Chapter 13: City of Shadows

The Night dawned on the North Pole whilst Norrak and Joseph lay atop their bed; the moonlight shining through their window as they thought of Claire and what it was like for her being the Avatar, but as they laid there, a faint ringing pierced Norrak's mind, sitting up as she pressed her hands against the temples of her head.

Joseph looked to her with concern, sitting up next to her and placing his hand gently onto her shoulder, "What's wrong, Norrak?"

Joseph's voice echoed with worry as his wife's eye's closed, the ringing dulling all other sounds, but as the ringing stopped her eyes reopened, and her fear escalated, "Claire's in distress!"

Norrak's sudden proclamation took aback Joseph as he quickly stood up from the bed, "Where's the lass at?"

Joseph quickly slipped his boots on whilst Norrak closed her eyes once more, "She's near... a city... in front of a lake."

Joseph slipped on a brown jacket and picked up what looked like a fluffy hat with long pieces of material draping to the sides, "Any idea where the City is?" he asked, as he put on his hat, and picked up his gloves.

"It's a long way to the south," Norrak replied.

"How long we talking? South Pole? Whale-tail Island? Earth Kingdom?" Joseph asked as he grasped a wool scarf.

"Earth Kingdom... in the United Republic, I think," Norrak replied.

Joseph made sure he had everything he needed, "I'll go let Chief Unalaq know and see if I cannae get an Airship."

Joseph waved goodbye to his wife before charging out of the room, "Be safe!" Norrak shouted to Joseph as he sprinted out the door.

Joseph ventured to Unalaq's fortress of ice, and upon approaching the gates, two guards raised their hands to the worried man, "Whoa there, Joseph. What brings you storming up here at this hour?"

"My Daughter, The Avatar, is in a spot of trouble and I need to petition Chief Unalaq for one of those Airships," Joseph quickly explained.

The guards look to one another, humming and ahhing, "Well... this isn't the first time he's done this."

"Good point..."

The guards returned their united attention to Joseph, gesturing their heads towards the entrance of Unalaq's Fortress.

"Thank ye, boys!" Joseph told them as he sprinted inside.

Joseph stormed into the fortress, finding Unalaq sat upon his throne, whilst a Mysterious man with long grey and black hair styled into a bushy ponytail with a short grey beard, and a scar on his left eyebrow stood before him.

Both turned their attention to Joseph, their glares piercing through him, "And here I thought the Radiant Emperor had a glare-" he muttered to himself as the two men resumed their meeting.

"I hope to hear from you soon, Unalaq," The mysterious man told him, taking his leave.

Unalaq nodded, turning his attention to Joseph, "Joseph... What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

The Chief's demeanour seemed much friendlier to Joseph than when he walked in, "Pardon the abrupt entry, Chief Unalaq, but Claire is in a wee spot of bother!"

Joseph's statement caught the Mysterious man's attention as he stood in the archway, listening in on the conversation.

Unalaq's eyes widened as he rested his head against his fist, "What makes you so sure?"

"Remember that time Norrak said both Claire and Talos got trapped in an ice gorge?" Joseph asked.

Unalaq gritted his teeth, and the Mysterious man smiled, "Yes... I do."

"She has this... odd connection with Claire where she's able to 'sense' whenever the lass is in great distress, and just now she said, quite loudly, that Claire's in need of help," Joseph explained.

Unalaq leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, "And I assume you're here to ask for transportation to go help her?"

"You are correct, Sir!" Joseph enthusiastically replied.

A brief silence loomed as Unalaq glared to the Mysterious Man in the archway.

"Are you okay with me taking an Airship?" Joseph asked.

Unalaq let out a heavy sigh, sitting back up in his throne, "Just don't crash it!"

Unalaq threw a medallion with a water tribe insignia on it, "I'll do my best not to!" Joseph replied as he snatched the medallion out of the air and bowed to Unalaq.

"And Joseph, be careful," Unalaq told him, his tone riddled with little concern.

Joseph nodded, unsure by what he meant before. Joseph stormed out of the fortress, noticing the guards had left, looking around curiously, keeping up his guard as he ventured over to the air shipyard.

Seeing the airships lined up in the distance, Joseph rushed over, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious, only for a draft of air to pull him back, dragging him through the snow as he tumbled through it.

The Mysterious man from earlier loomed over Joseph, reaching for him, but Claire's Father swiftly recovered, springing up on his hands and launching himself towards the Mysterious man, striking his jaw with his feet, smacking him into the air, "What are you doing?"

Joseph raised his fists as the mysterious man rolled his neck, "You're going to take me to the Avatar!"

The Mysterious man raised his palms to Joseph, confidently smirking as Joseph scoffed, "No."

Joseph raised his palms, emitting a blinding light and shocking the mysterious man. His vision blurred, trying to listen for Joseph's approach, but the wrappings of bright burning chains around his form, squeezing his body made his vision blur further.

Joseph released the light chains from his hand, letting them latch around the Mysterious man, "Those'll fade away after a few hours, perhaps in that time you'll learn a few manners."

Joseph raced over to the Airships, letting the guards know Unalaq had permitted him to use an airship and showing them the medallion. They let him through and wished him luck before he set off towards the United Republic.

Claire sat before a lake of water, looking out to Republic City. The ambience of bugs chirping and leaves rustling filled the area as the failure and disappointment weighed down on her.

The Avatar slowly dropping onto her back and looking to the night sky, lamenting on the battle against Amon as a disappointed Ty Lee blocked her view of the night sky, "Oh... hi, Ty Lee..."

Recent events made Claire utterly unconcerned by her presence whilst the old Kyoshi Warrior looked down at the Avatar, fists to her hips, "Why did you run?"

Claire let out a heavy sigh, "Khana told me to flee... somehow Amon took away our ability to bend. But we don't know how."

Claire's explanation took aback the Kyoshi Warrior as she sat next to her, "Can you bend now?"

Claire looked to the lake of water, stretching out her hand then flicking her wrist, causing a small stream of water to shoot out of the lake then flop back down, "Yep."

Claire went back to her slumped over sitting position, "Amon must have taken the city by now... and the bending of all my friends..."

Claire lowered her head as she disgustingly grunted at herself, "I screwed up..."

As the Avatar wallowed in her despair, Ty Lee sharply nudged Claire's shoulder, "We all screw up every now and again, just because you're the Avatar doesn't mean you're exempt from that."

"An Avatar should never screw up this badly, I let an entire city fall into the hands of a madman, and now there's nothing I can do to bring him down!" Claire angrily said, placing her hands to the sides of her head as she fell back to the ground.

"Whining about it won't get you anywhere, we need a plan!" Ty Lee sharply replied as she quickly stood up.

But before Claire could make up a response, she noticed a boat-shaped object with a blue shape above it flying in the sky, slowly getting closer. The curious Avatar stood up, still looking to the sky, catching Ty Lee's attention, seeing the air-ship touch the ground beside them.

Claire's father, now stripped of his fluffy hat and scarf, still adorned with his brown leather jacket, navy blue baggy pants and brown fluff lined boots, emerged from the airship, "Claire!" he called out.

"Dad!" Claire called back with a smile, immediately running towards him and hugging her father tightly.

"Who woulda thought, twenty years old and still greets me like this," Joseph jested as he hugged her back.

Ty Lee approached, mystified by her father's appearance, "How did your Dad find us?"

"Claire and her mother have a... special connection," Joseph replied as Ty Lee raised an eyebrow to his statement, brushing it off before Joseph turned his attention to Claire, looking to her with a concerned gaze.

"Now... what's put you into such distress, lassie?" Joseph asked.

Claire's posture slumped, looking away from him, "I... messed up. Badly."

Claire shook her head, but as she did, Joseph nudged her lightly, "Yer gonae need to give me more context than that."

"There's this man called Amon, at first we thought he was just a blood-bender with the ability to strip a person of their bending... but he's... something else, I don't know how to describe it," Claire replied, spiking Joseph's curiosity.

"Describe yer last encounter with him," Joseph firmly said as Claire took a deep breath.

"An odd... sinister aura came out of him darkening the area around us, and I could feel a chill inside me," Claire explained.

Joseph turned his gaze from the shook Claire and Perplexed Ty Lee, "A Shadow-Bender..."

Both Claire and Ty Lee sceptically look at each other before returning their attention to Joseph, "A What?" Ty Lee asked.

Joseph took a deep breath, turning his attention back to them, "Unlike yer Four Nations who have Fire, Air, Water and Earth, in my land of Aaravosia we only have two types of benders: Light-Benders, who bend the light in their environment and within themselves and Shadow-Benders, who bend the Shadows of any person or object."

Claire and Ty Lee wondrously looked at Joseph as he explained, "Are you... a Light-Bender?" Ty Lee asked.

Joseph smiled, facing the lake and bending the moonlight to his will, moving it around like a giant spotlight, stopping it around him, Claire and Ty Lee, "Yes, ye had better believe I am!"

Joseph illuminated Claire and Ty Lee's faces with wide grins, the two brimming with hope, "Do you think you could help us bring down Amon?" Claire eagerly asked.

Joseph smiled at her, "What kinda Dad would I be if I didn't, eh?"

"But I have to ask... what's the plan?"

Claire and Ty Lee walked towards Joseph, beginning to devise their plan.

Amon stood before the one hundred year war memorial, thunder rumbling and wind gusting past the masked man as he rested his a steely gaze upon the statue.

"Do you want us to bring it down, Boss?" The Fanatic asked as he approached, standing next to Amon.

The masked man let out a heavy sigh, "No... Without them, I never would have been able to rise to power as I have now. The Memorial will stay!"

The Fanatic nodded, returning to his patrol.

"You built this city intending to create harmony... But your successors forgot that sentiment... I did not," Amon said to the statues before venturing through the City Park.

Rain fell from the skies, dowsing the surrounding areas in puddles of water, but sensing its descent, Amon quickly used the rain to form an umbrella of ice, protecting him from the rain as he continued his walk. Several of Amon's followers and Fanatics greeted him on his walk whilst apprehending benders, who still tried to enforce their power and protecting non-bender businesses.

Amon looked around at his Republic City, content with his victory, despite something itching in the back of his mind, setting a new location in mind as he grasped a Crimson Rose from a florist shop, and before the florist could complain: one of Amon's followers flicked a gold piece into their palm.

Amon arrived at the graveyard within Republic City, Amon's followers patrolled the grounds as he observed the neatly aligned monolithic gravestones, names and elements adorned their stone structure, finding one with a recently placed white flower with a crimson centre laid atop it.

Amon lightly scoffed as he approached the gravestone taking in a deep breath, "I have to say I didn't expect Zu to go out of his way to murder you... but that gave me a stepping stone ascension... Oh, how I'd love to see the look on your face."

But In Amon's moment of pride, an odd sense of sorrow began seeping in, something cracking within his soul, "I suppose, in a sense, there are two people buried here..."

Amon paused for a moment before tossing the Crimson Rose towards the name carved into the tombstone, walking away towards the dilapidated Police Station.

The rain continued to fall but despite it, Amon's Fanatics still patrolled the streets, and as he reached the Police Station, he found several of his Earth Division erecting a memorial of their own.

"What's going on here?" Amon sceptically asked.

The followers perked up and stood before him, "We're... creating a memorial, Boss. In honour of those who fell during our taking of the city."

Amon smirked under his mask, "I would suggest building it within the Graveyard just that way. I intend to rebuild this Station one day and having a memorial in front of the entrance is a bit..."

Amon hummed to himself, trying to find the right word.

"Inconvenient?"

Amon snapped his metal gauntleted fingers, "Precisely, I don't mean to be rude."

The followers bowed their heads to him, "No worries, Boss. We'll move it to the Graveyard!"

The members of the Earth Division broke the memorial up from the floor, preparing to carry it to the Graveyard as Amon entered the Police Station, throwing away his ice umbrella as he strode through the ruined entrance of the Police Station, rubble still littered the floors, but regret did not pervade his mind as he ventured down into the Prison Cells that held Claire's captive allies.

"Here to grace the prisoners with your presence?" A Fanatic greeted him.

Amon nodded as the Fanatic to stepped aside, allowing Amon to venture into the dark depths of the prison, hearing the dripping of water and smelling the stench of death.

Kang, Zu, Li and Lin stood caged within one cell, The Governors in another and Khana alone in her own cell. They all glared at him except for Khana, who turned her back to him.

"Do you plan to keep us locked in here forever?" Lin spitefully asked.

But Amon remained silent as he intensely looking to all of them, "Perhaps... unless you help me get rid of those loose ends."

Amon approached the cells without caution, "Even with freedom on the line, we wouldn't help you!" Sheng adamantly said.

Kang looked to Amon, lunging forward and striking out his fist, but nothing happened, making Amon laugh at him, "Try to bend all you like, it's pointless!"

Kang continued trying to punch out fire, but nothing came of it, forcing a defeated sigh from the Mad Inventor.

"If you won't assist me in tracking down the Avatar and that woman, you will all rot away in there for the rest of your pitiful lives!" Amon explained as he twisted around and walked away from the cells.

Zu stood up and marched to the bars of their cell, grasping ahold of them as he tried to pry them apart, but just like Kang's Fire-bending, nothing happened, even resorting to brute Strength wouldn't budge the bars.

The Giant let out a sharp gasp as he stumbled backwards, "How has he taken our bending away?"

Zu punched the bars out of frustration, trying to break out, but despite his pounding, nothing happened.

"Whatever he did when we all stood against him, he must have done to these cells... either that or he's severed our bending permanently..." Hou replied from his cell.

"Our only hope is Claire returning with help... otherwise we're stuck here," Kang said aloud as he slumped down in his seated position.

"You know, 'The Avatar who fled' being our only hope doesn't exactly instil me with any," Jing replied from his cell.

Khana silently clenched her fist.

"Are we forgetting your, definitely not, Girlfriend also ran away?" Kang argued.

Khana gritted her teeth.

Jing stood up and faced the wall which separated him and Kang, "That is irrelevant to The Avatar fleeing during the battle!"

Kang scoffed, whilst Khana glared at the wall which separated them, "Claire will come back, I doubt she'll just allow us to waste away here!"

"Stop arguing! It won't get us anywhere! Whilst we're trapped in here, we should at least try to get along," Gao tried to break up the fight.

Both Kang and Jing scoffed before sitting back down.

"I did my duty... Whatever happens next... I won't have any regrets..." Khana said to herself, lowering her head, dismay weighing down upon her.

Amon returned to City Hall, venturing inside to see his Fanatics had replaced the Governor's stand with an eccentric black and grey throne.

Amon smiled under his mask as he approached his fanatics, "A Throne fit for the ruler of this city!" Amon told his fanatics.

Amon's compliments sent pleased looks over their faces, "Have you thought of a title, Boss? We'll be beginning your coronation this evening."

"I've been thinking... Shadow Lord Amon!" Amon said in a proud, mighty voice.

But the fanatic nervously cleared his throat, "I think the title... 'Shadow Lord' is already taken, Boss..."

Amon slumped in his posture, beginning to thinking of a new title, "Lord of Shadow's Amon...?"

"I think that one's taken too, Boss."

"Let's just go with Lord Amon, it's simple and not a mouthful," Amon disappointingly replied as the Fanatics nodded, leaving to plan Amon's coronation.

The masked man stood before his to-be throne, letting out a satisfied chuckle, "The City will officially be mine in due time..."

Amon turned his gaze to the doors of City hall, "but the more I think about it, the more The Avatar still being out there... irks me."

At the edge of the city: Claire, Joseph and Ty Lee hid along the perimeter of the city, watching the rainfall as Amon's Fanatics continued their patrol of the streets, eyes covered the entire city, and there was no way to get in without being noticed.

"How do we get in?" Claire asked, looking to her father, hoping he had a trick up his sleeve.

"I can bend the surrounding Light around us, make us invisible to the naked eye," Joseph replied.

Claire and Ty Lee curiously looked at one another, "How does that work?" Ty Lee asked, the two ladies looking back to Joseph.

The three sat behind a bush away from prying eyes, "As I said, as a Light-Bender, I can bend light around us, and with this nifty trick, we'll cast no shadows, and produce no reflections, although it can be draining if I do it for too long a time."

"How long do we have?" Claire asked, wondering whether Joseph could make it.

"At least an hour, so we cannae be loitering," Joseph firmly replied.

"Where would Amon hold our friends?" Ty Lee asked.

Claire thought to herself for a moment, "We were outside the Police Station during the battle... in terms of convenience, they might be in the Prison Cells beneath the Police Station."

"Do you think we can get there within one hour?" Joseph hesitantly asked.

Claire nodded, "As long as we don't waste time, we'll be able to get there!" Claire replied.

Joseph stood up, followed by Claire and Ty Lee, "Then its decided, onward to the City of Shadows!" Joseph said, pumping his fist out to the city.

But as he audaciously posed, a magazine slipped out from under his jacket, catching the attention of Claire and Ty Lee, "What's this?" The Curious Avatar asked.

Claire picked up the magazine, squinting at the title along with Ty Lee whilst her Dad stood utterly petrified, "'The Koala Sheep's eye'," Claire read as Joseph audibly gasped.

A painting of a Scantily Clad woman adorned the Magazine's cover with the title popping out to the reader's eyes.

Joseph twirled around, watching Claire open the magazine, "Ach, Crivens! Where did that come from?"

"Oh my," Claire muttered.

But despite the Avatar's surprise, Ty Lee slowly nodded, "Huh, I think I did some modelling for these guys back in my younger years."

Claire's eyes darted between Ty Lee, the blushing Joseph and the magazine until she affixed her glare on her father, "Why did this fall out of your jacket? Why do you even own this!?"

Joseph stammered, quickly turning away, confidently crossing his arms and clearing his throat, "Don't be mistaken, lassie. I only read them for the articles!"

Claire and Ty Lee flipped through the pages once more, seeing some pages had been cleanly sliced out, "THERE AREN'T ANY ARTICLES IN HERE!"

Joseph's eyes widened, his throat choking as his face flushed red.

"Mr. Light-bender, I believe we've caught you red-handed!" Ty Lee proclaimed as she pointed to Joseph, "And evidently, red-faced."

Joseph slowly twisted around to his scowling daughter and the giggling Kyoshi Warrior, "Please don't tell your mother."

Claire mulled it over for a moment as Ty Lee leaned in, "In all fairness, he has great taste in women."

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"

Claire groaned, handing her Dad his girly magazine, "Okay, I'll keep it secret, just don't drop it again."

Joseph heartily snatched the magazine as he smiled, "Ah, yer a star, lassie! Now, let's go teach that good-for-nothin' shadow-bender what for!"

Joseph stretched his arms out to the side, swishing them around his body as the surrounding light bent around them, their vision becoming hazy before righting itself.

"And one thing ye should know. They cannae see us, but can hear us. So we best to be as quiet as possible," Joseph explained.

Claire and Ty Lee nodded in agreement, beginning their venture into The City of Shadows.