Chapter One: The Light in the Dark
"The Avatar has returned!" a man yelled out to my father. "Shush, Tora!" my father responded immediately. "You know that even here, it's not safe yelling out things like that… Come inside." He trails off as he pulls Tora inside the house.
I push myself away from the window and fall into my bed. "The Avatar…" I whisper. It's been about a hundred years since the last Avatar was around. Since then the Fire Nation has waged war around the world. Conquering… Destroying… Murdering…
Life here in the northern part of the Earth Kingdom is surprisingly peaceful. Most of the villages around here haven't been touched by the Fire Nation, but it's only a matter of time before they take interest in these parts. The villages here are easy prey, mostly farmers and fishermen. Most of the Earthbenders left to join the war, and those who remain are nothing but children, children who may have already lost their fathers to the war.
The soldiers stationed here are not the best either. I could probably take them down without even breaking a sweat. But then again if I did, I'd be hunted down. Firebending isn't actually celebrated around these parts. My father taught me a great lot about combat while I was growing up. He's an incredibly skilled warrior and bender. So much is expected from a former Fire Navy Commander.
Commander Talos Lakar, a legend in the Fire Navy's 12th fleet, at least, that's what he told me. He had quite a notorious reputation. Being such a highly revered commander, you wouldn't expect him to defect from the Fire Nation. And I'm pretty sure he didn't give it all up to live the lowly life of a peasant.
"Tenkuu! Breakfast is ready!" my mother yells out. I prop myself off my bed and take a quick look at the window. The small coop where our chicken-pigs are housed is the only thing in view. Our house is apart from other villages. Not far enough that we'd be completely separated, but not close enough that would make visits from other people that frequent.
"Tenkuu, if you don't get your butt here right now I'll give ALL your Plumberries to Jubei!" my mother yells once again. "I'm coming! Sheesh." I yell back. My mother knows just how to manipulate me. And my brother Jubei just enjoys it a little too much.
I make my way down the stairs and as usual, the fifth step lets out the scariest creak you could imagine, like it could break at anytime. Then again, I can't really complain, these stairs are older than I am. My father isn't the best carpenter, but he did the best he could. "Hurry up, Tenkuu. We have a guest." Said my father as he shoves a hunk of meat into his mouth. Tora waves at me "Hey Tenkuu!" Of course I already knew he was here. I wave back and smile at him as I walk towards the table and take my seat.
Tora is one of our family friends. He visits here every now and then to trade. Most of his visits are for business, sometimes just for company. His wife isn't actually the sociable type that he is. I like it when he comes around. It's like the house comes alive whenever he's here. Not that it's gloomy here when he's not, it just feels… better.
I let out a moan of satisfaction as I gobble down the last of my Plumberries. It's my favorite food, and my whole family knows it, even Tora. A loud belch comes out off me that had everyone laughing. When the laughter died down I asked almost instinctively "So, what's this about the Avatar I hear?"
There was complete silence. Everyone just stared at me, except for Jubei who was apparently as confused as I am. "What did you hear?" my father asked.
"That he's back. Or she's back. Is it true?" And once again silence followed.
"Yes, it's been news for weeks now" Tora replied.
"That's great then! Maybe he can end this war once and for all! Or she." I exclaimed.
"You don't have to guess, Tenkuu. The Avatar is a young Airbender boy." Tora explained as he sipped another spoonful of soup.
"A young Airbender boy? That's impossible. The Air Nomads were wiped out a century ago." My father retorts.
"That's what's been going around. And rumor has it that he doesn't even know the other elements yet. He's not posing that much of a threat to the Fire Nation" Said Tora.
"Who cares? He's the Avatar! He's destined to bring balance to the world. If he doesn't know the other elements yet, he'll learn them. The important thing is he's back, and with that, hope as well." I say with utmost confidence.
My father looks at me and says "You shouldn't put too much faith in this boy, Tenkuu. He IS just a boy. You can't expect one boy to defeat an entire nation. Especially the Fire Nation"
I stand and glare at him as if he gave me an insult. "How could you say that? It's like you've given up already! I would have thought the great Commander Talos Lakar would keep on fighting till the end!"
And just like that I was on the floor. I can feel my face throbbing. Everything was hazy and every sound was muffled. My mother came for me, but I can barely make out what she's saying. "Are you okay?" I think that's what it was. I nod and stand up. My vision's still a little blurry, but clear enough to see my father walk out and slam the door shut.
"You should lie down." A sound finally makes it into my ears. "I'll talk to your father, go rest in your room." My mother said as she walked towards the front door.
I lie down in my bed and start to drift off in my thoughts "The Avatar is back. It's only a matter of time before this war is over." I think to myself. Then I remember what my father said. The Avatar is just a boy, with only one element mastered. What could he do against an entire nation of Firebenders?
I sit up and hear my mother and father yelling. They're fighting again because of me. Which believe me, happens a lot. I've had my fair share of mishaps, a little too much if you ask me. And it's the same every time. My father gets mad at me, and my mother goes ahead and "talks" to him. I know I should do that on my own, it's just my mother doesn't give me the chance to. Plus the last time I "talked" with my father we burned down the chicken-pig coop and I had to rebuild it as "punishment".
I need something to get my mind off this. I move to my workstation and start fiddling with my homemade lenses. They're not that hard to make actually. I get some sand from the beach, put it in my molding pot, cover it with my hand and just blast away. I hold one against the sunlight and it contorts the light into a weird image on the table. I look at it and I can't help but smile. Light has always fascinated me. The way it moves, the way it can be bent by mirrors or lenses, the fact that without it, our eyes would be completely useless.
I twist the lens a little bit and I accidentally hit my eye with the light. A white flash hits me and I pull my head back a little. I started to think about Firebending and the first time I used it, it nearly blinded me. My father was nice enough not to warn his son not to Firebend so close to his eyes. No one could really blame me, I was 6, barely able to understand what "Fire" was. That was the first time my father got mad at me and my mother had to "talk" to him. I understand why he was mad, he was just concerned, he might have actually been mad at himself not me.
I snap back to reality when I hear the front door slam again. From the sound of it, it was my mother who slammed it. I peak downstairs and see them hugging it out. Like I said earlier, it's the same every time. Dad gets mad, Mom gets mad for Dad getting mad, and Dad goes after her. Kind of an old worn out story, but I guess that's love.
I return to my workstation and accidentally knock off one of the lenses. Mid-fall it shines a light in my eye again. Then it came to me. How light behaves. How it moves. How it bends. It's all so clear to me now. My face just can't help but make the biggest smile.
It's almost nightfall and I'm done with my chores. I hear my mother calling me for dinner and I reply quickly. I don't want her to threaten me with Plumberries again, I wont give Jubei the satisfaction. I go inside and take my seat. My father apologized for punching me out earlier. Honestly, I thought he used something to knock me out, something hard, but then again, it was a fist of an old Navy Commander, for all I know it might be harder than steel, because it sure as hell felt like it.
I accept his apology and apologize myself. I know his past is not something he's proud of. Bringing it up was just me asking for it. We laugh it off, like usual, and go on and eat. No one mentions the Avatar at all. Maybe they're trying to avoid the subject or just wanted me to bring it up. Which I don't want to do since the last time I had that conversation I ended up flat on the floor. I talk about Plumberries instead, and how fortunate we are that it grows in our garden since usually Plumberries are only found on mountaintops.
I washed up and went to bed. My room is dark, only the light from the window to keep it lit. I begin to visit my realization earlier on how light behaves. I look to my right hand completely in the dark in the far side of the bed and thought "It's worth a shot…"
Raising my right hand slowly I think about light, focusing on it as if I was trying to make something happen. I manage to set off embers of fire, but I push down my Firebending training and focus on light. I was about to give out when something finally clicked.
The pitch black area where my right hand was, is now bathed in a white light, a light not unlike the moon's coming from my window. But it couldn't possibly be from the window, I'm a good two meters away from it. I look at my hand closely and move it back and forth. And then I come to the conclusion.
My hand is the light… I'm bending light.
"Finally!" A voice speaks from the far side of the room.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time…"
"Lightbender…"