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 18. The Decision.
Spirit World, Ek'Noshi Pond.
No one would ever believe that the devastated, scorched area was once a beautiful place where injured beings with physical bodies could rest and heal their wounds. Not a single flower or even a blade of grass remained. The large hole in the middle was at least 50 meters in diameter, and the fact that the attack could've been much stronger made it even scarier.
The Keepers needed to know how Yuan'Shi woke up. Shen'Rai told them everything that happened and what Yuan'Shi planned to do, but many questions were also left unanswered.
"We clearly underestimated her," stated Denger. "Instead of simply rampaging like she did before, she came up with a plan to deal with humanity."
"A devious plan," added Nukuio, looking at Huo, who lay on the ground with his father kneeling right beside him. "Who would suspect that she, of all the spirits, would help a human child to get stronger in order to use him like a puppet. I wonder what else she taught him."
"The real question is when his negative emotions were so high that Yuan'Shi realized she was in a dream?" Wei'Rai asked, looking at Shen'Rai. "You were suppose to make sure that wouldn't happen."
"I think it happened when he slept," Shen'Rai guessed, remembering his conversation with Yan Zu when he helped Huo with firebending. "He had nightmares and Yuan'Shi probably sensed his negative emotions during one of them."
"Tch," Wei'Rai shooked his head. "We need to return to our realm and warn the rest. We must guard the pedestal in case Yuan'Shi gets impatient and decides to become whole the original way."
Yan Zu only partially listened to their conversation. He watched his son, who had his eyes closed, with a stern expression. Since Yuan'Shi was gone and they had a break, he had a moment to gather his thoughts. While the woman was to blame for all this destruction and Huo's state, one peculiar thing also bothered the man. A question that needed to be answered, and only the Keepers could do that.
"Tell me... did you want to kill Huo?" Yan Zu asked, not taking his eyes off his son and gaining everyone's attention. "Yuan'Shi said that she taught Huo to see and hear you through the fire, and before she arrived, Huo cried out that you wanted to kill him and that he heard everything. Was he right? Or was that some sort of Yuan'Shi's manipulation?"
Shen'Rai was afraid of this question but knew Yan Zu would ask it sooner or later. The phoenix could easily lie and blame Yuan'Shi for everything, but he didn't want to, and the other Keepers sensed it. While Shen'Rai only lowered his head in shame, Wei'Rai sighed. "Yes, it was something we considered doing if it turned out that keeping his negative emotions in check would be too difficult for us," the phoenix answered calmly and looked at his brother. "Of course, Shen'Rai was against it."
"I allowed you to take Huo to your realm so that you'd protect him," Yan Zu stood up, clenching his fists, and turned to face the phoenix. "Not to make a sacrifice out of him!"
"You saw what Yuan'Shi was capable of," Wei'Rai pointed out, justifying their decision. "And that wasn't even her full power. When she'll absorb the Avatar's chi, she'll restore her body and nothing will be able to stop her. Huo will share the same fate as the rest of humanity. If we'd kill your son, we would prevent her from escaping her dream. One life for the safety of the whole humanity."
"We know that for you, as a father, the only thing that matters is the well-being of your son," stated Nukuio. "But at least try to understand the bigger picture."
Something occurred to Yan Zu when he recalled Yuan'Shi's words before she created that massive explosion. "Did you have a chance to kill her before placing her in that dream?" he asked.
Wei'Rai nodded. "Yes, wh-"
"Then why you didn't kill her instead?!" the man asked angrily.
"Because killing her could've made things worse and only hasten the destruction of humanity," replied Denger. "Placing her in the Mist of the Sleeping Souls was a much safer and better option."
Yan Zu didn't understand any of it, and he was angry. He wanted to yell at the spirits, but a groan behind him drew his attention and forced him to turn around. Huo opened his eyes and turned on his side. Shen'Rai and other Keepers also looked at the boy.
"Huo," Yan Zu spoke and knelt beside his son, who went on all fours and began to get up with half-closed eyes. The man noticed that Huo's eyes were red and swollen from all the crying. The boy started to look around, and after he saw the Keepers, he began to breathe heavily. "Huo, calm down," Yan Zu reassured. "Yuan'Shi is gone, and you're safe now."
Huo looked at his father, who was ready to catch him if he fell over. The boy raised his head as if to look at the sky. He opened his mouth and breathed a blue-colored flame, which quickly formed into a long snake with a horn between its eyes. The snake coiled itself around Huo's neck like a scarf and watched Yan Zu closely.
"Don't firebend, you need to rest!" Yan Zu said decisively, grabbing Huo's arms, but the snake lunged forward, forcing the man to let go and lean back, almost losing balance in the process.
"I told you he has no control over his flames," Shen'Rai reminded. "The flames know that if he dies, they'll die with him so they act as his protectors. It doesn't help that Huo is probably scared and angry right now, which also effects their behavior."
"Then again, it's a miracle he's not trying to burn everything down as we speak," noted Wei'Rai.
"Then do something to stop this," Yan Zu looked at Wei'Rai. "Your flames are blue as well. Can't you fix him or do something to calm him down?"
"The reason my flames are blue its because I chose such a color when I created my physical body," Wei'Rai explained. "No matter what we do, we cannot change it. The flames other than orange in case of humans have more 'deeper' meaning."
"Blue color is the sign of prodigious skill in firebending and great potential," Shen'Rai added. "The flames change color from orange to blue usually at some point during rigorous training, but the color can also be triggered by a strong traumatic experience."
Yan Zu looked back at Huo, guessing that it probably happened when he learned that Hama killed him and that the Fire Keepers considered killing him. The man focused on the snake with the horn. He squinted his eyes, recalling that they met a spirit that looked just like the flame a long time ago during one of their trips to the Spirit World. "Why that flame is similar to a spirit we met years ago?" he asked.
"The flames can take the shape of every animal, human, or being he has in his memories," Shen'Rai explained. "They behave and move just like the real beings as long as Huo saw them doing that."
Huo suddenly covered his ears and leaned forward, seeing Hama, who stood beside his father. "Everything is destroyed," she spoke, shaking her head. "None of this would've happened if you'd kept your emotions in check. You trusted that monster, and look what happened. You even tried to kill your father. No one is going to love you anymore. Everyone will try to kill you now."
"Devour them all," the voice of the blue-colored snake echoed in his mind, and the boy really wanted everyone to be quiet. "Just... leave me... alone!" he cried out, sinking to his knees with teary eyes. "All of you... shut up!"
"Poor child," Nin To said sympathetically.
"What Yuan'Shi did to him is irreversible," stated Wei'Rai. "Not even waterbending healing would help so there's no way to fix him, unless we consider taking away his bending. That would fix his mental problems, but since he's life energy is imbued with the element of fire, he'd need to live rest of his life in an excruciating pain. Honestly at this point, a quick, painless 'end' would be the best solution for him."
Yan Zu glared at Wei'Rai while the phoenix added. "I'm just giving you all possible options."
The man had no idea what to do and felt like crying. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life.
Oblivious that everyone talked about him, Huo looked at his mother, who stood next to his father with a smirk on her face. "Such a fate is suited for you," she stated. "You should suffer."
"Shut up!" Huo cried out and swung his arm, creating an arc of blue flame. No one knew that the boy aimed at a figure of his imagination, and Yan Zu was right next to it. Luckily for the man, he dodged to the side at the last second before the flame hit him.
Wei'Rai shook his head and began to walk towards Huo, who placed a hand on his face and began to laugh hysterically. The snake focused on the phoenix and was prepared to attack.
"Don't hurt him!" Yan Zu said.
Nukuio moved one of his barbels, and Huo suddenly couldn't move an inch since the Water Keeper used bloodbending to keep him in place. The horned snake turned to face the serpent and lunged at him, but Denger quickly trapped the snake under a rock dome without extinguishing it.
Wei'Rai approached immobilized Huo and unfolded his wing. He touched the boy's belly with the tip and squinted his orange-colored eyes. A large blue-colored flame burst from Huo's back, making him gasp. The boy lost consciousness, and Yan Zu ran up to him, grabbing him as Nukuio ceased holding him with bloodbending.
Yan Zu lifted Huo and immediately noticed how cold he was. "What did you do?!" he asked.
"I depleted a large amount of his chi," Wei'Rai explained as Denger removed the rock dome, revealing that the snake flame was gone. "He'll remain unconscious until his body will replenish it by its own. Till then, I advice you to decide what to do with him since I don't plan to repeat this every single time he'll lose control."
"We should head back to our realm," said Denger. "The sooner we explain the situation to the rest, the better."
"You're right," Wei'Rai agreed. Nukuio and Nin To nodded as well. The Air Keeper flew over to Wei'Rai and landed on his back.
The phoenix with the blue-colored crest looked at Shen'Rai, noticing that his brother watched Yan Zu and Huo silently. "You're coming?" Wei'Rai asked.
Shen'Rai gave his brother a quick glance. "I'll stay with them for a while longer," he replied.
"Don't take to long," Wei'Rai said as he left with the other Keepers.
Yan Zu stared at his son silently for a long moment until he finally spoke to Shen'Rai. "You promised me nothing bad would happen to him."
"I'm sorry," Shen'Rai apologized to Yan Zu, looking at the unconscious boy with sad eyes. "I never should've let this happen to him. It's my fault."
"Yes, it is," Yan Zu replied frankly and walked away, leaving Shen'Rai alone. The phoenix sighed and began to think intensively. He squinted his eyes after a while and sat down on the ground. After he took a deep breath, he closed his eyes completely.
After a long walk, Yan Zu reached a vast, white-colored meadow inhabited by sheep-like spirits with green-colored wool. The man sat down on the white grass and leaned against a rock while holding Huo tightly. Some spirits approached them, but they weren't hostile, only curious.
"Dammit all," Yan Zu whispered under his nose, not paying much attention to them. He was focused entirely on his son. Huo became slightly warmer, which was a good sign, but that still didn't mean everything was okay. "You did nothing wrong so why all those things happened to you?"
Yan Zu tried to think of something. He tried to remember if there was any spirit that could help him with Huo. Even if there was an option to take Huo's place, he would do it in a second, but he knew that wasn't the case. The sheep-like spirits suddenly looked at the sky. Quickly, they all scattered, and that drew Yan Zu's attention.
In the sky, he spotted a long, thin, transparent, orange-colored ribbon-like entity, which headed straight towards them. The man stood up and placed Huo on the grass, ready to do whatever it took to defend him in case the spirit was hostile.
As the entity got closer, Yan Zu spotted black, white, blue, green, and violet orbs located alongside his body. On one end of its ribbon-like body, the creature had a symbol of an eye with a pair of wings.
"Don't be afraid, Yan Zu, it's me, Shen'Rai," the entity spoke with the phoenix's voice as it landed and folded the lower part of his body. The eye symbol moved like a real thing and looked at the man.
Yan Zu leaned his head back, squinting his eyes. He was dumbfounded, to say the least. "Shen'Rai?" he asked, taking a good look at him. The body of the spirit in front of him had no resemblance to a phoenix, but the five orbs had the same colors as the flames the FireKeepers used. "Why do you look like that?"
"This is my spirit form, which I had before creating my physical body," Shen'Rai explained. "I decided to help you with Huo, but I have to be in this form in order to make it work."
"Your brother said there's no way to fix him," Yan Zu replied.
"There isn't," Shen'Rai confirmed. "But I can make sure he'll be able to cope and retain his sanity by adding my willpower to his. He'll still behave somewhat differently and will have some quirks, especially when he'll become angry, but he'll be able to control his flames and live like a normal person. That's the only thing I can do for him, but I also need the help of another spirit."
The man squinted his eyes. "If that's true then why Wei'Rai haven't mention it?" he asked cagily.
"Because he would never agree to let me help you in that way," Shen'Rai replied. "And if I'd mention it earlier, he would become suspicious and would surely try to stop me."
Considering the recent events, Yan Zu wasn't entirely sure if he could trust the Fire Keeper. "I know I failed to protect him and you can hate me all you want but at least let me make amends," Shen'Rai asked. "Huo doesn't deserve to suffer like this."
"I don't hate you, I just..." Yan Zu sighed and turned his head around to look at Huo. The boy lay on the grass peacefully. If Yan Zu wouldn't saw his actions a while ago, he'd never believed that he could behave like that. If there was a chance to help him, he needed to try.
The man turned to look at Shen'Rai. "So what do we need to do?" he asked.
"We need to take Huo to Qhavaq, an ancient entity who resides in the roots of the Tree of Time," Shen'Rai replied.
"The name doesn't ring any bells," Yan Zu shrugged. "How he can help you with Huo?"
"He's going to help me to merge with Huo's spirit," Shen'Rai replied.
"Merge? Wait... you want to possess him?!" the man asked in disbelief as his eyes widened. "Humans die if they're possessed for too long by a spirit!"
"Normally, yes," Shen'Rai replied. "But there's one specific phenomenon that happens once every ten thousand years which allows a human and a spirit to merge forever without any consequences; the Harmonic Convergence. The same phenomenon allowed Raava to permanently merge with a human named Wan and create the first Avatar."
"Qhavaq is a spirit that embodies the aspect of time," Shen'Rai continued. "He knows the past, the present, and the future, but most importantly, he has the power to recreate past events in his realm and interact with them through energybending. He can recreate the Harmonic Convergence and thus, allow me and Huo to merge permanently."
Yan Zu placed a hand on his forehead. "You're... just... give me a second to digest this," he said. "You want to sacrifice yourself for Huo?"
"I'm not gonna die just like Raava didn't die after merging with a human, I'm going to live as part of Huo," Shen'Rai clarified. "It's the least I can do."
Now Yan Zu understood why Shen'Rai didn't mention it near Wei'Rai. There was no way his brother would agree to this. "But what happens when Wei'Rai is going to find out about this?" the man asked worriedly. "He's going to be furious. What if he tries to hurt Huo?"
"He's going to be angry; that much is certain," Shen'Rai replied honestly. "But that's something he has to live with. To be honest, I thought about this for a long time. Remember when we talked years ago that I was tired of being the Fire Keeper and the neverending cycles? I had the idea of merging with you back then, but I was too anxious to suggest it, but now... I made my decision."
Yan Zu didn't know what to say. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Words wouldn't be enough to express how grateful I'd be, but I don't want to force you to do it."
"I made up my mind, Yan Zu, and no one forced me," Shen'Rai replied. "We can do this, if you allow me to."
The man was silent for a moment until he nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you, my friend."
Sometime later – Spirit World, The Tree of Time.
The Tree of Time was an ancient tree located in the Spirit World, centered between the two now closed spirit portals that lead to the North and South Poles of the physical realm. In 9829 (BG), a human named Wan used the four bending arts to subdue Vaatu and trap him inside the hollow of the Tree of Time after permanently merging with Raava, the spirit of light and peace, during Harmonic Convergence and becoming the first Avatar.
The area around the tree and the closed portals was gloomy, and the sky was covered with dark clouds. Spirits knew better than to come close to Vaatu, who remained trapped inside the tree. Even from afar, one could see a sinister reddish barrier, which kept the spirit of darkness and chaos trapped inside.
Shen'Rai guided Yan Zu, who carried Huo in his arms, towards the tree. The man sensed evil vibes from the trapped spirit and wasn't too thrilled to approach him with Huo.
"I hope we don't need anything from 'that' spirit," Yan Zu said, looking nervously at the tree.
"No, no, don't worry," Shen'Rai reassured. "We have no business with Vaatu. Qhavaq lives under the Tree of Time, and I can get us there without his help."
"Good," Yan Zu replied with relief in his voice.
As they got closer to the tree, Yan Zu heard a sound of thunder not far away. Shortly after, he heard another and then another. Each one was louder than the last one, and Yan Zu realized something was getting closer. "Oh no," Shen'Rai spoke, turning towards the direction of the thunders.
Yan Zu also turned towards the sound and spotted a flash of lightning before another thunder. The lightning came from a being that headed straight towards them with incredible speed. The being looked like a bird, a phoenix. Yan Zu realized it was Wei'Rai, and he began to have a bad feeling about it.
With the last flash and thunder, the phoenix landed in front of them with narrowed eyes. Yan Zu could tell that the Fire Keeper was angry and didn't even need to look at the blazing blue-colored flames on his five serrated tails.
"I had a hunch you'd try something like this," Wei'Rai spoke with a displeased tone. "Did Yuan'Shi hit your head too many times?"
"Wei'Rai, you know this is the only way to help him," Shen'Rai stated.
"His life is not something you should care about!" Wei'Rai snapped as the flames on his tails intensified and grew. Yan Zu held Huo tightly and took a few steps back, preferring not to be close to a raging phoenix. "Even if you help him and foolishly sacrifice your very being to give him more control, what would that give him?! At best, a few years of a normal life until Yuan'Shi kills him!"
"If you stop Yuan'Shi, everything will be fine," Yan Zu pointed out, drawing Wei'Rai's attention. "You plan on stopping her, so just le-"
"We don't!" replied the phoenix. "Every option, which was available for humans to survive, has been wasted by them! No matter what we do, it will end the same and we don't plan to fight and suffer meaninglessly for humanity!"
The man squinted his brown-colored eyes while Wei'Rai looked at Shen'Rai. "So stop with this foolishness and get back home!" ordered the phoenix.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Shen'Rai refused. "I already promised to help Huo and nothing is going to change my decision."
"You won't keep your promise after I do what should've been done from the beginning," Wei'Rai said threateningly, lowering his stance and focusing on Huo as smoke began to emanate from his feathers. Shen'Rai immediately moved in front of Yan Zu and Huo.
Since Shen'Rai didn't have a physical body anymore, the only way of fighting he had was energybending. The spirit's ribbon-like body began to glow, and he shot a reddish beam from his eye towards Wei'Rai, who jumped to the side, avoiding it.
The phoenix flew up and began to circle around the three. Shen'Rai moved along with him, making sure that Yan Zu and Huo were always behind him. He began to shoot reddish beams from his eye, and Wei'Rai had to turn in all directions to avoid them.
After another beam missed its target, Wei'Rai stooped and leaned his head back. He jerked it forward and shot a combustion beam from his forehead. Shen'Rai spun around, hitting Yan Zu with the lower part of his body. While the man was sent a couple of meters away and landed on his back, he and Huo were out of the blast radius, unlike Shen'Rai. The beam hit the ground before him, and the shockwave knocked down the spirit.
Wei'Rai turned to face Yan Zu, who didn't let go of Huo. Without a word, the phoenix took a deep breath and fired a giant ball of blue fire at them. Shen'Rai saw it and flew towards them as fast as he could. He managed to get between them and shield them, but the attack hit him, erasing a small part of his spirit form.
"Without firebending, you won't be able to stop me," Wei'Rai declared. "I don't wanna hurt you, so move aside and let me make this quick for the boy."
"You're right, Wei'Rai," Shen'Rai agreed. "You're completely right."
Shen'Rai suddenly turned around and quickly flew towards Yan Zu. With one quick motion, he dove into Huo's body, merging with him. Yan Zu noticed that the same symbol Shen'Rai had on his body appeared on Huo's forehead. The boy opened his orange-colored eyes and got up.
Wei'Rai sighed and shook his head while Shen'Rai in Huo's body took a few steps forward. "I'm not going to let you hurt him," he spoke, rolling the shoulders. "And if I have to defeat you to save him, then so be it."
"Very well," replied the phoenix.
Please R&R ;)