Chapter 8

Ever wondered how it feels to be hung upside down while there's a fire placed right under you? Well let me tell you it's not pleasant.

"How dare you do this to me! I am the princess of the fire nation." Azula your only making it worse you know. I let out a sigh.

"Look we are only here to learn from the masters and nothing else. Give us a chance, if they don't deem us worthy they can eat us. I am sure they will love our tender meat." I said to the chieftain.

"Outsider you tried to steal our treasure. We will have to punish you for that. If we came a bit later you would have almost made it." The one beside the chieftain replied.

"We didn't really know that that shiny egg was your treasure. Maybe next time don't store it there?"

"You!"

"Enough!" The chieftain silenced us with his shout. "Release them."

"But chief they!"

"I said release them. The masters will judge them and besides it has been some time since they had some snack." The chieftain said while he grined.

With that we were let go from our bindings. The chieftain asked us to follow him. On the way I had to stop Azula from torching him. He led us to a big camp fire. We then ate what they served.

"How did you get to know about the masters?." While I was drinking a soup the chieftain asked me.

"We snuck in the dragon bone catacombs and found about the masters." Hearing my reply Azula looked at me but I quickly gave her a wink behind the chieftains back. Azula also knew about the sun warriors but in the catacombs records they were pronounced dead.

"You and your companion will rest today. Tomorrow you will participate in the ritual." With that we got into our assigned tent. I sent out a quick pulse of my chi to see if someone was spying us and found there were none.

We were awoken by the tribes people in the morning the led us to a huge flame that was burning ferociously.

"This is the eternal flame which was the first fire that the dragons bestowed upon us. It has been burning since the beginning of our civilization. We were taught by the dragons about fire bending. They taught us where fire bending comes from. It comes from the sun and we believe that each of us have a sun in us to fuel our fires."

'Each of us have a sun in us to fuel our fire.' I contemplated this sentence. It means the sun warriors do not rely on the sun for their bending. They believe themselves as the source.

"Your task is to take this fire to the masters and they will judge whether you are worthy or not." Saying so he extended his hands towards the flame and separated a portion of it. He then split it into two flames and gave each of us a flame."You goal is to go to that mountain without the flames going out good luck."

With that we were on our way. Gotta say it's not that hard to maintain the flame to be honest, the key is balance.

"This flame feels like a heart beat." Azula murmured while she was looking at her flame. She was right it pulsates in a constant rhythm giving off a unique feeling. We made it to the twin mountains. The chieftain and most of the tribe was already there. they were preparing musical instruments and some sat in a circle. Some of them lit fires and made a oval shape with them.

"Good you have passed the initial phase of the trial. now walk up to the platform and the masters will judge you. Chanters!"

[Agni Kai Epic version starts playing]

After that we started climbing the stairs. "I really hope all this is worth it. I think these 'Masters' are just a waste of time. You are far better than some random bozos of the jungle" Azula said while she was climbing beside me.

"You will see but remember stay calm and do as I do." After which we made it to the center of the platform. We faced a cave each.

"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire." with that as our signal we each went on one knee and held our fire high up.

"Sound the call!" Then a Huge horn was blown.

"Ah! these savages I can't take this anymore." 

"Just be patient it will...." Before I could finish the caves in front of us began to shake the ground it self began to tremble and then came to a stop.

There was an eerie silence. Just as Azula was about to say something two majestic beings came out of the caves. They were Over 70 meters long, jaws so big that they can fit 5 people at the same time, lustrous scales, One was blue and the other one was red. Their sheer presence seamed to stop our thoughts for a second. They started to circle around us flying while sending gusts of wind towards us.

"Azula quickly do the dancing dragon with your flames hurry!" Saying so I started to perform the dancing dragon move set with the dragons. My fluid movements blended with those of the dragons. Each move caused the chi in my body to circle my body and energize me. I also felt how the dragons themselves moved and how their chi behaved. It was in perfect sync with their body. We continued our dance. Those who looked at us saw how we were in perfect sync with the dragons.

I lost track of time of how long it was but at some point me and Azula were facing each other. We stopped our movement and the dragons too stopped circling. Now we were facing one dragon each. I was facing the red one while Azula was facing the blue one. They were looking deep into our eyes as if our very soul was being judged. My heart was pulsating very fast and at last they moved. The dragons passed us and went under us. They then circled us from under and after a while they were intertwined with the pillar let out two breath of flames which encircled us. It was the most beautiful flame I had ever seen. Color of all shades were present, there was some color of flames I had thought were impossible. The flames themselves felt alive as if they contained the very essence of life in them.

"Beautful!" Azula who was right behind me slowly said. After a minute or so the flames stopped and the dragons then circled us one more time before going back into the caves. I came down While still thinking about those flames. They were unlike anything I have ever seen. They also gave me an idea how I can bend without relaying on the sun. 

"You two have been deemed worthy. You have our respect warriors of the sun." he then gave us a bow. "I have a request for you, please do not mention this place to outsiders." to which we complied. Suddenly the ground began to shake again and a white shadow quickly came out of the caves and came infront of me. It was a dragon, a small one at that. It had white scales and budding horns. The under side of its belly was gray and its eyes were red. The chieftain looked at it first then at the caves."It seems the masters deem you worthy enough to take care of their child. Please take good care of it." And so I gained myself a dragon now if I just knew how to train your dragon. After that we got back on our boat and headed back to the main land.

"What are you thinking about Azula?" 

"I have been lied to all my life." suddenly Azula sprung up and shouted.

"About what?" 

"Oh! Sorry I spoke out loud. Its nothing don't worry about it." Saying so Azula just kept staring off to the ocean. 

I leaving the boats hull for a minute I sat beside her. "You know you can tell me if somethings bothering you."

"Oh and what are you gonna do about it? It looks like I gave you too much freedom just because were friends." She said jokingly. 

"Ok your royal highness. Please forgive this humble ones insolence. Since your royal highness does not like my presence allow me to do you a favor." saying so I pushed her of the deck.

"Ahhh!"

Let me tell you she did not like that. After many apologies and a very good dinner she forgave me. We have been in the sea for the last 3 days we are almost at the border of the capital. My trip this time has been great. I even got myself a dragon companion. I haven't decided on a name yet and for some reason shes been hibernating for the last few days. The chief said its a female. When I get back I will have to think of a name for her. 

"Boom!!" A loud sound woke me up from my thoughts.

3 ships were chasing us and from the looks of it they were not fire nation ships. A giant ball of flaming rock was falling towards our boat. "Azula take the hull I will deal with them." saying so I got out of the cabin. I took a deep breath. The chi in my body was boiling. I punched towards the incoming attack and a crimson flame ball about the size of a basket ball flew towards it. Upon contact it exploded with the bolder. I kept firing fire ball after fire ball and destroyed all the incoming attacks. The ships caught on us and I finally saw who our attacker was. They were bounty hunters but that got me puzzled why were they chasing us? 

"Azula it seems we have to fight." Metal claws latched on to our boat. "Follow me." saying so I climbed onto one of the boats using them. Jumping up I kicked two times knocking out 4 goons with my flames. when got a clear view of the deck I saw more than 30 men armed, some were bending fire and some were bending water. I took a deep breath and let out a dragon breath taking out half of them. Before I could let out another one, one of he goons came close and attacked me with his sword. I side stepped and then hit him in the back with a flaming fist sending him to the fishes. More men closed in on me but before the could reach me a powerful blast of flame sent them to their companion. 

"I will handle the back." Azula then went on to defeat more goons. I was now facing three water benders. They sent three tendrils of water towards me. Thrusting both of my hands up wards I summoned a wall of crimson flame and deflected their attack. I then pushed the wall towards them and it engulfed them. They screamed and quickly jumped into the water. Our battle went on as we defeated foe after foe. People from other ships also came aboard the one we were on. 

"What the hell are you guys doing!! they are just two kids." A buff and bald man with a mustash hauled. 

"But boss the client wants them alive. They are also very strong. We have to go full force at them if we want to win. "

"The client said only the girl needs to be alive kill the boy!"

Hearing this I stopped holding back I took a deep breath and pumped more oxygen into my muscles. My chi flared up and made my internal temperature rise up. The air around me started to get distorted by the heat I was emitting. there were more 50 men on the deck now all of them focused on me. I punched forward sending a fire blast so hot that it directly boiled the water that the benders used and exploded in front of them sending them flying. I back flipped and unleashed and arc of crimson flame taking out another 5. Fire benders sent flames towards me but I just redirected it to the goons that were to my right side. I was about to unleash a helicopter kick but my legs were caught by a water tendril. It was steaming where the water touched me. 

"We have him! benders attack together!" With the bosses voice Many blasts of fire and water whip crashed onto me

"No!" I heard Azula screaming from afar.