"Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother Sokka and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. Although his airbending skills were great, he had a lot to learn before he was ready to save anyone. But from the day I first met him, I believed Aang would save the world. And you know what? I was right. With the help of his friends, Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and ended the Hundred Year War. Zuko, Ozai's son and our ally, became the new Fire Lord. Together with Earth King Kuei, Aang and Zuko promised to restore the four nations to harmony.
Avatar Roku: "Previously on Avatar ..."
Huu: "See this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink, take root, and spread some more. One big, living organism. Just like the entire world."
Aang: "I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world?"
Huu: "Sure. You think you're any different from me or your friends or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots and we are all branches of the same tree."
Guru Pathik: "The sixth pool of energy is the light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one in the same."
Aang: "Like the four nations."
Guru Pathik: "Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided."
Aang: "We're all connected. Everything is connected."
"Guru Pathik: "That's right! Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined."
Sitting at the rooftop of the city gates of Yu Dao, Aang was waiting for both The Freedom Fighters and Earth King Kuei's Earth Kingdom Army, led by General How. Just 4 days ago, Katara and Aang went to Yu Dao to talk to Fire Lord Zuko about his withdrawal support from the Harmony Restoration Movement. While walking around Yu Dao with Zuko, explaining to Aang that the Fire Nation Colonies are older than him by well over a century. After touring Yu Dao, Katara wanted to set up a meeting with Earth King Kuei and Zuko, to which he agreed to meet about Yu Dao and the rest of the Fire Nation Colonies, which they rejected the Harmony Restoration Movement.
While Aang was meditating about how to peacefully remove Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom territory, Katara waterbend stairs made out of ice to reach the rooftop where Aang was sitting at. As she was finished walking the stairs, she asked, "Any sign of General How yet? Or Smellerbee?"
Aang moves his head from left to right, "No."
Katara walks over, sits, and places her left hand on Aang's right shoulder, "You okay?"
Aang sighs as he leans forward a bit. "My head hurts."
"I think I figured out why the nations have to be separate for harmony. Whenever two nations come together, the stronger one can't help but hurt the weaker one. They'll conquer or burn or, at the very least, make a joke of the weaker nation."
"You once told me that separation is an illusion. Guru Pathik taught you that. The four nations are really one and the same."
Aang turned his head to Katara, "But I don't want them to be the same, Katara! I love being an Air Nomad! I love our philosophy, our temples, our holidays, our food- Everything that makes us different from the rest of the world! And now that I'm the last one left, it's up to me to preserve our way of life!"
"How, Aang? Are you going to live by yourself, like some kind of hermit? Devote your whole life into collecting and preserving a bunch of relics?"
Putting his head down, "I don't know ... But I do know this: Air Nomad culture can't survive in a world where the nations invade each other, corrupt each other. I have to see the Harmony Restoration Movement through to the end."
"Even if it means fulfilling your promise to Zuko?"
"Yes," Aang replied as he looked back up to Katara.
"But you'd be acting against Air Nomad philosophy! Isn't that what you're trying to preserve?"
Putting his head back down again with both hands on the sides of his head, "Aargh! It's a contradiction, I know! That's why my head hurts."
As both sat quietly, Katara remembered a flashback when Aang told her about the light chakra in the center of the forehead.
Flashback to several months ago
As Appa landed on a grass field and rested, Aang, Katara, and Sokka got off and started to set up camp for the night. After a day of helping Fire Nation Colonials return to the Fire Nation from a recently established Fire Nation town, the trio was tired and ready to rest for the night. When the sun went below the horizon, Sokka decided to head to bed after eating dinner since he'd been up all day, leaving only Katara and Aang up. Aang, meditating nearby the fire, didn't notice Katara walking toward him after cleaning up dinner. As she sat next to him, Aang, who had just finished his meditation, felt a hand on his left shoulder. He turned to see it was Katara, who looked curious about what he was meditating on.
"What were you meditating about, Aang" while looking into his stormy gray eyes.
Aang replied, "I was meditating on the sixth pool of energy which is the light chakra, located in the center of the forehead," while turning his body towards Katara.
"Who taught you that?" Katara asked.
Aang replied, "Guru Pathik did."
Both sat quietly while staring into each other's eyes before Katara spoke. "What's the light chakra about?" asked curiously.
"The light chakra deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world, Katara, is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one in the same. Just like the four nations."
Katara, who looked a bit confused, " How can the four nations be the same when they're different from each other?"
"You and I are both humans, right."
"Right." still looking a bit confused.
"We might not look the same on the outside, but we're still all one people, but we live as if divided. Meaning that we're all connected. Everything is connected."
"What about the elements?" she asked.
"Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion too, Katara. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined."
"Oh, okay, that makes sense now, Aang."
The couple sat quietly for another moment before Katara leaned forward and pressed her lips into Aang's, pulling them into a passionate kiss. Even though Katara and Aang are different on the outside, they're both the same human being as one people.
Back to the present day, during the battle of Yu Dao
As the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation Armies charge at each other. Aang jumps over the Fire Nation army and lands in front of Fire Lord Zuko, entering the Avatar State.
"No! The Harmony Restoration Movement was such a simple plan! Why couldn't you just follow it through?"
Katara takes Aang from Fire Lord Zuko, using an ice bridge to carry him over and away from the battlefield. "Snap out of it, Aang! Don't you remember what we talk about? You have to be calm to make sure your decision is right!"
"But all these people, they're gonna kill each other!"
"Let me worry about them!"
Katara and Aang land on the wall of Yu Dao, and she turns to look at him, her eyes filled with emotion. "Aang, I never finished explaining to you ... on our first visit to Yu Dao when I saw Kori's family." Katara remembers seeing Kori's family during their first visit to Yu Dao. "I also saw our future." Katara sees her and Aang as adults, smiling as they stand next to each other with Katara cradling a baby. Katara is becoming increasingly emotional. "If the nations have to be separate, what will that mean for us? I ... I know it's selfish of me to think like this. There's so much more at stake than just us."
"Katara ..." as Aang holds Katara's left wrist with his left hand.
"Go find a quiet place, Aang, and figure this out. Then, whatever decision you make ... I'll trust that it's the right one. I'll support you" as she cups Aang's left cheek with her right hand. "Even if it means you have to fulfill your promise." The two kiss while Katara sheds a tear from her right eye. "And even if it means we have to be apart." When they separate, Aang immediately opens his glider and launches into the sky, as Toph earthbends herself, Sokka, and Suki to the top of the wall. Katara yells, "Go!"
30 minutes went by
As the battle of Yu Dao rages on, General How and Fire Lord Zuko are about to duel against each other. Aang enters the Avatar State, thus breaking the earth on top of him he had elevated and, from his position, a beam of light that reaches the sky can be seen; for a moment, everything in Yu Dao freezes. Aang creates a sphere of all the elements around him as he heads over to Zuko.
"Aang, I know how this looks! But I swear to you, in my heart ... !" Zuko takes off his helmet and sighs. "None of that matters, does it? I'm doing exactly what my father would have done."
As Aang earthbends a large ravine, Zuko loses his footing, causing him to fall through it head first.
General How reaches out with his left arm, "Fire Lord!"
As Zuko falls, Aang starts flying toward him. "Aang! I don't -"
Aang grabs Zuko's arm, shoots upward with a surprised Zuko, and takes him to the city gates where the rebels are. Katara sees this and takes Earth King Kuei with her on an ice slide toward Aang and the Fire Lord, much to the Earth King's surprise.
"Let's go."
Aang sets a frightened Zuko down while Katara helps Earth King Kuei get off the slide. The rebels all place themselves behind Aang. Katara runs toward Aang, and both embrace briefly and hold each other's hands.
"Earth King Kuei, look at who you're fighting! Fire Nation, yes - But also Earth Kingdom - Water Tribe - And now, Air Nomad. This is who stands against your army."
Sneers replied, "And against the Fire Nation Army, too!"
"It took me a while, but I finally understand. You're not just fighting a colony. You're fighting a whole new kind of world."
Earth King Kuei seems to understand the realization and looks lost in thought. Across the gap Aang had created, the Earth Kingdom defenders yelled at Earth King Kuei to not listen.
Smellerbee yells, "Don't listen to that ash-maker propaganda, Earth King Kuei! Harmony now!"
The Earth Kingdom crowd yells, "Harmony now! Fire Nation out! Harmony -!"
Earth King Kuei holds his hand up, signaling the crowd to stop. "I need to see what I ... what I ... I just need to see." Looking over his left shoulder, Earth King Kuei looks at the citizens of Yu Dao and how integrated they are over several generations. It was impossible to separate the people during the Harmony Restoration Movement as it would destroy integrated families.
Four days later, after the battle of Yu Dao
After Aang checks in on Zuko, he heads back to Team Avatar's house in the Upper Ring, where Katara was waiting for him. While flying on his glider, Aang had thought about what Katara had told him during the battle of Yu Dao, "If the nations have to be separate, what will that mean for us?" If the nations had to be separate, he knew he wouldn't be able to see Katara every day. The Harmony Restoration Movement would destroy relationships and different integrated families that have been around for over a century. When Aang landed and entered the house, he saw Katara waiting for him in the living room. As he sets his staff glider against the wall, walks over, and sits down next to her.
Katara asks, "How's Zuko doing?"
"He just woke up from 4 days of sleeping. Iroh is taking care of him."
"That's good."
Both sat quietly before Katara turned her head to Aang and spoke, "I knew you would make the right decision, and I'm proud of you too, Aang." she smiled at him.
"I didn't want our relationship to get destroyed by the Harmony Restoration Movement, Katara." Aang turned his head to Katara. "Including Kori's family and all the others as well."
Katara puts her hand on his shoulder, comforting him. Knowing he gets easily overwhelmed with difficult situations like this, she's just glad that they're not apart after the battle of Yu Dao. After all the adventures they've been through, Katara and Aang knew they couldn't live apart from each other because they loved each other so much.
