Part 2 - Order
Claire's vision blurred as her eyes slowly fluttered open, finding a wood ceiling encapsulating her vision as she tried to sit up, her muscles tensing, and with that, she fell from a table she lay atop on, landing with an impeccable thud.
She groaned and rubbed her head while the approach of footsteps smacked against her ears, "When... did I get on a table?"
Kang and a Wizened Teamaker with a long white beard and hair, with the top of his head balding, adorned in green and white robes, stood by her and checked her over.
"You've been on there for a while."
The pain briefly numbed as the still groggy Claire's head perked up, "Kang? Where are we? And who's he? And can you Define... 'a while'?"
"Spirit World."
"My name is Iroh."
"And I'd wager about thirteen hours."
Iroh nodded, "That sounds about right."
"Oh, nice. We meet the man we need help from with the Spirit World, in the Spirit World," she chuckled.
"Ironic, isn't it?"
Iroh sauntered over to a teapot, adding a pinch of red powder and stirring it into the leaves before pouring the tea into a cup, "Here, drink this!" he handed her the steamy tea.
She took hold of the cup, sniffing and drinking it in one go as her eyes lit up and her body bounced off the ground, "What did you put in that?!"
"Just a pinch of something the spirits call Revitalisation Powder," he smiled.
Kang stared at Claire whilst she flexed her fingers and rolled her neck, humming at the sight of her and pointing with a now black and red prosthetic hand.
"That reminds me, a weaver spirit stopped by for some tea earlier, and at mine and Iroh's request, remade your shirt."
She looked down at herself, finding her torso partially exposed, with only her burnt, white cropped undershirt covering her chest, "I thought it felt a bit draf-" her eyes slowly rose to the Prosthetic Finger, its black metallic appendages catching her eye, "Gah! What happened to your arm!?"
Kang clenched his prosthetic fist, "Talos happened... I'm not sure how much you remember, but..."
He fished inside his pouch, pulling out the new shirt almost identical to the one she wore, "as he tried to kill you, I quickly and recklessly intervened, at the cost of my arm."
Claire took the shirt, slanting her eyebrows and heavily sighing, "Thank you for the save, Kang... and sorry about your arm."
Kang hummed and shrugged, "Well, get changed. We'll be waiting outside," He patted Iroh's shoulder as the two strolled out of the Teashop.
Claire emerged moments later, adorned in the pristine clean sleeveless shirt Kang somehow had stored in his pouch. She gawped at the sight of a fissure filling her vision, blackened grass, greyed out stones, and the sound of thunder rumbling overhead, "This... doesn't seem like the best place to set up shop..."
"It used to be a radiant and peaceful place before Talos arrived."
Claire's vision shot toward Iroh, her eyebrows raising while Kang nodded, "Seems your friend really did go a bit nutso."
"First, he's blasting me with purple flames, and now I'm finding out he did... this..." she heavily gazed at their environment.
"He has joined forces with an ancient evil, once sealed under the earth where we stand."
"How did he... break the seal?"
"This was a naturally peaceful area of the Spirit World, and when I arrived, it only amplified it... but Talos' arrival may have weakened the seal just enough for it to talk to him... and promise him an undeniable boon."
Claire shivered, "And that boon must have been..."
"The power of an Avatar."
"Is there anywhere we can learn to... combat this ancient evil?"
Iroh nodded, "The Library of Wan Shi Tong may help you, but be warned... you may not receive a warm welcome."
Claire and Kang stared at each other, "Well, warm welcome or not... we should start our investigation there," Kang replied
"Yeah..." Claire turned to Iroh, "Do you know a quick way there?"
He gestured to a Spirit Portal off in the distance, "Go through that Portal and take the one on your right."
"Thank you!" Claire replied.
She set off for the portal whilst Kang briefly bowed, giving chase to the Avatar. The two stood atop its crystalline surface as a brilliant light consumed them and transported them to The Nexus.
They gazed around in wonder as the light faded to reveal the vast emptiness of the nexus, "It's nice to see this place when I'm not knocking on the Spirit of Death's door!"
"Indeed, had to drag you all the way to Iroh's Teashop."
She hesitantly smirked, "Thank you for that... sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you."
He twisted and shrugged, "Probably be dead... or reincarnated."
She winced as Kang snapped his fingers, "Speaking of dead... keep your eyes peeled for a Gorilla Spirit."
"A... what?"
"You know, a Gorilla Spirit, a big hulking beast of a creature that could bench press a four hundred foot tall Purple Platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings with ease."
She stared blankly at his analogy, "... That's suspiciously specific."
"What? Have you never heard the story of Aza the Giant Purple Platypus Bear, defender of the great Bear Nation!?"
Claire's mouth hung ajar as her eyes peered into his goggles, "I, uh... can't say I have."
He lightly nodded, "Ah, it used to be my favourite story. My..." he paused and gazed to the ground with a melancholy smile before softly snapping his fingers.
"Iroh said Spirit Portal to the right, correct?" he sharply pointed to one nearby.
"Yeah, it should be..." she observed the portals, spotting one showing a giant building in its glimmering energy, "This one!"
They stepped atop the Portal, the light once again enveloping and transporting them to the outside of Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library. The duo marvelled at the grand structure, surrounded by ice tipped mountains, fields of stone and snow, and an overcast sky looming over them.
"Going through the front entrance doesn't seem like a good idea; how do you think we should go about getting in?" Claire asked.
"Well... there's a window in that top spire, you could probably get up there with your air-bending or earth climbing or like me, you could just propel yourself up with fire jets!"
"Good plan!"
The two propelled themselves up to the spire on jets of fire, climbing through the window and slowly descending to a bridge above an abyss. Claire dropped to the ground too early, the consequences surging up her legs as she stood frozen and whimpering.
Kang, however, dropped from a short distance off the ground, "When descending with Fire jets, always stop a few feet off the ground, not a few metres!"
"... Noted..."
The two stood on a junction bridge, four pathways leading to a grand collection of millions upon millions of tomes, books and scrolls. Stuffed animal heads adorned the columns of the bridges, and an eloquent ambience permeated the air.
But before they could take in their surroundings, Wan Shi Tong, a giant black owl spirit with a white face, lunged at them and loomed with a menacing elegance. The two leapt back in fright as they stared up at the behemoth Owl.
"Humans are not welcome here; I will give you one chance to leave before I turn you both into decorative blood splatters!"
Their gazes darted between each other and the Owl, "Does it help if I say I'm the Avatar?"
"No! The last Avatar who entered my Library lied and exploited my knowledge alongside his foolish friend. And the last human I foolishly allowed in here brought back the Ancient demon Raava! Why am I to think you two are any different from them!?"
Kang affirmatively hummed and straightened his posture, "You know, Big Bird's got a point!"
"You're seriously siding with the Owl!?"
"I'm just saying!"
"Enough! You have wasted your chance by playing the fool!" His neck elongated, his once round head becoming jagged and pointy.
The great knowledge spirit lunged at a petrified Kang, unable to move in time. But he stopped, staring past the goggles and into his eyes, "You... have Iroh's eyes, or at least they're similar."
He squeamishly chuckled, "I... I do?"
"Are you a son, perhaps? Maybe a nephew?" He peered into him while Claire stood in shock.
"I'm, uh... I am his Grand-nephew!"
Her mouth dropped open, near enough crashing to the floor while Wan Shi Tong continued his peering, "you seem unsure of that; you're not lying, are you?"
"N-no, it's just not every day a very big, very angry... very pretty, bird tries to turn me into a 'decorative blood splatter'."
Wan Shi Tong returned to his original form, "an understandable reasoning, I suppose."
"Did Iroh send you?"
"Yes, he did!"
"And what do you plan to do in my library?"
"We're hoping to find a way to cure the corrupted spirits running amok in our worlds."
Wan Shi Tong nodded and hummed, "As a relative of my friend... I will allow you into my Library. Just keep this Avatar in check!"
"I'll... do that" his breathing returned to normal as his hand held his chest.
"Enjoy your time in the Library," he glared at Claire before leaping from the bridge.
Kang watched him descend and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good thing Iroh has good relations in the Spirit World."
The stunned Claire approached and stood next to him at the bridge's edge, "You're the Grand-nephew to The Dragon of the West!?"
"Yes, I am. What of it?" he dismissively gazed on into the distance.
"I'm just... surprised, is all. I thought you might have mentioned it when we were looking for him."
"I don't like to speak about my family... it's a... difficult place for me."
"Can I at least know who you're the son of? Zuko or...?"
Kang's hands shook, and his teeth tightly gritted, "I said... I don't like to speak about my family!" his voice rose, his fists clenching as he turned away from the ever more curious Avatar.
"Wait a minute... Zuko would recognise his own son... goggles and all... that must mean..."
Her wide eyes set on him as her lips quivered, "Hold on... you're...Azula's son!?"
He tightened his fists, his teeth gritting tight enough to crack as a lump grew in his throat.
"...shit, I think I worded that badly..."
She passively raised a hand to him, going to touch his shoulder, "Is everything al-," he viciously twisted around, "YES, I AM!"
She jumped back as if Kang's shouts threw her away as they echoed throughout the Library, "Hey, I... know she wasn't the best person in the-,"
"SHUT UP!" He pointed his quaking finger at her as fire expelled from his nose like a dragon.
The Avatar gazed back in a nervous offence, "...Come again?"
His hand lowered as he trudged toward the feckless Avatar, "You don't know a thing about her! My mother meant everything to me! She was all I had, for twenty years! I loved her, with all my heart!" his anguish echoed throughout the Library.
"And I..."
His voice lowered, cracking as his posture slumped, all the while a befuddled Claire gazed at him, her arms passively dropped, "You... what?"
He bit his lip, choking on his voice as his fists clenched and his nails dug into his palms, "Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP!" his body trembled, the bottled-up turmoil breaking open like a dam.
Claire took a deep breath, shaking her head to herself and standing up straight, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked."
Despite her apology, Kang set his glare on her, "No, No, you're the high and mighty Avatar! You have every right to know everything about me! So, where should we start!?"
She stepped back as her gaze turned uneasy, "Kang, I didn't mean it like that... you've just been a mystery for so long, my curiosity... got the better of me."
"Ah, yes! Curiosity, always with the blasted curiosity!" he marched and mockingly threw his arms up, "Tell me, are you curious about how I murdered my own mother!?"
Her heart skipped a beat, her body trembling as Kang loomed over her, "What-!?"
"How about how I hear her screams whenever I close my eyes!? Do you want to know about that too!?"
"Or do you want to know about how I had to seal my eyes away for the rest of my life!?" he vigorously pointed to his goggles.
"I bet you're just dying to know about the constant grief and pain I've carried since that day!? So Just go ahead! Ask away!"
His rage overflowed, the presence pushing Claire to the ground as her nervous gaze set on him.
"You dare to walk into my life thinking you can just delve into my history like I'm some kind of open tome!?"
Claire trembled, her nerves standing on end, as he glared down at her, the flickering flames which illuminated the Library all shining like tiny stars.
"I am ashamed of what I did. I buried it deep within the recesses of my memory, never wanting to speak of it again! But ever since I joined you on your quest as Avatar, it's been reminder, after reminder... And I can't stand it any longer!"
Fire toiled in his palms as he raised them high with his glare still affixed on Claire. She lay petrified, her pupils constricting as her vision shook at Kang beginning to lash out, but as she rose her arm to block the attack, he stopped, the library flames dying down as the fire in his hands sputtered out.
He gazed at his palms while Claire still cowered, shaking his head and throwing them to his side as he marched around her and to the library exit. His thunderous stomps hit her ears as her eyes opened, finding Kang leaving her behind.
"Wait, Kang!" She stumbled to her feet and gave chase after him.
But he fiercely swung and slashed his fist down with a furious roar, erecting an explosive blockade of fire, "I hope you're happy now, Avatar."
Her legs quaked as the two gazed at one another through the flickering grief riddle flames, the Avatar choking on her words and her lips quivering, "I- I'm... sorry, Kang."
"Apologise all you like; it doesn't change a thing..."
Claire's heart sank as a tear streaked from her eye, watching the slumped over Kang venture out of the Library. However, in time, she swallowed her fear and sorrow, slowly rising to her feet as the great doors slammed shut.
She ventured alone into the Library, arriving at a chamber containing scrolls and tomes on 'Ancient bending techniques'.
She miserably sifted through Wan Shi Tong's collection, pulling out scroll after tome but finding nothing on Raava or how to cure spirits. She shook her head, groaning and seething to herself as her muscles tensed and her eyes tightly shut, "Why was I so damn stupid?"
She heavily sighed and gazed to the ceiling, "Why didn't I just keep my big stupid mouth shut?"
But while she wallowed in regret and sorrow, the ruffling of feathers and clicking of claws smacked against her ears, "I see your shaggy friend has abandoned you."
Claire turned to the sound of the voice, finding Wan Shi Tong stood before her, "... yeah, I'm guessing you heard."
"He wasn't exactly quiet about it."
She shook her head, placing her arm against the bookshelf and resting her head on it; her vision turned to the floor, "I was an idiot to drag up his past like that... it's like..."
"Your curiosity about him got the better of you?"
"Well... yeah..."
The great Owl hummed, "If there's anything humans excel at, it's being curious of the unknown and being utterly moronic."
Claire turned her numb glare to him, "I'm not going to argue with that..." she sighed, "you wouldn't happen to know what Talos read from, would you?"
"One scroll and a tome from my private collection."
Wan Shi Tong plucked said scrolls from a stool with his peak and flicked them over to Claire. She let them fall into her palm and observed the state of the scrolls, "These look pretty old."
"You're standing in a Spirit Library dating back tens of thousands of years. They're not exactly going to be in pristine condition, are they?"
She grumbled and unravelled the first scroll, discovering poses unlike any she'd seen before, "Spirit-bending?"
"An art separate to the four elements in which the user can bend and bind Spirits to their will. 'I am the first and only Spirit-Bender, Avatar Shen-Chao'," her nerves stood on end.
"'Once bound to my will, they are at my command, but during my self-taught training, I turned most spirits insane'."
"Well, now I know why Mad Spirits seem to have a thing for chasing me... and I guess Talos must've originally planned to... take my Avatar Spirit."
"Judging by what he's done, I wouldn't put it past him."
Claire tapped her foot and peered over at the Great Owl, "...Would you mind if I had a look at that tome you mentioned?"
"Yes, I would!"
She anxiously nodded and gazed at the scroll, "do you mind if I practise this? If I'm going to cure these Mad Spirits... I'm going to need this knowledge."
"By all means, practise away. Just don't try anything funny."
Claire nodded and bowed to him, the great Owl receding into the Library while she began to practise the Spirit-Bending forms.