The smoke of combat still floated over the beach like a thick veil. Suki, leaning against a charred log, breathed with difficulty. The soldier's blow to her ribs had left a deep burn, but it wasn't that that kept her immobile.
It was him.
Ren.
His figure stood before Zuko's battalion, completely alone, with the sand rising around his feet from the pressure of the hot air. To Suki, seeing him there—a young man who the day before had healed her wounds with surprisingly delicate hands—now transformed into an immovable wall… was disconcerting.
Perhaps even frightening.
Though she would never admit it.
The sea breeze stirred her loose hair, still covered in dust. The shouts of the Kyoshi Warriors mixed with the roar of the flames and the clash of metal, but to Suki, they seemed distant, as if an invisible barrier separated her from the world.
She only saw Ren advance.
One…
two…
three steps, each firmer than the last.
Suki swallowed.
It wasn't normal. Nothing about him was normal.
—"Ren…" she whispered without realizing it.
The boy turned his face slightly, as if he had heard her despite the chaos. That minimal gesture, that silent attention… hit her harder than any clash of fire.
Then Zuko appeared through the smoke.
His cloak was torn on one side. His breathing was ragged, his torso moving forward like an animal about to bite. And his eyes—his one visible eye—burned with something more than anger: a bitter, desperate obsession.
—"REN!" he roared, his voice torn by fury. "YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF MY MISSION!"
Suki felt her heart rise to her throat.
Ren didn't answer.
He simply breathed.
A deep inhalation.
Serene.
Controlled.
The air vibrated.
Suki felt it on her skin like contained electricity.
Zuko advanced first. His fire exploded from his palms with a searing roar that illuminated the entire beach. The flames had the orange color of young, impulsive rage.
Ren brushed them aside with a flick of his wrist.
He didn't block them.
He didn't deflect them.
He undid them.
The flames disintegrated into a whirlwind of incandescent dust that extinguished before touching the ground.
Suki blinked, incredulous.
That wasn't controlled fire.
It wasn't.
She had trained her whole life against elite firebending masters. She knew how to recognize every form, every technique… but that…
"What… is this boy…?" she murmured.
Zuko, without understanding what he was seeing—or without wanting to understand it—launched a second attack, twice as fierce. This time accompanied by a dozen soldiers who created a wall of fire expanding toward Ren like a burning wave.
Ren inhaled again.
The circle of sand around him glowed… white.
Suki opened her eyes in involuntary terror.
"It can't be…"
The explosion was silent.
There was no sound.
There was no tremor.
Just a flash.
The wave of fire disappeared instantly.
The soldiers fell backward, as if an invisible force had shoved them violently.
Zuko stopped, his breathing erratic, sweat falling from his brow.
—"What… did you do?" he panted, a mix of rage and fear in his voice.
Ren finally spoke.
—"Zuko. Retreat."
His tone was calm.
Almost… human.
But Suki felt the edge hidden beneath that calm.
Zuko gritted his teeth.
—"Don't tell me what to do. Not you! You don't understand what's at stake! It's my only chance to get him back!"
Ren took a step forward.
Suki saw Zuko's shoulders tremble. Not from fear of the power… but of the name he never said.
The brother he lost?
There was an emotional weight there that Suki could feel even at that distance.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka were gone. They had already left on Ren's orders. And Suki, though she wanted to follow them, still couldn't move without risking fainting. Her warriors, exhausted, were regrouping around her.
They were buying time.
All they could do was watch.
Zuko launched a final attack. A desperate, dirty, uncontrolled fire.
Ren walked through it without even raising his arms.
He appeared in front of Zuko in a blink.
Zuko's eyes opened in surprise. His flames extinguished without him understanding how.
Ren spoke, this time low, almost sad.
—"I can't let you destroy what I'm protecting here. Not today."
Suki felt a shiver run down her spine.
There was something in his voice… something sincere she didn't expect.
Zuko took a step back, panting. His gaze moved between Ren, the warriors, the houses behind… and the empty beach where the Avatar was no longer.
Frustration broke him.
—"ENOUGH!" he shouted at the soldiers, his voice cracking. "FIRE! FIX THIS WITH FIRE! BURN THE VILLAGE! ALL THE HOUSES!"
The world froze for Suki.
—"No…" she whispered, breathless.
The soldiers obeyed.
The first flames began to spread across the wooden walls of the huts. The crackle of fire devouring the green paint of the Kyoshi masks was like a lament.
Suki felt her throat close. Her legs wanted to get up, but her body wouldn't respond.
Ren turned to her for a second.
His eyes…
His eyes were not a boy's.
They were of something deeper. Graver. More ancient.
And they promised something.
Protection.
Fury.
Vengeance.
All at once.
When he looked back at Zuko, his expression was neutral… but the air burned.
The soldiers retreated without Ren even touching them.
Zuko raised his hands, defensively, finally understanding that he wouldn't win.
And Ren confirmed it:
—"If you take one more step… I won't be able to hold myself back."
Zuko gritted his teeth.
A mix of shame, helplessness, and pain crossed his face.
Finally, he lowered his arms.
—"Retreat…" he ordered, almost in a whisper, defeated.
The soldiers formed up.
The sound of their footsteps mixed with the growing roar of the fire.
Suki bowed her head, feeling a knot in her heart.
Zuko boarded his ship.
He didn't look back.
Ren remained standing, watching the flames begin to engulf his temporary home.
The Kyoshi village was burning.
As a sacrifice.
As a warning.
As a consequence.
Suki couldn't take her eyes off him.
Ren took a deep breath.
And began to walk toward her.
Toward the woman who was watching him as if she had seen a god… or a demon.
Perhaps both.