Outside the library, Fire Nation soldiers were fighting a group of bandits who were using the sand to propel their vehicles forward. Why did this group dare to do this? For the money they were paid, of course!
Several people in different clothing joined the fray, but their fighting techniques, or Earthbending, were clearly distinct from those of the bandits. Their movements were more stylized and structured, based on technique rather than combat experience alone. The Fire Nation soldiers quickly identified these people as their old enemies.
Soldiers from Ba Sing Se! Specifically, the Dai Li. Their fighting style was unforgettable, as many of the escorts traveling with Shisui and the others were members of the units they had led during the conflict.
They were soldiers who had gone through that hell and managed to escape it under the guidance of the Sage, the Prince, and the Princess. They were able to jump into action quickly and protect two key targets:
Appa and the airship. It was crucial to keep the flying bison safe since he was the Avatar's companion, and Shisui had explicitly ordered them to protect him at all costs. The aircraft was their mode of transportation; if it were destroyed, they would have to make their way out of the scorching desert on foot. This would be problematic for them, even though they were Firebenders who thrived in intense sunlight.
However, it seemed that these enemies had targeted not only those two but also the library's visible tower. Some Dai Li in plainclothes began using earthbending against the building's structure. They realized that it would be much harder than expected because it wasn't a simple stone building but a creation of Wan Shi Tong.
Not just anyone could manipulate his work. However, their attempts caused the building to shake, which unsettled the Fire Nation soldiers. If anything happened to the building while so many important figures were inside, it would be a far greater loss than simply losing their transport.
The soldiers weren't the only ones who noticed the library shaking. Those inside quickly realized something was wrong. The most concerned person, however, was Wan Shi Tong. He closed his eyes and connected with the building to see what was happening outside, which made him furious.
"KING KUEI! DO YOU DARE ATTACK MY LIBRARY!?" The spirit shouted in a shrill voice as he approached the man menacingly. The man simply took off his glasses, wiped them on his clothes, and put them back on.
"Yes, I dare. Why wouldn't I? Do you think I'd expose myself to you and Sage Shisui without a backup plan? I even took the Avatar into account when I laid my hands on his beloved pet," Kuei replied with a sly smile, silencing Wan Shi Tong. He realized that his beloved creation was now essentially a hostage.
"Huh? You dare lay a hand on Appa and threaten me!?" Although Shisui didn't know exactly what was happening outside, he could piece it together from the few things he'd heard. The anger he'd been holding back in favor of a more relaxed demeanor exploded.
"Yes, and I also noticed that Princess Azula is pregnant. You wouldn't dare…?" Before Kuei could finish, Shisui punched him in the face with such force that he was sent flying. However, there was something about the blow that the sage didn't like.
Looking at his hand, he noticed traces of sand. When he looked at the king, he saw flakes of earth peeling off his face and turning into grains of sand as they fell to the ground.
"Sand armor. Cool, huh? Though I did feel that punch. Ugh! You really hit hard, Sage Shisui!" Kuei exclaimed, patting his cheek and brushing off the dust to restore the protective layer in that area of his body.
"Ever since you dared to imagine laying a finger on my fiancée or my future daughter, I've marked you as my first target. I don't have to wait until I reach Ba Sing Se. I can do it now," Shisui declared, unleashing all his fury as flecks of chi surged from his body. His presence was felt throughout the library and outside, spreading across the vast desert and reaching farther and farther.
Shisui was angry, extremely, furiously angry! But Kuei didn't seem to feel the overwhelming pressure threatening to crush him. Instead, he looked toward Wan Shin Tong, who stepped back as the waterbender unleashed his fury.
"Tell him, spirit. Tell him what's happening outside and what will happen if he doesn't let me go. He'll have to do it, or things will get worse!" Kuei ordered. Shisui clenched his teeth, but didn't act immediately. Instead, he turned to look at the great owl.
"Humans will always fall into conflict. That will never change. Sage Shisui, those people have stripped off their shirts, revealing that they have explosives strapped to them. They've clung to the Flying Bison and blocked the entrance you came through. It's a clear threat." Wan Shin Tong's words made Shisui's eyes narrow before he looked at Kuei. Kuei made a graceful and courteous gesture, but he had a mocking smile on his face.
"They will die for me. They will die if I don't come out in exactly four minutes. Three, two, one, go! Oops, now you only have three minutes and fifty-six seconds." The king felt powerful at that moment as his plan fell into place, finally putting the sage who had annoyed him so much in his place.
"Go, King Kuei, but remember one thing. This time, I will turn Ba Sing Se, no, just your palace, into the deepest pit in the world. I will submerge everything that represents your power under tons of water.
If I have to dry up the area's springs or draw all the water from the atmosphere until breathing becomes painful, I will do it just to achieve this." Shisui slowly approached the king and stood in front of him, staring intently into his green eyes with his own golden ones.
"The innocent will not pay. I am not a madman. But you, Kuei, will not enjoy this moment. Instead, you will live in fear. You're holding me back with things that matter to me right now, but what will happen when you're the one being held back? Even if you decide not to return to Ba Sing Se, what I told you will happen. It's a promise I make to you." Shisui touched Kuei's cheek, the one he had struck earlier.
He pressed down on the area with his hand, slowly fracturing the hard protective layer and peeling it away. With the shell in his hand, he closed his fist, using chi to push his muscles to their limit and shatter the shell completely.
Kuei's smile gradually faded. The satisfaction he felt at the outcome of his plan gave way to growing indignation. However, he did not dare press the Sage too hard. Everyone knew how much he cherished his family and that it was the only thing holding him back. What would happen if Shisui had no one left to worry about? The fate of the Fire Nation nobles who fell into his hands would serve as an example.
Even the King of the Earth Kingdom didn't dare destroy Shisui's family, no matter how much of a nuisance he considered him. He couldn't be sure that he could eliminate the Sage since past attempts had failed. And who knows what an angry Sage, thirsty for revenge, would do? He didn't want to face that!
He was outraged by Shisui's threat, though. He knew Shisui would come to his kingdom, but he'd assumed it was to reignite the conflict caused by his attacks or those of the Red Lotus. Now, he realized that wasn't the case.
Shisui was after him, and he'd made the matter even more urgent. As he walked toward the exit, he couldn't stop feeling the Waterbender's pressure bearing down on him. Soon, he felt several more pressures focus on him. Kuei reached the outside with beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
He couldn't get the image of the entire Avatar team and all of Shisui's comrades staring at him in silence while his men and the Sand Bandits tried to escape from that place out of his mind.
"Do you think I acted impulsively and that I shouldn't leave Ba Sing Se?" Kuei asked one of his men. Upon hearing his words, the man dropped to his knees, not caring that he was in the carriage.
"No, Your Majesty! Your decisions are absolute and perfect." The Dai Li replied, causing the king to narrow his eyes thoughtfully. He knew the Dai Li were 'programmed' to respond that way; they would never give him the correct answer, only the one he expected to hear.
"It seems I've struck a nerve with a sea dragon more ruthless than I thought," Kuei muttered. Despite the distance they'd traveled, he could still sense Shisui's presence.
The worst part was that a powerful spiritual pulse was emanating from that area because he had underestimated the connection between the new Avatar and his spirit animal. His act of threatening the Flying Bison caused the Air Nomad to lose his temper completely, entering full-blown Avatar mode.
Kuei could say that if it weren't for the threat and the fact that Shisui kept his promises. His magnificent trick would have ended with him being torn to pieces by all the elements, which would have been a rather sickening achievement.
…
"Are we really just going to let him go?" Azula asked Shisui. Her tone was neutral, but judging by her expression and the way she was grinding her teeth, it was clear she was furious.
"Remember, Earthbending allows them to control gunpowder from a distance, making them more dangerous," Shisui replied, shooting a stream of water at a pile of explosives at his feet and ruining them.
"I've never been this angry in my life, and I don't know why I feel bad," remarked Aang. He was sitting in the desert sand, leaning his back against Appa, who was large enough to provide shade due to the sun's position.
"Because in your culture, those emotions are viewed differently. Your 'earthly' emotions are clashing with the 'lofty' teachings of the Air Nomads. Don't worry. You're human. It's normal to get angry. I'm very angry right now," Shisui murmured in response as he looked up and watched the direction Kuei had gone. An idea crossed his mind, and he carried it out immediately.
"Step aside. I'm not the type to wait long for revenge," Shisui declared as specks of chi began to emerge from his body. Then, slowly, a vast amount of this energy surged outward and gradually formed the massive energy giant he had manifested at the South Pole.
"Do you know when Shisui first showed that angry expression without actually showing anger?" Ty Lee asked suddenly as the group stepped back. Everyone looked at her as she tried to remember.
"I remember it. It was at school. A teacher was picking on me because of my background, which I share with Shisui. I remember that if it weren't for Lord Bluezon, they would've expelled Shisui that day since he hit that guy in front of everyone," Petra replied with a smile, while Mai patted her on the shoulder.
"I saw her do it when my father raised his hand to slap me for speaking louder than he would tolerate at the dinner party held at our house. Shisui hit him, too, and warned him not to limit my volume," Mai added with a subtle smile.
"I saw her once during the war against Ba Sing Se. You know how that ended. One of the reasons was the atrocities committed by the enemy soldiers. The other reason was that he discovered they were poisoning the water wells used by people fleeing the conflict," Zuko added. He watched as the giant humanoid made of energy assumed a throwing stance.
"So it's clear that when Shisui gets angry, drastic things happen. Like that time, those spirits visited him after his fight against Zhao's nephew. I can't remember his name," Azula commented, frowning as she tried to recall him. He was so irrelevant to her at that moment that she barely registered him.
"Remind me not to make that guy angry," Sokka muttered as he watched Shisui draw water from the atmosphere, making the air feel drier while jets of water shot up from the sand.
This was all a reenactment of what he had told Kuei, as Shisui had decided to do this on purpose. The water pooled and formed a massive ice spear, which he aimed into the distance.
"Remember that you must never let your enemy touch you," Shisui said. He felt the drop of energy imbued with his own, thanks to his gradual improvement in energy bending.
His spear broke the sound barrier, cutting through the air at such a speed that soon no one could see it anymore. It might not kill his enemy, but it would certainly scare him.
'Time to hunt,' thought the Sage, smiling slightly. Inside, rage and exhaustion from his reckless act of creating the energy construct consumed him.
But he felt it was worth it!
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AN: TheAnPlayer2 gave me a tip: Promote my original stories every 5 chapters. So, read my original novels: Steam and Heart, Lunar Mechanism, Blood Sequence, and Witch's Adventure. You may or may not like them, but give them a chance. c: