Avatar: The only Shadow Bender
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In another world, the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water can be used in an ancient art called Bending. Those that practice this art are called Benders. There are the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. In each generation, one person is capable of Bending all four elements; this is the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form.
There once was a long-standing peace in this world, were all the four nations were as one. But for one hundred years the Fire Nation has been fighting an imperialistic war to gain power. Only the new Avatar can bring peace. But the Avatar is a child still learning how to use the elements to restore the order of the world.
He has many friends, but he is about to gain one more. It is true that the four elements are the founding pieces of the world along with the Great Spirits, but there is another element that has never been wielded before. Let the story of The First Shadow Bender's rise to a new life begin.
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A beautiful day has blessed a small area of the Earth Kingdom; a fairly large field is seen next to the start of a mountain side. A young girl is seen picking flowers, and humming to herself gleefully. The girl is about eight in appearance and has steel-gray hair. She wears white cloth on her body tied with a red sash. A very distinguishing trait that you could see was her eyes. One of them was a deep gold, the other was a clear blue.
She plucked her last flower, a bright blue flower with purple-ish lining. She giggled energetically at what she had done, a beautiful bouquet of flowers all put together. She knew he would like this. She happily started walking to the mountain roads wear she knew she would find him.
A young boy was sitting under a tree on the beginning of the road that lead up the mountain, his eyes closed in relaxation. He enjoyed moments like this. The cool breeze along with the sun's warmth, it made him feel at ease and rest.
He was about fourteen, and was wearing a sleeveless black silk cloth over cover outlined with green. Over it on the waste were smoke-gray wrappings and a green sash. Under the over covering cloth on his upper body he wore black skin tight clothing that covered his neck, all of his arms, and his middle and ring fingers on both hands. He had the wrappings on his forearms as well. His pants were baggy cloth that covered the top part of his boots.
His body, from what could be seen, was lithe and not very bulky, his face was sharp and seemed to look like it could have come from nobility. But the things that could easily catch you r attention were three things: His hair, his skin, and his eyes.
His skin was a pale that had near to no color in it whatsoever. His hair was a light stealing jet black reaching to his shoulder blades.
But his eyes, they were the shocking thing about him. Though they were closed at the moment, if they were open you would have seen blackness. His eyes were black as well as his irises. But his irises had a small white at the edge of the circles and they looked to be made out of polished, shining onyx.
He was resting peacefully in the shade when he started to hear the sounds of a pair of small feet, pit-patting their way towards him. He knew who this was.
"Hello Enya. Where have you been?" he asked with eyes still closed. His voice in a soft, soothing tone.
The young girl named Enya came to a halt in front of her friend.
"Well, I went down to the small field back down the road and I got these for you big brother Jikan." She said with her little voice.
Jikan opened his eyes and looked at the young girl before him. He had found her about a year ago when he was thirteen. She was a seven year old who had gone through something no one should have had to go through. Jikan had saved her from that bad thing, and she had been his little shadow ever since traveling along with him and calling him her 'Brother Jikan' from time to time.
"You picked these for me? What caused that?" he asked in a playfully questioning voice.
Enya just smiled and said, "I just wanted to. You seemed sad so I wanted to cheer you up.
Jikan took the flowers gently from her and looked at them.
"I'm not sad Enya, just enjoying the land. As you just did. You didn't need to pick any flowers for me." He said while looking at her. Her face soon was slowly turning to a saddened one as he said that. He put his hand on her head and moved it around a little so it unsettled her hair a little.
"But thank you for them and the effort. It was very kind."
Enya smiled brightly at his words and Jikan decided to get up, flowers still in hand.
"Now then, lets get back to the road now shall we?" Jikan asked, strapping his pack onto his shoulder. "And you may want to carry the flowers. You have a gentler touch than me." He said as he passed the flowers to Enya.
"Yeah and you have big hands that might smoosh them." She said.
"Says you." In reality, Jikan had somewhat feminine hands with nimble fingers. They seemed large to Enya by comparison with hers.
They continued their way up the road heading for their destination of the earth city of Omashu to restore their supplies. They came to a fork in the road and took a left. They kept walking for about twenty-five minutes until they started to round a corner, were Jikan caught sight of a fire nation flag. Jikan quickly pulled back taking Enya with him hoping they weren't seen. He slowly and silently backed up then walked again back down the road, but with extreme caution shown in his eyes.
"Why'd we go back Jikan?" Enya asked.
"There were Fire Nation soldiers back there Enya. If they saw us, they probably would try to capture us." He replied.
"But aren't we from Fire Nation?" Enya asked innocently.
"Yes, but we have to avoid them for very good reasons."
"That's why you play dress-up with earth clothes right?"
Jikan sighed. "Enya its called disguise not dress-up. And I'm certainly not playing."
"I still say its dress-up."
Indeed that was the life that Jikan and Enya led. They were both born in the Fire Nation but left because of their own….unfortunate predicaments. Jikan had left not only because of his predicament but he had become disappointed in his country and its thirst for conquest.
He now traveled with Enya around the Earth Kingdom, disguised in Earth Kingdom clothes so that he was disguised. Every opportunity that had shown itself that would help to slow the war, Jikan would do all he could. There had been victories, losses, and some unknown outcomes that left Jikan hoping.
Then Jikan heard that the Avatar had returned. When this information reached him, his hope started to rise. He started to look for the Avatar in every place he looked. So far he hadn't seen hide nor hair of them.
Jikan and Enya walked strait back to the fork in the roads and started down the other path. It would take a longer time to get to Omashu on this road but it would keep them from the fire soldiers.
They kept walking and talking softly about what would happen when they got to Omashu. Enya was using her imagination to imagine her eating the best sweets she could find.
Jikan had his own response.
"You know that would get you sick right?"
"No it wouldn't! I'd be just fine. But you need more food Jikan! You look really skinny!"
"That's just how I am."
They were close to rounding a corner. Jikan continued on.
"Its not like I'm not eating its just that I like to stay fit. If I was going to be a piece of fat meat I'd be-"
They rounded the corner, right into a base of Fire Nation Solders. Looking strait at them.
"Dead meat." Jikan finished.
"You took the words right out of my mouth kid, GET THEM!!!" one of the soldiers yelled.
Jikan grabbed Enya as fast as he could and started running back the way they came. The soldiers weren't far behind. He could tell by the fire they were bending at him. He wasn't about to fight back; this was not a good position. Fighting back while running as well as having Enya in his hands would slow him down putting both of them in greater danger.
Soon he even started hearing the foot-falls of a bird mount. (Can't remember the names of the ostrich things.)
Finally he reached the fork in the road. He started to catch his breath as the sounds of the camp started to come after him.
"Enya, hide!" he said as he set her down. She obliged by running into behind some rocks near the fork. Jikan threw his pack to the ground.
He took what little time he had to catch his breath; he would need it. When the soldiers came they all had made a half circle around him. There were exactly eight. They were all baring down on him with their helmet masks covering their faces. All but the one that had exclaimed earlier.
"Your coming with us kid. Nobody is allowed near here. And since you're from the earth kingdom, you'll have to go to the dungeons." He said.
Jikan looked strait at him, something that he could tell was unnerving the soldier because of his eyes.
"And if I refuse?" Jikan asked.
"Then I don't really think I have to explain what will happen."
"If that's the case then I refuse in every essence of the word." Jikan replied. He settled into his fighting stance. Feet spread with his body facing sideways, left hand pulled back and in a fist palm up. His right arm out with right hand up with hand open and fingers together.
The lead fire soldier was visibly angry now. This earth citizen thought he could defy them so easily? Even if this guy was an earth bender he'd teach him a lesson.
"I've had enough of this kid. Get him!"
Jikan's reaction was immediate. Using a technique he made a long time ago, he shifted his feet slightly. The result was small pieces of his shadow rising onto his boots, covering them with blackness.
This was his power: Shadowbending.
Jikan moved forward and started to move as if he were skating. In which he was. This technique covered his shoe in shadow and eliminated all forms of friction against certain points on his foot. The other points he kept traction on for momentum. This gave him speed and allowed him to keep his footwork.
The fire soldiers started their own Firebending, hurling fire at him as he moved. Jikan kept maneuvering himself to prevent being hit while still moving.
Jikan decided to take the offensive as he moved toward three of the Firebenders and cut off loss of friction. He started sliding toward the soldier and stopped by slamming his hands onto the ground. He used his momentum to pull his legs back and turn his body in a circle, then forcing his legs out again while in movement. His legs slammed into the Firebender's right leg, toppling him over.
Jikan stopped the movement and put his feet back to the ground leaving him face up. The other two Firebenders were about to perform their strike, but Jikan didn't give them the chance as he performed a handstand and turned to the side, barely being missed by the fire shot at him. The Firebender that he had taken down however had received the full force of it and was sent back a few feet into the rock side as well as feeling the fires sent at him.
Jikan spread his legs and rotated his body while putting more of his shadow into his feet and shins. His right leg hit the back one of the soldier's helmets, his left hitting the mask of the other. A few seconds after his legs connected, the helmets seemed to minorly explode on the opposite sides of were Jikan hit them, making small metal pieces fly off of the helmet.
This was another trick Jikan made. He used his shadows to control the impact of his hits to cause more damage in the impact and not the actual blow. It was made to incorporate into his fighting style.
The two Firebenders went down immediately. Jikan flipped himself back into position and faced the last five. Jikan moved forward again.
"Don't just stand there! Stop him!!" the head soldier was dumbstruck. What type of bending was this? Exploding attacks, fast movement, and the kid seemed to know how to fight and maneuver himself in combat as well.
Jikan was moving forward at top speed again and before he made contact with the Firebender he moved his right hand back into a fist and put in front of it his left hand, palm forward. Shadows were coming out from under his cloth down his arm covering his hand.
The Firebender tried to perform a fire attack but Jikan had gotten so close that he moved his left hand out to knock his hand away, stopping the bending. Jikan punched out with his right and turned his fist with his index and middle finger knuckles out. When he hit the Firebender the shadows on his hand separated and formed a ball with spiraling whisps attached to it slamming into the bender causing unconsciousness. All the while the ball kept going, taking the Firebender along for the ride into the stone wall.
Two more Firebenders tried to attack him from behind. Jikan had performed a front roll then stood. He quickly slid his right foot out while pulling his left leg back as if he were about to kick something. He let loose his left leg and from his shadow came an arcing wave. Jikan jumped up and forward on his right foot, so another arc came out of his shadow.
The first arc hit one of the Firebenders; the other was blocked by the fire made by the other. When Jikan landed he crouched low and put his left foot out. Then he used his hands to balance his body so that he could rotate himself in a moving circle. While he was rotating his shadow moved up onto his left leg, then his right when he put it up. The result was a halo of shadow moving with his legs in a constant circle moving toward the Firebender.
The Firebender kept launching fire attack after fire attack but the halo of darkness that kept moving toward him was making the fires become launched into different directions.
Finally Jikan performed a handspring forwards while rotating so that he became in midair. He spiraled forward and landed his right shadow less foot onto the Firebender's chest, then kicked his left shadow encased foot into his head. The Firebender was sent flying sideways, his feet dragging along making dirt paths.
Jikan landed and looked to see the last two benders, the leader and his last soldier, about to take fire on him.
Jikan jumped and slammed his feet down onto the ground, then his hands. The fires were launched at him.
Jikan moved his hands up swiftly in a crossing motion then put them together at the forearms in front of him. His shadow expanded and rose up in front of him in a wall form. The fires hit the wall but dissipated almost instantly.
Jikan then started to make a circular motion with his hands and arms while pulling back, making the shadow start to move to him, then pieces of the shadow were detached and a section of the shadow was gone allowing the soldiers to see what he was doing.
Jikan kept moving his arms and hands, making the pieces move along with them. He then stopped the movements and put out his arms, made a grabbing motion with his hands, then pulled back. He moved his body around in a quick 360, swiping the ground with his right foot in the circle.
He finished the motion, put his foot out, and thrust his hands out towards his opponents until his arms were fully out with his hands open and forward.
The result was many dart like objects made from the shadow being launched at the fire soldiers in a barrage.
The leader moved out of the way but the other Firebender wasn't as lucky. The darts hit him full on, causing an impact were they hit his body making him jerk back at every hit, as well as tearing off a few pieces of his clothes were there wasn't something solid behind them.
The leader was now alone.
Jikan dashed forward and the leader started to bend fire to try to keep Jikan away. Jikan used all the agility he had to avoid the fire. When he got close enough, Jikan rotated himself to the right and brought his right hand up in a fluid motion. Something that could only be described as a whip made out of shadow came from in between his index and middle finger.
The whip sliced through a fireball that would have hit his head had it connected. Jikan made another whip with his left hand and cut another fire attack. Jikan kept rotating his arms to make the whips keep cutting.
Neither of them was letting up as the Firebender kept attacking and Jikan kept slicing. Finally, enough was enough. Jikan put his arms together and swiped downward diagonally above the leader. Some of the rocks above him were cut and dislodged, making them fall.
The lead Firebender rolled forward so the rocks wouldn't wound him. But when he looked up at Jikan he saw him make a fist and punch the air, making another orb of shadow fly out towards the leader.
The ball hit full force knocking the Firebender back. Jikan punched two more times making connections. This made the Firebender fly back into the rocks, knocking him out.
The fight was over.
Jikan stood and breathed slowly to calm himself. Then he smelled something burning. He looked down to see his cloth was on fire.
Jikan exclaimed and quickly undid his sash and removed his cloth and stamped out the fire.
'Well that one's ruined.' He thought. He went over to his pack and drew out another cloth exactly like his old one. Except instead of green it had a dark purple hue color for the lining.
"It's okay now Enya. You can come out." He said as he put his cloth on.
There was no answer.
"Enya?" Jikan called out. He took up his pack and moved to the rocks to see her. But when he got there he wasn't there.
All that remained were the foot prints of a mount.
"Oh no." Jikan realized. He had heard the steps of a mount but there wasn't one when he was fighting. They must have taken her.
Jikan cut off his friction and moved as fast as he could, following the tracks. He didn't know just how far they could have gone but he wasn't seeing them.
Soon he came to a hill and started up it. When he got to the top, he was shocked.
There was Omashu, now under Fire Nation control.
That was where they were keeping Enya. He'd have to go in and find her. This was not looking to be his day.
Jikan made no friction again and started moving towards the city.
"Hold on Enya, I'm coming."