*Wan. Fire Lord's Palace.*
Less than a week had passed since that meeting, during which we'd gathered twice. Only one of those gatherings was without the two spies lurking in the shadows. At the first meeting, we discussed the party's policies and outlined a rough plan. At the second, with more members present, we "decided" to join Ozai. It was amusing to watch the spies' faces contort in surprise.
Afterward, I had a conversation with the Fire Lord himself, where I shared everything I knew about the Fire Sages. When he predictably asked about my sources, I lied without hesitation, claiming my great-grandfather had gathered the information, and my father had uncovered more. Why had I waited so long to reveal this? Because I couldn't be sure if you were a puppet of the Fire Sages or not.
As I'd suspected, Ozai wasn't surprised by the information—he likely already knew most of it. But he appreciated my gesture. In the end, he insisted I keep this knowledge to myself. I calmly agreed.
He didn't suddenly trust me afterward; I doubt he'd even trust his own shadow. But the constant surveillance was lifted. Occasionally, they'd glance my way once a day and leave, which I was very grateful for. Those unpleasant people had even spied on me in the bathroom. Sometimes, I felt like I was on a reality show, which only made my mood worse. I couldn't stand those programs that took up half the screen time.
"Teacher, I've been looking for you everywhere! Come quickly," Azula rushed over, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward our training grounds.
"We agreed to use informal speech, and you can just call me Wan," I reminded her as we hurried through the palace corridors.
"Yes, I'll try," she nodded, but I'd heard that promise every day. It seemed like she was keeping a distance, but that was hard to believe. It felt more like I'd already earned a place in her heart, and she was uncomfortable being too casual with me.
"I've mastered the firebending techniques you showed me last time," she boasted, tilting her nose upward, waiting for my reaction.
"I never doubted you, Azula," I smiled, prompting an equally sunny grin from her.
The little princess found any excuse to spend more time with me, always under some pretext. She still seemed too shy to seek me out without a reason.
At our usual spot, unexpected guests awaited us. Eleven-year-old Mai and Ty Lee were identical to their cartoon counterparts.
"Azula!" Ty Lee shrieked, immediately rushing to hug my student. Azula "reluctantly" accepted the embrace, but it was clear she was thrilled to see her friends.
"Hi," Mai greeted softly, even taking a step back…
"Mai, we haven't seen each other in ages! Why are you just standing there?" Ty Lee quickly chattered, pulling the stunned Mai toward Azula and hugging them both.
"Such energy," I murmured in admiration.
"And who's this handsome guy?" the energetic girl noticed me, comically placing one hand on her hip and pointing at me with the other. "Did Azula finally find herself a boyfriend?" she whispered loudly, wiggling her eyebrows, causing Azula's face to flush crimson.
"What are you implying?" Azula snapped, pulling Ty Lee's face away from hers. "Ahem," she composed herself. "Allow me to introduce Mr. Wan—our new firebending teacher."
"Hmm," Ty Lee nodded. "This is even more interesting!" she exclaimed, punching her open palm. "A forbidden student-teacher romance, where the teacher punishes his… uh…" She couldn't finish, as Azula's hand clearly threatened to strangle her.
Mai stood quietly to the side, her hand covering her face.
"Did you read your sisters' romance novels again?" Mai asked Ty Lee monotonously. Ty Lee vigorously shook her head. "And you still can't lie," Mai noted, prompting furious nods.
"Don't embarrass me in front of the teacher, got it?" Azula hissed in Ty Lee's ear.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha," I couldn't hold back my laughter—it was all too comical. "You have great friends, Azula! Well, I won't disturb you. Have fun," I said, starting to leave.
"You're not disturbing us at all," Azula quickly replied, too quickly. Behind her, Mai and Ty Lee exchanged glances.
"Yeah, stay with us," Ty Lee chimed in.
And I stayed. Who would refuse? These were Ty Lee and Mai—almost main characters. I wanted to observe and chat with them.
The Lee and Mai families were longtime Ozai supporters. No one in their right mind would let their children associate with the offspring of political opponents. The head of the Lee family, Ty Lee's father, was one of the spies I'd identified. I didn't blame him; the Fire Lord knew how to exploit weaknesses and keep his circle in check.
It was clear Ty Lee was genuinely happy to spend time with her friends. If I'm not mistaken, she has six older sisters, which made her feel like an outsider in her own home. This would eventually lead her to join a traveling Fire Nation circus.
Even now, she could perform impressive acrobatic feats, which explained Azula's interest in acrobatics. From what I've gathered, Azula finds it incredibly hard to admit that someone might be better than her at anything. But Ty Lee lives for these stunts—not fifteen minutes pass without a flip or somersault.
In contrast, Mai seemed almost depressive or phlegmatic compared to Azula and Ty Lee's vibrant personalities. But we all know the oceans of emotion that can churn inside quiet people. She likely just wasn't used to expressing her feelings openly. Still, she was already skilled with throwing weapons.
"Where's Zuko?" Mai quietly asked Azula.
"He's at his first fencing lesson. Uncle Iroh recently sent us new gifts, including some swords. As usual, I got children's dolls," Azula scoffed, brushing a strand of hair from her face, clearly displeased.
I'll admit, I was too prejudiced against Zuko. But his stubbornness quickly convinced his father to find him a swordmaster. He'd realized his firebending talent was decent, though nowhere near his sister's, so he decided to focus on fencing too. I've even seen him reading the book I gave him. I think this kid has potential; he just needed a firm male influence.
"That's too bad," Mai whispered in response.
"Wait a minute," Ty Lee suddenly jumped up. "Aren't you the Wan who won the annual Firebending Tournament?!" She rushed over, tiptoeing to look me in the eye.
"You're just figuring that out now?" Mai shrugged, well aware of her friend's scatterbrained nature.
"Yes, it's him," Azula pulled Ty Lee away from me, standing between us. Clearly, she didn't want her friends touching her precious teacher. The little possessor. Mai also noticed Azula's unusual behavior, raising a thin eyebrow expressively.
"Show us your firebending!" Ty Lee ignored her changed position. "I wish I could firebend too," she added more softly, less enthusiastically.
"No problem," I agreed without hesitation. "Ta-da!" I created a small green flame on my hand, which I transformed into a girl figure performing acrobatic tricks. Soon, figures resembling Azula and Mai joined her, fighting invisible enemies together.
"Wow!" Ty Lee clapped. "Thanks for the show!"
"Hmph," Azula puffed out her chest proudly, as if saying, "That's my teacher!"
That's how our first meeting with Azula's future team went. After a couple of hours, they prepared to leave but promised to return soon. The palace's turmoil had mostly subsided, making it safer for the girls to visit.
"Can I copy your holiday homework?" Ty Lee pleaded, grabbing Azula's hands.
"'…Yes, of course," the princess replied after a pause. "Bring your notebooks next time," she added, seeming to have forgotten about the assignment.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ty Lee hugged her friend several times.
"Goodbye, Azula, Mr. Wan," Mai bowed.
"Bye, Wan. Show us something else next time," she waved, then slapped her forehead. "I forgot!" She hugged me too before rushing off.
Leaving me and a huffing Azula, who didn't like someone else hugging her teacher.
"'You've grown too attached to me, Azula. Were you that starved for attention?'" I thought.
"See you tomorrow, teacher," she said awkwardly.
"See you tomorrow, Azula," I nodded in response.
Now I felt awkward too. Five seconds passed, and the princess still hadn't left, her eyes fixed on the floor, her fist clutching her clothes. Oh, I think I get it.
In the next moment, I approached Azula and gently hugged her. I felt her arms tightly grip my shirt. After half a minute, she hastily pulled away.
"Goodbye, teacher," she stammered before disappearing around the nearest corner.
"Heh," I smiled at her reluctance to show her true feelings.
The sun was setting, casting red rays that turned the already crimson corridors into bloody shades, adding more gloom to the now half-empty palace.
A figure emerged from around the corner, dressed in red like any Fire Nation citizen, wearing a comical elongated hat. At the sight of him, my back instinctively tensed.
The old man walked slowly with half-closed eyes, seemingly unaware of my presence. With each step, the distance between us shrunk. Five meters. Four. Three. Two. One.
For a moment, I felt my life was in imminent danger, and my mind prepared to call for help from my other selves. But the feeling vanished…
Behind me, the Fire Sage walked away just as slowly, but I could feel his gaze like a wild beast pretending to be human. That sense of danger was real; he just chose not to attack in the palace center. I wouldn't call him human anymore. They'd consumed too much chi energy.
"Stay alert. Who knows what these madmen might do," I thought.
"Are you okay? You look pale…" Shaya asked concernedly. I hadn't noticed I'd already reached my chambers…
"I'm fine, it happens sometimes," I reassured her, collapsing onto the soft bed. That guy's strong—peak higher level—and he's not the only one.
"Any news?" I opened one eye, watching them efficiently set the table.
"Right," Shaya remembered. "You received some sealed letters," she added, knowing I didn't trust them.
"Great, you continue. I'll be in my study."
The letters were from my tournament friends. Thanks to my connections, I'd placed them with allies where, with effort, they'd quickly rise through the ranks—exactly what I needed.
"Everything's fine. How are you? Need any help?" I began writing replies, speaking aloud as I wrote—an old habit.