EXT SKIES OVER EARTH KINGDOM - STORMING DAY
Raava and Vaatu - two of the primordial, timeless spirits of this world - clash amongst the green rain with Makami's frozen body the prize. Their great energy crackles into red and blue lightning that shatters mountaintops and vaporizes trees far below.
Makami, suspended within an energized ball, continues to tumble through the sky between the lashing tentacles. Below now are the ruins of the Eastern Air Temple where torches portend a light human presence.
Regardless of that, Raava strangles Vaatu with her superior strength.
RAAVA
(echoing)
You cannot win, Vaatu. You should not have come back.
VAATU
(echoing)
I will always come back, Raava, and this time, I will remake the world in my shadow!
Vaatu's size doubles with a grunt and he takes the priority. His power drives all three of them towards a stone tower.
CUT TO:
INT EASTERN AIR TEMPLE - RAINY NIGHT
The ancient Eastern Air Temple is really just a trio of obelisk-like towers that serve as stone bed nooks. In the center of each tower are five poles that allow the freshly awoken to slide down to breakfast. The floor at the bottom shines with the symbol of the Air Nation.
At the bottom of the poles right now are people dressed in cult-like reeds and branches. As they shamble through, their low-level mantra rises in unison. The echo of their shoes is almost calming given the chaos thus far.
LEADER (O.S.)
(Karen-style shrillness)
Bring your butts out here, y'all!
They all visibly stumble in their haste to obey.
EXT EASTERN AIR TEMPLE - CONTINUOUS
The group stumbles into the small, round apex of a winding staircase. The green rain washes through the engrained trenches that form the marking of the Air Nation.
Stood upon a circular platform is a woman in a frilled, spotted jacket that flairs out at the edges. Tied pine branches hang off her shoulders like armor plates. A carved wooden mask moves off her head to reveal a small-faced woman named SHINA (49). She resting-frowns down to the aligned people beneath high, curving, very imposing hair.
SHINA
Followers, listeners, and those that answered the ad on the tea shop board - I hope you brought snacks!
Hands appear from under robes, showing their offerings in full. From left to right is a board of beautiful sushi rolls, vegetable samosas, a very heavy crate of clinking glass bottles, and lastly, red plastic cups and paper plates.
SHINA
(nodding)
Well done, my fellow endlings. Now, LET'S PARTY LIKE IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!
As she raises her hands, Vaatu and Raava's ball of energy flies overhead. They crash through one of the air temple obelisks and continue through to the dark horizon. The partiers dive for cover, some losing their items.
From left to right, the sushi board is bereft of morsels, only one samosa remains, the crate is broken open with bottles missing, but everyone cheers as the plastic cups and plates are now full of drink and meal. The holder is also completely covered in what missed the utensils.
CUT TO:
EXT SKIES BEYOND EARTH KINGDOM
Raava continues to lose size to Vaatu, the two of them harshly entangled. She leans her torso up to see Makami still suspended nearby. One of her tentacles slithers between the tangle to make contact with her foot.
With that, Makami's eyes snap back to normal.
RAAVA
(loudly)
Makami, help me!
She rotates in the air, still holding her head.
MAKAMI
(quietly)
What...what is this? Vaatu?
VAATU
(echoing)
Hello, vessel. Hold still so I can-
The tentacles moving towards Makami are intercepted by Raava.
RAAVA
(struggling)
Combine...with me...Makami!
She turns away, looking behind and below at the ocean.
RAAVA
(struggling)
Makami, we have no time!
Instead of helping, she presses her two fingers against the edge of the sphere. The energy draws through her, melding and battling painfully all the way through her arms, until she blasts it out her other arm, directing the orb downwards.
VAATU
(echoing)
What are you doing?
EXT THE RAZOR MAZE - CONTINUOUS
The orb breaks down from the clouds towards an odd dead zone in the waves of the ocean. The reason for this is the presence of the Tidao Meiro - the Razor Maze.
Makami ups the momentum further and further until Vaatu and Raava can hardly move. She grits her teeth while moving towards the edge of the orb, her skin burning at the edge of it. With the help of a burst of flame from both hands, she emerges out and skips along the top of the water.
Just after, the ethereal beings crash hard into the water and the coral reef just a few feet beneath the waves. The reef spreads like shrapnel, one piece hitting Makami's shoulder as she recovers.
MAKAMI
(shouting)
Ow! What is...?
She looks at the twisted tethers anchored to her midsection still - the red one leading left, the blue leading under the waves to the right. Her eyes dart around quickly before her front foot stomps and arms shoot forward. The coral crumbles and tightens around the titanic creatures as they glow from just beneath the water.
She wobbles up, holding her head moreso than her shoulder.
MAKAMI
(loudly)
Enough! You don't get to use me as an eternal battleground.
VAATU (O.S.)
(echoing)
You have always been our battleground, human.
Makami turns to see the red glow brighten.
VAATU (O.S.)
(echoing)
Your ancestor trampled into the business of spirits. You cannot escape this fight while we still exist.
She looks on the opposite side of a coral wall where the water glows blue.
RAAVA (O.S.)
(echoing)
Our battle is over, Vaatu. We must focus to stop the end of all existence!
VAATU (O.S.)
(booming)
Do not lie to me, Raava! You are who you are - self-assigned purger of all you consider evil. The power to reshape both worlds was given to you the day you betrayed the Spirit World. That power was mine for but a brief moment. For ten-thousand years, I have waited to truly embrace the power that intoxicated you those eons ago. Now, I will have that power back.
The two of them glow brightly, equally from beneath the waves, making Makami's head pound further.
RAAVA (O.S.)
(echoing)
That will not happen.
MAKAMI
Do either of you know where we are right now?
The air is still.
MAKAMI
This is the reason that the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have always had to go around the long way to fight one another - the Razor Maze. Around you is a coral reef shelf that spans for hundreds of miles in either direction. Razor sharp sediment that will rip a hull to shreds. Do you know what else scientists found here?
Makami holds out her hands, bringing a glow from hundreds and thousands of rocks as she does. They glow like the Northern Lights with energy from Spirit World.
MAKAMI
Spirit energy remnants, enough to hold you two in place until you settle this old business once and for all.
The glows on either side dim only slightly while she winces against her whopping headache.
MAKAMI
So, who wants to be the bigger ancient being and go first?
CUT TO:
INT SPIRIT TREE - EMERALD CHAMBER
Voso lies on a crystalline ground that flashes with visions of the human world. The sheer surfaces glimmer with the great forest, Earth Kingdom deserts, and even the remote icebergs of the north and south seas.
Water drips to Voso's cheek to wake him. He leans up to weakly open his eyes and observe the chamber.
VOSO
What. In the world. Is this place?
He looks up to floating spirits far above, most of them curled into their selves like a comfortable slumber. Others are laid out as though they are ready for a funeral pyre - the column of irregular gleam and spiritual energy going up far beyond where Voso can see.
He turns to the closest wall.
VOSO
(mumbling)
This stupid world with its insane amount of stupid weird corners to get lost in. All because of dumb Avatars tossing me overboard like a stupid sack of grain...
He tries to follow the flashes, seeing the familiar sights of the world. Faces begin to appear, Voso brings his hand up to touch along one of the stones.
VOSO
Whoa!
As he does, his fingertips move through an image of a lonely farm.
VOSO
It's not solid?
He pulls away with some of the scene sticking to him like glue.
VOSO
(quietly)
What is this stuff?
The stone beneath one of his feet flashes with an image of the ocean. He hops away, but some of the image sticks to his foot.
VOSO
There's no way this is a good thing.
Voso turns back up to the spirits as a low, melodic humming resounds from the cavern walls. It rises like a deep, throaty mantra to send chills down Voso's spine.
VOSO
Can any of you spirits hear me? Does anyone know where we are?
The mantra rises with his hair along his arms and head. He looks around, jumping as small crackles of yellow energy bounce from the sights on his fingers and foot.
From above, the chamber coats with leaping yellow lightning, bouncing from one stone face to another on its way towards Voso. He looks around for a spot out of danger, finding nothing.
SPIRIT (O.S.)
(squeaking voice)
Yo, spirit!
Voso looks up to see HMUPH (ageless). The creature looks to have hundreds of stalky eyes that mostly look at Voso from around its circular, orange body. Its short arms writhe out towards Voso.
HMUPH
Get off the ground!
Voso leaps up to grab the arms, lifting his legs just in time to avoid the lightning. The leaping bolts bounce off one another, mirroring their pathway back up past his view. Any other spirit caught in the leaping was absorbed in full.
HMUPH
Hop on up to the top, stranger.
VOSO
Are you sure? I don't, uh, know if I can hurt you, but...
HMUPH
Naw, c'mon up!
He swings up to the edge to hoist himself up.
VOSO
(grunting)
Thanks. What are you called?
HMUPH
Call me Hmuph! I used to be responsible for the clouds in Spirit World, me and my fellow flat fliers.
As Voso rises to the top, a gentle mist seeps out from under Hmuph to fill the bottom of the chamber with a rosy red. Voso plugs his nose.
VOSO
(nose plugged)
Smells...spicy.
HMUPH
I know, right?
VOSO
You know anything about where this is, little guy?
HMUPH
Nope!
VOSO
(slowly)
Oh...okay, well, do you know how you got here?
HMUPH
Nope!
He stifles a sigh.
VOSO
What about the spirits up there - recognize any of them?
HMUPH
No, but I was never really social. Lots of spirits said my smells hurt their noses. So, I just took to hovering on my merry way.
VOSO
Right, so you're not here to help everyone be more social, then?
HMUPH
(chuckling sweetly)
No, silly humey. We're all here to be assimilated.
Voso looks down to the eyes in shock.
VOSO
Wanna run that by me again? You don't know anything at all about this place, but you're positive we're just battery packs for...something?
HMUPH
(happily)
Oh for sure! Flying over the Fluffy Plains, I saw this type of thing happen all the time. Well, all the time lately. Creatures covered in ooey-gooey black or green gunk, then off they went!
He stares at his hand in horror.
VOSO
(quietly)
To here? Is this...?
He looks up.
VOSO
Is this Ananta Shesha's stomach?