Kahn's acquaintance with Kou Li was nothing more than a brief episode in his school life.
Aside from Earthbending practice and having someone new to talk to on campus, it didn't seem to have much impact on his daily routine.
At this moment, Kahn was quietly reading a book.
The title was Illustrated Guide to Rare Beasts, a detailed account of strange and mystical creatures from around the world.
Interestingly, the author of the book had once been an Avatar—someone who truly had the means to see such rare beings firsthand.
This particular Avatar had lived in a relatively peaceful era, and his greatest passion was traveling and recording his discoveries.
Besides Illustrated Guide to Rare Beasts, he had written other works like Customs of Various Races, Complete Guide to World Scenic Spots, and Avatar's Travels.
Clearly, this was someone who lived to explore.
However, there was one issue—the book's records were at least two or three hundred years old.
As the saying goes, "the sea turns into mulberry fields."
After centuries of war and destruction, who knew how much of the world had changed?
Still, Kahn remained a devoted reader.
He admired that long-gone Avatar's adventurous spirit and yearned to travel the world just as he had.
But in this chaotic era, that dream seemed impossibly distant.
It had been nearly a hundred years since the Fire Nation declared war on the entire world.
What was astonishing was that the Fire Nation only grew stronger with each passing decade.
Under Iroh's leadership, they achieved victory after victory—until now, when the Fire Nation's eventual dominance seemed all but inevitable.
If Iroh had successfully captured Ba Sing Se—the Earth Kingdom's capital—the Fire Nation's unification of the world would've been within reach.
Unfortunately, Iroh's campaign failed. Grieving the loss of his son, he ordered a retreat.
That single decision broke the Fire Nation's momentum and revitalized the resistance forces, who went on to reclaim lost territories.
The internal struggle for the throne that followed forced the Fire Nation to withdraw even further, granting the resistance much-needed time to recover.
If things continued at this pace, true peace seemed like a distant fantasy.
Ahem… I've gone off track again.
Returning to the present, Kahn was reading Illustrated Guide to Rare Beasts to fuel his latest dream—owning a pet.
Ever since learning about incredible creatures like Fire Dragons and Sky Bison, Kahn had fantasized about one day taming one himself.
He might not be strong enough now, but that didn't stop him from daydreaming—or from planning ahead.
Hmm… a giant weasel with a powerful sense of smell—fast, ridable… but kind of ugly. Pass. A sea dragon? No, anything that lives only in the ocean is out.
This one's cute but weak… maybe a backup.
In short, appearance came first. Combat ability was secondary.
But if a beast had both beauty and power? Perfect.
Just as Kahn was deep in thought, the door opened, and Iroh walked in.
"Uncle Iroh!" Kahn greeted, quickly setting his book aside and standing up.
It was almost time for their daily Firebending lesson.
Since stepping down from his duties, Iroh had grown rather leisurely—his days now filled with tea, chess, and mentoring Kahn.
Retirement suited him.
"You're a bit late today," Kahn remarked.
"Something came up," Iroh replied with an absent tone.
That caught Kahn's attention. Iroh's usual warmth and humor were missing.
Today, his uncle seemed… distracted.
Throughout the lesson, Iroh remained unusually quiet, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Finally, Kahn couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Iroh, did something happen?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing," Iroh said after a pause, forcing a smile.
"I might've eaten something bad earlier. My stomach's been off, hahaha!"
Kahn frowned. That excuse is way too weak.
If Iroh didn't want to tell him, fine—but being brushed off so easily was irritating.
Let's think… what could've happened recently?
If it was enough to trouble Iroh, it had to be either palace business or something concerning the entire nation.
Or both.
Did Ozai make a move?
Then it hit him.
Azula! She'd told him plenty of secrets lately—half-whispered, half-gossiped things she wasn't supposed to say.
Kahn's expression sharpened. "Are we going to war again?"
That caught Iroh off guard. The boy's intuition was sharper than he expected.
He was right. The war was starting again.
Iroh had gone to see Ozai that very morning, hoping to dissuade him—but as expected, Ozai ignored every word.
The new Fire Lord was too ambitious, too impatient.
With a heavy sigh, Iroh said, "Yes… peace never lasts long. How did you know?"
"I guessed," Kahn said casually, shrugging.
Iroh blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! A pretty accurate guess! Not bad!" He ruffled Kahn's hair, ignoring the boy's halfhearted protests.
"Still," Iroh added, rubbing his stomach with a groan, "I wasn't lying about eating something bad. I had to visit the restroom three times this morning. My stomach's still killing me."
"Eww! Uncle, that's gross," Kahn said, backing away with disgust.
Iroh roared with laughter. "Hahahahaha!"
Kahn pouted but couldn't help smiling faintly.
He was pretty sure Azula had said something to Iroh behind the scenes—only that girl was bold enough to stir trouble like that.
After the laughter faded, Iroh's tone turned more serious. For once, he didn't treat Kahn like a child.
"Kahn," he said, "what do you think about war?"
Kahn thought for a long moment. "No one likes war. I just want this world to find peace again as soon as possible."
He still wanted to grow up, travel the world, and find his rare beast someday.
Iroh nodded approvingly—but Kahn wasn't finished.
"So I hope the Fire Lord can unify the world quickly this time. It's been almost a hundred years already. It should end."
"Unifying the world, huh…" Iroh murmured, deep in thought.
Then he asked, "But why must we invade other nations? Wouldn't it be better to maintain peace with balance among the four nations, as it's always been?"
Kahn blinked in surprise.
That didn't sound like the Dragon of the West—the same man who once led legions to victory and terrified the world.
Uncle Iroh… weren't you the one who loved fighting the most?