The world was ending.
Creatures with grotesque features and ethereal auras were ravaging the world, tearing apart cities and terrorizing millions of innocent people. Some were tall enough to crush thousands of people with one step; others could weave their way through the crowd, cutting them down as if they were mere stalks of wheat; still others could call upon the elements themselves and unleash the full fury of nature upon them.
I only vaguely remember a time of serenity and tranquility; the memories are fleeting, like colorful autumn leaves being swept away by a gentle breeze. The sanctuary of my mind had white bricks, although not the harsh kind of white; rather than shine in the sunlight, they merely glowed. The buildings were always so high-reaching, almost as though they could touch the heavens, and there was always a breeze from outside blowing in.
Perhaps it is because I grew up in that sanctuary (for I have the vaguest notion that I did) that I didn't know nor understand the state of the outside world; if I ever did, then perhaps it was only pieced together through overhearing scattered conversations, well-concealed to keep out of the eyes and ears of prying children. In any case, the overseers sheltered us; whether or not they did so to keep us ignorant or to let us have a normal childhood is unknown to me.
If the reason was the latter, then they failed to do so for me.
Following the peace, there was only blood and fire, pain and death that haunted my conscience, my soul, every single fiber of my being. The time to be a child ended the moment I stepped out of the comfortable embrace of that sanctuary, and I was swept away by the current of war and blood.
Some days, I wished I could go back in time, back to the child I was, the child who frolicked with friends he doesn't remember, who deferred to the kind, smiling elders whose names he has long forgotten, who had a childhood he had long lost.
But, as history dictates, time and time again… when destiny calls, you have no choice but to answer.
The room held a resounding silence, as though something profoundly astonishing had just been uttered aloud.
Gleaming, gold eyes, framed by wrinkled skin and complemented by the impressive silver sideburns and long mustache and goatee, peered out at the four other representatives from the two other nations. Those gold eyes, as well as the way he held himself: imperious, demanding, almost haughty, were clear indicators to his Fire Nation heritage.
Next to the imperious man was another man who was much younger, with his long ebony hair flowing down his back and sporting his own goatee. Even though the age clearly set these two apart, their facial features unmistakably matched each others', signifying their relation as father and son.
Sitting right next to the young Fire Nation man was another man about the same age, with darker-colored skin, cobalt-blue eyes, and a lean, muscular build. His hair was done in a traditional short pony-tail with two strands of braided hair hanging in the front, a style commonly found in the Southern Water Tribe. Next to him was an older man with a deeper shade of blue eyes, stern, almost harsh features, a scruffy beard, and a hairstyle done that was traditional to the Northern Water Tribe.
To the older Fire Nation's side were the green-clad representatives, indicative of their status as part of the Earth Kingdom. One of the men had wild, unruly brown hair and a goatee to match it; one would think that he would've had a crazy glint in his eye to match his disheveled state, but his eyes held a surprising amount of seriousness and lack of humor. The other had a more youthful-looking, longer face, with spectacles perched on his nose, but his eyes held an absentminded look in them, as if he wasn't all too sure why he was in the meeting to begin with.
Although, after the proclamation that was made, those absentminded eyes — as well as every other pair of eyes that didn't belong to the Fire Nation — were trained on the older Fire Nation representative, sharp with disbelief and shock.
The younger Water Tribe representative was the first to speak, breaking the spell of silence cast onto them. "You're proposing," he said slowly, disbelief coloring his tone, " that we use children as our solution?" Beside him, the older man shifted uneasily, eyes darting from the older man to his sister tribe's representative.
The older Fire Nation man didn't flinch. "Not just any children," he corrected. "Those who display an affinity for manipulating natural elements."
Fury flashed in the Southerner's eyes, but before he could say anything, the man with unruly hair leaned forward, a guarded look in his eyes. "Manipulation of natural elements?" he repeated. He flashed a look towards the older Water Tribe representative, layered with meaning. "What do you mean by that?"
The older Fire Nation man sighed, as if irritated at having to explain, before he spoke. "We at the Fire Nation have noticed an… interesting phenomenon happening to the newest, younger generation." He gestured towards his son, who merely glanced at the other nation representatives with cold, calculating eyes. "My son's children, in particular, have displayed a peculiar ability, in which they are able to shoot fire out of their hands and feet, and, in the case of my granddaughter, —" At that, he flicked his eyes over to the younger Fire Nation man, who still paid his father no heed. "— lightning."
The younger Water Tribe man's jaw tightened considerably, although he made no motion to speak.
At the Fire Nation man's declaration, the younger-looking of the Earth Kingdom man spoke up. "Is there any… proof of this?" he inquired skeptically.
The man smirked. "Indeed."
As if on cue, the screen behind the man flickered to life, showing two kids: an older boy and a younger girl. The boy had his hair up in the traditional style of the prince, and the girl had her hair up in a topknot, with two locks framing her young face.
The representatives of both Water and Fire leaned in a little bit closer, intrigued to see if what the Fire Nation man said was true. In the video, the boy seemed ungainly, almost uncertain of himself; in contrast, the girl was calm and composed, her eyes calculating as she panned her gaze over the camera filming her.
As if on some unspoken cue, the boy and girl moved as one, but in different motions: the boy fell into a horse stance, fists up as though he was ready to fight, and the girl began making slow, circular motions with her arms.
A gasp rippled through the representatives as they saw blue sparks form around the girl's rotating arms. Just as the girl thrust her arm out, the boy punched forward.
Lightning and fire burst forth from their respective owners, roaring in front of the camera and continuing from the pointed fingers and clenched fist, respectively, as though their owners held a storage of the energy within themselves and was concentrating it into a stream of elemental power.
As soon as the children finished their display, the video paused on the girl's self-satisfied smirk and the boy's almost uneasy expression. The older Fire Nation man chose that moment to step in front of the screen, regarding the younger Earth Kingdom man with piercing eyes. While the man looked intimidated, his fellow representative was regarding the screen with a critical eye.
The Northern Water Tribe man, who had been silent up until this point, directed a question towards the imperious red-clad man, his voice carefully neutral: "What do you propose to do with these children, then?"
"Is it not obvious?" The Fire Nation speaker spread his arms out, as if gesturing not just to the room, but the entire world. "We need them so we can assemble an army and fight back against these creatures."
At that, the younger Water Tribe man shot out of his seat and slammed his fist against the table. "What you propose is insanity!" he thundered, glowering at the man. "I will not allow for you, nor anyone here, to draft mere children into a war against these monsters!"
Although the older Water Tribe member held himself with a calm air, the tension lines on his face betrayed how feigned it was. "What," he began in a low tone, "would ever justify the use of children for something that would strip them of their innocence and their childhood?"
The elder Fire Nation man slid his eyes over to look at the two furious Water Tribe members. "The fate of the world."
The younger man barked out a humorless laugh, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. "The fate of the world! You're willing to sacrifice children to save our own hides?" He sneered at the elderly man. "I knew you were cold, Azulon, but this is a whole other level, even for you."
Azulon seemed to be reaching the end of his patience, but he visibly gritted his teeth and forced himself to relax, which seemed to take an excruciating amount of effort. "That is not what I meant," he said, trying to affect some sort of calm control around him. "I meant that we wait until they are old enough to fight, and in the meantime, we train them in handling their abilities.
"I know how much the Water Tribe values the importance of family and community." Azulon's tone shifted to that of a graceful politician. "In fact, I'm sure that the Water Tribes understand that they come before any one individual." The Fire Nation man turned towards the older Water Tribe representative. "Arnook, let me ask you this: if you would sacrifice yourself, if only to preserve your family, your community, would you do it?"
Arnook frowned warily but replied, "Without hesitation."
Azulon nodded, as if expecting the answer. "That is the essence of what we are doing." He swept his arm towards the glass window overlooking the city. "To preserve our future, the entire world's future, we must make several sacrifices along the way, and that may have to, regretfully, include the children's innocence and childhood." He fixed the younger Water Tribe man with a stare. "We must put it before any one child."
"Our children are the world's future," the younger Water Tribe man retorted heatedly.
"And if we don't do anything, they will be the last," came Azulon's smooth voice. "Do you not see? If they succeed, they will preserve the world for many other generations after them. If the children who come after them can live in peace, would it not be worth it? If they do not have to worry about surviving, if they do not have to live in constant fear of death, the same way our children are, would not any sacrifice we make matter little in the end?"
The Water Tribe man hesitated. Sensing his uncertainty, Azulon pressed on. "This is greater than any of us, greater than the children, greater than the adults, even greater than the nations themselves: this is about the very survival of the human race. What good would it do to preserve them as children, but to leave them no world in which to grow up? We must do whatever we can to ensure our future generations never have to live in fear of death."
As Azulon spoke, the anger steadily drained from the young Southerner's face until only conflict and uncertainty showed from his expression. The younger man opened his mouth several times, as if about to speak, but every time he would close it without a word. Finally, the man dropped his gaze, as though admitting defeat to Azulon's logic.
In the uncomfortable lull of the conversation, the man with the wild, unkempt hair leaned forward. "And how," he inquired, "would we detect such children?"
Azulon exchanged a glance with his son. The younger Fire Nation man cleared his throat. "Our mechanical engineers have been able to design a portable screening device that can detect whether or not a child has what we call Bending, this ability to 'bend' the elements to their will."
"Interesting…" The now-intrigued Earth Kingdom man stroked his goatee, glancing at the younger Water Tribe man out of the corner of his eye. "How does the device differentiate between regular and Bending children?"
"Chi flows," the Fire Nation man responded. "Children who have these powers appear to have different energy patterns. Whatever element they can manipulate depends on a certain pattern they possess."
Azulon stepped up. "So far, we have identified four distinctive patterns." Behind him, the screen flickered to life, showing the displays of five simplistic human drawings, each with a label underneath it. Using his pointer, Azulon tapped the first: a human with blue lines that seemed concentrated in the upper body. "Those whose chi flow is concentrated in the upper body seem to be able to manipulate water."
Azulon then tapped the second: a human with green lines that were mostly flowing down into the lower body and legs. "Those whose chi flows down into their lower body and legs are more suited to manipulating earth."
Tap went the pointer towards the third model: a human with red lines that seemed concentrated in the stomach but extended in thin, spidery tendrils that strengthened in the hands and feet. "The chi that flows from the stomach and diaphragm to the hands and feet seem to be able to generate fire."
Finally, the pointer rested on the last model: a human whose white chi flows seemed to concentrate solely near the abdomen, moving in circular patterns. "This fourth pattern seems to be found within those who can manipulate air."
At this, the Earth Kingdom man's eyebrows shot up. "Air?"
Azulon ignored the man and continued speaking, contracting his pointer. "All of these factors are valuable, of course; the more variety of abilities we have, the greater chance we stand when going against these monsters. However…" He paused, as if for dramatic effect.
Arnook leaned forward. "However…?" he prompted.
Azulon smiled, although it retained no semblance of humor nor mirth. "These factors are not our most valuable."
The younger Earth Kingdom man spoke up now, looking intrigued. "They aren't? Then what are?"
Azulon merely smiled again.
As if in response, the screen switched to another video, this time being recorded in live time. In the video, the room that was being shown had sterile, shining walls of white. The room itself was fairly simply: a bunker bed that was pushed against the wall to the right of the door, a desk that was barely within the peripheral of the camera to the far left, and a steel door with a barred window. But none of the features of the prison-esque room was what caught the eyes of the representatives.
It was the boy.
As far as what the boy wore, it was the standard set of clothes a boy would wear: a plain collared yellow shirt with dark gray sweatpants. Over his shirt is a red Adidas jacket with gold stripes running down the length of the sleeves.
His youthful face was nothing out of the ordinary either, nor his slim build or his sharp gray eyes.
No, what caught the representatives' eyes were the tattoos.
Intricately-designed tattoos arched over the boy's bald head, the end of the tattoo spanning out to form a sharp triangle that pointed in between his thin eyebrows. As the boy, seemingly unaware of the camera in his room, fidgeted restlessly, the representatives saw the same tattoo pattern stretching out from under the boy's sleeves to the back of his hands, its end also forming the same triangular shape that created an arrow.
"A boy?" The younger Water Tribe man looked incredulously at Azulon. "He is the most valuable factor to your proposition?"
"Not just any boy." Azulon's mouth quirked into a devious smile. "The Avatar."
A blanket of stunned silence settled over the room; the Water Tribe men and the younger Earth Kingdom man were gaping at Azulon, as though they had thought he lost his mind. However, the older man with the untamed hair was studying the real-time video of the boy, glancing sharply at Azulon.
"You jest." Arnook broke the silence. "The Avatar is nothing but a children's tale for the desperate and the hopeless."
"Ah, but he is very much real." Azulon folded his hands in front of him with an air of patience. "After all, my father personally knew the Avatar in his time."
"Did he now?" A note of skepticism colored the younger Earth Kingdom man's tone as he regarded Azulon. "Is there proof of such?"
Azulon shook his head. "My father kept many secrets as secrets, even from family. But we have proof residing in his chi."
The older Earth Kingdom man snorted, although unlike most of his trademark snorts, this one held no mirth. "Do you now."
Azulon merely gestured with his hands. The screen switched back to the chi diagrams from before, except there was a sixth picture added. Instead of being a drawing, this new model clearly came from an analytical device: diagnostics were imprinted to the side of the picture, and the faint outline of the boy himself was visible, even though the chi paths had the most emphasis.
Compared to the rest of the diagrams, the representatives could see it: the boy's chi paths had not one, nor two or three, but all four indicators of the chi paths for all four Bending categories.
For the third time that day, the entire room was silent. The Water Tribe men both exchanged astonished glances at each other; the younger Earth Kingdom man wore shock on his expression; but the older Earth Kingdom man merely steepled his fingers, his expression inscrutable.
Azulon slowly, almost deliberately, walked in front of the screen. "I had to dig deep into the legends and myths of the Avatar that circulate the libraries," he admitted, "but I came across quite the peculiar legend: it said that back in the day, when Bending was commonplace, the Avatar was able to Bend —" He paused. "— all four elements."
The younger Water Tribe man was the first to snap into motion. "The Avatar?" He glanced at the chi paths of the boy. "But he is merely a child."
Azulon nodded. "A child with incredible power."
"And what do you hope would come of it?"
"The preservation of the world through the defeat of these creatures."
"Surely not." The younger man looked incredulous. "You cannot possibly think —"
"Not now, no," Azulon interrupted. "But when he is of age, he, and everyone else who possesses Bending, will fight. In the meantime, he is being trained in the ways of battlefield tactics and leadership skills to prepare him."
"So you are not only training him to be a soldier," the younger man said slowly, "you are also training him to be a general."
"Correct."
"If I may interject," the older Earth Kingdom man said politely, effectively turning the representatives' attention towards him and cooling the Water Tribe man's clearly seething temper, "the markings on that boy are unlike any markings from any other nation I have ever seen." He fixed Azulon with a penetrating gaze. "Where did he come from?"
Azulon looked mildly affronted. "Excuse me?"
"Yes…" Arnook studied the schematic of the boy on the screen. "Now that he mentions it, I don't believe I have seen any citizen from any other nation in the world have the same markings as the ones this boy possesses. If it were the case, I would remember," he added, turning a critical eye towards Azulon, "seeing as how unusual they are."
Azulon opened his mouth to speak, but his son beat him to it. "Does it matter where he is from," the young Fire Nation man countered smoothly, "so long as he uses his power to vanquish these creatures? In this fight against the monsters, nationality should not matter, so long as these children can work together to defeat the enemy."
Arnook opened his mouth, seemed to reconsider his answer, and sighed. "I suppose not," he admitted, albeit reluctantly. In contrast to the older Water Tribe man, his fellow representative continued to eye Azulon distrustfully. The younger man exchanged a glance with the older Earth Kingdom man.
"In short, you're planning on detecting children with Bending potential, waiting until they are of age, and in the meantime, you train them to be able to fight against these beasts," the younger Earth Kingdom man summed up.
Azulon nodded. "Children with Bending potential, as well as some… controls."
"Controls?" The younger Water Tribe man snapped his head, eyeing Azulon warily. "What do you mean?"
The elder made several elaborate gestures with his hands. "Think of it as… an experiment of sorts," he explained. "We have never had people who could manipulate the elements in the history of our world. As a result, we need to know whether or not they would be as effective as, if not even more, than those who don't have powers and yet are trained to fight against these creatures all the same."
The Southerner stayed silent for several moments, seemingly mulling over Azulon's words. Finally, he begrudgingly conceded, "I suppose that does make sense."
Azulon nodded towards the younger Earth Kingdom man. "But yes, that is the plan for our project.
"Now, all I am asking of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom is the necessary funding, as well as permission for our researchers to find these children and several scientists from your nation." Azulon spread his arms out. "Consider it a symbol of unity, that all three nations would join together into one organization to help fight against these beasts."
The room was once again silent, but instead it was a contemplative silence. The two Water Tribe men put their heads together, quietly discussing the proposal. The younger Earth Kingdom man looked uncertain, occasionally glancing at his fellow representative and opening his mouth before seemingly reconsidering and shutting it. For the most part, the older Earth Kingdom ignored his fellow representative, stroking his goatee as he regarded the screen behind the Fire Nation men.
Finally, the Water Tribe men resurfaced from their conversation and turned towards the Fire Nation men. "Both the Northern and the Southern Water Tribes will provide the funding and aid for your project," Arnook proclaimed. Although his fellow representative still retained a grudging expression, he remained silent.
Azulon turned his gaze, almost hungrily, on the Earth Kingdom representatives. The younger Earth Kingdom man turned his gaze almost uncertainly to his fellow representative. When the older man made no motion as if to speak, the younger man turned his gaze towards the elder Fire Nation man. "The Earth Kingdom, too, will provide funding and a team of scientists to collaborate with you."
Azulon, finally satiated, nodded in relief before bowing deeply to them — a sign of respect and gratitude. "The Phoenix Association will not forget your kind and generous contributions." He straightened, looking at each of them gravely. "May the Spirits bless us with good fortune."
A quiet scoff resounded, and Azulon glanced sharply towards his son. The younger Fire Nation man only had a neutral expression on his face as he stared ahead.
"I just have one last question," the older Earth Kingdom man said, leaning forwards to peer at Azulon with a penetrating stare. "Does this particular project of yours have a name?"
While the Water Tribe men and the younger Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom men stared incredulously at the representative and his trivial question, Azulon seemed to decide to humor the man. "Yes, it does. In fact —" Another gesture of his hand, and the screen switched back to the video of the child with the tattoos. "— we named it after him, since he is going to be a very important factor for our project."
"Oh?" The Earth Kingdom man folded his hands inquiringly on the table, his expression feigning innocence. "Is that so?"
"Indeed." Azulon bared his teeth in the likings of a predatory smile. "The Avatar Experiment."
A/N And thus begins my first Avatar: The Last Airbender multichapter fanfic.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how far I would be able to fare in this fanfiction, considering how with my previous MCSM multichapter fanfics kinda... died out.
But I have a good feeling about this ATLA fanfic, simply because it is ATLA: I have a stronger foundation and a stronger love for the story of ATLA, so hopefully I will be able to complete my plans for this fanfiction series (and yes, my plans will be it is a fanfiction series).
Now, the AU is a Modern Dystopia AU that draws heavily from The Maze Runner and a little bit from The 5th Wave (or, at least, from what I've seen from the movie). Even if you have read those books already, I hope that you stick around for this fanfiction, since I'm hoping to provide my own unique twists and turns.
I hope you enjoyed the prologue, and I hope you choose to stick around for what I have planned for the ATLA cast!
Reviews are always appreciated!