Chapter 10: A New Beginning
"Claire!" A muffled voice spoke. Darkness clouded Claire's vision, her numb body regaining feeling as she the cold of the snow chilled her back, whilst someone shook her.
"Claire!" The voice called out again, becoming more distinct as Claire's eyes fluttered open, seeing a concerned Talos knelt beside her.
"TALOS!" Claire shouted as he kicked herself up, raising her fists to him. But Talos raised an eyebrow to her sudden hostility.
"Relax, Claire. After passing out during your spin I didn't think you'd be so fired up," Talos worryingly replied, Claire's heart racing as she looked around at he a seemingly unending field of snow.
"Where am I?" Claire demanded to know as her arms and legs quaked, but Talos scoffed at her, nervously chuckling as he did.
"The... usual training ground... jeez, I didn't hit your head when I caught you, did I?" Talos replied as he shrugged both his arms. Claire looked to his left arm, her eyes widening.
"He still has his left arm... then that means..." Claire thought to herself as she gazed to the confused Talos.
"Oh, yeah... we are. Sorry, must've been a little disorientated after... whatever happened," Claire replied with a nonchalant chuckle whilst Talos looked her up and down, noticing something off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
But before Talos could press questions, the sound of Unalaq and the White Lotus trudging through the snow filled their ears as he and Claire swiftly turned around to see them.
"Talos, Claire... good to see you aren't trying to kill each other for once," Unalaq sharply told them as Talos chuckled.
"There's no need to worry father, do you really think Claire can kill me? I'm the Avatar after all!" Talos pridefully spoke whilst Claire walked forward, quietly standing beside Talos as she looked to them all, Unalaq raising an eyebrow to her.
"What? No witty come back, Claire?" Unalaq sceptically asked, her attention immediately shooting to him.
"Oh, uh... Talos is too much of a softy to try killing me!" Claire replied, resting her arm atop the Prince's shoulder as he smirked, shrugging Claire off before curiously looking to the White Lotus.
"The people before you are members of The White Lotus Order. They are here in search of the Avatar," Unalaq briefly explained, Talos smiled, proudly walking towards the White Lotus.
"Well, look no further my friends. For you have found your Avatar!" He told them with pride in his voice whilst Toph approached him.
"What makes you so sure? Were you bending multiple elements while still in diapers?" Toph sarcastically asked him, Talos' pride briefly shattering whilst Claire contained her laughter.
"No... I wasn't..." Talos replied slightly embarrassed.
"But I can feel the power of the Avatar Spirit coursing through my veins every time Claire and I spar, I can feel as if at any moment I could sever the earth, bend the air to my will, or unleash a roaring wave of flames from my fists," he added as Tenzin stepped forward, pulling out several items wrapped in cloth.
"Well, to determine whether or not you are, I have brought four relics with us, they belonged to Past Avatars, and due to the connection between Avatars you should be able to recognise them," Tenzin told Talos, to which he unravelled the Relics, and upon observing them Talos looked at him with a confident smile.
"Yes, I recognise these!" Talos proudly told him as Katara looked to Toph.
"Is he telling the truth?" She asked her, Toph wriggling her toes on the ice.
"I can't tell if he's lying or not, Seismic sense doesn't work so well on Ice," Toph told them as Claire stepped forward, intrigued by the relics, and Toph felt her approach.
"And here comes the girl!" Toph spoke aloud, as Katara raised an eyebrow to her.
"I thought you said your Seismic Sense didn't work so well on ice?" Katara asked.
"I'm blind, not deaf. I can hear when someone's walking," Toph snapped back as she moved to be in front of Talos and Claire.
"Stand aside, Junior, I think I have a better way of finding out which one of these two is our Avatar," Toph said aloud as she placed herself in front of them.
"Now I'm going to ask you two several questions, and I want you both to answer... and only Aang, me and his friends would know the answer to these, so by extension. One of you should know them if either of you is the Avatar," Toph explained.
"I'll play your games, but it is a waste of time," Talos replied.
"I... think I'll go along with it as well," Claire uneasily replied as Toph raised an eyebrow to Claire, briefly shrugging it off.
"Question one!" Toph spoke as she raised one finger, "What is the name of Aang's Sky Bison?" She asked.
"Appa!" Claire and Talos said in unison, Toph scratching her chin.
"I suppose that wasn't the best one to start off with, due to Appa's popularity. Ho Tun over there even owns an Appa Plushie he got from Republic City," Toph told them, followed by a small chuckle.
Everyone turned to look at Ho Tun as he looked back at them.
"What? He's adorable!" Ho Tun protested as Toph returned to asking questions.
"Question Two!" Toph spoke as she raised two fingers, "Who was Aang's Air-bending Teacher?" She asked, looking to both of them.
"Monk Gyatso!" Claire and Talos spoke aloud, the Prince looking at his friend with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Toph.
"Continue with the questions!" Talos nonchalantly demanded as Toph grimaced.
"Question three!" Toph spoke raising three fingers "What are the names of Aang's three other bending teachers?" she asked.
"You were his Earth-bending teacher, Fire Lord Zuko was his Fire-bending Teacher and his Wife Katara was his Water-Bending teacher," Claire and Talos spoke in unison, both quizzically looking to each other, surprising Unalaq and the White Lotus, as well as annoying Talos.
"What game is she playing?!" Talos thought as Toph took a deep breath.
"Last Question!" She told them as Talos and Claire looked to each other, the animosity rising between them.
"What was my nickname for, Aang?" Toph asked.
"Twinkle Toes," Claire and Talos spoke in unison once again, silence looming over them as The White Lotus, Katara and Unalaq disbelievingly looked at the pair.
"When you said you had two candidates you weren't kidding," Kya muttered to Unalaq as he placed his hand to his chin.
"And here I thought that was going to give us our proper Avatar," Toph muttered, the Silence returning, and Claire thought on what Death told her.
"A second chance at life... a life, where you are not the Avatar," Its words echoed in her mind. Claire perked up, clearing her throat and catching everyone's attention.
"I humbly apologise. Talos is the Avatar... I'm just a... knowledgeable girl," Claire told them with a bow, both Talos and Unalaq raising an eyebrow to her out of character response.
"Well... he answered the questions correctly... I guess he is our Avatar!" Toph replied as she patted Talos' shoulder.
"Your journey to becoming the Avatar begins now, Talos. Please say farewell to your people and come with us to The White Lotus Compound," Tenzin formally told Talos, the Prince holding his head high with a prideful smile as he and the White Lotus journeyed into the town.
"Wait!" Claire exclaimed, surprising everyone as they twisted back around.
"Would it be possible for me to... tag along?" Claire asked as Talos looked to the White Lotus with a confident gaze.
"She's an excellent Water-Bender... and having a friend at this Compound of yours would be... comforting," Talos explained to them as the White Lotus looked to one another, shrugging and nodding as they did.
"Come along then... Claire, was it?" Tenzin invited her to join them, Claire nodding and sprinting over to them, travelling down into the town with them.
Claire and Talos bid their parents and the people of the Northern Water Tribe farewell. Although Talos' Polar Bear dog Kazel wished to join him, Talos told him to stay and look after Unalaq whilst he trained, and that he would return one day.
They ventured to the White Lotus Compound where Jinora greeted them gleefully, surprised to see they picked up two people rather than the one, and just as Claire did, Talos trained with the elements within the compound, spending a year and four months practising each of them. But even so, Fire still remained a problem for him, only being able to generate minuscule flames.
Talos and Claire left the White Lotus compound for a time, travelling to Republic City on a boat, hopping off and entering the full moonlit metropolis. Claire and Talos gazed at Republic City, the Avatar taking in his surroundings whilst his Water-Bending friend closed her eyes, letting the nostalgic familiarity sink in, surprising Talos as he looked to her.
"Have you... been here before?" Talos asked as Claire's eyes perked open, looking over to her friend.
"Oh, no, but I've always wanted to come here!" Claire nonchalantly replied as Talos shrugged and looked over to her with a smile.
"So, where to first? Since you seem oh so familiar with the city," Talos asked her as a thought came to Claire's mind.
"The Theatre hall! I think something's going on tonight!" Claire told him with a pointed finger towards the direction of the Theatre hall. Talos raised an eyebrow as Claire sprinted towards it, following behind her.
"What in the world is going on with her...?" Talos thought as he followed her.
The two arrived at the Theatre hall, Talos intended to go through the front entrance, but Claire shook her head, pulling him around to the back entrance.
"Claire... what are you up to?" Talos uneasily asked.
"I've heard the view from the catwalk is much better than the regular view!" Claire reassured him as they ascended the metal staircase, coming to the iron door.
Claire looked to Talos as he smirked, the Avatar cracking his knuckles and grasping the iron door, bending the metal and pulling it from the hinges, lightly placing it down beside the staircase.
"If we get in trouble for this, it's on you!" Talos whispered as Claire shrugged, the two entering the theatre hall, a chill piercing through them on entry.
"He's here..." Claire muttered.
Talos and Claire strode atop the catwalk, crouching down as they looked to a black-robed and hooded, masked man atop the stage, his arms and legs covered in dark metal armour.
"My people! It is good to see the ones who have returned and all the fresh faces in the crowd! Our movement grows stronger with each passing day, and soon, I assure you, we will hold every bender of this city accountable for their heinous actions!" Amon spoke to the crowd of people who cheered for him.
"Claire... this doesn't look like a play," Talos whispered, but Claire raised her fingers to her lips, signalling for him to be quiet.
The two strode along the catwalk, bumping into a goggled man, the goggled man igniting a crimson flame atop his fingers as Talos bent out water from his satchel, but Claire let out a sharp gasp of enthusiasm.
"KANG!" Claire giddily whispered, Kang, raising an eyebrow to her as his fire extinguished.
"Do I know you?" Kang asked as Talos put his water away, but as Claire replied, he wafted his hand to them.
"Tell me later, I'm investigating Amon. Now you two sneaky lovebirds. Be quiet," Kang dismissively told them as he looked to Amon atop the stage.
"Now, some of you newcomers may have heard the rumour that I can strip a person of their bending capabilities. Well, I assure you, those rumours are true!" Amon told them as he snapped his fingers, making a man in a gas mask pull out a trolley holding three men tied up to individual wooden poles, causing chatter to erupt amongst the crowd whilst Kang's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Where did Amon get a hold of them?" He bewilderingly whispered whilst Talos and Claire remained silent.
"These faces you probably already know. A group of thugs who terrorise the streets and non-bender businesses, even killing my promoter for sick kicks. But soon they will not be a threat to us. Or anyone. Ever again!" Amon told the crowd, his voice becoming more menacing as he spoke.
The man in the gas mask pulled the fire-bender of the group towards Amon, showing him to the crowd like a prized pig whilst Amon approached, grasping the Fire-bender's throat and slamming him against the wooden pole as he raised his hand into the air, beginning the descent towards the man's forehead, pressing his thumb against the centre of it
The Fire-benders pupils shrank to the size of a pin's point as both his eyes turning black as he writhed in agony, Fire ejecting from his hands whilst the crowd murmuring and watched in curious horror.
The Fire-Bender Struggled as Amon maintained a tight grip of him, but the man calmed, the fires sputtering out as Amon lifted his hands from him.
"Cut him down!" Amon told the gas-masked man, doing as instructed, the follower cut the fire-bender from the pole.
He tried using his fire-bending against Amon, but nothing came out, as he groggily stepped forward, Amon avoided his attack, mercilessly striking the Ex-Fire-Bender's gut, causing him to double over as the Masked man followed up by striking his temple with a mighty kick, knocking the ex fire-bender over to his cohorts as the crowd burst into an uproar of appraisal whilst Kang, Claire and Talos stared in mortified wonder.
"He really can take away bending..." Kang muttered, quickly lighting a small flame atop his finger and flicking it towards the curtain behind Amon, going unnoticed by the masked man and the crowd.
"We should get out of here!" Kang told the two as Claire nodded.
"He's right, this place is about to blow!" Claire whispered, surprising Talos and Kang.
"How did you... Oh, never mind!" Kang replied, throwing his arms in the air as the three ran from the building, fleeing to the outside of the Theatre hall, Kang and Claire looking toward the theatre hall.
"Three... Two... One..." Kang and Claire counted down in unison, surprising Kang as a large junk of the theatre exploded, making Talos jump back as he watched the smoke plume shoot up into the sky.
"You weren't kidding when you said it was going to blow," Talos spoke in surprise.
"Indeed, it was evil... but a necessary evil," Kang nonchalantly replied as he smiled at the plume.
"You're right... we should get to City Hall, a Riot will be brewing right about now," Claire replied as she began running towards City Hall, both Talos and Kang's mouths hanging ajar as they watched her leave.
"How does she know these things?" Kang asked as he crossed his arms.
"That, my friend, is an excellent question..." Talos replied the two shrugging and chasing after Claire. The three arrived at City Hall, seeing two hoards a sizeable distance from each other converging on City Hall.
"And... she was right... huh, weird," Kang muttered as he gazed at the two hoards, but Talos scoffed as he strode in between the hoards.
"Don't worry, I can handle this!" Talos proudly proclaimed.
Claire and Kang stood back as Talos took a firm stance, leaping to his side and pushing an earthen wall at one of the approaching hoards, blocking their path as he repeated the same movements against the opposite hoard. Talos took a deep breath, slamming his feet on the ground and erecting the walls higher into the air, each rivalling the height of the surrounding buildings.
"Hold on... Water... Earth... is he?" Kang asked as he looked to Claire, who gave an affirmative nod.
"Yep, he's the Avatar!" Claire replied, hesitantly smiling at him as the Governors of the city and Police chief Beifong marched out of the city, looking to Kang, Claire and Talos.
"What on earth is going on out here?" Sheng asked as he looked at the two massive earthen walls. Talos turned to them, holding his head up high as he did.
"Well, my friend over there predicted a Riot happening outside here, and your Avatar just prevented it!" Talos proudly informed them, the Governors gasping as Chief Beifong remained steadfast.
"The Avatar! Finally, someone who can sort this city out!" Gao enthusiastically replied.
"Come Avatar and co!" Hou told them as he invited them in, but Lin tapped him on the shoulder as the other Governors returned inside.
"Are we sure we want to let Kang in?" Lin asked as Hou looked over to him, recognising Kang.
"Eh, he was just a thief... I doubt there's anything worth stealing inside City Hall that's not locked up," Hou nonchalantly replied, Lin, rolling her eyes as she and Hou followed the governors, quickly followed by Kang, Claire and Talos.
They entered a room filled with rows of pews facing a stand with five positions, one for each governor and one for Lin. A Noble ambience filled the room as each of the governors and Lin took their places, Lin stood in the centre, Gao and Sheng stood to her right whilst Hou and Jing stood to her left.
"Avatar, the city has been suffering these Riots ever since Amon appeared two years ago. We were hoping you would arrive to bring balance to the city," Sheng told Talos whilst he observed the Governors.
"You five look more than capable, why don't you?" Talos dismissively asked.
"We have tried, but unfortunately our hands are tied. If we take the side of the non-benders, the City will see it as us siding with Amon. If we side with the benders, Amon's Cult will see it as us enforcing the 'oppression' they rant about," Gao informed him.
"The Avatar has always been a middle ground in conflicts such as this, a person of power who does not pick a side," Hou explained.
"Do you have any ideas or methods on how we could handle the city's situation?" Jing asked. And Talos strutted forward.
"Have any of you heard of the ancient art of chi-blocking?" Talos asked, the Governors curiously looking to one another.
"There used to be Kyoshi Warriors who taught it when Republic City was still Cranefish town... but the people lost interest in learning it," Hou informed him as Talos smirked.
"Well, I say it's high time to revive it! Give these non-benders a weapon to fight back, even the playing field!" Talos explained, the Governors giving him quizzical looks.
"I mean... that could work," Hou told his fellow Governors and Lin with a shrug.
"It might... we could also give them weapons training," Jing replied, presenting his Space Sword as an example.
"I'm not sure... it could make things worse," Gao replied as he placed his hand to his chin.
"Battling power with more power rarely works," Sheng nonchalantly added.
"Well, if it doesn't work, I'm sure Mr. proud boy here can fix it," Lin replied, lightly mocking Talos as he scoffed at her.
"Then so be it... We'll put the Avatar's plan into action post haste," Gao told them as the Governors left, briefly chattering among themselves as Kang, Claire and Talos left.
"That went better than expected!" Kang told them as they strode out the door.
"Yeah..." Claire uneasily replied.
"I'm curious... are you two investigating Amon as well, or did we just bump into each other by mere happenstance?" Kang curiously asked them.
"It was happenstance... but I wouldn't mind taking him down, my first challenge as Avatar!" Talos replied, proudly pumping his arms as Kang smirked, crossing his arms.
"Well, I have a place just down the road if you two don't have anywhere to stay," Kang told them.
Claire and Talos followed Kang back to his lab, The Avatar being utterly blown away by the inventions, but Claire simply smiled at them, reminding her of simpler times.
Months flew by as the city experienced the effects of Talos' plan, Ty Lee of the Kyoshi Warriors arrived per request of Jing, training the city's non-benders in Chi-blocking whilst Amon remained in the shadows of the city, waiting for his moment to strike.
Talos became fast friends with Kang, as did Claire, but her always being one step ahead of him always took him aback, curious to know how she knew everything that would happen before it happened.
Just as Claire did, Kang escorted Talos to the Fire Nation Palace aboard The Magnificent Turtle Duck, leaving Claire behind in the city, much to her dismay.
Talos would request to learn the secrets of Fire-bending from the Dragons Ran and Shaw, but they deemed him unworthy, attempting to scorch him to ashes as he ran from the ancient city, whilst Amon abducted Kang in the Avatar's absence.
After Zuko and Talos' returned to the Royal Palace, Talos crossed paths with Khana, the Kyoshi Warrior becoming Talos' protector, despite his disapproval.
The two roughly flew back to Republic City, assisted by Kang upon seeing their return whilst he sat bound within the memorial.
Claire awaited Talos and Khana, seeing the Full Moon hanging in the sky, and hearing the footsteps of Talos and Khana approach.
"Claire?" Talos called over to her, the Water-bender waving to them as both he and Khana raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know her?" Khana asked, readying her hands over her daggers.
"Relax, Khana. She's a friend..." Talos replied as he looked to Claire. The two approach her, Khana's heart skipping a beat as she gazed upon Claire.
"Hi, Khana," Claire told her with a smile, surprising the two of them.
"You know me?" Khana asked with a sceptically raised eyebrow as Claire briefly gasped, sweat breaking on her brow.
"Oh, yes. I've heard all about you! The Right Hand of the Fire Lord! It's an honour!" Claire replied with a brief bow as Khana crossed her arms with a blushed smile.
"I didn't realise I was that renowned, well it's a pleasure to meet you too... Claire?" Khana told her, struggling to word her name whilst Talos curiously looked at the two before interjecting.
"Alright, lovebirds, we're here for Kang, remember?" Talos told them, the two blushing as they glanced away.
"Apologies, Avatar," Khana formally replied.
Khana strode to the shore, erecting a bridge across the water towards the Memorial for the three to run across, seeing an entrance leading into the Statue.
Khana and Claire cautiously walked into the dimly lit interior whilst Talos strutted in, the salty stench of the sea pervading the inner sanctum of the memorial and the crashing of waves resonating within the hollowed chamber.
As the three entered, Khana could sense several people waiting to ambush them, whilst Talos wandered inwards with one goal in mind, Claire and Khana hung back, the Kyoshi Warrior focusing on the positions of the ambushers, clenching her fists and causing the stone of the statue to latch onto them, trapping them inside it, several grunts echoed throughout the statue, whilst Talos looked over at Khana and Claire in curious wonder.
"Did you do anything just now, Khana?" Talos asked as The Kyoshi Warrior smiled, the rosiness of her cheeks gleaming through her make-up, skipping over with eyes closed whilst humming a tune to herself as Claire followed shortly behind.
Talos looked to them as they walked away, following them up the stairs to the peak of the statue, Khana waving to one of the would-be ambushers trapped within the wall on their way up.
The three made it to the top of the statue, the crashing waves silenced, and the full moon shined through the cracks in the Statue whilst Amon stood before them, with Kang bound behind him, the mad inventor looking over to the three of them standing there.
"Run!" Kang mumbled through his gagged mouth.
"I'm impressed you made it this far," Amon told Talos, curiously looking to Khana and Claire.
"Well, I've been eager to meet you face to mask!" Talos sarcastically replied as he approached Amon, but as he did, the masked man raised his hand towards Kang's head.
"Not a step closer, or your friend gets it!" he threatened Talos, stopping him in his tracks, the masked man lowering his hand then turning his full attention to Talos.
"We can end this peacefully. But to do so, you must pick one of two options," Amon told him, but Talos scoffed at him.
"Peace isn't really my thing, Amon..." Talos told him, to which Amon grinned under his mask.
"At least hear me out... You can either surrender your bending to me, here and now. Or You join me in my revolution against this city, assist me in taking down our pathetic government, and bring about real harmony. Do this, and I shall let your friends walk free," Amon explained.
"You lost me at 'surrender'!" Talos proclaimed as he punched his fist, unleashing a gust of wind, but the wind brushed passed Amon as he raised his arm like a puppeteer, seizing control of Talos' arm.
"What-!?" Talos exclaimed, looking at his controlled arm as Kang forced his gag off, letting it drop to his neck.
"He's a bloody Blood-Bender! Get out of here!" Kang told them as Amon pinned Kang down with his free arm, and as Amon loomed before them, a thought came to Claire's mind.
"Well, let's see if two can play at that game!" Claire proclaimed, striding forward and raising her arms like a puppeteer towards Amon, taking control of his body as the moon shined upon her face.
"You dare!" Amon growled as Kang, Talos, and Khana gawked and stared at Claire.
"You're a bloody Blood-Bender!?" Kang exclaimed as Talos and Khana backed away slowly.
"I know what you're thinking, but there isn't time. Run!" Claire told them as she struggled to keep hold of Amon.
Talos nodded, grabbing ahold of Kang and racing out of the room with Khana in tow, Claire swerved her arms to the side, throwing Amon onto the floor, disorientating him as she leapt from the top of the memorial, descending towards the water and plopping into it, quickly resurfacing to see Talos, Kang and Khana already out at the base of the statue.
Claire hopped back onto the shore whilst Kang, Khana and Talos warily marched towards her.
"Claire... how long have you been a Blood-Bender?" Talos asked in an uneasy tone.
"... a while," Claire nonchalantly replied, utterly befuddling Kang, Khana and Talos.
"What, you just... picked up Blood-Bending after seeing it once?" Khana asked as Claire shook her head, looking smoke billowing in the distance.
"Look... this is too unbelievable to explain, but right now there's another Riot brewing, and if we don't get there, the City could fall!" Claire told them as Talos marched towards Claire, placing a hand to her shoulder.
"Blood-Bender or not... you're still my friend," Talos confidently told her before turning to the others.
"Come on, you two! We have City to protect!" Talos proudly told them as Kang and Khana begrudgingly followed them into the city.
The four sprinted passed rubble and scorch marks before arriving at City Hall, seeing the people of the city clash, Benders having their chi-blocked and being knocked unconscious, whilst non-benders were being burnt by fire, squashed by the earth, pushed, pulled and frozen by water.
Amidst the chaos the three could see Lin, the Governors and Ty Lee fighting against both sides of the conflict, several benders tried to strike Lin, she blasted them all away as she formed a barrier of rock around her, slamming her fists against it and launching segments of the earth at her attackers, Hou deflected the pieces which flew towards him, his fellow Governors and Ty Lee. Kang and Khana leapt in with reckless abandon, whilst Talos and Claire stood back.
"Well, let's have some fun!" Talos enthusiastically told her as he sprinted in, clashing with rioters of all sides. But Claire watched on, unsure what to do.
"This was the moment I went into the Avatar State... but what's going to happen now?" Claire asked herself, hearing a metal clinking approach her from behind.
"You've crossed paths with Death too, haven't you?" Amon asked her, sending a chill down Claire's spine.
"Yes, I have..." Claire frightfully replied as Amon briefly chuckled to himself.
"The Spirit of Death gave me back my life... and it's given you a second chance at it, I wonder what you wished to change," Amon told her as he strode into the chaotic riot, crossing paths with Talos.
"Avatar!" Amon shouted, striking fear into the Rioters, subduing the fighting as Talos turned to him.
"Let us settle this here and now! Just you and me!" Amon challenged him as Talos scoffed, pushing aside a rioter and approaching Amon.
"Fine by me, Amon. Come and get it!" Talos provoked him, but to his surprise, Amon unleashed a shadow tendril from his gauntlet, ensnaring Talos.
"What!?" Talos exclaimed. Claire tried to interject, but Amon pulled out the shadows of rioters, bending them into a wall around him and Talos.
Talos tried to break free of his shadowy binds as they tightened around him, his eyes flushing with a bright light, letting out a mighty roar as he shattered the shadow binds.
"Impressive..." Amon replied as he jerked back.
Talos lunged in at him, the power of the Avatar State blinding him as he unleashed a powerful wave of flame, but Amon vanished into the Shadow realm, reappearing behind Talos, forming a shadowy blade in his hand, however, Talos swiftly twisted around, kicking out and striking Amon's head, throwing him to the side, the Avatar bending the water up from the floor, forming a spear of ice.
"Talos, no!" Claire shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears, and as Amon tried to stand, Talos threw the spear to Amon, piercing his chest, but no blood leaked from his body, and the shadows dissipated.
Talos turned to the rioters, laughing with pride, his eyes still glowing with the power of the Avatar State as he turned to Amon's corpse, but it had disappeared, the ice spear along with it, and before he knew it, Amon ran Talos through with the Ice spear, blood trickling down the tip.
"TALOS!" Claire, Kang and Khana cried out as Amon held him atop the Ice spear.
"Foolishness, Avatar..." Amon whispered as he wrenched the ice spear from his body, a ray of spiritual energy shooting into the sky, lightning crackling along the skies as the light from Talos' eyes faded, his body falling to the ground.
"The Avatar... IS DEAD!" Amon proclaimed, the rioters erupting into appraisal for Amon.
Claire stood in horror, but Kang and Khana charged in, intending to take down Amon, but he vanished before their eyes, reappearing behind them, piercing their hearts with blades of shadow.
"Go, be with your mother, old friend," Amon whispered into Kang's ear before ripping the blades from them.
Claire cried out their names as she raced over to them, throwing herself down to them, cradling them in her arms, watching the life fade from them as Amon moved onto the Governors, Lin and Ty Lee mercilessly slaughtering them whilst Claire watched them fall, blood soaking Amon as he proudly stood before his rioters.
"Today! Is the day we take Republic City!" Amon preached to his followers. Claire looked to Talos, running over to him and holding his body.
"Raava! Vaatu! Can you hear me!?" Claire desperately asked, her words echoing throughout Talos' mind. Raava and Vaatu lay within the fading of the Avatar's mind, trying to cling to life.
"We... really messed this one up, didn't we?" Vaatu asked as he groaned.
"We did... I'm sorry, Vaatu..." Raava replied, her cosmic form fading away, shortly followed by Vaatu fading, Claire's head hanging, sobbing as her body shook all over.
"This is all my fault..." Claire muttered to herself, the cheers of the rioters dampening as Claire wept, the forsaken Water-Bender's tears hitting the floor as a familiar chill whisked around her.
"Do you still think the Spirits of the Planet made a mistake?" a menacingly soothing voice asked, Claire, looking up to see the Spirit of Death hovering beside her.
"What!?" Claire replied, her voice cracking as her tears ran.
"The Shadows stirred, strange winds blew... and of all the people born on the day of Avatar Aang's death, they chose you!" Death told her whilst Claire remained quiet, hanging her head as a looked of fearless determination washed over her.
"Now show them why!" Death sharply demanded, taking its leave with Talos, Khana and Kang whilst Claire stood tall.
"EAMON!" Claire shouted, Amon's eyes widening as he twisted around to see Claire.
"How dare you say that name in front of me!?" Amon growled.
"It's like you said, Death gave me a chance to start anew, but now I know l my path. I am the Avatar!" Claire proudly proclaimed, standing before Amon, but the masked man's anger shattered into laughter, followed by the rioters laughing.
"The Avatar is dead, slain by my hand!" Amon replied as he raised his arms like a deity, but Claire scoffed at him as she readied herself to fight.
"Talos was never meant to be the Avatar, and I know that now. I'm going to bring balance back to the world I forsook, even if it kills me!" Claire told him, determination burning in her eyes whilst Amon quizzically looked at her.
"You don't understand what you're dealing with, girl," Amon sinisterly replied as he approached, but Claire simply smirked.
"I understand enough... Shadow-Bender!" Claire coldly replied, taking aback Amon as his heart skipped a beat.
"Ah, death... the fickle swine," Amon growled as he raised his arms to his side in a taunting manner.
"Then come, girl. Prove your worth!" Amon demanded.
"With pleasure!" Claire snarled, her sacrum twinging as she threw herself in at Amon, striking mercilessly with the surrounding water.
But Amon disappeared from view, reappearing behind Claire, however, the water-bender spun down, sweeping the masked man's leg and swiftly erupting a geyser beneath him.
Amon soared up into the air, the Rioters watching on as their boss quickly regained his footing, bending out Claire's shadow and summoning it to his side.
"Relying on numbers won't do you any good, Eamon!" Claire taunted him, his eye twitching in rage.
"I AM AMON!" He shouted, unleashing a chilling shadow along the battlefield.
"Take my shadow. Take my bending, I don't care!" Claire shouted, the base of her spine twinging as she sprinted at him, avoiding the attacks of her shadow and leaping in towards Amon, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches whilst the Shadow-Bender deflected and dodged.
"I have slain your friends with ease, what makes you think you won't end the same?!" Amon asked as he continued brushing aside Claire's attacks.
"I know there's nothing I can do to bring them back, but I won't rest until I see the ones I love avenged!" Claire shouted, her heart twinging as she broke through Amon's guard, striking his gut and hoisting him into the air.
Claire glared at Amon as he hung before her, viciously slamming her fists into his mask as he dropped to the floor.
Claire relentlessly smashed and slammed her fists into Amon, as he flailed around like a rag doll, the water-bender grasping the disorientated Shadow-Bender by his hood, forcing his cracked, splintering mask to face her.
"Avatar or not, by my Will balance shall be restored!" Claire proclaimed, her stomach twinging as she delivered a swift uppercut to Amon's jaw.
Amon flew upwards, landing on the ground, and as he groaned in pain. Claire's shadow tried to strike the water-bender down, but Claire swiftly counter-attacked, striking the shadow and incapacitating it.
Amon leapt back to his feet, charging in at Claire with reckless abandon, summoning blades of shadow to his hands as Claire deftly evaded his attacks, but avoid as she might, the blades glanced her flesh, slicing her open as she winced at the pain.
"You call yourself an Avatar, but what kind of Avatar throws away their duty!?" Amon asked as he continued slicing into Claire.
"I convinced myself that Vaatu and Raava made a mistake, that I wasn't supposed to be the Avatar... but I was just lying to myself out of fear!" Claire snarled, her throat twinging as she evaded the merciless shadow blades.
"Then tell me! Who are you!? What are you!?" Amon demanded as he slammed his foot into Claire, launching her back, the water-bender tumbling onto the ground, but she pushed herself back to her feet.
"I... am Claire," She growled, her forehead twinging, taking a deep breath as a cold, black wind brushed passed her.
"AND I AM THE RIGHTFUL AVATAR!" Claire proclaimed, her eyes glowing with a brilliant light as a beacon of cosmic energy erupted from her, parting the looming shadows.
The Reborn Avatar ascended into the air, Fire roaring from her mouth and fists, the Earth beneath her shattering and erupting whilst a ring of water and air circled her body whilst Amon smirked at her, raising a hand to Claire and egging her onto attack as the Avatar grimaced, a light forming around her hand as the Edge of Balance materialised before her.
Claire swirled the sword around her form, the elements following the blade as she descended towards Amon, slashing through his form with a mighty cry. The Shadow-Bender stumbled back, clasping his chest as Claire landed behind him.
"I may be a Spirit Young Avatar... but that still hurt," Amon groaned in a distinct voice as Claire turned around, raising a quizzical eyebrow whilst the world around her slowly faded away, revealing the Spirit World to her, and before her eyes, Amon faded away, revealing Kaishi clutching his chest.
"Avatar Kaishi...?" Claire muttered as the glow faded from her eyes.
"Do you see now that Vaatu and Raava did not pick the wrong person?" Kaishi sharply asked her in as Claire dismissed the Edge of Balance, standing up straight before him.
"I do," Claire proudly replied as Kaishi smiled at her, placing his hands behind his back.
"I can understand your fear of loneliness, but you are the reincarnation of over a thousand lives!" Kaishi told her, snapping his fingers as all the Past lives of the Avatar appeared behind him, shocking Claire as she briefly jerked back.
"The Avatar—no matter who they are—is never truly alone. We will always be here, and we will forever stand beside you and the Avatars to come," Kaishi explained, Claire smiling as a dim glow radiated within her.
"My, that was quite a trip!" Vaatu exclaimed as he appeared on Claire's shoulder.
"Vaatu, where were you!?" Claire asked as she looked to her shoulder.
"In the hands of Death... it wasn't pleasant," Vaatu explained as Claire lightly scoffed before turning back to Kaishi.
"Speaking of which... what was all that?" Claire asked, curiously shrugging her arms.
"Death sent you back through time itself, resetting your life, and once you realised the truth, he plucked you from that time and brought you back here," Kaishi explained whilst Claire looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"... has four and a half years passed by then?" Claire worryingly asked, but Kaishi shook his head.
"Time is a mysterious thing. For you, four and a half years have passed... for us, only about twenty minutes," Kaishi explained as Claire breathed a sigh of relief, briefly chuckling to herself before looking to Kaishi.
"The mortal world needs you, Claire. Now more than ever," Kaishi adamantly replied, looking to her with a stern gaze.
"It's time for the world to get its Avatar back... its real Avatar!" Claire proudly proclaimed as Kaishi nodded, raising his hand to Claire's forehead.
"I'll give you a quick jump to the Nexus. Best of luck, Claire," Kaishi told her, a dim light emitting from his hand, transporting Claire to the Nexus.
Claire appeared within the hollow tree, stepping out to see the empty void of the Nexus before her.
"We should take the North Pole Spirit Portal," Vaatu recommended as Claire looked to him on her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
"Wouldn't Whale-tail island be quicker?" Claire sceptically asked.
"Whale-tail island may be faster. But don't you want to see your parents one last time before your battle?" Vaatu asked as Claire took a sharp breath, exhaling shakily before nodding.
"Yeah... that would be nice," Claire replied, walking over to the North Pole spirit portal, letting the light engulf her and teleport her to the bottom of the Spirit Oasis.
Claire weaved her arms around her body, spinning up and out of the oasis water, bending the water off her body and flicking it back into the oasis.
Claire smiled at the Moon and Ocean Spirits whilst Vaatu waved to them, two bubbles popping up from the water as Claire departed, striding out into the ghost town, looking up to the Chaotic skies with a hollow gaze.
Claire looked away from the skies, slowly marching down the icy roads, passing by dimly-lit lamps whilst the smells of ice and fish flowed through the surrounding air, and as Claire travelled through the town, she spied a light coming from inside a house, her house. She ambled over to the wooden door, knocking four times, alerting Joseph and Norrak as they raced to the door, opening it to see Claire stood before them.
"Claire!" Joseph & Norrak exclaimed, quickly pulling her into a hug as tears flowed from all three of them.
"We thought we'd never see you again!" Norrak exclaimed in a muffled voice as Claire and her parents slowly released their hug, drying their eyes.
"Like I'd ever let that happen," Claire sombrely jested, a smile breaking over Norrak's and Joseph's faces.
Claire and her parents walked into the living room, closing the front door behind them, Joseph and Norrak looking at Claire with a worried gaze.
"You're going to fight Talos, aren't you?" Joseph asked as Claire let out a shaky breath, affirmatively nodding.
"I have to... as the Avatar, it's my duty to bring balance to the world... and Talos is a threat to the balance," Claire firmly replied, a tear rolling down her face as she spoke.
"Well... if you plan on fighting him, you'll need some fast transportation!" Joseph replied as he quickly sauntered upstairs, surprising Claire and Norrak.
Joseph came back as quickly as he left, holding a long wooden stick with two pointy diamond shapes near the ends.
"Lucky for you, I have this!" Joseph told her as he presented the stick to Claire.
"A... stick?" Norrak asked as Claire lightly gripped the wooden stick, orange wings flipping out from the sides, surprising Claire and Norrak.
"A glider!? Where did you get this?" Claire exclaimed, demanding to know.
"A monk washed up on the shores of the Bright Empire carrying this with him, and The Radiant Emperor saw this as an invasion. So he captured him, stripped him of his belongings, interrogated him and then after that... no one knows what happened to the poor sod," Joseph lamented on the experience.
"So you... stole the glider from him?" Claire asked as she retracted the glider wings.
"No, I nicked the glider from The Radiant Emperor who stole it from him before he exiled me. With a bit of light-bender trickery. I turned it invisible and sneaked it across the border. Personally, I just did it to annoy him," Joseph replied, letting out a hearty laugh near the end.
"Well... thank you for stealing it," Claire replied with a smirk whilst Joseph and Norrak smiled at her, both of them hugging her one last time.
Joseph and Norrak guided Claire to the door, walking out onto the streets with her as she prepared the glider.
"Do you know how to use that thing?" Joseph curiously asked.
"I'm the Avatar... of course, I do," Claire replied with a confident smile.
"Good luck, dear! Kick Talos in the rear!" Norrak gleefully shouted to her as Claire smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, I will!" Claire replied, setting off on the glider and soaring through the air as her parents waved goodbye to her.
Claire glided away from the North Pole, determinedly looking to the direction of Republic City.