Blazing Crystal

Endless Night: Part 2

I felt awful for leaving you all hanging for so long during those months so I wanted to give you something to enjoy that I've worked on these last few days. It is only a small segment of what I have written already. The section I've been writing has reached over 18,000 words, so I felt that I really needed to break the section into two separate chapters. It's getting super late, and I wanted to publish something tonight, so here is part of what I have been writing. The other part I will hopefully have published by tomorrow once I do some final edits.

I would like to thank those who messaged me to encourage me and give me advice on my writing. As per request by a fan, I did include a song that is not my own. So I would like to state first off that I do not own the song in this chapter. All rights go to disney. If you would like to listen to the song while reading the section, it is from Frozen 2 titled "All is lost." I usually don't like taking songs from other movies to put in my work, but I will make an exception this time since the melody and words fit the scene.

Disclaimer- I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, or the song "All is Lost" from Frozen 2.

Chapter: Endless Night part 2

Zuko POV

My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I headed down the hallway trying not to meet any gaze. The armor I wore was heavy and cumbersome, but I knew I had to keep up my disguise long enough to find information about Crystal. It had been almost two hours since I had left Mingi at the seabank. He let me know that as I had been resting and dozing from exhaustion, he had a messenger hawk land on the boat, to which he was given a message about his mission to rescue my uncle. In return, he wrote a message to tell his men to prepare the hot air balloon for my arrival.

I'd followed the path he'd pointed towards, all the way to the small hot-air balloon he had promised would be waiting for me. With relief, I found as I looked through the night air a fairly large balloon in the middle of the clearing he spoke of waiting to be lit for take off.

Sokka had told me about these balloons one day while we were gathering food. He animatedly retold the tale about his time at the Northern Air Temple. He explained to me how he helped the mechanist finish designing these machines, coming up with the idea of putting a cap on the hole part of the balloon to stop air flow so the machine would lower. He went over with me how it worked in full detail, and at the time I was impressed. Now, I was relieved that he had been so thorough about the device, because his interest and knowledge of technology was about to be our way out.

However, I did feel unsettled by the transportation before me. From the balloon being present within the Fire Nation, it was clear that the firebenders who invaded that day had found the original plans and stole them from the machinist at the Northern Air Temple.

Realizing I was getting distracted, I shook off my thoughts and returned to my mission. Throwing my bag into the wide basket of the balloon, I was relieved when I saw a suit of armor was already on the floor of the balloon waiting for me. Mingi had told me that the balloon would be waiting for me, and that it would contain all I needed to achieve my quest. I was impressed with whoever planned ahead and placed the armor inside. My Uncle's friends were definitely resourceful.

Quickly putting the armor on over my clothing, I made sure the cuirass, tassets, and shoulder pads were on properly. I had not worn Fire Nation armor since leaving Zhao's ship back at the North Pole so long ago. It was as I adorned the heavy material that I realized I didn't miss that side of me one bit. Being restricted and constrained under so much military teaching and royal expectation had truly destroyed my freedom. It was then I was relieved I had joined the Avatar and his friends. I enjoyed the feeling of freedom, and the chance to be myself.