This took longer than I thought it would. I won't lie, I sort of hit a lazy streak. I won't promise any concrete timelines for releases anymore.
Fun Fact: this is by far the shortest chapter so far but it also has by far the longest continuous scene.
With a heavy grunt, Appa started to slow down again after a sprint. Aang could feel the bison breath heavily and patted his head. "You did your best." Aang turned around and looked at Sokka who was looking off the back, down at the ocean and the fire navy vessel following them. "We are never going to shake her off, are we?"
"Doesn't look like it." Sokka looked at him and shook his head. With a heavy sigh he slumped down and leaned against the rim of the saddle. "Man, that girl is persistent."
"You know, normally I would be happy that a girl this pretty is trying so hard to get close to me." Aang chuckled. "In this case though, I'm not so sure that I like her intentions."
"Maybe you can take her obsession with you and turn it into a positive. She'd certainly help a lot in a fight against her father." Sokka laughed.
"Guys. She is catching up again." Katara said, still looking down at Azula's ship. She pulled on Sokka's sleeve. "And they are preparing a catapult on deck. She's trying to shoot us down."
"What? Spirits. Tell me the direction she's shooting from so I can dodge." Aang gripped the hempen reigns tighter. He patted Appa's head again. "Sorry buddy, but I think you'll have to push yourself for a bit longer."
"First ones slightly from the left."
Aang pulled the reigns to the right and Appa turned. A giant spherical boulder soared past Appa's belly, almost grazing his toes.
"Another one. From the right this time."
Aang jerked the reigns in the other direction. He could feel the pressure of the wind as the rock flew past, billowing his flowing clothes.
They dodged a third and a fourth.
"She's pulling the catapult back in." Katara said from the back with a laugh. "Guess she's giving up on that idea."
"Don't celebrate too soon. We have an entirely new problem right in front of us."
A line of ships rose out of the horizon, going from left to right as far as he could see. He had seen it before, from the back of the dragon but with how much slower Appa flew he had misjudged when they would come upon it.
Sokka crawled forward. "Oh shit. A blockade." He laid his head on the saddle and groaned in frustration.
"Maybe they won't try to attack since Azula is so close by." Katara said, an awkward smile on her lips.
The ships slow down, and catapults were lifted onto the deck. The arms of the weapons were pulled back and soldiers lifted their ammunition into position.
"Guess not."
"Hold on tight guys. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
Dozens of rocks, each the size of Appa's head, were hurled through the air in an instant, flying at them from multiple directions. Momo jumped from Aang's side onto the saddle and under one of the covers that tied their supplies down.
Aang whipped the reigns around. The hemp bit into his hand and a burning sensation spread across his palm. Appa swerved from side to side doing his best to move out of the line of fire. A boulder clipped his shoulder slightly. He roared and sped up.
The catapult of the ship in front of them loosed. No time to dodge. Aang pushes off Appa's head. He kicked out his leg. A blast of air burst from his foot. The boulder shattered. Aang flew back onto Appa's head and Sokka held on to his sleeve to keep him from slipping off.
"I'll try going above the clouds." Aang said and pulled on the reigns. Appa rose. Sokka and Katara grabbed the rim so they wouldn't fly off.
For a moment, everything turned white and calm. As they reemerged, a dense, white blanked spread out underneath them. Aang dried himself off and put his arm up to shield his eyes from the sun.
"Seems that they stopped." Sokka said. He sat down and leaned back. "That was a close one."
"Sokka. Please hold on. They could still try to shoot."
"Calm down Katara. They can't aim at us if they can't see us."
Next to Appa, the cloud cover was suddenly broken. Sokka leaned back up.
"They might not be able to aim but they can still shoot." Aang yelled as he ripped the reigns around again. "Sokka. Try to hold on or you'll fall."
Projectiles broke through around them. The skin on his palms started to chafe. Appa roared as he was clipped in the shoulder again.
One boulder emerged right in front of them. Appa flinched back. The rope cut his palm as he was flung back.
Katara and Sokka both screamed behind him as Sokka was hurled through the air and was swallowed by the clouds.
"Katara. Take over." Aang climbed into the saddle and slid his glider out from where he had tied it down. He hefted it under his armpit and jumped.
Azula set her binoculars down as the Avatar and his bison disappeared into the clouds. She knew that not being able to see wouldn't stop Zhao. The admiral wouldn't care if he hit her ship. Around her the crew were working to put the catapult and munitions back into storage to make sure they weren't destroyed. The sound of footsteps was drowned out by the splashing of the rocks raining down around them.
Her scar tingled and itched. Azula scratched it. The entire blockading line had halted. She put the binoculars back against her eyes and peered at the ship right in front of them. He stood at the railing, his overcoat blowing in the wind and his arms crossed behind his back. It almost seemed as though Admiral Zhao was staring right at her. As if he could see her, even read her expression from such a long distance. His stern look was burrowing right into her.
"Do you think he will try to stop you?" Iroh said.
"No. He wouldn't get anything out of it. He'll try to follow and then try to snatch up the Avatar right out from under me." Azula set the binoculars down again as Zhao let the arms of his catapults lower. "Be alert men and be ready to fix any damage that is inflicted immediately."
The catapults loosed. Boulders disappeared into the clouds and the emerged to rain down around them. Water splashed against her face.
The ship shook as one crashed into them. Azula whirled around. Thick, black smoke billowed from the stern.
"General Iroh!" A seaman in an engineer's uniform yelled as he hastened up the steps from the lower deck. "One of the engine blocks has been damaged. Nothing unrepairable but we'll have to slow down to not overheat the other two."
"I'm going to kill him some day." The boulders continued to rain around them.
Azula gathered up energy. She took a deep breath and let her arms glide to guide the flow. She snapped them forward and a bolt of lightning shot through her and out of her fingertips. A rock that came flying straight at her and Iroh exploded into innumerable tiny pieces.
Above the blockade something appeared from out of the blanket of clouds. Azula lifted her binoculars again. The Water Tribe peasant boy was falling, flailing around in the air wildly. Shortly after, the Avatar broke through too, straight as an arrow, his weird glider pinned under his arm.
Azula's heart stared to race. His face was calm. Not a hint of fear or panic and nothing of the goofy weirdo she had fought against. His robes were billowing as he slowly caught up to his falling friend.
'If he hit's the water before he can open the glider he'll die.' The pounding in her chest became stronger. She had just found him. She couldn't lose him already. He was her only chance.
The avatar stretched out his arm. Fire burst from the Fire Nation soldiers on the line of ships. He grabbed the Water tribe peasant by the sleeve and pulled him towards himself. The Avatar's glider snapped open, and the orange wings caught air. The Avatar clenched his teeth and pulled up. The ocean, not even a foot underneath them, churned.
As they passed over Zhao's ship Aang swung his leg and kicked the admiral in the forehead. Azula burst out laughing as the Avatar landed on his bison which had come down to meet them.
As the avatar crossed into Fire Nation waters the hail of stone ceased. Her ship slowly approached the blockading line. Zhao was still standing at the railing. Azula couldn't suppress a small chuckle from passing her lips as she spotted the large red spot on the admiral's forehead.
"I see you and your vast amounts of resources had some trouble trying to apprehend the Avatar."
Zhao glared at her, then turned around and left.
The damage to the engine had cut their speed by a third and black smoke still rose up into the sky.
Azula waited for the blockade to be out of sight before she turned to Iroh. "Uncle, have them prepare the river boat."
"What for?"
"Zhao will try to follow us by the smoke trail. I'll try to slip by under his line of sight and follow the Avatar while you divert him. He'll stay far enough away so that he can't be seen. Take a random course until the engines are repaired and meet me afterwards. You are certain that the Avatar is heading for crescent island?"
Iroh nodded. "I am." He turned to his crew and gave them the order before he turned back to Azula. "What will you do if he already guessed the Avatar's goal?"
"I gain nothing by not trying to confuse him. If he catches up to me, you and the crew could do nothing to help me anyway."
Iroh smiles at her. He squeezed her shoulder with his meaty, wrinkly hand. "Be careful Azula."
Azula pushed his hand away and headed for her boat.
Aang laid Sokka down on the saddle before slumping back with a long sigh. Cold sweat was running down his back and he could still taste the sea water that was sprayed at his face when he narrowly avoided crashing into the ocean.
Katara jumped into the saddle. She rushed towards them and crashed into Aang with a giant hug. "I thought I was going to get a heart attack. Are you guys okay?" She let go off Aang, whose cheeks had taken on a slight tint of pink, before embracing her brother.
Sokka was panting heavily. His eyes were still wide from the shock. He took a few deep breaths before shaking himself out of his stupor. "Yeah. I think so." He returned his sisters hug and sat up. "I thought I was a goner. A moment longer and we'd have gone splat. Thanks for the save."
"No problem." Aang said as Momo curled around his shoulder and licked his cheek. Aang scratched the critter behind the ear, receiving a satisfied chirp, before he climbed back onto Appa's head and took the reins again.
"Now that we passed the blockade, we should be getting close. As far as I remember, the island was pretty much at the edge of the Fire Nation."
"I still can't believe that you got to ride a spirit dragon. That's so cool." Sokka said.
"Honestly, you aren't missing much. It's not that much different that flying on Appa, only that it's faster and a bit less comfortable."
"Still though. Just the idea of being able to ride through the sky on a dragon is awesome." A rumble ran through Appa. "Not that riding Appa isn't really special on its own." Sokka added hastily.
It only took them another half hour before their destination grew out of the horizon. When he arrived on Roku's dragon, everything went by so quickly that Aang never got a good look at the island. It was hardly more than bare rock stretching out of the water. There was one main peak at the center. Lava was flowing from it, down the other side. A second, smaller peak rose to the right.
The island seemed almost entirely devoid of life. There were only a few birds gathered on the shore, picking at fish of varying sizes and squawking at each other. Aside from the odd shrub here and there, there were no plants either.
As they rounded the volcano, Aang could make out the burned-out husks of what remained of a village that had once been here but aside from Roku's temple there had been no attempt to rebuild and resettle.
Aang landed Appa on a small plateau, a short distance away from the Temple itself. A cloud of dust was whirled up as Appa touched down on the ground.
Aang lifted Katara down from the saddle as Sokka climbed down Appa's side with Momo on his back.
"It so eerily silent. Has there even been anyone even here in the last decade?" Sokka said as he reached down to the earth and closed his eyes as if in thankful prayer for being able to stand on a solid surface again.
"I hope the temple is in use at least. Would be a shame if it had been left to rot away here. And if there are still Fire Sages, I feel like they would be the most likely to still have some loyalty to the Avatar so I might actually find a teacher among them."
"That would be really lucky. We'll get a Water Bending teacher at the North Pole and an Earth Bending teacher for you in the Earth Kingdom, but we never really thought about Fire Bending." Katara said with a smile.
Sokka huffed and rolled his eyes. "Does he really even need to learn Fire Bending? Three Elements should be enough to whoop the Fire Lord's ass, right?"
"Of course he needs to learn Fire Bending. He's the Avatar. He has to learn all four elements to bring balance to the world." Katara said. She sighed. "Let's just go to the temple and see if anybody's even there."
They crossed the bridge that led over a thin stream of lava spilling out from the volcano. The temple was made of tiers of multiple octagonal structures stacked atop one another. The lower half of the tower seemed to be built into the mountain on one side. The entrance was a simple, large, open portal. There was no door to lock them out. It was large enough that Appa would have fit through with room to spare.
Their footsteps echoed through the wide open hallway but there was no sound that came from inside. At the center they came to a giant room the ceiling of which reached all the way up the tower. The walls were decorated with gold and murals of Roku and his dragon.
In the center of the room, five men in long red robes and tall pointed hats waited for them.
"You are in the temple of the Avatar. We are his Fire Sages." The man in the center said. His tone was grim.
"Well." Aang cleared his throat. "I am the Avatar."
"We know." A wall of fire flew at them.
Aang flicked his arms forwards, pushing away the flames. He grabbed Katara and Sokka by the arms and yelled "Run!" before diving into another hallway.
"I need to get up there no matter what." Aang said.
They ran down the tight, winding corridors. The footsteps and shouts of their pursuers echoes after them. The whole structure was almost like that off a maze.
They rounded a corner and got face to face with a sole sage. They turned around and sprinted in the other direction as the sage shouted for them to wait.
They ran down a different path. The hallway split in two. Light came from beyond a bend down one side. "This way!" Aang shouted as he ran towards the light.
When they reached the bend, they found themselves in a dead end. There was a window on the wall, showing that they were right where the free-standing half of the temple connected to the part in the mountain. The window was small. Only Momo could have fit through but getting Appa would not help them.
Aang turned around and went into a low stance, waiting for the sage that was following them, and Sokka took out his club.
The Sage halted in front of them. His arms were outstretched, showing his open, empty palms.
"It's three on one, old man. Let us pass." Sokka shouted as he took a step forward.
The sage dropped to his knees and bowed. His forehead rested on the stone tiles of the floor. "Please Avatar. I mean you no harm." He said in a soft, calm tone. He sat up looked at Aang. "I know why you are here. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can bring you to him."
"We can't trust him. This is probably a trick. He's trying to lure us into a trap." Sokka said.
Aang looked the Sage directly in the eyes. Something in them reminded him of the princess' uncle. He scratched his chin. "Fine. Get me to Avatar Roku's chamber. What is your name, Sage?"
A smile spread across the man's lips, and he rose to his feet. "My name is Shyu. Thank you for giving me this chance, Avatar."
"What are you doing Aang. He's Fire Nation. We can't trust him." Sokka protested.
"I am the Avatar. I need to bring balance to the whole world. That includes the Fire Nation and I need to also put trust in them if I want to fulfill my duty."
Shyu moved to one of the candle holders attached to the wall and pulled. A soft rumble shook through them as part of the wall opened. A cave tunnel appeared behind it, leading into the volcano.
"This path will get us to one of the higher floors. From there we can reach the top while the other Sages search for you below." He said as he stepped into the cave. "Come quickly."
Aang and Katara stepped through after him. Sokka sighed, shook his head, and followed. Shyu pulled another lever and the door closed behind them.
The tunnel led them deeper into the mountain, up a winding path. Aang could feel the temperature rise with every step, so he created a barrier of air. Trickles of Magma started to flow from cracks in the wall and into pools that were increasing in size the further in they got. He saw sweat start to slowly drip from Sokka and Katara as both stripped the extra layers they had been wearing will flying on Appa. Aang tried not to look.
He sped up to be next to the Sage. "I have a question."
"Go ahead, Avatar. I am happy to answer anything you ask."
"Why is it that you are helping us? And why are the other Fire Sages trying to stop me from contacting Roku."
Shyu kept silent for a moment before he spoke. "After Avatar Roku passed and the War started, Fire Lord Sozin decreed that the Sages would no longer serve the Avatar, but only the Fire Lord. Public worship of the Avatar was only upheld to placate the masses. At first, the Sages quietly defied the Fire Lord's orders. We believed the Avatar would return and put an end to the madness. But over time …" Shyu turned his eyes to the ground and took a deep breath. "Over time, they lost heart. The Avatar hadn't returned, even after decades of waiting, and more and more Sages were caught and imprisoned or executed for treason."
Shyu looked at Aang with a sad smile. "I must confess, even I had lost hope, had rejected service to an Avatar I thought would never return. I gave in to the weakness of my soul. But when the eyes on Avatar Roku's statue started to glow, I knew that it was my destiny to serve you again."
Aang's gaze fell towards the ground. "You don't have to feel guilty about losing hope." Aang lifted his head and looked the Sage in the eyes. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all that you, the other Sages, and everyone else had to go through while I wasn't here to help."
They continued in silence. He knew Katara and Sokka behind him wanted to say something. He could feel their gazes burrowing into the back of his head, but he ignored it. He didn't need their pity or consolation. People had suffered because he wasn't there to help. THEY had suffered. Katara … Sokka … Suki … even Azula. The white scar that adorned her face flashed in his mind. He didn't know exactly what happened but by how she touched it, how she reacted when he brought attention to it, he could guess that it wasn't a simple accident that created it.
They moved up the winding path, past pools and streams of magma until it would back around and they reached the temple again. Shyu led them through halls and up several flights of winding stairs.
After a while they reached an open hall, covering half of the uppermost floor. Two thick, red pillars held the ceilings weight and large windows were cut into the outer walls.
The room was cut off from the other half of the floor by a wall with a giant door at its center. Five metallic, bestial heads grew out of some sort of mechanism.
Shyu stopped in his tracks and stared at the door. "No, no, no. I didn't think they would have closed the door. The door is supposed to be open. They wouldn't have had time to close it from when we saw you approach the island."
"Why is it bad if it's closed?" Katara asked Shyu. "Can't you just open it with Fire Bending? Like Aang opened the door to in the Airtemple?"
"No." He shook his head with a frown. "I am not enough by myself. To open the door, you need five simultaneously fire blasts. Only a fully realized Avatar can accomplish that on their own."
Aang walked up to the door and looked at the central maw. "So, what now? I need to get in there. I need to talk to Avatar Roku. There is something important he wants to tell me."
The room fell silent as Momo looked between them with his ears folded.
Sokka scratched his chin and examined the heads. He started touching the heads, putting his hands all over them, examining the mouths and their mechanisms. He put his hand inside the central head. Soot covered his fingers as he retracted it.
"I think I have an idea about how we could get the door to open without fire bending." He turned to Shyu. "Bring me lamp oil, or even better explosive powder if you have that, some leather pouches and some string."
Shyu looked at Sokka in confusion but nodded and quickly ran down the stairs.
He came back shorty after carrying everything in his arms. "Here you go." He said as he handed Sokka the ingredients he asked for. "Do what you need to do but be quick. Once they realize that I'm no longer among them they will know what I did and come straight here."
Sokka nodded and started filling the pouches with powder before tying them with string. He also put some inside the opening to leave them hanging out. Then he put the five makeshift explosives into each of the mouths.
"Okay. Now you just have to ignite the fuses at the same time and BOOM; five simultaneous fire blasts."
"You know what? This might just work." Shyu said. He stepped next to the door so that the fuses were in one line and looked at Aang. "You need to jump through the door immediately. Once the explosion happens the other Sages will know that we are here."
Aang nodded and stepped back from the door. With the tip of a finger, Shyu ignited the line of fuses.
The tower shook as the improvised bombs exploded. Smoke and dust covered the entire area. Aang sprinted at the door.
But it was still shut. He pushed. It wouldn't budge. "It didn't work. It won't open." He banged against the door with his fist.
"Then how will you get in." Sokka asked scratching his head.
"We need to do something quick. The other Sages could come up the stairs any second now."
Sokka walked up to the door and inspected the heads. They were covered in a fresh layer of black. "I don't understand. Those looked like five powerful fire blasts to me." Momo grabbed one of the heads. He put his tongue against it and started hacking.
"Wait, Sokka. You're a genius. You just gave the perfect solution." Katara's face brightened.
"Did the definition of genius change recently and I wasn't aware of it? If you haven't noticed, my plan failed. Or are you just making fun of me." Sokka crossed his arms with a pout.
Katara put her hands on his shoulders with a smile. "You're right. It didn't work. But it looks like it did." She turned to Shyu. "Is there a way to get Momo into the other room?"
He looked at the Lemur. "There is a small window. He might be able to fit but I don't know. Why?"
"Well, it doesn't matter too much. It would just make the effect better. Aang, Sokka and I will hide behind the pillars. Once the other Sages come, you will tell them that the Aang managed to open the door. Momo will wait in front of the door, and you can point at his shadow coming through the gap at the bottom. When the Sages open the door, we will all jump out and take them out while Aang jumps in."
Aang instructed Momo and they hid behind one of the big pillars. It didn't take long for the rest of the Sages to appear from the staircase.
"Come quickly. The Avatar somehow managed to get inside."
"WHAT?! But the door was closed. How could he…?" The Head Sage sputtered.
"I don't know. But look." Shyu pointed at the shadow that peeked through the door.
The Head Sage ground his teeth. "Open the door. Quickly. Before he can make contact with Avatar Roku."
The Sages shot torrents of flame at the bestial heads. With a sound akin to rolling thunder, the door slowly inched open.
"A lemur?" One of the Sages said and took a step closer to Momo. "What is that thing doing in there?"
As he bent down, Momo jumped at his face, biting and scratching. Sokka and Katara jumped out from behind, twisted two more Sage's arms behind their backs and forced them on the ground. Shyu grabbed the Head sage by the wrist and bent his arm back and up. The Head Sage screamed in pain as his face was pressed into the ground.
"Aang! Now!" Katara yelled.
Aang stepped out from behind the pillar. A wall of blue flame cut through the air in front of him.
"You are going nowhere, Avatar." Aang pushed out air in front of himself to break in front of the fire. Azula stood by the staircase, fire growing from her knuckled. Azula jumped at Aang as the other Sages used the opportunity to throw off Katara, Sokka and Shyu.
"Hey." Aang said with a strained smile. Azula threw a punch at him. Aang ducked to the side. The heat licked at his face "It's really good to see you again but I'm kind of busy right now. Could you wait here for a second while I finish my business. I promise, afterwards we can dance around a bit." Azula's boot connected with his stomach.
"I can't let you do that." Azula said. She looked at a Sage that was tying up Momo. "You. Close that door. Now!"
"Yes, Princess." The man scrambled to the large door and pushed.
Azula grabbed Aang by the collar and pulled him closer. "You're coming with me."
A boomerang circled around Aang and knocked Azula in the shoulder. She let go off Aang with a yelp.
"Just go, Aang." Sokka yelled as a Sage jumped at him from behind. Katara was on the ground, her hands tied behind her back. Two sages were now pushing the door closed. Not much time.
Aang shook his head. Azula tried to grab him again. He pushed her away with a wall of air and pushed himself backwards. The Head Sage jumped in his way and punched a fire ball at Aang. Aang jumped onto the man's bald head and lunged through the door as it closed behind him with a flash of light.
Azula groaned in frustration as the fire uselessly dissipated around the door's mechanism.
"It must be Avatar Roku's doing. He sealed the door because he doesn't want to be disturbed." The Head Sage said.
"Is there another way inside?" She only received a headshake as a return. Her scar started to itch again.
"Are you having troubles, Princess. It seems that I came just at the right time." Azula turned to the Admiral. A smug smile was plastered on his face and a dozen soldiers stood behind him, wearing his family's seal on their chest.
"You didn't come at the right time. Your hands in this case are as tied as mine." Azula said.
"No matter. The Avatar will have to come out at some point. And the only way he can go is through that door." Azula scoffed. "But princess, you would do well to temper your frustration a bit. It just makes that scar of yours that much uglier."
Azula heard a gasp from where the Water Tribe peasants were tied up to one of the Pillars. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm. She could feel heat start to rise from her knuckles.
Azula took a deep breath.
Aang rolled off the ground as the door closed behind him with a thundering boom. A bright light flashed from the gaps.
In the room, the giant, golden statue of Roku he had seen the day before stood up against the wall. It was placed on a marble dais. There was no source of light in the room, apart from the window above Roku's head. The light reflected from the ruby was almost at the center of his forehead. Aang could almost see it move.
For a moment, everything went white. The rushing sound of wind filled his ears.
Aang blinked and shook his head. The sound faded and his vision returned. The light had dimmed even more, and the color of the room became muted, almost gray. A layer of fog spread across the floor, curling around his legs in wispy tendrils.
In front of him was Avatar Roku. Unlike the rest of their surroundings, Roku was in full color, clothed in vibrant reds and a golden, royal ornament holding his white topknot in place. His robes were flowing in a breeze that Aang couldn't feel.
Aang bowed. "It's an honor to meet you, Avatar Roku."
"It is good to finally meet you too, Avatar Aang." Roku smiled at him kindly for a moment before it disappeared. "There is something very important I have to discuss with you."
"Does it have to do with the vision you sent me? The comet?"
"Yes." Roku said. The old Avatar frowned and lowered his gaze. "One hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozin used that comet, the power it granted to Fire Benders, to start the war with a decisive first strike against the Air Nomads. That comet will return. At the end of summer, Fire Lord Ozai will harness its power once more and use it finish what his ancestor has started, once and for all."
"Summer?!" Aang stumbled back, his eyes widened.
"Aang." Roku's voice was firm. "You need to master the four elements before that time comes, else it will be too late."
"But that is less than nine months away. How am I supposed to master all three of them in such a short time. I haven't even started with Water Bending yet."
"Do not despair, Aang." The smile returned. "You can do it. I know you can. You have mastered them before. Now…" Roku closed his eyes and so did Aang. A vision of the other room appeared in front of Aang's eyes. Azula was arguing with the man he had kicked in the face earlier as Sokka and Katara were chained to a pillar and Shyu was kneeling on the floor, his face pressed against the tiles. "There is trouble. I can help you overcome it, but only if you are ready."
"I am ready."
Aang opened his eyes.
The door opened. Mist poured out, diffusing a bright white light emanating from inside the room.
"Ready." Zhao dropped his stance.
Slowly, the mist dissipated. The light faded away. Only two glowing white eyes peered out from the darkness. Azula's heart stopped beating for a moment.
"No! Aang!" the Water Tribe girl wailed pathetically.
There was no need to cry out. There was nothing Zhao and his men could do to harm the Avatar in this state. A smile spread across Azula's face.
"Fire!" Zhao's voice boomed through the room. The Sage's and Soldiers fired.
The flames started to swirl around, whirling around in a large ball moving slowly out of the door. The ball broke open and inside was an old man wearing long, flowing, red robes.
"Avatar Roku." The Sage that was bound on the ground whispered with reverence. He got to his knees and bowed, pressing his forehead to the ground.
The Avatar spread his arms and brought them forth. Fire rolled over the room like a wave. The chains around the Water Tribe Peasants melted and the binding around the Sages hands burned away yet she hadn't felt a thing as it washed over her.
The Avatar raised his arms in front of himself. The tower started shaking violently. In the corner a geyser of lava broke through the floor. Then a second, and a third.
"He's going to destroy the temple!" The Head Sage yelled. "Run!"
The soldiers and Sages started to scramble frantically. Zhao grabbed the traitor by the scruff of the neck and dragged him along.
Azula was still rooted to the spot. This was the Avatar's power.
Roku's figure lowered his arms and breathed out. With a burst of light, the old Avatar was gone and Aang was back in his place.
The Avatar stumbled for a moment. He grabbed his head and groaned.
"Aang. Let's get out of here." The Water Tribe boy ran up to him and put one of the Avatar's arms over his shoulder. The girl did the same.
A loud roar came through one of the large windows.
"Great timing buddy," The Avatar said.
Azula shook herself out of her stupor. She ran after them. The Water Tribe boy was already on the beast's head, the girl was helping the Avatar get on. Azula reached for the peasant. Azula's fingers grabbed for the girl's neck. The girl turned around and pushed Azula back as the boy grabbed for the girls' shoulders and pulled her onto the beast.
The tower started to tilt. A piece of the roof broke off and crashed through the floor. Azula looked out the window and jumped. She took the hairpiece from her head and stuck it into the wall while pushing herself closer to the wall with a fire streaming from her palm.
As she reached the bottom the tower started to crumble apart behind her. Azula tied her hair back up and stared at the blue band and the pendant she had ripped from the Water Tribe girl's neck.
Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment. That is probably the biggest motivator I can get from outside.