1. Fire
I will destroy you. I will crush you like an ant.
Wan woke with a start, sweating.
"Nightmares again?" Yao asked from across the room.
"I finally had the power to help people…" said Wan.
"Sounds wonderful," said Yao.
"It was horrible," said Wan.
"Ah," said Yao, "that can happen too."
"But it gave me an idea of how to change things around here. I'm presenting myself to the Masters."
"Only Highborn can firebend," said Jaya, soaking the last of the stale bread in water. "If Sun Chief Chou catches you you'll end up dead. Or worse, banished into the Wilds."
"Why must it be the Highborn?" said Wan.
"It's just the way the world is," said Jaya. "Some people have power, some don't. And you don't."
Wan lay back on his cot, staring at the ceiling. "Not yet, anyway."
#
The stone steps were cold in the night air.
"Told you there'd be no guards," said Wan.
"That's because no one's crazy enough to try this," Jaya puffed behind him. "Also, these steps do a pretty good job at guarding. How much further?"
Wan was silent at the top.
"Wan?"
The Eternal Flame danced under the starry sky.
"It's beautiful," said Wan. "I'd never seen it this close."
"That's because we're not supposed to," said Jaya, arriving beside him. "So how are you going to take a piece of it?"
"I always thought it was a bit unfair that you had to know firebending in order to learn firebending. That's why I brought these," said Wan, removing two oil lamps from his bag.
"Won't the Masters be offended?" asked Jaya.
"I think we're past that point."
#
The wind howled over the stone bridge.
"There," said Jaya. "Now all we need are drums, dancers, a horn…"
"I thought we'd keep it simple," said Wan, walking towards one of the side caves.
"Sure," said Jaya. "Let's go disturb a dragon in its den, why not?"
The lamplight flickered as they walked inside. A sudden gust of wind blew them out.
"Rather early for breakfast."
"Wan, if we leave now we can still…"
Golden eyes blinked open, highlighting the jaws of the red dragon before them.
Wan dropped to the ground. "Master Long, we did not mean to disturb."
"And yet here you are," said Long, getting closer. "There are rules, human. For your own protection."
"The rules are unjust," said Wan. "The Highborn stuff themselves while the Lowborn go hungry."
"We do not interfere," said Long. "We only protect the city from the Wilds. The Agreement has stood for many years. What would you have of me?"
"Fire."
"Ah," said Long. "So that is your hunger. You deem yourselves worthy?"
"Judge us," said Wan.
"Well," said Jaya, "I'm not that hungry for…" He fell silent as Long approached, his breath hot in their faces.
"I see darkness, and death," said Long. "Are you certain this is what you want?"
"Yes," Wan said firmly.
"Actually…" said Jaya.
"Very well," said Long. His flame filled the cavern and lit the night.
Wan and Jaya screamed, then realized they were still alive.
"Now go," said Long, turning back. "May you find some joy in what is to come."
#
Wan and Jaya skipped down the stone steps.
"Still having second thoughts?" asked Wan.
"I'm just happy to be alive!" said Jaya. "Do you think it worked?"
"One way to find out," said Wan, punching into the air.
Nothing happened.
"Were we not worthy after all?" asked Jaya.
"Huh," said Wan. "Maybe we need to..."
"Halt! Who goes there?" someone yelled.
"Hide," hissed Wan, pushing Jaya off the steps.
Two sentries raised their lamps.
"Hi, fellas," said Wan. "Just taking a night stroll."
"This area's off limits to your kind, riff-raff," said the one on the right.
"Oh, I should've guessed from all the dragon statues," said Wan. "My mistake. I'll just be on my way then..."
"Not so fast, pal," said the sentry. "You're under arrest."
"Well, in that case…" Wan charged down the steps, leaping over the sentries.
One sentry connected with his staff. Wan crashed onto the flagstones.
The sentry clasped his arm. "That's enough funny business…"
Wan spun away, drawing an arc of fire.
All three gaped.
"Impossible," said the sentry. "Scum like him can't firebend."
"Looks like the fight just got even," said Wan.
He blacked out as the other sentry knocked him with the staff.
#
Wan came to in a poorly lit room.
"…shouldn't be able to firebend," the sentry was explaining.
Before him, Sun Chief Chou seemed even more threatening with dark bags under his eyes.
"No one can know," said Chou. "Kill him and dispose of the body."
Wan gulped.
"B-but sir," said the sentry.
"What?" growled Chou.
"The Masters saw fit to gift this Lowborn, whatever their reasons," said the sentry. "Might it not anger them to have him killed?"
Chou massaged his temples. "Fine."
He grabbed Wan by his chin. "You are banished from this city. If you ever return you will be killed, Masters' favor or no. Do you understand?"
Wan tried to nod.
"Good."
#
Twisted trees seemed to grab at Wan with gnarled claws. One or two actually did.
Something whimpered behind a bush. Steeling himself for another deadly trick, Wan pushed through.
The trapped catdeer looked up at him.
Wan's stomach rumbled, but the catdeer whimpered again.
Wan sighed. "It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of there."
"What in the Masters' name do you think you're doing?"
Wan turned towards the approaching hunting party.
"That's our dinner," said the huntsman. "Now get out of the way."
"No," said Wan.
Awkward firebending singed the net, cutting the catdeer to the ground. It dashed into the forest.
"That's impossible," said the huntsman.
"I get that a lot," said Wan.
The huntsman responded with a fireblast.
Wan ducked and ran. He dodged quick-grass and fruit wasps, and grabby trees of the real kind. He ran until he was out of ground, tumbling down a cliff to the lake below.
"And stay out of our way!" the huntsman called from above.
#
Wan waded to shore. Perhaps the bruises would help him forget the hunger. He must have been losing his mind, because he thought he could hear singing.
The singing was real. It came from an island where creatures played in a freshwater pool. Wan's eyes focused on the fruit grove surrounding it.
Moving gingerly, Wan walked to the bridge connecting the island. The fruit looked even better from…
"You are not welcome in my oasis, human."
A lemur spirit blocked his path.
"Please help me," said Wan. "I'm starving and I haven't slept all night."
"Not my problem," said the lemur. "Go back to your city."
"I can't," said Wan. "I was banished."
"Tragic," said the lemur. "Go live in another one, for all I care."
"There are other human cities?" asked Wan. "Where?"
"Who cares?" said the lemur. "Just go."
Wan snapped. "Let me pass!" he cried, blasting fire at the spirit's feet.
"You dare use fire against me?" said the lemur, grabbing Wan.
He paused as one of the pool creatures purred. The catdeer joined them at the bridge.
"Are you sure?" the lemur asked.
The catdeer purred again.
"If you say so," said the lemur, releasing Wan. "Mula is vouching for you. You're welcome in my oasis on a probationary basis. You can call me Aye. I think I'll call you…"
"Wan."
"Stinky it is," said Aye.
Wan lowered himself into the pool as he bit into a mangoberry. "I feel great. What's in this water?"
"Family recipe," said Aye. "Endorphins, spirit dust, a bit of this and that."
"You call that firebending?"
Wan turned to the white dragon lying by the pool. "It was a gift from Master Long."
"Having the spark doesn't make you a firebender." The dragon looked at Aye. "Any more than being human makes you evil."
Aye rolled his eyes.
"You must learn to control it, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love," the dragon continued. "My name is Huo. I can help."
"Thank you," said Wan. "I'd be honored."
Huo pinced a mangoberry leaf and gave it to Wan. Smoke began to rise from the leaf's center.
"Concentrate on the fire," said Huo. "I want you to keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can."
"I think we can skip this," said Wan. "I can bend fireballs!"
"Good for you," said Huo. "Then this simple exercise should pose no difficulty."
"Fine, I'll just… ow!" cried Wan as the flame reached his fingers. "That didn't count, I wasn't looking."
#
Wan adjusted the saddlebags. "You ready to go, Mula?"
Aye walked up to him. "You sure you want to leave?"
"Yes," said Wan. "It's time I see the rest of the world and find the other human cities."
"Spirits speak of a city southeast of here," said Aye. "I'm proud to call you my friend, Stinky."
"Thank you for everything," said Wan. He waved to his friends. "Good-bye, everyone."
The creatures waved back.
"You will be missed," said Huo.
#
The brook babbled in the cool morning.
"Isn't this peaceful?" said Wan, filling his canteen.
Mula meowed, ears alert.
"What is it, girl?"
Spirits stampeded towards them.
"What's wrong?" called Wan.
"The all-powerful spirits are battling!" a spirit cried. "They're gonna wipe out the entire valley!"
Wan hopped on Mula and galloped into the forest. Beyond it, the earth shook as spirits the size of sequoiababs grappled with each other.
"Stop!" cried Wan, blasting fire between them. "You'll destroy everything!"
The white spirit restrained the black as it tried to escape. "This doesn't concern you, human!"
"Please, save me," said the black spirit. "She has tormented me for ten thousand years."
"Ten thousand years? Let him go!" cried Wan, focusing flame on the last tendrils that bound them.
With a shockwave the spirits broke apart.
"Thank you, human," said the black one, flying away. "You have performed a great service for the spirits."
"Do you realize what you've done?" said the white spirit, pulsing on the ground.
"Yeah," said Wan. "I helped a spirit who was being bullied by you!"
"You don't even know who I am, do you?"
"Should I?" asked Wan.
"I am Raava, the spirit of order. The one you freed is Vaatu, the spirit of chaos. Since the beginning of time we have battled over the fate of this world. And for the past ten thousand years I have kept chaos under control and the world in order, until you came along."
"So by freeing Vaatu," said Wan, "I let chaos into the world?"
"Precisely," said Raava. "The human and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation, and it's all your fault. I only hope I can track down Vaatu before it's too late."
"Let me help you," said Wan.
"I don't want your help," said Raava, flying away. "Don't interfere with me again, human."
Wan turned to Mula, crestfallen. "Let's get moving."