Since we were in the future enemy territory, Monk Gyatso behaved much more cautiously, seeing as how we landed at a distance away from the capital city, hiding our Sky Bison companions within a nearby forest not too far away from the city but far enough away where no one would spot us unless they were purposefully looking for us.
"Alright, take care, Appa, and make sure to hide yourself." Said Aang lightly with a faint smile as he scratched underneath Appa's mouth, prompting him to nod before moving behind a small bush, causing him to chuckle.
'Well, he's got the spirit.' Mused Aang softly as he looked at Appa with a smile before turning around and following behind Gyatso, who was exiting the forest.
Arriving beside Monk Gyatso, we silently walked side-by-side, exiting the forest and approaching the port half of the Capital city, which would take some time, though we weren't in a rush, so we just took our time.
Several minutes later, as we began nearing the city walls, we noticed a small entrance, which we headed right for, though as we got closer, I noticed a substantial amount of guards; there were even several arches lining the walls. However, contrary to what I expected, other than a slightly surprised expression, they treated us like normal, maybe even nicer than usual.
"Ah, sir, that's not needed here; Air Nomads only need to prove their Air Nomad heritage and state from which Air Temple they hail." Stated the Fire Nation Guard respectfully as he raised his hand, stopping Gyatso, who slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Really? That's not how I remember it being." Asked Gyatso in slight surprise as he lowered his pouch while looking at the guard with a thoughtful expression.
"After the death of Avatar Roku, it's common knowledge the next Avatar will be born as an air bender, so in hopes to help the next Avatar, Fire Lord Sozin has altered the laws for Air-Nomads to be allowed access into the city with ease." Replied the guard with a nod as he glanced between Gyatso and Aang, causing the two to thrust their palms to their right and left, respectively, creating strong gusts of wind.
"We both hail from the Southern Air Temple, taking a student of mine on a little trip around the world." Said Gyatso lightly as he gestured to Aang and himself, causing the guard to nod while one of the other four guards jotted such information down in a book.
"Enjoy your stay in the Capital." Said the guard with a faint smile as he stepped to the side, allowing Gyatso and Aang to freely enter the gate while responding kindly.
"That was a little weird; why would they require to know which Temple we hail from?" Said Aang lightly with furrowed brows as he glanced at the city and its many citizens before looking at Gyatso, who shook his head while frowning.
"I do not know, though seeing how friendly Fire Lord Sozin is being, I imagine it must be to help the new Avatar." Replied Gyatso softly with a reassuring smile as he glanced at Aang, who softly nodded with a weird expression.
"Anyways, let's not question their kind hospitality and explore the city; it's been ages since I've visited here." Added Gyatso with a smile while Aang nodded, prompting the two to walk along the streets of Caldera, exploring everything they had to offer for hours.
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"Thank you." Said Gyatso and Aang simultaneously as they clasped their hands towards the woman, who placed their food on the table.
Grabbing the chopsticks that came with the bowl, I separated them and took a bite of the vegetarian ramen, which tasted incredibly delicious.
"It's a little hot but otherwise delicious." Muttered Aang lightly as he used his air bending to blow on the bowl, slightly cooling it down before taking another bite, only to nod with satisfaction.
"Hoho, I'm still surprised this shop is open even after twenty years." Said Gyatso with a smile as he eagerly took a bite, enjoying the delicious ramen.
While Monk Gyatso and I were enjoying our food after spending several hours walking around the city, a group of people entered the restaurant and sat at the table right behind us, though what they were speaking about gathered our interest.
"Man, it really sucks, too; I've been saving up since my son was born and was hoping to send him to the Fire & Air Center of Learning, but after what Fire Lord Sozin did, I don't know if it's worth it." Said a hefty built man sadly as he released a deep sigh, prompting his friends to cheer him up.
"Ahh, don't feel so depressed. The Fire & Air Center of Learning may have been replaced with a more militaristic school, but I'm sure it can't be any worse than before; if anything, it's probably even better; after all, Fire Lord Sozin is known to make very wise decisions." Remarked a smaller man with a friendly smile as he nudged the hefty man, who faintly nodded, only for a taller man to awkwardly cough, grabbing their attention.
"I've been researching what happened since I was also hoping to send my daughter there in the future, but apparently, the new school will only be accepting children of Noble descent. So unless you happen to marry into nobility, good luck with that." Stated the taller man with a wry smile, his words causing the hefty man to once again slump into depression while the smaller man slightly frowned.
"Huh, that's weird; why would Fire Lord Sozin do that?" Muttered the smaller man in confusion as he adorned a thoughtful expression.
The group behind stopped talking as the waiter from before asked for their order, but their words had nonetheless stirred interest in Monk Gyatso and I as we both happened to glance at each other with the same look in our eyes. However, despite our curiosity, we saved that for later and silently ate our food, and only when we finished several minutes later did we finally indulge in our curiosity.
"It seems we know where we're headed next." Muttered Gyatso lightly as he stood up, placing multiple silver coins on the table.
Nodding at his words, Monk Gyatso and I exited the restaurant and walked west, heading for the capital above the hallowed mountain, which greatly resembled a crater.
Once we exited the Caldera from the west gate, we looked upwards and saw the tall mountain before us, though there were already stairs for us to take, so the trip wouldn't be difficult, not like we aren't accustomed to walking up numerous stairs.
"Looks like we're going to get our exercise in after that large lunch." Said Aang softly as he took the first step up the many stairs ahead of them, causing Gyatso to faintly chuckle while following behind him.
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Once we reached the top of the mountain, we approached the gate to the city, and if I thought there were many guards from before, then I was sorely mistaken; there were probably double as many guards, and they weren't nearly as kind as the ones from before.
"Stop! Are you with the Guiding Wind?" Asked the guard sternly as he stepped forward, eyeing Gyatso and Aang while the many archers from above drew their bows.
"Guiding Wind? If you could please elaborate on what that organization is?" Asked Gyatso softly as he clasped his hands towards the guard while Aang just silently stood beside him, preparing to move in case things took a wrong turn.
After what felt like a long staring contest, the guard raised his arm, causing the many archers standing on the wall to lower their bows while he shook his head.
"It seems you're not with the Guiding Wind, but if you wish to enter, you need permission from a Noble." Stated the guard sternly as he backed away, returning to his spot directly in front of the gate, his words causing Gyatso to slightly widen his eyes while nodding.
"Oh, I see, that is unfortunate. Well then, we shall return to whence we came. Come, Aang." Said Gyatso lightly with a faint smile as he turned around while motioning to Aang, who quickly followed right behind him, the two calmly walking down the long stair case.
"Hmm, I don't know what the Guiding Wind is, but everything seems a little suspicious, don't you think so, Monk Gyatso? We're so easily allowed within the Caldera, yet we're denied access to the Capital; that statement of wishing to help the Avatar is sounding skeptical." Remarked Aang lightly as he calmly walked down the hill beside Gyatso, who sighed but didn't respond.
It was around afternoon, still plenty of time left in the day, so with our access to the Capital denied, we spent the rest of the time within Caldera and while there were many things I noticed, such as the coal-powered warships that guarded the harbor, the most obvious thing was the lack of aura. The spiritual aura that North Ching-Ling had was nowhere to be seen here; it was something that left a bad taste in my mouth, and combined with all the military propaganda being spread throughout the city, it was rather dull; granted besides those things, the city was rather nice.
However, I think the worst thing was the xenophobic propaganda being spread; granted, it was minor, and I only heard those being mentioned a few times, but I imagine within a few years, it won't take long for things to change, and let alone the Fire Nation Capital, it'll be spread throughout all of the Fire Nation.