Burn My Dread FES
By Iain R. Lewis
Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games.
"Talkin' how they've become the blue saints, above cold ground wondering if light flows down."
- Want to be Close -Reincarnation-
Yumi Kawamura
Chapter 3: Cracks in the Past
"The never-melting walls," Katara breathed, "I'd only heard stories" Centuries ago, the Northern Water Tribe built their city out of the ice, and not just in small shelters like the south did, but in a massive fortress that spawned the length of the tundra.
The view from the top of the mighty rampart spread wide across the sea, masses of ice floated benignly in the distance and the crowing song of a mammoth-whale in the distance Tourists lined the length of the rampart, to catch a glimpse of them as the pods surfaced for air.
Katara couldn't tear her eyes away from it, but Azula frowned, coldly. "This is a waste of time. Where are we?"
"The North Pole --"
"I know that," she snapped, stopping Katara before she could go further, "But where are we exactly? How is this place connected to the maze we were in before?"
"That's a good question," she said, furrowing her brow. "Sokka would have some ideas, I'm sure of it, but I don't know. I mean, I could toss out some suggestions, but--"
"That won't be necessary." Azula put a hand up, and with her other hand tapped her cheek, "We clearly do not have enough information."
"Fine, just ignore me then. What's your suggestion, then, ask everyone, 'Why are we in the North Pole and not in a creepy overgrown garden wtih rotten fruit?"
Azula sighed, tiredly. "Yes, let's do that, of course, we will either be talking to people who won't respond because they're illusions, or receive strange looks because we've somehow been thrown hurtling into the North Pole."
"No, really," Katara glibly muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Still," Azula said, "The Phoenix Group building is still under repairs."
"What's strange about that?"
"At least before you left me in the Spirit World, the North Pole headquarters was not in any dire need of repairs. But you can see the tower there in the distance under repair." Azula paused, and thought further, "Or reconstruction." She paused and grabbed a man off the street. He was Fire Nation judging by his clothes, and he was carrying a camera. "Yes?" he asked, a bit surprised, "Can I help you?"
"Here on vacation? Us too," Azula said. The man looked them over.
"A bit cold to be wearing school uniforms like that. Where are they from?"
"Ba Sing Se," Azula said, tiredly, "Actually, my dear father works at the Phoenix Group building downtown, and I hadn't heard how the reconstruction was going."
"Oh, you heard about that?" the man said, "Old Azulon okay'd that a few weeks ago. He's so busy boasting over Iroh's projects that he'll okay anything Ozai slips on his desk -- oh, you didn't hear that from me, though."
"Indeed," Azula said, "Well, I guess it won't be done any time soon. That's too bad, I wanted to see the top office."
"Ah, well, that's Mr. Ozai's office --"
"Are you implying my father wouldn't know Mr. Ozai?"
"I -- I guess not."
"Thank you for your time," Azula said, turning back to Katara, "Just as I suspected."
"Your dad worked here?" Katara asked, "Why didn't you ever say you'd been to the North Pole."
"I'm certain I must have mentioned it in passing once or twice," Azula said, tiredly, "And to be honest, the day to day grind of how my father reached the rank of President hardly interested me. As far as I was concerned, he just gave me the relatively simple task of surpassing Zuzu to attain the same degree of power."
Katara frowned. She hesitantly said, "Your father, after you --"
"I don't particularly care to hear the details," Azula said, "If you survived, you must have defeated my father in some means, probably killed him. I can come to terms with that. That I can ignore," she said.
She brushed by Katara, and whispered, "But it isn't something I can so easily forgive."
"Azula, we didn't -- wait, I'm the one who should be angry at you!"
"I don't care," Azula said, waving her hand, "It's easier for me to pretend that he just didn't exist. Like so many other people in my life, he's disappointed me in being so weak as to lose to you."
Though, to be honest, Azula wondered why her heart ached when she said that. To say her father and her were close would be an oversimplification. They weren't, in the traditional sense, affectionate. He lived through her viscerally, and it was somewhat difficult to say whether he loved her or what she meant for his ambitions.
And still, she couldn't ignore, that he did not abandon her. Disappointment was only one of the myriad emotions that made up their relationship. But, in a lot of ways, love was not.
"We can confirm this place is real, as well," Azula said. "At least, real enough to have people who can hold a conversation."
"So, what do you think this is?"
"I don't know, yet," Azula said. "But I have started to form a few theories."
Azula started down the stairs towards the canal-ways below that formed the majority of the transportation through the old city. While the new city that loomed in the distance across the tundra that spread around the old city gleamed with new buildings of iron and stone, the old city remained as ever comprised of ice and snow.
"The canals are the easiest way around, but don't be foolish and think a boat is quicker than walking. They're little more than tourist cash grabs," Azula warned.
"So you've been here before, because of your dad?" Katara asked, wincing a bit as she mentioned Ozai. "Did he show you around the city?"
"Hardly, father was busy," Azula said, "Always busy. But mother showed us around." Katara winced at the mention of Azula's mother out of reflex. She knew Zuko rarely spoke of her, but when he did, it was with warmth and happiness. When Azula mentioned the word, it sounded like a curse.
"Really," Katara said, "Must have been fun."
"Oh yes, staring at mammoth-whales for hour then sitting on a freezing boat where your coats get stuck to the seat if you don't move every few minutes, the ideal time for mother-daughter bonding."
"I wish mom could have seen this place," Katara said, "My Gran-Gran came from the north. She spoke of it only once in a while."
"So?" Azula asked, "I didn't ask for your life story, Katara."
Katara winced again, and closed her mouth, following Azula down the canals. She wondered where Azula was leading her, uanware that Azula was wondering the same thing at this moment. Though her gold eyes were cast at the icy ground below, she cast a glance to the canal.
"I suppose to you this is much mroe accomodating than Ba Sing Se or the Fire Nation. How good for you."
"Oh, I'm used to Ba Sing Se," Katara said, "I kind of prefer it. Back home, you had to always wear heavy coats or sweaters to keep warm, and there were times when you just did not go out. If a snowstorm hit while you were out, you could be lost for days, or worse."
"I see," Azula said.
"Change your mind about my life story?" Katara asked, mockingly. "I really can't figure you out, Azula."
"I try to be interesting," Azula said.
"Where are we even going?"
"I don't know," she said, "I can't figure out if this is really the North Pole or not. And if it's really ten years ago --"
"Ten years ago!" Katara's eyes widened.
"That's what I figure, my best estimate if those construction crews started only a few months ago. And I know what you're thinking. Yes, it is about time for that to happen. Which is what makes this all the more worrisome."
"Do you think the accident has anything to do with this maze?"
"I have my theories," Azula hissed.
"That means you don't know. If it really has something to do with the accident ten years ago, then, what does that mean happened to everything we fought for?"
"Oh, Spirits forbid you be wrong, of course," Azula said, wryly.
Katara shot her a dirty glance, which Azula just shook her head to. "We fought for the right reasons. Aang fought for the right reasons."
"What do I care what Aang did or didn't do," Azula said, "What's important now is getting out of this maze and leaving the dorm. We can discuss the finer points of our life philosophies later, if you so desire."
"Me? Want to talk to you? No thanks."
"Suit yourself," Azula answered.
She stood on a bridge over the canals and glanced down, watching the moon look at the stars lonesomely. Katara followed her, looking out on the boats. "I think we should head towards the Chief's Halls," Katara said.
"That seems logical," Azula said, "We can assume that the only thing connecting the garden and this place is Yue."
Katara smiled, "Well, that's my guess. I picked up a few things listening to Aang and Sokka talk back and forth about all those crazy theories about the Spirit World and the Tower." Azula started towards the hall, and left Katara to follow behind her.
"Same old Azula," Katara muttered, her eyelids drooping as she grew more and more annoyed, "Not a kind word to anyone."
She followed after, but stopped when a streak of white caught her eye, as it tumbled down a seven year old girl's back, a girl whose hair and dress were far ornate to be any normal child. Katara gasped.
It was Yue.
The garden seemed to wind along endlessly, plants formed horrible barriers of thorns and lashers, Sokka felt Toph's grip on him tighten as the noises returned in the dimming light of the waning moon overhead.
"What was that?"
"Toph, are you scared?" Sokka asked, teasingly. She squeezed his arm tight enough that he started to hear cracks. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" he asked as she loosened the grip.
"Idiot," Toph muttered. "Of course I'm not scared. I'm Toph Bei Fong, nothing scares me!"
"This place gives me the creeps," Zuko said. He swiped his Dao Blades at one of the barriers, "Flowers made of steel." The thorns caught hold of the blade, and Zuko pulled back, grunting angrily, "Just made to infuriate us."
"What I'm worried about is those pets that Yue lookalike was talking about," Sokka said. "We've been going around in circles for like an hour and I've not seen anything that could be thought of as a pet."
They walked down a narrow passage, the whitewashed arches were covered in deep green foliage, with a few drooping white flowers that glowed a serene color in the moonlight. "That's a pretty flower."
"Moon lilies," Zuko said, "My mother kept some of those. They're known for their luminescent petals. They absorb light from the sun and release it at night. It looks almost like moonlight."
"I didn't figure you for a gardening type, Sparks."
"I'm not," Zuko said. "They're beautiful flowers. Odd to see them hanging from an arch like that."
"I've seen a couple of them around," Sokka said. "The other plants seem a little more overgrown, but these ones are nice."
"Well, at least you guys found something nice in this garden. I'm sure your girlfriends will love it if you pick some as presents for them. Now, are we done so we can find a way out of this creep-zone?"
"Oh, right," Sokka said. "Well, we've been going left a lot. Maybe we should take a right."
The passage became so narrow the only way they could pass was in single file. Sokka took the lead with Toph right behind him, hand on his back. Zuko took up the rear, looking at the moon lilies that seemed to be numerous along the path.
His eyes caught a glimpse of something else under the brush, and he paused. "Sokka, slow down."
"What?"
"I got a bad feeling in my gut," Zuko said, "Something's here."
"Nothing's here!" Sokka said, turning around. He started down the passage. "You're just getting paranoid in your old age, Zuko."
"You're the same age," Zuko muttered.
"Guys, I'm getting some weird vibrations," Toph said.
"Like your earthbending used to give you?" Zuko asked. She nodded. "What sort of vibrations?"
"I don't know. I feel like I can almost see but it's just so fuzzy and hard to right now. Why do you think I'm using you guys to lead me around, I'm all confused."
"Well," Zuko said, "Keep alert. If you feel any change, let us know --"
"There!" Toph said, "It's moving!"
Sokka shouted in surprise as his foot caught on a twig, and yet, when he tried to release himself from the twig's grasp, it simply tightened its grip. "Whoa!" he tried to swipe at it with his sword, but the weapon just caused the grip to tighten further and pull him into the underbrush. "Help!"
Zuko and Toph reached for him, Toph managing to grab him by sheer luck, while Zuko held a firm grip to his wrist, "What did you do?" Zuko asked.
"Trip," Sokka said, angrily, "It's not like it's my fault that this garden wants to kill us!"
"Too soon to say that for sure," Toph grunted, pulling back, "You've put on a ton of pounds, Sokka. Are you all chubby now and I don't know it?"
"I'm not chubby!" Sokka shouted, "I've just been working out!"
"Yeah, whatever,' Zuko grunted pulling back. "What's got a hold on you anyway?"
"I don't know, it just -- Yikes!" Sokka felt the grasp on his ankle release and the three of them went rolling into the scratchy brush behind them. There was the sound of rustling in the brush as whatever it was that had grabbed Sokka vanished once again into the dark garden.
"What the --" Sokka managed to breathe, "Okay, this place is officially on my avoid list from now on."
"Tell me about it," Toph grunted. "You weigh a ton! You got fat while I was totally blind, didn't you? Tell me the truth, Zuko, Sokka's fat now, isn't he?"
"He has packed on a few pounds," Zuko smirked. "Come on, we shouldn't hang around in case it gets the idea to try again."
"I am not fat!" Sokka yelled, "Zuko, tell her!"
"Whatever you say, butterchubs," Toph said, smirking as they headed down the path, away from the soft glow of moon lilies.
The little girl stared back at Katara, almost terrified that she'd been recognized despite her best attempts to remain unnoticed. She stopped and just looked at Katara, waiting for some reaction, something. "Yue?"
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
"I'm -- uh --" Katara suddenly wished Azula hadn't wandered off ahead like that. She was being awfully familiar with a princess who she wouldn't meet for another ten years. She'd have to think quick not to raise suspicions. "I'm from the Southern Tribe. You probably don't remember me, but we've met."
"Oh, uh," Yue looked anxious. "Uh," she seemed to not know what to say. Katara rolled her eyes slightly. The North had, since the war, acted as though they were the superior tribe. While the South had modernized, the North was slower to do so due to their history.
Which made it perfect for creating such an excuse. It just wasn't in Yue's character to be anything but polite, especially when the Southern Tribe was mentioned. And it wasn't in actuality a lie, it just disregarded the fact that it was ten years too early.
Azula would have been proud, Katara thought, suppressing a groan of annoyance.
"I'm sorry," she said, "You're right. Are you, are you here to take me back to Daddy?"
"No," she said, "What were you doing all alone? You could have been in trouble. Do you have an escort?"
"Well," Yue nodded slowly, "One of my minders came with me, but I'm lost and I'm scared."
"Why are you scared?"
"I don't know how to get home, and Daddy will be cross," she said, looking like a seven year old girl caught stealing from the cookie jar. Katara smiled, mysteriously.
"Well, then it's your lucky day. I was on my way there just now. A friend of mine is there waiting for me, I'm sure of it. We'll sneak you back in, no problem! Your dad won't even know you were gone."
"Really?" Yue's eyes widened, "That's wonderful!" But her enthusiasm was short lived. Apprehension took over, and she looked aside, "Are you sure I can trust you? I mean, I hear all about how people from the Southern Tribe --"
"Do you believe it?"
"Daddy says they're exaggerating."
"Do you trust your dad?" Yue nodded. "Then it's okay. We're not bad people, not all of us."
"Okay," Yue said, apprehensively taking Katara's hand. Part of her was shocked by how real the touch felt, still not having accepted this as anything more than a complex illusion. if this was real -- if this was the past -- then was she actually interfering?
"Is something wrong?" Yue asked. "I thought we were going home."
"Oh, right," Katara said, weakly.
"You look really pale. Is everything okay?"
"Yes, I'm just a little sick," she said, "I was living in Ba Sing Se, and I was a little unprepared for how chilly it is."
"Oh," Yue said. "I was sick once. When I was small."
"Oh?" Katara decided to let Yue tell her the story, it seemed to take the girl's attention off of her, and let her calm down.
"Daddy said the spirits saved me. Do you believe in spirits?"
"Of course I do," Katara said.
"Oh. 'cause everyone laughed at me when I said that."
"Everyone?"
Yue nodded. "I went to the playground. I always wanted to go, but Daddy didn't think it was a good idea."
"Oh."
"Everyone thought I was being silly."
"You're not," Katara said. "Spirits are real, and they're powerful."
"Yes! That's what I said!" Yue said, her eyes brightening.
"I've met a few, too," Katara said, smiling.
"Oh! Really? Really?" Yue's eyes were so bright they were dazzling. They almost glowed like the moon. Katara was struck by that. Even now, with only a fragment of that power inside her, she seemed to be a tiny goddess.
"Really. A bunch. I got my face stolen by Koh, I once helped the Ocean Spirit out of a bind, and I even came face to face with a fire spirit."
Yue seemed absolutely taken by this, and Katara continued telling her stories. Every so often, she'd be interrupted by Yue's thrilled questions. "What was it like without a face?"
"Inconvenient, but surprisingly comfortable."
"Wow!"
"And one of my best friends is the moon spirit," Katara said. "We were so close, but then we had to part because Spirits and Humans have different worlds, and our worlds needed us."
"Oh," Yue said, "The Moon Spirit saved my life. He's wonderful!"
No, Katara said, he's not. Perhaps when he saved her, he was, but the memory Katara had of that wretched spirit was more terrifying. Swallowing her up, La stole every ounce of energy he'd given Yue, and then some. The Spirit World's corruption was so complete that he became little more than an amorphous blob.
In her brother's words, which he often reminded them, a giant moon amoeba.
"Is something wrong?" Yue asked, "You didn't finish your story."
"I'm all right," Katara said, "I'm just remembering something."
"Oh."
"Well, we shouldn't dally around, Yue," Katara said. "We're almost there."
Katara didn't notice that Yue's footsteps left a tiny crack in the surface of the ice, and she didn't notice that she had been ever since the two of them met. Behind them, the city, despite the fact that people walked through them without a single care, without even noticing them there, was covered in cracks large enough to split the city into pieces.
And they continued to grow.
Buzzing never sounded quite so ominous.
It wasn't precisely buzzing. Buzzing was high-pitched and annoying, this was rather lower in pitch, due in large part that the buzzing sound of the wings had just been magnified about ten fold.
The bee creature was about as large as a man. It descended upon the garden in front of Sokka and caused him to leap back. Zuko grunted, and glared at Sokka, "No sudden moves."
"That thing's huge. I don't think I've ever seen an animal like that. What is it, a whale-bee?"
"Could be,"
"Could be a bear-bee," Toph added.
"You can't see it."
"I can hear it. Sounds like a big bug. So, when I think big, I think bear."
"I've never heard of anything like that," Zuko muttered, "Whatever it is, let's try and keep well away."
Its long appendages ended in massive claws that tore away at the bushes in its pursuit of pollen for whatever purpose a large bee-like monster would have for pollen, Sokka reasoned. "Maybe we should find another way."
It sniffed in close for whatever it sought.
And was pulled straight into the brush. Cracks, squeals and then a sickening thud and silence were all the group needed to hear to slow them to a stop. "What the --"
A low growl rattled through the archways around them as they all felt it move closer and closer. Whatever it was hid just behind the bushes, its low hiss producing a warm air that crept up their legs.
"Guys," Toph said, "What's that noise?"
"I don't know," Sokka said, "But be ready for anything. It's close."
Zuko closed his eyes and focused on the sound. Sokka watched him, and catching on with a quick startled statement followed suit. "We need to be ready. It could come from any direction."
The breathing became heavier and heavier and then stopped. The moment of silence that fell was hardly any consolation. The sound of the bear-bees overhead hummed a dark tune as they came closer.
Toph's eyes widened as her entire body shook from the sudden vibration. She knew how to read it. "Below us!"
From beneath their feet, large talon-like gnarled hands shot forth and grabbed their legs. Zuko drew his Dao Blades and struck at them with as much force as he could muster, and the result was unexpected. The claws released him, however, something shouted in pain.
The ground tore open, and a large creature with ancient, ashen colored bark along its skin emerged, long twig-like appendages flailing. The ironbark creature pulled Sokka and Toph into the air as it rose, and looked with its long, carved face at Zuko.
It snarled in rage and swung one of its branches at him. Being hit by the monster's backhand hurt more than he expected, he felt like half his face had been crushed in and he hit the brush with no fanfare.
"Ow," Sokka muttered. "Hey, Zuko, are you okay?"
"Peachy," he said spitting out some blood, "Sokka, try and cut yourself and Toph loose. I think we met one of Yue's so-called pets."
The creature hunched close to the ground, its smaller arms like branches rising high into the air, swinging Toph and Sokka around as it did. "Hard to when - urp - we're being tossed around like we're at a traveling carnival."
"Stop complaining and do it!" Zuko shouted. The creature moved to him crawling on its larger, primary arms and legs. It moved like a rhino, plodding across and slamming the free branch-arms into Zuko. The Delinquent Prince rolled with the attack, but was still knocked clean across the passage.
"Ow," Sokka said, in sympathy as he tried to steady himself. "Okay, come on sword, do your thing!" He swung it in a large arc downwards and struck the branches where they split. The grip loosened and as the ironbark creature turned to face down Zuko again, Sokka tumbled down to the ground.
"Oh thanks!" Toph said when she heard him land, "Forget all about me why don't you?"
"Zuko, think you can pin this thing down?" Sokka asked, going for his boomerang, "Toph needs to be let down before we can really prune this thing."
"Yeah, sure," Zuko said, his voice raising in anger as he moved, "I'll just find a nice pot to put it in."
"Great!"
"He was being sarcastic, Snoozles!"
"I know that," Sokka said. The creature swung wide, waving around Toph like a decoration in the wind. She moaned as her stomach churned from the sudden shift of directions as the ironbark creature swung its other massive limb at Zuko.
"If I had my bending this would be a cinch," Zuko muttered, using the twin Dao Blades to catch the limb mid-swing and lock it in place. The creature looked perplexed at the intricate maneuver, and it hissed a low sound. "What are you waiting for! Now!"
Sokka let the boomerang fly just as the creature turned its head to see what exactly his prey was yelling at. The boomerang clanged against the branch and its claw released, dropping Toph unceremoniously to the ground.
The creature turned around.
The sound of buzzing returned to the air. However, unlike before, the noise was even louder, and the sky seemed ever darker. The distant light of moon lilies grew ever brighter as the sky darkened. The creature, however, focused by its rage, did not see. It charged Sokka who barely managed to scurry out of the way as the creature's many-limbed back swung to pick him up again.
"Move it !" Zuko shouted. The creature remained focused on Sokka, snarling and hissing. "Sokka, we got to get out of here before --"
The first bear-bee landed on the creature with a loud clang as its stinger collided with the ironbark on its back. The creature reeled back and turned around, tearing the bee-wings off of the bear-bee's back with trained precision.
"It's an entire ecosystem here," Zuko muttered, "That creature hides in the bushes waiting for those bear-bees to descend on them for pollen, and pulls them in and tears them apart. But to survive," Zuko paused.
Another descended, and another, numbers great enough to swell the sky with anbearable beating of wings. "Guys, let's just go!" Toph said. The loud hiss of pain from the ironbark monster caused her to shiver, "Before they think we're with him."
The creatures turned and stared at them. "You had to say something," Sokka groaned. They took off into the air. "Run away!"
The bear-bees pursued them just above the brush of the maze. The three didn't turn around to look behind them, the large sound of the mass of beating wings got louder and louder as they ran. "This way," Zuko said, pointing to a covered passageway.
The small white fenced archways did little to deter the bear-bees, their massive steel stingers bursting through in front of them as they descended to try and skewer. "This sucks," Sokka said. "Zuko, remind me to never let Yue have pets anymore."
"Don't need to tell me twice," Zuko grumbled.
The sky itself was beginning to crack when Katara arrived at the main hall of the Northern Water Tribe Chief. Azula was busy talking to one of the guards when they saw Katara and Yue walking together. "Princess!"
Azula turned back, and was about to say something when her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry," Katara said to the guard, "She was walking around lost. She's a little scared her father's going to scold her so would you try and sneak her in?"
"Her nursemaid came back a while ago and caused quite a fuss," Azula said, "That won't be possible." She looked at Yue, "You need to be more careful, little girl, about who you drag into your little schemes."
"It wasn't -- I didn't --"
"How dare you speak to the Princess like that," the guard snapped.
"She nearly cost you lot your jobs," Azula said, "She's a princess, she has duties, responsibilities that she cannot shirk for her own desire to be normal like everyone else."
"I don't like you," Yue pouted.
"Azula, she's just a little girl," Katara whispered, "Can't you be nicer?"
"I wouldn't tolerate anyone talking down to me when I was her age, I merely treat them how I would want to be treated."
"Come along, Princess," the guard said. "Thank you for your help, miss. I'm sure the Chief will want to reward you."
"It's nothing," Azula said, "Just simple charity. We must get going." Azula dragged Katara aside and turned her around, "What did you do?"
"What did I do ---" she stopped and stared. The sky was falling to pieces, long, spindly cracks wrapped around the world, tearing apart everything and shining an ominous glow on everything. "What happened? What's with all those cracks?"
"I don't know, but that guy was looking behind me the whole time and didn't say anything. We might be the only ones who can see it. Did you just cause a paradox?"
"No!" Katara shouted, "At least, I don't think so, I mean, how can I cause a paradox, this isn't real, right?"
"We don't know what this is," Azula said, "That's why we need to step lightly. And you just come here with Yue like it was nothing."
"Oh, this looks bad," Katara said. "I hope I haven't done anything serious."
"I don't remember hearing any news about Yue going missing, I imagine it would have been a big news story ten years ago if she did. Still," Azula said, "It's a bit worrying that she should now know you before she ever met you."
"I'm sorry!"
"You fool!" Azula scolded.
"I said I'm sorry,' Katara said, "There's no going back now, so we just have to fix it."
"I don't think there is any fixing, we just have to hope that there's no lasting damage," Azula said. "What is this labyrinth anyway?"
"I don't know," Katara said, "But what do we do about it?"
"I don't know, I don't know!" Azula hissed. "Let's -- let's see where they're most severe, maybe there'll be a clue as to what this is about there. That's all I can think of."
"Azula, at a loss?" Katara asked, honestly surprised, "I didn't think that was possible."
Azula frowned, her eyes turning cold as she glowered at Katara. Katara weakly smiled and shrugged. The two of them walked past the cracks, leaping over them wherever they were cracked enough to form a fissure in the land.
Watching people pass these cracks was almost like looking at a crack in a mirror, they seemed to appear on both sides, a little fragmented because of the crack, until they emerged on the opposite side whole and untouched.
The canal itself was even shattered along the lines of the crack, but instead of spilling down into the crack, the surface of the water itself seemed to be cracked, almost like it were merely glass over top of the canalway.
Boats caused the most pecular looking shapes as they passed over them, especially along the most severe, where they seemed to bend and distort horribly into multiple bows, going every direction imaginable.
"This is so strange," Katara said.
"They don't seem to notice it at all, even as they walk over them," Azula said, "These are real people, they must be."
"This is just making my head ache," Katara said.
"Perhaps it's best we just accept that this is what it is, the Northern Water Tribe Capital, and leave it at that."
The streets became more and more cracked and shattered as they approached the place Yue and Katara had met. It was with a growing sense of dread in the pit of Katara's stomach that she began to recognize the places. "I don't like this."
"What is it?"
"It was here, I saw Yue and --"
"Indeed," Azula smirked, "Now you believe that I'll be upset? You're right, there's no going back and fixing it, but we can, of course, learn from this. And you've presented us an invaluable opportunity. I'm quite pleased, actually."
"You're what?"
"Pleased," Azula said. "Now, we merely have to figure out what this is and what we do about it."
Katara looked over at Azula and saw that she was staring down. The place she'd met Yue was shattered much more severely than anywhere else, in fact, it was pretty much completely smashed apart, with pieces of the canal and its passageways floating in mid air like fragments of Earth Kingdom plate that had shattered then froze in mid air.
And through the crack, a large winding passageway made of stone, with large, overgrown plants, led ever downwards towards a point too distant to see.
"What the --" Katara gasped.
"I think we've found our way out of here."
"Oh this is just fan-tas-tic!" Sokka said. "First we get stuck in a maze, and now it's trying to eat us! This is so unfair, at least with the Spirit World we knew it was out to get us."
"Literally," Toph muttered.
They were stuck between a swarm of bear-bees and what looked like a mass of briars. They held the gateways closed, and from somewhere deep within the bushes, there was a sound of snapping.
The bear-bees were the more immediate threat, and Zuko turned to face them. "No more running. We're men, right, Sokka?"
"Oh man, macho time," Toph muttered, "Fine, get yourselves stung, no skin off my back."
"Until they turn their attention onto you," Sokka muttered. He gripped his sword tight in his hand. "Look, I've got to be honest with you, I'm a little rusty."
"No time like the present to practice," Zuko said. "We tear those monsters apart, and then we deal with whatever happens next."
The bear-bee swarm slowed as the two boys readied their attack. They began to charge when a sudden vibration stopped them in their tracks. Both bug and boy gaped in awe as a large mass of tangled vines erupted from the bushes. Small flowers along the vines gave off a faintly pleasant smell that was just a little overly saccharine, making it just slightly nauseating.
"What the --" Toph muttered. She turned her feet, "Guys, be careful."
"What do you got for us, Toph?"
"More of those things, Matchstick," she said, "Coming from your side."
The lashing vines emerged with a great tremor, and Zuko turned and struck the vine before it could knock him down. The vine sliced off, wriggling like a worm on the ground before stopping. Another struck at Zuko's right side, and knocked him down.
Sokka turned and slashed it in two. "Any more?"
"Coming up!" Toph said. "I can feel it in my soles."
The vines lashed around the swarm and tore them down into the brush with a terrifying silencing snap. The swarm slowly dismantled, the vines lashing out faster and faster. Sokka managed to deflect another bunch while Zuko climbed to his feet, rubbing his side. "This is totally sucking," Sokka muttered.
"You didn't get hit by one of them. It was like taking a hundred water whips to the side," he muttered.
"I thought you liked that kind of thing."
"Very funny."
"I thought so," Sokka said with a smirk. "Toph, got any heads ups?"
"Nope," Toph said, "Things got real quiet suddenly."
"That's not a good sign," Just as the stillness settled in, there was an uneasy feeling in the air, as if the entire garden was being devoured by the approaching presence. The bushes rattled as something moved through them, prowling, predatorial. Each of their thoughts occupied by one all-consuming question: what sort of creature was next?
Then it flopped out of the brush.
It was a tadpole with glimmering specks on its back like starlight.
"Oh, this ought to be good," Sokka muttered, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, it's going to kick our butts the second we start laughing at it."
"It's cute," Zuko muttered, "It looks like someone's pet."
The group suddenly stood chilled.
"Oh no," Sokka said, "Do you think this is --"
"-- It has to be --"
" --this is stupid!" Toph yelled. "It's cute? That's the best description you have for it. Okay, maybe my senses are dulled, but even I can tell it's like two feet long. Maybe big for a normal thing, but for a spirit? That's tiny."
"Yeah," Zuko said, "But it's -- some kind of tadpole."
"What's a tadpole?"
"It's -- how do you not know what a tadpole is? Like, Bullfrogs start out that way, but those ones usually have little stubby horns on them." Sokka groaned, "What is that thing?"
"So what do we do?" Toph asked.
"Well, we leave it alone," Zuko said, "It's not bothering us."
"Right, good plan, Zuko," Sokka said, taking the lead. He sidled past the tadpole, carefully, slowly, trying not to make the slightest provocation. The tadpole watched him, curiously. Then it bounded after him, like a puppy.
"What the --"
"It likes you," Zuko said, "That's not exactly what I expected."
"It doesn't look very scary," Sokka said. "Actually, I think it's kind of cute."
"It's a spirit," Zuko warned, "They can be cute one minute and terrifying the next."
"Well, you said to leave it alone," Toph said, "So what's the harm in it following us."
"None, I guess. All right, let's find a way out of this maze."
The tadpole followed them as they wandered down a winding passageway under white painted arches. The moon lilies lit the path as they descended into a tunnel through a small hill. "Pretty," Sokka commented.
"We've got to be close to the exit by now," Toph groaned, "It feels like we've been walking for hours, and I'm hungry!"
"Plants, plants, everywhere," Sokka moaned, "And not a fruit to eat."
Even the tadpole looked hungry.
"Let's just keep moving forward, maybe we'll have some luck for a change."
"Azula, wait up!"
Katara could hardly believe Azula just leapt down there without a worry or care. She landed on the stone and looked up. "Katara!" she called, "Hurry."
Katara hesitated, before leaping down.
The area around her seemed stuck in the middle of space, winding down towards a door not much different from the one they entered in. It was something unusual, but she'd seen worse. She looked at Azula, who was already walking down the path, and called for her to wait.
"We don't have time to waste," Azula said.
"Isn't it weird," Katara said, "We're just floating around in space."
"Perhaps this is what time travel feels like." Azula said, smirking.
"If it is, I don't want to get used to it," she said. "Still, this maze ran through the past. Yue's past, too. Do you think --"
"I don't like to assume," she said, "But, there are two possibilities."
"Well, maybe that imposter Yue isn't, you know, an imposter."
Azula pondered that. She'd briefly thought about that, but disregarded it. After all, the boy, Lee, had said to her to "Beware the Moon's twin." If anyone fit that description it was the girl who had trapped them with that man eating plant.
Azula shook her head, "No. That possibility seems unlikely."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Someone told me something that makes me think otherwise," she said, "I think we'll know for certain by the time we reach the end of the maze."
"That seems so long from now."
"Maybe" Azula approached the door. It seemed unlocked, but there was no handle to be found. Placing her hand on it, Azula pulled away suddenly as the door creaked slowly and pushed open. "Well, shall we?"
Katara glanced through the door.
There was a soft sound coming from nearby. "Is someone crying?"
Azula frowned, "I think we may be nearing the end sooner than you think, Katara. Come on, if my theory's right, then we'll have our answers through that door."
She leapt through with Katara right behind.
There was no door behind them when they emerged, just a long stretch that lead to a dead end. Azula focused on in front of them. That sound was louder and more distinct as they moved closer.
"Is someone out there?" Katara asked. Azula slapped her hand to her forehead.
"Who's there?" the voice said, stopping the sobbing. Her voice was so gentle, so weak, so fragile that she sounded ephemeral. "Please, if you've come to torment me, no more --"
Katara knew that voice all too well.
"Yue?"
Azula smirked, "And my theories continue to come together."
To be continued.
