Prologue: In Media Res
"The fighting has stopped…"
A dull ache in his head, the lingering smoke of a campfire that died in the night, and the dewy moisture of grass beneath him – these were the first things he registered in the weak morning light.
Awareness came slowly, as everything seemed murky in the nights after a great battle.
He relished those long moments at the end of a dream, on the edge of consciousness. It was the only time he felt whole.
In his waking life, he was all too aware of the poor choices he had made, and the futility of imagining the life he could have had. It was just a simple existence he had shared with his loved ones – but that life was over, and he felt that he was beyond any form of redemption.
But this morning felt different from his usual self-deprecating routine; perhaps it was the strange way he was laying on the ground. He couldn't quite put his finger on it – in fact, his half-awake mind was trying to register why his arms couldn't move at all.
"We shouldn't be subject to the whims of these mercenaries, they think they're entitled to anything they like!"
"Maybe someday they'll leave us alone…"
He tried to move again, only this time he felt rope chaffing against his wrists. No flames came when he summoned them to his fingertips – he was tied up and, for the first time in his life, unable to firebend.
Something akin to fear wriggled in his stomach.
He could hear voices nearby, and they were getting closer. On the other side of the campsite, he just caught a whisper of the words "Red Lanterns."
"…we can live without worry, without fear"
It all came rushing back.
The Green Crystal Lanterns. A fearsome battle. A village destroyed at his behest…
His throat burned as he fought the urge to vomit. The last thing he wanted was to give his captors the impression that he was afraid. His flesh was not weak, he did not fear torture or death – but his own guilt was powerful enough to consume him.
"You think more fighting will help? Our people need teachers and doctors and builders – not more soldiers!"
Ryuu finally opened his eyes and took comfort in the morning sun. With any luck, this sunrise would be his last.
A strong arm pulled his body upright, as the owner of the arm practically growled, "Hao Jin, what were you thinking taking this thing prisoner?"
"I was thinking this solider can give us vital information about the Red Lantern Firebenders who attacked that settlement yesterday, Jianjun…"
But Ryuu didn't hear Hao Jin's response. He was too busy planning his death.
The armband on his right wrist began to glow with the insignia of the Red Lanterns, burning deep into his flesh and feeding off of the rage building in his heart.
I'll take you all with me…
Hear me great spirits! Light the sacred fire of rage in my heart! Grant me the strength to defeat my enemies, and take my life as payment –
A cool, unmistakably female voice interrupted his prayer for vengeance:
"I do not understand your desire for self-destruction."
Looking up, Ryuu saw an intricately carved urn floating before him, enveloped in a soft green glow. It hadn't been there moments earlier.
He also hadn't been speaking out loud.
Behind the possessed urn, he caught the look on the Earthbenders' faces. The larger man regarded him the way someone might look at vermin – that was fine with Ryuu, and his glare returned the sentiment.
But the other man smiled, genuinely smiled at his prisoner, as if he found something about this situation amusing. Ryuu's face must have reflected his confusion, for the man called Hao Jin pointed at the floating object in front of him.
"I see you've met Aya – I'm sure she didn't mean to invade your privacy, she's just a little bit curious…you see, she hasn't met many Firebenders."
Ryuu just stared as the urn – clearly inhabited by a spirit – floated neatly into a little wheeled shrine. His hopes for an execution were beginning to fade.
Once settled, the spirit softly inquired, "What will you do with this man, Green Crystal Lantern Hao Jin?"
"Well, we can't just leave our Red Lantern 'guest' tied up here, and I don't feel right leaving him in a little village jail – Sergeant, do you know any place strong enough to hold 'em?"
Now his burly companion had a chance to smile: "I know just the place for this poozer; set course due south!"
And so the company packed up their camp with prisoner Ryuu in tow, heading for the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.
~oOo~
Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
The devastation in the Earth Kingdom was vast, and the suffering of her people great. Invading Fire Nation armies used the Earth Kingdom's immense size and diverse inhabitants to their advantage, preventing any unified resistance from forming. Just as we needed it most, our hope vanished…
Fortunately there are brave men and women willing to stand against the Firebenders terrorizing the countryside.
We are the Green Crystal Lantern Corps: an ancient and secret organization with the purpose of protecting the people and serving the spirits of the Earth Kingdom. We answer to no one, save the Guardians of the Green Crystals, the sacred source of our extraordinary Earthbending powers.
In the breakdown of social order on the Eastern Frontier, my brother-in-arms and I were sent on a vital mission to transport a sacred vessel, the only surviving evidence of a people wiped out during the siege of Sozin's Comet. But our quest quickly turned into a rescue operation, as we discovered members of the Green Crystal Lantern Corps murdered by of a deadly band of elite Firebenders.
It may be just the two of us against the entire Red Lantern army, but I believe that we have the power to save our homeland…