Chapter 40: The Avatar and the Kryptonian
During the night, Aang received a vision from Avatar Roku, which instructed him to go to Roku's home island on the summer solstice.
That island was a deserted wasteland covered in volcanic ash, including the two volcanoes dominating the landscape. Not a single spec of life inhabited the island, even though the volcanoes were long dormant. The last eruption had to have been relatively recent, on a geological timescale, no more than two hundred years ago. Appa reached the island near sunset and landed at the base of one volcano, setting foot on solid black rock relatively untouched by time. Eventually this island would become habitable again, but that time was still long from now.
"There's nothing here," Katara said.
Toph jumped off Appa and stomped on the ground. "Yes there is. An entire village, hundreds of houses, all completely buried in ash."
Taiyo looked down and gazed through the rock, confirming Toph's observation but not finding any human remains. "Whoever lived here managed to get off the island in time."
"Good to know," Sokka said. He watched Momo start digging in the ash, then brought up the reason they were here. "So Aang, when are you going to talk to Roku?"
"At sunset," Aang answered. He took a look around and found a slab of rock that jutted out towards the western sea. "That spot will do."
While Aang meditated, Taiyo looked to the north, thinking of something he could do while Aang was in the Spirit World. "So Aang's off to learn about life before the war?"
"Yup," Sokka said. "A shame we can't see what he's seeing."
"Yeah…" Taiyo muttered. Still, he wondered if there was another way to learn what really happened over a hundred years ago. "I'm going to go check something out."
Taiyo disappeared in a blur, leaving everyone else behind on the island. He was running directly north towards the top of the world, heading for the one place that might have what he wanted. He crossed the northern ocean in minutes and ran across the frozen tundra, passing by the Northern Water Tribe and kept on running. A blizzard formed in his path and slowed down Taiyo, but did not stop him from reaching his destination. The blizzard cleared just as it always did, at the threshold to the Fortress of Solitude.
Most of the crystalline structure had returned to its former brilliance, with only a couple of darkened crystals scattered throughout the Fortress. Most of its functionality had been restored as well, save for the missing medical android and its programming. It was more than enough for what Taiyo was interested in today, and after he entered the Fortress, he went for a specific room. Inside, there were large screens on the walls and many control consoles, each linked toa database containing vast knowledge.
Taiyo accessed the historical files in one database, sorted by date, and found some files that lined up with the era of Avatar Roku. "Okay, let's see what happened back then…"
One Hundred and Sixty-Six Years Ago.
"So this is Earth."
A tall, clean shaven, black haired young man took his first steps on the surface an alien world, exiting the sanctuary of the kryptonian outpost. He was wearing the standard uniform of an extraterrestrial diplomat, a simple black suit with his house's crest, a zig-zagged line in a diamond, in silver on his chest. His first steps outside the outpost were taken on fresh snow, crunching underneath his heel. The tundra all around the outpost was similar to much of his home's climate, but there ended the similarity with Krypton.
Lor-Zod looked up at the alien sky, a deep blue with a bright yellow sun shining above. His eyes needed a moment to adjust to the brightness, even if his flesh was soaking in the radiation of a young star. He also took in several deep breaths at first, noticing that the air was much thinner and purer here. And it seemed like he might simply float away into the brightly lit sky, as his whole body felt much lighter here on this smaller world. It wouldn't take very long to get used to these conditions, even if he would prefer not to dwell on his short stay.
"Might as well get this mission over with," Lor-Zod muttered. He pressed a button on a wristwatch, and it projected a hologram of Earth, with a dot for his location and another on the westernmost island. "How hard can it be to find a new Avatar?"
He turned off the hologram, and then Lor-Zod started running straight south, achieving speed far beyond his wildest dreams. The landscape blurred all around him as he ran even faster, laughing with excitement the entire time. It seemed unreal that yellow sunlight could enable such speed, among the other gifts from a young and strong star. He had been briefed about this long before his mission, yet it still seemed impossible for this kind of power to exist. It certainly explained the psychological tests beforehand, to make sure that whoever was sent here wouldn't abuse the power of the yellow sun.
At the end of the tundra Lor-Zod stopped in his tracks, staring at the ocean that stretched beyond the horizon. "By Rao… so much water…"
He hadn't believed the briefings about this world, that over half of it was covered by vast oceans. Seeing it with his own eyes was far more convincing, as the vast expanse of water was deeper than the eye could see. It was a sight not seen on Krypton in the millennia since its oceans froze over, to the point where some believed Krypton never had liquid oceans in the first place. He spent a moment just staring out at the open ocean, trying to preserve the sight in his mind. Lor-Zod smiled as he started running on top of the ocean's surface, enjoying the experience far more than any officer should.
The run across the ocean did not take very long, courtesy of his wristwatch computer providing directions. Lor-Zod ran until he found land directly ahead, but stopped once he set foot on solid ground. Black volcanic rock revealed an active interior to this world, still churning out new land from below. On this island Lor-Zod walked to civilization, or what passed for it on a backwater planet. Near the outskirts of the local city he observed the locals, in particular the red and black clothing that they considered fashionable.
"Better get incognito," Lor-Zod muttered.
He tapped a few spots on the house crest on his chest, activating his uniform's camouflage mode. A hologram of simple red clothes appeared over the uniform, and simple force fields in the hologram made the fake clothes feel real to the touch. Now he looked like he belonged in this civilization, wearing the same clothes in the same style as the locals. In disguise, Lor-Zod walked into civilization, passing by a group of locals on his way in. They did notice his presence, but thought of him as merely someone they didn't recognize.
"Hey there stranger," a local man said, greeting with a wave.
"Good morning," Lor-Zod said back, thanking the universal translator hidden in his collar. It made infiltration so much easier. "It's so good to finally see this city."
"Well you picked a good time to visit," the local said. "Today is the crown prince's sixteenth birthday. The whole city is going to party."
"I'll be sure to enjoy it," Lor-Zod said.
He left the local alone and started following the nearest crowd deeper into the city, figuring that they were heading towards the birthday celebration. A crown prince seemed like a suitable candidate to be an Avatar, especially one who was the right age. It wasn't difficult to find the crown prince, all one had to do was follow the noble chain of command. An important family head led to a district mayor, which led to local governor, which led to a citywide judge, which led to a revered sage, which led to a congregation of Fire Sages, which led to the opening celebrations in front of an ornate temple.
After following the sages, Lor-Zod saw a gathering of people giving applause, all attention on someone coming out of the temple. However, when Lor-Zod got a good look, he found two teenagers walking down ornate steps, one shorter with all his hair in a topknot and the other taller with much of his hair down to his back. They seemed to be the same age, and this appeared to be a shared birthday party. The shorter one had a small flame headpiece in his topknot, and most of the attention seemed to be on him.
"Which one is it?" Lor-Zod wondered, watching the sages approach the teenagers.
The shorter one hastened his steps to approach the sages, deep worry obvious on his face. "Did something happen to my father?"
The lead sage corrected him and clarified their purpose here. "No Prince Sozin, we are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar."
Amidst the crowd there were mutters of the Avatar, many wondering if it was their prince. Lor-Zod crossed his arms and waited. "This makes my job easier."
"It is our honor to serve you," the sage said, and they all started making deep bows. "Avatar Roku."
Everyone in the crowd started bowing to the taller teenager, going so far as to put their arms on the floor and bury their faces in them. Even Prince Sozin dropped to one knee and lowered his gaze, respecting the sudden authority granted to his best friend. Roku was shocked at this revelation, his agape expression signaling that he believed he wasn't worthy of the title granted to him. But then his gaze found one man that wasn't bowing, clearly wondering who wouldn't be bowing in the presence of the Avatar.
Lor-Zod simply nodded to Roku, and then turned and walked away. When he was out of earshot, Lor-Zod held up his wristwatch spoke into it. "Objective completed: new Earth Avatar identified as Roku. Description will be uploaded from memory upon return to the outpost."
Having reached the end of the log entry, Taiyo reflected on what he had learned.
Although he already knew that other kryptonians had visited Earth, this Fortress being proof of that, it seemed more real to have a firsthand account. It appeared that only one person at a time was allowed to be here, and those few who got permission were thoroughly vetted to prevent exploitation of the yellow sun. Taiyo wondered if he could have gotten to experience Earth this way, if Krypton had survived and he could have lived there. He would have to settle for someone else's experiences, and he wanted to learn more about a world at peace.
So Taiyo accessed the next record. "Alright, what's next?"
One Hundred and Fifty-Four Years Ago.
"And I'm back here again."
Lor-Zod had hardly changed over twelve years, only appearing a few years older to human eyes. This time he was ready for the alien climate of Earth as he walked out of the kryptonian outpost, which he suspected was the reason his superiors assigned him here again. The xenophobic high command preferred to expose as few officers as possible to alien worlds, especially the ones with yellow suns that could be awfully tempting to exploit. Lor-Zod planned to have this visit be just as short as the first, so that he could return to Krypton as quickly as possible.
After taking a moment to adjust to the environment, Lor-Zod ran across the tundra, which was just as exhilarating now as it had been the first time. He ran straight across the ocean to reach the Fire Nation, searching once again for Earth's Avatar. However, this time he wasn't looking for an inexperienced teenager, but a fully grown adult that had mastered his supernatural abilities. Twelve years was the average amount of time for the task, give or take a few months depending on the individual learning those skills, barring the rare exception in dangerous eras.
Now that Lor-Zod knew who to look for, finding the right person was much easier, using the yellow sun's gifts to see through the terrain and hear idle conversations from miles away. When Lor-Zod reached the Fire Nation, he heard a conversation about the Avatar being nearby, and when he gazed through a dormant volcano, he spotting an older Roku standing next to a shore. Aside from a beard he'd grown over the years, and some extra muscle that was a result of his training, Roku looked nearly the same as he did before.
From afar Lor-Zod saw Roku standing alone on the sandy shore, and did not wish to interrupt what Roku was about to do. Roku faced the ocean and waterbent a huge wave, turned to his right and earthbent a ridge of stone down the beach, spun around to the other side and firebent a plume of flame up the beach, and finally airbent a horizontal cyclone inland. In simultaneous bending all four elements were balanced with one another, each receiving equal power from their respective sources in this environment.
When the demonstration was over Lor-Zod approached with his uniform in camouflage mode, clapping his hands with each step. "Impressive display. I can see why you are revered among the people here."
One look brought back memories for Roku, recognizing the one man that never bowed to him when everyone else did. "It's you. You were there with the sages all those years ago."
"I wasn't with them, I just followed them," Lor-Zod corrected. A few feet away he stopped and faced Roku. "I was ordered to find a new Avatar, and now I am ordered to find a fully realized Avatar."
"For what purpose?" Roku asked.
"To uphold an ancient agreement with one of your earliest incarnations," Lor-Zod answered. He put his hand on his chest where his house symbol was hidden, pressing the right spots to deactivate the hologram and reveal his true uniform. "For your species is not alone in this universe."
Recognition flashed in Roku's eyes, as if he were assaulted by visions of past lives, though he was left more confused than anything else. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lor-Zod," he introduced himself. "I was sent here as a diplomat from the planet Krypton. Specifically to maintain good relations with this world's Avatar, good relations with you."
"Seriously, you're saying there are other planets out there?" Roku questioned.
"So many that they are beyond counting," Lor-Zod described. He pointed at the sky. "The stars you see at night are only a small fraction of the cosmos. Among those stars there are planets of every variety, and in nearly all environments life finds a way to grow and thrive. Only the sheer distance between stars keeps the inhabited worlds apart, at least until sentient life develops faster than light travel."
There was a pause as Roku took in the revelation, but it was too much to believe on words alone. "What proof do you have?"
"Myself," Lor-Zod answered.
In an instant Lor-Zod was running around Roku in a wide circle, going so fast that his appearance blurred into a solid black wall. Then he stopped and plunged his arm into the sandy beach, grabbing hold of a buried boulder and ripping it out of the ground. After that he looked out to sea while his eyes were glowing red, which then shot fire past Roku and into the ocean. And to top it off he took in a deep breath and blew it out in a powerful gale, one that spawned a large wave of water through sheer force of the wind.
"Whoa!" Lor-Zod blurted out. "So are you the Avatar of your world?"
"Krypton does not have an Avatar," Lor-Zod answered. "Some worlds do, some do not, it all depends on how they develop in relation to their respective spirits."
"Oh," Roku muttered. Then he changed the subject. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"Long ago, a kryptonian outpost was built near this world's northern pole," Lor-Zod answered, pointing in that direction. "In exchange for the use of your world, we agreed to inform all subsequent Avatars of the outpost's existence and of all threats to this world originating from the stars."
"Are there any right now?" Roku asked.
Lor-Zod shook his head. "Aside from the usual thanagarian/gordanian border disputes, there's nothing likely to spill over onto Earth at this time."
"So all's peaceful then," Roku said.
"For the moment," Lor-Zod said. "You're taking this awfully well."
"There are dozens of past lives telling me there's nothing to fear," Roku explained. He paused to smile. "Besides, from what I've seen, if your people had wanted to conquer mine you'd have done it already."
"True," Lor-Zod said with a laugh. "Still, I'm not supposed to linger here in case of temptation."
Finished with the second entry, Taiyo leaned back to think about it.
He wondered if Aang would see that encounter through Avatar Roku's perspective, if Roku found it worthwhile to show it to Aang at all. It didn't have anything to do with how the war began, since it was obvious that Lor-Zod hadn't gotten involved. Still, Taiyo wanted to see and learn more from the time before the war, and there was plenty more here to learn from the experiences of another. The next entry was different from the ones before, as it had a subtitle listed underneath the file number, so it had to be special.
"Fate's Intervention," Taiyo read aloud. That only got him more curious. "What could that mean?"
One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Years Ago.
This time Lor-Zod wasted no time acclimating to the climate, immediately on the run from the outpost towards the rest of the world. While running he looked at the holographic globe his wristwatch could project, which had a small yellow marker on a set of mountains in the southern hemisphere. He shut off the map and kept running across the world, making a small detour to one of the islands in the Fire Nation. There was someone that he was going to need to meet first, someone that understood this world far better than he did.
After activating his uniform's camouflage mode, Lor-Zod ran onto the island, which had two dormant volcanoes gently venting steam from their peaks. The island had a village at the base of the larger volcano and farms all around, and locals were at work tilling the fertile lands. It seemed like a decent enough place to live, if a little primitive to his liking. Lor-Zod stopped at one house in the village that wasn't much different from the rest, gently knocked on the front door, and waited for someone to answer.
Avatar Roku answered the door and let Lor-Zod enter. "Is something going on?"
"Possibly," Lor-Zod answered, shutting the door behind him. "The outpost's sensors recently detected an unusual energy signature on Earth. Something's been unearthed and it could be a danger if your people don't know how to use it correctly."
"Where is it?" Roku asked.
Lor-Zod held up his wrist and turned on the holographic globe. "It's at the yellow marker."
One look was enough for Roku, having spent years there. "That's the Southern Air Temple."
"Good, you're familiar with the place, that will make this simpler," Lor-Zod said. He shut off the holographic globe and opened the front door. "We should leave immediately."
"We'll take Fang," Roku insisted. Outside he whistled and a large red dragon flew overhead, and it landed in font of Roku's home. "Get on."
Both of them climbed onto Fang's back and the dragon took off into the sky, and a few words from Roku were enough to tell Fang where to fly. Though the pace was slower than Lor-Zod would have liked, the bird's eye view of this world was worth it. Only a couple of hours were needed for Fang to fly across the ocean and then fly down the continent's coastline, going past the equator and heading into the southern hemisphere. They soon reached a large mountain range along the southern coast, arriving at the Southern Air Temple.
Roku ignored the fond memories to focus on the task at hand. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Something that doesn't belong here," Lor-Zod answered. His gaze pierced the ground and searched the general area, but from the air it was difficult to locate anything smaller than a person. "Let's land and ask the locals if anything has changed recently."
As Fang descended towards the temple, several nearby airbenders spotted the dragon, with most of them recognizing Avatar Roku from the time he spent here years back. A group of airbenders took flight with gliders and flew beside Fang, escorting him down to a landing space large enough for a dragon. Fang landed first and his long body coiled around itself, followed by the airbender escorts landing all around him. Roku and Lor-Zod climbed off of Fang, taking a few steps away from the dragon while the airbenders approached them.
One young airbender walked up to Roku first. "Greetings Avatar Roku, it is an honor to meet you."
"It's an honor to be back," Roku said. "Is Gyatso here? Or is he swimming with the elephant-koi again?"
A strong gust of wind blew through the area, followed by an older airbender landing in front of Roku. This airbender had grown a short beard over the years, and his bald head had a lustrous blue arrow tattooed on it. "Roku, it's been way too long!"
"I know!" Roku agreed, giving his friend a courteous hug. "I really have to get out more."
Gyatso nodded, and then turned to the newcomer. "So who's your friend?"
Roku stepped aside and gestured to Lor-Zod. "Gyatso, this is Zod."
"A pleasure," Lor-Zod said, making a bow that was this world's custom.
"What brings you out here?" Gyatso asked, returning the respectful bow.
"You could say I'm a purveyor of the unexplainable," Lor-Zod claimed. "I travel the world and take interest in whatever unusual object or event that happens to catch my fancy."
"Well then you're in for a treat," Gyatso said. "We found something a few days ago that isn't in any of our historical texts."
That sounded like what Lor-Zod was looking for. "May we see it?"
"This way," Gyatso said.
While Gyatso led both of them into the temple, Lor-Zod observed the surroundings, using the opportunity to study the different culture offered by the Air Nomads. Of note were all the balconies built straight into the mountainside, many without any noticeable paths connecting them to anything else. The place was constructed assuming everyone had a form of flight, either by airbending with gliders or riding one of the sky bison. It would be interesting to stick around and study this civilization, if only he had the time.
Inside the temple Gyatso brought them into a small room that had one side exposed to the air, where a gentle breeze was constantly blowing through. "Here it is."
Resting on a pedestal was a simple golden helmet, completely smooth with only eye holes in the metal. While Gyatso's back was turned, Lor-Zod discreetly pressed a button on his wristwatch, making a small holographic compass needle appear. However instead of pointing north or south the needle pointed straight at the helmet, confirming the source of the energy signature detected by the outpost. But there wasn't anything indicating exactly what this helmet actually was, just that it could be dangerous if misused.
"I just polished it yesterday," Gyatso admitted.
"This is it," Lor-Zod said, shutting off the hologram.
"You've seen it before?" Gyatso asked.
"Nope," Lor-Zod answered. He walked over to the helmet and picked it up, examining the inside for anything technological. However, the inside was just as smooth as the outside, and trying to peer through the metal only revealed his hands on the other side. "Well this only raises more questions."
"So you don't have a clue?" Roku asked.
"None whatsoever," Lor-Zod admitted. He shook the helmet to check for any moving parts that he couldn't see, but even kryptonian ears didn't hear anything. "I'll have to run tests back at the outpost to find out what it does."
"Or someone could just put it on," Gyatso suggested.
After a moment of thought, Lor-Zod shrugged and held the helmet toward Gyatso. "You first."
Gyatso took the helmet and looked into its eye holes, which almost seemed to be looking back. "If I look ridiculous with this on, please tell me."
He slipped the helmet onto his head, and did indeed look ridiculous. But then a brilliant flash of golden light erupted from the helmet, blinding both Lor-Zod and Roku until it passed. Then they could only stare at Gyatso, whose Air Nomad clothes had been completely replaced. A skintight blue outfit covered everything from the neck down, complemented by a set of golden boots, gauntlets, belt and cape. And yet Gyatso didn't seem to notice the abrupt change, but simply looked at his hands and flexed his fingers. Roku was certainly concerned about this, worrying about what was happening to his friend.
"How do you feel?" Roku asked. He looked into the eyes of Gyatso, but the way they looked back was simply not right. "Gyatso?"
"Fascinating," Gyatso said, his voice paired with one deeper and mystical. "This will do quite nicely."
Roku took a step back. "What do you mean Gyatso?"
"Gyatso cannot hear you."
There was one explanation that came to mind for Lor-Zod. "He's possessed."
Roku nodded in agreement, and then took a few careful steps forward. "Spirit, who are you?"
The eyes in the helmet looked at Roku, seemingly piercing into his soul. "It has been too long, Raava."
"Who is Raava?" Roku asked.
"You are, or rather the core of your being is." He paused to stretch his arms and legs, getting the feel of a physical body. "But it seems that your current form does not recognize me."
"And you are?" Lor-Zod asked.
The helmet turned towards Lor-Zod, followed by a hand rising to aim a palm at him. "Travelers should know better than to interfere with Doctor Fate!"
Golden light turned solid in front of Doctor Fate's hand, taking the shape of a cross with a loop at the top. That symbol fired a beam of golden light that struck Lor-Zod's chest with enough power to launch him out the room's open side, where he then fell all the way down to an airball court several levels below. He crashed through several upright poles and cratered the floor they were mounted on, ruining the game a few airbenders had been playing at the time. Those airbenders could only star at the crater, wondering what was going on.
At the bottom of the new crater, Lor-Zod groaned as golden sparks crackled on his chest, actually feeling pain despite the yellow sun. The hologram of Fire Nation clothes flickered on and off before failing altogether, exposing his kryptonian uniform but with the house crest burned off by the attack. More golden sparks went off where burn marks were on his skin, preventing his flesh from healing normally. Whatever hit him was ignoring the power of the yellow sun, which provided insight into what he was dealing with.
"Ugh," Lor-Zod groaned, now understanding the type of power inherent in the helmet. This particular form of energy went by many names, but one description was generally accepted across the galaxy. "Magic."
"What was that for?" Roku demanded.
"His kind threatens the Order of the world," Doctor Fate answered. He spread both arms out and golden light shined all around him, encasing his body in the same symbol he used earlier. "He will leave, or he will be destroyed."
When Doctor Fate was nearly covered by the golden light, he and the symbol vanished, only to reappear in the airball field next to Lor-Zod. After the teleport, Doctor Fate aimed his palm and fired the golden beam again, only this time it met Lor-Zod's rising fist. The opposing forces canceled each other while leaving a burn on Lor-Zod's fingers, but his other fist was already rising and striking Doctor Fate's helmet. That blow launched Doctor Fate up and into the airball field's goal net, which caught and held him upright.
"I won't go down so easily," Lor-Zod warned.
"I never expected you to," Doctor Fate retorted, descending to the bottom of the airball court.
With both hands Doctor Fate fired a larger golden beam, which missed as Lor-Zod ran out of the way. Lor-Zod got behind Doctor Fate and grabbed him by the cape, lifted him overhead with it and then slammed him into the ground. Face down in the dirt, Doctor Fate grabbed Lor-Zod's ankle and channeled mystical power into his leg, shocking him with intense pain that made him scream. Lor-Zod yanked his leg out of Doctor Fate's grip and then kicked him with it, resulting in Doctor Fate slamming into the wall that held up the airball goal net.
Lor-Zod glared at his opponent while his eyes started glowing red, which shot a searing stream of fire at him. Doctor Fate held his hand out and the golden symbol appeared, blocking the fire and absorbing the heat. The symbol fired a golden beam that pushed back the fire, overwhelming it and closing in on Lor-Zod's face. He ducked in time to avoid the attack and then ran towards Doctor Fate, only to be stopped in his tracks when a golden dome appeared. Powerful punches rattled the golden dome but did not break it, a great frustration for Lor-Zod.
"What I wouldn't give for a thanagarian mace right now," Lor-Zod complained.
The golden dome expanded and quickly enveloped Lor-Zod, and Doctor Fate focused it into a snare that bound his foe. "Your people have no defense against the mystic arts, surrender now and I will allow you to leave this world unharmed."
A gust of air ruffled Doctor Fate's cape, signaling the arrival of Roku on the wind. When he landed Roku stomped a foot on the ground to earthbend, shattering the ground that Lor-Zod was bound to. Broken ground released the golden snare and freed Lor-Zod, allowing him to get back on his feet as the golden snare disappeared. Then Roku faced Doctor Fate and assumed a firebender battle stance, ready to fight the spirit that had taken his friend away. Doctor Fate simply stared back at Roku, their eyes meeting in this confrontation.
"As the Avatar, I demand that you stop," Roku ordered.
"You would defy Fate." He aimed one palm at Roku and the golden symbol appeared. But then the symbol flickered and vanished, followed by Doctor Fate's hand twitching and turning away. "What?"
"Something wrong?" Roku mocked.
"Gyatso's still in there," Lor-Zod answered. "He won't let Fate strike you."
"So it seems," Doctor Fate admitted, lowering his arm and finding the resistance disappear. "Then I must take this where Raava cannot follow."
In defiance of physics itself, Doctor Fate floated off the ground, gradually rising up into the air with no sign of coming down. Everyone outside could see him do it, ascending into the heavens without the need for the wind. Without any visible means of propulsion, Doctor Fate soared upward, and with a burst of speed he flew into the northern sky. Roku whistled to summon Fang to follow, even if it would take a minute for the dragon to get to him. However Lor-Zod started laughing, to which Roku gave a puzzled look.
"What's so funny?" Roku asked.
Lor-Zod stopped laughing and smirked. "He just broke the no-flights rule."
He bent his legs to crouch down and then held that position, his fists clenched tight and almost touching the ground. At first glance it seemed like nothing was happening, but Roku soon noticed a change around Lor-Zod. The air seemed to hum with a strange power, and loose gravel vibrated so much that it moved across the ground. Then Lor-Zod kicked off the ground hard enough to leap into the sky, and he left behind a small crater where he used to be. Roku watched Lor-Zod ascend high into the northern sky…
…and start flying even higher.
Flight was the ultimate power granted by a yellow star, and thus it was the most restricted under kryptonian law. It was forbidden on worlds that had no airborne lifeforms, where the concept of flight would be unknown to local species. Even on worlds that had flying animals such as airbending sky bison or winged dragons, flight was still banned while the local inhabitants were unaware of extraterrestrial life. The only exception on such worlds was when the locals possessed similar means of flight, which had just been shown by Doctor Fate.
A few miles away from the air temple Lor-Zod caught up with Doctor Fate in the sky, slamming into him from the side. While they tumbled in the sky, Lor-Zod went straight for the helmet, grabbing the bottom of it on opposite sides. On contact the helmet shocked him with mystical energy, refusing to be removed by brute force. Pain made Lor-Zod let go of the helmet and back away, followed by Doctor Fate hitting him with another mystic blast. After that strike they both hovered in the sky, staring into each other's eyes.
"In a hurry to meet your fate I see."
"Just buying a friend a little time to get his pet," Lor-Zod answered. He heard the roar of a dragon approaching. "And that would be them now."
Ascending straight up Fang closed in on Doctor Fate with his jaw wide open, spewing a plume of fire from below the target. Underneath Doctor Fate's feet, the golden symbol appeared and was wide enough to block all of the dragon fire. After the attack Fang flew around both airborne men in a wide circle, bringing Roku up to their altitude. Although Doctor Fate could not bring himself to attack Roku, the dragon was not so fortunate. Fang needed to swerve to avoid Doctor Fate's mystic blasts, and soon he had Roku on the opposite side of Doctor Fate from Lor-Zod.
"This ends here," Roku declared.
"For him," Doctor Fate said, aiming a palm at Lor-Zod.
The golden symbol appeared and unleashed a continuous beam of golden energy, bigger and stronger than the previous attacks. Lor-Zod flew out of the beam's path, but it followed him as Doctor Fate adjusted his aim. The beam chased him as he flew in circles through the sky, getting closer and closer as Doctor Fate began anticipating where Lor-Zod would go. But as he flew Lor-Zod didn't watch where he was heading, crossing paths with Fang and Roku. As a result the golden beam struck Roku instead, knocking him off the dragon's back.
Roku's painful screams triggered a spasm in Doctor Fate, the body he used rebelling against him. Seeing Fang catch Roku did not stop Gyatso's fury, as he was no longer allowing the spirit to control him. Doctor Fate struggled to maintain control, but it wasn't enough to keep up the fight. All of Gyatso's will was needed to force his hands up to his head, grabbing both sides of the golden helmet. Gyatso made a righteous scream as he pulled the helmet off his head, and in a flash of light the attire of Doctor Fate reverted to Gyatso's airbender clothes.
And then Gyasto fell out of the sky.
Immediately Lor-Zod dived after the falling airbender, who lacked a glider necessary for flight via airbending. Gyatso threw the helmet away and started airbending anyway, creating an updraft that slowed his fall considerably. In seconds Lor-Zod reached Gyatso and caught him, then gently descended all the way to the ground. A few moments later Fang landed next to them, bringing with him a rattled but alright Roku. All three of them were relieved once they were on the ground, glad that the whole ordeal was over.
"Thank you," Gyasto said.
"I should be thanking you," Lor-Zod insisted. He spotted the helmet nearby, stuck in the ground after its fall. "That spirit would not have stopped with me."
"What do we do with it?" Gyatso asked, staring at the helmet.
Roku climbed off Fang and walked up to the others. "Someone needs to keep that thing hidden away."
"Can anyone be trusted with it?" Lor-Zod asked. "I'm certainly not qualified, the spirit might tempt Gyatso to put it on again, and who knows what would happen if it possessed the Avatar."
"I don't even want to think about that," Roku admitted.
"And we can't just leave it lying there in the dirt," Gyatso said. "Even if we bury it, someone else will just dig it up again."
Lor-Zod closed his eyes and thought about what to do, but soon heard weak whimpers nearby. He took a look in the right direction and peered through a low outcrop of rock, finding a thirteen year old boy hiding behind it. "You there. You can come out now."
Roku saw the teenager come out of hiding, seeing his dark skin partially covered by yellow robes similar to an Air Nomad. "What did you see?"
"Enough," the boy answered.
"Come here please," Gyatso requested. He crouched and waited for the boy to walk over to him. "What is your name?"
"Pathik," he answered, giving a polite bow.
"You saw what is contained within that relic," Gyatso surmised, pointing at the helmet. "So you know what it can do."
"Yes," Pathik confirmed.
"Then you know that it must not be worn again," Gyatso said. "The world already has an Avatar of Balance. It does not need a Lord of Order."
Pathik nodded.
Roku crouched next to Pathik and looked him in the eye. "Do you promise to keep it secret? Do you promise to keep it safe?"
"I promise," Pathik said.
Finished with the entry, Taiyo could hardly believe it.
"He flew," Taiyo muttered. That particular revelation could change everything, since it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. "Does that mean… I can fly?"
Immediately, Taiyo ran until he was outside the Fortress, eager to test his theory. Under the night sky he looked up at the heavens, wondering what it would feel like to be closer to the stars. Taiyo crouched and focused the strength in his legs, then made a single powerful leap into the air. That leap sent him high enough to see lights from the Northern Water Tribe, the single manmade landmark on the top of the world. But then Taiyo reached the peak of his leap, and started to fall. All too quickly he fell back down to earth, crashing into the frozen tundra and making a crater in it.
"Come on, work!" Taiyo complained. He put everything into another leap, rose higher than before, only to fall back down even harder and make another crater. "What's wrong?!"
In that crater, Taiyo stopped and thought about his predicament, wondering what could be preventing him from flying. Taiyo thought about the differences between Lor-Zod and himself, which were many and varied. Different worlds, different experiences, different ages and upbringings divided them, and the only real similarity was their kryptonian origin. They were two completely different people, nearly the opposite in many regards. There was one difference that seemed more likely than the others, if only because it was the simplest one.
"Maybe I'm not old enough," Taiyo wondered aloud. "Zod had several decades over me, maybe only adults could fly?"
Promising himself to pursue the matter of flight some other time, Taiyo returned to the Fortress to see if there were any more records of Lor-Zod's visits. There was one entry left for him to view, and it appeared to be last one Lor-Zod had recorded, from nearly a century ago. But before he accessed the entry, Taiyo noticed that there were no other entries after this one, which meant that no kryptonian had visited Earth after Lor-Zod. The date attached to the last entry was just after the war began, only a few years after the last appearance of Sozin's Comet.
Ninety-Six Years Ago.
Once again, Lor-Zod walked out of the kryptonian outpost, this time in a very somber mood. Now a man in his late nineties, he only appeared to be fifty by human standards. His hair had turned grey in a few places, though the color was kept in check by modern medicine. Lor-Zod had grown a short beard over the years, kept in a style he'd picked up from humans long ago and had to explain to everyone that asked about it. Lor-Zod was not eager to complete his objective this time, as it involved confirming the demise of a friend.
Outpost scanners had monitored the life signs of Avatar Roku over the years, and they had automatically reported when those life signs had ceased. Earth's Avatar had reincarnated amongst the human race, necessitating the search to identify him or her once again. According to reincarnation cycle, the next nation in line to produce an Avatar was the Air Nomads, and the identity was expected to be revealed when he would turn sixteen years old. That time had come and so Lor-Zod was here, repeating his first mission on this world.
As Lor-Zod ran south, he spotted something happening in the nearest human city, so he changed course to investigate. He stopped at the edge of a glacier and observed the Northern Water Tribe, spotting dozens of ironclad ships approaching its harbor. Those ships were hurling burning boulders at the city with catapults, and the locals were fighting back with various forms of waterbending. From afar one could tell that this wasn't just some mere skirmish, but the beginning of a full-blown conflict for the very fate of this part of the world.
"War," Lor-Zod muttered. He considered intervening to stop the fighting, but it was impossible to do without revealing his existence. However, there was one individual who was supposed to intervene. "This looks like a job for the Avatar."
At maximum speed Lor-Zod ran straight south, heading for where he expected the next Avatar to appear. The Southern Air Temple was his destination, and he knew the way to get there. Along the way he activated his uniform's camouflage mode, this time having it replicate an Air Nomad's robes. It didn't take long for him to reach his destination, since he remembered where it was from the last time he visited the Air Nomads. But when he got there Lor-Zod knew something was very wrong, that much was painfully obvious.
Silence was the only thing that greeted him. Not a single voice could be heard in the temple, not even to kryptonian ears listening for miles around. No monks tending the gardens, no kids playing in the wind, no sky bison roaming the skies, no one was there. Lor-Zod wandered through the deserted temple, wondering about what could possibly have happened. Even though his senses found nothing, Lor-Zod still hoped that he was wrong. There had to be something here, something that could explain what had happened.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" Lor-Zod stood still and listened, but heard nothing. "Where is everyone?!"
Lor-Zod gazed through the walls of the temple, and immediately found his answer. He ran into a secluded part of the temple, finding a chamber where a man had made a last stand. The remains of a monk were laid against a wall, surrounded by the bodies of his enemies. An army had invaded the temple, and it appeared that they had wiped out all of the airbenders present here. He left the body undisturbed, so that anyone else that came here would see the atrocity committed in this once peaceful place.
Suspecting the worst, Lor-Zod left the Southern Air Temple in a hurry, running northeast as fast as his legs could take him. It didn't take him long to find the Eastern Air Temple, spread across some low mountains, and that place was just as empty as the temple in the south. Then he ran to the Northern Air Temple and found it deserted, as well as the Western Air Temple when he checked it as well. All four Air Temples had been cleansed of human life, and all signs suggested that the Air Nomads had been exterminated.
It was clear that someone wanted the Avatar killed permanently, and that person was willing to wipe out an entire nation to do it. But the Avatar is not so easily killed, and Lor-Zod suspected that he or she could have survived. With his wristwatch he accessed the outpost's sensors and set them to scan for any unusual energy readings, regardless of their type or point of origin. The holographic globe appeared from the wristwatch, which had a blue dot marked on the bottom of the world. It wasn't near any particular settlements, but it was the only lead he had.
When Lor-Zod ran to that location, he found the planet's southern polar ice cap, very similar to the one in the north. He stopped on an ice sheet drifting in the southern sea, gradually moving even further south toward a glacier. Here he could see for miles in every direction, but found only water, ice and snow wherever he looked. He even looked down and gazed through the ice, but after a few dozen yards his gaze saw only darkness in the deep. There was nothing here, no sign of the Avatar that was supposed to maintain this world's affairs.
"Where Are You?!" Lor-Zod demanded, and only answer was his own echo.
And unbeknownst to him, just beyond the range of kryptonian sight, a small iceberg contained the last airbender.