With today being the day of the invasion, I calmly sat at the peak of the temple while observing our surroundings, searching for any signs of the Fire Nation, though I wasn't the only one as we had several people flying through the sky serving as lookouts in every cardinal direction.
Regarding the invasion, we set up multiple defensive positions to block the only path into the temple. Other defensive positions surrounded the entire Temple, but most of them focused on the single path since that was the only way any non-air nomad could enter using normal methods.
Multiple Air Nomads also surrounded the building I was sitting upon; they were meant to protect me in case any attackers happened to slip through the ranks and whatnot. Appa was also among my defensive line, he usually listens to whatever I say, but he's being very stubborn right now, so there is nothing to be done, and I could only sigh in reluctance.
Although the Temple was filled with tension thick enough to be cut through, I kept a calm mind, something even I was slightly surprised at; I was normally a calm person, but this was practically war, and even I expected myself to be slightly nervous given what was at stake.
"Maybe it's because I've known this was going to happen?" Muttered Aang with a raised eyebrow as he gazed at the slightly cloudy sky, only to shake his head.
Since there was nothing to be done except wait for their arrival, I ate breakfast that Monk Gyatso had prepared for me earlier in the morning; there was a little bit too much, but I finished it all anyway as I figured I'd need all the energy I could get. Patting my full stomach, I gulped the cup of water and set it off to the side while I took a deep breath before touching my fists together, meditating until the time for me to act arrived.
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Feeling my palanquin come to a halt, I opened my eyes and gazed at the curtain in front of me, only for it to be opened moments later as I stared at one of my three generals saluting before me.
"Fire Lord Sozin!" Stated Fuze respectfully as he slightly bowed to Sozin, who raised his hand, allowing him to lower his salute.
"Why are we stopping, General Fuze?" Asked Sozin with furrowed brows as he glanced at Fuze, who reached into his armor, retrieving a small scroll, which he handed to him.
"Information about the Southern Air-Temple from our scouts, Lord Sozin." Replied Fuze respectfully as he silently waited for Sozin to finish reading.
As I looked at the scroll, I was a little annoyed at what I read, though overall, it was about what I expected; from the flying lookouts the scouts talked about, our existence will eventually be discovered, and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about that.
'Hmm, we've lost the element of surprise.' Mused Sozin lightly as he finished the scroll, only for it to erupt into flames.
"Continue onward and increase our speed; we will inevitably be discovered, so we shall give them less time to prepare for our arrival. Though remember, do not engage until the signal." Ordered Sozin solemnly as he looked at Fuze, who firmly nodded, only to leave after slightly bowing.
"Yes, Lord Sozin." Said Fuze with a nod as he gave a final salute before his figure disappeared amongst the ranks of Fire Nation soldiers.
With General Fuze's disappearance, the curtains to my palanquin were closed, and I was promptly lifted back into the air. This time, our marching speed had slightly increased.
"Avatar Aang." Muttered Sozin softly with a dangerous glint as he aimlessly stared into space.
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While meditating, I heard Appa roar loudly, causing me to frown as I swiftly stopped what I was doing and opened my eyes, instantly searching for the Fire Nation, yet after a minute of looking, they were nowhere in sight, prompting me to glance down at Appa, only for, Muly, a fellow master air bender to land beside me.
"We've just received word from our Southern lookouts of heavy Fire Nation activity." Stated Muly solemnly as she gazed at Aang, who furrowed his brows.
"How heavy, Muly?" Asked Aang curiously as he looked at Muly, who quickly responded with an unsightly expression.
"They estimate between 5,000 and 6,000 soldiers." Replied Muly softly, her carrying a sense of dread as she clenched her fist.
"… I see. Thank you for the information, Muly." Said Aang with a nod, his words causing her to nod as she left him, returning to her assigned post to calm her raging emotions.
For the sake of the matter, I just assumed six thousand soldiers; if that's the case, which I hope it isn't, we've gotten less than one-third of their number. In total, there are roughly five thousand Air-Nomads, including children; though, as of right now, we only have about sixteen hundred people at this temple, which generally should be enough to repel an attack from invaders; after all, it's no secret that it's easier to defend than to invade. Unfortunately, thanks to the Great Comet, that six thousand will have the power equivalent to six hundred thousand soldiers.
'…We're going to die.' Thought Aang with a pessimistic smile, only for him to lightly slap his cheeks while shaking his head.
"While this is very less than ideal, all we need to do us survive roughly thirty minutes… For thirty minutes, we'll be assaulted with a force equivalent to over half a million firebenders; however, if we can survive the onslaught, I've got no doubt we'll be able to successfully repel them." Said Aang softly with a firm gaze as he rubbed his chin, only to wryly chuckle to himself.
Even when speaking aloud, it still sounded impossible. However, I wasn't going to give up; I would stick with my home and family until the end.
'Haa, but we won't all survive.' Thought Aang with a sad expression, only for him to shake his head and sigh, pushing such thoughts to the back of his mind.
Since we already know which direction the Fire Nation is marching from, they were most likely close to the Temple. Now, it was just a matter of time before the Great Comet appeared overhead, which would signify the start of the battle.
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Unlike usual, time seemed to crawl by, and what felt like multiple hours was only one. Several more minutes passed by, making it seem like it was an hour instead; however, while waiting, out of nowhere, I felt a surge of strength flow through my body, followed by faint heat that warmed my body.
"It's here." Muttered Aang softly as he raised his head and gazed at the sky, his eyes locking onto the burning comet flying through the atmosphere, strengthening every fire bender in the world with one-of-a-kind power.
Feeling such power coursing through my body, I clenched my fists before thrusting them into the air, launching two massive waves of flames that extended for tens of meters, yet, instead of marveling at the power the comet granted me, my gaze hardened. Despite being mediocre at best when it came to fire bending, thanks to the comet's help, I was able to make such powerful attacks; if someone like me could do this, I could only begin to imagine what someone like Sozin was now capable of.
"THE GREAT COMET IS HERE!" Yelled Aang loudly, his voice traveling all throughout the Temple thanks to sound bending, prompting everyone to instantly look up while their gazes hardened.
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We had arrived at the base of the Southern Air Temple over ten minutes ago; as of right now, we were merely bidding out time until the Great Comet showed itself; when it appeared, only then would we invade, and we'd do so with aggression like no other. This would not be a war, but a slaughter, that was my desire.
The minutes ticked by, and before long, the signal we'd been waiting for arrived; feeling a surge of strength and heat course through my body, I stood up and exited the palanquin while gazing into the sky, staring at the burning comet soaring through the atmosphere far above us.
However, before I could command the beginning of the invasion, I heard something like the rumble of an engine that powered our ships, only much louder. Shifting my gaze to the origin of the sound, I looked at the top of the temple, only to see a massive tornado extending into the sky, followed by two stretching out to the sides.
"What?" Muttered Sozin in confusion as he and numerous others stared at the three massive tornadoes floating within the sky.
That wasn't all. Following that, an unbelievably massive spherical vortex—one that I've seen Roku use—enveloped the entire Temple, shrouding it in powerful raging winds.
While this sudden and unexpected development took me aback, it was momentarily; thrusting my fist into the air, I created a wave of fire that got the attention of all my soldiers.
"This battle marks the beginning of the Fire Nation's greatness; every single one of us shall go down in annals of time as the ones who paved the way for greatness the Fire Nation will achieve in years to come!" Stated Sozin loudly, his booming voice unbefitting of his age, igniting the will of his soldiers as they all exploded in roars of triumph.
"And remember… No survivors." Added Sozin solemnly with a hardened gaze, yet even so, none of the soldiers cared and continued to loudly chant.