For the next stretch of days, Kahn remained at rest.
Occasionally, he spent ti with Ty Lee and Mai, then returned ho to continue studying bending.
Lightningbending, a high-level technique passed down within the royal family, was imnsely powerful, difficult to master, and inherently dangerous.
Even for him and Azula, progress did not co easily.
Their improvent was steady, but far from rapid.
This was because derivative bending arts such as Lightningbending, Heatbending, and even Waterbending offshoots like Plantbending were not, strictly speaking, complete disciplines.
The Four Arts were complete systems, each with structured training thods and refined applications.
In comparison, derivative techniques fell far short.
They relied less on formal instruction and more on individual discovery.
For so of these techniques, rigid forms were unnecessary.
Lightningbending, for instance, was already dangerous at its core.
Adding complexity would only make it more unstable.
A single clean, decisive bolt was far more effective.
Heatbending was similar.
Infusing, altering, and extracting heat—these three principles alone could produce countless variations.
Anything beyond that was little more than ornantation.
That said, while their progress with Lightningbending was moderate, both he and Azula had grown increasingly proficient at Lightning Redirection.
They could even pass lightning back and forth between them, almost like a ga.
At this stage, while Kahn would not claim to be the strongest, holding his own in internal duels was no longer an issue.
During this period, he and Azula continued searching through records, hoping to uncover more about the Face Mother.
What they found was unexpected.
One docunt suggested that the Face Mother might be connected to the dark spirit known for stealing faces.
The author speculated that they could share a common origin, as their abilities bore striking similarities.
The face-stealing spirit took identities away.
The Face Mother granted new ones.
Yet according to legend, the Face Mother was a benevolent entity aligned with humanity.
The face-stealing spirit, on the other hand, was purely malevolent.
It was difficult to reconcile the two.
If anything, they seed more like opposites.
Still, recalling various myths from his previous world, Kahn found the idea less implausible than it first appeared.
What puzzled both him and the docunt's author was sothing else entirely.
Could spirits—these ancient and eternal beings—reproduce like living creatures?
And if so, how?
Setting that aside, they recorded the information for future use.
anwhile, although his earlier outburst now seed unnecessary, Kahn realized it had caused no real consequences.
With that, he resolved to seek guidance in Spiritbending from Guru Pathik.
This was not only for Azula's sake in finding Ursa, but for himself as well.
Spiritbending, as a power unique to humanity, gave him the faint sense that it might be the most important path he could follow.
Even so, he did not leave imdiately.
The timing was wrong.
Ozai's trust in him was not deep enough to allow prolonged absence.
He needed to remain in place a while longer.
And so, life settled into a familiar rhythm.
He trained in bending during the day.
Spent ti with Azula and the others.
Practiced Spiritbending at night.
Or visited the Spirit World to speak with Iroh and unwind.
Iroh and his group had already departed from the Northern Air Temple.
They were now heading toward the Eastern Air Temple, where Guru Pathik resided.
The current Avatar was an Air Nomad.
Their plan was to search every Air Temple ruin for clues.
This effort had continued for nearly a century without success.
This ti, however, Iroh's group traveled with an army.
Under such conditions, eting Guru Pathik would likely be impossible.
As for Zuko, in addition to training under Iroh, he had begun studying Air Nomad history and records.
He intended to understand every land he passed through.
At the very least, he would not let these years of wandering be wasted.
Kahn nodded to himself.
Zuko seed to be recovering well.
Within the Spirit World, aside from speaking with Iroh, Kahn also began exploring on his own.
He wondered if he might encounter sothing unexpected.
Perhaps even a powerful spirit willing to follow him.
Peaceful days, however, never lasted long.
Before long, Ozai assigned them another mission.
Kahn and Azula exchanged a glance.
They both rose and stretched at the sa ti.
"Ti to move."
This mission once again targeted Iroh's forr subordinates.
From Ozai's perspective, sending both Azula and Kahn ensured success.
It would also strengthen Azula's reputation.
And at the sa ti, force Kahn deeper into his service.
A perfect outco on all fronts.
Kahn had long been prepared for this.
In fact, he had been waiting.
Only by completing Ozai's missions could he gain greater freedom and advance his own plans.
However, this ti, the objective had changed.
The order was no longer extermination.
It was capture.
It seed their previous strategy had worked.
Ozai had taken the bait.
For Kahn, this was good news.
"Though I hate to ruin that hopeful look on your face, aren't you being a little too optimistic?"
Azula cut in coldly.
"Use your brain for a mont and think about what went wrong."
If Ozai believed the plan had succeeded, then Li Dun and the others had indeed been sent to the mines as intended.
They were either still working there or had already died.
If they had been intercepted or rescued, Ozai would never have issued this new order.
Kahn paused, caught off guard.
"…You're right."
"But where exactly did things go wrong?"
Azula shrugged.
"Who knows?"
"You'll have to ask that White Lotus group."
"Weren't they supposed to handle the rescue?"
Then she added with a faintly malicious tone,
"If they couldn't even manage sothing that simple, what have they been doing all this ti?"
"Or maybe they belong to Father as well."
"If that were true, we'd already be dead."
Kahn rolled his eyes.
"And it's the Order of the White Lotus, thank you."
Still, Azula had a point.
He needed answers.
What exactly had the White Lotus been doing?
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