Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. We are now in the finale of Ageless. So, let's get the show on the road:
Korra was unhappy to say the least. She absolutely hated being left out of the action, and over the past year or so, she had grown use to being constantly at Ryou's side. Now she was dealing with both problems at the same time. Ryou had gone North with Ashe, intending to reclaim the Tome and any parts of the Hong he could find.
Given the fact that the mission required a level of stealth, a field in which Korra was not only lacking but had almost completely disregarded, it was understandable why she had been left behind. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little irritated about the situation. She had basically been left on guard duty back on Air Temple Island, keeping an eye and making sure that Unalaq's men didn't try to come for Tenzin or Jinora again.
Granted, her job was just as important as Ryou's was. Without one of the two airbenders, the Tome was unable to be read by anyone that Unalaq had under his command, and would therefore be next to useless without a translator.
So here she was, strolling around the Island library with her hand resting on her sword hilt while Jinora flipped through the pages of a book. Books had never really been much of an interest to Korra, unless they were training manuals of some sort. Despite that, she found herself looking over the girl's shoulder at the page she was currently looking at.
It was a painting, depicting a black dragon as it unleased fire from it's maw upon a group of fleeing warriors. Sitting atop the dragon's back was a figure in black armor with a shining katana held aloft over it's head, either raised in victory or in the middle of a strike. Behind the figure and dragon were other riders and dragons, unleashing what could only be described as hell upon their enemy.
"It's a historical epic I've been reading, it's called the Wrath of the Riders," Jinora said, providing an answer to the Avatar's unasked question.
"What's it about?" she asked, looking closer with a sense of curiosity.
"It's about the Battle of Red Sand Island, Chin the Lesser tried to invade the island and take it from the Fire Nation," Jinora answered. Not being a student of history, Korra just gave the girl an owlish look. Jinora let out a sigh.
"You've heard of Chin the Conquer, right?"
"Yeah, he was the warlord Kyoshi let fall off of a cliff," Korra answered, remembering this particular part.
"Chin the Lesser was his son. After Kyoshi died, he tried to use to absence of the Avatar in order to reestablish his father's empire. It seemed like he was going to be as unstoppable as his father was, until he invaded Red Sand Island and was attacked by the Riders," Jinora explained.
"And what's this?" Korra asked, pointing to an inscription at the bottom of the page.
Storm clouds, Fire and Steel.
Death from above, make the enemy kneel.
Gleaming armor and wings.
Death from above, it's an army of kings.
"A poem, a hymn. No one knows who wrote it," the girl answered. Korra's eyes drifted from the inscription back up to the black rider. The armored figure reminded her of Ryou, from his position on the dragon's back to the way he held his sword. With that realization, Korra went back to being aggravated with him.
"I bet he's having more fun then I am," she muttered under her breath.
There's something odd about humanity that I've noticed over the years. Every generation has it's own doomsday scare, some event or thing that happens and everyone seems to think that the world as we know it will come to an end. Very rarely are these threats actually worthy of the hype they receive. Mainly it stems from mankind's obsession with it's own mortality, that question that every generation asks; 'are we the last ones?'.
Then, there are situations like this, where literally everything that mankind has accomplished over the past ten thousand years is at risk. They're very, very rare, but they do happen. When they do happen, everything needs to be thrown at it, no holds barred.
Which was what I was doing now.
There weren't any alarms being sounded as I descended upon the Northern City on Ashe's back in the middle of the night. Either Unalaq didn't know I was coming, or I was being led into a trap. My main reason for being here was to recover the Tome, so stealth was probably the way to go. Honestly speaking I didn't care which situation I wound up in, just so long as I could stab someone and let my frustration out.
Ashe touched down on the roof of the Palace with the grace of a small bird, barely making a noise despite her large frame. I silently slipped from her neck, down the side of the building, and in through a window. The presence of the Royal Guard was surprisingly light. I learned from listening in on the few remaining men that the vast majority of them had been shipped to the actual North Pole itself for whatever project he was working on.
As I sat there, hanging from a pillar waiting for a guard to pass, I decided that whatever Unalaq had planned was going to have to be done without the Tome. The book itself was located in the Chief's office, under the watchful eye of a pair of twins.
Desna and Eska, the son and daughter of the Northern Chief. They were identical to each other in almost every why, both in physical appearance and mannerisms. Hunched over, dark Water Tribe clothing, black hair which hung down to their shoulder blades. Except for some eye liner that Eska wore, it was like they were a pair of clones that were indistinguishable from each other.
"Do you think that Father's plan relies a little too much on this dusty old thing?" Eska asked.
"You question our Father's mission?" her brother asked without looking away from the Time.
"Of course not. It just seems rather foolish to have everything hinge on this one thing," she said.
"Hm. I see your point, sister. However, if what the Ancient One said is correct, then this book holds more secrets then we could imagine," Desna said.
"I don't trust that man. He seems too full of himself," Eska said.
"At least he is not the man cousin Korra has become infatuated with. He shows no respect for any custom or culture," Desna replied. I rolled my eyes. I'd never even properly met these two, and Unalaq's hatred of me had already spread to them. Granted their natural default was to hate everyone they met upon first meeting, but that's neither here nor there.
"I've heard that he's an immortal as well. Perhaps when Father's plan is fully realized, we can extract the secret from him," Eska suggested.
"Or you could just ask him directly," I suggested before dropping from my hiding place. Both of the twins' eyes went wide with shock before they went for their hidden water skins. I already had my blade extended and pointed at them before they could react further, causing them to freeze as I clicked my tounge at them.
"Drop 'em, now," I ordered. Two water skins hit the floor at the same time. With a smirk, I walked forward and collected the Tome with my free hand, closing it and sliding it into my satchel.
"You'll never get out of here in one piece," Eska said.
"That remains to be seen, Princess," I replied as I backed toward the office door. After a moment, I turned and went through the door, determined to slip into the night and get back to Ashe without encountering anything. I got as far as the first corner in the hallway, turning straight into a pair of guards.
"Hey!" I lunged forward, punching one guard in the nose before clubbing the other with the pommel of my sword. The first guard stagged backward, stunned from the blow, while his comrade hit the floor instantly. Before the first guard could recover, I swept forward, turning him around and grabbing him by his jaw. I pulled it hard to the side, snapping his neck with one fluid motion.
I was running again before the body hit the floor. A whip of water snapped near my head, causing me to skid to a halt and assume a ready stance. Both of the twins stood at the far end of the hallway with tendrils of water poised like snakes ready to strike.
"Give. It. Back," Desna said.
"Come get it," I replied. He snapped his whip toward me, turning it into a razor sharp blade of ice at the last second. I brought my blade up in a blocking motion, shattering the ice with a single blow. Without waiting for a counter, I turned and began to run. Another guard appeared before me, his hand flying toward his waist where his water skin was.
I grabbed his arm as I turned him and rolled across his back. The momentum pulled his arm with me, yanking his body upright as his arm was dragged down and behind him. Three sickening thwacks filled the air behind me, causing me to glance back. Eska had fired three spikes of ice at me, all of which had imbedded themselves in the guard's chest, turning him into a human shield. I released my grip on the man's arm, allowing him to fall to the floor.
Taking off at a sprint again, I made it to the next corner, only to skid to a halt when I saw who was waiting for me at the far end of the hallway. The same build, same white hair, same highly decorated Jian sword which was drawn yet resting at his side. Yursi didn't look any different then the last time I had seen him, except for the white bandages that bound his upper torso.
"Desna. Eska. Stand down. I will deal with him myself," the immortal commanded. Despite clearly wanting to do the opposite, both of the twins obeyed and lowered their water whips.
"Didn't get enough in the pass?" I asked.
"I could ask the same thing of you," he replied. I raised my sword, and he raised his. The two blades tapped each other, the sound of metal scrapping against metal filled the hall. At the same time we moved, the two blades smashing into each other through a series of arcs and twists. We pivoted back and forth on our feet, neither one of us gaining the upper hand in our deadly dance.
Our stances were the more graceful dueling style of fencing, rather then the heavy blows of battlefield combat. We moved like wealthy noblemen fighting over honor rather then the forged in fire warriors we actually were. Quick glances and parries, not heavy blows.
"Hm, the style of the dragon. I haven't seen since before the war," he mused.
"Oh, you know this style?" I asked, unsurprised. Given his age and experience, I could only imagine what he knew in terms of fighting.
"Very well. Many members of the Riders used it when Sozin's Purge commenced. Needless to say, I am well versed in how to defeat it," he answered before raising his blade.
"You were there when Agni fell?" I asked, this time with genuine surprise.
"I was. They called me the Sword of Sozin," he answered. I felt my eyes grow to the size of saucers. The Sword of Sozin was an armored specialist that had been sent in by the Fire Nation military when they had purged the Dragon Riders. Many men and dragons alike had died by his hand that day.
"You saw the Fall, didn't you. Tell me, how did you survive when all your brothers and sisters of the sky did not?" he continued. Rage coursed through me, and with a yell I clashed our blades together. Yuesi was forced backward from the force of the attack. He hadn't expected me to suddenly switch fighting styles, but he adjusted quickly regardless and was able to fend me off.
"Oh struck a nerve, did I" he taunted. My response was to break his nose with my fist. He reeled back with a cry, blood flying as he went. Seeing my chance, I disengaged and broke into a run. I didn't have time to fight him, I had a mission to complete. He'd get his when the time came. Behind me I heard his muffled yells as he ordered the twins to go after me.
Sliding around a corner, I bit my teeth into my bottom lip and let out a whistle. Ahead of me, the hallway ended in a large window. I sprinted straight at it, having no intention of changing direction or speed. The hair on my neck stood on end, and I dropped to my knees and slid across the floor. Several shards of ice flew over my head and shattered the window. I could hear the snarl of frustration from the twins as they had missed their target.
Without slowing down in the slightest, I plowed through what remained of the window, straight out over a several story drop. I didn't have to fall for long as Ashe suddenly appeared beneath me. In an instant I wasn't falling, but rather flying. We arched up into the night, circling back past the palace window as we turned south. The twins and Yusei were watching from the window. There was a look of rage plastered on the white haired man's face.
Rather than gloat, which was highly tempting by the way, I hunkered low and encouraged Ashe to fly faster. The more distance we put between ourselves and them, the better. We didn't get far, as a blast of faint amber colored light hit Ashe. She let out a bellow of pain before nose diving toward the ice plains below. I let out a scream, clinging to the dragon's back.
We plowed into the snow, and I was thrown like a rag doll over her head. I landed on my face, and everything went dark.
When I came to, I realized that I had been tied to a tree in the middle of a snowbound forest. Both of the twins were on either side of me, each holding an ice spike to my throat should I make an attempt to escape. Pacing back and forth before me was Unalaq, his arms clasped behind his back as he went. Beyond him was Yuesi, with his arms raised out before him as he chanted in some language.
"Where is my dragon?" I asked.
"Secure," was the only answer I got. I felt a snarl of anger work its way up my throat.
"You had better kill me if you have any intention of making out of this alive," I growled.
"Arrogant, as usual," Unalaq replied before halting and looking at me. I ignored him and focused on the white haired man. With a start, I realized that he reading from the Tome. I shouldn't I have been surprised that he was able to read it. He'd been so confident in getting his hands on the damn thing I'd mistaken it for foolhardy arrogance. It was arrogance alright, just the kind that he knew he could back up.
"You should count yourself lucky, Ryou. You will witness the dawn of a new age," Unalaq said.
"How many will have to die when your new age comes, Unalaq? The last era was a time of fear for mankind. You'd both see that returned without a second thought," I said.
"I will see humans and spirits reunited. This new era will be one of peace!"
"You're a fool. Humans are violent by nature. All it takes is one incident against the spirits, and then it'll be wholesale slaughter on mankind. That's what your new age offers, Unalaq, darkness and death!" I spat. At that moment, a pillar of light erupted from the ground at Yusei's feet and shot skyward. Everyone else watched in awe, while I struggled against my restraints in an effort to get free.
"The portal is open. We must hurry if we are to open the other one before the Convergence begins," the white haired man said.
"You're right. The Hong, quickly," Unalaq said, turning to his children. Desna tossed him a large canvas bag, which he caught with ease. I struggled harder, knowing that things really where on a razors edge now.
"Make sure he does not escape," the northern chief ordered, pointing at me before both he and his companion passed into the pillar of light. For a few heartbeats, there was only silence.
"You do realize you just handed over the end of the world as we know it, right?" I asked. In a flash, Desna was in my face, an ice dagger held to my jugular.
"Our father is a great man. He will lead us into a new age of peace," he hissed.
"Yeah, an age that's possible because everyone is dead," I replied without a hint of fear anywhere. Desna pursed his lips before turning away in a huff of anger. I simply shook my head and went back to trying to get free. Soon after, I realized that something was off about the way things were around me.
It took me a little bit of studying, but I realized what was wrong. Time had frozen. Literally everything had ground to a halt, froze in place, yet I was still able to move freely. I frowned, knowing full well whom was responsible for something like this. He came walking amongst the trees in his monk attire with his hands held in a reverence position in front of him and his head bowed.
"You seem like you need some assistance," The Observer said.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"To ensure that all the pieces are in place when the great game begins," he answered as he walked over and placed a hand on my restraints. In an instant they were gone, turned to ash. I gave him a look of confusion.
"I don't understand, I no longer have your Mark," I said.
"You are more than just a Mark Bearer, Wanderer. You are my Harbinger," he explained.
"Are you telling me that stupid prophecy is true?" I asked.
"In a way. You'll find out for yourself soon enough. Now, I have a game to play with my sister," he answered, flipping a Pai Sho tile into the air like a coin before vanishing. Time returned to normal, and I moved before the twins could react. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were on the ground, unable to move due to their chi being blocked.
I gagged and hog tied them before heading toward portal. It was time to end this once and for all.
And cut. As I said at the beginning, the next chapter will be the last of Ageless. As always, I want to hear from you guys. Drop a review, leave a PM, send a telegram, do something to let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.