The Avatar's Redemption

Book 1: Awakening

Chapter 2: Calais' Realization

The sun's rays entered Calais' room. Calais covered his eyes and groaned. The monks didn't bother waking him up for training and teaching anymore but he still hated waking up early especially on a Saturday. He groggily rubbed his eyes and opened them only to see the same old ceiling he always woke up to. His room was so bland compared to the faint memories of his old home…his old life.

Calais sluggishly got up and put on his faded robes. He stepped out into the courtyard to be greeted by the various birds that roamed the mountains. If there was anything good about waking up early it was feeding the birds. He was alone but he smiled…This was the only time he found comfort at the hidden air sanctuaries.

The old monks looked out to the courtyard and were surprised to see Calais up so early. Dalah, the eldest of the monks, went out to speak with Calais. "Calais it is a nice surprise to see you up so early." "Is it really? I thought you hated to see a disappointment like me", responded Calais with a deep bitterness in his voice. Dalah was shocked, "What do you mean Calais? Why would you say such a thing?" "I have ears Dalah…" Dalah sighed, "Listen Calais, you are seventeen years old and yet you have not earned you tattoos, in fact, you are the only student who hasn't earned his air-bending tattoos. Don't you wish to make something of yourself and carry on the legacy of the air benders?"

Calais clenched his fist, "What I wish is to understand the point in learning all of this if it won't be of any use. You may not know what it's like out there but I remember. I was happy until the war caught up with air city. Why do we just sit here while the world destroys itself! This can't be how it's supposed to be…"

Dalah tried to keep calm, "We live here in solace because the world is destroying itself Calais. We do know what it is like out there and that's why we brought you here. We must preserve the legacy of peace. We are in fact the peacekeepers."

Calais chuckled, "Don't be so sanctimonious Dalah. You aren't peacekeepers. You're cowards who hide behind the veil of your own disillusion of what you are really doing here…" Calais stormed off before Dalah could reply but he knew Dalah wasn't going to let him off easy.

Calais returned to the monastery later that night when most of the students were asleep. Now air bending was going to come in handy. He treaded on air as he made his way towards his room. "Wait a minute…why are the monks gathered in the meeting hall at this hour."

The meeting hall was a large and dusty room filled with memorabilia that was said to be over a thousand years old. Calais snuck towards the huge double doors and listened carefully. He could hear Dalah announcing something, maybe it was his expulsion.

"My fellow monks, I have received word from one of the few messenger airbenders stationed across the various nations. It appears that the new Avatar has made his first marking on the world by slaughtering thousands of water benders." The monks began to chatter amongst themselves in sorrow and one monk whom Calais was unfamiliarly with began to shake his head, "To think that we believed it might have been different this time. This Avatar will be just as ruthless as the last and cause more disruption in the spirit world with his actions here"

Dalah closed his eyes for a moment, "We must take further steps to shield the students from this information. There shall be no mention of this incident and we must increase defenses without the children noticing." Another monk began to chime in, "Dalah perhaps it would be better if we tried to help the students understand what's going on out there. You know Calais isn't the only one who has been questioning our methods. We don't even let the older and more experienced children leave the mountains without a monk to guide them." "Nonsense…" Dalah was cut off by Calais' entrance into the room.

Calais leaned against the wall, "All right what's going on here? You guys are talking as if the Avatar hasn't always been a murderer." Dalah shot up out of his chair in anger, "Calais! What do you think you are doing here! This is a private meeting…Calais you will not be allowed to speak of what you heard here." "What? Listen Dalah you may be able to fool some of the other kids you picked up when they were babies but I was old enough to know that there was a war out there. You can't keep us in the shadows anymore. Why is this war happening and why are you all talking as if the Avatar wasn't going to kill thousands, I mean come on."

Dalah slammed the table, "Calais! You have no right to question my authority…" An older monk interrupted Dalah, "Dalah perhaps it is time we reveal to the students what is going on. It is their right to know. Maybe Calais was right when he spoke to you earlier today; maybe we aren't the peacekeepers we think we are." Dalah was utterly dumbfounded. How could anyone think this was a good idea?

"Maybe you should be fair Dalah and ask the other monks what they think," said Calais. "Fine. Calais leave us to think. We will hold a vote on what to do." Dalah could not believe this was happening. Calais walked out but he could hear the monks argue for hours. Calais dosed off as he sat against a wall.

Calais was abruptly awoken by the monk who sided with him. "Calais get up, the monks have something to tell you." Calais entered the room to see a defeated looking Dalah. Dalah cleared his throat and began to speak, "Calais the monks and I have discussed amongst ourselves and decided that perhaps it is time to enlighten the members of this monastery on what is going on in the world and what it really means to be the Avatar." Calais was shocked; never did he think in a million years that he was going to be right about something.

Dalah regrettably placed his hand on Calais' shoulder and began to walk him out of the room. "Calais we have also decided that since you helped us realize that it was time for a change that you should be the first to know what is all going on." Dalah led Calais down a hallway he had never been through before. Dalah placed his hand on a brick on the wall and a hidden passage way was revealed. Calais couldn't believe what was happening.

They walked further down the passageway as Dalah continued to speak, "Calais it wasn't always this way. A long time ago the Avatar was a peace bringer who kept balance between the nations and the spirit world, and for a long time the Avatar did that and the nations were at peace with each other. Over the years the world began to move forward and the Avatar began to lose touch with his spiritual side as he focused more on stabilizing the growing material world.

Time went on and the Avatar almost complete lost touch with his past lives and began to lose his way. One Avatar thought the air nomads were slowing down progress and forced us to leave behind our past and focus on tomorrow. Another Avatar thought the water nation was getting in the way of the fire nation industrialization progress. Eventually as the Avatar began to lose sight of what was balance and what was real progress, the Avatar started siding with its own nation and soon every nation was for themselves again. Each of them saw the other as a roadblock or a threat and the Avatar began to think this too. No one quite understands how the Avatar could've lost sight of what his purpose was but it happened."

Dalah and Calais had made it to a room filled with books and scrolls as well as ancient weapons and clothing. Dalah began to speak again, "This is the Chamber of the Avatar where all the records of the previous Avatars lie. Maybe by reading them you'll understand why we tried to refrain from telling you how far the world had fallen."

Calais looked at the old monk with a deeper understanding. He finally knew why the old man was so scared to tell him what was going on. The old man didn't want us to become the fear filled beings they were, and now that he thought about most of the air nomads were happy here. Surely life wouldn't be the same for them if they knew how much suffering has happened. Still Calais thought it was necessary for everyone to learn the truth.

"Thank you Dalah. It means a lot that you are sharing this with me. I know how hard…" "Enough Calais, you don't need to thank me you were right it is time…well, go ahead take a look at what the old books say." Dalah left Calais alone for the rest of the night.

Calais looked up in wonder at all the books. There was so much he wanted to know. Calais spent days in that room. He read about the strong-willed Avatar Kyoshi and of the sad tale of Avatar Roku. He was amazed by the change that Avatar Aang had made at such a young age. He read about what equality meant through the eyes of Avatar Korra. He read such stories of greatness and triumph and of the happiness and joy the Avatar brought to the world.

Calais was amazed by what he read. He saw the Avatar in a new light now. The Avatar really was a symbol for peace, a bringer of joy and happiness, and a path to balance.

Calais stood up with a joyful grin and a face of peace and whispered to himself, "This. This is what it means to be the Avatar."