Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow

Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow is the fourth graphic novel trilogy created as a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It takes place following the events of The Promise, The Search, and The Rift, and breaks from the title pattern established by those three graphic novels. As a close sequel to the original Avatar series, it depicts events that occur before the spinoff series The Legend of Korra.

Overview

Smoke and Shadow returns attention to the state of the Fire Nation and its royal family, which were previously emphasized in The Promise and The Search. With the aid of Avatar Aang and his estranged ex-girlfriend Mai, Fire Lord Zuko must deal with the threat of the New Ozai Society, a group that seeks to overthrow him and restore his deposed father Fire Lord Ozai to the throne of the Fire Nation. Their conflict with the group is complicated by the fact that it is led by Mai's own estranged father, and appears to be in league with a group of malevolent spirits known as the Kemurikage.

Part One

Ukano, father of Mai and former Fire Nation governor, is visited in the night by the Kemurikage, who tell him that he must act to make up for his failure by removing Zuko from the throne of the Fire Nation. Thus motivated, he gathers the New Ozai Society and announces plans to strike quickly in an effort to eliminate Zuko. However, one of his subordinates, Kei Lo, expresses doubts, fearing that they are moving too quickly. Elsewhere, Aang and his friends escort Zuko and his mother Ursa, stepfather Noren, and half-sister Kiyi back to the Fire Nation capital, which Ursa displays trepidation about returning to while Kiyi is struggling to get use to her mother's altered appearance.

Back in the Fire Nation, Ty Lee finds Mai staying with family after her parents have separated due to her father's continued loyalty to Ozai. She then reveals that her father sent Kei Lo to attempt to spy on her by pretending to be interested in her, but that she intends to use his duplicity to her advantage. Ty Lee becomes uneasy about her friend's deception, especially since Kei Lo's feelings towards Mai prove genuine and she is taking advantage of him. Having learned of the society's plans, they alert Zuko, who is met by a submarine carrying his uncle Iroh and the Kyoshi Warriors-the former to act as a decoy, and the latter to provide protection while Zuko and his family take a secret route back to the capital.

The supposed attack soon takes place on the main road, but Mai-who has joined the Kyoshi Warriors on security detail-realizes that they've been duped into sending Zuko and his family on a less secure path. She immediately suspects Kei Lo of deceiving them, but has little time to worry about it as she and the others go to thwart the real attempt on Zuko's life. Kei Lo, who is among the society members on the real assault, rebels when Ukano announces his intentions to harm Zuko's family due to the Fire Lord's resistance. Fortunately, they are joined by Mai and her reinforcements, and Mai quickly moves to confront her father; however, he makes his escape after offering her the change to take him into custody.

With the ambush thwarted, Zuko and his family make their way to the palace, where the source of Ursa's anxiety becomes evident: the memory of her former husband, Fire Lord Ozai. The Kemurikage appear to Ukano again, warning that he will suffer if Zuko is not removed from power, but he appeals to them to give him a month to accomplish the task or lose everything. A month later, Mai and Kei Lo are apparently returning from a date when they spot the Kemurikage abducting Mai's younger brother Tom-Tom. Zuko, hearing of the kidnapping, arrives to offer help, but then expresses his conviction that they will need additional aid-that of the Avatar.

Part Two

Just before they are to depart for the Southern Water Tribe Aang, Katara, and Sokka receive a message from Zuko informing them of developments in the Fire Nation. After a brief discussion, the siblings decide to proceed as planned while Aang goes to aid Zuko in dealing with the Kemurikage.later aang just arrived in fire nation to meet zuko,he got a message of another child has been kidnapped yesterday.later zuko tells happenings of the fire nation and aang understand about new threat they are facing .after zuko,aang,mei,keilo her new boyfriend gone to explore the dragonbone catacombs which is the resting place of the firelords where everyone discovered the secret passage with help of keilo they unlocked the crypt of the first firelord.

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