Though his body did not move from the spot, her presence was felt the moment she had taken a step into the forest.

His face was covered in nostalgia, followed by an extreme sadness that reminded him of what happened the day he had escaped, but that was not the face he wanted to reveal to her after so long.

"You wouldn't believe who I brought here tonight, Noatak" said the spirit as he turned back to normal, and as he did this, Noatak broke posture and raised up on his feet with elegance, something that even till today he was used to. Many emotions passed through him as he first made eye contact with the Avatar again.

In him there was rage, happiness, sadness, jealousy, and regret. But as he gazed up on the Avatar further, he felt pity for what the Avatar, the one person who managed to stop him in more ways than one, had been reduced to.

Nonetheless, her arrival was as unexpected as her victories against him were. Believing he was superior to the Avatar, he tried to create a world different from Raava's meaning of peace. But the catalyst, who supposedly represented the light in all beings, turned out to be much more powerful and resilient than he ever hoped it would be.

From that moment on; from his defeat, he understood he had been nothing but a stepping stone for the Avatar's growth.

And now, that same person was just a few steps away from him once more, with horror and confusion overwhelming her every sense.

The circumstances hadn't been the right ones in the past, hence there was no reason for them to be otherwise today. The Avatar showing up in the spirit's city so soon after her return to Republic City was not part of his plan.

But that would be no problem, he simply had to throw it away, and improvise instead.

That was one of the many things he learned from the Avatar, but it was something he would forever be grateful for.


In case you haven't noticed just yet: I write this story as I go, so please forgive my grammar. And if you also need to know, then yes: I purposely repeated the same sentence.