Azula, Flames Of Change

Chapter 16: The Fall of Iroh and Aang's Turn

The air around Omashu was thick with smoke and the cacophony of battle. The White Lotus had launched their assault, and Aang, alongside the veteran warriors and benders, was leading the charge. His staff twirled in his hands, air currents slicing through the enemy lines as he guided the warriors in their advance.

The once-great city was fortified under Azula's new rule. Fire Nation tanks and artillery loomed on every corner, and the ominous Dai Li guarded the entrances to Omashu's heart. But Aang and the White Lotus were determined, pushing through the streets with a single-minded focus.

"Keep pushing forward!" Aang yelled to the Earth Kingdom soldiers as he blasted apart another Fire Nation tank with a powerful airbending surge. "We have to reach the palace!"

The fighting was fierce, but Aang's heart was heavy. He had tried for peace, had tried to find another way, but every path led back to this—war, conflict, and destruction. Despite his resolve to bring balance, he was caught in the very cycle he had sworn to end.

Katara, Toph, and Zuko were not with him now; they had taken another path to confront their destinies elsewhere. Aang had hoped they would break Azula's grip on the Fire Nation, while he focused on Omashu. But now, as the battle raged on, he could feel something was wrong—something darker was stirring in the city's heart.

As Aang surged forward with the White Lotus troops, he couldn't shake the growing sense of unease. Something was happening within the walls of the inner city, and it was drawing him in.

Suddenly, a massive blast of fire erupted from the central square. The battle seemed to pause for a moment as everyone turned toward the source. The unmistakable grey flames shot into the sky, twisting and turning like a dark omen.

Aang's heart sank. Azula.

The realization struck him like a punch in the gut. Iroh had gone ahead to confront her, with Jeong Jeong at his side. But those flames... they didn't belong to ordinary firebending. That fire was unnatural, colder, and far more dangerous.

Aang's eyes widened in horror. "No..."

Without hesitation, he abandoned the front lines and launched himself into the sky, gliding toward the center of the city. His mind raced. He had to get there in time, had to stop Azula from whatever monstrous act she was committing. Iroh couldn't handle this alone.

As he soared over the battlefield, the grey flames flickered below, casting long shadows across the buildings. He could feel their strange, detached energy, something far removed from the living, breathing fire of other firebenders. This was different. This was something twisted.

When Aang landed in the plaza, the scene before him confirmed his worst fears.

Iroh lay on the ground, his body motionless, a thin layer of ash already beginning to cover him. The legendary firebender, the man who had taught him so much, was dead. Nearby, Jeong Jeong's lifeless body bore the unmistakable marks of Azula's frozen fire. It had pierced him like a weapon of ice and flame, cold and unforgiving.

And in the center of it all, Azula stood, unbothered, her posture straight, her grey flames fading from her fingertips. Her expression was one of calm indifference, as if what she had just done was nothing more than a simple matter of strategy.

Aang's chest heaved with emotion, anger, sadness, disbelief. How had it come to this?

Azula turned to face him, her golden eyes now darkened by a hint of grey, mirroring the color of her flames. Her lips curled into a slight smile. "You're late, Avatar."

Aang's heart raced, and his hands clenched around his staff. "Azula... what have you done?"

"What needed to be done," she replied, her voice cold and detached. "Iroh was in the way. So was Jeong Jeong. They were relics of a broken past. I'm building something new, something better. There's no room for weakness."