Aang jerked up into a sitting position, chest heaving. Sweat dampened his chest and he felt cold. He looked around and saw he was back in Iroh's guest room, though he only had a vague recollection of getting there. How long was I out this time? He had no way of knowing.

Toph lay curled up in a ball on the narrow bed. Her eyes were closed but her breath was uneven and labored. Aang could see the strained set of her mouth. In her sleep, she let out a whimper.

Aang pushed himself to his feet. His body had stopped aching, but he felt heavy somehow, as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Early morning light filtered in weakly through the window. It was dull and gray. Aang idly wondered if it was going to rain. He turned toward the door, wondering if Iroh was awake yet and wondering what he would have to do next (although he knew in the pit of his gut what was to come), but he was stopped by movement behind him.

"Aang, no!"

Aang turned back. Toph's eyes were screwed shut and her face was a twisted mask of grief. One hand was extended, reaching out for something—or someone—in her dream.

"You don't have to do this!" Toph cried out. Tears glittered in the hollows of her eyes.

"Toph!" Aang knelt beside her and gently shook the earthbender. "Hey, Toph, wake up."

Toph woke with a startled gasp and propped herself up on her elbows. Her chest rose and fell with sharp breaths. Her unseeing eyes turned toward him.

"Aang?" Her voice was small and hoarse and very un-Toph-like. She reached out, and her fingers fell on his face. Aang pressed his hand against her fingers. Her other hand found purchase on the other side of his face.

"Aang, it's really you. You're here." To his surprise, she threw her arms around him as she released a shaky breath.

"It's okay. You're okay, Toph." Aang swallowed hard as he cautiously hugged her back. Whatever her nightmare had been, it must have been bad. "You were having a bad dream."

She exhaled another breath and pulled back. Suddenly, she was back to her normal self. Toph dragged her hand down her face. She rubbed her fingertips together and frowned at the dampness she felt there. "Yeah well, what's new there?"

Aang hesitated for a moment. He wanted to ask her about it. She said my name. He looked at her, at the unpleasant scowl still creasing her features. She could pretend all she wanted, but the dream had obviously rattled her.

He inhaled sharply. "In your sleep...you said my name."

She cocked her head in his direction. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

She suddenly sat upright and slammed her feet on the ground. Aang pulled back, wondering if he had pushed her too far. Toph pointed her finger at him.

"Just drop it, Aang." Her voice was low. "Let's just go find Iroh and get this over with."

Before he could say anything else Toph was on her feet and stomping angrily from the room. Aang watched her go for a moment, feeling confused. But he knew better than to push her, and he knew they had more important things to worry about than bad dreams. Besides, he'd had his fair share in the last few weeks.

It was time to go into the Spirit World. The Equinox was only a few weeks away. Aang was running out of time, and he still didn't know how he was going to save Toph. He had been thinking about it during his brief periods of wakefulness. In the moments he drifted in a state of semi-consciousness, where he wasn't quite sure what time it was or where he was. And he dreamt about it while he slept too. His nightmares showed him all of the ways he attempted to save her, but it always ended with Toph dead or with the destruction of the balance. And some even with his own death at the hands of the Conduit. He didn't know what he was going to do. And it infuriated him to no end. He was the Avatar! He was supposed to be better than this. Stronger than this. Why couldn't he come up with a solution?

Aang went out to the sitting room. He could hear Iroh and Toph in the kitchen so he followed the muted sounds of their voices until he leaned against the doorway. Iroh was fixing tea, but he wasn't his usual cheerful self. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set into a tense line. Toph leaned against the washbasin with her arms crossed over her chest, seemingly unperturbed by their mentor's demeanor.

"What's wrong, Iroh?" Aang asked, his tone terse. He wasn't in the mood to play games.

Iroh set the teapot on the iron holder and with a quick point of his fingers, he lit a fire under it. With that done he turned to the young man leaning against the door frame. When Aang saw the troubled look in his eyes he straightened up, a frown creasing his face. This can't be good.

"I received a letter from Princess Ursa early this morning." Iroh's voice was grave, and the old man heaved a heavy sigh. "It seems my worst fears are coming to fruition. Though there was little before this, there is no doubt in my mind now that the prophecy is, in fact, coming true." His amber eyes pierced Aang. "Last night, Princess Ursa and Sokka, along with the help of the Kyoshi warriors, discovered a plot to overthrow my nephew to reinstate his father to the throne."

"What?!" Aang couldn't stop the near-shout that escaped him.

From her position against the washbasin, Toph gasped and stood up straight. Her arms fell to her sides and her hands balled into fists.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" Aang stepped deeper into the room. His heart thundered against his ribs.

Iroh nodded. "Yes, thank Agni. Ursa told me she and Suki suspected someone was sneaking into Zuko's study so Sokka came up with a plan to capture them. It worked."

"Who's the traitor?" Toph demanded to know. She was bristling with rage. "I'll make them regret betraying Zuko. I'll beat them until they're bloody pulps!" Her stance widened and her fisted hands rose, and below them the ground vibrated slightly. "Who is it, Grandmaster?"

Iroh's expression was filled with muted anger. "His Lord Chamberlain, Mal-Chin, among others. The noble ladies whom Mal-Chin proposed as potential brides—they're part of it too, with the exception of Admiral Jee's daughter. As well as the Southern Water Tribe diplomat, Alasie."

Aang's mouth dropped open. "That's horrible, Iroh! How long has this been going on?"

"Ursa is not sure yet. She's arrested Mal-Chin and she told me she's planning on confronting Alasie and the accused noblewomen today before she has them arrested." Iroh sighed heavily. "I am glad I trusted my instincts and requested Sokka stay in the Capital. I am just happy there was not an attempt on Ursa's life."

"Zuko would burn the whole place to the ground," Toph muttered. She turned her sightless eyes on Iroh. "But there's more, isn't there? What aren't you telling us?"

Iroh paused for a moment. Then he slowly turned to Aang. His expression was unreadable.

"Iroh?" Aang prompted. Anxiety crept up his spine.

"Mal-Chin told Ursa that my niece and my brother are behind this." Iroh sighed. "And there's more. It seems Azula has hired a guild of dangerous assassins to do her dirty work. She has sent them after Zuko and Katara." Iroh clenched his jaw, his tawny eyes burning. "The Kage Noshi are an old faction, and very skilled at what they do."

Aang's heart started painfully in his chest. The room suddenly seemed to be spinning and he gripped the edge of a table to steady himself. He could feel his emotions swirling through him like a storm. Beneath that, the undercurrent of his true power was swelling and threatening to break the surface. Aang took a steadying breath. Breathe. Stay calm. Just breathe. Stay calm. Stay. Calm.

"They're going to try and kill them?" Aang asked from between gritted teeth. He looked up into Iroh's stormy amber eyes.

"Once the Kage Noshi have successfully captured the Conduit, yes." Iroh's voice was flat.

Aang's eyes flashed hotly. "So why are we sitting here doing nothing? I have to go save them! We can't just let them—"

"No, Aang." Iroh's tone was stern and stopped the Avatar in his tracks. Aang could sense his rage that bubbled just below the surface. "You must go into the Spirit World. If Azula captures the Conduit, you will need the Sieshin Lord's knowledge more than ever." He inhaled sharply. "If Zuko and Katara do not make it out of the desert, you will need to fulfill your duties as the Avatar."

Aang leveled Iroh with a heated glare. The Grandmaster stared back evenly. The tension in the air was palpable. Aang wanted to argue, to challenge him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had too much respect for the Grandmaster. And deep down...he knew Iroh was right. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

Behind them the teapot whistled, but no one made a move to take it from its holder.

Toph crossed the room and placed herself between the two of them. She planted her hands firmly on her hips and turned her head in Aang's direction. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and forlorn.

"Iroh is right, Aang. We have to do this. We have to trust Zuko and Katara. They'll do what they have to do. And now we have to do what we have to do."

Aang's shoulders slumped as the rage slowly evaporated within him like mist. The pull of the past avatars left him and Aang sighed in resignation. He already knew what Toph had said was correct. Besides, even if he left, there was no guarantee he would make it in time. And how would he be able to find Zuko and Katara out in the vast desert anyway? It was a fool's errand. He had to trust Zuko and Katara. But if Zuko let's anything happen to her…

Aang looked down at Toph. "You're right." He turned to Iroh, and with a newfound vigor, he spoke: "I'm ready to go into the Spirit World."

After a rushed breakfast and tea, both of which they merely picked at, Iroh led them back out into the garden. Aang and Toph followed in stony silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Each knew what was required of the other, but they did not know what was in store for themselves.

I have to find some other way. There has to be another way. But what? Aang peered sideways at Toph. I won't sacrifice her. I won't let her die.

I can't let Aang and the Conduit destroy each other. I don't care what Iroh says. The world needs the Avatar. Toph listened to the uneven beating of his heart. And maybe it needs the Conduit too.

"Sit down facing each other please."

Iroh's voice broke them from their thoughts. Aang realized they had made it to the garden without him even realizing it. Aang and Toph did as they were told and sat cross-legged by the pond. Iroh knelt beside them and gestured for Aang to move closer. Aang scooted until his knees touched Toph's. Her hair obscured her face so he couldn't guess at what she might have been thinking.

Aang wished he could squeeze her hand and offer some words of encouragement, but he was at a loss for words. She didn't know what he was facing in the Spirit World. And he couldn't tell her. He couldn't risk her backing out. But it's not going to happen like that, Toph, Aang mentally told her. I promise. I'm going to figure something out.

"Join your hands like so." He crossed his arms in an X to demonstrate.

Aang took her right hand in his right and her left hand in his left until their arms formed an X that rested between them on their laps.

"Good," Iroh said. "Now clear your minds of everything. Focus within yourselves for your inner balance. Aang, focus on your ties to the Spirit World. Toph, you must focus on Aang. Feel his pull towards the Spirit World. Keep your chakras clear. Do you understand?"

Her voice was cold as ice. "I do."

"Begin."

Aang closed his eyes. For a moment he focused on Toph. Her hands were small and calloused against his. Again he resisted the urge to give them a reassuring squeeze. If she was nervous or afraid, she didn't show it. Aang took a deep breath and slipped into his meditative state. He focused on the sound of his breathing, taking deep breaths through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. In. Out. Push. Pull.

Toph closed her eyes and emptied her mind. She could feel Aang's hands in hers, smooth and cool. Their palms were pressed flat against each other. She heard his steady breathing and mimicked it. In. Out. Push. Pull.

Soon she felt a warmth gather between their enclosed hands. It vibrated with a power Toph had never experienced before. Aang's breathing deepened, and hers did as well. Her head began to buzz like she had stuck her head in a wasp's nest. But the sound wasn't in her ears—it was as if they were in her very skull. The sensation traveled down her neck, to her spine, through her arms, and down to her toes. She could feel Aang's skin buzz with the unseen power as well.

Toph began to feel light, as if she could float away on a strong breeze. Her conscious thoughts slowed and her senses faded out until she could no longer hear her own breathing or feel Aang's hands in hers. It was scary. But she convinced herself that as long as Aang was by her side, she would be alright.

As her consciousness faded, her last thought was fleeting: there's no turning back now.

When Aang opened his eyes and looked around, he immediately recognized the Spirit World. They were in a swampy forest, and the atmosphere was tinged with sepia. The air was still and quiet. He looked beside him and saw Toph sitting there. She glowed iridescent blue and was almost translucent. She had made it. Their hands were still interlocked.

"Toph?"

She raised her head and looked at him. She startled back as a small shriek left her.

Aang frowned, concerned, and reached out for her. "Toph? What's wrong?"

Her eyes were wide. "Aang…" Her voice was filled with wonder. "I can see."

He gasped. "What?"

A grin split her face and her free hand reached out. Her fingertips danced across his cheek as her clear eyes followed the movement. She pressed the palm of her hand to his face. "I can see you." She laughed, a high-pitched, girlish sound. "So that's what you look like."

"You can see?" Aang couldn't stop the smile that split his face. "You can actually see me?"

Toph nodded as she pulled her hand back. "Sure. I mean, I'm sure you look a little different when you're not glowing, but...wow." She looked around, her eyes taking in the landscape. "So this is what it's like to see with your eyes."

"I'm glowing blue."

Her eyes trailed over him in wonder. "Blue. I always hear people talk about it...blue skies, blue water, blue eyes...wow. It's really pretty."

Aang got to his feet and offered her his hand. Toph gave it to him and let him help her up. Aang watched as she looked around in wide-eyed wonder, like a child seeing the world for the first time. The milky sheen that had always covered her eyes was gone. Aang noticed that they were a beautiful shade of peridot green.

Had he known that this would be a side effect of her visiting the Spirit World, he would have found a way to bring her sooner. He had never seen Toph look so...happy, despite the weight of their mission on their shoulders.

"Do you still have your seismic sense?" Aang asked her.

Toph frowned for a moment and concentrated on her feet. Her mouth screwed up in concentration, and then she sighed. "No, I don't think I do." She frowned. "But there's no bending in the Spirit World anyway, is there?"

"No, there isn't, but it doesn't really matter," Aang said to ease her. "Come on. We made it here, but we've still got to find the Sieshin Lord."

"How are we going to find him? The Spirit World is huge, isn't it?"

Aang considered this for a moment, casting his eyes around the forest. "The Sieshin Lord is an old spirit, so he'll be deeper in the forest. Probably further than Koh."

"Koh?"

"The face stealer."

Toph couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her. "That definitely sounds like someone I don't want to meet."

"You're right. You don't." Aang recalled his meeting with the face stealer all those years ago and couldn't help a shiver of his own. "Let's get going. Maybe along the way we'll find someone who knows where we can find him."

"It would've been nice to get some directions from the Mother Willow," Toph grumbled.

"We'll find him," Aang assured her. "I think we're meant to. I think he knows we're coming." He turned from her and set off down an unmarked path with more confidence than he felt.

Toph followed behind him, her eyes taking in all of the things she had touched, heard, and smelled but never saw. Of course, this was the Spirit World and things were different here, but trees were still trees, weren't they? She saw different birds and small creatures of varying colors that flew overhead or scurried through the underbrush.

She studied the back of Aang's head, her eyes following the blue arrow tattoo that disappeared below the collar of his monk's robe. Her eyes trailed down the lanky length of his body and she was surprised to realize how tall he had gotten over the years. At one point he had only been a few inches taller than her, but now she surmised her head barely came up to his shoulders. But they were kids then, and a lot of things had changed.

Toph looked down at herself. She had never known what she looked like, and only ever had the faintest idea of what she was wearing, like the uniform she wore at her school. She had put Botan in charge of designing the uniforms for her students, and had been more than a little surprised when Botan had presented her with a uniform of her own. "Our teacher deserves a uniform too," Botan had said when she gave it to her. Toph had turned away to hide the tears in her eyes. She had run her fingers over the linen pants, leather vest, and silk shirt, and quickly decided it was her new favorite thing to wear.

She was wearing it now. The pants were a dark gray and secured around her ankles with dark green shin guards. Her feet were bare. Her tunic was emerald green, and the leather vest was dark gray and secured around her waist with a black belt that had a green-painted buckle. She also had dark green braces that matched the shin guards. The outfit was as perfect and intimidating as Toph had imagined it to be. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction.

She held her hands up in front of her and studied them, turning them over. Her hands were small, but with wide palms and stout fingers that were calloused from training. She had earthbender hands. For the first time, Toph was able to see where her power flowed from.

Her eyes drifted back to Aang. Seeing him, actually seeing him, only reminded her of what he would have to do. She picked up her pace until she fell into step beside him. Aang looked down at her, but Toph kept her eyes forward as she entwined her fingers through his. She didn't see the shock pass over his face, but he didn't pull back. With her free hand, Toph traced the lines of his arrow tattoo.

"I never knew this is what a tattoo looked like," Toph murmured as her eyes followed the path her fingers were taking.

Aang glanced down. "Well, these are just for airbender masters. There's all kinds of tattoos out there."

"Still." Her fingertips grazed the back of his hand. "Did it hurt?"

Aang snorted. "Oh yeah, it really hurt. It was hard to sit there, because they're done in one session as a...ritual of sorts."

"How are they done?" Toph peered up at him, genuinely curious. Since she had been born blind, Toph had little use for knowledge about things that she couldn't see, with her seismic sense or otherwise. Tattoos were one of them.

Aang grimaced. "Basically, the monks made the ink out of oil, water, and blue pigment, and used a needle to poke it into my skin to make the tattoo."

"Okay, it looks cool, but that definitely doesn't sound pleasant."

Aang chuckled. "It's really not. But it's an honor."

Toph held his hand up so she could look at it closer. She was sure it would look different topside, where he wasn't glowy and blue and nearly translucent. She wished she could carry her sight back to their world, if only so she could look at it more.

Suddenly Aang stopped walking, pulling back on their interlocked hands to stop her. Toph looked around.

"What's wrong, Aang?" Toph didn't see anything. She wished she could use her seismic sense—maybe seeing was overrated after all.

"I feel something," Aang murmured. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set in a tense line. "It's big, whatever it is."

Now Toph could feel it too. There was an ominous weight in the air that had shivers running through her and caused her heart to beat nervously in her chest. "Aang, what is that?"

A shadow passed by them overhead and blocked out the sepia light. Aang and Toph looked up and saw a great black dragon circling above them. It had two heads.

"Nothing good," Aang replied. He didn't take his eyes off the beast.

Toph and Aang watched as the two-headed dragon circled above them, slowly coming toward the ground. It landed in front of them in the small clearing, its weight shaking the ground around them. The dragon towered over them and craned its two necks to inspect Toph and Aang. One set of eyes were blood-red, while the other were violet purple. Aang's mouth went dry as he looked at the familiar eyes.

"So the Avatar has come," said the red-eyed head.

"To destroy our creation," the purple-eyed dragon continued.

"Perhaps we could destroy him first," the red-eyed head quipped.

"But that won't do," the purple-eyed head remarked with a shake of its mighty head.

"Oh no," said the red-eyed dragon, shaking its head. "Our creation must destroy you."

"Who are you?" Aang demanded to know.

"I am Vantu," said the red-eyed dragon.

"And I am Nianzu," the purple-eyed dragon said.

"And we know who you are, and why you have come," they spoke at once.

"You've come to see the Sieshin Lord," Vantu boomed.

"To find out the forbidden knowledge we have kept from you," Nianzu roared.

The raw power in their voices was enough to blow Toph's hair away from her eyes and send them reeling back a few steps.

"But the wheels of fate are starting to turn," Vantu continued.

"And soon it won't matter what you know," Nianzu went on.

"For the Conduit will be your undoing," Vantu said.

"And you will be hers," Nianzu finished.

Aang gasped before he steeled his nerves. He was so sick of everyone assuming that they knew what was going to happen before it did. "Get out of my way!" Aang roared. "I came to see the Sieshin Lord, and you're not going to stop me!"

The two-headed dragon laughed. The sound reverberated in Toph's bones like ice-cold lead.

"Oh no, we wouldn't dream of that," Vantu said, amused. His ruby eyes seemed to glitter with malice.

"Go on with you," said Nianzu. The dragon stepped aside, opening their path. One large black wing pointed south.

"The Sieshin Lord awaits you, Avatar," Vantu sneered. If dragons could smile, he was doing that now.

"Will you be able to pay the toll, Avatar?" Nianzu drawled.

"Or will the world suffer for your spineless cowardice?" Vantu inquired.

"As it did under your predecessor?" Nianzu finished.

Aang glowered at the dragon.

"Aang, what are they talking about?" Toph demanded to know.

"Don't worry about it," he muttered. He took her hand. "Let's go."

Aang pulled her along as they skirted past the dark spirits, never taking his eyes off of them until they disappeared. Aang didn't let go of her hand until they had walked even further from the two-headed dragon. His expression was dark and turbulent.

"Aang." Toph grabbed his hand and pulled him up short. "What were those dragons saying? What toll?"

Aang turned to her slowly. His slate-colored eyes were deep pools that showed his emotions. Toph could see something there. She didn't have a name for what it looked like, but he seemed troubled. She wondered what he knew. Did he know what she knew?

His eyes searched her face for a long moment, lingering on her now-seeing eyes. He wasn't used to hiding his emotions from her. He was too used to her blindness. Even without her seismic sense, he couldn't lie to her. She would see it all over his face.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Toph," he began, his voice low and apologetic. "But I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen."

Toph frowned. His emotions were on display on his face, but she wasn't used to seeing them. She thought she saw pain and anger there, and something else, something she couldn't quite name.

"You wouldn't let what happen?" Her voice was an unintentional whisper.

Aang sighed shakily. "When I opened my last chakra...and the Mother Willow reached out to me, she told me I would have to do something before the Sieshin Lord would tell me what I need to know to defeat the Conduit." He turned away from her. "She told me that the Sieshin Lord would require a...a sacrifice."

"A...sacrifice?" Toph swallowed hard. He didn't even have to say it. The answer was written in his eyes. Even she could see it. "She meant me, didn't she?"

Aang, unable to look at her or even speak, only nodded.

Toph was surprised with how calm she felt at that admission. She had anticipated fear or anger, but she felt nothing more than acceptance. I must accept the things I cannot change. She looked at Aang's strained face and felt deep sadness at his pain.

"It's okay, Aang. I'll do it," Toph said quietly.

Aang's eyes widened as he looked back at her. "Toph, no, I'll find another way!" His frown deepened. "I promise, I'm gonna find another way."

"Well, if you don't, you have to promise me you'll do whatever it takes." Toph gripped his shoulders and stared hard at him. "There's too much at stake here, Aang. Promise me you'll do what you have to do."

As he looked back at her, he didn't know if he could. How could she ask him to do that? How could he ever live with himself if he did that? He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'll find another way," he said quietly. He shrugged off her hands and turned away. "Come on. We don't have time to waste."

Aang and Toph walked for an untold amount of time, as time acted differently in the Spirit World. It could have been hours or days that had passed with no real way to measure the passage of time. Without being in their physical bodies, neither of them felt any fatigue. But Aang, more familiar with the Spirit World than his companion, suspected that only several hours had passed at most.

Each of them were lost in their own thoughts. The silence between them was cold and stony.

Toph kept sending small glances in his direction but Aang kept his eyes resolutely pointed ahead. She wanted to tell him, again, that he needed to do whatever it took to get the Sieshin Lord's knowledge. She had accepted whatever fate was destined to come her way when she opened her chakras.

Even death.

And yet here I am trying to fight what Iroh says is his fate, Toph thought bitterly. But no prophecy can convince me that the world doesn't need the Avatar anymore.

Aang was busy thinking of some other way to convince the Sieshin Lord to pass on his knowledge about the Conduit. But he had nothing to bargain with. What would a powerful, ancient spirit want? What did he have to give? He hardly knew anything about this spirit lord to accurately know what he could even do to spare Toph. But I have to do something. The airbender in him was searching for another way.

He would find another way.

Time continued to pass. Gauging by his internal clock, Aang guessed that they had been in the Spirit World for at least twelve hours now. Suddenly, he sensed a change in the air. It felt heavier here, and the energy felt older.

"We have to be getting closer," Aang remarked, breaking the silence they had fallen into for the last several hours. "I can feel it."

Toph inhaled deeply. "Me too." She glanced at him and finally caught his eye. "Are you ready to do what you have to do?"

"I'm going to find another way, Toph," Aang said tersely, avoiding her piercing gaze. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but that is not going to happen."

Toph furrowed her brows at him. "Aang—"

"Forget it, Toph! I'm not sacrificing you!" Aang stopped walking and turned toward her. His eyebrows were furrowed again and his eyes were burning. "Nothing the Sieshin Lord can tell me will be worth your life, so just forget it! If Zuko and Katara can find a way to do things differently, then so can I!"

"Aang." She forced herself to meet his heated gaze. "There's something you need to know. Something Iroh didn't tell you."

Aang's frown deepened. What else didn't he know? "What now?"

"We're only hoping that Zuko and Katara can change the prophecy. There's no guarantee. That's why we're here. Because if they fail, it's up to us. To you." Toph's tone was pleading. "You and the Conduit are more than just opposites. You guys are connected by your spiritual ties. Yin and Yang. Push and pull. Don't you see what that means for the world? For the balance?"

Aang shook his head, not to deny what she had said, but as if to clear it. "What aren't you telling me? What have you and Iroh been keeping from me?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Yin and Yang. One can't exist without the other, Aang, do you understand what I'm saying?" Her voice dropped until it was little more than a whisper. "There's only one way that this ends."

Aang suddenly felt cold all over. "We have to destroy each other," Aang said dismally. "We have to end our cycles."

Toph nodded. He understood. "That's why you have to do this. You have to know how to destroy her. No matter the cost. Because if she destroys you...Ozai's plans for the world will look like a fun day at a Fire Nation festival."

Toph searched his face for acquiescence. But all she saw was cold fury. His jaw was a taut line and his hands were white-knuckled fists at his waist.

Toph put her hands over his. "Aang, it's okay. Really." She worked her thumbs into his hands to force them open. When he finally gave in, she held his hands tightly. She looked at him, begging with her eyes for him to understand, to accept. "I knew what was expected when I came here. I've accepted my destiny. You need to accept yours too."

Aang's hands gripped hers hard enough it was almost painful. Like he didn't want to let her go. When he spoke, his words were steel: "No. I won't do it, Toph."

"Aang—"

"I said no!" Aang held her hands tighter. His fingers dug into her skin. "At the end of the war, everyone told me I had to kill the Fire Lord. Everyone. But I didn't have to. I found a different way." He released her. "I'll do it again."

In the end, it was Toph who acquiesced. He wasn't going to change his mind. Toph sighed in resignation and peered up at him. "I hope you know what you're doing, Aang."

Aang understood that she accepted what he was going to do. He nodded once. "Let's go, Toph. We're almost there."

He turned to go, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw that the path had changed. The familiar swampy forest was gone. In its place was a wide-open field. At its center was a willow tree. The ancient power in the air was culpable. It swirled around them, reaching for them with invisible fingers.

"Aang." Toph couldn't help the tremor in her voice.

Aang swallowed hard and set his shoulders determinedly. "We're here." He took a resolute step forward. "Let's go face the Sieshin Lord."