Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Author's Note: It's been nearly three years since I finished Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness; I had promised everyone two sequels, but I only got to writing the first chapter of the first sequel before shutting down and going in the dark in terms of writing. I haven't written a word on here in forever. However, I did get to the point of RPing on a regular basis with some friends online. Anyways, I recently re-watched all of Avatar and Korra, and read some fanfictions, and reread my own Dawning of Darkness. Now, I've decided to keep my promise. But this time, I'm just going to stick with finishing the First sequel, then we'll see if a second comes into mind. If you haven't read Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness yet, and do not wish to read it (I'd understand; it's 51 chapters and over 300,000 words), I will be providing a full summary of the story at the end of this chapter. Otherwise, anything important from the last story that ends up becoming important in this story will be explained.

Ages are as Follows: Aang: 18, Katara: 20, Sokka: 21, Nianzu: 30, and so on.

Now then, let's get on with the sequel. Get ready for…

Avatar: The Darkness Awakens

Chapter 1:
Beginning Again

The sky was black, covered by hundreds of dark clouds mercilessly attacking the Earth with rain; roars of thunder could be heard for miles as lightening danced through the air. The surrounding mountains were crumbling beneath themselves, hundreds of tons of boulders rolled down and crushed anything in their paths, before striking the damaged city below, destroying dozens of homes, shops, restaurants, and other various buildings. Only the eastern side of this small city had been scarred, that is, until the remnants of one of the Fire Nation's Elite Class airships descended down with the rest of the mountain. It crushed nearly the entire city, eliciting a mighty boom as it finally came to a halt, the bits and pieces that broke away joined with the rain as they showered the area. The entire town was, luckily, deserted…but was now nothing more than the aftermath of a full-scale war. Hardly anything was left standing, apart from the few lucky structures on the western side of the city, only barely touched but still damaged nonetheless.

Joining the rain and the lightening in the air, a human was left floating in midair, levitated by two spurts of yellow energy beneath his feet. His eyes glowed the same energy that kept him suspended. His head was found tilting downward, glaring at the seas crashing against the cliffs just outside of the town, the rocks crushing each of the waves and breaking them down. A burst of water that reached at least a hundred feet into the air spewed out of the sea as a creature of black and violet met its very end. The human was left with an aiming look on his face, serious as could be. He slowly descended towards the water, half expecting his nemesis to come bursting out, ready to continue their conflict. He was left nearly convinced that his earlier attacks had finished the self-appointed "Lord", and that the battle between them was finally over, but until he was absolutely sure that this was true, he could not turn his back.

Nianzu was not even mostly aware of his current abilities, or how he was possessing them. It was only his will that controlled the energy that kept him propelled in the air, and the attacks that may have finally finished the Spirit that had been torturing him since near birth. He had been on the brink of corruption when something inside him took over, something deep and far more powerful than he could have ever imagined. He felt an incredible surge of power and emotion, his anger and pain transformed into raw energy that now gave him this possession of power that he never thought possible.

Just as Nianzu was about satisfied that the Dark Lord was finally put to an end, something whipped out from the stormed ocean, wrapping its length around Nianzu's ankle, reaching up his leg and finally grasping tightly around his thigh. The contact broke his connection to whatever he was channeling; his eyes ceased glowing and returned to being gray, his feet no longer emitting the energy that kept him suspended for so long. As a loud scream escaped his gaping mouth, he was ripped from the air and was pulled into the ocean, his body crashing into the waves so strongly he lost all feeling in his body, going numb. The freezing temperatures of the water did nothing to help, as it became harder and harder to keep his eyes open, much less to think of a way out of his situation. As he was dragged deeper, it became obvious what the source of this was. Not even seconds later, he was face to face with Tomark once again, but this was nothing like before. Along with his eyes glowing an intense violet, his face was shriveled and distorted, his teeth longer and sharper, his mouth open at least three times wider than he'd ever seen it, releasing an ear-piercing shriek that left Nianzu nearly deaf. Although they were underwater, the shrill cry was heard as though they were on land. His hands grasped the sides of Nianzu's head, the claws sinking into his skull. The man opened his mouth to scream in agony, but was eventually replaced by numerous appendages, shaped exactly like tentacles, as they slithered down into his throat, choking him but also at the same time…they were pulling something from him… from out of him.

"Darkness will always be at war inside you, Nianzu… give up. Give in to it, and reach your full potential…" Tomark softly ordered him, his voice more terrifying than ever. Nianzu had never been truly afraid of Tomark…until this very moment. The dark spirit removed the limbs from the man's throat, but as soon as he had done so, Tomark opened wide his mouth once more, wider than even before, and lunged at Nianzu, engulfing his body instantly…

Nianzu felt nothing…but the energy that had given him power just earlier, was now destroying him from the inside out. He was forced to submit, to become everything Tomark had ever wanted from him: to become a Manarki.

Nianzu's body heaved forward from his bed with a shout; the sheets that covered him came flying off as his sweating body jerked from slumber. His heart was pounding against his chest, his entire body quivering and his breath shivering uncontrollably. His hair was damp from the sweat as it dripped down his face. He brought his hands up and wiped himself of the perspiration. He slowly began to control his breathing, realizing that it had been nothing but a nightmare. It was almost an exact replica of his final battle with Tomark… except Nianzu had destroyed him, not the other way around. The nightmares had been recurring more lately, and this one was entirely different. It felt real. In his other nightmares, Nianzu often instead dreamed of his fight with Tomark.

As Nianzu was finally able to control his breathing, he was able to calm down. He covered his face with his hands once more, wiping off the rest of the sweat. Why wouldn't they stop…? The nightmares had been going on for nearly nine months now, and each one seemed to become worse and worse. This latest dream was now the apex of those. He didn't understand, though, why these dreams were haunting him. Tomark was destroyed, the world was safe, and since then, things seemed to have been going well for them all. Well…for the most part. Nianzu began to wonder if perhaps the results of their battle against the Manarki was what caused his nightmares. While Tomark was destroyed, the Manarki was not entirely destroyed with them. The White Lotus were vigorously searching every corner of the planet for the remnants of the Manarki's army. If that wasn't enough, Nianzu, Aang, and the others had been informed only two weeks after Yuan had been arrested that he somehow escaped his prison, without a trace. Aang and Katara immediately went on the defensive. Yuan had a personal grudge against them both, and with Katara's unexpected pregnancy, they half expected the human-turned-Manarki spirit to come after them. The Order of the White Lotus offered to help ensure their safety, and for the last few months, the Avatar and his family had been guarded by some of the Order's most highly trained and skilled Sentries. However, because of this, the White Lotus was forced to drop their secretive ways, and become more open to the rest of the World, but never stopped clinging to their secrets. The Manarki, per Nianzu's request and to the agreement of each of the Grand Lotuses, were kept from public knowledge.

Nianzu finally was able to lie back down onto his pillow, but sleep was nothing but a wish at this point. His mind was too active, thinking back on the events of the past few months as he lay awake in his room. Once Nianzu came out to the world beside Aang, things had not been so smoothly for him. Much of Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation regarded Nianzu as a traitor, a criminal, and Aang had received the blunt of the criticisms, the world demanding how the Avatar could forgive someone so corrupt and despicable. However, while they criticized Avatar Aang in great amounts, he assured them that Nianzu would be under constant watch. At first, Aang was against this, arguing that Nianzu deserved freedom for his actions as anyone else would, but after discussions between him, Iroh, Katara and Hakoda, the monk finally gave in and agreed, with one condition—Nianzu was to live with them, with no restraints. As his Uncle, Aang demanded that his great-nephew be treated fairly in their eyes, even if the rest of the world didn't agree. This alone caused some discomforting disagreements between Aang and fiancé of the time. Katara still had been partial to the belief that Nianzu couldn't be trusted, and to allow him to live in their home, so close to her while she was pregnant? It resulted in more than their fair share of arguments, but when Hakoda and even Sokka supported the proposition, Katara knew she was fighting a losing battle. Her only request was that Nianzu be kept separated from the rest of them while they slept. He was free to join them during meals and other activities, should he obey all their rules and customs. Nianzu agreed, albeit the fact that Nianzu had asked for none of this special treatment. Of course, Aang was always there to reassure Nianzu that they were family, and that family looked out for one another. Since then, Aang, Katara, Hakoda, Sokka and Nianzu had returned to the Southern Water Tribe, and its growing capital, Harbor City.

Since Aang and Katara's departure from the Southern Tribe in search for Nianzu, the city had been able to grow larger and become more extravagant. At the edge of the city was now the Southern Water Tribe Royal Palace, where Hakoda, as chief of the Tribe, and his family could live once they returned. The palace had dozens more rooms than their home had before their leave over a year ago. It was the ultimate definition of the word "upgrade". Due to this, the White Lotus sentries that were tasked to guard the Avatar, chief, and the rest of the family could easily rotate shifts as they had their own quarters in the palace. The chief had his own room, along with his children and his new son-in-law. Katara and Aang had become accustomed to sleeping together since their engagement and recent wedding. With Katara's pregnancy reaching its end, Hakoda insisted she have the largest room in the palace; the chief's room. Hakoda would be close by, with Ekna only a few rooms away. Before Ekna had been assigned to oversee Hakoda after being attacked in Gaoling, the nonbending physician was in the employment of the Beifong Estate, seeing to their health, and was even present to guide Poppy in her birthing of Toph. Years had passed since then, and in just the past year she'd become Team Avatar's primary physician. She had even been the one to reveal to Katara her own pregnancy, and since was the only one Katara trusted to keep her up to date on her unborn child's health, despite not being a healer. She would be close by so that when the child was ready to be born, Ekna would be right by her side to guide her. It was only a matter of time before that time came…

Nianzu laid in his bed for several hours more, contemplating everything now. Sleep was now a wasted effort. His thoughts jumped from one subject to the next, before finally settling on getting up and going for a walk. He wasn't going to get back to sleep anyways, and his mind was as active as ever. A quiet walk may be just what he needed to get his mind off things. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet resting on the wooden floor. He kept his body agile and alert, as shown by his impressive muscle tone and abs protruding from his chest. He was just beginning to stand when a cry echoed through the palace's halls. Nianzu became instantly alert, coming to a full frame and grabbing a nearby Water Tribe robe to cover himself. The scream was that of a woman's; that much was certain. Not even Sokka could have screamed like that if he'd seen the scariest thing ever. Not only that, it was a scream of agony, not fear. It sounded strained, signifying the source was in a great deal of pain. As Nianzu threw open his room's door, two of the White Lotus Sentries guarding the room were already alert.

Nianzu questioned them immediately, demanding to know why they weren't investigating, "Where is that scream coming from?" he asked quizzically.

One of the Sentries spoke up, turning his gaze to the airbender, "It's coming from the upper floor, sir. Please, go back to your quarters; we'll handle whatever the disturbance is."

Nianzu raised a brow at them just before another scream crippled the hallways, awaking more and more sleeping White Lotus Sentries. Nianzu closed his door and began rushing towards the nearest staircase. The sentry he'd just spoken to demanded to know where he was going.

"That scream can only be coming from one woman…" he told them, knowing immediately his destination.

As Nianzu spiraled up the staircase and onto the top floor, his suspicions proved true. He found Katara and Aang up against the wall next to their bedroom, both draped in their evening robes. Katara was using the wall as support, while Aang was helping to keep her standing. Katara's eyes were clenched shut, her teeth grinding against each other as she struggled to hold in the pain. Hakoda came running past Nianzu, closely followed by Sokka. Once they reached the couple Hakoda immediately placed Katara's other arm around his shoulder, helping Aang to get her back on his feet and guide her back into their room. The father of the pregnant daughter turned to his son, who was closely behind them in case they needed his help.

"Son, go fetch Ekna. If she isn't awake yet, get her up. We're going to need her. It's time," the chief told Sokka. He tried to keep his voice calm, but Nianzu could hear the shakiness in it. It was no secret that while the chief supported Aang and Katara's relationship, he still did not know exactly how he felt about becoming a grandfather so soon. Still, the time was nigh and there was no way around it now. Sokka heeded his father's wish and went sprinting down the hall to find the physician. Nianzu only watched as this all went down. What was he supposed to do…? There was nothing he had to do, but standing around watching wasn't an option either. Once Sokka had brought Ekna to the room where Katara, Aang and Hakoda were getting ready for the child's arrival, Nianzu quickly approached her.

"What do you need?" he asked her, his expression and voice matched perfectly; he was focused and ready to help however he could.

Ekna, still carrying her medical bag over her shoulder, turned to him, and was glad to hear his offer to help. "Gather up some rags and find me some water," she ordered him. "That last part shouldn't be too hard." Nianzu nodded and rushed off to get what she requested. He returned only minutes later with a bucket full of water and plenty of rags. Ekna ordered him to bring them into the room with her, and set them down beside her.

"What should I do?" Aang asked, his tone mixed with worry and anxiousness.

Ekna smiled to him softly, gesturing him to Katara. "You just hold your wife's hand. Give her company. She's gonna need it. Keep her calm, keep her breathing under control, okay? Can you do that for me?" Aang simply nodded and turned his attention to Katara, who was beginning to scream even louder as her contractions became further apart. The monk kept her hand firmly in his as he began to speak soothing words into her ear, trying his best not to only keep her calm, but himself. This was more intense than he'd ever imagined. He was way too new to all of this, even since the conception of it all. He barely knew if what he was doing was right, but he knew to stick to his instinct.

"Just take deep breaths, okay, Sweetie?" he instructed her, giving her a few examples. She nodded softly and did as she was asked. As many children as she had helped deliver in the past, actually experiencing it herself was an entirely new scenario. As Ekna began to get to work, she ordered everyone but Aang to leave the room. Hakoda argued that he had a right to stay, that he was her father and that Kya would want him to be here for this moment. Ekna reluctantly agreed, seeing there was no reason to fight over the matter.

"Okay, Katara," Ekna began as she situated between the waterbender's legs, "I need you to push for me. Push real hard, sweetie." Katara nodded softly, biting her bottom lip and squeezing Aang's hand with all the strength she could muster as she began to push. Another agonizing scream escaped her lips as the pain came stronger than before, more than she could have even imagined before this moment.

Hours had passed since they had left the room. The sun was finally perching its glare into the palace, lighting up some of the rooms. Sokka, Nianzu, Kanna, and Pakku all sat in a nearby room. They could hear every scream coming from the fierce waterbender. Sokka joked to himself that he was shocked the South Pole was even still intact. Katara was always her most powerful when she was angry or emotional, and from what he was hearing emanate from the other room, this was the pinnacle of such. He wondered how much longer it would last… every cry pulled at his heart more and more. If he didn't know any better, he would confuse it as his baby sister being tortured. In a way, he guessed it must be similar, considering all the evidence he was being presented. How much longer would it last? He was circling the room just waiting for it to be over, for the yelling to stop. He began to stroke his growing beard as time went on further than he even anticipated. How long was this going to take? It'd been nearly four hours since they'd all been woken up from their slumber to the sound of Katara's shrieks, and it sounded like no end was in sight.

The door slowly opened and Ekna poked her head in, her smile warm and inviting as she looked into the room. "Everyone, it's time. Come meet the new addition to your family."

Sokka was the first to rush out the door, brushing past Ekna and down the hall to his sister's room. He immediately burst through the door separating him from the rest of his family. His attention was immediately captured by his sister and Aang. She was positioned upright against the bedframe, holding her toweled infant in her arms as Aang hovered over her, admiring his newborn child. There was a glowing to them both, their faces seemed calm but their smiles were filled with joy. Hakoda sat in the corner, watching them as he gestured for Sokka to come closer. The warrior took short steps as he came closer to the bed, hardly able to speak, or even find the words he wanted to say. Finally, as he was only a few feet away from the couple, he forced out only a few words.

"So…is it…um…a boy or a girl?" He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly as he managed to form a smile.

Katara raised her gaze to him, her royal blue eyes glistening. She'd clearly been crying, but at this point, it was clear they were tears of joy. Her eyes met his as she spoke softly, "Sokka, meet your nephew."

Sokka gulped loudly as he slowly began to walk towards them again. Aang motioned for him to sit on the edge of the bed with him. The warrior nodded softly and did so, careful as to not get too close to his sister as he knew she was most definitely still aching from the birthing. The new mother slowly began to pass her infant over to her brother, who was now shaking in his skin. He didn't want to hurt him, or hold him wrong, or make him cry or anything. Aang helped Sokka position his arms just right so that the infant's head was tilted just right in the warrior's arms. He himself began to admire the child. His eyes were nearly a mix between Aang's gray eyes and Katara's blue eyes, a perfect combination. His skin tone was a light tan, lighter than Katara's skin but also darker than Aang's. Sokka chalked it up as yet another mix of the parents' features. The child looked up at his uncle and made out what he considered to be a smile. The older man's head tilted softly as he began to stroke the baby's cheek, eliciting a soft giggle from the small bundle.

The nonbender raised his head to meet the gazes of the two parents as he spoke softly to them, "What are you going to name him?"

The couple exchanged glances, smiling at another before returning their gaze to their child's uncle. "We've decided to name him…Bumi," Katara revealed, her voice soft and cracking slightly.

Sokka chuckled and smiled softly, "He does look like he's gonna turn out to be a bit of a wacko, doesn't he?" he teased with a smirk.

"Hey now, wackos are pretty wise…and strong," Aang interjected before chuckling softly, but quickly diminishing as he remembered his old friend, who had passed away of old age only a few months ago. Sokka slowly and gently returned the infant to his father's arms. He could feel Aang shaking with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes that he tried to hold back. It made Sokka only smile more, resting a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"You're going to be fine with him, Aang," he assured the airbender with a smile.

After some time had passed, Hakoda was given his chance to admire his new grandson, and we wasted no time in welcoming him into the world. He retook his seat in the corner as he carefully held the child. He began to reminisce on the day Katara was born, how he held her, how he felt when he first saw her face. Sokka himself had still been so young, and he remembered how the two first interacted. Being only a year old, Sokka was entirely fascinated in his little sister, how alike she'd looked to him. Hakoda was thankful for those memories, of when his family was still whole. He could only imagine how Kya might have been reacting to all of this if she were still here. He could almost see her himself, there sitting on the bed opposite Aang, congratulating her daughter on her successful pregnancy. The chief smiled as Kanna and Pakku brought him out of his daydreaming, settling beside him to finally get their own look at the newborn.

As this all happened, Nianzu stood in the corner, resting against the wall with one foot planted against it, his arms crossed while his eyes glided over the room several times. They'd been waiting for this moment for nearly nine months, since the day the air and waterbender announced the pregnancy back in Ba Sing Se. So much had changed since then, but he couldn't help but wonder how much he had changed since then. He could not help but to think back on what Katara had warned him at the Jasmine Dragon just before they came back to the Southern Tribe, the threats she made against him, her promise to shove aside the majority of her aggression towards him for the Aang's sake, and the promise she made to him should harm ever come to her child because of him. However, in the last three months, he and Katara were beginning to become closer, albeit slowly, but indeed surely. Since the White Lotus' search for the Manarki and Yuan, Aang, Sokka and Hakoda were constantly being called to meetings. Despite being the one who had brought down Tomark, they always insisted Nianzu be absent from the councils, much to the Avatar's disapproval, but Nianzu always assured that he was fine with it. After all, he had no interest in the politics. If they had a lead, they would give it to him. Simple as that. The only reason Sokka attended was at the request of Hakoda, who encouraged that his son start to become accustomed to such political meetings if he was to one day become Chief of the Tribe. Due to Katara's pregnancy, she almost always stayed behind as well, leaving her with her grandparents, Nianzu, and the sentries. Nianzu began to offer his assistance to the pregnant waterbender with whatever she needed. Not to prove anything to her… the last thing he wanted was to try and manipulate her thoughts of him with kind actions. He simply did so because it was the right thing to do. Though it wasn't his intention, Katara began showing more and more appreciation in his efforts as time went on, and had even personally requested he be moved to a room closer to hers and Aang's. Aang himself was surprised to return home and find Nianzu on the floor just below theirs, but accepted it nonetheless. He was glad to see he and Katara were starting to get along better. The whole ordeal was beginning to feel like her and Zuko all over again, only with more hostility.

The older airbender was brought out of his thoughts when Hakoda motioned for everyone to leave the room so that Katara could rest. Aang and Bumi were the only ones left at the head of the bed. Ekna told them that she would be back in a few minutes to check in on them. Once she had left the room, Nianzu followed closely behind her when a voice stopped him.

"Get over here, Nianzu…" Katara instructed him softly, her smile still glowing as she was now holding Bumi in her arms once again, rocking him slowly back and forth in hopes to keep him from crying again. Nianzu was at first taken aback by this request, but nonetheless turned back around and slowly approached them, curious as to why he was being summoned by them. He cocked his head softly to the side as he stood beside them all, trying to find the words he was going to say next. Before he could even muster up a single sentence, Katara spoke for him. "Would you like to hold your Godson?"

Nianzu became choked up, taken back by those simple words. He actually found himself taking a step back. Had his ears actually heard that right? If he was at a loss for words before, his brain was now going into overload just trying to remember how to breathe. After a few seconds he was able to bring control over himself, and pointed a finger towards his face, "M-me?" he asked, confused.

Katara nodded softly to him, "Aang and I had been talking lately. Our lives have always been in danger…" she began, but was immediately interrupted by her husband.

"…and with me being the Avatar, I'm worried that they always will be. I want someone to be there to protect our child should anything happen to us," Aang interjected.

Nianzu was still in partial shock as he began to question their decision. "W-what about Sokka? I'm sure he's more than qualified to do that, more than me. I mean, he's his uncle. I'm sure he would do anything to protect him."

"I know he would," Aang assured his great nephew, "but after everything that's happened, if Bumi ends up being an airbender…and should anything happen to me… I want him to have someone who can teach him our ways, our history…" the Avatar explained. "Plus…if there's anything I know for sure, it is that Bumi wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you. You saved me, more than once, Nianzu, and I know you would protect him just as you would anyone else in this home."

"If we end up having another child," Katara began, "then Sokka will be that child's godfather. We already made up our minds, Nianzu… We didn't make this decision lightly. Believe me…you should know," she said with a slight smirk. Nianzu thought that Katara was only beginning to tolerate him, but with all this happening…maybe he'd somehow gained her trust. He didn't know how, he didn't know why…but he accepted it. Denying was futile. The man nodded and approached them again, settling on the edge of the bed beside Aang as Katara slowly began to pass Bumi over to his godfather. Within seconds of holding his godson, a smile crept across his face. It was the most real smile he'd made in such a long time. He never thought that actually holding Bumi would give him this kind of reaction. It was an entirely different experience. He had never held a baby before, much less one that was related to him. It gave him a purpose. He wasn't just going to be the fall guy for Aang's son. He knew in his heart at that moment, that he would be an intricate part of Bumi's life growing up. He would be there for him, his best friend.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you, buddy…" Nianzu whispered to the infant, who was now looking up at his cousin with the giddiest expression, reaching out for the man's beard. "I'll protect you, no matter what… I promise you."

All of a sudden, Bumi began crying loudly, his eyes instantly welling up with tears that dripped down his cheeks only to be soaked up by the blanket surrounding him. At first Nianzu thought he had somehow discomforted him. Maybe he shifted his arms the wrong way, maybe he didn't support his head well enough. He didn't know what it was, but soon the room was filled with Bumi's uncontrollable cries. He was quickly sent back into his mother's arms, hoping it would help to calm him down as she rocked him gently and spoke gentle words to him. But to no avail. Aang even tried making funny faces or showing him some small airbending tricks, but nothing seemed to please the infant. Katara guessed that he may be hungry, so Nianzu decided to leave the room, allowing Ekna to return to the couple's side. As Nianzu passed the door, he felt an odd surge pulse through his body…almost like a chill swept down his spine. But that wasn't it. This felt stronger, different somehow. After a moment of pondering, it felt familiar too. His eyes scanned the area, to the halls surrounding him to the room behind him. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, nothing but Bumi's wailing which was practically unexplained. At this point it was simple being chalked off as a minor discomfort that the child didn't yet understand. Still…it didn't settle right with Nianzu… Something was not right.

Unbeknownst to everyone, a shadow was lurking over the crying child. It was like a cloud of dark smoke, floating in midair. No one could see it, no one could feel it. It didn't exist to them; but to Bumi, the figure was the definition of fear. Somehow he could see this darkness looming over him, surrounding him, gliding back and forth around him as his parents and Ekna simply went straight through it.

Child of the Avatar, spawn of the humans…but with a spirit so pure, uncorrupted… But not for long. You will serve me nicely, Bumi…

And so, that's the first chapter of Avatar: The Darkness Awakens. I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out and hope you all enjoyed it too. I wanted the story to mostly help fill everyone in on where our heroes on now, while also getting straight into the plot of the story. One mistake I made with The Dawning of Darkness was dragging on the opening for far too long, nearly five chapters. So this time, I think I got a decent balance of opening and moving forward. If you haven't read The Dawning of Darkness yet, and went ahead to read this chapter, I hope you still enjoyed it and will read more. As promised in the Author's note above, I will provide a summary of Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness so that those who have not read it do not feel forced to read such a long story in order to read this one, or you can simply read this one as it is. It is everyone's choice. Enjoy :)

Previously, on Avatar...

Avatar: The Dawning of Darkness begins in a prologue taking place before the beginning of the Hundred Year War, at Aang's home at the Southern Air Temple. Instead of following Aang, the chapter follows his close friend, Sojin, who was a little over a year younger than Aang, and his escape from the Temple and the Fire Nation's armies following their attacks that began the War. Sojin is able to escape to Kyoshi Island on his bison and supposedly survives to live out the rest of his days in the Earth Kingdom. 103 Years Later, it has been 3 years since the end of the Hundred Year War and Yu Dao is on its way to becoming Republic City in the future. Aang and Katara live peaceful in the Southern Water Tribe with Sokka and Hakoda. The first few chapters mostly detail how the couple goes about their daily lives with the world seemingly at peace. However, in Chapter 5, new characters are portrayed. They are an Earthbender named Shin, a Firebender named Lu Ten (not Iroh's son), a Waterbender named Varun, and finally, a new Airbender named Nianzu. Nianzu is led to believe he developed his Airbending abilities when he was in his early teens as a way for the world to come back into balance in the event the last known Airbender, Avatar Aang, was never found. However, instead of sharing his ability with the Avatar, Nianzu is on a mission to find out how the Spirits were able to give him the ability to bend. His journey takes him to Gaoling, where Hakoda is visiting for a meeting. Unknown to Shin and Lu Ten, Hakoda once encountered Nianzu and Varun during the war before the Avatar returned. Nianzu reflects that during a Fire Nation raid on a village, Hakoda and his warriors attempted to drive back the Fire Nation. Varun and Nianzu, using his swordsman skills instead of bending, helped the warriors, but they were soon all ambushed. Hakoda was forced to retreat, but the two benders were surrounded. Hakoda had to fall back and could not save the two who had aided them. The Southern warriors retreated on their boats and Nianzu and Varun were left at the mercy of the Fire Nation. They had been able to escape, but the two never forgave Hakoda for his betrayal despite how they saved him and his friends. Nianzu, feeling an incredible surge of anger, leads an attack on Hakoda that leaves him nearly dead, prompting Aang and Katara to leave their home to be with Hakoda and track down his attackers.

Nianzu continues his journey and in his sleep one night receives visions of Spirits, who offer their assistance in Nianzu's quest, provided he free them. He is then tasked to collect the Four Elemental Gems of the Physical World, one of which was embedded in Hakoda's necklace that Nianzu had stolen as a trophy. Nianzu is given the locations of each of the Four Elemental Gems, and the first to find is the Gem of Earth in The Cave of Two Lovers and the Gem of Fire located in the Dragon Bone Catacombs of the Fire Nation Capital City. Due to Lu Ten's diverse knowledge of the Fire Nation, they are easily able to steal the Gem, but are faced with Fire Lord Zuko. The four benders escape the Fire Lord and eventually make it out of the Capital City unharmed. Zuko then contacts Aang and lets him know of the attack, and reveals that out of his attacks, one was an Airbender that resembled Hakoda's attacker. Aang is shocked to find out another Airbender exists, and hopes to figure out why he has been attacking people. Nianzu is then shown that Aang holds the final Relic containing the Gem of Air, embedded in his necklace. He waits for the Avatar to come to the Fire Nation, and he finds an opportunity with Aang alone with Sokka, he strikes. He uses a mix of his swordsman skills and his airbending and is able to subdue Aang long enough to steal his necklace. Nianzu barely escapes the two and regroups with his friends, and that night is given a new dream from the Spirits to go to the site of Wan Shi Tong's library. The four are given an Airship by one of Lu Ten's friends, unknown of their involvement in the recent attacks. They then proceed to the Desert and find the planetarium still intact despite the rest of the library being primarily buried.

Unknown to Nianzu and his friends, the Spirits that have been contacting Nianzu are truly an ancient race of Dark Spirits known as the Manarki, imprisoned thousands of years ago. They escape their prison in preparation for leaving the Spirit World for good and wreaking havoc on the Physical World. Nianzu and others place the gems on the calendar and turn the tiles to represent that day's date, the day of the Summer Solstice. A portal is then opened and the Manarki are able to escape, with four of them taking over each member of Nianzu's team while the rest spread out over the world until told otherwise. Tomark, one of the more powerful Manarki Spirits, takes over Nianzu's body and forces him and his team to attack the Avatar. Unknown to them, another Spirit escapes the Spirit World, dressed in familiar clothing and wearing the mask of the Blue Spirit. Aang ends up in Ba Sing Se, expecting that to be Nianzu's next location of attack. He ends up being right and Nianzu and his team arrive, their bending stronger than ever before due to the influx of energy from the Manarki taking over their bodies. Aang is initially able to hold back the four attackers, with Katara joining in to help him. However, Tomark uses the obvious connection between Aang and Katara and uses Nianzu's body to attack Katara. Katara is already busy dealing with one of the other benders, and Aang realizes he has no time to bring up a barrier. He forces himself into the path of the dagger, and is mortally wounded. Nianzu and his group escapes, leaving Katara to hold Aang's body as he slowly appears to pass away.

Following Aang's death, Katara deals with weeks of depression and unbearable coping. Eventually Hakoda is nursed back to health and goes to Ba Sing Se to help his daughter during her time of grief. Eventually, Katara befriends a firebender named Yuan making a new life for himself in Ba Sing Se. Yuan becomes attracted to Katara, and hopes to become her new lover. Katara begins receiving various visits from the masked man wearing the Blue Spirit Mask, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there, but somehow remembers Katara fine. As Katara is preparing to leave Ba Sing Se, she meets with Yuan a final time to tell him she is leaving, but Yuan reveals he wants Katara for himself. She denies his attempts to kiss her, but he reveals more than his pretty face. He ends up attacking Katara, binding her arms so that she cannot bend. Before Yuan can go farther, he is attacked by the Masked Man. Despite Katara's insistence to help, the man denies it and orders her to return home. The Masked Man and Yuan fight, and eventually the firebender finds himself under the collapse of a wooden fire escape the the Masked Man brings down on top of him, killing Yuan. Later that night, the Masked Man discovers who he is, and loses the mask. He reveals his face to Katara. The Masked Man is actually Jet's spirit, manifesting in Physical Form since his escape from the Spirit World.

While this all happens, Tomark leaves Nianzu and friends' bodies and imprisons them. The other three Manarki fuse with Tomark and become an all-powerful Manarki spirit. Nianzu is left with memory of all his actions and begins to realize he had been controlled by Tomark and the others for all this time, including his attack on Hakoda just so he could grab the Gem of Water from the chief. He begins to melt down with the guilt of his actions. Tomark leads his stolen airship to the Sun Warriors' Temple, using the Dark Gem Tomark had used to aid his side of the escape from the Spirit World to corrupt the Golden Dragon egg placed at the center of the temple, transforming it into a Dragon of Darkness, named Axil (this was before it had been confirmed that this egg was going to be born as Zuko's dragon in LoK). The Manarki, along with their new Dragon, decide to bring Nianzu and Varun back to their home village of Kisha in order to prove that it is now the Manarki that control the world with the Avatar gone. They lay waste to the village and it's inhabitants, killing them all. Nianzu and his team are able to escape Tomark, but are left cornered in the barn of Nianzu's parents. They are able to wound Axil, destroying his eye, but he quickly lashes out and murders Nianzu's mother and father. In anger, Nianzu is able to use all the power he can to push back the Manarki and escape the barn. Lu Ten devised a plan to make the Manarki, and even the world, believe they had died by posing four victims of the attack in a burning home along with a piece of evidence from each of the four benders. The four were then able to escape, with the Manarki and Tomark believing that Nianzu and his friends had died in the fire. However, Tomark remained largely unconvinced, and awaited the return of Nianzu.

While in the Spirit World, Aang becomes summoned by Wan Shi Tong to be presented for the Sunachi, a group of Four Ancient Spirits representing each of the Four Elements. They reveal to Aang that the world still needs him, and that he is, in fact, not dead, but his spirit has been separated from his body, leaving his body to appear dead with the faintest of heartbeats. That night, in the Physical World, Katara and her friends and family visit Aang's burial ground to celebrate his 16th birthday, the year in which Katara and Aang had planned to get engaged. Later that night, Toph feels Aang's heartbeat and digs him up, discovering he is actually alive. In fear of Aang's safety, Toph brings Aang back to Gaoling where he will be safe until he heals. When Aang awakens, he is angered to find his being alive is being kept secret from Katara and the others, and, despite being encouraged not to, he leaves Gaoling and goes to Ba Sing Se. Meanwhile, Tomark feels the dark energy surrounding Yuan's spirit as it roams the Physical World. He brings Yuan to a city named Wishato that Tomark has seized as the starting point of his Kingdom, and offers him to become part Manarki so that he may exact his revenge. Yuan agrees and is corrupted by Tomark, turning him into a half-human/half-Manarki being. The Dark Lord then tasks Yuan to kill Aang's family after feeling his energy returning to the Physical World. Yuan accepts the task and heads to Ba Sing Se to end the remainder of Team Avatar.

Yuan, with combined powers of enhanced firebending and the abilities the Manarki hold, attacks Katara, Sokka, Zuko and Hakoda, and nearly is able to kill them all when Jet appears once again to help the others, but even he isn't enough to hold Yuan back this time. When it seems Yuan's abilities will be all he needs to finish Team Avatar, Aang suddenly reappears and attacks Yuan violently. Once he dispels Yuan, he collapses and is brought to Hakoda's penthouse, where it is revealed that Aang is harboring a significant amount of Dark Energy that is affecting his personality and trying to consume his Avatar Spirit. Meanwhile, Nianzu and the others are traveling back to Ba Sing Se under fake identities to tell Team Avatar of the Manarki and to admit their crimes. They find Toph along with her close friend and family physician, Ekna (who helped Hakoda after his attack in Gaoling), and follow her to the hotel where Hakoda is staying.

Nianzu decides to separate from the others to face Hakoda and his family. Hakoda is the one who answers and is immediately on the defensive, choking Nianzu against a wall until Nianzu expresses his guilt in tears. Hakoda becomes somewhat convinced, and Nianzu continues to express his guilt. Eventually, Hakoda becomes convinced of Nianzu's guilt, and allows him to express the guilt of his crimes to Katara and the others. Toph immediately imprisons him in rock and Katara lashes out at him. Aang overhears the arguing and awakes from his coma. In a trance-like state, Aang pulls both himself and Nianzu into the Spirit World, where they are brought to the Sunachi. They reveal that Nianzu is the great-grandson of Sojin, Aang's friend from before the Hundred Year War, and then reveals that Sojin was actually Aang's brother, making Nianzu Aang's great-great nephew. They then reveal the art of Energybending to Nianzu, who then uses the ability to purify Aang's spirit of the Dark Energy embedded in him by Tomark, and announce that Nianzu, through his many acts in life, can one day possess the full powers of Energybending. The Sunachi then tell them of Tomark's plans and his location. The two are then returned to their bodies in the Physical World where they tell the others of the Manarki's plans, and that they must all work together to defeat them.

While Nianzu and Aang were in the Spirit World, Varun, Lu Ten, and Shin also met with Team Avatar. The next day, they are told of Nianzu's relation to Aang, and that this is the true reason he is able to Airbend, and they all begin devising a plan to defeat Tomark and the Manarki. Iroh enlists the help of the White Lotus to aid the teams in their strike against Tomark's army of Manarki. A week later, a force of Airships and White Lotus sentries along with the two teams get ready to finish the Manarki in Wishato. Sokka, Hakoda, the White Lotus and Varun, Lu Ten, and Shin plan to take the battle on the ground against the Manarki forces and Axil. Sokka gives Nianzu a new sword, identical to his old one. Meanwhile, Aang, Katara and Nianzu split from the others to face Tomark and Yuan. When the fight begins, Tomark flees to his airship and Nianzu follows, leaving Aang and Katara to deal with Yuan.

Due to the power of the Winter Solstice, Yuan's power was increased (along with the rest of the Manarki), making him a formidable foe for the powerful couple. Their battle tipped in scales numerous times until Yuan was finally able to get the upper hand on the two, nearly snapping Aang's neck before Katara lashed out and unleashed an ability she never knew she had: psychic bloodbending. She was, luckily, able to release her grip on both Yuan and Aang, and Yuan was then swiftly defeated and was put in custody by the White Lotus. Meanwhile, Nianzu chased after Tomark and boarded his airship. He headed to the control room and set the airship on a crash course towards a nearby mountain range. Nianzu then faced Tomark for the final time atop the ship, though instead of using bending, the two battled with blades. They were both equally matched until the airbender was able to sever both of Tomark's blades, but the dark lord then scarred Nianzu's face for life, and Tomark finally subdued Nianzu and attempted to corrupt the airbender for good. Before Tomark could succeed, a deep power rose from Nianzu and he was able to possess the full power of Energybending long enough to destroy the Dark Lord for good.

Upon the Manarki's defeat, the remaining forces retreated and left the rest of the world in peace. Katara was badly injured during her battle with Yuan, and went through an extensive healing process the weeks following the battle. She was then confirmed pregnant by Ekna, and soon after Aang kept his promise and asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage, which she happily accepted. Nianzu and Aang then spoke about the use of energybending during the final battle, but Aang did not agree that Nianzu had unlocked the powers for good, nor had he opened his chakras. Instead, they both assumed the power came from when Nianzu's body had been seized by Tomark, and when he left his body, remnants of the Dark Lord's energy remained. Later that night, Iroh discussed with Nianzu's team that they would need to split up until enough time had passed, otherwise the world might attack them for their crimes should they be discovered alive. The teams celebrated their victory that night at the Jasmine Dragon where Katara faced Nianzu for a final time, explaining thoroughly that she had not forgiven him, but for Aang's sake would give him the chance to prove himself. In the epilogue of the story, Yuan has been imprisoned in a secret fortress run by the Order of the White Lotus. Although seemingly inescapable, Yuan was stolen from the facility by an even darker Spirit than Tomark, one that had become known as Erebus, the Spirit of Darkness and Shadows.

With that, The Dawning of Darkness came to an end. For those that stuck around to read this summary, I appreciate it and hope you will be motivated to read the rest of The Darkness Awakens. Thank you all once again and I hope you enjoy the story.