Aldaris shuddered as he looked to the west, "Something has happened." The elder told him. "Yes…something with Tem." Aldaris said back.

"Is he dead?" the elder asked. "Hard to say...physically he seems alive, and mentally, but spiritually he seems shattered. As if something has made him completely lose his faith." Aldaris told him.

"Now that you mention it I sense it as well." said the elder sadly. "But within it all I sense our brethren returning."

A few minutes later 13 of the gray cloaked figures returned, All the villagers, as well as Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Aldaris looked at them and saw Fenix, "Fenix…tell me, what news have you?" Aldaris asked.

"We were victorious…and though the village was destroyed we watched as the Fire Nation soldiers fled like scared rats. Sadly I must add that three of us were slain in battle, but they have earned valor beyond any form of gratitude we could give them." Fenix told Aldaris.

"There were 17, you say only three were slain, and yet only 13 stand here before me…tell me, where is the last of you?" Aldaris asked.

Fenix looked behind him and in a cloud of dust appeared a lone figure, slowly making his way, "He arrives now." Fenix told him.

Katara looked around them and ran towards the figure, "Tem…is it you?" she asked.

The figure looked at her, it was Tem…then she noticed an odd bulge popping out from his left shoulder. "What happened?" she asked. Tem hung his head again and behind his dusty, matted hair Katara could see a tear-drop going down his face. She ran to hug him, but he quickly side-stepped her and continued his path towards Aldaris. "Tem…you are all right." Aldaris said happily.

"Yes and no, Aldaris…I need to see a healer." Tem said weakly, he pulled off his cloak to reveal a hilt sticking out of his shoulder. "Yes, right away." Aldaris told him.

The healer looked at the hilt and picking up a piece of jerky from his traveling bag said, "Okay now I'll you to bite down on this when I remove that knife." The healer told him.

"You may want to turn it clock-wise as you do it." Tem told him.

"Now why would I wish to do that?" the healer asked.

"Just trust me." Tem said weakly but sternly.

The healer did as he was instructed, the knife came out slowly but without difficulty. The healer looked at the knife and immediately left only to return with Aldaris by his side. "Tem tell me this isn't true?" Aldaris asked him.

"Wish it wasn't." Tem told him, nearly sobbing.

FLASHBACK

Tem then looked at Zuko and waved his hand in front of him, his face then turned into a scowl and with an up-scaled battle cry, charged at Zuko.

Zuko blocked Tem's attack, "I just read your aurora, it is black and grey, but I see a hint of white in there, there is good in you." Tem told Zuko.

"Get away from me you warlock!" Zuko blasted, pushing Tem away from him.

"You call me evil…and yet your heart is filled with it," Tem said while removing his right glove, "but it was not there to begin with…for there I must attempt to purify you."

Tem then charged at Zuko again, only as Zuko tried to block. But Tem ducked under and put his hand on Zuko's chest, suddenly a light started to eminate from it. Zuko felt really dizzy, as if something was being removed from him.

Unbeknownst to Tem a dark figure rose behind him, "NOW!" Zuko cried out.

Tem looked behind himself just in time to see a flash of something metallic come swinging down at him, then a haze of pain. He released Zuko and grabbed his right shoulder, something had been jammed into it. He looked and saw a knife hilt.

"Awww…what's wrong, did the little baby Li get hurt?" Taunted a familiar voice.

Tem looked up and saw the eyes of Diablo staring down at him. Tem then reached into his shirt and pulled out the royal medallion, clutching it for whatever strength was in it and asked, "Why Diablo…why?"

Diablo kneeled down and grabbing the hilt of his dagger pulled Tem's ear close to his face and said, "We can't avoid our chosen paths." Diablo then emitted a hiss that sounded like it was coming more out of vulpine triumph then anger.

Suddenly Tem took his medallion and pressed it against Diablo's neck, the sound of burning flesh and Diablo shrieking was next. Diablo fell backward and felt his neck to find a burned imprint of the medallion on it.

Diablo looked into Tem's eyes for a few seconds, then he heard someone cry 'Fall back…fall back, all forces fall back!', watched Zuko and Diablo retreat, then heard the victory cries of Fenix and the others.

END FLASHBACK

"It seems you coming back to me or finding me has never boded good omen." Aldaris said.

"It would appear so." Said Tem coldly.

Later that night the village, destroyed though it may be, was full of voices near a campfire, Fenix told the tale of how he and the other men had fought off the Fire Nation soldiers. Katara looked away for a moment to look at Tem, he was rubbing his hand over the area the healer had bandaged.

"Go over and talk to him," a voice behind her said, she turned and saw Aldaris, "he could use some comfort in his time of disbelief."

Katara walked over to Tem, "May I sit here?" she asked.

"Go ahead…I will not stop you." Tem replied.

Katara sat down and said, "Tem, I heard what happened to you back at the village…what you saw, I just want to know if you're okay, Aldaris is worried."

"Aldaris acts like a mother hen, trying to protect me when I can defend myself…that is why I wish to leave here with you, to prove to Aldaris that he need not always watch over me."

Tem then looked at Aang and asked, "Aang knows how to Air-Bend…am I right?"

Katara nodded, "That's why we're heading to the North Pole, to find him a Water-Bending teacher."

Tem looked at her and asked, "He doesn't know how to use the other three elements yet?"

Katara nodded again, "And we have to do before summer's end."

Tem looked at the fire and said, "I know now that no Fire-Bender would teach Aang to Fire-Bend."

Katara nodded in agreement, "But, note that I didn't say no Dark Fire-Bender would teach him."

"Does that mean….what I think it does?" Katara asked hopefully.

"I need to spread my wings sometime," he said, he then got close to her ear and whispered, "but with Aldaris, I make no promises that I may leave with you."