[Extraction Point Ozai]
Explosions rocked the ice wall, sending chunks of ice tumbling into the dark abyss below.
Zuko almost followed them, slipping right off the ice steps, but a firm grip from Uncle Iroh pulled him back. With a relieved sigh, He gave a brief nod of thanks, then turned to watch the aftermath. The crumbling ice wall plunged into the inky waters, widening the crevasse-canyon and opening it out to the sea. Through the cloud of icy mist, a small, outdated Fire Nation cruiser appeared, gliding into the opening.
His small, outdated Fire Nation cruiser.
Azula apparently hadn't noticed that they had followed her here yet. Simply standing patiently on the icy docking point, she watched the boarding ramp slam down with a metallic thud, its dark surface almost indistinguishable from the black waters below, hard to pick out in the colourless world of a moonless sky.
Lieutenant Jee jogged across it, his monkey-like face locking onto Azula. He gasped, "Princess Azula, the moon-!"
"-was all part of the plan," Azula waved off his concern, strolling past the Lieutenant and onto the ship. "Without it, the Water Tribe and waterbending as a whole have been permanently removed as threats. Try to keep up, Lieutenant."
Lieutenant Jee hesitated, clearly still trying to process the new information. "Then… what about Prince Zuko and General Iroh?"
"They've already decided to stay with Grand Admiral Zhao," Azula replied, not bothering to look back. "If they change their minds, I'm sure they'll send a messenger hawk. But if we're done with idle chatter, get this ship in reverse. I needed to be on the Fire Islands yesterday."
"Yes, my princess!" Jee saluted sharply, but before he could turn to leave-
"I don't think we are," Zuko stepped up to them, his uncle following closely behind.
"Prince Zuko!" Jee gasped.
Azula paused mid-stride, and with an almost exaggerated slowness, she turned around to face the source of the voice. A sly smile curled on her lips.
"Zuzu," she said, her tone laced with mock surprise. "What a surprise to find you here. Though I shouldn't be shocked. You do have a habit of showing up where you don't belong. Here, of all places, it's so fitting they named this place after our father. 'Extraction Point Ozai'… rolls right off the tongue, don't you think? At least my soon-to-be-former betrothed had a knack for names."
Zuko clenched his fists, flames flickering through the gaps between his fingers. "Enough playing coy, Azula!" His voice was tense, his anger barely held in check. "Was this your plan all along? Send me on a wild goose chase for the Avatar while you destroy the moon itself! Then steal my ship and sail back to father?!"
"Oh, I can't take all the credit," Azula said, inspecting her nails with disinterest. "I simply saw an opportunity and took it. My original plan was to steal the Avatar and your ship right from under your nose. But Grand Admiral Zhao's plan was simply too irresistible to pass up. The Avatar can never master all four elements if there are only three left now, could he? But as brilliant and 'magnificent' as the grand admiral believes himself to be, he was never bold enough to see it through. But I was. I had such conviction."
She extended her arms wide as if gesturing to the colourless world around them. And her grin widened.
"I'm sure people will soon get used to colourless nights. I think it's even prettier this way. It has a stark… purity to it."
His fat uncle stepped forward. His voice, normally calm, now shouted with anger. "The Moon is gone, Princess Azula!" It was the angriest Zuko had ever seen him. Wrinkled face more pronounced in the shadows of the moonless world, "Do you have any idea what fate you have just put on the world?"
Azula rolled her golden eyes. "A fate of being free from Waterbenders, Uncle," she drawled. "The world doesn't need them. Never did."
Zuko stepped forward, his flames flaring brighter in his fists, but Iroh's arm shot out, holding him back. His uncle apparently wasn't finished shouting at her just yet. "Azula, you've doomed the world to imbalance. Do you really think your father will praise you for this?"
"You think Father would spare a thought for Balance?!" She scoffed incredulously, slender eyebrow raised. "You never did understand Father's vision, did you, uncle? With the Water Tribe gone, the Fire Nation will rule. That is his balance. Now if only we could find the spirit responsible for Earthbending."
"You won't get that far." Zuko's firebending stance tightened, his flames flaring, but Azula barely glanced at him, unimpressed.
"I don't even know why we're fighting, Zuko," his sister continued, her voice almost conversational, as if she were discussing the weather. She stepped forward, her footsteps clinking softly on the metal deck as she paced. "You helped me get this far. Don't you want to end your exile?"
"W-what are you talking about?" Zuko stammered, his brow furrowed, thrown off balance by her sudden shift in tone.
"The Avatar is no longer a threat to the Fire Nation," Azula explained, twirling a strand of her black hair around her finger. "We've taken away his waterbending. And while it's not quite as satisfying as capturing him, we've wiped out the rest of the Waterbenders in the process. So, don't you see?" She stopped pacing and turned to face him fully, "We've secured our place in Father's favour! His children, his rightful heirs. All we have to do is go back home and tell him what we've done. What do you say, brother?"
She extended a hand to him, open and upturned.
Zuko hesitated. For a moment, the temptation was there- the promise of his father's approval, the end of his exile. It was all he'd ever wanted, wasn't it? But then, as he looked up at the moonless sky, a deep sense of unease settled over him. The world felt wrong, broken in a way that not even a reinstated Prince of the Fire Nation could fix.
His uncle's words echoed in his mind- how the world itself was dying in the absence of the Moon Spirit. Even now, Zuko could feel Iroh's eyes on him, watching silently, waiting for him to make his choice. Take Azula's deal and revel in this world that 'they' had supposedly created for their father? It was tempting, but… Zuko knew- deep down- that no approval from his father could ever make this right. And although it didn't come easily, he came to an answer.
"No, Azula," he said firmly. "There isn't any honour in this. I know that this isn't my destiny."
But instead of being angry or upset, Azula's smile widened, bemused. "Pity. Then I suppose…" Fire bloomed to life in her slender hands, bright and blue. Azure flames- the very same flames that had stolen the moon from the sky. "… your crew will have to mourn their prince on our way back!"
Without hesitation, Zuko fell into his Modern Azulon Stance, his own orange flames roaring to life. And beside him, his uncle joined his face off with his sister.
His sister thrust her hand forward, and azure flames rippling through the air to meet that of his and his uncle's. Their fire collided in a flash of heat and light, the blue and orange flames annihilating each other in a powerful shockwave that almost brought all of them off their feet.
Zuko steadied himself, his breath ragged from the shockwave, but the rush was clearing his mind now.
Yes, he could still take responsibility for the future- for his family's honour, for the balance they had shattered. He wouldn't let Azula destroy what was left. So, he resolved to fight, with every fibre of his being, against not just his sister… but also that small and stupid voice deep inside, whispering to him- taunting him- that no matter what he did next, the damage was already done.
The moon was gone, and nothing- no one- could bring it back.
[Agna Qel'a - Lower Ring]
"Khan, how much longer?!" Zhao's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with desperation.
War was the only light to pierce the colourless void of this moonless night. The unholy blue glow of Koizilla flickered against the ruins of the ice city as the massive water beast drew closer, its watery limbs sweeping our soldiers away like insects. Firebending flared in desperate bursts of orange. And the bodies of the Water Tribe stacked up in grotesque heaps around our fighting position, intermixed with the valiant dead of the Fire Nation. Amidst it all, Princess Yue's trembling voice whispered prayers of mercy and forgiveness, the lifeless Moon Spirit still cradled in her brown-toned hands.
Then… the elixir was ready. A molten amber liquid, glittering and swirling with a deep red hue that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
"I have it!" My deep voice reverberated in my skull helm as I hurriedly sealed it in a can.
"What do you have exactly, Commander?!" Zhao shouted, his eyes never leaving the battle as he hurled a fireball into the fray.
"It's called [Red Bull: Sun Red Edition]. For eight minutes, it grants the power of 800 firebending masters!" I yelled, my own shock settling in as I realized what I had just created. "But… it has side-effects."
Zhao did a double take, the man's jaw slack as he looked at the can in my hands. Even the Fire Nation soldiers who overheard the words couldn't help but stare at the elixir in my hands. "The firebending of eight hundred men?!" He murmured, taking a step towards me, "That- Khan, it'd be like drinking in the power of ten Sozin's Comet! Maybe even a hundred! That's enough to drown an Earth Kingdom fortress with fire! To overpower the Ocean Spirit itself! Whatever the side effects, Khan, they're immaterial to-"
A deafening roar drowned out the rest of his statement. The Fire Nation troops had apparently faltered in their distraction, and the Ocean Spirit took advantage of it, a blade of water the size of surging towards us like an unstoppable tidal wave.
"Move!" I screamed, scooping up Princess Yue as the wave tore through the road, creating a canyon that split the entire city in two, and separating me from Zhao.
Water exploded around us, freezing cold and blinding. I hit the ground hard, clutching Yue in my arms as we tumbled through the icy ruins, rubble crashing down against my back. "Yue, are you all right?" I gasped, shaking her gently. The snowy-haired princess nodded weakly, her grip still tight on the dead Moon Spirit. I glanced around. "Zhao!"
I found Zhao's grand red cape stuck in the ruins, but the Grand Admiral was nowhere to be found in the rubble. I glanced back, and through the devastation, I saw Zhao, still standing. The can in his hands- our last-ditch effort- saved us from the Ocean Spirit's attack. His fingers immediately went for the tab.
"Zhao! Don't!" I shouted, pushing the ice rubble off me. "The side effect of that Red Bull is that it'll kill you after those eight minutes!"
(Legendary) [Red Bull: Sun Red Edition]
A molten amber hue with swirls of red like embers.
From the dead flesh of the primordial spirit of the moon, the taste of vanilla rain from forgotten dreams. From the heart of a spirit beast glut from its feast of humans, the smoky aftertaste of the human soul. From the eight leaves of flora that could only grow in ancient places where mortals were never meant to tread, the cool mint of strange spirits. And from a beverage that was alien to this realm of existence, a sweetness out of time.
Upon consumption, the imbiber undergoes a soul-deep transformation. The human soul, made fuel for this final act of blazing magnificence, grants the drinker all the fire in the world. And more. The smallest spark becomes a raging wildfire, and every breath is a bellows feeding the flames of god-like destruction. And for a few glorious minutes, the drinkers' fire burns brighter than a thousand suns, as if the world itself had turned into dry tinder.
Only those who know this elixir's effects beforehand can truly appreciate what it does. The roar of a supervolcano. The fury of a dying star. The final glorious blaze of glory for one who would choose to burn out rather than fade away.
-o-
Made by: Khan (Herbalism Level 27)
Ingredients: Red Bull, Burnt Moon Spirit Entrails, 41st Division Ostrich-horse Heart, Eight-Fold Clover
Effects:
(80,000%) Fortify Firebending for (8) minutes
(80,000%) Stamina Regeneration for (8) minutes
Guaranteed death after (8) minutes
-o-
Zhao stopped, amber eyes meeting mine. Then he looked down at the can in his hand and laughed. Loud enough to ring across the divide.
"Yes! Of course it does!" He continued to laugh, "Don't you see, Khan? This is it! This is my destiny! Everything I've done, everything I've sacrificed- it's led to this moment. The Grand Admiral Zhao was never meant to conquer the moon." He said, glancing at Princess Yue, who continued to pray with the lifeless Moon Spirit in her hands. "No, I was meant to conquer the ocean. I was born to drink this Red Bull!"
I couldn't stop him; we had no more time. "Eight minutes, Zhao!" I roared instead. "Eight minutes, and then it's over!"
"And eight minutes is all I need!" Zhao turned, his face alight with blazing determination. Then he smiled at me. "Hold on to my cape for me, Khan!"
With a metallic clack, he cracked open the can and drank deeply. It clattered to the snowy ground. For a moment, there was nothing. Silence. The world seemed to hold its breath.
And then, fire.
"I"
Fire streamed from him.
From his hands, from his mouth, from his eyes, through his veins that glowed through his skin as if they were filled with molten lava. Then his body ignited fully, transforming his mortal form before our very eyes as Zhao glowed with the fury of a hundred suns. He threw his arms wide, flames swirling around him as he roared, a terrifying, triumphant sound that echoed across the battlefield, his entire form radiating with the power of 800 firebenders that surged through his body.
A massive building-sized ball of fire.
The Ocean Spirit reared back, sensing the sudden surge of power. Waves of heat radiated outward as that great ball of fire rose up into the air over the city.
"AM"
An ancient Fire Lord once posed a question to the wisest of the Fire sages. What burned brighter? A thousand lit candles, or a single candle burning with the flame of a thousand?
We now had our answer.
"ZHAO"
The colossal form of a flaming man emerged from the fireball, like a demigod of fire forming from a star.
Zhao came out swinging. [Titanic Firebolts], each as large as an entire komodo-rhino, shot out from his gigantic flaming fists in a rapid staccato. The monstrous Koizilla reared back, its watery limbs lashing out like tidal waves, but Zhao met each strike with raw, searing power. His flaming fists effortlessly blocked the swipes that had wiped out entire squads of {Veteran Firebenders}. Entire cubic metres of water vaporized at the contact with each blow, Koizilla seemed to wince in pain, but kept coming, relentless, its fury as depthless as the Ocean itself.
So, I gave Zhao more power.
[Unofficial Delegation] Activation!
Companion: {Zhao}
Perk/Skill Activated: [Defensive Massacre]
Cooldown: 20 Days, 23 hours, 59 minutes
-o-
[Unofficial Delegation] - Strategic flexibility often comes from entrusting the right tasks to the right personnel. Unofficial Delegation allows you to temporarily grant the effects of a Companion Skill, Stat Perk or Proficiency Skill to a chosen companion. The more powerful the shared skill is, the shorter the duration and the longer the cooldown period between sharing becomes, reaching days or even weeks. But in those brief few minutes, your companion becomes an extension of your will: A herald, an enforcer, a diplomat, a saboteur, an executioner. Whatever you need them to be. Unofficially, of course.
-o-
[Defensive Massacre] - Whenever a nearby injured ally is threatened- be it a lone allied soldier against an enemy squad or a squad's heroic last stand against a boss enemy- you will always have a way to make them safe… by killing everything in the immediate vicinity around them. Against enemies threatening your ally, you gain bonus Strength, Dexterity and Spirit stats that scale with the threat. Multiple threatened allies do not stack their effects, but the highest available stat bonus is always applied.
-o-
Against the Ocean Spirit itself… defending against the injured and the dying all across the city… Zhao's power increased geometrically. The power of 800 firebenders became a thousand, maybe even two. His Fire rose, blazing higher and wider. The snow began to steam and melt. And for the first time since its existence, the air of the North Pole became hot.
Zhao raised his flaming arm high, and a [Titanic Flame Whip] extended through the night sky. Like a massive flying, fire snake of myth reaching up to eat the stars. Then it struck, lashing across the Ocean Spirit's head and splitting in half. Its watery mass swirled and reformed, only for the whip to snap again and again.
But the Ocean Spirit was ancient, vast, and unyielding. And soon began to fight back in earnest, swiping back with [Titanic Great Waves]. For a moment, it seemed as though Zhao could hold his own- his giant, flaming form unleashing a fury of firebending. And every soul in Agna Qel'a- All the Fire Nation, and all the Water Tribe- could only watch the two titans clash. Colossal blow for colossal blow. The shockwave of their clashes was enough to send snow and dust rushing through the ruined city streets. And entire buildings were melted or crushed under their immense mass.
But the tides began to turn.
Koizilla lashed out with a colossal wave, knocking Zhao off balance. His fiery form flickered, dimming as the ocean pressed in on him. Even with [Defensive Massacre] raging within him, Zhao was faltering. The sheer scale of the Ocean Spirit was too much. The power that Red Bull ignited in him- it wasn't enough. The strength of 800 Firebender souls was not enough to fight the ocean itself.
"Zhao's losing…" My heart raced as Zhao staggered back, the flames around his body shrinking, barely able to keep his massive form upright. Koizilla roared, towering over him, preparing to strike the final blow.
Then it hit me. His Firebending alone, magnified as it was beyond mortal limits, wasn't enough- he needed more fire. And I had none more to give him… But I wasn't the only source of fire.
I shot to my feet. "FIRE NATION!" My voice rang out, cutting through the chaos. "Raise your hands up, send him your fire now!"
Some of the soldiers turned to me, confused, hesitant. But there wasn't time for doubt.
"Everyone! Raise your hands!" I shouted, thrusting my hands forward, unleashing everything I had. My flames shot through the air, a bright, searing stream that raced toward Zhao's towering form. "Give your Fire to Zhao! As one! AS ONE!"
"Take our Fire, Admiral!"
"For the Fire Nation!"
"Take it all!"
One by one, the soldiers caught on. Flames erupted across the battlefield, streams of fire from every corner converging on Zhao's flickering form. The heat surged, intensified by every source- the Fire Nation troops on the ground, from the tundra tanks, and the komodo-rhino riders. Flames, once scattered and weak, now united into a searing force. The 41st Division appeared atop their ostrich-horses at the cliff edge surrounding the city, their fire streaming downward to Zhao, even the Armada's trebuchet hurling incendiary ordnance. The flaming projectiles hovered, caught in the air like fireflies drawn toward Zhao.
Still high from our own Red Bull, we poured everything into him. In our hundreds. In our thousands. Against the very Ocean itself, mankind roared back our challenge. We will not bow. Even if it takes the last drop of our blood, we will not surrender.
"TAKE OUR FIRE!" I screamed, my throat raw, pouring every last ounce of firebending I had into him.
"I AM…"
Around me, soldiers groaned in exhaustion, some collapsing to the ground, their flames sputtering out, but still, they gave more. Even the flaming trebuchet ordnance, launched in desperation, hung in midair as if the fire itself defied gravity, drawn to Zhao's growing form. They spun in a slow, impossible arc before being consumed by the blaze, fuelling the firestorm raging across his skin. The snow beneath our feet is melting into pools. The freezing arctic air turned as parched and hot as the desert.
"ZHAO THE CONQUEROR!"
Even those furthest from Zhao shielded their eyes as waves of heat rolled over the battlefield.
Koizilla surged forward at unholy speeds, almost desperate, its watery limbs stretching out like tidal waves, intent on smothering the inferno before it could grow further.
"ZHAO THE INVINCIBLE!"
Zhao roared, meeting Koizilla's attack head-on, a fiery fist the size of a house hurtling like a meteor. And the impact was cataclysmic- shockwave rippled through the city, toppling buildings, shattering ice, rupturing eardrums and burying soldiers and civilians under the rubble.
The Koizilla's entire upper torso, from the arms up, was gone. But unfortunately, its core was still intact- the Avatar still alive. Water immediately began reforming as it had before. But this time, it was Zhao who was readying the final blow. As the fire surged, Zhao's towering form stood defiant. His massive flaming hands raised up to the starry sky, and on it, a flaming ball swirled into being- a star blazing right over the city.
"ZHAO…"
Through the chaos, Zhao's eyes, glowing like the molten cores of volcanoes, found mine. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to freeze. His gaze held no words, just the silent, grateful acknowledgement that this victory could not have been achieved without me. A wordless farewell.
Then… he turned back to face the Ocean Spirit, and met his destiny.
"ZHAO THE MAGNIFICENT!"
With a final, earth-shaking roar, he thrust both hands down, that massive flaming ball made of the combined fiery might of every firebender in the city in one devastating [Titanic Fire Blast], straight at the Ocean Spirit's watery fish face. And the world stood still, but only for a heartbeat.
Everything turned white as though the sun itself had descended on Agna Qel'a.
(A few minutes later) [Extraction Point Ozai]
Zuko's breath came in ragged gasps, the cold air burning his lungs as he watched the world around him shift. For a moment, the chaos of battle seemed to freeze in place, the water around them eerily still, as if the entire North Pole had paused to mourn the loss of the moon.
But then, a light. Soft, white, and steady. And the colourless existence seemed to lift from the world, almost as if…
The pitched battle on his ship paused as everyone looked up to the sky.
The moon was back.
Azula, standing not far from him with her azure flame still in her palms, stared. Her golden eyes widened with disbelief.
"No… NO!" Azula's scream echoed in the crevasse. Her blue flames flared as she hurled her abuse at the sky. "You were supposed to be gone! I ended you!"
Zuko took a step back. He had seen Azula angry before- mostly mocking, often cruel, and always condescending- but this? This was different. Unhinged, manic, insane. A raw, ugly emotion that twisted her features into something almost unrecognizable. She was losing control, or if the rumours were true, she had already lost it long ago.
"I'll fix it!" Azula laughed, her voice breaking as sparks of electricity began to crackle around her fingers. "I'll just have to go back to the Spirit Oasis and kill you again! But first!"
Her gold eyes settled on him as the scent of ozone filled the air. A sort of static that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. Zuko watched as balls of bright lightning sparked on her fingertips. And with a furious scream, she hurled the lightning toward him, right at his chest. But before the bolt could reach his chest, something moved.
Uncle Iroh.
In one swift, graceful motion, his uncle's bulk stepped forward, faster than it looked it could, and… redirected the lightning. His body crackled with the energy as he sent it veering off course. Zuko could feel the raw power pass through the air, buzzing past him as it struck a nearby ice cliff with a shuddering rumble.
"How did you..."
Then, the world came crashing down.
The ice above them shattered, tonnes of white snow forming an avalanche that tumbled down on them with a roar. Everyone dropped the combat to run for their lives, trying to outrun the falling avalanche off the deck and back onto the crevasse base. Zuko, his uncle and his crew managed to do so, but his heart pounded in his chest as he watched the snow settle over Azula- burying her from the waist down. knocking her out…. The battle was finally done.
Zuko hesitated, the words on the tip of his tongue. "We need to leave. Now."
But his eyes darted to Uncle Iroh, who knelt beside the snow-covered form of Azula, his hand brushing gently against her cheek. He stared at her face for a long moment, his expression a strange mix of sorrow and resolution. Then, in one smooth motion, he hoisted her unconscious form onto his back.
"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, his voice barely concealing the disbelief. "We should leave her. She… she won't stop. You heard her! What she did and what she planned to do with us!"
Iroh looked at his nephew, his voice calm but firm. "She is still family, nephew."
"But-"
"Your father does not want her anymore."
And for the briefest of moments in his eyes, he saw Azula replaced... by a young version of himself, clutching his freshly burnt eye as his uncle carried him away. "... Dammit, Uncle, that's unfair," He finally said. His fists clenched at his sides, and the flames that had once flickered in his hands were now gone. "Fine, throw her in the brig and chain her before she wakes up. We're getting out of here."
Iroh only nodded, carrying Azula as though she weighed nothing.
"W-where to, Prince Zuko?" Lieutenant Jee saluted, as if he hadn't been about to leave him and his uncle in the North Pole.
Zuko held down his frustration. For now. "Earth Kingdom. Doesn't matter which port, just get us out of here."
"Yes, sir!"
Zuko turned away as the engines of the Fire Nation cruiser rumbled to life and the ship began to pull away from the icy crevasse, gliding silently under the restored light of the moon. Away from this wretched place.
Staring at the moon, Zuko felt that it only proved him right. There was only one true way to regain his honour, and he was still out there somewhere. The Avatar.
Companion Lost!
{Zhao} has been lost. All companion-linked abilities and perks have been deactivated.
-o-
[Spirit Oasis, Agna Qel'a]
It was quiet now. Peaceful. The hour after a battle always was.
Trodden earth, scorched grass and broken bodies were everywhere... even the Spirit Oasis had not been spared from the battle. But at least it can start to heal now.
My seven-foot-tall, armoured frame knelt right by the sacred pool, my joints groaning under the strain of my heavy armour. Carefully and respectfully, I placed the revived Moon Spirit back into the water. The koi fish slipped from my armoured hands, its pristine white scales glimmering as if it had never been harmed. It flitted into the shimmering waters where it joined with the now-pacified Ocean Spirit, which had diminished back into its black koi form. They swam in a circle together, resuming their eternal, circling dance of push and pull as if thousands of mortals had not died in the past few hours for their sake. Typical spirits.
Under the restored moon, I sat at the edge of the oasis and gave the damn fish one more tired glare.
In the distance, a flying bison- who was likely carrying the Avatar and his friends- flew off into the night like the goddamn cockroaches that they were, but I paid it no mind. This battle was over now, after what felt like an eternity. Only the faint, ethereal glow of the Moon filled the air and my silent companion.
"I didn't expect to live through that," came a soft voice from beside me.
Princess Yue sat down, the pale light of the Moon Spirit reflecting off her snow-white hair, her purple parka still stained with ash and soot, but all in all, she was still alive and well. It looked like marinating the Moon Spirit in my 'Special Secret Elixir of Life' actually helped it somehow.
"Many, many unexpected things happened tonight." I let out a tired chuckle, voice deep and rough from exertion. My gaze moved back to the water, where the spirits of the Moon and Ocean were. "But you becoming the Moon Spirit was not one of them."
"I guess it wasn't," Yue murmured, her slender brown fingers gently dipping into the cool waters of the oasis. Her touch seemed to calm the koi, swimming more sedately. And in turn, Yue's expression seemed to calm, lines of worry on her pretty face smoothing as the moonlight lit her brown-toned face. "It's strange… I've always felt connected to the Moon Spirit, but now… It's more than that. There's a stillness inside me, like time has shifted somehow. I feel… bound to this place, like I'm part of it now. Like I'm no longer just of the world, but tied to something beyond it…"
She paused, a quiet realization apparently dawning on her.
"It's forever, isn't it?" Yue whispered, almost to herself. "My life… tied to the Moon Spirit. I've become part of its cycle. Endless."
My hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "But you're still alive," I focused, voice low. "Alive to watch over your people- to guide them."
"Like the Moon guides the tides." Princess Yue whispered, a soft smile ghosted across her pink lips, but there was still a slight tensing of hesitation. "It should scare me, the thought of living forever, and yet, it doesn't."
"The Moon does not rise into the sky each night fearing that it'll fall." I told her, "But also… I think you're braver than you believe, Yue."
That soft smile widened imperceptibly. "Thank you..."
I nodded, looking at the black and white koi fish swimming in the pond before us. "We can't let something like this happen again. We'll need to protect the identities of the Moon and Ocean Spirit."
"I don't see how we can." Princess Yue murmured. "Everyone had seen what happened."
"Perhaps, but they don't know what they saw." I said, "They'll be grasping for explanations, and we'll think of something to give them."
"And what will happen to them?" Yue quietly asked, "To Agna Qel'a? To my people?"
"Chieftain Essin, his grandson, and you will manage the rebuilding process." I said, "Some Fire Nation ministers will come to oversee and advise, and I'll do what I can to divert more resources to speed up the process."
And yet, this quiet princess of the moon turned away from me. "I'm sorry, Khan, but… I don't think I can thank you for that…" Her gaze settled on her ruined home city, its once-proud homes and waterways riven with ravaged canyons and scorched craters- mass graveyards for the people she was supposed to rule. "No, not after all that's happened. After all the people we lost to your nation."
"And you don't have to." My voice was steady, but quiet. "But this city will rise again. It won't be today. It won't be tomorrow. But one day, you'll stand here and see Agna Qel'a whole, beautiful… alive. I swear it."
For proving that you care about her and her people, even after conquering them…
{Yue} Reputation: 99 - 100
{Yue} Obedience: 99 - 100
-o-
Reputation with {Yue} at 100! New Companion skill unlocked!
[Moonborn's Serenade] – The moon sings a silent melody to those she favours. At night, as the moon waxes, your presence grows with its splendour, granting parabolically increasing bonuses to strength, constitution and spirit, which maxes at 40% on the full moon. As the moon wanes, you fade into the periphery with it, gaining parabolically increasing bonuses to dexterity and intelligence, which max at 40% on the new moon. This companion perk is only active at night, and you possess an unerring intuition of how much time there is before dusk or dawn approaches.
-o-
Yue didn't answer right away. Just looked out at the ruins, at the city that had once been the jewel of the north pole- now shattered beyond recognition. Then, finally, she whispered, "Burn it down, and on its ashes, build something greater, huh?"
"Yes. And I'll carry on with what I believe in, regardless of approval or acclaim."
"I wish I were as strong as you, Khan." It was phrased like a compliment, and yet her voice was tender, as if she pitied me. "Carrying the burden of being the villain in everyone's stories. Even if the truth was never that simple."
"We came here to conquer, Yue. We're not heroes."
"But even then…" She turned to me, her ice-blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight, her words slipping out- too weary to be angry, too heartbroken to be anything else. "You really don't care, do you? That the world will never know the truth? That you marched across the tundras, through the frozen wastes- just to stop it from coming to this? That if it had been your choice alone, so many more of my people would still be alive today?"
"It does not matter."
Yue didn't speak after that. Didn't move. Just sitting there, her gaze drifted back to the koi. Maybe she was searching for something in the sacred waters, maybe reflecting on the future that she hadn't asked for but always knew would come to pass: Becoming one-half of the mortal incarnation of the Moon Spirit.
But as the silence stretched between us, I felt compelled to make a peace offering. So, I handed her a can of Red Bull. An absurd offering, considering I'd probably hooked the Moon Spirit on the stuff after steeping its carcass in it.
Yue blinked at it, then at me. For a long moment, she simply stared, as if debating whether to be exasperated or amused.
"Of course... Of course, this is what you'd offer me," She said with a shake of her head and a sigh that was almost a laugh. But she took it anyway, her slender fingers brushed mine- barely there, but deliberate. Cracked the can open for a sip. "Thank you, I've been feeling parched."
With a relieved sigh, Yue drifted her gaze upward to the moon, its glow soft and unbroken once more. And that's where we sat, quietly sipping the elixir in silence beneath the moonlight. Like a Moon Viewing festival, but with Red Bull. It seemed to work on calming her- the tension in her expression easing, her shoulders relaxing as if the weight of the world had settled just a fraction lighter. And even that faint smile returned to her lips. A rare moment of peace in the aftermath of chaotic battle- just a tiny break before the inevitable demands of the future would call us back.
"That cape suits you," she said, her eyes resting on the bright red fabric draped across my shoulders. "Almost like it was meant to find its way to you."
My hand reached up to touch the edge of the cape, armoured fingers tracing its smooth fabric.
(Relic) [Cape of Magnificence]
"Hold on to my cape for me, Khan."
Woven in the most resplendent crimson cloth, the Cape of Magnificence seems destined to be worn by those fated for greatness. Its golden thread trim catches the light just right, evoking awe and reverence in all who behold it.
Once worn by Zhao the Magnificent, Grand Admiral of the greatest armada in history, who transcended mortal limits to battle the Spirit of the Ocean itself. The cape is steeped in the spiritual energies of the epic clash between Fire and Ocean. The fabric seems to flare to life when the wearer is watched, with the very air trembling as the mantle flows behind them. This cape stands as an enduring symbol of Zhao's greatest triumph, but more than that... It is also his final gift for his closest friend.
-o-
Effects:
Imperial Gravitas (Passive): Become walking proof that looking good is an effective battle strategy… The wearer radiates an aura of awe-inspiring majesty. The wearer's influence on morale is doubled for all creatures within 200 meters (218 yards) or in line of sight, and tripled for creatures that are in both. This affects morale-based effects like the Shaken debuff for enemies, which imposes stat penalties, and the Inspired buff for allies, which provides stat boosts.
Attuned Relic: All Experience gain is increased by 1%, and this relic item may manifest additional effects.
Usable only by: {Khan}
-o-
"I suppose it does seem like that," I said quietly.
Yue didn't reply. She simply leaned against me, the soft fabric of her purple parka-dress pressing lightly against the armoured red bulk of my side. And for a while, neither of us spoke. The world had already said enough. But eventually, our time came to an end. The dark night sky gave way to the first red and orange hues at the horizon. The snowy-haired princess stifled a delicate yawn, her eyelids fluttering as the moon slowly faded with the approaching daylight. The night was retreating, and with it, so was she.
"I think... I think I need to rest now," she murmured, her voice soft and drowsy. She lay back on the warm grass, her white hair glowing faintly in the dim light, like moonlight itself. Then she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "And Khan?"
"Yes, Yue?"
"When you leave Agna Qel'a... You'll visit me, won't you?"
I turned to her, my sharp green eyes meeting hers, softening. "Whenever I can," I promised, standing slowly. "And I'll bring you books, maybe one about my travels. I think you'd enjoy that."
A faint smile touched her lips as her eyes drifted closed, her breathing steady and peaceful. "I'd like that a lot," she whispered, her voice now barely more than a sleepy breath. "Goodbye, Khan. Until next time."
"Until next time, Yue," I said, the words lingering in the cool air as I began to walk away, leaving behind the lonely Princess of the Moon.
The freezing sea breeze of the Arctic blew through the city, and I instinctively tightened the [Cape of Magnificence] around my shoulders. But for just a brief moment that I did, the wind turned hot, and I thought I saw something shimmer across those embers.
A familiar smile, Zhao's ghostly smile flickering in the air.
But, just as quickly, the embers flew away, swept by the hot winds, up into the heavens. And as if in its wake, the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, warm and golden.
And over Agna Qel'a, the most magnificent sunrise shone.