A word from the author:

This story is a rewrite of another published work of mine, called Shell of God and found under the DBZ x ATLA section. There is little left of the original script, save for the core motive, which I wanted to explore a bit more. If you haven't read the original yet, don't do it; it will spoil a few key components of this one. And if you did, let me know if you consider this version an improvement. My complete reasoning for rewriting this story is noted in Shell of God's first chapter's foreword, if you're curious.

Expect a lot of original characters and new environments, as part of my goal with this story is to practice creating those. If that's not to your liking, this story may not be for you.

Of course, the old cast is making a return as well. Most of the major players will be accounted for. And soon, their worlds shall clash yet again.

The fall of Heaven

Why was there so much fear in paradise?

This thought had plagued Jin for what felt like ages. And she was reminded of it right now, whilst walking on the street of her new home village.

She passed by a few buildings belonging to merchants and artisans, and entered the farmlands. She was hoping to stay away from people, but her luck failed her. She walked right into a small line of six workers pushing carts of food.

As she moved past one of them, he shot her a nervous glance. She tried to smile at him, but it only caused him to twitch, turn his head away, and walk faster. The few remaining people followed suit, passing by Jin without looking at her.

She sighed and went on her way. This strange mood in town was getting on her nerves more and more. Such encounters kept happening for at least a couple months.

However, she was not mad at the villagers, for she knew what was wrong with them. She felt it too, the weird, unnerving feeling that she was being watched. It was as if a wild beast kept following her, ready to pounce, except it never did.

She felt it, even now. For a moment, the sensation was so strong that it caused her to turn around, only to witness the familiar workers in the distance on the otherwise empty street.

Something dark flashed in the corner of her eye.

She jumped, gasped, and turned rapidly, only to stare at a farmland's fence. Nothing was there. It must have been that fence, she thought. Why would she be scared of a fence?

She kept walking ahead, feeling some tightness in her chest.

Soon, her target appeared in sight.

It was a small glade between two farms, adjacent to the river. It was her favourite daydreaming spot, one of the few things she could do that did not cause her to cringe or startle at nothing.

She walked over to one of the fences, and supported herself by its beam close to the bank, allowing her to stare at the water with something to lean on.

She sighed again, shortly reminiscing about the past. How she got here, and how it all turned out.

At first, all seemed well. After the war was over, she departed from Ba Sing Se with a bunch of former refugees to seek a new life outside the city walls. It's not that she hated civilisation; she was simply tired of a place where she suffered a Fire Nation invasion and occupation. Living every day in fear did not make for good memories.

Her new home felt way better at first: an abandoned village westwards of Omashu, in a large yet reclusive valley out in the mountains, on the edge of a forest inhabited by a friendly spirit Hei Bai. He took the form of a giant black and white bear (sometimes called panda bear), and wandered the area, sometimes leaving bamboo plants behind. He was kind enough to let the villagers gather lumber from his woods, in exchange for offerings of seeds and acorns placed at a little bear-shaped altar in the middle of his domain. This sped up the village's construction immensely.

Jin participated in the reconstruction and managed to earn herself a hut of her own: a much welcome change from the forever crowded building in Ba Sing Se, where she didn't even have her own room.

It all felt like her little paradise, with the only downside being a low number of tall and handsome brooding boys her age. For all intents and purposes, she should feel safe and happy in this new world.

But she did not. Between this strange mood in town and her neurotic feelings, she could not find a day of peace.

She stared at her reflection in the water. It helped her recall the few good memories from Ba Sing Se. This time, it was Lee from the tea shop, who turned out to be Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation. She managed to get him out on a date. Unfortunately, in the end, he refused her kiss and walked away. Soon after, she learned why: he already had a lover, with whom he reunited after the city was conquered.

At first, she was somewhat frustrated with him. Not for dumping her or having a girlfriend, but rather, because he was Fire Nation, who were responsible for her and her people's troubles in the first place. Later, she found out that he became the Fire Lord after overthrowing his father and sister, only to end the war and return all occupied Earth Kingdom land. This changed her opinion of him, to the point that she liked to recall their date and wonder if she ever stood a chance of stealing his heart. She sometimes fantasised about going to the Fire Nation and living the life of royalty by his side, but she did not have any delusions. The difference in their status was far too great to overcome, not to mention the competition with a Fire Nation noblewoman.

However, this realisation did not stop her from dreaming. Right now, she felt like visualising Fire Nation Capital City. She was never there, only hearing stories of a great city inside a volcano's caldera, with a grand palace right in the middle. Despite the uninviting location, it was supposed to be a lush and green area, full of gardens and palaces.

It worked for a moment, her mind meandering away to wondrous locales outside the Earth Kingdom. However, at some point, the haunting feeling took over. The vision faded, and she stared right back at her old self, the girl with brown hair tied into a braid, dark olive green eyes and usually cheerful disposition. Except now, she was back to her grumpy and anxious self of the months past.

She stood up, feeling that creeping glare of a non-existent predator again. It was stronger than usual, and she suddenly felt afraid of remaining alone by the river. She wasn't even that far from the centre of the town; her anxiety would not let her venture out of human sight. Still, the walk home felt, at the very least, unnerving. She knew she was being paranoid, but she did not welcome another trip of chills.

She stood up, and suddenly witnessed another girl a few yards away. She sighed in relief, recognising her to be Lycora, lying down on the ground and staring at the sky. Just the person she needed. This slightly pale, raven-haired beauty with large black eyes never seemed to be bothered by anything, always sporting a small smile. She arrived in their town after it was reconstructed, and managed to prove herself a capable warrior, as she joined the villagers in a few fights against wild animals and bandits. She always seemed to be on her guard and always carried her sword.

"Hey there, Lycora, do you want to go back to town with me?" Jin approached her.

Lycora lazily turned her head towards her.

"Hmmm? Yeah, sure… just give me a moment… The breeze feels too good..." she purred.

Jin got flustered a bit.

"Ummm, sure…"

She stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds.

"Don't just stand there. Lie down here with me." Lycora chuckled.

"Oh, yes, sure…" Jin felt this chill leaving her. Presence of another person, and one so calm and relaxed to boot, calmed her down too. She sat on the ground, letting the sun's heat wash over her and cleanse the unnerving feeling entirely.

They remained still like this for a couple minutes. Jin glanced at the girl on the ground, then at the clear sky, where she was staring. There didn't seem to be anything interesting up there, just good old endless blue depths.

She then directed her gaze back at Lycora. That name sounded kind of funny to her at first, unlike anything she ever heard before. In fact, it did not resemble any names from any of the nations. However, with time, she got used to it. Lycora, when approached about it, just shrugged the question off with the remark of: "My mother was a weirdo."

After some more silence, Jin felt like voicing some of her concerns.

"Hey… Don't you sometimes feel like you're being watched? As if someone or something was sneaking right behind you?"

Lycora looked at her, with a slightly mean smile.

"I feel like that all the time. After all, you never know what could be lurking out there in the dark…" She chuckled.

"You're not helping…" Jin cringed.

"I know…" A small chuckle. "Do you feel like that right now?" Lycora focused on her.

"No, not right now, not with you around…" Jin smiled warmly at her. "But most of the time, for the past few months I felt as if something wanted to attack me…"

Lycora's expression became quite enigmatic for a moment, as if she got lost in thought. Only to then shift to a small chuckle.

"Relax, it's probably because you just went through a war. Stress and all…" She turned her head back to the sky.

That was true. Jin rationalised the feeling like this. Then again, there was one more aspect to it that deepened the paranoia.

"It's not just me though. The whole town is kind of... spooked."

She met more people with similar feelings. Most townsfolk disliked being alone, even if they were in the middle of the central market or in the pub, and plenty downright avoided getting out of their houses.

"The whole town, you say? Curious…" Lycora was lost in thought again. "Who knows, maybe there is something lurking out there. We should check the area out."

"Sign me out," Jin moaned.

"Relax, nobody expects you to track bandits or wild animals. Besides, I can wreck them all by myself." She giggled, then lifted herself off the ground to sit up.

Jin rolled her eyes a bit, smiling. At first, this bravado was more annoying than anything, but with time, as the anxious feelings arose in her, she downright envied Lycora's attitude.

"I might organise something with the boys…" Lycora rubbed her chin. "But not today. Today I'm getting drunk to hell." After these words, she got to her feet.

Jin smiled uncomfortably. That did sound like her. The local tavern used up half of their total produce on this little drunkard.

"Speaking of which, you want to come with?" Lycora spoke, offering Jin her hand.

Jin took it and was lifted off the ground. "Thank you, but I still need to hit the market today… Besides, I think I'm still too young for that…"

"Nah, you look just old enough. Come on, give it a go."

"Sorry, maybe another time…" Jin smiled. In reality, she did not find the thought of drinking very appealing, but she tried to stay polite.

"Okay, okay, jeez. You need to learn how to relax a little," Lycora moaned. Jin smiled uncomfortably at that remark. "How about you just keep me company then? Grab some tea or whatever, if you don't like booze."

"It will be my pleasure." Happy that she was no longer pressured into drinking, Jin readily accepted. "However, I still need to buy some food…" She recalled her final task for the day.

"Then escort me to the tavern, and come about when you're done with it." Lycora smiled. "Come on, let's go." She started walking towards the town.

Jin followed suit, staying close. They passed a few houses, apparently readying for the evening meal as the smell of food lingered in the air.

"So, got an eye on anyone lately?" Lycora turned to her, grinning.

"You mean…" Jin was a bit confused.

"A boy, obviously! Come on, you used to never shut up about it!"

"Oh, yeah…" Jin giggled. "Well, the only good one is currently gone. You know Han, the apprentice merchant, son of Tao and Ming?"

Lycora giggled. "Come on, that scrawny puke? I thought you had better tastes…"

"Hey! He's cute and tall and handsome, and those deep black eyes…"

"Spare me, he looks like he couldn't even lift a feather. Chan however… Now, that's a different story…" Lycora's eyes became dreamy for a moment.

"Seriously? That muscle head, blacksmith's son? And you dare speak of taste?"

"Of course. Boys should be able to take care of themselves, not just…"

Before she finished the sentence, something grabbed her attention. Jin followed her gaze and noticed they already reached the tavern.

"We will finish this debate later. Alright then, take care! Don't forget to come by!" Lycora smiled, before heading inside.

"Sure thing!" Jin waved at her and walked away.

Nearly immediately after leaving her presence, she felt uneasy again. She looked back, but the other girl disappeared in the tavern. Jin sighed and went on towards the stands.

As she passed by the other villagers, she noticed that nearly all of them were somewhat distraught. They walked around swiftly, barely exchanging words or looks, most of them headed away from the marketplace. Then she noticed that most of the merchants seemed to be gone as well.

She cursed lightly under her breath. She dawdled for way too long by the river. Then again, the sun was not all the way down yet. It was a bit weird that almost all of the stands had closed down.

She looked over the remaining stands, and fortune suddenly smiled upon her. She noticed old lady Ming, one of the farmer's wives, who also happened to be Han's mother. On top of that, they had kumquats in their produce, her favourite fruit.

Jin walked over briskly. The old lady was in the middle of packing, but surely she could make one more quick deal.

"Hey, Ming!"

There was no response. The old lady kept packing her vegetables.

"So… did Han come back by any chance?"

"No." Short answer, almost like a bark. Followed by more silence.

Jin stood there for a few seconds in confusion, feeling clearly unwanted.

"Okay, can I perhaps get some of those…"

"Be gone, I'm done for today." Ming barked again. Jin became a bit agitated by her tone.

"But they're still there! I got money, I need something to…" She pointed at the fruits still lying on the stand.

"Go away!" The old lady shouted at her, finally gracing her with a gaze.

Jin almost fell over. The shopkeeper's eyes were crazed. Her hands shook as she was putting the vegetables into bags.

"I'm sorry… I…" Jin felt flustered and scared. Taking a step back and looking away, she suddenly felt something fly at her.

It was a small bag with a few vegetables. Ming packed down everything else.

"Just take this and go." She started walking away.

Jin took a good few seconds to think about paying, only for the old lady to disappear from sight.

She felt shivers. What was wrong with this town?

She started walking towards her house.

After she passed by a few more homes, the shivers became worse. She felt that creeping feeling again, as if something was walking right behind her. She looked frantically around, but there was nothing there. She sped up her pace.

For a moment, she felt as if she noticed something in the corner of her eye, and it caused her to move faster. Was that a shadow of something… or someone? She prayed for nothing more than to be within some closed walls.

Soon, her wish was granted, as she reached a small wooden hut with a porch decorated with flowers. She jumped inside and slammed the door behind her, almost dropping the vegetable bag on the floor.

She sat down against the door and breathed heavily, looking over the single, large chamber containing most of her worldly possessions. It had so many flowers that it could be confused for a garden, which was usually calming.

Not this time. The relief was only temporary. Soon, the fear washed over her with its deathly cold yet again. She glanced nervously at the windows, getting this nagging feeling that there was something behind them. She walked over and closed the blinds, avoiding staring outside if she could prevent it. However, soon she realised her mistake.

After closing all of the blinds, she was in near total darkness, as the hour was late. She frantically navigated the dark in a panic to find the candle and flint. She was lucky she remembered where she left them the last time, which was by the door.

She grabbed the candle and produced some sparks with the flint, lighting the wick and illuminating the room.

It did no good. She still shivered and felt a creeping gaze upon her. Being completely alone did not help. Early on, she considered herself lucky to have her own house, but now, she wished there were a few other people living with her, like in the old days of Ba Sing Se.

What the hell is going on… What is wrong with me… Why do I keep feeling like this… Is anyone around…

These thoughts kept plaguing her mind. Whenever she tried to stave them off, it did not work. Little dreams about Han and Zuko were all pushed out by visions of dark shadows creeping between the buildings and peeking into her house through the blinds.

After a few minutes of sitting like this, breathing heavily, staring into the fire and trying to control her thoughts in vain, she suddenly recalled something. Lycora. The warrior girl was probably still at the tavern, drinking herself silly.

Jin felt a dire need to join her. Suddenly, getting completely wasted seemed like a good idea. If it would not stop this paranoia, it would at least knock her out cold.

A few minutes ago, she would have considered it crazy to leave the house, but her mind was slowly having trouble following simple common sense. She took the candle with her and stepped outside.

There was no one around. Everyone else must have hidden in their houses. There was still some sunlight visible over the horizon, but the alley was nearly pitch black.

She briskly walked towards the town square. The thought of being in someone's company gave her some courage, especially if that someone was Lycora. Jin expected her to be completely unfazed by this paranoid mood in town.

However, this positivity did not last. Jin sped up her pace, feeling the paranoia creep up once more. She looked behind again. No one was there.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, yet everything seemed wrong.

Soon, she saw the abandoned market. As she hoped, there were some lights visible, probably coming from the tavern.

Then she heard a scream. It was coming from her right.

She froze, shaking, before turning her head.

A man jumped out of his house, shortly followed by a woman and two kids. They ran towards the market. Then a small boy jumped out of the door, likely forgotten by others, except…

Something emerged from the darkness of the doorway behind him. It surrounded his head. Jin, for a moment, thought the head disappeared, then she heard the child cough and choke, his face emerging. Except dazed and slightly green.

Jin felt clearly that she did not want to stick around and see what happened, but her legs refused to move.

What emerged from the doorway was unlike anything she had ever witnessed, or even dared to imagine.

It had roughly humanoid shape, save for a flat, spiky tail and a few appendages akin to spider legs, or perhaps bat wings without skin between them. It was of the colour of dark ash, and it seemed surrounded by something like a black mist, or perhaps flames that gave no light.

As it stepped closer, Jin noticed something else. Her candle partially broke through that dark aura, revealing something resembling a human face: greyish, eyes with no irises nor pupils, somewhat like a walking statue. It did not seem solid, but more like a pile of unknown grey matter, somehow retaining human form.

The candle illuminated that expressionless face. It seemed to gaze upon Jin. The more she looked at it, the more it felt like the face of a long dead body that did not rot, but rather dried up and turned into ash, barely holding itself together.

It kept staring at her, but it reached for the child and lifted him up. Then, it took a step towards her.

Only then did she begin to scream. She dropped the candle and ran as fast as possible. She did not notice how the creature turned away and lazily stepped back inside the house.

As she ran, she passed by a number of villagers, doing exactly what she did: screaming and running frantically, with a few humble exceptions. She caught a glimpse of one of the former soldiers, who tried to hack at another such creature with his sword. The blade just passed through it, as if it were smoke.

The creature reached for his head, in a weird, jerky, unnaturally fast motion. Its hand seemed to break into a cloud of dust that surrounded the man's head. Much like the child, he choked and coughed, before falling down.

By the time he fell, Jin was halfway through the market, near the tavern. Except she nearly ran into another girl, who was running in a different direction. She managed to barely dodge her… only to witness another of those creatures jump right in front of her, reaching for said girl. The same thing happened, with the spectral hand surrounding her head and choking the victim.

Jin lunged ahead. In the corner of her eye, she saw more shapes of both humans and these monsters running around. She heard more screams, and they compelled her to run faster. She did not notice how one of those things took a long glance at her, only to walk away.

Soon, she jumped into the tavern and barred the door behind her.

She rested against the door for a few seconds, looking around. There was only one person inside.

For a moment, Jin felt some sort of relief. It was Lycora. She sat by a table, in front of a series of mugs, one of which still had some beer in it.

"Oh, hello, you came after all," Lycora spoke lazily, clearly intoxicated.

This woke Jin from her panic, settling her back in reality a bit.

"Come on, we have to get out of here! Those things…" She ran over to the table.

"Why would we? There is no point…" Still with that intoxicated voice.

Jin grimaced, grabbed Lycora's shoulder, and shook her.

"What are you talking about? Come on, get up! Jeez, why did you have to drink tonight…"

She tried lifting her up, with no success. The other girl showed no interest in moving, reacting with a drunken groan. She then heard another scream that sent a chill down her spine. It restored a terrible memory of one of those ashen faces.

"What are those things anyway… Why did they come here…?"

"They are fate. The final destiny of all who live in this world. Shadows and dust."

Jin froze for a moment, before taking a step back. Lycora's tone changed. All hints of drunken confusion were suddenly gone, replaced with something cold. Amused, yet cold.

"This here, this illusion... it was... enchanting, for a while. This little dream of being a human girl, with limited thoughts and simple desires... For a moment I believed I would forget that this day was supposed to happen..."

She slowly turned towards Jin, who felt a dire need to step away again. Cold was slowly filling her chest.

She was staring into the eyes of someone who was dead while still alive, wandering the world with no hope or purpose. Two cold, bottomless pits of nothingness that pierced right through her, as if she wasn't there. There was no spark nor any expression within, besides tiredness. A small, barely visible smile was present on her face, but it was completely disconnected from those dead eyes.

Her mind went blank again, heat and frost burning within her at the same time. The cold voice spoke again:

"However, the truth never left me. After all, I always knew, ever since I saw it happen for the first time… I always knew it was never going to be the same… Once you see a world burn, you never forget it... Never again I shall know the fearless dark under the stars, before the monsters fell down from the sky…"

She stood up, and Jin took a step back.

"And here they come again, to consume another world. And yet, I feel nothing. As if that was the new 'normal', how the world is supposed to be." She sighed.

"What… Who… Why…" Jin did not have the presence of mind to speak clearly. Getting these three words out was an accomplishment.

"Rejoice, little one. You shall be spared watching the world burn. Instead..." Her tone became sharper, the half-smile turned into a grin. Her eyes focused into a glare, clearly aimed at Jin. "You shall embrace the Dark."

This was a clear signal for Jin to run. She managed to wake up one last time, turn around, and head for the door. She still couldn't get a coherent thought together, but her instinct understood at least this much: this thing behind her, wearing the skin of a human, was about to harm her.

She didn't even manage to take one step. A sudden sharp pain in the neck blinded her and cast her into the darkness.

The suppressed voices

A single, light chop to the neck was enough to knock her out. Before the girl could hit the ground, Lycora caught her gently, staring at her for a moment.

Her mind was twirling with dozens of memories, awakened along with all that melancholy, as she revealed herself to Jin. She saw this moment coming for a long time, but couldn't stop herself from drifting into strange feelings and thoughts, stranger still. All this longing, all this fear, all these voices...

She shook her head. It was neither the time nor the place to detach herself. She cast those feelings aside, focusing on the here and now.

She placed the girl on the floor, then suddenly took her Earth Kingdom robe off, revealing a white undershirt and shin-long pants. She tossed the green tunic to the floor.

"No need for that anymore. Jeez, that was annoying. I get these people are from the EARTH Kingdom, but do they have to resemble dirt all the time? Like, there are other earth-like colour palettes than the contents of a swamp… Not to mention it's all itchy…"

"Haha! I'm lucky I didn't have to wear it! Would go insane in an instant. My scales despise all kinds of hairy fabrics..."

Lycora chuckled. She sensed his approach before he spoke out, therefore she knew to whom this raspy voice belonged. Her mentor Berrada. The lizard-bird hybrid of short stature, with a long scaly beak and tiny green eyes walked over to her, looking around at the shades and the people they carried. They were mostly done with capturing the populace, dragging them into the portals.

"Is that why you wear black silk robes all the time?" She smirked, focusing her attention on her mentor. She inspected his attire, a black cape of a stereotypical dark magician, complete with spiky shoulder pads and a pointy hat almost as wide as he was tall.

"I wear them because it pleases me. I'm a Dark Lord Emeritus, I have some standards to maintain." He chuckled.

Lycora smiled. She then returned her gaze to the girl, before gently lifting her off the ground and walking out of the tavern. Her scaly friend followed suit.

She looked around and noticed that some of the shades were dragging their targets on the ground. She shortly signalled for them to be a bit gentler, and they started to imitate her, carrying the villagers on their hands. She looked with approval at one of them, stopping to pick up its human. It was not for any great love towards them: they were needed alive, and preferably undamaged.

Berrada nodded at her smiling, clearly happy with her giving that order.

"Finally, the wait is over. I was looking forward to some fresh test subjects." He looked around.

"And rather promising ones too." Lycora glanced at the wizard. "They appeared to sense your presence. All of the folk in the town were unnerved, as if something was watching them… This one here even spoke to me about it." She focused on Jin.

"Interesting… It could be a rudimentary Chi sense ability. Or perhaps good old intuition." Berrada rubbed his chin. "After all, they are closely related. And, well, they weren't wrong." He giggled.

He then took a long look at the girl, who was still in Lycora's arms.

"Say, why won't you give this one to a shade? You don't have to carry her, you know..."

"I know, I was just taking in the moment. I kind of liked her. A silly girl with silly dreams… just like I used to be," she muttered. "Can't say I didn't enjoy our short time together." She whispered to the unconscious girl. "Welp, I doubt you'll enjoy what's coming next…" She chuckled.

Berrada looked at her with a small smirk. "Look at the bright side: now you will get to know her WAY better than before." He sarcastically accented the word 'way'.

Lycora smiled, recalling what he meant. After all, memory analysis was one of the experiments they used to perform. And this one had a few she would actually enjoy watching for a change… like about that Zuko guy.

As she stared at the girl, thinking of her memories, something suddenly felt off. There was something weird going on with the girl's energy.

She put Jin on the ground and activated her aura. Gently, so that no creature outside this village could sense her, but strongly enough to pierce the Chi of this girl. And strong enough for Berrada to notice.

"Hmm? What is it, my dear?" He moved closer and inspected the Earth Kingdom girl as well.

"I'm not sure… It feels like an anomaly in her energy," she muttered.

Berrada edged closer, kneeled down, and placed his hand on Jin's forehead.

"Interesting… I cannot sense anything out of the ordinary. Are you sure about that?"

"I am. I caught a glimpse of it whilst thinking of some of her memories. It must have sharpened my own Chi sense."

"Well, that won't help me. The shades and I sometimes wandered this village under an invisibility spell, you know, checking the area out, preparing the portals, closing off escape routes... but I didn't exactly get to know anyone." He chuckled.

Lycora looked around, suddenly curious about something. She recalled a trivia shared by Freeza Force soldiers, who remained undercover on this planet, about an unnerving presence that seemed to be everywhere, yet nowhere. She also felt something like this most of the time.

She noticed another familiar person being carried by a shade: Tou-Hou, the tavern keeper. Spending a lot of her time drinking, she naturally got to know this slightly lazy, but jovial man.

She gestured at the creature. It walked over, with the tavern man on its hands. She touched his forehead and recalled a short story he once told her about his wife.

And there it was again.

"I'm sure it's there. It must be deeply suppressed. Hmmm… it may be something they have in common. This tribe, this nation, or perhaps the whole species," she muttered, then smiled. "You know, this could be what we've been looking for…" She rubbed her chin.

"Hah, if you say so." Berrada smiled. "I'll have to take a closer look home to come to any conclusions. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have work to do."

Lycora nodded. Then grinned maliciously.

"Well, why won't we grab a few more villages while we're at it? We still need to score an earthbender."

"Way ahead of you. There is one down in Senlin." He grinned.

"Let's go then. I don't think Freeza will care if we get a few extra bodies." Lycora stepped up, lifting Jin.

"Speaking of him, will you perhaps report this anomaly to him?" Berrada looked up at her.

"It will not change anything. His mind is set. Besides, I'm not even 100% sure what we're dealing with. Let's just do our research in peace and observe the situation."

She handed Jin over to one of the shades, then stared between the houses, into the forest.

"Now, I believe we owe Senlin village a visit." She smirked.

A silent town

A few days later, Han finally reached his village's whereabouts. The trek was kind of tiring this time around, as he carried plenty of goods from Omashu. Fortunately, it was also completely uneventful, save for a visit at Hei Bai's shrine. The friendly spirit appreciated a new acorn and showed his gratitude by curing Han's back pain. Now, he was able to take the final stretch of the journey with at least some relief. He looked forward to his return, hoping to see his parents, as well as Jin, the girl who worked at the tavern. He noticed her to take sneaky peeks at him. He was hoping that those were the signs of a crush, as he found her cute. He decided to verify his suspicions by asking her out on a date.

As he approached the village though, he noticed something weird.

There were no people in sight. At this point, he should have heard some voices, however, he could not hear a thing. After a moment, he realised something else: he did not hear any birds or frogs or cicadas, only deafening silence.

He felt a sting of unease, followed by a hot rush all over his head. Something was really wrong here. He sped up his pace and entered the town.

As he walked, he noticed opened doors and windows, broken glass, pieces of food. Whatever happened here, the people left in a hurry.

Then he noticed that these pieces of food were mostly rotted away. It did not happen recently.

Feeling more heat gush over his chest, he ran towards the market.

Not a single soul.

He checked the tavern, the chief's hut, and finally, he stepped into his father's house.

Not a trace of anyone alive.

"Mom, Dad? Where are you?"

Deafening silence. He checked all the rooms on both floors, both empty. Weirdly enough, all of their belongings were still around.

Something moved outside. His heartbeat skyrocketed, as he headed for the door. He peeked out, reaching for his sword.

A large black and white bear was walking along the market, inspecting the traces left.

Han breathed out loud. It was Hei Bai. He walked over to it in absolute confusion, not knowing what to do with himself. For a moment he wondered if it was the spirit who kidnapped the people, but then again, what for? The villagers were friends with him, and the spectral bear appeared to be as confused as he was.

Now he recalled: it was supposed to be his ceremony today. The villagers held a small festival in his favour every month, during the full moon.

Han's trail of thought was suddenly stopped. Hei Bai spotted some tracks.

Someone was dragged on the ground in this spot. There was no blood or sign of resistance, just a single, long, body-wide mark.

The bear followed the trail, with Han shortly behind, only for it to suddenly disappear.

Han was stumped, but the bear sniffed the air a little bit and kept going roughly in the same direction.

Only to stop at the tavern's wall. Hei Bai inspected it, before dropping his nose.

Han also inspected the wall.

"What the hell happened here?" he whispered. "Where did you all go…"

He looked at the bear again. Then something struck him. Hei Bai was a spirit of the forest. If anyone should be able to track missing people down, it was him.

But he clearly gave up, losing the trail at that wall.

A horrible feeling came over the boy. He took a few steps towards the tavern door. He noticed a single robe near the entrance.

He took it and embraced it, sensing a familiar scent of someone from the village.

Was it Jin? He wasn't sure. Recalling her made him feel even worse. His thoughts raced in terror. He could not comprehend what could have transpired here.

Other than everyone being gone.

As if to join him in despair, Hei Bai roared mournfully. His voice echoed across the valley and the forest, the trees waving gently, as if bowing to him. But there was not a single soul to hear.