Chapter 12: The Fated Battle
Claire soared through the skies on the gilder, coursing through the turbulent Chaos whilst keeping her eyes to the south, waiting for Republic City to come into view, and as she continued gliding, the sight of the Heart of Chaos tainted her vision, gawking at it with frightful wonder.
"That must be where Talos is," Claire told herself, swallowing her fear as she soared towards it, landing atop a building a fair distance from the Heart of Chaos, wondrously gazing up at it.
"The entrance must be on the other side," Claire told herself as she observed it, preparing to set off on her glider once more, but as she did two coiling streams of Azure flames shot out from the Heart of Chaos. Claire quickly ducked to the ground, looking up to the coiling flames in awe, the heat beating down on her as their roar surged throughout the city.
"By the moon and ocean, what was that!?" Claire exclaimed as she watched the fire dissipate, quickly standing up and looking to the hole in the Heart of Chaos.
"Well... looks like I got my entrance," Claire told herself with a smirk, intending to soar up to it. Claire glided across to the hole in the Heart of Chaos, flashing sparks coming from within, shortly ceasing before a dark light emitted from the interior. befuddling the gliding Avatar.
"Just what exactly did I miss?" Claire asked herself, landing on the azure burning rim of the hole, taking a deep breath as she stood tall. Claire noticed Kang standing before the scarred, shirtless Talos, smirking at them as she did.
"Well, looks like I missed quite the snazzy performance!" Claire called out to them, Talos' heart skipping a beat as he turned to see her, a wide grin coming over Kang whilst a zealous smirk came over Talos.
"Claire!" Both Kang and Talos exclaimed, The White-haired Avatar leaping from the rim, striding towards Talos with a confident smile, the two Avatars standing inches from each other.
"Long time no see, Talos," Claire greeted him with light animosity as Talos scoffed.
"For you, perhaps. You certainly took your time getting out of the Spirit World," Talos replied with equal animosity.
"I thought I'd see the sights, pick up a thing or two from my past lives," Claire told him, perching the glider on her shoulder.
"Then our battle shall finally begin... at long last," Talos eagerly replied as he lightly shrugged his arms out.
"Hold your ostrich-horses, Talos," Claire told him, raising her free hand to him, causing Talos to raise an eyebrow to her.
"I'm going to see my friends first, then I'll happily come in here and fight you," Claire added as Talos smirked.
"Very well, I have waited this long... a few more minutes is nothing," Talos replied, inviting Claire to leave and meet with her friends.
Claire marched passed Talos, but as she did, a devilish idea came to the black-haired Avatar's mind as his hand turned a translucent blue. Talos lunged forward, intending to swipe Vaatu from Claire, but she too turned her hand to a translucent blue, grasping his arm and tightly gripping it, looking back at him as their hands returned to normal.
"Not this time, Talos," Claire scornfully replied as Talos ripped his arm from her grasp, half smiling as he backed away. Claire continued walking over to Kang, looking him up and down as she did.
"I have to say, if it wasn't for the prosthetic arm, I wouldn't recognise you," Claire jested as Kang shrugged.
"Well..." Kang replied in a melancholy manner, slumping his shoulders as he looked to Claire.
"I'm... sorry I couldn't beat Talos for you," Kang added, causing Claire to raise a quizzical eyebrow to him.
"... I appreciate the attempt, but this is my fight now," Claire replied as she placed a hand on his shoulder, Kang nodding before the two continued out of the Heart of Chaos.
"And I gotta say, you look good like that," Claire told him with a smile.
"Lin thought so too," Kang replied in a suave tone, the two stepping out of the Heart of Chaos.
Khana, Sky and Ty Lee sat up from their earthen beds, their heads still fuzzy and pain still racking their bodies.
"So... did we miss anything?" Sky asked as he sat up, groggily holding his head.
"Well, Kang's back and he arrived on a-" Lin began telling him, looking up to see Kang and Claire approaching them, "The Avatar!?" Lin exclaimed, making everyone quickly perk up and turn to see the two striding towards them.
"THE AVATAR!" everyone exclaimed, rushing over to her whilst Khana stood Avatar-Struck.
"Claire...!" Khana quietly exclaimed, shortly following everyone else as they crowded around her.
"That's me!" Claire nonchalantly greeted them.
"You took your time getting here, Avatar!" Zu commented on Claire's late arrival.
"Well, I needed some guidance from my past lives... and I had to traverse the Spirit World to find them," Claire replied, crossing her arms as she spoke.
"If you're here, then have you beaten Talos? Are you a full Avatar now or?" Hou asked, shrugging his arms as he did.
"Not yet... I came here to see you all one last time before I..." Claire replied, letting out a sharp sigh as she looked to the ground.
"I just wanted to let you all know, that no matter what happens... I'm thankful to have met you all," Claire added as she perked her head up, everyone quizzically looking around at one another.
"You say that like this is your grand finale," Zuko commented as Claire remained silent for a moment, gazing at the ground.
"Grand finale or not... I needed to say it," Claire replied, lightly throwing her glider to Tenzin. The Air Nomad snatched it out of the air, sceptically looking to it as Claire walked away, trying to keep her head held high. But Khana muscled through everyone, quickly limping after Claire.
"Claire!" Khana cried out, grabbing onto the Avatar's hand as it swung behind her, Claire's heart skipping a beat as she turned to Khana, looking into the confused Kyoshi Warrior's eyes.
"Sorry, Khana..." Claire told her, as Khana slowly stood up straight, looking into Claire's anguished eyes.
"Before you go... promise me one thing," Khana told her as the two inched ever closer, Khana's hands wrapping around Claire's, as the Avatar gave her an affirmative stare.
"Promise me I'll see you again when all this is over," Khana demanded in a shaky voice.
"I... promise," Claire sombrely replied, the two touching their foreheads to one another as Khana gently placed her hand on the back of Claire's neck.
"I love you," Khana softly told her.
"I love you too," Claire shakily replied as the two released their embrace, looking into each other's eyes one last time, sorrowful smiles coming over their faces as Claire departed, her footsteps slowly fading from the ears of her friends.
Claire stood before the Heart of Chaos, looking back to her friends one last time before returning her attention to the looming crystal, closing her eyes as she thought of her friends.
"Let go your earthly tether," Claire told herself, her parents and elemental masters fading from view, the Avatar lightly choking, gritting her teeth, "Enter the Void," the Governors, Team Avatar, Zu and Li fading from view, her fists clenching, muscles tensing, "Empty..." Sky, Ty Lee, Kang and Lin fading from view, a tear streaking from the Avatar's eye as she took a shaky breath, "And become... wind," Claire finished, Khana fading from view as her tear soaked eyes briefly glowed.
Claire stepped through the archway, marching in and across the bridge, seeing the burnt, shirtless Talos standing before the ruins of his throne, eagerly awaiting her.
"Alright, Talos. Your Avataring days are over!" Claire proclaimed, stretching out her hand to him.
"Hand over Raava," Claire demanded, but Talos shook his head.
"If you want her, then you'll have to take her," Talos informed her, slowly walking towards her and stopping a fair distance from her.
"But you already knew that," Talos told her, to which Claire lightly nodded.
"I figured, you might say that," Claire disappointingly replied as Talos lightly smirked at her.
"Tell me... how many times have we fought?" Talos asked as he proudly stood before her whilst Claire lightly shrugged.
"Hard to say... but if memory serves," Claire replied, stretching her arm out to the side as a light formed around her hand, the Edge of Balance materialising into her hand.
"I'm still up one," Claire smugly added, faintly smiling at Talos as he smiled back.
"We may be friends, Claire... but I cannot accept your existence as Avatar!" Talos snarled as Claire scoffed.
"Then let's settle this... Talos!" Claire adamantly replied, crouching and pulling the Edge of Balance to the side of her face as Talos smugly smirked.
"Come, Claire!" Talos demanded, stretching his hand out to her as his blade arm arched back. Claire lunged at Talos as he dashed in, their blades colliding, the clang of the metal reverberating throughout the Heart of Chaos, the interior partially cracking as they stood their ground.
Talos kicked Claire away, breaking their stalemate and mercilessly leaping in before Claire could regain her balance, viciously swinging his blade arm and unleashing slashes of Fire and Air, to which Claire countered and weaved through the strikes, keeping a tight grip on the sword.
Talos leapt forward, spinning around and bringing his blade down upon Claire, slashing towards her without hesitation, just barely missing her as Claire dodged backwards, and as Talos continued slashing with reckless abandon, Claire caught his blade on her own, swinging it around and throwing him off his balance, bending water onto the blade as she, slashed the blade upwards, quickly pirouetting and forming a razor sheen of water, the water's wrath forcing Talos back, as Claire quickly broke the pattern, lunging forward like the wind with her sword pointed towards Talos, intending to run him through, but Talos quickly leapt to the side, matching her speed and spinning around, intending to cut her down, but Claire dematerialised the Edge of Balance, quickly taking a firm stance and flicking her hand up, erecting an obelisk of Obsidian, as Talos' blade cut into it, briefly trapping the blade.
Claire twisted around, grasping ahold of the Obelisk and swinging herself around to Talos, viciously kicking him and breaking him away from the obsidian, throwing him into the waters below. But quickly as he dived in, Talos reappeared behind Claire, his hand turning translucent as he descended unto the Avatar, but she thwarted his sneak attack, leaping away as the False Avatar smashed into the bridge. Claire hovered in the air, swiftly punching down and unleashing a roaring crimson blaze, but Talos quickly rolled onto his back, pirouetting his legs in the air and unleashing a spiral of violet flames.
Claire landed back on the ground, leaping in at Talos with the Edge of Balance poised to strike, but as she swung the blade, he disappeared from view, reappearing by his shattered throne as an inky black aura encircled him.
"You can't resist my power!" Talos proclaimed as the wind rushed through the Heart of Chaos, forming a multitude of afterimages at Talos' side.
"Tricks Talos? Are you an Avatar or a magician?" Claire taunted him over the growing turbulence.
Talos weaved his blade around, the after images copying his movements, all swinging their blades in unison, unleashing razor slashes of violet flame, however, Claire stood her ground, bringing the Edge of balance over her shoulder and behind her head, gripping it tightly with both hands as the violet slashes approached.
The Edge of Balance radiated with crimson flames as the Avatar threw herself towards Talos' barrage of violet fire, cleaving through the flames with her own.
"WOOHOO!" Claire cheered as the Edge of Balance recklessly spun her forward towards Talos, eventually regaining her balance and leaping in towards, and as the False Avatar gawked, Claire kicked out a furious crimson blaze, but Talos quickly leapt over and behind Claire, to which she quickly countered with an obelisk of obsidian, knocking Talos away from her and onto his bridge.
The two glared at each other before charging in once again, their blades smashing into one another and throwing them off to their sides, both quickly freezing the water and standing back up, mimicking each other like a mirror as they punched their fists out, pulling up gigantic cliffs of earth and obsidian.
The two cliffs smashed into one another as they continued rising, with Claire and Talos running up the backs of them. The cliffs pierced through the Heart of Chaos' shell, shattering the crystal as it rained down on them.
Claire and Talos came face-to-face once more, clashing their blades, the force throwing them back as they landed on individual pieces of crystal. Claire's friends watched as the black cliffs shattered the crystal, all gawking as Claire and Talos duelled.
Claire leapt from her crystal, as did Talos, their blades glancing one another as they landed on a separate crystal platform once more. The two Avatar's punched out flames of violet and crimson, the forces colliding and coiling as they leapt up and around the falling crystals, blasting Air and obsidian boulders at each other before they landed back on the obsidian cliffs, charging and clashing swords once more, the metal clanging reverberating across the city as they threw themselves back to the edges of their cliffs. The two looked to one another as they slowly regained their breath, standing tall atop their peaks.
"What a rush!" Talos enthusiastically laughed.
"I haven't had a fight like this in ages!" Talos added as he raised his arms to his side.
"Just like old times..." Claire replied with a smirk as she dematerialised the Edge of Balance, crossing her arms and gazing at Talos.
"Indeed... but we both know it won't end the way it usually does," Talos sombrely told her as he raised his blade arm to her.
"Let me guess, next you're gonna say 'No more messing around Claire, it's time to kick things up a notch'" Claire predicted.
"No more messing around Claire, it's time t-... oh you're good," Talos replied, smirking at Claire as she smirked back.
"Avatar State?" Claire asked, dropping her arms to her side.
"Avatar State!" Talos confidently replied, crouching down and readying his blade.