Chapter 14: Mysteries Revealed

Kang and Iroh conversed over tea outside the shop, the Spiritual rays of the sun illuminating their surroundings. As they drank from their cups, a loud thud came from inside the Teashop, both of them quizzically looking to each other before rushing in to see Claire conscious, and on the floor.

Claire groaned and rubbed her head, "When... did I get on a table?"

"You've been on there for a while," Kang replied, glad to see she was alright.

The pain briefly numbed as the still groggy Claire's head perked up, "Define... 'a while'?"

"I'd wager about thirteen hours," Kang replied.

Iroh nodded, "That sounds about right."

"My memory's a bit... fuzzy. Where are we? And who's the elderly man?" Claire asked.

"Spirit World."

"My name is Iroh."

"Oh, nice. We meet the man we need help from with the Spirit World, in the Spirit World," Claire chuckled.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Iroh rhetorically replied.

The Wizened Tea maker walked over to a teapot, stirring the leaves and adding a pinch of dark brown powder before pouring the tea into a cup, "Here, drink this!" he handed her the steamy tea.

The Avatar took hold of the cup, sniffing and drinking it in one go. Her eyes lit up as she bounced off the ground, "What did you put in that?!"

"Just a pinch of something the spirits call Revitalisation Powder," Iroh smiled.

Kang stared at Claire whilst she flexed her fingers and rolled her neck, humming at the sight of her, "Can you still use your bending?"

The Avatar looked at her hands, the nerves tingling all over, "I think so..."

The three stepped out of the tea shop. Claire took a deep breath, punching fire through the air, followed by kicking out a slash of air. Next, she bent out water from her satchel, swirling it around her palm before thrusting a fist in the air, erecting an earth pillar.

Kang clapped, watching Claire happily pump her arms, "It seems Vaatu has brought the elements under control," Iroh said.

Claire's eyes perked open, freezing on the spot before turning to the tea maker, "Who's Vaatu?" an odd familiarity came over her.

"Vaatu is the Spirit of Order and one half of the Avatar Spirit, the other half is Raava, the Spirit of Chaos."

"And I only have Vaatu? So how can I still bend the four elements?" Claire asked.

"You only need one half of the Avatar Spirit for bending the four elements," Iroh explained.

"And the other half?"

"... I don't know," Iroh laughed as Kang slapped his forehead and Claire stared blankly, "What? I might be an old man, but I don't know everything!"

Kang and Claire brushed it off, the Avatar turning to the horizon, "Well, I suppose we should start finding a way out of the Spirit World."

But a hasty Kang approached her, "Aren't you forgetting why we needed to come here in the first place?"

Claire pondered for a moment, and awkward realisation dawning on her, "Oh... yeah, the Chaos in the... Spirit World..."

Iroh nodded, "Many spirits have gone mad because of Talos."

"Talos was in the spirit world? How?" Claire nervously asked.

"I'm not sure. Like you, he may have used a Spirit Portal. All I know is that he appeared out of nowhere, with a cleanly cut off left forearm," Iroh replied. Kang winced, clutching his prosthetic, "He also had quite the curious about ancient bending techniques thought lost to time, and the only place where he could find the knowledge he sought was within Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library."

Claire and Kang turned to each other, "That must be where he learnt how to... rip out my Avatar Spirit!" she shuddered in discomfort at the memory.

"We should start our investigation there, perhaps we can find out how he did it," Kang replied

"Yeah..." Claire responded, turning to Iroh, "Do you know a quick way there?"

Iroh gestured to the Spirit Portal they came in through, "Go through that Portal and take the Spirit Portal on your right."

"Thank you!" Claire replied.

Claire set off for the spirit portal whilst Kang briefly bowed, giving chase to the Avatar.

The two stood inside the Spirit Portal as a brilliant light consumed them, transporting them to The Nexus.

They looked around in wonder as the light faded to reveal the vast emptiness of the nexus, "It's nice to see this place when I'm not knocking on the Spirit of Death's door!"

But despite Claire's jests, Kang remained silent. She turned to find him glaring at a Spirit Portal in a ridged posture, "Are you alright?" she cautiously approached.

"Not at all..." Kang replied, still glaring at a Spirit Portal across from him.

"... Care to share?"

"After you fell unconscious, I had to go find Vaatu, and I spent about seven hours adventuring through the Spirit World to find him. Turns out a Lion Turtle had him," Kang explained.

"I'm following so far," Claire replied.

Kang grasped her by the shoulder, pointing to the Spirit Portal, "WELL LOOK WHAT'S IN THAT PORTAL!"

Claire's eyes nervously darted between Kang and the portal, "An... Island?"

"NOT JUST ANY ISLAND! THAT'S THE LION TURTLE I HAD TO FIND!"

Claire's cheeks swelled as she placed her hand to her mouth, trying to contain her laughter at Kang's misfortune, "That's... unfortunate."

"I know! I could have saved myself hours of walking and almost getting killed by a Gorilla-Bear Spirit!" Kang exclaimed.

Claire's pent up laughter faded, her eyebrow rising at the sound of 'Gorilla-Bear Spirit', "A what?"

"You know, a Gorilla-Bear Spirit, a big hulking beast of a creature that could bench press a four hundred foot tall Purple Platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings with ease," Kang explained.

Claire stared blankly at Kang's analogy, "... What?"

"What? Have you never heard the story of Aza the Giant Purple Platypus Bear, defender of the great Bear Nation!" Kang quizzically asked.

Claire's mouth hung ajar as she stared at Kang, "I, uh... can't say I have."

Kang lightly nodded, "Ah, it used to be my favourite story. My..." he paused, gazing to the ground with a melancholy smile, softly snapping his fingers, "Iroh said Spirit Portal to the right, correct?" he sharply asked, pointing to a nearby Spirit Portal.

"Yeah, it should be..." Claire observed the portals, spotting one with a giant building in it, "This one!"

Claire stepped towards the portal, Kang following her. The light once again enveloped them, transporting them to the outside of Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library, both of them marvelling at the grand structure, surrounded by ice tipped mountains, fields of stone and snow, and an overcast sky looming over them.

"How do we... get inside?" Claire cautiously asked.

"Well... there's a window in that top spire, you could probably get up there with your air-bending or earth climbing or like me, you could just propel yourself up with fire jets!" Kang explained.

"Good plan!" Claire replied.

The two propelled themselves up to the top of the spire with jets of fire, climbing in through the window and slowly descending onto a bridge above an abyss.

Claire dropped to the ground too early, the consequences surging up her legs as she stood frozen and whimpering.

Kang, however, dropped from a short distance off the ground, "When descending with Fire jets, always stop a few feet off the ground, not a few metres!"

"... Noted..." Claire painfully replied, her legs surging with agony.

The two stood on a junction bridge, four pathways leading to a grand collection of millions upon millions of tomes, books and scrolls. Stuffed animal heads adorned the columns of the bridge, and an eloquent ambience permeated the air.

But before they could take in their surroundings, Wan Shi Tong, a giant black owl spirit with a white face, lunged at them, looming with a menacing elegance.

Both Kang and Claire leapt back in fright as they stared down the behemoth Owl, "Humans are not welcome here, I will give you one chance to leave before I turn you both into decorative blood splatters!"

Claire and Kang's gaze darted between each other and the Owl, "Does it help if I say I'm the Avatar?"

"No!" Wan Shi Tong sharply replied, "The last Avatar who entered my Library lied and exploited my knowledge alongside his foolish friend. Why am I to think you two are any different?"

Kang affirmatively hummed, straightening his posture, "You know, Big Bird's got a point!" he pointed to Wan Shi Tong.

"You're seriously siding with the Owl!?"

"I'm just saying!"

"Enough! You have wasted your chance by playing the fool!" Wan Shi Tong said, his Neck elongating, his once round head becoming jagged and pointy.

Wan Shi Tong lunged at a petrified Kang, unable to move in time. But Wan Shi Tong stopped, looking passed the goggles and into his eyes, "You... have Iroh's eyes, or at least they're similar."

"I... do?" Kang squeamishly asked.

"Are you a son, perhaps? Maybe a nephew?" Wan Shi Tong asked, peering into him, while Claire stood in shock.

"I... am his Grand-nephew!" Kang squeamishly replied.

Claire's mouth dropped open as Wan Shi Tong returned to his original form, "As a relative of my friend, I will allowyou into my Library, as long as you keep the Avatar in check!"

"I'll... do that" Kang replied, his breathing returning to normal as he held his chest.

"Enjoy your time in the Library."

Wan Shi Tong glared at Claire before leaping from the bridge. Kang watched him descend and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good thing Iroh has good relations in the Spirit World."

The stunned Claire approached him, standing next to him at the bridge's edge, "You're the Grand-nephew to The Dragon of the West!?"

"Yes, I am. What of it?" Kang dismissively replied.

"I'm just... surprised is all, I thought you might have mentioned it when we were looking for him."

"I don't like to speak about my family, and you know that," Kang sombrely replied, gazing into the distance.

"Can I at least know who you're the Son of? Zuko or...?" Claire asked.

Kang's hands shook, his teeth gritting, "I said... I don't like to speak about my family!" his voice rose, his fists clenching as he turned away from the ever more curious Avatar.

"Wait... you're... Azula's son?" Claire asked, her curiosity overcoming her.

Kang tightened his fists, his teeth gritting ever tighter as a lump grew in his throat, turning his back to Claire.

"Kang is everything al-," he viciously twisted around, "YES, I AM!" Kang shouted.

Kang's shouts echoed throughout the library as Claire jumped back, "I... know she wasn't the best person in the-,"

"SHUT UP!" Kang shouted, pointing his finger at Claire, his hand quaking, air expelling from his nose like a dragon.

The Avatar gazed back in a nervous offence, "Excuse me?"

Kang lowered his hand, trudging towards the feckless Avatar, "You don't know a thing about her! My mother meant everything to me! She was all I had, for twenty years! I loved her, with all my heart!" his voice cracked, the anguish echoing throughout the library, "And I..."

His voice lowered, cracking evermore as his posture slumped, a befuddled Claire gazing to him, "You... what?"

Kang bit his lip, choking on his voice as he clenched his fists once more, "Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP!"

Kang's body trembled as the bottled-up turmoil broke open. Claire took a deep breath, shaking her head to herself, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she muttered.

But despite her apology, Kang glared at her, "No, No, you're the high and mighty Avatar! You have a right to know everything about me! Where should we start!?" he sarcastically snapped at her.

Claire's gaze turned uneasy as she stepped back, "Kang, I didn't mean it like that... you've just been a mystery for so long, my curiosity... got the better of me."

"Ah, yes! Curiosity, always with the curiosity!" Kang snapped, marching and mockingly throwing his arms up, "Tell me, are you curious about how I murdered my own mother!?"

Claire's heart skipped a beat, her body trembling as Kang loomed over her, "What-!?"

"Or how I hear her screams whenever I close my eyes!? Do you want to know about that too!?"

"Or how about the constant grief and pain I've carried since that day!? Just go ahead and ask!"

Kang's rage overflowed as Claire fell to the ground, nervously looking up at him.

"I have held this Grief, this Pain... for over half my life!"

"... And you dare to walk into my life thinking you can just delve into my history like I'm some kind of open tome!?"

Claire trembled, her nerves standing on end, but Kang's rage slowly turned to sorrow. The Fire-bender stood up straight, glaring down at the fearful Claire, "I am ashamed of what I did, I buried it deep within myself, never wanting to speak of it again..."

"But you just had to go digging, you just had to uncover the truth! Well, I hope you're happy now!" Kang sombrely turned away.

Claire stood back up, her legs still quaking, "I'm... sorry, Kang"

"Apologies doesn't mean a thing, they never do..."

Claire's heart sank, a tear streaking from her eye as she watched the slumped over Kang venture into the Library.

The two journeyed in silence, arriving at a chamber containing scrolls and tomes on 'Ancient bending techniques'.

Claire began sifting Wan Shi Tong's collection, pulling out scroll after tome, but finding nothing on what could have taken an Avatar Spirit.

Kang turned his gaze to two scrolls left out on a small sitting stool, "Over there." he gestured to the scrolls.

Claire trotted over, kneeling and observing the state of the scrolls, "These look really old."

"We're in a Spirit Library dating back tens of thousands of years, of course, they're old," Kang dismissively replied.

Claire let out a heavy sigh before unravelling the first scroll, recognising some rigid forms from Amon's Scroll, "Kang, do you think that Yakone guy got his blood-bending scrolls from here?"

"No."

Claire hummed as she gazed at the scroll, "And here I thought Blood-bending was a relatively new technique..."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone's discovered something lost to time," Kang sharply replied.

Claire continued unravelling the scroll, "Flesh manipulation..." her skin crawled.

Kang curiously looked over, "Come again?"

Claire began reading the writings, "Flesh manipulation, a skill in which the user can manipulate their flesh or that of their enemies."

"That must be how Talos made himself look exactly like Unalaq," Kang theorised.

Claire shuddered at the thought, "Well... one mystery solved, one to go."

"Indeed."

Claire grasped the second scroll, unravelling it to find poses unlike any she'd seen before, "Spirit-bending?"

"That's... not something I've heard of before..." Kang replied, curiously waltzing back over.

"Spirit-bending, an art separate to the four elements in which the user can bend and bind Spirits to their will," Claire read, "'I am the first and only Spirit-Bender was Avatar Shen-Chao'." she read, her nerves standing on end.

Kang snatched the scroll, humming as he observed it, "Looks around thirty thousand years old..." he threw it back to the bewildered Claire.

"'Once bound to my will, they are at my command, but during my self-taught training, I turned most spirits insane'," Claire read.

"Well, now we know why Mad Spirits seem to have a thing for chasing us," Kang replied.

"Yeah..."

"'An interesting skill I adapted is the ability to cleave Spirits which have merged with humans'!" Claire exclaimed, shooting up as she read.

"And that's our mystery solved, Talos is a Flesh Manipulating Spirit-Bending Avatar thief," Kang unenthusiastically replied.

Claire sat the scroll down on the stool, "I best begin practising if I'm going to get Raava back."

Kang searched through old tomes and scrolls whilst she trained, finding a tome with the symbols of the four elements in the corners, and a Yin-Yang symbol in the centre.

Kang's curiosity got the better of him, flipping through the pages, but seeing nothing of interest.

However, the deeper he delved, he found a section that made his eyebrows perk up, "So it is a thing!" he quietly exclaimed.

Claire paused and turned to him, "what did you find?"

But despite her questions, Kang dismissively waved a hand to her, "Go back to your spirit-bending."

Claire shook her head, sighing before returning to her practice of the Spirit-Bending forms.