Standing upon the violet bridge, the Avatar surveys his world.
The sheer energy he wields is unfathomable. A single blink could cause an eclipse. A wave of his hand would bury the Fire Nation in a mountain of volcanic ash. He could erase the war with a thought, change a thousand years of weather patterns with a word.
He could do anything.
But why?
The thought gives the Avatar pause.
The power churns in his hands, in his head, in his soul. It is the true meaning of all the elements, yes, but it is so much more. It is the sun and the moon and the stars. It is life and death, but it is also neither; it is time, and it is infinity. The briefest moment and the longest eternity are one.
This feeling, the energy racing through his thoughts…it makes him, beyond a shred of doubt, the closest thing his world has to a god.
But there is something missing.
He came he for a reason, he is sure of it. A being as powerful as the Avatar would not seek more power unless he truly needed it. But what threat could force him to seek the cosmos?
Why am I here?
His eyes fall upon Ba Sing Se. Something about the Earth Kingdom capital tugs at his subconscious. There is something there…something important that he once knew, that he must know…
The Avatar wills sight, and in an instant his vision encompasses the entire city. Every detail is revealed to him: all its secrets, illusions, lies. His brow furrowed, he scans the palace grounds – it is there – no, it is below, in caverns beneath the ground, where a flash – there.
Yes.
He was attacked, he came here to defend himself, to –
Terrible agony rips through his core, the feeling of a thousand jagged knives slowly clawing their way through his bones, crunching them, leaving –
– fire around him, within him, the great figure before him closes its eyes, its arms falling limply to its sides as it topples into oblivion, and Aang is suddenly alone, alone in the dark, with nothing but –
– lightning crackling through him, tearing him apart even as it crushes him into –
A flash of violet light – energy! – and he grabs for it but his hand passes through, the energy is there, of course it is, it always is, but this time he isn't there, he doesn't belong here, he needs a spirit and his…is…
The bridge beneath his feet vanishes, and the fire ravages his mind, he cries for air but there is nothing, nothing but empty space and the world, far below, rushing up to meet him, to embrace him in –
Darkness.
Her vision wavered. She blinked, straining her eyes, unable to tear herself from the sight. Her cheeks were wet.
He had risen, glowing. She'd been so proud, he'd entered the Avatar State by choice. He'd controlled it.
Aang…no…
His body tumbled through the air.
Her heart beat once. The slow, pounding beat threatened to shake her into pieces. The air tasted like metal.
She stood on the edge of an abyss, a gaping chasm inside her.
Smoke trickled from his body, rising even as he fell.
Smoke…fire…they did this, they…
Don't fall…please…
You can't.
– Deep within her, water stirred. Her limbs trembled with the force of the rage as it rushed to fill the hollow emptiness of her soul, bursting forth in a wave that stretched the width of the cavern –
– It roared as it rolled forth, the wolves of the south howling as they leaped into battle. She rode the wave as it washed away all in its path, the crystal shards, the scorched stones, the Dai Li, the murderous Princess, the treacherous Prince –
But it couldn't wash away the pain.
His body lay in her arms. So small, so fragile, so…
Heart hammering, she fumbled for his wrist, his pulse, his flowing blood – blood, isn't that water, why can't I –
Nothing.
But…but…he couldn't be…he was the Avatar, a beacon, everyone was counting on him, they –
And besides, the world needed him, she needed him, his boundless energy, his infectious smile, his happy grey eyes, would she never –
An old man in front of her. Fire gleamed in her blurred vision, blasts of brilliant red and orange. A voice shouting, telling her to…she couldn't make out the words. Did it matter? What could –
"—get the Avatar out of here! Go!"
You don't understand. He's…
No.
Even as another shuddering breath wracked her body, something kept the word at bay.
She would not say it. Saying it would make it real. Would be the final hammer strike that shattered her.
Then a memory sparked, and her anguish froze in its tracks.
"I've been saving it for something important."
She stood.
Purpose.
She had to get out, get Aang somewhere else, somewhere safe, where she could save him, heal him…
A sob tore from her.
Aang…I…
Step, step.
A trio of Dai Li – how could you, he is fighting for you, too – ran toward her, but Katara's tears returned in a rush. When she blinked her eyes clear, gasping, the agents were gone.
Step, step.
The noise behind her intensified, shouts and crackling blasts, but it seemed miles away, dull, and she ignored it.
The world didn't matter.
Step, splash.
Water.
She looked up, her gaze following the torrent of falling water. It must have been what fed the series of canals in the caverns. It led up – outside, escape…away from here – to a faint, silver light.
I won't let go, Aang. Just hang on.
Wrapping the water around her, she lifted her arm, and the torrent surged back in the direction it had fallen, carrying the two of them to the moon, and the stars, and the open sky.
The sky, Aang. Don't worry.
I'll help you back up.
Iroh glanced back. The girl had gotten up and was steadily making her way to the waterfall.
Good girl. Go. You can save him.
He wished he could go with them, join them, but his place was here, atoning for his failure.
The Dai Li closed in around him. Perhaps fifty in all, many of them wounded. And still in better shape than some: when the Avatar chooses power, nothing can stand against him…
He caught Azula watching him from atop one of the crystal formations. Almost nothing, he amended. If only he'd been here sooner…
"You're a fool, old man," one of the Dai Li said, his demeanor harder than the rock on which they stood. "You, alone, against the world's strongest Earthbenders."
Iroh shook his head. "An old man does many foolish things in his lifetime," he said, rolling his shoulders. "This is not one of them."
The Dai Li snorted. "Madness. Very well. Consider yourself our captive."
Iroh raised an eyebrow, surprised. Such odd men these were, thinking he would jump into their midst just to surrender. He'd have to eventually, of course, but at the start? Wasn't Ba Sing Se supposed to be a place of intelligence, a reservoir of knowledgeable men and women? The regulars at his teashop had certainly given that impression. "But you're all my captives…a captive audience!"
Several of the agents laughed. The leader walked around him, a slight smirk touching his stony expression. "Excuse us, grandfather, but we have business elsewhere. Dai Li, restrain this jester, and kill the—"
He shrieked as he was engulfed in fire, flames so hot that the other agents had to shield themselves from the heat. It took only seconds for the inferno to finish its deadly work, the man crumpling to the cavern floor, bones turning to black ash.
A ringing silence descended on the cavern.
Shocked faces turned to Iroh, but he was already deepening his breathing. Energy, not force. Willpower, not rage. Harmony, not control.
I can't beat them all, not with Azula nearby, but I don't have to. I just need to buy the Avatar time.
He couldn't hide from the thought that Zuko, the boy he loved like his own son, was the other reason he could not win.
"I am an uncle, and I was once a father," he began. It only seemed fair to let them know there was no shame in being outmatched. "But I was also a general. I led my father's legions against the Earth Kingdom, against Ba Sing Se itself. I was a master Firebender…and my tea was famous!"
They watched him, human statues in defensive postures, awaiting his move. More nervous than patient, more shaken by his power than confident in their numbers. Frightened.
They should be. For the sun is both creation and destruction, and that balance is the key to everything.
"But before I became a general…I was a Dragon."
The air turned to flame.