Tai Lung didn't even spare the Avatar a glance. His steps carried him closer to the pond where General Iroh now knelt, shoulders heavy with grief.
"How is the Moon Spirit?" Tai Lung asked, his voice low.
Iroh's reply was heavy with sorrow. "Zhao has done it." With care, he pulled a limp white fish from the water, its life extinguished.
Tai Lung's eyes narrowed, his voice edged with anger. "If I had known this was his plan, I would've killed that bastard long ago."
From his side, the Avatar darted forward, rushing past Tai Lung to kneel beside Iroh. Aang's face crumpled with devastation as he looked at the lifeless spirit.
Behind Tai Lung, a soft, trembling voice of a girl with white hair broke the silence. "It is over now. There is no hope."
In that instant, Tai Lung felt it, an eruption of chi like a storm bursting free. His eyes snapped to the Avatar as Aang's tattoos and eyes ignited with light, his voice suddenly layered with the sound of countless others.
"No. It is not over!"
All watched in stunned awe as the Avatar stepped directly into the pond. The remaining fish, still swimming in circles, drifted toward him and began to glow with the same luminous light. Then, without hesitation, Aang plunged beneath the water.
A burst of blue radiance surged outward, flooding the cavern. Before their eyes, the water rose and shaped itself into a colossal figure of shimmering liquid, a giant spirit of glowing water with Aang within its core. Slowly, the towering form turned and began to move toward the besieged city, leaving the pond and the stunned witnesses behind.
While the others gaped in astonishment, Tai Lung muttered, "I thought he was going to heal the moon for a moment. Instead, he decided to focus on the war. Balance is going to be a hard dream with an Avatar like that."
Every gaze snapped toward him in outrage, even Iroh showed disapproval of his words.
Tai Lung shook his head in disappointment, then dropped to one knee beside Iroh. "Give me the spirit," he said firmly.
Confused, Iroh hesitated, but something in Tai Lung's tone compelled him to obey. He handed over the dead fish.
Tai Lung cradled it in both hands, closing his eyes as his body began to shimmer faintly. A warm golden light spread across his body, his breath deep and steady. Slowly, the glow seeped into the fish, enveloping it. With each passing moment, the radiance grew brighter, until the cavern was bathed in its brilliance.
To the shock of everyone present, the world outside shifted. The night sky, once black and empty, now glowed again, not silver, but with a soft golden illumination, as if the heavens themselves had been touched by firelight.
Tai Lung lowered his hands toward the pond and gently released the fish back into the water. The instant it slipped beneath the surface, the golden light dissolved into the world around them. And just as suddenly, balance returned, the sky overhead shone silver once more, the moon restored to its rightful place. The spirit fish swam peacefully, whole again.
Iroh was the first to speak, voicing what every soul there was thinking. "How…?"
Tai Lung replied "Something I learned to do when I visited an air temple… Chi is the source of life for all creatures, even spirits. By giving the Moon Spirit my chi, it recovered. This only worked because the wound was fresh, and I had enough chi to share. But I'll admit…" his lips twitched faintly, "…I didn't know if it would work and I definitely didn't expect the fish would take almost half of my chi."
He rose to his feet, but instantly shifted aside as a spear of ice pierced into the spot where his head had been a moment earlier.
Tai Lung turned, his golden eyes falling on the water girl glaring at him with raw hatred. He remembered her, Katara.
"I just saved the spirit," Tai Lung said coldly. "And the first thing you thought of was to pierce me?"
Katara's voice shook with rage. "You killed my father!"
Tai Lung frowned. "You've got the wrong person. I didn't even participate in this invasion."
Her face twisted, and with a sharp cry she hurled another barrage of ice spears. Tai Lung raised a hand, and with a single lick of flames the projectiles evaporated into mist before they even touched him.
"You destroyed his ship and slaughtered everyone!" Katara shouted.
Tai Lung tilted his head, then asked flatly, "Your father was part of the southern water raiders?" At her silence, his tone turned sharper. "Yes, I fought those. They struck first. I struck back."
Beside Katara, the boy, Sokka, stepped forward, raising his boomerang with shaking hands, his voice tight with fury. "We will avenge them."
Tai Lung's eyes glimmered coldly as he faced the siblings. "You two alone are not enough."
Katara and Sokka narrowed their eyes at the same time, their grief transforming into defiance. With a sharp cry, Sokka hurled his boomerang, while Katara unleashed another surge of jagged ice.
Tai Lung waved his hand casually, and a roaring wave of fire devoured both the boomerang and the ice midair, reducing them to smoke and steam.
The blaze obscured the siblings' vision, but the next instant, Tai Lung burst through the wall of fire like a phantom. One hand gripped Katara's neck, the other clamped firmly around Sokka's neck. Both of his hands radiated an intense heat, not enough to burn their flesh, but enough to sear their skin and fill them with a painful, suffocating discomfort.
"I can turn you into ashes before you can even move a finger," Tai Lung said, his golden eyes piercing through them. Katara and Sokka's faces twisted between pain and terror as they struggled in his grasp.
"I am not against seeking revenge," Tai Lung continued, his voice steady and merciless. "But at least have the power to do so. If you don't… then this is the outcome. A pointless death."
"Please." Iroh's voice rang from behind, deep and earnest. "They are but grieving children who acted in a moment of anger. Don't hurt them. They don't deserve such a fate."
Tai Lung studied Iroh for a moment, then exhaled a low hum and released the siblings. Katara and Sokka collapsed to the ground, clutching their throats and arms where the heat still lingered.
"I destroyed the water raiders' ships and burned some of them," Tai Lung said flatly. "But most were imprisoned. As for the missing? They fell into the ocean, their fate unknown."
He stepped past the siblings, his voice calm "I don't know who your father is. I didn't catch the name of any of them. He could be free, he could be dead in the ocean, or he could be imprisoned. You can still search for him. And once you confirm his death…" His golden eyes flicked toward them briefly. "You're welcome to come after me."
The siblings stared at him in shock, their grief clashing with the brutal honesty of his words.
Tai Lung gave them no more attention. Turning toward Iroh, he said, "General Iroh, take your nephew and head straight back to the fleet. With Zhao's death, the invasion has failed. We should be leaving. I will go ensure our people have a safe retreat."
Iroh inclined his head slowly. "What are you going to do?"
Tai Lung smiled faintly "You saw the water monstrosity, the Avatar merged with the black fish. It will destroy our fleet if left unchecked. I'll put a stop to it."
Iroh's eyes widened. "That fish is the Ocean Spirit. You don't stand a chance against it."
Tai Lung's smile only grew sharper. "I like to challenge myself."
Without another word, he launched into the air, his figure streaking with blue fire as he ascended before their eyes, heading straight toward the colossal glowing giant that stalked the city.
From above, Tai Lung watched as the watery titan surged through the streets, drowning Fire Nation soldiers with every sweeping gesture. His gaze hardened. Rising higher into the air, he inhaled deeply, then roared, his voice amplified by chi.
"This is Captain Lung! The invasion is over! Zhao is dead! Retreat immediately!"
His command thundered across the city, echoing through every ship, every alley, every ear. Soldiers paused mid-battle, stunned.
The next moment, Tai Lung thrust his first forward and unleashed a torrent of blue fire at the massive water giant. The blast struck, and the colossus faltered for a moment before its glowing eyes shifted toward the flying figure.
Tai Lung smiled, hovering in the air like a blazing star. "I can't have you drowning soldiers like that. I advise you to go back to the pond."
The giant raised its arm, and with a sweep of its hand, an enormous pillar of water surged upward, roaring straight toward Tai Lung.
Tai Lung snarled, thrusting his hand forward, and answered with an equally massive pillar of blue fire.
The collision shook the city. Glowing water clashed against blue flame, their lights igniting the night sky. The frozen city below was bathed in a storm of blue and white radiance as the duel between spirit and master began.