
| Main Page - Updates - Work Room - The Leader - Assistant Leader | |||||
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