(Please refer to The Dark Horse Comic Avatar: The Rift and Avatar: Smoke and Shadow)

(None of the characters belong to me, except the unnamed supervisors and servants.)

The Fire Nation has maintained their state of peace for quite some time. Ever since the end of the Hundred Year War and the crowning of Fire Lord Zuko, the once dread of the world has become a defensive yet peaceful stronghold. It was rather surprising that a once hostile country would, once again, become one of the Unified nation of the world. It looked too good to be true, but after all, they were under the tyrannical leadership of Ozai, who brought false promises of glory and wretched acts of oppression and deceit. But that was all in the past, now Zuko has taken the throne and is leading the world to what he wants it to look like.

In the Fire Nation Royal Palace, Zuko is discussing the preventions of threats of social order with all the delegates and representatives in the throne room. It was not going as smoothly as he planned.

What do mean that we need to advance our forces, we have not had an attack on our shores and our lands ever since the end of the war. There has even not been an uprising or horrid revolution ever since the New Ozai Society, and that was months ago. We are truly living in a state of harmony and balance, and your telling me that I should increase the arms of the military?!

"Lord Zuko" one of them started "we understand that we are at peace with all of the nations, but we have noticed that with all of the nations have the eagerness to make amends with us. This is just too good to be true, after what we did in the past, that is

Another delegate spoke up

"With all of the horrific acts that we have done over this century, there is a high risk of a disgruntled group out there who say that this peace is a huge mistake on the world. Even though that we have put aside our hatred and envy of the other nations, there are still people in the nations who are holding a grudge against our being. There probably not going to attack or come at us as a revolution mob, but me and the rest of the council can not take that chance when it comes to the safety and the security of the people here. So, in all of the favor of the entire council we have come to the same conclusion: We must strengthen our military".

Lord Zuko could not believe of the word that he is hearing from his own representatives.

"Are you all listening to yourselves right now? The things that you are coming up with? The ideas that are literally spilling out of your mouths?This is what my father would want in his is what made this nation become a ruthless and unforgiving empire of hatred and sorrow". I'm must oppose to this proposition. This is unacceptable on my terms."

"But sir, if we don't increase are armed forces, who knows what foreign enemies will come through that port and into the mainland"

"Then let us retaliate with the forces that we already have. If we were to double the amount against a seemingly large amount of people, we will once again be considered hostile and the nations will once again cower in fear, just like my father intended it to be. I will not repeat the same mistakes as he had made.

There is a short silence

"Are you sir that this is wise choice that you are making, Lord Zuko?"

"I have all the confidence in the world that we can still have our defenses, and still maintain a peaceful coexistence with the nations. I will not repeat the same mistake as my father did by using brute force".

All of the delegates and representatives looked at each other in great concern and back to their leader.

"As you wish, Fire Lord Zuko."

As all of the delegates made this way to the exit, they were all having their whispered conversations.

"(Without a proper defense, we will be left out in the open!)"

"(The Fire Nation will become weak and feeble under his rule!)"

"(When his father had the throne, at least we still had a fighting chance)"

"(Zuko, in my opinion, is not ready to be the noble leader of this nation)"

"(Not ready?!, HA! He was never ready to take the throne as his father did)"

As they all left out of the sight of Zuko, they failed to realize that their leader has overheard their vicious and resenting gossip against him

Zuko felt this burning resentment and anger not only toward the delegates, but to his own father as well. His father has made this once glorious land into a blinded and corrupt land filled with deceit and death. He felt that he wanted to bring the Fire Nation to it's former glory. The right glory that was intended for them. But it seems that no thanks to Ozai's brutal but appealing ways, the Fire Nation eyes were now corrupted and in a wreck state, where it was going to have quite some time before it it properly fixed

Zuko stood up and leaned on the foot of his throne, complicating the issue that he was currently in.

"Being a supreme ruler of a nation is more difficult that I thought it would be."

"How ironic. That is what your father said"

Zuko turned around to see what the voice belonged to, revealing that it belonged to his most cherished family member, Uncle Iroh, standing with his warm smile on his face. He knew that his uncle always sensed a level of stress from him, but he will he would just tell his own philosophy involving either inner peace or how tea would relate to everything.

"(sigh) I have no idea where you come from, uncle, but I find it a relief that will always to come to my aid when I'm in distress".

"My dear nephew, even you retreat into a corner, you are always deeply concerned or afraid of the event that you are facing".

His uncle it the nail right on the head. Even in the most political of times, he own uncle can read him like an open book. It should not be surprising however, since he the expert on emotions.

"It's just that with the war over and all of the nations now at peace, our nation's view on this tranquility is unsatisfactory in their eyes".

A maid comes in holding a tray with tea cups and a teapot

"Thank you dear, just set up on the table". Iroh states

The maid bows in response, leaves the tray at the foot of the throne and walks away.

This is just one of the messes that have to be cleaned up after the storm has passed. All of the people that did not agree with your father's ways are the one that you need your support from, and with that, you can lead the blinded ones to the light."

I highly doubt that, uncle. I am not sure most in the people here would agree with this state, especially from what i'm hearing from the other delegates here. That is just the the cabinet that is not in agreement to this state. Could you imagine if most of the pole agreed with them. All of them saying that we were once powerful and ruthless, now we are nothing but a pitiful island. That society that was dedicated to my father had that ideology*, I don't know if I can handle nearly half of the population screaming for me to be taken off the throne!

Zuko holds his head in stressful agony as he slides down to the floor. Iroh just shakes his head in disappointment as he fills up his cup of tea, As Zuko looks up, he notices something: Iroh is letting the tea overflow his cup. He gets up in response to this.

"Uncle, What are you doing?"

The old man gave no response, not even a flinch

"You are spilling the tea all over the tray!"

Still response

"Uncle, stop that!" Zuko finally steps in by grabbing the teapot and putting back on the tray. Iroh does not get upset or fazed, he just turns to his nephew and says:

"My dear nephew, what you are doing is letting all of these things get a hold of your mind and your soul, and because of this, you overflow your cup with all these different issues and soon you will not control these current that will come in the future and the present".

Iroh hit the hammer right on the nail and Zuko knew it. All these little things were getting the best of him and if he keeps this up, he will soon lose his mind in the process.

(Sigh) You're right, Uncle. It's just that with this title of Fire Lord, I have an enormous responsibility on my shoulders. All that i want to do is to make this nation a place for not only firebenders, but for benders to live in, but in constant conflict but in peace and prosperity.

But you are, Zuko. You are making this place well enough for your mother and sister to live in. That would have been the most hardest part of your journey, but you managed to overcome that obstacle. With that, I have all the confidence in the world that you will reform this nation as all the avatars combined would

This brought a small smile to Zuko's face, signifying his mood was lightened up.

"Thank you Uncle, I needed that"

It's the least I can do for my beloved nephew

They both exchange a heartfelt hug, unaware that the maid from earlier is overlooking the whole display. She smiles with humbleness as witnesses the bonding of true family love. She vividly thinks back to a more simpler time filled with happiness and bonding, but she shakes that memory off since he has a job to take care of. But she takes the time to take out and look out the window and see the dwindling Fire capital and its inhabitants. The families playing, the boys roughhousing and the girls socializing with each other gals. She smiles even more when she takes out a necklace, with the picture of the same two figures staring down at each other with glowing eyes. She clutches the necklace in hand and looks out into the horizon.

"This world is in for a big surprise."

The Earthen Fire Refinery is normally busy in this time of month, but this is a month that has brought many surprises with it. It was, at first, having a slow business due to the dry area that the town was settled on. The harsh and unforgiving hot climates and drought made the task of excavating the needed minerals like an eternal struggle. To top it all off, the town was still in a stage of recovery and reconstruction of the aftermath of Old Iron's attack, along with the large debt for the repairs. At this rate, The payroll would have been depleted and soon the refinery would have gone under with the boomtown itself, if it was not for the freak rainstorms. With the occurring rainstorms in full tough and the earth loosening up to reveal precious minerals hidden within the soil, The seizing of this great opportunity was not ignored by Loban and his action on the assembly lines was as if someone shifted the the routine three times as faster than the last. Cart upon cart, the crystals kept rolling out the door with all of them filled to the brim, with hundreds of empty carts coming back in. All the employees could not believe in the luck that had been placed before them. Water tribe sisters and refinery employees Niyok and Nutha were surprised as well. They were absolutely amazed at the loads of crystals piling up on the conveyor belts.

"This is absolutely great!" Niyok commented. "These crystals just keep coming in by the dozens. I can't even keep up with the count of all the pounds that we are purifying! Nutha, who was normally the rough and quiet one, was as equally surprised as her enthusiastic sister.

"You can say that again" she says as he bended of sweat of her forehead. "At this rate, we will have enough pieces to feed us for a whole month!" He replies as he sets the crystals to the earthbenders.

"Yeah, I have never seen Loban and the other supervisors so happy before!"

Niyok was very correct when she made that statement. In one of the conference rooms on the second floor, Loban and all of the other officials were discussing the the success of their excavation assisted with the rainstorms outside. As a matter of fact, they were actually celebrating their newfound discovery. They were all laughing and drinking and having their time of their lives.

"It good to see them happy and all, but what I'm really looking for too is the fact we will have so much money to impress the family back home!"

Niyok smiled full-heartedly as she remembered all of her family members back at the Southern Water Tribe. As soon as they both have enough money, they plan to both come back home to see their parents again. Plus, they will be able to see how much the tribe has changed in its industrial progress.

"This is brilliant, gentlemen" Loban states. "These crystals are just popping out of nowhere!". Lohan points out to the map of the table. "Some have been discovered here along the riverfront, more have been seen in the nearby valleys, but the most prominent ones are currently being excavated in the mountains regions. By the time, that we are finished, we will have enough crystals to pay off our debts and the debts to come in the future".

"I have to hand it to you, Loban". One of the supervisors said. "With all of the other crystals flowing through your doors and more still imbedded outside in the mountains. We will have enough pieces to keep this town running for a long time. Even though we have has some difficulties in the past year, I'm sure that with all the wealth that we have just received, it has proven to be our earned spoils.

"Yes, sir" Logan states. "The mighty spirits above have surely smiled down on us today. If fact, with all the crystals coming in with their possibilities of worth, it bring to mind an idea that I have been thinking off….."

Loban walks over to the window, overseeing the display of progress at work in his factory.

"I have always dreamed of making sure that this development would be spread out to the world. Firebenders have useful jobs. Earthbenders having the ability to feed their children and waterbenders having more time to put their bending into good use. But most importantly, the ability of non-benders and benders working together in one roof. The ability to have that is very rare, so it is clear that this sudden financial success is sign from the spirits that this is our chance to finally put this dream into reality".

The room was in a brief moment of silence before one of them responded to his proposition.

"I am rather in impressed with you dream. Normally, I would hesitate to your plans for the future. But in the perfect situation of our company receiving such unpredictable luck, I am all for it".

The supervisor holds out his hand

"Loban, my friend, you have yourself a deal"

After Loban heard those words come out of the man mouth, he was in a brief state of shock. However, after processing the information that he now clearly understood, he was overjoyed, but he still kept his disciplined composure as he shook his hand.

"I thank you very much for this great offer, sir". OH, I should tell Satoru of this very good news.

As Loban makes his way to the door, he is stopped by the supervisor.

"Beg your pardon, Mr. Loban, but who is Satoru?"

Oh, he's just my nephew from the fire nation. He also a nonbender like myself. He is usually spending time in his quarters now a days, saying that an event is coming or whatever what he trying "research"

The man shows an outlook of curiosity and concern on his face.

"Mind if I ask what he is he really doing?"

"Oh, it just this so called "big day" that he is hoping that will come somewhere in the present or in the distant future. For some strange reason, he has developed the outlandish theory that the avatar cycle is not set. In fact, he has stated that one day, an avatar will be transported through the essence of time to either meet his or her reincarnation! Ha ha ha! Is that ridiculous or not?!"

Loban starts laughing heartily, but the supervisor is not showing the same reaction as his employee. In fact, his emotion went from a happy go lucky mood to a stiff and formal being, but he tries to hide it by having a fake "laugh". The other people in the room were laughing as well, but this time they did not show the excited reactions that they had before. It was more of a subtle and disturbing laugh. Loban, however, is too jolly in his spoils to notice such a small change of environment.

"Oh well, my nephew does need some more of a separate interest than tinkering with his little inventions all day, i'm just worried that if this goes too far, this will become his next obsession, like all of the other things that interest him. Ah, well i'm soon this will tire himself out someday"

Loban exits the room, leaving the now grim and serious businessmen in the room. What used to be a fantastic celebration suddenly downsized into a brooding and uninviting atmosphere. They all look at each other, with stern looks on their faces. Some were loosening up their sleeves, which revealed that they all had a strange symbol on their wrists. They all nod in approval of something. The head of the crowd goes to the window and looks down at the factory floor, as Loban is making his way through the workers to Satoru.

"In all of the places that we could have gone to avoid our fate, it just all had to be in the midst of this fat man's sweat factory"

"It's seems that the prophecy can't be silenced after all".

"Indeed, this little crusade of life will, i'm afraid, go exactly as it was planned many millenniums ago"

"We still need the fat man. He is in the property of those crystals. Those crystals are essential for the day when we come. That fat man will not be happy when our cover is blown.

Not happy, could you imagine HIS reaction if he found out that his "foretelling" was not extinguished as he wanted it to be?"

"We would want that to happen, would we?"

"Of course not, it seems that we should have this issue taken care of, before it gets out of hand."

"Indeed" They all said it unison

*The New Ozai Society

The anticipation is growing!

Who knows what the next chapter will bring us

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