The Eternal Dragon's Attack Part 4

Kai was slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the damage to his body was extremely serious for a human, even if he was still conscious, he didn't have the ability to swim back to the surface.

- What a mess you dragons have gotten yourselves into this time. - said a female voice. - Normally, I wouldn't interfere, but this is a problem I can't ignore.

The mysterious, sweet and gentle voice could not be heard by normal humans, only by those who had a strong connection to themselves with the element of flexibility and life.

Kai's body was enveloped in a translucent green energy that enveloped the water around him, healing all the wounds caused that day. Kai's energy was restored beyond its limit, causing him to wake up in alarm.

- What? How...! - Kai immediately closed his mouth to conserve oxygen when he realized he was underwater.

Kai looked around and saw nothing that could threaten him, except the fact that he was in danger of drowning. Looking up, he realized that he was several dozen meters from the surface.

- There's no need to be afraid, dragon cub. - Said the female voice, making Kai jump for a moment.

Kai looked in all directions in search of the mysterious voice. Strangely, her voice seemed to spread in a different way, as if it were in his mind and not just a hallucination.

- Sorry, you can't talk under these conditions. - A bubble of air suddenly covered Kai, allowing the dragon to breathe normally again. - Is that better?

- Ha... Ha... that voice... are you a spirit? - Kai asked as he caught his breath and noticed that his wounds had healed. - My body! I'm completely healed!

- I'm an old friend of the first Dragon King, you can call me La. - The sea spirit came forward.

- I've heard stories about you and your spiritual position in our world. Why would a primordial spirit help me?

- An Eternal Dragon flying freely in the mortal world is extremely dangerous for the cosmic balance. Primordial beings like me can intervene in such situations. - La explained.

- As an original spirit, can you defeat Hana? - Kai asked hopefully.

- Unfortunately, yes and no. If an Eternal Dragon is defeated and its energy is not purified, it can rot the world at incredible speed. The current Dragon King sacrificed almost everything he had to maintain the balance during the Eclipse War, only a Celestial Dragon can purify the dark energy. - The Sea Spirit confessed with frustration. - The problem is that Hana is a former queen candidate, if she is indeed destroyed without the purification of an equivalent of her power, the mortal world and all spirits, including me, could be corrupted.

- A literal battle between light and darkness, that's great, just what I needed. - Kai can't help but get frustrated. - My grandmother is fighting alone, I have to get back into the fight.

- Aki is fighting with Hana above the clouds... Kai, you have to look for your true dragon in your heart. - La said in a warning tone. - You can't beat Hana like this.

- I know I can't beat Hana with my current power, but I don't know how to do it. - Kai lowered his head, disappointed.

- Are you afraid of change?

Kai was stunned by the question and it took him a few seconds to realize the true meaning of the sea spirit's words.

- When I become a full dragon, what will happen? - Kai asked sincerely.

- That depends on you. - La admitted. - Humans are often limited by what they are. Only a few manage to break free from the chains of fate. As a celestial dragon, you have a sacred responsibility that goes beyond conventional concepts.

Kai felt a great unease in his heart, sensing that something had gone wrong in Aki's battle with Hana.

- Aki has been defeated. - La expressed her surprise. - I hadn't imagined that I would be defeated so quickly.

- Grandma...

- Kai, I'll fight Hana as long as I can. - The Ocean Spirit declared. - Remember, be fire.

The air bubble Kai was in descended to the bottom of the sea, still slightly illuminated by the sunlight. The sight Kai saw was awe-inspiring, the dazzle of marine life in all its splendor, witnessing even species not catalogued by humans.

- So that's it... - Kai snorted and sat down in the lotus position in the ocean.

Concentrating his mind, he tried to relax enough to begin the process of entering the spirit world. After a few minutes of effort, Kai couldn't take a step forward because his mind was still on Azula, worried that he might lose her.

The air bubble began to glow blue, gradually relaxing Kai's mind so that he wouldn't lose focus on his goal. The ocean spirit gave one last push so that the dragon in human form could finally take his first step towards rebirth.

Kai's restless mind finally calmed down and the air bubble collapsed as if it had never existed. Finally, he reached a mental state of such stability that his body no longer needed oxygen.

Fish of various species and sizes were attracted by the calm presence that Kai exuded, a comforting warmth that caused the ocean's temperature to rise slightly, attracting the attention of animals like whales and sharks from miles away.

***

After Aki fell disoriented into the sea, the corrupted dragon noticed that the dragon's energy in human form was slowly disappearing, as if it had somehow died.

Hana turned her head towards another energy that was hundreds of kilometers away from her position, a rather weak energy, but one that still emitted a remarkable amount of light energy.

Without wasting any time, Hana dived into the sea at high speed, heading towards the golden energy that her only visible eye could see. The force of the beating of her wings created waves in the wind, a release of her gigantic physical power.

As the sky dragon flew at high speed, a gigantic 100-meter wave appeared in front of it, but relying on its enormous strength, the dragon didn't change its course and decided to collide with the giant wave.

The dragon's collision with the wave didn't change its speed, but before it knew it, the giant wave turned to ice and trapped the dragon in the water.

A gigantic iceberg appeared in the middle of the sea, the temperature of the sea and the air in that region dropped in record time, capable of killing any living being in seconds, not even the most powerful firebenders could survive the sudden change in temperature.

With frightening speed, the iceberg was covered by countless layers of ice, each water molecule used to cool the region. The ice sheet was so large that it could easily have been mistaken for the formation of a new continent to the west of the world.

On one of the newly formed ice mountains, the snow and ice formed a humanoid female figure. Her appearance was completely similar to an ice statue, but she couldn't hide the fact that she had a certain beauty compared to human standards.

- This form will serve as a distraction so that Hana doesn't focus on the human with the dragon on her belly. - La said seriously. - I hope Kai manages to awaken his true self, otherwise...

The largest ice mountain began to tremble, along with a significant earthquake that only affected the gigantic ice shelf that had just been created.

A pillar of black fire erupted from the center of the mountain, breaking the ice into several pieces. The black fire fell on various parts of the ice and didn't seem to be affected by the sudden low temperature in the area.

The Ocean Spirit observed the dark flame next to it, concentrating its unlimited influence on its element to create a layer of ice at absolute zero, freezing the flames like glass.

- Damn, your skill is scary even when you're dead. - La admitted. - Maybe if Tui were here, we could defeat Hana until a celestial dragon purified her darkness.

The Eternal Dragon revealed itself and roared into the sky with a sonic boom, showing its power to the Spirit of the Sea.

- Very well, show me what you're capable of. - La raised his left arm while his right arm rested behind his back.

Hana fired at high speed to launch a powerful attack with her claws, but a pillar of ice formed in her direction and hit the dragon violently. Before the dragon could recover, La turned a mountain of ice into water and manipulated it until it reached several hundred meters into the sky, freezing every drop of water and crushing the dragon with tons of ice.

The tremor of the impact of La's blow made the entire frozen region shake, a display of power that no water bender had ever imagined.

The ice in the impact area exploded, revealing the Eternal Dragon with its four wings, flying even faster towards the Ocean Spirit.

Maintaining its composure, the Sea Spirit demonstrated the power of the ocean's fury, creating two arms of water to grab the dragon and envelop it in a gigantic sphere, using the pressure of the water to crush every part of the dragon until it was compressed into a ball of flesh.

To the Sea Spirit's surprise, Hana didn't give in, her body refusing to yield to La's power even in a near-dead state.

- You resisted my power. - La praised. - You really would be a great queen.

The Eternal Dragon's single eye glowed white, and its mouth opened to reveal a small light. A black ray with a white tinge came out of Hana's mouth with such power that the giant ball of water split in half, along with several mountains.

- Impossible!

Hana flew at supersonic speed and suddenly appeared behind the sea spirit as if she had teleported. Without wasting a second, she crushed the spirit's ice body with a single blow.

The Eternal Dragon felt the satisfaction of destroying another being from the spirit world and let out a roar of victory, but when he finally went to propel himself into the sky, he realized that he couldn't move his right front paw. Looking at his paw, he noticed that it was completely covered in ice, an extremely serious injury.

- Did you really think you could kill me with that? - asked the Sea Spirit. - I'm water, the only way to kill me is to burn all the water in the world.

La unleashed a gigantic snowstorm to attack the ancient queen of the spirit world from all directions. Hundreds of spears of ice were traveling at hundreds of kilometers an hour, and any human caught in the storm would have their body completely destroyed in an instant. 

***

Pov Kai:

I opened my eyes and noticed that I was in a forest, night covered the sky, allowing the stars to shine in the sky. I didn't care about the beauty of the forest or the stars because I knew very well that this forest would be completely destroyed.

This forest is the same one from my visions, and it wouldn't be long before the fight between my mother and my older brother would take place. I really couldn't understand why, every time I tried to project myself into the spirit world, I always ended up back in this forest.

I knew every detail, every bush and tree, but I could never get away from this vision of the past. I had no idea what to do, and if I didn't find out, Azula and my daughter could be killed today.

- What do I have to do? - I looked up at the starry sky, searching for something that might show me a way to solve this mystery.

The sound of an explosion shook the entire forest, a sign that the battle between Katsu and Jun had begun. I knew every moment of that fight, how Jun's ferocity destroyed his body and how my mother almost died in that battle.

A tree flew towards me, destroying others in its path. By reflex, I managed to duck before it hit me. It would be a few minutes before they both used their flames to completely consume the forest.

I ran to the epicenter of the battle and saw my mother use her light to strike my brother, pushing him a few dozen meters with the force of her blow.

I hated to see my mother shed tears at having to fight my older brother. Of course, the difficulty for her in this fight was that she had no choice.

They were both fighting in a crater created by the blows they were both throwing. The intensity of the blows was unbelievable, and the flames surrounded them like a living barrier, preventing anyone from getting through.

I'd seen this melancholy sight dozens or hundreds of times, I couldn't stand this damned fight any longer. We're all a family, we should look after each other, not kill each other.

I took a deep breath and took a step towards the fight between the two, one step away I could feel the hot, electrified air. With every step I took, I felt my body getting hotter and sweat dripping from my head, every moment it seemed that gravity became denser, making it harder for me to move forward.

I was kneeling on the boiling floor and I could see my mother clutching my brother's jaws with her hands, trying not to be crushed by the pressure of the tons on her human form.

- Stop... - I whispered and tried to get up.

Katsu and Jun were pushing each other, trying not to lose in their contest of strength. The most impressive thing was that Jun, even with his body suffering several fractures, managed to push Katsu, who was slowly gaining ground in the contest of strength.

- Stop it. - I said again, feeling my own anger.

The two dragons continued to fight without being distracted by anything, fighting fervently to subdue or destroy the other.

- I TOLD YOU TO STOP! - I shouted, launching a wave of flames in all directions around me.

Katsu and Jun suddenly stopped fighting, glancing at each other until they looked directly at Kai, their faces neutral, causing Kai to take a step back, confused that his request had been heard. Katsu and Jun were engulfed in flames, as was the whole region, every piece of land or mountain was completely engulfed in flames and, in a second, a dragon made of fire appeared on Kai's back.

I was confused, never before had this vision taken such a sudden turn, but I knew it was some kind of breakthrough, so I had to keep going.

When the flames took over the sky, the ancient forest completely transformed into another place, the royal palace of the Fire Nation.

I looked down at my fists in confusion, realizing that I had returned to my age of 11. My eyes scanned everything around me, and I noticed that I was in a very familiar scene. I was standing in front of Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, each with a serious expression on their face, when I turned and saw Zuko with his fists covered in fire firing a blast in my direction. I easily dodged his attack and extinguished his flames without any difficulty.

Why had I gone back to the time when Zuko and I had our first and only Agni Kai? What was that supposed to mean for me?

- Let's go! Do you only know how to defend yourself? - said Zuko, firing his flames at a speed that was almost pathetic in Kai's eyes.

I hit his flames again, it was almost tedious, but unlike the vision I could only observe, in this one I had some interaction for some reason.

Zuko ran towards me and tried to hit me, but even though I was in my 11-year-old body, my powers seemed unchanged, so I practically slapped him on the forehead, which felt like a punch to Zuko's mind.

Letting myself observe my surroundings, I noticed how the guards seemed to understand the outcome of the duel, how disappointed Ozai was with Zuko and how sad Iroh looked, as if he was holding back so as not to interfere.

- You play tricks, defending an enemy of the Fire Nation! You're all traitors! - shouted Zuko, pointing at Kai and the girls behind him.

I sensed that something was changing, but I wasn't sure what it was, which I was absolutely sure was getting angry.

Zuko shot an enormous amount of flame in Kai's direction, surprising everyone with his lack of reaction to the prince's attack, and was inevitably hit. It didn't take long for Kai to advance slowly, taking calm steps towards Zuko. Kai's indifference to the prince's deadly attack surprised and frightened everyone, especially Zuko. Kai's clothes were completely burnt, but his skin was intact, his scarlet eyes glowed dangerously.

I felt something inside me, a feeling I had only felt a few times before, a feeling I normally repressed. I looked at Zuko who was paralyzed, raised my hand with my blue flames and fired with the minimum of my true power.

The Dragon of the West, Iroh, jumped in to save Zuko from a fatal death, using his flames as a shield, gritting his teeth and looking surprised at the intense power coming from a child.

I deliberately chose to deactivate my attack because I wanted to hear if Iron's words would be the same as last time.

- You know you almost killed Prince Zuko! - Iroh severely criticized his expression, ignoring his own burnt hands. - If I hadn't stopped you, you would have killed Zuko!

- What's the problem? - I asked. - He's not fit to lead this nation.

- How dare you? Do you know what you're talking about? - Iron warned, assuming his battle stance as he realized the threat Kai posed.

- I'm making it clear that only I have what it takes to rule. - I turned and walked over to Azula, who was staring at me with confusion in her beautiful golden eyes.

- You're practically declaring a rebellion, that's not acceptable.

- What cannot be tolerated is that people like you think they have some importance in my presence. - I gently wrapped my arm around Azula's waist as she watched me, her cheeks flushed by my actions. - A king must rule with all his might, even if he consumes everything in flames. Like any king, I need a queen.

I snapped my fingers, using my self-created technique to harness the energy inside Iron and Zuko, setting their bodies on fire and consuming them instantly.

Everyone present was stunned by the sudden death of the Fire Lord's brother and the Crown Prince. A fire dragon was behind Kai, spitting fire in all directions, destroying the palace and the city.

The flames went in all directions until they became a vortex of fire, changing Kai's vision back to a room. In that room was Ozai, preparing Agni Kai against Zuko for disrespecting him in front of the generals.

- What gives a human the right to rule? - asked Ozai, studying Kai's every move.

I was surprised, I hadn't expected to have to answer that question again.

- The one with the greatest power is the one who can hold the world in his hands. - I answered seriously.

- So why do you let yourself be chained by mere agreements with insignificant people? - Ozai said in a draconic voice.

I couldn't help but open my eyes in shock; the voice Ozai spoke in wasn't his own, but somehow it sounded like me.

- I... I don't know.

- You want your queen and your daughter to die because of your uncertainty. - "Ozai" said angrily.

- No!

- Then abandon your human side forever, fully embrace the fire in your soul. - "Ozai" started to catch fire, setting the room ablaze.

I closed my eyes for a moment because of the intensity of the flames. Finally, when the flames no longer envelop me, I feel a strong heat in front of me. I open my eyes and see the shape of a dragon made entirely of fire in front of me, slightly larger than my grandmother's dragon shape. Everything around me was dark, lit only by the dragon in front of me.

- Who are you? - You can't help but ask. 

- I am you and you are me. - Said the dragon in a voice similar to Kai's, only thicker.

- You're the real me?

- Exactly, I've been waiting for this for 20 years. - explains the dragon patiently.

- What will change after this conversation?

- Nothing will change, we'll just put the pieces together that haven't been put together for a long time, we'll finally be complete. - The fiery red eyes shone brightly. - We'll become one and spread our flames all over the world.

A flash of golden lightning struck the horizon, briefly revealing several dragons of various sizes in the darkness, an imposing sight for the faint-hearted.

- If we were to become a single being, what would our goals be? - I asked, aware of the changes that would take place within me.

- The goals I will pursue are the same as yours: to protect our queen and our descendants, to destroy all those who dare to challenge us... - The dragon moved his head closer to Kai and looked him in the eye.

The eyes of Kai and the fire dragon shone brightly, and a golden glow covered the darkness, revealing hundreds or thousands of dragons in the darkness, each with eyes that shone like scarlet stars.

- And rule the world. - I spoke in my draconic voice, feeling a tremendous power flow through me.

I let out a great sigh and fire came out of my mouth. I quickly noticed that I was physically more muscular, even though the power flowing through me was quite massive and I needed to sit down to understand this energy better.

When I sat down, I immediately realized that I was in a different, completely supernatural place. I was sitting on a golden throne, my clothes were white with golden details, as if I were wearing some kind of armor.

The place had several stones flying through the air as if they were magically floating. The light coming from all directions was a golden color that could dazzle ordinary people, but it didn't affect me at all.

I raised my hands and saw that they were covered in what looked like a golden glove with black claws. When my fingers moved, I quickly realized that those claws were mine, from my own body.

- That's strange, what's going on? - I said, still analyzing my appearance.

I heard light footsteps walking towards me, but because of the golden light, I could only see a female figure walking towards me. With every step the woman took, it became easier for me to recognize her, causing my body to shudder at her appearance.

Azula was walking towards me, wearing a black dress with gold details that resembled my clothes. Her black hair was completely loose, leaving me mesmerized for a few seconds.

As Azula got closer, you could see that she was getting older, but that only seemed to increase her almost divine beauty, and it scared me to see how she had reached another level of beauty.

Although I was almost at a loss for words to describe her, I noticed that her eyes were not golden, but scarlet like mine.

- Hmmm... is something wrong, dear? - Azula asked, realizing that something was wrong with her husband.

I stayed silent, for some reason I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her and it was difficult because every movement she made made me feel hot.

- Now I understand. - Azula gave me a seductive smile.

Azula climbed the stairs until she reached the throne, running her fingers teasingly up Kai's leg, unable to hide her smile of superiority, climbing onto her husband's lap and bringing her mouth close to his ear.

- You're very impatient. - Azula kissed Kai on the lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. - You'd better go back, unless you want a spoiler.

***

The sea creatures swam in circles above Kai, the whales circled calmly with their calves, even the large predators seemed completely calm in their predatory instincts.

The tranquillity of the ocean was the complete opposite of the battle taking place a few kilometers away.

The moment Kai's eyes opened, all the animals in the area simply fled in terror, as if a giant predator was hunting them.

- It took almost ten millennia for another awakening like that to occur. - La whispered through his influence on the ocean. - It's good to see you again, old friend.

author's note: Sorry for posting this week's chapter late, but as you know I'm sick so I'll release the next chapters little by little

Next chapter: The Awakening of Fire