Chapter 3
The Tscheapwhetzar walked through the calm gardens near the palace of Ba Sing Se. Now this was a story that he was proud of! Avatar: the Last Airbender was already a masterpiece of cartoon, one to endure for the ages. But he still could not resist from reaching out and Corrupting it.
It was a cardinal fiction sin that had started it: shipping.
He had seen the writing on the wall early on: Aang and Katara. Zuko and Mai. And why not? The way that the world of Avatar and the relationships were laid out, these conclusions were inevitable! And that was something that he appreciated. He always appreciated a good Story.
And there were few better than Avatar.
But that lost-swords-be-cursed shipping! It made him laugh.
Toph and Aang. Jin and Zuko.
In a deep, dark recess of his damaged heart, the Tscheapwhetzar had a fondness for messing around with others' love lives. It was so enjoyable to Corrupt a Story and bring about relationships and events that had never been planned. It was a wine as strong as bleeding a world dry or waging all out war, but with a very different and addictive taste to it. It was easy to get indulgent with either and get sloppy.
In that sense, Avatar: the Last Airbender was a triumph of manipulation and gentle caressing with his Corrupting touch. This world did not look like anything that the original creators had dreamed. He had perfectly robbed this beautiful world from its Originators. That was one of the most frightening abilities belonging to his order. Back when there had been more than just him they had not worked with as much finesse, because they felt they could have stood up to the Guardians.
However, for him this had been more a labor of love. Anyone could simply mash two people into an improbable situation, get them smooching, and call it love. Heck, they might just steam the rice and throw the two right into bed with each other! But to the Tscheapwhetzar, he saw something with much greater potential. Relationships that could not only last, but that could have consequences far beyond their original intent. And that was the real power within a smart ship.
He had inserted the right people into their lives, orchestrated the proper situations, whispered the right words, painted the perfect dreams, and subtly given the exact nudges. It was a refined dance, for he had to slowly remove Aang's childish crush on Katara and get him to look elsewhere while still while weaving Toph more into his pattern. They were both so strong willed, and in many ways not an immediate or right fit. It had taken years, but it had all paid off during the search for Zuko's mother.
And Zuko had been another matter entirely! How did you get the prince of the Fire Nation to really fall for a refugee, peasant girl with a teenage crush when a forceful girl like Mai wanted back into his life? Now that had been nigh impossible! But it was worth it.
Toph and Aang kept an apartment here within the city, a gift given to them by the Earth Kingdom for their heroic deeds. Iroh's tea shop was nearby, as were the other residences for the other heroes of the war. They all had other homes, of course. And Aang had been busy trying to rebuild what was left of his culture and the temples. And the world needed the Avatar for much needed reconstruction and reconciliation, both physically and spiritually. But they would both be here.
Toph was pregnant, and nearly due.
They would be here, where it was safe for delivering a child. Where friends could come to support them. Where they could also escape for some private quiet. And for once in this journey, he hated to intrude. But this was very important.
He made his way up the steps softly and quietly to their front door. It swung open, revealing a very pregnant Toph.
"You're going to have to sneak quieter than that if you want to get the drop on us, Dragon," she said, her mouth slanted with disdain.
"Just doing the courteous thing and ringing the doorbell," the Tscheapwhetzar answered with a laugh.
"Even Twinkle Toes can mask his approach. I would have thought that an all powerful being such as yourself could manage at least that much, to match my chrome dome husband!"
"Hey," came Aang's call from within the house.
"As ever, your charm knows no bounds," Dragon said with an austantacious bow.
Toph clapped him hard over the head before pulling him into a tight hug. "Where have you been all this time? We were worried you were going to miss out on the big day!"
"I have been getting your letters," he replied sheepishly. "And sending them back."
Toph waved a hand in front of her face. Before Dragon could offer another excuse, Toph led him inside, calling for Aang.
There was one more thing that he had done to bring about this highly improbable future, against all the odds of the Story and its canon. He had revealed himself and his plot. And miraculously, they had accepted him.
"Hey, if it isn't the old Corrupter! As young as ever, I see," Aang said, walking in and exchanging a quick high five and a hug with the Tscheapwhetzar.
"Ha! By now we are roughly the same age."
"If only in appearance," Aang said. "I still have a hundred years on you! At least here in this world."
"Don't get him started on that," Toph said, rolling her eyes. "Ever since he found out he could get bureaucrats to obey him better here in Ba Sing Se, he's been pulling age rank as often as he can! It's gotten really annoying."
"But it gets Zuko all the helps he needs," her husband protested. "We need the Earth Kingdom's support if we are going to build our sanctuary for all four nations!"
That was one outcome that was unavoidable. A central city for all benders and all cultures. A lasting testament to the Avatar and the victory he and his friends had brought about over the Firelord. He was interested in seeing what effect his influence would have over this particular future.
Dragon spent a good, long while catching up with Toph and Aang over tea and some sweet cakes. Getting married and getting a tad older had mellowed Toph, but thankfully not too much. And for Aang, it had made him act just a little more like one would expect the leader of his people (however small that was) to act. But he was, just like Toph, still a goof at heart. Some characters weathered time much better than others.
They regaled him with tales of adventures throughout the world. What creatures they had met. The spirits they had communed and parlayed with. The secret organizations they fought in the wake of the Firelord's defeat. The new friends they met. The relationships budding all around him. And the newest tea Iroh had been working with.
Dragon for his part kept things lighthearted. He spoke of the worlds he had seen. The narrow misses with the Guardians. How he teased the Order. His own adventures in short, but with several things omitted; he did not want to draw too dark of a curtain over this happy couple's lives. But there was something he desperately needed from Aang, and he could see it on Toph's face that she knew something was up.
"Okay, I'm going to let you two old farts continue this conversation. I'm getting bored, and frankly, sitting for so long isn't helping this girl's back at the moment," Toph said, emphasizing her words with a wide yawn.
Aang moved to help his wife, but she waved him away and left the room, a cooled cup of tea in her hands. Aang watched her go before turning back to Dragon. He gave him a wide smile and a shrug.
"I wish I could be around more often your shenanigans," Dragon said, chuckling.
"More like we would want to be part of your stories someday! You get to see things we've never dreamed of!"
Dragon gave his own shrug and commented, "I guess it comes down entirely to a matter of perspective. Because we live it, many times our own Story does not seem as fascinating and adventurous as others perceive it to be."
He took a gulp of his own tea, heavily flavored with honey. "Aang, I need to ask a favor of you."
The Avatar gave him a perplexed look and asked, "What is it?"
"I need you to help me cross over into your spirit world. I need to make a bargain before the powers that balance life and death." The Tscheapwhetzar took out the papyrus scroll laced with the strand of magical friendship from a pocket in his cloak. It was folded into an intricate chain. "I need this to become a Death Chain. I have most of the ingredients necessary for that to happen. But if I am not careful, I could easily upend creation itself on many worlds and completely destroy them. I needed to come to place where balance is paramount and embodied in every living thing. And championed by someone like the Avatar."
Aang reached out a hand and Dragon gave him the papyrus chain.
Hefting it he said, "This looks brittle. And you think the spirits can make a chain out of this?"
"I believe they can, but it will be more than just metal," Dragon said, his voice lowering.
Aang sighed and said, "My friend, it is dangerous to mess around with the balance of the worlds. The spirits hold it sacred. I don't think they will let you mess around with that, especially if it has something to do with life. Many fear it, but life is a precious and necessary cycle of life that gives us the happiness we have while we and our loved one are alive."
Dragon smirked. "Look at you! You have become quite the wise one!"
"Iroh and I have had many deep discussion. You can blame him for my sudden bursts of wisdom," Aang said, anxiously scratching the back of his head and smiling.
"He's a wonderful and wise man," the Tscheapwhetzar agreed. Leaning in, he said, "But this very, very important. If you will at least take me to the spirit realm I can show you why I am doing this."
Aang sighed and thought for a moment, drumming his fingers on his knees.
After a moment he said heavily, "Fine. We'll go. But don't get your hopes up!"
Aang got up to seat himself directly across Dragon. He told the Tscheapwhetzar is assume a meditating pose. As the Avatar, he could slip into the world of the spirits, but that was not something most others could do, even with meditation. He had learned this a few times with more dangerous experiences with the spirits. However, the Tscheapwhetzar was an exception.
The Avatar passed over the barrier and went into the spiritual world. The Tscheapwhetzar ripped his way through.
Aang held the same body and clothes as he had in the world of the living. The Tscheapwhetzar was wrapped in a long, tattered, black cloak that concealed light. He hurriedly attached a mask, cutting out most of the light. The Avatar regarded him gravely and escorted him outside.
In the spirit world, Ba Sing Se was replaced with labyrinth of crumbling mountains and overgrown forest. It was the mark of a world where humans dominated, but would not always hold permanent sway. Life always found a way back, and no city endured forever. Nature waited to reclaim the capital one day.
"Follow me," Aang said and he soared away.
The Tscheapwhetzar sprouted and spread his mighty wings before following.
"So… How exactly do you think we go about getting a word with the rest of the spirits," Aang asked.
"I thought you were the Avatar!?"
"Yes, but I don't know how this Death Chain is supposed to be made," Aang protested.
Dragon thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you have any way of reaching out to all the spirits collectively?"
It was now the Avatar's turn to think for a moment. Finally, his eyes lit up brightly. He finally pointed and with a voice that sounded like thousands, "Descend." Aang gestured to a large pool at the feet of a massive tree. The two figures quickly made their descent.
The Tscheapwhetzar landed on the gray grass next to the mirror-like lake. The Avatar alighted on the surface of the water. A single ripple went out from where his toes touched the surface. His eyes were solid white as he looked directly at the masked intruder. When Aang spoke again, it was with an even greater choir of voices.
"Thief, you have clawed your way into our world and sanctuary. Through the mind and ears of the Avatar we know that you desire our power."
"I do," Dragon said, cutting Aang and the others off. "I bring here a contract, made with the God of Death, Hades. WIth this I can retrieve One soul from the world of the dead, no questions asked."
"That is not all you have with you," the cacophony of voices accused.
"Correct again. I have with intertwined this contract with the powerful spell that reaches between worlds. It is the power of friendship and love given a physical form."
"And you are not satisfied with retrieving one soul. You wish to get more, Thief."
Dragon grinned behind his mask and said, "I have always admired this world, it's has no time for BS."
"You will not have what you seek," the Avatar declared.
"Not under these circumstances," Dragon admitted. "But allow me to convey a vital piece of information that you are missing."
He reached out with one finger. His cloak pulled back a little, revealing a bright and luminescent appendage. He caressed the surface of the pool, creating his own singular ripple. As it spread across the water, the glass reflection changed. A scene of destruction was opened up to the Avatar.
Broken worlds. Extinguished Stars. Dust and dead bodies spread across the cosmos. And the powers of all the Accursed being marshalled for war. The spirits might not understand it all, but they understood the Truth. And this scene of carnage was Truth. And it was imbalance. The spirits would not want this imbalance, and they could see it was going to come for them. Eventually.
"I plan on breaking all the rules," Dragon informed them through the Avatar. "I will match these foes and Devour them! I am a thief. I am the last of the Tscheapwhetzars, Collectors and Corruptors of old. And though I destroy what I touch, I still love all worlds in my own way. And my hunger is without bounds. To protect all worlds, let me turn my maw against this enemy. But to defeat a monster capable of such destruction, I need the rights to powers the likes of which only gods can hold!"
"You ask us to allow one abomination so that you can defeat another," the Avatar said.
"Yes. That is what I wish."
Dragon withdrew his finger back into the folds of his cloak, putting out the light. The images vanished. The Avatar mused for a long while. Dragon was patient and did not press the matter further. He had made his case for now. He would only speak more on the matter if he had to.
Finally the Avatar spoke again, "Drop your contract into the pool. A chain is what you want, and a chain is what you will get."
He let fall the papyrus chain with a flourish. The second it hit the water, it sank like a stone.
"Retrieve it," the choir of voices commanded.
Dragon fell to his knees and plunged his hands into the water, grasping something hard and cold. The pool began to bubble and roil as he slowly pulled out a heavy chain. Red lightning coursed along its length. It began to grow colder, like frozen steel. It burned his hands.
"You have what you desired," the Avatar aid, and there was a bright flash of white light.
Both Dragon and Aang came to, still sitting across from each other. The chain weighed heavily across the Tscheapwhetzar's lap. They both felt extremely drained.
"Well… You've got what you wanted. They were not happy," Aang said with a sigh.
"No, I didn't expect them to be. But this, this chain, it'll be enough to brighten someone's day," Dragon said, holding it up. "Come. I'll whip us up a great dessert. My thanks for everything."
"It better be a darn good dessert if you two went romping in the spirit realm," Toph's said, leaning in the doorway nearest them.
They both turned to her.
"You were gone so long that the wet willies I gave you guys has probably rubbed off already."
That didn't stop the two men from trying to dig the spit out of their ears.