"What?!" Kugo, Morizhito and Huaiying reacted in shock.

Kugo had just turned to Nidoria as he heard her asking if she wanted herself and her family to travel all over the world. He ran towards her, Morizhito and Huaiying, to join in the conversation.

"You want us to go around the world?!" Morizhito asked.

Nidoria nodded. “Yes. I want to travel around the world, so that I can learn about different cultures, and especially combat skills and bending abilities. I want you guys to go with me, so that you won't worry about me and because it will help Kugo become the Protector.”

Morizhito let out a nervous laugh. He shook his head. “No. We can't do that, Nidoria,” he said.

“Why not?” Nidoria asked with a disappointed and sad look.

“It would take years before we finally explored the whole world. Mom and I might even die by the time we finished doing that,” Morizhito said.

“Yeah! And travelling for a super long time is gonna be so—” Kugo slouched with a bored expression. “— boring.”

Nidoria sighed as her head lowered in sadness. “Right. You have a point, dad and Kugo.”

“Yes,” Morizhito said. “We have a point.”

“Why would you ask such a thing?” Huaiying asked.

“And why would exploring the world help me become a Protector?” Kugo asked Nidoria.

“Like you, I want to be a Protector. Not just because I want to help the Avatar, but because I want to stand up for myself and others, do the right thing and save people with a smile on my face,” Nidoria explained. A warm smile and a slight blush appeared on her face. “And all this… was because of someone I met earlier.”

Morizhito and Huaiying could notice a slight blush on Nidoria’s cheeks. Something came to their minds, but they decided not to bring that up. Instead, Huaiying spoke of a slightly different topic.

“When I was training to become a Protector, I learned how to be one in a secret island, located in the middle of the largest ocean,” she said with a smile. “It's called ‘Protector-Training Island.’ When I trained there, I had to stay there until I graduated. Not unless I had work studies and internships.

“Nidoria…” Huaiying turned to Kugo. “...Kugo, if you really want to be Protectors, you have to stay in the Protector-Training Island and never leave it until you graduate, unless you have work studies and internships. It's a bit risky, but will you be willing to do it?”

Kugo nodded immediately. “Yes! If that's what it takes to be a Protector, then—” He made a forward punch with his right fist. “—I'm all in!”

Then, Kugo, Morizhito and Huaiying turned to Nidoria to hear her answer.

Nidoria went into deep thought. She knew it was risky to go to Protector-Training Island and stay there for a few years or more, but she also knew that it was the only way to learn how to become a Protector. After a few moments of deep thought, she turned to her parents and younger brother with a confident smile. “Yes. I will go to that island with Kugo.”

“Yes!” Kugo said, jumping for joy with his fists in the air.

Morizhito and Huaiying smiled at her children.

“And also…” Nidoria spoke.

“Hmm?” Morizhito, Huaiying and Kugo responded as they listened to what Nidoria was about to say.

“Can we invite our friends on our journey?” Nidoria asked.

The only response she received were dreadful expressions from her parents, and joy and happiness from Kugo.

“This is gonna be hard,” Morizhito said. “Are you sure you want us to do it?”

Nidoria nodded. “Yup. We need support to help us become Protectors.”

Morizhito went into deep thought. After a few moments, he nodded. “Okay.” He turned to Nidoria. “We'll do it tomorrow.”

Nidoria nodded in reply. “Okay.”

———————————————————

The next day…

Nidoria and her family walked outside their house after they had eaten breakfast, brushed their teeth, taken baths and dressed up in their usual outfits.

Nidoria was wearing her green shirt with slightly dark brown pants and deep dark brown boots. Kugo was wearing his eco green shirt with brown shorts and brown slippers. Morizhito was wearing green shirt with a pine green robe, dark green pants and brown shoes. Huaying was wearing her green dress that laid up until the middle of her legs with a hazelnut belt and brown flats.

After Morizhito locked the door with his keys, he turned to his family with a smile. “Alright, guys. Let's start with the one who lives closest to us, then end with the one who lives farthest from us. And we all know the first person will be—”

“Kugo!” a young male voice intervened.

Everyone in the family turned to see where the voice came from. A boy with fair skin, green eyes, black straight hair, pale green shirt, green pants and brown slippers came running towards them. More specifically Kugo.

Kugo flashed a big smile on his face. “Zeno!” he said as he ran his way towards him.

Kugo and Zeno shared a brief hug before shaking hands. “It's great to see you again, Zeno!” Kugo exclaimed with a smile.

“You, too, Kugo!” Zeno said, smiling at him back.

Nidoria let out a chuckle at the moment. Morizhito and Huaiying had smiles on their faces.

“Anyways, wanna hangout in my house?” Zeno asked Kugo.

“Actually…” Kugo said. “...there's something we need to talk to you and your family about.”

“What's that?” Zeno asked curiously.

———————————————————

Living Room, Zeno's House

The living room contained a basic brown sofa with a wooden table in front of it. The walls were pale green and the floor was wooden brown.

Nidoria, her family, Zeno and his parental-figures gathered in a sofa. On Morizhito's right side, there were Huaiying, Nidoria and Kugo. On his right were Zeno and his parental figures. Zeno's biological mom rarely visits his house and his biological dad was nowhere to be found. No one knew why, but they knew it was too personal to ask.

Zeno's father-figure had fair skin, green eyes and thin gray hair on each side of his head. He was wearing a green shirt, brown pants and brown shoes.

Zeno's mother-figure had fair skin, green eyes and gray wavy hair tied to a high ponytail. She was wearing a green dress with brown belt, chartreuse vest and brown flats.

When Morizhito asked Zeno's parental figures if Zeno could go on a long journey with him and his family, it was Zeno's mother-figure who spoke first.

“What?! You want us to allow Zeno to go on a long journey with you?!” she asked in shock.

“Yes. It is a request made by Nidoria and Kugo. They need support in becoming Protectors,” Morizhito answered.

When Zeno heard Morizhito's words, his face flashed a big smile. “Are you kidding?! I'd love to go with you guys! After all, I support Kugo's dreams. Why didn't you ask us sooner?!”

“Because we cannot have my children's friends go on a long journey with us without their parents’ permissions. The place where we go is where people train to become Protectors,” Morizhito said. “A place that has been kept secret to all.”

“We cannot allow Zeno to go on a long journey if we don't know where you guys are going. What if the place you're going to is dangerous?” Zeno's father-figure said.

“That's why he has us to look after him on our journey,” Morizhito answered.

“And perhaps, so as Nidoria when she becomes an adult,” Huaiying said. She paused. “Please, Sir and Ma'am. We would be honored if Kugo will have Zeno's support on his and Nidoria's journeys to become Protectors. Zeno has been supporting Kugo ever since he first became friends with him and he's been supporting his dreams in becoming a Protector ever since he first heard that he wanted to be one.”

“So, please. Cooperate with us by supporting Kugo and Nidoria thru Zeno. We promise that we will not let anything bad happen to him,” Morizhito said.

Silence filled the air.

Then, a few moments later, Zeno's father-figure let out a sigh. He turned to Zeno. “Zeno.”

“Yeah?” Zeno asked, turning to his father-figure.

“Do you want to go to Protector-Training Island?” Zeno's father-figure asked.

Hearing those words sent Nidoria and her family in extreme shock. He knows about the island?!

“Really?! The one where people train to become Protectors?!” Zeno asked with excitement.

“Yes,” Zeno's father figure said with a smile. “Our relative is an Earthbender Protector, so it's natural that he passed his knowledge about the island to me. Your dream is to become a Protector to support Kugo in becoming one and help him aid the Avatar. Going on a journey with Kugo and his family is your chance to fulfill your dreams.”

As Zeno heard those words, his eyes sparkled in amazement.

“I'll ask you this one more time. Do you want to go to the Protector-Training Island?” Zeno's father-figure asked.

It took a few moments before Zeno answered with a bright smile, “Yes! I'd love to go there!”

Zeno's father-figure nodded. “Very well.”

That's when Zeno and his parental figures turned to Morizhito and his family.

“We would be honored to let Zeno go on a long journey with you to Protector-Training Island,” Zeno's father-figure said, smiling.

“Just let us know if you’re ready for a journey,” Zeno’s mother-figure said, smiling as well.

Morizhito nodded, smiling at Zeno’s parental figures in return. “Thank you.”

That's when Morizhito and his family stood from the sofa and walked nearby them. “We won't let you down,” he said as he bowed respectfully to them.

Zeno and his parental figures stood and bowed at them respectfully in return.

———————————————————

Outside Zeno's House…

“One down, three to go,” Morizhito said.

“So, who's the next person to invite?” Huaiying asked, turning to Nidoria.

“Hmm…” Nidoria went into a deep thought. After a few moments, she turned to Huaiying with a smile. “Khelsi. She lives a few blocks away from us.”

“Oh, I see. Why don't you lead us there, Nidoria?” Huaiying asked.

“Sure,” Nidoria said, nodding.

With that, Nidoria, Morizhito, Kugo, Zeno and Huaiying walked towards Khelsi’s house.

———————————————————

Living Room, Khelsi’s House

Morizhito and his family sat on the green sofa in the living room. In front of them was another green sofa. Sitting on them were Khelsi’s parents. Behind them, you could see Khelsi helping her older sister wash the dishes.

Khelsi’s older sister had peach skin with black wavy shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She was wearing her green shirt with light green vest, light green pants and brown sandals.

Khelsi’s mom had peach skin with black hair tied to a ponytail and brown eyes. She was wearing her green shirt with a green skirt and brown sandals.

Khelsi’s dad had peach skin, black wavy hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a green shirt with green pants and brown shoes.

When Morizhito asked if they could allow Khelsi to go on a long journey with him and his family, Khelsi’s parents were shocked.

“I’m sorry, you want us to allow Khelsi to go on a long journey with you?” Khelsi’s mom asked.

Morizhito nodded. “That’s right. I know it’s too much for you to ask, but we’re going on a journey to a place where Nidoria and Kugo train to become the Protectors. To do that, they need extra support like Zeno and Khelsi.”

“Why ever do your children need support from our daughter?” Khelsi’s mom asked.

“Because Khelsi is one of Nidoria’s close friends. With support from her, Nidoria will become one of the best Protectors in the world,” Morizhito said.

“I don’t know what you see in Khelsi, but for me, I see her as a sweet and kind friend, whom I want to get to know more of. And even now, there’s so much I have to learn about her. And maybe soon, in some way, I’ll see her as a special person,” Nidoria said with a smile.

Once Khelsi heard this, she stood there like a stone. The sponge and the dish were still in her hands. Warmth and gratitude filled her heart. For some reason tears of joy filled her eyes, but she managed to hold them in.

Khelsi’s older sister stopped scrubbing a dish and turned to her in concern. “Khelsi…”

“So, when you let Khelsi journey with us, I’ll get to know her more as a person,” Nidoria said with a smile.

At that moment, a tear rolled down Khelsi’s left cheek. She then, wiped her tear with the sleeve of her dress and turned to her older sister. “I’d like to go.” She turned to her parents. “If it’s okay with them.”

Khelsi’s parents turned to her with warm smiles.

“Aww, sweetie,” Khelsi’s mom said.

“Yes, Khelsi. Of course, you can go. Just be careful out there,” Khelsi’s dad said.

A few more tears rolled down Khelsi’s cheeks. A warm and grateful smile appeared on her face. She wiped them with the same sleeve of her dress before replying, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Khelsi’s dad said.

At that moment, a warm smile appeared on Nidoria’s face as she watched the moment between Khelsi and her parents.

Khelsi’s parents turned back to Morizhito and his family. “Just let us know whenever you’re ready to leave.”

Morizhito and his family stood. “Yes, of course.” Then, he bowed at Khelsi’s parents respectfully. “Thank you for your time.”

Khelsi’s parents stood and bowed at them respectfully in return. “You’re welcome.”

———————————————————

Outside Khelsi’s House…

“Who’s next?” Morizhito asked.

“Liyah and Izugail live another few blocks away from us. Their houses are next to each other,” Nidoria answered with a smile.

“Oh, so they’re next-door neighbors like us and Zeno,” Huaiying said.

“Yup,” Nidoria said.

“But who will convince Izugail while someone else will convince Liyah?” Kugo asked.

“Izugail is probably the diplomatic type and Liyah can choose by feeling. I’m not sure about their families, but Izugail told me hers is having financial problems and Liyah’s… well, it’s complicated and only Izugail knows,” Nidoria said.

“In that case, we’ll convince Izugail, then we’ll see if she can convince Liyah,” Morizhito said.

Nidoria nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

“Is this also alright with you two?” Morizhito asked, turning to Huaiying and Kugo.

Huaiying and Kugo nodded, smiling.

“Yes. It’s alright,” Huaiying said.

Kugo chuckled. “Yeah, I’m in!”

Morizhito nodded. “Very well. Then, let’s go to Izugail’s house.”

With that, Morizhito and his family walked towards Izugail’s house.

———————————————————

Living Room, Izugail’s House…

The living room in Izugail’s house was decent, but also not too fancy. The walls, floor and ceiling are wooden brown. The oval-shaped carpet has colors of maroon, yellow, golden yellow and sand. In the middle of the carpet was a small wooden table with a white vase made of glass filled with white flowers placed at the center. Surrounding the table was a huge sofa and one cushion on each side of the sofa.

Sitting on the left cushion was Nidoria. Sitting on the right cushion was Izugail. Sitting on the center of the sofa was Morizhito. On Morizhito’s right side, there sat Huaiying and Kugo. On his left side, there sat Izugail’s parents.

Izugail’s mother had light peach skin with brown eyes and black hair tied to a high ponytail. She wears a vintage green dress with brown sandals.

Izugail’s father had light tan skin with green eyes and black wavy hair. He wears a green shirt, dark green pants and brown shoes.

When Morizhito asked Izugail’s parents if they could let their daughter leave for a long journey, they and Izugail were surprised.

“A long journey? To where?” Izugail’s dad asked.

“In a place where Nidoria and Kugo train to become Protectors,” Morizhito said.

“What’s a Protector?” Izugail’s mom asked.

“A Protector is a person who protects the world while the Avatar disappears or is still reincarnating. If the Avatar exists, he or she is allowed to help him whenever he needs it,” Izugail explained. “I heard it from Nidoria.”

“Oh, I see,” Izugail’s dad said, having found a new knowledge about a new topic. “Izugail, do you want to go with them?”

Izugail shrugged. “Sure. As long as I have business with it.”

Izugail, her family, Morizhito and his family let our giggles. Once the giggling died down, Morizhito spoke first. “Very well. The reason why we want you to join us on our journey is because Nidoria and Kugo need support from their friends like you, Izugail. You, Liyah and Khelsi are close to Nidoria. You support and care for her well-being.

“Nidoria needs support from you on her journey to become the Protector. Do you think you can lend her your strength?”

Izugail was surprised at the words Morizhito had said to her. She lowered her head and went into deep thought. After a few moments, she turned to Morizhito with a smile. “Sure. I’d like to go with you.”

“Nice,” Nidoria whispered with a smile and soft claps.

Morizhito nodded. “Thank you. Izugail, do you think you can convince Liyah to come with us?”

Izugail nodded with a shrug. “Sure. Why not?”

“Thank you, Izugail,” Morizhito said, nodding with a smile.

That’s when Morizhito and his family stood and walked in front of Izugail and her parents. They bowed respectfully to them. “And thank you for your time with us,” Morizhito said.

“Same to you, Morizhito,” Izugail’s dad said as he, Izugail and her mom stood and bowed respectfully in return.

———————————————————

A few days later…

After all things were packed and four ostrich-horses were bought, everyone gathered near the exit gate of the village, but not before Nidoria’s and Kugo’s friends bid their goodbyes to their families. Before she left her home, Nidoria geared up with her small brown travel shoulder bag. It was wrapped around her right shoulder. Her things mostly contain a set of three notebooks, a set of five pens, a set of three quill pens and two ink bottles.

When everyone gathered, Nidoria turned to her surroundings with a smile. Besides herself and her family, Zeno, Khelsi, Liyah and Izugail were present. Nidoria’s lips stretched out a warm smile as she saw that Liyah was present. She’s happy that she had decided to let Izugail convince her because Izugail and Liyah knew each other the most.

After all things were attached properly to the ostrich-horses, everyone mounted on their respective ostrich-horses.

The first ostrich-horse was mounted by Morizhito and Nidoria. Nidoria sat in front of Morizhito for obvious reasons: They’re family, family has to stick together and a parent has to protect the child from falling off an ostrich horse.

The second ostrich-horse was mounted by Kugo and Huaiying. Huaiying sat behind Kugo for the same reason as Morizhito.

The third ostrich-horse was mounted by Liyah and Izugail. Izugail sat behind Liyah to protect her from anything bad that might happen to her. The main reason was kept secret since she and Liyah agreed that they should keep personal topics a secret.

The fourth ostrich-horse was mounted by Khelsi and Zeno. Zeno sat in front of Khelsi because there was no other option left. Khelsi had to sit behind Zeno, even though she didn’t know him, so that she’ll protect him from falling off the ostrich-horse.

Once everyone mounted on their ostrich-horses, Morizhito turned to everyone else with a smile. “Alright, guys, are you ready for our long journey?”

Words like “Yes!” “Sure,” “Of course!” “Yup,” “Yes, dad!” “Yeah!” were heard from everyone else.

“Alright, then. Let’s go,” Morizhito said.

With that, Morizhito, Nidoria, Huaiying, Kugo, Izugail, Liyah, Khelsi and Zeno travelled their way out of the village, using their ostrich-horses. Thus, their journey to Protector-Training Island had just begun.

———————————————————

As they journeyed to Protector-Training Island, Nidoria and her gang conversed with each other here and there. They talked about random topics such as stories on how Huaiying became the Protector.

As minutes passed, Nidoria and her gang passed by villages and small towns. Soon, they became exhausted.

When the time came for the sun to set, that's when Kugo reached his breaking point.

“Ugh, I'm tired! Can't we find a place to rest and sleep?!” he asked.

“We passed by villages and towns, but why can't we stop in one of them?” Izugail asked.

“Hmm…” Morizhito went into deep thought. “You have a point, Izugail, but I feel wary that towns and villages of the Earth Kingdom have Fire Nation soldiers in them. They might think we're trespassers.”

“What about Ba Sing Se?” Zeno asked. “There are no Fire Nation soldiers there.”

When Morizhito and Huaiying heard the words “Ba Sing Se,” intimidating chills were sent down their spines. Mainly Morizhito. The chills prevented Morizhito's and Huaiying's ostrich-horses to keep moving.

Nidoria and Kugo noticed this. Concerned expressions appeared on their faces, mainly Nidoria. The chills that Morizhito and Huaiying were feeling were sent to Nidoria, and Kugo, but they could slightly feel it.

Why am I feeling intimidated, but at the same time, I'm not? Nidoria and Kugo thought in unison.

Is dad alright? Nidoria thought questionably. I could feel him getting scared. He must have some history with Ba Sing Se. Maybe he tried conquering it along with his best friend General Iroh, but failed to do it?

Once Izugail, Liyah, Khelsi and Zeno saw this, their ostrich-horses came to a stop as well. Khelsi and Zeno's ostrich-horse approached Morizhito and Nidoria’s.

“Are you okay?” Khelsi asked as her ostrich-horse stood beside Morizhito and Nidoria's.

“Yeah. What's wrong?” Zeno asked.

Morizhito and Huaiying took deep breaths and exhaled in relaxation. Once they finished, it was Morizhito who spoke up first.

“Huaiying and I used to live in Ba Sing Se. We were boyfriend-and-girlfriend at that time. But then, Huaiying got arrested by the Dai Li because one of them discovered Huaiying’s true motives: ‘To protect Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation,’” Morizhito explained.

Everyone else besides Huaiying let out a gasp.

“If the Dai Li knows that Huaiying is protecting Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation, how come they arrested her instead of just leaving her be?” Izugail asked.

Morizhito opened his mouth to say anything more, but Huaiying intervened in the conversation. “Ba Sing Se has never experienced war before, even though it's happening right now to the rest of the world,” she said.

Everyone else besides Morizhito, who looked down in sadness, turned to Huaiying in surprise. “Wait, really?”

Huaiying nodded. “Yes. They took me in some underground place and tried to brainwash me by telling me to say ‘There is no war in Ba Sing Se,’ but I kept resisting. Dai Li tried harder to stop me from resisting, but it's not working.”

“Just when all this was over for Huaiying,” Morizhito explained as everyone else turned to him. “I sprang into action and saved her. After that, we left Ba Sing Se and promised each other not to step foot on it again.”

“After that, I opened up to Morizhito about my troubles in Ba Sing Se,” Huaiying explained. “Before Morizhito and I were sent there, I was having nightmares about the Fire Nation conquering every city and town in this world. Seeing people crying and running away in fear got me so scared. Every time I woke up from those nightmares, I felt like I had to train to save people.

“It happened again when I dreamt of the Fire Nation conquering Ba Sing Se. So when Morizhito and I got there, I became extremely paranoid, to the point where I run around, warning people about the Fire Nation conquering Ba Sing Se.”

“That's how you got arrested?” Nidoria asked.

“Yes. And the rest is history,” Huaiying answered.

“After I heard everything from Huaiying, I comforted her saying that everything will be okay,” Morizhito explained. “And that if anything were to happen to her, I will protect her all my life.”

When Huaiying heard this, tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as the memory of Morizhito comforting her ran through her head. She wiped them and turned to him with a warm smile.

“I still remember you hugging me when you said this,” Huaiying said.

Morizhito turned to Huaiying, smiling warmly at her back. “Yes. Brings back memories.”

Silence occurred in the air. A few moments later, it was Liyah who finally spoke up. “Should we set our camp here?”

At that moment, something popped into Morizhito's head. “Yes, of course! Why didn't we think of that?”

As he said this, Morizhito and Nidoria dismounted their ostrich-horse. Everyone else followed their actions.

“Maybe you forgot that we brought firewood or maybe you're too tired to remember it?” Nidoria asked.

“I think it was both,” Morizhito said.

Everyone let out small laughs, chuckles and giggles.

With that, Nidoria and her gang prepared their campfire, sleeping bags and other things to keep their ostrich-horses from getting lost.

———————————————————

Later that night…

After the campfire and sleeping bags were set up, and the ostrich-horses’ ropes were attached to a pin on the floor, everyone gathered in a campfire to have their dinner.

For dinner, Morizhito and Huaiying cooked lamb stew for themselves, their children and their children's friends. Once the lamb stew was cooked, it was Huaiying who spoke up first. “Dinner is ready!”

Morizhito turned to Nidoria. “Nidoria, can you help me fill each bowl with lamb stew and pass it to each one of us?”

Nidoria nodded. “Yes, of course.”

With that, Nidoria helped Morizhito fill each bowl with lamb stew and pass them to each one of themselves and the gang. Nidoria passed the bowl to Izugail, Khelsi, Liyah and herself. Morizhito, on the other hand, passed the bowls to Huaiying, Kugo, Zeno and himself.

Once all the bowls were passed, everyone ate using their wooden chopsticks.

Nidoria took a piece of lamb meat using her chopsticks and placed it into her mouth. As she kept chewing the lamb, the saucy and savory taste exploded in her tongue. Her eyes closed as she experienced the taste she was enjoying in the lamb stew. Her lips curved up to a smile. Delicious!

Once Kugo and Zeno took a bit of the lamb stew, their eyes widened in amazement. “Whoa!” they said in unison as they turned to Morizhito. “That's good!”

Morizhito let out a chuckle. “I'm glad you like them.”

“Me, too,” Huaiying said with a smile. She turned to Khelsi, Liyah and Izugail. “How about you guys?”

“It's good,” Khelsi said, smiling as she took another bite of the lamb stew.

“I like the texture and juiciness of the lamb and how the sauce tastes. I also like the way you added the ingredients to make the lamb stew because back at home, we had to add bits of ingredients and give the food a taste to see if it's good enough for it to be eaten. You guys, on the other hand, were adding ingredients, then you wait for the food to be cooked,” Izugail said.

“Well, that's true,” Morizhito said, impressed. “I can't believe someone in our group is analytical.”

“We have tasted lamb stew back when we were dating, so naturally, as time went on, we got used to cooking it and waiting for it to be ready when all ingredients were added and recipes were followed,” Huaiying explained.

“We should have a cookbook, but we don't have enough money for it. I think they're from some other place besides our home,” Izugail said.

Everyone let out laughs.

“I agree with Izugail,” Liyah said after finishing her mouth full. “The texture and juiciness of the lamb is really good. The sauce is the one that stands out the most.”

“What about the vegetables?” Morizhito asked.

Liyah shrugged. “They're fine. They're just good.”

Everyone laughed again.

“Speaking of analytical, you're the one who's good at it apart from me,” Izugail told Nidoria with a smile.

Nidoria turned to Izugail, surprised. “Really? What makes you say that?”

“Girl, you can tell what Mr. Li was talking about when he showed us drawings of lessons he was teaching us,” Izugail answered. “You pointed out flaws in the drawings and gave him advice on how to become better at drawing. You pointed out flaws in novels, light novels and other storybooks and learn how to avoid them when you're making your own.

“You know the answers to the riddles Ms. Jun gave to us. And plus, you analyzed situations that were happening in the village, like the time Zuko saved a young boy from danger.”

Once Morizhito heard the word “Zuko,” something immediately popped into his head. This almost caused him to choke on his food and he had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from spitting the lamb stew.

This caught everyone's attentions. Once they turned to him, they became concerned. As Morizhito finished his mouth full, Huaiying spoke up first. “Are you okay?”

It took a few moments until Morizhito finally finished his mouth full. “Yes. I'm alright,” he said as he turned to Izugail. “What was that you said again?”

“About what?” Izugail asked.

“The last part you just said,” Morizhito answered.

Izugail went into deep thought. After jogging her memory, realization hit her. “Oh. You mean the part where I said something about Zuko saving a young boy?”

“Yes! That's the one!” Morizhito said as he flashed a big and exciting smile on his face.

Both Nidoria and Huaiying let out giggles.

“What made you so excited, Morizhito?” Huaiying asked.

“What made me so excited is when Izugail mentioned ‘Zuko,’” Morizhito replied.

Shocked looks appeared on Nidoria’s, Izugail's and Liyah's faces. “You know Zuko?!” they asked in unison.

Morizhito nodded. “Yes. Although, I've never met him personally.

“My best friend and partner, General Iroh, told me about his nephew, Prince Zuko. He told me that he's the first son of Fire Lord Ozai and Ursa, and older brother of the fearless and scary Princess Azula.”

Once Nidoria heard the word “nephew,” an image popped into her head.

-----

“My uncle gave it to me when I was little,” Zuko said to Nidoria.

-----

At that moment, realization came to Nidoria. Could it be… that Zuko’s uncle is Iroh? The one dad told me about back in the Fire Nation?

“He also told me about how Prince Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation because he lost an Agni Kai. Prince Zuko was challenged to an Agni Kai because he disrespected his father. His father burned his face’s left side during that. That’s how he got a scar on his face. Iroh also told me how he won't go back home until he’s captured the Avatar,” Morizhito explained.

This sounds familiar, Nidoria thought. Her hand moved to her chin. I don't know why, but I think a similar situation happened to someone I know, but I never met his face before.

When Izugail and Liyah, heard this, realization hit them.

“Oh,” they reacted in unison.

“So that's why Zuko’s hunting for the Avatar. He thinks capturing him is the only way to get back home,” Izugail said.

“Yes,” Morizhito said. “It is also his way to restore his honor and regain his love and trust from his father.”

Upon hearing this, tears filled Nidoria’s eyes. Pain and sympathy grabbed her heart when she heard the last sentence her dad had just said.

“Zuko…” she muttered.

He must have a complex backstory. I feel like he also has a side that makes people want to emphasize with him, Nidoria thought. Though I did get a gist of his backstory, I have decided not to pry on it even more.

“How do you and Iroh know each other exactly?” Liyah asked Morizhito. “Where and when did you guys meet?”

“As I said before, General Iroh is my best friend and partner.

“We met when we were training in a military school in the Fire Nation. We were young adults at that time. We shared our love for tea and teachings from our wise parents. We became best friends ever since.

“After we graduated, Iroh became the General of his army while I became his Co-General. We're both on the same team. Sometime after I graduated, I went to Ba Sing Se to help my wife, Huaiying. I met her along the way and began dating her once we arrived there. We all know the story of what happens next.

“When Nidoria and Kugo were young children, Iroh and his team went out to conquer Ba Sing Se. I was absent because of my fears of going back to Ba Sing Se and because Iroh thought spending time with my wife, Huaiying, and our children is more important than conquering a city.

“Iroh's son, Lu-Ten, died when he tried to conquer Ba Sing Se. This grieved him greatly. When I learned of this when he came back home, I had to comfort him because I knew he needed it, but at the same time, I needed comfort, too.”

As he said this, Morizhito's tears streamed down his cheeks. This sent sympathy and empathy in everyone else's hearts. Some of them even had tears in their eyes, but they managed to hold them in. Nidoria's eyes were filled with tears, but one of them escaped from her left eye and rolled down her cheek.

“We exchanged words of advice from each other,” Morizhito said. “Eventually, we parted ways.

“Despite all things happening in this world, Iroh and I still kept ourselves in touch by writing letters to each other. In one of Iroh’s letters, all he could talk about was Prince Zuko. If I were staying on a ship with him, I would get through to him and give him comfort whenever he needs it.”

As Nidoria listened to Morizhito's words, tears of overwhelming gratitude and sympathy streamed down her cheeks. The last words he said about comforting Zuko when he needs it made a huge impact on her. An impact that led her to keep faith in Zuko’s redemption journey if he ever had one.

The only word Nidoria could mutter was “Dad…”

Khelsi turned to Nidoria concerned. She then, laid a hand on her left shoulder. “Nidoria, are you okay?”

Nidoria wiped her tears. “I'm fine. I'm just touched.”

After Nidoria wiped her tears, she turned to Morizhito with a warm smile. “Can we chat with Iroh when we meet him in person?”

“Of course,” Morizhito said. Then, his lips curved up to a teasing smirk. “Maybe you might even get to know Prince Zuko.”

Nidoria blushed and slightly looked away. “Um… w-we just met.”

“Yes, but I can see in your eyes that you believe Prince Zuko will be on the good side,” Morizhito said with a smile.

A warm blush increased on her cheeks. Her lips curled up to a warm and gentle smile. “Yes, of course.”

After everyone ate dinner, they helped each other pack their things and fed their ostrich-horses with a decent amount of apples they had pulled out from one of the bags. After that, they gave each ostrich-horse a bowl of water for them to drink.

After that, everyone fed themselves with egg pie for dessert before drinking water. Once they finished, they sat while resting. The reason is because they had to let their body digest the food. Otherwise, they might get stomachaches while they're sleeping.

While they're resting, everyone stargazed. Morizhito, Nidoria and Izugail pointed out the constellations they knew from their school days.

As they stargazed, everyone's eyes began to be heavy. Once they rested enough, they decided to turn themselves in. They bid goodnight to each other before Morizhito put out the campfire. After that, everyone tucked themselves in their sleeping bags and slept.

———————————————————

Later on, in the middle of the night…

Slashes and neighs caused Nidoria to come to her senses. Once her eyes fluttered open, she was met with blobs of navy blue, brown, green and red. Her eyes fluttered a few times before her vision became clear. Her eyes widened as she saw a battle scene between red-armored men, and Morizhito and Huaiying.

Nidoria immediately got up on her feet. She looked around to see if everyone else was still asleep. Turns out, everyone was in their sleeping bags. She looked at the rest of the surroundings.

All the things Nidoria and the others had packed for their journey were scattered all over the place. The ostrich-horses were nowhere to be found.

Before Nidoria could do anything, she heard Morizhito calling her. “Nidoria, watch out!”

Nidoria was about to turn her head when she felt her body being lifted up. Then, she was tossed somewhere else.

Before she could figure things out, fatigue took over Nidoria and everything went black.

———————————————————

10 hours later…

Nidoria's eyes fluttered open, but her body was not in the right moment to be awakened. The first thing she saw was a brown blur. Then, when she attempted to sit up, she found that her arms and legs were not moving.

Confusion appeared in Nidoria’s face. Why are my arms and legs not moving?

Then, as her vision became clear, Nidoria spotted a glimpse of Zeno's body lying next to her. The ropes that were wrapped around him made her realize.

I’m tied in ropes. Nidoria turned her head left and right to see that everyone else, including Morizhito and Huaiying were tied in ropes. And so is everyone else.