"I would like to know more about you." Katara peered over at the woman sitting beside her. "I really don't know much about Oracles. Iroh didn't explain anything, and it's not like Zuko and I had a lot of time to ask."

A small smile crossed the Oracle's face. "What would you like to know, Katara?"

"Well, are you a human? Or are you a spirit?"

Kahina chuckled. "I suppose I am a bit of both." She looked at Katara. "Oracles are humans who have been blessed with the Oracle Spirit. That is what allows us to see the future of things. When we die, the spirit goes into the next Oracle."

"Sort of like the spirit of the Avatar."

"Precisely." Kahina nodded.

Katara frowned. "How long have you been around? Oracles in general, I mean. Have you existed as long as the Avatar and the Conduit have?"

"Longer, actually. Oracles of Destiny existed long before the Avatar and the Conduit. We have been here since Raava and Vaatu battled each other, since man lived on lion turtles. Our role hasn't changed much through the eons."

Katara's eyebrows lifted. "Wow. So an Oracle saw when Wan fused with Raava? And when the Conduit was created?"

"Not only did we see it, we predicted it." Kahina offered Katara a knowing smile. "Do you think this prophecy is the only one we have ever given?"

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it." Her brow furrowed. "Did an Oracle predict the Hundred Years' War, too?"

Kahina nodded slowly. "Yes. Most of the major events of the world are predicted by an Oracle. However, not all of them are prophecies. Wan and Raava were a prophecy. The Hundred Years' War was a prophecy as well. The events that will determine the fate of the world...those are usually prophecies. The others are just...simple divinations. Predictions of what might happen, not what will."

"So the war was always going to happen? No matter what?" Katara stared at her. She blinked owlishly as she tried to absorb it.

"Yes."

Katara shook her head slowly. "So Aang...was always supposed to disappear. The genocide against the Air Nomads...there was no avoiding it."

She looked up at Kahina again, feeling a little numb. If that were true, it only solidified what the Oracle had told her earlier about her own fate.

"Think of it as a lake." Kahina gestured to the pond before them. "If you drop one small pebble in the water, does it not ripple? Do those ripples not stretch onward, reaching for the shore?" She met Katara's questioning gaze. "That is how fate and destiny work, Katara. One action sparks a chain of reactions...of ripples on the water."

Katara couldn't hold the Oracle's intense gaze. She turned back to Zuko. He hadn't moved. It had been hours since he had drunk from the Pond. How much longer would it be? What was he doing? She only hoped he was getting some useful information from it. She knew he was worried about the price. Katara was, too. Who would pay the price for his enlightenment?

"I'm gonna take a guess and say that the ripple effects of what happens now are going to be pretty big," Katara said dryly.

"You are correct. If the Avatar fails, the world will become a dark place. It will be unbalanced."

"But if Aang wins?"

"Then the balance will remain." Kahina looked over at Katara. "But there is only one way for the Avatar to succeed. I hope that the Fire Lord is given those answers."

Katara gaped at the Oracle. "You mean you don't know what the Pond is going to tell him?"

"No." Kahina shook her head. "The Pond is a separate entity from me. It does not share its knowledge with me."

Katara looked back over at Zuko, frowning. She had assumed Kahina would know what the Pond was going to show him. "Is that part of why things are so unclear? Because Zuko and I made the decision to come here?"

"Yes, I believe so." Kahina rested her cool hand on Katara's shoulder. "But do not fret, Princess Katara. That does not mean something bad will happen. In fact, I think it should be taken as a good omen."

Katara hung her head and let out a shaky breath. This was all too much for one person to bear. The snares of fate should have been left up to the spirits. She was just Katara. She wasn't the Avatar, or the Conduit, or even an Oracle. She wasn't cut out for this sort of situation.

Kahina seemed to sense Katara's trepidation. She gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "What else would you like to know about Oracles?"

Katara was grateful for the distraction. She looked over at the Oracle again. Her eyes dropped to Kahina's round stomach. "So, obviously, you can be pregnant. How does that work? Will your child have the same kind of insight as you?"

"In a sense." Kahina smoothed her hand over her belly, her expression suddenly stormy. "When an Avatar or Conduit dies, their spirit leaves the body and immediately enters the next. For Oracles, it does not work quite the same."

"What do you mean by that?" Katara's brow furrowed as she watched Kahina closely.

"When my duty on this earth is done, I will expire, and the Oracle spirit will leave me." Kahina turned her eyes back to the water. Her voice had taken on an eerie quality. "My child will be born, and the spirit will enter her. She will become the next Oracle of Destiny."

Katara shivered involuntarily. "That sounds…" She searched for the words, but couldn't find one that seemed adequate. She let out a breath. "Awful."

"It is part of our duty."

Katara frowned as she thought of something. "So, your predecessor, Alemayhu, she was your mother?"

Kahina glimpsed down at her belly. "Yes, just as I will be this one's mother. She will be cared for by Dagny, until she is strong enough to stand on her own."

"Who is Dagny?" Katara was confused. She hadn't seen another person since they had arrived at the Garden, and Kahina hadn't mentioned someone else.

Kahina smiled knowingly. She slowly rose to her feet and beckoned to Katara. "Come. I will introduce you."

Katara stood up and followed Kahina away from the Pond and into the lush green garden. She glanced over her shoulder at Zuko with a frown. He remained unmoving from his vigil by the water, but Katara couldn't help but be worried.

"Should we move him?" Katara called to Kahina. "That can't be comfortable."

The Oracle shook her head. "No, you never want to move someone in a trance of any kind. If you do, you risk disturbing or disrupting the vision. He'll be fine, I assure you."

Kahina continued to guide her down a path through the garden. The fragrant aroma of loam and moss filled her nose, and Katara breathed it in deeply. It was invigorating after smelling nothing but desert sand and the animal smell of Beast for the last week.

Tears pricked her eyes at the thought of their animal companion lying dead in the desert. His loss hurt. Not only had he been their steed, but Katara had begun to view him the way she viewed Appa or Momo. He was a friend. Beast had been through so much with them over the last few weeks, and to have his life snuffed out like that just felt wrong.

The Garden seemed to be much bigger than it first appeared. From the top of the canyon, this lush greenery hadn't even been visible, but now it seemed to stretch on. Where were the dead trees? Katara couldn't believe how vibrant and alive the Garden was. Green foliage and bright-colored flowers dotted the land. Small foreign birds in a myriad of colors flitted from blossom to blossom. Strange insects cut through the air, buzzing or chirping or even hissing. She even saw some type of rodent creature scurrying through the underbrush. It seemed as though the Garden was alive. Katara wondered if she had somehow stepped into another realm within the garden itself.

"The animals stay away from the Pond. They stay here, deeper in the Garden." Kahina peered over her shoulder at Katara. "They know not to drink from the Pond."

"How?"

Kahina shrugged. "It's instinct, I suppose. They can sense it is not a normal body of water. There are other sources here, some more ponds and creeks, that the animals drink from."

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Katara's attention. She turned to follow the disturbance and gasped. "Oh my spirits, what is that?"

It looked almost like a catalope, but smaller. Its dark brown fur had cream-colored stripes in swirling patterns running down its back and sides. The stripes swirled around its thin legs, clear to its hooves. Its horns curled back from its head like a lion-ram, but it had the face of a cat. The animal looked at her with its ocher-colored eyes.

"It's a catalope," Kahina explained. "All of the creatures here are a more...spiritual form of those you find out there." She gestured vaguely to the edge of the canyon. "Avatar Wan used to have a similar creature. It was his spirit guide."

Katara watched as the animal stalked through the grass and the ferns on its graceful legs before disappearing into the gloom. "It's beautiful."

They continued on through the Garden. As they ventured deeper, Katara noticed that the air was growing warmer. Sweat had broken out across her forehead and she could feel the moisture in the air. It reminded her of the tropical atmosphere of the Fire Nation.

"Not too much further now," Kahina called over her shoulder. "Tell me if I'm going too fast."

And really, for a very pregnant person, Kahina was moving fast. But Katara was able to keep pace with her as they picked their way along the path. The trail they followed was mostly clear, but it was little more than a thin trail of dirt cutting through the encroaching trees and bushes. The lighting was dim, although Katara wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. The air around them seemed to glow with a silver-blue light that didn't appear to have a source.

Katara had seen similar things in the ocean as a child on the shores of the South Pole. Her father told her that some tiny sea creatures could produce their own light, and when there were thousands of them in one place, it made the water glow. Katara remembered asking him if they were lightbenders, and Hakoda had laughed softly and told her no, that it was just something they could do.

Finally she saw a break in the trees ahead. Kahina stepped through it first, and Katara followed immediately after. She stopped dead in her tracks with a gasp when she saw the clearing was occupied.

"What is that?" Her tone was breathless and reverent as she took in the magnificent creature before her.

Kahina glanced over at her with a smile. "That is Dagny. She's a phoenix."

"A phoenix?" Katara echoed. She had never heard of such a creature.

She studied the creature—she couldn't quite bring herself to call it an animal, as it seemed far too majestic and ethereal—as it sat on a huge nest. It was large and birdlike, easily twice the size of Beast. It wasn't quite as big as Appa, but it wasn't too much smaller. Feathers adorned its body from the crown of its head to the sweeping length of its tail in a multitude of reds, oranges, and yellows. Its curved beak was gold, and its eyes were a deep amber, the color of fire spirits. It observed Kahina and Katara with eyes that almost looked too intelligent to belong to an ordinary animal.

"Oh wow," Katara breathed. A smile creased her face.

"You can go and pet her. She rather likes it," Kahina said with a light chuckle. "She's quite friendly."

Katara looked back and forth between Kahina and the phoenix. She wasn't afraid of Dagny, but rather, she was in awe of her. She had never seen such an impressive creature. The catalope she had seen before paled in comparison.

Slowly, Katara approached the phoenix. The creature watched her approach with its intelligent eyes, shuffling its large wings.

"Hi, Dagny. My name is Katara." She stopped in front of the phoenix and held out her hand, an awestricken smile creasing her face. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You're incredible."

The phoenix cooed and stretched out its long neck. Katara brushed her fingers over its smooth beak, marveling at the sheer size of the phoenix. Katara stroked its head. The feathers were soft beneath her touch, and the phoenix made a pleased sound deep in its throat.

A solitary tear of joy rolled down Katara's cheek as she continued to pet the majestic creature. Never in her life had she ever seen anything so beautiful and magical. Dagny was, quite literally, unbelievable. She hoped that Zuko could share this experience when he woke up, before they left the Garden.

Katara looked over her shoulder at Kahina as she wiped her tear from her cheek. "So, your baby will be taken care of by a phoenix? How does that work?"

"An Oracle child is not the same as a normal child. They grow quickly, and don't require much care." Kahina approached the Phoenix and ran her hand down its sloping neck. "Dagny here will be able to provide for Nkiruka until she can care for herself."

"How do you know the child will be a girl?" Katara asked as she continued to pet the phoenix. "Even waterbending healers can't know what gender a baby will be."

Kahina smiled knowingly. "All Oracles are women. The Oracle spirit is feminine. There has never been a male Oracle."

"Oh. That's interesting." Katara peered down at Kahina's swollen stomach. "So, you're going to name her Nkiruka?"

"Yes." Dagny leaned her massive head down and nudged Kahina's belly. "It means 'bright future'." Kahina met Katara's gaze. "I believe that once this prophecy business is settled, you will find a much happier future in store for you, and for the world."

Katara smiled gratefully. "I hope so. I think the world has been through enough."

"I agree with you." Kahina stepped back from Dagny. "Are you ready to return? I think your beloved will be returning to us soon."

Katara's heart thrummed in her chest. She hoped Kahina was right. She was eager to know what Zuko had learned so they could get back on their mission. Hopefully he would know where to go, because Katara wasn't certain at all. Should they try to find the Conduit? Should they go to Ba Sing Se? Or did they need to return to the Fire Nation? The Equinox was just three weeks away now. They were running out of time.

Katara ran her hand along Dagny's feathers one more time, finding solace there, before she met Kahina's gaze. "Let's go."

Kahina turned back to the narrow path. Katara bid farewell to Dagny before she followed her. Her mind was set on Zuko now, and she wondered what might be waiting for her when he woke up.

"You guys are dead." Zuko stared down at the still, broken bodies in the volcanic crater, eyes wide with shock.

"That's right. We can't exist without each other, but the world can exist without both of us." The Conduit looked over at him. "I don't want to die, and I'm sure the Avatar doesn't either. The Sieshin Lord is going to teach the Avatar about Spiritual Fusion. It will save us both, but not if he can't break Azula's hold on me. You have to deliver that information to him."

"Why me?" Zuko asked.

The Conduit shrugged. "Call it fate or destiny or whatever you want. But your destiny, and the Avatar's destiny, have been entwined since long before this. Aang and I will confront each other here no matter what you do. But you'll have the answer he needs. It's up to you to tell him how to end this, so that we can complete the Spiritual Fusion."

Zuko's brow furrowed. "What is Spiritual Fusion?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." The Conduit's half-smile danced across her lips. "But it won't work if I remain under Azula's control."

"How can he break Azula's control?" Zuko looked at the Conduit expectantly.

"There is power in a name," the Conduit said slowly. "That is why most spirits don't use their names, just their titles. Because knowing a spirit's name can give you some control...or it can set them free."

Zuko's brow furrowed. "So all Aang has to do is say your name? That's it. Sounds easy enough."

"Well, there's a little more to it than that." The Conduit shrugged. "But that's the general idea. I'll explain it more on the way."

"On the way? It sounds like you just need to tell me your name and what to do with it and then I can go." Zuko frowned.

"That's what you think." The Conduit looked over at him beseechingly. "But I've got more to show you. Let's go."

"Where else are we going?"

She pressed her fingertips to his forehead and the world faded to black.

When Zuko came to, he found himself standing beneath a cherry blossom tree in a garden. With a start, he recognized it: it was his mother's garden at the Royal Palace. He could see the turtleduck pond through the thin veil of fog that hovered over the grounds.

Zuko peered through the mist. He could see three small figures sitting at the water's edge, feeding the turtleducks. Zuko frowned at them. They seemed familiar, somehow, although he couldn't see them very clearly.

The Conduit appeared beside him.

"What are you showing me?" Zuko asked the Conduit.

Her answering smile seemed to know more than he did. "I told you once that you didn't want to change the entire prophecy. Part of it...leads you here." She swept her hand out toward the small figures.

Zuko stared at the children. "You mean…"

"Yes, Zuko. Those are your children." She nudged him with her elbow. "Well? Don't just stand there. Go and take a look."

Zuko felt rooted to the spot. He swallowed hard around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. He had always known that one day he would have children. He needed heirs, after all. But it had always seemed far away, disconnected from his day-to-day life. Especially without a viable bride. But seeing the children...his children...told him that this future was a very real possibility. If not a probability.

The Conduit pushed him gently. "Go. We don't have much time."

Zuko found himself propelled forward by the Conduit's push. He could feel the soft grass beneath his boots as he cut through the fog toward the turtleduck pond. The children did not acknowledge his presence, but Zuko found that it didn't matter. If they did notice him, he wouldn't know what to say to them.

The fog dissipated as he drew near, and Zuko suddenly found himself standing behind his children. Their backs were to him, but he could see the feminine forms of two girls and the masculine form of one boy, sitting in the middle between his sisters. The oldest of the two girls had half of her hair tied back into a top-knot. The rest of her chocolate waves fell down her back. The other girl's hair was pulled back into a topknot. The boy wore a ponytail that reminded Zuko of himself when he was a child.

Steeling his nerves, Zuko gave the children a wide berth as he moved to stand in front of them. He wanted to see their faces. He needed to see them, to confirm what he hoped was true.

"Children, are you out here?" A familiar voice cut through the haze, and Zuko turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

A new figure moved through the fog, but Zuko would recognize her walk anywhere. Zuko watched as Katara emerged. He blinked owlishly as he took in her striking appearance.

She wore the diadem of the Fire Lady in a topknot on the top of her head. Her billowing robes were Water Tribe blue and Fire Nation red. Half of her hair fell down to her waist, and her hair loops were adorned with sapphire-encrusted beads and linked into the topknot.

The breath caught in his throat and Zuko could only stare. If Katara was here...that meant the children were theirs. His heart swelled with joy and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face, so wide it would have hurt if he wasn't in this strange astral form.

Then he noticed her round belly, and his smile broadened. She was pregnant again. He and Katara were going to have four children? That was incredible.

"I've got one more thing to show you." The Conduit materialized beside him so suddenly he jumped. She was watching Katara and the children with an unreadable expression.

Zuko furrowed his brow. "What more is there?"

"I've told you how to help Aang. Now I need to show you what you have to look forward to back in the Fire Nation."

The Conduit reached out and pressed her fingertips to his forehead again. He looked on with longing as the garden, with his children and his wife, fell away, and darkness swallowed him up.

Zuko found himself in the throne room of the Royal Palace. He frowned, both worried and puzzled.

When he had come to power, he had abandoned the throne room. It held too many bad memories, and seemed to symbolize all of the negative aspects of the Fire Nation that he was trying so hard to eradicate. The flames that had once lit the dais had been extinguished, and he had left the throne room cold and empty.

Zuko turned toward the Conduit. "Why are we here?"

Her face was a stoic mask. "Just watch."

He turned his focus back toward the throne room.

Blue flames ignited the dais, and the room was suddenly bathed in their light. Zuko felt anxiety run through him. He knew of only one firebender who had blue flames…

His fears were confirmed when, moments later, Azula came striding into the room. But she wasn't alone. Masked Kage Noshi assassins trailed after her as Azula stepped onto the dais and settled onto the throne. His crown rested in her topknot and Zuko clenched his jaw.

"Is this what happens if we fail?" he asked the Conduit. "If Aang doesn't stop you? Azula takes over?"

"No, Zuko. You misunderstand." The Conduit's eyes were flat and cold. "What I'm showing you here...is what's happening right now."