Chapter 1
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
A Challenge Before Agni
"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today," Zuko said as he jumped down off of Appa. "I am."
"You're Hilarious!" Azula laughed.
"And you're going down," Katara stepped forward.
"Wait," Azula stopped the Fire Sage from placing the headpiece in her hair. "You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother." She smiled, a menacing glint in her eyes. "The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"
"You're on," Zuko stated firmly as Azula smirked.
"What are you doing?" Katara asked as she looked at Zuko. "She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both so she's trying to separate us."
"I know," Zuko said as he continued to look at his little sister. "But I can take her this time."
"Even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula," Katara replied.
"There's something off about her," Zuko responded. "I can't explain it, but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt."
—
—
The brother and sister faced away from each other, each in a meditative pose before standing up and facing each other.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother," Azula said as she threw off her cloak.
"No you're not," Zuko said as he settled into his stance, prepared for what his sister would be bringing to bear.
Shifting forward, Azula fired off a massive cloud of blue fire, Zuko's responding yellow and orange stonewalling the blue wave as it moved forward, eventually both petering out.
Azula constantly moved forward, her stance fluid as she kicked fire at her older brother while his stance remained firm as he deflected or blocked the incoming fire blasts.
Then, spinning around, Azula launched a massive wave of flame at Zuko, only for him to slide into an earthbending stance that he had learned from Toph as he split the blue flames with his own, the flames dying out rapidly after that.
Setting his stance while Azula panted, Zuko launched his own attack; his sister narrowly avoiding the flames before bracing and using her own flames to launch herself at her brother.
Twisting in a stance he had seen Aang use against him many times over the last many moons, Zuko launched himself up and launched into a spinning kick that stalled Azula's flames before diving down and driving through into an attack. His sister, continuing to rocket around him, found herself barely keeping ahead of her brother before he used another airbending move learned from Aang to kick fire in every direction, one of the blasts hitting his sister and knocking her to the ground.
"No lightning today?" Zuko challenged. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko confidently stepped forward.
"I'll show you lightning!" Azula retorted as she split her chi, gathering the energy needed as the electricity sparked around her before her eyes latched onto her target. Pointing her fingers at Katara, Azula unleashed her lightning, knowing that Zuko wouldn't have time to set himself properly to redirect lightning. Zuko, jumped in front of Katara, pulling the lightning in and attempting to channel it in, down, up, and out but didn't manage to avoid his heart in time.
In one world, Zuko redirected the Lightning up and into the sky and Katara went on to win the Agni Kai. That is not this world.
Zuko, still focusing on trying to redirect the lightning, twitched wrong and the lightning returned to the one who sent it; striking Azula and sending her to the ground.
"Zuko!" Katara screamed as she moved forward, her water skin meeting her hand as she pulled water in to try and heal him.
"Don't," Zuko said as he felt his heart start to slow. "Go take care of her," he nodded towards Azula. "And tell Uncle that I love him, Zuko closed his eyes as his heart stopped beating.
"No!" Katara slammed her hand on Zuko's chest as she tried healing him, only to stop minutes later after seeing that it was making no difference.
"You better still be alive!" Katara snarled as she moved toward Azula, water out of her water skin and ready to strike.
"Hahahahaha," Azula laughed. "Zuzu doesn't look so good," She crawled over the ground next to her brother and stopped as she saw he was dead. "Looks like I'm the true Fire Lord as dictated by Agni Kai," Azula broke into laughter as her own body eventually stopped working for her and she collapsed, dead next to her brother. Both brother and sister dead due to the broken world left to children to fix.
Katara just knelt beside Zuko's body and cradled his head in her lap as she wept, the tears flowing from her eyes and soaking her tunic as the Imperial Palace began to burn down around her.
Zuko opened his eyes, expecting to find himself in the spirit world, and was met with the face of a Dragon.
"It was not supposed to end this way," The Dragon spoke but its mouth did not move. "And yet, the world has already shifted away, fate and destiny ever-changing."
"Agni," Zuko knelt.
"You are not finished yet, little dragon," Agni said amusingly. "There are those who have need of you."
"I am ready to enter the cycle of reincarnation," Zuko stated. "And I accept responsibility for my actions in this life."
"Keep your fire burning strong," Agni spoke into Zuko's mind. "You will need it where you are going, little dragon."
–
–
"Azula," Agni spoke to the young girl. "You are interesting, and fate has ever conspired against you."
"Fate," Azula scoffed. "I make my own fate."
"So you do," Agni smirked. "As has your brother before you. Now, you and your brother are faced with a choice; a challenge, as it were."
Zuko appeared in the space beside Azula, still braced and ready for what may happen.
"You have both invoked my name for your Agni Kai," Agni projected. "And yet, there was no clear winner of said challenge. So I have decided on a new challenge for you. The rules are simple, survive. The one who manages to outlive the other is the winner of this challenge before Agni. Now, begone with you both, there is much to see in this new world."
"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today," Zuko said as he jumped down off of Appa. "I am."
"You're Hilarious!" Azula laughed.
"And you're going down," Katara stepped forward.
"Wait," Azula stopped the Fire Sage from placing the headpiece in her hair. "You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother." She smiled, a menacing glint in her eyes. "The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"
"You're on," Zuko stated firmly as Azula smirked.
"What are you doing?" Katara asked as she looked at Zuko. "She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both so she's trying to separate us."
"I know," Zuko said as he continued to look at his little sister. "But I can take her this time."
"Even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula," Katara replied.
"There's something off about her," Zuko responded. "I can't explain it, but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt."
—
—
The brother and sister faced away from each other, each in a meditative pose before standing up and facing each other.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother," Azula said as she threw off her cloak.
"No you're not," Zuko said as he settled into his stance, prepared for what his sister would be bringing to bear.
Shifting forward, Azula fired off a massive cloud of blue fire, Zuko's responding yellow and orange stonewalling the blue wave as it moved forward, eventually both petering out.
Azula constantly moved forward, her stance fluid as she kicked fire at her older brother while his stance remained firm as he deflected or blocked the incoming fire blasts.
Then, spinning around, Azula launched a massive wave of flame at Zuko, only for him to slide into an earthbending stance that he had learned from Toph as he split the blue flames with his own, the flames dying out rapidly after that.
Setting his stance while Azula panted, Zuko launched his own attack; his sister narrowly avoiding the flames before bracing and using her own flames to launch herself at her brother.
Twisting in a stance he had seen Aang use against him many times over the last many moons, Zuko launched himself up and launched into a spinning kick that stalled Azula's flames before diving down and driving through into an attack. His sister, continuing to rocket around him, found herself barely keeping ahead of her brother before he used another airbending move learned from Aang to kick fire in every direction, one of the blasts hitting his sister and knocking her to the ground.
"No lightning today?" Zuko challenged. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko confidently stepped forward.
"I'll show you lightning!" Azula retorted as she split her chi, gathering the energy needed as the electricity sparked around her before her eyes latched onto her target. Pointing her fingers at Katara, Azula unleashed her lightning, knowing that Zuko wouldn't have time to set himself properly to redirect lightning. Zuko, jumped in front of Katara, pulling the lightning in and attempting to channel it in, down, up, and out but didn't manage to avoid his heart in time.
In one world, Zuko redirected the Lightning up and into the sky and Katara went on to win the Agni Kai. That is not this world.
Zuko, still focusing on trying to redirect the lightning, twitched wrong and the lightning returned to the one who sent it; striking Azula and sending her to the ground.
"Zuko!" Katara screamed as she moved forward, her water skin meeting her hand as she pulled water in to try and heal him.
"Don't," Zuko said as he felt his heart start to slow. "Go take care of her," he nodded towards Azula. "And tell Uncle that I love him, Zuko closed his eyes as his heart stopped beating.
"No!" Katara slammed her hand on Zuko's chest as she tried healing him, only to stop minutes later after seeing that it was making no difference.
"You better still be alive!" Katara snarled as she moved toward Azula, water out of her water skin and ready to strike.
"Hahahahaha," Azula laughed. "Zuzu doesn't look so good," She crawled over the ground next to her brother and stopped as she saw he was dead. "Looks like I'm the true Fire Lord as dictated by Agni Kai," Azula broke into laughter as her own body eventually stopped working for her and she collapsed, dead next to her brother. Both brother and sister dead due to the broken world left to children to fix.
Katara just knelt beside Zuko's body and cradled his head in her lap as she wept, the tears flowing from her eyes and soaking her tunic as the Imperial Palace began to burn down around her.
Zuko opened his eyes, expecting to find himself in the spirit world, and was met with the face of a Dragon.
"It was not supposed to end this way," The Dragon spoke but its mouth did not move. "And yet, the world has already shifted away, fate and destiny ever-changing."
"Agni," Zuko knelt.
"You are not finished yet, little dragon," Agni said amusingly. "There are those who have need of you."
"I am ready to enter the cycle of reincarnation," Zuko stated. "And I accept responsibility for my actions in this life."
"Keep your fire burning strong," Agni spoke into Zuko's mind. "You will need it where you are going, little dragon."
–
–
"Azula," Agni spoke to the young girl. "You are interesting, and fate has ever conspired against you."
"Fate," Azula scoffed. "I make my own fate."
"So you do," Agni smirked. "As has your brother before you. Now, you and your brother are faced with a choice; a challenge, as it were."
Zuko appeared in the space beside Azula, still braced and ready for what may happen.
"You have both invoked my name for your Agni Kai," Agni projected. "And yet, there was no clear winner of said challenge. So I have decided on a new challenge for you. The rules are simple, survive. The one who manages to outlive the other is the winner of this challenge before Agni. Now, begone with you both, there is much to see in this new world."