Author's Note: It's about to get weird. (Thanks to everyone who has been reading.)

Chapter 5: That Same Spirit, or, Spirited Away

On the day of the summer solstice, the owner, proprieter, and bartender of the White Lotus tavern sat at a table, watching a spirited game of Pai Sho between his his two best (and lately, only) customers. The lack of patronage may have been explained by the 'Closed for refurbishing' sign on the door. It mattered little. Typically, his establishment appealed only to a select few. His thoughts returned to his patrons' conversation.

"And then they made me their chief," said Rutherford, capturing one of the fat lady's tiles. The fat lady snorted.

"You've told me that story at least one hundred time, old man, and even if you tell it 100 more I still won't believe it."

There was a knock at the door.

"Act natural," muttered the bartender as he walked to the door. The old man began to store. The fat lady knocked back a tall glass of something. The bartender opened the door, just enough to allow a small rectangle of sunlight into the room.

"Can't you read the sign?" said the bartender gruffly. "We're closed."

"Stop playing games," said the voice. "It is the solstice. I have come, as I was instructed."

"Enter, General Iroh," said the bartender, stepping aside and opening the door.

As the general entered the tavern, the old man stopped snoring and sat up straight, and the woman became instantly sober. Together they rose from their seats and stood next to the bartender. Iroh stood before them.

"General Iroh," said the woman. "You have been called here today because we have deemed you worth assisting in your quest to enter the Spirit World. Today, you will witness things that have remained secret for generations. As such, you must swear never to reveal them to anyone."

"I swear," said Iroh.

"The Spirit World is a dangerous place," said Rutherford. "And its inhabitants are wild and unpredictable. You may never return."

Iroh laughed harshly. "So be it. I am dead to the world. I will either bring my Lu Ten back, or join him there forever, and I do not much care which it is."

The old man said nothing, only nodded to the bartender, who stepped behind the bar and activated a hidden switch. A section of the tavern's back wall swung open, revealing a staircase.

"There's no turning back from here on out," said the bartender. He began to descend the steps, the others following. Iroh also followed, without hesitation.

They lead him down the stairs until they came to a small, circular room, constructed from stone. A white lotus was painted on the floor, and light came from two green gems set in the walls. An archway was carved into the stone opposite the staircase, with two more on either side of it.

"You will have to wear this," said the bartender, bringing forth a strip of black cloth.

Iroh was blindfolded and spun three times. After this, one of the three took him by the hand and lead him forward.

They walked for some time, and Iroh was aware that by now they must have been deep underground. The air was growing gradually colder. The path was rocky, and more than once he almost slipped on a loose stone. There must have been many turns, for his attendants were continually steering him in a new direction.

"These tunnels must have taken years to construct," said Iroh, thinking aloud.

"Actually," said the fat lady, "they were built in just under a month by Earthbenders."

"Earthbenders?" wondered Iroh.

"My establishment appeals to an international crowd," said the bartender. "Has for some time. These passages were constructed by friends of the White Lotus; quite a motley crew. The government knows nothing about them."

They continued their descent, and Iroh began to hear a far off roar.

"What is that noise?" asked Iroh.

"We would not wish to spoil the surprise," said Rutherford. The humor was lost on Iroh.

They spent the remainder of their journey in silence, the roar growing louder with each step. Down, down, down they went, until the ground began to level out. At last, they came to a place where the roar was nearly deafening. A hand touched Iroh's shoulder, stopping him from walking on, and the blindfold was removed. It took his eyes a moment to adjust. When they did, he gasped.

They stood in a magnificent cavern, its ceiling so far above their heads that Iroh could not clearly see it. The cave was illuminated by more of the strange glowing crystals, which shed light on the source of the roar.

It was a waterfall, originating somewhere far within the earth and throwing itself down over the cavern wall into the pool below, glittering and splashing feverishly, throwing up mist. The troubled waters of the pool flowed into a river running through the middle of the cave floor.

Down from the wall opposite the waterfall poured another river, this one flowing with burning lava. The lava continually flowed into the water, each meeting with a fearsome hiss, and where the two met, an island of rock was being formed, growing higher and higher with each passing moment.

"It is said," said the bartender, raising his voice above the roar, "that this cavern was created by two spirits, who continually battle one another. The veil between the material world and the Spirit World is thin here, especially today, and a man may cross from one to the other if he knows how. Sit, General Iroh."

Iroh did as he was instructed, sitting in the lotus position on the bank of the two rivers. He focused his gaze on the rock island.

"Observe the two rivers," the bartender continued. "One of fire, the other of water. Two opposites coming together to create a glorious new whole. The same is true of the energy that surrounds us. Positive energy and negative energy. Yin and Yang. It exists not only around us but within us, and one cannot exist without the other. In the time before time, it was this energy we bent, not the four elements."

"Breathe deeply," Rutherford instructed.

The bartender went on. "The apparent contradiction is a meaningless one. There are no opposites, merely different parts of one whole. This is reflected in both the universe and the human body. Life and death, fire and water, spirit and matter; all these exist because of each other. Compose the energy within yourself. Let one thing become its opposite. Time and death are only illusions."

The bartender continued, but Iroh could no longer hear him. He saw the rivers and the island, but now he could not tell which river was on the left and which was on the right. They seemed to keep changing positions.

Impossible. (Not quite.)

Iroh breathed deeply, and then the rivers began spiraling into each other. Now there were no rivers at all, but a giant Yin Yang symbol in the floor of the cave. He closed his eyes.

"I've got you dad!"

Lu Ten chased him up the hill, finally catching up and pretending to Firebend. Groaning in mock agony, Iroh fell to the ground. His son pounced on him, and both laughed merrily. Lu Ten rolled onto his back in the grass.

"Dad?" said Lu Ten as he gazed at the clouds.

"Yes, Lu Ten?"

"When I grow up, I wanna be in the army like you."

"By the time you're old enough, you may have changed your mind. I wanted to be a chef when I was your age."

"Change my mind? Never!" Lu Ten protested. "I wanna fight for the Fire Nation and make you proud."

"You already make me proud," said Iroh, taking his son by the hand. Then there were no more words, and father and son were content to watch the clouds go by, together.

Iroh opened his eyes. The cave and the others were gone. Now he sat in on a wide, flat plain of black rock. Mist covered the ground, and the entire place was illuminated by a strange dim light.

"The Spirit World," gasped Iroh.

Then he saw the dragons.