Chapter 56: Crescent Island – Avatar Roku
The air outside the temple was thick with the scent of sulfur and salt. Smoke curled from the volcano's distant peak, a dark banner stretching into the reddening sky as the sun inched closer to the horizon. From the stone courtyard, the carved spires of the Fire Temple rose above them, glowing faintly in the dying light. Its walls were draped in crimson banners embroidered with golden flames, and its gates were watched by soldiers and sages alike.
At the heart of this sanctum, before the great double doors of the inner shrine, Prince Zuko stood. His golden eyes gleamed in the dimming firelight, his body still wrapped in fresh bandages from his injuries, yet his posture was tall, commanding. Around him were the sages he had demanded: Elder Shyu amongst them as Yoroku left to keep up the facade with Azula. Robed in crimson and gold, with his lined face betraying a flicker of unease; three younger sages, each solemn and silent.
The air was tense.
The doors before them towered high, carved of ancient basalt, etched with spiraling flame motifs and inscriptions in the old tongue. They were said to have stood untouched for centuries, their seals refusing to yield to any but the Avatar, or to the combined fire of five masters. No soldier, no foreign hand, no pretender could ever breach them.
Yet here stood the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, calm as though the doors were his to command.
Elder Shyu broke the silence, his voice a low rumble. "Your Highness… the Sanctuary is forbidden to all but the Avatar. Even in times past, princes of the blood were permitted only as honored guests, never as supplicants. Are you certain…"
Zuko cut him off with a sharp glance. "I did not come to ask. I came to enter." His voice was quiet, but its edge left no room for hesitation. "Five firebenders. That is the key, is it not? You will open it for me."
The elder stiffened, his lined face betraying surprise. Few outside the Order knew of the requirement. His fingers twitched nervously against his sleeves. "How you came to know such a secret… I dare not ask."
"Then don't," Zuko said coldly. "All you need to know is this: today is the winter solstice. Tonight, the barrier between the worlds thins. I will enter the Sanctuary alone, and I will remain there until past sunset. You will tell no one of this. Not my sister, not the soldiers, not even the other sages who stand outside these walls. Do you understand?"
Elder Shyu's throat tightened as he looked into the young prince's eyes. There was something there he could not easily place, not just ambition, not just hunger, but certainty, as though Zuko already knew the outcome of what he demanded. And in that moment, the elder realized: this boy would one day be Fire Lord. To oppose him now would be folly.
His shoulders sagged. He gave the slightest of bows. "As you command, Crown Prince."
The other three sages exchanged glances but obeyed, stepping into their positions before the massive doors. Together, all five drew in a deep breath, their arms sweeping into the firebending forms drilled into their very bones.
Then, as one, they exhaled.
Streams of fire burst from their palms and mouths, five torrents of golden flame striking the seals carved into the door. The air trembled with heat. The stone groaned, ancient wards sparking with red light before cracking apart. The great doors rumbled and shifted, ancient hinges screaming as they pulled inward, releasing a gust of air so hot and dry it seared the throat.
The Sanctuary lay revealed.
Zuko stepped forward at once, the soles of his boots ringing softly on polished obsidian tile. His eyes widened despite himself.
The chamber was vast, circular, and hollow, its roof rising to a perfect dome. At its very heart loomed a statue that dwarfed every man alive: Avatar Roku, carved in exquisite likeness from white shiny gold like metal. His robes flowed in sculpted folds, his long hair tied back, and his face was serene yet stern, wisdom and wrath carved in equal measure.
Above him, set into the ceiling, was the great ruby lens. Even now, it caught the fading rays of the sun, scattering them into fiery motes that danced across the stone walls. When the sun reached its lowest point, those rays would align with Roku's likeness, awakening the spiritual gateway for those bold or worthy enough to attempt the crossing.
Beneath Roku's statue, an eternal flame burned in a great brazier, its fire casting long shadows that reached up the walls like grasping hands. The air smelled of incense, sandalwood and ash, mingling with the faint tang of sulfur seeping from the volcano. The walls themselves were painted with murals: Avatars of ages past, depicted in Fire Nation Avatars, their forms wreathed in flame, their eyes lit white.
Zuko felt his breath catch. For a moment, the pride and certainty he carried faltered, replaced by something deeper, quieter, awe. This was not just history. This was his bloodline, his grandfather's spirit made.
Behind him, the sages knelt, bowing their heads to the flame. Elder Shyu rose to speak, his voice reverent. "This is the heart of Crescent Island, Crown Prince. The most sacred place in the Fire Nation. Once, long ago, Avatar Roku himself sat in this very chamber. Few are given the honor to even gaze upon it. Fewer still may enter during the solstice."
Zuko turned, his gaze hard. "And tonight, only one will remain."
The elder's lips parted, questions trembling on the edge of them. But when he looked into the boy's eyes again, he silenced himself.
"As you wish," he murmured. He gestured to the others. "Come. Leave him to his vigil. We will keep the outer halls guarded."
Zuko smirked faintly, watching them withdraw. When the doors closed again, sealing him inside with a deep, echoing thud, the chamber fell utterly silent.
He approached the brazier, the flickering flames reflected in his golden eyes. His breath came slow and measured, his hand brushing against the warm stone of the altar.
"Grandfather…" he whispered.
The flames bent, flickered, as though stirred by a wind that was not there.
The solstice was beginning.
The silence inside the hidden shrine stretched as Zuko sat cross-legged before the towering statue of Avatar Roku. His breaths were slow, steady, controlled despite the burning ache still lingering in his broken body. Hours passed, the narrow beam of sunlight crawling across the chamber floor until it crept up Roku's carved features. Dust shimmered like drifting sparks in the beam, giving the stone form of his grandfather an ethereal glow.
When the beam finally aligned with Roku's brow, the chamber seemed to hold its breath. The world around Zuko bent, as if reality itself folded in on him. Heat gave way to cool mist. The smell of stone and incense dissolved into the clean, almost unreal scent of clouds.
Zuko opened his eyes and the world had changed.
He stood barefoot on endless whiteness, clouds swirling beneath his feet as though he were walking on the sky itself. The air was weightless, without horizon, without end. And there, standing amid the mists, was a figure. Tall, broad-shouldered, with silver hair drawn up into a high topknot, his beard flowing down his chest like a river of white. His crimson robes were regal yet simple, marked with the fire sigil of the Avatar. His presence radiated not only command but something greater, wisdom tempered by centuries, the aura of one who had carried the weight of the world.
Zuko's chest tightened. He knew instantly who stood before him, though the man's piercing gaze narrowed as if confused.
Roku looked at him, studying his face with suspicion. His deep voice carried authority even here, in this formless world.
"You are not the boy… You are not Zuko."
Zuko froze, only now realizing what Roku saw. He looked down at his hands, broad, calloused, adult. No longer the scarred face of the teenage prince. Instead, the body of Victor Krane stared back at him, tall and hardened, every line of his late twenties life reflected in his spirit.
Of course. The Spirit World did not care for disguises. It showed the truth.
Slowly, he raised his head, forcing himself to meet Roku's eyes. "It's me," he said firmly. "But not the boy you expected."
The Avatar's eyes narrowed further, his tone edged with recognition. "I see. You are the one Kyoshi warned me of. The stranger. The spirit that does not belong to this cycle."
Zuko clenched his fists but forced a small nod. "Kyoshi… she already told you of me?"
Roku's expression did not soften, though there was no hostility in his words. "She said the world had shifted, that a soul foreign to the cycle had entered. A man with ambition… and dangerous clarity." His brow furrowed, studying Zuko's spirit form. "I did not think she meant you would wear the face of my own blood."
Zuko swallowed but steadied himself. His voice was clear. "Avatar Roku… it's about time we talked. I didn't come here for riddles or warnings. I came here for answers. Aang will be here soon—I know that. But until then, I need your attention. Because I have things to say… and even more to ask."
For a long moment, Roku said nothing, the clouds shifting around them like a restless sea. Then, finally, the old Avatar inclined his head.
"Very well. Speak, stranger in my grandson's skin. Let us see if your fire is meant to preserve… or to consume."
[A/N: Can't wait to see what happens next? Get exclusive early access on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels. If you enjoyed this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to drop a power stone! Your support helps this story reach more readers!]