[Author's Note: I grew up with and adore Avatar: The Last Airbender and have recently greatly enjoyed Legend of Korra as well these past few years. I've been thinking about creating a new story for the next Avatar, Heraz, one that I am starting now with this first installment. I intend to model the books and chapters after the original series. I don't have a lot of free-time in my life, so if you like this first chapter, please leave a review asking me to continue this story! This is my first time writing fan-fiction, so any feedback is really appreciated. I only ever write poetry, so forgive me if my prose isn't great. Thank you and, please, enjoy!]
Book 1: Foundations
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Kala pushed through the crowd of people and managed to grab a newspaper. She tossed a coin to the vender and began to walk down the streets of Republic City. The early morning cityscape was unusually lively as people spoke anxiously with one another. The reason for all this chaos was something everyone had been expecting for quite a while, and it became clear what had happened the second she began to read the newspaper. The front page read, quite blatantly, "AVATAR KORRA DIES AT AGE 84" and the words hit Kala like a blow to the face.
In her lifetime, Avatar Korra had overcome the greatest of odds and became both renowned and utterly beloved; she was a supernal jewel in a turbulent time, and a bastion of hope and wisdom. At the beginning of her life, Korra faced incredible hardships as her position as Avatar was challenged. However, her unyielding spirit and undying kindness won her the hearts of nearly everyone in the four nations.
It was because the people adored Korra so much that there were undertones of despair in the hushed whispers and nervous gossiping of the citizens of Republic City, and, indeed, most cities throughout the world. As if to reassure after the shocking headline, the text under the announcement of Korra's death read "NEW AVATAR TO BE EARTHBENDER". Kala smirked. As if that wasn't obvious- everyone knew the order of the Avatar cycle: Fire. Air. Water. Earth.
It would take a few years for the Avatar to surface, but Kala smiled with the knowledge that she would know two Avatars in his lifetime. She just hoped that the new Avatar would be discovered sooner than later; the people of the four nations had grown to love Korra too much to be without an Avatar for too long.
Meanwhile, in a small village in the Si Wong desert of the Earth Kingdom, a young woman from a sandbender tribe gave birth to a child, a boy. As the midwife handed her the child, the woman cried, though relieved. Through her tears, she smiled; slightly, but with an inexplicable joy. Looking warmly upon the soft, fragile face of her newborn son, she spoke to him, "A perfect, perfect little boy. The only man I need in my life, that's for sure, little Heraz."
As Heraz grew older it became quite apparent to his mother that he was the next incarnation of the Avatar. At the age of five he already exhibited ability not only in sandbending, but he also possessed ability, though limited, in firebending and airbending. His mother, Sumira, understood the importance of the Avatar; she knew the world needed Heraz. But she was afraid of losing her only family, having experienced loss so many times in her life, and she kept his identity hidden from everyone, including Heraz himself.
Sumira's parents, both sandbenders, had died when she was twelve. The environment in which the Sandbenders lived was hostile and unforgiving; Sumira's father died of skin cancer caused by the burning sun, and her mother died of dehydration. Sumira, orphaned, was taken care of by the tribespeople, as their society was very close-knit and community-oriented. It had to be, after all- if they didn't care for one another, then no one would.
The man with whom Sumira conceived Heraz was a member of another tribe. They had loved each other greatly, but the man was more loyal to his own tribe than to his love, and Sumira was left alone and with child. She was devastated in the most terrible manner. The only thing that kept her attached to the material world was the promise of new life and new love, the promise of a child. Without this promise, she would have surely simmered into despair.
The sandbender tribes were closed-off to outsiders, even those of other tribes. Sumira knew this and tried to rationalize her love's abandoning her by telling herself that his tribe had made him leave her. She knew this wasn't true— he had left wholly on his own accord— but the notion comforted her when she felt lost and alone.
And so, Sumira didn't want to lose someone else; she didn't want Heraz to be taken away from her as everyone she'd ever loved had been. Sumira kept a close watch on Heraz. She rarely let him leave her sight, and he grew up without any friends, and with little understanding of the world around him. Sumira told Heraz to never bend anything but sand. He didn't know why this rule was necessary, but Heraz obeyed his beloved mother nonetheless. In her desperate love for her son, Sumira allowed Heraz only a half-existence.
One day, while the tribe was trading at Misty Palms Oasis, Heraz snuck off on his own without his mother's permission to look around the town. As he walked about he heard two people speaking in hushed voices. Intrigued by what sounded like quite an urgent conversation, Heraz hid around a corner and eavesdropped, "It just worries me, you know? It's already been sixteen years since she…left us…when's the new one going to show up?" A slightly calmer voice replied, "Everyone keeps getting so worried about it, but at the same time we all know that the Avatar will reappear eventually. You know, Avatar Roku was sixteen when he was discovered." Heraz had no idea what these people were talking about, but his interest was only piqued all the more.
"So what? Both Aang and Korra were discovered when they were little kids. It's not like it's hard to find one person who can bend all the elements out of everyone else who can only bend one, or none at all. It should be obvious!" (this person voiced the concerns of many people during this time,) "How long should we have to wait? The world can't just hold its breath indefinitely until the new one shows up!"
"Avatar Korra left the world in a position of the utmost peace, we'll all get on fine without the new Avatar for a little bit," there was a sense of hesitation and unease in the voice, "Just relax!"
"Alright, alright," the first voice said, unconvinced, "I've got to go, I'll see you later, okay?"
The conversation ended and Heraz felt confused and conflicted. What was the Avatar? Who were Roku, Aang, and Korra? Was it not normal to be able to bend more than one element? He felt uneasy. He went around the corner and saw the two lone people walking away in different directions. He managed to catch up with one of them and shyly questioned the man, "Excuse me? Sir? I'm sorry to bother you, but I just happened to have overheard the last bit of your conversation and…well…uh, sorry if this sounds silly, but what is the Avatar?"
The man looked at him incredulously, "What do you mean 'What is the Avatar'!" He halted a moment, but seeing that Heraz was being serious, he spoke, "You're a pretty weird kid. Everyone knows about the Avatar. You know, the great mediator of the four nations? The sagely spiritual leader? A new one reincarnates when the previous one dies!? The newest one has yet to be discovered and it's been a while now…" Heraz looked blankly at the man, who continued without faltering, now with more fervor, "The Avatar, who can bend all four elements? The A–" Heraz interrupted him, "No. I've never heard of this 'Avatar'. I think you've answered all the questions I could have had about it though. Thanks mister." Heraz spoke pensively, in an almost detached manner.
He calmly walked over to the beautiful oasis, the crown jewel of the town. He looked into the clear, crystal-like water and saw the reflection of an almost entirely different person. Staring at the water, Heraz tried to bend it. Nothing happened. With even more focus, Heraz made another attempt.
A small ripple appeared in the previously still water as Heraz manipulated it as best as he could. He walked away from the spring. His mind racing, Heraz walked about the town slowly. What could all this mean? Why didn't he ever learn about the Avatar? Why would his own mother not have told him? He knew he could bend sand, fire, and air, and he just bent water, if only barely. Was this really a gift that only one person in the entire world possessed? A singular person who was a reincarnation of some previous prodigal person? It seemed absurd. Perhaps the two people had known he was eavesdropping and made up this bizarre lie to teach him a lesson?
Unsure, Heraz began to walk back to his tribe members and asked several different people if they knew of the Avatar along the way. They all had the same response. A skeptical look and an affirmation. A few reiterated the importance of the Avatar, and their hope that the new one should appear sooner rather than later, lest the world slowly descend into chaos.
Heraz felt lost, like he was dreaming but had forgotten some essential occurrence, so everything in the dream had stopped making sense. He was confused, frustrated and, most of all, hurt. He still didn't understand exactly what the Avatar was, but he did knew that must have been the Avatar, and that this somehow made him a necessity to the world at large. And he was hurt because his mother knew what he was and had failed to tell him about this integral part of his person. Sumira had always been so overprotective, so overbearing, and Heraz knew why now. Everything made sense; this was the reason she hadn't let him bend fire or air, the reason she kept such a close watch on him. He understood that she wouldn't have wanted to Heraz to leave her; he knew her life hadn't been easy, but as his melancholy turned to frustration, his indignation toward his mother grew quickly, like an ominous tempest.
When Heraz returned to the tribe, they were about to leave. Sumira rushed towards him worriedly, "Oh, my little Heraz, don't ever scare me like that! I was looking everywhere for you! You know you ought to stay near me!" Heraz hid his blooming resentment under a false smile, and apologized as the tribespeople left the Misty Palms Oasis.
As they traveled, Heraz managed to ask a few members of the tribe about the Avatar without his mother's knowing. They all knew about the importance of the Avatar, just as everyone he had asked earlier had, but Heraz had never been able to socialize much with the tribe members, so the topic had never reached his ears.
Over the course of the next year, Heraz slowly learned more about the Avatar, about himself, in each visit to a center of trading. Throughout this year, he had to rework the way he viewed himself, and was often confused as to what he should do as the Avatar. In just that one day, he had learned so much about the world and about himself, and he needed time to consider everything.
He convinced his mother to be more lenient with him, and with the slight freedom Sumira allowed him, he even managed to get a book about the Avatar from a traveling scholar. The book gave him invaluable information, and he realized more and more how important the Avatar was. Without the presence of the Avatar, powerful, dangerous people could try to amass power. Heraz learned that this is what happened when Aang, the Avatar two cycles before him, disappeared for one-hundred years.
As he learned more about the Avatar cycle and his position in the world, Heraz began interacting with his tribe more, trying to combat the timidity instilled in him by his mother. He continued to keep his identity as the Avatar concealed, though, as his further considered the role. As time passed, too did Heraz's resentment towards his mother subside. He understood her pain, and he understood her reasoning behind how she raised him. He was still frustrated and hurt that she had kept him ignorant and alone but, still, loved her nonetheless. And yet, he refused to let his love for his mother stray him from his path; he knew for sure, now, what he had to do, however hard it would be for both him and Sumira.
In the early hours of an auspicious morning, when it was still fairly dark and everyone in the tribe was sleeping, Heraz gathered his few belongings and some food and water and, anxious and teary-eyed, left his people behind, intent upon fulfilling his role as the Avatar.