A/N. Did I just write the longest chapter I ever did? Yes. Is it worth it? Well… no. I would have loved to write a long kataang chapter. But well… You know what is going to happen. Good luck
I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender
Jumping down from the rope, Aang looked up, trying to see the ceiling. He just saw Katara. Quickly averting his eyes, he didn't want to look up her skirt. That would be… awkward.
They were standing on some sort of bridge, spanning between two parts of the building. Looking over the edge, the airbender saw just darkness below. Spirits, how far did it go? From just above them, Aang could hear a ruffle of… Something. Turning, he looked at Katara, who had apparently also heard it, because she turned in that direction.
"Look at that mosaic!" the professor began explaining, but the airbender didn't look at the wall, but rather around him. There was something watching them. He could feel it.
A great black shadow fell over them. Looking up, Aang saw a huge bird-like creature descend towards them. Quickly running towards where some pillars obscured them from sight, he and the others hid.
The bird landed where they had stood, observed the rope, and then… turned.
"I know you are back there." A voice said. It didn't… Sound natural. First of all, it seemed to come from the bird, but then again, not really. The voice was in their heads.
Zei didn't seem too disturbed and walked to the bird.
"I'm Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University! I'm…" he began, but was cut short, by the voice in their heads.
"Leave. Turn back the way you came… Unless you desire to become a stuffed head of anthropology."
Spirits, not even talking. Just plain threatening. Ah, it was good to be back to normal.
Sokka also came from his hiding place and introduced himself.
"Hello! I'm Sokka! Are you the Spirit who brought this library to the world?"
Aang had to admire the water tribe boy at that moment. Even he, as Avatar, who was actually supposed to be the bridge between the Spirit world and this one, wouldn't have just walked up to the bird. Who looked quite able to slice them up in a shish kebab.
"I am. My name is Wan-Chi Tong. He who knows Ten Thousand Things." Aang lifted an eyebrow at that, because well… Ten thousand things, in a library as huge as this one… It was not a lot. The spirit continued.
"And you are obviously human. And those are not welcome any more here in my study."
Aang stepped forward. They had come here to get a map of the Fire Nation. That wasn't so bad, no? In and out, not even ten minutes of work.
"What do you have against humans?" He asked, and the bird-like spirit turned its head towards him, observing him.
"Ah… Not entirely human, this one. Bonded with a Spirit. Welcome, Avatar. Humans only use the knowledge they gather over their lifetime to inflict misery on other humans. Like that firebender who came here, several years ago. So, who are you trying to destroy?" Wan-Chi Tong turned back to Sokka, who seemed much less sure of himself.
"Uhm… Knowledge, for knowledge's sake?" Yeah… Even Aang could see that that was a lie.
"If you are going to lie to an all-knowing Spirit… At least lie well." He didn't seem very impressed.
"The Avatar will vouch for us!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling the airbender by the arm in front of the spirit.
Aang didn't want to lie. And he wouldn't. That was something he tried to avoid, at least with his friends, and with Spirits, who were more likely than not to see through a lie. And… He had to agree with Wan-Chi Tong. Knowledge shouldn't be used to destroy, to get the edge over people, so that you could put them under your tyranny.
"I promise we don't want to use the library for destructive purposes, Good Spirit." Aang bowed, and from the corner of his eye, the airbender saw Sokka make the same movement.
"Mmm… Very well. I'll allow you to peruse my collection. If you have something to contribute to it." The spirit spoke, looking expectantly at them. Aang began to look in his pockets, but the only thing he found was that wanted poster of himself from the Fire Nation. Well… It would be a historical artefact someday, no?
"I offer you the only thing I have in my possession now." Aang bowed and presented the poster.
"It will have to do then." That was the only response the airbender got. A wing passe above his hand, and the poster just… disintegrated, and disappeared.
Zei stepped forwards, presenting a large volume about some history of Chin the Conqueror. How he had managed to get that in his bag Aang didn't know. He saw Katara rummage inside her bag, and pull out a scroll.
"I offer you this, a waterbending scroll." Katara stepped forward. Oh… That was the one she… borrowed… from the pirates. The only one about Southern Waterbending style…
"Mmm… Very nice." The scroll disappeared.
Sokka was the last. He presented… a knot. Well, at least he had something. Sokka was the only when who surely had no scrolls or books on him.
"Pfff… Alright." The bird sighed and waved a wing towards the library.
"It is open, for your use. If you want to borrow something, you'll have to ask my assistants." Wan-Chi Tong said. While the others walked away, Aang stayed. When his friends were out of earshot, he turned back to the spirit.
"Ehm… Could I ask something?" the airbender spoke, and the bird turned his head towards him, nodding, "That scroll the woman gave you… It is the only waterbending scroll in the style of the South Pole that I know of. And she is the only waterbender from that place. Could I… Have it back please?" He knew it sounded stupid. How could he explain to a spirit that it was something very important to her? Wan-Chi Tong wouldn't care.
The bird just moved his wing above Aang's hand, and the scroll appeared. Bowing, the airbender spoke again.
"Thank you."
"I know the state of the world Avatar. Knowledge will always be needed… Certainly after." With that mysterious comment, the spirit flew away. The airbender put the scroll in the folds of his tunics.
Aang began to follow the others. Zei was running from bookshelf to bookshelf, excitedly pulling scrolls and books out of the mass. Sokka was following the little banner attached to each shelf, muttering "Atlases… Maps… Geography…".
The airbender turned to Katara, who was looking at a small banner, next to a long shelf filled with books with a colour theme. One blue, then green, red, and finally yellow, before starting anew. He walked over.
"The lives of the Avatars." The waterbender said, probably having heard him approach.
"Yeah, I guessed… I have to say, not very imaginative for an all-knowing spirit…" He answered, nodding towards the coloured books. A small, tanned hand slapped him gently against the chest.
"Think you could do any better?" Katara said, smiling.
"Yeah, I think so! For example, Roku's book shouldn't be red, for he stood against the Fire nation most of his life, even though he was from there. Kyoshi's book should be red. I don't know why… But for some reason, I believe she loved the Fire Nation." The information came from nowhere… But Aang knew that it was probably the shared memories from his past lives, manifesting themselves.
"And yours?" The waterbender asked, turning her head towards him.
"I don't need a book." Aang sighed. He didn't want to be written down in history. At least… Not now.
"You will have one here, one day… You know that, right?" Katara spoke gently and softly. He began to walk down the row of books, stopping at the first yellow book.
"Avatar Yangchen. The airbender before me. She lived more than four hundred years ago." Aang stated. He knew that name from the festivals he had celebrated in his youth. Gyatso had also told him, as a child, that Yangchen Festival would be one of the most important days for him. Now he knew why.
"Oh, the Avatar before Kuruk!" Katara said eagerly, pulling the blue book next to it from the shelf.
"The Water Tribes still hate him?" He asked. The airbender knew that, when he had visited the North Pole a century ago, they didn't talk about that Avatar.
"I believe the North hated him more than the South… Maybe because THe southern Water Tribe wasn't so… judgemental about his choices. And him having a fiancée from the South Pole didn't hurt." Katara smiled. "Gran Gran told the stories about how, at the New Moon Celebrations, when the tribes came together, before the war, Kuruk met a woman from the South Pole. When he saw her, he swore to his friends that he would cease his hedonistic lifestyle, even if the girl only glanced at him. Gran didn't know the name of the girl, but it was one of my favourite stories as a child." The waterbender explained.
Ummi
The word sounded sad in his head. And it didn't sound like how he normally thought.
"I believe her name was Ummi." Aang said, also smiling. For some reason, tears welled up in his eyes at the mention of the name. Katara turned around, and her eyes went wide.
"Ehm… Aang? Are you alright?"
"Yeah… Sorry. I don't really know why I'm sad… Just... it feels like a heartbreaking story for some reason." He answered, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes.
"It is. She was kidnapped just before their wedding by a Spirit." Katara sighed, putting the book back on the shelf.
Koh. Koh said he did that.
Aang didn't say that. He didn't need Katara knowing that.
The waterbender pulled out another volume, from further down the shelf, and began reading it. The airbender walked over to where Sokka was searching through the maps, but hearing the angry muttering, he decided against it.
Just then, he walked past a row where the banner read, "Exotic animals from the Patola Mountains Range." Well… Who wouldn't love that?
Finding a book about lemur bats, he whistled Momo closer. The lemur flew towards him, and Aang began to read. It was quite interesting.
A glimmer of light past his eyes, and the airbender looked up. He saw Sokka, lifting the glass off from one of the displays. Spirits, what was he doing? The water tribe boy grinned at whatever was inside it and began to walk towards them.
"The 9th day of the 7th month of the Cultivate Rule Dragon Year was the darkest day in the Fire Nation History!" Sokka stated, waving a parchment in front of him. Katara came to stand next to Aang, who stood up, quietly putting the book he had been reading back.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, but he saw where this was going…
"If that is the darkest day, it means that something happened! Something that made it so memorable, they still talk about it! Something that could give us the edge!" When Sokka said that, Aang could feel the cold wind blow softly at the back of his neck. What the water tribe boy suggested sounded very much like… Well, using knowledge for the sake of destruction. But… he also had a point. If they could find a weakness in the defence of the Fire Nation, which could only mean ending a war. Ending it, benefitting everybody, even the population of the Fire Nation!
Sokka began to run towards the place where a huge ancient Fire nation banner hung. Aang looked up, seeing the red banner with the flames. It was different from those that were used nowadays. The flame seemed… less frighting. And more… peaceful? No, the flames seemed to reach towards you, in a friendly gesture. Not trying to burn you… But rather trying to warm you on a cold night. That was the Fire nation as he had known it, before Sozin went all… Air Nomad murder style. That Fire Lord had been known as a harsh ruler, but still, a capable leader that was respected in all the Nations.
Zei and Katara had followed them, and while they stood, Sokka lit a lantern, holding it high to look inside the dark cavernous space.
Only ashes… Ashes and burned wood. Someone had burned all the knowledge about the Fire Nation of old…
Aang stomped his staff down. Again. Destroying everything on their path. Only so that their tyrannical regime could survive. He had enough. This was too much. How could a people destroy their own history, good or bad?
"Why? Every time we think we are ahead of them, they outsmart us! I just wanted to know what happened on the darkest day!" Sokka muttered, as angry as Aang felt.
Just then, a fox appeared out of nowhere. It pointed its front paws in a direction, and the professor led them, following the creature.
It led them towards a door, and when it opened, Aang recognized the room. Or at least, it's function. There was one at the Southern Air Temple. A planetarium. As he walked in, the professor began to discuss the machine wonders of the room, but the airbender watched the reaction of Katara. Her mouth fell open, as she looked up at the sky, where stars moved. Aang smiled.
The waterbender quickly recovered, and walked to the middle, where a stone slab with dials was mounted.
"Sokka… What was that date?" Katara asked her brother. Aang watched as the water tribe siblings began to turn the dials and saw Zei come and stand beside him.
"Aang. If I may say so, you could do a lot worse than the waterbender. A lot." The man smiled, and Aang whipped his head around. Why did everyone immediately think that?
"Oh… ehm… Yeah… thanks…"
Just then, the room began to shift. Night and day succeeded each other, and when the rotations stopped… The moon and the sun were in the same position.
"Well, good job Sokka! You broke it!" Aang joked. What this had to do with the darkest day, he didn't even manage to fathom.
"Shut it Airhead. It is not broken! It is a solar eclipse!" Sokka exclaimed enthusiastically?
"So?" the airbender asked.
"Aang! Remember what happened to the waterbenders when the moon was gone? What would happen to firebenders, if the sun disappeared?" Sokka began to shake him violently, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"They! Would! Lose! Their! BENDING!" The water tribe boy shouted, "Yes! Finally! Something good! We go to the Earth King! Then, they can invade at the next one! And… The Fire Lord will go down!" Sokka practically danced around.
Aang couldn't help but feel the same way. No firebending! He wouldn't have to learn it to defeat Ozai! Yes! Finally, some good news.
"Mortals are so predictable." The same cold air passed Aang's neck, and the voice of Wan-Chi Tong could be heard. Oh no… Not now…
When Aang turned, he saw the great spirit behind them. Looking sadly at them, like he was truly sorry for the fact that they hadn't lived up to his expectations.
"You betrayed my trust. You intend to use my knowledge for evil purposes."
"No! You don't understand! If anyone's evil, it's the Fire Nation! You've seen what they did to your library!" Sokka began, but was interrupted by the voice in their heads.
"You think you're the first person to think their war is justified? Countless came before you, seeking weapons or battle strategies?"
Aang agreed with that sentiment. In his guts, he agreed with Wan-Chi Tong. Yes, war was the death of knowledge, or at least, helpful knowledge. War made for technical progress, for changes in society that were not always bad. But it did more harm than good.
"Please, I understand what you mean. But please, we need this information to protect the people we love!"
Protect the Air Nomads, even though they were no longer there. For Katara and Sokka, protect their tribe and family. For Toph, who wanted to stop the Fire Lord so that she would have a chance at her own life. For everyone who had lost and wept. For him. For the person he loved.
"Avatar. You seek war, even though it is not in your people's beliefs. Shame, the airbenders are truly gone. And now. I'm going to protect what I love."
Aang's heart shattered at those words. But he had no time to think about it, because the spirit attacked. The bird-like creature changed. It was still a bird, but with the body of something way more… reptilian. Aang had seen that kind of body once before. Dragons. Of course, why not?
They ran. Of course, they ran! What else? Sand began to pour inside the building, suggesting the spirit was burying the rest of the library. They had to get out of there!
"Aang! Can you and Katara hold him off?" Sokka shouted in his ear, while they turned a corner.
"Probably! Why?"
"We need to know the exact date of the next eclipse! I'm going back and figure it out! Then, we'll leave!" Sokka shouted back and ran towards the planetarium.
Katara looked at the airbender, and then began to run anew. Aang looked back and saw the spirit barrel through one of the bookshelves he apparently loved. Well, he destroyed them.
"Come on Aang!" The waterbender shouted.
They ran, and Katara held out her hand, which Aang took. There were no pangs in his heart. Probably because it was racing already in fear of the spirit. The professor stopped, turning to the spirit.
"Great Spirit, I can vouch for the youngsters! They are right, the Fire Nation-" The man flew past them, and landed hard against display of books about gardening.
"Zei, get up!" Katara shouted.
They stopped at the bridge where their rope hung. They had to fight now. No place to run. Aang blew a little tornado towards the bird, but he just flapped his wings, and the tornado disappeared.
"Simple little Airfolk. Your people never saw the need to fight. Why do you?"
"Because I need to protect their legacy!" Aang shouted. He had enough of it. This spirit didn't know his people like he did!
"Their legacy is dead. No one remains but you, a poor representative of a once-proud race." The Spirit bit back. It stung. The insults, by an all-knowing spirit. It hurt.
"Leave him. You don't know everything." Katara shouted, making the bird turn towards her.
"Ah… attack me, please. I have studied northern style, southern style… Even foggy swamp style." The Spirit opened his beak, and Aang was horrified. Rows of teeth. Sharp teeth. Heading for Katara!
Out of the corner of his eye, the airbender saw a flash of blue jump from a balcony high above them. It landed on the Spirit's head, knocking it out.
"And that is Sokka style. Learn it!" Not for the first time today, Aang admired the braveness of the water tribe boy. Attack a spirit….
Aang pulled his glider open, and took off, while the others climbed the rope. But not everyone. The airbender only saw two people, in blue on the rope. Sokka was shouting something at the professor, who just smiled and shook his head. No time. Aang saw Wan-Chi Tong get up, and take the end of the rope in his beak.
Momo flew past him, chittering frantically, and Aang swoop down to catch Sokka and Katara. Feeling the waterbender catch his leg, and the water tribe boy holding his sister, Aang bent the air around them, and they shot up. He looked down, and saw the bird follow them. Quick, through the window!
When they emerged, Aang felt the scorching hot sun on his face, and for once, he was happy to feel the burning sensation. At least, they were no bird food.
Watching the tower, he saw Toph holding on for dear life at the base. She had bent it! So that it would take longer to sink down.
"TOPH! We're here!" He shouted.
The earthbender turned and released the tower, which sank down immediately.
Landing next to her, Aang saw the traces of tears on the cheeks of the blind girl.
"Aang, I'm sorry! I tried… I tried!" She muttered, before collapsing on her knees, clearly exhausted. He walked over, taking her hand.
"What are you talking about?" he asked softly.
"A-Appa… I tried." The tears flowed anew.
Aang released her hand. Turned around. Looked around.
Where was Appa?
Where?
Was?
Appa?
No. No. No. Not that. Everything but that. Not Appa.
Answers :
Gabriela N. Gonzalez : Well, the first chapter is here… Dark Aang is coming…