Light...light...light...light...

"The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men […] worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?'" - Revelations 13:4

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK THREE: DEATH

27: Lux Aeterna

They were almost at Sumeru, just a few miles to go. Usagi decided that now was as good a time as any to try and reach Iblis, so she sat on the deck, crossed her legs, and began to meditate. The barrier keeping people out of the spirit world parted like gossamer—whether this was a good sign or not remained to be seen—and she was through at once. Although it didn't take her long to find out where Iblis's spirit was, she wanted to save that confrontation for later. Right now, there was someone else she needed to see. She asked Raava to help her find him, and although the elder spirit was reluctant to be around him, she trusted in her avatar, so she guided Usagi to the place where she wanted to go.

The place where Vaatu had been sealed.

The land around him had grown barren from long centuries of his imprisonment. The tree he was eternally tethered to seemed to cry out at them in rage as Usagi drew near. A foul breeze picked up, but she weathered it. A low, guttural voice could be heard groaning in the distance; Usagi took a deep breath as she approached him, and to his surprise, she bowed.

"Hmph. I was wondering if I'd ever see you again. Have you come to beg for my aid? Tell me, girl, what is your name?"

"Usagi Tsukino," she announced. "And I've come for advice." Vaatu laughed cruelly.

"Why? Is Raava not up to the task? Ah, no need to explain it to me, girl: I'm aware of what's going on. Painfully aware. You see, it's my darkness that'll be last on his agenda. Once he overwhelms me, that'll be it. There will be nothing left but light. Is that what you want?"

"No. I don't want to plunge the world into light any more than I want it consumed by darkness." Vaatu quietly pondered this answer for a moment, grumbling softly to himself.

"Well, you're certainly unusual for one of Raava's puppets, I'll grant you that. But are you sure you want my advice and not my assistance? If you release me, you'll have more than enough power to defeat your enemy."

He lies, Raava muttered to her. Usagi held firm.

"Would I, now? It seems that I already have a friend who'll take care of that."

Vaatu groaned in fear. "Yes, Yanluo's vessel. I...suppose she could pull it off as well. Bah! But take me with you anyway. You say you're an Avatar of balance, yes? Then why only embrace the light? Eons ago, Wan set me free from my eternal struggle with Raava, and I unleashed chaos and strife upon the world! But Raava tricked Wan, and convinced him to seal me away, as if light and order and...stagnation would be enough."

"I know it isn't," Usagi replied, "and I know...that not everything you do is evil. You...deep down, by your very nature, are not...evil. But I can't have you running loose. I'm sorry."

"You're SORRY?" Vaatu spat at her, lashing against his restraints, groaning and cursing like a wild animal. Usagi held firm, even when his fury came dangerously close. "Then what did you come here for, fool?! I'm willing to help you, you know! Iblis is as much my enemy as he is yours! You wanted my advice? There you have it! Make room in your soul for me, and I promise, no enemy will stand in your way!"

"And what would you do once Iblis is dead?"

Vaatu was silent for a moment.

"I would show you the true meaning of balance. I would sew chaos and strife...and change upon the world. I would release it from its stagnation."

"Don't you think it's had enough of that already? We're not even three years away from Beryl's death! The last four Avatar before me had to deal with the fallout of your works! People are tired of change! They want stability. Could you give me that?"

Vaatu said nothing for a long time.

"No. That's Raava's expertise. I know nothing but disorder. That's my nature. I make no apology for it."

"I see," she whispered. "Is there any other way I can defeat him? Do I...just depend on Hotaru?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Vaatu said softly. After a moment, he added, very meekly, "Lion-Turtles have a soft spot at the base of their neck. Your ancestors found this weakness and exploited it. If Lugh is truly a Primordial of Justice, then he wouldn't make something that's unstoppable. He'd have a fail-safe...because I suppose even the gods aren't perfect."

"Thank you," she whispered, "I'll remember that. I'm going to talk to Iblis now; maybe we can negotiate something."

"Yes," Vaatu snorted, "and maybe I'll be let out of this cage if I ask Raava nicely enough."

"Hey, you never know," Usagi chuckled. "You have to try, right?"

"May I please be let out of this cage?" Vaatu stated. He only received silence for his answer. "It looks like you'll be fighting him, Avatar Usagi."

"Probably," she said, a crestfallen smile on her face. She thanked Vaatu again, and bowed again before leaving. Bemused, Vaatu laughed hoarsely.

"Hey! Whatever blade you've got, be sure you plunge it in deep for me, okay?" She smiled and waved, leaving him alone in the wasteland. Vaatu sighed forlornly. "Good luck, Avatar."

…...

So, that wasn't a complete waste of time after all, Raava mused. Even I didn't know about their weak spots. I suppose it's something only a spirit of destruction would notice. I was too busy preserving the species.

"Do you think I should've let him join me? Or are we better off with Hotaru? This Yanna-whoozits character sounds like he's even stronger than Vaatu."

Yanluo is the Primordial of Death and Darkness, so yes, it is mightier, but much less predictable. It will be a matter of his creation battling one of Lugh's. Theoretically, they would cancel each other out, which is where you come in...I suppose.

"You suppose?" Raava laughed.

Vaatu was right about one thing: not even the gods are perfect. I honestly could not say whether we'd benefit from his aid or not. The creations of Lugh and Yanluo, and you to balance the scales... But I believe you will balance them in the right way.

Usagi was glad for the vote of confidence. Raava then tried to apologize for not speaking to her sooner, when she was suffering and confused, but Usagi told her not to worry about it. It had all worked out in the end, and besides...

Perhaps that, too, was for the best. It had been painful at times, but that was all part of the crucible, to form her into the woman she was now. She didn't think she'd be half as prepared if it had all been simply given to her. She needed the strife, just as she needed the order.

Enough of that. Now it was time to confront Iblis. She traveled across the distance in an instant and came to where his spirit resided. It struck Usagi that if this last-ditch effort failed, she'd soon be seeing him in person.

"Ah, welcome back, daughter," he said, just as warm and inviting as she remembered. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting? Hast thou discovered an answer to thy quandary?" Even though she was committed to stopping him now (one way or another), Usagi still hesitated. A part of her wanted to leave this beautiful creature to his work. It took a bit of effort to press on.

"Hello...Iblis," she announced. "Y...yes, I have. I'd like for us to talk." He laughed merrily.

"There is little to speak of, my child. I hath not time for pleasantries, and what seemed to press thee most was discussed upon our first meeting."

"Not quite. I came here bec—"

"Thou art upon my doorstep, young Avatar," Iblis observed, a hint of concern in his melodic voice. "Wherefore dost thou entreat upon my demesne?"

"I came here to talk you out of this," she announced, feeling bolder. "I want you to stop destroying the world's darkness, and to put things back the way they were."

"Child," Iblis sighed, "ye know I cannot do this. The stain of evil must be wiped clean, and it must be an eternal cleansing. What sort of guardian would I be were I to allow it foothold into our world?"

"But evil and darkness are separate concepts! I...I've seen people who use the darkness for good, for justice, for...bringing beauty into this world. And I've seen...I see you using light for evil, for selfish reasons."

"Selfish," Iblis repeated, drawing a deep, and not entirely peaceful, breath. "I willingly suffer agony untold, abolish that which plagues thy people and mine, foregoing need or thanks, and thou sayest I am...selfish? Child, thou art young; ye knowest not the machinations of the world beyond thine own scope."

"I've seen enough," she replied, advancing closer. She remembered the faces of those who were suffering, and the voices of those who were crying out, and still cried out. The tears of Naru and Gurio were still fresh on her shoulders; the bittersweet parting of Shingo and Hotaru still ringing in her ears...

The night when she and Mamoru loved each other...and the night that would be denied Makoto and her king...

"Iblis," she entreated, "this light is wrong. It goes against everything in the natural order! Yes, it's a wonderful, beautiful thing, and I'd fight to my dying breath to keep it! But we have to have the darkness, too! We have to...have strife as much as order. We can't kill one for the sake of the other. We can't have life without death, just as the tide can't ebb without flowing..."

"Tis Raava speaking for thee, I wager."

"No, these are my own thoughts! What you're doing is...taking the other side of everything, and claiming that it's wrong, and that by doing this, you think you need to fix...what doesn't need fixing! Apsu is dead! The world's slowly recovering from the years of strife! Look, I know the Avatars aren't perfect, but...but...I wouldn't want to live in a world where they are! I want them to have flaws! I want them to make terrible decisions! I want them to be selfish, and do bad things, and...misuse their power! Because that's what makes them human! I want them to do great things, and terrible things, because...otherwise, they wouldn't be human! And how could we...how could any of us learn from something that wasn't one of our own? How would we even know what's light, if we didn't have the dark? S-s-so please, Iblis, give us back the darkness! Let us have the night! Otherwise...you've failed Lugh completely."

There was a long silence. Usagi stared desperately at Iblis. The Lord of Light studied the Avatar carefully.

"Hast thou concluded thy say?"

She nodded.

"Then there is naught to discuss. Farewell, Avatar."

Usagi immediately snapped out of her meditation, gasping as if she had been held underwater. Before any of her friends could ask if she was okay, a light so intense that it even overpowered the twin suns shot out of the island, directly towards their boat. Only Usagi had time enough to react, so she went into the Avatar State and pushed everyone overboard with a blast of air. The boat was smashed to particles, exploding violently before sinking into the ocean. The waves churned, frightened of the blast, but slowly rocked themselves into a calm slumber, and all was still.

A sky-bison burst out of the sea, covered in a bubble of air and water, bearing eight women on his back. As soon as Artemis was airborne, Ami and Michiru lowered the bubble while Minako and Haruka dispelled the air. Usagi shook herself and took the helm next to Minako.

"I guess that's that," Haruka called. Dejected, Usagi nodded. Haruka's expression darkened, but she put an arm on the younger girl's shoulder. "Hey, at least you gave it your best. I'm sorry it didn't work out." Usagi smiled wistfully. So it was to the death, then.

"Incoming!" Minako shouted. She steered Artemis hard to the left, avoiding a pillar of light that shot out of the clouds. Lightbringers were already pouring out of it as another pillar shot down, and another, and another. Ami and Michiru called on the sea to repulse them; Haruka summoned a gale storm and blasted them back; Rei hurled fireballs until her arms ached. The pillars continued to spawn, each pouring out twenty, fifty, a hundred enemies. Artemis let out a loud bray as they approached the shore, which was packed so tightly with Lightbringers that it was almost impossible to see. Usagi went into the Avatar State again, combining water and wind to carve a path. Artemis skidded onto the sand and the ladies immediately went to work, repulsing their enemies with water and wind and fire. Makoto uprooted a palm tree and swung it widely, flattening the Sentinels; the tree disintegrated and more appeared to freshen their ranks. Usagi stomped on the ground, calling out stones to hurl; the sea behind them surged angrily, lashing and thrusting until an opening was cleared.

"Okay, just like we planned!" Usagi shouted. The team formed ranks: Ami and Michiru covering their flank with jets of water, Haruka and Minako brushing their enemies aside at the vanguard, Makoto uprooting vegetation on the left while Rei put up a fire barrier on their right. Setsuna stood closest to Usagi, picking off anything that came near, her long staff ringing jubilantly with every stroke. Slowly, step by step, they made their way out of the jungle, into a wide-open grassland. They were miles from their destination but could already see Iblis, in all his enormous glory, a bright blinding beacon, nearly a third sun. Some of the girls winced, unable to look at him for long.

"Stand firm!" Setsuna shouted. "Hold ranks! Makoto!" Makoto grit her teeth and endured the brightness, digging out two trees as the enemy massed on the left. She broke them to bits, using some pieces as artillery, others as a shield. Their defenses were strong while they were bunched up like this, but it made progress difficult. They could ride Artemis, but he'd be shot down by the pillars; they could make a run for it, but they'd be scattered and overwhelmed in no time; they could keep going slowly, but the Lightbringers were multiplying exponentially, even with all eight of them fighting them off.

Their plans were curtailed as a huge cluster of them banded together, forming a titanic monstrosity of burning light. The team let out a cry and squeezed their eyes shut; intense cold heat and searing pain shot out of the titan, breaking them apart. Ami let out a roar and ran to confront it, digging out water from the surrounding grass and trees, shooting it upwards. Michiru followed her lead, taking whatever she could from the foliage, even her own perspiration, and used it to push the giant back. Rei breathed hot fury into her hands, forming jets of flame. She ran to the monster and shouted:

"Mina! Boost!" Minako lifted her up with a gust of wind until she was at eye level with the titan, and blind as she was, Rei struck home, burying her fire into its forehead. She ripped the giant in two as she fell, with Haruka dispersing the halves.

"Setsuna!" The time-bender was swinging and twirling with lethal grace, flipping and vaulting out of danger. She planted her staff into the ground, clutched on tight, and spun herself around it, kicking a group of approaching Sentinels. She called for Usagi, who rent a chunk of earth out beneath her, lifting it high. Setsuna grabbed her staff and swung it and the stone into the crowd, shattering it and them to pieces. Haruka blasted the pieces with her air, peppering more of the Lightbringers.

It wasn't enough; they were quickly surrounded. Ami called on more water, slinging it into the air, covering the group in a thick veil of haze. She nodded to Michiru, who focused her bending on the haze, turning every molecule into a lethal bullet. Minako blasted the hardened mist with a stiff breeze, mowing down an enormous chunk of foes. Their path was cleared; the girls ran for it; they were stopped by another titan. Makoto let out a battle cry, leaping into the air and landing on two trees. She called two more to her arms, latching all four to her body, and stomped after the titan.

"Rei!" she shouted, and the priestess lit the trees ablaze. Makoto buried her improvised wooden fist into the titan, smashing and burning it, then struck it again, shattering the bark. She jumped up, crushing the titan Sentinel with a dropkick, caught at the last second by Artemis. She gave him a thank-you scratch and called the broken pieces of wood to her again, forming a protective shell. The titan was down but more Lightbringers were surrounding her. She punched one into oblivion, getting her gauntlets destroyed, then decided to back off and launched some artillery. Setsuna came by, leveling three of the Sentinels; Makoto transferred the bark over to her body, lifting her up and throwing her into the thick of them, where the staff smashed into the ground, sending rocks flying. Usagi took them, whirling into the air; Rei ignited them and they sent them hurling out. Artemis, Minako, and Haruka came storming in, shooting wave after wave of air, clearing the way.

Seven pillars shot out of the sky, issuing an army. The girls skidded to a halt. Usagi stood in front, igniting a flame. Before anyone could pull her back, she went into the Avatar State, calling a tornado and a tsunami. Usagi's flames surged into the disastrous onslaught, spreading fire and steam in a whirlwind of indignation. More Lightbringers appeared; Usagi called the fire to surround her, forming great burning wings on her back. With a loud cry, she clapped her hands together, sending out a wall of flame so great that every Lightbringer standing before them was obliterated.

She took a moment to sigh with relief and toss her hair.

"Yeah, I'm pretty amazing."

"Show-off," Rei muttered, unable to keep herself from smiling. She gave Usagi a quick pat on the shoulder before resuming the charge. With every step, Iblis was drawing closer; with every inch of ground gained, more Lightbringers appeared. Artemis found himself surrounded by dozens, roaring and blasting air everywhere, but he was overwhelmed, and struck hard by the Sentinels' fury. Minako yelled and beat back the enemies, grabbing hold of his fuzzy flanks.

"Artemis, buddy, you gotta get outta here! It isn't safe anymore!" Artemis groaned, staggering as more and more Lightbringers stood in front of them. The bison growled, and before Minako could call him back, he shot ahead, a huge torrential surge barreling in front of him. He blasted the crowd to bits but was surrounded again; Minako fought more bitterly than she ever had before, suffering terrible burns and bruises as she made her way to her partner. The bender and the bison stood together and held off their foes until the others joined in. As soon as they were safe, tears burst forth from Minako's eyes, and she pounded Artemis with her fists.

"You idiot! I told you to leave! If you stay here, you'll get killed! I don't want you to die, so just..." She paused as Artemis let out a soft groan, and their eyes met. Memories of their first encounter surfaced. The basket of apples she had given him. Her first air-bending lesson. Their first flight together. The time they took Motoki and Unazuki for a ride. The day she met Makoto. Her first kiss, Artemis grumbling in the distance. The day her life changed forever, and she caught an Avatar and a Fire Priestess outside Wu Song. Artemis saving her life. She saving his.

Minako wiped the tears aside. She realized that even in the face of death, Artemis would never, ever leave her. He could never live in a world without her, just as she could never live in a world without him. They were in this together, no matter what.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, a bittersweet smile on her face as she wept again. "You know how I am. Okay, buddy, it's you and me, to the bitter end!" Artemis let out an encouraging roar, and together they fought, together they bled, together they burned, together they won, and lost, and stood up when they were knocked down. But they were getting nowhere, and the Lightbringers were continuing to overwhelm them.

Usagi realized this, and went into the Avatar State one more time, caring out an enormous slab of stone from below them. She had everyone hop on, and shot the tablet across the island. They soared over the land at record speed, faster than even Artemis could fly, the wind beating against their faces as Sumeru undulated beneath them—and in the distance, Iblis awaited. The girls took a moment to breathe and heal their wounds. Maybe they were going to make it after all. Then, they crossed over a hill. When they reached the top, they could nearly see the entire island.

Every square inch of Sumeru was now congested with countless Lightbringers. There were so many that even without Iblis, the island would be as bright as the suns. Numbers beyond reckoning, as far as they could see, and more being added by the moment as darkness left the world. Mamoru was nowhere to be seen. Hotaru was gone. What little hope that had left was now completely extinguished. As soon as the tablet set down again, they would be overcome. Usagi looked to her team, her friends, her family. This was their doom. There were no more tears left to be shed.

Without saying a word, Rei mustered up all her willpower, stared at Usagi, and stretched her hand out. Trembling, Minako stretched her hand out as well, placing it atop Rei's. Makoto sniffled, and put her hand on Minako's. Ami put her hand on Makoto's, nodding. Usagi smiled feebly, and was startled as Setsuna placed her hand atop Makoto's, then Michiru added her hand to the pile, then Haruka's. Seven women stood, united in their fate, all gazing upon the Avatar. Usagi choked up, swallowed, nodded, and put her hand on top of the pile. This was Team Avatar, united in life—and in death. They held strong until the tablet ground to a halt, then leaped off, battling for their lives.

Fire. Pain. Air. Burning. Water. Bruises. Wood. Blood. Earth. Weakness. Trembling. No. Get up. Keep going. Fight. You can do this. Fire. Air. Water. Wood. Earth. The Avatar State. All together now! Fire! Air! Water! Wood! Earth! NOW! The women united all their attacks into a single spire, augmented by the full fury of the Avatar, striking Iblis directly in the—

A shield of light deflected their attack. Iblis flinched, but was unharmed. The women deflated. Usagi felt herself drained, defeated. They had just put everything they had into that attack, and it had failed.

"Enough," he grumbled, drawing out all the light he had absorbed, all of his strength, all authority granted to him by the gods. Iblis opened his mouth and focused the energy into a blast, issuing searing blinding destructive power, cleaving apart the island, the sea, the sky itself. A brief moment of pain flashed, and then...nothing, nothing, nothing. The body was unmade, disintegrated, leaving nothing, nothing but light.

Avatar Usagi was dead.

The End of "Lux Aeterna"

Next time: "A Bitter Farewell"