OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hazuki and Zuko ran down the street and around the corner, expecting the man to come shouting after them, but he never did. They stopped once they had put some distance between themselves and the shop, and Hazuki took the book from Zuko and opened it somewhere in the middle. To her surprise, the pages where blank. She flipped the pages to the back, a habit Hatsumi had always been annoyed by - She hated having a book spoiled, whilst Hazuki sometimes likes to spoil herself. It seemed, though, that this book wouldn't let her. All the pages were blank.

She turned back around to where her companion had just been, but she realized with a jolt of surprise that he was no longer there. "Zuko?" She called after him, looking in all directions around her. He was gone.

She looked all around her, around the street corners and alleyways. He had truly vanished. Or had he? Hazuki finally turned to the first page of the book...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zuko was disoriented, to say the least - The day-lit world of structure and the sturdy sidewalk beneath his feet suddenly disappeared into darkness, and he'd found himself falling through a kaleidoscope of colors from a height of at least seven to eight feet, and had landed on his side. Fortunately for him he'd fallen on a downy bed of lavender moss, although he wasn't sure at first that that was what it was, because it was squirming underneath him like a living creature. It truly was flora, it was just growing at an incredibly fast rate. And it was far from the only one. Zuko was surrounded on all sides by constantly blooming plants of all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. Even in the dark of night the colors stood out vibrantly and seemed to go on for infinity.

It was beautiful, but he was alarmed to find that he was here, wherever here was, alone. Hazuki was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had just fallen somewhere else though, or perhaps she was hidden by the overgrown plants. So he carefully stood up off the moss, which seemed to be growing on a hill, and slowly tried to walk down the mound.

But the moss was moist, and his foot slipped, and he found himself tumbling down the hill instead. He reached the bottom with a thump, face first in the middle of a gigantic saffron-yellow flower. His face now covered in pollen, he let out a great sneeze and hurried to wipe the rest of the flower-dust off of his face and clothes.

After he'd gotten most of it off, he looked up at the sky. It was almost blotted out by the impossibly tall trees, but some slivers in between could still be seen. It was dark, but not midnight-dark. The sun would rise in less than two hours at most. He decided to wait until it did, and then perhaps it might be slightly easier to see how to get out of this forest. Although, it was growing so fast, he also wondered if the forest just went on forever - Plants that grew as fast as these should be able to overtake an entire planet in days if left unchecked.

Suddenly, from a few feet behind him, an aged voice called out, "Hello, Zuko."

Zuko turned immediately towards the sound, and found an old man looking at him with a patient smile. His hair was white, but the rest of him was much more colorful - His skin was a wrinkled olive green, and he wore cloak made of some kind of reddish-purple fur. There were some simple, white tribal designs painted on his face as well, and he wore a chain around his neck with the most curious design, of two entwining snakes eating each other's tails. He realized a second later that it was the same symbol he'd seen on the book he and Hazuki had stolen earlier.

Zuko frowned, even though he was glad to not be alone in a strange place again. "How do you know my name?" He demanded, keeping his distance. The man was old, but Zuko knew a warrior when he saw one. For some reason, the old man vaguely reminded Zuko of his Uncle Iroh, but he couldn't place why. "Who are you?"

The patient smile never left the old man's face. "Please forgive me if I startled you. I have come a long way to find you on behalf of the Childlike Empress. She was the one who told me your name and where to find you. I am her messenger. My name is Atreyu."

The answers only confused Zuko more, and that irritated him. "Who is the Childlike Empress? What does she want with me?"

The old man took a deep breath. He was definitely a warrior, but he was a tired one. "Please forgive me, Zuko, but you must let me speak a while without interrupting. I am a very old man and I have come a very long way to find you. I will explain, but you must let me. I haven't much time left, you see..."

Guilt stabbed at Zuko's chest for the old man's plight. He let his annoyance ebb away and respectfully replied, "I'm sorry. Go ahead, Sir Atreyu."

The old man nodded, "It's quite alright. I understand you are confused. Truth be told I am confused, as well. I can tell that you've never stepped foot in the land of Fantastica before, but for some reason, the Childlike Empress has chosen you for the most important task that any Fantastican can have the honor of being given, that before now has only been extended to Fantasicans - The Great Quest. You see, Zuko, the land of Fantastica is in grave danger. There is a deadly menace that threatens to destroy our world, and now that she's chosen you, you are the only one that can save us."

Zuko couldn't help but interrupt despite the old man's request. "That's kind of a big responsibility to put on someone who just got here..."

Atreyu nodded in understanding. "It is, it will surely be, if you decide to accept it. For the Childlike Empress never demands anything of anyone - This is merely a request, and you are free to accept or deny it." Zuko rolled his eyes at that. It was easy to say it was his choice, but when the fate of an entire world depended on him, it really wasn't, especially since he had no idea how to get out of this world before it was destroyed, so it was in his best interest as well. But, really, it still was his choice - He could simply walk away now if he wanted to, but his immediate unwillingless to do so was the exact reason that Atreyu insisted, "She has put her faith in you, and I know my Empress is wise in her decisions. So, will you accept?"

Zuko nodded his head. "Yes." He answered surely, "But what do I have to do?"

Atreyu's wrinkled cheeks stretched into a tired smile. Hesitating for just a moment, he reached for the chain around his neck and took it off, and then slipped it over Zuko's head. Then he spoke the words that he so clearly remembered being spoken to him so long ago. "This is the AURYN. We also call it the Gem, or the Glory. It is the the most powerful artifact in all of Fantastica, the mark of the Childlike Empress. This will guide and protect you, and give you great power - But you must not use the power for yourself, for even the Childlike Empress herself never does. Whatever comes your way, you must not interfere. From now on, your opinion ceases to count."

Zuko wasn't fond already of all the rules that came with this responsibility, but he let the old man go on. "You must also leave those swords behind and go unarmed - You must let what happens happen. Everything must be equal in your eyes, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, foolish and wise, just like it is in the eyes of the Childlike Empress. From now on you will be on your own, with no one to advise you. You may only search and inquire, never judge. Remember that, Zuko."

Zuko sighed, almost wanting to argue, but the old man's tone was deadly serious. So he took the two swords off his back and tossed them to the ground, only bothering to complain once about it, "Man, I just got those swords..." But he didn't really care, they were almost useless in the hands of someone as skilled as him, he would have just broken them in a day or two. Better to have no sword at all than a sword that was liable to break in the midst of a battle, and at least he still had his firebending.

Little did Zuko know that someday, another adventurer would find those formerly useless swords, which by then would have been imbibed with the magic of a thousand years sleep in the land of Life and Death. But that's another story and shall be told another time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hazuki had read the words on the pages with no small amount of worry. Her new companion was now apparently stuck in this book, and she had no idea how to get him out. He had accepted this Great Quest given to him by the inhabitants of the book, and now he had a duty to fulfill. His fate lied ahead of him on blank, unwritten pages.

But could he really see it through? Could a king really refrain from judging and interfering? Could even as fiery a warrior as Zuko face dangers untold, alone and unarmed? Hazuki supposed the only thing she could do was keep reading and find out...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Yellow sun rays began to peek over the purplish-blue-black horizon, and Atreyu gazed at it sadly for a few seconds.

Then he turned his attention back to his successor, and hurried to tell him, "As a personal note, Zuko - I know you are a strong young man, but the path before you is very dangerous. You may go everywhere or nowhere if you wish. You are on your own from now on, with no one to advise you. The AURYN will protect you, but you must still be careful. I have faith in you, though. I was only ten years old when the Childlike Empress called me to complete the Great Quest, but I did complete it, though I nearly died several times. Now, so many years later, my final journey is to pass the task along to you... Farewell, Zuko, and good luck." He smiled serenely despite the sadness in his eyes.

Zuko couldn't help but scoff. "Oh come on Atreyu, you don't look that bad. I'm sure if you just rested a while and have something to eat and drink, you'll be fi-"

But before he could complete his thought, the sun finally rose over halfway above the horizon, and Atreyu, and every single plant in the massive forest, instantly died and disintegrated into dusts of a unknowable number of colors. The sands began to fall on him, and he panicked and began to run from the avalanche that was now threatening to bury him. Before he could even process what was happening of where he was going he suddenly found himself tripping and tumbling blindly down a slope hadn't even realized was there. He rolled down what seemed like miles of sand and he could only pray that he survived by the end of the wild ride, holding on to the AURYN and his nose.

When it finally felt like he had reached the bottom of the slope and was on flat land again, he still rolled several feet, propelled by the momentum of the fall. But even then at least five feet of sand fell on top of him, and it was so heavy, though he thrashed his arms and legs, the sand would barely budge. He would run out of air long before he could dig himself out. Zuko couldn't believe that after all that, he was going to die here, drowned in a sea of sand...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The page ended at the bottom like that, and Hazuki's heart skipped a beat, terrified for the poor young man. Zuko wasn't her friend yet just because she'd been uncommonly friendly to him, at least by her standards, but she didn't think he deserved to die like that, and if he died then apparently a whole world died with him, and she hoped beyond hope that he survived. Even though his life was now "only" words on a page, he was still as real to her as if he were still by her side.

She gasped as she turned the page, "Oh, please be okay!"

A young man gave her a weird stare as he passed her, wondering how such a pretty girl could be such a book-nerd, but she didn't care. Her eyes immediately reached for the top of the next page, and read on to find if it was truly the end of Zuko's story...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Xanthophyllous grains obstructed Zuko's vision but he could still hear, and as his breath was starting to run out, he heard a strange, bounding thumping noises above him, and then the sands started to rustle. He hoped beyond hope, squeezing the AURYN, and suddenly a huge snout was sniffling against his arm, a mouthful of fangs had grabbed him all around the torso and was dragging him out of the sand. Zuko only had a split second to sarcastically think to himself, 'Oh good, I'm not gonna suffocate, I'm going to be torn apart and eaten.' Before the mouth was tossing him like a ragdoll to the side. He rolled over the saffron colored sands and onto a pile of deep burgundy colored sands.

Zuko tumbled several feet, then he blinked up in wonder and terror at the great, beautiful beast that had rescued him and was surely now about to kill him. It was a most like a lion ('Just a lion - How weird!' Zuko thought.) but it was a brilliant, golden yellow color, identical to the saffron sands he was standing on, actually. But then it bounded after Zuko, and as it's paws fell on the burgundy sand, it's fur and mane turned the exact same shade of purplish-red. It roared in his face and then pounced upon him again, and Zuko was sure he was about to have his face ripped off by the huge beast.

But instead, the lion began licking his face. It was almost like some kind of dog now, Zuko realized with bewildered relief. The roar from before had been one of excitement, like when a dog sees it's master has come home after being away for a long time and begins to bark and wag it's tail.

And then, to Zuko's further shock, the wine-colored lion exclaimed, "Finally!"

Zuko stared at the creature for several seconds, then managed to blurt out, "W-What...?" Had he seriously just heard an animal speak?

The lion reached down and nuzzled its huge head and mane against Zuko's torso. "I have waited so long... Surely at least a hundred years have passed in this realm since the last time someone came bearing the AURYN. It and only it keeps you from being reduced to ashes in my presence, for I am Grograman, Lord of the Desert of Colors. I am also called the Many-Colored Death."

The Fire Lord couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the beast's colorful introduction. "...Who calls you that if everyone turns to ash around you?"

The lion looked somewhat embarrassed and perplexed, and then a little annoyed. "...Well, I call myself that! You know, don't get cocky just because I was glad to see you right away. Just because I haven't seen anyone in a hundred years doesn't mean you're special. You're not the first to visit Grograman in his domain and live to tell the tale." He huffed.

"Sorry, no offense, I was just wondering aloud." Zuko quickly replied, then foolishly he added, "How many others have seen you and lived to tell the tale?"

"...One, okay!" Grograman roared, almost starting to wish he were alone again after all. "And he was a much more entertaining companion than you!" The lion suddenly batted at Zuko with his giant paw, and sent the tiny human, which was like a mouse to a cat to him, rolling down another nearby hill. The lion leaped after him, turning into the color of the night-sky navy blue sands at the bottom.

Then he pounced on him again, growling playfully, "Come on! Wouldn't you like to race or wrestle?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hazuki finally let out a deep sigh of relief. First she'd been terrified that Zuko would drown, then she was horrified to think that he might be ripped to shreds and eaten. But now she felt sorry for the lion Grograman more than anything. How lonely the poor beast must have been all those years! He was still glad to see Zuko, even after realizing what a jerk he was. Hazuki couldn't blame him though, she had a good idea of how the beast felt.

Since the story was apparently now far from over (or was it?) Hazuki moved to sit at a nearby bench while she continued to read...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Wrestle? The gigantic beast wanted to wrestle him? Surely the beast couldn't expect to actually find much sport in that! Besides, now that he wasn't facing imminent death, Zuko remembered that he was supposed to be on some kind of Great Quest, and that the fate of a world was at stake. He also remembered with no small amount of guilt that a man had sacrificed his life to bring him this urgent news, and it was only due to him that he wasn't already a lifeless pile of ash himself.

"Grograman, I really am sorry, but a noble old man perished just this morning in your desert to bring me urgent news.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

(( Author's note - Hey guys, this chapter is incomplete and probably will remain so, but I figured I'd post what I have of this chapter for anyone who is interested. If you liked this story, please let me know, I may continue it someday. But right now I'm focusing on my Invader Zim fics, "Beyond the Stars" and "Beneath the Stars". If you're a ZADR fan, check them out too! ^^ ))