The calm before the storm was a terrifying thing.

In the entire tribe, anxiety and uncertainty loomed heavily over the quiet afternoon. The sun still shone brightly in the sky. The sound of cracking ice was a telltale sign of the enemy's arrival.

"We're in trouble..."

"We should've escaped on the boats. They could never have caught up with us."

"All we can do is fight and hold out as long as we can."

Morale was low among the waterbenders. Few were ready to lay down their lives for this cause, and others had already come to terms with the possibility of meeting their end.

"Listen, everyone!" All eyes turned to Master Pakku, who stood at the forefront of their defense alongside Niisa.

Niisa, in particular, stood tall on a pillar of ice, making herself visible to all her people.

"I understand your doubts. They outnumber us twenty to one, or maybe even more. This would be a daunting force for any tribe considered mere peasants. But look at them... behind their machinery and their massive armies..."

Fear was evident in the invaders' eyes, and the waterbenders understood it.

"They fear us! They see us as a threat! That's why they want to treat us like they did with the air nomads. But we'll come out on top!"

A glimmer of hope ignited in the eyes of the water soldiers. They looked at their leader with anticipation.

"Remember why you're fighting! It's not for personal victory, revenge, or justice! No!" With a heartfelt shout, Pakku pointed towards the families, the women, the elderly, and the children heading to the shelters. "Let me share a lesson from my father: A true soldier doesn't fight driven by hatred for the enemy. A soldier fights out of love for the people standing behind him. Protecting them with every last breath!"

"Yes!"

"We have to fight!"

"Until the end!"

The old master smiled as he watched his army shout with determination. Their words served as the rallying cry they needed to take that first step into battle.

Niisa descended from her icy pillar and joined Pakku at the head of the army, where a smiling Niisa awaited.

"You certainly know how to inspire an old army," she said, grinning and standing beside him as they observed the enemy's armored ships relentlessly pounding the ice walls. "I hope your old bones can withstand this battle."

"I always manage," Pakku replied, staying calm. The noise grew louder with each passing second. The formidable ice walls that had protected them for so long now cracked under the relentless assault of the enemy's powerful catapults.

"I hope you don't have any regrets," Niisa mused, aware that many would not survive this day, as was the nature of war.

"A few," Pakku admitted calmly. He opened his jacket, revealing a necklace, and took it out, gently unclasping it to reveal an empty pendant. "But it's never too late to make amends."

Niisa fell silent, her astonishment evident as the old master, with black paint on his fingers, marked her forehead with a symbol. The old ways seemed overrated, and this gesture signified the transformation of Niisa into a full-fledged waterbender warrior.

"Is this the first time you are speechless?" Pakku asked mockingly upon seeing the princess in this state for the first time, who responded in the end with a dangerous smile that formed on her face.

"I waited a long time for you to say that master... and it was worth every damn second" muttered the waterbender who turned her attention to the immense wall of ice, which was demolished by the icebreakers of the dozens of fire nation ships that docked.

As soon as the firebenders got off the ships, all hell broke loose in a pitched battle between the two sides.

...

"It's already begun," Sokka, Katara, and the princess stood at a distance, observing the battle. There was no respite in this fierce clash between the two nations. It was clear that the enemy held the advantage in terms of sheer numbers. For every fallen soldier, it seemed like five more were ready to take their place.

But quality always trumps quantity. The waterbenders had a whole environment at their disposal as a weapon: ice and the icy waters that flowed through the canals. A single waterbender could stand their ground against multiple firebenders.

However, the Fire Nation hadn't advanced in this war without reason.

One of the waterbenders had no chance to react when a harpoon pierced his chest, hurling him into a nearby house. He was killed instantly.

The Southern Water Tribe siblings watched in horror as strange metal carts, powered by steam engines, emerged from the enemy ships, launching fire-drenched harpoons indiscriminately.

"Oh my..." Katara felt her stomach churn as waterbenders fell one by one, giving their lives to protect their people.

"Retreat!" Master Pakku had to make a quick decision. They needed to fall back and create formidable ice barriers to slow down those dreadful machines. "Raise more barriers! Don't let them reach the heart of our tribe!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Today, we fight not for victory or glory, but to protect our people!" Shouting a battle cry, the old man pounded his foot, and his forehead veins bulged as he used his bending to raise a large portion of the town several meters into the air, creating a separation between the ships and the townspeople.

But Master Pakku wasn't done yet. With a decisive leap, he descended from the wall he'd created.

"Old man!" Niisa tried to stop him, but he was already facing the enemy.

"Foolish," the Fire Nation soldiers watched in amazement as the elderly waterbender bravely charged into battle against more than three dozen firebenders and three armored vehicles.

"You're a dead man!"

"Show no mercy!"

"Merciless!" The soldiers cried out collectively, launching their attack.

Master Pakku landed gracefully and, with a swift movement of his hands, sent ice stakes shooting up from the ground. A third of the enemy soldiers were impaled by these icy projectiles. The shocking display continued as the deadly stakes were hurled at the armored vehicles, causing significant damage despite their metallic construction.

Racing toward the enemy soldiers, Pakku expertly bent the water around him, forming whips edged with ice. With these, he swiftly dispatched two of the closest soldiers in a masterful demonstration of waterbending prowess.

His triumphant display was abruptly cut short when a harpoon pierced his stomach.

"Master!"

"No, Katara!" Sokka had to forcibly pull his sister away from trying to rescue the old warrior. It was agonizing for the older brother to witness his younger sister's anguish as she cried and struggled, desperately wanting to help Master Pakku, who was facing the hesitation of the firebenders unable to unleash their flames upon him.

Even in his final moments, with the metal spear piercing his stomach, he fought valiantly. He slammed his hands against the ground, causing much of the icy surface to melt. The firebenders were caught off guard as they found themselves sinking into the frozen sea.

"Until the end..." he whispered those last words as the waterbender sank into the sea along with several soldiers and armored machines. The entire tribe witnessed the loss of their legendary master as he disappeared into the ocean depths, taking a significant portion of the enemy soldiers with him.

On the ice platform, the remaining soldiers, led by Niisa, stood in solemn silence, their eyes fixed on the spot where their general had vanished. The atmosphere was heavy with silence, and grief hung in the air.

"..." Nissa clenched her fists until they bled, taking a determined step forward. Her fellow soldiers followed suit, moving with synchronized determination.

"Press on with the attack." Admiral Zhao, aboard his armored ship, showed no emotion, continuing the invasion.

The entire fleet continued its advance. Master Pakku had transformed half the town into water, and many of their soldiers now struggled in the icy sea, facing the risk of subzero waters.

"Sir, we must stop and rescue our soldiers!" A soldier raised his voice, hearing the cries for help from his comrades in the water.

"Throw some ropes over the sides. They can climb up." But Admiral Zhao showed no inclination to halt their advance.

"Sir?" The corporal gazed at his unyielding admiral in disbelief, while the pleas for help still echoed in the water.

"Continue the attack."

"But—"

"Do you have something to say?" Zhao cast a stern glance at the soldier, who immediately lowered his gaze. The other soldiers nearby averted their eyes as well, even as the cries of their fallen comrades persisted.

"..." Iroh didn't utter a word. He simply grabbed a few ropes from the deck and tossed them into the sea. With the help of several others, he extended a lifeline to the struggling soldiers, leaving Zhao to refocus on his objective.

The gazes of Niisa and Zhao locked in an intense, emotion-laden encounter. The battle was far from over.

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PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]