For the next three days, Tai Lung remained aboard Zhao's ship, silent and watchful. He listened to the discussions between Zhao and his officers, their plans, their boasts, their so called strategy. At times, Tai Lung would sit with General Iroh for a quiet tea session. The old general's calm and grounded presence was a sharp contrast to Zhao's bluster and boastful stand. This was the peace before the storm.
The moment the fleet of Fire Nation ships reached the North Pole, Zhao wasted no time in barking orders. The massive armada plowed through the outer ice fields guarding the Northern Water Tribe's borders. Slowly, methodically, the ships encircled the enemy land, establishing a formidable naval blockade. Before them loomed the tribe's city, defended by a towering wall of ice and a relatively narrow path that led into the city.
Zhao's eyes gleamed with ambition as he raised his arm and ordered the first wave of attack. A fleet of smaller, faster catapult ships surged forward. Their task was simple yet ruthless, they launched a ceaseless barrage of flaming projectiles. Harass the defenders. Test their defenses. Keep them occupied until the larger fleet could close in.
Standing proudly at the prow of his ship, Zhao watched the assault unfold. His voice rang with smug confidence.
"This is a good first test. They are hard to stop and will force the water barbarians to show what they have. Decades later, the history will remember the great admiral zhao who ended the water civilisation and brought glory to the fire nation"
Beside him, Iroh folded his hands behind his back and spoke calmly, his words a quiet warning.
"Admiral Zhao, history is not always kind to people. Don't let your confidence blind you and you must not underestimate the enemy."
"You speak of experience, General Iroh. Fear not, I will not repeat your legendary failure at Ba Sing Se. I will make the world remember me for my victory only"
"I hope you are right, admiral. For your own sake" Iroh replied.
The invasion had just begun and all was going according to Zhao's plans and expectations. The water tribe attacks on the ships was simply not enough to stop the invasion. Even the Avatar unexpected intervention was still not enough.
The fleet continued advancing steadily. Through it all, Tai Lung continued to observe silently nearby, he had watched everything unfold silently without care. But deep down, he was thinking to himself [ So the Avatar is stronger than I gave him credit for. But more importantly, what is that enormous chi deep in the water tribe city? ]
As daylight came to an end and the moon began to shine high in the sky, the Fire Nation fleet halted its assault. The battles ceased, each side preparing for the confrontation that awaited with the dawn. On Zhao's ship, Tai Lung sat silently nearby while General Iroh warned the admiral about the danger looming above.
"If we invade the city and do not finish the battle before nightfall," Iroh said gravely, "the moon will be our downfall. Its power is theirs. It will make them undefeatable."
Zhao smirked with absolute confidence. "Do not concern yourself, general. I am working on a plan to handle that issue once and for all."
Tai Lung narrowed his eyes at that. His instincts stirred, whatever Zhao was planning was no small matter. And yet, another part of him wondered if Zhao truly had a plan at all. The man had never struck him as a clever strategist.
That night, Tai Lung walked the deck of the ship alone when his sharp ears suddenly picked up the faint murmur of voices, Iroh's and another quieter one. Tai Lung followed the sound to the edge of the deck and peered down.
There, in the darkness, he saw Zuko descending slowly into the icy waters in a small boat. Tai Lung blinked, surprised.
[So… he lives after all.]
He shook his head after a moment, turning away. Without a word, he continued his walk to a quiet corner at the back of the ship, where he sat cross-legged, slipping into meditation.
At dawn, the sun rose golden over the frozen horizon, and the Fire Nation fleet roared back to life. The armada surged forward, smashing against the walls of the Northern Water Tribe's capital. Soldiers poured into the city, spilling fire across ice. At the same time, Zhao gave orders to unleash massive drills, sending them burrowing beneath the city to burst from under the frozen ground.
Tai Lung remained unmoving, still meditating. The sun climbed to its zenith before he finally opened his eyes just in time to see a figure leap onto the deck.
The man wore a Fire Nation soldier's uniform, but with strange black spikes on his shoulders. He landed directly in front of Tai Lung.
"That's not even our uniform," Tai Lung remarked offhandedly.
The intruder spun around, startled, only to find Tai Lung sitting calmly behind him. Panic flared in the man's eyes. He screamed, "I am Han!! The future chief of the Water Tribe! Die fire scum" and lunged forward with his spear.
Tai Lung caught the weapon mid-thrust, yanked it free, and with a casual motion flung the man over the rail and into the icy waters below.
He blinked twice, then muttered quietly, "That was the future chief? The water tribe is doomed."
After a pause, he exhaled while shaking his head then returned to his meditation.
Time drifted on. The distant echoes of battle, the clash of weapons, the screams of men, all faded into the background. When Tai Lung opened his eyes again, night had fallen. The full moon loomed behind him, its silver glow illuminating the world below.
Rising to his feet, he made his way to the strategy chamber only to find Zhao was gone.
One of the soldiers stationed there saluted him. "Captain Lung, the admiral took his guard and left on a mission to guarantee our victory."
"What mission?" Tai asked.
The soldier shook his head. "It is a secret, sir. We were never told."
"Where is General Iroh?"
"He disappeared shortly after the admiral left. We… we don't know where he went."
Tai Lung nodded slowly, then walked back to the bow of the ship. His eyes narrowed as he gazed into the distance, where he could feel the enormous chi.
After a long moment of contemplation, His curiosity took hold of him, he ignited fire from his limbs and took flight, streaking toward the chi source. As he neared the heart of the Water Tribe's city, the world around him suddenly shifted, bathed in crimson light.
He stopped mid-flight and looked up. The moon, once silver, was now blood red.
Confusion filled him. In both his lives, he had never seen anything like this. A foreboding feeling pressed against him, whispering of a bad omen.
At the same time, the chi he had been sensing earlier rippled violently, growing uneasy.
With a frown, Tai Lung pressed onward, flying straight toward it at full speed. And as he got close, his gaze caught the scene clearly: figures gathering at the heart of the city near a small pond.
Closest to the water stood Admiral Zhao, clutching a small bag in his hand, with four guards at his side, tense and alert. Opposite them stood the Avatar, his pet, and his companions. Zuko, battered and bound, was strapped on the pet's back. And alone, standing to the side of both groups with a firm stance was General Iroh, his eyes fixed on Zhao as if ready for war.
Tai Lung narrowed his eyes. Then, with a sudden drop, he dived from the sky. He landed between the two groups with a heavy thud as blue fire burst outward in a dissipating shockwave. The impact left everyone staring in stunned silence, their eyes wide in disbelief at the man descending from the night sky.
Straightening himself, Tai Lung fixed Zhao with a piercing stare. He spoke "What is going on here, Admiral? And is the red moon related to you?"
The chi he had been following radiated from the small bag Zhao clutched, pulsing with unnatural intensity.
Not giving chance to Zhao to answer, Iroh spoke up "Zhao wants to kill the mortal form of the Moon Spirit, effectively erasing the moon itself."
Tai Lung glanced briefly at Iroh, then back to Zhao, his golden eyes narrowing further "Was this your plan? To kill the moon?"
Zhao straightened with arrogance, his voice carrying a feverish pride "The moon is our enemy. It empowers the Water Tribe. Since the spirit chose to dwell in this world at the cost of its immortality, it must face the consequences. And I, Admiral Zhao, shall be the Moon Slayer, the man who stripped the barbarians of their strength and conquered the North!"
Tai Lung shook his head slowly, his tone laced with disdain "I knew you weren't the brightest, but this is a new low even for you. We benefit from the moon, it illuminates our nights, governs the tides, perhaps more things we don't even understand yet."
Zhao's face twisted with rage "That is nothing compared to removing the power of the Water Tribe! And you…" his voice cracked with fury, "you said you wouldn't stand in my way! That you wouldn't meddle in this war!"
Tai Lung's expression hardened "Waging war, conquering lands, chasing your glory, that's your ambition. I won't stop you, I have no right to do so. But harming the world we live in?" His eyes gleamed dangerously. "That, Zhao, is unacceptable. Free the spirit or I will turn you to ashes."
For a flicker of a moment, fear broke through Zhao's mask of arrogance. He clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, and with a huff, turned his back. He released the Moon Spirit from the bag.
The world shifted instantly. Above them, the red glow vanished, replaced by the soft, silver radiance of the restored moon. Calm rippled across the pond as if the world itself exhaled in relief.
Tai Lung gave a slow nod, then turned his head toward the Avatar's group "You can have your fight or war," he said coolly. "But do it somewhere else. The moon's place is off limits."
A collective gasp came from the avatar group, their eyes wide as they saw Zhao hurling fire at the newly freed spirit.
The next moment, the world went black. The moon vanished from the sky. Darkness consumed the night.
Tai Lung's head snapped around, his eyes blazing with fury. At the same time, Iroh roared in anger, unleashing fire upon Zhao. The admiral's guards rushed forward to intercept him. Zhao, seizing the chaos, turned and bolted toward the exit without looking behind.
Tai Lung's fingers curled into a fist. His eyes locked on Zhao's fleeing figure. With a growl, he punched forward.
The pond erupted in an inferno of blue fire. The flames surged into a colossal wall, racing across the ice with the force of a hurricane. Zhao barely managed to turn, his scream echoing, then cut short as the blue blaze devoured him whole.
When the fire finally receded, a giant gaping hole remained in the icy walls. Nothing of Zhao remained, no body, no ash, no trace. He had been obliterated in an instant.
The silence that followed was suffocating. All eyes turned toward Tai Lung, horrified at the sheer power he displayed.