Juno awoke the next morning to Asa shuffling restlessly around their small shelter. The fire had burned low in the night, and the remaining embers glowed weakly in the shallow pit. She lifted her head and squinted against the light filtering through the vent she had made to let the smoke escape.
Pressing the back of her palm against her mouth to stifle a loud yawn, Juno reached out, and with a few gestures, opened their shelter to the outside world. Asa scurried out, while she followed more sedately, sleep clinging to her like the remnants of the scorpion-spider webs she had meticulously washed out the evening prior.
Emerging into the cool morning air, Juno stretched luxuriously, spine popping. There was a thick fog lying low on the forest floor, resisting burning off in the bright sunlight. Drops of dew glistened on the grass and dampened the trunks of the trees. Juno suspected that it had rained last night while she was sleeping.
Sure enough, when she went to check on the outerwear she had laid out to dry on the thick elevated roots of the nearest tree, they were still wet. It was easily remedied by carefully wicking the water from the fabric with waterbending, something she had been too tired and lazy to do the night before. She did the same with the lingering dampness clinging to the tight leggings and half-sleeve undershirt she had slept in.
Tossing the floating blob of water to the side with a flick of her wrist, Juno quickly donned the rest of her gear. She deftly tightened the ends of the billowy sleeves of her dove-grey over shirt securely into the crease of her elbows, then did the same with the matching short pants just above her knee-length boots. She stroked a hand over the length of the short cape of her over shirt, settling it properly against her torso and tugging the high collar over her neck.
Fully dressed, Juno took a moment to idly trace the embroidered swirl and cloud motifs delicately stitched along the edge of her poncho. They were light blue, the same colour as her airbending tattoos, and in the traditional style of the Western Air Temple. She had the opportunity to visit the other air temples during her travels, and had seen other airbending monks' tattoo styles. From the bold, stripey style of the eastern airbending monks, to the rather simple line-and-arrow style of the southern airbenders, Juno had always privately thought the style of her own temple was the best.
Juno then fluidly moved through a few waterbending forms to finish the rather arduous process of getting herself to full wakefulness. She was not a natural morning person, usually only coming fully alert after a nice strong cup of tea, but she was very familiar with needing to overcome her sleepiness because of one obligation or another. The light stretching and exertion required for waterbending forms was perfect for getting her sleepy body to cooperate.
She soon finished, and then turned to collapse the earthen shelter and firepit constructed the prior evening. Asa watched her while perched on a giant root, quietly munching on some nuts. She saw he had gathered a small pile of nuts for her, so once she finished cleaning up the camp site, she went over to eat her portion of the meagre breakfast.
She soon finished, and inwardly sighed at the empty feeling lingering in her stomach. Asa was a great forager due to his delicate nose and nimble fingers, but it was hard for even him to find enough food in their short downtime for them both to eat their fill. If it took them longer than another day or two to reach Hurosai's lair, Juno would need to hunt or fish. She spared a thought once more to her lost provisions, thinking longingly of the foods she had carefully packed.
"Alright Asa, saddle up".
Asa climbed to her shoulder, and they moved out. The morning fog was mostly gone by now, though the air maintained the damp smell of petrichor and moldering leaves. The canopy of the forest was thick, with beams of sunlight intermittently piercing through to the undergrowth around them.
The scale of the forest awed her, something she had been too tired to appreciate the evening prior. Despite the urgency and seriousness of her errand, Juno felt blessed to be walking through a forest that was likely older than the earliest human settlement in the physical world.
They made good time, and the morning passed by without much incident. Only once did Juno and Asa have to take cover in the thick undergrowth as a herd of giant deer-like spirits sedately passed them by. The largest among them was immense, with a majestic crown of antlers covered in trailing mosses and lichen. Juno fought the urge to approach them, but took immense satisfaction in quietly observing their graceful strides.
Through the use of a few wind-wheels to speed their way, Juno and Asa reached the far side of the forest by the time the sun reached its zenith. From where they stopped to take a short rest, Juno could see that the trees continued part way up the side of the mountain, which then stretched up in a steep climb into the clouds above. Hopefully by climbing to the summit, they would be able to determine where the entrance to Hurosai's lair was. Wan Shi Tong's map only indicated that it lay within this mountain range, and he had been vague on the details of what to expect, so Juno hoped that it would be obvious.
She whistled shortly to call Asa back from where he had been examining a patch of bright violet flowers. He returned reluctantly to her side. Like her, Asa was curious by nature, and it was hard to ignore the various novelties and distractions the spirit world had to offer.
They began their assent, and soon even the massively tall trees fell below them. Out of the cover of the canopy, the sun shone brightly upon them. Juno soon worked up a sweat as she used powerful airbending leaps to quickly gain altitude.
They were roughly two-thirds of the way up the mountain when something caught Juno's eye. A wide ledge of stone, unnaturally flat among the other jagged outcroppings. Juno leapt onto it, landed, and took a look around.
It was a great vantage point to see the forested valley below. She was so high up that she was actually looking down on some of the low-hanging clouds as they drifted over the forest.
She turned to face the mountain. The highest section above them was an almost completely vertical climb. To reach the top she would need to start making earthbending ledges to land on. She felt Asa clamber off her shoulder and onto the stone ledge, grumbling to himself quietly. Juno decided to let him walk around a while and stretch his legs.
She sat cross legged onto the ground, and rolled her neck side to side on her shoulders. She was in pretty good shape, the result of near-constant bending training and intense physical conditioning over several years, but the hard pace she was setting was making her muscles ache regardless.
She flopped down onto her back, and stretched her arms above her head. As she did so, her head almost completely upside down, she caught a glimpse of something that made her blink. She rolled onto her stomach and sat up on her knees.
Nestled in a dark crevice between two jagged stone outcroppings nearby, was the distinctive line of a stairway cut crudely into the rock. She got closer and looked up, and saw that the stairway continued someway up the mountain, zigzagging haphazardly before disappearing into a cave entrance far above them. Now that she had noticed it, Juno could see that it actually descended far below them as well, possibly spanning the entire length of the mountain.
That was a good sign. A path implies something of interest at the end. Hopefully this meant that Horusai's lair was within reach. Juno was cheered by the discovery, happy that their string of bad luck seemed to be at an end. If she could entreat with the ancient spirit and convince him to provide guidance by the day's end, she could possibly return to the spirit portal entrance in a matter of days.
Juno briefly let herself imagine returning triumphantly to Ba Sing Se with news of a cure.
Revitalized, Juno called out to Asa, eager to set out once more. He trotted over, spotted the stairway, and elected to start clambering up on his own steam as opposed to hitching a ride on her shoulder. Juno smiled to herself, and followed behind him, letting him set the pace.
Before long, they reached the cave entrance. It was a wide, gaping mouth of stone teeth, darkly ominous inside. Bordering the entrance, sat two imposing stone carvings. Juno could tell that they were ancient, the features of the slouching figures almost worn entirely away by the elements. All that was distinctly visible were the two outstretched arms and open palms, clearly warding visitors away.
Juno felt a chill travel down her spine. Head full of the reminder that even the tempestuous Wan Shi Tong had warned that Hurosai was especially chaotic, and perhaps even downright malevolent, Juno grit her teeth and went inside.
It was pitch black. Juno lit a small fire in her palm to light their way. Asa returned to her shoulder and gripped her tightly. She could feel his sense of unease.
They went in deeper. Juno could tell that the path was descending slightly, and that they were climbing down into the very heart of the mountain. The way was almost completely silent, no chattering of wolfbats or scurrying of tiny cave-critters, just the constant drip-drip of water trickling down the cave walls. Juno could feel her nerves building. Every shifting shadow was a potential threat, every echo of her steps the footfall of an enemy.
The feeling became worse the further they descended. The unwelcoming air of the cave was oppressive and unnatural. She could feel Asa shuddering on her shoulder, though he didn't utter a sound.
Turning around a bend, they were met with sudden illumination. Prismatic gemstones were jutting out from the cave walls, and glowing with cold, white light. Shaking the fire from her hand, Juno continued down the path, feeling that they must be getting close.
The crystals quickly grew in size, and soon they were passing around and climbing over outcroppings thicker around than Juno was tall. Jumping down from such a crystal, Juno turned around a bend and was startled to find a face staring back at her.
Juno lept back with a gasp and Asa squealed loudly in her ear.
Hand to her heart, which was pounding hard in her chest, Juno let out a loud breath as she realized it was just her reflection. Looking around, she saw that the surface of the cave was almost entirely covered by crystals at this point, creating hundreds of small mirrors reflecting her pale, startled face back at her.
Right. Hurosai was supposed to be the 'spirit of mirrors'. Waving her hand at her reflection, Juno watched as hundreds of other Juno's returned the greeting.
Asa settled back against her, tucking himself tightly around her neck under the high collar of her poncho. She reached up to pat his scruff and tug at his ears.
"Yeah, this place is giving me the creeps too, buddy."
He chuffed quietly in her ear in agreement, then fell silent once more.
Pushing on, Juno tried to ignore the sense that they were being watched. She saw eyes everywhere, disturbing her even though they were just her own pale grey eyes reflecting back at her from the depths of countless crystals.
Turning a corner, they suddenly entered into a massive chamber. Some of the crystals were so huge that Juno was certain the imperial palace in Ba Sing Se could have fit inside with room to spare. The air was still, and the pale white light emanating from the crystals was so pervasive that there were almost no shadows.
Juno made her way cautiously forward, eyes peeled for a sign of movement independent of her own twirling reflections. The cave was utterly silent, devoid of life and colour, just pale, cold light.
Juno found herself standing in front of one of the monolithic crystals. The surface was smooth like polished glass, and her reflection was clear as day. It was somewhat of a novelty to have such a clear perception of her own image. Most mirrors that she had seen were imperfect in some way, with the exception of some of the earth kingdom noble estates she had stayed in. The monks didn't often own mirrors, believing it only promoted feelings of vanity.
Juno's pale grey eyes gazed back at her tiredly. Her dark shoulder length hair was pulled up in its customary half-do, with thick bangs hanging over her eyes. It desperately needed a good washing, the quick bath in the stream the previous night not enough to cut the natural grease. Her skin was palid, making her many, many freckles stand even more starkly in her complexion, like they needed any help.
She poked at the bags under her eyes and sighed at herself a little, pulling a face. She turned away from the crystal to continue exploring the cave when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that made her start.
Her reflection had remained still.
Her eyes flashed back to stare at herself, heart in her throat. She lifted a hand experimentally, but the reflection remained still, standing placidly.
Then it smiled.
Thoroughly creeped out, Juno took a few quick steps back. As she retreated, her reflection morphed in front of her, eyes bleeding into black gaping holes and mouth stretching wide into a crazed grin. It stepped forward, breaking free from the confines of the crystalline surface, then stretched, skin bleaching white, limbs elongating, hair growing long to pool at its feet.
At the end of its gruesome transformation, the thing that stood in front of her could have been described as ape like. It was large, and stood stooped over in a loose couch, pale white fur covering most of its body, with the exception of the pitch black hair hanging limply down from its head all the way to the ground. Its face was round and pale, like a doll's, with pitlessblack eyes taking up nearly half of it, staring blindly out. On its back sat a flat round disk, secured to it by means of a tasseled sash.
It has been too long since I received a visitor
The voice was deep, and rattled around her skull without the grinning mouth moving an inch to form the words. Asa was trembling hard, and squealed loudly in protest, deafening in her ear. She reached up quickly to sooth him, gritting her own teeth at the painful mental intrusion.
She took a breath to calm her racing heart. She didn't want it to know she was scared.
She sketched a deep bow, hands folded in front of her, paused, then returned to her full height. Respect without subservience was key. She would have to tread very very carefully.
She took a deep breath. "Do I have the honour of speaking with the great spirit Hurosai?"
Yes. And you are the Avatar.
"Yes." She tried to copy his speech patterns, which seemed to favour brevity.
To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?
The moment of truth. "I search for knowledge, great spirit. A plague ravages the land in the physical world. I consulted with the knowledge spirit Wan Shi Tong, and he advised that I search out your wisdom for a cure."
The great white ape lifted its head in a laugh, mouth gaping wide. The sound echoed endlessly in her ears, and she had to fight the impulse to cover them.
That stuffed bird has not sent me a gift in some time. What do you have for me, then?
A shiver of unease down her back. "I apologize, Hurosai, Wan Shi Tong did not mention that I owed a gift. All I have is a sincere need for your assistance," she replied hesitantly.
Hurosai gathered to his full height, towering over her. She tensed, ready to leap back if he attacked.
You mortals are so presumptuous. Always asking for help, but offering nothing in exchange. His big eyes stared down at her. No gift? Then you will offer a game.
He reached behind him with one giant arm while the other one tugged at the tasseled sash around his torso. He brought the giant disc on his back down to rest on the floor on its edge, like balancing a coin. He spun it to face her, and she saw it was a large, ornate silver mirror.
Her reflection was staring back at her, carefully schooled of all emotion. The mirror was strange, reflecting the image of her and Asa without showing their surroundings, as if they were standing in an empty space. She locked eyes with her reflection's and found that she couldn't look away.
If you can make it through my labyrinth, I will give you the information you seek. But be cautioned, there will be a price to pay.
With a powerful thrust of his arm, Hurosai spun the mirror. It turned, faster and faster, revealing and concealing her reflection, quicker and quicker, until it was a blur of colour.
Do you consent?
Juno was torn. She felt like she had lost control of the situation before she even entered the cave. It went against all of her instincts to trust Hurosai, who seemed to delight in frightening and disturbing her. If she completed his 'game' would he even help her? What she knew of the spirit would suggest that he would feel compelled to honour his word, but there was no guarantee.
Then images of the victims of the plague filled her mind.
She had no choice. She could not return without a cure. If there was any chance that Hurosai could provide her with it, she would have to take that chance, even if the price was her life.
"I consent".
Hurosai's cold laughter filled her mind once more. And with a flick of his wrist, he flung the mirror towards her.
It happened faster than she could react. The flat face of the mirror struck her body. But when she expected to be thrown back from the impact, it instead passed through her, or rather, she through it. The sensation was akin to plunging into a body of water.
Suddenly, she was falling, tumbling through the air. She twisted her body and tried to get her bearings, but just as suddenly as she started, she hit the ground.
Wheezing, and utterly disoriented, she sat up. She reached up to her shoulder in a panic, but Asa was there, clutching her poncho collar in a deadly grip.
They were in a prismatic chamber, brightly lit from an invisible source, and composed entirely of mirrors. Everywhere she looked was a different angle of her and Asa sitting together on the floor.
She climbed to her feet. The chamber had only one exit, a passageway that turned a sharp corner to the right.
Juno tried to gather her thoughts, stroking Asa's fur reassuringly. It looked like they had been transported into some kind of pocket-realm. Or maybe they were simply trapped inside Hurosai's giant, silver mirror. The path ahead seemed clear enough, heading in only one direction, but she guessed that it would not be so simple to finish Hurosai's 'game'.
She decided not to overthink it, and made her way slowly along the passageway. Once she left the chamber, the going became much narrower, and twisted confusingly in jagged patterns. She soon met the first fork, a choice of four different paths in front of her. She paused, shrugged, took the first left, and continued.
Left again, then right, then left. There were no distinguishing features that made one way more compelling than another, so she chose at random. At first she kept track of her decisions, then reasoned that there was no need to remember which path she had chosen. It seemed unlikely to be helpful to remember where the starting chamber was, as there had been no exit.
She walked aimlessly for a while, losing track of all sense of time. Then, suddenly, she ran into something.
She stepped back and rubbed her nose, scowling. Reaching out with her fingers, she met glass.
Ugh, annoying. She had gotten so used to avoiding walking into mirrors that the glass wall had taken her entirely by surprise.
She pivoted and back tracked a little. But where she expected to return to a previous fork, she instead found that the path continued to curve gently to the right.
Great, a mirror maze that changes behind you while you walk. And makes you run into sneaky glass walls. Why couldn't I be dealing with a nice, flower spirit?
The path suddenly straightened out in front of her, making a hallway with completely parallel mirrored walls. Walking along it slowly, she could see her and Asa's reflections echoed infinitely in either direction. Asa climbed on her head to get a better look. She turned around slowly, then stopped, taking it in.
Okay, that's kinda cool.
Her moment of quiet fascination was short lived. As she took a step to continue, chaos broke loose. Each incarnation of her reflection began acting independently of her, some stopping in surprise, some looking around wildly, some taking a few quick steps forward or back. The reflection directly to her right snapped her head back in alarm, then dashed forward as if fleeing an enemy. Juno turned behind her to look and saw a dark shadow dart after it.
Just then, she heard a thud behind her. Without taking the time to glance back, Juno ran forward, exiting the mirrored hallway into another twisting passage. She moved as quickly as she dared, one arm extended forward, conscious of how the glass wall had taken her by surprise before.
As she wound her way through the maze, she would briefly catch glimpses of other versions of her through glass barriers. Some were walking slowly, but others appeared to be running, like her, pursued by an unknown enemy.
Or perhaps no longer unknown. As she turned a corner, Juno saw through a glass window a version of herself desperately running towards her. It quickly slammed its fist against the barrier between them, mouth open as if crying for help, though no sound reached her. Then, a sudden spray of red splashed against the glass. The body on the other side lurched forward and Juno could see dark protrusions had stabbed through it to pin it against the wall.
Juno gasped in horror as she watched the body in front of her slide slowly to the floor. Behind it stood a confusing mass of long spiked limbs attached to an amorphous body. It looked like it was made of obsidian glass, and had no face or eyes.
Juno could stand to watch no longer. She turned and ran, heart beating harshly in her ears.
As she went deeper, more horrific visions confronted her. There was a Juno slowly dragging itself along the floor leaving a thick trail of blood behind it, an amputated leg left behind. One made eye contact with her briefly just before it had its head cut off. One, more distressing than the others, was silently sobbing over the bloodied form of Asa. She forced the visions out of her mind, though her stomach was turning in fear and revulsion.
Dashing around a corner, Juno was suddenly confronted with one of the glass monstrosities. It loomed at the end of a short hallway, but once it sighted her, it stalked toward her in pursuit.
She couldn't turn back. What she had seen across the glass barriers told her that the things could not be outrun. Instead, she forced herself to race and meet it head on.
At the last second, she dove feet first to slide underneath its spindly legs. One snapped down near her stomach to impale her, but she sent a blast of air against the wall to push herself out of the way.
She jumped up on the other side of it and sent a furious firebending assault against its back. She put all her fear and drive to survive into it, trying to melt it down into slag.
She stopped after a long moment to survey the damage, breathing hard. Steam was rising from the melted hole she had left on its flank. For a moment she felt relieved, but fear stabbed through her once more as she saw the thing begin to repair itself, fractal glass spreading and growing over the wound.
She turned and ran. She hoped that it would be at least slowed down long enough for her to put some distance between them. Despair was settling thick in her stomach. She wondered if this sterile glass realm would become her tomb.
As she turned yet another sharp corner, she spotted an anomaly in the otherwise uniform surface of the mirror maze. It was a glass barrier like ones she had seen before, but where they had opened into other hallways, this one opened out to a ledge of white stone and open to a black sky.
She paused a moment to contemplate it, but didn't have more than a second before she heard the staccato crashes of the black glass creature following closely behind her. She made a quick decision and rushed towards the glass barrier. Paces away, she heard the creature come up behind her and felt the fiery sting of one of its sharp limbs pierce her thigh.
She tumbled forward, knocked off balance. Her momentum took her the rest of the way to the barrier and without aplomb, she crashed through it in a shower of glass.
She rolled onto her feet and turned as quickly as she could with her injured leg to face the creature. It was lingering in the doorway of the shattered barrier, as though reluctant to come through. Then, it slowly turned and disappeared back into the maze.
Heart pounding, Juno reached up and plucked Asa from her shoulder to cradle him in her arms. He seemed unharmed from their ordeal, although his trembling told her he was as shaken as she felt.
He chattered at her weakly, then jumped down from her arms to prod and coo at her injured leg. She reached down to and peeled her slashed pant leg away from the cut. It was deep enough, halfway down the side of her right thigh, and a steady stream of blood was trickling into her boot. She untied the cloth that fastened her over pants into the crook of her knee and tied it tightly over the cut to help slow the bleeding. Normally, she would be able to use her waterbending to heal it, but the canteen with her water had been lost along with the rest of her gear.
She straightened and looked around them. They were on a ledge almost exactly like the one they had rested on before discovering the staircase that had led to the entrance of Hurosai's lair. From here, she could see that the maze they had been in was in fact the interior of a mountain made of crystal and glass, but otherwise identical to the one they had ascended just a few hours prior. The rest of the landscape was featureless and black.
Well, there was no way she was heading back inside. Peering over the edge of the ledge, she could see faint movement at the base of the mountain. Hopefully it wasn't more of the black glass monsters, since the one chasing her didn't seem to be able to come outside.
She had Asa return to her shoulder, and then carefully used airbening assisted jumps to descend the side of the mountain. It was made difficult by the injury on her thigh, and she felt a sharp stab of pain everytime she landed a jump, but Juno just grit her teeth and continued as fast as she could.
Just before they alighted on the ground, Juno saw what she had been too far away to see before. It made her halt in surprise.
The things that she had seen moving around from afar were...her.
They were Junos. About a dozen, milling around or sitting on the ground. One of them spotted her and waved in a gesture to approach.
She did so, cautiously, making the final jump to the ground. As she alighted, the rest of them looked in her direction. They were in various states of disarray. One was getting a makeshift bandage tied securely around its head by another, blood caked down the side of its face. One was cradling her side as if they had some broken ribs. There were other Asa's too, running around chaotically. After a quick count, Juno was relieved to find that there seemed to be an equal number of Asa's to Juno's, no one person missing their animal partner.
Juno surveyed them quietly, then broke the silence tentatively.
"Well, I've always wondered what I looked like from behind."
The one who had waved her down sighed tiredly and shook her head. "You're the third one who's said that."
A few of the other Juno's smiled sheepishly, and Juno felt her own faint blush, then reasoned that it would be silly to feel embarrassed at a predictable joke when the audience was just other versions of herself. She limped over to more fully join the group, all the while wondering when her life had become so weird.
She sat on the edge of a small crystal protrusion, and another Juno came over to check her injury. There wasn't much more they could do for it without water and more bandages, so she just decided to rest while they had a moment.
"What are we waiting for?" She asked the Juno who had come over to check on her. Her counterpart shrugged, eyes shaded in discomfort.
"I think we're waiting for the rest of us to make it out. That or...not make it out."
They were quiet, no doubt each thinking of what they had witnessed in the maze. Juno had hoped that what she had seen through the glass barriers had merely been illusions to scare her, but seeing other versions of herself in flesh and blood out here seemed to disprove that. It brought a whole new level of horror to think of the Juno's and Asa's that had been gruesomely killed in front of her.
She dropped her head into her hands and let out a hard breath. Her limbs were trembling, adrenaline slowly leaving her system. All she could feel was her ravenous hunger and the pain in her leg and her heart. She felt like she was on the edge of collapse.
Over the next half hour or so, two more Juno and Asa's jumped down to join their group. Chatting was kept to a minimum since they were all exhausted and it was just too weird to try and think of things to talk to yourself about. The Asa's didn't seem to have the same problem, many of them chattering with and grooming each other, or chasing one another in a game of tag.
One last pair landed somewhat ungracefully on the ground due to another leg injury. As soon as they joined the rest of the group with yet another dumb joke, a rumbling sounded from the mountain.
They all tensed. The Asa's who had been chasing each other in play moments before all squeaked in alarm and rushed to pair up with a Juno, some accidentally climbing two or three leopard-monkeys to one human before leaping to find another.
They all watched in apprehension as a section of the crystal from the base of the mountain seemed to break away. The mass fractured and morphed, shifting until it settled into the dreaded, yet familiar form of Hurosai.
The great spirit turned its pitless eyes onto their group. Its eerie laughter echoed through their minds.
Well, more of you made it out that I expected, well done.
Almost simultaneously, they stiffened in affront. The Juno nearest to the large spirit stepped forward after glancing at the rest of them.
"What are you talking about, you bastard? Was this all some kind of game to you?" She shouted. It seems as though they were over trying to be diplomatic.
I told you there would be a price. You consented to the test. Surely you knew that the price could have been your life.
The Juno in front quieted, shoulders slouching in defeat. It was true that she had known the stakes going in. But she hadn't expected to have to pay it again and again as different versions of herself died in front of her eyes.
"Well, are you satisfied then? And are you going to put us back together?"
You have completed the test to my satisfaction. I will provide you with my knowledge of the disease when we return to the spirit realm. But… His big head swiveled to gaze at each of them. The fracturing cannot be undone. You passed through the infinite hall. Destroying your counterparts now would be akin to murder, which I will not do now that you have completed my game. I will leave what will be done to you.
He sat primly on the ground, crossing his legs into a classic meditative pose.
The Juno in front tugged at her hair in frustration. The rest of them glanced warily at each other. "What do you mean what will be done? What can be done? You expect fourteen Avatars to return to Ba Sing Se together? How can that even be possible?"
Hurosai shook his head
It is not possible, only one may return.
Dread pooled in her gut. Juno rose from her seated position despite the tug on her wound. The other Juno similarly pulled themselves up, sensing yet more trouble.
"Then what do you expect us to do?" the other Juno asked in despair.
You must decide who will return. The others may exit through other portals, or choose to die here.
"Other portals?"
Yes. My mirror can pierce many dimensions. As a reward for completing the maze, I will allow each of those who remain behind to leave into a new world. He paused. I will even send you to a world where other humans dwell. I cannot promise that it will be good or safe there, but you will at least have a chance to survive.
Silence descended. It seemed a crueler task than when he had sent them into the maze. Out of fourteen survivors, only one pair would be able to return to their home world. The others would be cast out into the unknown, possibly to die, and certainly to never return.
They looked at each other in anguish, not one of them willing to make the decision. As long as no one spoke, they could all pretend that they were the ones that would be going home.
Finally, Juno sighed. She turned to their unofficial spokesperson, and, feeling her heart breaking all the while, said: "It might as well be you."
That Juno started, then looked at each of them with guilt. "I…"
Juno turned toward Hurosai. "Alright, the decision is made, now what?"
The spirit lifted his arm in a sweeping motion. Fourteen mirrors appeared in the air around them, surfaces shimmering faintly. He pointed at the one nearest him.
This one will return you to the spirit realm.
He said no more, merely arose from his seated posture and ambled over to the mirror himself, passing through it until all that remained were ripples.
They were quiet once more. As a group, they turned to look at the Juno who had been selected to return. She was trembling slightly, likely in relief though she was trying to hide it from them.
Then, her back straightened. She took a few measured steps towards the mirror Hurosai had disappeared into before turning to face them. She looked into each one of their faces, as if memorising them, even though they were identical to her own.
"Thank you," she said simply. There was nothing else to say. She would know what was passing through the minds of each incarnation. Resignation, fear, and deep, deep sadness.
Then: "Good luck". She turned, and without further ado, walked through the mirror.
Juno sighed once more, staring at the rippled surface of that portal, and watched as it slowly faded away. She didn't look at the other Juno's, not needing to see the despair and dread in their faces, since she felt it drum through her own being.
Limping forward, Juno chose the mirror closest to her. She heard several others do the same, some reaching their destinations before her, and disappearing. She paused briefly once she reached it, and felt Asa wrap his arms securely around her neck.
Then she stepped through.