☼ Third Flame ☼ [Twisted Future]
Warnings: Twisted future, angst, tl;dr
Dream Effects: Feelings of superiority, power; then horror, acute regret
[ "Send the fifth regiment over there, then. Insurrections will not be tolerated any further."
"But Fire Lo--"
Sitting on his throne in his ceremonial garb, Zuko cuts the unseen owner of the voice off with a sharp wave. "No," he protests, shaking his head as if frustrated, but his voice firm, oddly cold. "We've tried. I've tried, but they keep-- It's for their own good," he sums it up decisively, a stern, unrelenting look in his eyes, the length of his hair and the lines on his face betraying the passage of some years.
"Zuko, you can't do this." The view shifts, a younger man, his head shaved according to the ways of the monks, with an arrow tattooed down the center. He's dropped the formality; he's trying to speak as a friend.
"People are dying, Avatar," Fire Lord Zuko replies. "It's the war all over again, but I can end it. We can bring peace. I'll withdraw the troops when--"
"No." It's a soft, but angry reply, and the young man with the arrow tattoos glares up at him, glares until the view shifts again and all that's visible is the wide, ornate room from the other side, just columns and wood and flames all around. "No, you won't. I thought you were different. You're just like your father." One can see the back of the young monk as he storms out, forcing the large doors open with a strong gust of air and letting them slam shut behind him.
Zuko stands, alone in the room, his eyes hard. His hands are covered in blood; it drips from his sleeves, trails behind him when he walks. It's necessary blood. He knows best. The Fire Nation knows best. It brings peace. It carves peace from the bodies of those who would destroy it.
And the most frightening part is how entirely convinced he is of that. ]
[The vision ends abruptly, the Dreamberry resuming its video function to show Zuko for just a few moments, looking aghast. The image shakes--his hands are trembling--and then he fumbles to shut it off with a breathless curse. ]
Dream Effects: Feelings of superiority, power; then horror, acute regret
[ "Send the fifth regiment over there, then. Insurrections will not be tolerated any further."
"But Fire Lo--"
Sitting on his throne in his ceremonial garb, Zuko cuts the unseen owner of the voice off with a sharp wave. "No," he protests, shaking his head as if frustrated, but his voice firm, oddly cold. "We've tried. I've tried, but they keep-- It's for their own good," he sums it up decisively, a stern, unrelenting look in his eyes, the length of his hair and the lines on his face betraying the passage of some years.
"Zuko, you can't do this." The view shifts, a younger man, his head shaved according to the ways of the monks, with an arrow tattooed down the center. He's dropped the formality; he's trying to speak as a friend.
"People are dying, Avatar," Fire Lord Zuko replies. "It's the war all over again, but I can end it. We can bring peace. I'll withdraw the troops when--"
"No." It's a soft, but angry reply, and the young man with the arrow tattoos glares up at him, glares until the view shifts again and all that's visible is the wide, ornate room from the other side, just columns and wood and flames all around. "No, you won't. I thought you were different. You're just like your father." One can see the back of the young monk as he storms out, forcing the large doors open with a strong gust of air and letting them slam shut behind him.
Zuko stands, alone in the room, his eyes hard. His hands are covered in blood; it drips from his sleeves, trails behind him when he walks. It's necessary blood. He knows best. The Fire Nation knows best. It brings peace. It carves peace from the bodies of those who would destroy it.
And the most frightening part is how entirely convinced he is of that. ]
[The vision ends abruptly, the Dreamberry resuming its video function to show Zuko for just a few moments, looking aghast. The image shakes--his hands are trembling--and then he fumbles to shut it off with a breathless curse. ]