Chapter 1 The Southern Air Temple = Dagaz the White Phoenix
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Winter of Year 9.928 (99 AG)
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Dagaz flew freely through the windy air of the Patola Mountain Range in his phoenix spirit form. His white plumage sparkled gold and silver in the sunlight.
He sensed in the cosmic energy of the universe that the Avatar had returned, so he sent a message through Chi Chi, a white messenger hawk spirit, that he would join the Avatar on his travels to the North Pole. He was on his way there anyway.
He had faith that she would be alright without him for a bit longer. She even reassured him that she had everything under control and reminded him that they would see each other soon in her reply.
He smiled inwardly. She was just too generous when it came to him.
For almost five long years, they prepared to ascend to their inherited legacy together, but before they could, the true trial still awaited them. Fooling the world was easy. Fooling themselves and each other was impossible... but that was alright the way it was, and neither of them would change it for the world.
...
He awed at the sight of the Southern Air Temple as he descended. It was truly remarkable to see it in person... well, what was left of it anyway.
Numerous adjunct towers centered around a primary tower, blue elaborately decorated spires, and long paths that twisted and turned like meditation mazes. An architectural style reminiscent of the Yungbulakang Palace in Tibet.
Dagaz flapped his sparkling wings again as he finally found the statue of Monk Gyatso who, if he remembered correctly, was Avatar Aang's mentor and a great friend in his previous incarnation, Avatar Roku.
He landed and bowed in a gentlemanly manner of western culture.
When he was starting to get used to being stuck in his pet-sized natural spirit form, he practiced his spirit magic more often and started doing things from his previous life for fun, including bowing in a different way.
The 'bow and scrape' was an early modern european practice. He drew back his left leg so that the tips of his claws 'scraped' the floor and 'bowed' as he pressed his right wing horizontally across his abdomen and vertically held out his left wing from his body.
She said that it suited him, so he put in more effort until he successfully flustered her heartbeat. Granted, he was worried to have triggered some kind of fetish in her, but he worried for nothing because she immediately shot fire at him and raged that she imagined him doing the 'bow and scrape' in his human form.
That outburst flustered them both into burying their faces somewhere. She stuck her head into pillows, and Dagaz stuck his bird-head into the floor, looking like brainless dodos for half an hour. When they finally calmed down, they made a contractual pact never to bring up such outrageous things again.
When Dagaz looked up at the statue, he spotted a winged lemur sitting in its lap and tilting his head. ["Who are you?"]
He already sensed it to possess certain intelligence, but he had to hand it to this world's gods of fate... this world was an entertaining one indeed. ["I am... "] He paused to remember which name he would go by, for now. ["...I suppose I go by 'Dagaz' these days. More importantly, how do you wish to be called in this lifetime? Monk Gyatso."]
["Dagaz, the primordial spirit of chi. It is an honor to be in your presence."] The winged lemur jumped down and bowed, then looked up again. ["Why don't we leave my name for now? Come now, follow me, there is a place you should see."] He spread his wings and took off into the air.
Dagaz followed him, and the winged lemur gave him a tour of the temple. Quarters, bison pen, airball field, among other things, and lastly, the sanctuary where the temple kept the statues of all the past Avatars.
["I will go inside if you don't mind."] Dagaz passed through the gate without waiting for an answer. It was dark inside, but he could see everything clear as day and began exploring. It sure was nice to have night vision.
["It's too dark in there, so I'll wait outside."] The winged lemur climbed to a high corner in front of the gates and dozed off.
Dagaz found Avatar Wan and Raava carved into wood and admired for a moment how beautiful Raava must have been in person. It was too bad that he wouldn't have the chance to actually meet her until Avatar Korra's time in give-or-take seventy more years.
When he arrived at the bottom again, he morphed into a humanoid form, an astral body. It instinctively mimicked his seventeen-year-old human body. But instead of amber eyes and raven black hair, his eyes reflected steel-silver moons, and his silver-shining white hair faded into luminous tips of black. A hair ornament tied his long hair into a loose side ponytail.
Even though he currently couldn't use his human body, it was kept in prime condition through waterbending healing sessions back home on Dragonfire Island. Recently, bloodbending rehabilitation sessions were added to rebuild his muscles steadily, in preparation for what was to come.
Dagaz sported a white tunic and trousers, black hanfu boots, and dark leather samurai bracers. A black sleeveless overcoat with luxurious white patterns held together by a bulky white sash containing his hidden kunai daggers completed his set of travel clothing.
A white hood hid his uniquely colored hair and cast a shadow on his face. A handcrafted katana in an elaborate sheath wrapped in grey cloth hung secured on his sash. It was a little risky to carry his favorite sword around in the open, but it gave him a sense of safety.
Until he turned sixteen and came of age as a spirit, assuming a humanoid astral form was exceedingly tiring and too difficult in his current state because the state of his human body influenced the state of his spirit powers, severely weakening him.
Unless he was in the spirit world, it was exceptionally challenging to unleash his powers in the mortal world. Like this, he could at least walk around incognito as 'Spirit Master Dagaz'.
Dagaz yawned after a few hours of sketching the Fire Nation Avatar preceding Avatar Roku, Avatar Szeto.
Even though he was using an astral body, he still got tired and had to sleep to rest his mind from time to time. He had been awake for days until he arrived here, so he summoned one of his spirit familiars, Sai, a night-colored tentacled eel-cat salamander spirit that carried all the stuff he needed for the journey in the shadows of his saddlebags, to make camp.
The tentacled eel-cat salamander spirit was Dagaz' own creation. He combined two of his favorite dragon species from his previous life (night/light fury and kumandra water dragon) with the characteristics of a giant eel hound. He designed it with flexible tentacles behind cat ear-like horns and small flap ears hidden in-between.
When he created the tentacled eel-cat salamander, he created twins. A black male named Sai and his white counterpart, a female named Siya. While Sai was of the more adventurous type and loved to explore the mortal world with Dagaz, Siya only ever came out on her own whims, when Dagaz needed her, or just stayed at home in the spirit world.
Dagaz' own shadow served as a portal between the mortal world and his realm in the spirit world for his spirit familiars. Sai jumped through it and set up camp for Dagaz in the middle of the sanctuary. He took out a big blanket and an enormous cushion to lay down.
Sai curled up like a cat on the cushion, and Dagaz covered himself with the blanket as he made himself comfortable, using Sai's heated body as a pillow. Even though Sai liked to explore, relaxing with Dagaz was one of his favorite pastimes. Dagaz formed a sound barrier around them to keep outside noises at bay before falling asleep together.
oOo
"Where are you going?" She inquired after he paid his respects to Monk Gyatso's statue and started walking.
"The Air Temple Sanctuary," he halted for a moment. "There's someone I'm ready to meet."
Upon his arrival at the Southern Air Temple on his sky bison, Appa, Aang had been giving his new friends, Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, a tour of his home.
His cryptic answer confused the Water Tribe siblings, but they followed him anyway.
...
Near the sanctuary gates, the winged lemur was fast asleep and hidden from view.
"... but Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years," Katara refuted after Aang explained himself on the way.
"It's not impossible," he stated. "I survived in the iceberg for that long."
"Good point."
"Katara, whoever's in there might help me out this Avatar-thing."
"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats," Sokka added while drooling hungrily in anticipation.
Well, Sokka wasn't necessarily wrong. Even though Dagaz didn't need to eat in any of his spirit forms, he still enjoyed a delicious meaty meal every now and then. Although, it didn't mean that he had meat on him as of now.
Sokka ran into the sanctuary gates, expecting them to be open, but he didn't have that luxury as it was tightly sealed. He tried to push them open before turning to Aang, "I don't suppose you have a key."
"The key, Sokka, is airbending." Aang took a deep breath and bent tempestuous streams of air into the pipes of the opening mechanism, loudly opening the gate.
The noise startled the winged lemur awake. He rubbed his eyes and saw that Aang arrived with friends, entering the sanctuary where Dagaz and Sai slumbered.
"HELLO?! ANYONE HOME?!" Aang called into the darkness, but Dagaz was sound asleep. Sokka and Katara followed him inside.
The light shined on the statues inside, but it didn't reach Dagaz and Sai, who rested in the center of the room.
"Statues? That's it?" Sokka asked, disappointed as he halted in front of one. "Where's the meat?"
"Who are all these people?" Katara asked as she inspected the statues.
"I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow," Aang studied the statues closer. "Look! That one's an airbender!" He pointed at the statue in front of him.
Katara pointed to the next statue, "And this one's a waterbender!" She looked around again, "they're lined up in a pattern! Air, water, earth, and fire."
"That's the Avatar Cycle."
"Of course," her face lit up, "they're Avatars! All these people are your past lives!"
"Wow... there's so many," Aang looked around again.
"Past lives?" Sokka scoffed. "Katara, you really believe in that stuff?"
"It's true! When the Avatar dies, he is reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle," she explained.
Aang halted in front of a Fire Nation Avatar, his previous incarnation, and stared at him as if hypnotized.
"Aang, snap out of it!" She shook him awake.
"Huh?"
She looked at the statue he was staring at. "Who is that?"
"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," Aang clarified.
Sokka joined them. "You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met."
"Wait," Katara saw in the shadows the giant curled up Sai on a cushion and moved closer. She gazed at the sleeping figure of Dagaz. "There's someone here."
"Who is that?" Aang mustered him. He couldn't make out his face as it was hidden under the shadow of a white hood, but he could tell that he wasn't awake. "Looks like he's asleep."
"How is he sleeping?" Sokka asked. "The doors opened pretty loudly."
Aang reached out his hand and vaguely sensed the barrier, "I think... there's something here." When his hand passed through it, Sai opened his eyes, and his pupils dilated into alarmed slits. He wrapped one of his tentacles around Aang's wrist and growled.
Screaming, the kids backed away from the scary creature. Aang couldn't pull away as his wrist was stuck in its tight grip. When Sai moved closer, Dagaz woke up to the sight of three scared kids. Removing the barrier he set up previously, he watched as they tried to defend themselves with airbending, waterbending, and a boomerang.
Dagaz whistled. "Stop scaring them already, Sai." Sai looked back at him, confused. "They're not going to hurt me," he reassured. Sai let go and protectively curled around him again, studying the kids warily. He deadpanned and sighed, "very well." He turned to the kids, laying his palm on Sai's snout. "So... why don't you introduce yourselves?"
After exchanging looks with his friends, the young bald monk stepped forward, gripping his staff tightly. "Uh... my name is Aang, and these are my friends, Sokka and Katara." He gestured to the trembling siblings, not taking their eyes off the giant black creature. "I am the Avatar, and someone told me... there would be someone waiting for me... here?"
"My name is Dagaz (pronounced 'daygas'), and my buddy here is Sai. We've been here for a couple of hours... I think."
"Wait, then- how did you get in here?" Sokka raised an eyebrow and then turned to Aang.
Katara pondered how he could have possibly entered. "I thought that only airbending could open the door."
"Oh, that's true," Dagaz shrugged. "Sai and I are a little exception to that rule." He stood up, approached Aang, and held out his open palm.
Sai relaxed at Dagaz' unguarded posture and watched him while resting his head on his front paws.
The moment Aang touched his open palm, a vision of Dagaz' bond with Sai & Siya and the twin's true nature entered his mind. "You're a..." Aang awed as he looked into Dagaz' steel-silver eyes, "... Spirit Master?"
Aang was taught that Spirit Masters were extremely rare and had a deep connection to the spirit world. Some were even said to be chosen by the spirits to become Spirit Masters themselves.
Every few centuries, some may honor the temples with a visit. His people were great friends of the spirits. However, the spirit world itself remained a mystery to him.
"That is what the people call us," Dagaz nodded, raising the corner of his mouth.
"What's a 'Spirit Master'?" Sokka asked.
"Monk Gyatso taught me that the Spirit Masters are the 'window' to the spirit world and even have their own spirit companion," Aang explained.
...
Officially, the world knows them as 'Spirit Masters', ordinary mortals by the standards of this world that have the power to bond with spirits, or at least that's what they led the mortal world to believe.
Spirits that were chosen, incarnated, or born as mortals were a secret existence protected from the world for centuries. In the very distant past, such spirits were hunted to be enslaved for war.
To protect themselves, they created the 'Great Storm Barrier' guarded by giant sea creatures around Dragonfire Island, making it their only safe haven.
They erased their existence from history and called themselves 'Spirit Masters' if they ever ventured into the world, even adapting their vocabulary to remain hidden in plain sight.
To mortals, there was one definition. To Spirit Masters, another entirely.
Only the Lord of Dragonfire Island remembered the true nature of the Spirit Masters.
...
"You just said us," Katara realized that there may be others. "How many are there?"
Dagaz looked up and pondered for a moment. "Currently, there are two others in this era. There's the unawakened one... and the one who doesn't even know she is a Spirit Master in the first place. That makes four, five, including me... you see, it gets a little complicated, so it's kinda hard to explain in detail."
"So you got any meat?" Sokka asked bluntly, not caring the slightest about such mystic things, although he was the one who asked in the first place.
Aang and Katara gave him a look of disapproval.
"Sokka, a Spirit Master is right here, and all you can think about is meat?" Aang raised an eyebrow.
"What? I'm hungry," Sokka complained, then deadpanned. "This is getting weirder and weirder, by the way."
Sokka was more of a science and logic kinda guy, so he couldn't get behind the whole 'spirits are his new reality' thing.
Suddenly, a sound came from the entrance, startling everyone except Dagaz. They hid behind the statues while Sai shrunk himself and jumped on Dagaz' shoulder.
"Firebender! Nobody make a sound!" Sokka whisper-yelled.
"You're making a sound!" Katara shot back, irritated by her brother.
Dagaz deadpanned, seeing the winged lemur. "It's not a firebender. It's just a-"
"LEMUR!" Aang yelled excitedly.
"Dinner." Sokka practically drooled at his hunger being satisfied soon.
"Don't listen to him. You're gonna be my new pet."
"Not if I get him first-" Sokka started fighting with Aang over the winged lemur, but he ran away, listening to his animal instincts that warned him of danger.
"Wait! Come back!"
"I wanna EAT you!"
They both left, chasing after him, leaving Dagaz and Katara alone in the sanctuary.
oOo
"My search party is ready," Zhao announced. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, and you'll be free to go."
While drinking a serving of Ginseng tea, Iroh and Zuko were held in his tent after they were discovered to have found the Avatar at the South Pole.
Originally, they were just here for repairs on their damaged ship. But they just had to encounter Zhao, a pompous Fire Navy Commander who deemed the banished prince beneath him.
"Why?" Zuko asked, suspicious of his intentions. "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"
Zhao sneered. "You? Stop me? Impossible."
"Don't underestimate me, Zhao. I will capture the Avatar before you."
"Prince Zuko, that's enough!" Iroh scolded.
"You can't compete with me," Zhao continued to mock him. "I have hundreds of warships under my command. And you? You're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. You're own father doesn't even want you."
"You're wrong!" Zuko refuted aggressively. "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor!"
"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now. Avatar, or no Avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"That's not true." Zuko wholeheartedly believed that his father loved him.
"You have the scar to prove it."
The mention of his scar crossed the line and pushed him to snap, "MAYBE YOU'D LIKE ONE TO MATCH!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"An Agni Kai. At sunset."
Agni Kai. An ancient Fire Nation tradition to settle official disputes between two firebenders. Its outcome affected one's honor, and its winner was determined when one opponent burned the other.
"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you." Zhao turned to prepare for the fire duel. "I guess your uncle will do."
After he left, Iroh spoke up. "Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened last time you dueled a Master?"
"I will never forget."
oOo
In the sanctuary, Dagaz excitedly chatted with Katara as they observed the statues. "... to fight against such great evil, Wan and Raava fused, becoming the first Avatar."
"Wow... I never knew that the Avatar was actually part spirit." Katara studied him, amused. "You seem to really like the Avatar."
To that, he smiled and scratched the back of his neck. "It's history after all. How about I show you my favorite Avatar next?" He led her to the statue of the Avatar before Avatar Yangchen. "This is Avatar Szeto. Out of all the Avatars I studied so far, I admire him the most."
"The Fire Nation Avatar before Avatar Roku?"
"Avatar Szeto was very different from the others. In his time, Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads were mostly at peace. The Fire Nation, on the other hand, was afflicted with a great civil war between the noble clan, causing all sorts of economic problems. Avatar Szeto understood soon enough that he couldn't solve these problems as the Avatar."
"So, what did he do?"
"He rejected any and all privileges. So he began to work as a regular official, advancing in the ranks according to his achievements. He saved his home country not as a warrior but as a well-versed scholar, brokering a lasting peace between the warring noble clans. Eventually earning himself the position of Grand Advisor, he greatly strengthened the government, restored economic balance, and set up programs to aid the poor and needy, like farmers in times of famine."
Katara studied the statue of the Avatar he described with reverence. "If only there was someone like that in the Fire Nation of today."
"Do you want to know about Avatar Imiq of the Southern Water Tribe next?" He suggested, sensing her sudden gloom.
She nodded.
"She was the Water Tribe Avatar preceding Avatar Kuruk," he led her to the statue of two Avatars before Szeto.
Avatar Imiq had a gentle face. Unusually elegant garments and luxurious ornaments were carved on her statue.
"Before the current war, everyone knew her name for ending the Great War that even the two Avatars before her couldn't end. And until her status as the Avatar was revealed, she was already famous as 'Water Princess Imiq', a waterbending genius."
"A princess? So the Southern Water Tribe had a royal family before the war began?"
"It wasn't just any royal family. It was the royal family. Supposedly, the royal family of the Water Tribe moved to the south around the time it was established. While the Northern Tribe stayed traditional and centralized under a chosen Chief, the royal family ruled the Southern Tribe and actively passed down their history through stories. The waterbending techniques in your tribe are- eh- were far more advanced than in the North. Does some of it hold true?"
"Well, the story-tradition at least." She looked down and touched her necklace for comfort. "But unfortunately, I'm the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe."
"Right. Pardon me." Dagaz looked away and remembered what he read about Fire Lord Sozin's 'deadly first strike'. "When the war began, I read that the Water Tribe royal family vanished and the royal palace, even the capital, was completely destroyed."
"I didn't even know how much this war has devastated my tribe..." Then it hit her. His knowledge was strangely too extensive. She narrowed her eyes. "Even if I ask around, not even the elders could remember what the Southern Water Tribe was like before the war. How do you know so much about it?"
"It's in my blood," Dagaz shrugged and admired the statues around the sanctuary once again. "I come from a family of scholars, historians to be more specific. We meticulously keep all history records and study them as part of our education. To me, history is the most fascinating thing about this world." He looked at her. "What's the most fascinating about this world to you, Katara?"
Katara blinked, feeling slightly embarrassed about suspecting him of... whatever that was about. She looked up at the statue of Avatar Imiq. "I guess... that would be waterbending." She looked down. "But there's no one who can teach me. I'm traveling with Aang and my brother to the Northern Water Tribe so that me and Aang can find a Master."
It occurred to him that this might be the right time to invite himself to accompany them. "Actually, I-"
Suddenly, the eyes of the Avatar Statues all glowed from Avatar Roku to Avatar Wan.
Both were immediately alerted that something was wrong. Aang.
They nodded to each other and ran outside.
oOo
The eyes of the Avatar Statues and Memorials in the Avatar Temples all around the world began glowing as well. Including the one in the Fire Nation.
"Send word to the Fire Lord, immediately! The Avatar has returned!"
oOo
"There!" Katara pointed to a giant windstorm.
Dagaz covered his face, but the strong winds pushed off his hood, revealing his silver-shining white hair as they moved towards it.
She widened her eyes. At first, she assumed he had black hair because of the hair tips that peeked from under his hood. She shook her head as there was no time to ask about it.
"What happened?!" Katara asked when they found Sokka hiding behind a wall.
Aang was in the Avatar State, encased in the air sphere that caused the storm.
"He found out firebenders killed Gyatso!" Sokka looked at them and blinked when he saw white hair. "Dagaz? What's with your hair?"
Dagaz glared. "Not the time, Sokka!"
Katara deadpanned and concentrated on Aang again, "I think it's his Avatar Spirit! He must've triggered it! I'm gonna try and calm him down!" She moved closer while shielding her eyes from the strong winds.
"Well, do it!" Sokka held onto the wall as the rest of his body floated. "Before he blows us off the mountain!"
Sai enlarged himself to protect Dagaz and Sokka from flying away. He held onto the broken walls with his tail and front paws as they landed on his body.
["Thanks, Sai!"]
Sai playfully nudged him with his head, wrapping his tentacles around Dagaz' waist while Sokka held onto the edge of Sai's saddle.
They watched as Aang floated upwards in his air sphere.
oOo
An area for the Agni Kai between Zhao and Zuko was prepared. According to ceremonial tradition, the two combatants kneeled opposite each other with their backs turned.
"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Zuko," Iroh advised him. "They are your greatest weapons."
"I refuse to let him win," Zuko said, determined.
Both turned around to face each other and shed their shoulder garments, leaving them bare-chested wearing ceremonial rings around their upper biceps.
"This will be over quickly," Zhao said.
As the gong sounded, they prepared their firebending stances.
Zuko shot one fireball after another with his fists, but Zhao easily dodged before blocking his last blast. Then, he sent a precise flame burst with his feet, but Zhao used a fire dagger to split apart the burst.
"Basics, Zuko!" Iroh reminded. "Break his root!"
Zuko split apart three of Zhao's flame blasts and was pushed onto his back with the fourth. Zhao thought he had the upper hand, but Zuko was unknowingly trained in pragmatic airbending techniques that complemented firebending by his uncle.
Iroh smirked.
Zuko used the unique footwork to push Zhao back until their positions were reversed.
Fighting to the death was considered honorable in an Agni Kai, even if one was defeated. "Do it!" Zhao challenged.
Zuko shot next to his shoulder.
"That's it? No wonder Fire Lord Azulon chose your ill cousin for Crown Prince instead of you," he barked. "Your father raised a coward."
"Next time, I won't hold back," Zuko warned. He turned his back to Zhao and headed for the exit.
That comment about his cousin was a heavy reminder of the difficult time he went through when he was just eleven years old.
It didn't make him angry, but sad instead.
At that time, three children forged a dream of the future. A dream Zuko believed he couldn't have anymore but still longed for.
Because the Crown Prince was appointed directly by the previous Fire Lord, his claim to the throne was undeniable. So even Fire Lord Ozai couldn't change it.
As long as the Crown Prince was alive, that is.
Zhao tried to attack Zuko's back when his provocation didn't work. Iroh reacted just in time and blocked him. Zuko wanted to attack in return, but Iroh held him back.
"No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." Iroh turned to Zhao. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you."
Zuko felt touched by his uncle's remark. Even more so because it was coming from the former High General. Even if he irritated him most of the time, now that he was just his tea-loving 'Uncle Iroh', he was the 'Dragon of the West' who Zuko used to admire more than anyone.
"Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious." Iroh headed for the exit with Zuko.
"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked.
"Of course. I told you, Ginseng tea is my favorite."
Zuko raised the corner of his mouth. It felt more meaningful having Iroh answer in such an on-brand, mysterious manner.
He returned to the ship with his uncle in a very pleasant mood.
oOo
Sokka and Katara moved closer while Dagaz stayed back with Sai.
"Aang, I know you're upset," Katara began. "And I know how hard it is to lose the people you love! I went through the same thing when I lost my mom! Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family!"
The wind let up a little as Katara's speech seemed to work.
"Sokka and I... we're your family now!"
Aang ended his air sphere hurricane, but the glow remained.
"We aren't gonna let anything happen to you. Promise," Sokka reassured.
Katara grabbed his hand as the glow disappeared, and Aang sunk tiredly into her arms. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Katara said.
"But you were right, and if firebenders found this temple, that means they must've found the other ones too," Aang realized. "I really am the last airbender."
Dagaz rode on Sai after he put his hood up again. "You okay, Aang?"
"I think so," Aang rubbed his head as he stood up.
...
Aang was staring at Roku's statue again. "I think that the one you were looking for earlier was Avatar Roku," Dagaz clarified after packing up his camp.
"Everything's packed," Katara said. "You ready to go?"
"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" Aang asked, not looking away.
"You and Roku are connected," Dagaz said. "You'll find a way soon enough."
"Hey, not to interrupt your 'Avatar Chat', but what were you looking for in a deserted temple like this anyway?" Sokka chimed in.
"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed.
"This sanctuary is, unfortunately, the only place where I can actually see the face of my ancestor," Dagaz looked at the statues. "During Avatar Kyoshi's era, his only portrait was burned down, so I sketched him earlier before I took a nap. Plus, it's great to make use of night vision every now-and-then."
"An Avatar was one of your ancestors?" Aang asked, surprised.
"Yeah... I'll tell you about him someday," Dagaz said. "I'm actually on my way to the Northern Water Tribe to visit a friend."
"We were going to head there after stopping by the Air Temple! Why don't you come with us?" Katara offered. "We're on our way to the North Pole anyway."
"Yeah... why not. Could be fun," Dagaz shrugged. "That is... if Aang and Sokka don't mind me tagging along."
"Sure." They answered together.
Suddenly, the winged lemur entered the sanctuary and layed fruits and vegetables in front of Sokka's feet.
He gobbled it up immediately as he was still very hungry.
Aang smiled at them. "Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka."
"Can't talk. Must eat." Sokka continued to stuff himself with food.
The winged lemur curled around Aang's bald head. "Hey, little guy."
...
Aang looked to the dusk horizon of the Southern Air Temple with Appa and the little winged lemur. "You, me, and Appa are all what's left of this place, so we have to stick together." He then turned to his friends. "Guys, say hello to the newest member of our family."
"What are you gonna name him?" Katara asked while the winged lemur snatched away Sokka's snack.
"Momo."
Sokka froze in shock at 'Momo' taking away his food and eating it himself. Aang and Katara laughed.
["Really? Taking away his food?"] Dagaz deadpanned.
["Aang's funny friend had it coming."] Momo shrugged and continued eating.
...
Aang and Momo looked back at the Southern Air Temple, silently saying goodbye to their home while flying away on Appa. Sai, who shrunk himself, layed his head on Dagaz' lap and purred while he was petted.
"I can't believe he's a real spirit," Katara gently stroked Sai's head. "He's adorable."
Usually, Sai revealed himself to non-spirits and strangers as a hazy shadowy figure reflecting the starry night sky. Now, even Sokka and Katara saw him in his true appearance.
"Our spirit companions are known as 'familiars'," Dagaz explained. "Do you know why we are called 'Spirit Masters'?"
Katara shook her head.
"Because you can control spirits?" Sokka guessed.
"No," Dagaz said bluntly. "Similar to the Avatar, Spirit Masters carry the essence of a spirit inside them. That essence grants us mastery over spiritual energy and a unique special ability of our own, a so-called 'spirit art'."
"So, what's your spirit art?" Katara asked.
"Let's say I can create barriers." With a wave of his hand, Dagaz formed a sound barrier around Sokka.
Katara raised an eyebrow, only to realize a moment later that her brother was mouthing words in silence and gesturing wildly.
They burst out laughing at his pantomimic state. Finally, Dagaz released him.
"So that's why you couldn't hear us when we came inside," Sokka noted, now out of his constraints. "But isn't that dangerous? What if an elephant rat ambushed you?"
"The sanctuary was totally closed off." He looked at his spirit familiar warmly. "And I had Sai." He grinned, looking at Sokka. "If anything, I think the elephant rat has more reasons to flee."
Katara laughed but then remembered Dagaz' unique hair color. "So why is your hair white? I've never seen anything like it."
"White hair?" Aang turned around. "Isn't different-colored hair the sign of a spirit's touch?"
"That's usually the case," Dagaz looked down. "But for me, it's different."
"Different, how?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.
He sighed and took off his hood, revealing silver-shining white hair and sharp but smooth facial features, screaming handsome, bordering on feminine.
"I'm actually in a prolonged state of unconsciousness." He looked at the palm of his hand. "This body you're seeing now is an advanced art of the Spirit Masters. Now, I'm stuck in this astral form until I can find a cure."
He actually already knew of a cure, but the problem was the right time to obtain it.
He let Aang stick his hand through his astral body.
Sokka's jaw dropped. "Wha-"
Aang learned from Gyatso that the astral forms of Spirit Masters could normally interact with the physical plane of the mortal world. "It's true. It's like you're a spirit yourself."
Well, he wasn't that off the mark. Spirit Masters were basically spirits, but not to mortals.
"So you're in a coma?" Katara worried. "What about your real body then?"
"A healer is keeping me alive. I've been like this for almost five years-"
"FIVE YEARS?!" Aang exclaimed. Although he was in an iceberg for a hundred years, he dreaded to imagine what it was like to live without your own body.
"It's not as bad as it sounds," he reassured. "Although there are things I'm missing out on, I can still have a normal life."
"Wait. Then how do you eat? Do you even need to go to the bathroom?..." Sokka suddenly bombarded him with all sorts of strangely normal questions.
Dagaz burst into laughter. Aang and Katara joined in.
"I'm serious! I need answers!"
oOo
Fun Facts / Trivia :
- 'Momo' being the reincarnation of 'Monk Gyatso' was supposed to be an old concept for the original series
- the 'gods of fate' hint at 'The Fates' / 'Moirai', those creepy greek undead sisters who share one eyeball (Hercules, Percy Jackson, etc.). Technically, they have the power to mess with important events in history.
- in the avatar-verse, except in the Fire Nation, people usually bow with a 'fist and palm'. It's where you make a right fist, encase it with your left palm, and bow.
oOo
See ya next time, Panthosilea out