Chapter Nine

Answers, mysteries, and regrets.

Aang opened his eyes. He had only moments before been at the top of the hill beside Jeong Jeong's camp. Now, however, he was in a bright sunlit meadow. Gigantic flowers with glowing petals of shifting hue dotted the landscape. Small translucent creatures floated in the air across the field.

"I made it!" The young boy said, jumping into the air with a triumphant smile. He was in the spirit world, and this time he hadn't needed the solstice to get there, or an angry spirit attack. "Sokka! We're in the spirit world!"

He turned to look at his friend, only to find that he wasn't beside him. He wasn't anywhere nearby in fact. Aang was disappointed, he had hoped that Sokka would join him on his journey, but it didn't look like he had. Aang bowed his head for a moment, and then stood up straight again.

Just because Sokka wasn't there with him didn't mean he wasn't going to search for Roku. He had come here for a reason, and the absence of his friend didn't make it less important. Aang scanned the meadow, hoping to see something that would give away the direction of his quarry.

He only saw the small spirits floating around, some as small as hummingbird-mice, others as large as Momo.

"Uh, do you know where Avatar Roku is?" He asked one rabbit-like creature that floated in front of him. The spirit just tilted its head at him quizzically, as if confused by the question.

"I guess not." Aang said, before walking towards the far end of the meadow. He could see the edge of a forest in that direction, so he figured it would be better than standing still, or asking tiny spirits if they knew anything.

Eventually, Aang made his way into the trees. The meadow was much larger than he had thought, the giant flowers throwing off the scale and distance of the trees. When he finally reached them, he found that they were truly massive. They towered over the ground for hundreds of feet, stretching towards the sky in an unending quest toward the heavens. Aang marveled at the size of them. He had seen shorter mountains.

He pulled his attention away from the living monoliths, returning to the task at hand. He walked deeper into the forest, not knowing quite what he was looking for. All that he knew was that he had to find someone to ask for directions. Maybe they would know where Roku was.

As he walked, Aang had an idea. Maybe he just had to call Roku? He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled for him. "Avatar Roku! I must speak with you!"

He waited for a moment, and then two. Nothing. He sagged. It was worth a shot at least. He was about to carry on when a familiar shape emerged for the depths of the trees. A large bear colored black and white.

"Hei Bai!" Aang ejaculated, glad to see the spirit again. "Man am I glad to see you! Do you know where Avatar Roku is?"

The panda nodded and knelt down in front of Aang.

"Do you want me to ride on your back?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow. Again Hei Bai nodded. Aang shrugged before climbing on. Once the Avatar had settled in place, the bear spirit began to race through the trees.


Sokka landed lightly on the ground. He shivered. It had not been pleasant, falling through the ground and into empty space like that. He had been starting to think that he would never stop falling, even though it had only lasted a few seconds at most.

He looked around, wondering where he was. He was on a mountainside, that much at least was clear, but where? What mountain? He scanned the horizon until he saw a familiar peak, not too far off. He could faintly make out the shape of a man floating above it.

Laghima then. He knew where he was, or at least he had been there before. He began his arduous hike towards the airbender. There was no path through the trees, so Sokka had to fight through the branches to find his way beyond the tree line. It was slow going, and annoying, but eventually he broke out of the forest and onto the saddle.

Once there, he climbed the rest of the way toward Laghima. When he made it to the top, the guru was waiting for him.

"So. You have returned." Laghima said, looking at him with curious eyes.

"Uh, yeah." Sokka said, sitting in the ground, tired from fighting his way through the trees and his climb up the mountain.

The airbenders eyebrows raised when he heard Sokka speak. "It seems that you've made progress. Your mind is not so clouded as before."

"No, it isn't."

"I take it you have found the void, then." Laghima said, floating down to sit across from Sokka, who nodded.

"It seems that the Face Stealers bond has hastened your progress in many things. I can see you using his power even now."

Sokka blinked, confused. He wasn't using any power, he had closed his third eye, he had left the void. He wasn't pulling on any shadows that he could tell.

"What do you mean? My third eye is closed. I have left the void. I am using no power that I know off."

Laghima said nothing for a moment, and just regarded Sokka with an implacable stare. Eventually, the man spoke.

"The third eye was not given to you by him. He merely opened it. Any could learn to enter the void, and set aside their emotion to see clearly. These are not things of his, he has merely hastened you along the path to them."

"Then what do you mean?" Asked Sokka, trying to understand what the man was driving at. He hadn't drawn on any shadows, and as far as he knew that was the only power he had control over. Sure, he was faster and stronger, his senses and reflexes were enhanced, but he didn't have any control over that, did he?

"You are using them now, whether you know it or not. Have you not seen how you have become faster? Stronger? I can see his shadow flowing through you, filling your body with it's power."

"Well, there isn't much that I can do about that." Sokka said, shrugging.

"But there is." Laghima argued, "Just as you pull the shadows in the mortal world, you can control them within yourself."

Sokka blinked at that. Control the shadows within himself. He hadn't realized there were shadows within himself. He had never thought to look at himself with his third eye. He figured he ought to try it now. Sokka measured his breathing, and focused on his third eye. He could picture it opening, slowly, but opening nonetheless.

He raised a hand before his eyes. Laghima was right after all. There within his limb was a swirling darkness, rushing forward and back as the edies that fell against the rocks of the bay. He felt around his mind for the power to move shadows, but instead he found something else. There was an opening, a gate of sorts. He could feel the darkness rushing through it, moving throughout his body and strengthening him.

Sokka closed his eyes again, his brow furrowed in concentration. He waded through that river of shadow in his mind. The rushing power threatened to sweep him away, to pull him under and drown him under its weight. He resisted and pressed on, wading across until he reached the gate. He found it and took firm hold. He pulled with all his strength, and the gate shut. The power waned, and then stopped.

Sokka opened his eyes. He felt elated at his success, until he realized how hungry he was. And cold. And tired. Had Koh's power been keeping him from feeling those things? He thought back to recent weeks. He had felt hunger, yes, but it had been muted. He had noticed that he wasn't as cold as he should be. Well, he didn't feel cold.

He looked off to the side of the peak. He could no longer make out the branches of the trees he had landed in. He inhaled through his nose and found that his sense of smell was only as sharp as it had been before his bond with the face stealer. Well then, he thought, he had been using Koh's power all this time.

"I guess you were right." He said, "I've been using it this whole time without even realizing. It's strange, I'd have thought my instincts would've told me."

Guru Laghima looked at, tilting his head to one side. "You should not rely on your instincts. You must see the world clearly, and act on reason alone."

"My instincts usually lead me in the right direction." Sokka countered, a little affronted. It was true that they were wrong sometimes, but his instincts were good mostly. Laghima shook his head.

"No. Instinct is a lie, told by a frightened body praying to be wrong. You must not listen to the cries of the flesh. Trust in only what you can see."

Sokka frowned as he considered the man's words. Instinct was a lie. He figured that there was some truth in that. Most instincts warned of danger, even when none was to be found. He thought about his lesson with Shing. He had said that a swordsman must take in everything on the battlefield. To focus on one thing and take in everything. There was no room for instinct in a fight, only the cold and sharp logic of the sword.

"Is that the purpose of the void? To see clearly?" Sokka asked.

Laghima nodded. "When you enter the void, you shed off the chains of life. Emotions, hunger, pain, exhaustion all of them are a distraction. They obscure the facts of the world around you and cloud your mind. In the void, you can remember what you have forgotten, and hide what you wish to forget. It is complete mastery of the mind."

Sokkapondered the mans words. Complete mastery of the mind. A place in which he could remember, or forget. He set aside the information for the time being. He had come here for a reason after all. He got to his feet before speaking. "I appreciate your wisdom, and thank you for your help. But I have come to the spirit world for a reason: I'm looking for my mother."

"What makes you think that she is here?" Laghima said, and Sokka stiffened. He had come here to find her because his instincts told him she was here, but laghima had told him that instinct was a lie. He had been afraid that he wouldn't ever see her again, and when he found his way into the spirit world he had blindly believed he could. But what evidence of that was there?

"You're here. And Kuruk. I figure that if you two could be here then so might she."

Before the airbender could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of loose stone crunching beneath boots. Sokka turned and saw Avatar Kuruk.

"I'm sorry Sokka, but she's not here." He said, "The dead do not pass into the spirit world. They go beyond. For those who have achieved enlightenment, like our friend here," he gestured to the guru, "it is possible to pass between this world and the next."

"Why are you here then? Did you reach enlightenment?" Sokka asked. He was disappointed that his mother wasn't in the spirit world, but at least he would see her again some day.

"No. As long as the Avatar exists, all of our past lives will remain." Kuruk said, bearing a grave expression.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, you must have been here for a long time then." Sokka said, scratching the back of his head. This conversation had grown more tense than he had expected.

"It is the nature of things. The spirit bound does not pass on like the rest."

Sokka felt his heart stop beating at his ancestors' words. The spirit bound? Like the avatar? Or did he mean… Sokka had become bound with Koh. He was spirit bound.

"No, wait, hold on. What do you mean spirit bound? You said that I had bonded with K-" Sokka was cut off when a stone hit his ear.

"Do not say his name. If you call him he will come. It is the nature of your pact."

Sokka rubbed his ear, angry at Kuruk. He pushed it aside, a little pain was nothing.

"Fine then. I am bound with the face guy. Does that mean that I…?"

Kuruk and Laghima exchanged a glance. Something passed between them that filled Sokka with worry. Before either of them could speak, Sokka saw the answer in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sokka." Kuruk said, "But unlike the Avatar, the bond of the face stealer does not reincarnate. When your body dies, you will not pass on. You will cease."

Sokka's eyes widened. "What do you mean cease?"

It was Laghima who answered his question. "Now you are. A time will come when you are not."

Sokka shuddered. He felt numb, devoid of all warmth. He had feared that he would be stuck in the spirit world, waiting here for eternity. But this was worse, much worse. He would not pass on, he would not linger. One day his heart would stop its relentless beat and he would be no more. Everyone that he had lost, anyone that he would lose, were gone from him forever. He would not see them again.

"Sokka, I-" Kuruk began to say, but Sokka waved him off. He tried to speak but he could not pass the words. He looked at Laghima and Kuruk as his eyes stung with tears. He swallowed and shook his head.

"I-" His voice shook as he tried to speak. "I need some time alone."

Sokka left them there and walked down the mountain, through the forest. He knew that he was alone, that nobody was around. When he began to weep, he hid his face all the same.


Aang and Hei Bai walked along the narrow path that snaked its way up the cliff. They had been traveling for an hour, maybe a little more. They had left the forest and now traversed a volcanic mountain range, the translucent spirits of dragons flying between peaks.

Aang had regaled Hei Bai with stories of his adventures since they had last met, and now they traveled in silence. They crested the top of the cliff, and Aang could see a red clad figure sipping tea beneath the branches of flowering sakura. He recognized him as his past life, and jumped off Hei Bai.

"Thanks for the ride Hei Bai!" he said, before running off to speak with Roku.

"Hello Aang. It's good to see you." Roku said, pouring Aang a cup of tea.

"It's good to see you too, Roku." Aang said, sitting on the grass and taking the cup offered by his former self. He took a sip, and decided that Roku was not the best brewer he had encountered.

"I have come to ask you about whatever danger I must face after I defeat the firelord." Aang said, placing his cup on the low table between the two of them. Roku didn't react. He sipped his tea, and then put his cup down as well.

"I am sorry Aang. I do not have the answers that you seek. All that I know is that Vaatu is trying to escape before the time of harmonic convergence, and if that happens then the world will be irrevocably changed."

"Who is Vaatu?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"He is the opposite of the Avatar spirit, Raava. She is the spirit of order, of balance. He is the spirit of chaos. While Raava is free and he is imprisoned, we can live peacefully. We can predict how the world reacts around us," As Roku finished speaking he picked up a stone from the ground.

"When I drop this stone, it will fall to the ground. It is because of Raava's influence that the laws of nature can be enforced. If Vaatu were free, I could drop this stone and it could go up, or turn into a tree, or even cease to exist."

"But that doesn't make any sense." Aang said.

"Exactly. We live in an ordered universe. Should that order be removed, or altered, the world as we know it would be no more." Roku placed the stone on the ground again.

"So I have to stop this Vaatu from escaping? How? When?"

"I do not know. I have told you everything that I have learned of it." Roku said, frowning. "The time of harmonic convergence shall not happen in your lifetime. It should be the responsibility of the next Avatar. But it seems that at least part of their burden has fallen to you."

Aang grimaced. He never wanted to be the Avatar, and now he had even more problems to deal with. Monkey feathers.

"If you can't tell me, then who can?" Aang asked Roku, trying not to let his bitterness seep into his voice.

"After you begin your training in earthbending, you must go to the spirit library. It can be found in the Si Wong desert. There you will learn about the prophecy the monks warned you of, but now you must go! Return to your body, there is danger in the mortal world."

"What danger?!"

Roku shook his head. "There is no time. Hei Bai will take you back to where you crossed over."

Aang groaned, and then sprang to his feet, running to Hei Bai. He jumped on the spirits back, and the two of them were off, sprinting down the path they had come from.


Zuko tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the officers of the other ship to come aboard. They had stopped his vessel when he had tried to enter the bay near the ilah colony. Now he had been waiting for nearly an hour for them to speak with him.

He stood there, fuming, as he watched them lower the plank from theri ship to the deck of his own. Slowly, a figure in a commander's uniform followed by two guards came down the gangplank. His uncle sat at his small table playing a game with the wooden cards he favored when he couldn't play pai sho with the crew.

"Calm yourself, Prince Zuko. Letting your anger take hold of you will do no good." Iroh said, as he poured himself another cup of jasmine tea. Zuko decided to ignore him. His uncle had refused to shoot lightning at him, despite teaching him how to redirect it. So Zuko was still rather annoyed at the older man.

Finally, after what felt like years, the commander made his way onto the deck. He bowed to Iroh, and then to Zuko.

"My apologies, Prince Zuko. Under the command of Admiral Zhao and Princess Azula, no ships are allowed within the bay without prior authorization. They have captured the Avatar and the Prince of the southern Water Tribe. These measures are to be in place until the prisoners are transported to the capital."

The officer bowed again, and departed the way they had come. Zuko stood frozen in shock. Zhao and Azula captured the Avatar? The capture of the idiot prince who traveled with him was no surprise to Zuko, but the fact that Zhao and his sister had captured the Avatar, the sole mission his father had given him, and the only way he could possibly return home, stunned him to his core.

Zuko turned around and stumbled to the opposite gunnel.

"Are you alright Prince Zuko?" His uncle said, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"No, I'm not. My honor, my country, My throne. I'm going to lose them all."

"No, don't say that! The Avatar is slippery, he might still escape!' Iroh said, "Don't give up my nephew."

Iroh's words gave Zuko an idea. A terrible idea, but the only one he had.

"Yeah. Maybe he will." Zuko said, as determination shone in his eyes.


Zuko guided the small steamer up a river that fed into the sea a few miles from Ilah bay. He had formed a very feeble plan, but it was the best he had. The commander had said that Azula and Zhao captured the Avatar and First Son, so he reasoned that the girl must still be out there.

She was a waterbender, so he reasoned that she would be near water. The river he was navigating had branched off of the greater Shan Jo river that flowed into the bay. He would join up with that river, and continue upstream until he found her or night fell. Then he would descend into the colony and free the Avatar, hopefully taking him prisoner.

Zuko knew that the Avatar and his companions wouldn't accept his help, so he had disguised himself as the Blue Spirit. In order to gain the girl's trust, a dubious prospect given his mask, he had brought the necklace he found at a prison rig the Avatar had emptied.

He came to the junction between the two bodies of water, and steered his small craft up the river. He continued sailing, and the sun began to drift across the sky. It reached its zenith, and began to descend. Zuko was ready to give up his search for the girl and head back to the colony, when he heard a female voice from across the water. He steered his steamer to the shore and tied it to a mangrove.

Zuko disembarked and headed through the trees, disguise in place. He crept along until he could see the source of the voice.

Katara was drawing a diagram in the dirt for Appa and Momo. She had flown Appa high enough above the colony that he might be mistaken for a cloud, and tried her best to observe the layout of the town. The town had grown around a mid-sized earth kingdom fortress that had been taken by the fire nation fifty years ago. It was a walled compound, with a tower at each of the four corners. There was a high observation tower outside of the compound, and docks at the bay and mouth of the river.

"Alright." Katara said. "Appa, you fly in causing a distraction. Momo and I will sneak in and find Aang and Sokka while everyone is distracted. They're probably locked up so I need Momo to find the keys. Once he's got them he can bring them to me and then we'll free the others and meet Appa by the river."

The lemur tilted his head and looked at her. Appa blinked. Katara sighed. "I know, I know, it's not a very good plan. If Sokka were here he could whip something up way better in seconds, but he's not and we're all we've got. So please, please understand what I'm trying to tell you."

Zuko's mouth opened in astonishment. This was one of the people who had been evading him for months? He shook his head and stepped out of the trees. Disguising his voice he spoke, "That's literally the worst plan I've ever heard."

Katara whipped around and opened the pouch at her side. She bent the water out and glared at the newcomer. He was dressed all in black, save for the blue mask of a laughing spirit. He bore two swords on his back.

"Who are you?!" She asked, taking an offensive stance.

"A friend, I guess." Zuko said, raising his empty hands.

"I don't know any masked swordsmen." Katara said, her voice heavy with suspicion.

"Uh, we haven't met." Zuko lied, trying not to let it tell in his voice. Unlike Azula, he had never been a good liar.

"I gathered that. What's with the mask?" Katara asked, her stance unchanged.

"It doesn't matter." Zuko said, brushing off the question.

"You got a name?" Katara asked. She didn't like this. A masked stranger claiming to be her friend, hours after Aang and Sokka had been captured by the Fire Nation. The stranger seemed stumped by that. He looked around for a second before answering.

"Uh, I'm Lee." Zuko said lamely. How could he not have thought of a name? His whole plan had hinged on getting her to trust him enough to work together.

"Okay, 'Lee' I'm Katara." Katara said, putting the water back into its container. She still didn't trust this guy, but she figured if he meant to attack he would have done so already.

"I want to help you rescue the Avatar."

Katara narrowed her eyes. How had this 'Lee' -She doubted that was his real name- heard of Aang's capture? It had only been half a day. Maybe the Fire Nation had announced it already? It didn't matter. She didn't have many options.

"How do I know I can trust you?" She asked, looking at him distrustfully. 'Lee' Moved his hand slowly to a pouch at his side and took something from within. He drew it out in his closed fist and opened his hand to reveal..

"My mothers necklace! How did you get it? Wait, how did you know it was mine?"

The man shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Will you accept my help or am I on my own?"

Katara was torn. She did not trust this man. Why did he use a fake name? Why was he masked? How did he know it was her necklace and where did he find it? But despite the mystery, despite the suspicion, Katara needed help. She couldn't rescue the others alone, and she couldn't leave them imprisoned. There was too much at risk, for her, her people, and the world.

"Fine. I don't really have much choice."


Sokka wandered through the forest of the spirit world. After Kuruk and Laghima had told him of the price he paid for Koh's power, he was filled with bitter regret. He wished that he had never taken Koh's deal, that he had never entered that cave, never left the south pole. He had lost so much and he hadn't even known, never stopped to ask.

The fact that Koh had never told him, never mentioned what it would cost… It made him boil in anger. He wanted to find the Face Stealer, and hurt him. Or at least yell at him alot. Where was that blasted cave, he wondered.

He walked down a path and through a clearing in the woods. A small stream flowed through it, and the water pooled at the far end. Spirits were clustered around the pool, but Sokka was beyond caring, consumed by his grief. He continued along his path, but when he passed the group someone called out and grabbed his attention.

"Look! It's him! The guy from the pool!" A bright green man with the face of a walrus pointed at him excitedly.

Sokka was confused. What pool? The one they were at now? He had certainly never met this guy before.

"H-Have we met before?" Sokka said, awkwardly. He already knew the answer, but felt compelled to ask anyway.

"No," The walrus man said, and he pointed to the water. "This pool shows us what's going on in the mortal world, Look, you're right there! Tied up with the Avatar."

"What!" Sokka cried, dropping to his hands and knees to get a closer look, his turmoil pushed aside. The walrus thing told the truth; he was, in fact, tied up. And so was Aang. Although Aang was chained to a post, while he was tied to a chair. Sokka groaned. If he was to cease after death, he would prefer to put it off as long as he could.

"Is this really happening? Where's Katara?" At his words the water swirled and Katara appeared, talking to a masked stranger. They were pointing at a drawing in the dirt. It looked as though they were planning his and Aang's rescue.

"Hey, go back to the Avatar!" A glowing pink snake said. The picture changed again, showing Aang and Sokka. This time they were not alone. Zhao had come in, as well as a girl in armor.

"Wow, she's pretty." Said that snake spirit. Sokka glared at her. Him. Snake. She was Fire Nation, it didn't matter how beautiful she was. Or wasn't. Sokka berated himself for agreeing with the snake. "Don't get distracted, Sokka.

"Are you talking to yourself?" The snake asked.

"Are you pink?" Sokka replied. The snake blushed.

"It's a sunburn. I'm normally yellow."

Sokka stifled a laugh. The snake was embarrassed. Despite his grief, despite his rage, the sight of a blushing serpentine spirit was something he had never imagined. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It didn't matter.

He had to assume that whatever this water showed him was real. He had to get out of the spirit world and back in his body. His mirriad emotions all clamored for his attention, his thoughts and feels crashing together like leaves in a hurricane. He needed to get a hold of himself. Sokka closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and reached for the void.

When he at last found it, he sank deeper into the emptiness than he ever had before. He opened his eyes, and looked at the water calmly. Zhao and the girl had left, and they had taken his body with them.

Sokka turned to the walrus-man. "How do I return to my body?"

The walrus-man shrugged. Sokka thought for a moment, before calling out again. "Koh! I must speak with you!"

Sokka did not react to the cries of dismay of the spirits around him. He did not so much as blink when they scattered and ran, hiding their faces in their arms or keeping them low in the grass. He did not feel fear or surprise when the light dimmed in the sky.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, my champion?" Said a twisted voice from behind Sokka. Sokka turned and saw the Face Stealer stretched across the clearing, wearing the face of a bearded man with one eye. The shadows of the trees had lengthened, pulling from their natural course to cover the spirit.

"I must return to my body." Sokka said. Wrapped in the cool emptiness of the void, he felt nothing of his anger towards the spirit. He knew that he should, that he had been angry mere moments before. But that anger had left him when he entered the void. All that remained was the cold and sharp blade of reason. "You will tell me how."

"Must I? I suppose I should, yes." Koh said, before he started to wind his way around Sokka. "But before you go, I know this: When you must speak to me again, take my home in your mind's eye. Call my name in your thoughts. Soon you shall come to me again, and I shall grant you greater strength."

Sokka did not blink. Though he resided in the void, he felt the presence of his anger flare again. The heat of a distant flame. "And what shall it cost me then, I wonder."

"Nothing, you have already paid in full. Though, you have yet to take Sozin's corrupted. Do not dally when you have the chance, or you shall find the price of mercy weighs heavy on your shoulders."

"Enough. Tell me how to return to my body." Sokka said. He had to return, otherwise he would be able to do nothing to escape.

"All you must do is traverse the darkness and step into the light." Koh said, and then he was gone. Sokka was unphased. Traverse the darkness and step into the light. Sokka looked through his mind for the gate through which Koh's power flowed. After a moment of searching, he found it again. He opened the gate, letting the shadow wash over him, before he stepped through.

Author's Note.

Hello anyone who has made it this far, I appreciate the fact that you would take the time to read my story. I am sorry if the quality of this chapter has slipped a touch. I am sick at the moment, so I might have missed some things that I otherwise would have caught.

From feedback, it seems that the biggest issues are grammatical in nature, and I am working to improve that particular aspect of my writing. That said, I hope you'll overlook it for the time being. My highest education level is my GED. My childhood was great, but it was lacking in certain areas; such as school.

Also: if you're upset by developments in this chapter, I am sorry. Try to remember that this story has a happy ending. Even if it doesn't seem like it at times.

Finally, I want to say that this fic has surpassed 100 pages and 44,000 words already! It might not seem like much, but it's a milestone to me. That said, we have quite a way to go before the end.