Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

09

❃ Lessons learned ❃

The three companions sat outside in a small circle. Two of them held a nice, hot cup of tea, whereas the other had his arms crossed across his chest. Keya had been the one who'd prepared the beverages for them. Apparently, she was better at the skill than her teen counterpart (Iroh had been sure to let her know in secret- he did not want to hurt his nephew's feelings).

"Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression." Iroh started his lesson sagely. "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula."

"Who's Azula?" Keya asked as she sipped her tea.

"My sister." Zuko answered. "She's the one who burned uncle." He scowled as he spoke. His relationship with his sister was clearly not the same as the relationship that Keya had with her brothers. The girl wondered what his sister would look like... Did she have the same brooding nature as her brother? Which of the two was older? She kept these questions to herself, figuring that now was not the time. Besides, it didn't look like the boy was very keen on telling her about his family problems, which was understandable.

"To perform the technique requires peace of mind." Iroh continued and calmly poured his nephew some of the tea as well. Zuko sniffed it before carefully taking a sip. His eyes brightened when an insight occurred to him- a rather rare occurrence.

"I see! That's why we're drinking tea: to calm the mind."

His uncle laughed as if caught off guard. Keya smiled at the scene between the two. She had never really seen them interact, but based on how often Iroh had spoken of his nephew, she wasn't surprised to see how close they were. They seemed more like a father and son, rather than an uncle and nephew.

"Oh, yeah, good point!" He looked to the side and composed himself. "I mean, yes."

The old man grunted as he pushed himself off of the ground. Iroh stood up slowly and motioned for the two teens to follow him, which they did. The three made their way over to the edge of the cliffside. They were greeted by the marvellous sight of a wide view of the deserted valley. In the distance, Keya could see the village where she had helped Zuko with his uncle. The smouldering wood and thick smoke plumes had long since faded and disappeared. She gazed at the view for a bit while Zuko and his uncle got into mirrored stances, the younger ready to follow his mentor's motions carefully.

"There is energy all around us." Iroh instructed. "The energy is both Yin and Yang, a positive energy and a negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these few energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance. And in the moment that the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

As he spoke, the old man brought his hands together. His pointer and middle fingers were pointed upward and the rest of his fingers remained in a relaxed fist formation. Keya gasped as she felt a strange energy in the air. The hairs on her neck stood up when they sensed the electric current flowing around them. Iroh waved his hands in opposite circles, separating the current and meticulously bringing them back together again.

The result was terrifying.

A bright flash erupted between Iroh's fingers, accompanied by a loud crackle and a sizzling sensation throughout the air. Quickly, the old man -who Keya had wrongfully assumed to be rather harmless- thrust his arm out to the canion before them. His expression remained completely cool and in control as he did so, despite the deadly power that his body exerted. Keya let out a silent scream and fell to the ground, covering her ears with her trembling hands. Who thought that it was a good idea to let her watch? And why did she agree?!