Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.
Chapter 14. Hearing The Breath.
The next day – Spirit World, Realm of Keepers.
Huo didn't sleep very well since his mind was full of thoughts, but at least he didn't have nightmares that night. He couldn't get Yuan'Shi's words out of his head. Sleepyheaded, he ate a couple of fruits, washed up, and left the cave. Too tired to train, the boy lay down on the grass and closed his eyes. Soon, he heard the flapping of wings and lazily opened his orange-colored eyes, spotting Shen'Rai, who visited him like every day and landed right next to him.
"Good morning, Shen'Rai," the boy sat up and greeted the phoenix with a purple-colored crest.
"Good morning, Huo," Shen'Rai greeted back and noticed his state. "Are you okay?" asked the phoenix.
"I didn't sleep very well," Huo answered and yawned, covering his mouth.
"Heh, I can see that," Shen'Rai replied. "Did you have bad dreams again?"
"N-No..." Huo replied. A small part of him wanted to tell the spirit what happened yesterday, but he was worried that Yuan'Shi was right and didn't want to risk it before he could learn the truth. He did get an idea, though. "I though about my friends from my village. I miss them and I wondered if you could take me to the physical world so I could see them."
Eilu and Shaku couldn't meditate into the Spirit World, so traveling to the mortal world was the only way to see them. In reality, Huo simply wanted to see his dad in his real, physical body and make sure he was alive, which he firmly believed.
Shen'Rai knew it was a bad idea. Nineteen years have passed since Wei'Rai took Huo to the Spirit World. That meant everyone in Huo's village was older, and his peers were adults now. The boy would immediately realize that something was wrong, and of course, he'd be informed by the villagers that his father was dead.
Although the phoenix spirit sympathized with the boy, he couldn't allow him to learn the truth about his father. It would be a devastating blow for Huo, and Shen'Rai only could imagine the grief he'd feel. It would cause Yuan'Shi to realize that she's in a dream and escape. Of course, the phoenixes didn't know that Yuan'Shi was already free. "You have to remain here, Huo," the spirit replied with a heavy heart. "It's for your own safety."
"I don't understand," Huo replied, shaking his head. "You took me to the physical world when we visited Wan Shi Tong. Can't you protect me from harm if anything bad happens?"
"It's too risky for you to visit your village," Shen'Rai stated. "There would be many questions from your friends and other villagers. If by some unfortunate event something bad would happen or you'd get simply too emotional, you know who'd wake up. I know you're brave, Huo, but try to think about your father. He already lost your mother, whom he loved. If he'd lose you, he would break apart."
Huo wanted to respond, but he clenched his fists and looked away. He could ask straight out if his father was alive, but there was no way for the boy to make sure that Shen'Rai would tell him the truth. Not to mention that Huo was afraid to push the topic further and reveal too much.
"Everything will be alright," Shen'Rai promised, moving closer to Huo, unfolding one of his wings and placing it on the boy's back. "Maybe not tomorrow or the day after, but you'll see your friends eventually."
Huo looked at the phoenix and smiled slightly. He yawned again, and Shen'Rai quickly suggested. "You should rest. No one is forcing you to train firebending over and over."
"Okay," Huo nodded. He was tired, and a nap sounded good.
Huo spent the rest of the day resting and thinking about Yuan'Shi's proposition, which he really began to consider. While he didn't like the idea of spying on the Fire Keepers, he wanted to learn the truth. He also wanted to know more about Yuan'Shi. When the night finally came, Huo decided to start a fire inside his cave and waited. After a few moments, the orange flames turned black, darkening the cave's interior, and a familiar voice issued from them.
"Hello, Huo," Yuan'Shi greeted the boy, who greeted her back and nodded. "Hello, Yuan'Shi. I wanted to talk with you."
"Of course," Yuan'Shi replied. "I'm always ready to have a nice conversation."
"Who are you?" Huo asked curiously. "And why did the Fire Keepers placed you in the Mist of the Sleeping Souls?"
"Well, as I introduced myself before, my name is Yuan'Shi although I had many other names, which I use no longer," Yuan'Shi replied. "I was a Keeper like the rest of my siblings before they decided to betray me."
"You were a Keeper?!" Huo asked in shock, and something clicked in the boy's head. "That's why you called me a brother when I was asleep in the pond! You thought I was Shen'Rai!"
"Yes," Yuan'Shi confirmed. "I was a phoenix spirit called Chin'Rai. That's why my fire is black. Wei'Rai has blue fire, Shen'Rai has violet, Nou'Rai has white, and Vin'Rai has green."
"So there were five of you?" Huo asked, genuinely interested.
"Yes, before my siblings betrayed me," Yuan'Shi replied.
"Why did they betray you?" Huo asked, having a hard time imagining Shen'Rai betraying someone. He always imagined the phoenix as a kind, friendly, and gentle spirit.
"Because I wanted to teach humans our art, our firebending," Yuan'Shi answered. "I was interested in humans the moment we've encountered them in the physical world. When Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness, broke through the barriers that separated humans and spirits, he created two spirit portals. Through the portals, humans could enter the Spirit World and vice versa. However, hostile spirits began to inhabit the physical world, endangering the humans, who had no way of protecting themselves. Wanting to give them a fighting chance, I decided to pick a random human, bestow him with the element of fire, and teach him the art of firebending. I picked a female human named Min Yan."
"She had a talent for firebending," Yuan'Shi continued while Huo listened carefully. "However, it made my siblings uneasy. They were of the opinion that humans cannot have such a power. That it would cause an unbalance in the world and that they'd pose a threat for the spirits. I was a leader back then so it was my decision. Unfortunately, my siblings decided to rebel. They informed the leaders of the other Keepers of my actions. Not only did they strip Min Yan of her bending, they also disfigured her form. With the last, cruel act, they destroyed my physical body and sealed my spirit inside Min Yan. I'll spare you further details."
Huo silently processed everything Yuan'Shi told him, feeling sorry for her. Everything she said could be true, but if the rest of the Fire Keepers supposedly lied to him, how could he be sure that she was the one telling the truth? Still, the boy recalled everything his father told him about spirit possession, and he reached a grim conclusion. "So Min Yan is... dead," he said. "They killed her by sealing you inside her body?"
"Humans cannot survive if they're possessed by a spirit for too long," Yuan'Shi stated. "Their bodies become overwhelmed by too much conflicting energies at once, with the more powerful one, the spirit, eventually winning out. The spirit completely takes over the human body and the human's 'soul' is absorbed by the spirit."
"I'm sorry," Huo said sympathetically.
"Don't be," Yuan'Shi replied. "You had nothing to do with it."
"I know but... wait, you said you gave Min Yan firebending," Huo stated, slightly confused. "I thought only lion turtles could give humans the power of the elements."
"Keepers are spirits so we can energybend," Yuan'Shi explained. "We also possess the power of elements so with our energybending, we can give humans our element. We could even give humans energybending."
"In that case why Shen'Rai took me to the lion turtle to take away my waterbending and give me firebending if he could do that by himself?" Huo asked, and Yuan'Shi answered. "I don't know how long I was trapped in my dream so I can't tell what happened after and what decisions were made by the leaders of the Keepers. Maybe they all agreed that Keepers should not give bending to humans. I don't know. Only Shen'Rai himself can answer that question."
Huo nodded and sighed. Many questions were left unanswered, but there was a way to get answers if Yuan'Shi still wanted to teach him. "I would like you to teach me your technique," Huo asked. "If you still can that is."
"Of course," Yuan'Shi replied. "Just remember not to reveal your training to Shen'Rai and the rest. The last thing I want is a repeat of what happened to Min Yan."
"I won't tell them," Huo assured.
"Good," Yuan'Shi replied. "Now before we start, head to the deeper part of the cave, the one with hot springs, and create a second fire there."
Huo arched his eyebrows. "Huh? How do you...?"
"I was a Fire Keeper, I know the cave you're in inside and out," Yuan'Shi explained. "Now make haste. There a risk that one of my siblings could check on you."
Huo complied and ran outside to get more grass and leaves. Once he had a suitable amount, he headed deeper into the cave and created a second fire beside the hot springs as Yuan'Shi requested. The flames of that fire became black, and once again, Yuan'Shi's voice issued from them. "Okay, close your eyes and focus," she instructed, and Huo did just that. "Can you feel the heat emanating from the fire in front of you?"
"Yes," Huo confirmed with his eyes closed.
"That's because the element of fire allows you to sense all sources of heat," Yuan'Shi explained. "It's much easier to detect and use heat sources when you actually 'feel' them. Even physical beings without bending can feel fire when it's close by, but when you want to sense a fire that is beyond your reach or even out of your sight, you must 'hear' its breath."
Huo opened his eyes and arched his black eyebrows. "Hear its... breath?" he asked.
"Fire is alive," Yuan'Shi stated. "It breaths, it consumes, it has a will of its own. Your goal is too 'hear' the fire, which I used earlier the entrance to the cave. Drown out all distractions and focus. Ignore the heat and focus on the sound."
Huo once again closed his eyes. He could clearly feel the heat from the fire in front of him and even felt the weaker heat generated from the hot springs right beside him, but not the heat from the fire near the cave's entrance. The boy remembered the crackling and sizzling sounds of the campfires when he lived in the village, but he didn't think it was the breath Yuan'Shi spoke off. More likely, it was the sound of wood being burned.
Shaking his head and rolling his shoulders, Huo took his meditating position, crossing his legs and placing his feet on his thighs. He decided to stop overthinking it and began to focus anew while he steadied his breathing.
His own breath was barely audible, but he began to hear something after a few moments. At first, he thought it was all in his head, but he could actually hear something in front of him, like a quiet, soft, low-pitched sound of breathing, which started to echo in his ears.
Huo focused more, and after a few moments, he heard the same sounds further away, near the cave's entrance and his sleeping bag. He could even picture the orange flames moving in tandem with the breathing.
"I heard it!" he exclaimed and opened his eyes, looking at the black flames in front of him.
"Good, but that was the easy part," Yuan'Shi replied. "Now, create a fire in your hand."
Huo nodded and conjured a small orange flame above his palm, just like Yuan'Shi told him. "Now, just like before, focus on hearing the fire near the entrance, but keep your eyes open and gaze into the flame in your hand," Yuan'Shi instructed. "Synchronize your own breathing with the one you'll hear. If you do it correctly, the fire near the entrance will become your sight."
The boy exhaled and concentrated. After a short moment, he could hear the breathing of the flame in his hand and the breathing of the fire near his sleeping bag. He began to breathe in tandem with the latter as he kept his eyes on the flame in his hand. The sound of breathing got louder and louder.
After a few seconds, his entire field of vision was covered by a flash of light, and he needed to blink his eyes. When he reopened them, he could actually see his sleeping bag and the entrance to the cave. If fact, he could see everything inside that portion of the cave without the need to look around. It was like he stood there with eyes all over his head. The sensation was too overwhelming.
Huo shook his head and blinked a few times, breaking his connection, and almost fell on his back. "Ahhh! It was sooo weird!" he stated. "I could see everything inside the cave!"
"That's because your human eyes only allow you to see the things in front of you," Yuan'Shi explained. "You have turn your head if you want to look in a different direction, but with this technique, you see every direction at once, which can be confusing."
"Tell me about it," Huo replied, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. His head hurt a little, but he was able to endure it.
"You'll get use to it," Yuan'Shi assured. "All you need is practise. Actually, it's the only thing you need to do right now. The more you practise, the better you'll be at hearing the fire. You'll be able to hear fire that is further away and thus expand the range of your technique. Just remember that you can only hear the breath of fire. Heat sources that do not have flames cannot be used to see, you also can't use fire, which is being used by another bender or a spirit at the time."
"Won't the Fire Keepers realize I'm watching them?" Huo suddenly asked.
"No, because your fire is... 'normal'," Yuan'Shi reassured. "I'm using the technique right now and the flames are black because that's my color. If my siblings would use this technique, the flames would turn into their respective colors. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Huo replied and looked at the flames. "Thank you for teaching me."
"It's the least I can do to help you learn the truth," Yuan'Shi replied. "You deserve it. Now get some rest. I'll check on your progress in a few days. See you later, Huo."
With that, the black flames turned orange, and Huo exhaled. He put out the fires and decided to go to sleep so that he'd have a lot of energy to practice.
A few days later – Spirit World, Realm of Keepers.
Huo trained his technique whenever he was alone, but the sensation of seeing everything at once was still strange. Once, he wanted to try something out and once again created a fire near his sleeping bag. He remained in that same spot and gazed into the flame in his hand. When he synchronized his breathing with the fire right next to him, he could see everything around the fire, even himself, sitting in the cave and staring at the flame in his hand.
As the boy trained and made progress, he noticed that he could hear the fire breathing much easier. He was in control and was able to calmly see everything thanks to the fire. However, when he tried to listen to the fire outside his cave, he realized it was tough to pinpoint a specific one. There were many fires in the realm, and when he tried to focus, it was like hundreds of people breathing into his ears. He simply couldn't concentrate enough on one breath, and it all made his head hurt.
Huo was getting impatient and irritated. This wasn't a simple firebending training where he had to perform a basic move repeatedly to hone his skill. He was very good at meditating, but he didn't seem to make further progress no matter how hard he tried to concentrate.
He even tried to find something which could help him in the book he got from Wan Shi Tong's library. While he knew it was mainly a book about Fire Nation's history, even the slightest mention would be helpful, but there was nothing in the book about 'hearing' the fire. Huo did find something interesting, though, which he tested out; heat control. The boy cooled down the water of the hot springs by absorbing the emanating heat into his body and redirecting it out through his fingertips. However, while it was useful, it wasn't what he looked for.
Like Yuan'Shi said, she used her technique and checked on the boy, who quickly told her about his problem.
"That's normal, Huo," Yuan'Shi stated with a reassuring tone. "Since you're in a place filled many sources of fire, it is much harder to pinpoint a specific one, but the more harder the training is, the better are the results. You just need to be patient."
"Isn't there any faster way or a different method for me to learn it?!" Huo asked desperately. This technique was the only way to learn if what Yuan'Shi said was true about his father and the Fire Keepers, so he wanted to learn it as fast as he could.
"Only one, but it's dangerous," Yuan'Shi replied. "One would need to bend your life energy, but that requires energybending."
"That means you can do it!" Huo stated. "Even though you have a human body, you're a spirit like your siblings! You have firebending and energybending!"
"That's true, but-" Yuan'Shi confirmed, but before she could speak further, Huo interrupted her.
"You can use your energybending on me!" he pointed out. "That's the only way! You said it yourself! Afterwards, I could learn the technique faster and finally learn the truth!"
"Huo, listen!" Yuan'Shi raised her voice. "I'm not sure how much humankind has learned about bending while I was in a dream, but I'm pretty sure they only scratched the surface. Humans can't comprehend the powers and dangers of true bending. Their bodies and minds simply cannot handle it."
"This is the only way for me to know the truth," Huo stated more calmly, but his eyes were full of emotions. "Please."
After a long moment of silence, Yuan'Shi sighed. "In order to bend your life energy, I'd have to meet you in person," she replied. "My siblings would sense my presence in our realm so we need to meet in person somewhere else."
"Where?" Huo asked, his eyes perking up.
"Normally, I'd say that you could ask my brother to take you anywhere in the Spirit World for me to meet you, but Shen'Rai would always be near you, making sure you'd stay cheerful," Yuan'Shi replied. "He needs to take you to a place where he'd know nothing would make you feel bad, allowing you to wander off without him. Wuyan Temple should do the trick."
"Wuyan Temple?" Huo cooked his head. "What's that?"
"It's a home of the ancient creatures called vulture drakes," Yuan'Shi answered. "Me and Shen'Rai use to visit them when I was still a Keeper. The place is full of spiritual energy so even my presence would be undetected as long as I'm careful."
"So you want me to ask Shen'Rai to take me there?" Huo asked.
"Don't ask him directly or he'll want to know how do you know about Wuyan Temple," Yuan'Shi replied. "You have to be clever about it. Talk with him and ask if he had any places he liked to visit. When he'll mention the temple or the vulture drakes, ask him for more details, then you'll have an excuse to ask him to take you there."
"Okay," Huo nodded.
"Now take a deep breath and relax," said Yuan'Shi. "How about we talk about something different that bending for now? Tell me a little bit about yourself, Huo. I only know things I heard from my sibling when I watched them so I would like to hear your story. You can skip parts which would make you feel uncomfortable."
Huo told Yuan'Shi everything about his life, parents, and friends. Yuan'Shi listened carefully and comforted the boy when he began to be sad because of the memories of his mother and all the bad things that happened.
When Huo finished his story, Yuan'Shi asked about the physical world and how much it had changed. While Huo didn't know much since he lived in a small village, he told her what he learned about the four nations from his father. What really interested Yuan'Shi was the part about the Fire Nation hunting the master of all elements, the Avatar.
Telling Huo to rest in order to have a lot of energy for tomorrow, Yuan'Shi said goodbye and stooped using her technique, allowing the black flames to turn orange. The boy took her advice and decided to call it a day.
Many hours later – Spirit World, Realm of Koh.
A tall, hooded figure with a hunch and clad in black clothes entered the lair of Koh the Face Stealer, which was located in a large cave deep under the gnarled tree, through a simple opening at the tree's base. Staggering from time to time, the figure headed downward the rock-made staircase and reached the end. Rays of light beamed down through the cracks, providing minimum light and giving the cave a creepy vibe.
"My, my," the voice of Koh issued from the ceiling as the centipede-like entity held onto a stalactite, gazing down at the visitor. "If I knew such an important guest would arrive, I would tidy up a bit. Not every time Yuan'Shi the Lightless enters my temple."
"There's no need for that, young one," Yuan'Shi replied, pulling down her hood. She turned her pale face towards Koh and looked at him with her orange-colored eyes, noticing his white face with red lips and gray eye markings. On the other hand, Koh noticed that her left eye was clearly bigger than her right one. "To be honest, I tried to find Father Glowworm, but with no luck."
"Unfortunately, Father Glowworm was devoured by a human named Yun almost four hundred years ago," Koh explained, and Yuan'Shi sensed amusement in his voice. The centipede-like spirit slowly moved closer to her while his rear legs clung to the stalactite. When Yuan'Shi raised her hand and casually conjured a black flame, Koh quickly backed away, making her smile tauntingly and chuckle.
"Tempted by my face?" she asked, licking her lips. "Want to try taking it and adding it to your collection?"
Even though Koh was tempted and knew that it was possible, he wasn't foolish enough to fight Yuan'Shi. "I'll pass," he replied and 'blinked,' changing his face to a young man with brown hair and gray eyes.
"I see," Yuan'Shi replied, licking her lips. "In that case, I have a favor to ask. I want you to tell me everything you know about the Avatar. I want to know what foolish human thinks he can take my place."
Please R&R ;)