A year

After several twists and turns since the upheaval at the Royal Palace, they had finally found a crucial lead in their search for Yin Shu's whereabouts-her hometown, Rah.

But having reached this point, they had no choice but to put their investigation on hold.

The reason was simple: Rah was a remote town in the Fire Nation, and investigating it would require going there in person.

But neither Kahn, Azula, nor Zuko was currently in a position to leave the Imperial Capital. Even Azula could do nothing about it. After a bout of impotent rage, she could only give up helplessly and wait for an opportunity.

And that wait lasted over a year.

The Fire Nation was taking on the entire world single-handedly, and the fighting was now raging, yet back home, people still sang and danced as though all was peaceful. Kahn always found it somewhat surreal.

Amid the war, Ozai had not forgotten to continue stripping Iroh of his power. According to what Azula had overheard, almost an entire crop of commanders in the Fire Nation army had been replaced. Iroh had indeed become a retired old man no one paid any attention to.

But things did not seem to be going entirely smoothly for Ozai either. An admiral named Zhengzheng had defected out of dissatisfaction, and his whereabouts remained unknown, causing quite a stir.

Because of this incident, Ozai had thrown a beaming Iroh out of the Council Chamber, leaving Iroh in unusually high spirits.

Zhengzheng was also one of the Fire Nation's exceedingly few Firebending Masters, as well as an admiral, so presumably he had some connection to Iroh. Unfortunately, when Kahn asked Iroh about it, he merely said a few things Kahn could not quite understand, then smiled without another word. An old hand at speaking in riddles.

Iroh had now successfully transformed from a muscular, imposing general into a kindly old man with a bulging belly. Combined with his gray hair, it meant that when he stood beside Ozai, they looked less like brothers and more like uncle and nephew.

But anyone who thought Iroh had become a harmless sheep because of his appearance could not have been more wrong.

Over the past year and more, Kahn's strength had improved by leaps and bounds, yet he had never won a single sparring match against Iroh.

They clearly used the same moves, with little difference in power, but whenever they fought, Iroh could always effortlessly neutralize his attacks with a smile. Kahn could not find the limits of his strength at all.

This was a Firebending Master. In his understanding of flames and Firebending, Iroh stood at a height Kahn could not currently hope to approach!

What else was there to say? Keep practicing!

The only particularly nerve-racking incident during this period had come around the New Year, when Ozai had suddenly taken it into his head to remember Kahn and made time to summon him, wanting to see the results of Azula's efforts to turn him.

Fortunately, after spending so long with Azula, his acting had improved considerably. With Azula playing along, he had ultimately managed to bluff his way through.

Afterward, he had secretly cursed Ozai for three days and three nights.

Aside from that, life had been fairly uneventful. He deepened his studies of Firebending, learned Chi-Blocking, read books, and occasionally let loose and played. Before he knew it, he was already twelve.

Kori had studied here for less than one school year before the situation around Jade Island stabilized, and her mother eagerly took her back to Jade Island.

However safe the capital was, they were still wanderers away from home there. Jade Island was their home forever.

To be honest, if not for Kori's safety, her mother would have preferred to stay behind with her husband.

Her husband had no talent for Firebending and was just an ordinary man. If fighting really broke out, she was far more capable in a fight than he was.

Kori was one of his few friends, so on the day they left, he personally went to see mother and daughter off. In a rare departure from her usual boyish exuberance, Kori showed a girlish reluctance to part, giving him an unusual sight.

After some teasing and play, much of the sadness of parting dissipated.

Before saying goodbye, they again invited Kahn to visit Jade Island someday, and of course he nodded and agreed.

At twelve or thirteen, the Fire Nation's six years of compulsory education came to an end. Afterward, some would go home to inherit their family businesses, enlist in the military, or work for money, beginning to integrate into society and become a cog in the machine.

Of course, they could also continue their studies at an advanced institution. Although competition was fierce, graduates were guaranteed a respectable job, and it was also the best route into government for commoners.

Kahn had no intention of continuing school. Entering government held little meaning for him, and besides, he moved in royal circles. If he wanted an official post, wouldn't a word be enough?

Most of his classmates were also the children of high officials and nobles, and most had no plans for further study either. Only a small handful of genuine academic stars would choose that path.

The bolder ones would choose to gain some experience as junior officers in relatively safe military units; most intended to go home, follow their parents' arrangements, and live out their lives step by step; the lazier ones would simply go home to eat and idle away their days, enjoying a lifetime of wealth and glory. Everyone had a bright future.

How should he put it? As the saying went, all roads led to Rome, but some people were born living in Rome. Very true to life.

The girl-group trio of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had not changed much. They had merely grown a little taller, a little prettier, and a little stronger-or perhaps more than a little.

Azula's looks, however, were rather hard to sum up.

It was not that she was unattractive. It was just that her unchanging masculine style of dress and awful personality, when compared with Ty Lee and Mai beside her, made the gap immediately apparent.

Kahn had been complaining about this for ages. She would clearly look beautiful if she dressed up properly, but Azula always had an inexplicable confidence. Not only would she refuse to listen, she would start a fight with him every time he brought it up.

Can't afford to cross her. Beyond saving. I'm out.

Zuko, on the other hand, had begun trying to become more composed. Although the results were not very good, he kept working toward that goal.

In his words, now that he was past twelve, he could formally begin studying state affairs and gradually take part in discussions about them. As the future emperor of the Fire Nation, he had to become more dependable than before.

That was what he said, but he still flew into impotent rages whenever Azula provoked him.

Speaking of which, his writing journey had been rather bumpy.

He had grown used to tapping away at a keyboard in his previous life, and writing by hand was truly slow and torturous. But he had finally ground it out, and it had become a bestseller, earning him his first pot of gold in this life. A cause for celebration.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven had once again become a generation's childhood idol, and Kahn had gained a little nationwide fame as well, fulfilling a childhood dream.

But these were merely extra diversions in his colorful life. To survive in this dangerous world, what he valued most was, of course, studying Firebending and improving his strength.

Over the past year and more, Kahn had advanced by leaps and bounds. Not only had he completely mastered every Firebending move, he had gradually woven them into an integrated whole, prompting Iroh to call him a monster. Even Azula fell slightly short by comparison.

Azula, whom Kahn had considered overwhelmingly invincible a year ago, no longer seemed so far beyond his reach.

And as his age and strength increased, that opportunity drew ever closer-

The chance to leave the city and travel.