A/N. So, I'm really not good with the spiritual mumbo-jumbo, so I kept it as close to the episode as possible…
Yeah, it begins tomorrow.
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender
Walking through the old overgrown courtyards, Aang felt at peace, for the first time in a very long time. These buildings were his second home, the place he had been born. The Eastern Air Temple looked like a ruin, but it still felt as it had done a hundred years ago. Peaceful and beautiful.
This Temple was the biggest of the four. The airbender knew that in his youth, there had been more than two hundred nuns and nearly thrice the number of novices here. Now, the silent courtyards were proof once again of the disappearance of his people. And here he was, a young man, walking through the places that had been the home of thousands of nuns over the centuries…
Guru Pathik seemed nice, and had gone to prepare the meditation places. So, the guru had left him to his own devices. The only thing that weirded Aang out was the man's weird obsession with banana onion juice. But yeah, if he had been stranded here for over a century, the airbender would have gone crazy. So… Pathik was still in a rather good shape.
Sitting down next to a broken fountain, Aang sighed. This had been the place of his birth, and that of Appa, and now, they were the only two remaining of a once-proud people… It filled him with sadness just thinking about it.
The journey from the water tribe encampment had taken just two days, and over those two long days of flying over endless jungles, Aang had decided something. He knew that Hakoda had said no to him courting Katara. But that was not important, she wouldn't care, and neither would Aang.
What he had decided, however, was respecting one Water Tribe tradition. And to do that, he had to search for something in this Temple, before meeting up again with Pathik. Standing up, he saw Appa fly over. The Sky Bison was happy to be back, even though Aang knew that the bison's siblings were no longer here. Appa was the youngest bison of a litter of five. Two had gone to the Northern Air Temple, one had gone to the Western, one of the females had stayed here in the Eastern, and Appa had come with him to the Southern Air Temple…
Walking back to one particular place, he knew from his youth, he entered the canyon between two of the buildings. This valley was filled with small ponds and with beautiful stones, polished by the current of the small streams between each pond.
As he entered the canyon, the airbender was surprised to see the old man at the other side, looking at the water with a sad smile. But if the guru was aware of his presence, he didn't call him to join. So, Aang went to the task he had given himself.
Bending down at one of the streams, he studied the stones. There were hundreds… Yellow sandstone, grey granite, and so on, polished and smooth by the centuries of water having past them.
The first stream didn't give the result he had hoped for, so, moving on the second, he approached where the guru was standing, with his old eyes closed.
In this one, the stones were different. Still soft yellow sandstone, but here, the rocks had small grey specks on them. Letting his eyes fall on a rather circular one, Aang smiled. Yeah. That one.
Picking it up, and quietly putting it in a poach, he stuffed it in his pocket. If he found a better one in the future, he would maybe change his mind.
"Aang." The guru's voice called out, and the airbender turned around, to see the old man smiling at him.
"Come with me please." Pathik waved his hand, smiling, and began to walk to the top of the canyon, where the first pond of a small series of waterfalls and ponds was visible. To Aang immense sadness, he saw how they were clogged down by vegetation, and debris. In his time, the nuns had kept a close eye on these water ponds, keeping them clean and healthy.
"In order to master the Avatar State, you must open all your chakras… What do you know about them?" the man turned to him still with the little smile on his face.
"Eeh…" He did know some things about chakras, but those had been in lessons given by Monk Tashi… And well, his lessons were boring…
"Ah… I see… Let's just start at the basics, shall we?" The guru rolled his eyes, but not unkindly, "Energy flows through our body, much like the water in this creek. Here, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are very much like our chakras." He explained, and Aang, in the back of his head, felt the monotone voice of Tashi come back to him.
"Oh! Yes, chakras are pools of spiralling energy in our bodies."
"Exactly. Now, if nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. But, as you see, life is messy and things tend to fall in the creek… What happens then?"
"The water can't flow through." Yeah, it was all coming back now.
"Yes. But if we open the paths between the pools…" The man lifted some of the vegetation, and the water from the first pool suddenly flowed with force to the second basin… The force opened the third, and the fourth…
"So… Shall we open up our chakras?" Pathik stood and gestured to Aang to follow.
After a few minutes of walking, they entered a sort of cave, and the guru sat down on some sort of stone slab. Sitting down in front of the old man, Aang saw the smile on the man's face.
"There are seven chakras that go up the body. Each pool of energy has a purpose and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional… muck. I warn you Aang. Opening these seven can be challenging, and you cannot stop once we begin. Am I understood?" Pathik spoke with some seriousness the airbender had not yet seen.
"I am." Yes, he was. Controlling the Avatar State, that thing inside him that was such a burden… Yes, he was ready. He had been ready for a very long time.
"In that case… First, we will open the Earth Chakra. Located at the base of the spine, it deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. What are you afraid of?"
So much. Being a failure, that respecting the ways of the Air Nomads… Losing his friends… Losing Katara. But what he was most afraid of? Facing the Fire Lord. That fear combined all his others. If he failed to defeat him, his friends would probably die. But if he did succeed… That would mean to abandon the way of his people by killing someone…
"You must surrender to those fears. They are justified, whatever they may be. But sometimes… We can't change something, and we will have to face it, however, small or great that fear is."
Exhaling, Aang thought how defeating the Fire Lord was his responsibility… But he wouldn't do it alone. There were people prepared to help him do it. Thinking about that fact… it felt liberating. He was not alone in this.
"Excellent. You have opened the Earth Chakra."
Wait, what? It was this simple? Spirits! That was good news!
They moved on, abandoning the cave and sitting down at the base of a waterfall.
"Let me guess. The Water Chakra?" Aang grinned
"Very good! Maybe you will be a guru one day!" Pathik laughed. Yeah… If it meant eating that onion banana stuff all day… No thanks.
'This chakra deals with pleasure, and is blocked by guilt… What burdens you so? What do you blame yourself for?"
Oh… So much. The state of the world, the war. For having abandoned his people when their need for him was greatest… For having been the reason, the world was going up in flames. And for all the people he had hurt in doing so. The countless families who had to cry for lost loved ones…
"Accept the reality that these things happen… Do not let them cloud and poison your energy. You must be a positive influence on the world, certainly at this moment… You need to forgive yourself Aang."
Exhaling softly, the airbender tried to think how this wasn't his fault. Sozin would have eradicated the Air Nomads, even if Aang had not been the Avatar. Some other airbender would have been it. And it was not on purpose he had abandoned the world…
"Good."
After this, Aang followed the old man to a small path on the mountain, where the first rays of sunlight illuminated the mountains.
"The third is the Fire Chakra, located in the stomach." Pathik began, but was interrupted by Aangs stomach, rumbling. Quickly putting a hand on his belly, he smiled sheepishly.
"My Fire Chakra could to with something else to eat than onion banana juice..."
Next to him, Aang heard the guru chuckle, before turning serious again.
"This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of?"
Having hurt people in the Avatar State… Or as himself, in the desert. And… Having been a fool with firebending and resulting in it hurting Katara. If she had not been able to heal herself… He would have never forgiven himself for it.
"I don't want to firebend."
"You are the embodiment of balance Aang. If you deny this part of your life… You are the Avatar, and therefore, you are a firebender."
Yeah… He was. He couldn't deny that fact. But firebender, even in his own time, had been known to be rash and violent. Everything he tried not to be.
"Mmm… That chakra opened less like a flowing creek and more like a burping bison…"
Aang held in a belch of his own. Tasting the bananas and onions, he felt disgusted. Was he going to have to survive two weeks on nothing else?
After a quick break to eat breakfast, Pathik took him to a long staircase, and a ruined open space in front of the central spire of the temple. Looking at the flowers blooming all around, Aang felt the new life all around him. They were in the middle of spring, and he couldn't help but feel relaxed at the sight of all this hope for new life.
"The fourth chakra in located in the heart. It deals with love and is blocked by grief." The first part of that sentence, the airbender had liked. The second part, not so much.
As he looked, he saw that the flowers and vegetation were actually growing in cracks between the tiles. Some flowers had begun to grow over a statue of an Air Nomad nun…
"Lay all your grief out in front of you."
His grief? Was the guru kidding? His grief was too great, he didn't want to think about it. All his people. Tashi… Mother Superior from the Eastern Temple… Gyatso… The grief in front of him was not just two or three people… It was a whole race, a great civilization. Gone, forgotten. Thousands of years of history, that ended with him. How could anyone be capable accepting that kind of grief?
"You have indeed felt a great loss… Greater than most people could imagine. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. Nor did your love for them…. It is still inside of your heart and is reborn in the form of new love."
New love? Aang didn't even have to reflect on that question. He knew perfectly well of whom they were talking about…
"Let the pain flow away… Good. You opened this chakra." The guru smiled, then turned around, in a very obvious gesture to give Aang some privacy.
He had not felt the tears on his face, but now, he was wiping them away. Spirits, this was harder than he had thought initially. Seeing the guru stand up, he quickly followed. Just three more, and then, he could control the Avatar State…
The old man brought him towards a massive statue of a airbending nun, sitting in the classic mediation style. Sitting down in front of it, Pathik smiled at him.
"The fifth in the chain the sound chakra located in the throat. It deals with truth, and is blocked by lies. The one we tell ourselves that is…"
What were the lies that Aang had told people, for his own benefit, or to protect himself? He had denied being the Avatar when first meeting the water tribe siblings… He didn't want to be the Avatar… He would like to lie to the world, and tell them the Avatar died during the genocide… But he couldn't. It was a lie, a beautiful one, but a lie, nonetheless.
"I never wanted to be the Avatar."
"It is in your own nature. You must accept that you are the Avatar"
Did he want to be the Avatar? No. But as the master of the elements, he could do such good things for the world… And they needed it. If they won the war, there would be so much resentment between the remaining Nations… And he didn't want that. People needed a symbol from when the world was peaceful… And that was him.
If he could be that, then he would accept his duty. And everything that came with it.
"Very good Aang. You have opened the chakra of truth." Pathik smiled, apparently satisfied by this development.
Aang was actually shocked. How could be accessing the Avatar State be this… simple? There had to be a catch. Or had Sokka's optimism actually been… right? Were they really on a roll?
Spending a night with Katara… Convincing the Earth King… Having the whole Earth Kingdom behind them… And families reuniting after having been separated. And now, the Avatar State appeared to be a piece of cake.
I'll hand it to you Sokka. We are on a roll!
The guru led him to a large pathway, overlooking the mountains and jungles of the Eastern Air Temple. There, he could see the sun setting. Had it been a whole day since the fire chakra? Well… That was alright. That still left him nearly two weeks to master the Avatar State, with only two chakras to go!
"The sixth pool of energy is the light chakra, located in the centre of the forehead. It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion."
Wait, what? Pathik had lost him here. Before the other chakra, the guru had explained what he needed to accept or abandon… Now, the man was just sadly looking to the setting sun.
"The greatest illusion of the world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same."
Eeeeh…. What? The man was silent after that, with his eyes closed. Aang guessed that meant he was supposed to figure it out on his own.
What was separated in appearance, but was actually one and the same? Well… The airbender knew that for example, the Air Temples were often considered as different by outsiders… There had, of course, been difference between each, in subtle ways. Like, how the Western Temple didn't allow for rice on the first day of the week, while none of the others did that.
The water tribes were separated, but at its core… Well, they were the same, at least, before the war. Now, the south was less restricted about gender roles… But still, they were one and the same people…
"Like… the Four Nations?" Aang said, hesitantly.
"Yes! We are all one people, but we live as if divided. Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you are open to the concept… You will see that all the elements are one. Air is just another form of water, otherwise, how could the clouds produce rain? Water and earth let the crops grow, so how could they do that is they are not one and the same? The crop needs air to survive, and it needs the fire of the sun to bloom. Fire is fed by air… It is all an illusion. Even metal is just a part of earth, that has been purified and refined…"
Spirits…
The guru held out his hand, and Aang grabbed it.
"Now… For the last one, I'll need your help. Or… Appa's help." Pathik chuckled, pointed to the highest spire of the temple.
After having been flown up, they sat down on the flat surface of the roof. From here, Aang could admire the stars in the sky… It was beautiful… If there was a chance to come back here, he would show it to Katara… Maybe it would be… romantic?
He nearly blushed at thinking of doing romantic things for her.
"So… This is the last chakra, isn't it?" He knew very well it was.
"Yes, once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State… at will." Pathik smiled sadly. Again. Spirits, that promised nothing good. What now?
"When you will be in the Avatar State, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions."
Exactly what he wanted! To be able to use the power without hurting or scaring the people he loved. Or other people for that matter!
The guru sighed, looking at the sky, with tears in his eyes. Spirits, what was this chakra?
"The thought chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by… earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world…"
His friends? Of course, he loved his friends, but he didn't feel that irresistible pull to stay with them, every hour of the day. Just to be with them. He supposed that was what Pathik meant by earthly attachment. No… The only one with whom he felt that… was Katara.
The waterbender and him, in the water, training. Her laugh at a stupid joke he told her. Katara's gaze when he did something reckless just to make her laugh. Her lips on his… Spirits, if he had an earthly attachment, it was Katara.
Wait… These things each started with letting something go…
"Now, let all of those attachments… go."
Oh spirits no! He was not going to do that!
"Let them flow down the river, forgotten…" The pained voice of Pathik managed to get through.
"Why would I let go of Katara? I… I love her." Saying those words out loud, for the first time… It made it real. There was no going back now. He loved her, and that was it.
"Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe… I'm sorry."
Why? Other Avatars had married, had lovers! Why would he be different? Why would he have to let go of earthly attachments?
"And why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara? How can my attachment to her be a bad thing? Three chakras ago, that was a good thing!"
It was not fair!
"You must learn to let go." The absolute manner in which Pathik said it made Aang think. This guy was supposed to be wise and learned. But yet, he had never thought about how another one's brain worked. These chakras and their intricate way of being handled…. He had probably come up with it. There had to be another way!
"I'm sorry, but I can't let go of Katara" the airbender bowed his head politely.
"Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Surrender yourself. I never said you can't love her. Just… learn to let go."
"I'll… I'll try." He spoke hesitantly. The fact that Pathik wasn't completely opposed to him loving her was good news. But what did he mean by… letting go?
"Think about your attachments… and let them go. Be empty and let yourself be filled with the pure cosmic energy…"
Just… just for a moment. Aang would let go, just for a moment. To see if it worked. If nothing happened, well, then screw Pathik. He would be earthly attached.
Closing his eyes, he tried to detach himself from what he felt for Katara. It was nearly impossible. Without wanting, or noticing it, the waterbender had become something attached to his core, to his being… But he managed to separate himself from what he was feeling for her
Suddenly, all went black.
Aang stood on some sort of transparent pathway. Above him, and under him stars shone… Where was he?
Turning around, he nearly fell off the path. In the distance stood… or hovered… a giant version of himself. His giant-self tattoos were glowing, but he didn't seem hostile. Walking towards it, apprehensively at first, soon his own tattoos began to glow. Aang felt the energy that he had come to associate with the Avatar State… But he was calm. Collected. Himself.
Suddenly, the giant Aang approached, and moved his hand around him.
This was the Avatar State such as he had always hoped it would be. Powerful, yet kind… This felt like the universe was giving him all its power, to use for good…
From the corner of his eye, the airbender saw an image simmer in the air. Turning to it, thinking it was something to do with the Avatar State, he suddenly felt a cold, metal hand close around his heart in pure fear.
In the image, Katara was struggling, in chains.
No, no, no… Everything but that…
Without even thinking about it, he began to run, and the path fell away from beneath him, swallowing him in eternal darkness.
"No!" Aang suddenly came back to that rooftop at the Air Temple and opened his eyes. Pathik was sitting in front of him, with a sad look on his face.
"Katara is in danger, I have to go!" He scrambled up and was already pulling the whistle from his pocket to call Appa.
"Aang, no! by choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!" The guru shouted after him, panic in his voice.
Aang didn't care. How did that man dare to make him choose between the safety of Katara, or the Avatar State! He would gladly sacrifice it if it meant the waterbender would be safe.
Jumping from the roof, he managed to fall on Appa, who flew by.
"Come on boy, Katara is in danger!" he yelled at the bison, and Appa began to fly, as hard as he could, towards the northwest.
I make you this promise Katara. I will save you, and I will never choose being the Avatar over you. The world can do what it likes, but I will not sacrifice you for the world.
Answers :
Chinmay : Oh, those three weeks are going to be the beginning of Book 3! Of course I wasn't going to pass on that!
Rak : Thank you very much! Oh, I already have a plan in place for that particular episode!
Gabriela N. Gonzalez : I'm sorry, but those chapters are not going to get easier… So, prepare yourself! But I see you have chapter 35 in store, and that one will lift your spirits I hope!