The Mysterious Traveler
I apologize for cutting the other chapter so short, but I felt that it was necessary to do. Anyway, this chapter will complete what the other one started and I hope that I pay it off with the ending.
Thank you guys for the support you have given me and I hope that this story continues because I really want to see it finished.
I know I asked before, but how am I doing with the characters so far? In fact, are any of the changes that I've done actually helped improve a couple of things?
Alright, here's Chapter 6! Please enjoy reading! :)
Chapter Six:
The Shadow of Death
After waiting for a long time, the Fire Prince Zuko heard Commander Zhao re-enter the large tent, passing his guards.
"My search party is ready," he announced. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, which has been fully repaired. You'll be free to sail anywhere you choose. But do not attempt to follow me!"
"Why?" Zuko turned to face him. "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"
Zhao laughed, "You stopping me? I never thought I would ever consider you a comedian, Prince Zuko."
The Fire Prince rose from his seat, "Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I will capture the Avatar before you!"
Worried for his nephew, General Iroh rose from his seat, "Prince Zuko! That's enough!"
"No, let him speak his mind, General," Zhao smiled. "Let's be reasonable, Prince Zuko. I have hundreds of warships under my command, while you only have one. You're nothing more than a banished prince. No home, no allies... You're own father doesn't even want you."
The last part struck a blow to him, fueling his determination and anger, "You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar and this mysterious individual to my father, he will welcome me home with open arms, and restore my rightful place on the throne!"
Zhao laughed again, "It's amusing of just how blind you are, Prince Zuko. If your father wanted you home, he would have taken you back by now. You fail to realize that in his eyes, you are nothing but a failure. A disgrace to the Fire Nation. But what ultimately makes this even more amusing is that you continue to try and win his approval. A futile effort."
"You're wrong!"
"You have the scar to prove it."
Zuko rose quickly in front of him and glared into his eyes, "Aah! Maybe you'd like one to match!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"An Agni Kai! At sunset!If I win, I leave with my crew and ship without any interference from you."
"Very well, I accept your challenge," Zhao chuckled, turning to leave the tent. "It's a shame that your father won't be here to witness this. I guess your Uncle will have to do."
General Iroh looked at his nephew with worry, "Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?"
"I will never forget!"
"We should go after 'em," Severus said to Katara, who was continuing to explore the sanctuary. "And leave this place while it's still midday."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she sighed.
Just as they were about to leave the room, the eyes on Avatar Roku's statue began to glow, making them stop. Without warning, all the other statues' eyes began to glow as well, lighting up in a formation that went straight up the sanctuary, like a domino set.
"Oh no!" Katara exclaimed as she ran out of the large room.
"What is it?" Severus called out towards her, trying to keep up.
"It's Aang!" she called back, heading down the tunnel that her brother and the Airbender ran down. "He's in trouble!"
"How do you know?"
"Because only the Avatar makes that glow, and its always when something is wrong."
As they ran outside, rushing to find Aang and Sokka, the other Avatar Sanctuaries around the world begun to experience a very similar ordeal. The sanctuary in the Earth Kingdom, the Northern Water Tribe, and the Fire Nation all began to have the statues or paintings of the past Avatars' eyes begin to glow. They all representing the return of the greatest being ever known.
To some, it meant hope. To others, it meant fear.
The sun in the background began to set, casting an orange color across the sky and over the harbor.
In a box-like structure, that allowed for the sun to bathe everything it touched, Zuko knelt before his Uncle, listening to his advice as he prepared himself for his match against Commander Zhao. He took off his Fire Nation clothing, only leaving himself in his trousers.
Across the field of the earthly ground, Commander Zhao did the same.
As the two got into their battle stances, one of the Fire Nation soldiers rang a bell on the wall, signaling the fight to begin.
Making the first strike, Zuko sent a couple of fireballs towards his enemy, who dodged with ease. Despite putting his all into each attack, the Firemaster dodged or broke each one. Making his next move, he sent a long wave of fire towards him, only to see it being deflected.
General Iroh yelled for Zuko to break his footing, reminding him of the basics.
Smiling, Commander Zhao sent a couple attacks of his own, breaking the teen's stance and forcing him to slide against the ground. As he jumped towards the enemy, Zhao made an attack to finish the fight, only to feel the young Prince flip and bring his foot against his, breaking his stance.
Left with no choice, the Commander was forced to fall back with each attack that Zuko gave him, never getting a chance to retaliate. Unable to stop the final strike, Zhao went down, finding himself at the mercy of the enemy as he laid on his back.
"Do it!" he demanded, waiting for the end.
Without hesitation, Zuko sent a fireball directly where he wanted it to go... striking the surface of the ground next to the Commander's face.
Surprised, Zhao realized that he intended to miss, "That's it? Your father raised a coward."
"Careful," Zuko sneered down at him. "You wouldn't want him to hear that... I have the scar to prove it."
Zhao glared at him.
"And next time you get in my way, I promise you this... I won't hold back."
As he turned to leave, he missed him getting back up and secretly making a strike against him, only to be foiled by General Iroh, who sent him back to the ground.
As Zuko attempted to strike back, Iroh stopped and calmed him down, before turning to the fallen Commander.
"So this is how the Great Commander Zhao acts in defeat?" he asked him, looking straight into his eyes before shaking his head in disgust. "Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you."
Zhao glared at him.
"Thank you for the tea. It was delicious."
As they turned to leave, Zhao glared at the back of their heads.
Once they were far enough away, Zuko looked towards his Uncle and asked, "Did you really mean that, Uncle?"
"Of course," Iroh smiled at him. "I told you that Ginseng Tea is one of my favorite."
Zuko slightly smiled but made sure to keep it hidden from his uncle.
Finding Aang and Sokka wasn't too hard for Katara and Severus, as there was a swirling cloud of wind going around a large, torn-up building. Sokka was holding onto a large debris from the destruction, struggling not to be blown away.
Once reaching Sokka, they looked at the glowing Avatar across from them, who was looking down at a monk's skeleton body. His tattoos and eyes were lit pure white.
Severus stared at the monk with awe and fear, unable to process to the power he was witnessing before his eyes.
"What happened?!" Katara asked her brother as the winds grew stronger.
"Aang discovered Gyatso's body and that the Fire Nation was here," Sokka explained. "He knows everything, Katara!"
"Oh no!" Katara's eyes widened, turning to Severus. A small moment passed between, one that made him aware of the regret in her eyes, before the two turning back towards Aang, tears beginning to form as she held onto the debris, "Alright, I need to get close to him and calm him down."
"Well do it, before he blows us all off the mountain!" Sokka cried out as he almost lost his grip.
As Katara slowly made her way over to him, Aang's body lifted off the ground and began to float into the air, a ball of wind circling around him.
"Aang!" the Water Tribe girl called out. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be! Sokka and I have lost people that we love too! Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders maybe gone, but you are still here! You haven't lost everyone! Me, Sokka and Alex are here for you, Aang! We will be here with you every step of the way! I promise!"
The wind began to weaken as Aang's body slowly floated back to the ground, the glowing light beginning to dim. Once his feet hit the ground, the wind stopped and everyone approached him, watching as the glowing light slowly disappeared from his eyes and tattoos.
As Aang fell, Katara caught him and went to her knees in order to support him.
"I'm sorry, guys," he whispered, tears falling from his eyes and cheeks. "I didn't mean to lose control like that."
"It's okay, Aang," Katara whispered, reassuring him as he sobbed into her coat. "It wasn't your fault."
Sokka went to his knees as well and embraced the two in a hug, letting the moment sink in for them in silence.
Turning his attention towards the ruins, Severus's heart sank at the haunting site before him.
On the ground were skeletons of Airbenders and Firebenders, a mass grave site of what Severus guessed to be a final stand. The mouths of the skeletons all hung open, like a silently scream that begged for a mercy that would never come. He could feel the markings of Death's work all around him, a shadow that was casted to last for all time.
"You were right, Katara," Aang sniffled, his voice sounding like an echo down a dark tunnel to Severus. "Things have changed. If my home could have been invaded by the Fire Nation, then that means that the other temples have been attacked too. That's why no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years... because they're all gone. I really am the last Airbender."
Katara embraced him, while Sokka put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.
Severus struggled to bring up his Occlumency walls as he took in the scene before him, unable to look away from the skeletons that once used to be living beings. He wondered how anyone could do such a terrible thing. To kill people as peaceful as the monks. To destroy a sanctuary that was meant to be a home to those who wished no harm onto others.
What kind of a monster would do this? How could others follow in such an act as evil as this? And what would make them want to?
Turning around, he saw that Katara and Sokka had formed a group hug around Aang, sharing his tears.
Meeting Katara's eyes, she weakly smiled and reached out her hand towards him, an invitation to join in.
His chest tightened at the action, only staring back at her in silence. He saw that smile disappear in disappointment and confusion, making that hole within his chest grow bigger. Instead of blue eyes staring back at him, he saw green. The only eyes that could threaten his Occlumency. Turning away, he closed his eyes, unable to turn back to meet her again. He knew what would happen if he did, fearing it with all of his being. He pushed all feelings away, focusing on building his Occlumency.
While packing up everything for their long journey North, the whole group was surprised by the return of the lemur, who had brought food for Sokka to eat. The act made everyone smile, except for Severus. With his mind still stuck on the horrific sight he had witnessed, he was keeping himself voided of any emotion.
Before leaving the Southern Air Temple, Severus watched as Aang stood next to Appa, along with the lemur on his shoulder. They stared out towards the ancient ruins of their home, silently taking in everything. It was in that quiet moment that Severus knew that the three of them would be bonded over this tragedy, as they were the last of their kind. An unspoken determination between the three of them to continue on.
Presenting the lemur to the group, Aang decided to name the creature, Momo.
Just as the sun was about to disappear over the horizon, they all boarded Appa and flew away from the ruins of the Southern Air Temple. As they moved over the mountains, the fog consumed the temple behind them, with Aang getting a final glimpse before it disappeared.
Severus looked towards the dark horizon ahead, wondering what the future held in store for him and the others. He couldn't get the sight he witnessed out of his head. It stuck with him even as they got further away. The sight of the skeletons and the ruins of the temple left Severus scarred.
He began to wonder what it may have been like when the temple was attacked. Imagining a great fire consuming everything, with the cries of the innocent, the sight of smoke reaching the tip of the skies, and even the bodies that were left behind with no means of burial.
Trying to get that image out his head, he began to imagine Hogwarts as well.
He began to see the towers collapsed, the Great Hall torn apart, the windows lit ablaze, smoke rising high in the sky, with the presence of Death hanging over the once peaceful castle. He could see bodies all over the destroyed building, their mouths and eyes wide open, their skin decaying. And he could see her among them as well. Dead before her time, eyes no longer green but empty. Her red hair and beautiful skin fading away as only her bones remained. And he imagined a dark figure among the fire, standing victorious over all those who had fallen.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention towards Aang, Katara, and Sokka, feeling uneasy about the unknown future he was presented with. Forced to accompany an Airbender, a Waterbender, and also a Muggle, while trying to search for answers and dodging an army of firending murderers as well? It was all too much for Severus as he felt out of place, wishing he could go back home.
Home...
He frowned as he thought about the word itself, realizing that he had no idea how to define it.
And cut! Perfect way to end the chapter and set up for the rest of the story to follow.
I felt that we needed to see Severus come to a realization when witnessing this moment with Aang, Katara and Sokka. This was a nice bittersweet moment in the tv show, so I felt that it was a good opportunity to start showing changes in Severus. He's still a teenager, so seeing all of that death and destruction will definitely make him realize a few things.
Well, I'll see you guys in the chapter! ;)