Avatar: Fire Emperor

"Gong~! Gong~! Gong~!"

The resonant, lingering sound of the academy gong came from outside the classroom, signaling the end of the last class for the day. All the students eagerly stared at the teacher, waiting for him to give the final instruction.

Seeing the expectant eyes below, it was clear they had no mind for studying. The teacher threw the scroll in his hand onto the podium and snorted:

"Class dismissed!"

"Goodbye, Sifu!"

The students stood up, respectfully offered the flame greeting to the teacher, and then, like turtle-ducks just released from their pens, swarmed out of the classroom, heading towards a wider world.

"Class dismissed, class dismissed!"

"Kahn, um, do you want to come play with us?"

"No, thank you."

"Kahn, I heard, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern."

Kahn slowly packed his satchel, skillfully responding to his classmates' concerns. After leaving the classroom under the worried gazes of the children, he couldn't help but sigh:

So troublesome.

What happened to his family had clearly spread to the academy. After he was forced to return to school, this was how things had been.

His classmates' care was undoubtedly a display of kindness and friendliness, worthy of praise and commendation, but he was no longer the original Kahn. Although he had inherited the memories, he couldn't generate deeper emotions.

And to his classmates, Kahn's appearance seemed to indicate that he was still immersed in the tragedy and unable to extricate himself, so they became even more concerned.

Kahn: ?

After packing his satchel, Kahn didn't go home directly but prepared to go to the Royal Fire Academy's library.

It was the largest library apart from the one inside the palace, and it was free for students of the academy. It was where Kahn had spent the most time recently, arguably his only positive impression of the school.

He had been in this world for several weeks now. The most shocking and helpless thing he realized during this time was that the Fire Nation actually implemented a six-year compulsory education system, where children from six to twelve years old were free and required to attend the academy.

Although his unfortunate experience was regrettable, at only nine years old, he couldn't drop out, and was eventually called back to the academy to continue his classes.

How miserable!

However, if one were to talk about misery, the beginning was even worse.

For the first few days, Kahn was completely at a loss and in a flurry, because all the servants in his house had been dismissed.

To conquer the world, the Fire Nation launched a global war nearly a hundred years ago. This war has continued to the present, and in such a situation, the entire Fire Nation's administration serves the war effort.

The parents of this body had both died, and he became an orphan. According to Fire Nation law, he should be taken into custody by the government, and his property should also be temporarily managed by the state, so the maids and guards in the house were all dismissed.

However, Kahn worried that many things, once managed by bureaucrats, would simply disappear.

Just like the lucky festival coins relatives gave you when you were a child.

Fortunately, his now-deceased convenient father seemed to have done well in the military and even knew an important figure who protected him.

"Hey, Kahn!"

Walking on the road, a voice called out to him. Kahn turned his head; it was a burly middle-aged man.

The man had long, gray-white hair, with the front part already bald, but the rest of his hair was still thick. His long hair connected with his large beard, making him look imposing without even trying, full of presence.

If anyone embodied the spirit of a fearsome dragon, it was him.

The man grinned and waved at Kahn, looking very amiable.

Speak of the dark spirits, and they shall appear.

This was the important figure who protected Kahn, Iroh, the former Grand General of the Fire Nation, his convenient father's superior, and most importantly—he was also the current Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.

A very powerful patron to rely on.

As for why Iroh was called the former Grand General of the Fire Nation, it was because he had now been dismissed.

Iroh led the Fire Nation army in besieging Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom, for six hundred days, but never broke through Ba Sing Se's inner defenses.

And after a long siege, Iroh finally breached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, but his only son died on the battlefield.

Overwhelmed with grief, Iroh unilaterally ordered the army to retreat, which also marked an unprecedented defeat for the Fire Nation.

Before this, Iroh had been invincible in his campaigns, feared by his enemies as the 'Dragon of the West.' This defeat shattered his myth of conquest, causing the morale of the Fire Nation military to waver, and greatly boosting the confidence of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, who pursued their advantage and successively reclaimed several lost territories.

The news reaching the Fire Nation Capital also caused an uproar. The Fire Nation, forced by circumstances, had to change its strategy, temporarily shifting from offense to defense, to restore morale.

And so, Iroh stepped down.

And like Iroh's son, Kahn's convenient father also died in this war.

Kahn had only met Iroh twice. The first time was shortly after he transmigrated, when government officials came to temporarily seal his family's property and were preparing to send him to an orphanage; Iroh stepped in and protected him.

The second time was now.

Kahn walked up to Iroh and greeted him:

"Uncle Iroh."

It wasn't that Kahn was deliberately trying to curry favor; Iroh himself had told him to use this address.

The first time they met, Iroh's hair was messy, he looked haggard, and with his gray hair, he looked like an unkempt old man. Kahn, out of politeness, called him 'Grandpa,' which seemed to have dealt him quite a blow.

And after Kahn learned his identity, he addressed him as 'Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince,' but Iroh was not very satisfied with that either, so he directly told him to call him 'Uncle.'

"Long time no see. How do you like academy life?"

Iroh asked with a smile.

Kahn replied, "The library is great."

The rest was meaningless.

Iroh smiled and then teased:

"How come you're walking alone? Don't tell me you don't have friends at the academy? Or are you being isolated?"

No friends? Isolated?

Kahn scoffed:

"I have quite a few friends in class, but I still prefer to be alone. It's quieter alone."

He was telling the truth, but Iroh thought Kahn was putting on a brave front, so he ignored Kahn's resistance of 'My topknot is going to get messed up!' and smiled as he ruffled his hair, feeling a little guilty.

Kahn's father, Tate, had followed him to the battlefield and was one of his few trusted subordinates.

He had always felt guilty about his sacrifice, and coupled with Kahn's mother committing suicide out of despair after Tate's death in battle, Iroh felt he owed it to them, which was why he wanted to take good care of Kahn.

Originally, he hoped that Kahn would interact more with teachers and friends after coming to the academy, and overcome his emotional trauma through socializing with friends, but it seemed things were not going as well as he hoped.

Good thing I have other preparations.

"Children still need to play more with their peers. Everyone learns from each other to grow better. I've brought a friend for you today."

Iroh stepped aside with a cheerful smile, and only then did Kahn notice a small boy hidden behind Iroh's broad body.

Iroh introduced them:

"You two get to know each other. This is my nephew, Zuko. Zuko, say hello."

The boy shyly and politely greeted Kahn:

"Hello, my name is Zuko."