When Sokka stepped out of the shelter, he saw the young Avatar leaning against the entrance. Aang had heard Hahn's final moments, and from the expression on his face, those words had hit him harder than any attack.
But Sokka ignored him and kept walking through the citadel.
This was exactly what he had planned. That's why he had sent that letter to Azula, posing as Kuzon: so that if Arnook's plan failed, Hahn and those two elders would die in the attempt. And above all, to ensure they wouldn't return. Their deaths, from a purely strategic point of view, were nothing but a benefit.
So... why the hell did he feel so bad?
Hahn's final words brought back a memory he had tried to bury many years ago. In his past life, when he was a soldier on the battlefield, he saw his comrades fall. But one of them, like the Northern warrior, managed to hold on long enough to say goodbye to him. She had been his first real friend in that military world. Her farewell words to her parents and the icy terror of death echoed in his head again upon hearing Hahn's echo.
However, this was not the time to be carried away by sentimentality for a life that no longer existed.
With a firm step, and after asking several guards for directions, Sokka headed to Hahn's parents' home. Upon arriving, he gave them the news of their son's passing with deep respect, recounting his bravery and how he fought until the end. Sokka didn't stay to watch the parents crumble from the tragedy; he simply told them where to find the body and left to inform Arnook.
On his way to the palace, he overheard one of the guards who had been there in the final moments confirming to another soldier that the mission had been a complete failure. The pieces on the board were falling into place on their own. Now he only needed to wait for the right moment to make his next move.
In the days that followed, an unexpected calm settled over the front. There were no catapult shots or night raids. Instead, Azula had granted them a luxury that no other Fire Nation commander had ever given: she allowed them to bury their dead with honor.
The bodies of those fallen during the bombardments were recovered from the rubble. Ice pyres and funeral chants resonated outside the wall for three full days, and throughout that time, not a single enemy ship attacked.
It was a brilliant psychological move. Azula knew perfectly well that the tribe was emotionally fractured, and by allowing them to mourn, she not only showed a facade of false respect but also reminded them who had absolute control of the situation.
But there was also a purpose within her own fleet. On the deck of her flagship lay the bodies of more than twenty soldiers who had fallen before the spear of a single warrior who refused to surrender. Azula ordered them to be carefully removed and prepared to receive honors on land.
"They have fallen fighting," she declared to her troops with a serene and firm voice. "They fell before an enemy who knew no fear. That is not a defeat; it is an honor, and they will be bid farewell as true warriors."
Her soldiers, accustomed to fearing her, began to look at her with a mix of surprise and deep admiration. Among the troops, whispers spread about how the princess, whom they so feared, was also capable of honoring her men.
"She's cunning," Mai commented quietly from the bow.
"And not only that," Ty Lee added, hugging Azula's arm. "She's changed so much that she's even earning the troops' affection. Before, they only feared her, but now they follow her with respect."
Azula smiled with satisfaction, keeping her gaze fixed on the frozen walls.
On the other side, Arnook's situation was deteriorating by leaps and bounds. The worry for his people and his daughter consumed him. When Yue learned of Hahn's death, she burst into tears—not because she felt love for him, but because she was consumed by guilt for not having told him she forgave him. The funerals ended up destroying her.
To make matters worse, the head of the warriors, Talik, seized the tragedy to blame the outsider and turn the elders against him:
"If it weren't for that Southerner's plan, Hahn would still be alive!" Talik shouted in council meetings. "That brat had no right to speak, and because of him, three of our men are dead!"
The elders supported the protests, in need of a scapegoat. It didn't matter that Sokka's plan was the only real alternative; they needed someone to blame, and Sokka was the perfect target.
Arnook left the war room completely exhausted. He was deeply ashamed of having dismissed the battles that Sokka and the Avatar had fought before arriving at the North. He naively believed that his tribe was invincible simply for having resisted a hundred years of secondary attacks. At this point, he was willing to do whatever it took to stop the siege and see his daughter smile again.
"You know, I could help you," a calm voice echoed from the shadows of a hallway.
Arnook looked up and saw Sokka leaning casually.
"Then please, do it," the tribal chief begged.
"People don't do things for free, you know? I already tried to help you once, and you preferred not to listen."
"I did listen to you!" Arnook lamented. "But the plan didn't work!"
"It didn't work because you sent two cowardly elders instead of me. So this time, I'm not going to help you for free."
"What do you want?" Arnook asked with severity.
"I want total independence for the South Pole and to be recognized as the sole legitimate Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Additionally, you will send resources, infrastructure, labor, and the war spoils will be split seventy-thirty in my favor."
"The Southern Tribe won't survive without the North," Arnook tried to object.
"We've survived a hundred years without you. And if you refuse, the South will only be an economic black hole that will suck your resources dry."
Arnook contemplated him in silence for a moment before yielding: "Fine. But you have to take care of this siege."
"I'll guarantee victory and draft the contract for tonight. Make sure to inform your elders."
Sokka returned to the inn to draft the document. Katara, who was practicing her waterbending, looked at him curiously upon hearing him write for so long. Upon learning that technically the South was listed as a colony of the North in ancient records, she was stunned but immediately understood the value of what her brother was doing.
Sokka asked Katara to find Aang to give him an accelerated politics lesson:
"A treaty is a formal agreement between nations," Sokka explained, spreading the parchment in front of the Avatar and his sister. "If it's in writing, it's law. And with this, the South becomes a free nation under my command."
Sokka proceeded to read each of the clauses: territorial independence, the North's supply shipments, the 70-30 split of spoils, his leadership of the defense, and harsh penalties if the North tried to break the agreement.
"You're going to have to negotiate with leaders from all over the world, Aang. If you don't understand how contracts work, they'll take advantage of you with pretty words," Sokka warned him.
Aang listened with serious determination and nodded: "Teach me more."
Meanwhile, at the palace, Arnook presented the terms to the council. Talik immediately grew furious:
"Independence and seventy percent of the spoils?! It's robbery! Arnook, you can't hand the South over to that savage!"
However, Master Pakku and Elder Hak intervened firmly, reminding them that the North had abandoned the South for a century and that Sokka's leadership was the only reason they hadn't already fallen to the Fire Nation. Cornered, Arnook declared the matter closed.
The hours passed, and Arnook was able to rest during that time, setting aside the worry of the war for a moment. For the first time in days, his mind wasn't tormented by the sound of explosions. It was a brief but necessary respite.
Everything was calm until the door of his temporary home sounded.
Upon opening it, he saw Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Pakku. The four stood with serious expressions. Sokka held two rolled-up parchments in his hands, and Arnook assumed they had come to formalize the help they had discussed earlier.
"Come in," Arnook said, stepping aside to let them enter.
The interior of the dwelling was modest but functional, with a wooden table in the center and several chairs around it. As the men settled in, Yue entered from an adjoining room. Upon seeing Sokka, her face lit up, and without thinking, she crossed the distance to hug him.
Sokka received her with surprise but returned the gesture gently. When she pulled away, he looked at her with genuine concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice lower than usual. "I've been worried about you."
Yue nodded, though her eyes still showed traces of weariness and sadness. "I am. Or at least, I will be," she replied with a weak smile. "Thank you for worrying."
Katara approached Yue and gently took her hands. During the last few days, despite the diplomatic distance between both tribes, Katara had sought moments to accompany the princess. She understood the pain and silent guilt Yue carried over Hahn's death and the pressure of being a figure of hope for her people. Katara gave her a warm squeeze, comforting her without words, and Yue returned a look of sincere gratitude.
Meanwhile, Sokka, Aang, Pakku, and Arnook took their seats around the table. Yue and Katara remained standing to the side, attentive to the conversation. Sokka placed the two parchments on the wood without unrolling them yet.
"Before we begin," Sokka said calmly but firmly, "I want to make it clear that these documents have been drafted to guarantee lasting peace and to recognize the effort my people have made for decades without the support of this tribe. This is not a humiliation, Arnook. It's recognition."
Arnook nodded slightly, still on guard. "I understand the background, Sokka. Let's see the conditions."
Sokka unrolled the first parchment: the military contract. "In this document, I commit to leading the defense, neutralizing the current enemy commander, and guaranteeing victory in this siege. In exchange, the North accepts the total independence of the South, recognizes me as its sole legitimate Chief, commits to sending labor and infrastructure, and will comply with the seventy-thirty split of spoils for the South and thirty for the North as we previously agreed."
Arnook listened attentively and nodded. All of that aligned with what had been discussed. However, Pakku's gaze narrowed as he followed the text on the parchment, stopping at a particular line. "Sokka... what does this number mean here?" Pakku asked, pointing at the paper with a serious voice.
"It also stipulates that the North will send forty-five percent of its food resources to the South as compensation for historical abandonment," Sokka continued without blinking.
"Forty-five percent of our provisions?!" Arnook exclaimed, his eyes widening as surprise quickly turned into indignation. "Have you lost your mind?! You're asking for nearly half of our food reserves in the middle of a war! That's looting!"
The tension in the room spiked instantly. Pakku looked at Sokka harshly, frowning. "Sokka, moderate your demands," Pakku intervened, with a severe but controlled voice. "I understand the historical grievance, but demanding nearly half of the North's food in the middle of a siege isn't negotiation—it's suffocating us. Arnook is absolutely right to refuse this."
"The South has survived because the North allowed it!" Arnook exploded, standing up and slamming his hands on the table with rage. "We gave you autonomy! We allowed you to have a tribal chief to maintain order in our lands while we withstood the weight of the war! And this is how you repay us?!"
Sokka held Arnook's gaze without flinching for a single second. When he spoke, his voice was so cold it cut through the air of the room.
"You didn't 'allow' us anything, Arnook. And stop repeating that lie. Before the Hundred Year War, the so-called Southern Chief was nothing more than a puppet chosen by a council of Northern elders who were stationed in our lands. The Southern Chief couldn't make a single decision without your approval and that of your council."
Arnook clenched his teeth, but Sokka continued with implacable authority: "And don't come talking about 'maintaining resistance,' because long before the Fire Nation attacked us, the North had already begun to abandon the South simply because it didn't seem like a profitable territory. Do you want to remember Kyoshi's era four hundred years ago? The misery you plunged the South into forced our own sailors to join pirates and criminals, giving rise to the Fifth Nation. It was born from the poverty you caused and from the oblivion to which you condemned us. The North used the South, stripped it, and then turned its back on it."
Arnook tensed visibly. He knew those historical records perfectly; he knew that the Fifth Nation appeared in the royal archives as a stain of shame for the North.
"That happened centuries ago, Sokka! You can't blame this generation for—"
"He's right, Father," Yue interrupted suddenly, stepping forward.
Everyone at the table looked at her in surprise. Katara watched her with pride as the Northern princess straightened her back, speaking with impeccable clarity: "I've studied the records in our imperial library. What Sokka says about Kyoshi's era and the Fifth Nation is documented. Our tribe justified the loss of the South by treating it as a lost cause when it stopped producing profits. We failed them before the Hundred Year War, and we failed them after. If we want to restore our tribe's honor and have a future where we aren't divided, we must do what's right."
Aang, reinforced by Yue's words, looked at the Northern Chief with gravity: "Chief Arnook... Sokka showed me these documents and the South's history before coming. If we want justice and true balance in the world, the North must assume its historical responsibility."
Arnook looked at his daughter, impacted by the firmness in her eyes, and then searched for support from Pakku.
The old waterbending master let out a long, bitter sigh. Pakku's initial indignation gave way to heavy pragmatism. "Arnook..." Pakku said in a low but categorical tone. "Your own daughter and the Avatar are showing you reality. The boy used aggressive demands... but his facts are irrefutable. Our tribe turned its back on the South. Forty-five percent is a devastating blow to our reserves, yes... but if we don't accept his terms and Sokka doesn't lead the defense, the Fire Nation will breach those walls. And then we won't have forty-five or a hundred percent of anything. Accept it. It's the price of our survival and our redemption."
Arnook clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Impotence burned in his chest, but upon seeing Yue's determined face and hearing Pakku's words, the old leader finally yielded, letting his shoulders drop onto the chair. "Fine..." Arnook murmured with a raspy voice. "I accept the food compensation and the military contract."
Sokka showed neither triumph nor rejoicing. He simply took the second parchment and unrolled it: the Treaty of Independence and Sovereignty of the Southern Water Tribe. "This document governs our international relations from today onward," Sokka explained.
Arnook and Pakku leaned in to read the clauses. Sokka reviewed them one by one: recognition of sovereignty, free trade, strict regulation of migration and marriage to prevent espionage, and the agreed terms. Since they had already discussed the 70% spoils in the alley, Arnook simply clenched his jaw and continued reading in silence without disputing it again.
What neither Arnook nor Pakku noticed amid the exhaustion and tension was the wording of the political clauses. In Clause II, it was strictly prohibited for the North to interfere in the South's politics, but Sokka had deliberately omitted prohibiting the South from influencing Northern politics.
Furthermore, in Clause V, Sokka had written in tiny script, practically illegible at first glance: if the North breaks the treaty and refuses to pay indemnities, the South will have full right to claim territorial possession of the Northern Tribe and conquer it through war without alleging injustice.
Aang stared fixedly at that tiny line in Clause V. He felt a slight chill at Sokka's cold cunning but maintained his composure and remained silent.
"Any other objections?" Sokka asked serenely.
Arnook, with tired eyes and a mind overwhelmed by the discussion, didn't stop to decipher the small script. "No... Let's sign this once and for all," the Northern Chief said.
"For this to be sacred and inviolable before the spirits and our nations," Sokka declared, pulling out a small stylus, "we won't use ink. We will seal our sovereignty with our blood."
Sokka made a small cut on his right thumb and pressed his red fingerprint onto the base of both parchments.
Arnook, his face shadowed, took the stylus, pricked his finger, and pressed his blood fingerprint next to Sokka's, sealing the South's independence.
Pakku stamped his blood fingerprint as a witness for the North, Katara did so for the South—exchanging a look of relief with Yue—and Aang, holding his friend's steady gaze, placed his blood fingerprint as the Avatar and validator of the treaty.
They did this twice, for two parchments that shared the same content—one copy of the treaty of independence for Arnook and another for Sokka.
When the blood marks dried on the parchments, a heavy silence took over the room.
Arnook took a deep breath, feeling how his tribe's destiny had changed forever. "Are you satisfied, Sokka?"
"Quite."
Thus, the day concluded with a victory for Sokka and the South.
The following day passed quietly despite the situation. The guards patrolled the wall, and the waterbenders tried to repair the city before more bombardments began.
It wasn't until the full moon began to rise that Sokka met with his double—the one he had hypnotized to be a copy of himself. They had gathered in an abandoned house within the tribe, and there Sokka explained the plan while altering the false skin on his double's face with chi.
Then, with a click, he disappeared with his double and, in a matter of seconds, reappeared in the bathroom of his inn, alone. He had eleven uses left on his boots.
He left the place calmly, wearing completely black clothing, and headed to the outskirts of the tribe. There, two waterbenders of similar build and stature awaited him. Sokka had chosen them because they were skilled in their element, adept at hand-to-hand combat, and above all, neutral toward him—they neither praised nor hated him.
"Remember to always wear your masks at all times and not to say names. I will be B, you will be A and C," he ordered calmly.
The men nodded. They had been chosen the night before, and for the rest of the day, they trained and mentally prepared for the mission.
When midnight fell, they departed under the full moon. The waterbenders, under Sokka's orders, created a dome beneath the water and advanced toward the royal ship. Upon arrival, they ascended with a water whirlpool—a technique made possible by the power amplified by the full moon.
They boarded the ship with incredible stealth. The place was quiet, with no apparent guards. Sokka couldn't help but wonder if Azula had really let her guard down or if it was he who was walking into a trap. But it didn't matter. If it was the latter, he already had a way to handle it.
"This doesn't smell right," said A with concern, observing the gloomy atmosphere.
"We must stay alert and separate a few..."
Sokka didn't finish speaking when his danger sense rang at the back of his neck. With an extremely fast head turn, he dodged a lightning bolt aimed at his face.
He leaped back, rotating his body as strands of the lightning grazed his face, burning his mask.
"Damn it, she's crazy. She wants to blow my face off. Screw the identical clothing," Sokka thought as he removed the burned mask and put on another made of white bone. It was carved from the spirit lion's bones and practically indestructible. Sokka hoped it could withstand a point-blank lightning strike.
"Be careful with her and her friends," Sokka warned his companions as he aimed at Azula. "Keep your distance and use your water. When I give the order, kill anyone you can."
A and C nodded cautiously.
"It's incredible that someone can dodge my lightning at such close range!" Azula said with amusement. "It's fair to say you have good skill..."
Sokka remained silent as he analyzed the situation. The bow was now full of armed soldiers, with flames burning in their hands.
"You certainly live up to the stories... Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your build, plus the streak of white hair on your head, gives you away."
Sokka lowered his head in annoyance, realizing he had forgotten his distinctive streak.
"I could be someone with the same hair," he tried to distract her while signaling to his companions, who began to move discreetly.
"It could be," Azula replied, showing a piece of paper. "But this letter clearly states that you, Sokka, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, would come to attack me."
Sokka was genuinely surprised. This time he hadn't sent any letter to Azula. It took him only a second to understand whose it was.
"Let me guess. It was Talik, the head of the warriors, wasn't it?"
A and C stopped dead upon hearing that. Azula's confident smile faltered for a second.
"That damn bastard," Sokka complained upon receiving confirmation. "What does the letter say?"
"Not much. That you and others would come to kill me, but that he was warning me so that I would kill you in the worst way possible... And other things, but for that, you'll have to come and take it."
Sokka looked at her through his bone mask and, with an order, the waterbenders used their element and attacked the fire soldiers.
Sokka ran toward the enemy crowd. The first soldier who crossed his path received a dry blow to the jaw that left him unconscious before hitting the ground. Sokka spun on his axis, dodging a flame, and with his elbow struck another enemy's face. He felt the crunch of nasal bones under the impact.
The waterbenders worked in sync. While one created an ice wall to block the soldiers' advance, the other launched sharp ice discs that cut through limbs and armor alike. The full moon amplified each of their movements, making their attacks faster and more lethal.
"Watch out, Sokka!" shouted A.
Sokka turned just in time to see a mass of water interpose itself between him and a lightning bolt falling from the sky. The impact was violent, and the electrified water splashed around him. Sokka leaped back, away from the puddle.
"Thanks!"
Azula clicked her tongue in annoyance, observing the waterbenders.
"Separate them from Sokka," she ordered.
The firebenders charged with a wave of flames that forced A and C to retreat. Soon they were isolated, fighting against a group of soldiers who kept them occupied.
"I want to see if your reputation holds up. My elite crew against you," Azula said.
"Your elite soldiers are a joke. More than thirty are dead," Sokka replied, pointing to the bodies on the ground.
"Kill him."
The soldiers charged. Sokka picked up a spear from the ground and spun it. The first flame was deflected with a quick wrist movement. The second, with a hip turn that allowed him to dodge it by inches. He used the momentum to cut down two soldiers with a single slash. Their bodies fell heavily, and Sokka was already spinning to face the next.
A soldier leaped at him with a flaming sword. Sokka didn't retreat. He stepped forward, blocked the strike with the spear, and with a quick movement, spun the weapon to disarm his opponent. A dry blow to the back of the neck left him unconscious before he hit the ground.
The soldiers began to surround him. Sokka felt the heat of the flames approaching from several angles. Without chi to reinforce his body, he relied on his reflexes and brute strength. And that was enough.
He ducked just as a flame passed over his head, and in the same movement, swept the legs of two soldiers. Before they could get up, the spear had already done its work.
The cut on his shoulder was quick, clean, but enough for the soldiers to see blood. They seized the moment, thrusting strikes that Sokka narrowly dodged. The spears grazed his arms and legs, leaving superficial cuts that barely bled. But Sokka didn't give them time to celebrate.
With a spin, he struck a soldier's face with the tip of the spear. He felt the skull cave in under the impact. Another soldier approached from behind, but Sokka dodged and drove the spear into his thigh, bringing him to his knees. One more blow and the soldier lay still.
"Bastard!" shouted a soldier, hurling a flame directly at Sokka's face.
Sokka covered himself with his forearm, but the heat didn't reach him. The bone mask protected him without a scratch. When the smoke cleared, the soldier barely had time to be surprised before receiving a brutal blow that deformed his face.
The number of soldiers began to dwindle. Those who remained, though still armed, hesitated. Sokka noticed and seized the advantage. He advanced toward them without pause, his spear cutting through the air with every movement.
"His spear handling is crude," Azula observed. "Sometimes he shows skill worthy of a master, but then the movements seem novice-like... His incredible strength is what makes him appear masterful."
"Do you think he's weakened from the bow attack last time?" Mai asked.
"It's possible. It seems he can use his energy in different ways, and that's why he doesn't look as powerful as I expected."
"But still, his strength is incredible," Ty Lee said, hugging Azula's arm.
The firebenders launched a volley of flames, hoping to finish Sokka. When the smoke cleared, they saw nothing but three charred corpses that Sokka had used as a shield.
"He's alive!" shouted one.
The warning came too late. The spear pierced through the bodies and lodged in the throat of the soldier who had spoken. Sokka emerged from among the corpses and, with a wide spin, traced a cut that decapitated three more soldiers. The metal whistled through the air, and heads rolled across the deck.
The soldiers were still approaching, but they were far fewer than before. Taking a step forward was a death sentence.
"You know," Sokka shouted to Azula, "I thought these were your elite soldiers," he mocked from behind the mask.
Azula said nothing. Her smile remained intact.
"When the first attack mission failed, I wondered why it failed. Was it Talik who told you that time?" Sokka asked. He knew the truth, but he wanted to provoke something.
"No. Someone like that old man couldn't compare to him."
"So you have an infiltrator," Sokka said with amusement in his voice.
This time, Azula's smile faltered.
"It seems I hit the mark. You know, a few days ago, after the mission, I found someone suspicious. He was young, about my age..."
This time Azula clenched her fists harder than before.
"I had fun with him. I broke his arm and beat him to a pulp, you know?" Sokka laughed with amusement. "But he managed to escape to the tundra. I really don't think he survived."
Azula pulled away from Ty Lee's embrace with fury and hurled a searing blast of blue fire. Her eyes ignited with a mix of rage and something she was only beginning to recognize: fear. Fear that the young man she had fallen for might be dead.
"Haha, from your reaction I'd say that boy is your lover, but seeing how that pretty girl was hanging on your arm tells me she's your real lover."
Ty Lee blushed while Mai shook her head.
"I thought same-sex couples were prohibited in the Fire Nation?"
Sokka's mocking tone was driving Azula insane. Having seen her kiss Ty Lee when he infiltrated as Kuzon had given him an unwitting weapon.
"I don't think the Fire Lord will forgive you just for being the princess. After all, he burned and banished your brother for speaking out of turn... What do you think he'll do to you for committing such an atrocious crime?" Sokka mocked.
Azula's head began to spin. That time she kissed Ty Lee was a mistake, born from the nervousness of her feelings toward Kuzon. But she hadn't expected Ty Lee to seem to like it, and even more so, to become clingier with her.
But the worst part was that she herself had begun to like such attention and displays of affection. Little by little, she let her childish friend hug her more and more, and over time, she even allowed kisses on the cheek.
Azula had never felt anything like it. Throughout her life, love had been an abstract concept—a weakness her father had taught her to despise. Her mother had never loved her as she loved Zuko. Her father only valued her for her usefulness. Genuine affection was uncharted territory for her.
But when she met Kuzon, something changed. He didn't fear her. He didn't flatter her or seek her out for her power. He treated her like a normal person, and that completely disarmed her. For the first time, she felt that someone saw her—not the princess, not the Fire Lord's daughter.
And then came Ty Lee.
Ty Lee had always been affectionate, but Azula had always seen it as childish annoyance. However, after that impulsive kiss, something changed. Ty Lee's hugs began to feel warm, not invasive. Her smiles became something Azula looked forward to seeing. And when Ty Lee gave her a kiss on the cheek, Azula felt a tingling she couldn't explain.
It was confusing. It was new. And it was terrifying.
Because if she felt something for Ty Lee, what did that mean for what she felt for Kuzon? Could you love two people at the same time? Was that possible? Or was she so desperate for affection that she clung to anyone who showed it to her?
She, who had always been in control of everything, now couldn't control her own feelings.
And that damn Sokka knew it. He was using it against her.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Azula said, her voice colder than she intended, but with a slight tremor that betrayed her insecurity. "You know nothing about me."
"Oh, don't I?" Sokka replied, with a smile she couldn't see but was evident in his tone. "Then why is your voice trembling, Princess?"
Azula clenched her fists. Blue fire crackled around her, more intense than before.
"Mai, Ty Lee. We're killing this guy here and now."
The Fire Princess didn't wait for a response. She leaped forward quickly, hurling blue flames one after another as she advanced. Sokka blocked them with his spear, feeling the heat on his arms despite the distance. Each impact pushed him back a step. When she landed in front of him, she sliced the air with her hand, and a curtain of fire blinded him just enough for Azula to drive a kick into his abdomen.
The blow destabilized him. Sokka felt the impact on his ribs and knew that this girl's strength wasn't normal. He didn't have time to process it. Ty Lee was already behind him, aiming for his back. Sokka spun, throwing a kick to keep her at bay, and retreated just as Mai's knives whistled centimeters from his leg.
He moved to reposition himself, but Azula was already on him. A punch covered in blue fire struck him in the chest and sent him back toward Ty Lee, who didn't miss the moment. She seized the opening and struck his arms repeatedly, targeting chi points, and finished with a kick that made him lose his balance.
Sokka felt his limbs go numb, his fingers tingle, and the spear slip from his hands. He concentrated chi into the affected nerves and reactivated them with effort, just in time to dodge a slash from Mai that grazed his face. He responded with a direct punch to the cold girl's abdomen, but Ty Lee intercepted with a strike to his wrist that almost made him lose his hand.
The dry blow against Mai's arm landed with force, but from the impact and her reaction, Sokka knew he had lost much of his power. Before he could regain full mobility, Azula attacked from behind with a hook to his liver. Sokka's danger sense fired, and although he tried to retreat, she switched to a low kick that drove her heel into his abdomen. The air was knocked out of him.
Ty Lee caught him with a double kick to the back and sent him straight toward Mai. She, for the first time in the fight, managed to stab him in the side. Sokka felt the cold metal and sharp pain, but his training allowed him to twist his body just enough to keep the blade from reaching his vital organs. He caught Mai's wrist with his hand and squeezed with all his might.
"You should have been like your friends," he said, his voice tight and breathing ragged. "Attack fast, not try to do more damage and fail."
"Mai!" Ty Lee charged at full speed.
Sokka lifted the knife-thrower into the air, slammed her against the ground, and when the impact knocked the air out of Mai, he used her as a projectile against Ty Lee.
Suddenly, an explosion of steam drew everyone's attention. The firebenders lay on the ground, unconscious. Sokka felt the back of his neck vibrate again and dodged a flame by a hair.
Azula stood before him, but her posture had changed. She no longer attacked with the confidence of someone who believes they have the advantage. Now she measured him more carefully.
She had grown up surrounded by masters, trained from childhood to be the best. She believed that this boy, little more than a peasant from the South, wouldn't stand a chance against her in hand-to-hand combat.
"You've been fighting peasants and soldiers without real training," she said, her voice sharp. "That's why you think you're skilled. But today you face us—prodigies of combat."
Sokka didn't respond with words. He moved.
He blocked a nail slash, dodged an elbow strike, and responded with a quick blow that Azula deflected. The exchange was rapid—a sequence of movements that barely left room to breathe. Azula was fast, precise, and used her fire as an extension of her limbs. Sokka, without chi to enhance himself, relied on his military experience and muscle memory. Boxing, mixed martial arts, close-quarters combat. Nothing elegant, but effective.
Azula spun, trying to use the momentum to land a brutal blow to Sokka's chin. He moved just in time, and the kick he launched in response struck her abdomen, making her double over. Without losing rhythm, Sokka drove a knee into her jaw and followed with a punch that sent her flying several meters back.
Ty Lee attacked without pause, throwing rapid strikes at his vital points. Sokka blocked, dodged, and at the right moment, returned the blows with his fingers, attacking the girl's chi points with precision. One after another, the impacts landed until Ty Lee's body stopped responding and she fell to the ground.
"You're not the only chi blocker," Sokka said, his voice heavy.
The bone mask moved with his breathing. Ty Lee looked at him from the ground, and for the first time, fear reflected in her eyes.
Mai, who could barely breathe, threw three blades toward the bone mask. They clashed with a spark and fell inert. Sokka caught one of them and threw it at Mai's arm. She screamed, and Sokka felt the fight's control beginning to shift.
He let out a long, heavy sigh. They had put him in a real bind. The trio's synchronization was lethal. But Mai's mistake—that slow, murderous attempt to stab him—had given him the opening he needed.
He picked up a spear from the ground and walked toward Azula, who was trying to get up with her face bloodied and her breathing broken. Sokka struck the ground twice with the spear, adjusting his grip.
"I win," he said, without boasting.
He raised the spear and thrust it toward Azula's face.
She closed her eyes.
The impact never came.
Instead, sparks. The sound of metal against metal filled the night.
When Azula opened her eyes, she saw him.
Before her stood the one who had made her change.
Kuzon had returned. Alive.
"So you survived," Sokka said with feigned surprise from behind the mask. "Your arm is fine, but your face isn't."
Kuzon kicked him away and approached the princess.
"Are you alright?" he asked calmly.
Azula nodded as she looked at his battered face. It was him. Kuzon. Her heart beat strongly.
But amid all the emotion, something felt strange. He looked a little different. The size and posture. Was it because she hadn't seen him in a long time?
Azula stood up, taking his hand.
"I'm... I'm glad you're alright."
"I wouldn't say alright, but yes," he replied with amusement.
However, in a fight for survival, sentimental moments are a death sentence. Especially when the moment in question had been planned.
Sokka, with brutal force, appeared in front of Kuzon and drove his knee into his abdomen. The latter planted his feet firmly on the metal bow while deflecting Sokka's spear, which was aimed at Azula's face.
But the princess didn't stay still. In a quick movement, she launched a blue flame that the bone mask repelled without issue.
Kuzon charged with incredible speed and violence toward Sokka.
Blow after blow, their spears sparked from the incredible force of both. So many attacks at such high speed prevented Azula or anyone else from getting close to them.
But a second was enough for Sokka to deflect the enemy's spear and throw him against the metal wall behind Azula.
"You're strong, but it's not enough."
Sokka's voice came out cold, his body with new superficial wounds, barely bleeding.
This time Sokka charged at Azula again, but she awaited him with her arms burning in blue flames.
She dodged a thrust and attacked Sokka's covered face.
The fire exploded, and smoke obscured his vision. There, Sokka took advantage, and without her noticing, the spear was approaching her.
"Azula!" Ty Lee shouted desperately upon seeing blood fall to the ground.
The princess touched her face when she felt moisture, and instinctively touched her abdomen expecting a stab wound, but there was nothing.
Confused, she looked forward, where the smoke finally dissipated.
Sokka's spear had pierced through Kuzon's body without mercy or effort.
"NO!" Azula screamed with fury as she hurled a lightning bolt at the bastard who had run through her lover.
Sokka's eyes widened. The pain arrived before thought.
The lightning struck him square in the chest. Sokka felt the electricity force its way through his skin, burning tissue, tearing muscle, piercing every inch of his body as if thousands of incandescent needles were piercing him all at once. His back arched involuntarily, and a scream tore from his throat, muffled by the crackling of the energy consuming him.
The pain was unimaginable. He felt his heart beat out of rhythm, his lungs burn, his skin char. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils as his body writhed uncontrollably. Every fiber of his being begged him to surrender, to stop resisting.
"I have to redirect it," he thought desperately.
Sokka used every gram of strength to feel the lightning's energy. He used the last drop of concentration to use his own chi and absorb the enormous energy of the attack. But the lightning didn't relent. It was like trying to hold back a river with bare hands. The electricity kept flowing, burning him from the inside, and he barely managed to maintain control.
He had experience absorbing energy, but never something so pure, so violent, so lethal. Pure fire chi was different. It wasn't like an animal's life energy or a spirit's. It was destructive by nature. And now it was inside him, devouring him.
Sokka felt his own spiritual energy begin to mix with the lightning's. It was like trying to tame a wild beast with bare hands. The fire chi resisted, writhed, tried to escape and destroy everything in its path. But Sokka didn't let go. He clenched his teeth, ignored the pain that blurred his vision, and kept absorbing.
The process took him three seconds. Three eternal seconds, during which he felt his body tear apart and rebuild itself at the same time. When the lightning finally extinguished, Sokka fell to his knees with a dull thud, gasping, with smoke rising from his charred skin. But he was alive. And his spiritual energy, previously empty, was now recharged.
He stood up with effort, with renewed energy. Literally. He ran toward Azula while picking up one of Mai's blades lying on the ground.
The Fire Princess didn't notice him. No soldier or ally could follow Sokka's speed due to their own exhaustion. It was only when Sokka stopped in front of her, beside the dying Kuzon, that she turned her face and looked at him.
Hatred came first. Then, surprise at seeing him alive. No one, ever, had survived a lightning strike.
And her surprise turned to burning pain when the blade pierced her abdomen.
She felt the metal's burn and the growing pain. Hot blood seeped over her royal uniform. She felt the air escape her, but she couldn't surrender to this bastard.
She tried to calm her heart and separate her energy. Her movements were heavy, slow, but precise.
When sparks began to emanate from her fingers, Sokka pulled away.
And so, she fired and fell in front of Kuzon, unable to see the result of her attack.
The lightning illuminated the place, and everyone, without exception, closed their eyes.
Sokka used every gram of strength and energy to accelerate his perception. He saw the lightning move slower than normal. He stretched his hand toward it, two fingers pointing at it.
It was the first time he would try this. Before, it was only a hypothesis, but knowing he could absorb it, that he could take it, he knew he could do what he was thinking.
The lightning struck his two fingers. The pain was immediate. Sokka felt the electricity force its way through his hand, burning skin, tearing muscles. His fingers curled involuntarily as the energy violently coursed through him.
He didn't stop.
He directed his left hand toward his two right fingers and redirected the energy through his body. The electricity traveled down his arm, burning every centimeter of skin and flesh along the way. It reached his stomach, and he felt his organs contract under the impact. It continued up through his chest, avoiding crossing through his heart, and finally, the lightning was expelled through his two left fingers toward a distant warship.
The effort was monumental. Sokka felt his muscles tear, his nerves scream, his entire body rebel against him. But he managed to redirect it. The lightning struck the enemy ship and split it in two.
Sokka fell to his knees, his body smoking and his arms trembling. The lightning redirection had worked, but he still suffered residual damage. Since it was pure fire-element chi, it was impossible for him to handle it perfectly, but enough to redirect it.
"The time has come to show my cards," he said as he stood up with effort.
Catching his breath, he took a firm stance and began to move his arms with fluidity.
Soon, two masses of water began to gather on both sides of the ship. Everyone on board panicked; they didn't know what was happening, as Sokka had shrouded himself in mist along with A and C.
When he had enough water, Sokka shaped it into blades and hurled them toward the ships behind.
Both water blades advanced without mercy, and one after another, sixteen ships exploded.
Sokka finally took the letter from Azula's wound and wrapped it in an ice dome.
He picked up A and C in his arms and leaped into the frozen sea. He waited for a minute until he finally healed completely with waterbending.
First, he swam away with butterfly strokes, and thanks to his inhuman strength and chi reinforcement, he distanced himself enough to escape with waterbending.