Author's note : I'll be publishing a new chapter every two weeks, most likely on a Saturday or Sunday - at worst, Monday. So anyway, I hope you enjoy my story! It would be awesome if you left a review! Thank you for reading.

The Dawn of A New Age

Book One : Elements

Chapter One : The Hidden Gem

As cliché as it seems, it really was a nightmare come to life. Clouds of debris and soot wafted across the sky, buildings were left in ruins, people were scattered throughout the village with a strong sense of fear. The calm, placid night quickly turned into a miniature war zone; the Dai Li barged into the houses, ripping apart innocent families caught in the crossfire of a nationwide search for the prized possession any king or queen could ever have : the Avatar.

Leng Jing used to be a small peaceful village just north of Omashu. With an abundance of natural soil, Leng Jing was the perfect place for earthbenders to harness their earthbending skills. From the likes of Rong to Jinju, Leng Jing has, whether good or bad, brought up some of the finest earthbenders the Earth Kingdom has ever seen. Rong was obsessed with supremacy, challenging earthbenders all over the world, and in turn, bullying and making fun of the weaker earthbenders while Jinju, winner of several Pro-Bending tournaments, was the best earth Pro-Bender to date.

An old lady heaved herself off her chair, mustered whatever remaining energy she had in her and called out 'Yong Shi, you need to take Koshin away now, we can't let King Bazhu know he was here.'

A young man turned away from the window. Behind him, a bright yellowish flare conquered the dark room, 'Mom, I can't leave you. Houses are being burnt down, the village will be completely destroyed soon! Besides, I'm the only earthbender left in the village, I can save you and Koshin,' he wiped a tear off his cheek and murmured. 'If all goes as planned, I might be able to save the village too - we can still be together!'

'Yong Shi, please, listen to me! The Earth King must never find Koshin, you have to get him out of Earth Kingdom territory immediately!'

'I can't...' Yong Shi weeped as a trail of tears dribbled down his face. 'I can't leave you behind, we can go together.'

Crouching over, the lady carried a baby off his cradle. 'Take Koshin far away, before the Dai Li find him. Take him to Zaofu for the time being, it is safe there - for now - but remember, nobody must see you. Nobody.'

'I'll miss you, mom.'

Splash!

'Hey, watch it! I just got this shirt yesterday.'

Splash!

'What did I just say?! New shirt, remember? Sheesh!'

Splash!

'Come on! I'm standing next to you! Ugh that's it! I've had enough of your splish splash nonsense! I'm leaving, goodbye! Oh, and just before I forget, leave some bean curd puffs for me. Goodbye!'

On the grassy edge of the crystalline lake right outside the king's palace, a neatly trimmed row of trees stood tall. Under one of the shady trees sat two boys in their late teens, Koshin, the younger one, was tossing pebbles into the lake, watching ripple after ripple as the pebbles bounced across the water. Koshin changed a lot over the past 14 years; now a tall teenager with a lean figure, he had more than enough courage to fight an armadillo lion with just his bare hands.

Koshin couldn't help but think about his parents, whom left him with Gyan's father, Nayan, when he was still a toddler.

'Really? All you can think about is your stupid shirt?' Koshin snapped at Gyan 'We don't even have enough food for the night! And-And-And all you care about is your shirt?' Grabbing hold of more pebbles, Koshin turned around, continued tossing them into the lake, took a deep breath and sighed 'I'm sorry, it's just that I have these random thoughts about my parents and you know I get really angry whene-'

'Don't need to apologise, you know how understanding I am, right?'

Koshin turned around once more, looked Gyan right into his eyes and said 'No, not really.'

Gyan was a year older than Koshin; but, less matured - definitely less matured. Slightly shorter than Koshin, he was an impressive-looking man with a vast knowledge in world history. It seemed that learning the subject came with a prize, or at least it was a prize in Gyan's eyes, the prize was in the form of narcissism.

Watching the pebbles gliding through air one after another, Gyan thought, It's not my fault he's angry. I mean, I'm the good guy here, he's the one throwing stones into the Earth King's lake. Why can't he be like me? He's just so angry all the time, how many stones has he been throwing? One, two, three, twenty one, twenty two? Wait a minute...something's not right, are the stones turning red? That's weird, it isn't-

'Hey!' Out of nowhere, there was a shriek from a man emerging behind the row of trees.

With lightning speed, Gyan spun on his heels, about to give the man a piece of his mind. 'Listen here, you can't shout here! Do you know what happens if they found out we were here?'

To his surprise, it wasn't just a man, there were three. In fact, they weren't just ordinary men, they were a group of guards patrolling the king's palace. Gyan hopped and waved desperately at Koshin, letting him know that it was time to run.

Koshin had everything neatly kept in his bag - he wasn't a messy person- within seconds, he was on his feet, trying to shake off the advancing men. Gyan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Koshin. He had nothing kept in his bag and everything lying on the grass. Just as the guards were closing in on him, Gyan managed to gather his belongings and started sprinting.

'Hey! You two, come back here! Trespassing the Earth King's property is an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison!'

Assuming that he was already at a distance safe enough from the guards, Gyan confidently looked back at one of the guards and laughed sarcastically 'Awwww, there's that infamous shout again. Good luck catching us next time!'

It was only a matter of time before they were caught. Outrunning guards was one thing, but outrunning earthbending guards was another. The two boys foolishly led themselves into a corner. Behind them was an unyielding, jagged wall that never seemed to end; on their left, a Zaofu-made platinum gate and a towering guard post keeping a bird's eye view over the East corner of the palace on their right. The only way out was blocked by a gargantuan boulder - half the size of an airship - bent by the guards.

The guard whom Gyan made fun of walked over to him; one quick glance was all it took for Gyan to know that the guard was a no-nonsense, cold-hearted kind of guy. Gyan gulped as the guard squat down, grabbed him by the cheeks, lifted his head and said, 'Not so funny now, are you?'

Still visibly shaken, Gyan forced himself to speak 'Excuse me, but-"

'That's excuse me, Corporal Fu for you.' The guard interrupted.

Gyan cleared his throat, 'Excuse me Corporal Fu, but I'll have you know that I've won several joke contests, even the ones about meditation, and meditation is dead boring, you know?' He could feel his confidence slowly returning, 'I'm pretty sure if I put more effort into my jokes, I would be the first-'

'So that's all you wanted to tell me? The last thing you're going to say before entering prison is some made up story about a contest? It's a wonder why the two of you aren't caught yet!' said the corporal, irritated.

'It isn't made up! I can prove it if you just-'

Rubbing his forehead, the guard yelled. 'Enough! You've entered the Earth King's property and now you are going to pay!'

With a quick whisk of his hand, the guard spun his hand upwards; the ground seemed to move together with his hands in such a fluid motion that for awhile, it looked like he was waterbending rather than earthbending. He locked Gyan's arms with his bending and was about to do the same to his legs before Koshin stepped in.

'Let him go!' Demanded Koshin. 'You can't use your bendings against a non-bender. Do you even know your Earth Kingdom rules?'

Throwing his helmet to the floor, the guard smiled maliciously at Koshin. 'Let him go... Or what?'

Koshin sniggered, 'I don't know. Why don't you ask yourself, Mr Tough Guy.'

'I've never fought an earthbender that's so much younger than me, but you'll make an easy first.'

Gyan looked up at Corporal Fu, confused, 'What do you mean earthbender? Koshin isn't an earthbender, he's just like me: a non-bender. Tell him, Koshin!'

Koshin wanted to stop being angry at Gyan but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't. Revealing his weaknesses and talking when there isn't a need to was slowly becoming Gyan's trademark, especially at the worst possible time. Knowing it wouldn't be a fair fight, the guard ordered his fellow guards to let him fight Koshin alone.

'Fighting you alone still wouldn't be fair, how about I use my right hand only? It would be fair now, but you still wouldn't stand a chance against me.'

Koshin couldn't care less about how they were going to fight, 'You're going to regret this!' Replied Koshin.

Fu was right, Koshin did not stand a chance against him. He tried ducking; he tried blocking; he tried running; he tried everything possible and yet, never stood a chance against the guard. He managed to stand upright, he looked as though he had not been hit by a single chunk of rock, but the bruises suggested otherwise, a few more hits and he would be knocked out. If there was anything he didn't like most about the corporal, it was the bullying. He wasn't in the mood to surrender; he wanted to free Gyan, he wanted to put Fu in his place, he wanted the bullying to stop.

'Ooh!'

He was dealt another blow, this time a bigger rock right to his stomach; he crashed to the ground in agony, the pain was unbearable. All his attempts at evading the rocks that was bent at him could be summarised by the single hit to his stomach: it was pointless for him to try and fight an earthbender.

'Tough nut to crack, eh?' Corporal Fu asked. 'I can do this all day.'

'It's not over until I say it's over,' Koshin said, on his hands and knees, unable to stand without feeling any pain.

'How about now?' He turned from Koshin to Gyan, assuming an earthbending stance. 'Still want to carry on?'

His defeated look contorted into one with pure anger written all over it. The scowl on his face said it all, as much as Koshin hated to admit, he cared for Gyan more than he does for himself, Koshin didn't want anything to happen to him: Gyan felt like his family and family always came first to him.

'You wouldn't dare!' Shouted Koshin, still trying to force himself up. 'It's me that you're fighting with, not him!'

'I don't even care; you came into here looking for trouble and now I'll give you trouble!'

It felt like an earthquake, not a major one but enough to tear a hole into the ground. The corporal lifted up a small chunk of the ground, or what felt like a small chunk - it was actually the size of a truck. Judging by how big it was, Koshin knew that Gyan wouldn't survive the bone-crushing impact had it slammed on him.

The other guards tried convincing him to stop, but the hatred that boiled within him had already clouded his thinking. Despite the king's cruelty, under King Bazhu, The Royal Earthbender Guards were never allowed to harm the weak or the wounded; they were not supposed to use earthbending on a non-bender - only the Dai Li were allowed to.

Fu smirked sadistically, 'You should have given up when you had the chance, boy. Now it's too late for you and your friend!' He swung his hand backwards, about to strike Gyan with his bending.

Unusually quiet ever since the fight began, Gyan knew Koshin stood little chance in beating a regular earthbender, but to fight an earthbending protector of the palace, was simply impossible. He knew it all along but was too afraid to say anything.

Gyan took one look at the rock suspended in the air and another at Koshin, 'Goodbye, Koshin' was all he managed to say before looking down at the ground again in dejection.

'Goodbye indeed,' said Fu as he swung his hands at Gyan, and the boulder in turn.

It might have been an impenetrable wall then, but it certainly wasn't now.

The place was quiet, like there was never a fight. The boulders which stood firmly at the gate were gone, as if by magic. On the ground was an unconscious guard : the aftermath of an extremely strong earthbending only a master earthbender could perform. It all happened in the blink of an eye, the guards could only watch as it all unfold.

Koshin couldn't stand the fact that he would be witnessing the murder of his closest friend right before his eyes; it triggered a sudden surge of energy mixed with overwhelming emotions in him - fear, anger, sadness and even power. He felt better than he ever did before, he felt strong, he felt powerful, he felt invincible.

'No!' Koshin cried as he slammed his fists repeatedly on the ground.

Silence descended over them in a matter of seconds; the wind was howling louder than before. Nobody knew what to say or what to do but to stare at Koshin, who was still on his hands and knees. As the dust settled, Corporal Fu pushed himself to break the long but intense silence.

'Th-Th-This is impossible,' he stared at Koshin in disbelief.

'What is? That Gyan is gone?' Koshin said, as his tears dripped onto his bloodied fists.

'No - although that would be impossible too - but this is awesome!'

Gyan! Did he really survive? Thought Koshin. He looked up from his shoulders, he was just as shocked as everyone was.

The ground a few feet away from Gyan shot up and collided with the oncoming boulder-sized missile, stopping it in its tracks and in turn, throwing a guard off his feet and high into the air. Where the guards gathered was a long trail of lava, no one dared cross it. Koshin did not know how he did it but Gyan saw it all.

'You're an earthbender!' said Gyan.

'Not just an earthbender, he's a lavabender!' A guard exclaimed.

The guards fled into the palace to inform the king. For nearly 20 years, The Earth Kingdom has not seen a lavabender since Bolin and they finally have one in the shape of Koshin. With lavabending, the king would be more safely guarded than ever before; the king made capturing a lavabender one of his main priorities and now, Koshin would soon be his main priority.

'I-I did that?' Muttered Koshin, still in a state of shock.

'Close your mouth, and yeah, it was all you,' Gyan grinned. 'Come on, Koshin, we have to go back home now. I can't wait to see the look on dad's face when I tell him about this.'

'Stop! You're not leaving just yet!'

'No, we are leaving, I don't think you can stop us now. Right Koshin?' said Gyan, prouder than ever. 'Lavabender Koshin, boring old earthbender Fu, lavabender Koshin, boring old earthbender Fu, I believe Koshin would win so… Goodbye!'

Gyan didn't look the least bit traumatized, the excitement over Koshin's new-found ability dissolved the fear of his close encounter with death.

Corporal Fu took a leap forward, 'I said stop!'

Koshin detested the aggression in the corporal's voice. He was still emotionally unstable; one shout was all it took to make him jump. The shock triggered the same surge of energy he felt before.

The ground beneath the corporal rose rapidly; it swallowed him all the way up to his chest, rendering him unable to move.

'Come back!' shouted the guard, desperately.

'Hahaha, we'll see, maybe tomorrow?' Gyan said as he looked at Koshin.

'Definitely tomorrow,' the two of them laughed as they made their way out of the palace.

'Dad, you won't believe it! Something unbelievable just happened with me and Koshin!' said Gyan, jumping up and down excitedly in every corner of his tiny, but fully-furnished house.

'What happened, Gyan? It's like you just won a bet on a pro-bending match,' laughed the father.

Already in his sixties, Gyan's father, Nayan, watched how the government of the Earth Kingdom went from a monarchy to the almost dictatorship under Kuvira, the democratic nation started by Prince Wu and finally, back to a monarchy ruled by King Bazhu. He was also an ex air acolyte that moved to the Ba Sing Se to help fight for freedom with the rebels of the Earth Kingdom.

Gyan was still bouncing around the house, Nayan narrowed his eyes as he looked at his son, 'Wait, you did not bet, did you? What have I told you about betting, Gyan? You've done it-'

'No, dad. It's not betting. This is better than winning any bet! Besides, betting is so boring now.'

Nayan was back at his relaxed self, 'Well then, what is it?'

'Hold on, I'll get Koshin, he'll tell you… Koshin!' yelled Gyan.

Koshin rushed into the room, assuming the worst. 'What is it? What happened? Why did you shout?'

'What?... Oh, no. I wanted you to tell my father what happened at the palace just now!' explained Gyan.

'Whew, what a relief. Why do you have to shout all the-'

'Koshin, what happened to you?' interrupted Nayan, concern written all over his face. 'How did you get all these bruises?'

Gyan barged into the conversation before Koshin could even answer Nayan. 'Oh, dad, it was nothing. We were playing at the lake and Koshin tripped over a rock and fell.'

'You were what?'

'Playing at the lake.'

'The lake at the Earth Palace?'

'Yes.'

'I thought I made it clear that you're never allowed back there?' Gyan's father sighed as he shook his head. 'We're part of the rebellion against the Earth King, you're not supposed to go there, Gyan!'

Koshin finally spoke up, 'Nayan, I didn't actually trip over anything. We… Well, we sort of ran into a group of guards, and they chased us and cornered us. One of the guards - Corporal Hu was it? Ahhh doesn't matter. Anyway, he tried fighting us and-'

'And Koshin used earthbending to defeat them. It was all so fast, pow pow pow and they were all gone. He also used lavabending too! You should have been there, dad!' Gyan interrupted, again, breathlessly.

'Oh well, uhh...' Nayan didn't seem too surprised about the lavabending. He glanced at his wife, whom looked back at him with sheer disagreement, lightly shaking her head while frowning her eyebrows. 'That's great news, Koshin! This means you can earthbend, we are going to find you an earthbending teacher to help you master earthbending. Isn't that awesome?'

Has he known it a long time ago? Why isn't he surprised? I know that look, something's up. 'Yeah, it is. Thanks, Nayan.'

On the next day, Nayan helped Koshin practise earthbending using old tarnished bricks which had once been part of his house before the Earth King's forces came.

'Whoa, not bad,' Nayan nodded his head in approval. 'I can see how you managed to take out the corporal, you're a natural at this!'

The net that hung from the roof of their house to the garden had a hole in it, Koshin bent the bricks a little too hard, tearing it apart.

'I am?'

'Of course you are, but you lack control. With the help of a teacher, you'll go far.'

'I hope so,' muttered Koshin, he started bending the piles of bricks harder and harder at the net. 'Nayan, what you said about my lavabending yesterday, how long have you known?'

'How long have I known? I… What made you say that?'

There's that look again. 'Just a gut feeling.'

'I've never known. I promise, Koshin.'

He definitely knows, I can tell. Something isn't right and I'll find it out. 'Okay. Well, you might not have known but the king does now and it does not help that he is looking for me.'

There was silence for a while before Koshin started speaking again. 'I'm never safe as long as I'm in the Earth Kingdom,' the realization slowly dawned on him. He sat down cross-legged and gazed up into the sky with his back leaned on his arms, 'I'll be leaving soon, I can't afford to endanger the people here.'

'You don't have to leave, Koshin. The people here are more than capable of-'

'I have to, Nayan, and I will!'