Intermission 5: Consciousness
"The drills are increasing public fear that-"
"The people should be afraid," President Dahaka exclaimed. The reporter at his side was taken aback by the bluntness.
"Yes, there are soldiers patrolling the streets," Dahaka elaborated. "Because a terrorist organization has carried out a full-scale attack on the North Pole, and I am worried that we might be next. The media can deny it as much as they want, but this war has already started!"
Dahaka stepped into his office and slammed the door shut behind him. It was horrifying sometimes, how people were so desperate to keep things from changing. The people didn't want to believe that the nations might have finally reached the breaking point. It was up to leaders like Dahaka to realize and prepare for the grim reality: war was upon them.
The President of the United Republic sat down at his desk and looked over the next batch of problems that he would have to solve. This city was a tangled mess of problems on a normal day, and the recent problems had increased that exponentially. Dahaka would be lucky to sleep tonight. It was a cold, wintery day, with the sun obscured by thick grey clouds and a layer of icy frost on every surface. It was an appropriately grim day.
It didn't surprise Dahaka at all when a large, worried looking soldier practically knocked his office door down. Two uniformed soldiers walked over to each side of the President and pulled him out of his chair, carrying him up and out towards the door with a nervous pace.
"I don't recall scheduling an evacuation drill," Dahaka sighed. He had scheduled so many practice routines for the army he'd lost track. This was going to set him behind on paperwork.
"This isn't a drill," The soldier said grimly.
Dahaka nodded stiffly and increased the pace. As they walked, Dahaka noticed a gradually increasing military presence, watching every door and window. Soldiers were starting to line the frostbitten streets.
"Is this Sarin's doing?"
"No Mister President," The leader of the soldiers said. "We've received information from a credible source that General Rahm is heading for Republic City."
Though the White Lotus were still a ways away from Republic City, they had managed to use their contacts to warn Dahaka of the General's coming. Hopefully he could get out of the city before Rahm found him.
Dahaka didn't bother protesting or questioning the fact. Unlike many, Dahaka had never believed that Rahm was gone forever.
"What about the citizens? Is this a city-wide evacuation?"
"We're spreading word, but sir," The Lieutenant began grimly. "It seems that Rahm is after you. Only you."
Dahaka continued to run, but his steps were heavier. He had seen Rahm do so many terrible things to so many hundreds of people. The General was the closest thing this world had to an unstoppable force. Dahaka would try his best to flee, to hide, for the sake of his family, but the thought lingered in the back of his head.
If Rahm wanted someone dead, then they would die. Dahaka was no exception.
An armed military convoy took Dahaka through the streets of Republic City, aiming to get him as far away from this place as fast as possible. Through the thick glass window panes, Dahaka took what might very well be his last looks at the city he commanded. He could see soldiers and policemen flooding the streets in droves. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands. It still wouldn't be enough.
The walls and windows of the armored transport were thick and shielded, but even through it all, Dahaka could hear the sound of thunder.
The first vehicle in the convoy came to a dead halt, and the second crashed into it. Dahaka's vehicle swerved to the side, only slightly, before something else took hold of it. The steering wheel and the tires were useless; the vehicle was being dragged, not driven, to its destination. Dahaka sighed and waited.
The vehicle jerked slightly the other way as something else took hold, and then it stopped. Dahaka could hear sounds of violence.
The door was ripped open violently, and Dahaka was dragged out of the vehicle by a firm hand.
Dahaka could see it all now: Rahm was here, and he had brought destruction with him. It had been mere moments since he had made himself known, but one would swear that this street had been a warzone for hours. Buildings were cracking and crumbling, the road was torn to shreds, and the fallen paved the streets. At the center of this tapestry of destruction stood Rahm.
A black mask of metal hid the face that Dahaka knew, but there was still no mistaking the General. Only he would stand so fearlessly against hundredss of soldiers at once. Attacks of water, earth, fire, and air bounced off his armor while he scanned his battlefield. Occasionally he would raise his hands to crush some insect that had become too bothersome, but his focus was clear. He wanted to find someone: he wanted to find Dahaka.
The President's eyes were torn away from the scene by a sudden jerk the other direction. They were still trying to get him away. They thought they could escape the General. They were wrong.
"Come on, Dahaka," Chief Dormin said. He dragged the President further from the scene of destruction, hoping to get him away while Rahm was still distracted by the carnage.
Dormin cast out his hands, launching a metal reel towards a nearby rooftop. The metal zip line sailed a few feet, giving Dormin a brief hope of escape. Then it curled backwards, like a charmed snake turning on its master, and reversed course, striking Dormin in the chest, entangling him, dragging him backwards. Dormin released his grip on Dahaka: at least the President would not be dragged back with him.
The metal strand coiled around Dormin's body, up his torso and around his neck. Held aloft by the grip of the iron, Dormin was pulled through the air towards Rahm. For a brief moment, he looked the General in his metal-shrouded face.
"Do not stand between me and my prey," Rahm commanded.
The steel coils tightened with a sharp and deadly grip, and Rahm tossed Dormin aside. Dahaka looked on in horror as Rahm turned his attention towards him.
The General slammed down his foot, shaking the ground with a hammer blow. The street below cracked and crumbled, reshaping to the Rahm's whims. Those soldiers who still remained were thrown aside by a rising shockwave through the soil. Massive, jagged walls rose up around the area, isolating Dahaka and Rahm in an arena of shattered stone.
President Dahaka stood up. It was inevitable now, as it had always been. He might as well go out on his feet.
"Last of the traitors," Rahm's harsh voice bellowed. Dahaka had suspected from the beginning that this was about Rahm's warped code of honor. "Private Dahaka."
"President Dahaka," He corrected. He had nothing to lose, so he could afford a little bit of defiance.
"You are no leader," Rahm said. He advanced on his prey, taking slow, deliberate steps.
"I'm twice the leader you ever were," Dahaka shouted back. Rahm paused slightly, and his metal face lowered slightly in a grim glare.
"I led my army to victory, Dahaka," Rahm thundered violently. The sound of his voice shook the glass windows around them.
"You massacred innocent civilians," Dahaka protested. "They'd surrendered, Rahm, the war was over!"
"The war ended when I found Lokus and cut his head off!"
Rahm took a step forward, and the ground trembled. He held his sword hand high, ready to strike the moment he closed the gap. Dahaka stood his ground. He had resigned himself to this the moment he had heard Rahm was after him. Dahaka knew that nothing on earth could stop Rahm.
Dahaka was slightly misinformed.
The air cracked as a lance of white energy surged across the sky. Rahm looked down at his chest as a white line struck the center of his armor.
Dahaka was launched backwards as a thunderous shockwave blossomed outwards, scattering fire and debris with it. He hit the wall behind him and covered his face as rubble flew through the air, launched by the sudden burst of explosive force.
The rumbling explosion quieted, and the smoke cleared. Dust and debris finally settled. The arena wall that Rahm had raised around them had been shattered by an impact crater, created by Rahm himself. The General, in his gargantuan armor, had been launched backwards into the opposite wall by the explosion. He took only a second to regain his bearings before pulling himself out of the wall.
Descending the shattered walls of the concrete coliseum, another titan arrived in the arena. Miyani took a stand between Dahaka and Rahm, her shoulders squared and her fists clenched. All three of her eyes cast a burning glare at General Rahm. Rahm stared right back.
"The girl," Rahm growled quietly.
"Miyani," Dahaka gasped.
Miyani nodded grimly. With quick but quiet motions, she unstrapped the metal armguards on her forearms and tossed them aside. They would accomplish nothing against the titanic blade Rahm wielded, and the extra metal only gave him more tools to use against her. She could take no risks here. The two metal guards clattered against the ground, chiming like two bells to signal the start of the battle.
It was surprising enough that Rahm was still conscious, much less alive. He had taken a direct hit from a combustion bender and seemed to be shrugging it off. Miyani had never encountered a metal that could stand up to her power. His armor was made of something unusual, that much was obvious.
"How fortunate this is," Rahm mocked. "I was going to hunt you down next."
Miyani said nothing. She shifted her stance slightly, breathing deeply in preparation for what was to come. It was a cold winter morning in Republic City, bad conditions for a firebender. She would need to focus to gather the power she needed.
"Come, combustion bender, surely you have some defiant nonsense to spit?"
Rahm held out his open hand beckoningly while his other fist tightly clenched his sword. Miyani tilted her head slightly.
"Hawks have no words for mice," Miyani said. Rahm had a brief moment to narrow his eyes before Miyani took a deep breath, clenched her jaw, and unleashed.
Miyani had rarely pushed herself to her limits. She had tried to restrain herself, to be controlled and precise, but she abandoned all of that now. Rahm was a peerless beast, and nothing short of complete annihilation would stop his rampage. Miyani could not afford to hold back.
White fury cut the sky like a blade, and the sword of white light met the sword of black metal as Rahm blocked the blow. Miyani's lance of power impacted Rahm's blade and detonated in a burst of fire, light, and sound. As the explosive force consumed Rahm in a ball of fire and force, Miyani spared a moment to turn to Dahaka.
"Run," She commanded. Dahaka obliged. This was not a place for him anymore. It was a battle of titans now, and a mortal like him had no place in that fight.
The smoke and fire cleared, and Rahm was still standing. His sword was warped and scorched, but intact. At least Miyani knew it was possible to damage him now. She watched with some concern, however, as his sword began to reshape, taking on its old form, casting off the damage that Miyani had done. Rahm was using metalbending to undo any damage she did. If she wanted to win, she would have to keep him so disoriented he couldn't make repairs, or destroy him utterly in one massive explosion.
Rahm's herculean blade was fully repaired, and he pointed the sword at Miyani. She did not give him time to retaliate. Destroying Rahm with one attack was unlikely, so she would have to wear him down. She shot explosive bursts around his feet, hoping to knock him off balance, and then followed with arcing shots towards his head. His helmet was likely the most vulnerable part of his armor.
The General planted his feet and braced himself for the onslaught. His helmet warped, closing off the small holes that allowed him to see and breath. Fusing his armor into a solid fortress, Rahm weathered the storm of explosive blows. He felt his armor shudder and warp around him under the relentless onslaught of combustive power, but Rahm was quick to repair any damage done.
The barrage eventually ceased, and Rahm allowed himself a moment to open his eyes and observe the battlefield. The arena Rahm had created was consumed by fiery craters –but there was no sign of Miyani.
A bolt struck him from behind, knocking him forward onto the ground. With his armor sealed, Miyani had seized on his lack of vision to sneak around him for a flanking strike, placing herself high on the walls of the shattered streets to gain the advantage of high ground as well. While Rahm was on the ground, she moved again, changing her position before Rahm tracked her down. She struck again while Rahm was still knocked down.
Rahm's status as a General had been earned mostly through his own physical prowess, but he did have some knowledge of tactics. He knew what Miyani was trying. He planted his fist in the ground and pushed downwards. The arena walls collapsed, settling back into the earth. Miyani collapsed with them, falling down to the ground. She caught herself on landing and braced for another strike as Rahm looked around.
With the walls of the arena fallen, the battle was now open to spectators. Soldiers who had gathered to help Dahaka flee were frozen by the sight of Rahm and Miyani. An armored behemoth and a combustion bender stood in the center of shattered streets, shaking the city with their blows.
Rahm went on the offensive, charging towards Miyani with his sword raised. Miyani fired back with a quick bolt aimed at his face, intending only to blind him long enough for her to sidestep the charge. Even with Rahm blinded, she only barely managed to dodge him.
Miyani was used to being the juggernaut in her fights. Facing down someone who was larger, more durable, and perhaps even stronger was not something she was accustomed to. She wasn't well suited to dodging and moving quickly.
Rahm swept his hand, and the earth rose up in massive spikes. He had weapons other than his blade, of course, but Miyani was better at handling conventional bending. She stepped aside and loosed another bolt of fiery death at Rahm. The General defended himself by tearing a large chunk of wall from a nearby building and placing it between himself and the explosive bolt. The explosion impacted the chunk of stone and harmlessly detonated.
Through the new hole in the wall, Miyani saw civilians fleeing. This was new as well. Republic City was packed tight: She was lucky that Rahm had isolated himself for the start of the fight. If the battle shifted too far, she would have to worry about collateral damage as well.
The more she thought about her situation, the more it seemed like Rahm had the advantage. He was in his element for the fight, and he wouldn't care about the collateral damage.
Miyani wasn't worried. She knew that she wasn't the only one capable of stopping Rahm. For the moment, though, she would be relying on herself. She still believed that she could defeat Rahm on her own. She attacked a few more times, hammering on Rahm's defenses with explosive power. Rahm retaliated in kind, launching boulders and metal blades at her from a distance. He kept his sword close at hand, and occasionally he tried to close the distance. Miyani was careful never to let him get too close.
For the two titans clashing in the city streets, the scale of the battle seemed almost normal. They thought little of the blows they exchanged and the strikes they deflected. For the rest of Republic City, the consequences were earth shattering.
Windows across the city rattled and shattered every time the concussive shockwaves of Miyani's blasts. The ground trembled and quaked as Rahm reshaped the city to his will. Once, long ago, Sen had observed that Republic City had a heartbeat: as Miyani and Rahm clashed, that heartbeat stopped. People began to flee the city or cower in their homes as the shockwaves of their battle spread outwards. There were certain individuals, though, that walked calmly towards the destruction, rather than fleeing it.
Rahm charged forward, holding his left hand high to block Miyani's blasts. Miyani tried to blast at his feet to unsteady him, but Rahm was surprisingly quick for a behemoth of his size. In moments, he was upon Miyani, his sword arm held high, ready for a climactic blow. Miyani couldn't cause any explosion at this range. It was time to test a theory. She held up her hands.
Rahm's arm fell as Miyani's rose. With both hands, she caught Rahm's wrist, pushing against his descending blow. She felt her wrists twist and her shoulders begin to slide slowly out of place, but the blade ground to a halt. Miyani was holding.
The General knew much of combustion benders, of their enhanced strength and their tolerance for pain, but Miyani managed to surprise even him.
"I have killed your kind already," Rahm threatened.
"There is no one like me," Miyani retaliated.
Though Miyani had a lock on his sword arm, Rahm still had one fist to spare. He raised his left hand for a strike, and followed through with a sweeping blow. Seeing the fist coming and knowing there was little she could do to stop or avoid it, Miyani raised her feet slightly, loosening her stance. The metal fist struck her hard in the stomach, and she could feel her muscle and bone strain under the sheer pressure. A lesser being would have had their life come to an end with such a blow. Miyani was hurt, but she could still focus. The heavy-handed blow pushed her back, getting Miyani just enough distance from Rahm to launch one more attack.
Miyani's fire burst consumed a large portion of the city streets, igniting stray bits of wood and detonating the gasoline in satomobile engines. Rahm was shaken by the blast, as was most of the city. Miyani saw the expanding fire begin to consume the city streets as more and more materials ignited. She wasn't worried. In fact, this was just what she intended.
The cold grip of winter weakened her considerably by reducing the amount of heat she could draw on. The spreading fire began to scorch the city, turning the frigid air into a burning oven as it spread. Miyani felt the flames just barely lick her skin, and she smiled.
Miyani planted her feet firmly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, reaching out to the fire around her. She threw her hands out, letting the flame brush her fingertips, and then slowly drew her hands back in, drawing the warmth with her. The flames began to diminish, slowly, at first, and then rapidly, one by one, they were doused, as Miyani drew on them to fuel her own internal fire. Crackling tongues of fire flickered out one by one as Miyani took their power for her own.
The last of the tongues of flame vanished into the cold air. Miyani opened her eyes, and Rahm saw them burn with unusual light. The combustion benders skin was steaming as the cold air grasped at her boiling blood.
Miyani pressed her clenched fists against her heart, forcing the inner fire outwards.
There was a tearing sound, like a sword cutting through armor, as the blade of light split the sky. It was fast, faster than the blink of an eye, travelling from the blood red mark of Miyani's third eye to Rahm in a mere instant. Rahm raised his blade to guard himself from the incoming ray of death. The lightning-fast bolt impacted Rahm's sword, and burst in a furious conflagration of apocalyptic scale.
Miyani had never actually felt the effects of one her own explosions before, but the detonation that followed was so massive, so thunderous, that even she felt the shockwaves. She crossed her arms in front of her face to shield herself from the flames as the earth-shattering explosion launched her backwards. She landed hard on the ground, feeling the pulsing shockwave of force scream above her face. For a second it seemed that the fire burst would never stop, that her combustive power had consumed the entire world, but the thundering explosive burst eventually settled.
Miyani stood, shaking off the ash of her eruption, and observed what she had wrought. The nearby buildings were still standing, so that was good. She couldn't see a single window on any of them that wasn't broken, though.
The dust began to settle on the street, or what was left of the street. There was more crater than road now. Broken sewer pipes poured water into the empty spaces where concrete and soil had once been. The sewer pipes were the only indication that any civilization had existed in this space: any merchant carts, satomobiles, street signs, had been completely obliterated, along with any other signs of humanity.
There was one other remnant in the explosion, but he carried no trace of humanity. Rahm stumbled forward. His armor was cracked, burned, deformed in almost every way, but it was intact. Rahm was alive. Miyani scowled intensely. The explosion had ignited a few fires around her, but there was not nearly enough for a second strike as disastrous as the first.
Some progress had been made, at least. In Rahm's right hand he clenched a twisted hunk of metal, the broken and melted remains of his once-mighty blade. Nothing could have survived at the center of such a disastrous burst, not even Rahm's behemoth blade. For a moment Rahm observed the broken remnant of his sword with disgust.
"You are right," Rahm admitted. "You are nothing like Gohrman."
Miyani nodded. Rahm talking was a good thing. The last attack had taken a lot out of her. She needed time to recover and rebuild her strength.
"He had nothing but greed and lust for power behind him," Rahm said. "But you. You are driven by fury. The thoughts of revenge on me must have consumed you all these years."
"You think this is about revenge?" Miyani scoffed. "I don't care about you, Rahm!"
Miyani waved her hand dismissively. Rahm straightened his back and released his grip on his broken sword. Now that was a curiosity. It was the truth, though. Rahm's attempt on her life had been years ago, and it hardly mattered to Miyani anymore. She had moved past that part of her life. She had a higher purpose now.
"I came here to save Dahaka, to save everyone," Miyani said. "To save them from you."
Miyani pointed an accusing finger at Rahm. The General seemed frozen.
He began to laugh again, louder and harsher than before. It grated against Miyani's ears almost painfully. Rahm was a man consumed by wrath and rage: laughter was foreign to him, and it took on a hostile tone. Eventually his brutal laughter ceased, replaced by a stern but equally hostile silence.
"You, a beast," He mocked. "You think you can save anyone?"
Rahm held out his hands, his palms open. Miyani heard the sound of cracking stone all around her.
"Then save them," Rahm declared.
The walls of skyscrapers all around Miyani began to crack and crumble as Rahm tore out huge chunks of every building around them. The air was filled with the sound of broken stone, bending metal, and screaming people. Glass windows began to shatter, and the sky darkened as a cloud of dust filled the air. With a loud sound of shifting metal and stone, a skyscraper began to lean visibly to the right.
Miyani looked around, her eyes rapidly bouncing between each of the four collapsing buildings around her. She had to think of a way out. She could cause an explosion on the other side of each building, equalize it- no, that would only make buildings collapse downwards instead of sideways. She could make sure the buildings collapsed at the same rate: the two would lean into each other- then they would crush one another, not stop their falls.
It dawned on her that this was not a problem she could fix. The air was choked with dust and debris as the buildings collapsed faster and further. The buildings all began to lean towards the center, preparing to collapse on Miyani and Rahm. Those who still could fled the buildings, packing the streets in a desperate attempt to flee the site of the collapse. The already grey sky darkened further as clouds of ash and dust rose into the air.
The General stepped forward through the crowd, gloating. He would survive the collapse of the buildings unharmed. Miyani, and the hundreds of people within those buildings, could not say the same. The streets were packed now with people fleeing the destruction, and they kept their distance from Rahm and Miyani, out of fear.
"Now you see what you are," Rahm boasted. The fleeing citizens avoided Miyani as much as they did Rahm. To these people, the street held only monsters, not heroes.
Miyani covered her mouth as choking dust began to fill the air. She could do nothing. The only power she had was destructive, and more destruction could not fix this. She was powerless.
The last few tongues of flame from Miyani's explosions still flickered in the dusty air. As she watched, every spark turned one way, pulled by some unseen hand, as the fire was drawn to an unknown point. She felt the same pull within her heart. As she watched the fire flicker and dance, Miyani smiled to herself.
Fire.
Hundreds of miles away from Republic City, at the prison that had once held Hanjo, Sarin observed the site of his defeat. The prisoner was lost, the White Lotus had returned, and the Avatar was still out of their grasp. Dei Sensheng was giving a long and drawn out explanation of their options. They had one last desperate chance to search for the Avatar.
The wind shifted, drawn to the west by an invisible force. Sarin's attention was drawn away from Sensheng's lecture. The clouds overhead had changed shape and course. That was no simple change of the breeze. Sarin's eyes narrowed.
Air.
Ariak observed the rising cloud of smoke and debris from the outskirts of the city. They still sailed upon the river, hoping it would carry them faster towards the center of the city and the site of the battle, but it seemed they were too late. They made every effort to move faster, but it seemed as though Rahm had already unleashed his wrath upon the city. They could see the rising smoke and dust at the center of the destruction.
The water beneath them moved strangely. There was no physical motion, not a wave that shifted the waters surface, but he felt it all the same. Something had changed. The water was being drawn somewhere.
Water.
At the heart of it all, Rahm was the last to feel the pull. The earth under his feet shifted, and he felt the whole world move. Like the massive shift of tectonic plates before an earthquake, Rahm felt the earth beneath his feet change and move.
Earth.
Gradually, they whole felt the shift. Suda, Ada, Whistler, Hanjo, all looked towards the center of Republic City. The towering pillar of light, the bridge between the worlds, was shining brightly amidst the black destruction. A world that had fallen out of balance was pulled back to order.
Fire, Air, Water, and Earth had a new master.
At the heart of the destruction and chaos, a hurricane breeze cast aside the dust and rubble, scattering the obscuring cloud that choked the air. The crumbling buildings were caught, stopped, and then returned to their proper places. Like a film reel played in reverse, chunks of stone began to fly back into place as the buildings were righted and repaired, finally settling solidly in their proper places. Fleeing citizens froze in place as the unbelievable spectacle unfold.
Around them, the chaos became order, and what had been destroyed was made whole. Collapsing buildings were righted and repaired as stunned citizens looked on in awe. The furious winds raced through the city and the sky, with such force that even the clouds above were cast aside, shining the light of the sun upon the city streets.
Shining ever brighter than the sun were two eyes of white light, staring out at the world from behind the lenses of glasses. Sen walked down the street, undoing the destruction and disorder of Rahm's attack with his very presence.
Hundreds of citizens who had once packed the streets in hurried terror began to back away slowly, not out of fear, but reverence. The muttered to one another in hushed tones of awe.
"It's him," one quiet voice declared.
"Avatar," Rahm growled. There was no mistaking the heavenly glow in his eyes.
"Sen," Miyani sighed quietly.
Sen turned his burning eyes towards the center of the destruction. He saw Miyani, and the warm smile on her face, and focused on her.
Sen did not speak yet. He began to step forward. His coat shifted slightly in the remnants of the hurricane breeze he had unleashed. Artists and poets of the coming generations would greatly dramatize the march, but in the moment, it was a simple but determined walk towards General Rahm.
"I recognize you," Rahm said sadistically. He began to walk towards Sen. "The boy who cowered in the Spirit World."
The titanic black form of the fallen General stood before Sen. The Avatar took a brief look at the brutal angles and thick armor plates of Rahm's herculean frame.
"Have you finally come to stand against me, after all this time?"
Sen looked over one the black behemoth once more, and shook his head.
"I'm not here for you."
Sen ignored Rahm and stepped around him, proceeding down the shattered street towards Miyani. The Avatar stepped forward and knelt down by Miyani's side.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm doing better," Miyani said. Sen opened a container of clear water he'd kept at his waist and used it to heal her bruises and cuts. As Sen worked to heal her injuries, Miyani leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder. Sen paused briefly as her red-marked forehead rested against his shoulder.
"I missed you," She said.
"I missed you too," He replied after a short pause.
Despite the reunion they both desperately wished to enjoy, a shadow was still standing over them. Sen continued tending to Miyani's injuries in spite of the great shadow hanging over them.
"Do not ignore me," Rahm growled, raising his fist. With a swift turn of his head, Sen cast his burning eyes on Rahm.
With a sudden and almost impossibly quick swing of his arm, something struck Rahm so heavily and so swiftly that it knocked him back and away from Miyani. The scorched black armor sailed through the air briefly and then slammed into the ground a short distance away. Sen lowered his hand.
"Do not interrupt me," He growled back. His threats echoed with many voices, and far more power than Rahm could ever hope to bring to bear. While Rahm got back on his feet, Sen stood, and turned his attention back to Miyani.
"Can you keep fighting?"
"You can handle him," Miyani said, without a trace of doubt. Sen clenched his fists. Miyani believed in him, unquestioningly. It was time to prove he'd earned that trust.
"I'll take care of it," Sen said. "Stay here."
"I'm not completely spent," Miyani said, halting Sen's dramatic exit. "Just give me ten minutes."
She slumped slightly as she tried to relax. With Sen here, she felt much safer, and the adrenaline surge had worn off, leaving her a little hurt and out of breath. Sen smiled slightly to himself.
"Alright. Ten minutes."
Miyani nodded in response and took a step away from the destruction. Sen turned his back on her and focused on the shadow that lingered in the background.
"Thank you for waiting, Rahm," Sen said, with just a hint of mockery to his voice. Rahm let out a low roar of frustration as he pulled himself back to his feet.
"You will not win this fight," Rahm growled. "I will crush you!"
Rahm shifted his footing and flexed massive armored gauntlets, readying himself for a renewed battle.
"Oh, Rahm," Sen said condescendingly. "You won't even lay a finger on me."
Rahm had endured his final insult, and he charged at Sen. The Avatar didn't flinch in the face of the charge, planting his feet solidly on the stone. He focused, and drew the wrath of the world around him. As he had drawn the world to order, he now drew it to destruction. Every element heeded Sen's call as he focused his power on Rahm.
Sen threw his hand in the air, and the earth rose with him. The stone in front of Rahm's feet rose up, stopping his charge with a harsh clash of stone against metal. Sen clenched his fist, and the stone began to boil, turning into red hot lava as the stony fist closed its grip around Rahm. His armor began to burn and warp in the heat for a brief moment, and Rahm roared in pain.
Sen threw his hand down, and the fist slammed down as well, pounding Rahm back into the soil. The grip of magma collapsed around him, fusing into solid black stone as it cooled. Rahm broke the obsidian prison that enclosed him and rose to his feet.
The broken water pipes in the crater sprang to life, their trickling streams of water becoming a roaring torrent. The water crashed against Rahm, hammering him back to the ground. The snaking tendrils of water trickled through every crack in his armor, filling every crease and empty space. The water froze, expanding, pushing the plates of his armor apart.
Rahm clenched his fists, and his armor reshaped itself, pushing against the ice that tried to pry his armor apart. He rose, shaking off the broken shards of ice, and looked to the Avatar. Rahm was absent his sword, but she struck out with his fists, trying to crush the Avatar. Sen shifted his heel, and the earth below Rahm's feet rotated like a record player, spinning Rahm to the side and causing his punch to hit nothing but empty air.
In the brief second as Rahm regained his balance, Sen stepped forward and briefly taped the side of his hand against Rahm's armor. The resounding shockwaves that travelled through the sheets of Spirit Metal told him Sen everything about the armored suit, and the man within.
The earth rose up in a sharp pillar that caught Rahm from below, launching him into the air as it made its rapid ascent. Before Rahm began his descent back down to the earth, the sky itself hammered down on him. The hurricane gust forced him back down to the ground, pounding him into the earth hard enough to leave a crater in the already ruined street.
There was no rest. The crater closed around him, crushing him in the heavy grasp of the earth, pushing down on him from every angle as the soil itself became a coffin. The crushing weight ceased and Rahm was pushed upwards, back towards the surface. The water coiled around him, carrying him forward on a torrential stream. The water pushed him upwards, dragging his arms out, crucifying him on a cross of ice.
Rahm swung his arms wildly, cracking the ice and freeing himself. He stomped forward, driven by little more than incoherent rage. Sen stood his ground as Rahm advanced in a brutal charge. He had nothing to fear from Rahm.
The raging General struck out with his fists, slamming them down into the earth where Sen stood, but Sen no longer stood there. The Avatar propelled himself upwards, over Rahm. While he was aloft, Sen sent a pillar of air descending on Rahm's back, forcing him downwards and onto the ground. Sen landed behind the General and kicked his foot out, sending a boulder at Rahm that knocked him off the ground and further down the street.
"You cannot win, Rahm," Sen said.
"I always win," The General declared. He raised his hands and tore a massive chunk of the street from the ground, hurling the mountain-sized boulder at Sen. The Avatar held up his hands, and the boulder shattered into dust and sand as it impacted his palm. Sen swept the dust aside with wind and walked towards Rahm.
"You're strong, Rahm, but there's nothing behind that strength," Sen continued. "All you have is anger. No determination, no drive, no desire. You're single-minded."
The General was single minded, focused entirely on Sen's destruction. Some people thought that made him strong. Sen knew it made him weak. He had one perspective, one point of view, and only one way of looking at the world. That single-mindedness blinded him to the truth.
"I have seen you cower in fear, boy," Rahm mocked, recalling their first meeting in the Spirit World. "You are a coward!"
Sen tucked his hands behind his back. Rahm attempted to seize his moment of distraction, but Sen dragged his ankle along the ground to raise a hammer of stone against Rahm. The General let out a roar of frustration. He had yet to land a single blow against Sen.
"I was a coward, Rahm," Sen said. "And now I'm not."
Rahm rose, and just as quickly fell, pinned under the air itself as the sky fell. Sen stood at a distance, regarding the bestial general with disdain.
"I was a lot of things, once," Sen continued. "I was an idiot, and now I'm not. I was alone, and now I'm not. I was nothing-"
Sen raised his hand, and the air roared. Fire sparked to life, surrounding Rahm in spiraling circles. The air likewise coiled around Rahm, circling him at hurricane speeds, intertwining with the fire. Water rose, joining the cage of elements that surrounded the General, and finally chunks of stone joined the chaotic coils of elements.
"-And now I am everything."
Sen clenched his fist, and the twisting maelstrom of elements collapsed on Rahm. He was crushed, burned, and frozen in one apocalyptic collapse of the elements. The impacts overwhelmed him, and Rahm fell to the ground again. Slowly, weakly, he picked himself off the ground. His armor was still protecting him from Sen's onslaught. Rahm had not even come close to retaliating against Sen, but so long as he wore the armor, this battle would continue.
As he always did, though, Sen had a plan.
"You're a beast, Rahm, there's nothing to you but rage and hate," Sen said. Rahm got to his feet, and Sen allowed him to. Even at his best Rahm wouldn't be able to touch Sen. "Maybe that makes you stronger than some, but that single-mindedness makes you easy prey for someone like me."
"I will kill you," Rahm groaned quietly. Slowly but implacably, he began to march towards Sen.
"No you won't, Rahm," Sen said. "The only reason you're still conscious is because I've been stalling. For about ten minutes."
Rahm heard a quiet pop, and felt a spot of intense heat on his arm. Sen stood in place as the explosion unfolded, launching Rahm away with violent waves of force. He rubbed some dust off his glasses as the ash started to spread.
It had taken Miyani a moment to catch her breath and catch up, but she had never intended to stay out of the fight forever. She had no doubt that Sen could handle Rahm, but she was intent on seeing the fight through. She had started this, and she would finish it.
"That was twelve minutes," Sen noted.
"I don't own a watch," Miyani snapped back, holding up her bare wrist. "You want to quip or you want to save the day?"
"After you," Sen said, holding out his hand towards Rahm.
Rahm got to his feet just as another explosion struck him, as Miyani released a continuous barrage of smaller explosions. Rahm planted his feet and braced himself against the explosion, but was knocked off balance by an attack from the rear. A hammer of ice rose from the river behind and struck him in the back. Sen had flanked Rahm with startling speed, and struck him from behind while Miyani attacked from the front.
Explosive force burned against his front while the four elements lashed out at him from behind. Whenever he tried to move, tried to escape the grasp of explosive death, he was forced back into place by the Avatar. Earth hammered him, fire burned, air pushed, and water froze, all locking him place.
Furious explosions shook the armor from the front, crashing against him with unrelenting force. Rahm struggled and twisted and tried to work against the endless destructive assault, but Sen or Miyani punished every move he made. The General, once thought unstoppable, was locked in place, unmoving, between two of the world's most powerful forces. Rahm let out a scream of futile rage as he was trapped in the arena of annihilation.
One more bolt of combustive power struck Rahm's chest, and the air was filled with the sound of cracking metal. Rahm's armor was thought to be indestructible, but the endless stresses of two herculean forces hammering against it from both sides had rendered it fragile enough to be broken. Sen heard his opportunity and seized it.
With a stomp of Sen's foot and a sweeping pull of his arm, a large chunk of earth tore itself free of the ground and began to hover in the air. Sen slammed his fists forward, sending the boulder flying towards Rahm.
The projectile moved with blinding speed towards Rahm, and it struck the back plate of his broken armor. The Spirit Metal shell shattered loudly, sending splinters of broken metal flying across the battlefield as the armor was penetrated. The boulder didn't stop at the armor: it continued to push through Rahm's shell, catching the man himself and then flying out the front of the armor, forcibly dragging Rahm out of the shattered armor he had worn these past few years.
As Rahm was knocked free of the armor, the boulder dissipated into dust, leaving Rahm alone falling through the air. Miyani caught him before he hit the ground, catching him by the back of the neck and the waist, slamming him face first into the ground.
The lack of his armor did little to diminish Rahm's imposing figure. Even without the metal shell, he was still a goliath of a man, taller and more muscular than even Miyani. His appearance was unkempt and ragged; he was clearly not a man who cared for his appearance, as his clothing and hair had clearly not been tended to properly in years. Still, he was a force to be reckoned with. He did not allow Miyani to pin him for long. He struggled free from her grip and called on the earth around him. His armor was broken, but he had been a terrifying figure long before he had ever discovered the Spirit Metal.
Rahm tried again to warp the earth around him, and with a wave of Sen's hand, the earth denied him. In desperation, Rahm turned to Miyani, intending to fight her man to man. He threw a heavy blow towards her gut. Miyani planted her feet, let the blow hit her in the stomach, and then smiled mockingly as Rahm's fist came to a full stop against her abdomen. Without his armor, Rahm's blows were somewhat lacking.
Miyani grabbed Rahm by the throat and pushed him backwards, into Sen's waiting arms. Before Rahm even had time to turn around, Sen slammed his open palm against Rahm's back. There was a slight, harmonic chime, and a visible ripple of light passed through Rahm's body. The General's muscular arms drooped as he felt an unnatural exhaustion sink into him.
With a sweep of his hand, Sen turned Rahm to face him. He placed one firm hand on the General's chest and forced him to his knees. Then the Avatar reached out for Rahm's face, placing his thumb in the center of Rahm's forehead, and grasped his skull tightly. Rahm reached upwards, clawing desperately at the Avatar's face, but his hands fell weakly to the side, and his fingers never reached Sen.
The sound that followed was no discordant howling, not the way it was with other Energybenders. As light consumed Sen and Rahm, there was a harmonic ringing, massive and thunderous, so deep and resounding that it shook the very bones of the earth, like the tone of a bell the size of a mountain. The deep ringing echoed throughout the city and across the world. Miyani covered her eyes as the light expanded, consuming them all in a pillar of luminescence.
There was no great duel between the wills and spirits of Rahm and Sen. Rahm was strong, perhaps one of the strongest who had ever lived, but that strength had come from a psychotic single-mindedness. His determination was second to none, he would not be defeated, but where Rahm would not be defeated, Sen could not be defeated. The weight of destiny, not desire, was behind his will. Sen bore the strength of all the worlds hopes and dreams against Rahm's soul, and Rahm could never match that.
The light and the sound ended, and Rahm collapsed to the ground, hollow and harmless. Sen stepped away from the fallen General. He would be out for some time. Long enough for him to be restrained and imprisoned, at least. Rahm's end would not come in some glorious battle, Sen had decided. Rahm would face judgment for his crimes and pay the price, but not at Sen's hand. His end would come quietly, in a courtroom, one last insult to a man who had built a life on destruction.
Sen turned his back on Rahm and looked to friendlier faces. Miyani stepped forward to meet him, though they stayed a few steps apart, looking over each other. Miyani had always seen a certain kind of radiance in Sen's eyes, but the light in his eyes now was something else. Like looking into the sun, Miyani found locking eyes with Sen burned slightly. He noticed this quickly and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, there was no light, just the brown eyes that Miyani had seen before.
Miyani stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sen in a tight embrace. He eagerly reciprocated, holding her tight and close. They enjoyed their reunion in silence for a moment.
"You got taller," Miyani observed. The last time they had hugged, she had been able to rest her chin atop his head. She was still taller by a wide margin, but the difference was not quite so great anymore. She released him and observed all the ways he had changed since their last meeting.
"Thanks," Sen said a bit awkwardly. "And you, you got a little bigger yourself."
Miyani looked to her arms. She was not the same scrawny girl she had been at their parting. She had quite a bit more muscle on her frame now. Muscle that was still holding Sen tight in an embrace that was almost too firm.
"You can let go any time," Sen suggested.
"Not until you promise me you aren't going to run off for years again," Miyani said. She was only half-joking. Sen pushed his way out of her grip and stood his ground.
"I'm not going anywhere," Sen assured her.
"I thought so," Miyani said with a broad smile.
"That said, we need to go somewhere," Sen said happily. He grabbed Miyani by the wrist and pulled. "Follow me. There's somebody you should meet."
Sen had watched the worlds events unfold, and he knew exactly when and where a certain ship would be arriving in Republic City. He led Miyani down the riverbank, just far enough to meet them as they arrived.
Around the riverbend and down the flowing water floated a large ship bearing the banner of the White Lotus. Sen smiled broadly as it came into view. Miyani was shocked to see the old banner flying again. Sen was privileged with a small bit of foresight, so he wasn't surprised to see the Order returned, just a little bit ecstatic.
As the boat got closer, the figures on the deck recognized who was waiting for them, and they began to cheer and wave. Sen lost his patience. He grabbed Miyani, surprising her greatly as he lifted her off the ground, and then leapt upwards and over the river. He landed on the dock with a heavy thud, still bearing a startled Miyani in tow. The combustion bender took a second to regain her senses, but Sen wasted no time. He was standing in the middle of the ship one second, and then the next he had knocked Hanjo to the ground.
For the next few minutes the two of them were stuck together so tightly some might have thought there was glue involved. It was a mess of laughter, tears, greetings, and confused attempts at creating a coherent conversation as Hanjo and Sen were finally reunited. Anyone who took a look at them gave up on any ideas of tearing them apart. After nearly three years separated, the two friends deserved some time to themselves.
"I thought I'd see you again," Miyani said. She walked up to Ariak and put an arm around his shoulder. Ariak smiled and nodded.
"It's good to see you again, Miyani," He said. "I have quite a few stories to tell."
"You spend more than a day with these guys, that happens," Miyani said, nodding towards the rest of Sen's team. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Whistler. She released Ariak's shoulder and stepped over to her.
"Haven't met you," She said, extending her hand. Whistler took it and shook it firmly. "I'm Miyani."
"Whistler. Heard a bit about you. You make explosions with your forehead?"
Miyani brushed aside some of the dangling strands of hair, exposing the red mark on her forehead. Whistler laughed and rubbed her hands together in an almost menacing fashion.
"Oh yes," She said, with oddly sinister undertones. "You're my new favorite."
Whistler moved aside slightly as Sen barged forward, practically dragging Hanjo in tow. The dynamic duo had gotten over the initial euphoria of their reunion and had remembered that there were other people in the world. Hanjo stepped forward as Sen presented Miyani.
"Miyani, nice to meet you," Hanjo said. He saluted sharply at the towering combustion bender.
"Hanjo," Miyani said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you. Mostly that you were dead, so, I think we have a bit of catching up to do."
"Very much so," Hanjo said. Sen was trying to make a quick recovery, so he allowed his friends to mingle for a moment. He rubbed cheeks sore from smiling too much. There were worse problems to have.
For a moment the Avatar's team and the White Lotus colluded and mingled, almost as if it were a party. Reunions and congratulations were made, and the future was discussed. In the middle of it all, Sen watched his friends and allies mingle, while his heart swelled with pride.
This was the beginning. Here before him was gathered every brave soul he'd ever known, standing in the sunlight, unafraid. The age of hiding in the shadows and fleeing conflict were over. Now they faced the world on their terms.
Sen stepped forward through the midst of the crowd, towards the prow of the boat. He would have liked to stay in that golden moment of pride and joy forever, but the world demanded attention. Quite literally.
While they had enjoyed their reunion, the world outside had gathered in curiosity and reverence. Sen stepped out to the edge of the boat to look at the crowd that had gathered around them. Slowly, one by one, his friends joined him at the peaked prow of the vessel. Cameras began to flash and film began to roll as the Avatar and his friends stepped forward. For a brief moment, Miyani stepped back, away from the attention, but Sen put a gentle hand on her back and pushed her forward.
At the front of the crowd he saw Dahaka, still stunned by the events of the day. Behind their president, the citizens of the Republic spread out, looking up at Sen with a thousand eyes. He could feel their hearts, all of them, all their hopes, dreams, and fears. He could feel it all, and it was all centered on him. Sen nodded, while the gathered crowd waited quietly. Sen had kept them waiting for a long time already, he would not waste another moment.
"Fifteen years ago, a coward destroyed something beautiful," Sen shouted, gesturing to the white flower of the Lotus banner. The air itself froze at the sound of his voice, silencing every noise but that of the Avatar's words. "And two years ago an even greater coward told us that this world was broken, and needed to change. He tried to control us with fear, hatred, and guilt."
Sarin's and Kalden had delivered their messages via proxies and intimidation. Sen spoke directly to the people, talking to them as an equal, not a shadowed, threatening figure.
"The Energybender said that anyone who helped me, protected me, or hid me would suffer. But it was never just about me. They wanted to make this world afraid of its own better nature. To fear generosity, and compassion, and courage," Sen said. "They are so scared of the dark that they even fear the light for the shadows it casts."
Sarin had delivered a message to this same city, to this same crowd, once upon a time, but he had delivered it from behind a screen, his message filmed a thousand miles away. Sen spoke to them before their very eyes. The distance, however, and the presence mattered little to nothing. His words carried further and more effectively than Sarin's message of fear and despair could ever hope to.
"I am done being afraid. I am done hiding. The dream that a coward tried to destroy has risen again," Sen said, gesturing to the White Lotus banners once more. "The fear that he tried to create has fallen too. The Energybender said that anyone who helped me, protected me, or hid me would suffer. But I am not here to be helped, or protected, or hidden! I am here to fight!"
Sen leaned on the railing of the boat and looked over the massive crowd that had gathered before him. He could see a thousand eyes, a hundred cameras, watching his every move. By this time tomorrow the whole world would know what he had said today. That suited him just fine. There was something he wanted the whole world to know.
"My name is Sen," he declared. "I am the Avatar."
END OF INTERMISSION