Chronicles of Multiverse

Aric straightened, brushing ash from his sleeve. "That's it? I thought you said you were serious."

Azula's smile tightened. A flash of blue fire danced across her fingertips. "Careful, Aric. You might regret that."

Aric's gaze sharpened. "I don't regret; I only move on and learn from my past. Azula, I hope you don't regret the choices you made either." Most of the people present thought of the bet when Aric said this, but only 3 people- Aric, Azula, and Iroh knew that he was talking about her past choices and her future choices.

"Stop talking about things you know nothing about" Alzua said in a whisper that was only heard by Aric before her flames got hotter, much more violent. Aric's eyes sharpened. He could feel it — the shift in her fire. Its intensity wasn't just from her skill or control. It was emotional. 'She's unstable,' He noticed.

Azula shot forward, blue flames exploding from her hands in jagged arcs. Aric barely had time to react, weaving between the bolts as the floor behind him melted into molten slag. He countered with a sharp kick wreathed in flame, but Azula twisted mid-air, catching his ankle and flipping him over her shoulder.

Aric spun, landing on one knee as a stream of blue fire shot toward him. He flicked his wrist, conjuring a spiral of flame that met hers head-on. The collision blasted out a shockwave of heat, pushing them both back. Azula's feet skidded across the floor as she grinned. "Finally taking me seriously?"

Aric steadied his breathing. "You seem more emotional than usual, Azula. It's clouding your technique."

Her expression twisted. "Shut up." She lunged, her hand a blur of fire. Aric stepped to the side, twisting his body to avoid the strike — but then Azula's other hand shot out, fingers pressed together. A concentrated beam of fire erupted point-blank toward his chest. Aric, not the only one to be outdone, used his authority over fire to take over her control over those beams and made it hit the ground instead. The resulting explosion rocked the room, and when the smoke cleared, Aric was standing with one hand outstretched, blue fire crackling along his fingertips.

Azula's breath quickened, sweat trailing down her brow. But her eyes were sharp — focused. Aric frowned. 'She's not fighting like herself. ' Azula raised her hand, fire pooling in her palm. "You think you know me, Aric?"

"I know you better than you think," Aric replied, his voice calm. 

"Then you know I don't play fair."

Suddenly, the flames in Azula's hand twisted — their color darkening from blue to violet. Aric's eyes widened. That's not normal fire. Azula's smirk widened. "I've been training."

She thrust her hand forward. A thin spear of violet flame shot out, the air hissing as it cut toward Aric. He sidestepped it, but the spear bent unnaturally midair, arcing toward him like a predator tracking its prey.

Aric twisted his hand, forming a spiraling wall of fire. The violet spear slammed into it — but instead of dispersing, it burrowed through his defense, forcing him to leap backward. The spear exploded against the wall behind him, leaving a smoldering crater. Violent flames were dancing on it as they seemed to burn even metal itself, 'I see this is much more powerful then what blue fire is capable of, in fact other then some powerful firebender I don't think anyone can even see this fire since it's so powerful that it transcended visible light spectrum.' Aric analyzed the flames in an instant from just looking at it in action.

"These are some nice flames, fire that is hot enough to burn iron to keep itself sustained. I believe that you may have surpassed your uncle and maybe even your father of course not in their prime, but currently you are a strong contestant for the 'best firebender' title. However, you still need to gain control over this fire. It is purely brought out by your emotion making it quite uncontrollable." Aric said as Azula narrowed her eyes at him. She made more flames appear out of her palm and said 

"Continue to be arrogant until defeat. I admit your will is strong." She then launched a fireball at Aric. Meanwhile, Aric was looking at the fire with a complicated expression. He just signed and covered his hand with blue fire. Unlike normally, where it is burning above his hand, this time it is more controlled and flowing like air around his hand, covering it with a bright blue glow. Aric thrust his hand into the heart of the flame and grabbed the fire, much to the shock of Azula.

Azula's eyes widened as Aric's hand closed around the core of the violet fireball. The flames hissed violently, twisting and coiling around his fingers as if trying to resist — but Aric's grip remained steady. Blue fire surged around his hand, not burning but flowing like water. Slowly, the violet flames dimmed, shrinking beneath the pressure of his will.

Azula's mouth tightened. "What… are you doing?" Before Aric could answer, Azula's expression twisted as more violet flames erupted from her palms. "It doesn't matter. just submit to me." She thrust her hands forward, releasing a torrent of violet fire. The heat warped the air, the floor beneath her feet cracking apart. Aric sighed. His blue flames brightened, turning almost white as they wrapped around his body. He stepped forward, cutting through the storm of fire. The violet flames parted around him as if repelled by an unseen force.

Azula's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's… impossible!"

Aric closed the distance between them in an instant. His hand shot out, gripping Azula's wrist. Her violet flames sputtered as white-blue fire wrapped around his fingers. "Unlike what most are meant to believe, Fire is not the element of destruction and rage. It is the element of life and emotion. A fire bender's fire shows their emotion. I feel anger and madness from your blue flames, but these violent flames tell me about your sadness, your loneliness, and most of all, what you want to be worthy of." 

Azula's eyes flashed with rage. She twisted her body, her free hand igniting with violent energy — but Aric's other hand shot forward, pressing two fingers against her forehead. Azula froze. A pulse of white-blue light flickered between them, and Azula's violet flames vanished as if snuffed out by a single breath. Her body sagged slightly, her breathing ragged. Aric's voice was calm but sharp. "Let go of the fear, Azula. No one in this world is worthy of anything; the only person who judges the worth of your life is you." 

"Those are all lies. You will just leave me behind like everyone else," Azula whispered with emotion. 

"I won't, no matter how much darker your room becomes. I will always try bringing light into it." Aric said in a soft voice. He made sure that the entire conversation was only between them as blue and purple fire surrounded them from all sides, making it nearly impossible to see what was going on on the stage.