On a sunny day, a ship could be spotted advancing through the calm sea while painting a trail of smoke.
The ship was large, probably constructed from dark metal, menacing as it made its way forward at an astonishing speed for such a vessel.
With a red flag that announced its owner to everyone.
Who else could it be? A Fire Nation ship, that right now was heading toward the North Pole.
In one of its cells, resting, was a teenager—the only person who had the privilege of staying in this ship's cell.
Besides him, there were no other prisoners, and even the guards who casually strolled the corridor didn't seem to bat an eye at him.
The cell was closed off from any type of natural light, with its only source coming from the lamps that radiated a yellow hue.
One of its walls was decorated with a big red flag bearing the black symbol of a flame in the middle, while some more flags with different patterns adorned the other walls.
Inside, there was a simple wooden table and a futon, on which sat a young man cross-legged, his eyes closed as he tried to figure out how he had ended up here.
With no memories of this body's past, he could only feel helpless, trying to find a solution to his current problems.
'…So I just reincarnated inside the world called *Avatar: The Last Airbender*. Wow, this is giving me such a headache.'
Opening his eyes, he took a peek left and right, hoping that he was just dreaming—but to his bad luck, he wasn't.
'From the guards uniforms and the room decorations, I could instantly tell what world I'm in, at least.'
'THIS IS SUCH A CRAZY THING! One night I was sleeping and now I'm here locked.'
'And I think I figured out why exactly I'm locked here.'
Airbending—the strongest form of bending that a human can achieve in this world. That was basically why all of the airbenders were wiped out 100 years ago.
The Fire Nation knew they couldn't let such a threat go unchecked, and the fact that the next Avatar was going to reincarnate there played a big role in their annihilation too.
Now, in their hands, was Ryan—the second airbender left in this world.
Clenching his fist, he made a thrusting motion, shooting out a small gust of air that hit the metal door pitifully.
Looking at the door, which didn't even make a sound, and then at his fist, he started wondering—how did airbenders train?
'I think the first thing I should focus on is my balance, and after that, I'll try refining my crude technique… and who knows, maybe even try recreating something like the Rasengan.'
Getting up from the futon with his plans sorted, Ryan started his training. He knew he couldn't get out of this place without stabilizing his airbending first.
And a good physique—so he started by focusing on circular movements, fluid motions, and constant shifting of weight.
These forms required him to be light on his feet and constantly adjusting his center of gravity. The constant movement and turning in circular patterns helped develop physical balance and control over his new body.
In particular, these training exercises involved standing on one foot, using his bending to stay steady while shifting, and learning to maintain his center of gravity while performing evasive moves.
Breathing exercises were another thing he focused on while doing the other exercises—controlling his breathing to help maintain balance, both physically and mentally.
The process of breathing deeply and rhythmically aided in controlling airbending abilities.
After tiring himself out, he started meditating, clearing his mind of any useless thoughts, as this was one of the important steps to unlocking something he would need in the future.
Not long after starting to meditate, he fell asleep, ending the first day of the nightmare he had been sent into.
…
Woken up by the guards' barks, he found himself still in the same meditating position as the day before.
Ryan felt pure pain from all the exercise he had done yesterday. Looking down at the door, he could see a bowl of some unknown liquid and a small piece of bread.
That was all the food he would be given for the day. Even though it wasn't much, it was still better than dying of starvation.
But right now, his body was in no shape to move—not even an inch—as he could feel excruciating, burning pain in all of his muscles.
They were screaming at him to stay still and let the pain fade away, but he just couldn't do that because he knew if he did, then training would be out of the question.
So he crawled painfully toward his meal while the guards mocked him.
Once he arrived, he literally dug in and ate everything. Giving him a disgusted look, the guards grabbed the bowl and retreated to their duties, leaving Ryan alone.
Crawling back onto the futon, Ryan started meditating again, trying to ignore the pain that pulsed through his entire body.
Every muscle screamed for rest, but he knew better than to let himself fall into weakness. He had just arrived in this world—an unforgiving one where strength dictated survival.
If he didn't push through the pain now, he might never make it out of this cell.
His breathing slowed as he focused on the air around him, feeling it flow in and out of his lungs, brushing against his skin like a comforting breeze.
The idea of being an airbender still felt unreal. The struggles he was about to face nearly made him want to quit and just stay quiet in this cell.
But he knew better—something worse was coming if he were to be handed over to Ozai, or whoever was in charge.
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