Chapter 11: Visions from the Swamp
"Hey, Azula? Are you sure this… raft is gonna last all the way?" Ty Lee was currently looking at the makeshift wooden platform they created out of logs Azula cut down with her fire.
"Don't worry Ty Lee! If you fall, I'll make sure to quickly bring you back in." Kaze says with a laugh as he walks towards the raft.
The group was currently in front of one the many massive rivers that spanned the entire swamp, and according to Kaze, it went as far as the entire length of the area.
"Either way, we have no choice." Azula follows after Kaze, and steps on the platform. "If we want to make it by the end of the day, this is the best course of action."
"Something tells me all you want is to see Kaze to show off his waterbending." Mai is the third on the platform.
Azula smiles, but doesn't say anything, as Ty Lee finally joins the rest.
"Anyway, make sure to hold on tight!" Kaze calls out as he flares his arms outward and lets the water propel them forward with incredible speed.
Katara couldn't help feeling watched.
After the mirage of her mom tricked her away further into the dense overgrowth of vines and trees, she felt her skin prickle and her blood freeze.
Something was keeping its eyes trained on her, and no matter how far she went, she couldn't escape it.
Growing frustrated, she lashes out. She picks up water from nearby and slashed her way through everything around her. She couldn't hear her mind anymore as she desperately barraged her surroundings. Her muscles ached in strain and her jaw hurt from how hard she was clenching it.
Once again, her vision was filled with the color red.
It wasn't until someone tackled her to the ground that she snapped out of her trance.
They fell backwards through a root, crashing into a third body, before the three of them were splattered on the ground.
"What are you guys doing?!" It was Sokka, who's face seemed pale, like he'd seen a ghost.
Aang helped her back up as he spoke. "I don't know… I heard laughing and then saw a girl with a fancy dress, so I chased her."
"A girl?" Katara raises an eyebrow in confusion.
But Aang just shrugs. "What about you guys?"
Katara shuts her eyes, strain clouding her face. She remembers the blinding rage and desire to rip apart the swamp. "Katara?" Aang seemed to notice her struggle.
She shakes her head. "I… It's nothing."
Aang and Sokka gazed at her with concern and confusion, clearly not convinced.
"Are you sure?" Sokka's concern hovers over her.
"Yeah… I'm sure."
Whatever was happening to her, it all started that day in Omashu. She didn't know exactly what anything meant, but she hoped that meeting that Fire Nation waterbender again would help answer her questions.
"Let's focus on finding Appa and Momo."
"Woooah! This is awesome!" Ty Lee screamed, as the wind blew her braid wildly through the air.
"See! You guys had nothing to worry about!" Kaze is skillfully steering the raft through the many curves and turns that spanned the river.
Meanwhile, Azula remained calmly holding on to Kaze, as she tried to contain her enjoyment. "You know, as nice as the wind feels, I think you should slow down a bit." She then nods at Mai who was holding into one of the logs, face paler than usual. "I don't want Mai to throw up over any of us."
Kaze looks behind him to see the state his usually gloomy friend was.
"Oh! Sorry about that! Let me just-" But something rings in his ear. Something was quickly approaching them from the sides.
In order to deflect them, Kaze speeds up and bends water to the sides of the raft in a wall that blocked what seemed to be multiple vines coming at dangerous speeds.
"What's going on?!" Ty Lee shouts as Azula looks around, trying to pinpoint exactly who sent the attack.
"Something's attacking us! We have to get out of here!" She looks directly at Kaze. "Quickly!"
"Got it!" Kaze starts bending the water with incredible force, making the raft pick up in speed.
"G-Guys!" Ty Lee calls out in panic. "Something's coming from behind!"
The four look back, as they spot what seemed like three different boats being steered by men wearing nothing but leaves.
"W-What is that?" Mai manages to ask through her increasing nausea.
"It doesn't matter!" Azula throws a fireball, which is quickly deflected with a wall of water. "They don't seem friendly, and we can't let them catch up!"
Now closer to them, Kaze is able to see that the men were bending the water just like he was. Realization hits him as he shouts. "They must be the swamp's inhabitants! They're probably trying to defend their home!"
"Well, I don't think they're going to listen if we try and talk to them!" Azula says as she keeps up her assault. "So go faster!"
"Okay! Just hold on!" Kaze says, prompting Ty Lee to drop to the ground and hold on to Mai, while Azula grabs on to his shoulders.
Now properly secured, Kaze focuses on the water in front of them and wills it to propel the raft even faster, as Azula makes sure to deflect any vine thrown at them.
Kaze strains in concentration as he prevents the raft from crashing into countless amounts of corners and trees in the way, until two consecutive sharp turns sends them out of control.
"Shit! Hold on!" He manages to say, as they crash into a ledge that sends the four of them flying into the trees.
Katara was currently sitting on her own by the river nearby the swamp people's little village.
Learning that the visions they had were somehow the work of the swamp itself brought her some slight relief about the sight of her mom. But that still didn't explain the gaze she constantly felt on her, nor the blinding anger.
She meant to ask about it but… the reminder of how she felt made her refrain from it.
Ever since the fight in Omashu, she hasn't been able to get rid of the dizziness of being dragged by a raging ocean. But now, instead of taking her balance from under her, it simply lingered in her body ever so slightly, managing to only grow the frustrations in her mind.
"Katara?" She hears Aang call from behind her. "Are you okay? You've been acting weird ever since we left Omashu…"
She wanted to be honest, to talk about what was troubling. But the shame she felt at the way she starts losing her mind made her hold her tongue.
"Is it about the waterbender that attacked us there?" Aang asked, probably remembering the state she was in on the flight right after leaving the city.
At the mention of him, Katara's temper seemed to rise quickly. Anger started flowing her body, but she managed to control it enough not to lash out once again. It wasn't normal, the rational part of her brain kept telling her that there were always other possibilities about his existence, and yet… every time she thinks about it, she can feel something like a little voice urging her to seek revenge.
"I-It's not just that…" She manages to say through gritted teeth. She realizes that she's going to sooner or later have to talk about it with someone. Might as well try now.
"Every time I think about what happened that day, my mind goes blank… I feel this anger flooding me and I just get this urge to attack and seek… revenge?" She puts her hands to her face in frustration.
Aang's eyes narrow as he himself recalls a similar feeling.
"It's just…" Katara starts before stopping herself, clearly trying to make sense of her thoughts. "…Can I ask you something?" She turns to look at Aang.
Aang returns her gaze with curiosity, urging her to continue.
"The day of the exchange… didn't you feel something strange?" She asks, not really knowing how to explain what actually happened.
"What do you mean?" Aang's curiosity is now laced with concern. "Do you mean that time when you almost passed out?"
Katara remains silent, gathering her courage. "…I felt like I was drifting in an ocean of darkness… And something was pulling me towards something…"
Aang's eyes start to widen at her words.
"And then… the moon shined on me… but it wasn't the moon. It was black, and instead of its usual light…"
"It had a dim, chilling glow…" Aang manages to finish for her, making Katara jump in shock.
"Did you feel it too then?!" Katara asks hopeful at Aang's words.
But he doesn't answer. His eyes drop to the ground as they seem to go through a painful memory. He then looks to the sky and centers on the moon.
"…I felt it too… but not at that time…" His face seemed strained, as if trying to contain something. "I felt it at the North Pole…"
Katara can't help the puzzled look on her face as she tries to absorb his words. "In the north? When was this?"
A tear falls off Aang's left eye. "…It was when Zhao killed Tui. My mind went blank, and something started calling to me. It was asking for revenge, for the strength to destroy the people that hurt his sister…"
Katara then remembers exactly what he's talking about. The anger lidded in his face as he walked towards at the completely unmoving pool of water, where a lone, black colored fish with a white spot swam on its own.
"I couldn't control the urge to answer the call… so I let it swallow me whole." Aang continues. "I don't really remember well what actually happened." He then turns back to Katara, sadness still riding his features. "But what I do know is that I wasn't really conscious of what I was doing. I was drifting in an endless sea of darkness with the same glowing moon you saw that day, while I let the spirit take the lives of every Fire Nation soldier it came across." Katara notices Aang clench his fists in anger at the memory.
"W-What does this mean?" Katara asks, as her blood once again starts running cold, feeling the temperature in the air lower considerably.
"I don't know, Katara… But, most likely, it has something to do with the spirit of the ocean, La."
When Kaze comes about, he finds himself lost in a forest of darkness.
It looked similar to the swamp, but he knew it wasn't the same.
Every tree and vine seemed different, like they were alive and attempting to swallow his soul.
And an eerie darkness surrounded him… only a faint glow from the sky illuminating the area in a light that only sent chills down his body.
He looked around, in hopes of finding Azula and the others… But he couldn't make anything out. He could only see trees and darkness for as far as his eyes could reach.
Figuring that he might as well try to find out where he was, Kaze made his way forward.
As he kept moving, he couldn't shake the feeling of being constantly watched by something, or someone. Instead of the massive trees from the swamp, each trunk and branch twisted in unnatural angles, almost like they were posing.
For what felt like an eternity, but somehow not that long, Kaze walked through the uneven ground and deafening silence of the forest.
That is, until he comes into a clearing.
It was a circular patch of land devoid of trees, where the source of light was now clear on the sky above.
The moon was shining, but it wasn't the one he was used to. Its surface was shrouded in darkness and the light it shone seemed like a faint glow seeping from its sides.
His skin went cold at the sight, as his body froze in fear and confusion. How could any of this be in any way possible? He remembers reading in the Academy's library of certain areas of the world where the barriers to the spirit world were thinner, and he reckons the swamp might've been one of those, but he isn't sure.
But if it was true then… what could this possibly mean? Was he in the spirit world now?
He is so caught up in his thoughts that he somehow missed the approaching figure coming from behind him.
It isn't until it's almost touching his back that he feels a shudder that makes him jump away and settle in a defensive stance.
Kaze's eyes widened. What he thought would be some kind of person was instead something completely different.
It had a pitch-black body, completely devoid of detail or features. And his face was enough to send a tremble throughout his legs.
It was like its body, pitch black, except for the fact he had two caving white spots where its eyes should be, and it had a strange white spot on its head.
But as it came closer to him, he managed to see its face morph into something resembling that of a person. Its eyes were now two fully black orbs encircled in white, making them contrast in a haunting manner, while its skin was now something closer to a dark blue, similar to that of the night sky.
Knowing what little he knew of spirits, he resolved to maintain his ground and not let it see the fear that was slowly enveloping him.
"What are you?" He asked, voice as straight as he could manage.
But the figure doesn't answer, instead choosing to close the gap between them before putting a hand to his chest, sending a freezing cold chill through his inner organs until his vision turned white.
It once again felt like an eternity, but now in a sea of blinding white, but it slowly started settling for another image.
He now found himself in a strange, yet beautiful garden surrounded by massive cliffs of ice. In the center of it, a small pool of perfectly still water was being inhabited by two lone fish, one white and the other black. But he wasn't alone.
Right by the edge of it, he could see a cloaked figure, holding a small bundle of clothes into the water, muttering something he couldn't make out from where he was. But then an eerily blue glow shined from the water, and the bundle began crying.
Before he could make out exactly what he witnessed, the scene once again changed in an instant.
Instead of the beautiful garden, now he found himself staring into the cage of a man, who was chained to the ground and looked completely broken down. He tried to move to catch a better view, but he couldn't. So instead, he opted to look around in place.
What he saw sent his heart and his head into a pit of despair. Hundreds of people were equally being held chained down in cages, and he realizes now that he's in a prison.
There is no sound being made, only those of the rats that made their way in and out of their cages. It was so inhumane that Kaze felt like keeling over and throwing up. It was then, that the sound of a door opening brought him back to the situation.
It was a man clad in red armor, his face barely visible with the low light of the moon that shined through a grated rooftop.
"…I'll kill you…" He hears a sound from the cage right in front of him, the chained down man suddenly stirring from his previous state.
And that's when he saw it again. The same dark figure that sent him through these visions was standing besides the man, whispering something in his ear.
"What was that, rat?" He hears the guard come over to where he was standing.
Kaze's ears started ringing. Something was happening outside, and it was powerful enough for him to feel it shake him to his core.
It takes him a moment to realize that it was the ocean, and that the prison they were in was currently sitting in an island surrounded by a raging sea.
He then sees the man spread out his hands as much as the chains allowed him. He could feel what he was doing. A massive wave was quickly climbing towards the sky swallowing the entire island in its unreal power.
"I'll kill all of you!" Is the last thing he hears as the weight of the ocean falls over into everything and everyone who was currently in the islands. There were no screams, bodies were simply crushed under its weight. He could feel the hundreds of guards being crushed and torn apart by the water, and it seemed like the other prisoners didn't fare any better.
After what felt like just a single moment, everything stilled once more. He was no longer in the metal floor of the prison, now instead floating slightly off the ocean waters. And the only remaining body was that one from the man, as it started drifting slowly towards an what seemed like a tiny island in the distance.
And that's when his vision blurred completely before being once again thrown back into the clearance on the dark forest.
The dark figure was still standing in front of him, eerie smile plastered on its face.
Kaze was panting. He didn't know why, but his breath felt like it was escaping him, and he struggled to get it back.
Now on his knees and palms, he hears the shadow slowly make his way closer, until it pulls to a stop and crouches, bringing his face right where his was.
"…You…will finish…what he started…" Is the only thing it says, as he suddenly feels a suffocating darkness swallow his entire being. Not just his body, but he felt his very soul drifting away, as if something was attempting to take control of everything he was.
He couldn't fight it, his body now devoid of any strength and his mind completely clouded. He was about to give in and let go, until a bright light brought his eyes back to focus and force the shadow to pull away and disappear.
He was out of breath once more. He couldn't know what just happened, but at the very least, he seemed to have escaped an agonizing fate at the hands of a spirit.
It takes all his strength to raise his head and look up at the source of his rescue.
And what he sees brings his eyes into amazement.
It seemed like a beautiful shining angel, covered in shimmering robes that seemed to glow like the moon itself. Her hair was pure white, and her face radiated pure gentleness and kindness.
He felt speechless. The previous events managed to send his brain into a state of disrepair.
It was then that the figure spoke to him. "It seems La's thirst for retribution is still making its way through the world…"
"…La?" He manages to get out.
"...Yes… But there isn't any time to explain as you must make your way out of here before his power once more threatens to take control of your very being." She says as she puts a hand down to his face.
"He will come back for you again… and I won't be able to interfere like I did just now. So, you must be ready." The entire world is bathed in a blinding light, as the figure seemed to faze out of his vision.
"…Who are you?" He tries to ask as he started drifting away. But his question goes unanswered as he feels his vision go black once more.
"Kaze! You're awake!" He hears, splitting headache hounding his mind. He seemed to be in a tent, somewhere no longer in the swamp.
Before he could ascertain who the voice belonged to, he was quickly pulled into a tight hug.
Recognizing the warmth, he instantly returns it.
"Azula?" His voice is coarse. "W-What happened?
She then pulls away slightly before fixing him with a sharp glare. "You were out for almost two whole days! We had to carry you out of the swamp the rest of the way…" She says with an edge to her voice that betrayed a slight quiver of worry.
"…A whole day…" Kaze mutters. "…I'm sorry for making you worry Azula." He feels terrible for making her worry. He tries to stand up but finds his energy completely drained.
"Are you hurt?" Azula hovers over him. "We tried to check for any injuries, but we couldn't find anything."
"No, I'm just feeling pretty tired, that's all." He attempts to reassure her, by squeezing her arm.
But Azula still seemed skeptical.
"I'll be fine!" He tries to regain his usual cheer. "Nothing an actual night of sleep won't fix."
Azula keeps her analytical glare on him, looking for any trace of anything that could still be affecting him.
Then she sighs in slight resignation. "Fine. Just promise to tell me if something feels wrong down the line." She asks, although her tone suggests it isn't a request, but an order.
"You got it, princess." His nickname seems to cheer up Azula, before she makes her way out of the tent.
As she leaves, Kaze goes back through everything he saw in his vision.
Whatever that shadow was, it was just about to consume his soul and make it theirs.
And apparently that wasn't the end of it. It would come back again, and he had to make sure to be ready for it.
The only question being… How?
It was the next morning. Kaze finally felt fully revitalized so he exited his tent with as much positivity as he could muster.
"Hey guys!" He heads over to Mai and Ty Lee who were sitting by a nearby stream of water.
"Kaze! You're okay!" Ty Lee rushes to hug him, as Mai simply walks up.
"Good… I'm never carrying you anywhere ever again." Mai says in her usual tone, but Kaze could see slight relief in her face.
"We were so worried! I'm pretty sure Azula was close to burning through the entire forest if you hadn't woken up last night!" Ty Lee pulls away and looks over him in concern.
"Yeah, sorry about that…" He rubs his neck apologetically. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, so don't worry."
"If you say so…" Ty Lee remains doubtful but backs down.
"Anyway. Where's Azula?" He asks as he notices the absence of a fourth member nearby. That's when he notices her hunched up by a couple of rocks, holding what seemed like… fur?
"Oh! Yeah, she said she noticed something as we made our way here, and she went to check it out." He hears Ty Lee say, as he makes his way towards his girlfriend.
"Azula?" He calls out, making Azula turn his way. "What did you find over there?"
She stares at it for a second before handing it to him. "Take a look for yourself."
As he had thought, it was a piece of fur. It was smooth, white, and fluffy. It reminded him of fur they saw a few days back. And so, it clicked on his mind. "It's the Avatar's bison's fur, isn't it."
"Bingo." Azula looks him over, once again scanning for any injuries or problems. "Are you sure you're, okay?"
"Yeah! I'm feeling much better. Thanks for worrying, Azula." He gives her a kiss on the forehead, before wrapping her in a hug.
Azula's face washes in relief as she returns the hug. "Well, if you're sure, then I'll let it go."
They pull apart before heading back to the camp. "What now?" He asks as the reach their two friends.
"That wasn't the only piece of fur I found. There is a trail of it going down the river and into a range of hills down the road." Azula mentions to the entire group.
"Which means we can follow them around, for as long as the bison keeps shedding." Mai follows along with her train of thought.
"And what do we do when we reach them? Do we fight them again?" Ty Lee asked.
Kaze thinks for a moment before answering. "Well, to be honest, leaving such an open trail to be followed by was pretty careless on their part… Maybe we should test to see how fast they find out, and how they'll react once they realize we caught up to them."
"The only question is… How do we catch up to a flying bison?"
Azula seems to ponder for a few minutes before her eyes light up with an idea.
"There is an Earth Kingdom colony nearby. A colony that I know handles a lot of the Fire Nations construction projects for the war. I'm sure they'll have something we can use that can take advantage of the erratic terrain nearby." Azula says, as she points them at the direction of said colony.
Kaze follows slightly behind, as his worries over the events of the previous days still remain in his head.
But for now, he would have to focus on his current mission.