Zu marched through the Ghostly streets of Republic City, the reddish hue of the morning sun illuminating his surroundings.
The Giant entered City Hall, rows of pews and a stand for the Governors filled the room, and noble ambience permeated the air, and as Zu strode across the red carpet and marble flooring, A Governor sporting a warrior's wolf tail, short beard and pale blue eyes, adorned in Black Southern Water Tribe Style robes with a sword at his hips and boomerang on his back approached Zu.
"Hey, Zu, is there anything I can do for you?" The Governor asked, his cheery exterior leaving the Giant unaffected as he gazed down at him.
"Is the Chief here, Governor Sokka?" Zu sombrely asked, The Governor raising a worried eyebrow as he looked to his right.
"Toph came in a few minutes ago, she's in her office," Sokka informed him, Zu lightly nodded, striding passed the Governor whilst he bewilderingly looked to the Giant.
Zu approached a metal door, swinging open before he had a chance to knock, revealing Toph and Kuvira stood before him.
"Zu? What... brings you here?" Kuvira asked as Zu walked in, dejectedly standing before the two.
"Eamon's... dead," Zu coldly told them, the eyes of the Chief and Sergeant widening as Toph flopped down into her chair, pressing her fingers to her temple as Kuvira crossed her arms, nervously looking to the ground.
"Do you know who did it?" Toph asked as Zu nodded, his eyebrows slanting as he scowled.
"I'll get the Morgue to collect his body... if that's alright with you, Zu," Kuvira replied as Zu sombrely nodded.
"Thanks, Sergeant," Zu told her as he took his leave, exiting Toph's office as she flicked the metal door shut.
"What should we do?" Kuvira asked as Toph let out a heavy sigh.
"I can tell Zu's certain Yakone did the deed... but without hard evidence, he'll worm his way out of it or pin it on one of his lackeys," Toph begrudgingly replied, swaying in her chair as she pondered, "What do you think?" Toph asked as she looked up to Kuvira.
"I think we should help Zu, perhaps he already has evidence against him," Kuvira replied as Toph hummed to herself, standing up from her chair and rolling her neck.
"Well, I wasn't expecting this early of a start, but a friend's in need, and I won't sit on the sidelines," Toph adamantly spoke, marching towards the door with Kuvira in tow.
Zu returned home, seeing a Black Ostrich-Horse-drawn cart outside the house within the Derelict Estate. Four men carried a wooden sarcophagus out from the house, loading it into the cart, Zu's throat quivering as he approached. The Black Cart rolled away as Kang and Li stood by the door, sombrely watching it roll away as Zu stood by the door.
"Courtesy of the Chief?" Li asked as Zu sighed.
"Sergeant, actually," Zu woefully replied as he looked down to the two.
"There's something I think you should see, Zu," Kang nervously spoke as he approached, the Giant's sombre, fluffy eyebrows raising as the Young Fire-bender hand him a scrunched up note.
"The... Morgue? People emptied Eamon's pockets before taking him away, and they found this," Kang explained as Zu carefully unscrunched the note, revealing its contents.
"Yakone, Blood-bender -E" Zu read aloud, his muscles tensing as his eyes widened, "So, The Chief was right..." Zu muttered as the approaching of several footsteps hit their ears.
"Right about what?" A woman asked as Zu turned to face the approaching group, seeing Toph, Katara, Aang, Sokka and Kuvira stood before them.
"Yakone... he really is a Blood-bender," Zu told them, Katara's heart skipping a beat whilst the eyes of the others widened.
"Wait a minute, Blood-bending? The creepy puppet trick that old lady used on us?" Sokka asked as Zu nodded, handing the note to Kuvira as she read the contents to the others.
"That's not possible. Last night wasn't even a Full Moon!" Katara argued, the others looking to each other in disbelieve as Zu approached.
"Full Moon or not, my friend is dead because of him, and by any means necessary, I will see him avenged," Zu lowly spoke to Katara as Aang swiftly interjected.
"I know your rage and pain are unbearable right now, Zu. But revenge won't quell it!" Aang argued as Zu scoffed, "If you let your need for vengeance take control, you'll poison yourself, even if you bring down Yakone," Aang continued as Zu glared down at the Avatar.
"If you expect me to 'Forgive and Forget' Avatar, you've got another thing coming," Zu retorted as Kang and Li approached Zu, firmly standing beside him. Katara glaring at Li and Kang whilst they passively stared at them.
Sokka stood between The Boys and Team Avatar, lightly pushing Aang and Zu back a step.
"We have our differences, that's for sure. But if we don't work together, I doubt we'll be able to bring Yakone down," Sokka told them, looking to Aang, Toph, Kuvira, and Katara before turning his gaze to Zu, Kang and Li, "So let's put them aside and bring justice to the People of this city!" Sokka proclaimed as Zu nodded, patting Sokka on the back.
"No wonder you were their leader during the war," Zu jested as Sokka grinned.
Team Avatar and The Boys stepped inside the house, the musky scent hitting their senses, making Team Avatar grimace and groan as they entered.
"Are we sure there isn't a cleaner place we could do this?" Katara asked as she plugged her nose.
"Suck it up, Sugar Queen," Toph sharply replied as Katara slanted her gaze to the Chief.
"Time is Luxury we can't afford right now," Kuvira adamantly added as the group stood and sat around a table.
"Do any of you know where Yakone's Hideout is?" Kuvira asked, Kang and Zu shaking their heads as Li pondered for a moment, catching the attention of everyone.
"I... don't, but Eamon did," Li replied, Zu's eyes perking open as he raced upstairs, quickly returning and throwing a leather locked book down on the table.
"Eamon kept a Diary since the day I saved him. Perhaps he jotted down the location of the Hideout?" Zu told them as Kuvira metal-bent the lock open, allowing the book to open.
"Who wants to read it?" Kuvira asked as a silence loomed over the group.
"I will," Li replied, carefully picking up the Diary, flicking to the back page whilst everyone except Zu raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Date entry: 135AG. Time Moonrise. The Giant man, Zu I think his name was, gave me this book to write things into, he said it was like a log that I can keep of my days, for memories," Li read as Zu smiled, "I suppose the first thing to write about would be... how Zu busted up that creepy Red Guy's... 'slave trade' I think he called it," Li continued, Zu, Toph and Kuvira humming as they pondered, "It's not a time I'll forget, constantly getting moved around the city from the basements of Little Ba Sing Se, to a Red Doored building in the Dragon Flats Borough, even to the Outskirts of the United Republic," Li continued reading, Zu's, Toph's and Kuvira's fingers snapping.
"The Dragon Flats Borough!" The Three exclaimed as everyone raised an eyebrow to them.
"How are you so sure?" Sokka quizzically asked.
"After we broke up his Slave Trading business, we tried tracking him down, but the trail went cold around the Dragon Flats, to think we were so close," Zu explained as he clenched his fists.
"Do you think this 'Red Doored building' is his hideout?" Aang asked as Zu nodded.
"Wouldn't be surprised, Red Suit, Red Door. The bastards got a thing for red," Zu replied as he wriggled his fingers.
"In that case, let's get to planning!" Sokka proclaimed as the Group began their plotting.
Eamon awoke within an empty white space, the sounds of his hands and feet touching the floor he lay on echoing into the abyssal white.
"The Spirit World looks a lot different from what Avatar Aang described," Eamon spoke aloud, his voice echoing as a chill wind brushed passed him, wisps of black looming before him.
"That is because this is my realm," A menacingly soothing voice spoke as a black-hooded figure loomed before Eamon, its abyssal hood peering into his soul.
"What are you..." Eamon muttered as the hooded figure swished its arms to its abdomen.
"I am known by many a name, but you may call me, Death," The figure greeted him, taking aback Eamon as he quivered.
"So... I really did die," Eamon muttered, looking to his hazy reflection in the floor.
"Yes, but lucky for you... I am here to make you a deal," Death told him, as Eamon's eyebrows raised.
"A deal?" Eamon sceptically asked as Death gestured with his hand, raising his palm upward.
"Normally I take the souls of those who have died, plucking their memories before passing them onto a new body, restarting their life," Death explained, forming a celestial light show of the process, "But there are those who's souls I cannot take, for they are tethered to the world by a quest they have yet to complete," Death told him as he weaved a vision of a tree surrounded by Sapphire Lilies.
"... Kang's mother?" Eamon exclaimed as he watched the vision.
"Precisely," Death sharply replied, snuffing away the vision as it approached Eamon, "You died before you could realise the destiny set before you, a destiny that if not fulfilled could rupture the events of the future," Death explained as Eamon lightly tapped his foot.
"And what would that be?" Eamon asked as Death hovered behind him, clasping the Water-bender's shoulders.
"Your love for Harmony is more than just a passion, it is a destiny, and I know of a place that will help you fulfil your quest," Death explained as Eamon perked up.
"What place are you talking about?" Eamon nervously asked as Death swished out before him, showing the Water-bender visions of a massive nation split down the middle.
"The Shadow Kingdom of Aaravosia," Death informed him, gesturing to the Dark, shady side of the nation, the vision expanding around the two, transporting them across the skies of the Shadow Kingdom, spires of black pierced into the clouds above, towns and cities of grey and shadow scattered beneath their feet.
"If you are to succeed in your quest for Harmony, you must learn the art of Shadow-Bending," Death explained as Eamon lightly quaked.
"Shadow-Bending... that doesn't sound like a good thing," Eamon hesitantly replied as Death shook its hood.
"No bending style is inherently good or evil, merely people who use their elemental abilities for a purpose," Death explained as they returned to the White abyss, "But know this, if you are to pursue Shadow-Bending, you must forsake your friends, and begin a new life," Death replied, taking aback Eamon as he turned his head from him.
"But they could help me! Surely they would!" Eamon argued as Death showed him a vision.
"Everyone getting along is a naïve dream, Eamon. Sure, you could say, aim to bring Harmony to a whole city, but the world? It's an impossible dream," Zu sombrely explained as he stood up.
"The Giant's got a point Eamon, You'd really have to force your Harmony on the World to get it anywhere," Kaz added, the vision fading from view as Eamon hung his head.
"What about Kang? He said he'd be behind me on it!" Eamon argued again as Death silently hovered before him.
"The Destiny of Kang is one I cannot interfere with. Your quest is one you must partake in alone," Death sombrely replied, Eamon let out a heavy sigh, looking to death as he outstretched his hand.
"Then I guess we have a deal," Eamon sombrely replied as Death grasped his hand, a dim black light radiating from their palms.
"Your body rests within the morgue, we shall wait for a new arrival, and when that time comes, swap places, and slip away," Death explained as Eamon nodded, sitting on the floor as the weight of his actions bared down upon him.