"Codex: Chi, Spirit Energy and Life Force
Spirit Energy, also called Spirit of Life or Spirit of the Wilds, and referred to as Chi by Monks, Pandaren, and people of the Fire Nation, is the Fifth Element, the Inner Energy inside all living beings. It is the spark in their hearts that connects the mortals even to the elements.
For the people of the Fire Nation, the Chi represents metaphysical energy that flows throughout the human body. It is a concept that serves as the root for all Bending Arts and Arrays of the other skills that are usually used in the Fire Nation and the world where they came from.
One of the most significant changes that occurred in Azeroth shortly after the appearance of the Fire Islands and Fire Nation was a tremendous change to the Elementals, which became calmer and worked in harmony. Several years later, people across the entire Azeroth could observe accelerated plant growth and the fact that animals and other types of flora and fauna became stronger.
Only several decades later, it was discovered that it was mainly because of the increasement of the Spirit in Azeroth due to the arrival of the Fire Nation.
Currently, the Sacred Phoenix Empire is the sole nation that has the main monopoly on Chi, its teaching, and the production of Monks and other combatants that are able to use Chi perfectly during combat, aside from Pandaria. Of course, this doesn't mean that Magic isn't one of the major focuses of the Empire; that would be a huge lie and undertreatment to the Empire.
Chi Masters are also able to extend their life span through art called Senjutsu.
Due to the research of the Sacred Phoenix Empire and Alliance, it was also discovered that the reason why many of the ordinary Warriors that had not been blessed with the grace of Light to wield its power were able to perform superhuman feats like unnatural endurance or strength, was mainly due to subconscious usage of the Inner Energy.
Every living being had Chi or the Spirit within them, but not everyone could use it on the conscious level.
The quality and quantity of Chi could be best showcased in special Bloodline Lineages, as, in this aspect, it worked similarly to Magic. The Septim Dynasty, ruling House of the Sacred Phoenix Empire, is blessed by the unnatural quality and quantity of Chi, and every one of their Benders is born with the Blessing of the Phoenix Fire."
- Compendium to the Powers of Azeroth and its Elements
***
The dragons were large, horned reptiles with long, scaly bodies that ended in thin tails. Its head is large compared to the rest of its body, and its bearded face is dominated by a wide, flat nose, golden, cat-like eyes, and long whiskers.
There also seem to be several subspecies of dragons. There are both winged and non-winged dragons, their size and number differing depending on the species of dragon. Some have two large wings that enable them to fly over great distances, while others, like the green dragon, have an extra, smaller pair of wings.
Because they were not really like the "Western Fantasy" Dragons, Aenarion was calling them Cathayan Dragons or Celestial Dragons. And the little guy that was in front of him was named Druk; he was a very young dragon that had hatched only a few years ago and was his companion.
He petted the dragon exactly the same way he would pet a cat.
"Come on, little guy, we need to attend the Elder Council meeting."
Right now, the situation was rather critical, and due to the confusion and chaos that was going on in the Fire Nation, they needed to straighten this mess to prevent the entire country from descending into even greater chaos.
If the state that was within the Royal Capital was across the entire Fire Islands, then only gods would help them to sort out this mess. For that, the government needed to act as fast as possible to prevent unnecessary problems that may arise during this period of chaos.
Fortunately enough, the Military was already doing its best to contain the situation, calming down confused citizens and rounding up everyone who wanted to stir trouble.
Aenarion knew that this chaos that was erupting within the Fire Nation was a golden opportunity for the criminals and rogue elements to stir trouble within the territory of the Fire Nation.
But that was also why he ordered the Order of the Phoenix Crownsguard to act in person to help the other forces of the nation. Soon enough, the Phoenix Guard would be patrolling the entire territory and cooperating with the Police Department to destroy the crime gangs and everyone else who was too daring.
This would also serve as a good opportunity to conduct a very stringent crackdown on organized crime within the Fire Nation and, perhaps, replace the heads of the criminal organizations with their sleeper agents from the Onmitsukidō to control the criminal underworld with an iron fist.
Afterward, he passed the small Cathayan Dragon to Azula, as Druk perched himself on her shoulder and started annoying his wife; they marched together to the Throne Room, where the Elder Council would be assembled in a few moments.
The Throne Room of the Fire Nation Royal Palace was also known as the War Room or War Chamber; this was the place where the Fire Lords made most of their decisions and also where they formulated the plans with their military and civilian advisers.
The throne room has many black pillars with elaborate gold bases that support the roof, and has black tiled floors. An enormous bas-relief image of a dragon breathing fire adorns the wall behind the Fire Lord.
The imposing atmosphere is designed to instill awe and fear in all who enter, intimidating all who face the Fire Lord. This was created by Aenarion's predecessors, but he opted to leave it be.
The Fire Lord sat on an ornate covered throne on a higher platform surrounded by a wall of fire, but after the inauguration of the Fire Lord Aenarion, the ornate wall is also surrounded by Earth, Water, and Air to symbolize the unity between the Elements, and the new philosophy of the Fire Nation.
Assimilation.
This was the new philosophy that Aenarion had instilled into the Fire Nation for the past four years. As the Fire Nation expanded, defeating neighboring cultures and cities, it offered the conquered people a choice: swear loyalty to the Fire Nation and be judged solely on your worth, or be destroyed.
This was not subterfuge or any kind of ruse; the Fire Nation under Aenarion's rule were as good as their word, and many who have embraced their conqueror's way of life find their prospects greatly improved. But those who refuse to bend the knee are crushed without mercy.
Whether a city is taken by force or willingly swears fealty to the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord, its Warmasons immediately set to work in stamping the Fire Nation's authority upon the newly acquired territory. Gateways of dark stone quarried from the mountains surrounding the capital are raised on every road leading to the city.
It was vastly better than the approach of the Fire Nation during the rule of Ozai, no matter how short it was or under Fire Lord Azulon or even Sozai, where those of the different nations and ethnicities were still considered as second-rate citizens.
Soon enough, as they arrived at the Throne Room, the entire Elder Council was already getting together, with Azula standing together with the people from the Fire Nation Military; even though she was the wife of the Fire Lord, right now, she was a soldier of the military first and foremost.
Aenarion sat on the Throne relatively comfortably for the time being as more and more people were arriving until around thirty or forty people were in the Throne Room, lined up in two rows of Thrones.
He noticed that his third wife, June, had already arrived in her typical Onmitsukidō haori uniform as she held the rank of the Supreme Commander of the Onmitsukidō. She was a very beautiful woman, with long black hair that covered part of her face and steel grey eyes, with very light skin.
When he thought about it, every single one of his wives was from one of the major ethnicities of the world. Azula was from the Fire Nation, Esdeath was from the Water Tribes, and June was from the Earth Kingdom.
June stood together with the High General of the Fire Nation Army, Bujin, who was an older man with a very long beard who looked so frail that a stronger gust of wind would probably kill him, though everyone here knew that it was just a facade of the old snake to make his enemies underestimate him.
"Now that we are gathered here, let's start. Waste no time and go straight to the matter."
Aenarion said with a voice of authority that there was no time for useless banter and typical proceedings because he had a rather bad feeling about the situation they were in. It was like the Spirits were warning him that something very significant that would change the Fire Nation's fate happened due to that wave of light.
"Then, if I may start, nephew."
The man who spoke now was somewhat family to Aenarion because he was not only the uncle of his wife but also his distant cousin because both of them were descended from the Fire Lord Sozin.
Prince Iroh was an elderly-looking man with a grey beard and amber eyes; he also wore the red and black uniform of the Fire Nation Army, as he was the former General of the Fire Nation Military.
Even though Iroh was supposed to be the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, due to the Ozai's schemes, who poisoned Azulon and became the new Fire Lord, while blaming several unsuccessful incursions into the Earth Kingdom onto his elder brother and gathered large support from the war hawks and Fire Clans who placed their bets on Ozai than on Iroh.
Maybe because Ozai was ruthless enough not to care about anything else aside from power, and not even the death of his newborn son, Zuko didn't move with him much, and he was rather agreeable to entertain the whims of nobles as long as they unconditionally supported them.
Something that was essentially impossible with Iroh, who wasn't as ruthless and cold-blooded as his younger brother, nor was he that ambitious for certain; most nobles of Fire Clans knew that if Iroh was Fire Lord, most of their power would be reduced as Iroh, had a certain soft spot for the common people.
After Aenarion became Fire Lord, he convinced Iroh to take the position of Grand Chancellor, who was basically number two in the entire Fire Nation. It was also because after the breach of the Outer Walls of Ba Sing Se, where Iroh's son almost died, if not for Aenarion's intervention of having loyal Waterbenders on the scene, Iroh wasn't that interested in ruling or so.
Born into a militaristic family that placed power and success above all else, Iroh initially developed a fierce and determined personality. Though never cruel, he adhered to his family's lust for power and pursued his goals with some level of ruthlessness.
After the near-death of his son Lu Ten and the death of his father Azulon shortly thereafter, he was so distraught and grief-stricken that he even withdrew from what seemed like a near victory over Ba Sing Se.
When he lost his Throne to his younger brother, he returned to the Fire Islands and retired from the Military, and lived in the Temple of Celestial Dragon Monks for the time being until the events of the Agni Kai between Aenarion and Fire Lord Ozai.
The Temple of the Celestial Dragon Monks is a monastery dedicated to the training of the famed mystical warrior Dragon Monks from the ancient past. Located in the Mountains of Mourn, the temple is home to an ancient and powerful religious order that is mostly detached from the mundane and forgotten by the wider world.
Dragon Monks are masters of unarmed combat and other martial arts who have each outlived many of their peers who did not meet their order's strict requirements or survive their first fight with any of the other full monks.
Still, he believed in Aenarion's vision of the Fire Nation, that it could become something more, and that Aenarion genuinely wanted to change it for the better. Even then, Iroh still loved his nation and wanted it to be seen as something more than a warmongering people; Aenarion presented the vision of a unified people.
No matter Fire, Earth, Water, or Air.
This was, in fact, also the ambition of the Fire Lord Sozin, to unify the entire world as one people, regardless of their Bending Arts or ethnicity, not to just dominate like his son Azulon or even grander ambitions of Fire Lord Ozai.
"No matter how outlandish this may sound, after the wave of light disappeared, many people from the Colonies on the former territories of the Earth Kingdom, at the North Pole, and at the South Pole. Nobody knows how they appeared here, but once the wave of light disappeared, everyone was transported to the Fire Nation, be it civilians or military personnel and equipment."
Hearing what his Uncle Iroh said, Aenarion was having rather very bad feelings because certain parts of him were familiar to him. It seemed like in those novels where entire nations were summoned to a different world.
Now, the question was, if this was indeed the case, then he hoped that the world he was summoned to was peaceful and weak, where the Fire Nation could safely expand and prosper.
Hopefully, it won't be some shithole like Warhammer Fantasy or Warcraft; while that world seemed very interesting, and there was a lot of room for development, Aenarion didn't really want to deal with either.
Warhammer Fantasy was a literal deathworld filled with Chaos, Daemons, Skaven, Orks, and countless other threats, not to mention the inevitable End Times that would shatter the entire Known World.
And while World of Warcraft was one of his favorite universes, the topic of dealing with Scourge, Burning Legion, and enigmatic Old Gods and Void Lords that were the Old Gods almost caused his blood to freeze.
No nope...
"Silence!"
Aenarion shouted as everyone started whispering when they heard what High Chancellor Iroh said because some of them found it outlandish, while to others, this was an impossible scenario, and some just didn't have any other explanation for the matter.
"If it is not proven otherwise, we will be working on this possibility. Uncle Iroh, you can continue."
As Aenarion silenced the hall, High Chancellor Iron continued the report.
"Just two minutes ago, we got the first messages from the Grand Admiral Jeong Jeong and Sky Marshall Zhao Ming... and..."
Suddenly, the elderly man stopped as his eyes scanned through the room with a certain uncomfortable feeling.
"We are surrounded by oceans, many hundreds of kilometers... the Earth Kingdom is nowhere in sight, and the same could be said about the North Pole and the South Pole. Both reports state the same, that the Fire Islands are located in a very different world compared to the previous ones, as the oceans are bigger and according to the patrolling fleets, even the Fire Islands are larger in size."
Just as everyone was beginning to scream and shout at each other, a burst of flames erupted from Aenarion, as everyone was reminded of his power, and at the same time, everyone present felt tremendous spirit pressure crushing their will.
Nobody could see how fast it happened, but it was clear that the Fire Lord was far stronger than anyone's wildest imagination.
"As said previously... we will be working with the idea that the entire Fire Nation and Fire Islands have been transported to different locations, perhaps to a different world, until we have proof of otherwise. Now, Lord Commander Solar Bai, what is the state of the Royal Military in this?"
Aenarion's outburst of power instantly silenced everyone, as those who presented were forced to accept the event for what it was.
Lord Commander Solar was officially the highest military rank and title granted to an individual by the Fire Nation after what was known as the Phoenixian Military Reform of 95 AG.
The entire Fire Nation Military was divided into three Primary Branches: the Fire Army led by the High General, the Royal Navy led by the Grand Admiral, and the Royal Air Force led by the Sky Marshal.
Aside from the three Prime Branches, there were several secondary branches like the Royal Bender Legion, Khaos Brigade, or Order of Phoenix Crownsuard, shortly, Phoenix Crownsguard.
Lord Commander Solar was overseeing all Military Forces of the Fire Nation, including those of the irregular units of Imperial Benders, which were led by Aenarion's wife, Azula; the Khaos Brigade, led by his wife, Esdeath; and the Police Department, led by Toph Beifong.
Only the Order of Phoenix Crownsguard, while being a secondary military branch, answered only and solely to the Fire Lord.
"My Lord, we are getting reports that our soldiers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force that are stationed back on the territories of the Earth Kingdoms or Poles are right now located within the Fire Nation, together with their equipment and everything else."
Lord Commander Solar Bai Qi was elevated into the position by Fire Lord Aenarion. He was an especially ruthless but also a military genius of the century, and even Aenarion spent hours learning from him.
He was already in his fifties, with black hair and red eyes; he also had a mildly trimmed black beard.
"We need to build accommodation for all people who were transported to the Fire Islands, or else we are facing a humanitarian crisis. Minister Yuan Bo, you will oversee it and also send out cartographers to map the entire Fire Islands and surrounding territories."
It was clear that the population of the Fire Islands had doubled or maybe even tripled after the current events. The first thing that the government needed to do was to build more and more houses for the people who were "transported" here from the Fire Nation Colonies, as they were without their homes and any properties.
This would also require substantial investment from the government, or else it could lead to a rise in crime and poverty, something that the Fire Nation certainly didn't wish to see on its territory anymore.
"Now, really, information to the Grand Admiral Jeong Jeong and Sky Marshall Zhao Ming to increase patrols around the Fire Islands, but order them not to engage anyone unless they are hostile; it would be highly preferable if we could create a good relationship with the natives first and learn about the world. Next, June."
Aenarion called out his third wife, June, who was also Supreme Commander of the Onmitsukidō.
Currently, their priority was to secure their borders, a task assigned to Grand Admiral Jeong Jeong and Sky Marshall Zhao Ming, with High General Bujin of the Fire Army assisting the police in handling people on the Fire Islands.
As this was a humanitarian catastrophe, one could say that the number of police was far from sufficient for the task, and they needed to call in the army to help the people and quell some of the criminals.
Fortunately, the prestige of the Military was exceptionally high within the Fire Nation, as Aenarion continued to strengthen the public image of the Military. For most people within the Fire Nation, it was an honor to serve in the Military.
"Onmitsukidō shall be helping the Police Department and Fire Army in cleaning out the criminals and other ambitious individuals. Also, start cleaning out the remnants of the old regimen, they already outlived their usefulness, and you can start with the names on the Blacklist."
Hearing the words of the Fire Lord, everyone cringed, but most of the people who were here were fanatical zealots of the Fire Lord's vision. Because Aenarion ruled the Fire Nation only for four years, there were still some loyalists to the Fire Lord Ozai, or some, primarily members of the Fire Clans and former Earth Kingdom Nobles who didn't have good intentions and wanted more power for themselves.
Aenarion was waiting for a good opportunity to clean them up, and that opportunity was supposed to come with the fall of Omashu and a large part of the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation, but it seemed that he could initiate the operation right now.
On the Blacklist, there were names of loyalists that were marked such by Onmitsukidō, and for those; there would be no trial or conviction, only Execution that would be carried out by Onmitsukidō, following which he could implement new Nobiltiy Reform within the Fire Nation.
That was also one of the reasons why many people were grinning because once the new Nobility Reform came into effect, it would completely restructualize how the Fire Nation existed and how one could become Noble or maintain their Aristocratic Status.
"Gladly, my dear husband..."
Contrary to Azula or Esdeath, who always maintained their professionalism even during these meetings as they were members of the Military, the same couldn't be said about June, who did what she wished.
As she said that, she disappeared from the Throne Room and went to carry out the orders, as today, many of the long-established Fire Clans and some Earth Nobles that were citizens of the Fire Nation would become history.
Sad indeed.
But Aenarion didn't need these people within the Fire Nation. The only reason why he was allowing them to live on borrowed time was that he was waiting until he completely consolidated his rule, and then he would end all disobedient elements that wanted to cling to their power.
"Now, as another thing on the topic, I will be entrusting my Grand Chancellor Iroh with the preparation of the new Nobiltiy Reform, and Lord Commander Solar Bai Qi will soon be enough implementing new Military Reform and Training Reform for our Troops. My wife, Azula, would be tasked with collaborating with Elemental Sages under High Sage Jing about this weird increase in Chi in all of us. Also, we need to conduct a population count and also find out how many people awakened their Bending due to this weird wave of light."
The former Fire Sages have been renamed to Elemetla Sages because, during Aenarion's rule, there were also Eldes from Earthbenders or Waterbenders among the Sages. Thus, the Elemental Sages came into existence to encompass the wider world of Benders.
At the same time, the Fire Sages were a prevalent sect among the Elemental Sages, and the current High Sage, who was the leader of the Elemental Sages, was from the Fire Sect. It was clear that it would take many decades for the Earth Sect and Water Sect to compete with the Fire Sect, much less being said about the non-existent Air Sect.
After Aenarion issued the orders, the rest of the Elder Council was dispersed, with only Azula remaining alone in the Throne Room of the Fire Nation Royal Palace as Aenarion was sitting on the Royal Throne that was sometimes rather poetically called Ruby Throne.
"So, what is bothering you, dearest husband?"
Azula quietly sat on his lap as he was sitting on the throne and put her head on his chest, not really caring that he was still wearing armor.
"Everything... who knows what will become of the Fire Nation now that it was transported, who knows where... it is highly possible that we are not on Earth any longer, and nobody knows what is out there, behind our borders."
Fortunately enough, before this entire mess, the Fire Nation was preparing for four whole years of war, so if they ended up in some really hostile world, they were prepared to fight for their very own existence.
The strength of the Royal Military is like never before, and for many, it was like when the Fire Lord Sozin initiated the Great War for the unification of the world after he introduced the new inventions and weapons of war to the Fire Nation Military.
"You are always brooding... but for naught, as we are the Fire Nation, the chosen people of the Asuryan. We are the strongest."
Azula said firmly as she knew that her beloved husband was worrying about the future of their nation. Indeed, the revelation that everything around them was just ocean and somehow all citizens of the Fire Nation were on the Fire Islands, even those from the colonies, was a great shock.
But the proofs presented were undeniable.
***
They were sailing for several days and undertaking a grand expedition of the Explorer's League into the east of the Eastern Kingdoms after the people were disturbed by the unnatural weather of the eastern seas.
Be it the Mages of Dalaran or the High Elves of Quel'Thalas, everyone was interested in what was going on because one day, everyone from the eastern shores of the Eastern Kingdoms could see a blinding light appear out of nowhere in the depths of the oceans.
Yet, nobody for the past two months could approach the place, as it was like some invisible barrier was blocking their advance into the region.
Thus, many tasked the Explorer's League to investigate the phenomenon when Magisters of Quel'Thalas suspected that a new enormous landmass appeared out of nowhere to the east of their continent.
The Explorer's League, also known as the Explorer's Guild, is an organization dedicated to researching the origin of the dwarven race. Not only that, but they were also digging archeological sites in almost all of the Eastern Kingdoms, Kul Tiras, and surrounding islands.
Founded by King Magni Bronzebeard with his brother Brann Bronzebeard, while predominantly a dwarven organization, the League also has members of other races among its ranks, mainly Gnomes of the Gnomeregan, some humans, and High Elves that were keen on researching the history of Azeroth.
"Okey, lads! Full speed we go!"
One of the dwarves on the deck of their mechanized ship shouted. He was like any other dwarves, rather short, with a stocky build, but contrary to the other dwarves on the deck of the ship, he was wearing something that appeared to be some sort of hunting uniform.
He had a long ginger beard twisted into two big braids and one smaller braid in between the bigger ones, and short ginger hair.
"Clopper, bring your ass here and check the compass to see if we are going in the right direction."
Brann Bronzebeard, the youngest of the three Bronzebeard brothers, with King Magni Bronzebeard and Muradin Bronzebeard being his elders. He was one of the founding members of the Explorer's League of Ironforge and was now the leader of this expedition to uncover the secrets of the phenomenon.
Besides, he was probably the most unexpected person because he was a High Elf. Clad in opulent clothes and armor of his people, he had reddish brown hair and wore a purple-colored robe/armor.
"We will soon arrive at the area of the phenomenon, Grand Magister."
Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar of the Convocation of Silvermoon, Patriarch of the House Salonar, one of the most prestigious and powerful High Elven nobility fabled for their production of Magi and also leader of the Magister Order of the Quel'Thalas.
If one asked him why he was on a ship, surrounded by dwarves and gnomes, the answer was as simple as it was unpleasant.
Personal order from King Anasterian because the phenomena happened rather close to the borders of the Quel'Thalas, and whatever appeared there would most likely be neighboring the High Elven nation.
Thus, the King and Convocation of Silvermoon were interested in investigating it and what it represented for the Eastern Kingdoms and the Quel'Thalas.
"Finally, the time here is boring, Master Explorer Bann."
Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar was one of the most powerful Mages in Azeroth, and his power was not just for show. In the end, it was the High Elves who taught the humans Magic and the secrets of the Arcane thousands of years ago.
Several hours after they sailed towards their target, Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar was disrupted from the reading tome in his chamber by screaming dwarves and sailors in absolute panic.
When the Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar exited his chambers, to say that he was shocked would be a severe underestimation of the situation. Their exploratory ship was surrounded by several other ships, all heavily armed and...
Far more advanced than the technology of the dwarves or gnomes. It was clear that the ships were made from metal, unlike the wooden ships that were typically used in Azeroth, and all of them were powered by steam technology, possibly by some advanced steam engines.
One thing was clear for the time being: they managed to discover at least a partial reason behind the phenomenon. Still, the fact that they were surrounded wasn't sitting well with him, especially because his accurate senses were picking up some...
Disturbingly powerful people on the deck.
They were not Mages but rather something that used the Spirit Energy?
Grand Magister Belo'vir Salonar was a very old elf, more than three thousand years old, and during his life, he met several very powerful people who were able to utilize the Spirit Energy, or Chi, as it was called by some.
Another thing that was very disturbing for the Grand Magister of Convocation of Silvermoon was the fact that he could see that all people who were on metal ships were professionally trained soldiers.
Like really, and they saw a lot of combat; the last time he saw something like that was during the Troll Wars, which ended in the defeat of Trolls and the rise of the Arathor Empire.