The first hit struck gold, but I continued with the form nonetheless. The straw man was already ablaze when I lunged forward with a punch, sending a larger, but not significant blast of fire straight towards him. The blast truck in the unarmored armpit of the burning man of straw. I took the necessary step backwards, bringing my hands together to focus on a larger blast that I promptly sent towards. I didn't waste time seeing if it struck but sent the fire blast of fire from a kick, planted it on the ground, mid spin behind me, jumped into the air, performing a rather perfect tornado kick, sending that last blast of fire into the straw man right in the chest. My feet landed on the ground in the perfect position to immediately continue the process with the other three straw men occupying the other sides of the room. In less than 10 seconds, they were no more than ashes and piles of scorched earth kingdom armor.
I stood at attention, not daring to break position. I waited until he had walked to all four piles of armor, then to me, stood in front of me for a good minute, then bowed and said "You're improving. Quickly. You are not yet the firebender that's expected of you, but you're getting there." So, I have expectations in this world too, do I?
I returned his bow, one hand perfectly straight placed atop my right fist, mimicking a flame with my hands.
"At ease" he said, and I raised myself from my bow, allowing myself to finally relax today. From the moment the sun rose, if not earlier, I had spent two months training with firebending master who remained nameless. Whenever I asked his name, his only reply was that his name was not important. I was beginning to doubt he had a name. When I searched for answers elsewhere, I got none. Danev had never even known there was a firebending master in Citadel. He had thought they were all sent to Ba-Sing-Se.
"You seem more focused. Dealt with what was clearly bothering you?"
"Yes sir." More or less, I had. I had closure in a way I hadn't had before. I had reached the end of the rabbit hole and was satisfied with my answer. I was content.
"Good. Then I'll see you same time tomorrow morning. Don't eat breakfast or dinner. A good soldier knows how to fight with an empty stomach."
"Yes sir. Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight."
And with that, I left while he lingered in his dojo. I wasn't sure if I should have volunteered to clean the mess I had created. Sure, I did as I was instructed, but I could have at least offered to help. I don't know.
I was supposed to meet with Danev, Aden, and Zaydi. She had come to hanging out with our little band of misfits more and more as of late. As for other students, some others had finally gotten over their initial fear or hatred of me, or both, and had started talking to me. Dazni was one of those who hadn't been an asshole from the start. He would stand up for me in front of Coach Zandar and the other students. We didn't see each other now as much as we used to considering I ran on a different schedule as him now, but I would catch him for a good talk every now and then during our two "designated hours of recreation prior to lights out."
It was nice. Making friends for a change. I came into this academy expecting to be persecuted against at every turn. And I was right. I was persecutedagainst at every turn, but that had passed in some manner of speaking. Either they got over it, or I had earned their respect. Either way, it was in the past, and I was glad for it.
Now that the whole issue with the solstice was past, I was feeling more comfortable. The door to 221 was locked and wasn't being opened anymore and I was happier for it. As for the book I had found, I had read it. It was a journal, with a fair share of pages ripped out, but I had read what I could. It belonged to the man who had been executed right when this all began. The day I saw too much. They day I got picked up by the Hornets. Damn. A lot had happened that day. I thought I had left it all in the past, but some of it still remained. The legacy of that man, Lee Shuni, or more accurately, Monk Gyani of the Air Nomads. He died for his legacy, what I held in my hands right now. I had read every word of it. It saddened me that he died for so little.
He wrote of the crimes of the Fire Nation, dating back to the initial colonization of the Earth Kingdom territories. He wrote of massacres, war crimes, deceitful tactics, and the topic he focused most on, the Genocide of the Air Nomads. I know what I was taught in the few months I was here at this academy. Of the heroic battle between the "Air Nation Army" and the legendary Fire Lord Sozin who "Used the power of the heavens to strike down the biggest threat to the Fire Nation."
I knew it was bullshit when I read it and I think everybody did unless there were so indoctrinated to the point they believed everything they read. It made no difference and it was sad to know he had died for it, after what I assumed must have been years spent hiding here, gathering all information he could, to what? Inspire more to rise up? Start a revolution inside the Fire Nation? Revive the Air Nomads?
It was one of his final statements near the close of the journal that did keep me wondering. "The Air Nation has fallen, but not all Air Nomads are dead. I have seen to that."
I couldn't say what he meant by that. Whether he was referring to himself or somebody else. He wasn't referring to any idea in particular, no, he was referring to people. He would have used terminology like "Air Nation." If he meant an idea, right? Were there any still alive? Somewhere?
For the sake of not wanting to see an entire people go extinct, I hoped so. Nobody deserved that, but as for the rest of his journal, and this "evidence" of the wrath of the Fire Nation, it would do him no good. The Fire Nation was too indoctrinated to believe anything they read that spoke shit about their home, the Earth Kingdom was well aware of the Fire Nation's wrath by now, the Air Nomads probably even had a better idea, assuming any were left, and the Water tribe was, well, the Water Tribe. I don't think they were too concerned about what was going on in the real world.
I let the thoughts leave my mind as I entered the cafeteria and saw our little group motion me over. I sat next to Danev and across from Aden while Danev sat facing Zaydi, the two of them taking small peeks at each other between bites.
"Not going to eat anything?" I heard her ask me.
"Nah. If I had to watch the two of you going back and forth any longer, I think I would just puke it out. Besides, I'm under strict orders to starve myself, learn how to fight on an empty stomach."
"So you're really a firebender, then?" Aden asked. "Didn't believe it when Danev told me, but I saw you practicing in the courtyard the other day. You're not the same little shit I knew in the Hive, are you?"
"Guess not." I said as I tried to fake a smile, concealing the fact that I knew our entire family was dead while Aden sat right across from me believing them to be alive and well. If I had to do this much longer, I would break. I knew that much. Some how though, Aden's ignorance made him that much more likeable. He didn't have the same bloodlust he had while in the slums as there was no longer an enemy constantly at his throats and he was spending his time coming up with-
"Danev." Aden whispered, diagonally from Danev, interrupting him from his private looking contest with Zaydi. "I think I came up with a new idea."
"Not now, Aden." He replied, obviously annoyed.
"It's a good one."
"What idea?" Zaydi asked.
If this was good for one thing, it was that it was teaching me to bullshit on the fly, because frankly, it was rather unfair forcing Danev to be the one to solely sell a different reality to Aden. I turned to Zaydi. "It's a plan he has to get his hands on more food rations. Hasn't worked so far, but he's determined it will."
"Danev, you'll want to hear this."
Danev looked down to his food, sighed, and stood up. "Fine, let's talk."
"It'll be quick." Aden promised.
Danev looked back to Zaydi as Aden searched for a nice discreet area to share with Danev his "brilliant" plan of escape. "Sorry."
She gave a nice, sweet, and innocent, but heartfelt chuckle as though she was right in tune to what "the boys" were thinking. Sometimes I pitied her more than Aden. Sure, Aden was being misled to believe all of his friends were alive, but at least he knew he was one of us while Zaydi was under a false impression. I liked her, but she would never know what had happened on the streets and how it had been, but she tried her best. "It's fine. Extra rations are well worth it."
I could see the scrunched-up look of confusion that came to Danev's face as he had no idea in hell what she was talking about, but a small nod of my head convinced him to dismiss it altogether as he went to talk with his blind friend.
I realized now I had never talked with Zaydi one on one in an occasion that wasn't her tending to me in the hospital-ward. I would learn that day that I was terrible at small talk. "So. You and Danev. Anything going on there?"