Chapter 37: The Thunderous Simp, The Fire Lord's Gloom, and The Man of Steel part-2
"Your sound is terrible," Zenitsu mumbled into Nezuko's shoulder. "Go away before I cry on you."
Rai fled. You cannot defeat a man who switches between God Mode and Crybaby Mode so seamlessly. It is psychologically confusing.
[Incident Report: World 19][Target: Zenitsu & Nezuko.][Status: Cowardice Overcome (Briefly). Simp Level: Validated.][Villain Status: Arm numb for a week. Cape ruined.][Reward: 1000 System Points.]
(Okay, that was loud. My auditory sensors are ringing. Let us go somewhere quieter. Maybe somewhere with a lot of brooding.)
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected.][World Designation: World 20 - The World of Elements (Avatar: The Last Airbender Universe).][Setting: The Fire Nation Palace (Post-War, Adult Gaang).][Host: Fire Lord Zuko.][Target: Mai.][Villain: "The Sun's Chosen" (Transmigrator).]
(Zuko? The king of awkwardness? And Mai? The queen of gloom? This is going to be a delight. I love emo couples.)
[Initiating Transfer...]
.....................
World 20: The World of Elements (Avatar Universe)
Ethan arrived in a room decorated with red silk and dragon motifs. It was hot.
Fire Lord Zuko was pacing back and forth. He practiced a speech to an empty chair.
"Mai, you look... nice. No, that is stupid. Mai, your gloom is... radiant today? Ugh! Why am I so bad at this?"
(Because you have the social skills of a turtleduck, Zuko,) Ethan interjected. (Stop pacing. You are wearing a hole in the royal carpet.)
Zuko froze. "Uncle? Is that you speaking from the Spirit World?"
(No, it is not Iroh. Though I wish I had his tea. I am your System. And we have a problem. A man named Blaze is currently in the courtyard with Mai. He is a Firebender Transmigrator who claims to be the 'True Spirit of Passion'.)
Zuko scowled. "Blaze? The new guard captain? I thought he was just enthusiastic."
(He is trying to steal your girlfriend, Zuko. He is telling her that you are too cold, too scarred, and too busy with politics to understand her 'dark soul'. He is reading her poetry. Bad poetry. About burning loins.)
Zuko gagged. "Burning loins? That is disgusting."
(It is. And Mai is currently enduring it because she thinks he is your friend. But Blaze is planning to challenge you to an Agni Kai for her hand in marriage. He thinks because you are the 'Peaceful Fire Lord', you have forgotten how to fight.)
Zuko touched his scar. "I haven't forgotten."
(Good. But we don't need an Agni Kai. That is too dramatic. We need to out-gloom him. Mai doesn't want passion. She wants someone who understands that life is boring. System Shop: Purchase Item "The Tome of Ultimate Melancholy". It is a book of the most depressing, cynical poetry in the multiverse. Give this to her.)
Zuko looked at his hands, where a black leather-bound book suddenly appeared.
"What is this?"
(It contains the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe and creative writing from emo teenagers in 2007. It is her kryptonite. Go. Intercept them.)
........................….
Location: The Royal Courtyard.
Mai sat by the turtleduck pond, looking bored. She was sharpening a throwing knife.
Standing in front of her was Blaze. He was shirtless (of course), sweating, and flexing his abs. He held a rose that was on fire.
"Mai," Blaze declared, his voice booming. "Your eyes are like pools of obsidian! Let my fire warm your cold heart! Zuko is a boy of duty; I am a man of desire! Run away with me to the Ember Island beaches!"
Mai sighed. "I hate sand. It gets everywhere."
"Then we shall go to the volcano!" Blaze improvised. "Where the heat matches our love!"
(Oh god, this guy is relentless,) Ethan groaned. (Zuko, step in. But do not yell. Be quiet. Be dark.)
Zuko walked out from behind a pillar. He didn't look angry. He looked tired.
"The volcano is active," Zuko said monotonically. "The sulfur fumes would likely suffocate you in ten minutes. It is a terrible date spot."
Blaze spun around. "Fire Lord! You interrupt my wooing!"
"I am interrupting your lack of geological knowledge," Zuko said. He walked past Blaze and stood next to Mai. He didn't touch her. He just stood in her personal space, sharing her gloom.
"Zuko," Mai said, a hint of relief in her voice. "He is very loud."
"I know," Zuko agreed. "I brought you something. To help ignore him."
He handed her the black book.
Mai opened it. She read the first line: "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing..."
Her eyes lit up—well, they didn't light up, but her frown lessened by two millimeters, which was basically a beaming smile for Mai.
"This is..." Mai whispered. "Depressing. Morbid. Existential."
"I thought you would like it," Zuko mumbled, looking away. "It is about a bird that annoys a guy until he goes crazy. Reminded me of Azula."
Mai actually chuckled. A rare, dry sound. "It is perfect."
Blaze stomped his foot. "What? A book? You choose a book over my flaming abs?"
"Your abs are sweaty," Mai said without looking up from the page. "And you are blocking my light. I am reading."
Blaze growled. "I challenge you, Zuko! An Agni Kai! Right here! If I win, she burns the book and dates me!"
Zuko looked at Blaze. He looked at the flaming rose in Blaze's hand.
(Zuko. Don't fight him. Just... extinguish him. Use the 'Breath of Nothing'. Remove the heat from the air around him.)
Zuko took a breath. He didn't breathe fire. He inhaled. He channeled his bending inward, pulling the heat from the immediate area.
The flaming rose in Blaze's hand flickered and died. The sweat on Blaze's chest froze into ice crystals.
"C-cold!" Blaze shivered, hugging himself. "Why is it so c-cold?"
"I am the Fire Lord," Zuko said calmly. "I control the fire. That includes putting it out. Go put a shirt on, Blaze. You are shivering."
Blaze, blue-lipped and shivering uncontrollably, looked at Mai. She hadn't even looked up from the poem about the grave.
.....
You can read the advanced chapters of all my novels at patre on for only 3$/ month at ultimate patre on tier
https://www.patre on.com/c/Vidhifate
...