Akito B. Takahashi
Stories
4
Chapters
123
Words
235.7 K
Comments
0
Reading
19 h, 38 m
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The journey was deceptively calm. Zuko stood at the bow to prepare for his training. Suddenly, the world lurched. A boom resonated through the ship and threw both him and the crewmen off balance. Then the alarm klaxons began to wail immediately. "We're being attacked!" a lookout screamed from the crow's nest. "They're on the port side!" Zuko strode to the railing. When he extended a hand, a scared soldier slapped a telescope into his palm. Through the lens, he saw them: three Wolf Cove cutters…
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29.1 K • Completed
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Some time later, the ship arrived in the city of Omashu. Bumi greeted them with the manic energy of a man who had been waiting a century for a good punchline. He threw feasts that defied culinary logic. Such as rock candy that shattered teeth, hog-monkey stew that stared back, and games that involved more centrifugal force than Iroh's stomach appreciated. Zuko quite liked Bumi. Not because of his senile ways, but because this elder didn't question him as much as to how he knew about the White…
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29.1 K • Completed
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Once Pakku heard that Zuko was indeed a bright child, he accepted the boy with open arms. The days in the Northern Water Tribe were therefore spent in peace. Zuko quite liked the glistening streets of Agna Qel'a. Many of the citizens, although a tad weary of his presence, had a natural flow in their steps. Thankfully for them, he was not here to conquer. He spent hours watching the waterbenders practice their redirection forms. Why Pakku even allowed this was because a Grand Lotus was accompanying…
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29.1 K • Completed
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When the ship arrived at the Northern Fire Islands, Zuko felt an even stronger humidity. It was a stark contrast to the sterile, ash-choked air of the capital. And for General Iroh, it was a walk through a memory he had sworn to keep buried. The ship soon docked, allowing only Zuko and Iroh to walk down. Iroh watched his nephew trek through the ferns and avoid the traps as if they were second nature to him. Seeing this made Iroh want to understand Zuko more. Or rather, he wanted to fill the void Lu…
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29.1 K • Completed
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Fear. For the first time in decades, Azulon felt a flicker of genuine fear. But alongside it, a triumphant pride. This, he believed, was the bloodline of Roku, the power he had craved to produce in his family. "You have killed your father," Azulon said. His voice almost trembled. "And you have redeemed Lu Ten. You, my grandson, possess a fire unlike any I have ever seen." The fire lord then stood up as the flames behind him rose to match his stature. "Tell me, what would you like? I shall do everything…
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29.1 K • Completed
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The silence in the throne room couldn't be more apparent. The gathered courtiers, the guards, and even the family stood frozen. Ozai's face had fractured into disbelief. He looked from his son to his father, waiting for the fire lord to laugh or to order the boy executed for treason. But Azulon did not laugh; he leaned forward as his eyes glittered with interest. "My most beloved grandson," he rasped, "are you telling me that you wish to take revenge for me by facing your own father?" "I'll do…
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29.1 K • Completed
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The rains came to the capital on the six-hundredth day of the siege, washing away the ash but doing little to scrub the gloom from the red shingles of the palace. A courier had arrived at dawn, dripping wet, and carrying a scroll sealed with the personal insignia of General Iroh. It was a short message: Lu Ten had died. Zuko stood on the balcony of his chambers, watching the water cascade off the dragon-shaped gargoyles. He felt hollow. The gears of history had just ground forward, crushing a young…
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29.1 K • Completed
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Almost a year later. Zuko had passed the age of nine. He was growing taller, and his martial arts was becoming a terrifying blend of Northern Shaolin and the surgical precision of chi-blocking. His "finger gun" technique was a secret he guarded jealously, practicing only when he was certain of his solitude. He also learned to dial back the power, creating small, piercing shots that could puncture armor without blowing his own hand off. But with age came the timeline. Zuko sat in the palace…
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29.1 K • Completed
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The seasons turned, marking times deepened by Zuko's secrets. Azula soon returned from the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, sharper and crueler than when she left. In the original timeline, her return would have signaled the beginning of Zuko's torment. But Zuko, comfortably settled as the young prince, found her antics boring. While she terrorized the turtle-ducks, he was in the war room. His education had shifted. No longer content with standard tutors, he sat at the feet of the most dangerous men…
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29.1 K • Completed
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The passing months in the palace went by smoothly. Zuko had turned his surroundings into a masterclass of efficiency. Gone were the tantrums and the clumsy footwork. In their place was a terrifying precocity that unnerved the servants and delighted the royal family. He spent his afternoons sitting in the private gardens with Azulon, the current and aging fire lord. The old man was a tyrant, ruthless and cold, but he respected intellect. Zuko played to this by acting like a miniature…
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29.1 K • Completed
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