War of Change | Book 3

12: The Traitor

Art: Portrait by Zin Lim

The world seemed to have lost some of its saturation. Waking up every morning almost felt physically painful. Zuko managed, though. He had a promise to keep. He would help the Avatar if it was the last thing he did. He knew that was what Kida would have wanted.

It became a challenge to train the Avatar, however, when Zuko lost his ability to bend. The most he could muster was a measly puff of fire.

"I don't know what to do," Zuko sighed as he faced the group, just having admitted that he couldn't firebend as easily as before. He presented his palms face up, watching the weak flame flicker to life before disappearing again.

"How are you not angry enough to firebend?" Katara snapped. "After everything that's happened recently, you aren't angry?"

He looked up from his empty palm to the young girl sitting farthest from where he stood. She was giving him the very same, heated look that he had thought he'd receive from Kida when he arrived. It wasn't much unlike the one she'd worn when she threatened him the night before.

"I don't hate anyone now. I'm just..." He looked back down at his hand, trying with all his might to picture Kida's fingers twisting around his. "I'm sad. Not just like I miss her," the others straightened, each knowing exactly who he was referring to, "but like this crushing feeling is on top of me, like I can hardly breathe. I don't know how to breathe."

A thick silence hung in the air, choking everyone in the vicinity. Zuko wasn't the only one who felt that way. Toph didn't talk about hearing Sokka get up in the middle of the night to console his crying sister, or that every time Toph attempted to fall asleep herself, she remembered the feeling of Kida's last few moments of agony. Aang didn't mention that when they first arrived at the temple that he sobbed at the foot of a statue, feeling Kida's loss pile on top of the loss of his whole culture. Sokka didn't admit that he had picked up Kida's bow and arrows and was trying to teach himself how to use them or that each time he attempted it, it usually ended in frustration.

No one was okay, but they had to be. There had to be some way for them to pull themselves back together because wallowing wasn't going to bring her back, and she would never forgive them if they let the war slip through their fingers.

"I need another source," said Zuko. "I'm not going to stop until I can finally do something good."

Zuko's determination pulled Aang up by the shoulders, making him sit up straight. "You're right. We both will. We have to."

Pain and hate wouldn't get them anywhere, but they had hope, and hope would carry them to the end.

It was soon decided that to learn more about firebending, Aang and Zuko would go to the source - or as close to it as possible. The best they assumed they could do was go to the ruins of the Sun Warriors, an extinct people who had been the foundation of the Fire Nation.

Their plans were altered quickly. It seemed the Sun Warriors were not as extinct as it was once assumed - and nor were the Dragons.