Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.
Version 2.0
End of Ages
The First Interlude: 30 years ago…
…the Age of Firelord Ozai and the supremacy of flame came to its end. Defeated at last by the risen Avatar and his companions, the dream of peace that had suffered so long under the Fire Nation's oppression was no longer merely a hushed myth, it was an expectation of the future. Yet 100 years of war cannot be undone by coup, retribution, or even death. The destruction caused by a century of warfare is not so easily pushed aside - only time can fully soothe the ravages of the past.
As their countries rejoiced around them, the leading men and women of each nation held councils in order to set the boundaries of the new world, and to exact damages from those who had destroyed so much of the old. Presiding over these was the Avatar, in order to ensure equality and harmony, especially in these early years of freedom. These were brutal days, where long repressed emotions came spilling to the forefront of the debates, and often it seemed warfare would break out anew. Yet the Avatar held firm, and eventually, compromises were reached. The new era would begin.
10 years of rebuilding followed the fall of the Phoenix King, later known as the Golden Decade. The Avatar and his companions grew to adulthood, and nations slowly began to heal themselves. Curiously, these ten years were of goodwill towards other nations, even, in proportion to the later years, to the Fire Nation; who took full responsibility for originating the war. Much of this may be attributed to the friendship between the Avatar and Firelord Zuko, and the latter's willingness to personally answer for much of his country's damage, his doing or not.
The next 10 years were the more difficult. Disease and malcontent blossomed against the developing harmony only 12 years into the new age, marring the earlier epoch of optimism, philanthropy, and hope. Insurgents in the Fire Nation called for the return of Ozai (only the most extreme would whisper Azula's name, for almost all feared her madness) yet his death 3 months later of the sleeping sickness would quiet them, for a time. For the sleeping sickness was the true bane of the now free world – no one could predict its coming, just as no one could find a cure. Thousands fell to the malady, while pitifully few recovered. 18 years later, this had not changed.
30 years after the Fire Nation fell from their position of eminence, the world was on the brink of a second disaster. In his struggle to overcome the elemental tyrant, the Avatar had broken one of the oldest laws – one that had unfortunately long been forgotten. At the brink of the 30th Anniversary of freedom, the Avatar and all who stood by him would have to once again immerse themselves in the perils of war. Yet this was not a war that would enmesh the physical world, it was a war fought in the shadows, in the nuance of emotion, and in the perilously thin line between hope and despair. It was conflict such as the world had not seen in millennia, a war between the elements and the human spirit, and the living and the dead.
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30 years ago, Aang had, in following his strictures on the sanctity of life, failed his forebears. Now, he is presented with his last chance to make up for his grievous mistake. In a changing world where friend becomes foe and inner harmony is forever lost, he must make his final decision, for the war cannot be won – or lost – until the Avatar has faced his destiny.
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To anyone who has this on alert, I apologize but every chapter is getting uploaded with a revised version – so be prepared for a lot of emails.
After years of working on this, I finally renamed it. It was simply too misleading, before. I hope you enjoy the edited version!
There are a fair amount of OC's, as this is technically a fic about their (Non-Korra compliant) children. There is Zutara romance in the chapters as well, but if you're only here for the parts about the original characters, I would stick to the interludes (starting with int. 3).
The Years reset after Ozai was defeated, so the year after Ozai defeat was Year 1. It was, so to speak, the beginning of a new Age.
I hope you enjoy!
