Iroh dropped to his knees and reached out, but it was too late.
Zuko and Alec fell into the deep, smoking crack below.
Then everything went quiet.
A cloud of dust and smoke rose from the fissure. Iroh leaned over the edge, eyes searching for any sign of them.
"Zuko!" he shouted again.
He saw nothing — only darkness, smoke, and the heat rising from below.
Suddenly, a blast of fire shot upward from the crack. Iroh had to step back, shielding his face from the sudden heat.
He gritted his teeth, his hands shaking slightly.
Footsteps came up fast behind him. Commander Keth and a squad of armored soldiers arrived with weapons ready.
"General Iroh! Are you hurt?" Keth asked.
Iroh stayed where he was, still staring at the crack.
"They're down there," he said quietly.
Keth looked at the gap in the ground, now glowing faintly red. "The volcano's becoming unstable. We have to get you to the ship before the whole temple comes down."
"I'm not leaving them behind," Iroh said firmly.
"I understand," Keth replied, "but if the volcano erupts, we'll all be buried. Let us pull back. We'll gather a search team and come back with equipment."
Iroh didn't respond at first.
He stood slowly, still staring into the hole where his nephew and the boy had vanished. His expression was calm, but his eyes were heavy with worry.
"You have one hour," he finally said. "Then we come back. I'll lead the search myself."
Keth nodded. "Yes, sir."
One of the fire sages stepped forward, lowering his head. "We'll pray for their safety, General."
Iroh gave a short nod, then turned toward the docks.
The soldiers followed, helping him navigate the shaking, cracked paths leading back to the ship. Smoke drifted over the island now, and in the distance, a deep growl rumbled from inside the volcano.
But far below the ground, down in the darkness…
Alec and Zuko lay still.
Until Alec stirred.
Then Zuko coughed.
They were alive.
But trapped — deep within the belly of the volcano.
Alec tried to stand up but to no avail. His head was feeling dizzy and slight tightness in his chest. He tried to understand his condition but the huge dark pit of the ceiling broke his last defense." To hell with this temple, Who in their right mind chooses a dormant volcano as it prime location" Alec said angrily.
Then he remember he was not alone in here. In the left of him about a yard distance, there layed a coughing body, "Prince" Zuko.
"Its quite rare to see you frustrated, cough cough ..."Zuko replied.
"You better care about your self right now. We don't even know in which part of volcano are we. And for spirits sake, Cover your mouth and nose. There is sulfur toxins everywhere in air, I don't dare you would like to get in inside you" reminded Alec while covering his face with piece of white cloth.
"Well.. I don't have one right now." Zuko muttered trying to hide his embaressment .
Alec tore his robe from arm and handed it to Zuko but said no more.
The heat inside the cavern was overwhelming. The air clung to them, thick and choking, and the floor beneath their feet felt like a giant stone oven. Sweat rolled down Alec's neck in steady streams, soaking into his blindfold and robe. He didn't need to measure it — he could feel it in his bones.
"Temperature has to be at least forty-eight degrees," he muttered under his breath. "Feels like we're standing inside a forge."
Zuko coughed again and leaned against the rough wall for balance. "Even breathing hurts," he said through gritted teeth. "How are we supposed to climb out in this?"
"We're not," Alec replied. He reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a scroll — slightly charred, its edges crumbling, but still readable. "We have to lower the temperature around us. Just enough to survive."
He unrolled it carefully across a flatter slab of cooled stone. The old symbols glowed faintly with preserved fire ink. A circle surrounded by eight flame-tipped lines — a firebending form. But one used for something… different.
"I found this in Roku's chamber before the quake hit," Alec said, tracing a finger along the faded ink. "It's a form of thermal reversal — controlled redirection of thermal energy away from the body. It won't make the volcano stop cooking us, but it might buy us time."
Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Wait. You're asking me to learn a completely new bending technique. Here. Now. In a cave. Inside a volcano."
Alec gave him a look. "No. I'm telling you to."
Zuko scowled. "I'm a prince. I don't take orders like that."
Alec looked him dead in the eye — or would have, if his eyes had been visible under the blindfold. His voice didn't rise, but it firmed like steel.
"Then, Prince," Alec said calmly, "would you like to die from suffocation, dehydration, or being slow-roasted alive? Your royal title won't protect you from any of that."
Zuko opened his mouth to argue, then shut it.
"…Fine," he muttered.
"Good." Alec stepped closer and pointed to the scroll. "You're going to try and recreate this motion. It's not like a fire strike. It's softer — think like you're pushing heat out, not throwing it. Gather it in your center, then push it to your skin. Then outward. Don't blast it. Redirect it."
Zuko sighed and stood straight. His body already ached from the fall, but he followed Alec's instructions.
"Like this?" he asked, bending his knees slightly and raising his arms the way the scroll suggested.
"No," Alec said flatly. He moved behind Zuko and nudged his elbow inward. "Your stance is too tight. Loosen it. Let the heat flow through your limbs, not get stuck in your chest. You're building pressure instead of letting it pass."
"How would you know ?it's not like you this already or you can see." Zuko scoffed.
"Oh... I can see it clearly and I know it in advance. How did you think I defeat you in that match. "
Zuko groaned. "I knew it - how could you have dodged those attacks without seeing them. "
"Now is neither the time nor the place to discuss these things. Well then don't act like a stiff dancer. Loosen up." Alec replied indifferently while hitting at his shoulder.
Zuko groaned "You're worse than my uncle."
"Your uncle doesn't let you die in lava pits," Alec replied dryly. "Now again."
Zuko focused, closed his eyes, and tried again. This time, the heat around his hands rippled slightly.
"Better," Alec said. "Now try to pull the heat away from your core, instead of into your hands. Think of it like... breathing out through your skin."
Zuko didn't respond. His face scrunched in concentration. A faint shimmer flickered around his shoulders. Steam hissed from his sleeves.
Alec stepped back, impressed. "There. Feel that?"
Zuko opened his eyes slowly, chest rising and falling. "Yeah… it's working. I feel… cooler. A little."
"It's temporary," Alec warned. "But it might give us enough strength to move."
He turned the scroll slightly toward himself and began mimicking the same motions — slowly, steadily. Though blindfolded, his memory and senses guided him. Heat shimmered off his body like a mirage, and for a few brief moments, the air between them shifted — no longer suffocating, rather cool .
[Ding. Thermal reversal - +1000 experience gained]
[Thermal Reversal upgraded to Level 3 (2/5000) ]
They sat for a moment, catching their breath.
Zuko wiped sweat from his brow and leaned against the stone again. "How did you even know this technique existed in the scroll?"
"I didn't," Alec said. "I guessed and taught myself. The scroll had patterns that didn't match standard offensive forms. It had to be something... else. And I was 60 percent sure it was thermal reversal from its fire patterns."
Zuko looked at him sideways. "So you risked your life on a hunch."
Alec gave a tired shrug. "It's better than sitting here cooking like fish."
Zuko gave a short laugh — half amusement, half exhaustion. "Remind me to punch you when we get out of here."
Alec smirked. "You'll have to catch me first."
They sat quietly for another moment, both adjusting their breathing and letting the technique ease the pressure inside the volcanic chamber.
Then Alec stood and rolled up the scroll.
"We can't stay here. The heat is climbing again. We need to find a way up or out before the air gets worse."
Zuko nodded. "Let's move."
And with that, the two of them began walking carefully deeper into the belly of the volcano, cooled sweat drying against their skin — a prince and a blind.