((Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying Book Three so far! Feel free to drop me a message or review; I always love hearing what you all thought! I had some trouble uploading this chapter so I'll try to fix the issue by next week but just in case, there may be a week delay for the next chapter! If so, sorry in advance!)
Isolated:
Avatar Jahn sighed, sitting down on the sand. Qi-lóng's words echoed in his mind even now: 'Find the culprit.'
Eyuta hissed quietly by his side, head turning as it listened to the area around. The Divide had led them down to the ocean after a long trip; the Great Divide itself tore through the landscape like a jagged scar. Jahn had followed it west, considering how to go about finding the mastermind behind the war. Judging by the letter, Jahn reckoned his father was somehow involved, but facing him would be the hardest task yet.
The ocean lapped against the beach gently, seaweed nestling on the sand, only to be dragged back into the water by the next wave. The day was sunny and warm, so naturally the sea-birds were out in force. They flew in great flocks, screeching through the sky as giant elephant koi leapt further out to sea. Jahn watched then twirl through the air, almost feeling jealous at their ability to glide on the wind. That being said, he was more than happy to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground. All of his experiences in the air had been pretty rubbish up to this point.
Eyuta lurched forward as he stood up, knees bending backwards and straightening as he stood tall. Down the beach, some birds had landed and were scratching around in the sand. Eyuta hadn't eaten in a few days now and whilst Jahn felt regret at anything dying, his friend needed feeding. When the spirit animal looked at the Avatar, he nodded, looking away as Eyuta bounded off down the beach.
He looked up to the sky, enjoying the warmth of the sun beaming down on his face. Jahn reached back and pulled his tunic over his head, pleased at the cool breeze brushing against his skin. It was too hot for his normal clothes, so he lay back in the sand and sighed. This short break was more than welcome, given all the action over the last week. He blindly patted around to his right, feeling for his bag. When he found it, he rummaged around with one hand, finally withdrawing with an apple in hand. He took a bite, still bathing in the sun, as he heard Eyuta finally catch a bird further down the beach.
The beach was curious. Jahn could feel spiritual energy in the very air, surrounding him. It was a beautiful place, with no hint of the ongoing war. It was the perfect place to rest and consider his next steps.
When he eventually grew too hot, Jahn sat up and considered going for a swim. As he sat on the beach wondering whether he should, the words sprang back to his mind, completely unbidden: "Ensure they are punished. Only then will we take you seriously, Avatar."
He clenched his fist, irritated at the lack of help he was receiving. Throwing the apple core aside, Jahn glared at the sea birds flying around above. He had been unable to stop the Spirit Eaters because he was just one man with a small group of friends. Now, he was trying to stop a war between two worlds and now he was truly isolated from all potential assistance. Only Eyuta was here to keep him sane.
Jahn frowned. He might be alone on the beach, yet his past lives could surely help. He hadn't bothered talking to them since returning to the Spirit World; the past Avatars could be truly wise, although they often gave conflicting advice. Now might be a good time to discuss his situation, at least.
He raised his arms up quickly by his sides, clapping his hands together over his head. The sand around him immediately lifted into the air and formed a small sand igloo around Jahn, shielding him from the sun but leaving one half open towards the sea. He'd need a little privacy for meditation.
Eyes closed, deep breathing, lotus position assumed, mind blank and devoid of thoughts. His only focus was connecting with his inner Avatar spirit, to summon forth the spirits he wished to talk to.
He felt a surge of energy pass from him. Opening his eyes, he spotted Avatar Korra forming from wisps on the air, a shining blue figure who sat opposite him, smiling. "Hi there Jahn."
"Hey Korra."
"So you're feeling a little alone, huh? I know how that feels. After Zaheer almost killed me, I'd never felt so helpless and alone. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things, thanks to Katara and my friends," Avatar Korra said.
"It's not that I feel helpless. I just feel as though this is far too big a task for one person. How does one person stop an entire war between two species without wiping out one side?" Jahn asked.
Korra frowned. "I honestly don't know. My way of doing things was usually quite…physical. I didn't realise all the trouble that would come from me leaving the spirit portals open. I'm so sorry for everything you're going through."
Jahn shook his head. "It's not your fault. You were right to leave them open. Some idiots on both sides decided to start a fight, that's all. I guess it's really my fault for choosing to save Tenzin instead of stop the war from starting."
"I know what you did Jahn, and I couldn't be more thankful for what you did," Avatar Korra said with a smile. "I know keeping the peace is necessary, but you saved someone very dear to me. I can't help feeling gratitude for that."
"But you were the Avatar too. Shouldn't we always put duty above everything else?"
"As the Avatar, you have a duty to all people, spirits included, yes. That doesn't mean you should let your role as the Avatar identify yourself as a person though. You're Jahn, just as much as you're the Avatar. As long as you don't forget that, you'll never truly be alone," Korra said quietly as she disappeared slowly.
Jahn looked down at the floor as he considered her words. Jahn and the Avatar felt like two very different people; one existed in Taku and the other flitted between worlds like a ghost. Jahn had lost everyone he'd loved, caused suffering to all those he'd held dear, yet the Avatar had caused worldwide suffering to countless people. How would anyone get over that?
Jahn looked up as another spirit formed before him, blue in colour as Korra had been. The man looked at Jahn with a smile, the blue arrow on his head visible despite the overall colouring. Avatar Aang noticed Jahn's expression and gestured with one hand. "I see you're struggling with finding yourself."
"I guess you're aware of what I discussed with Korra just now?"
Aang shook his head. "What you and Korra discussed is private amongst yourselves. We generally don't eavesdrop on other Avatar's conversations," he said with a chuckle. His expression grew serious again, seemingly stern with the short beard and fierce eyebrows. "Who are you, Jahn? Beneath the Avatar."
Jahn shrugged. "I…don't know what you mean."
"I can tell exactly who you are. A proud young man, kind and fair, prone to ostentatious acts but only when needed to protect someone. You understand the sanctity of life and you've learnt from your mistakes, making you wiser than you know. You are Avatar Jahn. You've earned that title after your actions," Aang said kindly.
"My actions? I doomed everyone to an unstoppable war."
"Believe it or not, Jahn, but I felt precisely the same. When I awoke from the iceberg, the world was at war with the Fire Nation. I'd left the Air Temple and vanished for a hundred years. Things might have been different if I'd stayed. People might not have been hurt, enslaved or worse over those hundred years if I'd been around. Fate has a funny way of ensuring the future is peaceful. I vanished, the world went to war and I returned with no idea how to stop it. Were it not for Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko and the others, I would have failed before I'd begun," Aang said.
Jahn considered this advice. "You're saying that even though people suffered, it was all necessary to ensure the war ended the right way?"
Aang nodded. "As I said, we all have a different fate ahead of us. Yours is to fix a war which was always going to occur, in one way or another."
"Always? The spirits and humans have always co-existed before. Past Avatars like you were always a better bridge than me."
"It is true that no Avatar has seen fighting amongst spirits and humans like this ever since the first Avatar. In my experience, though, all wars are the same. They repeat throughout history, no matter how hard you try to stop them. The best you can do is to make sure people don't lose hope and stay safe during the hardest of times," Avatar Aang advised, vanishing into nothingness.
Jahn leant back, his arms stretched out behind him as he rolled his neck. It was uncomfortable, sitting here in the heat, maintaining the lotus position. Aang and Korra had given him some good thoughts to consider, but somehow his situation didn't seem to mirror theirs as much as they made out. As the Avatar, he couldn't exactly choose a side between humans and spirits, as he was essentially both. The Avatar was spirit, yet Jahn was human.
He leant forwards, ready to speak with one last Avatar spirit. As Aang had mentioned, the only Avatar who could really sympathise was the one who had been in his situation. Going that far back would be difficult, however. His connection to his past lives was restored but the damage done during Korra's time meant it took an incredible amount of energy to push past that block.
He could feel sweat rolling down his forehead as he shifted through memories which weren't his own. Flashes of light, faces, fire, water, air, earth, clouds, spirits, each more confusing than the last. He pushed past them, determined to find out who the first Avatar was.
"Avatar Jahn. I've been wanting to speak with you for a while."
Jahn opened his eyes, startled. A young man was sat opposite, a small goatee on his chin and floppy black hair on his head. He was grinning widely as he tugged at his shabby tunic. Unlike the other Avatar spirits, this young man was fully formed and seemed as though he was genuinely sat on the beach too.
"My name is Avatar Wan. I was the first Avatar; I fused with Raava at Harmonic Convergence in order to stop Vaatu," the young man said by way of introduction.
"Oh. Erm, my name is Jahn and I…erm, stopped a revolution but accidentally started a war?" he replied awkwardly.
Wan laughed. "You might want to focus on something more positive. So humans and spirits are fighting again huh? That's a shame," he said, genuinely looking upset.
Jahn looked down at the sandy floor in shame. "It's partially my fault but that's not why I need your help. I've been told that before you were the Avatar, spirits and humans were always fighting?"
Wan nodded. "That's true. We survived by living on the great lion-turtles. The spirit wilds took over most of our world, so nobody thought it safe to go out where the spirits were. Dangerous times," he said, reminiscing with a daydream-like expression.
"So everywhere was like the spirit world? Does that mean they existed first?" Jahn asked in amazement.
"I honestly don't know," Avatar Wan replied with a shrug. "Before my time was a mystery to me. I guess after I became the Avatar, I was a little focused on other things."
"Like stopping the fighting?"
"That being one of them, sure. I stopped fighting now and then to meet someone special, have a family…you know, the easy things," Wan said with a grin.
"You managed to have a family? How? You just said you lived in a time where humans and spirits attacked each other on sight," Jahn pointed out incredulously.
Wan nodded, his face now serious. "Yes, humans and spirits distrusted each other quite a lot in my day. Still, we eventually found middle-ground. Once I lived with them for a while, we came to understand each other and that was before I became the Avatar. Did you not feel the same during your stay in the Spirit World?"
"Oh, no, I must have missed all those happy tea parties between us while I was fighting for my life and barely surviving in a hostile world," Jahn replied sarcastically, folding his arms in a sulk.
"Hey, well, you're the one asking me for help here so a little less attitude might get you places," Wan pointed out. "Listen, Jahn. Mediation is your best ability. Work out why both sides are fighting and if you can provide a solution for both sides without any more violence, you go for it. If not, you do what you must to keep balance. You will never stamp out all wars, Jahn, as I found out at the very end of my life. Like Aang said, all you can do is try your best to ensure people are protected against those who might do them harm," Avatar Wan said, turning transparent and vanishing completely as the other spirits had.
Jahn immediately frowned as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "Wan's an eavesdropper!" he exclaimed to absolutely nobody around.
Eyuta pawed the ground, eager to be away. The animal didn't like staying in one position for very long, a trait which Jahn felt increasingly appropriate. Their time in the Spirit World had been one of fight or flight, a strategy that felt alien to Jahn's Earthbender upbringing. It was this attitude change, spurred by necessity, that had allowed Jahn to learn Waterbending. Staying on the move was a fluid way of living.
"We'll go in a minute, Eyuta. I'm just going to fill up the waterskin," the Avatar said to his friend, walking over to the ocean. The sun was still bright in the sky but it was starting to fall now so that the heat was a little less intense.
Jahn placed the waterskin in the sand with the top off. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, bending the water from the sea up into the air, a steady stream of water which wound around itself. Jahn focused on the water, feeling for the impurities. He couldn't Metalbend but he could sure do this.
Turning one hand, he placed his fingers together and pulled one hand away from his body slowly. A small stream of white material emerged from the water and solidified into a small white ball of salt in the air. Jahn opened his hand and the salt fell to the floor as he bent the water down into the waterskin.
"That'll have to do," he said begrudgingly. He knew that wouldn't make the water pure enough to drink but it was as good as he was getting for now. He lived off worse in the spirit world. Then again, he'd also had better.
Jahn looked around as he heard Eyuta make a strange whooping noise. Turning his head back to see what the animal was looking at, Jahn frowned as he spotted a Water Tribe ship further down the coast, sailing their way.
Eyuta ran over, Jahn's bag in between his teeth. He dumped it at Jahn's feet, tail swishing as he pawed the sand. His meaning was clear: let's go.
The Avatar nodded, grabbing the bag from the beach. Before he could jump onto the animal's back, however, he heard a roar of flame from the ship. When he looked, he realised the fire wasn't coming from the ship but rather a ship behind, which was firing fireballs at the first ship. While the first ship was obviously Water Tribe, the second flew no recognisable colours.
Jahn sighed. "Oh come on…" he moaned under his breath. The bag slumped down into the sand once more as Jahn stretched his arms out. Eyuta nosed the bag once, almost impaling Jahn with his massive antlers. He patted Eyuta on the nose gently, smiling with a begrudging expression. "Sorry buddy. Gotta go stop some pirates. Back soon," he promised.
Jahn sprinted towards the ocean, leaping into the sea with a single bound. His feet immediately hit the water, although the wave below his feet immediately froze into an icy surfboard. Jahn turned sideways, bending the water behind him with a single wave, surfing quickly across to where the ships were sailing past. A small wave almost dislodged him from his surfing, yet he simply flew up it and span round in the air, landing the backflip with an excited laugh. Bending all the elements often had its advantages.
As he drew near, he could tell that someone on the first ship was trying to defend with Waterbending. Many of the fireballs were constantly blocked by orbs of water rising from the ocean. That being said, one of the flames had hit the sail, which was instantly engulfed in fire. The ship immediately slowed, finally caught by the attackers as Jahn sped towards them.
"They're a bit further out than I thought," Jahn muttered to himself as he finally reached the damaged Water Tribe vessel. Before he could leap up and jump onto the deck, however, he just noticed something at the corner of his vision. He felt immense heat and felt as though someone had hit him with a sledgehammer in the side of his body. Water rushed up his nose as he submerged into the water, light fading as he sank into the deep.
Energy rushed through his body, forcing his eyes open as the glow burst through the gloomy waters. The water beneath his feet swirled around immediately, forming a tight water spout which propelled him upwards, bursting through the surface and up into the air where he stood atop the water spout, eyes aglow.
Five men stood on the second ship, mouths agape as they stared up at Jahn in the air. The Avatar immediately jumped from the water spout, landing on the wooden deck and bent the water around him, creating a spinning disc of water around his body. Jahn thrust his hands out and the water whipped across the deck, striking three of them men and sending them flying back, striking various crates along the deck. The two other men rushed forward, firing fireballs at Jahn, who simply sidestepped and punched a huge fiery blast back at them. The men brushed it aside easily, splitting apart as they came at Jahn from two sides.
The Avatar would not be denied, however. His eyes dimmed, the Avatar State fading, as he jumped up into the air, avoiding another attack. He span horizontally in mid-air as he sliced with one arm; the air blade rushed across and struck one man in the chest. He flew backwards, tumbling over the side of the ship and splashed into the sea.
The last man yelled as he jumped into the air, kicking fireballs with multiple kicks. Jahn dodged them, ducking and weaving his way through the fire until he reached the man. The man was twice his size, yet Jahn easily dropped to the deck and swept his legs out from under him. The pirate crashed to the floor with an 'oof' and looked up as Jahn stood above him, fire burning hot in one palm.
"Can you swim?" Jahn asked.
The pirate frowned in confusion. "Huh?"
"If not, now's the time to learn," Jahn said with a determined look on his face. Ignoring the water running down his face, Jahn lifted his arms up, bending the seawater around into a large shape above the ship. Clenching his fists, the water above froze into a jagged conical shape, facing down. The pirate gasped as he realised Jahn's plan. The Avatar simply shrugged, forcing the ice down quickly. It crashed through the decking, tearing through the lower decks and sank quickly as water flooded through the holes. The ship immediately shuddered as it began to sink, the gaping hole in the bottom the obvious cause.
"Goddam you Avatar! We're just trying to make a living here!" the pirate snarled at him, crawling to the side of the ship and peering over the side, face white as he watched his ship sink. The others likewise were jumping over the side or were rummaging around in crates, determined to save at least some goods.
"Piracy isn't the way to do that," Jahn said. "Stop looking after yourselves and look at the bigger picture. If you did a little to help stop this war, instead of spurring it on, then maybe we wouldn't BE at war, you idiots," he snapped.
Jahn didn't wait around to see if the pirates had listened. Jahn dived from the sinking ship, plunging into the water gracefully and swam along the surface to the damaged ship nearby. He could see even from down here that someone had managed to put the flames out, although the ship wasn't going anywhere now.
A ladder was hanging from the side, so Jahn grabbed a railing and hoisted himself out of the water, annoyed at the weight of his clothes. As he clambered over the side, dripping wet and spitting out water, he was amazed to see a small group of Water Tribe sailors staring at him in total shock. Among their group, Anik, Tilia and another young man stood, watching Jahn with wide eyes and open mouths.
"Oi, look, it's the Avatar!" one of the sailors said at last, clapping one of his shipmates on the back with a happy smile.
The deck immediately erupted into noise, the sailors all cheering and whooping, with only Jahn, Anik and Tilia stood in silence. The sailors all shook his hand in turn, wishing him well and thanking him for saving their ship, until their captain barked from the wheel at the back, causing the sailors to scatter to their work.
Jahn stood, trying to wipe his wet hair from off his forehead with little luck. Tilia likewise was shuffling awkwardly, looking anywhere but at him. Anik walked forward, a slight confused frown on his face, as though he was hallucinating the Avatar stood before him. He poked Jahn in the chest once just to be safe, before throwing his arms round him and grasping him in a bear-hug.
"We've missed you," his friend said in his ear, his voice emotional.
Jahn smiled and patted Anik on the back lightly.
"I missed you all too."
"And the reason we're meeting in a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is?"
"If you have to ask that question, you're likely the wrong candidate for the job."
"Sure, we need to keep a low profile. That I get; the entire world seems to be out for my head."
"You DID start a war, in a rather dramatic way. You almost failed even in that task though. If you struggled with that simple task, maybe you should rescind your agreement."
Ornatok frowned as he leant into the candlelight. "I'm not rescinding anything. You promised me that I'd return to my family, that everything I'd done would be wiped away…"
Rizem sat back in the shadows but tilted his head slightly. "I promised you that I would change the world. Shape a better future so you could return to your family, IF they took you back. Back out now and you won't even live to see my future, let alone your family."
The Waterbender stared at his employer for a moment before he sighed. "Fine," he spat. He knew, despite his bending, Rizem would finish him before he could even bend at all. The man even sat twirling a knife point-down on the table between them, an ominous unspoken threat. "So how do you plan on actually managing it?"
A short pause. "It's not impossible. The spirits themselves can control pure energy. When we utilise that, we can control anything else with that same energy."
"Is that why you allied yourself with the spirit?"
"The current one, yes. Vehrin was a test. That bloody thing was too wild; even I couldn't control it. It's what I get for trusting that stupid woman," Rizem said with a sharp tone of voice.
"Kairna always had a high opinion of herself, even when at the Tribe."
"You think I don't know that? My own father was from that icy hellhole. Why you want to go back is beyond my comprehension," Rizem replied.
"My family, as you damn well know," Ornatok said angrily. "You keep sending me everywhere but there!" he said as he slammed his fist down on the table, making their glasses wobble dangerously.
Rizem stopped twirling the knife hilt between his fingers and wrapped them around the hilt, picking it up and observing the blade. "You'll do as I ask for now. It won't be long, I promise. In fact, that's why we're here. I'm destined for the Fire Nation; I need you to stay here and create a distraction."
Ornatok's leg was twitching slightly as he tried to control his irritation. "Distraction?" he asked at last. "For what?"
"My son. He'll be looking out for me, though I can assure you that you're top of his list. If you can distract him for long enough, I can collect what I need from my contacts there and return to finish our work here," Rizem said, still looking at the knife, apparently extremely curious of the object.
"The girl?"
The knife slammed into the wooden table, burying itself deeply. "How do you know that?"
Ornatok smiled slyly. "You're not the only one with contacts everywhere. I still have Liberators over there trying to find the Fire Spirit."
"You're wasting your time with that bloody mission. You'd be best focusing your agents, your Spirit Eaters, here to buy some time."
"Stop calling us that. The Avatar named us that and you know that's not why we do what we do," Ornatok said with a sulky expression, tugging at his Earth Kingdom-style jacket.
Rizem shrugged once more. "I don't care what you call yourself or what lies you tell yourself to make yourself feel better. We both agree that spirits don't belong here. If we finish this, we won't have to worry about them again."
Ornatok sighed. "You're talking genocide. I might not be opposed to killing a few of them but there's always more to replace them."
"Not genocide. Containment. A curious notion that the murderer of spirit-kind feels guilt regarding slaying even more. Growing a conscience?"
"….No. It's just…my family would never want me to be tainted with this. Eska would never speak to me if she knew what I'd done."
Rizem yanked the knife from the table and held it in both hands. "Then never tell her. We have to go to great lengths to protect our family," he said quietly.
A bellowing distracted them from the other side of the tavern. Two drunken men were fighting, throwing sloppy punches at one another, causing many of the tables around to overturn. One woman stood nearby, casually stepping around the two as she clutched her drink, appearing as though the three were dancing. When one of the men accidentally knocked her, she immediately threw the glass in the air, grabbed the man by the arm, hurled him over the bar and caught the drink in one swift move.
"She's not bad," Ornatok commented quietly.
The other man seemed confused at the sudden interference. "Oi! I wasn't done!" he yelled, swinging wildly for the woman. She ducked with ease and kicked at his knee. When he went down to his one good knee, the woman brought her own up into his face, knocking him back onto the floor.
"Juni! Stop hitting all the regulars!" the bartender shouted angrily.
The first man had clambered to his feet by now, though slightly stunned. He turned round, grabbing bottles from the shelving behind the bar. When he looked at the woman, his eyes seemed slightly out of focus. The woman, Juni, beckoned with a slight grin. One bottle hit the floor by her feet, whilst the second soared well over her shoulder and across the tavern.
The woman slid forward on one foot but something flew past her ear before she could strike the man. She froze, staring. The man looked down at the knife buried in his chest and slowly slumped to the floor behind the bar with a shattering of glass.
Ornatok scratched his head awkwardly. Rizem placed his hands flat on the table as he finally leant forward, no longer distracted by the knife.
"Keep the Avatar busy, don't get yourself captured. Do you understand me?"
Ornatok nodded glumly. "Too well."
