Chapter 13: Lessons of Pai Sho - 96 AG

As the morning sun once again graced the eastern sky, Sozim awoke atop the inn's roof, choosing not to spend the night inside a room or on a bed. His lingering paranoia had deterred him from sleeping in the room, and he didn't want to disturb Iroh's privacy. Sitting up, he sighed deeply, greeted by the sounds of bustling activity from the early risers. The streets were already abuzz with people beginning their day. Sozim swiftly packed his belongings and stowed them in his bag. Using the inn's architecture and a set of ropes, he skillfully descended the building, eventually landing gracefully in an adjacent alleyway. With his bag in hand, he touched solid ground.

As he made his way toward the street in front of the inn, he observed the mercenary group he had encountered the previous night, busily preparing to continue their journey. Seeing this, Sozim entered the inn, passing by the burly men crowding the entrance.

Inside, the inn's owner was busy sweeping the floor, while Iroh occupied a corner table, engrossed in a game of Pai Sho with a stranger whose identity remained unknown to Sozim. Sozim approached them, calmly observing the match.

It wasn't long before the stranger let out a frustrated growl. "Ah! Old man, you're good, I admit it."

"Pai Sho is not a game of brute force, friend," Iroh chuckled, stroking his beard. "It's a game of patience and strategy."

"Yeah, well, we have different views," the stranger murmured, then noticed the mercenary group heading out. "Oops. Looks like they're going. It's nice to meet you, old man."

The stranger hurriedly left for the exit, while Iroh waved goodbye with a smile. He then turned to Sozim, his smile broadening. "Ah, young Sozim. I didn't see you last night. Where did you go?"

"Just on the roof," Sozim shrugged. "Who is that?"

"A healer from the mercenary company," Iroh replied. "They've just received payment from their contractor and are now returning to Cranefish Town."

"I... don't know where that is," Sozim admitted, taking a seat in front of Iroh at the Pai Sho table. Iroh was busy arranging the tiles, seemingly starting a new game. "So, this is Pai Sho. Can I play?"

"Do you know how to play?" Iroh inquired.

Sozim shook his head. "No."

"Well, do not worry. It's a simple game," Iroh assured him with a smile. "Firstly, this is a white lotus tile—"

Iroh went on to explain the game's rules, the tile functions, and some basic strategies to help Sozim learn. After nearly half an hour of observation and instruction, they were finally ready to begin a game.

As they rearranged the Pai Sho tiles, Sozim decided to engage Iroh in conversation. "You were on the roof last night? Why didn't you go to your room? The inn owner mentioned you came here last evening."

"I didn't want to disturb you," Sozim replied, moving a tile. "You were singing beautifully last night."

"Ah... you heard that," Iroh chuckled, moving a tile of his own. "My voice isn't the most pleasant, I'm afraid."

"Even if your voice doesn't sound perfect, the emotions it carries do," Sozim remarked, making his move. "It must have been a personal song for you. You even used the money I gave you for that song to buy a lute."

"It is personal," Iroh sighed. "It was a song I used to sing to my son, a song about a brave little soldier marching home. He always dreamed of becoming a soldier. But... I shouldn't have guided him down that path. If only I could have..."

Sozim made another move. "What was your son like?"

"He was... the greatest gift I've ever received," Iroh murmured. "He loved visiting Ember Island with the rest of the family, playing on the black sands, running around on the beach... Now his ashes are scattered far from home. Oh, the things I would do to see him again..."

"I've never known my father. Well, to be exact, I don't remember him," Sozim shared. "But if I do have one, I hope he's a man like you, old man."

Iroh chuckled, moving a Pai Sho tile. "You flatter me, young Sozim."

"It's not flattery, it's the truth," Sozim smiled. "Where will you go next?"

"Well, I have to help you first, don't I?" Iroh laughed. "Or have you forgotten about that?"

"Right," Sozim cleared his throat. "You mentioned a 'lengthy tale' before. Care to share it now?"

"I suppose this is the right time," Iroh hummed, nodding. "Young Sozim, have you ever heard of the false Avatar?"

Sozim raised an eyebrow. Though he wasn't well-versed in this world's lore, he had a basic understanding of the topic. "False Avatar? The one during Kyoshi's time?"

Iroh was surprised. "Yes. I didn't expect you to know about that. You are truly wise beyond your years."

Sozim shook his head. "I don't really know a lot."

"Well, not many people are familiar with this subject, especially in the Fire Nation, where false knowledge about it has proliferated since Sozin's time," Iroh explained. "The false Avatar was named Yun, a friend of Avatar Kyoshi. While he was given that nickname, he wasn't initially a malevolent entity."

Sozim raised an eyebrow, moving another Pai Sho tile. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't his fault. He was misidentified," Iroh clarified. "Yun worked diligently to become the best Avatar he could be, but due to inherent reasons, he could only bend earth. It was then that his mentor, a man named Jianzhu, realized something. Jianzhu took both Yun and the yet-to-be-identified Avatar Kyoshi to a cave. There, they were told they would commune with a suffering spirit. But it was all a ruse. Yun and Kyoshi were drugged by Jianzhu using incense, and he summoned a spirit named Father Glowworm."

"Jianzhu can summon spirits?" Sozim asked.

"It's not common," Iroh nodded, "but this spirit was... unique. Father Glowworm indirectly contributed to the death of the previous Avatar, Avatar Kurruk."

"Oh." 

"Jianzhu then asked the spirit to determine the true Avatar between Yun and Kyoshi by tasting their blood," Iroh continued. "Father Glowworm easily identified Kyoshi as the true Avatar, which devastated Yun. As soon as the spirit revealed Kyoshi's identity, Jianzhu attacked Father Glowworm, leaving Yun alone with the enraged spirit."

"And Jianzhu is still Kyoshi's mentor after all that?" Sozim inquired.

"That's not relevant to this story," Iroh chuckled. "Let's focus on Yun, who was then dragged by Father Glowworm into the Spirit World."

"So he couldn't escape the Spirit World?" Sozim asked.

"Correct," Iroh confirmed. "When he awoke, he realized the gravity of his situation. He attempted to negotiate with Father Glowworm to leave the Spirit World, but instead of agreeing, the spirit attacked him. They dueled for a long time, and eventually, the spirit grew weary. Realizing how much time it had spent attacking Yun, it offered him a truce—giving Yun a portion of its power in exchange for providing it with innocent beings to feed on occasionally. Yun accepted the offer. However, when Father Glowworm began transferring its power to Yun, he consumed the spirit instead, using his spiritual training as an Avatar to overpower it and absorb all of its power."

With one final Pai Sho tile placed, the game ended, and Iroh emerged as the victor. "You've lost, young Sozim."

Sozim remained quiet for a moment, studying the Pai Sho table intently. Finally, he turned to Iroh. "So, why did you tell me this? Do you think that before I lost my memories, I... consumed a spirit?"

"Oh, not at all. The likelihood of that is quite low, as Yun possessed the spiritual training of an Avatar, whereas you do not," Iroh shook his head. "But the source of your condition might have a spiritual origin. Whether your younger self somehow formed a contract with a spirit or if your parents did something to you, I cannot say. You will need to investigate that yourself."

Sozim fell silent again, toying with one of the Pai Sho tiles with his fingers. "What should I do, then?"

"At present, I have no answers," Iroh admitted. "But as a first step, you should try to refrain from using your abilities to prevent further corruption."

"I can't," Sozim sighed. "I'm... addicted to it."

"You can, Young Sozim," Iroh reassured him. "Your will is strong, and you've resisted it thus far. You can stop using it, at least temporarily. You can control your mind and desire to suppress the urge. Breathing exercises, for instance, can be helpful."

"Breathing?" Sozim murmured. "Can you teach me?"

Iroh chuckled. "I can, but I know someone who is better at teaching breathing techniques than I am."

Sozim raised an eyebrow. "Someone better than you?"

"Well, perhaps not better," Iroh stroked his beard. "But he certainly has more experience in training others."

"Where can I find him?" Sozim asked.

Iroh rose from his seat, calmly picking up his Pai Sho tile set. "Shall we go find him now?"