Avatar: The Red Dragon

Chapter 16: The Masters

Nanami contemplated the fire in fascination, as if it was calling out to her. She could feel deep within herself the pulsation of the blaze, beating at the same tempo as her heart. She felt some sort of connection between her and the fire, her hairs standing on end.

"This is the Eternal Flame," the chief presented. "It is the first fire acquired by humans. It was given as a gift to us by the dragons. We, Sun Warriors, have been keeping it alive for thousands of years now."

A gift by dragons... that they had kept for thousands of years... Nanami thought, overawed by all of this.

The Sun Warrior chief stood in front of Nanami, looking serious.

"To meet the firebending masters, you will have to take a piece of the Eternal Flame and bring it to their cave over there," he explained, pointing to a distant mountain. "If they deem you worthy of learning the true nature of firebending, they'll teach you; else, you'll be destroyed on the spot."

Nanami shuddered upon hearing the last part of his sentence. Destroyed on the spot? How could she know whether she was worthy of learning the true nature of firebending or not? A chill ran down her spine, as stress built up inside of her, making her sweat a lot.

Aang quietly came closer and, kneeling down next to her, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be alright, Nanami."

Avatar Aang's voice was nice and soothing, putting Nanami's mind at ease. She nodded at him, and looked back at the Sun Warrior chief, waiting for him to continue. The latter observed her behavior closely, perceiving a change in her aura. Fear had left her, and was replaced by determination.

"If you're ready, then here you are."

He faced the Eternal Flame, and extending his arms, he took a flame out of it. He turned his hands around the piece of fire, and presented it to Nanami.

"This ritual illustrates the Sun Warriors' philosophy perfectly. You will have to maintain a constant temperature. The flame will die if it's too small; and if it's too big, it might go out of control."

The young firebender held out her hands timidly to receive the flame, for fear of not being able to control it. As soon as the chief passed the Eternal Flame to her, Nanami's eyes opened wide. Her body's temperature rose, and her five senses went on alert.

The small flame in her hands immediately increased in size when it came in contact with her, and made her bright golden eyes light up. It soon transformed into a fireball that enveloped her entire body, lifting her in the air.

A heavy silence hung over the ancient city. The Sun Warriors tribe stayed speechless in front of what was happening. Surprise was depicted on everyone's faces, and they had their mouths agape. Aang, Zuko and Tenzin, although amazed, showed less astonishment. Nanami's power was unknown and unpredictable; this reaction didn't seem out of place to them.

The fireball slowly dispelled, and as if the fire fused with Nanami, it turned into amber lines drawing on her skin – just like the other day in the infirmary. As her feet touched the ground, a distant roar arose behind them.

All heads turned in that direction, looking for the cause of the loud sound. At this distance, Tenzin couldn't see well, but he perceived two animals coming out of the caves. They looked like long snakes with wings. One was blue, and the other was red. They were dancing around a bridge that connected the two caves.

"The Masters..." the Sun Warrior chief murmured.

The two aforementioned masters breathed fire, which made Tenzin understand immediately. They were not winged snakes; they were dragons. The Firebending Masters were two dragons.

Nanami, her eyes still lit up, walked towards the Masters' caves. She seemed unconscious, as if she was driven by a force. However, her gait was resolute, taking rapid, confident steps. The Sun Warriors tribe, Aang, Zuko and Tenzin followed her quietly, until they reached the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Masters' caves.

The Sun Warriors usually performed a ceremony to summon the Masters and tell them they had visitors wanting to learn the true essence of firebending. But this time, the dragons were already out, waiting for the firebender to join them on the bridge. The tribe could only stay and watch as Nanami slowly climbed the steps one by one.

When she arrived at the top, Ran and Shaw were already waiting for her. They could feel a special connection to this strange little girl. No need to observe her, nor deem her worthy of learning the true firebending form; her presence and aura felt familiar. They surrounded her by a colorful spiral to transmit their knowledge, the way they did with Aang and Zuko many years ago.

After passing on their wisdom and technique, Ran and Shaw stood in front of Nanami, who returned back to a normal state. The young firebender bowed to them, thanking them for their teachings.

"We have been waiting for you, young girl," the red dragon said. "You must be looking for Tai Long, the Red Dragon."

"Tai Long," Nanami repeated. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"The island Tai Long has been living on was attacked a long time ago. He hid it, so no humans could find him anymore," the blue one explained.

"Does that mean I can't meet him?"

"We will tell you where his island was located. But, meeting with him will depend on you. You will have to show him you're worthy of meeting him."

"How do I show him I'm worthy of meeting him?"

"Only you can answer this question," the Masters responded in unison.

Nanami listened to their words carefully, recording everything in her memory.

After explaining everything to her, Ran and Shaw returned to their respective caves, leaving the little firebender alone on the bridge.

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the late update 🙈 (it was supposed to be published last week lol) I hope you enjoyed this new chapter though!!

Nanami met the true Masters of firebending, and now know the true form of firebending!! Next step: finding Tai Long, the Red Dragon!!!

Also, the story got over 3K reads, and more than 300 votes!! It means a lot, so thank you all so much ❤️ I'm very grateful for everyone's support!!

On this last note, thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter!

Credit for GIF: ChinaCatSunflower - We Heart It (weheartit.com/entry/43517631)