Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Avatar
Author's Note: Okay, this chapter's going to be a lot of back-story, sort of like the episode, The Storm. This back-story is really important because it sets things up for later in the story. A lot of it was explained in the previous story, Book 4: Air, but this chapter goes more in depth and, as I said, sets some things up for later.
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***
Guandao's Ship – Who Knows Where – Afternoon
It had been two days since they had set off on their journey to save Aang. Both had passed without incident. The gang mostly stayed below deck, attempting to keep their distance from Guandao, and the monk seemed just as eager to avoid them.
On this particular day, however, the two boys had ventured out on deck.
"SOKKA!!! I saw it first, it's mine!"
Sokka rushed around on the deck, an object grasped firmly in his hand, and an enraged Zuko chasing after him. "Ya snooze, ya loose," Sokka shouted back.
"Give it back!" Zuko cornered the Water Tribe boy, who now seemed rather desperate, looking around for any escape. In his desperation, he made a frantic attempt to bowl past the Fire Lord.
Zuko caught him and in their struggle, they ended up on the ground, grappling with each other. "Give it," Zuko shouted.
"Hands off!"
One of the crewman, Tiny, looked on with faint amusement.
A sudden shadow fell over the wrestling boys and they immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up to find an annoyed Monk Guandao. "What is this disturbance," he snapped.
The two boys rose to their feet, Zuko dusting himself off and Sokka his nose up in the air. "He started it," Zuko pouted.
"Hey," Sokka whined. "I so did not!" And he folded his arms and turned away.
"I totally had dibs on that last boar-pig leg!"
"You did not," Sokka roared. "You didn't want it until I reached for it!"
"Sokka, you nabbed it off of my plate!"
Guandao was ready to erupt. "If you two idiots are done arguing about stupid childish things, I have a lot of work to do!" And he pushed his way past them.
"Who's he calling idiots," Zuko grumbled.
"I know," Sokka replied. "I'm the most mature person I know! Besides, we were just roughhousing, just having a little bit of fun." The two turned around and began heading below deck.
"Well, that monk's so stuffy, I wonder if he even knows the meaning of fun."
Sokka and Zuko had been talking quite loud, and Guandao heard every word they said.
Fun.
There was a time when Guandao had enjoyed fun. It was so long ago, but it seemed like yesterday.
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A group of ten year old air monk children laughed as they zipped about the courtyard of the Southern Air Temple, playing ball. The lead boy had it, and he giggled as he passed it to a smaller boy. The smaller boy now had a mischievous grin on his face as he suddenly flashed past all of them, tossing the ball through the hoop.
"Oh yeah, who's the man," he laughed triumphantly.
"Gyatso, that wasn't fair," one boy complained. "We agreed no air scooters!"
"What, I didn't agree to that," Gyatso replied.
The whole team surrounded him. "We all agreed to the same rules before we started! Sorry, Gyatso, but that's a five minute penalty."
Rolling his eyes, the boy trudged away from the group. He turned around to make one final catcall. "You guys just want to get rid of me cuz you can't deal with my awesomeness!"
Bored, and wondering how he would pass the five minutes (five minutes for a child is a very long time), he decided to go see what his roommate (eeeewww) was up to.
Going back to his bedroom, he wasn't surprised at all to see that his roommate was kicking back in bed, his nose buried in a book. "You know, Guandy, if you stick that pointy nose of yours any closer to that book, you're gonna poke a hole right through the cover!"
His roommate never took his eyes off of that page. "I happen to be reading an excellent history of the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe. And, for the 11,972nd time, my name is "Guandao", not "Guandy!" He wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Okay, okay," Gyatso replied. "I forgot you still had that stick up your -."
Guandao glared at him. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"
"You know," Gyatso said, flopping himself at the foot of Guandao's bed. "While you're up here busy reading about things, the rest of us are actually out there doing things." He looked at his counterpart for a response.
Guandao angrily flipped the page and scowled. "Well that's my decision to make!"
"Why don't you come play ball with us?"
"Because I don't want to!"
"Come on," Gyatos pined. "I mean, I know that fresh air makes you break out in hives and everything, but some sunlight will do you some good. I mean, you are kind of pasty." He could tell his roommate was really struggling to keep his temper in check.
"I don't know how to play ball," he sighed. "Besides, the rest of the kids don't like me!"
"What's not to like," Gyatso bubbled. "You're smart … uh … and you're smart!" A cheesy smile was plastered on his face.
"Forget it," Guandao said, burying himself deeper in his book. "I just want to sit here and read my book in peace, if you don't mind!"
"Okay, I guess we're gonna have to do things the hard the way, then!" A wave of his finger sent a light breeze towards Guandao's book, ruffling the pages around.
Guandao was livid. "You made me lose my place!"
Gyatso put on an innocent, "who me?" expression. "Ooops."
Muttering, Guandao picked up his book and tried to relocate where he had left off. His eyes never left the chuckling boy. "You're only going to do that again, aren't you?" Gyatso nodded.
Guandao rolled his eyes. "Five minutes. That's all I'm doing. I'll play for five minutes."
Gyatso's eyes widened in delight. "Great!" He grabbed Guandao's hand and began dragging him out of the room. "We're going to have so much fun!"
"Why do I feel as though I'm going to throw up," Guandao complained.
When the two boys came out to the playing court, everyone stopped and stared at Guandao. They had never seen the boy out of his room except for lessons and meals. "Hey guys," Gyatso laughed. "My five minutes over yet? Good. I brought an extra player. Guys, you all know Guandy."
Guandao nervously raised his hand. "Uh … hi."
One of the lead players spoke up. "Uh, Gyatso, why did you bring him? I mean, the kid doesn't really look like he can do much." Guandao, hearing the conversation, lowered his head.
"Come on," Gyatso replied. "Give the kid a break. He may be new at the game, but give him time. He'll come around."
"He better not make us lose…"
When the game started, Guandao deliberately stood as far away from the action as possible. As the ball whizzed around, he gulped. Please don't let it come to me, he thought.
Sure enough it did. He could feel his heart racing in those few seconds. What if he messed up? What if the team lost because of him? The pressure was insurmountable. He moved to try to bounce it away from his team's goalpost.
And he missed completely.
The ball soared straight through his team's goal, scoring a point for the opposite team. This failure issued a number of boos and catcalls from his own team.
"Come on!"
"Learn how to hit a ball!"
"Can't you do anything?!"
"Cut it out guys," Gyatso replied. "He's new!" He put his arm around Guandao. "It's okay, it happens to everyone. Now I'm going to pass the ball straight to you, to give you another shot, okay?"
Guandao gulped. "Please don't…"
"Don't worry about it. One of the key things is not to take your eyes off of the ball. And when it comes, just hit it as hard as you can, okay?"
Guandao nodded. "I guess."
And the game recommenced. Guandao watched nervously as the ball bounced back and forth between players, and when Gyatso caught it, he knew it was coming to him next. And Gyatso bounced it straight at him. "Hit it as hard as you can," he called.
Gyatso saw the ball, and the pressure was greater than ever. This was the game point. If he didn't defend the goal post, his team would lose. He knew all eyes were on him, and if he failed, they would all be very unhappy with him.
And the ball came.
Against Gyatso's advice, he closed his eyes, and with a yell, he spiked the ball as hard as he could. With his eyes closed, he could hear the voices of the rest of the players gasp.
"Wow!"
"Look at that height!"
And the next thing he knew, he heard a loud crash. And everyone gasped. Uh-oh. Nervously, he opened his eyes, afraid to see what had happened.
"Oh man," Gyatso said, his eyes wide open in horror. "You just broke the window on the East Tower!"
Guandao's heart plummeted into outright terror. "I – I didn't mean to…"
"I know, I know. Oh, this is bad!"
An elder monk appeared in the broken window from the tower. "You mangy kids! Do you know how expensive that window is?! Oh, when I get down there, whoever did that is in big trouble!"
"What do I do, what do I do," Guandao panicked.
"RUN," one of the players shouted. There was a mad dash, and all of the children took off running away from the scene of the crime. Guandao suddenly felt Gyatso grab his arm and pull. And they all took off running.
"You know," Gyatso said, taking deep breaths as he ran. "Even though you broke the window, it was amazing how much height and distance you got. It was totally awesome!"
Guandao didn't say anything. He knew that someone was going to snitch on him and that likely he was going to be in a lot trouble. But he didn't think about that.
As he ran with Gyatso, his mind was on something else.
He had actually had fun that day!
He couldn't wait to go back with Gyatso tomorrow to play again!
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Katara came up on deck for a breath of fresh air. She had been cooped up all day long below deck, listening to Toph snoring loudly. Sokka and Zuko had been arguing about something or other, but she could tell it was totally stupid. So she came up here to refresh her thoughts.
Guandao was also on deck, busying himself with some work. The two tried hard to ignore each other, both their noses in the air.
The Cabbage Man, tired of working, decided to take a break and he joined Katara on the railing as she cleared her mind. "You look blue," he said.
Katara jumped, somewhat startled. "Oh, sorry," Cabbage Man said.
"Don't worry about it." Her face returned to the gently foaming sea below them.
"You miss him," the merchant said knowingly.
"Like you wouldn't believe! I … I feel like a part of me has been ripped out. Aang was always my inspiration during our journeys together. To me, he's always been an absolute. He told me he would always be there for me. And now…" she trailed off.
Cabbage Man nodded. "He's a great guy. Noble, brave, self-sacrificing. He's a credit to his people." His eyes narrowed. "Unlike that guy!" He pointed at Guandao, who had been eavesdropping. The air monk ground his teeth. He felt like saying something, but he didn't want them to know he was listening in, so he busied himself even harder, going over all kinds of charts and maps.
"Aang is such a great guy," Cabbage Man continued. "And he deserves a great gal' like you."
Katara blushed. "Thank you."
"Unlike that guy," Cabbage Man said, again pointing at Guandao, who looked ready to flip out. "I bet he's never even kissed a girl," he laughed.
"I know," Katara agreed, and they both laughed, making no pretensions about being quiet.
Guandao whirled around in a fury. "I have so kissed a girl before!"
"Who, your mom," Cabbage Man roared in laughter.
Steam practically shot out of Guandao's ears. Sensing his rage bubbling up, and not really feeling like arguing with the man, Katara took Cabbage Man by the arm. "Come on. Why don't you cook me up one of your cabbages for lunch?"
Cabbage Man brightened up. "I would be delighted!"
Guandao watched as they left. Oh, the indignity.
But there was something about that girl that intrigued him all the same. Her fiery disposition, her playfulness.
In a lot of ways, Katara reminded him of his wife.
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"I can't believe you actually talked me into this," a teenaged Guandao stormed. He and Gyatso walked down the rundown streets of the town. "Sneaking out of the temple! Do you realize how much trouble we're gonna be in?!"
"Take it easy, Guandy," Gyatso soothed. "We'll stay for an hour, have some fun, and we'll be back before anyone even notices we're gone!"
"Nothing's ever that easy with you," Guandao replied, earning him a chuckle from his comrade.
"Come on! What can go wrong?"
"Yea, that's what you said about that prank you pulled last week!"
"Can't you let that go," Gyatso replied. "That sky bison's fur is going to grow back!"
"That's not the point! I got into a lot of trouble because of you!"
"Well you can relax because no one's going to get in trouble tonight."
The two made their way through the town. The town itself was located on an island near the Southern Air Temple. Guandao's lips were raised in disdain. The town looked like a slob and crime was rampant throughout. The people here seemed to be very timid and on edge … all the time.
"Why doesn't anyone clean this place up," was his question.
"Who knows?"
Guandao was serious. "The air monks could come here and help these people out. Why don't they?"
Gyatso shrugged. "I guess they have their reasons."
"It's not right," Guandao sighed. "I wish there was something we could do."
As they passed through the town, they heard a sharp scream.
"HELP!!! SOMEBODY!!! PLEASE HELP!!!"
Guandao and Gyatso looked throughout the rest of the streets. No one else seemed to be responding to the pitiful cries for help. The people seemed to not even hear her.
"We have to do something," Guandao shouted. Grabbing Gyatso's hand, they followed the source of the screaming to a nearby alley.
A thug had a young woman up against the wall, the edge of a knife pressed sharply against her throat. "I said give it to me!"
The woman gagged for breath, and she struggled not to move her head. The blade was already beginning to draw a thin red line on her neck. "I … I gave you … everything!"
"You're lying! I know you have more money than that, so just give it to me!" And he pressed the blade harder. She gasped at the searing pain.
And the next thing anyone knew, the thug was on his back. It was as though a huge gust of wind had suddenly swept him off of his feet. Cursing, and somewhat surprised, he righted himself, only to be confronted by an air monk.
And he did not look happy.
"Do you like picking on the weak and defenseless?!" His voice was barely a whisper, but it had a threatening hint to it. Gyatso, who was watching the whole affair sensed pure venom. He had never sensed such pure … anger in his comrade before.
"Huh," was all the man could say.
"I said, do you like picking on the weak and defenseless?!"
The man pointed his knife at Guandao. "Listen here, this is none of your business. So get out of here before I hurt you too!"
In that moment, Guandao felt something snap like never before. Anger like he had never felt bubbled up inside of him, and the next thing anyone knew, a gust of wind had slammed the man against the wall.
Staggering to his feet, the man cursed. "THAT'S IT!!! YOU'RE DEAD!!!"
Another gust of wind slammed him against the wall with a bone-cracking thud. And the mugger was out cold.
Guandao, regaining his senses, rushed over to the would-be victim. He ripped off a piece of his orange monk robes and tied it around the girl's neck. "Keep pressure on that wound," he advised.
The girl looked him in the eyes. This town was one of the worst places to live, and very rarely did anyone brave their lives to save anyone else here. She could sense something … special about this man. But at the same time…
"Look, I didn't need your help," she snapped. "I had everything under control!"
The monk put his hands on his hips. "Before or after he pulled that knife on you?"
Guandao helped her to her feet. She swatted him away. "What's your problem?!"
"Look, I'm sorry for snapping. It's just … I'm not used to people helping me out. This is rough place … usually you look out for number one!"
Guandao didn't pretend that made much sense to him, but he decided to change the subject. "What's your name," he asked.
Holding her wound as she looked at her hero, she sputtered it out. "Ana."
The monk smiled warmly. "You'll be alright, Ana. That wound isn't too deep. Like I said, just keep some pressure on it." Guandao had never had feelings like this before. The boy monks were usually kept away from the girl monks and so his contact with females was … limited.
The next thing he knew, someone was furiously pulling on his sleeve. "We have to go," Gyatso said hurriedly.
Guandao rounded on him. "What do you mean? We just got here."
"We – we just do, alright. Saving that girl may have been all well and good, but we're starting to draw attention."
"Yea, so?"
"Do you want anyone at the temple to find out that we were here?"
"Since when were you so concerned about getting in trouble? You're the one who dragged me here, remember?"
Gyatso was stammering. "That's not the point. We just have to go!" He grabbed Guandao's arm and pulled.
Guandao gave the young girl a worrisome look. "Will you be alright?"
She smiled. "I'll be fine."
And Gyatso pulled Guandao away. On their trip back, Guandao couldn't keep his mind off of that girl. He reasoned that he would come back as soon as possible and try to find her.
Gyatso, on the other hand, had other things on his mind, and he was deeply troubled. He couldn't explain it, but when Guandao beat up that thug, he sensed a lot of … anger. And he felt as though Guandao had … enjoyed hurting that man.
And it disturbed him.
***
A couple years had passed, and Guandao had started courting Ana. Every other night he would sneak out of the temple and catch a boat ride to her island. At first she resisted his advances, but sometimes persistence is key (just don't overdo it; otherwise you'll end up with a couple of restraining orders like me). Ana finally gave in and the two started seeing each other more frequently.
What disgusted Guandao was the state of the world. There was so much misery and pain in the world, and yet he was clueless as to how the rest of the monks could simply sit in their temples and meditate when they could be out here helping. Over the years, Guandao became almost like a vigilante. Gyatso's words from so many years ago still rang in his ears.
"While you're up here busy reading about things, the rest of us are actually out there doing things."
Gyatso didn't realize how right he was.
And so it came as a great surprise when the Air Nomad Elders called him before them. As Guandao hurried down the hall, he was even more surprised to see Gyatso standing outside the Elders' chamber. He looked worried, which was quite uncharacteristic of him.
"What's with you," he asked. "You look ready to pass out."
Gyatso bit his lip. "There's something you should know…" His words fumbled out nervously, and Guandao began to feel uneasy. "This isn't just some routine visit with the Elders," he explained. "T-they want to put you on trial."
"WHAT?" Words couldn't express the shock he felt. "For what?"
"Why did you have to do it," Gyatso asked. "Why did you have to keep sneaking out?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. Wasn't it you who led me to sneak out?"
"Yes, but that was years ago. We were children. We've grown up now, and we need to take responsibility for our actions."
"But I was helping people? Why would they put me on trial for that?"
Gyatso sighed. "I don't know... That's why I'm here. I'm going to stand by you, no matter what."
Guandao smiled as he placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Thank you…"
The two Airbenders entered the chamber, and four Air Monk Elders were seated on soft pillows. They all had an equally solemn expression on their faces.
"Do you know why we called you here," Monk Pasang, the head monk, asked. There was a finality to his voice.
Guandao exhaled slowly. "I'm guessing because of my night time excursions…"
Monk Pasang narrowed his eyes. "Your guess is correct."
"But … I don't understand what my crime is? Why am I on trial?"
There was an uneasy tension in the air. "We monks are to live a solitary existence with each other. We are to focus on honing our Airbending skills, meditating and reaching spiritual enlightenment. Being among the rest of the world provides … distractions."
Guandao was flabbergasted. "But what about the rest of the world? That nearby town used to have so much crime, and I've used my skills to clean it up! How can that be wrong?!"
"It's wrong because, by helping them, you are actually doing them a disservice."
"How? I don't understand!"
"By helping them, you actually caused the people of that town to become dependent on you. Sure, you may have helped them, but in the long run, they will be unable to help themselves."
Another monk cleared his throat. "We Air Nomads live a quiet and peaceful existence. We must keep ourselves in solitude amongst ourselves, in order for us to reach the pinnacle of our enlightenment. When we begin to involve ourselves in the affairs of the outside world, we lose sight of this goal. Instead of focusing on spiritual matters, we are brought down to worry about earthly matters, and that restricts us spiritually and mentally."
Guandao was becoming angrier and angrier by the second. "How can helping people possibly hinder us mentally and spiritually?! I would think that it would benefit us!"
"These arguments are above reproach, Guandao," Pasang replied. "The Council has decided to give you an ultimatum. You can either stop leaving the temple and hindering your spiritual progress … or you can leave us forever."
"You mean exile?"
Pasang nodded solemnly.
Gyatso spoke out. "Please, don't make any rash decisions, Guandao."
Guandao grit his teeth. "You people aren't enlightened at all." His voice was rising. "You're all fools! You sit in here, cowering, talking about enlightenment, and spirituality, claiming that you have the world's best interests at heart! Yet you sit here cowering, too afraid of the outside world! What's wrong with being out there?! I've had many enjoyable experiences, made many good friends, fell in love! What is so wrong about that?!"
"That's enough, Guandao," Pasang declared harshly. "It is apparent that you show a horrible contempt for our people and for our way of life. You have chosen to reject us and our teachings, and, as a result, you are no longer one of us."
"Fine by me!" Guandao turned to storm out of the room.
Gyatso rushed over to where the Elders were seated. "Please, don't do this! Reconsider, please!"
"I'm sorry, Gyatso. I wish it didn't have to be like this. Hopefully, his exile will place him back on the right path."
Tears in his eyes, Gyatso darted out of the room after his friend. "Guandao," he called. The former monk stopped in the middle of the hall, and he turned around. "I guess this is goodbye, Gyatso." His voice had a hint of coldness to it.
"Where will you go," Gyatso asked.
"That doesn't matter. The journey itself is what is important, not the destination. I want to help the world, Gyatso … and I can do a better job of it out there, than trapped inside here."
He took a step forward. "Why don't you come with me? Think of the things that you and I can accomplish."
Gyatso bit his lip. "I don't know…" He did know. He wanted more than anything to join Gyatso. But … there was something telling him that he should stay here…
Guandao smiled. "It seems that you have made up your mind, my old friend." He embraced his fellow monk. "Then this is goodbye … for now."
And Gyatso stood there and watched his best friend depart from his world.
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"So whaddya think, Sparky? Are we gonna be able to save Aang?" Toph and Zuko leaned over the railing of the ship. Toph could feel her stomach turning as the boat rode the waves.
Zuko sighed next to her. "With any luck; and maybe some help from Guandao." They both shuddered as he said the monk's name.
"I still can't believe we have to rely on him," Toph said.
"Tell me about it," Zuko replied. "Just the thought makes me sick. I can't even stand to be in his presence."
Guandao just happened to be coming up from below deck and he heard his name spoken. So he loitered around the corner, eavesdropping on the gang. He couldn't believe this was the second time these ingrates were badmouthing him behind his back! Who did they think they were? And after he had agreed to help them and everything!
The Fire Lord was still speaking. "You know, he was responsible for my mother's death…" His voice trailed off, and he almost choked. "I don't know if I can ever forgive him for that!"
Guandao snorted. Fool. This was war. There are casualties in war and just because that brat was Fire Lord didn't mean that he would be immune!
Besides, Guandao was perfectly justified in starting the 100 Years War. Shocking as it may seem, he started the war to protect the world…
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For the next few years, Guandao vanished off the face of the earth. There were scattered reports from all four nations of a mysterious Airbending hero that would appear and save those in distress.
Guandao and Ana had eventually settled down and married, and for a while, things were great. Guandao was living his dream of actually helping people. Ana was an unconventional housewife, but loving all the same. It seemed as though everything were perfect.
But then Guandao discovered something.
Something that frightened him.
***
Over the next few years, Guandao would begin to disappear from his and Ana's home in the Earth Kingdom for weeks on end. Ana had no clue where he was or what he was doing. Guandao, of course, would only tell her that what he was doing was for the sake of the world to counter some newly discovered threat.
At first she was suspicious that he might be having an affair or something. No, that couldn't be it. He would never.
So, when he went on one of his routine trips, Ana decided to follow him to figure out what he was really doing.
And she followed him to the Fire Nation.
***
Fire Lord Sozin sat on his throne as an angry figure appeared in his throne room. The figure was shrouded completely in a black cloak with a hood blanking out his face. Ana hid behind the series of colonnades in the throne room, watching the events unfold.
"You fool!" The hooded figure was furious. "Do you realize what you've done?!"
Sozin snarled. "I am ruler of this nation! How dare you address me in such a manner?!"
The hooded figure folded his arms. "Never forget, Fire Lord, you work for me now! We had an agreement! Avatar Roku was to remain unharmed until my preparations were complete!"
"Roku was a threat to our plans," Sozin countered. "He would have prevented us from conquering this world! Our dreams can be realized now that he's dead!"
The hooded figure shook his head. "Roku was supposed to die – but not yet! I need the Avatar for my plans to work! And now you've set my plans back a full decade at least!"
"Take it easy," Sozin replied. "You don't need the Avatar anyway. Not when you have the entire military might of the Fire Nation backing you!"
"This threat is greater than any weapons you can muster! The negative energy of the Avatar is building. One day, the Anti-Avatar will rise and consume this world! He will lay waste everything in his path!"
The Fire Lord knitted his eyebrows. "And so you plan to counter him?"
"Yes. We must take all necessary steps for the world to be ready. You must build up your armies and bring this world under one banner. The Fire Nation must reign supreme in order to counter this new threat. True peace and justice in this world can only come through force!"
Ana was taken aback. How could peace come through violence? This man's mind was totally warped.
And what was this new threat he was speaking about? She listened closer.
Sozin questioned him further. "So what do we do now?"
"If my ritual is to work, we must have the Avatar in my clutches. But, of course, thanks to you, he's dead." He began pacing. "We know that the next Avatar will be born into the Air Nomads. Those weak minded fools will poison him with their inactive beliefs, preventing him from reaching his full potential. The Avatar will be ill suited to confront the Anti-Avatar. Only I stand a chance."
"And our next move is…?"
The man chuckled. "We target the Air Nomads. Prepare your troops – the Air Monks cannot go unpunished for their injustices against the world. But first … there is someone at the Southern Air Temple I must speak to."
He turned to leave. As he did, Ana caught a glimpse of the man under the hood.
And her heart was torn in two.
It was Guandao.
***
Ana had thought that she would be with Guandao forever. But … after seeing and hearing his plans of world domination with Fire Lord Sozin, she was outright disgusted. How could Guandao have become so … twisted? He used to care about helping people. But now he was talking about subjugating them.
Don't get her wrong. She still loved him. But she had to confront him about this.
And when she did, his reaction was not at all what she had been expecting.
"You were following me?!"
"I had to see where you were going! You left me alone for weeks on end, doing who knows what!"
"I would've thought you'd trust me more than that!"
"Don't turn this around on me," Ana shouted. "I overheard you two! How could you?! I thought you wanted to help people! But you're planning to conquer them!"
Guandao was livid. "I AM helping people! But some things are necessary! I have to do this – for the good of the world!"
Ana shook her head. "How does you taking over the world help anyone?"
Guandao inhaled deeply. "I discovered something. Something evil, and it's growing steadily stronger. If this world is not prepared, then there'll be no world! Which would you prefer? A dictatorship? Or the annihilation of the entire human race?!"
"What about the Avatar?"
"The Avatar is weak! He can't stop this new threat! The Air Monks will make him too soft! He won't have the killing instinct necessary to stop him! So I must do it! Certain sacrifices must be made for the good of this world!"
Ana grasped him by the shoulders firmly. "Listen to me! You may think that what you're doing is benefiting the world, but really, you'll only tear it apart! You're going to plunge this world into outright war!"
"War is good. Through the crucible of war, the world will be strengthened; ready for this enemy. Don't you see, Ana? You and I will be heroes, just like we always wanted!"
Tears were welling up in Ana's eyes. "You were always my hero…"
"Listen to me, Ana. If this Anti-Avatar rises, this world will die. It's that simple. This is a war for the very existence of mankind! And I intend to wage it! No matter how many lives are sacrificed, I will wage war to bring peace!"
"Just listen to yourself! You're making no sense! Your drive to help mankind has been warped into a lust for more power!"
"Quiet," Guandao snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh, I don't! I think I've hit pretty close to home! You don't really care about anyone anymore. All you care about is power!"
"Shut up!" He was violently shaking her now. "Just shut up! I and I alone know what's good for this world! So you either sit down and side with me, or you are an enemy of the world!"
Ana broke out of his grip. She turned around and walked away. "I'm done."
"Where do you think you're going?!"
"I'm leaving. I see now that you aren't the man that I married anymore. That man is dead. Until he comes back, I'm gone!"
Guandao called after her. "Then leave! You have nowhere to go!" She was still going. "You're nothing without me! You need me!"
And she still kept on going.
***
Several months passed without incident. The sun was setting on the Southern Air Temple, and an older Monk Gyatso stood on his balcony, watching the reddening sky. Blood red. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The voice came from behind him, and Gyatso whirled around to find Monk Guandao standing there. Gyatso stood there, without moving. "What, you don't embrace your old friend," Guandao asked.
"Oh … yes, of course." Gyatso stiffly embraced his former roommate.
"What's the matter," Guandao asked as they parted. "You don't seem too pleased to see me."
Gyatso nodded. "I am pleased to see you, my old friend. It's just that I've heard rumors."
"Oh? You still believe in silly schoolboy rumors, huh? Tell me, what have you heard?"
"I hear that you're plotting against the Avatar."
Guandao knitted his eyebrows. Now how would he know that? "Gyatso, there is a dark force rising. Something that the world has never seen before. I believe that it is a manifestation of the Avatar itself … except, there's something sinister about it." Gyatso remained silent, so Guandao pressed the issue further. "I need your help. The world is changing fast and if we don't do something now, I fear it may be too late."
Gyatso nervously shifted his eyes to a shadowy corner of the room. There was someone watching them. Guandao also seemed to notice and he pushed his way past Gyatso, forcefully pulling the person out of the shadows. And Guandao raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You?!"
It was Ana. He looked between them. "You two … what's going on?!"
"I came here willingly," Ana said. "To get away from you! I was hoping you would change, but I see that that is never going to happen!"
In that moment, Guandao's twisted mind jumped to an irrational conclusion. "So this is how you repay me? My wife and my best friend! Tell me, how long have you two been together?!"
Ana's jaw fell open in shock. "How could you even think…?"
"Guandao, I can assure you," Gyatso tried to soothe. "There is absolutely nothing going on between us. She came here seeking refuge and I and the rest of the monks couldn't refuse her."
Guandao wasn't buying it. He rounded on Ana. "So this is why you left me all those months back! How long has this been going on?!"
Ana tried to reason with him. "Guandao, it's not at all like it looks like -."
"Silence!" And in his blind uncontrollable rage, he fired a gust of wind, slamming Ana against the wall of Gyatso's bedroom. Her head struck with a crack.
And it was in that instant that Guandao realized what he had done. Ana lay motionless on the ground. But instead of taking responsibility for his actions, his prideful mind bitterly twisted the events of what happened, placing the blame on everyone but himself.
Gyatso rushed over to Ana's body, only to be swept aside by another blast of wind. "Don't you touch her!"
Gyatso rose to his feet. "She's dead! You killed her!"
"No," Guandao replied bitterly. "You killed her! You poisoned her mind with your lies! I tried to help the world, yet none of you seemed to want to join me! You all betrayed me!"
And he unleashed another air attack at Gyatso, who quickly countered by redirecting the air currents away. The two launched into an all out war with air.
"We don't have to do this," Gyatso shouted. "I'm your friend! I want to help you save the world, but not in the way you propose!"
"Liar! You don't care about helping me at all! You don't care about Ana! You don't care about the world! All you care about are your precious Air Nomads and customs! The whole world is going to burn; the Anti-Avatar will kill us all!"
"Listen, the Avatar can stop him!"
Guandao was now unleashing a mad barrage of reckless attacks. The whole room was abuzz with swirling papers and debris. And suddenly, Gyatso felt a sharp sting slice across his cheek. Guandao was sent a blast of air so focused, it was like a razor tearing into your skin. "You would use our people's ancient and beautiful techniques like this?"
"That's our people's problem," Guandao snarled. "Our people are too passive! We must meet our enemy head on!"
The two continued their struggle. As each sent air attacks at the other, Gyatso was finally able to get the upper hand. Guandao was blown out the room and over the edge of Gyatso's balcony.
Gyatso rushed over to find Guandao dangling hundreds of feet, hanging on for dear life. Should Gyatso let this man fall? No, he would never stoop down to his level. He grabbed the man by the arm, and pulled him up.
Guandao looked helplessly up into the outraged eyes of Monk Gyatso. "Leave." His voice was small, sad, but firm all the same. "Leave and never come back."
Guandao took one last look at Ana's unmoving form, before he swept past Gyatso, disappearing. This time, his departure was for good.
As Gyatso knelt down beside Ana's body, he wept silently. He wept for her, wept for Guandao, wept for the world.
At that point, Monk Pasang and several others rushed into the room. "What happened here?" One look at Gyatso's face told them everything. Pasang helped Gyatso up as he ordered several monks to take the body and bury it in one of their gardens.
As Gyatso continued weeping, Pasang took him very firmly by the shoulders. "Gyatso, listen to me. Guandao can never find out the truth. Do you hear me? If Guandao ever learns the truth about Ana, then everything we've done for her these past few months will be in vain."
Gyatso nodded. "I will take full responsibility upon myself."
***
As time passed, the Fire Nation's military began growing in power. It had grown enough strong enough to wipe out an entire culture.
And twelve years later, the full fury of the Fire Nation army was unleashed on all four air temples at once.
Some say that Sozin saw the Air Nomads as a threat to his power.
Others say he was merely testing his military's might before he unleashed it on a war that would last a hundred years.
However, there are those who believe that Monk Guandao burned in his hatred toward his fellow people and ordered their extermination out of revenge for his exile and Gyatso's perceived role in Ana's death.
All anyone knows for sure is that at that time, the Avatar disappeared from this world, buried in ice.
And a hundred years later, he reappeared to end this war. Defeating Fire Lord Ozai, the Avatar fulfilled his duty and finally put an end to the bloody conflict.
But now, the Avatar had disappeared from the world again.
And Guandao's greatest fear, the Anti-Avatar, was about to fully manifest himself.
Life goes full circle…
***
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