Fire | Distorted Reality [ 1 ] | ATLA

7

"The spirit world"

The Comet streamed high above them, leaving a tail of fire behind it. Aang, his friends, and all of their warriors looked up at it with a grim look of foreboding. They didn't win the battle in time. The Fire Nation forces would be striking back any moment now...

Aang and Zuko were the ones who went to fight Fire Lord Ozai together. Unfortunately, Ozai had foreseen the resistance to his invasion on the Earth Kingdom and had many defenses planned, including a full platoon of royal guards with him at all times. Aang had finally caught his first glimpse of the ruthless tyrant in person, but the Fire Lord slipped away as more royal guards came to fill his place so he could continue his immolation. Aang and Zuko had wasted much time and energy fighting them off and they were forced to retreat or face their deaths. Aang wasn't able to go into the Avatar State because of his locked chakras then.

His thoughts were immediately forgotten, for when Aang and Zuko returned to the battlefield to retreat, his friends and the combined force of the Earth Kingdom remnants and Iroh's secret society were winning against the Fire Nation soldiers. Everything was going smoothly until the arrival of Sozin's Comet, turning the sky red in its power. Aang, Zuko, and all of the other firebenders there felt the power coursing through them, but the enemy soldiers were able to turn the tides first.

Friends around him fell to the onslaught. Master Pakku was bested by a dozen firebenders' simultaneous blasts. Chey, a strengthened firebender, exploded when his own bombs caught fire. Katara and Sokka were losing hope—they had learned earlier that Azula and Ozai had their father and the first invasion force executed. Suki, freed from prison, was fighting valiantly, but she was the first to organize the retreat. Jeong Jeong's firebenders stayed behind to hold the enemies off, but the master firebender himself was the last to fall in a spectacular feat of flames.

And yet, he pursued the Fire Lord and the Phoenix King...

The day of Sozin's Comet was the worst day of his life. Ozai had succeeded in ending his enemies in fire and smoke, all hope extinguished.

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Aang was struck with a sense of déjà vu as the bison flew over the dirty, polluted river. The sun was hanging high in the sky, just past its zenith for the day. The group was hot, tired, and especially hungry after a full day of flying. The Avatar was surprised that Appa didn't fall into the dirty water beneath them.

Azula, as she was usually doing when she was bored, tossed a ball of fire up and down in her hand. Occasionally, she'd let out a tired sigh as if trying to communicate her boredom. Well, if she wants to be entertained, Aang thought, it won't be me doing the entertaining. After leaving the Coalition's encampment, Azula had realized that she had lost her prized golden headpiece, and since then, her attitude had become sour. Despite the seemingly-aggressive feelings she had expressed towards her mother, Aang could easily tell the heirloom was extremely important to her.