Jefh vs Zuko vs Aang  

- The spirit of the ocean testifies to your determination, Sokka. - Bato said with pride in Sokka. - You have earned the right to wear these brands with pride.

Sokka was happy; Bato, as a veteran of his village, had given him the chance to perform the rite of passage to prove his navigational skills and finally be considered an adult. Through his leadership and instincts, he was able to lead the Avatar team to combine their best skills, unite them as one, and pass the test perfectly.

- Sokka, you have proven your ability to lead your group to perfection, by trusting your instincts as a wolf, you will receive the Mark of the Sage, the same Mark as your father. - Bato used his ink-stained fingers to mark Sokka's head with the symbol that represents his personality and ability. - To you, Katara, you have earned the Mark of Courage. Haru, the Mark of Strength, and Suki, the Mark of the Guardian.

Bato presented the mark that best represented each member of Team Avatar, all of whom were happy to experience a small piece of the southern tribe's culture. The only one who was visibly uncomfortable, however, it was Aang, who knew he had betrayed his friends' trust by keeping the news about his father from Katara and Sokka.

- Finally, Aang, you have earned the mark of trust, you are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe. - Bato said, satisfied that Sokka's test had gone perfectly.

Aang's eyes widened for a moment, looking extremely regretful, he took a few steps back and used his clothes to wipe the Water Tribe mark from his head.

- I can't accept this... - Aang said in anguish.

- Of course you can. - Katara tried to cheer Aang up, but noticed that he was visibly depressed for some reason.

- I can't... - Aang picked up the message he had received from the Earth Kingdom messenger, the paper in his hands was completely crumpled, not revealing that there was a second note about a catastrophe at the South Pole.

Katara took the ball of paper and unfolded the improvised ball to clearly see the message Aang had received, stunned that her friend had hidden something so important.

- Aang... - Katara was speechless, disappointed that her friend had hidden something so important to her and her brother.

- This map... is our father's location! - Sokka was immediately furious with Aang and ripped the map out of Katara's hands, causing the second note to fall into the sand on the beach. - How could you do this!

- You have to understand... - Aang tried to justify his actions, but was interrupted before he could apologize.

- Just because you're the Avatar doesn't mean you have the right to do this, especially to me and Katara! - Sokka scolded Aang, releasing the stress that had been building up for days.

As Sokka yelled at Aang, Suki picked up the second note that had fallen to the ground. She was also disappointed by the Avatar's childish attitude, but as her eyes read the message, she had to read it more than once, perhaps dozens of times, to be sure of what she was reading.

Haru, her arms crossed, noticed that Suki, the most mature person in the group, had a pale face, much paler than it would have been with guerrilla makeup.

Suki's arms trembled involuntarily as she couldn't help but remember that her house had been destroyed when Avatar Kyoshi had fought that albino woman.

Bato watched Sokka's argument in silence, also disappointed by the Avatar's attitude, but what worried him most was the possibility of the group splitting over this, because even if Aang had made a serious mistake, it was still possible to correct it.

- Is something wrong, Suki? - Haru asked, curious about the message. His question caused Katara to turn her attention to the message in Kyoshi's hands.

- Suki, you're pale, what's the matter? - Katara asked, she was very upset with Aang, but seeing how noticeably pale Suki was made her worry about her health.

Suki unconsciously took a few steps back when she heard the Waterbender's words, she knew she should give her the letter, but she knew the news would destroy her.

- Suki? - Katara said, growing increasingly worried about her friend.

- Katara... I'm sorry. - Suki handed Katara the second message, ready to help as much as she could. - Listen Katara, stay calm and breathe slowly.

Being the only girls on Team Avatar, Suki and Katara naturally developed a good friendship. Of course, they both had significant differences: Suki had been a warrior since birth, while Katara was a brave adventurer, and these factors had an impact on their personalities, but it was enough for them to trust each other.

Suki still hadn't gotten over the loss, even after weeks since her home was destroyed, but at least she knew her family was okay, but she knew that in the case of Katara and Sokka, the situation was much more complex.

Katara's blue eyes read every word carefully, trying to distract herself from the shock of being betrayed by Aang, but what she read was something that made her friend's selfish act practically meaningless. Katara's eyes began to water, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Suki approached her and hugged her, trying to comfort her as much as she could.

When Sokka heard his sister crying, he quickly ignored Aang, because even though he was angry with the Air Nomad, his sister was his first priority. It was the first time he had seen his sister so upset since their mother's death, and a heavy feeling came over him.

Seeing Katara in tears, Aang wanted to know what had happened and try to help her, but he knew he had no right to comfort her after his selfish action. What really made them realize how serious the situation was was seeing Sokka pick up the second message and after a few seconds fall to his knees on the floor, his face looking stunned with despair.

Bato was very confused by what was happening, but he knew that something very serious had indeed happened, but before he could check the letter, thanks to his warrior instincts, he noticed something hostile approaching him.

- Attention! Prepare for battle! - Bato ordered sternly, drawing his whale-toothed knife from his waist.

Before everyone could prepare themselves, a four-legged creature over two meters tall appeared in the forest and took a giant leap to the beach. The eyeless creature carried four people on its back, a woman dressed in Gothic garb and three men dressed in Fire Nation robes.

***

A few minutes earlier...

Pov Jefh:

It's official, Zuko is the most obnoxious person I've ever met, he has the gift of being an annoying person, the whole trip he was just talking about capturing the Avatar, like he was incapable of talking like a normal person.

I was hoping June would break his jaw, but she was very focused on her hunt, so maybe that's why she tolerated the prince. There were times when Zuko spoke in the third person, like he was telling a story from a book. This guy needs a psychologist.

Now I understood why my father hated Zuko, it was because he wouldn't shut up. If it wasn't for Iroh, I would have made him swallow a spear at the next military blockade. Aside from this inconvenience with Zuko, the trip had several interruptions due to military blockades because the Fire Lord had ordered the troops to call off their advance on the Earth Kingdom, so I used my military contacts to facilitate the hunt for the Avatar as discreetly as possible. Fortunately, Iroh had certain persuasive methods to keep many interlopers out of the way.

- This is taking too long! - Zuko complained, probably for the 124th time since he started the journey with Jefh and June. - It doesn't make sense for the Avatar to make so many stops in different cities.

- It's like the Avatar is just going on vacation. - Iroh said, apparently noticing the inconsistencies in the Avatar's route. - If the Avatar stopped in so many different places, we should have heard rumors from the soldiers at the roadblocks.

- Either the Avatar has a great ability to evade the Fire Nation, or... - Zuko was interrupted.

- He's an idiot with questionable luck. - I interrupted, annoyed at having to listen to Zuko's voice. - Seriously, can you stop talking about the Avatar for 10 minutes?

- The Avatar is considered the greatest warrior, I'm preparing my mind and body to defeat him. - Zuko said seriously.

- The only thing you'll be effective at is giving me a headache. - I declared, noticing Zuko's irritation at my words.

- You're just an insignificant airbender, you don't have the true determination of the Fire Nation running through your veins. I am the prince of the Fire Nation, my blood carries the entire history of every king who has ruled the most powerful nation in the world. - Zuko declared with pride and determination. - I've been preparing for this for years, someone like you would never understand my means.

- Huh, interesting... so why were you banished in the first place? It wasn't for disrespecting the army or thinking you could impose your will on people just because you were a prince. - I teased Zuko, looking over my shoulder to see his frustrated expression. - It doesn't matter how much honor you have, if you don't have the power to impose your will, people will never take you seriously, it's the power aspect that matters.

When Zuko heard those words for a brief moment, he saw the image of Kai reflected in Jefh, the way he spoke was very similar to when he tried to approach Kai himself the first night he was in the palace.

Zuko was surprised, he couldn't understand how there could be so many stupid coincidences between Jefh and Kai. It was as if he was talking to Kai in person and that made his body shake with anger and fear.

June had listened to all of Zuko's nonsense during the whole trip and finally the prince had shut up with Jefh's last words. As much as the world was driven by money, she agreed that there were certain people who were too powerful to limit themselves to aspects of society as a whole, and it would be foolish not to impose their will when they felt like it.

- Those words may have a ring of truth to them, young Jefh, but it's a simple view of how our society works. - Iroh said, disagreeing with the airbender's comment.

- Simple? People are much simpler than they seem. As rational people, we live in a society that is determined by two factors: those who have money or pure power, those who have more skills can keep people under their feet. - I replied, understanding how Iroh's mentality worked. - Since you were once a very notorious and feared general in your heyday, it is quite hypocritical of you to try to teach me the opposite.

Iroh was a bit perplexed, he had never imagined that an Airbender would be so opposed to the sense and philosophy of the Air Nomads, a vision that was much more realistic than other optimistic aspects.

- For a Master of the Air, you act much more out of reason than out of emotion. - Iroh was impressed that the Airbender was so opposed to the books and stories that tell of the culture of the Air Nomads.

- I'd rather you didn't compare me to the Air Nomads, they are the greatest definition of hypocrisy any society has ever operated under. - I made no secret of my dissatisfaction with the Air Nomads.

- Interesting, an Airbender who despises his own race? - June scoffed, interested to see how Jefh would approach his philosophy, so contrary to the Air Masters.

- I don't despise the Air Nomads themselves, but the culture they practice. Their teachings and philosophy of life are completely hypocritical of how we humans really are. - When I was studying Air Bending with Ty Lee, she showed me the archives and scrolls that tell the story of how the Air Nomads lived. It didn't take long for me to understand for myself the real limitations imposed by a culture that preaches a humanly impossible dream. - The Air Nomads have established a utopian lifestyle far from reality, like a predatory dream that seeks false freedom. Their temples are built to be theoretically inaccessible to other people outside the culture, they separate their own children from their parents on the first day of birth and indoctrinate them into believing that they must be immaculate from human evil, when evil exists in all of us, to a lesser or greater degree, but it is always in our hearts.

Iroh was silent; it was the first time he had heard such a contrary opinion about the Air Nomads, who were known to be pure and far from human evil. He himself knew that the Air Nomads weren't perfect, but to hear an Air Nomad so critical of his own original culture was quite impressive.

- If I had been born among the air nomads and experienced the world as it really is, I would probably never go back. - I declared, causing everyone to fall silent as Nyla ran through the forest towards the Avatar.

June gave a small, discreet smile, she found Jefh quite interesting even though he was so young, she was very curious what he would be like when he was a grown man.

Zuko remained silent, for some reason he felt uncomfortable after hearing Jefh's words, this way of expressing himself was more mature than it seemed. He was confused because it was obvious that he had underestimated him for being an airbender, but even though he was from a different race, for some reason he seemed to emanate a similar feeling when his uncle was serious.

- The moment of reflection is over, we're approaching the beach. - June warned, letting Jefh, Zuko and Iroh prepare themselves for the confusion that would follow.

- Finally, my legs are almost numb. - I said, stretching my arms for the fight. - Nyla has been running with the four of us on her back since last night, she's impressive.

- That's one of the reasons why I'm the number one bounty hunter on this continent, as long as I have Nyla, I can run all over the Earth Kingdom for days. - June whipped Nyla, causing her to jump onto the beach.

When we landed on the sand, I observed each person, looking for visual clues that would make the avatar stand out from the group. Luckily, the avatar was stupid enough to wear extremely conspicuous clothing that made him easy to spot.

- Is that the girlfriend? Too pretty for you. - June looked at Katara and quickly recognized her as a member of the Water Tribe. Zuko glanced at June in annoyance, but then pulled himself together and jumped off Nyla's back into fighting position.

- You will not escape me, Avatar! - Zuko yelled like a declaration of war.

- Burnt Face, is this the idiot you were talking about? - Haru asked as he assumed his battle stance.

- Yes, that's Zuko. - Suki replied, grabbing her metal fans from her belt.

Jefh made an acrobatic leap onto the shirshu's back and landed skillfully on the sand. He walked toward the Avatar team, not bothering to assume a fighting stance like Zuko. The entire Avatar team, including Bato, were quickly in position, but it was clear that some members were mentally unprepared for this battle.

- What do you think you're doing? - Zuko was confused and incredulous at Jefh's lack of combat discipline, for now that the Avatar was in range, it was foolish to be naive in battle.

I ignored Zuko's words, I had no intention of working with him anyway, so I decided to capture the Avatar the only way I knew how. Even though I didn't have much spiritual perception, I felt a certain pressure from the bald monk, but nothing like my father's, and that filled me with confidence.

- You must be the Avatar, I guess. - I stood at least 20 steps away to make sure I could perform my basic maneuvers safely. - If you don't cooperate, I guarantee that someone will die on this beach. So surrender now!

Aang gripped his staff tightly, a small bead of sweat fell from his head, he wasn't sure, but the moment he saw this mysterious boy in front of him, he felt something familiar, but the strong presence he exuded didn't help him concentrate.

Iroh's expression became more serious, his instincts as a warrior were alerted by Jefh's words, he knew it wasn't a bluff, his years of experience allowed him to see how Jefh's posture was a warning that he meant business.

- You're not the first to threaten us, don't think you can beat us. - Suki said, ready to counter any flames thrown at her friends.

- The difference between me and the others is that I'm willing to kill the Avatar to avoid future problems. - I took my fighting stance, normally I wouldn't do that, but I was willing to go all out without holding back.

The moment Suki saw Jefh's fighting stance, she quickly associated it with the characteristic movement of the Firebender, but she didn't expect to be hit with a blast of pressurized air in her stomach, causing her to spit blood and to be thrown 20 meters or more into the sand, falling unconscious.

Aang's eyes went wide, his perception was as if time was moving in slow motion, in a small instant he finally saw the crest on Jefh's arm, the image of fire surrounding the symbol of air.

Jefh had his fist outstretched in the direction he had just struck the Kyoshi warrior, his expression neutral, as if he had fully taken on his personality when fighting his adoptive father in earnest.

- You... you're... you're an airbender... - Aang stammered, completely paralyzed.

- Surrender now or be responsible for the deaths of your friends. - I gave the Avatar one last ultimatum.

- This can't be happening... - Aang whispered.

- SUKI! KATARA NOW! - Sokka yelled, running toward the Kyoshi warrior.

Katara, in an act of reflex thanks to her training with Suki, quickly took advantage of her proximity to the seawater to manipulate the water like a whip and hit the enemy airbender.

I quickly used my footwork to dodge the Water Bender's attacks, she was very good, I couldn't deny that, but one of the main lessons I had learned from Ty Lee was to train my agility and flexibility, so I was able to dodge the water whips without any problems. However, my concentration broke down when I saw the stone fragments coming towards me, and I quickly realized that I might get hurt if I was hit, so I created an air ball in time to deflect the Earth Bender's attacks.

- Damn! Aang get it together now! - Haru shouted when he saw the Monk's confusion, but it was a big mistake as it gave Jefh the opportunity to attack the Avatar, closing the distance in less than 3 seconds.

- Game over! - I said coldly, reaching out to strike the Avatar in the jugular and kill him instantly. However, I felt a wave of heat on my back, forcing me to kick 180 degrees to dissipate the flames coming from my back.

Zuko launched a powerful blast of flames towards Jefh when he realized he was going to kill the avatar, his only way to regain what he had lost through his recklessness. As Jefh parried Zuko's attack, Katara used one of her water whips to grab Aang around the waist and pull him toward her to protect him from another deadly attack that could kill him.

- Zuko! - I said seriously, looking over my shoulder as the prince raised his fist towards me.

- I didn't think you had the guts to kill the Avatar... I can't believe I'm saying this. - Zuko whispered the last part. - But I can't let you kill the Avatar.

- Then I'll kill you too. - I looked at June for a moment and nodded.

- It's showtime. - June whispered as she gave Iroh a quick elbow to the face, catching the legendary firebender off guard. As an experienced mercenary, she showed Iroh no hostility at all, causing him to lower his guard against her.

Before Iroh could recover from the blow to his nose, Nyla used her poisonous tongue to incapacitate him, and since the speed of the poison is practically instantaneous, the old warrior was defeated before he even had a chance to fight back and reveal his gigantic power.

- I thought you were an honorable mercenary. - Iroh groaned, annoyed at being defeated so shamefully.

- I'm sorry, but Jefh tripled his offer at our last stop. - June picked up her whip and prepared to lash the Fire Nation prince.

I was surprised, Iroh had really let his guard down with June, that's perfect. Now I had to focus on killing the monk, I couldn't risk the Avatar escaping or Zuko beating me and capturing him, putting Azula's throne in jeopardy.

Zuko was extremely angry, he felt like an idiot for underestimating Shirshu's speed when he poisoned his uncle with paralysis, now he had to fight Jefh and protect the Avatar while trying to capture him.

I quickly created a ball of air in my hands and threw it under my feet, creating a great curtain of sand that obscured everyone's vision, including my own. However, there was only one living being that wasn't affected, and that was Nyla.

The Shirshu lunged forward, its tongue ready to poison its targets, but before it could hit Zuko, Aang used his staff to strike the ground, causing a wave of air to push up the sand, allowing everyone to regain their sight.

Thanks to her reflexes from years of training, Zuko dodged the Shirshu's attack in time, taking the opportunity to use one of her legs to launch a flaming volley at June, who somersaulted to avoid it. The mercenary grabbed her whip and threw it at Zuko's wrist, pulling his arm to prevent him from taking up a defensive position as she jumped up and delivered a spinning kick to his face.

- That's for burning me! - June smiled triumphantly as she kicked the prince in the face.

Without June to keep Nyla under control, the shirshu advanced on the Avatar team, but its ferocity was quickly controlled by Katara, who used the water to freeze the predator's legs. Since the water had no scent to attract Nyla's attention, it was quickly contained, leaving the beast roaring furiously on the beach sand, its four legs trapped in a block of ice.

- Nyla! - June screamed for her pet, her eyes fixed furiously on the waterbender.

Haru fashioned a spear from rocks scattered on the beach, determined to end this battle before it escalated. The stone spear floated in the air and began to rotate on its own axis, pointing at Jefh as he walked towards it.

- Die! - Haru shouted, firing the spear at Jefh, but his attempt was in vain as Jefh merely tilted his body, sending the spear crashing into the sea.

- Too slow. - I said, creating an air vortex under the Earthbender's legs, sending him flying 6 or 7 meters upwards until he landed on his back in the sand.

Aang picked up his staff, his hands sweating with tension, and it was almost palpable that his eyes reflected the despair and doubt in his own actions.

- Listen to me, you and I are both Airbenders, there's no point in us fighting each other. - Aang said, trying to convince the mysterious bender he had just met.

I decided to ignore the Avatar's words and launched a long blast of air, but my movement was easily stopped by the Avatar's staff, it was very clear to me that a confrontation in elemental mastery would not be as easy as I had imagined.

- Please, I thought I was alone, that I was the only one. - Aang quickly dodged another blast of air with his staff and was pushed 2 meters by the impact. - I don't know what the Fire Nation did to you, but I promise I will find a way to help you.

I was getting annoyed with the Avatar; couldn't he just shut up and fight for his life? I didn't understand the difficulty in keeping his comments to himself.

I threw a horizontal crescent kick, creating a blade of air invisible to the naked eye. My attack hit the Avatar squarely, making a small cut in his clothing, but it was clear that the bloodstains on his skin showed damage to his body.

- I need to perfect these air cuts. - I said, closing my fist and preparing to attack the Avatar at a critical point, but again I felt a wave of heat next to me, forcing me to move away to avoid being burned. - I'm losing my patience with you, Zuko!

- I told you that if you interfered with my mission to capture the Avatar, I would destroy you. - Zuko assumed his fighting stance, a trickle of blood falling from his mouth.

Jefh stood between Zuko and Aang, facing them both, and moved his neck, cracking his bones as a final preparation for all his tricks.

- Come on! - I said, parrying a flame attack from Zuko while running up to punch the Avatar in the face.

While Katara and Bato fought together to defeat June, who used all of her combat experience along with her trusty whip to combat the unique fighting styles of the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka tended to Suki, who was having trouble breathing.

As Sokka came to the aid of his romantic interest, he noticed the imposing Kyoshi warrior struggling to catch her breath. A large purple bruise was visible on one of Suki's ribs, making it clear to Sokka that her rib had been broken by the impact.

- Breathe Suki, don't lose consciousness, I'll carry you to Appa. - Sokka lifted Suki carefully, but had to move quickly to get her off the battlefield.

- Damn... I think that bastard... broke some of my bones with that move. - Suki gritted her teeth from the pain, not to mention the obvious difficulty in breathing.

- Don't talk Suki, just focus on your breathing. - Sokka said, running to Appa, who could be sleeping under the trees.

Using all the experience she had gained on her journey, Katara attacked the mercenary with her water tentacles and tried to freeze her as she had done with her pet, but her opponent was nothing short of an acrobat, not only managing to dodge her attacks, but also fending off her father's friend with ease.

- Katara... we won't be able to beat her at this rate. - Bato said, showing signs of fatigue, along with some bruises on his body from June's whips.

- She's too fast, I can't hit her! - Katara was frustrated, it was obvious to her that the level of her new opponent was too much even for her. If it weren't for Bato's resistance, she would have been defeated by now.

- Katara, you must use all the power you have within you, the sea is on our side, use that advantage! - Bato encouraged Katara, he knew she had the potential to win this battle, but with the few minutes he had been able to see, he understood that his boss's daughter was not someone who would use her potential with hostile intentions.

Katara glanced at the sea, knowing she could use more of the power of water, it reminded her of the woman who killed Haru's father. That Waterbender sometimes appeared in Katara's dreams, her power somehow more authentic than her own, and she thought several times during the night how much it would be worth to trade her human nature for power.

- No! I will win this battle without relying on any of those methods! - Katara told herself, increasing the pressure of her attacks on June.

June was surprised at how much she was pushed to be more serious, it was rare that she had to fight physically, but when she did, she was someone on the level of a fully trained Kyoshi warrior.

- Not bad girl, you'd make a good mercenary. - June smiled, pulled a hidden knife out of her boot, and took up her own fighting position for the first time. - I'm going to be more serious now, I don't want to lose the money from this hunt!

Meanwhile, Jefh was adapting to the fight even faster, his years of experience training with Kai coming to the fore, his speed naturally increasing to the point where he was dodging Zuko and Aang's attacks like a leaf in the wind or lightning in the sky.

Jefh landed a powerful blow to Aang's face, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to the sand almost out of breath. Aang may have great accuracy and mastery in the use of wind techniques, but he was recklessly making a serious mistake in his basic techniques; his skills consisted of self-defense, but the shock of seeing someone else dominate the air was much greater. Aang would normally avoid a fight, but since he had encountered another of his kind, he felt compelled to try to talk to Jefh, but Jefh would not cooperate, and Zuko's insistent attacks did not help a peaceful conversation. This left Aang exposed to a barrage of blows from Jefh and even Zuko, who were much more fit and resistant to hand-to-hand combat than the air nomad.

Jefh had already adapted to Zuko's rhythm, especially his, as he dictated the pace of the fight, and fortunately the Avatar was influenced by the rhythm. Jefh was much more used to Kai's strength and speed; years of training under enormous pressure and fighting something smaller was disappointing and predictable to him.

- Slow, weak and predictable. - I said, putting my hands behind my back and deflecting Zuko's blows with a few movements of my body. - Your technique is well thought out, but I already know it by heart.

- That's impossible, I'm using my uncle's techniques. - Zuko replied, irritated and confused at the same time as he had benefited from his uncle's training and applied it firmly to his fighting base.

- Kai trained me for 7 years, his strength and speed are far superior to yours, it took me longer than I would have liked, but now I know all his moves. - I smiled and kicked Zuko in the knee, another in the stomach and finished with another kick to the chin, knocking him to the sand. - You're at the level of a general, I realize that, but I grew up surrounded by people more powerful than that.

Just as Jefh was about to finish with Zuko, a stone stake went through his leg and shoulder, causing him to lose concentration and turn to see the Earthbender, who seemed to have regained consciousness after the impact.

- Shit... you're more stubborn than I thought. - I whispered, concentrating hard not to give in to the pain I was feeling. With a little care, I could see that the attack had pierced my flesh deeply, but not fatally. - I let my guard down, but it won't happen again.

- Give it up! - Aang said, raising his staff at Jefh with a frustrated look on his face. - I don't want to hurt you, you're bleeding, your fight is over.

- You are very naive, aren't you, Avatar? - I turned to face the annoying monk.

- Aang! Stay back, I'll finish him off! - Haru rebuilt his stone spear, now confident that he could deal a deadly blow.

- Don't do it, Haru! He can't fight anymore! - Aang held out his hand to stop his friend from killing another Airbender, there was so much doubt in his heart that he couldn't let that happen. He had already lost his people once, he couldn't allow another one of his kind to die, not now that he could actually take control of the situation.

- Aang, don't be stupid, he wanted to kill you! - Haru was about to launch his attack, but Aang stood in front of Jefh like a shield. - Aang!

- I won't let another airbender die this time! - Aang raised his voice, something he rarely did, especially in front of his friends.

- You're more stupid than I thought. - I was offended that the Avatar thought he could protect me, how dare he think he can protect me when he can't even protect himself.

- I have no intention of letting another air nomad die, not while I'm here. - Aang turned to Jefh, his face showing the determination in his words, unaware that he was offending Jefh.

- Don't you dare compare me to your kind, Avatar! - I said with contempt, clenching my fists.

Aang's eyes widened in surprise at the cold way Jefh had just spoken. Unconsciously, he took a step back, but when he realized it, he returned to his original position.

- You're an air nomad, just like me! I don't know what you suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation, I can't even imagine. I am a master of the air, I can teach you how our culture works, I can show you a vision of the world far from the corruption and destruction of the Fire Nation. - Aang held out his hand to Jefh, trying to convince him. - We are the symbol of freedom, we represent the winds that flow through the world. The Fire Nation burned and destroyed our home, but we can rebuild it together, please, you don't have to do this.

Haru was a little impressed by Aang's attitude, even Zuko himself tried to stand up, a little affected by the Avatar's words, but he had a bad feeling when he remembered Jefh's opposite opinion of the Air Nomads.

- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! - I couldn't stop laughing, I found it so hilarious that the pain I felt when my flesh was pierced seemed to diminish. - I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I thought you were funny.

- What is so funny? I didn't say anything funny. - Aang was confused, so confused that not even Katara and Bato's battle with the mercenary a few dozen meters away seemed to snap him out of his confusion.

- Do you think I'm being forced to hunt you? - I asked sincerely.

Haru became even more tense at these words, wanting to launch his attack and kill the enemy Airbender, but Aang still insisted on remaining a human shield.

- What I'm doing is my choice, Avatar, I have nothing against the Fire Nation. - I said, thinking about the family I've gained over the years. I could have been an orphan, but I gained an incredible father. Huzo, Ayumi, Zoho,Tizo, Ty Lee, Mai and Azula, they are all my family, I would die for each one of them.

Aang's face turned pale, it was as if something inside him had broken, he couldn't understand what was happening, it didn't make sense why an Airbender wouldn't have some resentment for the massacre his species had suffered.

- It doesn't make sense... - Aang whispered, almost knocking his staff from his hands.

- The Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads 100 years ago, now let me show you what the new Airbenders can do reborn in the flames of those who extinguished them. - The muscles in my arms tensed and I clapped both hands together, making a thunderous sound that made my head explode with pain.

When Jefh clapped his hands together, he created a sonic boom, a sound wave that disturbed the human senses and could even deafen or kill a person from the shock wave. A move created and still being perfected, but the offshoot of Jefh's goal to achieve an offensive state in the overrated Air Bender, a sub-bender within the confines of a bend, virtually impossible to fragment into phases like fire, water or earth.

Next chapter: Reckoning

author's note: I had some medical matters to resolve, I didn't have much time, so I decided to make a longer chapter, until next week.