CHAPTER 7: DEPARTURE TO KYOSHI
[ZUKO POV]
I suddenly awake to find myself in a dense jungle. Everywhere I look I'm surrounded by a lush green of vines and shrubs.
The forest ground doesn't seem quite tangible. Its like I can feel the solid ground beneath my feet but at the same time it doesn't feel that solid or real.
Wait! This is a familiar feeling. I remember feeling like this back when I met Vumala. So am I back in the spirit world? Vumala lived in some kind of swamp but this is not it. It's like a full on equatorial rainforest.
"So you are the soul that was captured?" A deep ominous voice suddenly spoke.
The voice was so deep and scary it sent chills down my spine. Immediately I scanned around for the owner of the voice but I found nothing. All I saw was the green of the forest.
"Who are you!?" I called out to the air.
Nothing came of it. I stood in place to calmly scan through the green. Every direction looked the same but now that I have a closer look I can see a few odd differences. There's a dark brownish colour mixed in with the green.
"You are not strong enough to see me!" The ominous voice spoke again. "You don't have to see me to listen to me!" It felt like it ordered me.
"Are you working for Vumala!?" I asked the first thing that popped into my mind.
"Vumala, that little monkey?" It asked. It's voice appeared to be coming from everywhere for some reason. "Don't be ridiculous. I am on a whole other level compared to that simpleton."
"I brought you here because of him though. Vumala has been causing a lot of trouble for a while now. I need you to keep an eye on him for me and report back."
What the fuck is going on in the spirit world? I only knew of 3 maybe 4 spirits from watching the original series and Korra. Now another powerful looking spirit wants me to spy on the same powerful spirit that gave me a second chance at a new life. Obviously this guy seems to be working against Vumala and whatever he is up to. I am already involved and in some messy plot and I don't even know what the main objective is.
Perhaps I need to take a step back and look at things from a fresh perspective.
So my soul or spirit or whatever it might be was brought into this world by either Vumala or whoever he is working with. They seemed to be having some kind of hidden agenda.
I can't decide on a proper course of action without anymore information. The only thing that makes sense to me at this point is just to live out my fantasy dreams. That means getting strong as fuck and go fuck Azula.
Even Zhao is stronger than he was suppose to be. It only makes sense that I too must get stronger and live out my fantasies.
Vumala and the rest will be revealed in time. I can't worry myself over something I can't control. What I can do is be prepared for whatever reason I was brought to this world.
Now that I think about, it will be useful to play along with this unknown spirit.
"If I'm going to do this, you owe me!" I demanded with no slight hesitation.
"To negotiate with me you must be brave," the spirit spoke. "Brave or stupid, I can't tell just yet. Your soul seems to be a bit hazy. It doesn't quite belong in this universe."
Well that does make sense. I was reincarnated in another dude's body after all. At the moment that doesn't really matter. I need official confirmation of the deal.
"So do we have a deal or not!?" I asked confidently.
A long silence seemed to break. Maybe I pushed too far but let's try another tactic.
"Is a favour really too much for an all powerful spirit you seem to be boasting!?" I provoked him.
"You report back on Vumala's actions," It immediately spoke but still in a calm ominous spoke. As if my provocation was meaningless. "As long as you hold up your end of the deal, I will owe you!"
***
[3rd POV]
After the conversation with the mysterious spirit, Zuko found himself back in the physical world. He was no longer in the field but back in his room aboard the ship. Looking around he noticed Iroh sitted by the bed passed out. Since there was no natural light he could not tell the time of day.
As soon as he tried to sit up, a bolt of pain shot through his entire body so much that a he let out a screech like scream that shocked Iroh awake.
"What happened? Is it the earth kingdom?" Iroh jumped awake. He quickly calmed when he noticed Zuko awake and writhing in agony on the bed. His bandages were wrapped so tightly he felt like a mummy.
"Cgghgn uyhu khgett might oighught of thghgigsghsgh!" Zuko tried to speak but even his mouth was covered in the bandage.
His uncle simply stared at him confused. His confusion quickly faded and replaced by worry and panic. He quickly reached for the bandages on the face and unwrapped them. Before Zuko could speak a word he grapped water standing in a metal can by the bed and forcibly poured it into his month.
After what felt like a hellish few seconds of struggling , Zuko gave up and drank the water. As the cup emptied, Iroh returned it to the nightstand. He casually dropped back into the chair next to the bed.
For the next few minutes they both simply sat in silence. Neither spoke a word nor made any eye contact. The water seemed to sooth the burns Zuko felt all over. He quickly realised the water might have been some kind of medicine. That would explain the weird and bitter after taste still lingering around his mouth.
Now that the pain eased, he had to confront the inevitable. The defeat he suffered at the hands of Zhao. Given all his confident boasting it was a bitter pull to swallow. It still did not change the obvious excuse he had. Zhao was a fire bending master but he was never this strong in the series.
Him being able to generate lightning was an unwelcome surprise. In the show, Zuko won the Agni Kai. The defeat Zhao suffered created a deep sitted hatred and resentment towards the young Prince. It was now obvious more than ever that a significant amount of change had occurred in this world. He could no longer just blindly trust the limited knowledge he had of this world.
That would mean he will have to alter his course of action. That meant he didn't need to care about following the story anymore. He could decide on his own course of action and follow his desires. Before all that, there however was the certain matter of his uncle. His same uncle that was avoiding eye contact with him.
He took a deep breath and let out a long dragged out sigh. As if surrendering himself to the inevitable and preparing himself.
"I guess I lost huh?" He began the conversation.
Upon hearing his nephew take the first step, Iroh turned to him with an indifferent look.
"Zhao has gotten stronger in the time since I've last seen him." Iroh recognized.
Even he was surprised at how powerful Zhao had gotten. Only a rare few extremely prodigious firebenders were able to generate lightning. Besides himself, there was only 2 others of which he knew. His brother Fire Lord Ozai and his niece in Azula. Who developed the skill at a very young age. His nephew could not have known that Zhao had improved that greatly.
"It doesn't matter," Zuko defied his uncle's excuse. "A true master would not have been that surprised by a powerful opponent. I should have reacted and anticipated any scenario which can happen in a duel."
Iroh wanted to comfort his nephew but the words coming out of his nephew rung true in his mind.
"In a fight between masters, one should not come with expectations lest those expectations be shattered in the face of true adversity." He retorted.
"True," Zuko agreed. "Anyway, it has let me to make an important decision regarding myself and the avatar."
Iroh's face suddenly twisted in to worry. He just could not ignore with his nephews obsession with the avatar.
"Capturing the Avatar is not going to restore your honor," he admonished.
"I'm not talking about capturing the Avatar," Zuko quickly shot down his expectations. "I will still follow him but this time I have another reason."
"What reason may that be?" Iroh queried.
"I cannot tell you just yet," Zuko with held."As soon as-"
*BANG!!!*BANG!!!*BANG!!*
A loud bang on the door stopped Zuko from speaking. They both turned to the door.
"Come in!" Iroh ordered.
The large metal door creaked open to reveal the young Captain Mui. He immediately entered the chamber. His eyes immediately changed to the direction of Zuko looking up at him from the bed.
"Prince Zuko," he began. "I see you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Well I was struck by lightning and covered in bandages from head to toe. My whole body feels like I'm in a furnace but other then that I couldn't be better."
"I see, well it is a good thing that you're awake," Mui added. "The repairs are complete and we're ready to get back on the trail of the Avatar."
Hearing Mui's words, Zuko suddenly had a horrible realization. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull amidst the epiphany.
"How long have I been out?" He asked in a panic voice.
Mui and Iroh exchanged a brief glance at each other. Iroh proceeded to turn back to his nephew.
"The Agni Kai was yesterday so at most half a day." He calmly answered.
Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. He'd initially thought he was out for an inordinate amount of time thankfully it wasn't that long. Unfortunately he could not waste any more time. His body was still in tatters but the Avatar was getting away.
He willed himself to sit up amidst a noise a groaning and grunting due to the sheer pain he was still in.
"What are you doing, you need to lie down and recover." Iroh jumped from his chair and tried to ease him back down.
"Let me just sit up uncle!" Zuko defied and pushed through the pain and sat up. The strain on his face spoke volumes of the sheer pain he felt. "Chart a course for Kyoshi Island. We must depart immediately, we cannot afford to waste anymore time here!"
"Why Kyoshi Island?" Iroh asked. He gave up to the stubborn nerve of Zuko and sat back in his chair.
"Just trust me and chart a course at our fastest speed!" Zuko reiterated. He was pushed through the pain but his panting and heavy breathing was a clear indication.
"Understood," Mui answered. "I will inform the crew immediately."
"Remember Captain Mui, no stops. Head straight for Kyoshi!" Zuko added.
"Understood!" Mui confirmed and left the chamber.
Once again the uncle and nephew were left alone in the room.
Iroh sat in his chair pondering what his nephew knew that he didn't. The changes in Zuko's personality were growing more prominently in his eyes. The changes started when they encountered the Avatar after searching for so long. 'What exactly did he and the Avatar talk of when they were alone to have altered his thinking in such a profound way?' He pondered.
Zuko meanwhile stared blankly into the empty space. His mind was preoccupied with everything he went through in the past few days.
All that he knew of this world and why he came only lead to one thing. His life was not in his hands. Vumala or whoever truly brought him hear was pulling the strings from the spirit world. Zhao was surprisingly strong so it only meant that a few other things were different from what he knew on earth.
That meant his knowledge of future events and passed information of this world such as Avatar Wan and his fight between Raava and Vaatu. There was also the harmonic convergence that ultimately led to the liberation of Vaatu by Unalaq in Legend of Korra. All his knowledge wasn't useless but it wasn't particularly useful either. All of it simply emphasized the thing he had suspected ever since he met Vumala. He needed to get as strong as possible as fast as possible.
Zuko suddenly turned to his uncle who was in deep thought as well.
"I need you to teach me how to generate lightning!" Zuko declared.