Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.

A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. 

And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. 

Perhaps the most important lesson that he will have to learn... is how to deal with the Spirits.

Everyone knows of the Spirits: they direct our world, controlling vital aspects in order to keep us alive and the world in order. The Avatar serves as the bridge between our world and theirs, so that neither side might be separated.

But they are far more than that.

Spirits are dangerous beings with dangerous powers, and motivations that no mortal can even begin to fathom. It is the Avatar’s duty to safeguard our world from these nigh omnipotent beings, to keep them in check, for he is the only one who can hope to match their might.

For should he ever fail in his task... the consequences would be devastating.

Hei Bei snorted despondently as he emerged from the thicket of bamboo he’d summoned and into the familiar murky, mottled and muggy area of the Spirit World that he called home.

That... had not been a smart move. The ethereal panda growled darkly to himself as he padded through the lush and varied vegetation around him. Flying into a rage after what the Fire Nation had done was one thing. Attacking a nearby village and abducting its citizens was another. Attacking theAvatar, a whole new scale of stupid.

But emerging from that situation unharmed...

The implications were horrifying.

Hei Bei ground his teeth together as he tilted his head back and forth searching for any and all signs of life. With any luck, his transgressions had gone unnoticed. With any luck, this day would never have occurred, and with any luck, everything could continue as usu-

“He-llo there, Hei Bei. It has been a long time, old friend. Too long.”

Oh lion turtle shit.

The Nature Spirit’s claws dug into the stone around his feet as he slowly looked up, staring at the dead tree rising high into the fog before him.

Staring at the massive insect whose beautiful feathered face was staring down at him.

“Honestly now...” Koh crooned from its borrowed beak in its usual tenor. “Where could you have been? People have been worried...”

Hei Bei snorted briefly before starting to move forwards again, soft soil giving way beneath his paws...

“One would almost think you had gone to the Mortal Realm...”

Before his massive white fist cracked the stone beneath his feet. The infuriated Spirit growled darkly as he pushed himself onto his hind-legs, snarling up at the trickster demon.

“Oh my! So defensive!” Koh jerked back, blinking her frightened brown eyes, blonde hair streaming down her cheeks. “My apologies, oh great and mighty Hei Bei, it’s just...” He raised an insectoid limb to his face, adjusting the glasses on his thin nose. “After what happened to your precious forest, you’ve been so horribly agitated...”

Hei Bei worked his jaw for a moment... before clenching his teeth together, drawing in a deep breath through his nose and walking forwards, stepping over lush greenery and roots as he continued into his jungle abode.

“Still though, something does confound me...”

He continued onwards, despite the ever-present musings of the infernal insect behind him.

“Why did the Fire Nation cause such undue damage, hmm?”

Hei Bei halted in his tracks. But not because of the Spirit’s words.

“After all... the firebenders are at war, are they not? They require food, materials, resources... so why burn it without harvesting so much as a single tree, hmm?”

His voice. His voice had shifted. Changed, altered, warped from the norm.

“And the village... why leave it be? Shouldn’t it have been razed to the ground as well? Why would the ruthless Fire Nation spare them?”

Hei Bei didn’t dare turn. He didn’t dare face the visage of the one he knew held that voice. He didn’t dare to gaze upon the face of pale skin, with its trimmed, if slightly singed beard and arrogant holier-than-thou smile.

“Quite peculiar, wouldn’t you say? Quite peculiar... ah well, we’ll never know, seeing how they mysteriously disappeared. Such a shame, is it not?”

Hei Bei shook and growled beneath his breath. His muscles tensed... and then he just walked on, staring resolutely forwards as he marched into his home.

Koh chuckled darkly as it stared after the giant panda, its pale, bone-white lips set in a cruel smirk. “And so the pieces fall into place. Check...”

Avatar Roku sighed heavily as he watched the nostalgic form of the Fire Temple fade away from sight, replaced by the ever-dreary rocky peaks of its Spiritual counterpart. “And so it begins... with any luck, Aang will have the strength to succeed where I failed.”

“Do not despair, Roku.” A voice stated solemnly from behind him.

Roku nodded in agreement as he turned to face the speaker.

Sitting behind him, seated around a simple wooden table with varying cups and bottles placed on it were three individuals.

The speaker was a tall woman in dark green armor. Her face was covered in pure white facepaint, her eyes highlighted by streaks of crimson. A fan-like head-dress was prominently displayed on her forehead. Avatar Kyoshi muttered darkly under her breath as she took a sip from the steaming cup of tea she was holding. “Should anyone deserve to be chastised for mistakes during their lives, its me. Not only am I responsible for that damnable ‘Avatar Day’, but my Dai Li... ergh!” The cup in her hand cracked beneath her grip. “Not a day goes by that Kong doesn’t remind me of what they’ve become...”

“Now now, Kyoshi...” The woman sitting next to the Earthbender Avatar stated calmly. She was an Airbender of a meager build, with long black hair running down her back, cut short enough so as to expose the arrow running down her forehead. “None of us are truly innocent of past sins,” Avatar Yangchen exhaled mournfully. “Or at the least, mistakes. I should have ensured that the festival was known by more than the Nomads. The general grows restless, and Zhengfu has been far from quiet about his dislike for us and ours...”

“Ah c’mon! That’s normal!” A large dark-skinned man in blue Water Tribe furs with a saber-toothed polar bear's head acting as a form of hood chuckled grimly as he held up a wineskin in mock salute. “After all, if there isn’t one person alive somewhere in either here or the Mortal World that doesn’t hate our guts, then me and Koh’ll sit down together to down a cup of ale!” Avatar Kuruk snorted as he took a swig from the skin. “Him and every other Spirit whose ass I’ve kicked up and down the length of this realm.”

Roku shot a scathing look at Kuruk as he sat down alongside his predecessors, pouring himself a cup of tea. “Our situation would be better if you hadn’taccrued us so many enemies, Kuruk. We had enough troubles with the Spirits before a great many of them suddenly held grudges against the Avatar.”

“In fact...” Kyoshi narrowed her eyes accusatorily at her predecessor. “I would go so far as to say that the Clan’s resurgence was your fault!”

“Hey!” The Waterbender slammed a fist down on the table and jabbed a finger at his opposite. “That would have happened anyways! The Clan is practically guaranteed to show up if you let one of its members go so far as to conquer a continent! And running away from him sure as heck didn’t help!”

Kyoshi grit her teeth angrily as she yanked a rod of metal from her waistline and snapped it open into a fan. “Why you...”

Kuruk spread his arms invitingly. “Bring it, you-”

“ENOUGH!”

The two Avatars jumped at the shout that originated from between them.

Yangchen breathed deeply for a second, switching her gaze between her two successors before calming herself and folding her hands in her lap. “Now is not the time for conflict.”

“Yangchen is correct,” Roku nodded sagely. “With tensions and tempers rising, now is the time for unity. We must all be prepared for whatever ploys the Spirits might utilize, lest the Clan decide to take action now, of all times.”

Kyoshi and Kuruk glanced at each other meaningfully before sighing and nodding.

“As you suggest, Roku. I will direct my animosity elsewhere.” Kyoshi bowed her head respectfully.

“I’ll drink to that!” Kuruk agreed, raising the wineskin high into the air. “And hey, who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky!” He tilted his head back, taking a long swig of his drink... before suddenly sitting upright and spraying his drink all over Kyoshi.

“ARGH!” The female Avatar yelped, wiping at the wine before snarling furiously at the Waterbender. “That’s it you drunken-!”

“Kill me later, look!” Kuruk yelped, jabbing his finger towards the sky.

The Avatar’s followed his gaze... and gaped in shock.

Splayed across the simultaneously starry yet sunny sky was an image in motion: a boy, no older than twelve with tattoos running down his forehead and a staff in hand, speaking calmly to a large snarling black and white creature.

“Roku...” Yangchen breathed in horror as she watched the boy hold out a hand with acorns in it. “I am begging you, tell me that there is some way that is not who I think it is.”

“I dearly wish I could...” The elder Firebender stated gravely.

Kyoshi bit her lip nervously as she watched the creature sniff at the boy. “Maybe... maybe he attacked? Blinded by rage, he forced Aang to attack?”

The creature morphed into a panda and turned to walk away.

“We’re fucked.” Kuruk stated calmly. “For the record, gramps, why didn’t you tell Aang how to deal with Spirits in the Mortal World?”

Roku clenched his fists furiously, “I was unaware that Aang had even encountered a Spirit in the first place. And I hoped that they would all have the sensibilities to restrain themselves during such a time of crisis, so I did not deem it relevant at the time! But that is the past. For now...” He narrowed his eyes up at the images. “It looks like they’re composed of... northern lights!?” He clenched his fists in realization. “This is Jiguang’s work. And one of his closest allies...”

“Is Koh.” The Tribal Avatar’s grip on his wineskin tightened drastically. “That slimy million-faced bastard! He must have known that Aang was coming to meet you and withheld the information until the last second! I swear, the next time I see him I’ll-!”

“There’ll be enough time for vengeance later, Kuruk!” Kiyoshi cut him off hastily, her fans open and held tight in her hands. “Right now, we must mitigate damages before the unthinkable happens!”

“Too late.”

The Avatars turned to look at Yangchen, who was staring away from them all with a haunted look in her eyes. “It has already begun.”

The three followed her gaze for a moment before they too gaped in horror.

Upon the horizon, a giant, nay, a titan of stone and earth was marching forwards at a steady pace upon four massive, bulky limbs. Even with the distance between them, the Avatars could feel the creature’s footsteps.

“Tu-Di-Gong...” Kyoshi breathed in a mix of reverence and horror. “He is putting out the call?”

“Not just him,” Kuruk raised a hand and pointed next to the earthen behemoth. “Look.”

Alongside the massive Spirit, three equally impressive beings slowly faded into existence.

The first two were amorphous masses of energy, neither with any true form. They were similarly yet opposingly colored, with one a pure silver, whilst the other was the deepest of blues. The two danced and twirled around one another. Neither faster, neither slower. Both equal.

The third being was bright, immensely so. Practically a sun unto herself, the Spirit appeared to be a woman, her entire being radiating an aura of caring and compassion. She was tightly wrapped in a cloak of blazing flames, but did not appear to be bothered the least bit bothered by the heat.

Kuruk swallowed a gulp from his winebag before continuing to observe the celestial beings. “Tui, La, Agni of all people... and if they’re here then that means-”

He was cut off by the crash and rumble of thunder high above. Without rhyme, reason or warning, a massive cyclone descended from the abruptly storm-ridden sky. The cyclone engulfed the horizon, making it so that all who looked upon it could only see one thing: the figure within the storm, a colossus of a man whose entire body language screamed nothing less than absolute wrath and fury.

“Izanagi.” Roku growled. “Of course he would be the ringleader. He’s been waiting for this for over a century. And now... his demands are met.”

Kyoshi shot him a desperate look. “What do we do?”

“What can we do?” Yangchen retorted morosely.

“The nun’s got a point, Kyoshi,” Kuruk agreed somberly, sipping from his drink. “This is just a formality. Only one thing we can do now: Lean back and think of the North Pole.”

And so they watched.

The Avatars watched as the massive Spirits of Earth, Fire and Water reached out with their limbs, and grasped ropes of pure, undiluted energy from nothing.

They watched as, slowly, painstakingly, the divinities pulled back on the ropes, reeling them back in a relaxed pace.

They watched as, at the ends of the ropes, a massive disc of earth and water and fire and air and elements inconceivable to the human mind was hoisted high up into the air, drawn out from unseen and inscrutable storage and held in place by the might of the Spirits.

They watched as the being within the cyclone held his hand outwards, his palm upturned. They could only watch as, in a flash of power, an ornate rod of metal the size of a tower coalesced in his hands.

They watched as he reeled his arm back and high...

And they watched as he brought it down.

They did not need to watch the effect.

They felt it.

BUWOOOONG!

A pulse of energy, massive in scale, rippling outwards from the gong and extending as far and wide as could possibly be conceived.

A pulse that would surely be felt by all, both in the Spirit World... and the Mortal.

‘Rock surge coming from the left, just sidestep and blast.’

Toph Beifong, AKA the Blind Bandit, sighed heavily as she rolled her sightless eyes. It was an average day: wake up, get pampered, sneak out, kick ass in the Earth Rumble ring. Spirits above forbid, but there was a chance that sometime soon things might actually get boring.

‘Well, might as well enjoy it while I can.’ Toph’s body tensed as she slid out of the way of the pillar of stone that emerged where she had been standing moments ago and raised her leg. ‘And retaliate in three, two...’

BUWOOOONG!

Toph’s eyes shot wide in shock, her foot slamming down on the floor like a sledgehammer. To the shock of the cheering spectators, it appeared like the entire half of the arena opposite her simply exploded outwards, sending her opponent careening out of the arena and into the stands, along with several tons of rock and dust.

Toph ignored all of this. Instead, she stood still. Deathly still, her unseeing eyes staring off listlessly.

And then...

“Ha... hahaha... hahaHAHAHAHA!”

She began to laugh. She laughed and laughed, a bellowing, hearty laugh, tinged with only the slightest sliver of what had to be insanity.

“HAHAHAHA! FINALLY!” Toph cackled uproariously. “OH YES! FINALLY! COME ON, YOU SONS OF HOG MONKEYS! BRING IT ON! I’LL TAKE YOU ALL ON, ONE BY ONE! HAHAHAHAHA!”

Suddenly, the cavern housing the tournament began to shake. The arena and stands started to crack, and chunks of the ceiling broke off and plummeted to the ground.

Patrons screamed, Earthbenders fought to keep the roof up...

And Toph continued to laugh.

And the earth laughed with her.

It was a beautiful day on Kyoshi Island. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing the waves were glistening...

And one of the famous Kyoshi Warriors was riding on the head of a massive, hundred-plus foot long sea serpent.

On any other day, this would have been good cause for alarm. Kyoshi Island’s aquatic guardian, the Unagi, was infamous for just how much it hated being ridden like a common animal, much less allowing anyone to attempt to swim in its bay.

Today, however, seemed to be an exception.

Both the sea serpent and the fully-armored female warrior seemed to be laughing as they swam together through the bay.

Yugao laughed joyously as she felt the wind rush past her, the spray of the waves kissing her as it flew up all around her. Today was perfect! Ever since Suki had taken about half of the Warrior’s ranks to assist with the refugee efforts in Ba Sing Se, the remaining members of the squad had been forced to work overtime to make up for the lost numbers. She’d barely had any time to visit her precious Unagi or the other local aquatic fauna, so she was treasuring every second she could get.

“Alright, Uni!” She called out, pointing out towards the mouth of the bay. “Let’s do a lap of the island, alright? And fast, before anyone notices!”

The Unagi bobbed its head lightly, a squeal of joy escaping its maw.

Yugao chuckled adoringly as she pet its slippery head. Yes, today was a perfect-!

BUWOOOONG!

A jolt of unabated panic shot through Yugao’s heart...

And through the Unagi’s as well.

Without so much as a noise of warning, the Unagi dunked its head beneath the water, undulating its body as swiftly as it could in order to escape the surface, escape the exposed space, to just escape-escape-escape!

And through it all, through the gallons of rushing water and the suddenly absolutely frigid temperatures and the lack of oxygen...

Yugao held on. She held onto Unagi’s slippery skin, remaining crouched without worry as she frantically rubbed her hand over the sea serpent’s head.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright, it’s alright...” She crooned nervously, her voice ringing clearly through the water like a bell. “Don’t worry, it’s fine, it’s fine... please, calm down!”

The Unagi ignored her, continuing thrash and writhe and-

“I said calm down!” Yugao’s eyes and palms glowed a neon blue as her voice took on an ethereal quality.

Almost instantly, the Unagi’s eyes glowed the same shade of blue, and its panic subsided in less than a second.

Yugao continued to rub it soothingly. The water had yet to affect either her make-up or apparel, but she was still distressed nevertheless.

“It’s alright, it’s alright... they won’t come here... they won’t call for us... it’s alright...”

She wished she could believe what she was saying.

If she could, she would pray...

But considering the circumstances, the action appeared to be fairly redundant.

BUWOOOONG!

With a great amount of clicking and clacking, the massive segmented body of Koh the Face-Stealer hauled itself up into the air, hauling its girth up as it tilted its head back and chuckled darkly into the air. “Yes...” It crooned eagerly. “Checkmate. Finally, at last...”

His body slowly lowered itself to be parallel to the ground, scuttling to and fro as his liver-spotted and wrinkled brow furrowed in thought, his lips parted to expose a gap-toothed grin. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had a chance to properly influence the Mortal Realm. So many secrets to be shared, skeletons to be unearthed... yesss...” She let out a grim, cruel chuckle. “So many strings to be pulled. At last... things become... interesting.”

Suddenly, a flash of silver flew out of the darkness, passing through Koh’s forehead and burying itself in the wall behind him.

“Will you be quiet already?” A tired voice groaned. “I’m trying to get to sleep here.”

The Spirit growled darkly under its breath, gnashing its massive ivory, nigh mask-like teeth together before sighing heavily. “Very well. I shall attempt to refrain from the majority of my gloating. But please...” It snickered eagerly, scrunching up its snout as it leered at the origin of the voice. “Do attempt to get some sleep. For tomorrow, things shall begin to become very... active.”

The girl’s eye twitched once before she groaned, flopping back into her bed and pressing her face into her pillow. “Oh joy, wanton violence and chaos. How fun.”

“Oh it will be, my dear...” Koh leered as it slowly withdrew into the shadows, its grim chuckle slowly fading behind it.

“It will be.”

‘Form 23-ZRT, petition to allow livestock to be sold still alive in the Wu-Tan marketplace... denied. Too much chance of contamination.’

Skritch, skritch, scratch.

‘Form 14-TBI, request to have live entertainment at Bosco’s party... approved. Anything to keep his highness content.’

Scratch, scratch, skritch.

‘Form 157-Pythonaconda, request to torture prisoner 138-475 for information on the ‘White Lotus Society’... approved. They’ve been thorns in my side for too long.’

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

‘Form 59-NGI, request to bolster the number of Doll operatives, codename “Joo-Dee”... denied. We have enough of them as-’

BUWOOOONG!

SNAP!

‘...approved. Double the ranks, both overt and sleeper alike. And initiate code “Testament”. Place city on high alert. As of now, zero-tolerance policies are in effect.’

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

‘Form 71-VDX, expansion of Five-Seven-Five Society Headquarters...’

Far out in Fire Nation-occupied Earth Kingdom territory, in the middle of a field well away from any and all forms of civilization... was a person. A woman.

The woman was clad in a simple red robe devoid of any and all decorations. On her back, she carried a light pack with only a few meager essentials within it. In her hands she clutched a simple rod of wood, little more than a tree branch that she used to help her walk with ease.

For the longest time, she walked. She walked and walked and walked, for hours on end, without pausing even once.

No pause, no rest, and no distractions.

BUWOOOONG!

Suddenly, the woman stopped dead in her tracks.

She didn’t move, didn’t flinch, didn’t speak. She just stood there.

Slowly, she tilted her head back, stared up at the sky... and smiled.

The woman slowly breathed in a deep breath of air...

And then she slowly breathed it out.

For a full minute, she simply stood there, smiling contentedly.

Finally, still smiling, the woman continued onwards.

The only thing left in her wake was a leaving a 20-yard wide ring of blazing grass, slowly smoldering away into ashes.

“Please, Yue, slow down!”

“No father, you hurry up! Please!”

Arnook panted heavily as he tried his best to keep pace with his daughter, his movements somewhat impeded by his heavy furs and the befuddled looks the guards he was passing by were giving him.

The Water Tribe Chief groaned as he followed behind Yue. He was willing to make a lot of concessions for her, but having her wake him up in the middle of the night in a full-blown panic and all but dragging him to the Spirit Oasis?

“Yue, listen to me,” He pleaded. “What’s wrong? Why are you so afraid!?”

The Water Tribe Princess shook her head, less focused on him and more on the way ahead. “I-I don’t know! Call it a premonition or-or-or a hunch or something! All I know is that something is very, very wrong, and it’s coming from the Oasis!”

“Listen, Yue, I’m sure that everything is just fine-!”

“Chief Arnook!”

The Chief couldn’t help but groan as he heard the normally welcome but currently unwanted voice of Hidata.

Hidata was an older woman, not an elder, but aged. Barely wrinkled skin, only slightly grayed hair, by all means very pretty. Her face was its usual airy serenity, eyes shut calmly, but there was an obvious undertone of serious worry and befuddlement in her body language. Perhaps the oddest feature about her was that unlike most women her age, she did not wear an engagement necklace.

And with good reason: Hidata was already married to her job as the Spirit Oasis’ caretaker.

“I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say that everything is not just fine?” He questioned tiredly.

“Hmm?” Hidata tilted her head at him lightly before shaking it loosely. “Oh no no. I’m sure that most everything is fine, yes, but... there’s a small issue with the Oasis, that’s all.”

Yue shot the caretaker a nervous look. “How bad is it?”

“Hmm...” The woman hummed contemplatively to herself as the three reached the wooden portal that led to the hidden sanctuary. “Well... I’m not entirely sure...”

She reached out, and with little pomp or circumstance, pushed the door open. Yue and Arnook leaned forwards and gasped at what they saw.

“How bad is that?”

The Spirit Oasis was... the most accurate words would be ‘disaster zone’. The lake surrounding the Oasis proper was in utter turmoil, the normally serene surface shaking and rippling, unnaturally tall waves and sudden whirlpools coming into being. The once-serene waterfall behind the island had whipped itself into a frenzy, a violent cascading torrent of merciless liquid.

Perhaps most telling of all was the pool in the middle of the Oasis. If the lake was in turmoil, then the pool was a contained typhoon. The water thrashed and writhed like a living creature, all but forming a self-contained vortex. The koi that had long lived in the pond were racing about to and fro, jumping and wriggling in the liquid, both chasing the other in a maddening frenzy of energy.

“Hmm...” Hidata hummed idly to herself. “Well... at least the koi are having fun...”

Arnook’s mouth snapped shut with a click before he hastily reached through the portal and slammed the door shut. He was silent for a moment before scrunching his eyes shut and speaking. “Is there... any precedent?”

Hidata pursed her lips in thought before shaking her head. “Not that I can think of. I’ll check the records, but at a guess, I think I’ll have to go beyond Avatar Roku.” She gave Yue a curious look. “By the way, princess, are you alright? You’re looking rather pale, and for once I don’t mean your hair.”

Yue’s eyes were scrunched shut as she slowly kneaded the bridge of her nose, doing her best to control her breathing. “I... I don’t know. At first, I felt an inherent sense of... of wrong coming from here but now that I think about it... it’s not bad. Not-not necessarily. Just... different. Very, very different...” She gave her father a desperate look. “What does it all mean?”

Arnook bit his lip hesitantly, watching the door with dread before giving his daughter a forlorn look. “I think it means... that change is coming. Whether good or bad, I do not know... but I do know this.”

He focused on the door once more. On the storm raging within.

“Nothing will remain the same in its wake.”

BUWOOOONG!

“GWAH!”

Aang jerked awake in a flurry of motion, his limbs flailing wildly as he snapped his head around, searching for the source of the- the...

Aang blinked in confusion as he stared into the darkness around him.

Nothing. There was nothing there. Appa, Katara, Sokka and Momo were sound asleep and the surrounding area was devoid of life.

So... what had woken him up? And... why had it woken him up. And...

“Oooow...”

Why did his head hurt so bad? It felt like a bunch of jackaroos were jumping around inside his skull. And the pain... the pain brought a message with it. A feeling, a... an instinct.

Like something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

“Why do I get the feeling things have just gotten way more complicated?” Aang muttered to himself before closing his eyes, laying down, and attempting to get back to sleep.

Chapter Text

It was a dark day for the Northern Water Tribe.

Many had suspected it would happen. Many had awaited this day with baited breath, dreading when the unthinkable, the impossible, the most horrific possibility imaginable would come to pass.

And finally, it had come.

The Fire Nation had arrived, bringing their war behind them in all its fury.

And what a fury it was. The waters that served as a gateway to the Tribe were rife with fire, ice and metal. Massive imperial warships cluttered about the bay, doling out massive infernos in an effort to breach the frozen walls that had long guarded the Northerners from harm. Their assaults were impeded by the valiant efforts of dozens of waterbenders utilizing their vessels of varying sizes to slip between the warships, dousing the flames with waves and snap-freezes, using the full force of their abilities to fight back and halt the fire-based warriors’ advances.

Normally, the waterbenders would have been overwhelmed by the Fire Nation’s vastly superior numbers, but the Tribe had an ace in the hole granting them salvation: The Avatar himself and his Sky Bison, weaving from the air and going from ship to ship, disabling as many weapons and incapacitating as many crewembers as they could manage with their unmatched aerial abilities.

Nevertheless, despite the Avatar and the tribesmens’ valiant efforts, none could halt the Navy’s furious onslaught. Fireball after fireball was launched from the warships’ siege engines, and time and time again, despite the waterbenders on the Tribe’s walls, led by a single prodigious female waterbender, they crashed into the city, destroying lives and buildings alike.

Yet, throughout all the pain and all the devastation, there was at least one relatively safe haven in all the city. ‘Relative’ due to the fact that, despite none of the flaming projectiles having breached the sanctity of the Spirit Oasis, the sanctuary was still violently shaken by their impacts in the surrounding area.

Hidata sighed wistfully as she looked up at the sky, a blade of ice gripped lightly in her hand as she pruned the foliage surrounding the pool. “My my... they’re getting quite active out there, aren’t they? To think the war could even touch here of all places...” She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look over her shoulder at the main pond, where the koi fish were calmly circling one another. “And yet there you two remain, spic and span as always... If only the rest of the world could be as consistent as you...” She was silent for a minute before chuckling lightly. “Ah look at me, talking to myself like this! I am getting a bit old, aren’t I? Ah well, back to work!” And with that, she set about her business, safe from the war being waged so nearby.

And yet, despite the semi-elderly caretaker’s assurances, while outwardly all might appear well and calm, things were very much far from at rest on a spiritual level.

Though they neither spoke any words, nor made any abnormal movements, the koi fish communicated with one another as they swam.

“To think that we must suffer this... this affront!” The white koi fish, Tui of the Moon thought furiously, her silent voice fraught with rage. “I cannot believe that the Fire Nation would be so arrogant as to attack us here, and now, of all times!

“Was the Southern Tribe not enough for them?” The black koi, La of the Ocean, responded in turn, his subdued thoughts belying his underlying fury.“Was it not enough to whittle them down to one? To steal their hope, and leave them cowering in fear?”

“Obviously not,” Tui seethed. “If only we had our powers... it took all we had to send out the call... And before you ask, no!” She reprimanded before La could respond. “I do not regret saving the princess. As light as the bond might be, it was still worth it. I refuse to deny aid to those who ask.”

“I didn’t say anything,” La responded innocently before introducing a hint of menace. “But nevertheless... while you yourself might not be capable of defending our home... I still have my own means of fighting.”

“Oh? You mean your little toy?” Tui questioned half-heartedly. “I am unsure, La. She has become frail in recent times. Avatar Kyoshi was not kind to her in their confrontation.”

“Tui, please!” La protested defensively. “I will have you know that she is far more than some mere ‘toy’! She is a tool, a weapon! And a very reliable one at that. Plus, she valiantly held her own during that fight. The results still stand to this day!... to an extent, admittedly, but still. Nevertheless...” The black koi tilted his body just enough to flash his counterpart a look. “Do I have your permission to defend our people?”

The white koi was silent for a moment before nodding definitively. “Very well. Do what you must. With any luck, I shall be capable of reinforcing my bond with Princess Yue soon enough to aid your efforts in a supporting manner. I’ll leave the violence to you.”

“Gladly. Now then... Let’s begin...”

La’s eyes glowed a pure, deep white.

“First blood goes to Water.”

Hidata blinked in surprise before casting a wary look at the pond and the koi fish. “Oh my...” She breathed warily. “It looks like things are about to become very active...”

High above the violent and brutal warfare that plagued the Northern Water Tribe, the plateau of the North Pole lay unfazed: An icy, wind-swept wasteland, free of conflict and populated solely by the most resilient of wildlife.

For a time, all was tranquil. Nothing but the wind dared disturb the peace and quiet of the tundra.

Until suddenly... the tundra shattered, like a mirror struck dead in the center.

A single moment of silence, then...

SMASH!

The tundra literally erupted, massive vines of ice rising from the ground and high, high into the air, twirling and spiraling around each other as they ascended.

Held aloft at the very peak of the vines... was an individual.

The individual momentarily hung in the air, staring off into the distance at the ongoing warfare.

Finally, the person swung their arms up and pushed.

The vines reacted accordingly, swinging down continuing to grow towards the city at high speeds, drawing the figure along with them at high speeds.

Katara panted heavily, her arms hanging at her sides as she stared out over the water.

‘It... it never ends... It just. Never. Ends.’ She silently groaned.

She and the Northern waterbenders had been fighting for hours on end, shooting down flaming projectile after projectile. But no matter how much they fought or how much they struggled, the onslaught just kept coming!

‘If this doesn’t end soon, we’re done for.’ Katara huffed and panted in exhaustion.

Suddenly, the horrifically familiar whistling sound of something falling through the air.

A single glance upwards confirmed Katara’s fears: another fireball, this one headed straight for the wall.

For her.

Katara grit her teeth furiously, raised an arm... then widened her eyes in shock when the water and ice around her failed to respond.

‘I... I can’t bend! I’m too tired!’ A glance at the benders surrounding her showed that they too were suffering the same troubles. ‘We all are!’

In the depths of the rational part of her mind, Katara somberly acknowledged a simple truth: there was no where she could run to fast enough to escape the aerial assault. As such, she took the only option available.

She raised her arms, crossed them in front of her face, clenched her eyes shut, and prepared for the worst.

CRASH!

She was not expecting the worst to be an explosion ringing out above her.

Slowly, tentatively, Katara opened her eyes, lowered her arms... and stared.

She stared at the vine of ice that had come out of nowhere and sheared through the fireball, shattering it entirely before continuing on downwards to impale a nearby warship, pinning it in place.

And it wasn’t the only one. Dozens of similar vines had erupted from the icy vine, rising up and over the walls to effortlessly fend off the firebenders’ assault before continuing on to wreak havoc on their fleet.

Katara’s breath came quick and short as she observed the absolutely masterful feat of waterbending she was witnessing. “But...” she breathed in quiet disbelief. “Who could have...?”

It happened in a single instant: before Katara could react, a blur, no, a person slid by on top of the vine that had saved her. In that instant, Katara sworethat as she stared at the person, the person stared right back.

And then, it was over. The person zipped by, faster than lightning as they traveled down the vine’s length and towards the ship below. However, before the figure reached the ship, more vines sprung up out of the water. With extreme ease, the person hopped on to a new one and continued onwards, pressing deep into the Fire Nation fleet.

Katara stared after the figure, dumbstruck. The sheer amount of skill needed to bend like that with ease-!

The whistling of another projectile snapped her out of her awe. Luckily, the moment’s reprieve was all she needed to recuperate, if only a bit.

“GRAH!” With a lack of grace that would give Master Pakku conniptions if he ever learned of it, Katara thrust her arms out with as much force as she could muster, tearing a chunk out of the wall’s ramparts and flinging it at the fireball in a manner not unlike an earthbender. Thankfully, it was enough: the projectile was blasted off course.

She snapped her head to the side and focused on one of the other nearby defenders. “Order everyone off the wall!” She commanded firmly. “We need fresh benders, now!”

The commanding officer nodded fearfully before waving his arms at his men and directing them to retreat.

Katara reluctantly followed behind them, casting a final uneasy glance over her shoulder.

One thought dominated her mind: who was that bender!?

Dodge. Retaliate. Assess. Repeat.

This had been Aang’s thought process for the past hours. There was little more he could do as he weaved through the conflict. The warship’s deck was filled with countless firebenders, and crewmen, each and every last one aiming to kill.

Realizing that he was swiftly becoming surrounded, Aang resorted to an extra tactic he had in store: blast.

Pulling on as much air as he could muster, Aang swung his staff violently, letting loose a tangible wall of air and blasting the soldiers away.

The airbender took a moment to bend over and lean on his staff. He was so tired. He’d been on so many ships, fought so many benders...

And judging by the sound of flames igniting in front of him, he wasn’t even halfway done.

Aang wearily stood back up, twirling his staff into a ready position as he warily stared down the firebenders. “Come on, guys!” He pleaded desperately. “Can’t we just stop fighting and, I dunno, go penguin sledding or something!?”

The only reply he got was hotter flames and angry scowls.

“Guess not...” And so, with much reluctance, Aang readied the air around him...

And blinked in surprise when the soldiers suddenly lowered their arms and weapons, at first slowly stumbling away from him in terror before resorting to an all-out retreat.

“Uhh...” Aang slowly stood up as he let the air go. “What? Am I that scary all of a sudden?”

He got his answer in way of several distorted shadows falling over him. A single glance up... and Aang realized why.

He had a second to take in the multiple vines heading for the deck of the ship before he took the only action he had to him: flight. Aang gathered as much air as he could and and leapt into the air, flicking his glide open and using it to steer himself between the frigid vines. It took a lot of frantic bending and steering, but in the end, Aang managed to evade the constructs and soar out over them.

Looking down, the Avatar could only gape at the scene before him: The ship he’d been flying on moments before was now impaled by nearly a dozen vines of ice. Vines that, now that he noticed, had inflicted the same fate on nearly half a dozen other vessels.

Perhaps most shocking of all was the fact that he could see someone standing on top of the vines, directing them with wide, sweeping arm movements.

Acting on impulse, Aang swooped down towards the figure, landing on the ice behind her. “Who... who are you?” He questioned tentatively.

The figure glanced over her shoulder before whipping around and waving her arm energetically. “Oh, hello! You must be the new Avatar!” She squealed in an eager, bubbly voice.

The woman was... odd, to say the least of matters. For starters, Aang couldn’t see even an inch of her skin. She was covered from head to toe by a heavy Water Tribe-blue outfit that appeared to be a combination of a classic waterbender parka and an Earth Kingdom noble’s kimono. Her head was obscured by a large hood, and the insides were filled by a combination of large blue eye-like lenses and a set of pointy teeth locked in a mad, goofy grin, both of which appeared to be composed of ice. Her arms were also hidden, engulfed within the long flowing sleeves of her robes. She was... jittery, twitching and shuddering erratically in nonsensical ways.

In an extravagant movement, the woman placed one foot in front of the other and bowed her torso before Aang, sweeping one arm under her body and bending the other over her back. The whole time, she kept her head lifted and focused on Aang, tilting it just a tad to the side.

“Allow me to introduce myself!” She giggled giddily. “I am Hiuo, Envoy of the Ocean, and an esteemed Member of the Clan. I’d say it was an honor, but honestly?” Her grin took on a savage tint. “I kinda sorta hate your guts! Sorry! Buuut not really!”

Aang flinched back in surprise. Something was... off about the woman. He didn’t know why, but... while Aang normally enjoyed meeting others and looking on the bright side of things, something was fundamentally wrong about this woman, this... Hiuo. It was like staring down the gullet of a great white angler shark: terrifying, as though at any moment she might rip his head off on a mere whim, and smile the entire time while doing it.

Finally, he swallowed heavily and gave her a nervous look, taking a single step back from her. “W-what do you mean? What’s the Clan? Are you with the Water Tribe? And why would you hate me!? I’ve never done anything to you!”

“Hmm...” The woman stood up abruptly, tapping her sleeved hand on her chin thoughtfully. “In that order, if you don’t know, I’m sure as shark-eel shit not gonna tell you, I’m more with it then you could ever dream to be, and while you might not have done anything to me, Kyoshi most certainly did!And violently at that, so there! That answer all your questions?” Her voice hadn’t changed tone the entire time, remaining whimsical and light-hearted.

Aang blinked in surprise as he ran over her answers before finally gaping as he processed her final response. “Wait... Kyoshi!? She was the Avatar morethan a hundred years before me! You couldn’t have fought her!”

Hiuo shook her head vigorously in denial. “But I did, I did!” She waved her limbs around frantically. “She crushed my arms and legs really really bad, but then I got all better! Still though...” She chuckled mischievously. “At least I wasn’t the only one who got hurt! I gave just as good as I got, hee hee!”

Aang’s only reaction was to gape at her in shock. He tried to come up with something to say...

When Hiuo suddenly crossed her arms and jerked forwards, blowing a raspberry at him. “Bah! You’re no fun! Stupid pacifist airbenders, I like it better when you guys go all ‘whoosh-whoosh-hurricane!’ I’m bored, you’re boring, I’m gonna go kill some firebenders now!”

Aang paled in horror. “Wait, what!?”

Hiuo waved at him gleefully. “Bye-bye~!” Before Aang could react, she pumped her legs and backflipped off of the vine they were standing on and landing on another one below them. In an instant, she was zipping away almost as Aang could fly, headed straight for the ship where Aang had been moments ago, Fire Nation soldiers scurrying about on the deck in an attempt to liberate their trapped vessel.

As soon as she reached the ship, Hiuo leaped off of the vine and onto the deck. However, the change from ice to metal did little to impede her progress. She continued to slide around effortlessly, skating towards the soldier nearest to her.

The firebender reacted frantically, snapping a fist out and loosing an inferno at the enemy bender. Sadly for him, it was no use. The woman ducked down below the flames, her icy smile glinting maliciously at the terrified soldier. In a flash, Hiuo snapped one of her arms out, and from out of the sleeves flashed a trio of claw-like blades composed of ice, each nearly foot long.

The last thing the man saw was a flash of light glinting off the blades...

SHINK!

And then he saw no more.

SIlence reigned on the deck for a moment.

The soldiers exploded into motion when their comrade’s head hit the deck, rushing Hiuo with weapons and bending alike.

“Heeheehee...” The madwoman breathed eagerly. “Yes... come to me... come and atone for your sins!” She started moving anew, skating towards the enraged soldiers.

It was nothing short of a slaughter. Hiuo ducked, dodged and weaved around any and all attacks that came her way, dodging and weaving as easily as though she herself were nothing less than pure liquid made flesh, her body tilting and dodging at what had to be unnatural angles. And as she bent her body, so too did she bend the liquid around her. Solid ice flowed around her, as fluid as water yet remaining solid the entire time nonetheless. A fact testified to based on how the blades and spikes she conjured in an unholy frenzy about her literally tore into the soldiers, ripping them to shreds. Perhaps the worst part was how she drew even more ice from the liquid resulting from her kills.

In less than five minutes, most of the deck had been swiftly cleared out, leaving only a sparse few soldiers scurrying away for safety as swiftly as they could.

Hiuo shook her head lightly shrugging her shoulders in a ‘what can you do’ manner. “Do they really think I’m just going to let them live?” She sighed in exasperation. “How foolish.” She started to dash towards a fleeing pikeman-

SLAM! “ENOUGH!”

When Aang landed violently in front of her, swinging his staff down and attempting to blast her away with a gust of wind.

Hiuo all but ignored his attack, crouching down and digging into the deck with claws of ice that sprouted from her sleeves. She narrowed her icy eyes at the airbender, her smile shifting in minuscule ways, going from bubbly manic glee to frosty malice. “What do you think you’re doing, Avatar?” She seethed.

“What am I doing!? What are you doing!?” Aang fumed furiously. “You’re killing these people!”

“No, I am not.” Hiuo rebuked. Her voice was... different. Steady, calm... but with an underlying tone of ice sharp enough to cut steel. “What I am doing is my duty to my lord, slaughtering the invaders who dare to invade our home.”

Aang grit his teeth angrily as he reasserted his grip on his staff. “I don’t care what you call it! Killing, no matter what, is wrong! I won’t let you hurt anyone else!”

Hiuo was silent, staring at him emotionlessly for a moment before slowly raising one of her sleeves to her masked mouth. “I’m so sorry...”

Aang slowly started to smile in relief, lowering his staff as he relaxed his stance.

SHINK!

His joy was abruptly cut off when a sickeningly familiar sound rang out behind him.

Slowly, his entire body filled with dread, Aang turned just enough to catch sight of a blood-soaked icicle just behind his shoulder.

“It’s just...” Hiuo’s cold voice cut through the air. “I don’t quite remember giving you a choice.”

“Y-you’re a monster...” Aang breathed in horror.

“If that is what it takes to serve my lord? I welcome the name.” Hiuo asserted frigidly. She would have been emotionless, if not for the frost and cold fury that lined, no, defined her voice. “Now then...” She turned towards the edge of the ship, gesturing with one of her arms and calling up a new flurry of icy vines from the depths

The Avatar stared at the moving ice in shock. “H-how are you doing that? Waterbenders can only freeze or melt water, they can’t manipulate ice like that because-! B-because...” He trailed off as he searched for an answer. Why couldn’t waterbenders manipulate ice so smoothly?

“Because it’s a solid.” Hiuo replied smoothly, raising an arm and effortlessly twisting a stream of ice around her hand. “Waterbenders manipulate liquid with ease, but ice, as a solid, is beyond their grasp. The sole benders capable of manipulating the truly material... are the earthbenders. And it is from them I learned how to fight.” She turned to affix Aang with a cold glare from her mask. “Part waterbending, part earthbending. Just as I am no mere human, neither am I a simple waterbender. I am Hiuo, mother and master of icebending and humble retainer of La. Should you desire to attempt stop me in my duty, Avatar, then please...”

She leapt over the edge of the ship and onto one of the vines that swept up to greet her. She turned and flashed Aang a mischievous, bloodthirsty grin, her voice returning to it’s previous energetic tone.

“Feel free.”

And with that, she sped off towards new prey.

Aang hesitated, glancing at the rest of the ship as he weighed his options.

Suddenly, with a great roar and tear, those options were stolen from him as the vines that impaled the ship thrashed about, shredding it to pieces.

Only Aang’s bending saved him from falling to an icy fate in the North Pole’s violently frigid waters.

The rest of the ship’s crew weren’t so lucky, their screams of fear swiftly silenced by the ice and falling metal.

But just as soon as they were gone, they were replaced by new cries originating from another ship.

Aang shuddered in horror before gritting his teeth and pushing on as much wind as he could, soaring after Hiuo as swiftly as he could manage, intent on ending her rampage.

Chapter Text

Katara sighed heavily as she leaned on the banister of the ice bridge she and Yue were standing on, morosely watching as fireball after fireball launched from the line of black dots that stood on the horizon, where the bulk of the Fire Navy’s main force had held their position. She wished she could be back at the wall, fighting alongside Master Pakku, but...

She glared at the ice beneath her hand as she raised her arm slightly, straining as hard as she could to move it, shift it... but to no avail. She was utterly spent, her chi at an all time low. She was lucky she could move. Bending, on the other hand...

Katara was snapped out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look around at the concerned face of Princess Yue.

“Are you alright?” The Northerner asked anxiously.

Katara hastily plastered a shaky grin on her face. “Y-yeah,” she nodded tiredly. “It’s... I’m just tired. Really tired. I’d... I’d have died earlier today if...” She gestured futilely at the vines of ice that were still stretched all over the city. “If it weren’t for whoever did that...”

Yue pursed her lips as she looked over the feat of bending. “Yes... as far as anyone can tell, the ice originated outside the city. Which is... odd, to say the least. No one lives on the plateau, the blizzards alone... and the other bending experts have agreed, whoever did this was a master, on par with Pakku himself. Some...” She crossed her arms uneasily. “Some are even saying this person was as skilled as Avatar Kuruk himself...”

The Southern waterbender swallowed nervously as she took the information in. The idea of someone being able to match the guardian of the whole world, who maintained the balance was... she shivered violently as an image of Aang in the Avatar State bending a cyclone of water popped into her mind’s eye. It was not something she wanted to think about. As such, she hastily shifted the subject of conversation. “I... think that I saw the bender who did it.

Yue gave her a shocked look. “Really? What was he like?”

Katara shook her head in denial. “I don’t know, he was too fast. He was riding on top of the vines, went right down into the fleet... I hope that Aang’s alright.” She gave Yue a nervous look. “What... what if he ran into him?”

Yue made to answer... when she suddenly snapped her head towards the ocean. “Listen!”

Katara blinked in surprise. “What are you-? I can’t hear a... ny...” The words died in her mouth as she turned to follow Yue’s line of sight. She couldn’t hear anything. After several hours of consistent, traumatic-memory invoking artillery strikes, things had finally fallen quiet.

“They’ve stopped firing...” Yue breathed in numb disbelief.

Katara stared at the silent line of ships in disbelief before noticing something flying through the air. Or rather, someone. “Aang!” She cried in relief, pointing at he and Appa as they descended towards a nearby square. Katara and Yue made their way towards a nearby staircase that led to their landing zone.

Almost as soon as they landed, Appa collapsed on his stomach and Aang slid off his head to the ground, groaning as he lay against his bison’s leg. “I can’t do it...” he moaned as he clutched his head in despair. “I... can’t do it...”

Katara ran up to her friend, kneeling next to him in concern. “What happened out there?”

Aang panted heavily as he regained his breath. “I must taken down over a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there’s just too many of them. I... I can’t fight them all...”

“But you have to!” Yue pleaded, desperation seeping into her voice. “You’re the Avatar! If you can’t...”

Aang shook his head flatly. “I... I’m just one kid.”

Katara bit her lip nervously as she searched for a solution. Finally, she jumped on the only solution she had. “Wh-what about the bender who manipulated the ice?” She tilted her head towards the vines. “They saved my life, maybe he could-?”

“NO!” Aang’s head shot up instantly, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and panic. “She can’t fight again, I won’t let her! I...” He shivered violently as he hugged his legs. “I can’t let her do that again!”

Yue blinked in shock. “Aang, are you saying that the bender who caused all this... was a woman?”

The airbender shivered slightly as he nodded. “She... she killed them. She killed so many people...”

Katara and Yue glanced at each other anxiously. “Aang...” Katara started gently.

“I know!” He interrupted hastily. “I... I know that... the Water Tribe warriors are...” He swallowed heavily. “Killing soldiers too. I don’t like it, but I know they have to. But... but what that woman did...” Aang gave them a sickened look. “She was enjoying it. She liked causing pain, taking their lives...” Aang shook his head. “I tried to stop her, but she always kept ahead of me. I lost her when she escaped underwater. Whoever she is... she’s a monster.”

Yue bit her thumb in thought. “A female bender... ruthless in a fight...” Her eyes widened as a thought struck her. “Oh Spirits...” She looked at Aang in dawning realization. “Aang, did you get her name?”

The young Avatar thought for a moment before nodding hesitantly. “Yeah... she... she said her name was Hiuo. She called herself the Envoy of the Ocean...”

Both Katara and Yue hissed in a panicked breath simultaneously.

“Hiuo...” Yue breathed in awe.

“S-she’s real!?” Katara sputtered incredulously. “But that’s-!”

They were both struck dumb and stared at each other in disbelief.

“You know about-?” Katara started.

“Yes! Of course I do!” Yue nodded hastily. “I mean, I honestly doubt that there’s anyone in the whole of the North who hasn’t heard of her!”

Aang whipped his head back and forth between them. “Wait, you know who she is?”

Katara nodded hesitantly. “Yes, we have. The Ocean Blizzard. She’s a legend. I’ve heard of her since I was a kid in the South Pole.”

“And the same here in the North,” Yue added. “There’s not a waterbender or Tribe member who doesn’t know the stories.”

“You’re telling me that a murderer like her is famous!?” The Air Nomad bristled incredulously.

The princess hastily brought her hands up in defense. “Wrong kind of legend. As a matter of fact, it would probably be more accurate to call her a myth than anything.”

“Gran Gran told me about her,” Katara explained. “It’s said that she was the first waterbender to freeze water at will. According to the stories, she could turn as cold and uncaring as ice, striking down anyone who threatened either Tribe like a human storm. The story’s been in the Tribe for the long time.”

Aang blinked in surprise before frowning. “Wait... now that you mention it...” His eyes shot wide in shock. “I... I think I know her! But... have either of you heard of the Lady in the Ice?”

Katara shook her head in confusion, while Yue jerked in recognition. “I... think I might. A really old legend, about a person, or a Spirit, sometimes seen wandering around the tundra and performing incredible feats of waterbending. I only know about her because I was reading in the old archives while I was bored. Do... do you think they could be one and the same? They’re so different. One casual, the other violent...”

“It must have been because of time!” Katara exclaimed in realization. “Time can warp things, so maybe a hundred years of war warped one legend to another?”

“But-but that would mean that Hiuo is over a century old! That’s just not possible!” Yue protested.

“Er...” Katara rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and refused to meet Yue’s eyes as she pointed a thumb at Aang. “We kind of have an example of that actually being possible right here.”

“But I’m the Avatar!” Said airbender protested. “I might not like it, but I’m more of an exception to the rules than an example! Plus...” He trailed off nervously. “Hiuo... said she met Avatar Kiyoshi, and the way she said it... I think she was telling the truth. That would make her over three hundred years old!”

Katara shrugged helplessly. “Well... sometimes there can be more than one exception, Aang. And considering how I’ve crossed the world in less than a month, and in that time I’ve seen the full force of the Avatar three times and my brother has been kidnapped by a Spirit. I’m starting to think that the word ‘impossible’ is a really stupid thing to put stock in at this point.”

Yue blinked in surprise. “Wait, a month!?”

“Sky bison are fast.”

“Ah. Well then...” The princess shook her head before turning around. “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you any longer, but I need to go and speak with my father, see what comes next. Considering how full the moon is, he’ll probably be planning a counterattack of some sort... I’ll be running inventory, speaking with the populace, seeing what our stance is. With any luck this will all be over soon. I can’t believe our scouts were so stupid that they came in after catching you all...”

“Wow, you’re really busy, huh Yue?” Aang asked in awe.

The princess shook her head tiredly as she walked away. “The work of royalty never truly ends. Try and rest up, Aang. Either tonight or tomorrow, things are going to get... energetic...”

Aang groaned and flopped back against Appa’s leg.

Yue sighed wearily as she strode through the streets of the Northern Water Tribe, the lazy heat of the setting sun beating against her back.

“Alright, let’s see...” She mused to herself. “I’ve met with the heads of the Anana, the Cikuq, the Iluq, and the Siku. Our stores will definitely last, and we can hunt on the tundra between storms... morale is low, what with us being so unused to all this... so what next...?”

SQUELCH! SCRUNCH! SCKRITCH!

The very, very disgusting sound of raw meat being devoured drifted out of a nearby alleyway.

Yue glanced around for any nearby guards, and sighed wearily when she acknowledged that none were in sight. “Well, that answers that question.” And with that, she stepped forwards and, with much trepidation, rounded the corner.

She froze almost immediately in shock, and had to fight to keep from emptying her stomach.

Crouching on the ice next to one of the canals was a woman matching the description that the soldiers had given her of Hiuo. Clutched in a set of over-sized claws of ice that were poking out of her sleeves was the cracked shell of a turtleseal. It’s limbs were retracted into its body, but its head... well, what remained of it was being gleefully and liberally chewed by the teeth of ice that were in Hiuo’s hood. The icebender hummed contentedly as she munched away at her... disturbing meal.

“Schooo good...” She mumbled. “Deeeleeeshoooush...”

Suddenly, without warning, the woman froze in her movements. Slowly, her eyes shifted around to stare emotionlessly at Yue.

Yue swallowed heavily, and slowly, slowly took a step back.

Hiuo threw away the shell and sprang at her like a catwolf, arms extended at her sides.

The princess prepared for very sudden and very painful death...

“COUSIN!”

And was shocked beyond belief when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, sweep her up and swing her around.

“Uh...” was the only response Yue could manage.

Hiuo was far from being that subtle. Once she was done swinging her around, she dropped Yue on her feet and held on to her shoulders, vibrating with energy. “Ooooooh, it’s so good to see another cousin after so so soooo long! I’ve missed you, you know? So many patch-jobs, it really stings and itches at times! You just have honestly no idea how much I’ve miss miss missed you! How are you, what’s your name, how strong are you, what can you do?!Tell meee!”

Yue worked her jaw as she searched for an answer. “W-wait, who- what are-?!”

Before she could react, the icebender’s lense-eyes flashed an ethereal dark blue for only a moment before fading away and leaving behind the previous muddled ice. Hiuo’s smile shifted from manic to sad as she suddenly hugged Yue again, albeit more lightly. “Awww! I’m so sorry for you! Hopefully everything will get better and you’ll have a chance to reach your full potential. You’ll do great things, Yue, I know it! It’s the destiny of the Clan, after all!”

“Huh- bu- w-wait!” Yue struggled her way out of Hiuo’s grip, stumbling back from the woman and look at her with a good amount of fear and confusion in her eyes. “I- what are you talking about!? What’s the Clan, and how do you know my name if you just asked it! What’s going on!?”

Hiuo’s ‘face’ remained unreadable as she crossed her arms behind her back and started swinging back and force on her heels. “Oh you poor poor thing,” She cooed. “You must be so confused by all of this. The normals always are, and if your Patron doesn’t help you, then you’re as good as one of ‘em. To answer you, Lord La just filled me in on everything I needed to know!”

Yue blinked in confusion. “Lord... La?”

The icebender nodded eagerly. “Yup! Lord La! My Patron! He’s very intelligent! His knowledge is as great as he is vast! And he is very, very vast!”

The princess processed the statement for a moment, made to respond...

And was cut off by Hiuo slowly giggling before breaking out into full-blown laughter. “O-Ohohoh my Spirits that sounded wrong! HAHAHA! Ohohohoh, he. Is. Pissed! HAHAHA!”

Yue was dumbstruck for a moment before scowling and drawing on the many experiences she’d had with royalty and other slightly mentally... uniquepeople she’d dealt with in the past. “Hiuo! Focus!”

Hiuo jerked back in shock, her teeth shifting into a scowl before reforming into a calm, serene smile. “That’s why I really love you Cousins. You and Lady Tui, you’re the more centered ones, you keep us in control. I’m mad. Don’t!” She raised a clawed arm and cut off Yue when her expression shifted to one that was slightly reassuring. “Protest. I know that my mind has been warped, I’ve been alive a really long time. But...” She spread her arms wide. “I’m still kinda sane, see? I’m sane enough to do my duty. Sane enough to protect our home, and my Lord and your Lady. I’m cracked, but I haven’t broken yet. I promise. Now...” She tilted her head eagerly. “What’s your first question?”

Yue’s expression ran the gamut, from frightened to disbelieving to curious, before finally settling on wary curiosity. “I... alright...” She slowly raised a finger and pointed at the remains of the turtleseal. “Why were you eating... that?”

Darkness slid over Hiuo’s eyes in the facsimile of a blink before she started to giggle again. “Oh, now that’s an easy one! You see-!”

GROOOAR!

Yue jumped, whipping her head around in shock as she tried to find the killer whaleseal that had roared in the middle of the city.

SQUELCH! SKRUNCH!

Her attention snapped back to Hiuo when the initial sounds that had drawn her to the alley started up again.

The icebender was crouched over the shell again, reaching into the hole where the head had been and scooping out chunk after chunk of meat and shoveling it into her mouth.

“To ansher...” She mumbled around the meat. “Yer queshion... I’ve been ashleep... For a really long thyme... My stomach... ish beyond empty... Didn’t get a chance to eat... during the fight... so it was eisher this... or dredging the deeps... I’m depraved, I’ll admit... but that’s a low I’m not quite at yet...”

“And... you’ve been asleep how long exactly?” Yue asked uneasily.

Hiuo stopped eating, turning her eyes towards the sky as she chewed on what was on her mouth before finally swallowing. “Last time I was awake was close to three hundred years ago, when the Clan went up against Kiyoshi. Before that, about one or two, two before that... Wow, it’s hard to say how long I’ve been asleep, really. About... two thousand years since it all started? All I know is that every time the Clan quiets down, Lord La tells me to go to either of the Poles, find a nice little patch of ice, and fall asleep. Not too close to the actual poles though, don’t want anyone getting any bright ideas, last thing we need is him getting free somehow.”

“Hi-?”

“Don’t ask!” Hiuo cut her off hastily. “I’m trying to eat here, I’d rather not puke. Ask Lady Tui when she completes the contact, she’ll definitely do it sooner or later considering how the Clan is coming back. All hands on deck, no casual Envoys allowed.”

Yue grit her jaw as she finally caught on to another point she needed to expand on. “The Clan, and the animosity with the Avatar. Explain. Now.”

A switch seemed to flip inside of Hiuo. She stood up, back ramrod straight and arms crossed across her chest as she focused all her attention on Yue. “Do you really think...” She started quietly. “That the one and only way that the mortal world and the Spirit world can interact is through the Avatar?”

Yue frowned in thought. “I...”

Hiuo cut her off with a cold, calculated laugh. “Ahhh, my poor poor dear. What a naive notion! Allow me to explain something to you: the Spirits... are powerful. No, no!” She lifted a sleeved hand up to wave off the Princess’s unasked question. “You don’t quite comprehend. The Spirits aren’t just powerful, they’re beyond, absolutely beyond powerful. We, as mortals, can’t even begin to comprehend the extents that the Spirits possess. I mean... for La’s sake, they represent concepts of all things! The Lord and Lady alone... the idea, the sheer notion that the only channel through which they can influence our world is via a singular individual every generation is...” She scoffed, bringing her sleeved hand to her mouth. “Well and truly laughable.”

The princess nodded hesitantly. “I... yes, I suppose that’s true. So... what does that make the Clan then?”

Hiuo’s smile grew several savage teeth. “Their channels. Chosen by them personally, the Clan is the sum collective of all Envoys chosen and bound to their Patron Spirits. So... How much do you want to know?”

Yue spent a moment processing what she had just heard before slowly tightening her hands into fists, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.

“Everything.”

Hiuo’s smile grew ever more eager.