"…You're saying Mother might have run off with her forr lover?"
After hearing everything Kahn had uncovered, Azula's expression twisted into sothing hard to define.
"Well, it's not exactly that—and it's not the important part," Kahn said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
Talking about rumors surrounding a friend's mother—especially to that friend—made him so uncomfortable he felt like he could claw a tunnel into the ground just to escape.
"What matters is the existence of the spirit known as the Mother of Faces. She might know sothing, or she may have even helped directly. If we could just et her…"
"But we don't have the luxury of relying on luck like that," Azula cut in sharply.
According to Misu, the Mother of Faces only appeared in the Valley of No Return once every season, aning there were only four chances a year to encounter her.
Whenever she descended, strange mask-like markings would manifest across the plants and animals in the forest.
At that ti, her spirit wolf would choose one of the three lakes hidden in the forest at random, stopping there briefly to drink.
The Mother of Faces would appear there as well, lingering only for a short mont.
If soone happened to choose the correct lake and encounter her, they could ask for her help.
Otherwise, once the spirit wolf finished drinking, she would vanish without a trace.
The entire process lasted only a few minutes.
In other words, each season offered only a window of re minutes—and that was assuming one chose the correct lake, since the distance between them made it impossible to check all three in ti.
The difficulty of eting her was obvious.
Neither of them had the patience of people like Misu, nor any desire to gamble everything on blind chance.
But after hearing Kahn's explanation, Azula imdiately began devising a series of bold ideas.
"What if we burn the entire forest down, leaving only the three lakes?"
"Then no matter which one she appears at, we'd spot her instantly."
"And if the lake is her dwelling, what happens if we 'knock' directly?"
"Absolutely not."
Faced with Azula's outrageous proposals, Kahn could only admire her creativity for a mont before shutting it down imdiately.
"Do you think spirits are so kind of simple wish-granting machines? They have wills of their own."
"If we did that, all we'd accomplish is provoking her. Not only would we get nothing, but whether we'd even survive would beco a question."
"Hmph. No matter how powerful she is, could she stand against a fleet of warships?" Azula scoffed, clearly irritated.
If this were a matter involving people, she could think of countless ways to pry information out of them.
But this opponent was an incomprehensible spirit, completely outside her domain of understanding.
She hated situations she couldn't control.
Still, while she didn't know how to deal with spirits, there was clearly soone present who did.
"So, do you have a plan, Mr. 'Bridge'?" she asked, turning to Kahn.
"I do have an idea, but it'll take ti—and I haven't fully worked it out yet," Kahn replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
As a spiritbender, even without eting the Mother of Faces directly, he could still sense the traces she had left behind in the Valley of No Return.
Unlike ordinary people like Misu, who relied purely on luck, he could potentially detect signs of her approach in advance using spiritbending.
That way, he might be able to pinpoint exactly where she would appear.
However, even with that advantage, it still wasn't enough.
After all, she only descended once each season, and the chances were still too slim.
Kahn believed that spiritbending, as one of the oldest ways humans had ever communicated with spirits, couldn't be limited to passively waiting for their appearance.
There had to be more advanced techniques—thods that allowed direct communication.
With that in mind, his plan beca clear.
He would continue to deepen his mastery of spiritbending until he could actively reach out to spirits himself.
Then, he would negotiate directly with the Mother of Faces.
While training would also take ti, it was far more productive than waiting aimlessly.
At the sa ti, it would strengthen his abilities and place the initiative firmly in his hands.
A solution with multiple benefits.
Of course, it wasn't without risks.
The issue that had been weighing on his mind resurfaced once more.
Guru Pathik—the only person in the world who could guide him further—possessed an almost unsettling awareness of all things.
Kahn's true origin was his greatest secret.
If it were exposed, what would the consequences be?
On his journey back, he had been turning that question over in his mind.
The most significant impact would likely be on his relationship with Iroh.
After all, their bond had been built on the belief that Kahn was the son of one of Iroh's fallen comrades.
If Iroh were to learn that his comrade's son had died long ago—and that he had instead been caring for a stranger all this ti—
Kahn couldn't predict how he would react.
At best, given their years of companionship, Iroh might simply sigh and laugh it off.
At worst, while Iroh would never turn hostile, it wasn't impossible that they would drift apart as strangers.
As for the others… the impact didn't seem as severe.
His assud identity may have been what first brought him into their lives, but it wasn't the reason they stayed.
If anything, it had often been a barrier.
Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee might be shocked by the truth.
But it was unlikely to shatter their bonds.
Of course, these were only optimistic assumptions.
No one could predict how things would truly unfold.
As for Azula…
There was no point trying to guess her reaction.
If her attitude toward him changed because of it, then so be it.
He wouldn't stay just to suffer.
He could just as easily walk away and travel the world alone.
In the end, the only reason he was even considering all of this was to help her uncover the truth behind Ursa's disappearance.
As for whether his existence as soone from another world would affect the balance of this one…
In a world filled with bending, spirits, strange creatures, and the Avatar, he decided it was best not to overestimate himself.
Having reached that conclusion, Kahn felt a rare sense of clarity.
Looking at Azula beside him, he suddenly spoke.
"Azula… there's sothing I've been keeping secret. And today, I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Azula blinked, caught off guard.
Kahn continued, "I'm not originally from this world. My soul cos from sowhere else."
"…What?"
Azula stared at him in confusion, then seed to piece sothing together as her expression shifted instantly.
She reached out and pressed a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature.
"You don't feel hot… Did you eat sothing strange on the way back? Sothing that sses with your head?"
"…I'll call for a physician."
"…No. That won't be necessary. I'm fine," Kahn replied helplessly.
Co to think of it, even if he told the truth, whether anyone would actually believe sothing like that was another matter entirely.
User Comments
0 comments from readers