Burning of the Heart

Chapter XXXXI:

The Inevitable Duel

Kai-lin wasted no time in raising his Sword to meet the Emperor's and the two immediately locked swords for a moment before breaking apart and entering into a deadly clash of steel, fire and lightening. Red and violet sparks flew about them while the melody of their clashing blades echoed throughout the air. Then suddenly the Emperor knocked Kai-lin's blade out of the way clearing the path for his fast and lightening entrenched fist to fly straight for the young Master's stomach, but Kai-lin quickly swayed to the side and jumped into flipped into the air and over the emperor and fired off three fire spheres the moment he landed. The Emperor immediately turned blocked the assault and then charged at him!

Meanwhile back in the throneroom, Azula sat on her knees with her hands in her lap. She had been carefully watching Kai-lin engage the Emperor and as the two men matched each other blow for blow. She could feel the Emperor's focus on defending his men from her weakening somewhat and she took that as a sign to say, "NOW AVATAR!"

Aang jumped up and swung his staff, letting wave off air mixed with earth and rock. The wave soared towards the masters but they did nothing but stand still and watch it approach, and then suddenly stood sideways and raised their hands into the air, creating barriers of earth, fire, air, water, and lightening that blocked the Avatar's attempted assault.

Aang stood stunned with surprise, "No way," he said in disbelief, "They just blocked like it was nothing.

"Just like Kai," Azula said.

"What do you mean?"

"A while back Kai and I…spared. During the match he often blocked any and all of my long distance assaults with a single hand. When he holds out his hand he seems to create some kind of barrier that cancels out long ranged assaults," the princess explained. "It's no surprise that these guys can do it too, being masters of the ancient styles."

"Is there anyway around it?" Aang asked.

Azula shook her head, "No, at least not that I've seen. That ability makes fighting Kai, and likely anyone trained in the ancient styles, from a distance like we're used to, useless. Because they dodge or block anything that's thrown at them and are more than capable of throwing things back three times if not more power than our own.. From what I've seen the only way to even stand chance is to engage them in close range combat, and even that has its risks."

"But I've always fought my opponents from a distance, and I've rarely ever gotten into any kind of serious close range combat," Aang said.

"You're not the only one. Most bending combat today is usually done from a distance, and there are very few, who are capable of fighting at close range very effectively. Mostly high members of the nobility or royalty, and even they only use it when long range isn't much of an option or when dealing with nonbenders from whom there trying to hide their bending or just don't see the nonbender as a threat." She closed her eyes and thought for while. She'd seen Kai-lin train when her own bending was disabled. Rather close range or long range, engaging Kai-lin in combat bending or no bending was something to be done lightly, and if these five men all style similar to Kai-lin's than they were for a world of trouble. She closed her eyes and turned her thoughts to Kai-lin and the Emperor as the two men continued to battle. She could feel Emperor's focus on maintaining his men had weakened, but at the same time could feel that the Five Masters were still going to be trouble. She focused on them intensively, but couldn't get through the barrier the Emperor had placed around them. She her lip in frustration, where was he getting the power to continue blocking her? She thought for a while more and the answer came to her right away, and just made her frown. She then stood and held out her hand and created a long sword similar to the one Kai-lin had given her. "We don't have a choice. We'll have to engage them in hand to hand combat."

Aang looked the princess with wide open eyes of surprise and then at the five masters and swallowed, "Are you sure about that?"

"We don't have a choice; Fighting them from a distance will useless and a waste of time. Are only chance to break through is to engage them head on, and look for an opportunity to make a dash for the throne."

"Do we even stand a chance of beating that way?" Aang asked.

"In all honesty, I don't know, Kai's a skilled swordsman, and I've never been able to beat him in a sparring match," she looked at the masters, "but we've a better chance this way than any other, and if I can get to the throne I destroy with mere a thought, but the key word here is 'IF'"

Aang didn't like lack of confidence in her voice and breathed slowly. He looked at the masters once more and then gripped his staff and took a fighting stance, "While…whenever you're ready."

Azula looked at him and then closed eyes, and focused, "Well, here it goes," she whispered softly. "Kai-lin, please be well."

As the princess and the avatar prepared themselves for the challenge before them, Grand General Sairon had his hands full with the masters' creator, back in the "Hall of All." The two enemies clashed their blades in an endless fury of fire and lightening entrenched steel. The deal grew more and intense as each man slowly drew upon more and more of their strength to try and overwhelm the other. Kai-lin, a tend more slowly than his opponent, as he searched for a way to try and break through the emperor's guard without revealing too much more of his power outside of his transcendent state. The Emperor on the other hand was determined to learn more about the powers of the young man whose body he sought to take for his own, and he got his chance when he knocked Kai-lin's sword out of the way and knocked him off balance. The young lord was then forced to change into a stream of fire in order to dodge the ray of lightning the emperor fired at him. The Emperor continued to fire lightning at the stream, forcing into the stands where it reverted to normal and ran atop the long table at the top with a continuous bolt of lightning following right behind him. Kai-lin eluded the blast as best he could and then jumped into the air while going in a cart wheel and firing off fiery spheres as he went. The Emperor held his sword before him, as the spheres hit and exploded against an electrical barrier of violet light.

Kai-lin safely landed on a table in the other stands and charged up them staying just one step head of another continuous blast of lightning. Just as he the reached the top he jumped and charged to his right firing off a volley of fire spheres. He then gripped his sword and swag it three times lunching off three waves of crimson red fire. The Emperor frowned and ran to his left side just barely avoiding the three waves as they hit and exploded into the path, but the mad monarch had little time to rest as He had to quickly and raised his sword and defend against a charging Kai-lin, his gapped sword now two twin blades, fully encased in fire. A loud clang echoed through the room as the two man's blades clashed and locked for a but a moment and then once again engaged into a furious dance of swordplay. Strike, block, courter-strike, their exchange of blows seemed endless with neither side gaining way. Then suddenly the emperor smiled as they locked blades once again.

"It seems your precious princess and the Avatar are having little trouble, it's only a matter of time before they are crushed."

Kai-lin said nothing, and focused his attention on the Emperor, though he was worried we couldn't afford to let his feeling distract him. However, his worry was justified as the five masters were giving Aang and Azula more than they could handle. Aang just barely raised his staff and blocked the slightly crescent shaped of sword of the air bending master, but was knocked off balance by the Earth bending master's stone fist that slammed into his side, followed by a harsh kick that sent him flying into a pillar.

"Avatar Aang!" Azula cried, but she had her own problems as she struggled to hold off the blade of the Firebending master, and then with all her strength and pushed him off and jumped back to just slight avoid two knifes of ice fired from the sleeves of Waterbending Master. The Fire Master then charged towards her at unbelievable speed, grabbing her neck with a burning fist and then knocking her fast and hard to the ground. Her back arched in pain as the Fire Master released her suddenly just a two streams of water from the beneath the sleeves of the Water master flowed over her and spread out into a blanket that covered all of her but her head and then froze solid. She struggled to break free but it was all to no avail and she was forced to watch helplessly as the Aang struggle alone against Earth and Wind masters.

The young Avatar started to try and stand, his body still arching from the recent impact, but just as he was halfway up the Air Master, hovering an inch off the ground rushed and slammed him into the pillar once more and then quickly hovered back and continuously swung his sword across unleashing a wave of air that held Aang against the pillar. He continued to violently swing his sword from a distance, unleashing one air wave after another and with each unleashed wave the Avatar received one fresh cut onto his body after another. The Pain from the air waves was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, it felt like a bladed wipe lashing at his body. The painful feeling only intensified as lashing suddenly felt it had doubled and the tripled as the air suddenly turned into a horrid twister that turned crimson red by the boy's leaking blood.

The sight of horrid tornado was unbearable, for the princess as she watched the Avatar cry out in horrid pain. She closed her eyes angish over her helpless state and wish, she could help him, but she was bound to tight by the blanket of ice. She tried to break free with her bending, but it was all to know avail, it was as if the ice itself was immune to fire.

'There must something I can do,' she thought. 'There has to be something I can do to help him?.' She opened her eyes and looked at him as his body continued to be ravaged by the blood twister of blades, as it grew red and red with his blood. It would only be a matter of time, before… 'No…this can't be? If we lose the Avatar, then…NO! I can't allow it…I can't allow that to happen. This is my mind!'

'That is right, Princess it is your mind and you have done well during my absence,' a familiar echoed through her mind.

"Lady Yi Lin," she uttered under her breath.

"The world that you are currently in, is inside your mind, Princess Azula, and during my absence you have done well in gaining back the majority of control."

"But what control I've gain isn't enough, the emperor he—"

"Underestimates you and your will," The Master Healer replied. "What little control he has left is shallow at most and relies much on the Fire Spirit's power. However, you to have power, the power of your own will and mind. You may believe that that alone is not enough, but I here to tell you that you are wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"This your mind princess and as such you have the power to create whatever you wish here," Lady Yi Lin replied.

"But if that's then way can't I?"

"The Emperor has just enough control left only to and maintain his five minions, but he does that because he knew that you and the Avatar would be little match for the ancient masters he summoned, but look at the Avatar princess…despite his wounds, he still lives…"

Azula looked at Aang the best she could, The young Air Nomad was struggling to hold to life despite the near countless cuts on his heavily bloodied body. In reality such wounds would have long killed any men short of a god, but for some reason the Aang still breathed…

"I don't understand how is it he's still…" she asked.

"It is because of your desire," Yi Lin answered, "It is your desire for him to live, for him to survive the onslaught being inflicted upon that he continues to breath."

"Because of my desire…"

"Yes. Now princess you must focus, the Avatar can win this battle but he needs your help to do so. As he is now he is now match for the ancient masters, but there is another state he can enter if you desire it strongly enough." Yi Lin said wisely.

"The Avatar State," Azula said. "But how I can get him into it?"

"Focus, Princess, think back you have seen the Avatar state before have you not. Think on the moment you saw it just before you struck him down. Grasp that moment and focus on it with all your might."

Azula closed her eyes and thought to that fateful fight in crystal catacombs of deep beneath Ba Sing Se, where see and her brother fought against the Avatar and his waterbending friend. She remembered the fight up until the entrance of the Dai Li, the Avatar suddenly surrounding himself in a crystal cocoon. She remembered how she predicted what was about to happen and how she got into a position to make her move, and then…

The bloody twister of air blades continued to encircle and cut away at the Avatar, as it pined against the pillar. The blood blanketing his form made it difficult to see if he was even still alive. His head hung like a limp breach in a high wind. His arms and lags were wrapped around the pillar like he was a rag doll in a high storm. The five masters surrounded him to witness his end. Then suddenly the remnants of his arrow tattoos illuminated with a faint blue light and his head instantly rose up and his eyes opened wide beholding a faint blue light. The young avatar form then curled like ball and then he strung his arms and lags back out instantly sending off a wave of air throughout the room that complete disrupted banished the twister and sent the four master flying to the floor. All four quickly jump back to their feet a watched the young avatar, now complete covered inn the blue light flouted in the air with his arms and crossed over his chest and his lags straight, suddenly begin to change. The body of a child was suddenly replaced with that of an adult that slowly onto the floor as the light the steadily vanished reviling a being in a light night blue gold outline sleeveless shirt, with flaps in the front and back reaching down to the ankles and the sides opened up leaving the leaving his black pants, that tight around the ankles, visible. He wore a black under shirt with long sleeves that were bound around the wrist by water blue crystal braces. His hair was smooth and straight and reached all the why don to the center of his back, his skin a light, his eyes a dark blue, and face, though it showed to be no more than eighteen, held a seriousness that was beyond match. It as he complete immune to emotion. On the front of shirt lay the symbol and four lagged serpentine golden dragon, with long mustache and large golden wings.

Azula looked at him in amazement, "What the, what just happened. Where's the Avatar?"

"Interesting, it would appear he's transform into one of his former lives," Yi Lin said.

"What do mean, transformed?" Azula asked confusingly.

"It has been known to happen once in awhile. In order to protect him, one of his former lives has incarnated themselves around him and not just any former life either…" she was silent for a time, "So, after thousands of years since his passing, he finally reappears. Avatar Taiyon, the first and most powerful of them all."

"That's the first Avatar? But how do you know it's really him?"

"Our people have recorded the world for thousands of years princess, even before the appearance of Raijin, and it only Taiyon, held the symbol of the Gold Dragon, no one else, only him," Yi Lin explained.

Azula said nothing, she then closed her eyes and the blanket of ice covering her form vanished and she sat up and looked over at Taiyon, as stood calm and firm and looked at the four master. The Masters looked back uncertain on how to react. They watched Taiyon carefully until the figure took a step forward and the water and earth masters charged and sent spears of ice and earth flying at the figure. The Figure did nothing but stand perfectly still as the spears neared him and then suddenly shattered like glass just before reaching him, and fall the floor at his feet. The Fire and Air masters then stepped forward and swung their swords at, sending waves of fire and air flying at him, but the First again just stood his ground and then shifted to his side and gracefully allowed the waves to soar right by him. Then the water master's two blue crystal bracelets changed into three bladed wrists blades and from the back of his hands the Earth Master's gloves grew three sharp claws and together they attack the figure. The figure dodged and evaded their strikes with ease, swaying like a in reed in the wind he dodged their assault like in a manner so graceful and so calm he looked as if he was dancing. Then suddenly the Fire and Wind masters with fire and air engulfed swords charged forward and move strike him from behind, but the first, ever aware their continued presence merely jumped into the air flipped into the air, landed behind them, and with his wrists together plunged his hands forward unleashing violent blast of icy blue knives and snow. The two raised their arms before themselves creating barriers in from their respective elements, but it wasn't enough to prevent the icy blades from piercing through their defenses and cutting away at their cloths with its invisible blades, until they're stances finally gave way and the harsh snowy blast sent them flying towards their colleagues and crushing into the floor. The Four the immediately tried to get up, but then suddenly found themselves flouting into the air in a vortex of swirling air that grew more and violent with each turn of the First's hand in a the air as if he was stirring an invisible pot. The vortex lifted the masters higher and high into air as invisible blade cut away their bodies, and then when were near ceiling, Taiyon rose his other hand into the air, sparking with lightening and fire, and aimed it at his enemies and sent fire in encircled bolts of lightning flying up into the vortex. The Four Masters' bodies jiggled and jixed as bolts of fire and lightning ran through their bodies again and again until they exploded into gray puffs of smoke.

The vortex vanished and then figure lowered his hand as he watched the puffs slowly dissipate in the air just as a bolt of lightning came flying at him from behind only to be stopped cold by a round slab of rock that suddenly popped out of the ground and into the air. The slab flouted behind its master's back. As the figure lowered his head and then looked back at the stairs to the throne behind him, at the last remaining master with his arm and two fingers extended out.

Azula couldn't believe what she seeing, she felt like she was seeing an Avatar version of Kai-lin only with twice the power. The power of this Avatar was unlike anything she'd ever seen. If Aang had held even a fraction of such, her father would have been dead long ago…

The First Avatar Taiyon and the Lightning Master stared and study one another carefully, until the Lightning master plunged his other hand forward and fired another bolt of lightning, but just before it hit its target the First dashed to his right and ran at an unbelievable speed as the Lightning Master fired one violent sphere of lightning at him after another. Until he suddenly lowered his hand and out of his sleeve dropped a short steel rod only slightly longer than his hand. Lightning sparked through his left hand and the rod suddenly grew into a seven-foot staff engulfed in lightening. He gripped the staff in both hands and swung at Taiyon and as he approached and forced to a stop and ducked just barely dodging the assault. The Master struck at the Avatar repeatedly, he swung at his chest, thrust down at his feet and stabbed at his head, but no matter what he did the First dodged each and every assault with ease until finally after one final attack, he charged at his opponent and struck him swift and hard in the shoulder with no more than two fingers on each hand, followed by a fast roundhouse-kick to the stomach. The Master stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance, but then quickly found he could no longer operate his left shoulder, and his staff had reverted to nothing more than a simple stub of metal. He tried to move it to his remaining hand, but he had little time as the First Avatar created a dark orb with a swirling black and blood-red center and sparking with black lightening. He raised his hand in the air and fire the orb the Master…jumped to his left and just barely dodged the assault, went wide-eyed with pain as beam of bright white light soared through his heart before his feet even back on the ground. He collapsed to the floor and ragdoll and then slowly vanished into smoke.

Azula sat her eyes still stunned with surprise at what she just saw. It took quick call from Lady Yi Lin to shape her out her of her daze. She stood up and dusted off her now some torn and ragged gown, and brushed her sweat dampened hair from her face and walked over the First.

"Thank you," the princess said. Taiyon said nothing, he just nodded and then his body shined a bright faint blue light and shrunk down to that of preteen child, and when the light vanished, it revealed Aang standing still and fully healed. The young Avatar opened his eyes and looked at the princess in confusion.

"What just happened?" Aang asked. He looked around. "Where are the masters?"

"You beat them, don't you remember?" Azula asked.

Aang shook his head, "Last thing I remember was getting pummeled by the Master when everything suddenly went blink.

"Well I'll tell you more about it later. Right now I have something I need to do…" she said calmly as she looked up at the throne.

Meanwhile battle was still being waged in the Hall of All, the thrones and table that stood in the center of had been completely incinerated and now Kai-lin and the Emperor clashed repeatedly with their fire and lightening engulfed swords. The Hall bore the still smoking wounds from their bout, many of the chairs and tables lay broken or destroyed and the building itself looked like a fleshly made ruin. As the two continued to clash, matching each other's strength with each and every blow, The Emperor was relentless. Raising his power more and more with each passing minute trying to overpower his young opponent, but Kai-lin matched him using only of his power what he felt was necessary to match the Emperor blow for blow as he waited for Azula to regain full control of her subconscious. Sparks of lightning and fire flew about them as they clashed their swords and then locked them again. Then suddenly Kai-lin cracked half smile.

"What are you smile for boy still have…" the Emperor started when eyes suddenly opened wide with Realization. "No…"

"It appears you just figured it out," Kai-lin he then pushed forward a little and then jumped back a ways causing the Emperor to stumble a little. "It's over Emperor, you've lost."

"That boy is where you're wrong," the Emperor replied in a dark beastly tone, and his suddenly radiating with power. His body suddenly lit up like a match and was in a bright fiery light. Instantly his body began to grow, smashing through the ceiling. Kai-lin dodged and waved out of the way of the falling debris and then looked up as the emperor's glow took on the form a gigantic fire serpent with eyes of dark fire light. He looked down upon Kai-lin with the hungry look of a beast and said, "I still have one more card to play—AHH!" He roared and down blast of down at Kai-lin the filled the hall in less than a second drowning everything within in fire…