A/N: Hi all. I know I've been gone for a long time, but I'm back. The next update will be up here by September 30th or earlier.

Also it kind of sucks the original creators left the Netflix series. Oh well.

If there are any grammar mistakes I will edit them soon.

Thanks for reading!

(Also in the future I might create a version of the story that has no time travel or involve the modern world at all.)

Meng was exhausted. Her latest experimental concoction had resulted in a bubbling mess that painted the wooden walls in yellow gunk. She had spent the past two hours scrubbing the room clean and had to take two showers just to find and remove all of it from her hair and bushy eyebrows. At least this explosion had been contained. She was ready to just jump in bed, but she had foreseen it too late. Her master had more training ready for her.

"You seem tired," Aunt Wu said, looking up from the letter she was writing. Currently Meng was in Aunt Wu's private study. While the mansion was huge and overwhelming with its monstrous size, this room was the opposite. The red-brown walls and and wide open windows with which to the sunset or sunrise by gave it a bit warm homely feeling. One wall was decorated by bookcases of scrolls and books jutting out at odd angles while the other had portraits of previous diviners in the seer line.

"That's because I am," Meng scowled flipping four coins. "Heads, Tails, Tails, Heads" she yelled before they landed on the table.

"You've made great progress on feeling it instinctually," Aunt Wu nodded approvingly at her apprentice's accuracy. "Now to improve your long-term accuracy."

"Aw, do I have to? Can't I just do it in the morning?"

"I wish it wasn't so, but only through pushing ourselves through exhaustion can we advance," her master sighed. "How about this? Do one more forecast and you're done for the day."

"Fine."

"What's the weather like eight days from now at noon?"

Meng took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and entered the trance. The first step was to break down the question and visualize it to the best of her ability. Time: Eight days at noon. Location: Makapu Village. Question: What is the weather at noon? The second step was to let the vision come naturally, become empty of thought. I am the canvas and the World the painter. After some time, Meng couldn't tell how long whenever she entered the trance, blurry images came to her mind.

The foreign images converged to a single one that sharpened until she could no longer tell the difference between it and reality. Far from the coast, she saw a picturesque view of Makapu Island. Around the central inactive volcano were dozens of houses and shops. In the center of the village the main plaza was bustling with activity. If she squinted, she could even make out a few people. But most importantly, the sun was shining brightly in the sky with only a few clouds obstructing its light. Whose perspective am I seeing this from? she thought before the vision ended.

"So?" the fortuneteller asked, making a few final edits to the letter.

"It was sunny with a few clouds," Meng said.

"Ah that's good. I was planning to go to the beach then."

"Master… I've been wrong before."

"Meng, you've gotten stronger," Aunt Wu smiled. "The power of your forecasts should've increased considerably by now. If I had to put a number to it, it'd be around 80%, but we won't know for sure until we test it empirically. Go get some rest."

"Thank you master," the apprentice bowed slightly before turning to go to her quarters. She had made it to the door when she remembered the question that had been nagging her the entire day. Despite her exhaustion, she knew she'd be too curious to fall asleep if she didn't get an answer.

"Master?"

"Yes child?"

"Do we have free will?"

The old fortune teller looked up and inspected at the girl, her mouth hanging in shock before curling into a wide grin. "Oh, it finally happened!"

"What happened?"

"I was wondering when this day would come," she said running toward the dresser on the other side of the room. "Can't believe it's already here."

"What day? I don't understand."

"Hold on," Aunt Wu said rummaging through the different drawers in haste. "Where did I put it? It's got to be here—Ah! I found it!" She rushed back to the table holding a small box in her hands.

"Apprentice Meng!" The fortune teller said, sliding the wooden box across the table to her. "With your divine vision and will predict the contents of this box."

Meng just stared at her master in confusion, something that was becoming all too common. "I don't understand. Why are you talking like that?"

"Tradition," Aunt Wu said impatiently, her excitement clearly visible. "Just try to see what's in the box."

Meng had never seen this side of her master. Usually she was a well of grace and elegance, an exemplar of calm dignity. But now she was practically bouncing from one leg to another like a child. The box itself seemed simple and plain with a thick layer of dust covering all sides. What is in the box? she asked herself, closing her eyes. Seconds passed and nothing came, a bit unusual considering the visions usually came at once. After a minute or so a blurry image started to come forth, but before she could process it, she lost her focus. A fly had started to buzz around her. She would've ignored it, but she felt it land her hair. "Where did this fly come from?"

"Problem?" Aunt Wu asked.

"Yeah, I can't concentrate with this stupid fly around," Meng replied trying to swat at

the fly but failing. After flailing her arms a few more times, the fly had disappeared. "I think it's gone now."

The apprentice sat back down and entered the trance. Just as she was about to divine the contents of the box, she felt something crawling on her face. No, I'm going to ignore it, she thought to herself. It was only a couple more seconds before she'd be able to see the box's contents clearly. I'm almost there… The fly entered her nose.

"Ahh!" she yelled jumping to attention. "It was in my nose! Are you fucking kidding me?" Normally Aunt Wu wouldn't allow such crude language, but this was too amusing to stop. She coughed struggling to stifle her laughter.

Meng chased after the insect, swatting after it with a towel and going on an expletive filled rant. The chase went on for a good five minutes before it had come to a dramatic end with an exaggerated swipe of the towel. It was only after seeing the fly's dead body that she was convinced it would no longer bother her.

"Ok, let's get this over with," Meng sighed standing still. Today had officially been one of her worse days. She started the procedure once again from the top and this time minutes passed before the first images came. They were blurry but with time they would come into focus. Meng slowly made her way to the table when she suddenly tripped.

"What?" Meng looked at her feet in shock. They were wet. How? The pitcher of water from the table had fallen, probably during her chase, and released all its contents on the ground. "What's going on?" Meng finally asked.

Aunt Wu couldn't take it anymore and burst into laughter. "Oh, that was hilarious. I can't believe it went up your nose!"

"What? What's going on?"

"Meng," her master said between gasps of laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Before you hurt yourself, open the box please."

Meng, in a fit of anger, tore off the lid, caring little to how old the box might be. She found a small envelope resting in the center. The envelope seemed ancient, the paper long stained yellow. It looked like any action would cause it to crumble to pieces. On the opposite a wax imprint of a white lotus sealed the envelope closed. With another look from her master, she hesitantly tore open the seal and unfolded the letter.

On the fifteenth day of the Eighth Month of the year 6538

Apprentice Meng will question her master, Wu Husao, "Do we have free will?"

Answer: Maybe.

Hello Wu. It fills me with pride to see you carrying on our legacy.

And you, Meng, strive to become a great seer.

May the World bless both of you.

-Rin Moulin

Meng looked at her master at first in confusion and then in dawning awe. She held the letter as if it were a holy relic. "Is this a True Prediction?"

"Amazing, isn't it?" Aunt Wu took the letter from her apprentice and read it for herself. "My master, Master Moulin, she's the one who made it."

"What? Why?"

"Tradition," Aunt Wu repeated, wiping a little tear off her eye. It had been a long time since she had seen her master's handwriting. It was comforting to know she was watching over her, even if it was from the past. "In our long line of diviners, every single one has asked that question. Over time a rite of passage developed. Each master would give their apprentice a True Prediction of when their grand apprentices would ask that question."

"But that uses up a prediction. She wouldn't have been able to make another one for months."

"And that makes it all the more worthwhile." After taking one last look at the letter, Aunt Wu placed it back in the box. "Besides it's not like we can always get the World to help prank our apprentices."

It wasn't often that Meng was left speechless, but she'd considered this the appropriate time. Her master had told her of the legendary True Predictions, of how once they were prophesized no other seer would be able to look upon them or what they predicted. But actually, witnessing the World itself take action against her was another thing entirely. "Wait," Meng said incredulously, "Was it actually the World that stopped me from looking into letter or just how things were destined to be? Was I always going to be attacked by that fly?"

"Isn't that just the same question? If the World stopped you from acting, how would it be any different than destiny?"

"But it doesn't mean it has to be the World stopping me," Meng retorted. "There could be a being somewhere stopping me. Maybe it sent that fly and it could have made me slip over the water."

"So, there's an invisible, intangible being that's omnipotent and omniscient enough to start a series of events that would prevent you from forecasting? What's the difference between this 'being' and the World?"

Meng remained silent as she pondered her master's words. Her exhaustion long forgotten, she focused on the argument. Were there any premises that she could attack? "The being doesn't have to be all powerful. It could just react whenever someone tries to see a True Prediction."

"True," Aunt Wu chuckled. "Is this your way of arguing for free will?"

"I guess," Meng shrugged. "Do you think it exists?"

"Probably not, but each of us has our own opinion. Some seers argue that there is no such thing, that the World decides our destinies and our visions are imperfect perspectives on it. We are all pieces to be moved on a board too large to imagine. Others, like my master, say that the World acts in limited ways and so we have some free will or human will, as she would have called it. They say because we see the future in probabilities there are multiple paths that we can choose from. The Second Law of Divination, the inverse relationship between accuracy and how far we can forecast is an example of this."

"I see," Meng said, even though she was more confused than ever. She could tell she would be in for a restless night, her mind already filling with endless questions on predestination and foresight. "I've been meaning to ask, who are you sending that letter to?"

"Oh this?" Aunt Wu said as she placed the letter inside a red envelope and sealed it with wax. "I'm just warning somebody of an undesirable future."

"Is it a client?" Her master would often send divinations to clients in red envelopes if they were time sensitive. However, she'd never seen her send one out so late at night.

"No, an old friend."

The War Office didn't really live up to its name. Instead of it being intimidating or cold, the room was quite comforting. There were comfy sofa chairs surrounding a large table and a fireplace keeping everyone warm on this unusually chilly night. To Li, this room was far more welcoming than the throne room. Even the banners and regalia that decorated most of the palace had been replaced by various maps. Some were of the west coast of the Earth Kingdom, while others were of Ba Sing Se, Omashu, Gao Zin Go, Haipa, and other various cities. But the one map that had gathered everyone's interests tonight was of their city, Capital Island, sprawled across the table.

"And you're saying she crashed here?" Fire Lord Ozai asked pointing toward the western woods outside the caldera. Seated at the front center of the room, the fire lord was the youngest member of the Red Lotus present. However, what he lacked in age he made up with immense gravitas. With his amber eyes, long black goatee, tall stature, and regal robes of crimson and black, those before him had no doubt that he was indeed the fire lord.

"Yes Sire," Li said looking around the room at each director of the Red Lotus. It seemed everyone of import was here. "Princess Azula, Lo, and I made our way to the crash site as soon as we saw it had passed."

"What happened next?"

"We were inspecting the site and found a large building that the invader claimed to be her vessel to travel the stars."

"What evidence did you see?"

"The comet that we saw in the sky went in the same direction where she crashed. The crash site was a circular depression seven meters deep and all the trees surrounding the building had been thrown afar. Some of them had their trunks burnt to a crisp. Even if she conspired with the most powerful earth benders and fire benders to fake the site, it wouldn't explain the metal building."

"Anything else?"

"Your Eminence," Director of Science, Xaan, spoke anxiously. "There was the armor I had mentioned in my report."

"What of it?" The fire lord raised an eyebrow. "Your report didn't mention anything otherworldly about it, just that it was made out of a material you've never seen before."

"Forgive me for causing any confusion, Your Eminence. I had written it, but I discovered its new properties later in the day. I think a demonstration might show how advanced it is."

The fire lord nodded, curious to see where this would go. After Xaan gave a bow of gratitude, two of his attendants stepped out of the corner, one of them carrying the white armor the invader had been wearing. They walked to the front of the room, by the entrance, all in sight of the directors and fire lord.

One of the two boys stood still as the other started placing the armor on him. First, he placed the helmet with its black visor on the volunteer. He then secured the torso, arms, and legs with the white armor. When done he looked like a black and white statue. The eyes and mouth were black as were the joints around the arms and legs. It was almost like a firebender's uniform in that it removed all humanity from the one who wore it. Some would say the armor verged into uncanny valley territory with how unsettling it looked. "I'm ready," the armored assistant called out.

"Guards, if you please," Xaan voiced to the three Red Lotus guards in the room, "firebend the most powerful flames at Jaika over there."

The guards turned to their lord who frowned. "Xaan, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Ozai stared at the science director in silence before giving another nod to his guards to continue. The three guards bowed and then surrounded Jaika in a triangle.

"On the count of three," the lead guard said. "One, two, three!"

Three waves of flame erupted colliding at the center where the assistant stood. Those in the audience could no longer see the man that had surely been burnt to a crisp. "Don't stop!" Xaan yelled. "Keep him aflame until I say so." The three guards continued to light the man aflame creating a vortex of fire that threatened to expand to fill the entire room. If it weren't for the fact that everyone in the room was a firebender, Xaan would've chosen to do the demonstration outside.

"Stop!" Xaan said after a minute had passed. The guards immediately tore apart the flaming vortex into three directions and consumed it back into themselves as chi. Standing before them, to the shock of almost everyone in the room, stood Jaika completely unharmed. The armor itself was undamaged and showed no signs of even being heated.

"How is that possible?" Yomok, the Operations Director, asked examining the suit. His wide eyes greedily inspected every facet of the armor for some sort of hint. "Is the armor made out of some special metal that can't be heated?" Metal armor were death traps whenever firebenders fought each other. The metal would heat too quickly instantly killing the combatant.

"Some kind of alloy that refuses to conduct heat. Not to mention the resistance it has to physical blows." At that Yaih, the other assistant, unsheathed a sword and struck right onto the armor. The sword however bounced off like a spring. He gave a few more slashes and stabs to show how impenetrable the armor was before Xaan signaled him to stop. "I would've have experimented with a revolver, but there wasn't enough time before the meeting to do it discreetly."

"You think the armor can resist bullets?" the fire lord asked making sure to mask his awe.

"I believe so," Xaan replied.

"How did you get it?"

"They didn't get it," the Director spoke for the first time, his voice solemn. Throughout the entire meeting he had his eyes closed deep in thought. "The sisters and the princess had seen the woman toss that armor to the ground as if it were worthless. She made no mention of it after she was escorted to the base or even today."

"That's worrying," Ozai said after a pause. How powerful could she be if she had simply forgotten the armor? He had read that she could fly and had a metallic arm. Were these also the result of her 'technology'? "The evidence is overwhelming then. This isn't some sort of Earth Kingdom conspiracy. Is the regiment is still surrounding the ship?"

"Yes Sire," the Director spoke. "We have the ship surrounded and lookouts watching in case anything happens to them."

"What does she want?"

"Passage to the North Pole," Lo answered this time. "She said in order for her to leave this world she needed to go there."

Ozai frowned and leaned back into his chair. "How strange. On the same day the Avatar reveals himself to the world, a woman with unusual features, who was traversing the heavens, crashes into my capital claiming to be a god."

"What should we do?" the Director asked. He had already discussed a plan with the Ozai in an earlier emergency meeting. This was more of a formality.

"Xaan, you will investigate the ship. See if there is a way to enter it."

"Yes Sire!" the Director of Science enthusiastically bowed.

"Either Black is a threat to the kingdom or an invaluable ally," Ozai continued without missing a beat. "In either case we must keep her close. We will invite her to the city to stay. Shung have some spies watch her at all times. I want a daily briefing until I say otherwise."

"At once, Your Majesty," the Director of Intelligence replied.

"What about her request, Sire?" Lo asked.

"It'll be granted. Our invasion force to the North Pole will be ready in a few months anyway so she can join then." The fire lord then proceeded to get up and retrieve a map of the South Pole off the left wall. "Any news of the Avatar?"

"We contacted Zhao this morning," Shung said. "He will respond as soon as he learns anything."

"We can't afford to wait, especially now. If the Avatar had left the South Pole, where would he first go?"

"The Southern Air Temple?" the Director offered. "He is an airbender after all. Perhaps he has been hiding there all this time."

"That would make sense," the fire lord said circling his finger around the temple. "The snowy mountains would be too perilous to climb leaving it isolated."

"Should we send some ships there?" Yomok asked.

"An expedition to the temple is unlikely to succeed. Not only would the Avatar have the high ground, but they would move too slowly and easily alert the airbender."

"But Sire, shouldn't we still attack? If he escapes, we at least have the hope of fighting him on even ground, Shung suggested.

"You assume he doesn't know we know that he exists. If he went into the Avatar state, then he meant to announce his presence to the world. He knows we'll be sailing towards the Southern Air Temple. If he stays, then he'll be ready for any invasion attempt and if he's escaped sending our ships would be a waste of time. Where's the nearest village?"

"To the Southern Air Temple?" Lo scoured the map for a location close enough. Ignoring the vast barren mountainous islands there was only one village worth of note. "Kyoshi Island."

"Avatar Kyoshi's haven," the fire lord grimaced. "Send a missive to Zhao. He is to send an assassination team to Kyoshi Island. Their primary objective is to relay information of the Avatar immediately. If a chance to kill him presents itself, they are to take it. Make sure Zhao gives them anything they need, all restrictions to be lifted."

The last four words caused an intake of breath among the members. "Are you sure? There will be retaliation for violating the treaty," the Director said. Out of all the members of the Red Lotus, only he could ever question the Ozai's orders in public.

"The treaty has already been violated, a hundred times over. We know that. They know that. All that remains is a polite veil."

"Something this blatant has never been done," the Director said.

"This is the Avatar, a bender with a hundred years of experience. The only way any assassin could be a match for him is with a gun." Ozai looked over his fellow members and saw only some of them were convinced. Others hesitated, fear of the thunder weapon and what it might mean for the future of benders taking hold. "This action may seem drastic, but the situation demands it. The Avatar has returned, Sozin's comet will be upon us soon, and a goddess from the heavens resides not thirty kilometers from here."

"Understood," the Director said solemnly. The fire lord was right. Before the Avatar was a concern, but one that could be managed eventually. Even he would have trouble facing the might of the Fire Nation. But now a strange woman claiming to be a goddess crashed into their kingdom with technology centuries ahead than them. The current had gotten faster, and they had to adjust lest they sink. "Should we send a cruiser to the temple?"

"Yes," Ozai said assuming his center front seat in the room. They had the resources to spare. "Is there anything else to discuss?

No one in the room spoke or gave any indication of speaking. "Then, if there's no further news, we'll reconvene at the end of the week."

The Red Lotus bowed as one before exiting the room through main entrance hall leaving only the Director and the fire lord behind. The two men sat on opposite sides of the room, observing each other silence. While Ozai was the fire lord, the Director before him was arguably more powerful. He had been the Director's student, as his father, and his father before him were. It was a mystery that nagged at him every so often. Exactly how old was this man?

"Where are we on the regiment and the new ships?" Ozai asked. "Are the gunships coming along?"

"We're on schedule for the winter invasion. The ships are being outfitted with the latest cannons while the soldiers have already shown decent skill with their new rifles."

"If you need more soldiers, you have my permission to press anyone necessary into service. I want nothing to go wrong when we invade the Northern Water Tribe."

"That's not the only thing we should be worried about," the Director warned.

Ozai scoffed. "What could they do? Prepare their own and have them travel to the North Pole to fight us in time?"

"No, but if they've been preparing their own armed forces, they'll retake the colonies in retaliation."

"That's…" Ozai said before he stopped himself to think. He looked over to a detailed map of the western coast of the Earth Kingdom that was on the table. While some of the colonies were along the coast, most of them were further inland. A guerilla unit of rifled men could easily liberate those colonies of his army. At the very least, it would prove to be much more than a nuisance. "You're right. Can we divert some of our new forces there?"

"It'd have to be coordinated," the Director gave a rare smile. As stubborn as the fire lord could be, he at least welcomed well-reasoned advice. "When we start making our way toward the Water Tribe, we'll send another contingent to the colonies. That way we'll have the tribe in our grasp and a foothold into the Earth Kingdom."

"And if they find out earlier than expected?"

"I don't see how that's possible. We're the only ones in the lotus that know of them. But if they do, we'll have to expedite our plans. A sudden surprise attack should be able to counter it."

"Are you sure no one else knows?"

"Of course," the Director said, slightly unnerving the fire lord. He had forgotten the his uncanny ability to detect lies. "And I'll make sure it to keep it that way."

Ozai nodded. Everything was coming together. If all went well, then with Sozin's comet and their newly equipped army and navy, the war would come to an end. A couple of years, he reminded himself. In a couple of years, he'd be the emperor of the world.

"If there's nothing else, I'll-"

"One last thing," Ozai added, his tone becoming graver. "Any progress?"

"On?"

"The mission I personally gave you."

"No," the Director frowned. "The tracking squad I've assigned hasn't found anything."

"What of her father?"

"Dead. Though she could have buried another body there," the Director said. "I never did understand why you let her go."

"I'm a man of my word."

"Ozai, I've taught you better than that," he admonished. "Honor has no place in war."

"In hindsight, it was foolish. Though, to be fair, we only found out after she left. You said it yourself that chasing after her would be a waste of time."

The Director didn't say anything, merely grunting in affirmation. It was a mistake that he would deeply regret. Chasing after a seer was decidedly a fool's errand, but now they had no choice. The Avatar was an agent of Fate. Those who could see the paths of Fate, could predict how the Avatar would act. "We'll find your wife," the old man said before taking his leave. "After all, the Red Lotus has many petals."