Prologue: Moments of Doubt

The cool touch of the night-fed ocean breeze and the iron deck-plating was a much welcomed relief after spending most of the afternoon exposed to the flames of a master Firebender. Here he was, though: Aang, the Avatar, the last of the Airbenders and the savior of the four nations, victorious. Without compromising his principles, without giving into the pressure of well-meaning advice, he had defeated Fire Lord Ozai and, in the process, had finally made it possible for peace to return to the world. He should be happy; he was happy. However, after several hours left to himself, doubts were beginning to weigh heavily on his mind. In one sense, his journey was finally over, and in another it was yet just beginning.

Though he hadn't kept a close watch on the time, it had been at least five hours since the Fire Nation flotilla had arrived on the shores of the Earth Kingdom. On the orders of Prince Zuko, they were to round up the crews of his father's airships and return the Avatar to their nation's capital city. According to the lead Captain of the flotilla, some major changes were beginning to happen there since the Prince had managed to defeat his sister and for what was coming it was imperative that the Avatar was present.

So here they were. Sokka had been taken to the infirmary to have his ankle cared for by the medics with Suki following close behind while Toph had gone to the galley to get something to eat. Aang, meanwhile, had decided to stay on the upper deck and watched as Zuko's soldiers led Ozai and his men aboard and to the brig before taking a comfortable spot beside a cargo crate to rest. It felt odd, after a year of fighting the Fire Nation, to be on one of their fully operational and fully manned naval ships. Though under orders from Prince Zuko to escort them safely, he could feel the stares of the soldiers and naval officers as they passed him. Their disgust and contempt was all too apparent in their amber eyes. He had defeated the Fire Lord, that was true, but one-hundred years of strife were not so easily wiped away. One battle would never resolve anything.

That's when the doubts began to creep into his mind.

Staring up at the night sky, Aang's mind began to wander… about the past and about the future. As far as he knew, unless some had escaped into hiding, the Air Nomads were gone. The Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes had both been brutalized by the Fire Nation invasion through recent days to the siege of the Northern Water Tribe's fortress and the fall of Ba Sing Se. As well, there was the Fire Nation themselves. For nearly a century the Fire Lords had indoctrinated their people on a skewed view of the world; lead to believe that their leaders were on a noble campaign of global education and enlightenment against a world of savages. Even with Zuko as Fire Lord, even with friends like the Earth King and King Bumi, and even with the support of Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook, would the people themselves so easily welcome their neighbors once more with this new peace after everything they all had been through? Though it had seemed an impossible task, the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai was finally accomplished, but now, looking at the task that lied ahead, diplomacy seemed like an even greater feat. He was the Avatar, but he was also just a kid! It was his job to mediate the peace between the nations, but what if the nations wouldn't listen?

His mind still racing, he let out a yawn and looked up at the stars through impossibly heavy eyelids. The last thing that crossed his mind as he drifted to sleep was a nagging wondering if the lasting fulfillment of his mission was even possible anymore.

When Aang's eyes slowly opened once more, he was greeted by a host of new sensations. The night breeze and the smell of sea salt was oddly gone, replaced by a sticky humidity and the odor of damp wood and mold. The world had gone from a deep blue to a murky brown, like earth or rust. Meandering roots rose and fell through the dingy swamp water from the trees that were their source and the whine of distant insects echoed in his ears. Sitting up, the Avatar found himself sitting on a large platform, maybe twenty feet in diameter and looking much like the stump of a harvested tree. His mind was foggy at first from sleep, but as clarity soon came, his surroundings became all too familiar. He was in the Spirit World.

"The Spirit World?" Aang muttered to himself, rubbing a tired hand on the back of his head and yawning. "What am I doing here again?"

"I would think you, of all people, would be the one with the answer to that, young Avatar," an unfamiliar voice rumbling in a deep baritone sounded behind him.

Throwing off all feelings of tiredness, Aang quickly spun around on heel and took a defensive. The figure that stood before him was an odd surprise, towering above him at a muscular six feet and dressed in the thick green and mustard yellow robes of an Earth Priest. Enveloped in a ghostly blue glow, the boy could sense a peace about him and began to relax as he realized this visitor meant him no harm.

"Greetings, Aang," the elder spirit said, a slight smile on his wizened, clean shaven face. "I am Avatar Wei Sheng. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last."

In response, the young airbender returned Wei Sheng's bow and smiled widely, as though all had become clear. "So you were the one who summoned me here! You must have sensed my thoughts and came to help me!"

"Well, not exactly. In fact, it was quite the opposite." Lowering himself to the ground and crossing his legs into a meditative position, the spirit beckoned Aang to join him at the center of the platform. "I sensed your arrival into the Spirit World and actually came to see what had brought you here. If you did not come here on purpose, then perhaps your subconscious drew you. Do you seek guidance, young one?"

Just by the diversion of his eyes and his silence, the past Avatar knew all too well that he had discovered the root of the problem.

"Come, Aang. If there is something bothering, who better to share with than your former self? Remember, the wisdom of your past lives is at your disposal…"

"The last time I sought the advice of my past lives…"

"Yes, they told you that, to fulfill your mission, you would have to put aside your own desires and kill the Fire Lord, correct? No doubt, if I had been summoned myself, I would have given you similar advice. Our lives are not so different, young Avatar, nor is the turmoil of our individual lifetimes. Take courage, though, my friend, in that you and only you could have done what you did in these days. I have no doubt there are few people in the world, or indeed few amongst the Avatars themselves, who would have spared Fire Lord Ozai were they in your situation, yet you did not falter. You held on to your beliefs, you retained your virtue, and you found a way to fulfill your mandate without taking the life of your mortal enemy. Aang, you have set yourself apart and I have no doubt that the pages of history will remember you kindly."

The young airbender was quiet at first and continued to keep his gaze from his former self for several seconds before finally looking him gray eyes to green. "Wei Sheng, it's been bothering me since I defeated the Fire Lord. The world has been at war for one hundred years and I'm not so sure I'm up to the task of uniting the nations. I may be the Avatar, but I'm only twelve. The people have hated each other for so many years… why would they suddenly changed just because I asked them to?"

"I think you're overestimating the task laid before you. As Avatar, you are to be the facilitator of peace between the nations, but there's nothing you can do to force these people to change. That will have to occur within their own hearts and minds and no power in the world can change that. May I share with you a story?"

Aang nodded vigorously, causing Wei Sheng to smile as he placed his hands on his knees. "Tell me, do you know much about the times surrounding the Great Southern Sieges?"

"No…"

"Hmm, no, I don't imagine you would. It did take place…" he paused, rolling his eyes upward as he counted mentally. "…oh, over five thousand years ago. In my lifetime, the four nations had not yet fully been formed. The Air Nomads had been settled within their temples for quite some time at this point and a unification was occurring in the Tribes of the north, but the continent and the western islands were divided into many smaller kingdoms and fiefdoms and there was much strife among them. However, to begin this story, allow me to introduce you to a young shrine keeper's apprentice in the islands that you now refer to as the Fire Nation. This boy's name was Daichi…"