Chapter 2: The Black Fire
Robert woke to the sound of distant thunder—or maybe it was the volcano growling again.
He was lying on a cot in a stone room, heat rippling through the air. His wrists were free now, but he was far from safe.
Two guards stood by the door, their armor gleaming red in the flickering torchlight. When he tried to move, one of them barked, "Stay still. The Princess will see you soon."
"Princess?" Robert muttered, rubbing his temples. "Man, this place just keeps getting weirder."
Moments later, the temperature seemed to shift. The air thickened. Then she walked in.
Golden eyes sharp as blades. Jet-black hair tied in a perfect bun. The calm confidence of someone who had never lost control of anything in her life.
Princess Azula.
"So," she said, circling him like a predator, "you're the mysterious boy who appeared near our training grounds. And they say you conjured fire... black as soot."
Robert blinked. "I mean, it just happened, I didn't—"
"Show me," Azula demanded.
Her tone wasn't angry—it was curious, coldly fascinated. "Now."
Robert hesitated. "You sure? I don't even know how it works."
Azula smirked. "If you truly have the gift, it will obey you. Fire is born from willpower."
He took a deep breath, feeling the pulse of heat deep inside his chest.
He focused. The air around him shimmered. His palms began to glow—not orange, not red—but deep violet, shifting to black fire edged with blue lightning sparks.
The guards stepped back, shielding their faces.
Azula's eyes widened—just for a second. Then her grin spread.
"Incredible," she whispered. "I've never seen anything like it."
The fire faded, smoke curling around Robert's fingers. "See? I told you. I don't know how I did that."
Azula leaned closer, her gaze intense. "Oh, but I can help you understand it. Together, we could turn that power into something unstoppable."
He frowned. "You mean like... training?"
Her smile turned razor-sharp. "More than training. I could make you legendary."
She began pacing slowly around him, her words smooth like silk hiding a blade.
"You could rule beside me. The Fire Nation is destined to bring order to the world—and with flames like yours, no one could stand against us."
Robert's stomach tightened. He'd just died in one world. He wasn't about to destroy another.
"Yeah, see… I'm not really the 'taking over the world' type," he said. "No offense."
Azula's eyes narrowed, her voice turning cold. "Pity. I thought you were smarter than that."
Suddenly, her hands flicked.
BOOM!
Blue fire exploded across the room, and Robert reacted on instinct—his black flames burst out to meet hers.
Blue and black collided, spiraling into a storm of shadow and light. The heat cracked the stone walls. The guards stumbled back in terror.
When it was over, both stood panting—Azula with a grin of pure thrill, Robert with eyes wide in disbelief.
Azula's tone softened, but her gaze burned hotter than her fire. "You will learn to control it," she said. "Whether you want to or not."
As she turned to leave, the torches flared, casting her shadow long across the walls.
Robert stared at his hands, the smoke still curling between his fingers.
"Man," he muttered. "First I die, now I got a princess trying to turn me into a weapon. My life just keeps getting crazier."
But deep down, a spark of something darker stirred in him—
the black fire whispered, tempting, hungry.
And somewhere in the palace halls, Azula's voice echoed softly to herself:
> "Black fire… mine to command. Or his to burn the world."