Luca stood at the edge of the gondola, staring out, lost in thought. He couldn't stop thinking about Giulia's offer. His heart yearned to go to school and continue his waterbending training.

Was that why he'd seen her in the swamp? Maybe it was the spirits showing him what he really wanted.

Alberto joined Luca and leaned on his folded arms against the edge of the gondola. "I'm so glad to be out of there. Are you excited to finish this thing and go home? Things'll finally get back to normal, huh?"

Luca looked down, fidgeting with his hands. He wasn't eager to return to his stifling life in the South Pole, under the control of his parents and Alberto. At home, he always felt like he was just trying to please somebody else, instead of focusing on his own needs. He hadn't realized how much of a weight it was putting on him until meeting Giulia and Lucius, who actually asked him what he wanted.

Alberto must have sensed his hesitation. "You're not actually thinking of going to that dumb school, are you?"

"Well—I mean—" Luca stammered. How could he possibly answer that? He obviously couldn't say "yes" when it was worded that way. "I thought it sounded kind of cool."

"Why?" Alberto asked.

"I—I don't know," Luca said meekly.

Alberto stared down angrily. Luca looked at him fearfully, wishing he'd say something. What was he thinking? Was he upset at Luca, or something else?

"I mean, my parents are still gonna lock me away," Luca said. "So maybe I shouldn't go back, just yet…"

"It'll be different now," Alberto said. "We're master waterbenders now. I mean, what can they do to us?"

Luca supposed he had a point. But he still didn't want to go back. He knew in his heart that nothing would be different. Not in the way he wanted it to be.

"Hey, guys, we need to refuel," Barley interrupted loudly. He tapped the fuel gauge. The needle was creeping toward empty.

Luca looked down. They were flying above some rural area in the Earth Kingdom. The sun was just beginning to rise.

They landed and started walking, looking for a village with a marketplace that would have some fuel. They walked for what felt like ages, and Luca grew more and more nervous the further away from the airship they went. Even if they managed to find fuel, they would have to carry it all the way back.

They approached a wide chasm, spanning miles in every direction. A small blond woman stood next to it. She saw them and ran over. "Hello there! I'm Tour Guide Barbie! Welcome to the Great Divide, the largest canyon in the world!"

"Whoa," Barley gasped. He and Luca stared.

"It's not that impressive," Alberto said. Violet was inclined to agree, although she knew it was just because she was used to wide open spaces after living in the Air Temple.

"Are we crossing today?" Barbie chirped.

"If there's a village on the other side, then yes," Barley said. "Guide us, oh wise one!"

The branches next to them rustled loudly, and a group of people emerged. They all wore pristine white robes, and their hair was perfectly coiffed.

"Ooh, look at the view!" the lady leading them gushed. "It's so beautiful!" She burst into tears. The rest of the group did the same.

Alberto looked unsettled. "Do you need…help?"

A loud scoff came from their other side. Another group had emerged from the brush. They were dressed in black and red, their hair and faces covered in ash.

"Look at these losers! Crying over a pretty view," the man leading them said.

"These guys get it," Alberto said.

"Are you here for a tour?" Barbie asked.

"Yes, please!" the lady said.

"Tour?!" the man exclaimed. "No! We're just trying to get through so we can make it to Ba Sing Se and survive the war!"

"The war's not coming here, Bernie," the lady said dismissively. "And why are you worried? You're of their kind."

"Shut up, Brook," the man snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about. We stopped being Fire Nation when we came here for a new life. Just like you stopped being Water Tribe, so don't get all hoighty-toighty with us."

"Um, do you guys know each other?" Barley asked.

"We used to live in Element City together," Bernie said. "Where non-benders from different tribes came to live in harmony. But they started turning up their noses at the rest of us, just 'cause they're from the Northern Water Tribe where everything is sooo fancy."

Alberto laughed. Finally, somebody else was saying it.

"What's wrong with taking a little pride in the beautiful nation we come from?" Brook asked. "Especially since ours isn't dirty or violent."

"Yeah," Luca said.

Barbie clapped once. "Well, let's get going! Oh, but one thing before we start: be careful of canyon crawlers."

"Canyon crawlers?" Luca asked. He didn't like the sound of that. "What are canyon crawlers?"

"Big creatures that eat people!" Barbie said. "But if we stick together and don't make too much of a ruckus, we should be perfectly fine!"

She led them down into the canyon, pointing out various features and the earthbenders who had made them. Barley asked her a million questions, which she answered cheerfully.

Luca looked around for canyon crawlers. He didn't know what to look for. Every movement out of the corner of his eye made him jump.

He went over to Alberto. "I don't like this."

"I don't either!" one of Brook's group members whimpered. "I don't want to be eaten!" She started to cry.

Alberto rolled his eyes. "We're fine, Luca. Don't be like these crybabies."

"I wasn't being a crybaby," Luca said, hurt. "I'm just trying to be careful. Maybe we should practice waterbending, just in case?"

"And by practice, you mean teach me your fancy Northern waterbending?"

"…Well, yes, I think it'd be nice for you to know."

"So I'm not a good enough waterbender for you?"

"That's not what I meant. I just don't think you're good enough to fight a canyon crawler."

"You're not better than me," Alberto snapped.

"I wasn't saying—"

"Well, what were you saying then?"

"Look!" Barbie announced. A giant rock formation ahead of them split their path in two. "The paths diverge for a few miles but eventually come back together."

"How lovely!" Brook gushed.

"It's a rock, Brook," Bernie said, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to pretend to be impressed by everything."

"I mean, it's kind of pretty," Luca volunteered.

"This isn't a tourist trap, people!" Bernie yelled. "We're escaping a war here! Stop admiring the view and let's get a move on!"

"Let's take the left path," Barbie said. "It's wider and safer."

"I'm going this way," Bernie said, pointing to the right.

"Why do you have to be so contrary?" Brook scolded. "She knows what she's talking about. Why can't you just listen to her?"

"'Cause I don't want to be stuck with you, listening to your crying."

"I'm going with them," Alberto said, walking over to Bernie. "Come on, Luca."

Luca didn't move. "No. I'm taking the safer path."

"With them?"

"Yes," Luca said firmly.

"But this is the right path! It's on the right for a reason, Luca."

"I don't think that's how it works…"

"What, you're a geography expert too now?"

A scream interrupted their bickering. Barbie pointed at something. "Canyon crawler!"

Everyone looked, and what they saw made their blood run cold. A large black creature was scuttling toward them on tall, spindly legs.

"RUN!" Barbie screamed.

They ran. Barley followed Barbie and Luca, then stopped and looked around. "Wait, where's Ian?"

Ian followed Alberto and Violet down the right path. He didn't know how he'd gotten on this side, and he didn't care.

He looked up, trying to figure out how deep the canyon was. Maybe he could earthbend a way out.

Something grabbed his arm and slammed him into the ground. He sucked in a breath, trying not to scream. It felt like the bones in his wrist and forearm had shattered.

The canyon crawler loomed over him. He could see its teeth, and he could feel its hot breath on his face. He wanted to crawl away from it, but he was frozen by fear and pain.

Violet ran forward and blew the canyon crawler back with a strong gust of wind. Alberto picked up a large rock and hurled it at the monster, hitting it in the face. Violet had to admit she was impressed. He was stronger than he looked.

Alberto threw another rock. The canyon crawler hissed and ran away.

"Ian, are you okay?" Violet asked.

"No." He was sweating and shaking from the pain. More than anything, he wanted to just pass out so the agony would stop for a minute.

"Should we turn around?" Violet asked.

Ian shook his head. "Let's keep going." Barbie had said the paths would converge at some point. Barley would know what to do.

Meanwhile, Barbie and Barley were trying to lead Brook's group, but it was difficult when they kept stopping to cry about every little thing they saw.

Finally, Barley decided to distract them with conversation. "So, you used to live with those other people in a big city together? That must have been fun."

"It was. Until they ruined it," Brook said. "We could have lived in harmony. We don't like conflict. We would just leave them alone if they didn't keep trying to pick a fight."

"I know what you mean," Luca said.

"They're just jealous," Brook said. "Of our privilege. Of our accomplishments. What are we supposed to do, stoop down to their level just so they can feel better about themselves?"

"You're right," Luca said. "Why should we?"

"To be fair, they came from a harder place, so maybe you should have some sympathy for them," Barley said. "Real sympathy, not condescending comments. Just a thought."

Brook made a face but she didn't disagree.

Finally, the paths came together. Barley looked around, but he didn't see Ian or the others anywhere. Had something happened to them? What if a canyon crawler had eaten them?

Then he heard a voice behind him. "Barley!"

He turned and saw Ian's group walking up. "Ian!" He ran over. "Ian, what happened?"

"One of those things broke my arm," Ian said.

"I can heal it!" Luca said.

"You can?" Alberto and the two groups exclaimed.

"Yeah. I learned it at the North Pole."

"Huh," Bernie said. "I'll admit that is useful."

Luca put his hand on Ian's arm to heal it. Then a loud hiss came from behind them. Six canyon crawlers had emerged and were running toward them.

"Someone keep those things occupied!" Barley said.

Brook started crying. "We're going to die! I don't want to die! The world is so beautiful!"

Bernie leapt forward and punched one of the canyon crawlers right in the face. His group followed suit.

"Woo-hoo!" Alberto rushed forward and joined them in pummeling the creatures.

Luca quickly healed Ian with the water from his pouch. Ian created a stairway out of the canyon wall.

"Hurry!" he yelled as he sprinted up. "Everyone out!"

They rushed up the stairs. The canyon crawlers attempted to follow. Ian raised his arms and collapsed the stairs. They all stared down into the canyon and waited for their heart rates to calm down.

"That's it! I quit!" Barbie declared. She walked away.

"Ian, are you okay now?" Barley asked.

"Yeah," Ian said, nodding. He held his arm out. "Good as new."

Bernie rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he addressed Ian. "Thanks, kid." He turned to Luca. "You too. That was a real handy technique. Smart."

Luca beamed.

"And you guys were very brave back there," Brook said. "We needed that distraction."

"Any good team needs both," Barley said. "The brains and the brawn. Right?"

"I guess you're right," Bernie said. Brook nodded.

"So maybe you could give living together another try?" Barley said. "Or not. It's your choice."

"Maybe," Bernie said, looking at Brook. She smiled and nodded. The two groups walked away together. Barley had never felt more relieved to be out of someone's presence, even Firelord Syndrome himself.

He looked around and saw a village below them. "Let's go over there." They would hopefully have some fuel. He didn't want to think about carrying it all the way back through the canyon. They would cross that bridge when they got there.

He led them down toward the village. Alberto and Luca awkwardly walked together, unsure what to say after their fight in the canyon.

"Um, thanks," Luca said finally.

"You too," Alberto said, staring at the ground. There was a lot more he wanted to say. He wanted to apologize, and beg Luca to stay, and tell his friend all the fears he had that were making him act this way, but he was too ashamed. He didn't want Luca to know how pathetic he really was.

Barley noticed the air temperature dropping rapidly as they walked. They walked to the top of a hill and stopped.

Instead of the village they'd seen, a different world awaited them. Rolling blue hills stretched out before them. The soft lilac sky seemed to glow. Everything was slightly fuzzy and blurry around the edges.

Ian looked around, eyes wide. "Barley? Where are we?" He gasped and pointed at Violet. "Violet! You're turning…violet!"

"What?" She looked at her hands and gasped. Her hands and arms were blue. So was the rest of her body. Even her clothes. She looked at her friends in horror as the strange blue washed over them as well.

Barley's eyes widened as it struck him. "I think…I think we're in the Spirit World."