Avatar: The Red Dragon

Chapter 13: The Explosion - Part 2

When the explosion happened, everyone was still in class. The first years, who were practicing firebending or martial arts in the yards, looked up at the partially destroyed main building. Panic started to spread throughout the students, even though the teachers tried to calm them down.

In the main courtyard, Prince Iroh, who didn't get carried away by panic, immediately thought of Nanami who had been taken to the Headmaster's office. He dashed to the northern gate in the same direction she had gone. A teacher tried to stop him but he didn't even look back. Saki, who was also in the main courtyard, followed him hurriedly. In the hall, they met Miya and Hiroki, coming from the southern gate, who were also rushing to the third floor.

The four of them quickly climbed the stairs and arrived at the Headmaster's office – or at least what was left of it. A group of teachers were already there, forming a circle around the Avatar and the others. The four kids wove their way between the teachers to put themselves in the front row. When they saw their friend lying unconscious, they uttered soft cries in shock. Miya, Saki and Hiroki, really worried about their friend, held hands to comfort one another. Iroh hurried to his grandfather's side to watch over the young girl.

As she was not regaining consciousness, Nanami was transported to the infirmary. Classes resumed normally on the Headmaster's orders and the four students returned to their firebending training, still anxious about their friend. The afternoon seemed endless. None of them managed to focus on bending fire, still concerned about their classmate. Even Toh seemed restless and worried about his apprentice, making him distracted during his lesson.

At the end of the day, Nanami still had not woken up yet. Miya, Saki, Hiroki and Iroh were seated beside her bed, as well as her older brother Shuu, who had rushed over when he had heard the news. Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, Master Tenzin, Headmaster Kaito and Professor Toh were talking in another room.

Shortly after, Nanami slowly woke up and painfully opened her eyes. Miya, Saki and Shuu threw themselves on her to hug the little girl.

"Hey, wait! Give her some space! She just woke up," Hiroki raised his voice, contrary to his habit, trying to stop them.

The three moved away as Nanami tried to get up but her arms could not support her.

"Don't move, you're still weak," her brother told her, helping her lie back down. "I'm gonna call the teachers," he added as he left the room.

"What happened?" Nanami asked faintly.

"Well... You kinda blew out the Headmaster's office," Saki replied awkwardly.

"Oh no... What about the others? And, will I be expelled?" Nanami inquired sorrowfully.

"That's okay, don't worry about that, they won't expel you," Iroh replied, getting closer to her. "The others are fine, they're not hurt. But what about you, are you feeling okay now?"

"Iroh? You came. I'm okay, but my limbs feel like lead. I can't move and I can't raise my voice any more than this," she answered softly, smiling at him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Iroh whispered relievedly . He looked at her tenderly and took her small hand in his.

While the five students were still talking, Shuu came back with Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, Tenzin, the Headmaster Kaito and Professor Toh. They walked in and stood next to Nanami's bed. The little girl apologized for what she did to Kaito's office and for nearly hurting them. She then spoke to her teacher and told Toh she was so sorry she couldn't put into practice what he taught her, but the grumpy old man didn't hold it against her.

Her abilities were much more powerful than what they had expected. Aang explained that they didn't know anything about that kind of skill and that the priority was that she rests for the moment. They would look into that matter and come back to her when they found something interesting. Nanami nodded and closed her eyes as she hadn't yet recovered, falling into a light sleep.

The infirmary was spacious with many beds lined up. The room was lit with little oil lamps hung on the wall above each bed. Small flames were dancing in their lamp shades and created a cozy, dim atmosphere.

Suddenly, all the flames disappeared and plunged the room into darkness. Only the moon brought light into the sick room. Aang, Zuko and the others fidgeted, trying to understand what had happened. Zuko lit the lamps back with his firebending. However, the flames would disappear right back, as soon as they reached the lamps. No matter how many times the Fire Lord tried to light the lamps, the result was still the same: the flames would vanish each time.

Their eyes then turned to a new source of light that was shining: Nanami's body was covered by the same golden lines as earlier. Amber tracings highlighted several of the blood vessels under her skin. Her body glowed for a few seconds before stopping and plunging the room into darkness again. They could only look at the phenomenon with amazement, without being able to say anything.

"Who turned off the lights?" Nanami, who opened her eyes, asked. Her voice was clear and intelligible again. She sounded like she had recovered her energy.

Fire Lord Zuko tried for the umpteenth time to throw flames into the oil lamps and this time it finally worked. Nanami's face, which previously looked really tired, was now full of life. Her usual bright golden eyes returned back, shining more than ever like small sparks. Feeling better, she then tried to stretch her arms and legs.

"I suddenly feel really good!" she joyfully declared, noticing she could finally move as she pleased and added with a smile, "I was so exhausted a few moments ago and now I'm back in full shape! Did you use some of your power on me, Avatar Aang? Thank you so much!"

Aang looked back at the lively little girl, baffled and not knowing what to tell her.

What just happened? It was as if she absorbed the flames from the oil lamps and they restored her energy. Is that even possible? He wondered in this head.

"No, it was not me. You healed yourself on your own...," Aang slowly answered her, a bewildered look drawing on his face.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, and finally declared, "I think I need to talk to your family, Nanami."

A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it :)

Also, thank you so much for 2K reads and more than 200 votes too!!!!! It means a lot to me that people enjoy reading my work. Really, thank you so much you all ❤️

Credit for picture: GIFER