Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 6:

The Spirit World

Alec POV

The events of "Imprisoned" played out exactly the same as they did in the previous story. I mostly stayed out of the way for that one. I was pretty pissed at the old man who sold out Haru after Haru saved his life. I thought about burning down his house, but that would make me no better than the Fire Nation. It was very strange hearing the voice of George Takei coming from the prison rig warden's mouth, considering I had met the guy at a convention when I was younger.

I had debated about whether or not to prevent Katara's necklace from getting stolen, but it did help Aang and Katara get closer, so I let it happen. Katara was distraught, and I didn't blame her. On the plus side, at least she would get her necklace back.

After we broke the earthbenders out of the prison rig, we flew north for a few days, camping out nightly to give Appa plenty of time to rest. One night during dinner, Katara asked me a question.

"What's it like, knowing the future?"

I thought about it for a few seconds before I answered. "Well, first of all, I wouldn't say I know the future, I'd say I know a future."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"

"If I know the future, that means I can't change anything. My presence has already changed things. Therefore, I know a future." I explained.

"I think I get it." She nodded. "So, what's it like?"

"In some ways, it's comforting, and in other ways, it's terrifying." I admitted.

Sokka looked thoroughly confused. "How can it be both?"

"It's comforting because I can plan ahead and react to things as they happen. Also, because I know the personalities of most of the important people in the world, I can make a few educated guesses about how they'll react to certain situations." I explained. "The only person who I know I can't predict outside of his actions in the story is Bumi." I looked at Aang with a smile. "Your old friend is just too unpredictable." Aang grinned.

My smile fell and I continued. "It's terrifying because it's a huge responsibility, and I have to keep most of my knowledge secret from everyone, including the people I care about the most." I shook my head. "On top of that, I keep second-guessing myself, constantly wondering if the changes I want to make will help you or make things worse."

"I know what that feels like." Aang said quietly. "I keep wondering if I can handle being the Avatar."

"Well, the good thing about my knowledge is that I know you can handle it." I gave him a comforting smile.

He turned towards me with hope in his eyes. "Really?" He asked.

I nodded and smirked. "Of course, You're my second-favorite Avatar of all time!"

The look of shocked disappointment on his face was priceless. "Wait. Who's the first?"

"Kyoshi." I answered. "She was powerful, fierce, determined, and had a strong sense of justice. The world was in chaos when she was born, but she spent her life bringing it back into balance. She died at the age of 230."

Sokka's eyes bugged out. "How did she live that long?!"

"I don't know, maybe death was afraid of her." I speculated with a chuckle.

Aang still looked slightly disappointed. "Should I be more like her?" He asked.

"No." I shook my head. "You should be your own person, and your own Avatar."

He nodded. "I will."

"I know you will." I responded.

He frowned slightly. "Sokka was right. That does get annoying."

"That's why I do it." I said smugly.


The next day, another conversation topic came up. My age.

"What's it like being fifteen again after being twenty-eight?" Sokka asked.

"What's it like having a brother almost twice your age?" I replied.

"Well, I don't really think of you as twenty-eight." Sokka said. "Besides, when we adopted you, we made you a member of our family no matter what. Unless you earn yourself the Mark of the Disgraced, that is."

The Mark of the Disgraced was an extremely serious matter. It was kind of like the marks given to tribesmen after they completed the ice dodging rite of passage, but with a few key differences. The Mark of the Disgraced was only given to those who committed the most serious crimes against the Water Tribe, like murder, rape, or torture. It could even be given to people outside the Tribe, as long as their victim was a tribesman or a friend of a tribesman. It wasn't done in paint, either. Instead, it was carved deep into the persons forehead with a knife so that it would never fade. That way, no matter where you went in the world, both tribesman and friends of tribesman would know not to trust you or give you aid.

"Don't even joke about that." Katara chastised her brother before turning to me. "I'm curious, though, what's it like being young again?"

"Weird and uncomfortable." I said. "I thought I'd gotten over growing pains and excessive hunger. Having to go through it again is a major pain in the ass."

"Language." She chided. "Besides, it can't be all bad. You have the mind of a twenty-eight-year-old. That's a good thing."

I shook my head. "I don't have the mind of a twenty-eight-year-old. I have the knowledge of my twenty-eight-year-old self in my fifteen-year-old body."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"My personality is different." I explained. "When I was twenty-eight, I was serious, thoughtful, and quiet. When I was fifteen, I was sarcastic and loved messing with people. I barely think like my twenty-eight-year-old self anymore. When I came up with the Six Rules, it took me three months, and I was worried that we would find Aang before I could figure out what to do with my knowledge. The old me could've probably come up with the rules in about a week."

"That's the thing I can't figure out." Aang said. "Why would whatever brought you here make you younger again?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "Maybe they did it so I could relate to you all more. Maybe there was another reason entirely. I just hope I find out why soon."

"I think you will." Aang said. "I have a good feeling about it."


We resumed our journey the following morning. Aang was steering Appa. Sokka spent his time whittling something with his knife. I was just sitting there. Katara spent her time looking over the edge of the saddle.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" She said dreamily. "Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft, cottony heap."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka quipped.

"You're hilarious." She replied with a glare.

"I'll try it!" Aang piped up. He grabbed his glider and jumped off Appa's head, laughing happily. He fell into a cloud and disappeared. He flew back up on his glider and landed back in the saddle, soaking wet.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water." He said. He dried himself off with a massive gust of air.

Katara noticed something up ahead. "Hey, what's that?"

We had been flying over a massive, green forest. Well, green except for one part. A massive swath of the forest below was black, dry, and dead. It stuck out like a sore thumb against its lush surroundings. We all stared at it in slight horror.

"It's like a scar." Sokka observed.

We flew down and landed in a small clearing in the blackness. It was the aftermath of a forest fire, and a big one at that. There was no grass, and the ground was covered by a thick layer of gray ash. All the trees had been reduced to charred stumps and husks.

"Listen." Sokka whispered. "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

Katara turned to look at the last airbender. "Aang, are you okay?"

Sokka suddenly discovered a large group of footprints. Most were human, but there were a few sets that were definitely made by komodo rhinos. We all knew what that meant.

"Fire Nation!" Sokka exclaimed in rage. "Those evil savages make me sick. They have no respect for-"

Katara shushed him. "What, I'm not allowed to be angry?" Sokka whispered. Katara pointed to Aang. Aang collapsed to his knees and sifted a handful of ashes through his fingers.

"Why would anyone do this?" He asked sadly. "How could I let this happen?"

Katara tried to reassure him. "Aang, you didn't let this happen. This has nothing to do with you."

"Yes it does." He insisted. "It's the Avatar's job to protect nature. But I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole," She replied, "To find you a teacher."

"Yeah, a waterbending teacher." Aang said. "But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka asked. "He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know." Aang replied sadly. Momo crawled in his lap, trying to make him feel better.

Katara turned to me. "Do you know?" She asked quietly.

I nodded. "I do, but I won't give you the answers. Aang needs to figure this out himself."

Aang overheard us. "How am I supposed to figure it out? I don't even know what the Avatar's supposed to do!" He said, exasperated and depressed.

That I could answer. "Don't feel bad. The Avatar's job description has always been pretty broad and vague." I admitted. "Usually it's just 'master all four elements in order, keep balance between the four nations, and be the bridge between the mortal world and the Spirit World'."

"I already failed one of those." He said sullenly. "The Air Nomads are gone. There are only three nations left."

I shook my head. "That's not true." I said. "There's still one Air Nomad left. As long as you live, the Air Nomads have a chance to come back."

He turned and looked at me. "How?" He asked.

I briefly panicked. Oh shit. Had Gyatso not given Aang 'the Talk'? I did not want to explain sex to him.

"Um, Aang," My face was so hot that I felt like Zuko hit me with a fireball, "You do know where babies come from, right?" I asked.

Aang's entire head turned tomato-red. Sokka barely held in his laughter. Katara blushed furiously. "Oh…right." Aang said. I'd never seen someone so embarrassed. I was relieved. If I ever had kids, giving them 'the Talk' would be awkward enough, but giving it to one of my peers was unthinkable.

"Good." I said. "Anyway, it'll take a couple of generations, but if you get married and have at least one airbender kid, the Air Nomads will have a chance to come back."

"Anyway," Katara said in a desperate bid to change the subject, "Aang, are you ready to be cheered up?"

"No." Aang replied sullenly. Katara threw an acorn and hit him in the head. "Ow! Hey, how is that supposed to cheer me up?" He replied indignantly, rubbing his head in pain.

Sokka chuckled. "Cheered me up." An acorn hit him as well. "Ow! Yeah, I probably deserved that." He admitted.

Katara walked over to the sad Avatar. "These acorns are everywhere, Aang." As if to prove her point, Momo dug up a bunch of them from the ash and tried to stuff his face. "That means the forest will grow back." My sister continued. "Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back." She put the acorn in Aang's palm.

Aang smiled. "Thanks, Katara." My sister smiled back at him.

Suddenly we heard someone walking towards us. We turned around and saw an old man in brown robes approaching. Sokka stood up. "Hey! Who are you?!" He demanded.

"When I saw the flying bison I thought it was impossible." The man said in wonder and walked towards Aang. "But those markings…are you the Avatar, child?"

Aang looked at me and Katara, as if asking for permission. We both nodded. Aang turned back to the man and nodded.

"My village desperately needs your help." The man said.


The man took us to his village, which he informed us was named Senlin Village. We noticed that something was wrong as soon as we entered. The city was quiet, but several of the houses were damaged. A few were almost completely destroyed, with only damaged frames standing. Nobody was staying in the houses, either. Instead, everyone was hiding in the large building in the center of town. A town hall, maybe?

Once we entered the town hall and saw all the villagers, the old man spoke. "This young person is the Avatar." He said, indicating Aang.

A middle-aged man stepped forward. I assumed he was the leader. "So the rumors of your return are true." He gave Aang a bow, which the Avatar returned. "It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you, too." Aang replied. "So, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure." The leader replied hesitantly. The old man stepped forward.

"Our village is in crisis! He's our only hope!" He turned to Aang. "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit." His voice turned fearful when he spoke Hei Bai's name.

"Why is it attacking you?" Sokka asked.

"We do not know." The leader answered, walking forward to look fearfully out the door. "But each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near."

"What happens then?" Katara asked.

"During a solstice, the lines between this world and the Spirit World get blurry." I explained. "Spirits are much more active during that time."

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction." The leader said. "Once the solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen."

"So, what do you want me to do exactly?" Aang asked.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself?" The old man pointed out. "You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

"Right, that's me." Aang said, completely unconvinced.

"Hey, great bridge guy. Can I talk to you over here for a second?" Katara asked.

We all walked over to a corner of the room where we wouldn't be overheard. "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this." She said.

"Yeah." Aang admitted. "That might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World." Sokka and Katara stared at him, dumbfounded. "It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!" Aang objected.

"That's not necessarily true." Sokka pointed to me.

I shook my head. "I don't know much about spirits or the Spirit World. That part of the story was always pretty mysterious." I admitted.

"So, Aang, can you help these people?" Katara asked.

"I have to try, don't I?" He answered. "Maybe whatever I have to do will just…come to me." He said with an optimistic smile.

"I think you can do it, Aang." Katara reassured.

Sokka wasn't convinced. "Yeah. We're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."


Once sunset arrived, Aang left the town hall. My siblings and I remained inside with the rest of the villagers, watching the events unfold through the window.

Aang walked through the town nervously, with his staff drawn. "Hello? Spirit? Can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help stuff."

I wasn't exactly impressed with Aang's sales pitch. Then again, he had no idea what he was doing. Back in the town hall, Sokka was getting nervous.

"This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up." He said.

The old man remained optimistic. "If anyone can save us, he can."

"He still shouldn't have to face this alone." Sokka complained.

A few minutes later, the sun had completely disappeared behind the mountains in the distance. Still no sign of the spirit. Aang was getting impatient. "The sun is set. Where are you, Hei Bai?" He asked. He decided to change tactics. "Well, spirit, uh." He gave a commanding pose with his hand outstretched. "I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace." He slammed his staff down on the ground dramatically.

Nothing happened. "Okay, well, I guess that's settled, then." Aang turned around and walked back towards the town hall. Then something appeared at the village gates.

It was a massive creature. It walked on all fours, with black legs, and white arms. A pair of shorter black arms hung limply next to the white arms. It's head didn't appear to have any visible eyes or nose, just a mouth with sharp, pointed teeth. Aang noticed its presence and turned to face it.

Aang tried diplomacy first. "You must be the Hei Bai spirit. My name is-"

Hei Bai roared and a wave of blue light shot out of it's mouth. It reared back, roared again, and charged past Aang. The Avatar tried to introduce himself. "My name is Aang. I'm the Avatar, and I would like to help. Hey, wait up!" He shouted and chased after the spirit.

Hei Bai ignored Aang and destroyed a house. Then he moved in front of another house and smashed it, too. He moved between houses so fast that it appeared as if he was flash-stepping. Aang tried to follow and talk to the spirit, but Hei Bai ignored him.

The rest of us watched this unfold from the town hall window. "The Avatar's methods are…unusual." The village leader commented.

"It doesn't seem too interested in what he's saying." Sokka observed. "Maybe we should go help him."

"No!" The old man said sharply. "Only the Avatar stands a chance against Hei Bai."

"Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka." Katara reassured.

At one point, Aang got frustrated and ordered Hei Bai to turn around. Hei Bai backhanded Aang into a house.

Sokka had enough. "That's it. He needs help." He ran out of the building.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara tried to stop him, but failed to reach him before he got out the door.

Sokka bravely attempted to fight Hei Bai, but the spirit just grabbed him and ran off into the forest. Aang picked up his glider and took off after them. Katara and I stopped just outside the village gates. It was too dark to follow after them. We just sat on the ground, worried about our brother and our friend. Well, Katara was worried. I knew they would be fine.


Katara and I sat outside the village all night, looking towards the woods hoping to see Aang or Sokka, hopefully both. Just before dawn, the old man approached us and wrapped blankets around our shoulders.

"You two should get some rest." He said.

"Everything's gonna be okay." Katara put on a brave face, but I knew she was worried.

"Your brother is in good hands." The man reassured. "I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him." With that, he left the two of us alone.

Just after the Sun rose, Aang appeared out of the woods and walked towards us. "Katara, Alec? I lost him." He said sadly.

I turned towards him and spoke. "It's okay. You'll find him."

Katara looked up at me. "Who are you talking too?"

I pointed at Aang. "Aang's right there. He said he lost Sokka. Can't you see him?"

She looked at Aang, but clearly didn't see him. "Alec, are you feeling okay?"

Aang looked thoroughly confused. "Katara, I'm right here!" He shouted. Katara didn't react.

I suddenly remembered what happened. Of course Katara couldn't see Aang right now. He was in the Spirit World. But how could I see him?

I turned to my sister. "You can't see or hear Aang right now because he's in the Spirit World." I explained. "He's actually standing right there."

"I'm in the Spirit World?!" Aang shouted with alarm. I looked at him and nodded. "Yes, you are. Try to airbend. If you're in the Spirit World, you won't be able to." Aang tried to make an air scooter, but failed. While he tried to bend, my sister spoke up.

"He's in the Spirit World?" Katara asked. "How?"

"Hei Bai must've dragged him there." I said. "Spirits can transport people into the Spirit World."

"Wait, if I can't see them, why can you?" She inquired. Aang stopped trying to bend and looked at me.

"I don't really know." I said. "Normally, the only people who can see into the Spirit World are people who've been there before." I thought of Iroh. "I don't remember ever going to the Spirit World. I just fell here when my home burned down. Maybe I fell through the Spirit World to get here, or something." I speculated.

"Okay, so how do we get him out?" Katara asked.

I looked towards the woods and noticed a bright light coming towards us. I knew what that meant. "Don't worry about that. His ride's here." I said.

"What do you mean, my ride?" Aang asked. I pointed towards the light. As it flew towards us, it took the form of a massive dragon. Aang got a very worried look on his face.

"Relax." I reassured him. "He's an ally."

"What is it?" Katara asked.

"A dragon." I replied simply. Her eyes went wide.

"Are you sure he's an ally?" She asked with a worried tone. I nodded.

The dragon stopped right in front of Aang. One of its facial tendrils touched Aang's forehead. Aang's face went from concerned to understanding.

"You're Avatar Roku's animal guide." He realized.

"Yep." I said. "Say hello to Fang." Fang looked at me. I quickly bowed. I didn't know if he could reach me, but I didn't want to disrespect him and find out.

"Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?" Aang asked. The dragon put it's head down on the ground. Aang climbed aboard, then turned to look at me. "I'll be back." He said. Fang took off and flew away.

Katara was still looking at me. "Who's Fang? Is Aang still here?"

"Fang is the dragon's name. He was actually Avatar Roku's animal guide, like Appa is for Aang. Fang needed to show Aang something, so they flew off." I explained.

"Will they be back?" Katara asked.

Normally I wouldn't have answered that question, but she hadn't slept all night, and needed the rest. "Yes." I said. "We should get some sleep. They should be back by this afternoon."

We walked back to the town hall and went to sleep.


Sure enough, later that afternoon, we saw Aang approach on his glider. As soon as he landed, Momo flew over and perched on his shoulder, and Katara gave him a big hug. "You're back!"

She noticed that he was alone. "Where's Sokka? Did you find him?" She asked.

Aang hung his head. "No. I'm sorry."

Soon, the sun set. Everyone but Aang hid in the town hall. Hei Bai appeared and attacked again. Aang jumped in front of him and put his hand on his head. Hei Bai stopped.

"You're the spirit of this forest." Aang realized. "Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down." Hei Bai remained quiet. Aang kept going.

"When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset." Aang said. "But my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back."

He held up the acorn Katara gave him earlier, then placed it on the ground. Hei Bai picked it up, and then transformed from an eldritch horror into a giant, but somehow cute, panda. Hei Bai turned around and walked away from the village. As soon as he left the gate, A bamboo grove appeared and Sokka and the missing villagers walked out of it.

Katara and I ran up and gave our brother a hug. "What happened?" He asked.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty-four hours." She explained. "How are you feeling?"

A look of worry shot over our brother's face. "Like I seriously need to use the bathroom."

On that note, he ran off.


The village leader stood in front of us and spoke. "Thank you, Avatar. If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done."

Sokka didn't waste any time. "You could give us some supplies, and some money." He suggested.

"Sokka!" Katara elbowed him.

"What? We need stuff." Sokka pointed out.

The leader bowed to us. "It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey." He walked off to fetch some supplies for us.

Katara turned to Aang. "I'm so proud of you, Aang." She said.

"Thanks." Aang said with a smile. His smile shrunk slightly. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Sokka asked.

"I need to talk to Roku, and I think I've found a way to contact his Spirit." Aang said.

"That's great!" Katara exclaimed.

"Creepy, but great." Sokka said.

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island, and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him." The Avatar explained.

Katara's eyes widened. "But the solstice is tomorrow!"

"Just wait," I said, "It gets worse."

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"The island is in the Fire Nation." Aang stated seriously.

AN: That's the first part of the Winter Solstice. Part two is coming soon.