Sorry that this note section wasn't put up during the original posting. I haven't used in a long time and I was a little confused.
Anyhow, I should start off by explaining why this had such a big dump post. I originally posted all of this on Ao3 under the username of Covok: /works/24581737/chapters/59370403
I didn't post it here because, well, I didn't know you could put horizontal dividers in. I am a moron. Moving on.
Anyway, I made this fanfiction because I was inspired by Distorted Reality. I originally found Rocketaxxonu's comic adaption at /series/Avatar-Distorted-Reality/info. That then led me to the fanfiction found s/3952155/1/Distorted-Reality and works/24457678/chapters/59022610.
I liked the story and premise, but, at the time, Distorted Reality was a dead fic. I decided to mull over how I might adopt it. Eventually, I realized it was easier just to go in a new direction and make it my own. I actually started posting outlines on Reddit and ran into Rocketaxxonu. We chatted a bit on the idea. They are a pretty cool person.
Then, COVID happened and I had a lot of free time. So, I finally decided to actually write it. Ironically, like a week before I hit post, Distorted Reality started posting again lol. Talk about timing? Well, I decided my own idea was different enough and I decided to go with it. And I hope you all enjoy it!
I ported everything over today. Book 1 is almost over. All I have left is the 3 part finale. I am a tax accountant so I hope to have that done by the end of January. Then, I will take a break for busy season until May 2021. That's when I'll start book 2.
I guess you can't comment on , but I always make it a point to respond to every comment I get on Ao3. I'm not sure if you can do that with reviews. I love engaging with readers because it's actually giving me some great ideas. Like one that's going to come up in the book 1 finale. I plan to shot out the person who gave me the idea on Ao3 when I post that. It really helps keep me motivated, honestly. I'm doing this mainly to entertain people.
On Ao3, I gave each chapter a title page and ArtByVam made a nice cover. I can't embed those here so I made an imgur album here: /a/dNzEvrJ
Without further ado, please enjoy!
"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My uncle used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of civility when the Avatar enforced balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Water Confederation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he had the power to stop the savage waterbenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Water Confederation is nearing victory in the War. Two years ago, my father and my uncle left on their most recent war campaigns. We haven't heard from them since. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle is broken. But I am not so weak as to fall into despair. I still believe that somehow, the Avatar will return and squash the Water Confederation."
- Azula
A dry heat had been attacking the coastline for weeks. This was a bit unusual for the seaside village. Traditionally, the village of Umbie had enjoyed temperate weather. The sea breeze had always calmed the heat of the Fire Alliance. The great mountain, Hi, had changed that as of late. Rumblings had started a month ago. The heat soon followed. Many were preparing to leave the island, expecting an eruption.
The emigrants included a brother-sister pair. The pair had lived on the island almost all their lives, but never considered it home. Their father had made it clear their real home was far from here. Though, their mother, Ursa, had never agreed with that assessment.
"Zuko, have you finished packing?", the older woman called out from the bottom of the stairs. A moment passed, and she called again. Once again, no reply.
"What has gotten into that boy?," the woman thought.
Going up the stairs, she wasn't surprised to see her son sulking in his bed. His stuff was packed, however. Ursa just wondered why he couldn't let her know.
"Zuko, are you okay?" She said as if she didn't already know the answer.
The boy just tossed to his left side, facing the wall.
Ursa walked over to the bed and sat next to Zuko. When she sat, her eyes were drawn to the large burn on Zuko's face. Whenever she saw that scar, she'd always wince inside.
"It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Maybe you want to talk about it?" Ursa moved to put her hand on her son's face, but he brushed it away.
"I'm fine, mom" was Zuko's response.
"You don't look like you're fine." Ursa tried to play it off as a humorous observation.
"I am." Zuko mumbled back. "I'm just tired."
Ursa put her hand on Zuko's forehead. That just made Zuko push it away again. He started with a bit more edge to his words. "I said I was fine."
Ursa knew her son wasn't fine. "If I push him any more, he'll snap," she debated in her head. "He has his father's temper." Those last thoughts brought a shudder to her. Rising from the bed, she reminded her son she was always available to speak. With that, she left to attend to other preparations.
Not long after the boy's mother left, Zuko could hear someone enter the room. He knew who it was from the shadow. They were leaning on the doorframe. That was his sister's favorite pose.
"Well, Zuzu, you're seeming rather sunny today," the young girl jokes. Zuko was no stranger to his sister's sarcasm.
"Get out of my room, Azula," the boy's words were barely audible. The sound of the town preparing for their evacuation drowned out his words.
Azula turned to speak to her brother, but her eyes caught his scar. He was still lying with the burn facing upwards. Azula looked away with a guilty expression for a second. Then, she walked forward and plopped herself next to the boy on the bed.
"Alright, Zuzu, you can sit here and sulk all day like a child. Or, you can come with me and have a little fun."Azula paused before she finished. "Of course, I'm not really giving you a choice."
Zuko knew his sister well enough to know what she meant. He hated that about her. "Either I get up or she'll drag me up," he lamented in his mind. With a groan, he sat up. "Where are you even going?"
Getting off the bed, Azula stood akimbo. "Zuzu, don't you trust me?"
"No."
"The mountain, dumb-dumb."
For the first time today, something got a rise out of the young fire islander. "The mountain! It's going to explode!" Without realizing it, the young boy was on his feet.
"Keep your voice down," his sister shot back. "Of course, I know the volcano is going to erupt, but isn't that a little off to you?"
"What are you talking about? Volcanoes erupt, Azula. Everyone knows that."
"Yes, dumb-dumb, but Mount Hi hasn't been active in centuries. And isn't it a little suspicious how the Prince of the Water Confederation just happened to stop by last week?"
Zuko smacked his palm to his forehead. "Is this because he said you were 'cute when you were angry?'"
Azula got in her brother's face. "The sexist musings of that pig have nothing to do with this. And need I remind you that he got a nice pair of burnt underwear for his comment?"
"Remind me!? I almost suffocated from holding my breath. If he hadn't laughed it off, this village wouldn't be here, Azula."
"That's the point, dumb-dumb! We just assumed he took it as a joke. That the 'gracious Prince Sokka' was not a stranger to 'a fire islander taking his compliments the wrong way,' or whatever that attendant had said. But what if he took it more seriously?"
"How would he make Mount Hi erupt? That's impossible!"
"Did you ever listen to father's war stories or were you too busy having tea with Uncle? Or feeding turtleducks with mother? Let me give you a history lesson, Zuzu: Admiral Zhao erupted a volcano almost ten years ago to kill Queen Kya."
"Yes, but he used a team of earthbenders. And it took months!"
"Too bad." Azula smiled. "We're still going." She looked at her nails. "Besides, it's not like you were doing anything better in here."
Zuko wanted to scream, but he let it pass. "I'll get my swords."
"Expecting trouble?" Azula said slyly.
"You're the one saying the Water Confederation is behind it."
"Exactly," she said triumphantly.
It didn't take long for the pair to reach the summit. Mount Hi was just outside of town. The towering spire took up most of the island. There weren't many who tried to stop the pair. People were too preoccupied with their own preparations to worry about the two. Ursa, of course, being the exception. However, Azula had long since mastered the art of hiding from her mother.
The two took the rarely trotted path up the mountain. The rain only ever came on the village's side of the island. The other side was a foreboding desert. There was never any reason to go along this path to the other side. Not unless you loved sand and starvation.
The stone path was desolate. The village never put up any signs. The only creatures that lived up here were firelizards and spiderscorpians. It took only a couple of hours for the elder boy to begin complaining.
"We've been here for hours and found nothing." The boy whined.
"Just a little longer, Zuzu. We're not even halfway up. Maybe you can save the complaining for the trip back?"
The boy groaned. "It's midday. We need to be packed by tomorrow."
"And you were done packing earlier. I was done as well. Mission accomplished."
"Will you just admit there are no Confederates up, here!?" Zuko snapped. "Why are you so obsessed with it?"
Azula turned back. "Obsessed? Did you forget what father taught us? Never trust the Confederates! Those savages destroyed our family heritage, Zuko. They should have never let that ship into port!"
"What was the elder supposed to do? Fight off a ship housing the Prince of the Southern Tribe?"
"No, but we didn't have to roll out the welcome wagon for him or his entourage."
"What's the point of this?" Zuko shook his head. "Why would Prince Sokka go out of his way to use a volcano?"
"It didn't need to make sense!" Azula snapping back. "I just needed a reason to get you out of the house! You haven't been off your bed in two days!"
"You mean this was all just a lie!?"
"Oh, big surprise, I lied. Still, getting out made you feel better. Thank me."
"I don't feel better!" Zuko screams were accompanied with a rumbling from the mountain. "Going outside doesn't stop my house from melting down. Going up this stupid mountain didn't bring Uncle home. And spending time with you doesn't get this scar off my face!"
His words lingered in the air. It took a moment for the boy to realize his sister wasn't responding. While her face was still fierce, he could see the look of sadness hidden behind her eyes. The tears welling up in her left eye. Finally, it dawned on him what he had said.
Trying to move to a more neutral pose, the child tried to walk back his words. "Azula, I didn't mean that I still bl-"
However, before the boy could continue, the ground began to shake violently. The pair were thrown out of their funk as they saw smoke billow out of the top. They could see steam bursting around them.
"The Sage said it wouldn't go off for another week," the boy spoke in shock.
"The Sage also didn't expect a dumb-dumb to firebend at the peak of the mountain."
Zuko looked around him. He saw holes surrounding him. Steam vents that had sprung up just now. There was a wetness on his legs and feet. He had lost control of himself during his argument. He must have agitated the mountain.
"Azula, we have to get back to the village."
"Ahead of you, Zuzu." Azula was already sprinting back, grabbing her brother by the wrist and pulling him along.
The pair raced down the summit as fast they could, but they knew they never could outrun the coming plume. Zuko's face was overrun with despair and guilt. However, his sister seemed to only wear a look of blind determination.
"If I keep having to pull you, we're never going to make it. Try running on your own!" Azula scolded as she let go of his arm.
Zuko started to take control of his own stride, coming out of his daze. He tried his best to keep-up. To his luck, he never got too far behind his sister. Though, he eventually could tell she was slowing down for him.
"Don't wait for me," he screamed.
"Yes, leave the liability to fall behind and need rescuing? Great plan."
The pair almost made it to the beginning of the summit. Hope started to work its way onto Zuko's face. Then, it was yanked away.
In front of Zuko, a section of wall blasted open. He could see his sister knocked aside from the debris. In a panic, Zuko tried to reach for her. The debris knocked his hand away. He could feel his hands bleed from the impact. When the rock settled, it stood like a barrier behind him and his sister.
"Azula," the boy cried out again and again. He tried his best to dig through the rock, but there was too much. The shaking of the mountain kept bringing more debris in his path. It seemed hopeless. The boy's cries felt like they were going into a void. Tears welled in Zuko's eyes.
With a sudden furry, the boy drew his swords. He kept smacking them pointlessly at the stone. His groans and cries did as much good as this sorry display. He tried and he tried until he was left out of breath. Putting his swords away, the young teen felt powerless.
Zuko looked at his hands. Touching his scar, his faced contorted with bloodymindedness. Getting into stance, Zuko punched forward: he shot out a fireball. As he did, a second explosion came. It was minor, compared to the first one. The rock and debris fell aside, clearing the path. On instinct, Zuko looked over the side of the path. He thought his sister had gone with the debris.
"Zuzu!," Zuko's face shot forward when he heard those words.
Azula was standing on the other side of the path. Blood came from the corner of her forehead. She was covered in soot. Wobbling on her feet, it looked like her feet could go at any moment. She had just come-to from the initial explosion. The second explosion jolted her awake.
"Azula!," Zuko felt relieved. He rushed to his sister and helped her stay on her feet.
"The mountain stopped shaking," Azula tried her best to sound lucid.
Zuko looked around like he just woke up from a dream. He was shocked to find things normal again.
"Who's that?" Azula asked as she pushed her brother back. She wanted to stand on her own again.
"Who's what?" Zuko said, turning to his sister. With a jolt, he noticed the imposing lava stone nestled in the wall. It was the size of a house. Even more peculiar, there was a boy inside of the stone. "A boy in...a lava stone?"
Azula moved toward the stone. Her haggardness had faded away. Her hand lifted to touch the stone.
"Wait," Zuko snapped. "We don't know who that is?"
"It's not like he could be alive, dumb-dumb." Azula didn't even look back at her brother as she spoke. Instead, she mused to herself about the boy. "He must have been here a long time." Without thinking, she let her hand touch the stone.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes grew bright. The ground shook again. It was even more violent than before. Steam shot out of the ground and the walls. The hot gas could be barely felt by two, however, as the sudden onset of ocean water kept them cool. The ocean had grown violent behind them. Waves began crashing at their shore. The water shot up and whipped at the backs of the two teenagers.
"We gotta get out of here." Zuko's voice strained as it tried to be heard over this chaos.
Before she could react to her brother, the lava stone burst. However, to their collective shock, the debris bounced painlessly against their bodies. There was hardly any of it. They could feel air escaping from the stone in a strong gust. The gem was hollow!
As the air emptied from the stone, the mountain stopped shaking. The waves that were so violent a moment ago subsided. The steam vents died down.
Getting out of her defensive stance, Azula could see the boy walk from the lava stone. His eyes and arrow tattoos were glowing an otherworldly white. The boy took two steps before the glow faded. The boy fell forward. Azula rushed to grab the child.
"Who is he?" Zuko walked up to the pair cautiously. "What is he?"
Azula had a devilish grin on her face as she looked back at her brother. "Zuzu, it's obvious. The mountain shaking. The ocean. The steam. That gust of wind. Not to mention that glow."
Zuko didn't respond.
"Do I have to spell it out, dumb-dumb?" Azula didn't give her brother a chance to respond. "He's the Avatar. He's the weapon our army has been waiting for for the last 100 years."
