BOOK ONE

REVOLUTION

CHAPTER THREE

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

ZARYA would be so thrilled when he told her.

Sora knew she wanted to go home. He knew she was tired. After all, she was the only one who had to spend all of her time inside the manor, playing her character non-stop. They had both been hired to work in the Sato estate approximately one year earlier, but his job as a gatekeeper didn't require him to live on the site, hers was a live-in position. He got to go home at the end of the day, she didn't. He thought she would like hearing that his plan had worked, that after all this time they knew where the princess was cowering, and that they were closer than ever before to fulfilling their mission. If only they could figure out where the Avatar was hiding, now that the Sato lady had sent him away from the manor. Sora had a plan for that, too, but that would have to wait. First, Zarya. He wanted to see her smile again.

He found her in one of the studies, being forced to polish pieces of furniture that were already impeccably clean. When she saw him, he thought her eyes lit up for a moment before they filled up with concern again. She had been doing that for a while every time she saw him. First, excitement; a split second later, apprehension. Fear, almost. He hoped she was just cautious.

She gestured him to close the door behind him and he did.

"Did someone see you?" she asked.

"I don't know, I was too excited to be careful."

"What are you talking about?"

"It worked."

She knew what he meant. The expression on her face was a mix of surprise and intrigue. But not happiness, unfortunately. He really hoped she was just cautious.

"So, you know where the Princess is hiding?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "A small town in the north called Xueshan."

"Is that where she's been all this time? Since she ran away?"

"I don't know and I don't care. That's where she is now, right? She's probably living under a fake name but Reiki and Aomi can sniff her out."

"Have you sent them after her already?"

"I'll do that as soon as I leave work today."

She nodded. Her gaze was distant, her brain thinking ahead. "We finally know where the princess is," she whispered, more to herself than to him. There was finally satisfaction in her words. It made him happy. Until her mind immediately jumped to their next problem: "But now the Sato lady sent the Avatar somewhere we don't know." After a sigh, she continued: "We need to know where both of them are because we need to get them at the same time."

"I know, I know," he said before adding with a smile, "But I think I know how we can figure that out."

"I'm listening," she said.

"Sato wouldn't risk telling anyone outside her circle about the Avatar, right? And she wouldn't leave him alone, either. So there's actually very few places where he could be. He's gotta be staying with one of her friends. Maybe the old man or maybe Beifong. Think about it. I'm going to investigate that today, since both of them are here and their homes will be empty."

His logic was flawless. He could tell that she agreed by the slight nod she offered him.

"Okay. Figure that out if you can," she finally said, a bit more coldly than he would have liked.

"Will do," he replied.

"You should go," she continued. "My interview with the lady is in half an hour."

"All right," Sora said. He leaned into her for a goodbye kiss, but she backed away. He was stunned for a moment.

"Not here," she explained.

Right, that made sense. They weren't even supposed to be alone in one of the studies, anyway. Her caution was probably for the best. If he had been alone, he would have probably blown his cover and gotten caught a long time ago. Thanks to her, he held out long enough until the opportunity of finding the Avatar and the princess presented itself. He couldn't wait to see what she was like pressure-free, when they returned home and got to live their life. The time was coming. Their mission would be over soon. Turning around, he left her alone in the study. She continued working like he'd never been there.

-/-/-

"DID you get a hold of her?" Mako asked, concerned.

Alima sat behind the huge desk of her office, with Mako and Lengyun sitting opposite her, on two huge armchairs that she had imported from Ba Sing Se. She was briefing them on the talk she had just had with Akiko. As much safety as she tried to convey in her voice, concern was splattered across their faces.

"Yeah, she's fine. I talked to her and to her bodyguard, they'll keep an eye out," Alima replied.

"Does she only have one bodyguard? Are we sure that's enough?" he asked.

"He was chosen by Master Laziri himself," she explained. "Plus, I don't think there's any reason to panic just yet. They don't know where I sent Navid, and Akiko has constant protection. My priority right now is finding out which one of my employees is the spy before anything dangerous happens."

"Who are you interviewing next?" Lengyun asked.

"I'm almost done talking to the maids," Alima said, her eyes going through a paper on her desk. "Up next is Zarya."

"I know who that is, I'll go get her for you," Mako said, standing up.

"Are you sure, Uncle? I can have someone else fetch her for us," Alima said.

"No, it's fine. I need to walk more, anyway. Doctor says it's good for my hip. I'll be right back."

The elder shut the door behind him, leaving Alima and Lengyun alone in the office.

"Let me ask you something," Lengyun said. "Did you call Prila? Does she know what happened three days ago?"

"I don't wanna worry her," Alima replied. "Plus, I wanna know exactly what's going on before doing anything hasty. We're not even sure what their final goal is yet."

"Her son suffered a murder attempt under our responsibility and we're not gonna tell her?"

"What could she do about it, Lengyun? We are better able to protect him than she is."

Alima could be so blunt sometimes. Her ruthless pragmatism had made her the perfect administrator and businesswoman, keeping Future Industries competitive and expansive for over 20 years, ever since taking over the helm for the elderly Asami. No one would have been better than her at the task of sheltering the new Avatar. But approaching everything with a practical, result-oriented mentality also meant that she wasn't always easy to talk to. Lengyun's father had once said to him in secrecy that growing up with her was like having an overachieving sibling you didn't have much in common with. He could see what he meant.

A few minutes later, the next employee on the list, Zarya, gently opened the door after a knock.

"Ms. Sato? You wanted to see me?" she said.

"Yes. Please, come in," Alima replied, back in her formal self.

While the young maid took her seat, Mako also came back in. Lengyun stood up to offer him his chair, but he declined. "Actually," he explained, "I'm leaving."

"Won't you stay for dinner, Uncle?" Alima asked.

"Thank you, dear, but I won't. I have something I need to do," he said.

"If you waited a bit longer, I could go with you," Lengyun offered.

"Don't you worry about me. I'll call you later tonight. Goodbye," he finished, turning around and shutting the door behind him.

Lengyun went around the desk to be behind Alima so that they both faced the young woman, who looked up at them with a shy, neutral expression.

Offering a professional smile, Alima said: "Let's start."

-/-/-

"YOU can stop now, you've got it," Takashi said, satisfied with what he was hearing.

Navid silently thanked the spirits, because he was exhausted. Takashi was making him do push-ups. According to him, he needed to be able to control and time his breathing in all kinds of situations, even during strenuous physical effort; hence, the workout. Takashi had explained that without proper breath control, there can be no firebending. Navid could already point out several differences between the philosophy behind his new element and that of his native one. With earthbending, it's all about your posture, about how firm you are. With firebending, it's about control. Keeping a cool head in order to control your breath. Controlling your breath in order to control flames eventually. Fire couldn't be bent on instinct or on emotion, the best Firebenders were the most rational ones. It was a little soon to know for sure, but he thought he liked it.

"What comes next?" he asked.

"Calm down. Catch your breath first, you look like you need a minute," Takashi replied.

He was right. The more time Navid spent with Takashi, the less he understood why Lengyun had a problem with him. He was friendly, polite, seemed patient as a teacher, and clearly he was a good bender, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen. Granted, it had only been two days, but in that amount of time, Navid and Lengyun had gotten into five fights back when they started training, and they eventually got along. There had to be more to that story.

"How much of Republic City have you already seen?" Takashi liked to fill spaces with small talk.

"Not a lot, actually. I wanted to go to the spirit portal or to the vine forest, but Alima said that's not a good idea because the spirits would... you know, recognize me."

"Oh, right, that makes sense. But there are still places you can go to, I think. Kyoshi Bridge, Air Temple Island, Avatar Korra Park, the city is really big."

"Are you from here?"

"Born and raised. My family goes back five generations here in the city. Some of my ancestors were among the first settlers who came here after the Republic was founded." He sounded proud. Navid knew that the United Republic of Nations was the youngest of the world's countries, having been founded by Avatar Aang. One of my predecessors, his mind whispered. He just didn't know whether the people from there identified more closely with the Republic itself or with the nation of their element. That answered his question.

"Theoretically, I could learn all the other elements here, right?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, you could, but that's not how things should be done. You're supposed to travel all around the world. In fact, Alima told me her mother specifically wanted that for you, since she didn't get that chance."

Navid then finally asked the question he'd been dancing around:

"Then why am I not in the Fire Nation right now?"

Takashi's expression turned a bit more serious, but not completely. He was looking for the right words, which was a good sign. He wasn't about to tell Navid to just drop it.

"Do you know what an embargo is?" his teacher asked.

"Yeah, I think," he answered. "It's when no one can go to a place, right?"

"No one can go to a place or trade with it or talk to the people there. The Fire Nation has been under an embargo. For the last seventeen years."

"Exactly seventeen?" Navid asked. "That's... that's how old I am."

"I know. That's not a coincidence. It happened right after Avatar Korra died."

Navid processed that information. Seventeen years. His whole life. Everything he had ever seen, done, or experienced happened while that separation was in effect. That was how long Mako hadn't seen his daughter. Something about that didn't feel right. That couldn't be normal. That couldn't be how the nations were meant to live.

"Why?" he asked. "What's the reason for this?"

Takashi was about to answer when suddenly they heard a floorboard creak near the door. Turning their heads in the direction of the noise, for a split second Navid thought he saw movement, someone hiding behind the stands that surrounded the gymnasium.

"Did you see that?" Navid asked.

Takashi didn't answer. Instead, he formed fire daggers in both hands. "Stay back," he said.

His teacher moved toward the stand slowly, his knees slightly bent, anticipating the need for sudden movement. Navid obeyed his order and stayed where he was, assuming an earthbending stance, in preparation for a fight. Takashi got closer and closer to the source of the noise. The wooden stands weren't adjacent to the walls; there was a small gap behind them where someone could hide. Takashi turned the corner, getting his arms in position should the flames in his hands be necessary.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he shouted to whoever was back there, whom Navid couldn't see.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," a cracking voice said. "I'm a student. I study here." A cracking voice which Navid recognized.

"Karnuk?" he asked from where he was.

"Yeah," the voice replied.

Takashi, realizing he wasn't a threat, extinguished the daggers in his hands and stepped back. Karnuk poked his head around the corner, embarrassed and apologetic. "Hi. Sorry for barging in."

-/-/-

NOT many retirees lived in Republic City.

Most of them preferred to move to the south of the United Republic where the weather was warmer and things were less hectic. Sora didn't understand why Mako didn't do the same. He was single and had no family left in the city. He should just leave. His only daughter lived in the Fire Nation, it wasn't like he could see her. He probably resented that fact, but that didn't matter to Sora. None of what those foreigners thought about the Fire Nation mattered, not after what they had done. The only thing that did matter was that Mako's small apartment building had been remarkably easy to break into. Most of the occupants of the other homes hadn't returned from work yet, so the hallways were basically empty. Picking the lock hadn't been hard either. Not for a man with his skills.

Upon entering, he started going through the old man's things, looking for signs that someone else was staying there with him. None of his possessions mattered; Sora wasn't a thief. What he wanted was information. He went to the guest bedroom, and, upon entering, was disappointed to find no signs of an occupant. In fact, the mattress laid bare on the bed; no sheets, blankets, or pillow. Sora opened the wardrobe just to be sure and found it empty. The Avatar wasn't there. Nothing on the rest of the house suggested otherwise, either. No signs of a teenager anywhere. Sora cursed and got ready to leave, but before he did, something in the living room did catch his eye. A picture, very old, that showed a younger Mako alongside a young woman. Probably his daughter. She was pregnant in the picture, and there were two other kids standing in front of them. They all smiled at the camera; three generations of a family. Sora looked at the date scribbled on the bottom right corner: the year was 227 AG. That picture had been taken only months before the Fire Nation cut ties with the rest of the world. Mako kept that in his living room, which meant that he looked at that photo every day. Those kids were probably adults now. Sora wondered if Mako still had hopes of seeing them again.

He shook those thoughts out of his head. That wasn't his concern. He had to prioritize his family, seeing them again. But for that, he needed to complete his mission first. He already knew where the treacherous princess was, and when he had informed Reiki and Aomi, they left for Xueshan immediately, eager to fulfil the other half of their assignment. His was finding the Avatar, who clearly wasn't here. Only one other place where he could be. Exiting the door very carefully, checking to see that the corridor was empty, he left, leaving no evidence that he had been there. When Mako returned home, he would think he had just forgotten to lock it. Sora headed out and then towards his next destination: Lengyun's apartment.

-/-/-

"THIS is Karnuk," Navid said awkwardly, introducing his teacher to his newest acquaintance.

"Nice to meet you," Karnuk then said, stretching his hand to enthusiastically shake Takashi's.

"Okay... may I ask what you're doing here?" the Firebender asked, still a little surprised.

"I was just stopping by to say 'hello' to Navid, really," he said, asking him for help with his eyes.

"He's..." Navid said, "a friend of mine. I mean, we met a couple days ago, but, yeah."

"Alright, then," Takashi said, his suspicions appeased. "You're probably wondering what we were doing training together, since he and I don't bend the same element..." he then said, trying to come up with an explanation.

"Of course you do, he's the Avatar," Karnuk said very nonchalantly, before Navid had time to stop him. When Takashi's expression turned to shock, he added: "Oh, you hadn't told him I know?"

"Sifu, I'm so sorry," Navid said. "I swear it was an accident. I know no one is supposed to know, I totally didn't mean to..."

"That's okay," his teacher said, interrupting him. "Navid, it's fine. I was trying to cover it up because I thought he didn't know, but if he already does, that's fine. Look, keeping you a secret is Alima's decision. I'm just following her orders. But if you ask me, I think your identity belongs to you. You should be able to decide who you tell or don't tell. It's not a problem to me." Navid was liking his new teacher more and more by the minute. "Sorry, I never told you my name," he then said to Karnuk, "I'm Takashi."

"A Firebender named Takashi?" Karnuk replied. "Don't tell me you're the Takashi, from TV."

His teacher blushed and let out a slightly embarrassed laugh. Navid had no idea what they were talking about, but Karnuk got really excited.

"Holy turtle seal, it is you! Takashi Thunder!" he exclaimed.

"That's your last name?" Navid asked.

"No," he answered. "It's a stupid nickname I had."

"Navid, why didn't you tell me your firebending teacher was a pro-bending legend?" Karnuk asked. "Your team was the best of all time! You guys won five championships in a row! You gotta sign my... I'll find something for you to sign!" he said, before turning to his backpack and going through the mess in there.

"You were the Firebender in Lengyun's team," Navid said, the epiphany helping to explain a lot. "You guys were teammates."

"Yeah, we were," Takashi replied. "Why? He didn't... tell you?"

"No," Navid answered. "He just told me you guys met when you were my age, but he didn't tell me you played together."

"Oh, Lengyun..." Takashi said with a disapproving sigh right when Karnuk returned with a cap and a pen and asked for an autograph. The Firebender gladly signed it.

"Thank you so much! Dude, I've got Takashi Thunder's autograph!" Karnuk exclaimed in celebration.

"You're welcome. Listen, why don't you guys go hang out for a bit, take a walk or something. Navid and I were about to take a break anyway. I'll see you back here in thirty minutes, alright? Maybe your friend can show you around the Academy so you don't get lost again."

Navid would have more than a few things to say to Lengyun when he saw him again, but for now, that sounded like a plan. Karnuk offered to take him to the cafeteria so they could eat something, which sounded like a great idea. Spending time with someone who knew he was the Avatar but wasn't a master or a mentor was new for Navid. There were very few people in the world who knew that about him, which sometimes made it feel like a taboo. Talking to and hanging out with Karnuk had an almost destigmatizing effect. It gave Navid a sense of normalcy he didn't often get to feel. He could get used to that.

As the two boys walked, Navid realized that the initial shock of finding out he was the Avatar had faded and now Karnuk talked to him more normally, or at least so he thought. He had never been to Omashu, and wanted to know what it was like, since apparently the fame of the city's delivery system had reached the North Pole.

"Is it true it can be used as a super slide?" he asked.

"That's probably just an urban legend," Navid replied, wondering how a myth like that got started.

"Shame," Karnuk answered. "In the Water Tribe, everything is extremely slippery. You know, cause it's made of ice."

Winters in the central regions of the Earth Kingdom, where Omashu was, were extremely mild, and Navid still hated them. He couldn't fathom the thought of a place that was permanently frozen.

"I know water is my last element, but I'm already dreading the idea of having to go live in the North or the South Pole. I'm gonna freeze to death. I do not handle cold weather very well," he said.

"You get used to it after a while," Karnuk replied.

The two crossed the huge campus of the Academy of the Republic, to the food parlour, and sat at a table after being served quite a generous amount of food. Apparently, all students had free access to the cafeteria. Navid had a bad habit of not realizing how hungry he was while training. Only when he stopped could he actually hear his stomach grumbling. After Takashi had given him the break, he noticed he was absolutely famished, probably from the workout.

"So, what's it like bending more than one element?" Karnuk asked.

"I don't know yet," he replied. "I've only ever bent earth and I just started firebending training yesterday. I haven't made any flames yet. Takashi's going over some basics with me first."

"It must be so awesome to be able to do that. Man, you have, like, the coolest job in the world." Upon seeing Navid's unenthusiastic shrug, he added: "You don't seem to agree with me."

"It's not that, it's just... you know, it's an important job. I don't wanna screw up."

"Oh," Karnuk said, assenting, "well, you're learning from the best teacher out there. Takashi was amazing when he was a player. His whole team was legendary, I remember watching their matches when I was little. Do you watch pro-bending?"

"Not really. But if you were their fan, you should know Lengyun taught me earthbending." Immediately after saying that, Navid realized he had done so way too casually. Karnuk's brain seemed to be short-circuiting:

"You learned from the Stone Canon, too?"

"Are all sports nicknames awful?"

"You gotta introduce us. I need his autograph, too!"

"I don't think he's gonna be as level-headed as Takashi was about you knowing who I am."

"Why is it a secret, anyway? Why not just tell everyone?"

"Well, because my training isn't complete yet. I've still got three more elements to learn. I shouldn't sign up for the job before I'm actually able to do it, right?" That logic worked for Navid. Although it hadn't been his idea, he enjoyed the anonymity. He didn't like pressure, and the most important role in the world probably came with a lot of it. The longer he could postpone that, the better. Eager to stop talking about himself, he asked: "What about you? What brings you to Republic City? Why'd you leave the North Pole?"

"Oh, I'm here to study philosophy in college," Karnuk replied, full of sarcasm.

"Right. Yeah, sorry for lying to you."

Laughing it off, he continued: "We moved because of my dad. He's a professor, and he got a job at Republic City University. So we came here."

"Wow, your dad's a professor? No wonder you get to train here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this place is so fancy. Probably expensive. I assume not everyone can afford to study here."

"What are you talking about? There's no tuition. This place is free."

Free? Anyone could go? Navid couldn't believe that. Back in the Earth Kingdom, the bending schools were only accessible to a few, and people like him could very well live their whole lives without ever learning to properly control the abilities they had been born with. He had just assumed things worked the same way in the United Republic, but apparently not.

"You have to pay to learn your own element in the Earth Kingdom?" Karnuk asked.

"Uh... yeah. What about in the North Pole?"

"It's the same as here. Dude, that's crazy that you guys do that," Karnuk said. From his perspective, doing things the other way was insanity. Navid was beginning to understand how important it was that, as the Avatar, he visited all the nations so as to learn how each one of them saw things. Having never left the Earth Kingdom before, his world view was bound to be narrow. He thought about the Fire Nation again. Hopefully he'd get to go there one day.

"You must be an amazing Waterbender, then," he said. "You've been training for years, right? Both in the North Pole and here."

"I don't know about 'amazing', but yeah, I've been training since I was little. I wanna become a master soon and put my bending to good use."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm the first bender to be born in my family in like, six generations or something. I know it sounds silly, but I think there's gotta be a reason for that. I wanna use it, use it well. I think my dad wants me to be a scholar like him, though." Now that he was actually talking to him, Navid thought Karnuk sounded a lot less childish than the first impression he gave. He had a clear goal, and not everyone could say that. "You get to do that times four, which is absolutely bonkers to me."

Navid sighed. He wished he could be that excited.

"Yeah, the part with the elements is cool, I guess. The part that no one tells you about is what comes with them."

"What are you talking about?"

Navid was certain Alima would be furious if she knew he was talking so openly to someone she didn't even know. But something Takashi said had resonated with him. His identity belonged to him. So did his story. He could tell if he wanted.

"Some people tried to kill me earlier this week."

Karnuk took a second to process that. "For real?" Upon Navid's nod, he added: "Shit, that's how you got those burns, right? Aw, man, I didn't know, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I got away. But... it's a bit messed up that someone would wanna do that to me just because I can bend more elements."

"Totally."

"Yeah."

What a way to put a huge damper on a conversation. Fortunately, Karnuk didn't seem to be the type to dwell on dark thoughts for too long. Soon, the topic changed to something lighter. Then it changed again, then once more. At times, they almost choked on their own food with laughter and at others they went back to serious stuff. When you're the Avatar, unusual conversations become the norm. A regular interchange like this was the exception in Navid's case, and he enjoyed every second of it. His identity was meant to be kept a secret, but right now, he couldn't be happier it had gotten out.

The thirty minutes they had flew by. As usual, Navid didn't realize how badly he needed a break, not just in the literal sense. Ever since he'd been told he was the Avatar, over a year earlier, he had been thinking about trainings and responsibilities almost non-stop. It was a huge relief to have the chance to be talking about anything else, really, to be hearing someone else's story for a change. This was nice.

"I should probably go back," he said.

"I'll go with you so you don't end up in the girls' locker room or something," Karnuk replied, making another joke.

"Hey! Just because I'm bad at directions, doesn't mean I can't read the signs!"

The banter meant the beginning of a potential friendship that Navid was hoping to nurture, even if it would probably be disapproved of by the people taking care of him. Another secret he would have to keep. He was happy Takashi didn't mind. Now that he was thinking about it, Navid realized it made sense, since he wasn't directly related to Avatar Korra's old circle of friends and allies. He was just filling in for Mako's daughter Naoki who couldn't be there, so it figured that he was more flexible with Alima's rules. His connection to her was through the team he and Lengyun were a part of. Navid was so mad that Lengyun hadn't even mentioned that. He had a few things he wanted to ask Takashi, but when he and Karnuk got back to the training area where they previously were, he wasn't there.

Instead, Mako was waiting for them.

"Hello, there," the elder said.

"Hi, Mako," a confused Navid replied. "What are you d-"

"Nice to meet you," the old Firebender said to Karnuk, interrupting Navid. The other teenager replied politely and bowed, introducing himself. "I'm glad to see you're making friends, Navid."

"Yeah, thanks. Um, where is Takashi?"

"He called me and asked if I could pick you up. He needed to leave, he had an emergency."

"Is everything okay?"

"According to him, yes. He asked me to say he'll see you again tomorrow. But he needed to leave. It couldn't wait."

-/-/-

LENGYUN Beifong lived in an apartment building a few blocks away from the oceanfront.

It wasn't a luxury condo or anything, but it was significantly more stylish than Mako's. Or at least, that's what Sora thought when he first got in, having had little trouble picking his lock as well. Stealth had always been one of his top skills, ever since he'd begun training back home, years earlier. His instructors often praised him and his ability to go unnoticed, saying it would be very useful in whatever assignments he received. They weren't wrong. Investigating Alima Sato's friends to figure out which one of them was hosting the teenager had required him to employ those abilities. Fortunately, the Earthbender was still at the Sato manor, and the apartment was empty.

But unlike Mako's home, this one had what Sora was looking for.

The two unwashed teacups in the sink were the first clue. Excited, Sora walked right past the living room and headed for the hallway with its four doors. The first one was the trophy room. Beifong's titles from his previous career as a star athlete sat there, gathering dust. He wondered if the man even cared that they were there. The other door was the main bedroom, which was obviously occupied by the owner of the place. Third door was a bathroom, which only left the guest room. This had to be it. There was a part of Sora that desperately needed this to be the right place, because he didn't have any idea where else to look if the Avatar wasn't here. But when he opened the door, his suspicions were confirmed.

A half-unpacked suitcase on the floor, an unmade bed, a hairbrush on the nightstand; all the signs of recent occupation. Approaching the bag for closer inspection made every last trace of doubt disappear from his mind: those clothes belonged to a teenage boy, alright. Between T-shirts and pants, Sora also found an item that didn't look like it fit there: a bright blue leather armband with motifs that seemed much more Water Tribe than Earth Kingdom. It took him a few seconds to realize what that was and what it was doing there. Of course. That armband had belonged to the boy, just not in this life. Sora interpreted that as a sign from the spirits. The Avatar never died, not permanently. It was a cycle. He was being told that his path was a righteous one and that he shouldn't feel bad for what he was about to do; the boy would be reborn anyway. Sora put the armband in his jacket, as that would be very useful when he went back home.

The particular set of skills he possessed had made him an indispensable asset in the team that the High Command of the Fire Army had put together some fifteen months earlier. The original plan had been to select three of the top students of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, appointed by the Headmistress herself, as the Academy's graduates were known throughout the Fire Nation for their prowess. But after three outstanding young firebending prodigies had been selected, High Commander Irma had insisted on including a fourth member in the team, and she personally vouched for Sora. Not that he was the first of the Yuyan Archers to be known for his deadly aim, but he also had the advantage of coming from a long line of herbalists whose knowledge extended well beyond medicinal uses. His parents and great-parents hadn't been celebrated like they deserved, though, as previous monarchs had outlawed their traditional practices, following the footsteps of Fire Lord Zuko. But since the Rupture, the ban had been lifted, and his family was rekindling those ancient and nearly-lost traditions. That tipped the scales in his favour, and he was selected to be the final member of the team that would infiltrate the United Republic, kill the Avatar and the exiled princess Akiko, and restore the honour and prestige of the Fire Nation. The time to use those skills had come.

Taking out the portable utensils he had brought with him, he started concocting the poison that would accomplish what Reiki and Aomi had failed to do a few days earlier. It wasn't an easy thing to do. The mixture needed to be strong enough to kill him before the teenager's body activated the Avatar State in a desperate attempt to survive. That would actually be the worst possible outcome. However, it also needed to be imperceptible, so that he wouldn't be alarmed upon entering the room and leave. The liquid was to be sprayed on a few surfaces in the room in quantities small enough to not cause any visible wetness, but large enough to be lethal. Sora had practised many times how to reach the perfect balance, and he had prepared many vials of the venom. He couldn't bring any of them, though, as the liquid needed to be fresh to be effective. He had also never used it. The Avatar would be his first guinea pig.

When the poison was ready, Sora put on his mask and sprayed it on every object likely to touch the boy's face. Pillows, towels, clothes. Visually, they looked exactly the same before and after the spray had been applied, but the truth was that they were now as deadly as the fangs of a cat viper. Packing his things, Sora got ready to leave. He didn't know when Lengyun or the Avatar would be back, but he didn't want to take any chances. However, his luck seemed to have run out when he heard the front door being opened very, very slowly. From where he was, inside the guest bedroom, he couldn't peek into the hallway without being seen by whoever was out there, so he stayed as quiet as he could and listened, feeling his weapons in his pockets and in the folds of his clothes. The person took careful steps: one, two. It couldn't be Lengyun, because why would he be walking like that in his own house? The person on the other side of the door knew someone was in there. When Sora heard the door of the trophy room being pushed open, he knew he had a slim window of opportunity. He pulled out one of his blades, checked that it contained a tiny amount of knock-out potion, opened the door and threw it at the figure he saw down the hall.

The projectile hit the man in the neck and he let out a scream before taking his hand to the point of contact. Before passing out, he managed to throw a fire punch at Sora, who dodged it as the strange man collapsed to his knees and then lost consciousness. Sora had no idea who he was. Upon closer inspection, though, he noticed his clothes looked like a military uniform and that was not good at all. He quickly got the rest of his things, erasing all evidence he had been there, and headed to the door. This could ruin everything. When Lengyun got home and saw an unconscious person on the floor, he would know something was wrong. Damn it. Right now, though, Sora had to leave. He opened the front door, but when he turned around to close it, he was surprised to see the other man was right behind him:

"Going somewhere?" he said before firebending at him.

Ducking just in time, Sora felt the heat on the top of his head as he squatted on pure reflex, not understanding how that was possible. How was he resisting the toxin? He should've been out cold. Even though Sora didn't understand, that didn't mean he wouldn't fight back. Launching himself towards the Firebender, he used his body weight to push him back and they both fell. He pulled out one of his many hidden blades and used it to pierce the bender's left sleeve to the floor, pinning him down. The other man swung his free hand, throwing a horizontal circle of flame at Sora, who somersaulted forward to avoid it and ran to the door again, hoping this time his opponent would stay down. He needed to get away from that apartment immediately, or else he would risk ruining everything.

He ran to the stairs and got down the steps as fast as he could. He was able to put a little bit of distance between him and the Firebender, who was probably struggling to get free. When he was almost at ground floor, he looked up and saw him starting to pursue him. He had ripped off the sleeve of his shirt in order to come after Sora. Determined, the bender skipped over the handrail and threw himself down the shaft, shooting flame propellers out of his soles to cushion his fall. They got to the ground floor almost at the same time, and Sora threw more of his miniature knives and blades at the bender, who was quick enough to hide behind a pillar to avoid getting hit.

Sora shoved past the few people on the lobby as he ran for his life in order to get away. He heard the man behind him yelling "stop". Sora hurled another blade at him, but this time he dodged it and immediately used one foot to push himself off the reception counter and, while spinning in the air, generated flame with the other leg. Forced to dodge the blaze, Sora ducked and allowed the blast to go over his head, hitting the door behind him and setting it on fire. Before Sora could pull out another one of his weapons, the bender had caught up to him and wrestled him to the ground, and the two of them rolled.

"Let go of me!" Sora yelled.

"You're under arrest!" the man said as he tried to restrain him and bring out handcuffs.

"You're a disgrace to real Firebenders," Sora said, unable to contain his anger. He was doing a service to the nation that birthed firebending and this man was using that very same art to try and stop him. Sora got a good look at the guy for the first time. His white skin and gold eyes would make him go completely unnoticed in the Fire Nation, but his despicable behaviour was evidence he was from the United Republic. Sora needed to get free before he got handcuffed. If he got caught, he would ruin the mission for everyone. He would ruin it for Zarya. Using his knee to hit his attacker in the stomach, he managed to free his arm for a brief moment which he used to pull another dart from inside his jacket. But before he could stab him, the man breathed fire against his hand, burning it and making Sora drop the weapon as he yelled in pain. Pinned to the ground by his opponent's elbow, Sora couldn't do anything as the man then took his own dart and injected it into Sora's neck, forcing the potion into his body. Sora tried to stay awake, but he knew there was nothing he could do against his own creation. Before his eyelids closed, suddenly unable to bear their own weight, he noticed the streak of grey hair on his attacker's head. When he woke up, the mission would be over. He had failed. Zarya's face was the last image his brain managed to conjure before he passed out completely.

-/-/-

THE day had been massively unproductive.

Lengyun and Alima had spent all day interviewing each and every one of her employees. Lengyun was certain it wouldn't work before they were even halfway done, but he also couldn't leave her. If she was right and one of them was dangerous, a fight could have occurred and he didn't want her to be alone. But nothing happened. Everyone had answered all her questions calmly and there were no inconsistencies in any of what they had said. At the end of the day, Alima was so frustrated Lengyun thought she might actually cry, although he had never seen her do that. Despite his best efforts to comfort her, she wasn't having any of it. After thanking him for the help, she retired to her chambers and promised to call him if she had other ideas.

As he drove back home, Lengyun wondered if she was wrong and there wasn't a spy in her house. She wasn't wrong very often, though, and in that case, maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave her there alone. But where could he take her? He couldn't even imagine her leaving her mansion to go hide for a few days in his apartment, which to her was probably as tiny as a...

His head didn't finish that thought. When he turned the corner of his block, he had to stop the car. The fire department had cordoned off the street. His street. Stepping out of the car, Lengyun saw a fire truck right outside his building. With their ladders in position, Waterbenders did their best to control the raging flames that came out of one of the floors. It took Lengyun a few minutes to recover from the shock of realizing that it wasn't just any apartment that was being destroyed by flames. It was his.