The Dynasty

2 months earlier...

Pov: Ozai

It's been over a month since I last saw Kai, and the reports of his actions are more intriguing than I expected. From what I've been told, he has begun to awaken the powers of soldiers who would be easily disposable to our nation, finally giving them something of importance. 

After interacting with him for a few months, I was surprised at his initiative to use his almost miraculous powers in this way. 

Inevitably, his connection with my bastard son could be reversed due to his unusual abilities, and he could be associated as a person blessed by the spirits. Of course, this is very beneficial for my image, but I can't deny that I was very curious about the origin of his unique ability

These thoughts dominated my mind, even now at the event I was attending with my heirs and my meddling brother.

I was in a theater on the third floor, the most luxurious in the place. Azula was sitting next to me, watching the show without any reaction, while Zuko seemed to be lost in thought. Iroh was behaving as usual, trying to get drunk on tea.

The royal family's booth was positioned to give them a perfect view of the show, and of course so that the other nobles could admire the presence of royalty.

The show focused on how Fire Lord Sozin led a counteroffensive against the merciless Nomads of the Air, reminding everyone who enjoyed it of one of the reasons the war had begun.

Azula, in particular, liked to enjoy the shows, but also to feel the thrill of being above the heads of many who were present, something that is firmly rooted in her soul, even with Kai's influence on her spirit

The show went through various parts of how Sozin and his army rid the world of the hypocrisy of the Air Nomads, and how the Avatar, the ultimate warrior, cowardly fled the sovereignty of fire.

I was enjoying a good wine, tasting it calmly, taking advantage of the fact that the presentation would soon be over. One of my guards approached me, knelt down and handed me a parchment. 

Normally, I would ignore any non-urgent political matters on such occasions, but when I saw the symbol that came with it, I couldn't help but frown in anger when I realized that it was an insignia of the Wise of Fire.

When I read the letter, I was a little surprised by what it said it was an invitation to a discreet meeting with one of the fire sages, named Fozi. The reason I was surprised was that it was rare for these old men to leave their spiritual island, so for one of them to come might have been something more important than their daily prophetic nonsense. 

When the play ended, applause could be heard from every seat except the royal family, of course Iroh was an exception to the rule. While all the nobles walked to their carriages to go home, others wanted a chance to talk to a member of the royal family to arrange business deals and of course marriage proposals for some of the heirs.

The royal family, on the other hand, had a private route that wouldn't slow them down, and they could pass discreetly by the nobles. 

- Azula and Zuko, I have to attend a last-minute meeting. - I say, stopping to take another route through the corridors.

- So short notice. - Azula said in surprise.

- Dad... can I come with you? - Zuko asked hopefully. 

- No, it could take a while. - I said seriously and turned my eyes to Iroh. - Iroh brings Zuko to the palace. 

- Well done, Fire Lord Ozai. - said Iroh calmly and put his hand on Zuko's shoulder to comfort him.

- What about me, Father? - Azula asked, realizing he wasn't allowed to leave.

- You're coming with me. As a princess, you must have experience in all matters pertaining to our nation. - I replied, turning toward the room mentioned in the letter.

- Of course, my father. - Azula said with a smile on her face.

Though Azula's mind has undergone a great change, she still instinctively seeks her father's love, though her focus is more on having Kai's attention in her heart.

Passing through the luxurious corridors decorated with gold, Ozai and Azula entered a large room with an old man with a walking stick in the center. This man was clearly a Fire Sage, as his traditional clothing and the symbols he carried reinforced his religious status.

The room had a center with coals that were boiling from the heat, but they weren't out of control, but their flames were contained by elemental domination.

Azula was the most surprised, for although she had seen a Fire Sage before, this was the first time she had seen one outside of her island.

- Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula. - Fozi bowed to them both. - Thank you for granting my request for this meeting, but I thought it would be just you? 

- Azula is my daughter, she is mature enough to understand her duties and the need for confidentiality in meetings. - I answer seriously. - So what is the nature of this meeting?

- I asked for this meeting to talk about Kai! - Fozi said seriously.

- Has something happened to him? - Azula asked worriedly. 

- No, no, Princess Azula, I'm here to discuss something very important about him. 

- I'm not interested in your comments about his heritage. - It angers me to think that this is another attempt to get rid of my bastard son.

- Lord of Fire, I apologize for my bad language. I have come here to inform you of what we fire sages have discovered about Kai's past. - Fozi said, trembling at the Fire Lord's irritation.

When these words came out of the sage's mouth and reached Ozai's ears, his attention was completely focused on the subject. Azula couldn't help but be surprised; even though she had Kai's memories, she knew nothing about his family. 

- I want you to see this scroll. - Fozi passed into the Fire Lord's hands.

Looking at the parchment, I noticed that its seal with the Fire Nation's emblem was old, quite old. As I opened it, I quickly realized that the paper was fragile, so I was careful not to tear it. As my eyes gazed at the images, I was stunned for a moment, and as I looked at each detail, I noticed a strangely familiar figure standing out.

- Kai... - I whispered his name because of the strange feeling of familiarity. - How old is this scroll?

- This parchment is a copy of an even older one, followed by another, a piece of information passed down over a long period of time. - Fozi said seriously. - When we found out about Kai's unique ability to awaken the elemental powers within a person, I remembered a story my grandfather told me a long time ago.

- Answer me, how old is this story? - I asked.

- This information belongs to records that go back more than 9,000 years. 

As Fozi recounted the age of the records, Ozai and Azula's eyes widened in amazement. Azula herself was eager to see the parchment in her father's hands. 

- That's not Kai. - I said, looking at the pictures again, but doubting my words. 

The pictures showed a man with white hair and red eyes, and next to him was a dragon with huge white scales. The pictures, though worn, showed an imposing figure, a ruler and a warrior. The most interesting thing in Ozai's eyes was that this white-haired man was fighting another man who had the four elements of nature around him, the Avatar. 

- Who is this man? - Azula asked curiously, her golden eyes studying the images. 

- The White Emperor, one of the first kings of the Fire Islands, or the first king. - Fozi said seriously, noticing the disbelief of the royal family in front of him. 

- Wait, if this man is so important because he defies the Avatar or is the first king of our nation, why did I never know his story? - I asked, my curiosity overwhelming me. 

- The Avatar made a point of erasing that part of history from our culture, there is almost no record of the White Emperor. - Fozi commented with disgust. - We don't know much from the images alone, but the coincidences are too great to ignore. Fire Lord Ozai, you can see that Kai is a descendant of the first kings who formed the Fire Islands.

The words of the old sage echoed in my mind and made me think of Katsu, of those scarlet eyes that were seductively terrifying. I wondered if she knew about his lineage, knowing his personality, it's likely that she did.

- I can guarantee that Kai doesn't know that. - Azula said confidently.

- How can you be so sure? - I asked.

- Kai and I have a good relationship, believe me, there's no secret between us. - Azula said with great confidence, but she seemed a little embarrassed. 

- Fire Lord Ozai, I believe you have an interest in young Kai's lineage. - Fozi said with emotion. - Right now, I can't show you anything, but if you could come to the island of the Fire Sages, we could find out more about Kai.

I watched it with curiosity, this story about the White Emperor really caught my attention, especially his depiction challenging the Avatar, someone strong who isn't bound by the rules of the world.

- Excuse me, but I need a favor. - Fozi asked, bowing, afraid not to offend his king. - A strand of Kai's hair.

- A strand of hair? - Azula asked, clearly surprised by the unusual request.

- You will understand when we meet again, Your Highness.

A few days after their meeting with Fozi, who had piqued the curiosity of the royal family, Ozai and Azula made an incursion to the Isle of Fire. Both decided to treat this meeting as something discreet, an extremely important secret related to the ancient and current formation of the Fire Nation.

My curiosity about the White Emperor, his methods as a king, whether he was capable of fighting the most powerful being in the world, made me envious of his power, and now I had a descendant of his under my control. For the first time in my life, I saw someone like a rival, and it made my blood boil. It was depressing that he was dead, or that his story was almost lost.

As Ozai and Azula entered the massive tower, the Sages of Fire led them underground. The place was lit by hundreds of candles, giving it a strange atmosphere for the notions of royalty. 

- Thank you for dedicating your time to this ritual, Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula. - said a sage of fire.

- Did you bring Kai's hair? - asked Fozi, who was standing next to the Master of the Ritual of the Wise.

Azula approached the elders and handed them a small jar with a lid containing a few strands of white hair that obviously belonged to Kai.

Opening the jar, the sage gently took the strand, as if it were a rare jewel in his eyes.

- Lord of Fire Ozai, as patriarch of the royal family, I ask you for a strand of your hair. - Another wise man said in a deeper voice.

As much as Ozai wouldn't tolerate such a thing, his curiosity overwhelmed him to see how far his answers could go. Azula, on the other hand, had no faith in how his answers could be answered by a magical ritual or whatever.

Ozai gave a single strand of his hair to the Fire Nation sages and joined Azula to wait for the ritual to begin. 

Each of the elders began to speak in an unknown language, some of them dancing in front of the eldest sage, who held each strand of hair in each hand, kept his eyes closed, and whispered something earnest. Minutes passed until each strand of hair glowed with different colors. Ozai's hair glowed a fiery orange and Kai's a sky blue, almost white. 

- The ritual is complete! - Fozi said with excitement in his voice. - Fire Lord Ozai, every strand of your hair is connected to your ancestral line.

- What do you mean by that? - I asked, watching the strange phenomenon in front of me. 

- We can learn much more about the past if we find out who your ancestors were. We'll see a line that shows the genealogical roots of your family. - Fozi simplified. - This would make it easier for us to discover and document who is legitimately related to your blood.

- So why do you need my hair? 

- We wanted to show Your Highness the veracity of the ritual, the closer to the desired lineage, the more accurate the visualization, even being able to see one's own future descendants. - Said a Fire Sage who seemed out of breath. - It's a ritual that's been out of use for a long time, but it's an opposite variation of the ability to visualize the future that some legitimate seers have.

The elder, holding each strand of hair in his hand, carefully raised his arm, causing the small strand of light-wrapped hair to float through the air until it began to expand in flames, revealing a flaming image of Ozai.

- Incredible... it looks like magic. - Azula seemed mesmerized by the phenomenon in front of her eyes.

- [Interesting, maybe wise men aren't a waste of time after all.] - I thought, impressed, but without showing any reaction. 

Ozai's flaming image flashed again, revealing two familiar figures, one being Azula and the other Zuko. Naturally, this pleased the Wise Ones, who were confident that the ritual was working according to their plans.

Instead of continuing as expected, the flaming figures retreated to reveal the figure of Azulon and Ozai's mother. Then, once again, the flames returned next to Ozai's imposing image to reveal a younger Iroh beside his son. This continued, revealing various ancient lineages of the royal family, until at a certain point the flames collapsed and disappeared as if they had never existed.

As awe-inspiring and mystical as it was to see the entire royal lineage in every generation of the Fire Nation, one thing was missing. The ritual didn't recognize Kai as the heir to the royal family.

Azula was confused in her heart, unable to understand what had gone wrong. Ozai, on the other hand, was the most perplexed, unable to think for a moment. 

- [Wait... the ritual was extremely accurate in revealing the people and branching lineages of other families that joined the royal family, but it didn't recognize Kai as my son. That means he has no blood. ] - This thought weighed on Ozai's heart for a moment, as Kai had rightly earned the respect of the merciless Fire Lord. - [Katsu... were you lying? What did you want anyway?]

- Wait... something's wrong. - Azula had confusion and disbelief in her voice. - Why didn't Kai show up? 

- Kai doesn't have my blood. - I replied seriously, staring at the strand of Kai's hair glowing in the elder sage's hands.

Ozai replayed Katsu's image in his mind several times, it could be said that even though she was dead and everything that happened had to do with Kai, he still felt love for her, even if he didn't know it. 

- [Did Katsu, even on his deathbed, decide to play his last trick on me? Why would he tie my fate to that of his son?] - My mind ached to think of a clear answer for me.

I couldn't help but remember why Katsu had caught my attention at the party, it was because of her rebellious and sarcastic personality. Was this all a big plan of hers just to mess up my life?

- Show Kai's lineage. - I commanded, wanting to get to the end of the story. 

The sage lifted the other strand of hair and repeated the same process, the flames taking on a white color, a beautiful color in anyone's eyes. His form soon took the shape of Kai with his eyes depicted as red flames, but something seemed different, instead of an 11 year old, he resembled an adult of over 20.

- Hmmmm... is that Kai? He looks like an adult. - Azula commented in surprise, almost wanting to touch the flames.

- Couldn't that be the White Emperor? - I asked one of the elders.

- Hard to say... - the eldest whispered.

- It's Kai! I can feel it. - Azula said with certainty, not understanding the reason for his statement.

Some didn't understand how the princess could be sure of her words, but decided to keep quiet when they saw the flames take over the adult Kai. The flames split into six small figures in the shape of children with scarlet eyes, each showing a unique personality through the flames.

- They must be his children. - Fozi said, scratching at his old beard. 

- So many? He must have become a very active person. - An elderly man said sarcastically, not noticing how annoyed Ozai looked at the joke.

The flames returned to Kai and moved towards him, forming a female figure for a moment. Ozai recognized the figure immediately, but to his surprise, Katsu's form expanded wildly, burning almost everyone near the center.

- Watch out! - shouted one of the sages who threw himself to the ground to avoid the flames.

- For the spirits! - said another sage, his hand burned by the sudden explosion.

Everyone turned towards the center, wary of another explosion of flames. Contrary to what they had expected, Katsu's form was replaced by a huge dragon that covered Kai and the children protectively. The draconic creature had scarlet eyes that made everyone feel the greatest fear even if they didn't look in its direction.

- A dragon? - said Fozi, unable to avoid looking at Ozai.

There was confusion in everyone's eyes, but it was nothing compared to the surprise Ozai felt. Dragons were creatures that were hunted for sport and for the legends that lived in their history. 

As contradictory as it was, dragons were not hunted out of fear, but for honor and glory. Legends said that hunting a dragon gave the warrior the title of "Dragon" and increased his power by the equivalent of a thousand doublers, a power equal to that of the Avatar.

Ozai knew the legends that accompanied dragons, and the enormous power they held. He would have loved to defeat a dragon like his brother Iroh, but the thought of killing Katsu, even with this revelation, sickened him. 

Azula looked frightened; Kai's mixed memories had never revealed his mother's true nature. For her, Katsu was hiding a secret too important to simply ignore.

The flames began to expand, forming three more dragons of different sizes and unique shapes, keeping the raw revelation in the eyes of those present. The image of these four dragons was terrifying and imposing, causing some sages to fall to their knees in awe. 

- The largest dragon. - I stared earnestly when I saw the 4th dragon, the most robust of them all. - That's the White Emperor.

- How can you be sure, Father? - Azula asked, still mesmerized by the magnificence of the dragons. 

- Intuition. - I replied, feeling my blood boil with emotion. Just seeing the imposing dragon made it easy to know who the infamous White Emperor was. 

- It seems they can transform into human form. - One of the sages said with happiness all over his face. - This means that there might be more dragons hiding. 

- I don't think so. - Fozi commented analytically. - These dragons are not the same ones we worship. These are depicted with white scales and red eyes... look at their shapes, they're elegant, like...

- Royalty. - I added. - They look like kings and queens.

- So Kai is a dragon. - Fozi said, still processing the information in his mind.

The images of the dragons began to glow and spread across the ceiling of the basement, forming different constellations and stars, some shining brighter than others, but not as bright as the image of the sun, which shone brighter than any star could compare to.

- The sun? Why is it here? - asked the youngest sage of the group. 

- Isn't it obvious? Dragons are the first firebenders, and the sun is our source of power. - said the older sage in a grandiose way. - These white dragons are the children of the sun, the living embers of our culture.

Ozai watched with admiration in his eyes, listening to every word the fire sages said, unable to disagree with any of them, knowing that this time they were right.

- Wait a minute! Look at the picture of Kai! - Azula said. 

Everyone's attention turned to the still image of the adult Kai and noticed that a change was taking place in his form, his features became older without his skin becoming wrinkled, his eyes glowed intensely red, his skin became darker and his hair turned golden.

The sudden change left everyone confused, not understanding the real reason for the drastic change in Kai's form, giving the impression that he wasn't the same person anymore. For some reason, the temperature in the room rose considerably, causing everyone to gasp.

- What? The temperature is rising! - said a wise man drenched in sweat.

- Dad, I think we'd better get out of here. - Said Azula, who was in the same situation as everyone else with the enormous heat they were exposed to. 

The image of Kai began to move its head, its eyes leisurely scanning the room, only to return to its hands as if confused by its shape. Of course, this wasn't overlooked; some ignorant elders tried to extinguish the flames of the ritual, but quickly realized that their bending ability had been nullified.

Ozai and Azula were overwhelmed, clearly feeling that their elemental bending had been weakened or no longer existed in their souls, as if they had been forcibly taken or returned to their point of origin.

- This is unusual, I didn't expect humans to know about the Heavenly Ember Ritual. - The golden figure said. - I would have preferred to be summoned in my original form.

Everyone was astonished by the imposing and calm voice of the golden figure. In reality, all the elders and the royal family felt compelled to kneel before the mysterious being.

As much as Ozai felt his instincts screaming about the danger ahead of him, the reality of his arrogance and his honor as a fire lord didn't make him give in compared to most. 

- Who are you? - I commanded, but I felt my throat dry up from the heat I was feeling and I clutched at my throat to calm the pain.

The creature stared at Ozai for a moment, seemingly interested in his composure or the courage to command in his presence. For a moment, its gaze drifted to Azula, sensing something familiar about her, some past or future connection it couldn't remember, but somehow it felt drawn to her.

Azula was intimidated by the golden being's gaze, but gradually she felt comforted, as if she had nothing to fear, a familiar and quite common feeling for her, and she couldn't understand why. 

 The golden figure took a few steps towards the royal family and stood a few steps away from Ozai and Azula, crossing his arms as if he was interested or willing to listen to a servant's pleas.

- You asked my name. - The golden being spoke as if the answer was obvious. 

All the elders, kneeling in awe, raised their heads in fear, but willing to listen to the next words of the most powerful being they had seen in their long lives.

- I have many names, I am the one who came before the Mother of Faces herself, the one who rules from dawn to dusk. I have been called many names, such as Spirit of Light, God of Fire, or as I have been described for the last 50,000 years, Sun. 

Next chapter: The Sun