Aang soared above the Fire Nation's hip-and-gable rooftops and sleek modern roadways, his spiritual body a translucent beam of light held down by neither gravity nor time. Ever since mastering his Avatar State, he'd been able to control his spiritual experiences much more fluidly than his first several forays into the spirit world.

He recognized Iroh on the beach below. He was talking with someone covered in a hood. He didn't seem to be in any sort of danger. Aang couldn't tell who he was talking to or what they were saying, but Iroh seemed sad.

His spirit flew away from them, from the Fire Nation capitol, to the island where the statue of Avatar Roku still stood, though the temple that housed it was now buried under a mountain of sediment.

Aang's spirit passed through the rock and solidified magma until he was left floating in what remained of the chamber. The statue regarded him with its stern gaze for a few moments, until the spirit of Avatar Roku materialized from it in a flash of light.

"Hello, Aang," Roku said.

Aang bowed his head to Roku. "I'm glad to see you, Roku." He looked around. "Is, uh, Fang here?"

"Fang? Why, yes."

There was a flash of light from below them. Before Aang could finish looking down, the dragon's massive serpentine form engulfed them both. Aang shut his eyes instinctively, then opened them when he remembered that he wouldn't be harmed. When he did, they were no longer inside the temple, but soaring high in the clouds on Fang's back. The dragon sighed beneath them as he carried them across the sky.

"Fang and I were never far apart," Roku said, "in life or in death."

"Wow," Aang said. Flying was not a foreign experience for him—all his life, he'd flown in the clouds on his glider or on Appa's back. He'd learn to fly not long after he learned to walk. But Fang's flight felt very different from Appa's. Where Appa flew in a straight, steady line from Point A to Point B, Fang twisted and undulated through the sky like a snake. Roku held the reins attached to Fang's horns with such apparent ease that Aang wasn't sure if he was actually steering the dragon or just using the reins to keep himself from falling.

"What was it you wanted to talk about, Aang?"

"Oh, yeah." He'd nearly forgotten. "We found a dragon egg, Roku."

Fang growled at that, and although Aang couldn't be sure, he seemed to sound happy.

"But the thing is," he continued, "we don't know how to care for it, or what to do when it hatches. I was hoping you might be able to give me some advice on that."

"Where is the egg now?"

"In the Fire Lord's chambers."

Roku stroked his beard in deep thought. "That is not good, Aang. The egg must be kept at a consistent, high temperature at all times. Dragons can incubate an egg with their natural body heat, but humans will need to tend it with constant firebending."

The egg hadn't been placed near a dragon or firebending since Iroh took it from the Sun Warriors' village. "It hasn't been heated like that for days!"

"You have only been outside of your body for a few seconds, but you will need to tend to it immediately upon your return. It may yet still live, but each day without the necessary warmth will threaten the hatchling."

Great. They only just got the egg and already they were endangering the dragon's life. "What about after it hatches? Like, what does it eat, how do you train it to fly, and…"

"They will learn to fly on their own provided they are given the space to learn. You must not keep the dragon indoors, out of the sunlight. Remember, they are not pets to be trained, but intelligent, dignified creatures who will only let one they deem worthy to ride on their backs. As for diet, well…"

From far away, Aang felt his stomach go woozy. "They're carnivores, aren't they?"

"Yes. Sheep-deer and chicken-bulls are a favorite. Dragon mouths are not designed for eating vegetables, I'm afraid, though Fang had an unusual taste for watermelons."

Aang sighed. "That's okay. Carnivores gotta eat too. I'll just…leave the feeding to Zuko." He looked down on the ocean. "I have one other question."

"Yes?"

"Do you know why Sozin started hunting the dragons in the first place?"

Fang rumbled menacingly; he could feel the dragon's muscles tense beneath his legs. Roku sighed, a distant look in his eyes. Aang wondered how powerful a spirit's regrets must be to persist over a century after dying.

"Sozin did not begin to hunt the dragons until after my death. I suspect that event may have played a part in why. He was unwell, Aang, near the end. Dragons were revered among my people. It was believed that one who had achieved ultimate spiritual wisdom and oneness with nature was reborn as a dragon for their final lifetime, which is why they were so rare. They were also believed to be immortal, but when Sozin watched Fang die with me, that proved our belief wrong. He coveted the dragons' power. So, he declared himself a Dragon and established the title for anyone else who killed one. He probably believed himself to be a dragon in truth until his death." Roku shook his head. "That is my guess."

Aang listened to the sad story, knowing that Roku lamented the loss of his former best friend. He wanted to say something comforting or funny—the instinct to help others feel better always arose in him during moments like these, but what could he possibly say to a spirit?

Roku was his most recent past life. So, he said what he thought he'd like to hear in Roku's place:

"Me and Zuko are gonna bring back what Sozin took away. We already ended the War. We'll bring back the dragons—and the airbenders. I don't know how yet, but I promise we will. And maybe…maybe Sozin's next life is out there, with his spirit trying to redeem itself." He grinned. "Maybe you and he are still friends. Who knows?"

It was rare for Roku to appear shocked, but for a brief moment, his eyes were wide open, and although it was hard to tell in the shifting light of the Spirit World, they seemed teary. Roku faced the course in front of them. "I know you will, Aang. If anyone can restore balance to the world, it is you. And…I hope you are right. Goodbye, Aang, until next time."

Fang twisted into a spiral and they lurched ninety degrees, straight down into the Fire Lord's palace. They phased through the roof and several rooms. Aang saw his physical body for a brief second before Fang drove his spirit through, leaving him whole once more.