The temple burned.
Lieutenant Ren of the Fire Nation stood among the smouldering ruins, the scent of smoke and charred flesh thick in the air. The monks had died as expected; silent, accepting, weak.
This wasn't a battle.
It was an execution.
Ren exhaled, watching as his soldiers moved through the temple remains, finishing the purge. Nearly two hundred men, elite firebenders, all ensuring not a single airbender would leave this place alive.
Then, one of them fell.
A distant crack; sharp and unnatural. A soldier near the courtyard simply collapsed, a hole clean through the back of his helmet.
Ren frowned.
Then another soldier dropped. This time, he saw it. A single, nearly invisible projectile punched through the man's skull, faster than an arrow, precise as a blade.
Something cold crawled down Ren's spine.
A third man fell. Then a fourth. Panic spread like wildfire.
"The hell is that?!" one soldier shouted, flames bursting from his fists as he turned wildly, searching.
Then the wind moved. A blur, impossible to track, flickered between the ruins. And then he was among them.
A shadow. A ghost. A storm. Kalsang.
The first soldier didn't even register him before a hand seized his throat. A sharp, brutal twist, and his neck snapped like dry wood. Before his body hit the ground, Kalsang was already striking another.
A burst of air sent him flying into a stone pillar, his spine snapping on impact. Then he was gone. A soldier turned, only to have his entire arm shattered in a single strike. The scream barely left his lips before Kalsang drove his wind-empowered heel into the man's ribs, caving them in.
More firebenders panicked, "THERE!"
They unleashed flame in all directions, desperate to hit something, anything. But Kalsang moved through it, bending the air around him, disappearing before the heat could touch him.
Then, he struck. An air bullet; silent death, pierced a soldier's skull. Another blurred attack; an elbow shattered a man's jaw, a knee drove into his gut, and a final snap of his wrist ended him.
More fell. One firebender tried to launch a fire blast, but Kalsang grabbed his wrist, twisted, and broke it. The soldier screamed, yet a moment later, Kalsang's cloth shoes crushed his throat.
A squad rushed him all at once. Kalsang spun, using a burst of air to propel himself up. He twisted in mid-air, dodging fire, then slammed into the ground with a shockwave of wind. The force sent the soldiers staggering, and that moment was all he needed.
He was on them instantly. A knife-hand strike to the throat. Instant death. A palm to the chest; air compressed into a single point. The soldier's heart was blown apart. A final burst; a sharp twist of his body, his fingers ripped into a firebender's throat, and the man collapsed, gurgling.
The last soldier tried to run. A sharp crack resounded and a hole formed through the back of his skull.
Then… silence. Almost two hundred soldiers lay dead. And Kalsang stood alone. His breath was heavy now. His muscles ached. But it wasn't over.
Lieutenant Ren was the last one standing. His face was pale. His stance frozen. Kalsang turned his gaze to him.
Ren saw nothing in those eyes. No rage, no hesitation. Just calculation. Ren took a step back, hands trembling.
Kalsang raised a single hand. A second passed. He inhaled sharply.
Crack.
Ren barely understood what had happened before the back of his skull exploded outward. He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
Kalsang exhaled. His limbs ached. His breathing was unsteady now. He had pushed himself a bit. Glancing over the edge of the temple to the shore, he could see it. More Fire Nation warships were approaching in the distance. Hundreds more soldiers.
Kalsang could stay. He could fight. But if he did, he might truly become exhausted. He might make a mistake. And then… his thoughts came to a screeching halt as a gentle smile under the radiant sun was suddenly plastered in his mind.
He reached out, almost having touched her, but then failed and came back to reality. His eyes flickered toward the survivors. The children. The elders. The wounded monks. The handful had lived. He recalled that Aang was still alive.
He still had something to live for.
The few sky bison that had not fled or burned down… they could still fly. There was only one thing left to do. He turned, walking toward the survivors. He took a breath, calming himself. And then, without looking back, Kalsang disappeared into the night, taking the last of the airbenders with him.
After all; if there was one thing airbenders did best, it was escaping and leaving no trace behind.
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Note: Where do you want these survivors to go to? To the Earth Kingdom? To the Norther Water Tribe? Or just exist somewhere in between while improving their individual strengths for a few years before joining forces with an invaded earth kingdom? I personally like the last option, as it would give me time to flesh out some of these survivors rather than leaving them as nameless survivors, but I thought I would give you guys the option. If nobody comments by the time the next chapter comes out, I will use the last option, so please comment.