Chapter 12

"Hello, Riza."

"Avatar Shan, it is an honor to be in your presence," Riza said, bowing down before the man.

"Please, Riza, call me Shan. And stop bowing like that, it's embarrassing. Besides, you're always in my presence. After all, I am you, and you are me." He took a breath and looked around him. Riza only then realized that he wasn't in the temple anymore.

He and Shan were on top of an enormous loop of rock, with a thick layer of clouds overhanging them. Here and there, mountains poked down out of the clouds, and a forest covered the land beneath them.

"Where are we?" Riza asked.

"We are in the Spirit World. This is a part of it that I enjoy visiting, and a relatively safe area too, for our first meeting. Now, I believe that you wished to ask me something?" Shan quirked an eyebrow at his reincarnation.

"Yes, I did. It's nothing really big or important, but… I'd like to know how the Western Air Temple got flipped upside-down." Riza looked up hopefully at Shan, who sighed and sat down in front of him.

"The past is always important, Riza. Even the smallest thing may have a great effect further down the road into the future. This is a lesson that all Avatars must learn quickly, as we rarely do small things, even when small is all that we are trying for. As for your question...

It was a long time ago that the Western Air Temple was built. It was the third to be constructed, after the Southern and Northern Temples. Before that, the Air Nomads had been strictly that; nomadic peoples who never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. They were more common in the mountainous archipelagos to the north and south of the Fire Nation, and to the east of the Earth Kingdom, but you could find an Air Nomad almost anywhere you would think to look.

The Western Air Temple was built in the Fire Nation, however, not in the territories traditionally thought of as that of the Nomads. The Fire Nation was willing, and the Air Nomads didn't really care where they set down roots. The temple itself was situated in the middle of a vast plain, as the volcanoes were sacred to Agni and there were no other mountains in the Fire Nation suitable for an Air Temple. For this reason, this temple was built differently. Instead of flowing along the natural surfaces they were given, the architects instead created tall, tiered buildings, artificial mountains jutting up from the plains. It was a proud sight, sunlight gleaming off the red tile roofs, the Sky Bison grazing on the long grass and soaring through the air.

The nuns of the Western Air Temple were kind and gentle women, and they would often take in orphans or sick folk and give them a place to stay. But though this was undoubtedly a good thing for them to do, it sometimes led to trouble.

When I was Avatar, the Earth Kingdom was ruled by a harsh man, and though his laws were fair, his punishments were brutal. Through respect and admiration he kept his position, and through fear he kept down crime.

However, just though his laws were, mistakes were still made in upholding them. A day came when a traveling family, weary from days of circling the Great Desert, trying to seek a new life on the coast, came through a small town, run by a relative of the Earth King.

The day after the family left, it was discovered that a priceless royal heirloom had been stolen from the mayor, the Earth King's third cousin. An entire garrison was mobilized, all to find the family and retrieve the heirloom, no matter the cost. The family found out about the pursuit, and managed to find transportation to the Fire Nation's main island. In those days, the Firelord, your grandfather, Riza, would listen to all those who wished to see him, instead of leaving it up to the beurocrats to decide who was important enough.

The family petitioned the Firelord for sanctuary, insisting that they did nothing wrong, but he didn't wish to do anything that might cause war between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, so he sent them to the Western Air Temple, sovereign ground upon which the Fire Nation had no political power, and which was protected by its status as a holy place.

The Earth King, though, was a rigid man, and his laws concerning criminals were unwavering, even to the point of invasion. An entire army was shipped overseas to the Fire Nation capitol island in pursuit of that single family. The Firelord did not wish to repel the invaders with military force; after all, they were doing nothing to the land or the people of the Fire Nation, and the refugees were in fact of the Earth Kingdom. So the Fire Nation armies were not mustered, but he did not wish to do nothing. Torn between protecting innocents and declaring war, your grandfather called upon me to intervene.

It was far too late for the Nuns to evacuate, and I did not wish to harm soldiers who were only following orders, so there was only one course left to me. Deception.

I appeared in front of the army, and insisted upon meeting with the leader. When he came forward, I asked what he wanted, and he demanded that the family be turned over for the Earth King's justice. I agreed with him, that yes, justice was necessary, then turned, and with the power of the Avatar State, I split asunder the earth and plunged the Western Air Temple in its entirety into the chasm.

I did nothing more, but the Earth Kingdom army left that day, and I gained a reputation as a cruel and ruthless Avatar.

To the Earth Kingdom, it appeared as though I had destroyed the temple and killed all within it, and the Water Tribes soon learned of this as well. In truth, I had flipped the temple and attached it to the underside of the newly formed cliff, while protecting everyone inside and strengthening the structure to hold up to gravity. Only the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads knew the truth, and so it remains until this day.