Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fire.

Air.

Water.

Earth.

For thousands of years, the balance between the four Elements has been kept by the Avatar.  But there is a problem, the Cycle is in danger. And as the future remains uncertain, the people of the nations await word on the Avatar.

00000

In the city of Ba Sing Se, a funeral procession was being led through the streets. At its head was a woman in blue animal furs and darker skin with black hair tied up into a bun. Behind her was the sarcophagus of the deceased, carried by an odd mix. Some of their bearers were soldiers, others were ordinary people. But at the front were an older bald man dressed in fine blue and white clothes and a woman with green robes.

The average citizen of Ba Sing Se would wonder what brought their Queen and the ruler of their neighboring nation to carry this. But this was a special case, as the funeral of Avatar Liu was brought to the great Mausoleum. Many of the greatest heroes of the Earth Kingdom had been buried there, and the Avatar had requested to be laid to rest there.

The woman in blue looked at the people lining the streets. Avatar Liu had been beloved by many people in his time. The Earth Queen and the Emperor of Four Winds, despite their long standing rivalry, had agreed to be here.

But she knew that was how Liu tended to work. He could bring together even the greatest of rivals. But now there was a question of what would happen moving forward. She bowed her head and continued to walk forward.

As they reached the Mausoleum, the sarcophagus was placed on an altar. The woman in blue stepped close, looking at the older man lying there with his long brown hair and short cropped beard. Avatar Liu had been her best friend for years, and now she had no idea what to do next.

“I’m sorry Liu,” she said softly. “I’ll make sure that your legacy isn’t lost.”

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the water pouch on her belt. People began to speak, telling stories of their time with Liu. A bald man dressed in the orange and red robes of an Airbender walked up next to her and gave her a nod.

“Hello Nolah,” he said with a light nod. “You are looking well, given the circumstances.”

“As are you, Aberas,” Nolah said as she looked at the sarcophagus. “It’s hard to believe after all the time we spent together. After all the battles we survived, it’s strange to think that he’s gone.”

“I know,” Aberas said with a slight nod. He looked at the current speaker, the Emperor of the Four Winds Ashaan. “He wouldn’t want us to mourn though. So, how about we enjoy ourselves a bit?”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Nolah said as she looked back at Liu.

“Balance can be achieved with more than just the help of the Avatar,” Aberas said with a nod. “It is up to us to make sure that it isn’t lost.”

“Then we will do it,” Nolah agreed. “Until the time comes.”

She knew that somewhere in the world, a new Avatar was being born. There was a bigger problem however, and she knew what she had to do. She placed her hand on Aberas’ and gave him a nod.

“Thank you old friend,” she said as Ashaan finished his speech. She stepped forward and went to the podium to speak. She gave Ashaan a nod and he bowed his head out of respect. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said as she took the podium.

“Not all of you know who I am,” Nolah said as the projection of her voice echoed over the crowds. “But Avatar Liu was a brave man. He did a lot for the people of this world, but he also was my best friend. When he came to my Tribe seeking a teacher, he asked me to teach him the ways of healing. I was astonished that the Avatar would ask such a thing of me, but he trusted my skills, and taught me a few things despite the traditions of my people.”

She looked around before spotting a woman dressed in Earth Kingdom colors who was holding a baby in her arms. She gave her a smile and a slight nod.

“When he asked me to come on his journey, I did not know how much my life was about to change,” Nolah said. “I found my wife on that journey. I was able to live a life I could have only dreamed of before. But now he’s gone and each of us are going to have to figure out what that means moving forward. The Avatar strives for balance in the world, and until the next Avatar can be found, we will need to find balance in ourselves.”

She closed her eyes as she thought back to everything she had learned about the Avatar.

“Somewhere among the Fire Clans, a new Avatar is being born,” she finally said. “And like Liu taught me, I believe that it falls upon us to teach this new Avatar. But we must first make sure that he or she has a world ready for them. Each and every one of you will need to work together to make sure that balance is maintained. That’s what Liu would have wanted…”

She nodded a bit as she stepped away from the podium. The Crowd remained silent for a moment as she went back to Aberas who gave her a nod.

“Well said,” he said. “So, are you going to the Fire Islands?”

“If I can,” Nolah said with a sigh. “Relations are not the best with the Fire Clans. And Yumi is an exile among them after the… incident with her clan.”

“Then we’ll figure it out, somehow,” Aberas said, stroking his chin for a moment. “I’m more concerned about that last attack however.”

“What about it?”

“That group shouldn’t have gotten that close to Liu,” Aberas answered with a shake of his head as he took a staff off his back. “They came prepared to fight the Avatar. I wonder if…”

“If?” Nolah asked.

“If maybe something else is happening that we don’t know about,” Aberas said. He reached into a pouch and took out a silver medallion with a curled dragon on it. “I’m going to investigate this symbol of the Silver Dragon. Let’s find out exactly what killed Liu.”

Nolah nodded as Aberas took the staff and expanded it into a glider and took a running jump and took off, flying over the city. She knew he was right, but her mind wasn’t on that, not right now at least.

It was time to face the future, as hard as that might be.

00000

Five Years Later.

Time had passed since the death of Avatar Liu. In the distant lands of the Fire Islands, the people have long lived in conflict with one another. The Fire Clans have called these islands for a long time, and waged war for them for almost as long. Some say that the Fire Clans only know the ways of war, and perhaps that would be the only future they would ever know.

On one of the outer islands rests the Taiyo Clan. Renowned for their skills as warriors, the Taiyo have called this island home since the days of Avatar Wan. Today, the boys of the clan were being tested for skills with Firebending. The Clan Lord watched as they experimented, speaking to them, teaching them how to Bend.

A young girl watched from behind a tree, she was dressed in red clothes with black hair and a red streak in her hair.. She watched as the boys began to practice their skills, but she saw that only a few of them were able to create the small sparks of flames. The Clan Lord frowned a bit at that before speaking again.

“You need discipline,” he said. “Breathe in and feel the fire growing within you. Each of you has the potential to release his inner fire. Gather yourself, you must find a balance within yourself and you will be able to use it. Now, focus!”

The little girl watched as they did the exercises. She closed her eyes and concentrated, her breath moving slowly as she did. It was not like she was likely to be able to use it, her father told her as much. But still, she had a feeling, like she should be able to tap into it somehow. She placed her feet down in the first stance, the heat growing in herself as she did.

“Breathe… feel the fire within you…”

She took in a breath as she did. And then she felt it, there was a warmth between her fingers. She opened her eyes to see that a flame was dancing over her fingers. She let out a shocked squeak.

“What is this?” A voice said as a man grabbed her by the hand, causing the flame to vanish. She looked up to see her father there. “You’re firebending! This is forbidden, even for my daughter… you know this Miku.”

Miku closed her eyes as her father’s rage washed over her. He dragged her to the nearby chicken gecko coop and shoved her inside. “Stay in here until I come back to get you.”

Miku shivered as she slid down against the wall of the coop. She knew her father didn’t like the idea of her being a Firebender, or anything for that matter. She didn’t understand why… Why did he hate her so much?

She looked around at the Chicken Geckos, the feathered creatures looked at her strangely. She sighed as she shook her head, trying not to think about it. She needed to get through this, maybe someday she’d get to escape this village…

She heard a cracking sound, and looked next to her to see an egg cracking open. She watched in awe as the chick inside cracked it and pushed its way out. Unlike the others, this one looked like a normal chicken. She reached over and gently picked it up. And her eyes went wide when it caught, letting out a little bit of fire.

The chick looked at her lovingly, and she smiled a bit. This was certainly going to be interesting.

“I think I’ll name you… Tsu Tsu,” she said.

00000

Five Years Later.

A figure sat in the window of the largest house at the center of the village. They glanced out at the forest beyond, waiting for the signal. They glanced back at the door to the room they were in, having placed a dummy in the bed. This was getting tiring.

A brief light in the forest, then a second, and a third. That was the signal, they just had to figure out how to get out without drawing attention. They hopped out of the window and went into a roll as they landed on the ground. The figure made sure no one was out on a late night stroll, but their biggest concern was the guards that patrolled the outer perimeter.

They secured the scroll on their belt and ran for the nearest shadow. They pressed against the wall as two guards walked past, dressed in red leather armor they kept a close eye out. The figure knew that they had to be quiet if they wanted to avoid drawing attention.

As they neared the perimeter of the village, they flinched. They could see a pair of guards that were positioned too close to their way out. The Clan Lord must have changed the patrol routes for tonight. They glanced around, and picked up a rock, throwing it at a nearby house where pots and pans were set up, causing a clanging sound.

“What was that?” One of the guards said, looking to the source of the noise.

“Let’s check it out,” the second guard said.

As the two guards went to investigate, the figure quietly moved across where they were before and entered the forest. They glanced up at the volcano far above them that was pouring lava. They headed for the source of the fire in the trees, knowing that they couldn’t delay more at this point.

They neared the area, where a young woman dressed in red was leaning against a tree along with a chicken. She looked up when the figure moved into the clearing. They reached up and pulled off their hood, revealing a girl with long black hair with a streak of red through it, she couldn’t be older than 10.

“Miru, I am glad you were here,” the young woman said with a bow.

“Thank you, Yama,” Miru said with a bow of her head.

“You don’t have to be so formal, you’re my superior after all,” Yama said with a nod as they started to walk together. “I wish that you didn’t have to practice in secret though.”

“As do I,” Miru said with a sigh as she ran a hand through her long hair. “Thank you for at least helping me.”

Yama nodded as the two of them walked to the place where Miru had spent the last five years training. Several of the lava flows from the volcano that loomed over the island came together here. The power of the Fire Element was strongest here on the island, so it was here that she came to train. She took a deep breath as she concentrated her power, trying not to lose her focus.

She handed the scroll over to Yama and she nodded as she held it up. It was a scroll of Firebending, which could teach her some of the basic techniques. She took a breath, and felt it beginning to grow within her. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, drawing on the fire within her as her breathing slowed.

She felt the now familiar sensation of fire moving through her. She opened her eyes to see the flames dancing over her fingers and smiled. She began to move, the flames moving around her, she allowed her body to move with the flames. She had been practicing in secret for a while, with only Yama knowing what she was doing.

The fire in her hand began to move around her. It danced in the glow from the lava flow as flames began to dance in her eyes. She began to work it, turning the flames into long serpents that twirled around her. She began to dance like she had seen the other Firebenders perform when they traveled through the village.

She knew she had to be careful… she couldn’t afford to be caught. But she couldn’t help but show off a bit, moving the flames around her as they ran along her arms and up a bit. She turned and threw it into the lava, exploding into a shower of flames and sparks. She brought in a breath as she stopped.

“Wow…” Yama said. She had seen Miku practice her Firebending on and off for a few years now, but she had not seen her show that much control over it. Miku had shown a lot of improvement, given she had to train herself.

Miku took a deep breath as she looked deep into the lava. The power of fire ran through the earth, melting the stone. She had learned that it showed the true power of fire over the other elements. The chicken hopped over next to her, breathing a bit of fire from its beak as it did.

“Hey there, Tsu Tsu,” she said, bending down and hugging the Basan. It was a rare creature native to the Fire Islands, it looked like a chicken but it held a fire in its body that could even rival a Firebender. “You haven’t been giving Yama trouble have you?”

Yama chuckled a bit at that as she leaned against the tree. “No, she’s been as well behaved as a fire breathing chicken can be.”

“Good,” Miku said with a nod. “Listen, we need to…”

She stopped when there was the sound of a twig snapping. She turned slowly to see a light in the forest. “Go, both of you… get out of here…” She said quickly. “You can’t get in trouble too.”

“But…” Yama started to say, but knew she was right. She gathered up Tsu Tsu and headed for a nearby cave that she knew of.

Miku stood her ground, she knew she was going to get in trouble too, but she couldn’t put her friend at risk. She took a deep breath, and a new flame danced over her fingers as she threw it into the sky, sending up a flare that would draw attention to her location. She just had to wait for them to arrive.

She didn’t have to wait long as several guards emerged from the forest. They were accompanied by an older man with his hair tied into a topknot. He was dressed in armor and placed a hand on a sword on his belt.

“Miku, I am ashamed of you,” the older man said with a glare. “You know that this is forbidden, yet you persist.”

“Father,” Miku said. “I am as skilled a Firebender as any man, if not more. I should be trained as…”

She was cut off when a slap was felt across her face. Her father, Mokura Taiyo, was the most skilled Firebender in the Clan. But he believed that she was not worthy of practicing Firebending. The very idea seemed to disgust him even.

“You are a woman, and the arts are not for you to learn,” Mokura said with a growl, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her back towards the village. “And for that you will be punished.”

“Father… no…” Miku said softly.

She closed her eyes, and hoped that it would end soon.

00000

Eight Years Later.

“You will stay in this room until the guests have left,” Mokura said as he led Miku into a small room within the Clan Lord’s estate. “You are not to bother them under any circumstances, understood?”

Miku grumbled as she took a seat on the bed and looked out the small window. It was too small for her to escape through, and the walls were made to be fireproof. She sighed as she slumped down a bit, she didn’t like that she had been trapped here by her father. She needed to get out of there, there was something strange about these guests.

She looked through the window out at the town square. For a moment she didn’t see anything strange. Then a young woman about her age stepped into view. She had darker skin and black hair that fell down her back with jewelry in it. She was dressed in blue with tattoos running along her arms and a pair of weapons strapped to her waist.

A woman? And a warrior at that? That wasn’t what she expected.

The young woman turned her head and looked right at her. There was a ferocity in those eyes, they were the eyes of a warrior. Miku nervously waved at her, and she smiled a bit and waved back. Miku wondered who the woman was, and why someone clearly from so far away had come to the Taiyo Clan.

She didn’t know if she would ever find out though. She knew Tsu Tsu and Yama were somewhere safe, she just had to hope they were going to be okay.

00000

“Omalah, are you alright?” An older man dressed in green clothes and with shaggy hair and a bit of beard. “You seem distracted by something.”

“I thought I saw a girl in the window there,” Omalah said, looking at her companion. “It might’ve been my imagination though. I don’t like this place, they don’t seem to like me very much.”

“We can’t forget why we’re here,” the man said as he glanced at the people around them. He couldn’t help but notice that Omalah was getting dirty looks from the locals. “We’re running out of places to search, are you ready to administer the test?”

“Yes, of course Master Yao,” Omalah said with a nod. She placed her hand gently on a bag slung over her shoulder. “If the Avatar is in this village then we will soon find out.”

Yao nodded as they moved to the front of the Clan Lord’s house. The older man dressed in the garb of a local of the Fire Clans looked at them with an annoyed look on his face. “I was not expecting them to send a woman.”

“Omalah was trained by the Water Sages to recognize the signs of Avatar,” Yao said as he gave him a glare. “You would do well to respect that.”

Mokura glared at him, and glanced over at Omalah who stared him down. He waved her off and turned his attention to the rest of his clan. “Very well, it seems that our village has been visited by these two foreigners. They are here to seek the Avatar, born somewhere in these Fire Islands, and so I have called you all here, the Firebenders of Taiyo Village.”

Omalah glanced around at the gathered young people… or rather young men. She glanced at Yao who shrugged a bit. She didn’t like this, but right now she needed to focus on her duty. She took a deep breath and started to walk between them, holding up a hand as water left her waterskin. She needed to begin the test, and this wasn’t the time to lose focus.

“Alright,” she said and crossed her arms. “My name is Omalah, I am a member of the Wandering Water Tribe. I am here on behalf of my mother. We seek the Avatar, who 18 years ago was born following the death of Avatar Liu. We have searched many of the other clans already, and we are here to test those who are of age. So, show me everything you have.”

She took a step back as she crossed her arms. She didn’t like having to do this, but right now her best chance at getting out of here was testing all of the Firebenders. She reached into her shirt and took out a blue sapphire necklace. Hopefully it was going to be enough to tell when mixed with her Waterbending.

She watched each of them as she held up the sapphire, allowing the water from a vial to flow through it as she did. It was not a perfect option, but the sages had said that the water would react. But it didn’t react, even as she got close to each of them in turn.

“Hmm…” Yao said as she finished with the last of the Firebenders and turned to look at Mokura. “Is this all the Firebenders in the village?”

“Of course,” Mokura said as he raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

Yao sighed and walked up next to Omalah. “We’re running out of places to look. The only clan left to check would be the Doragon Clan.”

“A shame, to be sure,” Mokura said, giving them a slight smile. “Perhaps we can restock your supplies… on your way out of my village. It seems the Avatar is not here.”

“Yes, I see that, a shame really,” Yao said with a sigh. “Very well, we will leave as soon as we can. The Doragon Clan should…”

Omalah barely listened as the two older men talked. She looked around at the village as the Firebenders walked off. This was still bothering her somehow, Bending shouldn’t be this limited. She glanced over at Mokura who was walking away with Yao as she started to put the sapphire away, she thought of something.

“What about the women Firebenders?” She asked as she got the two men’s attention. “I’ve never seen a population of Benders that skews this far towards one gender. So I don’t think you’re telling us everything.”

“Ha, there has never been a woman Bender in Taiyo village,” Mokura said with a laugh. “The Soul of Fire is something that is only given to the men here. So there is no point in searching further.”

“Omalah, it is not our place to question such things,” Yao said with a shake of his head. “If it's not part of their traditions, then that is their business. Come, we should keep looking.”

Omalah paused for a moment, and then turned and walked right up to the window she had seen earlier. She knocked against it, the metal sound ringing out. “Excuse me, is anyone in there?”

Miku jumped up, snapping out of her meditations as she heard the voice and the knocking sound. She got up and headed for the window, surprised to see the face of the same young woman she had seen arriving earlier.

“Hello?” She asked. “Can I help you?”

“My name is Omalah, I’m from the Water Tribe,” Omalah said, offering a hand through the small window. “I just, I had to ask you a question… are you a Firebender?”

Miku blinked at that, she didn’t expect that question. No one outside of her and Yama knew about that, other than maybe her father, not that he accepted it. What was this woman from the Water Tribes doing asking her?

“Why do you want to know?” She asked.

“I’m here looking for someone very important,” Omalah said. She had a strange feeling about this woman, there was something about her that certainly intrigued her. “Why are you locked up here?”

“I am a Firebender, yes,” Miku said softly. “I guess I’m locked up here because my father didn’t like that. I don’t understand why though…”

“Alright, we’re going to test you too,” Omalah said as she turned and yelled towards Yao as she drew her sword and pointed it at Mokura. “Master Yao, we have another Firebender in here. Clan Lord, you are to release her at once, or we will force our way in. Do you understand?”

“I would listen to her,” Yao said as he chuckled a bit. “She might be a Waterbender, but she’s got a fire that you don’t want to mess with.  She gets it from her mothers, and she’s not going to let you go.”

“Fine, I will humor you,” Mokura said with a sigh as he turned to his guards. “Let my daughter out and bring her before me.”

The guards looked confused but they went into the Clan Lord’s house. Omalah watched them go and shot a look at Mokura. “If she turns out to be the Avatar and you tried to…”

“She won’t, she’s barely a Firebender at all,” Mokura said, waving her off. “You’re wasting your time with her.”

“We will see,” Yao said, crossing his arms. “So, how about we see if there is anything to this young woman?”

As he said that, the door to the estate opened and Miku stepped out. She had changed to her finest clothes, a Kimono that was red and black with gold inlays. Her hair was tied up into a bun with a silver hair clasp in it with a red jewel at the center. She knew she needed to at least look her best, even if this turned out to be nothing.

“What’s your name?” Omalah asked as Miku stopped in front of her.

“Miku, daughter of Mokura and Aia,” Miku said with a bowed head.

“Alright Miku,” Omalah said with a smile as she held up the Sapphire. She opened the vial again and water came out of it and swirled around it. “This is the Sapphire of the Northern Seas. Infused with some water from the Spirit pools of the Northern Water Tribe, it can sense the connection between the Avatar and the Spirit World. As it is the Avatar’s purpose to be a bridge between the Spirit World and the Material World, the connection between the two is represented in this union.”

Miku stared into the swirling waters for a long moment, she honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it herself. She could feel something there, but she didn’t know if it meant something. So she nodded slowly.

“What must I do?” She asked.

“Show me what you can do,” Omalah said with a smile. “Show me your Firebending skills.”

Miku nodded a bit as she gathered herself. As she focused, the act of bringing the fire out was as natural as breathing. The flames began to dance around her as she moved, each step careful. The flames danced around her as she did, retracting, then expanding. She allowed them to flow and coalesce into a ball that flew up above her.

The fire exploded outwards, but not damaging anything. Instead it turned into a beautiful bird with outstretched wings that landed on her shoulder before vanishing.

Miku opened her eyes as the fire vanished. She tried not to look embarrassed as she realized that everyone was looking at her. Omalah was staring at the sapphire in her hand. The stone was glowing and the water around it had turned into ice. It glistened in the light as the ice entered the sapphire, glistening with spiritual power.

“The spirits have spoken,” Omalah said as she looked at Yao. “It’s her.”

Yao nodded his head slightly and bowed out of respect. “Avatar Miku. I am Master Yao, representative of the Earth Queen. It is an honor to meet you finally.”

Miku stood there in shock for the longest moment, looking between the two foreigners and then at her father who had a disapproving scowl.

“Uh… thank you…” She said softly. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

Miku placed her hands together and bowed slightly. She had no idea what to make of this, but she knew that her life was about to change.

She just didn’t know how much it was going to change.

00000

Miku had changed into her normal red clothes after returning to her room. She removed her bun, letting her long hair fall down past her shoulders. She shook her head and looked into the water bowl, using it to splash her face. It still felt like this whole thing might all just be a dream, but it all felt so real.

She nearly jumped when there was a knock at the door. “It's okay Miku… it's probably just Yama coming here with Tsu Tsu,” Miku said to herself as she headed for the door and opened it, surprised to see Omalah standing there. “Oh… it's you.”

“Hello Miku,” Omalah said as she tried not to look her in the eye. “I know this is a lot to take in at once.”

“No kidding,” Miku said as she headed back to her bed and took a seat. She looked at Omalah for a long moment as she placed a hand on a pendant around her neck. “I never thought I’d be more than just a girl who had to hide her Firebending. Now… I’m the Avatar, I’m supposed to maintain the balance of the world, I can’t even maintain a balance with my own father.”

“I’m sorry, I know that can’t be easy,” Omalah said as she took a seat. “Your father isn’t exactly the greatest, is he?”

“I’ve been training myself in Firebending since I was five years old, but he doesn’t acknowledge me or my abilities,” Miku said, clenching her fists. “I just… I’m a Firebender, and a good one too. I don’t know what I’m going to do though.”

“I wish I could say that the Water Tribe was much better,” Omalah said. “My mothers and a number of other people left the North Pole when I was just a child, not long after the death of Avatar Liu.”

“Did you know him?” Miku asked. “The last Avatar I mean…”

“He was a friend of the family, I more heard stories about him,” Omalah said with a light chuckle. “Mother Nolah though, she did a lot and that put her at odds with the leaders of the Tribe. Traditions, I suppose that’s why your father doesn’t want you to learn either, well…”

She smiled a bit as she looked up at Miku.

“Perhaps this is your chance to prove yourself to your father,” Omalah said with a smirk. “How about we prove that he’s wrong, together.”

She offered Miku her hand. Miku smiled a bit and took her hand and shook it with a nod. “Thank you Omalah, I’m glad I’ve got someone backing me up. So, what happens now?”

“You’ll need to undergo the Avatar training,” Omalah answered. “To travel to the four nations and study under masters to learn the other three bending styles. Our first stop will be the Air Empire.”

“I see, alright,” Miku said with a nod. “When do we leave?”

“As soon as you’re ready,” Omalah said.

Miku picked up the silver hair clasp she had worn before. It had belonged to her mother, it was a symbol of the Clan Lord’s wife and she was expected to wear it when she eventually married. But now this was her chance to be something more, and she was going to turn it into a symbol of something more than just that.

She tied her hair up into a top knot and placed the clasp over it before nodding.

“Once Yama is here with Tsu Tsu, I’ll be ready to leave,” she said with a nod. “I… I can’t believe I’m actually leaving this place.”

“Let’s go then,” Omalah said with a nod. “We have a ship waiting for us in the harbor. Are you sure you’re ready?”

Miku looked at her room for a moment. She walked over to a painting of a woman with long black hair and took it down, rolling it up and putting it with her other things. She was ready to go now. She was ready to prove herself as the Avatar.

The two women walked out of the house together. Yama was standing outside with a fully grown Tsu Tsu, a large chicken-like creature with a saddle on its back. She lowered herself so that Miku could get up on her back and started down the main path of Taiyo village with Omalah and Yao. Yama waved at her and smiled a bit.

Miku rode past where Mokura was standing. He crossed his arms and watched her go without comment. As they headed out of the village, she took one last look back. She could see Yama waving one last time and she waved back.

She hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she saw her nanny.

“So, to the Air Empire?” She asked Yao.

“To the Air Empire,” he agreed, and they kept riding through the forest.

00000

Back in Taiyo village, Mokura made his way to his study. He took a deep breath as he unrolled a piece of paper and began to write on it with a calligraphy pen. A Fire Hawk landed on the windowsill that looked at him.

Mokura walked over and took a letter off of the Hawk’s leg and unrolled it. He frowned a bit, this would certainly make matters more complicated. He shook his head, the last thing he needed right now was to lose his focus.

As he returned to his writings, he finished penning the letter. He reached over and picked up a stamp and dipped it in ink. He stamped it down on the back of the paper, leaving a symbol of a curled dragon in silver ink. He returned the new letter to the Hawk, and it flew off, across the ocean to another island in the chain.

00000

Air.

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements. And now with an uncertain future ahead of her, Avatar Miku must find her way in the world.

Chapter Text

Miku traveled in silence a little bit behind Yao and Omalah. She held the reins of Tsu Tsu in her hands as she looked ahead of her, thinking about everything that had happened. She had known for a long time that she was a capable Bender, but the Avatar? This was a lot to take in at once, and she honestly didn’t even know if she could handle it.

Tsu Tsu glanced back at her, giving her as reassuring a look as a giant chicken could. She gave her a light pat on the neck, this was going to be an interesting experience. She had never been outside of her home village other than into the forest.

She barely noticed as Omalah fell back and moved up next to her until she spoke up. “What’s on your mind?”

“I just… there’s a lot going on at once,” Miku admitted as she looked over at her traveling companion. “My Clan hasn’t had much contact with the outside world. What can you tell me about the Air Empire?”

“They’re one of the largest nations in the world,” Omalah said as she shook her head. “The Airbenders have ruled for centuries now. I’ve only been there a few times myself, most of my life before I came to the Fire Islands was spent either in the Earth Empire with my mothers or on the ocean.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Miku said, blinking a moment. “Wait, mothers? How…”

Omalah chuckled a bit at that. “Yes, I suppose that might be news to you, yes I have two mothers. I don’t really know who my father is, but one of my mothers is from the Water Tribe and the other the Earth Kingdom.”

“This might take some getting used to,” Miku admitted. “So… the Air Empire?”

“The Empire has been ruled by the Shun Dynasty for generations now,” she said. “Airbending runs in their blood. But we’re heading for one of the four great Temples, not to their capital… at least not for now.”

“Ah…” Miku said as she looked ahead. “I don’t know if I’m even cut out to be the Avatar yet. I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Omalah nodded a bit and reached over and placed her hand on Miku’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, I’ve got faith in you.”

Miku smiled a bit, and glanced at the two swords that Omalah carried. “Can you teach me how to use those?”

“Excuse me?”

“My clan have been warriors as much as they have been Firebenders, I… I want to learn how to fight,” Miku said, rubbing the back of her head a bit sheepishly. “I was able to teach myself bending, but not swordsmanship. If that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Omalah said with a nod. “It would be my honor to teach you.”

“If you two are done talking, we’re coming up on the harbor,” Yao called back to the two women.

Miku looked up ahead where she saw the small harbor that provided for the small island that her Clan called home. There weren’t many ships in it regularly, but there was one that she had never seen before. It was made out of some sort of wood with three masts with square sails. It flew a green flag with a golden  square with a circle at its center.

“That’s the Stormguard ,” Yao said as they reached the entrance to the harbor. “The Earth Queen sent it along with us to be your transport to the Air Empire and beyond. We will be heading for the Western Air Temple from here.”

“Alright,” Miku said with a nod as she led Tsu Tsu up onto the ship and looked around. “I’ve never seen a ship like this before.”

“The Stormguard is the finest ship in the fleet,” a man’s voice said. A man dressed in the uniform of the Earth Kingdom’s Royal navy walked up to them, looking Miku over. He was bald with a mustache that drooped down a bit. “I see you were successful this time.”

“Avatar Miku, this is Captain Shen,” Yao said. “Captain, this is Avatar Miku.”

Miku looked at him a bit, giving him a bow. “Thank you for allowing me aboard your ship.”

“Of course,” Shen said with a bow. “We will cast off shortly.”

“Come on, I’ll show you to your quarters,” Omalah said as she started towards the crew quarters. “Have you ever been on a Junk before?”

“No, not really,” Miku admitted. “But I haven’t really been on any kind of ship before, so that doesn’t really mean much. I suppose a lot of things are goin to be new to me out there.”

“You have an impressive amount of control over your fire,” Omalah commented. “Your movements are more refined than the other Firebenders I tested during my travels. The way you used it almost felt more like a Waterbender.”

“Well… I had to learn from old scrolls mostly,” Miku said as she reached into her bag and took out a scroll, holding it up. She had a bit of a mischievous smile on her face as she showed it to Omalah. “I stole this one from my father, he spent weeks looking for it before giving up. It taught me a lot about Firebending though.”

“Alright, well I’ll be next door if you need me,” Omalah said. She gave Miku a nod and headed out the door, leaving the young woman alone in her room.

Miku laid out her meditation mat and took a seat, lighting a candle. She could feel the sensation of the ship moving beneath her feet. It was a strange sensation, but hopefully she would get used to it.

She closed her eyes and began to meditate. The candle in front of her began to dance with light.

00000

Yao stood on the bow of the Stormguard as he looked out at the ocean. The ship had left from the island and was now in the sea between the Fire Islands. The crew was working to get the ship on the route to the Western Air Temple. He took out a map of the world and unrolled it, placing his finger on the route that they were going to have to take.

“I don’t like this,” Shen commented as he moved up next to Yao. “The Western seas are not the safest place to travel. I don’t understand why we’re not going to the Southern temple.”

“Because this was the deal we worked out with the Air Empire,” Yao said with a sigh as he shook his head. “The immediate threat to the west is going to be pirates, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“Right…” Shen said as he went to speak with the other members of his crew.

Yao leaned forward and looked out at the ocean beyond. He was an Earthbender so not being connected to the ground made things a bit tricky when he was traveling on the ocean. Earth Kingdom vessels had a number of means to fight using Earthbending if it came to that, but he missed the feeling of earth beneath his feet.

“Father? Can I ask you something?” A young woman’s voice said from behind her. He turned to see a young woman about 19 years of age with short black hair and dressed in the uniform of a medic in the Kingdom’s military. A gold symbol rested around her neck and she had a series of pouches tied to her waist.

“Of course, Wei-Sun,”  Yao said with a slight smile. Wei-Sun was his eldest daughter and was traveling on this journey as the ship’s medic. “You can ask me anything.”

“I’ve heard a rumor among the sailors that we’ve found the Avatar,” Wei-Sun said as she glanced at the sailors who were all moving around the deck of the junk. “They said that you tried to hide it for now, but it looks like word got out. We’ve been searching for the next Avatar since the agreement was made with the clans a year ago, and now we’re heading for the Air Empire, so… what do you say to that?”

“Apparently the crew who was on deck needs to learn to keep their mouths shut,” Yao said with a light chuckle. “Alright Wei, we… believe we may have found her yes. I had planned to announce it to the crew when we got back but… well, she’s…”

“She’s what?”

Yao sighed a bit. “I did not get the best impression from her father. She might need some space before she’s ready to be in the public. We will see what she is ready to do at least.”

“Alright,” Wei-Sun said with a slight bow of her head. “At least the search is over, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Yao said with a nod. “The test worked at least. So, how about you return to your duties? I believe you’re probably going to need to make a seasickness cure for her. I don’t think she’s traveled on the ocean before.”

“Noted,” Wei-sun said as she went to attend to her crafting.

Yao smiled a bit as his daughter walked off. Wei-sun was a bright young woman, and he couldn’t be prouder of her. He nodded a bit as he went to continue his duties on the ship. He needed to write up a message for the Earth Queen with the news after all.

00000

The next day, as Miku meditated in her quarters, she focused on the fire in front of her. Firebending did not require an external source, but she had found that it allowed her to focus her power by using a candle. Focusing on it, manipulating it, enticing it… it gave her something to focus on.

“Follow the trail of the Dragon…” A male voice echoed in her mind.

Her eyes snapped open and she let out a gasp, knocking over the candle. Cursing in her native tongue, she grabbed for the blanket and snuffed it out. What had just happened? She shook her head and got up. The cabin was small, 

Tsu Tsu was probably in one of the holds beneath the deck.

Yama was back home.

Her father hated her, and her mother was probably dead.

Everything she had ever known was back on that island.

It wasn’t until now that it occurred to the young Firebender just how alone she was on this ship.

She took a deep breath as she sat down on her bed. She checked over the scrolls again, she still had a lot on her mind. Firebending was not something that she could do here, so she needed to focus more on her meditations. There was a lot going through her mind, so it wasn’t goin to be easy, but she would do what she could.

There was a knock on the door, and she got up and opened it, surprised to find Omalah standing there. “Can I help you?”

“Are you ready to begin your training?” Omalah asked with a slight smile.

Miku perked up a bit at that as she realized that Omalah was holding out a sword in a sheath to her. It was of Earth Kingdom design, so it was a bit different than the ones she had seen her clan wielding. She nodded a bit as she checked the sword and gave Omalah a nod. “Let’s go.”

Omalah looked into the room as she noticed that there was a scorch mark on the wooden floor. “Was there a problem with your Firebending?”

“Something like that,” Miku said a bit sheepishly as she ran a hand through her hair, a bit of red falling in front of her eyes. “I thought I heard a voice, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”

Omalah looked at Miku for a long moment and nodded slightly. She was still getting used to the idea of being the Avatar, so she told her what she did know. She watched as Miku strapped the sword onto her back. “My mothers always told me that sometimes Liu would hear voices or see images of older Avatars or even have flashes of memory or emotions. Perhaps that’s what happened?”

“Maybe,” Miku said as they headed up onto the deck of the ship where the crew had cleared a spot for the two women on the deck.

“Are you sure about this, Omalah?” Yao asked as he moved behind the Waterbender. “She hasn’t used a sword before. You could wait until we have training swords.”

“I need to know what I’m working with if I’m going to train her,” Omalah said with a nod to Yao as she drew her twin swords and took a combat stance. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on her.”

“See that you do,” Yao said as he looked over at Wei-Sun who stood ready to heal any serious wounds. Yao walked next to Captain Shen, the crew that could be spared were gathered to watch the Waterbender Warrior take on the strange new woman.

Omalah crossed her swords as she looked at Miku. She had learned how to fight with swords almost as long as she had learned how to Waterbend. Her people were skilled with weapons built for close quarters combat. Miku on the other hand was holding the Earth Kingdom Duandao more like a Fire Clan Katana, which was going to cost her.

“Alright, you understand the rules, right?” Omalah asked as she held her swords out to her sides. “This is a battle of blades, not of Bending. Bending is useful in combat, but you must learn to supplement it with the blade if you want to fight. As such, there will be no Bending in this duel, understood?”

“I understand,” Miku said as she held her sword up. “I’m ready.”

“Then come at me,” Omalah said with a smirk as she pointed one sword at Miku.

Miku ran at Omalah, swinging the sword at the waterbender. She was surprised to see Omalah’s left blade come up and catch the sword mid-swing, the sound of metal on metal grating to the ear. She was about to go in for a second attack before the right blade came around and knocked the Dao to the side.

“Your attack is sloppy,” Omalah said.

Miku frowned a bit at that as she backed off and went to pick up the sword. Once more she replicated the stance she had seen the warriors of the Taiyo clan stand in with their swords, staring Omalah down. She wasn’t going to let her humiliate her again.

“Again,” Omalah said.

Miku rushed at Omalah again, the sword held aloft as she swung it down on Omalah… but the other woman wasn’t there. Omalah dodged out of the way of the blade as effortlessly as she would bend water. She pushed Miku down to the deck of the ship, knocking the sword out of her hand again.

“You’re holding it all wrong, and you’re going in too high,” Omalah said, sheathing her swords and picking up the Dao. She placed her hand on the curved blade carefully as she looked at Miku. “This is a Dao Broadsword, you are attacking like it’s a straight sword. Watch me, and you might be able to learn something.”

She pointed at one of the sailors. “You, spar with me,” she said and the man nodded and drew his sword.

Miku took a step back as she watched the Waterbender holding the sword in one hand engage with the sailor. She began to move, her motions were quick but had the elegance of a practiced swordsman. Her movements were different than what she was used to, instead of the two handed motions she was using the sword more like an extension of herself. Each movement was carefully calculated, she moved out of the way of each attack.

Miku couldn’t help but stare at Omalah. She hadn’t seen anything like her back home, swordsmanship among the Taiyo clan was more about function in combat. But Omalah treated the sword as something more than that… something elegant… sword fighting for her was more than just a function, it was an art.

She couldn’t help but admire Omalah’s lean muscular form as she held her sword upright to parry another blow. Each movement was perfect, and almost like a dance. Miku blushed a bit when she realized she was staring a bit too much and looked away.

Omalah pulled her opponent’s blade away and disarmed him to the cheers of the crowd. She bowed out of respect to her opponent and walked up to Miku, taking a drink of water. “How was that?”

“Very, uh, informative,” Miku said, trying not to look at Omalah. “Thank you.”

Omalah bowed slightly before holding the sword out to Miku. “Let’s go again.”

Miku nodded as she held the sword in one hand and faced off against Omalah again. Her fighting style still needed some refinement, but Omalah had to admit that she was starting to show improvement already. Miku was a natural when it came to Firebending, but she needed to practice her swordsmanship.

“Alright, that’s enough for now,” Omalah said as she gave Miku a nod and sheathed her twin swords. “We’ll have to practice again every so often.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Miku said as she sheathed her own sword and bowed respectfully. Omalah nodded and returned the bow. “So, how long until we reach the Western Air Temple?”

“Around a week, though part of that will be on land once…” Omalah started to say when she was interrupted by a shout from the bow of the ship where the lookout was keeping an eye out for the Captain.

“Sails on the horizon!” She shouted, turning to look at Captain Shen. “It looks like Water Tribe sails!”

Shen headed up to the bow with a concerned look on his face as he looked out at the horizon where the sailor was pointing. He pointed at Omalah and Miku and gestured for them to approach. The two young women walked up to her as the Captain pointed towards where the sails had been seen.

“Omalah, is the Wandering Water Tribe anywhere near her?” Shen asked.

“No, they’re supposed to be in the Eastern seas,” Omalah said, she was afraid of what this might mean. “And I haven’t heard of our brothers and sisters coming this far south. “That might mean…”

She was cut off when a massive wave appeared on the horizon. The massive wave was bearing down on the Stormwatch , and the crew rushed to secure everything as Miku got a good look at the ship finally. A ship carved out of a patchwork of wood with a sail that looked like it was made of blue materials. It was smaller than the Stormwatch , but it was fast… and the wave seemed to give way to it.

“Waterbender pirates,” Omalah said, the words cutting through Miku’s shock.

“What do we do?” Miku asked.

“Get ready for a fight,” Omalah said as the crew started taking out large jars and stone circles from below decks. “We’re going to be in for a fight if we can’t outrun them..”

As Miku went to get in place, she saw a flag flying from the mast of the pirate ship. A dark blue flag with a white outline of a shark’s jaw with pointed teeth. A chill ran up her spine as she felt a name come to her, even if she didn’t recognize the flag.

“ Blood Jaw,” she said, and grabbed her head as her mind reeled.

“Hoist the colors men… time to take a prize…” A male voice echoed in her mind, not one she heard before, and her vision turned fuzzy for a moment.

She placed her hand on her head, and for a moment as she pulled it away it was more calloused and muscular with darker skin. She blinked as she looked around, the ship was different, and the crew was different. She was standing on a deck of a different kind of ship entirely, what was going on?

“Captain Cewan, what are your orders?”

She looked behind her, a slim woman dressed in red sailor’s clothes and with a top knot was standing there. A Firebender? She gave Miku an expectant look, as if waiting for an answer.

“We’re nearing the shipping lanes the Followers use,” Miku said in a voice that wasn’t her own as she climbed up onto the side of the ship, grabbing the rigging. “We’ve got a target ahead of us. The Followers of the Rimelord have been using these waters unimpeded. We’re going to show them that no one can escape the Blood Jaw! Now, let’s show them what we’re made of!”

There was a cheer from the crew, and Miku looked up in time to see that flying from the mast was the same flag she had seen before.

She was suddenly snapped out of it when she felt something impact the ship beneath her feet. She stumbled as the feeling of cold water rushed over her. The ship began to lurch and she fell backwards, nearly going over the side, only to feel a hand grabbing her’s.

“I’ve got you, Miku,” Omalah said as she pulled the Firebender in. Miku blushed when she realized she was so close to the other woman. “Are you alright? You kind of zoned out.”

“Yeah… I’m fine,” Miku said as Omalah wrapped a rope around her waist. “I thought I saw something.”

The Stormguard was sailing at its full speed away from the pirate ship. Omalah could still see the Blood Jaw bearing down on them. The old pirate ship’s crew was experienced in sailing in, and clearly creating, rough seas. The pirates were gaining on them, and Miku’s hand subconsciously reached for her sword.

She knew the fight was inevitable. For now all they could do was keep moving.

00000

As the pursuit went on, Shen ordered them below decks. He needed his experienced crewmen on the deck and having Miku in the way wouldn’t help matters. And Omalah could protect her if it came to that, so that put the Waterbender below deckstoo. The two of them sat in Miku’s quarters, Miku held the sword over her lap as she took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Omalah asked.

“There’s a lot I still don’t understand about being the Avatar,” Miku admitted as she ran a hand through her hair for a moment. “The last time there was a Fire Avatar was four generations ago. I don’t even know their name or anything about them. There is a lot that I don’t understand… I don’t know how I’m going to figure it out.”

Omalah shook her head, but she didn’t say anything. She just let the young Firebender talk, she knew she needed it.

“I barely know how to Firebend,” Miku continued. “I have techniques down, but I haven’t ever tried to actually use them in a fight. I’m supposed to be some great bringer of balance, and I don’t know how I’m actually going to do that at this point. I guess that's why I’m going to have to train though.”

She looked at Omalah, her golden eyes meeting Omalah’s blue. “I don’t know what kind of Avatar I’m going to be,” she finally said as she looked at the Waterbender for a long moment and smiled. “I just wish there was something more we could do about the current problem.”

“You seemed to recognize the ship,” Omalah commented. “Do you know something about those pirates?”

“I don’t know, I… I thought I had a vision of some sort,” Miku said, playing with a strand of red hair. “I don’t know what that was, but I felt like I was on that ship, or at least one like it. Someone called me… Captain Cewan, I don’t know what that meant.”

“Cewan was the last Water Avatar,” Omalah commented. “My people don’t talk about him a lot though. Supposedly, he was a pirate captain who plagued the northern sea before it was discovered he was the Avatar. That was a long time ago though, maybe some of his crew survived to the modern day.”

“Maybe,” Miku said and shook her head. “By the spirits… I’m not going to ever get used to being the Avatar.”

“Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone,” Omalah said with a smile. “Every Avatar has a group, a team if you will, that will help support them. I know that’s probably not a lot to go on, but, maybe if you have people backing you up, then things will be better.”

“Yeah… maybe,” Miku said as she gave her a nod. “Thank you, Omalah.”

Omalah nodded, and the two of them sat together for a long moment. Miku was about to say something else when suddenly the ship shook as it was hit by something. The two young women exchanged a look, and Omalah grabbed her swords as she got up, heading for the door. Miku blinked and got up, drawing her Dao.

“Miku, are you sure you’re ready for this?” Omalah asked.

“I wouldn’t be much of an Avatar if I didn’t try and help, would I?” Miku asked. “I will at least try.”

Omalah looked at her, and nodded. The two of them headed out of the room together and headed for the deck.

00000

The deck of the Stormguard pitched in the wild seas that seemed to come out of nowhere. As Miku found her way on the deck of the ship, she looked around. She saw that the two ships were now locked together as the pirate ship had clearly impacted the larger ship. Pirates were swarming over the ship already, fighting with the crew.

An Earth Kingdom Sailor reached forward and pulled up a stone disk that intercepted a burst of water from a female pirate. The woman was taller than her compatriots, dressed in the blue furs of a member of the Water Tribes, but with a hood made out of a skinned wolf pulled over her head. She grinned as the sailor sent the disk at her, and she leaped over it, pulling a massive burst of water and slamming it into the man, washing him off the side of the ship.

Miku ducked out of the way as she felt a warmth on the back of her neck. A dragon’s breath attack came from a firebending pirate and she danced out of the way. His style was sloppy, she just needed to be careful or he might set the ship on fire.

She gripped her sword, she knew she couldn’t risk using fire herself, so she would need to rely on her sword skills. She pointed her blade at the firebender, she was going to make sure he couldn’t put this ship in danger. So she was ready for this fight, hopefully.

The Firebender made the first move, he brought a flame up and went to attack Miku, but she dodged out of the way, sending a kick into his stomach. He let out a gasp as he tried to bring the air back into his lungs. He chuckled a bit as he held his sword up and swung it at Miku, she barely was able to catch the sword with her own.

Miku could hear the sound of clashing steel around her. She let out a scream of pain as she felt a slash across her back, she automatically raised her hand and sent a burst of fire into the pirate that had attacked her. The pirate screamed and fell backwards, but it didn’t make much difference, part of the ship’s deck had already lit on fire. She gripped her sword and went on the defensive as the firebender pirate she had been fighting went after her with ferocity.

“You’re doomed, little girl,” he said as she caught one of the slashes on her arm. “I’m not going to lose to someone as sloppy as you are.”

Miku glanced at the rest of the crew, the fight was starting to turn against them. Omalah was in the middle of fighting the apparent leader of the pirates. Miku ducked out of the way of one of the attacks from her opponent, realizing she was getting a little too close to the edge of the deck. She took in a breath, and sent a burst of fire into the chest of the pirate, causing him to scream in pain as he stumbled forward, she was able to trip him so he could fall into the ocean below.

Her body had moved more on its own. She took a battle stance, it was more automatic than anything else. As another pirate got close, she reacted with an attack that even she didn’t know she had in her, catching the pirate by surprise as she swept his feet from under him. It was almost as if her body was reacting based on muscle memory, like she knew exactly how to counter the attacking pirates.

She looked at her hand in confusion as she realized she could fight. Was this what it meant to be the Avatar? She smiled a bit as she slammed the hilt of her sword into the back of the pirate’s head, causing him to crumple to the ground.

She was going to make it out of this.

Omalah kicked the captain’s swords out of her hand and forced her to the ground. The Waterbender’s twin blades pressed against her neck. “Order your crew to stand down, and we might let you go.”

The pirate woman glared at her, but she knew that it was over. She shouted out. “Stand down! We’re beaten, end the fighting, now!”

The pirates one by one dropped their weapons, glaring at the Earth Kingdom sailors. Yao stepped into view and looked at Omalah and the pirate captain. “Smart choice, Captain.”

Miku sheathed her dao as Omalah began using waterbending to put out the fires on the ship’s deck as she gave a look at her. Captain Shen walked up to the pirate captain and stared her in the eyes.

“Captain Unavah,” he said. “I should have known.”

The pirate glared at him as intensely as he did her. “Captain Shen, I was not expecting you to be this close to the Fire Islands.”

“I should have you locked up, if we had the space for you and your crew,” Shen said. “I should have you all bound and thrown to the Tiger Sharks. This is inexcusable behavior for the…”

“For the what? For the descendant of the Avatar? Avatar Cewan died two hundred years ago,” Unavah spat at him. “And he was twice the Captain you’ll ever be.”

As the two stared each other down, Miku looked at Omlah. “What now?”

“Those two have bad blood,” Yao said, walking up behind the two women. “Unavah was Shen’s first mate until she decided to go pirate. He saw her as a daughter, and now he feels like she betrayed him.”

“We can’t just throw them over the side, can we?”

“They’re pirates, and we don’t have a way to transport them on the ship,” Omalah said with a shrug. “It’s not unusual really, they know what kind of life they got themselves into.”

Miku looked between the two, it looked like they were on the verge of coming to blows already. She knew that if the two fought, it would likely spark another fight among the two crews. Unavah was a Water Tribe woman in her 30s and had a series of scars on her visible body. This was a problem, Miku knew it, but she couldn’t stand by and let them execute unarmed people, even pirates.

She knew one thing about Avatars, they existed to keep balance, and to make peace. If she was going to be the Avatar, then she would have to start here and now.

“Stop, both of you!” Miku said, surprising even herself as she stepped in between the two Captains. “This isn’t right. Captain Shen, they are your prisoners, you can’t just murder them.”

Shen glared at her. “Avatar, you don’t know what’s going on here.”

“I know that she betrayed you, or at least you think she did,” Miku said with a shake of her head. “I’m not asking you to forgive her.”

“Avatar?” Unavah asked as she raised an eyebrow at her, and then laughed. “So, you’re Avatar Liu’s successor? You don’t look like much.”

“You’re not helping matters,” Miku said as she looked at the pirate captain. “Do you and your crew want to get out of this situation alive or not?”

Unavah glanced at her and then at her crew that were currently being held by the crew of the Stormguard . She hated to admit it, but she knew that the young Firebender was right. She smirked a bit, she had grown up on stories of Avatar Cewan, her ancestor. She looked at Shen and shrugged.

“That’s always the goal,” she finally said.

“Then swear an oath to me that you will not harm this ship if we let you go,” Miku said simply as she looked between the two. “And that you will…”

“You don’t know what drives a person to piracy, Avatar,” Unavah said. “We’re not going to give up the life, even for you. It's what we know, and there’s a lot of reasons why we’re here. I didn’t betray Shen… I had my reasons for leaving.”

“Then you’ll owe me a favor,” Miku said. “If I need you, then you will come to my call. Do we have an agreement?”

“Fine, let me and my crew go and I’ll agree.”

Miku glanced between the two and Shen sighed and nodded. The pirates gathered up their weapons and returned to their ship. A failed attack with as many of them alive as they could was better than nothing.

Omalah and Yao watched Miku do everything, and smiled a bit.

00000

“That was impressive,” Yao said as they went below decks. Shen and the crew were starting to assess the damage of the ship, but it wasn’t looking good. At the same time, the ship’s medic was patching up Miku’s wounds. "You managed to negotiate a peace quickly."

“I just wanted to make sure that we didn’t make the wrong choice,” Miku said.

“She’s still a pirate,” Omalah said. “But hopefully you did make the right choice.”

“If you believe the rumors, she had to flee the Earth Kingdom after she got in trouble with the Earth Queen,” Yao said. “I can’t tell you exactly what happened, but she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.”

The three of them stood together for a long moment. There was a lot on Miku’s mind right now, and she had to admit it wasn’t going to be easy for her.

“Did I do the right thing?” She finally asked.

“I think you did what you felt was right,” Yao said. “Only the Spirits can tell whether or not that was the right thing.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re… owww!” Miku said as she felt the medic place some sort of liquid on her back.

“Sorry, there’s only so much I can do without causing some pain,” Wei-sun said with a sigh. “You’re going to be fine, you don’t have to be such a crybaby.”

Miku groaned a bit as she shook her head. “So, what happens now?”

“We’re going to need to make port,” Shen said suddenly, walking down into the below decks of the Stormguard . “Most of the damage can be repaired, but we lost a large portion of our supplies.”

“Understood, where’s the nearest island?” Yao asked.

“According to the charts, we’re closest to the main port of Clan Doragon,” Shen said. “It was supposed to be our next stop, we should be able to make it there in time.”

Miku paused for a moment at that. She had heard of Clan Doragon, it was the largest and most powerful of the Fire Clans. She didn’t know what to make of them, or what they were going to make of her.

Chapter Text

Miku laid in her bed as she stared up at the ceiling. She didn’t feel much like sleeping that night, her mind was still on everything that had happened. It was said that whenever a Fire Avatar was announced, it was a time of great celebration. The Festival of the Risen Phoenix as it was known would last for days. She had not been greeted with that thanks to her father, but what would happen in the Doragon clan?

She rolled over and looked at the sword that was resting against the wall. She still needed to learn a lot about how to fight with it, but she was getting there. Hopefully, it would just be the start of everything.

She nearly jumped when she heard a knock on the door. “Uh, hello?”

“I’m here to check your bandages,” the voice of the medic said. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Miku said as she sat up in her bed. “Come on in.”

The door opened and the young woman entered. “Sorry, I need to make sure that everything is alright… and I honestly can’t sleep very well right now anyway.”

Miku nodded as the medic started checking the bandages that she had wrapped around her arm. She didn’t look that worried, the bandages seemed fine at least. “Is everything alright?”

“I know you’re still getting used to life out here,” she answered. “So I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Thank you,” Miku said with a slight smile. “I’m fine really, I just have had a hard time sleeping lately… I don’t think I caught your name though.”

“Wei-Sun,” she answered with a nod. “I’ve been having to work a lot since the pirate attack earlier today, so making sure the Avatar is okay is… well it’s an honor really. Sorry if I didn’t get to you in a timely manner.”

“It’s alright,” Miku said with a shake of her head. “And it’s nice to meet you, Wei-Sun. I’m honestly not used to being the Avatar yet.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that would be hard to get used to if it's just been thrust upon you,” Wei-sun said sympathetically. “But I think you’re going to be just fine. Physically at least, you’re healing quite well.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ve always been kind of a fast healer,” Miku said, brushing her hand against the red streak in her hair. “Ever since I was little, I couldn’t tell you how many times I accidentally hurt myself while training.”

“Ah… of course,” Wei-Sun said with a slight nod. “Well, I should get back to my cabin. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Miku nodded a bit as Wei-Sun left her room. The Doragon Clan… she didn’t know what to expect of them tomorrow. So for now, all she could do was try and get some sleep. She went over the meditation techniques she knew and laid back in her bed, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind of any distractions.

And as she did, she finally was able to drift off to sleep.

00000

The next day, the Stormguard approached an island to the west of where Miku’s home was. She looked out at it, a bit surprised at how large it felt. It took her a moment to realize that it seemed to fill the horizon. Clan Taiyo had a small island, relatively speaking, but she had never seen any of the other Fire Islands.

“Doragon Island,” Yao commented, walking up behind her. “It’s the largest of the Fire Islands, in truth its made up of several clans, but Clan Doragon managed to put their name on it. Perhaps they consider themselves the center of the universe.”

“From what I know about the other Clans, I suppose that wouldn’t surprise me,” Miku said with a sigh as the ship turned towards a natural harbor along the coast. “How much do they know? I don’t know if I want anyone to know… well other than the people who already found out.”

“They know that this ship is searching for the Avatar,” Yao answered. “The Clan Lord certainly seemed interested in our mission. That is not something for you to worry about though, you will tell them when you are ready.”

Miku nodded and watched the harbor approach. It reminded her so much of her home, but at the same time it was larger. Clan Taiyo had basically a village or a compound, this felt more like a city with the familiar architecture of the Fire Clans. Looming above the Harbor was a much larger mountain that was broken open, revealing another city within it.

“Caldera City,” Miku said, remembering the name from the records. “The city built in the heart of a volcano. I never thought I would actually see it.”

Yao smiled a bit as the young Avatar stared in awe. He patted her lightly on the shoulder as the ship entered the harbor and started to get tied to the docks. “Come… you should at least get to ee the world outside of your home for the first time.”

He walked her over towards the side of the ship where a gangplank was being set up. Omalah and Wei-Sun were already waiting for them. As they started to walk down the gangplank, Yao spoke up again. “We should be able to come up with a cover story if we are to…”

He stopped and frowned a bit as he looked ahead. A crowd was gathered at the far end of the dock, and they seemed to be waiting for them to arrive. They could see a palanquin being carried towards them. “Or they’re going to be waiting for us.”

Miku moved behind the rest of the group and kept her head down. This was not what she needed right now, but she knew that this was likely planned ahead of time. She glanced at Omalah who gave her a reassuring nod. She knew that she was going to be okay at least.

The crowd separated enough for the palanquin to be set down and the veil separating them opened and a stool was set down. A woman stepped out of it, she was dressed in the finery of a Clan lord. Her long black hair fell down her back, and her hair was set with a golden hairpiece with a pair of twisted dragons. She looked to be in her late 30s to early 40s, but Miku sensed a strength hidden beneath her robes.

“Master Yao,” the woman said as she looked at Yao and his entourage. “Clan Doragon welcomes you and your… companions to our home.”

“Clan Lord Usani, we greet you with respect,” Yao said as the two of them bowed to one another. “You honor us.”

“Of course, those who seek the Avatar are welcome here,” Usani said, and gestured for them to begin to walk together towards the harbor. “Our children have already been gathered together, though the Fire Sages believe that the Avatar is not among us.”

Miku tried not to flinch at that as for a moment, Usani’s gaze met her’s. The older Firebender barely paid her any mind however as she continued speaking with Yao. There was something about this woman, she couldn’t put her finger on it though.

“I have been called back to the Earth Kingdom and will not have time to oversee the tests unfortunately,” Yao said, smoothly working to avoid the issue. “Omalah here will be meeting up with one of her Tribe’s fleets, and perhaps after consulting with the…”

He was briefly cut off by a sound as Tsu Tsu was led out of the hold and down the gangplank. The sailor handed the reins to Miku who carefully climbed up onto her back.

“A curious creature,” Usani commented. “I was not expecting you to have a Basan on your ship.”

“She is the companion of a young Firebender who asked to accompany us on our journey,” Yao said, it wasn’t a lie, but it was enough of an omission of the truth. “She wished to have a chance for it to stretch its legs.”

“Very well,” Usani said with a slight bow of her head. “Now what were you saying?”

“As I was saying, the search for the Avatar will likely be picked up either by the Wandering Water Tribe or the Fire Sages,” Yao continued. “At least until my business with the Earth Queen can be concluded.”

“I understand,” Usani said, though her tone of voice suggested otherwise. “Perhaps it is for the best, at least for now. The Avatar will appear in time, when they are ready. I will consult with the Fire Sages once more, perhaps they missed something.”

“Come on, we have work to do,” Omalah said as they crossed over the dock and into the town proper. “We’ll let them talk for now.”

Miku nodded and the three women and the Basan headed into Harbor Town.

00000

Miku tied Tsu Tsu up to a post as they stopped by an apothecary. Miku smiled a bit as she looked around, she was amazed at how impressive the town was. It felt so different from her home village, but at the same time the architecture was familiar. It was a strange sensation, like she was in a foreign land, but at the same time she was at home.

“Are you alright, Miku?” Omalah asked as she looked at the Firebender as the three of them headed into the apothecary.

“I’m just thinking about home,” Miku admitted. “This is the first time I’ve seen the outside world after all. I guess… I’m just kind of getting used to seeing what it’s like. And this is still in the confines of my homeland.”

“You’ll see many new things while we’re traveling,” Omalah said with a slight smile as she placed a hand on Miku’s shoulder. “So, what do you think?”

Miku paused as she thought about it for a moment. She looked around the apothecary’s shop, its walls were lined with dead and dried animals along with various plants. She had learned a few things about plants and animals from Yama, but there were many that she didn’t recognize. Clan Doragon’s influence spread much farther than her father’s, and she smiled a bit at that. This world was bigger than her small village, and this was exciting.

“I find it exciting really,” she admitted. “Like for the first time in my life I’m truly free. I just hope that everything will be okay.”

“I remember that feeling,” Omalah commented as Wei-Sun went to speak with the Apothecary herself. She was an older woman with graying hair and dressed in simple red clothes. “I was young when my tribe was created, but I remember the feeling of leaving the North Pole and seeing the world for the first time. You get used to it over time.”

Miku nodded a bit. Omalah seemed to understand what she was going through more than anyone else could. She got the feeling that Omalah had spent most of her life traveling, she wondered if maybe she would ever reach the same point. Being the Avatar meant that she would need to move around the world more than anything else.

She wondered if she would ever even see her home village again, see Yama again… she could live without seeing her father ever again, but not her nanny. She was about to say something else to Omalah when she heard the Apothecary say something she didn’t expect.

“Have you heard the good news? The Clan Lord says that the Avatar has been found,” the old woman said with a smile on her face.

“Really?” Wei-Sun asked, raising an eyebrow. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”

“Oh it's not official of course,” the old woman said with a wave of her hand. “The Fire Sages have yet to confirm it. But Clan Lord Usani is convinced that there is only one child that is old enough and was born the same day as Avatar Liu’s passing after speaking with the other Clans. So really the acknowledgement of it is a formality.”

Miku and Omalah exchanged a confused look. Was it possible that Omalah’s test had been wrong? Or was it possible that Usani was wrong… or worse, had been lying. This certainly made things more complicated.

“Are you sure about that?” Miku asked, catching the attention of the Apothecary. “Did she confirm it?”

“Well of course, I was the midwife at the birth myself,” the old woman said, oblivious to their confusion. “And there are enough signs to confirm it. I suspect the Fire Sages made a mistake of course.”

“Maybe,” Miku said as she pursed her lips. She knew that the Clan Lord was wrong, but she couldn’t tell this woman. “Of course, well… if the next Avatar has been discovered, then that is good news indeed.”

Omalah glanced at her and mouthed “We will have to speak with Master Yao.”

She knew that the only way to prove or disprove the claim would be to replicate the test that Omalah had carried out on her. She was now afraid of what might happen if the Clan Lord found out that her claim was false. It would certainly make things more complicated for her, and for everyone else on the Stormguard.

This was going to be a problem.

“Is there anything else I can do for you three?” The old woman asked.

Wei-sun got the last of her items and shook her head. The three of them headed out together, speaking in quiet tones. “Why would the Clan Lord believe that she already had found the next Avatar?”

“I don’t know,” Miku admitted with a shake of her head. “Omalah, is… is it possible that the test was wrong?”

“The Water Sages assured me that it was accurate,” Omalah whispered back as she glanced at the vial of spirit oasis water that was still around her neck. “This could only react to a strong amount of spirit energy, like you would get from the Avatar.”

“Which means that either the test was wrong somehow, or Usani is wrong,” Miku said with a sigh. “This is not going to be a great conversation to have with her. We need to go speak with Master Yao.”

The three young women started moving back towards the ship.

00000

“Many of my people will be disappointed with this sudden change of plans,” Usani commented as she looked at Yao. The two of them were in her home when she came down to the Harbor for an extended period of time. Many of us believed that the next Avatar was somewhere among our clan.”

“Well, I’ve tested enough young firebenders to tell you that a lot of families feel that way,” Yao said with a light chuckle as a servant poured tea for the two of them. “I remember one family swore up and down that their daughter had once bended fire and earth at the same time.”

“Well, perhaps I can interest you in one test at least,” Usani said as she sipped her tea casually. “There are only a few children in the Doragon Clan who are of age to have been born close enough to the death of Avatar Liu.”

“I will speak with Omalah, she is the one who ultimately performs the tests,” Yao said with a shake of his head.

“I admit I was a bit surprised to hear that it was a member of the Water Tribes that would be administering the test for a Fire Avatar,” Usani said, stirring her tea a bit.

“We did attempt to speak with the Fire Sages, but it seems that they’ve been having problems of their own,” Yao told her. “The Wandering Water Tribe happened to have a fleet nearby, and Omalah offered to help by administering a version of the Water test.”

“Well then perhaps it is the test itself that is faulty,” Usani commented. “I will speak with our sages once more. In the meantime, I will make sure that the supplies you requested are brought to your ship.”

“Of course, I am sorry that we couldn’t give you the answer you were looking for,” Yao said as he finished his tea and slowly got up. “I have one more question however.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“Are you familiar with this symbol?” Yao asked, taking out a piece of paper and offering it to Usani. “We believe that it may be connected to the death of Avatar Liu.”

Usani unfolded the paper and glanced it over. The symbol of the silver dragon stood out at her, and she shook her head, folding it back up and returning it to Yao. “My Clan may have had ties to the Dragons since the days of the Sun Warriors, but this is not a symbol I have ever seen.”

“Understood,” Yao said as he took the paper and returned it to his pocket as he got up. “Thank you for your time, Clan Lord Usani.”

“Of course Master Yao,” Usani said as the two of them got up and bowed to each other. “Safe travels, and may your return to the Earth Queen go well. May the winds blow ever in your favor.”

“And you as well,” Yao said as he set his tea down and walked out of the room. He shook his head, they needed to get moving to the Air Empire if they wanted to make progress, they just needed the supplies first.

He started walking back towards the ship when he saw a figure moving through the shadows. He acted like he didn’t see them and continued to walk as the figure moved quietly behind him. As they got close enough, he took a step and a wave of earth went behind him, causing a yelp of surprise. He turned around to see a young woman dressed in the garb of a Clan noble with a bronze headpiece.

“Who are you?” He demanded.

“My name is Rusah,” the young woman said, struggling against the earth that had caught her. “And I am the next Avatar, I just want a chance to prove it!”

Yao frowned a bit as he looked at her. This just made things a lot more complicated.

00000

“Master Yao, we have something we need to…” Miku said as she, Omalah, and Wei-sun walked into Yao’s quarters on board the Stormguard and stopped mid-sentence. Yao was already speaking with a young woman who looked the same age as Miku. “Uh… are we interrupting something?”

“I believe I know what you wanted to speak to me about,” Yao said as he turned to look at Omalah. “Master Omalah, do you still have the Sapphire of the North Seas and the waters?”

“Yes, of course,” Omalah said as she took the two items out. “But why are…”

“You’re Clan Lord Usani’s daughter, aren’t you?” Miku asked as she looked at the young woman. “I… wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I have been preparing all my life for this,” Rusah said as she nodded to Yao. “I just want confirmation of what everyone in my Clan knows is the truth.”

Miku flinched a bit at that as she looked over at Omalah and Yao. Omalah looked confused while Yao had a passive look on his face. This was going to make things complicated, she knew that, but she also knew that this was just another step in becoming the Avatar. She nodded slowly and looked at Omalah.

“I can test you, yes,” Omalah said as she took out the sapphire and the water. “But I can’t promise that you’re going to like the results.”

“There are few guarantees in this world,” Yao said in a calm voice. “The only guarantees you are afforded are birth and death. We have to make do with what we can of the time between the two, and figure it out for ourselves.”

Miku looked Rusah in the eye for a moment and frowned. She could recognize the determination in this young woman’s eyes. She had been preparing all her life for this, and she was about to have that taken away from her.

Miku couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about that.

“Alright, I will carry out the test,” Omalah said as she looked at Rusah. “We need to test out all possibilities, don’t we?”

“Wait,” Miku said, finally speaking up and interrupting the conversation, catching Rusah off guard. “I’m sorry, I can’t lie to you Rusah. It just wouldn’t feel right to get up your hopes and let you get upset.”

“Miku, are you sure?” Yao asked as he looked at the young woman. The deception was as much for her as anything else as she was still deciding if she was even comfortable with people knowing. “If you’re not ready to…”

Miku took a deep breath. She didn’t think she was ready for this, but at this point she didn’t have much choice. The Spirits had chosen her for a reason, it was a matter of seeing what that was. She looked at Omalah who nodded slowly as she lowered her hands. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Understood,” Yao said with a respectful nod.

“My name is Miku, daughter of Clan Lord Mokura of Clan Taiyo,” Miku said as she took a deep breath. “Master Yao and Omalah found me in my home village and performed the test. And…”

The words caught in her throat. She didn’t know how she was even going to explain this to someone else. Oddly it had been easier to explain this to a Pirate captain than it was to explain to a fellow Firebender. Maybe it was because lives had been on the line back then, somehow right now this was the hardest thing she’d ever had to say.

“I’m the Avatar,” she said softly. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but… I can’t let you live a lie. I’m sorry, I really am only starting to get used to this myself.”

She looked over at Omalah and Yao and shook her head. “There’s a lot I’m still figuring out about what that’s going to mean.”

Rusah stood there in silence for a long moment. Miku could practically see the thoughts going through her head. The anger, the betrayal… the reality that everything she had been told was a lie. It was written all over her face.

“You’re lying,” Rusah said, turning around to glare at Yao. “There’s no way some child from a third-rate Fire Clan is the Avatar. You’re trying to trick me. This is some Earth Kingdom trick to undermine my clan.”

“The Earth Queen, despite popular rumors, has no reason to undermine the Fire Clans,” Yao said with a scowl. “There are bigger problems going on in the Earth Kingdom right now.”

“I’m sure there are,” Rusah said. “Now I’m going back to my mother… I would finish your business on the island soon if I were you.”

She stood up and stormed out, not even looking Miku in the eye. She walked past Wei-Sun who was coming into the office. “Well, she was in a good mood.”

“Are you sure you should have told her that?” Omalah asked as she looked at Miku. “She’s going to tell her mother and we’re going to have a big problem.”

“I know,” Miku said with a sigh.

“Any chance she might not believe her?” Wei-Sun asked.

“That’s our only hope,” Yao said with a sigh. “We’ll get the last of the supplies on the ship and get moving. At this point that’s all we can really do.”

“Right, I guess I made my bed and now I have to lie in it,” Miku said.

“Alright, we will prepare for departure,” Yao said. “We don’t need to wait around here any longer than we need to.”

Miku nodded as she and Omalah headed back towards their cabins. Miku took a deep breath as she thought about what had just happened. She knew that she had probably made a mistake, but right now she couldn’t think about that. She needed to get out of here, and hopefully be able to relax long enough to avoid problems.

She took a deep breath as she headed into her cabin and went to meditate again. She needed to work through these thoughts.

00000

Yao overlooked the loading of the ship as he glanced back towards the city with a frown. There was some sort of activity going on right now, that was definitely not a good sign. He had hoped that they would be out of here before the Clan Lord had made a decision as to what to do. Clearly Usani had come up with whatever her plan was quickly and was coming to intercept them.

Shen paused as he looked down at Yao with a frown on his face. “Let me guess, we have a new problem?”

“It seems we do,” Yao sighed. “I will take care of it.”

Shen nodded as he looked back at his crew. This was just making things more complicated, but he supposed that was inevitable when you were transporting the Avatar. He started barking orders to his sailors who got back to work. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to explain to Nolah that they had lost the Avatar so soon after finding her.

He took a seat as he waited for the inevitable. He felt his connection to the stone beneath his feet, if he needed to use the earth to hold them off long enough for the Stormguard to escape then he would, hopefully.

After a few minutes, he felt steps and looked up to see Usani being escorted by her guards and Rusah. She did not look particularly happy as she stopped right in front of him.

“Master Yao,” she said.

“Clan Lord Usani,” Yao replied.
My daughter has informed me that you have not been truthful,” Usani said with a glare. “She claims that you have already found the next Avatar.”

“I believe I have, yes,” Yao said as he glanced at Rusah. “We found her when we visited Clan Taiyo and the test showed that she had a strong connection to the spirit world. The type of connection that only the Avatar can have.”

“I see,” Usani said as she glanced behind her at a man dressed in the robes of a Fire Sage. “We have been doing our own search for the Avatar. I must know for sure if this young woman from a backwards Clan is who you claim her to be. Sage Taka will perform the Ritual to determine the validity of her claim.”

“Why are you so interested?” Yao asked. “The Fire Clans have not been this interested in finding the next Avatar in generations.”

“The Fire Clans have not been in this state for a long time,” Usani said with a sigh. “The other Clan Lords have been on the verge of war with one another recently. Some very dangerous people are making power plays to prepare for war. Clan Taiyo is already a backwards Clan thanks to Clan Lord Mokura, and you expect me to believe the Avatar came from there?”

“I do,” Yao said with a shake of his head. “I know that doesn’t sound likely, but it's true.”

“I will do what I can to determine this,” Sage Taka said, stepping forward. “May I see the young woman?”

“Of course,” Yao said as he gestured up the gangplank and the older man started up. Usani took a step towards the gangplank but Yao held a hand up. “Just the Fire Sage, Clan Lord, for now. The young woman is still becoming comfortable with the idea, and I do not wish to distress her. So, she will come out on her terms, understood?”

“Fine,” Usani said with a scowl. “We will be waiting out here.”

Yao nodded slightly and turned to walk up onto the ship with Taka. He glanced over at Yao and once they were out of hearing distance he spoke up. “Are you certain you have found the Avatar?”

“As certain as I can be,” Yao said. “My crew has had to improvise as we lack any sages on board. Hopefully you can confirm it.”

“Hopefully,” Taka said with an annoyed sigh.

As they reached Miku’s cabin, Yao knocked on the door. Miku opened it up after a moment, looking at Yao, she was about to say something when she realized that he wasn’t alone. “Uh… hi?”

“Miku, this is Taka, he’s one of the Fire Sages,” Yao said with a nod. “Sage Taka, this is Miku, she is the one we believe to be the Avatar.”

“It's an honor,” Taka said, dropping his annoyance, replacing it with genuine respect. “I apologize for this, but I need to confirm your identity on behalf of the Clan Lord. May I come in?”

“Of course,” Miku said, she had no idea what this would actually entail. But as she looked at Taka, she could feel spiritual energy coming off of him. He had a deep connection to the spirit world, which she expected from a Fire Sage. “Come on inside.”

Yao took a step back as Taka entered, looking at the small meditation area that she had set up for herself. He nodded for her to take a seat in front of the candle as he took a seat across from her. “This test is rarely carried out in front of the Avatar, but we need to learn without any doubt, so I will need to connect with the spirits of the islands.”

He moved the candle and set a new candle, this one red with specks of gold in it, between the two and lit it. “The Flame signifies our connection with the spirit world. I will use this to determine the truth. I need you to meditate normally, I will find an answer soon enough.”

Miku nodded as she closed her eyes, she could feel the fire in front of her. She didn’t concentrate on it like she normally did, instead she allowed her mind to go blank and begin to drift. She allowed herself to drift off, the feeling of herself drifting into the aether filled her as she did.

Sage Taka watched her for a moment before he too closed his eyes and began to meditate. He needed to connect with the spirits, and as he reached out into the spiritual realm, he felt a connection like none he had ever felt before.

A young man was running through the scorching deserts, his bare feet pressing against the sand as he ran after a sand ship, using Airbending to move quickly after it.

The scent of sea water struck his nostrils as he found himself on a ship. He saw a looming iceberg in the distance with a creature wrapped around it and saw a man standing on the bow with a grin on his face.

A figure moved on the winds between the clouds up high in the air. A figure danced in the skies, before diving down and flying over a fleet of ships.

A young woman with the features of a member of the Fire Clans danced, a dragon twirling around her as she rose up. Fire and wind moved around her as her eyes began to glow brightly.

Taka’s eyes opened up as he looked at the young woman sitting across from him. “I… have reached a conclusion,” he finally said.

Miku’s golden eyes fluttered open as she looked at him. Taka got up slowly and bowed before her. “Avatar… I apologize for taking so long to find you.”

Miku stared at him for a long moment. Even if she knew it, it was strange to see a Sage doing this. But now what is going to happen?

“What now?” She asked.

Taka paused for a moment. “We have to tell the Clan Lord something, if we don’t she will find it suspicious, or do something to you. I will do what I can, Avatar… it is my duty to help you.”

00000

Taka stepped out onto the gangplank with Miku close behind her. The two of them looked at Usani and the other members of Clan Doragon that had gathered there. Usani and Rusah looked at the sage expectantly.

“The Clan Lord is absolutely convinced that her daughter is the next Avatar,” Taka whispered to Miku. “She will not be happy with this announcement. I would get out of here as soon as you can.”

“Understood,” Miku said with a slight sigh. She moved next to Yao and Omalah who had now joined them while the crew kept a close eye on everything.

Taka stepped forward, raising a hand towards Miku as he looked at Usani. “I, Sage Taka, am here to make an announcement. I have identified the next Avatar to be Lady Miku of Clan Taiyo, there is to be no doubt in this, the spirits have spoken. No doubt remains as to who is the true Avatar.”

Rusah looked angry, but strangely Usani seemed unsurprised by this news. She reached over and gently placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and whispered to her.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Usani to everyone’s surprise bowed, and then the others did as well. Her voice was now respectful to Miku’s surprise. “Then, we welcome you to our Island, Avatar Miku. Clan Doragon welcomes the first Fire Avatar in centuries to our shores.”

“Well… that was certainly unexpected…” Omalah muttered as she looked at Yao.

“This is a time for celebration!” Usani said excitedly. “We must prepare for the festival!”

Miku blinked a bit, she hadn’t expected that reaction. She looked down at herself for a moment, and took a deep breath. Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad then after all.

00000

Miku took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was being attended to by Usani’s servants who were preparing herself. She found it a bit uncomfortable as they worked to tie her hair up. She shifted a bit uncomfortably in the kimono that she was wearing on Yao’s insistence, she wasn’t sure what to think of all of this.

“Well, you’re looking happy,” a voice said from behind her and she looked up to see Omalah standing behind her in the mirror. “Are you okay, Miku?”

“Not really,” Miku admitted as the servants finished. She looked at herself, she could barely recognize herself in the mirror anymore. “We should have just left.”

“Agreed, but Master Yao thinks that this would help, somehow,” Omalah said as she placed her hands gently on Miku’s shoulders. “I’ll be by your side as long as you need me to, okay?”

“Thank you,” Miku said with a slight smile. “That means a lot.”

Omalah smiled a bit as she reached into a pouch on her belt and took out a necklace. She carefully put it around her neck, and Miku looked at the silver necklace with the blue gemstones in it and smiled a little as she placed a hand on it.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“I thought you’d like it,” Omalah said. “A small piece of the Water Tribes for you to wear.”

Miku looked at herself for a long moment. She was dressed similarly to how she had dressed during the test that Omalah had done. But this time somehow it felt wrong, like she wasn’t the young woman she was supposed to be. They had left her top knot at least.

“This feels wrong,” she said out loud.

“Then perhaps you should wear something different,” Omalah said, and looked around for a moment before nodding. She walked over to a rack of clothes and picked one out. “Take off your Kimono.”

“What?” Miku asked, her face turning red from embarrassment.

“Sorry, that was a bit awkward wasn’t it,” Omalah said, trying to hide a blush of her own. She offered the outfit to the young Avatar. “Try these clothes, I think they might be more your style.”

Miku took them and reached up, undoing her hair and allowing it to fall down her back again. She moved behind a screen and started to remove her kimono.

Omalah leaned against the wall as she waited for Miku to come out again. She knew that the Clan Lord wasn’t going to be happy with this, but she also knew that Miku’s comfort was what mattered here, not what the Clan Lord wanted. It wasn’t the most diplomatic of solutions, but right now she knew that it was the right thing to do for Miku.

“How do I look?”

Omalah turned to see Miku now dressed in a red and gold dress pulled over a faded red shirt. Her pants were now orange with knee-high boots that were laced up. She finished securing a pair of armbands as she turned around in place so Omalah could see everything.

“You look perfect,” Omalah said with a slight smile as she looked Miku over.

“You think so?” Miku asked, looking at herself in the mirror.

“I do,” Omalah said and gave her a nod. “So, we have a festival to attend?”

Miku nodded and the two of them headed out of the room together.

00000

The Festival of the Risen Phoenix was an ancient tradition among the Fire Clans. Whenever a new Fire Avatar was identified, the people put on a celebration to acknowledge it. The people of Clan Doragon had put it on fast, flags flying, performances being prepared, and a grand parade run through the center of Caldera City.

Miku and Omalah stepped up to the start of the parade route. Miku looked ahead where Usani was preparing a fancy looking palanquin. The Clan Lord frowned a bit when she saw what Miku was wearing as she got closer.

“That is not the outfit I left for my servants to dress you in,” Usani commented.

“I am the Avatar,” Miku said with a bit more confidence than she really felt. “If I wish to dress like this, then it is my choice. Or do you want to refuse the Avatar?”

“No… of course not,” Usani said with a slight bow. “Come, the people will wish to see their new Avatar.”

Miku nodded as she stepped up onto the palanquin and took a seat. The chair was far more comfortable than she had expected. It was nice to know that they at least had her comfort in mind.

“Master Yao, would you take your seat as the Avatar’s guardian?” Usani said, gesturing to the seat next to Miku.

“If I may,” Omalah said a bit nervously as she looked over at Miku. “I believe Avatar Miku would prefer it if I sat with her.”

Usani raised an eyebrow at that as she looked at the Waterbender and then at Yao expectantly. The older man shook his head and chuckled a bit. “The choice isn’t ours, Clan Lord.”

“This is highly irregular,” Usani said. “Avatar Ha-Eun must be rolling over in her grave if this is her successor.”

“She is still young, and she is still new to her position,” Yao said. “The young often find more comfort in one another than in their elders. Let them do it if that is what they desire. Traditions are meant to be broken after all.”

Usani glared at the older man, before sighting and shaking her head. “Very well… young Waterbender you make take the Guardian’s Seat I suppose. Now, if there is nothing else, can we begin the parade?”

“Of course,” Miku said as Omalah took a seat next to her as a new confidence filled her. “Let’s get going.”

The palanquin started moving as the parade began down the road. Miku looked a bit uncomfortable as she saw the gathered crowd, but she waved at them much to their cheers and excitement. After how her father had treated her, it was strangely nice to be treated like this. She smiled a bit and looked over at Omalah.

“It’s impressive,” Omalah admitted as she looked at Miku. “I have heard the Fire Clans put on quite a show, but I didn’t expect to see it for myself.”

“Neither did I,” Miku admitted as she saw a painting of herself. “Let alone be at the center of it.”

“Maybe we should have just left,” Omalah said a bit sheepishly. “I’m not very comfortable with being stared at like this.”

Miku reached over and gave her hand a light squeeze. Miku looked at her with a slight smile and she returned it, the two of them barely noticed the festival going on around them. It was a nice moment, as if it was only the two of them and no one else. Miku smiled a bit, she was glad she had at least found one friend on this trip.

“We’re going to make it through this together,” Miku said. “Come on, Avatars have dealt with worse than a parade.”

“Yeah, good point,” Omalah said with a chuckle.

“She is not what I expected from an Avatar,” Usani commented as she looked at Yao, the two of them riding further back. “But I suppose we never really know what to expect.”

“Her father was not exactly a good man,” Yao said with a shake of his head.

“Yes… our negotiations with Clan Taiyo have not gone well because of him,” Usani admitted with a shake of her head. “Perhaps we’ll see a change in the future though. Hopefully, things will be better.”

“Yes, hopefully,” Yao said. “I am surprised that you all were able to turn around so quickly after your expectations were, well…”

“It is not my people’s way to dwell on the past,” Usani said. “We look to the future.”

“Hopefully that is something that more people can come to adopt,” Yao said with a slight nod. “The world is changing, and not everyone is so willing to catch up.”

“You mean like this Order of the Silver Dragon?” Usani asked with a raised eyebrow as a large serpentine dragon puppet danced across the street, moving between the two palanquins. “As I said I’m afraid I don’t know anything about them.”

“If you do learn anything, you will let us know, won’t you?” Yao asked.

“Of course, I have the swiftest Fire Hawks in the islands,” Usani said with a nod as they rode along.

As the parade continued towards the Clan Lord estate, Miku watched the people go past. She smiled a bit as she looked over at Omalah as a pair of Firebenders put on a show in front of them. While she had a long journey ahead of her, it was nice to have a moment like this. She looked at Omalah who was still holding her hand, looking a bit more relaxed now.

She just had to hope it would last a little longer.

00000

“I would like to welcome Avatar Miku to my Clan, and to my home,” Usani said, it was now that evening in the Clan Lord’s estate’s large dining room where as many people as could fit in it were seated. “I know that we all are moving forward into an uncertain future together, there are always things that we don’t understand. The future is always in motion, and we are going to take the first steps into that undiscovered country together, as a people.”

She looked over at Miku who sat next to her and bowed her head slightly. “You are always welcome among my Clan. Now, let us enjoy the feast!”

Miku nodded as the visitors began to eat. She looked across at Omalah who looked a bit out of place among all of the Fire Clan members who were around her. But she seemed to be more comfortable here than she had been out on the street at least.

“This is quite good,” Miku said as she took a bite of some fish.

“Thank you,” Usani said. “I made sure that my cooks made their best dishes for today.”

Miku nodded a bit and after a while a band came out and started to perform. A few people moved to the large area in the middle of the floor and began to dance. The music was beautiful, like nothing she had ever heard before… did it? Somehow it was familiar even though she had never heard it before.

“I’ve never heard music like this before,” Miku admitted. “But strangely it sounds almost familiar, like a memory at the back of my head.”

“It was written by one of your predecessors, she was quite the composer,” Usani said with a bit of a chuckle. “I felt it would be appropriate.”

“Would you like to dance?” A voice said, and Miku glanced up to see Rusah standing there, offering her a hand. “It would be an honor to dance with the Avatar.”

“Uh… sure…” Miku said, taking her hand and slowly getting up. “I’m not very good at dancing though.”

“It’s alright,” Rusah said as they walked towards the impromptu dance floor. Omalah watched them go and got up to keep an eye from a distance. “I just want a chance to speak with you properly.”

“I see, about what?” Miku asked as the two of them began to dance, Miku doing her best to avoid stepping on Rusah's toes.

“I wanted to apologize,” Rusah admitted as she ran a hand through her black hair. “I don’t understand what happened, honestly. When I found out you were the Avatar, I just… I became angrier than I’ve ever felt in my life, but it wasn’t against you.”

“It wasn’t my intention to steal it from you,” Miku said. “We had come here after our ship was attacked by pirates, I don’t think any of us expected this to happen. I’m sorry for coming in like this and ruining everything.”

“It’s alright,” she said, but Miku could tell she didn’t really mean it.

“Of course,” Miku said. “What does your mother really think? Why did she even go through all this trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Rusah admitted as she paused for a moment. “She’s always had this obsession with the idea of me being the Avatar. I just wanted to prove myself to her, now I don’t know what she’s going to do.”

“You’ve still got your whole life ahead of you,” Miku said. “You’re not burdened by expectations from your mother or anyone else. You can do whatever you want with your life now, right?”

“Yeah, I guess there’s still that,” Rusah admitted as she looked around. Her hands were becoming tense though. “But… I felt like it was my destiny. Maybe it was because of my mother… maybe it was because deep down I felt it…”

Miku blinked when she realized that Rusah was holding her hands tighter, it was starting to hurt her as heat started to grow in them. “Uh… you’re hurting me…”

“I don’t care what my mother says… you stole this from…” Rusah said before she was suddenly struck across the face by a burst of water as Omalah stepped forward.

“Let her go,” the Waterbender said with a growl.

Rusah glared at Omalah before finally letting go and stepping back. She stormed off with a huff in order to get dried off as Omalah walked up to Miku. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, she didn’t hurt me,” Miku said, rubbing her hands a bit. “She wanted to though…”

“Let’s get you out of here,” Omalah said. “You need some fresh air, maybe we can go back to the ship.”

Miku nodded, looking back towards Master Yao and Usani and waved at them, pointing towards the door. Yao nodded a bit as the two young women headed out together, no one seemed to notice them leave. Miku let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she said, looking at Omalah. “You really saved me back there.”

“Of course,” Omalah said, taking Miku’s hands gently in her’s. “Are you alright? I can call for Wei-Sun if she hurt you…”

“I’m fine, they’re just a little sore,” Miku said with a slight smile. “Thank you though.”

“Of course, any time,” Omalah said. “It’s my job to protect the Avatar after all.”

“That really means a lot,” Miku said as they stopped outside. “Listen, Omalah I…”

She was cut off by a feeling of a sharp pain in her chest. When she looked down she saw a dart sticking out of it, and as she reached for it, her vision started to turn blurry.

“Omalah, what’s…” Miku said, her speech slurring as she fell forward, the last thing she heard before her world turned black was the sound of Omalah falling next to her.

Chapter Text

“Did you see where they went?” Yao asked as he, Wei-Sun, and Usani made their way around the town looking for Miku and Omalah.

“I’m sorry, no, I only caught them heading outside,” Wei-Sun admitted, glancing at Usani. “If your daughter hadn’t…”

“My daughter was out of line and she will be dealt with by myself,” Usani interrupted as she shot Wei-Sun a look. “The Avatar likely would have left regardless, she was not particularly comfortable at the dinner.”

“She’s not used to being the center of attention,” Wei-Sun sighed. “This was a mistake, we should’ve…”

“Wei-Sun, calm yourself,” Yao said, gently raising his hand as he looked at his daughter. “This is not the time for this argument.”

“Yes father,” Wei-Sun said with a bow of her head. “I’m sorry.”

Yao gave her a slight nod before glancing at Usani. There was something that bothered him about this whole thing, the Clan Lord had insisted on the festival to begin with. While he knew that the Festival of the Risen Phoenix was an old tradition among the Fire Clans, a lot of this was strange.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but for now he needed to focus on finding Miku and Omalah. He wasn’t going to lose the Avatar so soon after finding her. He hoped that she was safe…

“Come on,” he said simply. “We need to find her. And this conversation is not over, Clan Lord.”

“Understood,” Usani said as they passed by an alleyway blocked off by a stone wall.

Yao paused for a moment as he took a step and glanced towards the wall. He sensed something in the earth, there was something behind that wall, or someone. He held a hand up and raised a finger to his lips to tell them to remain quiet as he stepped closer to the wall. He raised a hand and pulled it down, causing the wall to collapse.

He looked behind it, and found a familiar young woman in blue lying on the ground in a heap. He took a step back and shouted. “Wei-Sun! I need you!”

Wei-Sun’s eyes went wide as she ran forward and found Omalah lying there. She started checking her over, checking her pulse first.

“Her pulse is weak, but she’s still alive,” Wei-Sun said as she started taking out her medicinal ingredients and started working as quickly and carefully as she could. “She’s probably been poisoned, I should be able to wake her up.”

Yao nodded and looked around the alleyway, but saw no sign of Miku. Whoever had done this had probably either left Omalah there or moved her to throw them off the scent. So where did they go?

He noticed something on the ground and reached down and picked it up, finding a dart that likely had come from a blow dart gun. “Clan Lord Usani, come look at this. Do you recognize this?”

Usani narrowed her eyes and walked over to Yao, looking at the dart. “It’s Fire Clan make,” she said, carefully taking it and looking it over. “Clan Doragon doesn’t make darts like this. I’d have to guess it was maybe the Saowon Clan or one of the smaller clans.”

“Why would someone take Miku?” Wei-Sun asked as she finished what she was working on.

“Welcome to the Fire Clans,” Usani said with a sigh. “There is no civility here, only politics. Each Clan wants a way to get a leg up on the others, if one of them can get their hands on the Avatar, then they will have an advantage over the others.”

“Unfortunately it’s not the first time I’ve heard of this,” Yao said with a sigh. “There are always people who want to use the power of the Avatar for themselves. Miku should be allowed to make her own choices however. Isn’t that right, Usani?”

“Yes, of course,” Usani said after a moment.

“Take it easy,” Wei-sun said as Omalah slowly started to return to consciousness. “You’ve been out for a while.”

“Ugh… What hit me?” Omalah groaned as she looked around confused. “Where’s Miku?”

“We were hoping you might know,” Yao said with a frown on his face. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Omalah said as she blinked a bit, looking down at her chest. “Miku got hit with a dart, and then I felt a sharp pain in my chest… I didn’t get a good look at whoever it had been though.”

“You shouldn’t have gone without guards,” Usani said with a sigh, getting a look from Yao. “Right, not the time. I will lock down the seaport, no one will get off the island.”

“Assuming they don’t go inland,” Omalah said, finally shaking off the effects of the dart. “We need to find her.”

“We’ll find her,” Yao said with determination in his voice. “They can’t have taken her far, and someone had to have seen them.”

“Then let’s find her,” Omalah said, starting to get to her feet only to fall back onto her butt. “Ugh, nope… my body says otherise.”

“Take it easy, the poison is still in your system,” Wei-sun said.

Omalah sighed a bit as she shook her head. She had supposed to be the Avatar’s protector, but she had failed. This was embarrassing, but she wasn’t going to let these thugs get away with Miku. Wherever they were, she was going to make sure they were stopped.

She looked at the others and nodded, it was time to hunt.

00000

Miku’s eyes fluttered open as she woke up. She was lying against a wall with her hands bound behind her back. She glanced around as best she could, finding herself in a small room with no window and just a bit of light.

“Hello? Where am I?” She called out. “Omalah, are you here?”

“Your bodyguard isn’t here to protect you, girl,” a gruff male voice said as a slit opened in the door and a man looked inside. “You’re here until the boss comes.”

Miku shivered a bit at that, she was trapped and based on the looks of these walls she was in a place made to hold Firebenders. Even if she could get her hands free, she was pretty much stuck here. She let out a scream of frustration as she kicked at the wall, only getting a sharp pain in her leg for her trouble.

“Don’t bother, we’ve held tougher people in here than you,” the man said as he closed the slit again.

Miku sighed as she leaned back, this was just making things worse. She needed to figure out a way out of here and fast. This was not a good start to her career as the Avatar.

She pressed against the door and closed her eyes, she needed to try and hear anything she could if she wanted a chance to get out of here.

“I don’t like this, how did we get caught up in this mess?” A man’s voice said. “If she’s actually who the boss said she is…”

“A job is a job,” a woman’s voice said with a sigh. “It’s bad enough we had to leave the Waterbender behind, she might be able to make us.”

“We didn’t show ourselves to her, we’re going to be fine,” the man said. “I’m not that concerned about her giving anything away. Let’s just wait for our contact to arrive.”

Miku let out a sigh of relief, at least Omalah was okay. She didn’t like being stuck in this position, but at this point there wasn’t a lot she could do. She could only hope that an opportunity presented itself to her.

“If she’s really the Avatar, I mean… she might kick our butts with her…” A third man said.

“If she is really the Avatar, then she is still young and inexperienced based on what we were told,” the woman said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. “And besides, she’s currently tied up. I doubt she can make it out of there without help.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” a second woman said. “Alright, well we’ll wait for the contact. Hopefully we won’t be stuck here much longer.”

“Koku, I need you to stay out of sight,” the first woman said. “There aren’t many Earthbenders on this island, so the Clan Lord will go after any of them after that stunt you pulled.”

“Right… of course…” one of the men said. “I will lay low here in the safe house for now at least.”

“Good, then we will wait to see what this Order of the Silver Dragon wants with the Avatar,” the first woman said. “We need to make sure that she is secure, the last thing we need right now is to lose her.”

Miku paused for a moment at that. That was definitely useful information, apparently one of them was an Earthbender, and they had been hired by something called the Order of the Silver Dragon. That was something at least.

Order of the Silver Dragon… there was something about that at the back of her mind. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She shuddered a bit, there was something wrong about that, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She wondered if maybe it was from a previous life.

As the voices faded, she returned to her seat. She needed her strength if she was going to escape this prison.

00000

“We need to search the entire city,” Yao said. “If there’s a chance of finding her, we need to do it now.”

“I’m doing what I can, but there is a lot of territory out there,” Usani said as she unrolled a map of Caldera City and the port. “I’ve already locked down the gate leading out of Caldera City, though it’s hard to tell if it’s too late or not unfortunately.”

Omalah glanced over the map for a moment as the two older people discussed the plan. She was embarrassed that she had failed to save Miku when the attack had started. She should be out in the city looking for her instead of being in here.

“Omalah, what do you think we should do?” Yao asked, getting her attention.

“I don’t know,” Omalah admitted. “They could be anywhere in the city, or outside the city for that matter. If we had a tracker it might be able to help us find her.”

“I’ve heard stories about creatures from the Earth Kingdom that are skilled trackers,” Usani commented, looking over at Yao. “Creatures that supposedly Earth Kings and Queens use to deal with their political enemies.”

“You mean the Shirshu,” Yao said with a frown. He knew the rumors about what the Earth rulers did with those beasts, and that didn’t help her case. “Unfortunately, they are rather large creatures and would not keep well on a ship.”

“A shame, it would have been useful,” Usani said with a wave of her hand. “Do we have any other options?”

Omalah thought about it for a moment as she looked towards where the Stormchaser was docked. She wasn’t much of a tracker, but she might have an idea at least.

“What about Tsu Tsu?” She asked, turning to look at the two older people.

“Tsu Tsu?” Usani asked.

“Miku’s Basan,” Omalah said. “The two of them are companions, she might be able to find her.”

“Very well,” Usani said as she nodded to a servant. “Tell Seo-Jun to come here, I want him to escort these people in their search for the Avatar. I want one of my people involved in the search.”

“Yes Clan Lord,” the servant said with a bow as she went through the door.

A few minutes later a man walked into the room. He was dressed in simple robes with red and gold colors as well as the symbol of Clan Doragon. His hair was short cropped with a hat pulled over it and he had a thin mustache and glasses. “Clan Lord.”

“Seo-Jun here is my most trusted advisor,” Usani said as she turned to look at Yao and Omalah. “Ko, I want you to escort the two of them as they look for the missing Avatar. You are to help them to the best of your ability, understood?”

“Understood,” the man said with a respectful bow. “Shall we go then?”

Yao and Omalah nodded as they got up and the three of them headed out of the manor together.

00000

“Whoa girl, calm down,” a sailor said, trying to calm Tsu Tsu down as the Basan reared back, looking panicked. “We’re going to find Miku, I promise.”

“How long has she been like this?” Wei-Sun asked as she looked at Basan.

“Since before we learned that Miku was missing,” the sailor answered with a frown. “What can we do?”

“I don’t know,” Wei-Sun admitted. “We need to figure something out I guess… maybe we could…”

“Wei-Sun, is everything okay?” Yao asked as he walked down the stairs with Omalah and a man that Wei-Sun didn’t recognize. “What’s wrong with Tsu Tsu?”

“We might have to let her out,” Wei-Sun said. “She’s been like this all day since Miku went missing.”

“Okay, we’re hoping that she might be able to help track where they are keeping Miku,” Omalah said as she looked at Tsu Tus. “It’s alright girl, we’re going to find Miku, I promise.”

That seemed to calm Tsu Tsu down a bit as she looked at Omalah. She didn’t know or trust the Waterbender yet, but she could tell that she was telling the truth. She nodded her head slightly as Omalah took her reins.

“Alright, come on let’s…” Omalah started to say before Tsu Tsu bolted, pulling Omalah along the way down the hall.

Yao and Wei-Sun exchanged a look before taking off after the two of them. Seo-Jun chuckled a bit as he followed behind them. The four of them headed out of the below decks area and back out into the city proper.

00000

“Alright, put it on her,” one of the female captors said, throwing a hood to another one. “The boss says we need to move her farther out of town. We don’t want to draw too much attention.”

Miku was about to protest when the gag and hood was put over her face. She struggled as best she could against the bindings, but they were too tight. She let out a muffled scream of frustration as she was forced to walk out. She placed her fingers together, pushing at a ring that she wore as they stepped out of the building and onto a road, she could tell from the sound of her steps, and pushed it off so it fell to the ground.

“Keep moving,” a man’s voice said behind her. “We need to get out of town.”

Miku started walking, and closed her eyes. She needed to listen as best she could if she wanted to learn anything. She kept walking as they pushed her forward a bit, she moved into step with them, for now at least.

“You two,” one of the women said. “Set up an ambush point for anyone who is pursuing us. We need to get her to the secondary fallback point without drawing too much attention.”

“Yes ma’am,” two male voices said as there was the sound of feet moving away from the group.

“I don’t like this,” a second woman said. “We’re not supposed to be moving her in open daylight, we’re going to get caught at this rate, and I can’t get paid if I’m in prison or dead. This whole job was a bad idea.”

“It wouldn’t pay this well if it was a good idea,” the leader of the group commented with a bit of a chuckle. “We’re going to be just fine. Get her somewhere secure, and we’ll be able to get paid once the boss gets here.”

Miku struggled against her bounds, but they were behind her back and she could sense someone behind her. She needed to wait until the time was right to escape. Maybe if there was a distraction, she could do something.

Some Avatar she had proven to be so far. She couldn’t even escape a group of mercenaries.

00000

“Here!” Omalah said as Tsu Tsu came to a stop and started sniffing around a building on the edge of town. “She’s stopping here.”

“This is a warehouse,” Seo-Jun commented as he examined the building with a frown. “We use it to store food and supplies when it's not growing season, so it’s currently not being used. I suppose they figured that we wouldn’t have a reason to look here.”

“Of course,” Omalah said as she drew her swords and went to the door. “Hang back, I want to make sure it's clear.”

She pushed the door open slowly and glanced around. Unfortunately it was empty with no sign of anyone inside. There was no sign of any traps at least, that suggested that they had to leave quickly. She shook her head, of course it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“It’s empty,” she said as she looked back at the others. “Someone must have tipped them off.”

“Are you sure?” Yao asked.

“Seems to be the case, yes,”Omalah said, nodding to the others. “We should investigate, I need to see if they left any evidence behind.”

Yao nodded as he and Wei-Sun headed into the warehouse with Omalah. The Warehouse was empty, with a few signs of footprints as well as a door to a closet that looked like it had been recently occupied. Omalah checked the closet and frowned a bit as she looked back at the others.

“By the looks of things, they were using this to hold someone,” she said, looking at Yao. “If I had to guess, they were keeping Miku in here.”

“Alright, it doesn’t look like we…”

“I found something,” Wei-Sun said as she called the others over to where she was looking through a set of papers that had been discarded. “We might have a problem.”

“What is it?” Yao asked as he walked over to his daughter and looked over her shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Wei-Sun held up a piece of paper and Yao frowned as he looked at the paper with a familiar symbol on it. “Oh… that is a problem.”

Omalah walked over and looked at the paper and clenched her fist in anger as she stared at the image of the coiled Dragon. “The Order of the Silver Dragon… was it not enough that they killed the last Avatar?”

“They’re planning something, that’s for sure,” Yao said as he frowned a bit. “They couldn’t have gone far yet. I want to expand the search, start on the road and move out.”

The two women nodded and started towards the door. Omalah paused for a moment as she looked back at the closet, she might have failed her job to protect the Avatar, but she wasn’t going to let them get away with it.

“Let’s go,” she said as she turned and headed out the door. “They won’t get away with this, we’re going to find them and save Miku.”

“She is quite determined isn’t she?” Seo-Jun commented as Omalah walked past him.

“She is the Avatar’s Guard, so she takes this rather personally,” Wei-Sun answered with a nod. “Come on, we don’t want to fall behind her.”

The older man nodded in agreement as the four of them started to walk down the dirt road that led out of town with Tsu Tsu. Unfortunately there were a lot of signs of people moving along the road, so it was hard to tell any specific footprints.

Omalah glanced at the ground for a moment, looking for any signs of what might be able to help find where they might have taken her. She started walking down the road leading out of town before she finally found something, reaching down and picked up a ring that had symbols on it.

“Did you find something?” Yao asked.

“Maybe, I think she had a ring like this,” Omalah commented as she held it up. “She didn’t really bring a lot of jewelry with her.”

“Hmm…” Seo-Jun commented as he walked over to her and looked at the ring. “I believe that this is an old Fire Clan Tradition, mostly among the Taiyo and Saowan Clans. Families would pass them down from mother to daughter, perhaps she left it to tell us where she was being taken?”

Yao nodded a bit as he looked at him and the others with a nod. “Alright, we need to keep moving right now. We can’t linger too much or we might lose her.”

“Right,” Omalah said as she put the ring away, she got back up and looked forward. There weren’t a lot of signs of anything that might be a clue, but they couldn’t afford to miss anything right now.

As they walked down the road, the rest of the area beyond the city was now fairly empty. There were a few rocks and trees that were along the road, but no signs of anything else. Tsu Tsu shifted uncomfortably as she looked around for any sign of her partner.

“It’s okay, Tsu Tsu,” Omalah said as she patted the bird gently. “We’re going to…”

Tsu Tsu let out an alarmed squawk all of a sudden, and Omalah managed to just barely get out of the way as a burst of fire was sent at her. She drew one of her swords and opened her water pouch, pulling out the water as she and the others looked for the source of the attack.

“What’s going on?” Ko-Se-Tah asked as he took a few steps back away from the others. “I don’t like this…”

As he said that, two men came out from the nearby rocks and one of them sent another burst of fire at Omalah who countered with a water burst before running towards them. The second man slammed his foot into the ground and a rock flew up and went right at Omalah, causing her to flinch a bit as the rock seemed to follow her.

“Hold it right there,” Yao said, holding his hands up and catching the rock in time. “Omalah, go! Deal with the Firebender, I have this one!”

Omalah nodded as she looked right at the Firebender as the water flowed around her. She looked right at the Firebender who looked a bit nervous as he realized that she was coming right for him, sending more bursts of fire her way.

“Where did you take Miku!” She demanded as she slammed a burst of water right into his chest. “Tell me!”

“I’m not going to tell you anything…” he said as he started to create more fire, sending it right at her in a massive fireball. “You’re not going to find her, no matter how hard you try, she’s out of your reach now.”

“We’ll see about that,” Omalah said with a growl as she pulled the water back in time to form a shield of water to block the fireball, but she could still feel the heat searing her. “I don’t care what your boss wants, we’re going to make sure that you are stopped once and for all.”

“Lady, you’re crazy,” the firebender said as he held his hand up and sent another burst of fire right at her. “I’m not getting paid enough to do this.”

“Who’s paying you?” Omalah asked. “Who hired you?”

While Omalah was fighting against the Firebender, his companion was fighting against Yao. The older Earthbender was on the defensive at the moment as his opponent sent rocks at him. He raised a stone wall to protect himself, each stone starting to chip away at his guard.

“What is an Earthbender doing getting caught up in this?” He said to himself.

He took a deep breath as he watched his opponent start to move around towards him. He needed to move quickly if he wanted to catch them alive. But at the same time he had a bad feeling about this, why hadn’t they gone for a more aggressive attack?

“What is your game?” He asked, not expecting an answer as he pulled up a large stone and threw it right at the Earthbender, who raised a barrier of his own to try and block it. “Whoever hired you doesn’t care about you. Why don’t you tell us what’s really going on?”

“Sorry, I don’t give away my employer’s secrets,” the Earthbender said as he reached into the ground and pulled out a massive ball of stone that he then broke and sent a large number of shards right at Yao.

Seo-Jun at this point finally stepped in, creating a wave of fire that caught the stones and sent them falling onto the ground. He looked at Yao and gave him a nod. “It looks like you might need some help.”

“Thank you,” Yao said with a nod as the Firebender glared at the mercenary across from them.

“These thugs are not going to disrupt the work of my Mistress,” Seo-Jun said as he took in a breath and sent a breath of fire right at the Earthbender.

“Right, then we will work together,” Yao said.

He took a deep breath and brought up another rock, sending it flying right at the Earthbender as Seo-Jun sent a fire right at it, setting the rock on fire. The Earthbender’s eyes went wide as he dodged out of the way, letting it hit the ground behind him.

Yao was an older man, but he had been training most of his life to use his body and Earthbending to the best of his ability despite his age. He needed to focus if he wanted to deal with this, but he couldn’t risk killing him if he wanted to get information.

“Try not to burn him too badly,” he said to Seo-Jun. “We need at least one of them alive.”

“Of course,” the Firebender said. “Hopefully your young friend realizes the same.”

Yao glanced at Omalah who was currently dodging out of the way of fire attacks. Her opponent was clearly working to keep her out of range of being able to use her swords. She was barely able to use her water to protect herself from the incoming attacks.

“Well, she’s certainly capable of protecting herself,” Yao said as he sent another stone right at his opponent.

Omalah adjusted her stance as she glared at the Firebender. She needed to change her tactics if she wanted to deal with this right now. She dug her heels into the ground and then ran right at her opponent, using the water to form a shield in front of her.

“What the… you’re insane!” The firebender said, sending bursts of fire at her.

Omalah went low, feeling the heat of the flames above her head as she did. She finally raised her hand and sent the water right into the Firebender, turning it into ice and freezing him in place as she did.

“Now, we’re going to have a nice civil conversation,” she said with a scowl. “And you’re going to tell me what you know.”

Meanwhile Yao raised a hand and the rocks formed around his opponent’s legs and chest, trapping him in place. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked at him and then over towards Omalah who was finished as well.

“We need to keep moving,” Yao said, looking at Omalah. “We can’t linger here too long.”

“You two certainly made a mess of these mercenaries,” Wei-Sun said as she stepped forward and checked on the two of them who were now trying to escape.

“They might know something,” Omalah said as she looked at the Firebender. “You two kidnapped a good friend of ours. So, how about you start talking?”

“We will go ahead,” Seo-Jun said, nodding to Yao. “We can handle anything the rest of them may throw at us.”

“Agreed,” Yao said as he nodded to Omalah and Wei-Sun. “Take these two back to the Lord’s Palace. We will meet up with you again when we get the chance.”

“Of course,” Wei-Sun said as she grabbed the Firebender while Omalah grabbed the Earthbender and they both headed back towards the city.

00000

“Incompetence, I am surrounded by complete incompetence,” a male voice that Miku didn’t recognize said. She was still bound in a new safe house, though at least this time she was in a room bigger than a closet.

“Look, you hired us to do a job,” the woman who was in charge snapped back. “It's not…”

“Not what? Not your fault? You’re the ones who left the Waterbender behind,” the male voice said as Miku pressed against the door. “The only reason they haven’t tracked you all down already is because you sent those two to try and distract the searchers.”

There was a pause, Miku paused for a long moment as she tried to listen. Either they weren’t saying anything or they were being so quiet she couldn’t hear them. This was getting frustrating, she needed to get out of here.

She looked around the room, if she could find a way to free herself. There wasn’t a lot in the room, so clearly they had worked to try and clear this room out. All she needed to do was find something that might give her a way to free her hands.

She took a deep breath, she needed to focus. She finally saw what she needed, a small piece of metal that was missed in the rush. She carefully picked it up and started to use it to cut through her bounds.

The door opened and she quickly slid it into her sleeve. A taller man was standing in front of her, but he was wearing a mask that covered his features. The mask was more draconic and painted silver with a fierce look.

“So, you are the new Avatar,” the man said in a voice that was muffled by the mask he was wearing. “You aren’t much to look at.”

“How about you let me out of these bounds and I’ll show you just how dangerous I actually am,” Miku said with a scowl. “Why did you take me? What are you planning?”

“I’m not some fool who monologues their plans… especially to someone like you,” the man replied. “You will understand our purpose soon enough.”

Miku growled and started to try and kick at him, but he just threw her onto the bed. She flinched a bit as the metal piece she had grabbed dug into her skin, but she did what she could to hide her pain.

“You’re going to serve us, Avatar,” he said simply as he turned and started to walk away.

“I’m not going to serve monsters like you,” Miku hissed.

The man paused for a moment and turned to look at her. “Monsters? We are simply attempting to build a future for the Fire Clans. You are going to be the best chance we have at building that, so you will stay here, for now.”

He slammed the door behind him as the door was locked. Miku got up and headed to the door, listening carefully as she slid out the piece of metal and started to work on the bindings again.

“Do not allow her to leave that room,” the man ordered. “Keep her here until things cool down.”

“But we are being…” The second woman started to say.

“I will make sure that they don’t pursue you further,” the man said with scorn in his voice. “Once her friends are convinced she is no longer on the island, we will make sure she is moved to the next location.”

“You’re going to leave us here? We’re vulnerable as long as…” the second woman started to say before she was cut off by a scream. It took Miku a moment to realize it was coming from the woman.

“You will do as we say,” the man hissed. “After you fools botched the job, the capital is now on too high alert to move her to the primary location. So you are going to do your job, or I will remind you of what the Order of the Silver Dragon does with its failures. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir,” she said weakly.

“I will send more men to support you,” the man said and started to walk out. “Do not let her escape.”

“Yes sir,” the lead woman said. “We’ll make sure she’s kept safe.”

Miku went back to the bed as she finally felt the bindings becoming loose. She slid her hands out of them, rubbing to get the feeling back in her hands. Now the next step was to get out of here.

She took a deep breath, and used her fire to start melting a hole in the wall. This would take a while, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

00000

“Look lady, I don’t know where they took the Avatar,” the Firebender said as Omalah glared at him. “We were just hired to do a job.”

“Odd that someone would hire you to kidnap someone they claim is the Avatar,” Omalah said as she glared at him. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

She took a long look at him, and shook her head before she headed back out of the room where he was being held. “Fine, we’ll had you over to the Clan Lord then, I’m sure she won’t appreciate mercenaries working in her lands. And I’ve heard a few horror stories about her interrogators.”

She closed the door behind her and came out into the hallway where Wei-Sun and Yao were waiting for her.

“No luck from him either?” Yao asked.

“Unfortunately no,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not much of an interrogator unfortunately. We can only hope that handing them over to Usani might be enough of a threat.”

“She’s already demanding to see them,” Yao said with a frown.

“I don’t want to hand them over to her unless we have to,” Omalah said with a shake of her head. “We’ve got to go through all our options before we do that. Miku is in danger, and I don’t know if we can afford to take the time that they’d probably need.”

“So, what should we do then?” Wei-Sun asked.

“We need to figure out where they took Miku somehow,” Yao said simply. “If the Order of the Silver Dragon is involved, that’s a bigger concern than anything else right now.”

“Right… hopefully we can figure something…” Omalah started to say when she was cut off by someone running past them. “Hey!”

“Sorry!” The woman said quickly. “I need to inform the Clan Lord! Wait, you're a Waterbender, you might be able to help, there’s a fire farther inland, it looks like it might start to spread!”

Yao, Omalah, and Wei-Sun exchanged a look. It would be too much of a coincidence if that happened right now. They started to run out of the manor, they could only hope that Miku was involved in this somehow.

As they made their way out of the manor however, they saw that Tsu Tsu was once more acting restless. Omalah walked up to her and gently patted her on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, we’re going to find her,” she said, doing what she could to reassure the Basan.

“I think she might know where to go,” Wei-Sun said. “She’s reacting to something.”

“Alright then,” Omalah said as she climbed onto Tsu Tsu’s back. “Show us where Miku is!”

She barely was able to hold on as the Basan ran off down the road that led down the side of the Caldera.

00000

Miku groaned as she slipped through the hole in the wall she had been creating. She looked around, seeing that she was in the middle of an area of hills hidden away from the rest of the area. She could barely make out the caldera that rested above the harbor in the distance, which at least gave her a direction to go in.

“Alright Miku…” she said to herself as she started walking as fast as she could away from the house that she had been kept in. It was going to be a bit of a trek, but she needed to get out of here if she wanted to find the others and hopefully find a way to get these people arrested. “You can do this.”

She didn’t like having to move alone. It was odd, with everything that she had ever been through, she hadn’t really been alone for a while. Even growing up, Yama had always been there for her when she needed someone.

But now she was all on her own, so she needed to make sure that she could figure this out.

As she walked, the encounter with the strange masked man that she had seen. She didn’t recognize his voice, but she got a strange feeling around him. Like she had seen him recently, but she didn’t know where.

As she made her way over one of the hills, she saw a bird starting to take flight overhead. Her eyes went wide when she realized it was a Fire Hawk, a common sight among the Fire Clans to communicate with each other. It glanced down at her, but kept flying away from her.

“That’s bad…” Miku said as she cursed under her breath a bit. She glanced behind her to see that the mercenaries were already starting to move out of the house, clearly they had figured out that she had escaped. 

That definitely was not a good sign, but this was something she could deal with, hopefully. She quickly started making her way down the hill, hoping that she wouldn’t draw the attention of whoever was looking for her.

She walked on in silence for a while, trying not to think about what might be waiting for her up ahead. As she reached the road, she could hear footsteps on the road ahead, that was not a good sign.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me…” She muttered. Looking around there were a few rocks that would probably at least be able to hide her. She quickly moved behind one of the largest of the rocks and held her breath as best she could, she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

The sound of footsteps was heard on the road. For a moment she thought that they were going to pass her by, when the steps suddenly came to a stop.

“We know you’re hiding there, Avatar,” a woman’s voice said from the road. “You didn’t hide your footprints. Come on out and make this easier.”

Miku cursed a bit to herself as she started to get up. There wasn’t a lot she could do at this point other than maybe hope that her friends were able to find her. She wasn’t going to go back with them.

“Alright, I’m coming out,” she said, holding her hands up as she came out from behind the rock.

She looked out at the gathered people with the woman at the lead. Most of them looked like mercenaries, but she noticed that the woman at the lead had a cape with a clasp with a silver Dragon on it. The mercenaries had drawn their weapons as they looked at her, clearly expecting a fight.

“Well, that wasn’t so hard,” the woman said with a smirk as she looked Miku over. “You’re the Avatar then?”

“I am,” Miku said as she started to create a flame in her hands. “You’re not going to take me back though. I just want to get back to my friends.”

“Such a shame,” the woman said as she reached to her waist and drew out a Katana, running her hand along it as fire ignited along the blade. “Now, I’m going to take you back to the safe house, whether you like it or not.”

Miku took a fighting stance as she looked around at the mercenaries. “Very well then… if I have to fight you and your men, then I will do it.”

“Take her,” the woman said as she pointed her blade right at Miku.

The mercenaries nodded as they held their weapons aloft and headed right for Miku. Miku ignited the fires in her hands as one of them got close with a sword. She dodged out of the way out of one of the attacks, she didn’t have a lot of armor right now so she had to deal with this and fast.

She didn’t have much of a choice right now but to fight. She raised her hand and sent a burst of fire right into the nearest mercenaries. She didn’t have the time to show off, she needed to get through this and hopefully maybe somehow she could escape these mercenaries before they could capture her.

A sword struck her across the back, despite herself she let out a cry of pain. She needed to focus, this wasn’t getting her anywhere. She sent out a wave of fire that knocked them back, running towards the road. Right now she needed to focus on getting out of here.

“Keep going… we are with you… you are not alone…”

Miku blinked a moment, but didn’t break her stride, knocking down a final mercenary that had tried to get in her way as she started running at top speed. But deep down she knew that she needed to do more than this, she knew she couldn’t keep up this pace forever and they’d catch her eventually.

It didn’t even get to that, as a sudden burning feeling wrapped around her ankle and she was tripped, falling to the ground. She turned in time to see the leader of the group walking forward, holding a burning whip in her hand.

“A valiant effort, but I’m afraid this is the end of your little escape attempt,” the woman said with a shake of her head as her mercenaries surrounded Miku. “Now, come quietly.”

Miku paused for a moment and closed her eyes. Flashes of memories went through her mind, things that she didn’t recognize, but also instinctively knew they were her memories. She felt a hand on her’s, and looked up to see a specter of a woman dressed in fine clothes as she gave Miku a nod.

“You are never alone, Avatar Miku.”

Miku gripped her fists as fire began to burn from them that shone with blue energy. As she opened her eyes to look at the Silver Dragon mercenaries, her eyes had begun glowing white as energy flowed around her. The streak of red in her hair began to glow with the same energy as she stared at the leader.

“This is your last chance to run,” she said, and despite the woman’s confidence she looked afraid all of a sudden.

“We’re not going to back down, attack!”

Miku raised her hands as fire swirled around her. She threw them outwards and waves of fire struck them, sending the mercenaries backwards, the fire burning the area around her. She walked forward towards the woman, grabbing the sword out of her hand and pulling it away, throwing it to the ground as the fire around her melted the blade.

She could feel the power running through her body. It was as if the power of all the previous Avatars were working through her. She was no longer just bending fire.

She was fire.

The woman looked at her afraid. Miku raised a hand, despite herself she was tempted to end her right now. But she stopped, dropping the fire and then punching her hard enough to knock her out.

The fire around her started to dissipate… it was a strange sensation, and she felt dizzy as she fell to the ground unconscious. She could barely hear the familiar sound of something moving along the dirt road ahead at top speed as her world went black.

00000

When Miku woke up again, everything was still blurry. She felt the movement of a ship under her feet… had the Order of the Silver Dragon put her on a ship? She pulled herself up out of the bed, she wasn’t bound anymore at least, so that was probably a good sign.

She stumbled around for a moment before finding the door… to her surprise it was unlocked. She pushed the door open, but between the dizziness and the ship’s movements, she stumbled forward and...

Into a warm embrace. It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen into Omalah’s grip, the Waterbender holding her in close.

“Omalah…” She said weakly, tears streaming down her face. “You found me…”

“You sent up quite a signal,” Omalah said, holding the other woman carefully in her arms. “I’m never going to let them get you again…"

Miku smiled and closed her eyes, pressing gently against Omalah and just enjoying the moment of closeness to the Waterbender. “Thank you…”

Omalah smiled as she held the weakened Avatar gently in her arms. She carried her back to the bed and carefully placed her down in it. “You need to rest a bit longer, but you’re going to be okay.”

Miku placed her hand on Omalah’s arm. “Can you stay with me?”

Omalah nodded. “Of course… for a while at least.”

00000

“I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay,” Usani said as she walked with Yao on the deck of the Stormguard . A couple of days had passed since Miku had been recovered and the ship was being prepared for departure. “Clan Doragon can provide support and protection to the Avatar.”

“We have to get to The Air Empire I’m afraid,” Yao said. “Miku is recovering as best she can, but we cannot stay much longer. And I don’t want to put her at further risk. And I doubt your daughter would be happy with it.”

“I understand, hopefully these supplies will get you where you need to be,” Usani said. “Rusah is back in my home for now, she will take some time to understand. Hopefully, everything will be okay in time.”

“Of course,” Yao said as Miku and Omalah came out from below decks.

“Avatar Miku,” Usani said with a bow. “I am sorry for what happened to you under my protection. If there is anything I can do.”

“No, I think I’ll be okay,” Miku said with a nervous smile. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Of course,” Usani said as Seo-Jun came up next to her.

“Clan Lord, Master Yao, Lady Omalah… Avatar. Everything is loaded up on the ship,” he said. “They should be ready to go whenever they are ready.”

“Of course Seo-Jun, thank you for your help,” Yao said. “We probably would’ve lost her without your help.”

“Of course,” Seo-Jun said as he looked at Miku.

“Thank you for…” Miku started to say when something clicked in her mind.

That voice…

That look…

She remembered the voice of the masked man. He sounded like him… the same feeling she had gotten before when faced with him. He had been at the dinner, but she barely remembered who he was.

This man had been at the safe house. He had been behind her kidnapping. But there was no way to prove it.

“Everything…” she said softly as Seo-Jun bowed respectfully.

“Of course,” he said. “Safe travels, and may the spirits guide you all to your destination.”

With that, the two of them departed the ship. Miku watched them go for a long moment as she tried not to look afraid.

“Miku, are you okay?” Omalah asked.

“I… I don’t know…” Miku said. “I just… I got a really bad feeling around him.”

“Come on, let’s get out of their way,” Omalah said as the crew started to cast off the lines to prepare to depart Doragon Island.

Chapter Text

A few days passed as the Stormguard passed to the north of the Fire Islands. On this particular day, Miku was on the bow of the ship with Tsu Tsu, looking out to the north towards their destination.

It was strange being so far away from the Fire Islands. She had become so used to the warmth and the smell of the volcanoes that it was strange to think that people lived so differently. It was almost like she was in a completely different world now instead of her home.

She was about to turn to Tsu Tsu again when there was a sound above them. Two large furry creatures with six legs and horns flew over her head, both of them had people on their backs who were clearly dressed like soldiers, and they looked down at the ship.

“Raise your sails and prepare for inspection,” one of the soldiers on the flying animal called down to the Stormguard .

“The Air Empire’s Sky Bison patrols,” Omalah commented as she came up behind Miku. “This isn’t normal for them. I don’t like this.”

“What do we do?” Miku asked.

“The only thing we can do is hope they don’t keep us for very long,” Omalah said. “The Air Temples are the best chance we have at finding you an Airbending Teacher, but it isn’t the only option if we have to.”

Miku nodded as the Stormguard raised its sails as the Sky Bisons flew down and the soldiers jumped down onto the deck. Getting a better look at them, they weren’t dressed like she had seen soldiers back home were like. Instead they were dressed in flowy robes with light armoring, both of them were shaved bald with tattoos of arrows that were not filled in on their heads.

Shen approached the two of them, giving a respectful bow. “Welcome aboard the Stormguard , may the winds be at your backs and the skies clear.”

“And to you as well,” a woman soldier said with a nod as she bowed slightly. “I apologize for the inconvenience. However we have had issues recently with smugglers, so we need to search all incoming shipping.”

Miku glanced at them as Master Yao considered his response carefully. This was her first actual encounter with the Air Empire, so this was something that she wasn’t sure what to do about. The soldiers looked at Yao expectantly as if waiting for him to say something.

“Very well, we are simply traveling to the Western Air Temple after finishing our business in the Fire Islands,” Yao said as he gave her a slight nod. “We have nothing to hide, do whatever you need to do.”

The soldier nodded and looked at the others who went to start investigating the ship, but she didn’t seem to be interested in helping them. She turned to look back at Yao, looking him over.

“What is an Earth Sage doing sailing a ship in our waters?” She asked. “And going to one of the Temples for that matter.”

Yao paused for a moment as he looked at her calmly. He clearly was considering his answer carefully as he glanced back at Miku for a moment. She tilted her head a bit, Master Yao was an Earth Sage? That was certainly news to her. This was new information to her, and she wasn’t sure what to make of this.

Was he going to be honest with  her about who she was? That made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.

“I am on business from the Earth Queen,” he answered simply. “She has tasked me with meeting with the four nations in regards to the search for the next Avatar. We have completed our search in the Fire Islands and are preparing for the next step.”

“Yes, it has been some time since the death of Avatar Liu,” the soldier said, softening a bit. “But relations with the Fire Clans have been strained since the War of the Burning Tempest.”

Miku quietly walked away from them with Omalah. They headed down to her quarters as the soldiers were finishing up in this section, not paying them much attention.

“This is weird,” Omalah said as the two of them settled in. “I’ve passed through AIr Empire territory many times and they’ve never been like this.”

“What do you think is going on?” Miku asked. “I don’t know a lot about the Air Empire. I’ve heard about the last conflict between the Fire Clans and them, but that's really about it.”

“The Air Empire has always worked to maintain a balance between their political and spiritual leaders,” Omalah said. “The current Emperor of the Four Winds however… some believe he may be a bit too ambitious for his own good, and this is straining things with the Monks.”

“Oh… I see,” Miku said as she looked up towards the ceiling. “I honestly don’t know what to think. It feels like I’m being pulled in several directions.”

“You’re going to do just fine,” Omalah said as the door opened again and Wei-Sun came in, looking a bit annoyed. “Is everything alright, Wei-Sun?”

“They kicked me out of my own space,” Wei-Sun said with an annoyed look on her face. “This is getting out of hand, isn’t there something we can do?”

“I don’t know,” Miku admitted as she ran a hand through her hair. “This is a very strange situation for me… being the Avatar is going to take a lot of getting used to to be honest.”

“I can imagine,” Wei-Sun said with a slight nod. “But still, it's kind of annoying that it won’t get us out of random searches.”

“Well, we’ll manage to get through this,” Miku said with a nod. She paused for a moment as she thought about what to say next. There was a lot on her mind at the moment but she had been thinking about something. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Wei-Sun answered.

“We’re not going to be able to travel by ship forever, especially once we get to the Earth Kingdom,” Miku said. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you come with us?”

Wei-Sun looked a bit surprised at the question. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I know,” Miku said as she looked over at Omalah. “But I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. We’re going to get into fights, so having someone who can heal would be very useful, and… well…”

“Alright, I’ll go with you, but I’ll need to talk to my Father and Captain Shen,” Wei-Sun said with a nervous smile.

“Well then… Team Avatar?” Omalah asked with a grin.

“Team Avatar?” Miku asked.

“It’s what my moms called their old group with Avatar Liu.”

“Alright, Team Avatar then,” Miku said with a smile. “We’re going to figure this out together.”

“Together,” The other two young women said.

00000

“Very well then, everything seems to be in order,” the soldier said as she climbed back onto the back of her Sky Bison. “You can make port at Andhee for now. If you are to go to the Western Air Temple, you will have to inform the local Magistrate.”

“Understood,” Yao said as the Air Empire soldiers flew off.

“That went about as well as could be expected,” Shen commented as he walked over to Yao. “My crew isn’t exactly happy with the delay.”

“Better to start like this without drawing attention to ourselves,” Yao said as Miku, Omalah, and Wei-Sun walked out from below decks. “They didn’t give you three any trouble, did they?”

“I’m still going to have to check my herbs to make sure that they didn’t confiscate anything,” Wei-Sun said with an annoyed tone. “They ransacked the whole place, but it should be fine hopefully.”

“No problem with us,” Miku said. “What did they want?”

“Smugglers,” Yao said as the ship started sailing towards Andhee. “It’s becoming a common problem in these waters I’m afraid.”

Miku looked at the growing town in the distance. She still had a lot of questions about the Air Empire, but she was going to have to learn them herself. Hopefully she would have her friends there to help her figure it out.

“Hopefully we won’t have much trouble when we get there,” she said.

“Well, only one way to find out,” Shen said, though he was clearly a bit annoyed by the accusation. “Let’s go.”

00000

Andhee was a fairly small coastal town, the Air Empire moved most of its supplies by air so there was rarely any need for them to have ships, but they had built Andhee for trade with their southern neighbors for any needs that the locals or the Temple might have.

Miku stepped off the Stormguard with Yao, Omalah, Wei-Su, and Tsu Tsu in tow. There were a few people around, mostly dressed in the garb of the locals, but she saw a few people dressed in the garb of the Fire clans and even some people from the Earth Kingdom. “Huh… so this is Andhee.”

“I’ve been here a few times,” Omalah said. “This time feels a bit different though.”

Miku glanced around, she had to admit she could feel it too. There was a tension in the air, and she couldn’t place her finger on why. She glanced over, spotting a group of travelers in the garb of monks walking past them. They gave her a slight nod as they headed towards a streetside stand not that far away.

She was about to say something when there was the sound of a scuffle coming from up ahead. She turned to see that a woman dressed in clothes similar to Omalah was at a stand up ahead, getting into an argument with the merchant. She didn’t look particularly happy to be in this argument, and the merchant was yelling something at her.

“Oh, that’s a problem,” Omalah commented as she saw what was going on. “We should probably not get involved in this.”

“Why? I mean… aren’t they…” Miku started to say.

“Right now we need to keep a low profile unfortunately,” Yao said as they started walking in a different direction. “I don’t like it either, but we aren’t ready to tell the Air Empire about you, at least not yet.”

“Oh, yeah that makes sense,” Miku said softly as they started walking again. She was still a bit bothered by having to leave things like that, but she didn’t have much of a choice, Master Yao was right. 

Omalah meanwhile seemed even more concerned than Miku was. She was unconsciously moving her hand towards the sword at her waist, glancing back towards the street they had turned away from.

“Omalah, are you okay?” Wei-Sun asked.

“That woman was part of the Southern Waves fleet of the Wandering Water Tribe,” Omalah commented with a concerned look on her face. “Their sailing waters are normally far to the southwest of here, I don’t know what they’re doing here.”

“Omalah, don’t do anything fool…” Yao started to say as Omalah turned down another side street. “Just like her mothers…”

“Should we follow her?” Miku asked.

“We need to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble at least,” Wei-Sun said.

“Alright, let’s go,” Yao said in agreement.

00000

Omalah made her way down the street back towards where she had seen the commotion before. She was about to head that way when she felt a hand grab at her arm and pull her into the alleyway.

“What are you doing?” The man hissed. He was an older man with lightly tanned skin and a neatly trimmed beard, he was dressed in blue and white furs with the sleeves torn off showing a sea dragon tattoo that wrapped around his arm.

“I thought…”

“She’s going to be fine,” the man said with a sigh. “I don’t know what your business is in the Air Empire, but I would get out of here as soon as you can.”

Omalah blinked a bit as she looked at the man. It took her a moment to recognize him as Kotal, one of the leaders of the Southern Waves Fleet. That just confused her even more at this point as she looked at him.

“What’s going on here?” She asked quietly.

Kotal paused a moment before letting go of her. After a moment the young woman came around the corner and looked at Kotal. “Father.”

“What’s going on here?” Omalah asked. “Why are you two even here?”

The two of them looked uncomfortable for a moment as if they weren’t sure how to answer that question. Kotal sighed a bit as he ran a hand through his long hair before finally speaking again.

“We ran into some trouble on a supply run here,” he admitted. “One of our ships was detained for suspicion of attempting to smuggle goods to the Western Air Temple.”

“Wait, what?” Omalah asked. “Why would…”

“Look, we’ve had a rough few years in the south,” the girl said as she crossed her arms. “And this just makes things worse, everyone thinks we’re criminals. If they think we’re…”

“Kelani, calm down,” Kotal said. “Getting angry isn’t going to get us anywhere. We’re not in a particularly stable situation right now. Unfortunately, the Air Empire has several of our people in custody on suspicion of smuggling.”

“Why would they even care if you were getting goods to one of their temples?” Omalah asked. “What’s going on?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Kotal admitted as he looked away from her. “It wasn’t like this last time we came through here. It seems like things are getting tense between the ruling government and the temples, and it’s just getting worse.”

“Right… Master Yao said something about that,” Omalah said. “But that is a problem, we need to get to the Western Air Temple.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think any outsiders are getting there right now,” Kotal said with a shake of his head. “We’re barely tolerated here as it is.”

“That is definitely a problem for us,” Omalah said.

“And where have you been?” Kelani asked as she looked at Omalah. “The last time we met your family we were told you left with an Earth Sage. But they didn’t say much other than that.”

“We’ve been traveling around the Fire Islands,” Oalah answered as simply as she could, there wasn’t much reason to lie about that. “Our business is our own.”

“Oddly suspicious I’d have to say,” Kelani said as she looked Omalah up and down. “How do we know you’re not a spy?”

“Why would I spy on my own people?” Omalah asked with an annoyed look on her face. “I just showed up in town today. I don’t know anything about what’s going on around here.”

“Right, then you should come with us,” Kotal said. “We have a lot to talk about, and I’d rather be away from prying eyes and ears.”

Omalah looked at the two of them, but nodded and followed them as they started to walk off together.

00000

“Where did she go?” Miku asked as she looked around the street.

“I don’t like this,” Wei-Sun said with a frown. “This isn’t like Omalah, she doesn’t normally run off like this.”

Yao frowned a bit as he stroked his chin. He agreed that this was strange, but the fact of the matter was that Omalah tended to be sensitive when it came to her people, usually for understandable reasons. The real question was what was going on with the Wandering Water Tribe members.

He needed to get answers, but he wasn’t sure how to get them.

“I may need to hit up some of my contacts here,” he said with a frown. “Something is going on here, and I don’t like it. Come with me.”

Miku and Wei-Sun exchanged a look as they followed after the Earthbender. He made his way down the street, moving past the inhabitants and a few soldiers. Miku and Wei-Sun exchanged a look as neither of them were sure where they were going or what was going on.

“Do you know anything about this?” Miku asked her quietly.

“I don’t know, he’s always been like this,” Wei-Sun said with a shrug as they kept walking towards wherever Yao was going. “Regardless of where we are, he tends to know someone who might be able to help.”

“Curious,” Miku said.

The three of them reached a tea house that was in a more out of the way part of town. Yao glanced around for a moment before heading inside.

“Miku, tell me, have you ever played Pai Sho?” Yao asked as they walked into the teahouse together.

“Pai Sho? No, I can’t say that I have,” Miku said, looking a bit confused as she looked at Wei-Sun who just shrugged.

“Interesting, I’ve heard that many past Avatars have been masters of Pai Sho,” Wei-Sun said as she looked a bit thoughtful for a moment.

“Pai Sho is an ancient game that goes back thousands of years. It is said that the spirits were the ones who originally invented it,” Yao said as he looked around at the other people in the teahouse. He spotted a woman who was seated at a table with barely visible airbender tattoos. “Ah, here we are. Allow me some time, you two get some tea.”

Miku and Wei-Sun exchanged a look for a moment as Yao went to sit across from the woman. Miku went to get some tea, she had to admit while she was curious, Yao seemed to know what he was doing so she didn’t want to bother him. She glanced back towards him occasionally, watching the two talk.

“I was not expecting to see you here,” the Airbender said as she looked Yao over. “What brings you this far away from the Earth Kingdom?”

“I may have found something of great value to our mutual friends,” Yao said, keeping his tone quiet as he looked over at Miku and Wei-Sun. “We need some way to be discreet as well as get any information on the local situation.”

“Perhaps I can arrange something then,” the Airbender said as she glanced over at the young Firebender. She leaned in and spoke to him in a hushed tone. “Is she… Did you find her?”

Yao paused for a moment as he held a Pai Sho tile in his hand, glancing at the Airbender for a moment. “I have, yes.”

“This is concerning, how have we not been informed of this yet?”

“She is still young, and is not yet used to her powers, so I believed it was not time just yet,” Yao answered as he looked at her. “I would request that you respect that for now, understood?”

“Very well,” the Airbender said as she got up. “I will arrange for what you need. If there is nothing else, then I will go and speak with the others. Meet me this evening at the old temple.”

Yao nodded as he got up too. The two of them parted ways as he headed back over to where Miku and Wei-Sun were seated. “We have our contact. If there is nothing else, we should find a place to stay for our time here.”

“Okay, but, shouldn’t we find Omalah?” Miku asked, looking a bit worried. “She can’t have gotten too far, right?”

“Maybe,” Yao said. “But in a while we need to get to the old Temple.”

“The old Temple?” Miku asked as they started to walk out of the teahouse. “What kind of temple?”

“The Air Monks used to have smaller temples around the Empire,” Yao answered as they started to walk. “But they have been in their main temples for a while now.”

Miku frowned a bit, things in the Air Empire were not all good. Being the Avatar was going to be difficult if she had to deal with problems like this. But who had Master Yao talked to? There was something weird about this meeting, and she honestly wasn’t entirely sure if she could trust the older Earthbender right now.

Part of her wished she was back at home… but at the same time, this was better than being stuck under her father’s thumb. She looked at Wei-Sun and she gave her a reassuring nod.

She just had to hope that it was really going to be okay.

00000

Omalah was a bit confused as she was led outside of town and down a road leading west. Any time she tried to ask questions of Kotal and Kelani were quickly silenced. The two other Water Tribe members were clearly not happy with her presence, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it at this point.

Finally after a bit of walking they reached their destination. A bay that was mostly hidden away from the outside world, inside it were a number of Water Tribe vessels along with a camp that was on the beach.

“What is this?” She asked.

“For now, it's home,” Kelani replied with a sigh. 

“The Air Empire didn’t let us dock our fleet at Andhee,” Kotal added as he started walking towards the tents. “But they’re also not letting us leave as long as they suspect us of trying to smuggle goods to the Western Air Temple.

Omalah looked around as she went past the tents. A lot of the people that were here looked tired, or even hungry. They gave her a few strange looks, but most of them ignored her. 

“How long are you going to be stuck here?” Omalah asked.

“We don’t know,” Kotal admitted as he turned around and looked at her. “The fact of the matter is that we are getting restless. We need to be allowed to leave so that we may return to our search.”

“Your search?” Omalah asked as she looked at him confused.

“For the southern passage,” Kotal answered simply.

Omalah nodded, understanding what he meant. There were a number of stories, especially from the Waterbender Pirates like Cewan, of a passage to the southern pole that could lead to more inhabitable land much like the Arctic settlements of the Northern Water Tribe. Most members of the Wandering Water Tribe considered it to be little more than rumors from pirates, not the most trustworthy of people, but just as many believed that it might be real.

Omalah’s mothers believed that it was at least possible, but had never given much credence to it, preferring to focus on their own work. But if it was possible… it could become a home for the Tribe.

“Is there any…” Omalah started to say when there was a commotion at the other end of the camp.

Kotal and Kelani suddenly became tense. Omalah turned in time to see that a number of Air Bison were landing on the other side of the camp with soldiers leaping off their backs.

“It’s another raid… come, we need to deal with this,” Kotal said as he ran between the tents with Kelani close behind him.

Omalah paused for a moment, looking back towards town. She needed to get back to Miku and the others, but these people were part of her tribe. She needed to know what was going on, and she needed to know fast.

She followed after them, placing one hand on a sword as she did. If this was going to be a fight, she was going to be ready for it.

00000

Miku looked around, it took her a moment to realize that they were in a temple that looked oddly familiar… despite the fact that she had never been here before. While there was no one here, other than a few statues that looked to be very old, something about this place felt like it was more to her… but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Yao and Wei-Sun were ahead of her talking about something, but she wasn’t paying attention to them. As she walked past one of the statues she paused and turned to look at it. Seated before her was a statue of an Airbender. Looking at the statue, she had a hard time telling their gender.

“Avatar Tonah,” Yao commented as he came up behind Miku. “They were the last Air Avatar, during the War of the Burning Tempest. They helped found this temple and many others across the early Empire.”

“I thought this place felt familiar,” Miku commented. “I guess that’s… their memories?”

“Of course, now let’s get moving, we need to get to the upper levels,” Wei-Sun said, gesturing forward. “The Airbenders always build up if they can, they will likely want to meet us there.”

Miku nodded as the three of them headed up a set of stairs. At the top they saw a pair of women facing away from the way they were coming. Miku was about to say something when she realized what they were doing. They were looking into the sky in the distance where there was smoke in the sky.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“There’s a fire,” one of the women said. “It’s coming from the Wandering Water Tribe’s camp.”

“Trouble on the wind,” the second said with a concerned tone of voice. “The Empire is acting rashly, not with balance.”

“The Avatar arrives, perhaps this is a sign from the spirits,” the first finished as they turned to look at Miku. She realized they were twin Airbenders. “We welcome you, Avatar.”

“How do they know?” Miku whispered to Yao.

“They are in tune with the Spirit world,” Yao answered quietly. “They were able to recognize your connection to it as well.”

“I see…” Miku said as she looked towards the smoke. “Should we go investigate that?”

“Omalah might have gone there,” Yao said. 

Miku’s eyes went wide at that as she looked at the two Airbenders. “Do you have a way to get us there?” 

One of the women nodded and took out a whistle as they blew on it. An Air Bison flew down and they climbed on its back before gesturing for Miku and the others to join them. Miku quickly hopped onto it with Yao and Wei-Sun quickly behind as one of the women grabbed the reins.

“Yip yip,” she said and the Air Bison flew in the direction of the smoke.

Miku could only hope that they could get there in time.

00000

“What are you doing here?” Kotal demanded as he came up to the leader of the Air Empire soldiers that was overlooking the search of the tents. “This is a violation of our…”

“You are here only under the permission of the Air Empire,” the man said, barely looking at the Waterbender. “We have authority to revoke that permission with proper justification.”

“We have done nothing to…” Kotal started to say as someone came out of one of the tents. “What are you doing in my daughter’s tent?”

“We found this buried in the sand,” the soldier said as he threw a box down on the ground, it popped open to reveal that it was filled with supplies of different kinds, but they all looked like they were from the Earth Kingdom. “Earth Kingdom foodstuffs, and I found others as well.”

“Do you mind explaining what’s going on here?” The commander asked, turning to look at Kelani. “Why are you hiding supplies in here?”

“I… I don’t know how those got there,” Kelani said, though Omalah could tell she wasn’t being honest. “Someone must have hidden them in my tent. I don’t know where they came from.”

“A likely story,” the commander said as he walked forward and grabbed Kelani. “You’ve been causing a lot of trouble around here. We’re not going to tolerate smugglers.”

Omalah looked around and realized that there were more Water Tribe members around that were now drawing their weapons or bending water around them. They looked ready for a fight as the Air Empire Soldiers gathered around their commander with the same fierce looks on their faces as they picked up their weapons.

“Oh, this is a problem…” Omalah said, drawing her swords. “This doesn’t have to turn into a fight, we can just get on our ships and leave.”

“Light up the tents,” the commander ordered as he pointed at two Airbenders that held torches. “We are going to find all the smugglers, or burn this camp to the ground.”

The two of them nodded and went to light the tents on fire.

No one was quite sure who made the first attack. Some believe that it was the Air Empire who had struck first by sending a burst of wind at the Water Tribesmen. Others claimed that it was a young Waterbender who had gotten trigger happy and sent a burst of water into the soldier’s torch.

It didn’t matter who struck first though, the tent camp turned into chaos as the two groups engaged one another. Omalah took a few steps backwards, still holding her swords in her hands as she bumped into Kelani who was starting to run away from the fight.

“What are you doing?” Omalah hissed as she ran after her, the sound of fighting coming from behind them.

“I need to get the supplies somewhere safe,” Kelani said as she weaved between the tents as quickly as she could. “They can’t get them!”

“What… did you…” Omalah started to say before there were two Air Empire soldiers suddenly in front of them. She reached into her water pouch and drew out water, sending it right into the nearest soldier, starting to freeze her over. “This is getting ridiculous!”

“How do you think I feel…” Kelani said as she grabbed for something at her belt and threw it on the ground, sending up a smoke cloud. She grabbed Omalah and pulled her down another path. “This is supposed to be my home. This job may have been a mistake.”

“This job? What are you…”

Omalah was cut off when she was pulled into another tent. This one looked like it was a normal supply tent, but Kelani bent down and started digging into the sand, making Omalah confused for a moment before she finally spoke up.

“You actually are smuggling?” She asked. “Why are…”

“The Air Temples are being deliberately cut off from the rest of the Air Empire,” Kelani said as she looked at Omalah. “The Empire has been working to starve the Monks and Nuns because they don’t agree with the Emperor’s policies, but they are also the spiritual center of the Empire. So the Emperor is trying to make them give in by cutting them off from supplies outside of their Temples.”

“That’s terrible,” Omalah said as Kelani pulled out a crate out of the sand similar to the one that the Empire had found.

“I know, that’s why I agreed to this job, but I didn’t expect my partner to get caught and my contacts to go to ground,” Kelani said. “Look, can we get this somewhere safe or not? I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of this mess.”

Omalah looked at her and then nodded slightly. She did have to admit that Kelani had a point, the situation was bad for the Air Monks, but the problem was that if they got caught, which they clearly had, they would be in a bad position. So then what were they going to do about it?

“I’ll help you,” she said. “You get the crate, I’ll cover you while we try to get out of here, okay?”

Kelani nodded as the two of them headed out of the supply tent. The camp was now on fire, with Waterbenders mixed between trying to fight the flames and the attacking soldiers at the same time.

This was getting way out of control, and they both knew it. 

As the two of them neared the edge of the camp, there was the sudden sound of an Air Bison nearing them. Omalah reached for her swords again, prepared for a fight when she saw a familiar shape of a young Firebender leap off the back.

“Omalah!” Miku said as she ran up to her. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“The Air Empire learned they were smuggling to the Air Temple,” Omalah said as she nodded at Kelani as Yao and Wei-Sun followed her. “We need to get these supplies somewhere safe.”

“We can handle that,” a woman’s voice said as an Airbender woman leaned over the side of the bison. “Kelani, thank you for your help.”

“Of course Ushan,” Kelani said as she made her way over to the bison and held the crate up to her. “Get this to your people safely, okay?”

“Of course,” the woman said with a smile. “We’re going to make sure that the Western Air Temple is well stocked. And thank you for your help, Avatar Miku. I am sorry that we cannot say, but we must go before they realize we’re here.”

“Of course, safe travels,” Yao said with a nod.

The Air Bison rumbled a bit and took off into the air, it kept low for as long as it was safe to before flying high up into the air and into the clouds. The five of them watched them go, Miku looked at Kelani a bit surprised that she hadn’t left.

“You’re not going with them?” She asked.

“We know how to deal with these things, the worst case scenario is that we have to stay away from here for a while,” Kelani said as she watched them go, she had to admit that she kind of wished that she could get out of here with them. “Besides… I don’t want to give them more trouble than they’re already going to have.”

“Come on,” Miku said as she looked at Omalah. “Let’s do something about these fires.”

Omalah nodded as she drew the water out again and the two of them went to start fighting the fires.

00000

As the flames were put out and the fighting finally died down, the soldiers begrudgingly finished their search of the camp. They didn’t find any more supplies that had been buried and started carting off the ones that had been taken from Kelani’s tent.

“You’ve managed to avoid our eye for now, Chief Kotal,” the Commander said. “But I would get out of these waters if I were you.”

“We have no intention of staying any longer than we have to,” Kotal said, staring the other man down. “Let us go unhindered and we will leave this town, that includes my daughter.”

The Commander looked him in the eye and then at his soldiers. Many of them had gotten hurt in the battle, and he knew he wasn’t in much of a position to go back on this. He nodded and gestured to his men. “Let them go,” he said. “We’re done here.”

As the Air Empire soldiers dispersed, Miku and Omalah walked up to Kotal and his daughter.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t do more,” Miku said. “Is everyone alright?”

“We took some injuries, but our healers can take care of it,” Kotal said as he looked at Kelani. “And as for you Kelani…”

“Father, you know it was the right thing to do!” Kelani said in protest. “The Empire has been…”

“Kelani, I understand your feelings,” Kotal said. “But next time you need to inform me before you take on dangerous jobs like this. We could have been more careful and avoided this happening if you had just told me what you had planned.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Kelani said with a bow of her head. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

“Thank you all for your help,” Kotal said, turning back to look at the group. “I would suggest that you get out of this part of the Air Empire as soon as you can. We’re going to have to do the same at this point.”

“Unfortunately, we have business among the Air Nuns in the Western Air Temple,” Yao said. “So we have to stay for a bit longer.”

“Then may the seas be kind to you all,” Kotal said as his people began packing up the camp. “Good luck on your travels.”

“And to you as well,” Yao said with a respectful bow.

As the five of them left from the camp and headed back towards the town, Miku had to wonder what was going to happen next. She still had a lot of work to do, and she was on her way to finding her Airbending Master in the Western Air Temple.

The Air Empire was not keeping itself in balance. Was it going to be her duty to change that?

Only time would tell.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you can’t come with us?” Miku asked Yao as he helped secure the equipment to the pack Ostrich Horse. “We could always use the help.”

“I will just draw attention,” Yao said with a shake of his head. “I want to stay here and try to get more information before we leave again. I’ll be here if you need to send me a message.”

He glanced over at Wei-Sun who was securing her own mount and sighed. He hadn’t liked that his daughter was leaving with Miku and Omalah. “Promise me you will take care of my daughter, okay?”

“Of course, master Yao,” Miku said as she climbed up on Tsu Tsu’s back. “To the Western Air Temple.”

“I don’t know how long you’re going to be there,” Yao commented. “Air bending is not an easy skill for Fire Avatars to learn under the best of circumstances. And we are not under the best of circumstances right now.”

“Right…” Miku said as she held Tsu Tsu’s reins. “We’ll be careful, I promise.”

Yao nodded as he took a step back. Miku moved Tsu Tsu up next to her friends. Omalah was looking over a map of the region and gave Miku a smile as she approached her.

“We’re not far from the Temple, about a day’s trek,” Omalah said. “As long as we don’t run into any trouble with the Air Empire at least.”

Miku noddded as they started to move down the Main Street. Omalah put her map away and looked ahead. She couldn’t help but think about what had happened recently and hoped that Kotal and his fleet could escape. With everything that was going on, she was afraid of what might happen to her people.

The Wandering Water Tribe was only a couple of decades old at this point. Her mothers had managed to keep everything together, but with all the fleets there were, it was hard to tell where the others were.

For now, all she could do was hope that they were going to be okay.

She looked over at Miku who was talking with Wei-Sun. She flinched a bit as she realized she had abandoned her charge. She was just glad that she was okay.

It was time to start Miku’s training.

00000

As the three of them traveled along for a while, Miku felt herself getting more and more nervous. She held Tsu Tsu’s reins tightly in her hands, looking ahead. She didn’t know what to expect as they got closer to the Temple, but she didn’t see anything recognizable.

She had spent the last thirteen years of her life learning how to Firebend. While it had come naturally to her, she had no idea what to expect with Airbending. She knew that each bending technique was different. This was going to be a challenge, and she didn’t know what to expect.

“Miku, are you okay?” Wei-Sun asked.

“I think so,” Miku said. “There is a lot on my mind though.”

“I understand,” Wei-Sun said. “We’re a long way away from your home in a strange land. If you need anything then we’re going to be here for you.”

Miku nodded a bit as she looked down at Tsu Tsu who glanced back and gave her rider a nod. Miku reached over and gently patted her on the neck. She looked up at Omalah who was a little ahead of them.

“How will we know when we get to the Western Air Temple?” She asked.

“We’ll know,” Omalah said as she looked back at Miku. “The hard part is going to be actually getting to the Temple. I don’t know how we’re going to get them to let us in with all the problems they’ve been having lately.”

“Hopefully, we’re going to be able to figure it out when we get there,” Miku said. “What do you know about the Western Air Temple?”

“The Air Temples are separated by gender, the East and West Air Temples are run by the Air Nuns while the North and South ones are run by Monks,” Omalah said. “Personally I’ve never understood why.”

Miku just shrugged a bit at that. It didn’t make much sense to her either honestly, but she honestly didn’t know what to do about it. She nodded slightly as she looked forward, the three of them were going to have to get to the Western Air Temple without drawing any attention from the Air Empire.

Unfortunately this area of the Air Empire was mostly plains. Actually it was mostly flat plains, she didn’t know what to expect from an Air Temple, but she had figured that it would be tall enough to be seen from a good distance, but she didn’t see anything.

“I still don’t understand where…” She started to say when Omalah held a hand up to quiet her. She pointed up towards the sky where they could see that there were three Sky Bisons that were flying up ahead.

“Do you think they’ve been following us?” Wei-Sun asked.

“No, it’s probably a patrol,” Omalah said as she looked over at Miku. “We need to be careful, they’re going to be keeping an eye on the area around the temple.”

Miku nodded. “What do we do if they come to investigate us though?”

“Just follow my lead,” Wei-Sun said. “I have a plan.”

“That somehow concerns me more,” Miku said with a nervous chuckle.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out,” Omalah said, giving Miku a reassuring smile. “Getting nervous isn’t going to do anything but make them suspicious of us.”

Miku nodded as she walked with her two friends. She glanced up at the sky where the Sky Bisons were, knowing her luck their masters were going to have excellent eyesight. And sure enough, they turned and headed down towards the three of them.

“They’re coming our way,” Miku said as she held Tsu Tsu’s reins. “What do we do?”

“Don’t tell them where we’re going,” Omalah answered. “We’ve got this, just be ready for a fight if we need to.”

Miku nodded a bit as she glanced down at the sword on her belt. She didn’t like having to fight right now, but if it came to that she was ready. She glanced over at Omalah who was on edge and ready for a fight as the Sky Bisons came in for a landing. A single Air Empire Soldier leaped down while the others kept a close eye on them.

“State your business, why are you this close to one of the Air Temples?” He asked.

“We’re on our way to the other side of the mountains from Andhee to meet with some friends,” Wei-Sun said. “We’re here on a trip from Ba Sing Se University to study the history and culture of the Air Empire.”

The soldier raised an eyebrow as he looked over the three of them. “A member of the Fire Clans and a Water Tribeswoman?”

“Uh…” Wei-Sun said.

“We're part of a joint group with the Fire Clans and Water Tribe,” Miku said quickly. “To try and increase cultural understanding between our people.”

“Yes, that’s it,” Omalah said with a nod. “It’s why we’re here, you know? I know that sounds a bit crazy.”

Miku shifted a bit uncomfortably as she looked at Omalah and then over at the soldier. She could only hope that they fell for the ruse, it wasn’t much of a lie honestly, but it was probably more plausible than anything else.

“Very well… we will escort you past the Western Air Temple,” the soldier said. “If you attempt to double back, you will be taken to prison, understood?”

“We understand,” the three women said in unison as the Sky Bison took off and started to follow them along the road and the soldier started to walk ahead of them.

“What do we do now?” Miku asked, whispering to her friends. “We can’t not go to the Western Air Temple, and they’ll find us if we try to go back.”

“We’ll have to hope that an opportunity presents itself,” Omalah said as she looked at the soldier who was probably listening to anything they said too loudly. “Come on, we’re going to get through this somehow, okay?”

“Okay,” Miku said with a nod as they kept walking down the road. “Here’s hoping something comes up soon.”

“Yeah…” Omalah said she hated waiting like this but they didn’t have much choice. “Let’s keep moving for now.”

Miku nodded as they walked on for a while longer. This region was mostly mountainous, which she wasn’t entirely used to walking through, but she swore she saw a canyon in the distance.

After a bit of traveling, Miku glanced up towards the sky where she swore she saw something moving between the clouds. She looked like she was about to say something when Omalah looked at her and shook her head.

Miku nodded a bit and kept her head low. She had a strange feeling about this, but it wasn’t a bad one… it was hard to put her finger on exactly why.

A cry was heard from above them and Miku looked up just in time to see that several figures on gliders were diving down and going for the soldiers. Miku’s eyes went wide when she realized that they were Airbenders who were dressed similarly to the two Nuns that she had encountered back in town.

“Air Nuns,” Omalah whispered to her. “I thought they might show up.”

“Why are…” Miku started to say as one of the Airbenders swooped down over her head and went for the soldier that was leading them. His eyes went wide as the woman’s staff went into her hand and she swung it around, the winds blowing around him and tripping him up before she hit him with a blow that knocked him out cold.

The Air Nun turned and looked at the three young women. She was about their age, but was taller than Miku had expected. She was shaved bald with the swirling arrows common to the Air Nuns on her head and hands.

“Are you alright?” She asked, looking at Miku and her friends. She then glanced up at the Sky Bison where the others were fighting.

“Yeah… we’re fine,” Omalah said. “How’d you know we were coming?”

“Two of our sisters arrived and told us what happened in Andhee,” the Air Nun answered. “I figured you’d be heading our way next.”

“Oh, thank the spirits they made it back okay,” Miku said, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Nosani, we need to get back to the temple before they wake up,” one of the other Nuns called down to her. “We don’t want to draw attention right now.”

“Of course,” Nosani said as she looked at the three young women. “Come with me, I’ll show you how to get to the temple.”

Miku looked at Omalah for a moment who gave her a nod. The four of them started running off the road and towards something in the distance.

00000

“Uh…” Miku said as she looked ahead at the large chasm that seemed to lead to absolutely nowhere. “What are we supposed to do now? There doesn’t seem to be anything around here.”

This just made Nosani laugh as she reached into her robes and took out a whistle. She lifted it to her lips and blew into it, though there didn’t seem to make a sound. Miku was a bit confused and was about to say something when suddenly a Sky Bison came up out of the chasm below.

“Whoah!” Miku said, reaching for her sword automatically before realizing that there was no one on its back.

“This is Mola,” Nosani said with a slight smile. “She is my Sky Bison.”

“Many Airbenders are bonded to them,” Omalah explained. “It’s not just the military, we just tend to see them the most. I don’t think we have anything to worry about though, okay?”

“Okay,” Miku said as Nosani offered her hand to Miku.

“Are you ready, Avatar?” Nosani asked.

Miku paused for a moment before nodding and taking her hand and Nosani pulled her up onto the animal’s back. She steadied herself on the Bison’s back as Omalah and Wei-Sun followed her, she fell back and was caught by Omalah.

“Are you okay, Miku?” Omalah asked.

“Uh… yeah… I’m fine,” Miku said, trying not to blush as she felt Omalah’s hands on her. “Thank you for catching me.”

“Of course,” Omalah said with a smile as she steadied Miku and the two of them sat down on the Sky Bison’s back as Wei-Sun sat down next to them.

“Yip yip,” Nosai said as she grabbed the Bison’s reins and flew down into the chasm below.

“So, is the temple at the bottom of the… WHOA!” Miku started to say before she saw what their destination was.

Built into the overhang of the cliff was a set of buildings that were built upside-down. She watched in amazement as Air Nuns flew between the buildings on Gliders and Sky Bisons, while others walked along the levels of the buildings. A few of the Air Nuns gave her a strange look as she flew past, they looked strangely concerned.

“Not exactly a warm reception,” Miku commented.

“With everything that’s going on, even the arrival of the Avatar has them concerned,” Nosani said. “The Empire has been putting more pressure on us to try and get us to fall into line. And the Elders, while they refuse to cave, may not be so willing to take you in.”

“Why not?” Wei-Sun asked.

“It has been a long time since there has been a Fire Avatar,” Nosani answered. “Avatar Ha-Eun was a good Avatar, but, well… some people are not sure if you’re ready for your studies, especially not right now.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Omalah said. “We were able to find her, and things are already starting to get out of balance. We need to start working to at least start her training.”

“That is up to the Elders,” Nosani said with a shake of her head. “Come, let’s get you to them at least. Perhaps we will be able to convince them with a more direct appeal.”

“Yeah… maybe,” Miku said as the Sky Bison flew towards one of the platforms that wasn’t that far away.

00000

As the four of them got off of Mola, one of the Air Nuns helped Tsu Tsu off the Bison’s back. Miku looked a bit worried and was about to say something when the Nun spoke up. “Do not worry, we are just taking her somewhere safe. We have a place for the Avatar’s animal companion.”

“Oh… okay…” Miku said, looking a bit uncomfortable. She patted Tsu Tsu gently on the shoulder and gave her a nod. “Be careful with her, okay?”

“We will treat her like our own Sky Bisons,” the nun said with a smile. “Go speak with the Elders, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Miku looked at Tsu Tsu for a moment and gave her a nod. “Be good for them, okay?” She asked and Tsu Tsu nodded.

“Come,” Nosani said, gesturing for them to follow her. “We have much to discuss with the Elders.”

Miku nodded and followed the tall Air Nun up a set of stairs. She looked out a window towards the spanning chasm beyond, she could see more of the Airbenders flying by, but they all seemed to be more on edge than anything else. She took a deep breath as she followed after Nosani.

The four of them reached a chamber near the top of one of the buildings that made up the temple. It was simply adorned with ancient looking scrolls and artwork lining it that were designed in the Airbender style.

“Young Avatar,” a voice said and she turned to see three older women all with the familiar tattoos of the Airbenders. The one in the middle gestured to a place in front of them. “Please, have a seat.”

“Of course,” Miku said as she took a seat, trying not to look nervous.

“Have you ever been to the Air Empire before?” The first Elder said as she looked Miku over curiously.

“No, this is my first time,” Miku said. “Honestly I hadn’t ever really left my home island before I found out I was the Avatar.”

“I see,” the woman who had spoken said. “That is not uncommon among Fire Avatars.”

“Though I suppose it's better than Cewan,” the woman in the middle commented. “He was a bit too well traveled.”

Miku paused for a moment as the Water Avatar’s name was mentioned. Given he had been a pirate, it wasn’t that much of a surprise they seemed to not like him that much. She glanced at Omalah who looked down at her and gave her a slight nod.

“I am not my predecessors, I am still my own person,” Miku commented as she looked at the Elders.

“What is your name, child?” The middle Elder said.

“I am Miku, of Clan Taiyo,” Miku said, automatically putting a little more pride into that than she really felt.

“Clan allegiances, the Avatar is a spirit of no nation,” one of the Elders said. “We will need to…”

“This is not the time, Hanna,” the middle Elder said, shaking her head. “The point however is that in our current situation, your training would be difficult.”

“Especially if the Emperor learned we were holding the Avatar here,” the third Elder said. “We cannot risk the Avatar being here right now I’m afraid.”

“What?” Nosani asked, speaking up again finally. “Elders, she is here to begin her training, it’s part of our duty to the Avatar to…”

“Sister Nosani, this isn’t the time to speak on such matters,” the third Elder said as she looked at the younger Air Nun. “We cannot risk the Avatar falling into the hands of someone such as the Emperor. And she is likely not ready for Airbending training either.”

“Wait, what?” Miku asked. “How am I not ready?”

“You’re going to need to find a balance within yourself first,” she said as she looked at Nosani. “We understand that this is not easy to accept. However right now we don’t have much of a choice, you need to leave the Air Empire.”

Miku was about to say something when Omalah spoke up. “Elders, we have been traveling for nearly a week now. Avatar Miku needs some time to rest on dry land, if you can allow us to stay at least for a day.”

The elders exchanged a look for a moment before discussing it. Miku glanced at Omalah, the Waterbender was quietly waiting for an answer but looked fairly confident. Miku attempted to feel the same, but she honestly didn’t expect them to agree. It was getting late in the day though, and she wasn’t looking forward to traveling back in the dark.

“Very well,” the Elder said. “You may stay for now, but you are to leave tomorrow. I apologize we could not help you, Avatar Miku.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” Miku said softly, even if it wasn’t entirely true. “Thank you for at least allowing us that.

“Of course,” the Elder said as she turned to look at Nosani. “Sister Nosani, since you brought her here you will escort her and her friends at all times while she is here. If there are any problems, please let us know right away.”

“Yes Elders,” Nosani said as she looked at the three young women. “Come with me, I will escort you to your quarters while you stay here.”

The three friends nodded and started to follow the Air Nun. Miku looked back at the Elders, not really sure what to make of this. Was it possible that she wasn’t ready? She had to admit that she was still learning a lot about other Bending styles.

Hopefully she would be able to find another way to learn Airbending.

00000

“Here you are,” Nosani said as she led the three of them into a room that was fairly spartan with three beds. There was a window that looked out at the chasm below, but other than that it wasn’t much to look at. “I know its not much to look at.”

“It’s okay,” Miku said as she took her pack off and placed it on one of the beds. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry that they weren’t willing to hear you out,” Nosani said. “Since you’re the Avatar I would’ve thought they would hear you out.”

Miku sighed a bit as she ran a hand through her black hair. “I suppose given the situation I can’t blame them. Still I don’t know how we’re going to go back and explain all of this to Master Yao back on the Stormbreaker .”

“Perhaps we can figure something out,” Nosani said with a shake of her head. “I will do what I can while you are here at least.”

Miku nodded a bit as she took a seat on the bed. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, but she didn’t have much of a choice right now. She laid back and pulled the covers over her, but right now she didn’t feel much like sleeping.

“Are you okay, Miku?” Omalah asked as Nosani headed out of the room

“I don’t know,” Miku admitted as she turned over and looked at her Waterbender friend. “There’s a lot on my mind right now. And I’m still kind of not sure what to think about what the Elders said.”

“Understandable,” Omalah said. “We’re going to have to either come back or go to one of the other more isolated temples probably.”

“Yeah…” Miku commented, thinking about the stories she had heard about the Southern Air temple which was farther to the east from her home island. “I suppose that’s definitely an option. Still, it’s going to be hard to explain all of this to Master Yao.”

“I’ll speak with him, I believe under the circumstances my father will understand,” Wei-Sun said with a sigh. “We will figure out what we’re going to do next once we speak with him again. Hopefully we can figure something out.”

“Yeah…” Miku said as she looked out the window for a moment. “It feels like there’s not much I can do about the problems of the world.”

“You’re still young, you have a lot to learn before you’re ready for that kind of thing,” Omalah said with a shake of her head. “The time will come when you are ready. Perhaps there is more going on that we don’t understand as well.”

“Yeah… Maybe,” Miku said as she laid back and closed her eyes. “Good night.”

She drifted off to sleep, not sure what the next day might hold for her.

00000

Nosani walked down the stairs to one of the meditation chambers. She took a deep breath as she took a seat alone in the lotus position. There was a lot that had happened today, and she honestly didn’t know what to expect going forward.

She felt like the Avatar coming here had been a sign. The Air Empire had been cracking down on the Temples, often looking for any excuse to do so. She knew that having the Avatar here was not going to make things any easier, if anything it likely would mean that the Empire would come here sooner.

“Are you alright, Sister?” A voice asked, causing her to jump a bit as she looked up to see one of the Elders coming inside.

“I… don’t know Elder Ayota,” Nosani admitted as she ran a hand through her hair for a moment. “I’m worried about the Avatar.”

“I understand,” Ayota said as she took a seat next to Nosani. “You came here when you were young, didn’t you?”

“Yes… I did,” Nosani said as she looked at the Elder for a long moment. “I was still trying to figure out who I was with everything that was going on at the time.” “You were still learning your true self.”

Ayota said as she gave Nosani a smile. “You have done a lot to find who she is since then.”

Nosani nodded a little as she lowered her head. “Yes Elder, I have.”

Ayota paused for a moment as she leaned back and thought for a moment. “The young Avatar is still coming into her own as well. She has a lot to learn about herself and who she is going to be.”

“Yes, that is true,” Nosani said as she took a deep breath. “We should do more to try and train her so that she might be able to use her talents to help the world. Isn’t it our duty to the Avatar.”

“It is, yes,” Ayota said with a slight smile. “But if she can’t be trained here, then there must be another option.”

Nosani paused for a moment as she quickly understood what she meant. “You mean that someone could leave the temple with her. Are you suggesting that I…”

“I’m suggesting that you do whatever feels right to you,” Ayota said as she got up. “But what I do know is that the Avatar needs guidance from someone who can help her achieve balance. And they might learn a few things as well.”

Nosani watched as the Elder got up and walked off. She honestly didn’t know what she should do at this point, but at the same time she knew she might be right. Maybe she should at least consider it.

She took a deep breath and nodded as she returned to her meditations. This was going to take a lot of thinking.

00000

“Avatar…” A voice echoed through Miku’s mind as she snapped awake, sitting up in her bed.

“What?” She asked, looking around for the source of that voice. “Who was that?”

She sat up in bed and looked out the window. She saw a shape moving through the air and towards another one of the buildings. She glanced up to see that there were structures connecting them, and slowly got out of bed.

She walked out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb her friends. As she climbed up the stairs leading to the connecting tunnels. She took a deep breath as she ran a hand along the stone, carefully walking along the path.

“What’s going on…” she said to herself, wondering if maybe she should have woken up her friends, but now it was too late. She needed to figure out what this voice wanted. Something weird was going on, and she needed to figure out what it might be, hopefully before it was too late.

“Come young Avatar… I’m not far now,” the voice said. “Follow my voice.”

Miku paused for a moment as she looked out towards the canyon beyond again for a moment. This was a strangely beautiful location, different from anything she had ever seen back home, but maybe this was a chance to learn more about herself too.

She stopped in front of a large door and blinked a moment as she saw the symbols of the Airbenders on it. It looked like it was supposed to be opened using Airbending, which wasn’t something she could even do, this was getting annoying.

She felt a breeze at the back of her neck and turned to see a figure standing before her. It looked like a woman, but she wasn’t made of flesh, instead she was made of the wind itself. She looked at Miku curiously as if she wasn’t sure what to make of her.

“Hello?” Miku said. “What… are you?”

“I am a spirit… I sensed your arrival here in the temple,” the airy woman said, walking around her. “You are a curious one, I have not met many of your kind in recent years.”

“My kind?” Miku asked.

“Firebenders, your people have little need for a wind spirit, but that is not why I brought you here,” the spirit said as she took a seat in midair. “I wasn’t sure what to expect from you.”

“I seem to be getting that a lot while I’m here,” Miku said as she crossed her arms. “Why did you reach out to me then?”

“The balance of the world is shifting,” the spirit said as she looked at Miku for a long moment. 

“Do you mean what is happening here with the Air Empire?” Miku asked.

“The Airbenders are only one part of the problem,” was the answer, which annoyed Miku a bit. “Water has been divided, Fire has turned on itself, and Earth lacks cohesion. You will have to find a way to achieve balance between these forces. You have been touched by spirits, child, and that may have an impact on you.”

“How am I supposed to…” Miku said when there was a sound from outside and the spirit vanished. “Great…”

She quietly got up and walked over to a window and blinked as she saw something she hadn’t expected. An Airbender was diving down from the cliff above on his glider, he kept glancing behind him as he went for one of the landings in the building she was in.

Miku’s eyes went wide as she ran for the stairs. She had a feeling like something was going on here. As she took the stairs two at a time, she could hear more sounds outside, that was definitely not a good sign, something was wrong about this.

As she reached the landing, she saw an older man with a shaved bald head and dressed in the robes of an Air Monk lying there half conscious. There was something about him, but she couldn’t put her finger on it as she went to check him.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

The man groaned as he tried to focus on her. “Chased… they’re still out there somewhere…”

“It’s okay, I’ll get you somewhere safe,” Miku said as she carefully helped him up.

He looked at her again and blinked, as if he recognized her through his haze. “Liu? Is that you?”

“No… I’m Miku…” Miku said as she helped him. “Why do you think I’m Liu?”

He didn’t answer, he looked like he had fallen unconscious. She groaned as she carried him towards the stairs, she wasn’t exactly in the best shape to be carrying a grown man. She looked around for anything that might be able to help as she walked up the stairs. She finally saw a door leading off the staircase and went to knock on it, looking around nervously.

The door opened slightly to reveal one of the elders from earlier. “Avatar Miku, it is the middle of the…”

“Elder, I apologize, but we have a problem,” Miku said. 

The old Airbender narrowed her eyes a bit, but she could hear the urgency in Miku’s voice. She pushed the door open more and gasped when she saw the man that she was carrying. “By the spirits… bring him inside, I will send for healers.”

Miku nodded and helped the man carefully into the room, placing him on a table that was inside as the elder went off.

Miku looked at the unconscious man. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it still. He was an older man, that much was clear, but why had he called her Liu?

“Who are you…” she said quietly.

00000

Miku made her way back into the quarters she was sharing with Omalah and Wei-Sun. The other two women were already awake and looking at her confused.

“Where did you go?” Omalah asked.

“I… it’s complicated,” Miku said. “I had a strange run-in with a spirit, and found a man that landed on one of the landings. He was unconscious, but he called me Liu.”

“It might be that he knew Avatar Liu,” Omalah commented as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. “He was an Airbender?”

“Yes, he was an older Airbender, I didn’t get his name,” Miku said as she looked a bit embarrassed. “I took him to the Elder and she brought in a healer before telling me to come back here.”

Omalah looked thoughtful for a moment. She knew that Avatar Liu had a few friends who were Airbenders, but most of them were elsewhere in the world. Was it possible…

“What’s on your mind, Omalah?” Wei-Sun asked.

“It might be nothing,” Omalah said. “But there is something odd about this, it's odd that someone just showed up out of nowhere like that.”

“Yeah,” Miku said as she sat down on her bed. “I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight after all of that.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” Omalah said. “Did anything else happen?”

“Not really,” Miku said. “The spirit though… that was a bit confusing. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what she was talking about really.”

She laid back on the bed, thinking for a long moment. Who was the Airbender and what was actually going on? There were too many unanswered questions right now, and she didn’t like that there were so many mysteries around this.

She thought back to the conversation. The spirit had said something about her being touched by spirits… What did that mean? The Avatar was the bridge to the spirit world, but how had she been touched by spirits?

She closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come easy to her tonight. 

00000

The next morning, the three women got out of bed. They would have to travel back with the help of the Air Nuns if they didn’t want to draw any attention from the Air Empire again. Likely the soldiers that had been attacked on the road had told their superiors what had happened by now, so they needed to move fast.

“Did you sleep well, Miku?” Omalah asked as she pulled her bag over her shoulder.

“Well enough,” Miku said as she made sure she had everything ready. “It's just a shame that we have to leave so soon.”

“Yeah… well, there’s not much we can do about it,” Wei-Sun said as she headed for the door and opened it to reveal Nosani waiting there. “Uh, hi?”

“I apologize, but the Elders asked me to speak with you,” Nosani said as she looked at the three of them. “We have been attempting to heal the Monk who Avatar Miku found last night, but he has yet to regain consciousness. If either of you have any healing skills, we were hoping that you could help.”

“I’m a healer, yes,” Wei-Sun said as she patted her bag where she kept her herbs. “I can try and take a look at him at least.”

“Thank you, come with me,” Nosani said as she led the three of them to the ledge where Mola was waiting for them. They climbed onto the Sky Bison’s back and flew towards one of the other buildings. Miku realized that it wasn’t the same one that she had brought the man to, and the door was hidden from view.

“Why are we here?” She asked.

“We need to make sure that the Air Empire doesn’t realize we have him,” Nosani answered as they hopped off of Nola’s back. “Come, he’s this way.”

She led them into the room beyond where some Air Nun healers were working to heal the man. Omalah glanced at him for a moment, as if he looked familiar to her too, but she had never seen him before.

“Do you know who he is yet?” She asked.

“Unfortunately no,” one of the healers said with a concerned look on her face. “He hasn’t woken up since he fell unconscious last night. Do you know anything about him?”

“I feel like he’s familiar to me, but I don’t know him,” Miku said and Omalah nodded in agreement.

“Did the Air Empire chase him here?” Wei-Sun asked as she ground up herbs.

“Maybe… we can’t rule out any possibilities,” the healer said.

Wei-Sun nodded a bit as she started working with some of the herbs. She glanced over at Omalah and gave her a nod. “Can I have some water, Omalah?”

“Of course,” Omalah said as she pulled some water out of her waterskin and sent it over to Wei-Sun’s mixing bowl. “Do you think this will work?”

“These are rare herbs that I found on an island in the Si Wong Sea,” Wei-Sun explained. “They have some incredible properties, I just need to have the right mixture.”

Omalah nodded as she finished what she was doing. Wei-Sun walked carefully over to the man and held the bowl up to his nose. He unconsciously breathed it in, and after a moment his eyes snapped open and he looked around confused.

“Where am I?” He asked.

“You are within the hidden chambers at the Western Air Temple,” the Air Nun healer said. “What’s your name and why did you come here?”

“Aberas… I was… told that the Avatar was coming here,” he answered, rubbing his head.

“Aberas? You were Avatar Liu’s Airbending Master,” Omalah commented. “My mothers told me about you, but they said you went missing 18 years ago.”

“I’ve been traveling,” Aberas said, rubbing his head and looking at Omalah. “You’re Nolah and Jin-de’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” Omalah said, looking at him. “Where have you been? Why did you come back here?”

“Like I said I’m looking for…” Aberas said, looking around and spotting Miku. “Are you the next Avatar?”

“I am, yes, Avatar Miku,” Miku said.

“Thank the spirits…” he said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I don’t have time, I was chased here by…”

He was cut off when the ground above them began to shake as there were the sounds of explosions and something large landing.

Something was coming.

Chapter Text

“What’s going on, is it the Air Empire?” Miku asked as she looked at the others.

“No, this is something different,” the healer said as she looked towards the window. “This could be a problem.”

“They followed me here, I had hoped I could lose them in the gorge,” Aberas said as he rubbed his side. 

“The lights were out last night, they may have missed us,” the Airbender nun said as she looked at Miku and the others. “Do you know anyone else who might have been involved?”

Miku paused for a moment before looking down. “We encountered a group called the Order of the Silver Dragon in the Fire Islands. They tried to target me after they discovered that I was the Avatar.”

“Hmm…” Aberas said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “The group that we encountered when Liu was killed used the symbol of the Silver Dragon. I’ve been trying to track them down ever since, but without much luck until recently.”

“Do you think they might be one in the same then?” Omalah asked.

“It doesn’t seem like it would be a coincidence,” Wei-Sun added.

Miku paused for a moment as she played with a strand of red hair. Something about this bothered her, it was oddly convenient that the Order of the Silver Dragon had seemingly followed them here. Or was it a coincidence?

“Dragons are a common symbol among the Fire Clans,” Aberas commented.

“And Firebending was taught to us by the Dragons,” Miku commented, remembering the stories she had read about the ancient Firebenders in the scrolls she had been able to get, but there wasn’t a lot of information on the Dragons in them. “Admittedly, that’s not something I know a lot about, I’ve never really met a Dragon.”

“Well, if they’re going to attack us then we need to stop them,” Nosani said as she grabbed her staff and looked at the others. “Are you coming with me?”

Miku looked at Omalah and Wei-Sun for a moment before nodding as she placed her hand on her sword. There was something very wrong about this, and she was going to figure out what it was.

“I’ll come with you,” Miku finally said as she looked at Omalah and Wei-Sun. “If this is related to the Order of the Silver Dragon, we need to find out what’s going on.”

“Agreed,” Omalah said with a nod as she followed them. Nosani raised her whistle to her lips as Mola flew back down and they jumped on her back. Miku looked towards Aberas for a moment as the older Airbender watched them go.

“Is he going to be okay?” Miku asked, looking over at Wei-Sun.

“He’ll be fine, he’s through the worst of it,” Wei-Sun said. “He probably should stay off his feet though. I don’t like this.”

Nosani glanced at them for a moment and took Mola’s reins before flying up towards the rock overhang. She wasn’t going to let them hurt her home.

Miku glanced at Omalah and Wei-Sun as the Sky Bison started to make its way out of the overhang. The stone above their heads was shaking more and stone was starting to fall around them.

“What do you think we’re dealing with?” Nosani asked without looking back at them. “You’ve fought them before, right?”

“Well… yes but they didn’t have anything like this, it was just soldiers,” Miku said, looking a bit confused. “I don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

“Only one way to find out then,” Nosani said as she flew upwards. “We’re going to stop whoever they are.”

Miku nodded as she watched the rocks of the cliff go by. She held on, even though she knew that they were probably okay, boeing this far in the air made her nervous. She looked over at Omalah and Wei-Sun, at least she wasn’t going it alone.

Finally they came out over the cliff. For a moment Miku thought there wasn’t anything there, until she saw what was there. A pair of large badgers were starting to dig into the ground while being directed by several people dressed like mercenaries.

“What are you all doing?” Nosani said, using her Airbending to project her voice more. “You are digging over the site of one of the Four Air Temples, you know that right?”

The mercenaries exchanged a look as they looked at the group, not really sure what to make of them. Then one of them saw Miku and smirked a bit as he unrolled a piece of paper and stepped forward.

“Well… it looks like one of our targets came here on her own,” the man said with a smirk. “Should’ve guessed we’d lure her out.”

“Who are you?” Miku asked as she looked at them. “What do you want with us?”

“We’re here chasing after a criminal,” the leader said. “But it looks like we’ve found the Avatar too, perfect. You’ve got quite the bounty on your head from the Order.”

Miku shifted uncomfortably for a moment. That definitely did make sense, but what did they mean by saying that Aberas was a criminal? She had a feeling that they were missing something in this story. What was going on?

“Sorry, I’m not going to let you take someone in the middle of the Western Air Temple’s territory,” Nosani said as she gripped her staff. “Leave now and we won’t have a problem.”

“Well, then I guess we’re going to have a problem,” the leader said. “Let’s get to work, whoever gets me the Avatar gets the biggest share!”

Miku looked at the others who were ready for a fight too. She nodded a bit as she breathed in slowly, gathering flame in her body once more as she drew the Dao at her belt. She wasn’t going to let these thugs get away with this.

She was pulled out of the way by Omalah just in time as a massive boulder was sent at them. The leader grinned and cracked his knuckles and pointed a whip at them. “Well… time to show you what we’ve got… Pung, Koh, attack them! Take the Avatar, but I don’t care about the others!”

The two Badger Moles growled and charged at them. Mola took off, flying over them and sending waves of wind down towards them as the mercenaries followed, ready for a fight.

“I’ll go on the left, you go on the right,” Omalah said as she looked over at Nosani as she drew her swords. “Any arguments?”

“None here,” Nosani said. She didn’t like having to fight, but right now she needed to protect her home. “Let’s go.”

Miku nodded as the two parted ways and ran right at the mercenaries. Miku glanced at Wei-Sun who was hanging back and Mola who was holding off the Badger Moles. She needed to deal with the boss, so she started running right at him, sending out a burst of flame ahead of her.

The mercenary commander grinned and raised his hand as sand flew out of his pouch and caught the flames. He then ran at Miku, drawing his swords and swinging them at her, she barely managed to dodge out of the way.

Miku growled as she let the flames dance around her fingers. This fighting style was a bit different from Omalah’s, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. She ducked out of the way of another one of the attacks and sent a few bursts of flame into his chest.

Her sword swung around, but as she did he pulled up sand and sent it right into her face. “AHHHH!”

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” The leader said, sand flowing through his hands. “I know many tricks, and I’m not going to let some rookie Avatar defeat me.”

Miku stumbled back, the sand in her eyes was making it hard to see. She looked up just as the leader raised his hand and stone began to encase her legs.

“You’re going to come quietly with me, and we’ll get you back where you belong,” he said with a grin as he approached her.

Miku tried to struggle against her bindings as the stone caught her. She took a moment and closed her eyes, she needed to focus. She needed to breathe, and find some balance in herself. She felt a fire growing in her chest, and she let it out.

Fire emerged from her mouth, scorching the Sandbender across the chest and making him stumble backwards. Even Miku had been surprised as the flames emerged from her body, she had never done anything like that before.

“So, you’ve got a neat trick, it won’t be enough,” the Sandbender said, sending the sand right at Miku as she held a hand up to block it as best she could with fire as the rock started to crack. “You’re…”

“I’m not going down that easily,” Miku said, swinging her sword around, the sound of metal on metal was heard as her sword clashed with his. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

She took a deep breath and sent a burst of fire right into the man’s chest, sending him sprawling backwards. She grabbed him and restrained him as best she could, calling over to the others. “I’ve got the boss!”

The boss struggled against her for a moment, but he couldn’t move his hands as his goons were being dealt with. “What are you going to do with me?”

“You’re going to tell us who hired you,” Miku said as she held her sword and looked at the others as Omalah knocked out the last of them. “Uh… where do we take them?”

“Uh… good question,” Nosani said a bit sheepishly. “We’re not really equipped for keeping prisoners.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a problem,” Wei-Sun said as she looked at them for a moment and sighed a bit. “We’re not going to have to turn them over to the Empire, are we?”

“I would rather not,” Nosani said with a scowl. “But they are trespassing on Air Empire land, even if we don’t like it. I will have to speak with the Elders, I will have them send more Nuns up to at least keep an eye on them.”

Miku watched as Nosani opened up the wings on her staff and ran towards the cliff before using Airbending to give herself a boost. She turned back to see Omalah and Wei-sun working to secure the prisoners as she walked over to the leader.

“Are you really going to turn me over to the Air Empire?” The Leader asked with narrowed eyes at her. “I know what they do to prisoners.”

“You’re going to have to tell us something before we let you go,” Miku said, trying to sound more confident than she really felt. “Why risk everything to chase a man here?”

“I’m not telling you anything,” the mercenary leader said with a glare. “We don’t give away our employer’s secrets.”

Miku sighed a bit as after a few minutes the nuns arrived to secure the mercenaries. None of them looked particularly comfortable with this either, and she had a feeling this would not improve her standing with the elders. For now, she had to figure out what was going to happen next.

All she could do right now was hope that this wasn’t the start of something worse.

00000

“I don’t like this, Sister Nosani,” Elder Ayota said as the young Airbender was speaking with her in her quarters. “We are not the Air Empire, we’re not jailers. What is Avatar Miku thinking?”

“They were coming to attack us,” Nosani said as calmly as she could. “We can’t just release them, we don’t know what they might be doing here.”

Ayota sighed a bit as she looked at the younger Airbender. She knew Nosani had a point, there was no way they could let them go. But she still didn’t like it, for now they were being kept in some of the rooms with a guard. She knew that they couldn’t keep them long though, they weren’t the Empire

“We will determine what to do with them moving forward,” she finally said. “For now we need to know if there may be more of them. Dealing with the Empire is bad enough, we don’t want to deal with mercenaries too.”

“What are we to do with the Avatar then?” Nosani asked. “She was involved in holding them off after all.”

Ayota sighed a bit as she looked at Nosani. She had a point, but they couldn’t keep the Avatar here long. This was not a good day for the Western Air Temple, but at the moment, they didn’t have much choice.

“Very well, she may stay until we figure out what to do with the prisoners,” she said. “After that she should go on her way. Once we have figured that out, she is to leave, make sure that is clear to her.”

“I understand, I will tell her,” Nosani said. “Elder… I…”

“Sister Nosani, you did what you felt was right, we understand that,” Ayota said as she looked at Nosani. “These mercenaries are acting illegally in our territory. Hopefully, Avatar Miku will not have to stay for long, I will leave it up to her to determine what to do with them.”

“Understood Elder,” Nosani said with a respectful bow. “I will inform her. Thank you for speaking with me again.”

“Of course Sister, I am always happy to speak with you,” Ayota said. “And tell Avatar Miku that I hope she will be okay. I’m concerned about her future, and I hope that she will be okay.”

Nosani nodded as she walked out of the Elder’s quarters. There was a lot she had to think about right now, but she had to admit she was curious about what was going to happen next.

00000

Miku looked uncomfortable as she sat on her bed, trying to center herself. Being in the Air Temple was a strange feeling already, and this wasn’t helping matters. She took a deep breath and got up again, pacing the room.

“Miku, are you okay?” Omalah asked as she looked at the young Firebender.

“I honestly don’t know,” Miku admitted. “This whole thing just feels weird.”

“I know,” Wei-sun said with a shake of her head. “Why would Earth Kingdom Mercenaries go after a target in the middle of Air Empire territory? I feel like there’s a piece of the puzzle that we’re missing.”

“I know,” Omalah said. “No one’s seen Aberas in 18 years as far as I know. My moms told me he went to search for the group who had killed Avatar Liu. Given what we know now, it's obvious that it was the Order of the Silver Dragon.”

The three of them sat there for a long moment as they thought about what that might mean. It wasn’t that much of a surprise after what had happened among Clan Doragon, but it still raised more questions than it answered.

There was a knock on the door and it opened after a moment as Nosani and Aberas came inside. The latter looked a bit better now, but he still stumbled a bit as Nosani helped him as best she could, carrying him to one of the beds.

“Is he okay?” Miku asked as she looked at Aberas.

“I’m fine,” Aberas said, raising his hand. “I just wanted to see you again. Are you alright?”

“I’m okay… I think…” Miku said, running a hand through her black hair. “I’ve just had a very strange few days is all.”

“Understandable, welcome to life as the Avatar,” Aberas said with a slight chuckle as he shook his head. “Liu always was complaining about not having many slow days.”

“Yeah… I’m getting that feeling…” Miku said. “How did he manage it?”

“He found time where he could, it's about all he could do really,” he answered with a shrug. “But that’s not why I wanted to speak with you.”

“Right, of course,” Miku said. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I was wondering how long you were going to be in the Temple,” Aberas said. “It sounds like you can’t stay here for very long.”

“They did ask me to leave as soon as I could, but I don’t know how that might have changed after last night,” Miku answered. “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do next though.”

“Fire Avatars often have the hardest time with Airbending,” Aberas said with a nod. “I do not necessarily agree with the idea of you not staying here to do it. Perhaps we can find an alternative option for your training.”

“Yeah… but I’d have to find an Airbender who would come with me,” Miku commented, glancing over at Nosani who looked a bit uncomfortable. “Are you okay Nosani?”

“I’m fine… I just…” Nosani said quietly. “I’ve been a bit unbalanced ever since this whole thing started.”

“Understandable… your home is in danger after all,” Miku said as she got up and walked over next to her. “How long have you lived here?”

“Since I was about 10,” Nosani said. “My family brought me here when I was going through some things. The Nuns helped me figure out who I was and what kind of person I wanted to be.”

Aberas leaned back and listened to the two of them talk. He was starting to formulate an idea in his head, he knew that Miku was going to need an Airbending Master. An Avatar not staying at a location for an extended period of time was unusual, but not unheard of. He smiled and nodded a bit.

“Sister Nosani, how about you bring Avatar Miku to the meditation chamber?” He suggested. “I’m sure you could help her relax a bit.”

"Yes Brother Aberas,” Nosani said as she got up and looked at Miku. “If that's alright of course Avatar.”

“Of course,” Miku said with a nod. “Omalah, are you okay with this?”

“I would prefer to come with you and at least stand guard,” Omalah said as she looked at Nosani. “Avatar Miku is my charge, and I can’t leave her alone.”

“Tou can come as well,” Nosani said with a nod. “So, shall we?”

“I want to go and speak with the healers,” Wei-Sun said. “Maybe I can learn some new techniques from them.”

Miku nodded as she, Omalah, and Nosani walked off together. The three of them started climbing the stairs again, heading towards the meditation chamber.

00000

“Have you ever meditated before?” Nosani asked as she gestured for Miku to take a seat across from her on a cloth pillow.

“Some, mostly to try and center myself and my Firebending,” Miku answered as she glanced at Omalah who was keeping an eye on the door. “It helps a bit, but it’s probably not the same thing as meditating for an Airbender.”

“It’s likely fairly similar,” Nosani said as she leaned back and gave her a nod as Miku carefully took a seat. “But by their nature, Airbending and Firebending are very different things. Firebending requires you to reach within, while Airbending is about touching what is all around you.”

“So Firebending comes from the self while Airbending comes from the world around me?” Miku asked.

“Indeed, to be an Airbender is to be one with the air around you,” Nosani said. “You are not in control of the wind. Instead, the air moves through you and changes as you do. We are as changing as the winds.”

“I see,” Miku said. “I suppose that makes sense… but it’ll be hard to get used to.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn in time, this is just a practice session,” Nosani said with a smile. “Even young Airbenders need time to learn and prepare, so it’s alright. Shall we at least try and learn? Close your eyes.”

Miku nodded as closed her eyes. She felt weird, like she didn’t really know what she was doing or what she was supposed to feel. The air flowed around her, but she didn’t feel any different.

“I don’t…” she started to say.

“It’s alright, now empty your mind,” Nosani said gently. “Feel the wind around you, reach out to it.”

Miku nodded a bit as she reached forward with her mind, like she did with her fire as she felt for that connection to the air. She could feel it flowing around her, reaching out to her… something about it felt, almost freeing.

But as she did her thoughts started to intrude on her mind again. The threat from the Order of the Silver Dragon… what her father thought of her… what everyone expected of her. She closed her eyes tighter as she started to feel the wind blowing stronger around her.

“Uh… what’s going on in there?” Omalah asked, looking back inside the room, only to get buffeted by strong winds that pushed her backwards. “What the heck?”

Nosani reached forward and shook Miku until her eyes snapped open. The Avatar groaned a bit as she looked around, swaying back and forth.

“What happened?” She asked.

“You let the Air move a bit too much,” Nosani said with a nervous chuckle. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… fine, I just let myself lose control, I’m sorry,” Miku said, looking a bit ashamed. “I thought…”

“It was the first time you tried, it's nothing to be ashamed of,” Nosani reassured her. “You just need to practice more, that's all.”

“Right…” Miku said as she looked a bit sheepish. “Thank you Nosani.”

“Of course,” Nosani said. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to get it on your first try. From what I’ve heard, the last Fire Avatar nearly destroyed a section of the Eastern Air Temple when she was undergoing her Airbending training.”

“Really?” Miku asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, or so I’ve heard,” Nosani said with a shrug. “The Nuns from there have traveled here a few times and they tend to not forget those things.”

“Yeah… I guess that makes sense,” Miku said with a nervous chuckle. “That’s not exactly the kind of story I heard about Avatar Ha-Eun though.”

“History tends to remember Avatars more for their great deeds than their mistakes unless they’re big ones,” Omalah commented.

“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” Miku said with a sigh. “Knowing my luck I’ll wind up making a big mistake.”

“Don’t say that, you’re going to do fine,” Omalah said.

“So, shall we continue?” Nosani asked. “You just need some more practice… perhaps don’t try to use Airbending this time though.”

“Right… of course,” Miku said with a nod as she tried to meditate again.

00000

“So, you say that this mixture of Herbs and poisons can put someone to sleep for a few hours?” Wei-Sun asked as she spoke with one of the healers named Jula. “And nothing will wake them up?”

“Yes, though we have a few things that will, if you want to wake them up early,” Jula said with a nod. “It’s a useful concoction if you need it.”

“Hopefully I won’t need it, but I’ll keep it in mind,” Wei-Sun said with a nod. “Is there anything else you can teach me?”

"I should be able to, yes," Jula said with a slight smile. "Unfortunately with all the tensions, its getting harder to get supplies. I just wish something could be done about the Air Empire right now, they are just making things worse for all of us. And with what you said about the Water Tribe smugglers getting targetted..."

"I understand that," Wei-Sun said with a nod. "You're afraid. I think we all are to an extent."

"If the normal tensions aren't bad enough, it feels like they're going to attack any day," Jula continued. "I'm afraid that they're going to destroy the Temples and hurt my sisters... and then... where are we going to be as a people?"

"You're going to be as strong as ever, I've seen how strong the Airbenders are," Wei-Sun said reassuringly. "Perhaps there is something we can do to help?"

“Well, maybe…” Jula started to say as a group of nuns walked past, she paused for a moment and watched as they moved past. For a moment Wei-Sun thought she saw a flash of something else in her eyes, but it was quickly passed off as confusion.

“Are you alright, sister?” Wei-Sun asked, looking at her a bit concerned.

“I don’t recognize those nuns,” she whispered once she was sure that they weren’t close enough to hear her. “They’re not from this Temple.”

“What are they doing here then?” Wei-Sun asked quietly.

“I don’t know, we need to go speak with your friends,” Jula said. “This may be a problem.”

Wei-Sun glanced back at the women that had passed them. They didn’t look like they were any different from the other Nuns, which was weird. She didn’t know why Jula was worried, but she didn’t question it.

They walked past the nuns and she glanced at them for a moment, trying not to look suspicious. They had their heads held low so as to not draw attention to themselves, looking away when they noticed her.

She tried not to look nervous, but she had a bad feeling about this. She needed to get back to Miku and Omalah and fast.

She almost thought the fake nuns hadn’t noticed them when she felt a heat at the back of her neck. She was about to duck out of the way when a burst of wind picked up and dispersed the fire just in time.

“Go!” Jula said as Wei-Sun realized she had been attacked with Firebending. “I’ll hold them off!”

Wei-Sun looked at her and then at the fake Air Nuns. She didn’t want to leave, but she wasn’t much of a fighter. She nodded and turned and started to run, she needed to get help, and fast.

00000

“So, what should we do now?” Miku asked as she and Omalah headed out of the meditation chamber. Nosani was finishing up and would meet with them later. “There isn’t a lot more we can do right now, is there?”

“Yeah, I guess we could probably…” Omalah started to say when there was the sound of running feet, she reached for her swords before realizing that it was Wei-Sun who was running up the stairs out of breath. “Wei-Sun? What’s wrong?”

“I was attacked by Firebenders disguised as Air Nuns,” Wei-Sun said, trying to get her breath back. “Someone has infiltrated the temple.”

“WHAT?” Omalah and Miku said in unison.

“What’s going on?” Nosani asked as she came out of the room behind them.

A quick explanation made Nosani narrow her eyes. She nodded in agreement as she grabbed her staff. “I’ll go tell the Elders, they’re either after you or Aberas… or both. We’re not going to let them take anyone from our temple.”

“Right,” Miku said. “We’ll go with Wei-Sun, we need to find out what’s going on.”

Nosani nodded as she headed for the window and flew out of it on her glider staff. The three friends nodded as they followed Wei-Sun down the stairs again. Hopefully they will be able to figure this out quickly.

The three of them ran down the stairs as fast as they could. Maybe if they could catch the infiltrators things would be fine. Miku could only hope that she would be able to stop them.

As they made their way back towards where Wei-Sun had encountered the attackers, there was no sign of anyone around, not even Jula. She blinked as she looked confused, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Where did they go?” Omalah asked as she looked around.

“I don’t know.” Wei-sun said as she looked confused. “I don’t know where they might have…”

She was cut off when she heard a moaning sound coming from one of the nearby rooms. The three friends exchanged a look before running into it, finding Jula lying against the wall of the room barely conscious.

“Sister Jula!” Wei-Sun said as she ran over to her, taking out her stuff and starting to work to heal the other woman. “What happened?”

“They overpowered… me…” Jula said weakly as she was barely able to keep her eyes open. “I’m sorry… Avatar…”

“Were they coming for me?” Miku asked.

“They were coming for… Aber…” Jula said before falling unconscious again.

Miku, Omalah, and Wei-Sun exchanged a look as they realized what she was trying to say. Wei-Sun finished doing what she could, and they started to run. They needed to get to Aberas before it was too late.

They made their way to one of the windows and Miku looked around for a moment before she saw what she was looking for. A Sky Bison was making its way with another Air Nun on their back. She took a moment, timed it just right, and leaped out, landing just barely on the saddle with an oof.

“What are you…” the nun asked, very confused as she realized that she had an extra passenger suddenly. “You could’ve fallen.”

“I know, but it’s an emergency,” Miku said as she pointed up towards the window. “We need to get my friends and go to where Aberas is being kept. It’s a matter of life and death!”

The nun looked back at her for a moment, but realized quickly that the young Avatar was being serious. She nodded and pulled the reins of her Sky Bison to head up towards the window where Omalah and Wei-Sun hopped onto its back.

“You know you could have just called out to her, right?” Omalah pointed out.

“I know,” Miku said. “Come on, we need to get to Aberas.”

00000

As they made their way towards the secret chamber, Miku looked around nervously as if she was expecting something to happen. The chamber was supposed to be cut off from the rest of the temple other than the entrance, but she didn’t doubt that they would find a way to get into it. As they had at least one firebender, that would likely give them an edge.

“Do you think they’re there already?” Wei-Sun asked.

“I don’t know,” Miku admitted as she placed her hand on the sword on her belt. “But we’re about to find out.”

As they came around one of the buildings, the nun pulled her Sky Bison to a stop. Miku looked over and stared in shock as she realized why. Smoke was starting to pour from the door as flames were licking at the building’s exterior.

“By the spirits…” The Nun said as she stared in horror. “Who would do such a thing?”

“Miku, you and me, come on,” Omalah said as she pulled water out of her pouch. “You use your Firebending, I’ll use my Waterbending. We can put this out if we work together.”

“Right,” Miku said as she focused her attention on the fire. She didn’t want to admit it but she was a bit nervous about this, she was more used to controlling the fire she created than external fires. She looked over at Omalah who was preparing for her own move.

“Ready?” Omalah asked.

“I think so,” Miku said with a nod. “On three then?”

Omalah nodded as the nun moved the Sky Bison in as close as she could dare. Omalah held up three fingers and counted down one by one.

“Three! She said as she sent a burst of water into the flames while Miku pulled back. It took her a moment of concentration as she tried to focus on the fire, but it slowly started to swirl towards her before dispersing, but there was still more fire.

Miku closed her eyes and reached out for the flames, feeling herself connect to them. She took a deep breath and tried to control the flames. It was different from what she was used to, but the flames felt like they were part of her.

She pulled the flames out as she felt them go out one by one. She felt like she was in sync with Omalah as the Waterbender did the same, the fire and water moving together as they put the last of the fire out.

“Come on, we don’t have any time to stand around waiting,” the Air Nun said as she pulled the reins and headed towards the hidden door.

“Thank you for the lift,” Miku said as she hopped off the back of the Sky Bison and into the doorway with Omalah and Wei-Sun close behind. The inside of the secret room was heavily burned by the flames, most of it having been reduced to little more than ash. Miku frowned a bit as she looked around for any sign of Aberas.

“Where is he?” She asked.

“Look up,” Omalah said as she pointed one of her swords up at the ceiling. The rock had been melted by some very powerful flames. “It looks to me like we’re dealing with a very powerful Firebender, but I don’t know where Aberas might be.”

“And where’s the Firebender?” Wei-Sun pointed out. “They seem to have vanished too.”

Miku paused for a moment as she looked around, thinking about what her friends had said. Aberas had been here, but where did he go? And how did they even know he had been here?

“Is it possible Silver Dragon has an agent here?” She asked as she looked over at Omalah.

“I certainly wouldn’t rule it out,” Omalah commented as she poked at the remains of the bed with her sword. “Someone had to tell them that we were here, and where he was hidden.”

Miku glanced back towards where the Air Nun was flying off to probably alert the Elders of what happened. And if there was a possibility that anyone could have tipped them off, that was going to be a problem.

“Come on,” she said quickly. “We need to figure out where they went.”

She looked up at the ceiling above for a moment as she tried to figure out where they might have gone. There wasn’t much they could do but prepare for their next move.

And hopefully they would be able to find them.

00000

“Elder Ayota, I need to…” Nosani started to say as she pushed her way into the elder’s chambers. She stopped when she realized that Elder Ayota wasn’t even here at the moment, she looked around a bit confused. “Elder Ayota?”

She looked around the room for a minute as she checked over some papers that were on Ayota’s desk. They were notes on the people that called the Western Air Temple home gathered by the elder. She carefully picked them up and read them over.

There were a few notes and numbers by each name on the list. That was strange, the Elders didn’t normally keep notes like this on the Nuns. There were further notes on the people that came in and out of the temple, that was interesting.

“Let’s see here…” she said to herself as she glanced at her own name. It looked like it had been recently written down instead of being older like most of the other notes. She looked around as if she was afraid that someone might see her as she quietly read the notes over.

“Nosani, while she has shown a lot of promise as an air Nun it is hard to tell if she should remain here. I believe that she may be the best choice at the moment. She is already starting to show a…”

She stopped when she heard the sound of footsteps outside heading for the door. She grabbed the papers and looked around, spotting an old chest. It was going to be a tight fit, but she quickly opened it up and closed herself up in the chest, still gripping the papers in her hand as she did.

She heard the sound of footsteps coming into the room and then a voice, “Are you sure Elder Ayota had them in here?”

That was a man’s voice, and one she didn’t recognize. How had he made his way into the Air Temple without being noticed?

“Yes, she kept the notes on the Nuns here, at least that’s what I saw last time I was called in here,” a woman’s voice added. “We have to make sure that we deal with them. She might be able to identify me if we don’t.”

Nosani’s eyes went wide at the sound of that voice. She recognized it as belonging to one of the other young Air Nuns, but that didn’t make sense, did it? Something was very wrong right now, and the last thing she needed right now was for them to find out she was here. She quietly listened as she kept listening to the conversation.

“You know if the Avatar hadn’t shown up we probably could’ve gotten away with this,” a second woman, though she didn’t recognize this one’s voice, commented. “Why’d she have to wind up here when we were going after Aberas?”

“Poor timing, or perhaps the spirits decided that it was fate,” the Air Nun responded. “We need to make sure that the Elders send her away, however. Right now with the tensions with the Air Empire being so high, she will not be allowed to stay.”

Nosani was a bit confused by that. Was it possible that someone was taking advantage of the current tensions with the Air Empire? Or worse, was it possible they were making them worse?

How had this Order of the Silver Dragon infiltrated the Air Empire enough to do that?

“I’ll have to send a message to our people in the Emperor’s court, but for now we need to find those letters,” the second woman said. “We don’t have much choice right now though. We need to find a way to get the Avatar out of here or she might disrupt our plans.”

“You’re the one who lost Aberas, we don’t know how much he’s told the Nuns so far,” the man commented. “Right now he’s the biggest threat to our mission, not the Avatar.”

“Right, so how about we go before the Elder comes back,” The second woman said. “I’d rather not get caught right now. We might need to escape before it’s too late.”

“I’ll try and deal with Aberas one more time, they shouldn’t suspect me after earlier,” the familiar voice said. “The rest of you get out of here, I’ll join up when I can.”

“Is that the wisest decision?” The man asked. “Are you sure they won’t suspect you?”

“They might, but we need to try something at least, if this fails we will just adjust our plans,” the Air nun said as there was the sound of papers being ruffled through. “I’m not finding the notes here anyway. She must have them on her, this could be a problem if she talks to the Avatar or Aberas.”

“Fine, we’ll have to figure something else out,” the male voice said. “We need to deal with Aberas and get out of here.”

“Maybe if you had done your job,” the second female voice said. “We could have had him if…”

“That’s not important now,” the male voice said with an annoyed tone. “We’ll find him one way or another, get back in your disguise.”

There was the sound of them walking away and the door shutting.Nosani listened for a few more minutes before she was convinced that they weren’t going to come back before pushing the box open and pulling herself out of it.

“Who was that… they sounded so familiar…” She said as she straightened herself out. That hadn’t been particularly comfortable, but she knew that it was her best option. She grabbed her staff off of the wall as she looked around for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next at this point.

She needed to speak to the elders, Aberas knew something that was important enough that these people had chased him here. What was going on?

She headed out of the room as quickly as she could.

00000

Miku looked ahead as she held onto the saddle of the Sky Bison. They were heading towards the building that held the rooms for the elders, so hopefully they could tell them what was going on. But they still needed to find Aberas, wherever he might be.

She was about to say something when she saw that there was a familiar figure swooping down towards them on a glider.

“Nosani is coming,” she said as she leaned over and tapped the Nun on the shoulder.”

“I see her,” the nun said as she adjusted her bison so that Nosani could come in for a landing. Nosani carefully landed as she looked a bit out of breath. “Are you alright, Sister?”

“I’m fine, I’m glad I caught you,” Nosani said as she caught her breath. “Avatar Miku, we need to get to wherever Brother Aberas is now.”

“Unfortunately we just left there,” Omalah said. “Someone attacked him, but we think he got away. I don’t know where he went, however.”

“Oh that’s bad…” Nosani said as she slid down into the saddle.

“We were going to speak with the Elders about it,” Wei-Sun said. “And Miku thinks that there might be a spy somewhere in the temple belonging to the Order of the Silver Dragon.”

Nosani paused for a moment as she thought about what she had overheard while in the chest. It would make sense based on what they had said, and she knew that voice had sounded familiar, but that meant that someone who she had lived with for years had betrayed not only the Air Nuns, but also had betrayed the Avatar.

She didn’t like the implications of that. Just how powerful was this group that they were able to infiltrate the Air Temples?

“Alright, then we need to find Aberas or the Elders,” Nosani said as she gave them a nod. “And I may have found some information that could help. Elder Ayota had been taking notes on the Nuns here and someone was looking for it. I think she might know something.”

Miku nodded as they flew towards another one of the buildings. She tried not to look uncomfortable, but she knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. This was proving to be more of a challenge than she had expected.

Maybe she should’ve brought Master Yao with her too. Right now he would be very useful, but she knew that she couldn’t rely on him forever. She looked over at Omalah and Wei-Sun who were both ready to deal with whatever was waiting for them.

“What about the mercenaries?” Omalah asked as she looked at Nosani. “We haven’t really had time to interrogate them ourselves.”

“They’re being kept as securely as we can here,” Nosani said with a nervous nod. She was trying to focus her energy around her. “I don’t know what the Elders have decided to do with them yet.”

“Right, well let’s deal with this and then we worry about that,” Miku said as she saw the largest of the buildings getting closer and closer. “Thank you for coming with us, Sister.”

Nosani nodded a bit as they reached the door and hopped off into it, running inside and up the stairs towards the chamber for the Elders.

Hopefully it wasn’t already too late.

00000

“Brother Aberas,” Elder Ayota said as she came in, seeing the Air Monk who was being tended to by several healers after suffering burns. “What happened?”

“He was attacked by a Firebender in the secret chamber,” one of the healers said as she applied a salve to the burns. “He barely managed to escape with his skin intact.”

“Firebenders? How did they get into the temple?” Ayota asked with a frown.

“Because they have someone on the inside,” a voice said as they looked up to see Nosani enter with Miku, Omalah, and Wei-Sun close behind her. “One of our sisters is working for the Order of the Silver Dragon.”

“That’s not possible,” Ayota said as she narrowed her eyes at Nosani. “Do you know who it might be? And do you have any proof?”

Nosani’s face fell at that, she didn’t have any concrete proof that anyone had leaked the information or who had done it. She didn’t recognize the voice that she had heard due to how distorted the voice had been through the trunk. So how was she supposed to actually prove anything?

“It’s true…” A weak voice said as they realized that it was coming from Aberas. “The Order of the Silver Dragon has been moving within the Air Empire and even the Temples. They’re trying to keep us occupied with one another. And then of course there’s the tensions with the Earth Kingdom.”

“Why would they do that?” Miku asked.

“The Air Empire and the Earth Kingdom are the two largest nations, and have a lot of military power,” Omalah said. “So if they’re at each other’s throats…”

“Then the Order can do whatever they have planned,” Miku said in realization. “So, what do we do about it then?”

“Elder Ayota,” Nosani said as she reached into her robes and took out the papers she had found on the Elder’s desk. She held them out to the Elder. “I found these on your desk and I believe that they might have been what the members of the Order were looking for.”

“Hmmm…” Ayota said as she took them. “Yes, I started taking these notes recently after some odd activity around the Temple. Perhaps we can use this to narrow down our suspects.”

“Only a few of us knew that Aberas was even here,” one of the healers pointed out. 

“So then it has to be someone who you’ve both suspected and was aware of Aberas being here,” Wei-Sun said as she nodded in agreement. “Alright then, it sounds like we have a plan.”

Ayota nodded as she looked through the papers for a moment. She thought about all the people that she knew of in her temple, and she had a bad feeling. If it was possible that one of her sisters was actually in league with this Order of the SIlver Dragon, it would be a betrayal of everything that they stood for.

She glanced over the papers for a moment as she thought about who it might be. She paused on one name and looked up at Miku and her friends.

“Avatar Miku… I believe I may know who you’re looking for,” she finally said. “And she might be able to lead us to exactly what we’re looking for.”

“Alright then,” Miku said as she nodded a bit. “I’m listening.”

00000

A young Air Nun adjusted herself as she stepped out of the room she had been holed up in. She took a deep breath as she felt the winds shifting around her. She needed to get to the other healers before they suspected something was wrong.

“I can’t let them catch me, not when we’re this close,” she muttered to herself. “I just need to…”

She stopped when she came around a corner only to find that the Elders were speaking with another one of the Healers along with two of the outsiders. She narrowed her eyes a bit as she saw that they were binding the Healer’s hands.

“I’m telling you!” She protested. “I’m not…”

“What’s going on?” She asked as she walked over to them. “Is everything okay?”

“We’ve found evidence that Tsurah here has been leaking information to the Order of the Silver Dragon and was behind the recent attack on someone here,” the Waterbender, Omalah she was pretty sure her name was, answered. “We need to learn exactly how much information she might have leaked.”

“Ah… I see…” the nun said as she looked between them. “And Aberas?”

“He’s safe, in another one of the hidden locations,” Elder Ayota answered. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we will find the rest of her conspirators in no time. I’m sure that this crisis will be ended soon enough.”

“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it then,” the young woman said. “I should go and make sure all the stocks are ready.”

She took a few steps back and turned her back on the group. She started walking again as she took one last look back at them. She grinned a bit, she couldn’t believe it had worked. 

“Right… while they’re distracted then…” the nun said as she reached the window where she had kept her staff. She needed to get to her next destination, and so she spread the wings of her glider and flew off, this time knowing exactly where she needed to go.

As she flew around, she made sure that she wasn’t being followed. As she flew around several of the buildings, she was fairly confident that they hadn’t noticed her.

She came in for a landing on one of the secluded landing areas of the Western Air Temple. She had known them all by heart, even the ones that the Elders kept hidden for times like this. She took a deep breath as she raised a hand and sent a gust of wind through the stones. After a moment the wall creaked and opened up revealing a hidden door.

“Simple as that,” she said with a reassured nod. “Now to find Aberas.”

She made her way into the hidden room and looked around as she picked up a torch. This was one of the ancient chambers that the Airbenders had built to bring them closer to the Spirits. She could see the old statues that were built out of the stone around her.

As she walked through the chamber, she neared a large room at the end where she could see her goal. A large golden statue with the markings of an Air Nomad was seated in the lotus position and a figure in robes and a hood was seated in front of it on a mat.

She moved in closer, drawing a blade from her robes. She moved in closer to him, using her Airbending to muffle the sound of her footsteps. She raised her hand and stabbed the figure in the back, the blade feeling surprisingly easy to penetrate his robes.

Her mind barely processed the burst of fire that was heading right towards her in time. She rolled out of the way to see that Avatar Miku was standing in front of her, fire swirling around her sword.

“I was afraid of that… Sister Jula,” Miku said as she pointed her sword at Jula. “I didn’t want to believe it was you after you got attacked earlier.”

“You tricked me,” Jula said with a growl as she looked at the Avatar. “Where’s Aberas?”

“He’s somewhere safe where you and your friends in the Order won’t find him,” Miku said as she sent a burst of fire at her, only to have her swing her staff around, using the wind to dissipate it. “What I don’t understand is why.”

“That’s not your business,” Jula said as she ran right at Miku, swinging her staff at the Avatar as she blocked with her sword. “All that matters is that they will keep their word.”

“The Order made you a lot of promises…” Miku said as she let the fire dance around her fingers again as she was hit in the chest by a powerful burst of wind that sent her stumbling backwards. She wasn’t used to fighting airbending yet, and this was even more aggressive. “They’re not going to keep them, they only want what can make them stronger.”

“That’s not true!” Jula said as she sent a powerful burst of wind, sending Miku back against the wall and holding her there. “They promised me a future for me and my Sisters. And that’s more than anyone else ever has. They offered me a way to stop what the Empire is doing to my people.”

Miku groaned as she felt herself being stuck in place. The wind held her against the wall, she needed to not only escape this, but also to get through to her, somehow.

“The Order of the Silver Dragon doesn’t care about the Airbenders…” she said softly.

She closed her eyes and tried reaching out again. She could feel the wind flowing around her, moving through her long hair. She could also feel the will of the other woman, but this was more than just that. She wasn’t in balance, she was letting her own fear and emotions cloud her, and she could see it as the wind began to become stronger and stronger, Jula was losing control over her own bending and it was turning into a storm.

Miku dropped the sword that was in her hand and felt herself connecting into the wind once more. She needed to let go.

As she focused, the winds around her began to die down. She could no longer feel the fear that dominated her before as she let the feeling fade away.

“No… what are you doing?” Jula asked.

Miku felt her feet touch the ground again as she pulled herself back up. She let the fire dance around her, but even though it was weak, she could now feel the wind too. She lacked the same strength in it, but she knew she could at least connect to it.

Grabbing her sword she rushed towards Jula, catching the Air Nun off guard as the winds picked up speed around them, now starting to threaten to pick up some of the decorations around the cave. Miku grabbed at her opponent, shouting over the sound of the wind that was flowing around them.

“I’m sorry…” she said as she raised her fist and punched the airbender as hard as she could, causing her to crumple to the ground as the wind died down around her. She let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the unconscious woman.

As she laid her down on the same mat that the dummy had been sitting on, she heard the sound of running feet coming into the room. She reached for her sword, but was relieved to see that it was just her friends.

“Miku, are you okay?” Omalah asked.

“I’m fine…” She said as she felt the rush starting to die down, she placed a hand on her face realizing that she had been cut by the stone that the wind had picked up.

“I didn’t want to believe it was her,” Wei-Sun commented. “I mean, we got attacked in the hallways.”

“Probably to try and create a cover if anyone was suspicious of her,” Omalah commented as she looked at the unconscious woman. “Thank the spirits you’re okay though. I didn’t like this plan at all.”

“I’m okay,” Miku said as she hugged Omalah tightly. “I’m okay…”

Now the question was, what will happen next?

00000

Miku was in the Sky Bison stables checking on Tsu Tsu. With everything that had happened it was hard for her to be able to spend time with the Basan, but she was glad to at least spend some time with her before she had to leave again.

“She’s beautiful,” a familiar voice said, and she looked up to see Nosani walking in. “I’ve never seen anything like her before.”

“She’s very rare, even in the Fire Islands,” she said with a nod as she looked back at Nosani. “Is there any news?”

“We’ve searched the entire Temple, we haven’t found Jula’s co-conspirators,” Nosani said. “Based on what I overheard, I assume they fled. Aberas is fine, he’s recovering and healers say he’ll make it.”

“That’s good,” Miku commented. “I know I haven’t known him for long, but it's like I’ve known him for years. Being the Avatar is weird.”

“I can imagine,” Nosani said with a nod. She walked over and gently stroked Tsu Tsu, giving Miku a slight smile. “So, you’re getting out of here?”

“It seems like it, yes,” Miku said with a nod. “The Order of the Silver Dragon is causing an imbalance in the Air Empire. I suppose now it’s my duty to figure out how to fix that, as challenging as it might be.”

Nosani paused for a moment as she ran a hand through her hair. She had been thinking about this for a while, and Elder Ayota had encouraged her to do it, but it was still hard to think about. Maybe it was because this temple was her home, or maybe it was just that the idea of leaving with the Avatar scared her.

“And what about your Airbending training?” She asked.

“That I don’t know yet,” Miku admitted. “I lack a Master right now, and the Nuns won’t let me stay here in the Temple. Aberas suggested I head to the mainland towards the border with the Earth Kingdom, or even the capital city. Perhaps I can find someone there, or maybe someone will find me.”

“Si Feng is a long way away,” Nosani commented. “And you’d be going into the lion’s den. Whatever this Order has planned in the Air Empire, it’ll be centered there.”

“I know,” Miku said with a slight nod. “But I have to do it.”

“Alright, I understand,” Nosani said. “Which is why I want to come with you.”

“What?”

“You’re going to need an Airbending Master, as well as someone who knows the lay of the land in the Air Empire,” Nosani said as she bowed before Miku. “Avatar Miku, I swear to you I will do everything in my power to teach and serve you, if you’ll have me.”

“Just… just Miku, and no bowing,” Miku told her. “I’m still getting used to being the Avatar, and I don’t want you to act like this around me.”

“Then, I can travel with you?”

Miku smiled a bit and nodded. “Of course… I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have teaching me.”

The two of them smiled. Nosani looked over at Mola who was currently eating, she knew the Sky Bison wouldn’t be able to always travel with them without drawing attention, but she was sure this was the right decision.

“So, when do we leave?”

00000

“Avatar Miku,” Elder Ayota said as the group gathered in the chamber of the Elders. “I understand that you intend to leave us.”

“Yes Elder,” Miku said as she looked over at Aberas. “There are things that must be done in the greater Air Empire. If someone is trying to create tension between the people of the Empire and the Monks, then we have to make sure that they are stopped.”

“The tension between our people has existed since the Air Empire was founded,” Ayota said as she looked at Miku. “But we have survived. This is just another storm that we must weather as a people. All you can do is ensure that it does not become a great tempest.”

“Then I will do my best to do that,” Miku said with a bow of her head.

“It may be said that the Avatar is a spirit of no nation, but that is because it is a spirit of all nations,” one of the other Elders said. "Find a balance in yourself, and you will be able to find it in the world.”

Aberas walked over to her. “Liu was a good friend of mine, and a great Avatar. I hope that you will prove to be as great. And take these.”

He took out some papers and offered them to her. Looking at them, they were made up of papers, maps, letters, and other information that Miku didn’t really understand. It took her a moment to realize they were logistical information.

“It’s the evidence I was able to gather on the Order of the Silver Dragon’s actions in the Air Empire,” he said. “My advice is to travel to the city of Si Feng. There you will find allies and enemies alike.”

“And we’re going to have to chase Jula’s allies as well,” Omalah commented.

“So, let’s get started then,” Wei-Sun said with a grin.

“The Avatar may leave us sooner than normal, but she goes with the blessings of the Air Nuns,” Ayota said. She looked at Nosani and gave her a nod. “Sister Nosani, do your best to represent us, alright?”

“Of course Elder,” Nosani said with a nod.

“Then we release you with our blessing, may the winds guide you to your goals, Avatar,” the Elders said together.

The four young women stepped out as Nosani whistled for Mola again and they climbed aboard, Miku sitting down next to Tsu Tsu who was resting with her. Miku watched the temple vanish into the distance as they headed back towards the coast.

It was time to continue her journey.

Chapter Text

“Alright Miku,” Nosani said as the two of them faced off against one another. They were traveling on their way back to Andhee, and once they were far enough away from the Temple they had stopped for some training. “If I’m going to train you I need to see what you can do for myself.”

“So we’re going to spar?” Miku asked as she made sure her hair was securely out of her face.

“Of course, and I want you to come at me with all you have,” Nosani said as she crossed her arms behind her back. “Show me what you can do!”

Miku nodded as she ran at Nosani, she sent a punch at the Airbender, only to have her dodge her punch, sending a burst of wind into her and sending her backwards a few feet.

“Was that supposed to hit me?” Nosani asked with a smirk.

“Very funny…” Miku said as she went in for a leaping kick, only to have Nosani dodge out of the way, her movements quick and elegant. “Oh come on!”

“Your movements are predictable, you’re not exactly hiding what you’re about to do,” Nosani said as she watched Miku. “You need to work on not projecting your moves. Now, try again, this time add some Bending.”

Miku nodded as she took a deep breath as flames started to dance across her fingers. She took a step forward and sent a burst of fire from her fist at Nosani, only to have her do a flip in the air, dodging out of the way of it as she sent another burst at her.

Miku watched Nosani carefully. The Airbender was calmly standing there as she watched Miku in turn. She was being careful not to make her next move obvious. The Air Nun was calm, and she would likely not move until Miku did.

“What’s she doing?” Wei-Sun asked Omalah as they watched the two of them.

“I think I see what Nosani is doing,” Omalah commented as she watched the two of them. “Miku is a Firebender and her fighting style reflects fire as a result. But Nosani is able to move with the flow like the winds around her. It's making things hard for her, but it's probably part of the Airbending training.”

“That or Nosani just enjoys toying with her,” Wei-sun said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I considered that too,” Omalah agreed, laughing a bit.

“Very funny you two,” Miku said as she found herself face first in the dirt again while Nosani chuckled a bit. She got up and brushed herself off as she faced off against the Airbender again, fire dancing between her fingers as she did.

“I think that’s enough for now,” Nosani said with a chuckle. “I’ve seen what I have to deal with at least.”

“That doesn’t exactly make me feel better,” Miku commented as she sighed a bit. “I guess I’m not exactly used to fighting an Airbender yet.”

“Understandable, but you still need to learn a lot,” Nosani said with a nod as she held her staff in her hand. “You know your Firebending, but that won’t really transition over to the other forms of bending.”

“Right,” Miku said as she headed back over to Tsu Tsu and climbed on her companion’s back. “So, onwards to Andhee?”

“Right, hopefully we won’t run into more trouble,” Omalah commented as the four of them started to walk again.

“You realize you’re asking for trouble, right?” Wei-Sun commented.

“That’s just a superstition,” Omalah said with a groan.

“Better hope it is not, I find there can be some truth in old beliefs and superstitions,” Nosani said as she looked up to see that Mola was above them. “Come, we should get moving.”

And with that, the four of them continued down the road.

00000

Back on the Stormguard , Master Yao was seated on the deck and going through some papers that he had received from his contacts in Andhee. He frowned a bit as he checked over reports from the Air Empire and the Air Temples in particular, things were getting worse by the day, and he was starting to question if he had made the right choice by sending them alone.

“Master Yao,” Captain Shen said as he made his way over to him. “Is everything alright?”

“Hopefully, yes,” Yao said as he looked up from the reports. “The situation in the Air Empire is worse than we knew back home.”

“The crew isn’t happy with being here either,” Shen said as he looked out at the port town. “Without the Avatar here we don’t have a lot to keep the soldiers from attacking us.”

“I know, but at the moment we don’t have much choice,” Yao said with a sigh. “There is a problem however in that I have heard there has been some trouble in the Western Air Temple. If they return we will need to figure out where to go from here.”

“Right… well I will do what I can here,” Shen said as he headed back towards the stern of his ship.

Yao turned back to his information for a moment. He didn’t know what Miku might have to say when she got here, but if there was something going on in the Air Empire then he knew that the Avatar would be needed. Hopefully he will be able to figure it out quickly.

He started to get up when he felt something beneath his feet. He glanced down and started down below decks, he had a strange feeling.

As he went below decks, he looked around. There weren't any signs of anything unusual at first glance, but after a moment he realized that the door to one of the store rooms was slightly open. He quietly walked towards it, placing a hand on a dagger on his side.

“If someone’s in there, you’re on a ship belonging to the Earth Kingdom,” he said as he quietly stepped into the room. “I know you’re in here.”

He was almost caught off guard when a small figure came running out of some of the boxes. He managed to reach out and grabbed them. He narrowed his eyes when he realized it was a girl who looked like she was about 8 and was struggling against his grip.

“Hey! Let me go!” She said as she tried to escape his grip. “What are you doing?”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” he commented as he looked at her. “What are you doing on this ship?”

“None of your business…” The girl said, not wanting to look him in the eye.

“Really? Because you’re on my ship, I’m sure the Air Empire would be interested to hear about it then,” Yao said, causing her eyes to go wide, that certainly got a reaction. “You don’t want to get the Air Empire involved?”

“No…” she said softly. “Please, don’t tell them I’m here…”

Yao paused for a moment as he looked at her and stroked his beard lightly. He looked at the child with a frown as he wasn’t really sure what to think. It was possible that this kid had gotten into some sort of trouble with the Air Empire. Something about this was strange, he just needed to figure out what.

“Why do you not want me to tell them you’re here?” He finally asked.

She didn’t answer, she just looked away, as if she wasn’t sure if she should answer that question.

Yao sighed a bit as he looked at her. She was a small child that looked like she had not eaten a good meal in a while. He sighed a bit and looked at the door. This would be a bit tricky, but right now it was the least he could do.

“How about you come with me, we’ll get you some food and water,” he said. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

“A few days…” she said quietly.

“Alright, you need some food in you, we’ll figure out what to do with you later,” Yao said with a shake of his head. This was going to take a lot of explaining to Captain Shen. “Come with me.”

The child looked at him for a moment as he offered her his hand. She finally nodded slowly and took his hand as they walked back out into the corridors.

00000

“So, where are you from in the Fire Islands?” Nosani asked as the four of them reached the outskirts of Andhee.

“Probably nowhere you’ve heard of,” Miku commented. “The Taiyo Clan isn’t prominent enough among the Clans to merit more than a small island.”

“Fascinating,” Nosani commented. “I remember reading the last Fire Avatar Ha-Eun was born into a servant family. The Avatar spirit seems to manifest quite differently from generation to generation.”

“That does seem to be the case,” Wei-Sun said with a nod. “At least from what I’ve come to understand in my father’s travels.”

Miku nodded a bit as she glanced out at the harbor towards where the Stormguard was resting. She was definitely getting the impression that Wei-Sun was right from what she knew about her past selves. She rubbed her head for a moment, she honestly wasn’t sure if she’d ever be used to it.

Being the Avatar would mean she’d need to face a lot of things that she wasn’t used to.

Omalah reached over and took her hand, giving her a smile. “You’re going to be okay, Miku, we’re here for you.”

“Thank you,” Miku said with a smile as she squeezed Omalah’s hand gently. “I’m just glad I don’t have to do this alone.”

As the three entered Andhee and headed towards the harbor, Miku couldn’t help but notice that there were even more soldiers than before. They looked like they were now looking for someone around the town.

“Now what’s going on?” She asked quietly as she looked at her friends.

“I… don’t know,” Nosani said, looking a bit confused. “We should probably hurry back to your ship.”

Miku nodded as they picked up the pace, heading towards where the Stormguard was waiting. However as they neared the pier, it looked like there were more soldiers around talking to sailors and merchants.

“We should…” Omalah started to say when a soldier turned and looked at them. “Crap.”

“Hold it right there,” the soldier said, looking the four of them over. “State your business.”

“We’re travelers from the Earth Kingdom,” Omalah said quickly, holding a hand up to silence her friends. “We’re just returning to our ship.”

“And why do you have a Nun with you?” He asked as she raised an eyebrow at Nosani with a stern look on his face.

Miku looked at him and at Nosani. She hadn’t thought of what would happen if they encountered any of the soldiers like this. She was afraid of what might happen, and was about to say something when Nosani spoke up.

“I have a request from the Elders to travel to the Northern Air Temple,” Nosani said as she took out a parchment and offered it to the soldier. “It has been authorized by the Provincial Magistrate.”

“Hmm… yes, this seems to have his seal,” the soldier said with an annoyed tone as he gave it back to her. “Very well, but we are currently searching for a fugitive. Your ship will not be allowed to leave until they are found, understood?”

“Understood,” Nosani said with a respectful bow. “We will not cause any trouble.”

“Good, we will be keeping a close eye on things,” the soldier said as he waved them off.

The four of them headed down the pier towards their ship. Miku let out a sigh of relief as they weren’t accosted further, so that was a good thing at least.

“Sorry, the Elders gave me that if we ran into trouble,” Nosani said. “The Magistrate’s signature is easy to forge, as long as they don’t go and ask him personally, which I doubt they will.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” Miku said as she glanced back at the soldier. “I wonder who they’re looking for. Something about this feels… wrong for some reason.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nosani said. “The sooner we get out of here the better.”

Miku nodded as they reached the gangplank for the Stormguard where crew were carrying crates onto the ship. A few of them gave them a nod as they walked up onto the ship and one took Tsu Tsu’s reims and led her off.

“I’ll go find my father,” Wei-Sun said, looking around. “He should be around here somewhere…”

“Ah, you’re back,” a familiar voice said as Yao stepped out from below decks with a worried look on his face. “I wasn’t sure if you would make it before we might have to leave. And who is this?”

“Sister Nosani, I met them when they came to the Western Air Temple,” Nosani said with a respectful bow.

“I suspect there is a story there,” Yao said with a chuckle. “But this probably isn’t the time to discuss it. Come, we need to discuss a situation that came up while you were gone.”

Miku looked at Omalah and Wei-Sun with a confused look on her face. What could have happened in the few days they were gone? This was definitely strange, Master Yao was not normally like this, something about this was very wrong.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, looking a bit concerned.

“As I said, come with me,” Yao said as he led them down below decks. “Did you have any problems with the soldiers on your way here?”

“A little, but we were able to get them to leave us alone,” Miku said. “Or, well, Nosani was able to really.”

“Well, that is good,” Yao said as he stopped at the door to his cabin. “A few of our crewmembers have reported being stopped by soldiers.”

“They seem to be looking for someone,” Wei-Sun commented. “A fugitive of some sort.”

Yao looked uncomfortable for a moment as he looked at her and then at Miku and the others. “I might know something about that. Come inside.”

He opened the door and led them inside. Miku blinked a bit as she saw a small girl seated in a corner of the cabin eating ravenously. She looked up at the new arrivals, shrinking down a little as if trying to hide herself.

“Who… who are you?” She asked.

“These are my friends,” Yao said as he gestured to them. “I told you about them, remember?”

“Hi,” Miku said with a slight wave. “I’m Miku, this is Omalah, Wei-Sun, and Nosani. What’s your name?”

“Kona…” The girl said, looking at Miku and her friends. “Wait… you’re the Avatar, aren’t you?”

“Uh… yeah, I am,” Miku said as she looked at Yao. “Did you tell her that?”

“No, I didn’t,” Yao said with a confused look on his face. “Kona, how did you know that Miku was the Avatar?”

“Stara told me all about her.”

Miku looked a bit confused at that. She had a strange feeling like that name meant something to her, but she didn’t know why. She was about to say something when she saw something behind Kona.

A small shape of a cat sat there, grooming itself. It had a shimmering body that glowed with an unnatural energy that she couldn’t identify. It stretched out and gave her a judgmental look.

“Avatar,” the cat hissed in a feminine voice. “It has been a long time since I last crossed paths with one of you.”

“A spirit,” Miku said in realization.

Everything was starting to make sense now.

00000

A woman dressed in the robes of a member of the Andhee guard looked out a window out at the port. She glanced up as a Flying Lemur landed outside her window with a piece of paper in its claws.

“Thank you,” she said as she took out a treat and gave it to the lemur as it took off again. She took the paper and unrolled it, reading what it says.

“The child was not on any of the intercepted vessels. She must still be in Andhee.”

She frowned a bit as she put the note away. She didn’t like having to hunt for a child, but she had orders after she had been discovered in the old temple. She needed to deal with this quickly, and figure out exactly what that child had truly found in that old crypt.

“Captain Rahl , have you had any luck finding her?” A calm voice asked.

She turned around to see a hooded figure seated in a chair. They looked at her, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Not yet,” Rahl said with a shake of her head. “She’s an elusive one. She hasn’t escaped the town on a ship at least, and the patrols haven’t picked her up.”

“The spirit is still here somewhere,” the hooded figure said. “It has been sealed away for a long time. It will look for a way to escape.”

“Spirits are not our specialty, I don’t know what you expect us to do,” Rahl commented. “This is not something my people can do.”

“Find the child, we will work from there,” the hooded figure said. “That is all you have to be concerned with.”

Rahl watched the figure step out and shook her head. She was starting to feel like she was in over her head at this point, and she didn’t like it.

For now she could only do as ordered. Hopefully she wouldn’t come to regret this.

00000

Miku honestly wasn’t sure what to think of this right now. She was suddenly faced with a spirit that clearly had encountered one of her predecessors and wasn’t happy to see her. Stara met her gaze, but stayed behind Kona.

“I wasn’t expecting to see a Spirit on the material plane,” Nosani said, speaking up. “What are you doing here?”

“I found her, in the old temple,” Kona said quickly. “She was trapped in there…”

“Trapped?” Omalah asked. “How do you trap a spirit?”

“There are ways, but a particularly powerful one would require help from someone equally powerful,” Nosani said. “But it hasn’t been done in a very long time.”

Miku looked at Stara, not paying attention to the conversation as the spirit cat seemed to be sizing her up. The look felt unsettling to her, and something at the back of her mind told her that she might be in danger.

What had one of her past lives done to this spirit? And why was she being blamed for it?

“Kona, has Stara threatened you?” She asked the girl, catching everyone’s attention.

“What? No, she’s my friend,” Kona said.

“I do not hurt humans, especially children,” Stara said, annoyed by the implication. “I am a guardian spirit. Your predecessor trapped me and other spirits when we wouldn’t go to the spirit world.”

Miku looked uncomfortable at that. The cat spirit didn’t seem like she was lying, but Miku didn’t know a lot about spirits beyond a few stories. So, what was this spirit’s true nature?

“Is that the only reason?” Omalah asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Avatars are meant to be the bridge between the two worlds,” Omalah pointed out. “They wouldn’t do something like that without reason. Avatar Cewan fought spirits in his time.”

“Please, she’s not going to hurt anyone,” Kona said.

“One of her predecessors believed that it was necessary to either send us to the spirit world or seal away those that rejected it,” Stara said. “I only want to find my mate and live in peace in this world, like we did before.”

Miku sighed a bit, she hadn’t expected to be put in this situation so suddenly. This spirit had clearly been sealed away by one of her predecessors for some reason. Stara glared at her, still angry at her.

“I’m not the one who trapped you…” Miku said softly.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Stara hissed. “An Avatar is an Avatar. If you want to prove that you’re different, find my mate. Show me that you are genuine, but I don’t know how you can.”

Miku thought for a moment before speaking up. “You were in the old temple here in town?”

“Yes I was, I do not know why that matters though,” Stara said.

“There are old records in all the temples, even the abandoned ones,” Nosani said. “There could be records or information that could help.”

“Kona, where did you find Stara?” Miku asked.

“Uh, she was in a hole in the wall in a hall of statues,” Kona answered. “She was a statue with a strange symbol on it.”

“That sounds like that hall we passed through the other day,” Wei-sun said. “It would be a good place to start looking at least.”

“Alright,” Miku said with a nod. “We’ll go to the temple and try to find something.”

Stara flicked her tail and vanished again. The four friends looked at each other and nodded before heading out again.

00000

Miku looked around the street that led to the old temple. They had been dodging patrols ever since they had entered this part of Andhee. The Air Empire was on edge, and the last thing they needed was to get caught.

“Are we clear?” Wei-Sun asked.

“Looks like it,” Miku said as she placed her hand on the sword on her belt. “We need to move fast though. What do you make of it, Omalah?”

“We have a lookout on the roof up there,” Omalah said, pointing towards the roof of one of the buildings. “They’ll know we’re here if we go for the temple.”

“Smart,” Nosani said with a frown. “We’ll need to distract them somehow.”

Miku nodded a bit as she thought about what they could do. They could possibly distract the lookout and the guards, it was just a question as to how. She looked around, thinking for a moment.

“I have an idea,” she finally said. “How fast can you all get to the temple?”

“Pretty fast,” Omalah said. “But we can’t leave you alone out here.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Miku said with an awkward smile. “I spent most of my childhood sneaking out of my home. I can get through this, don’t worry about it.”

Her friends whispered amongst themselves for a moment. She didn’t like having to leave them either, but it was true that she had a better chance of success on her own.

“Alright, but if you don’t catch up to us soon I will come after you,” Omalah said. “You are my charge after all.”

“I promise I’ll be fine,” Miku said with a nervous laugh. She was honestly more worried than she wanted to let on, but it might be the only chance they had. She just repeated, “I’ll be fine.”

Omalah nodded, even if she didn’t like it, she trusted Miku. “Alright, just be careful.”

Miku nodded and started slinking back out of the alley. She looked around for a moment before making her way through the streets. She looked for a good clear area, if she was going to do this she needed to find a place to do this.

She finally found it. There was what seemed to be an old market square that was abandoned. She waited for another patrol to pass, and once they were far enough away, stepped into the center of the square.

She breathed in and felt the familiar flame growing inside her.  She felt the flame forming in her hands, creating the largest fireball she could. She sent it up into the sky amd it exploded. While the fire would dissipate harmlessly, it would draw so much attention.

As the flames were dissipating, she turned and started to run back towards the temple. She could hear soldiers heading towards the market square. She ducked out of the view of one of the patrols.

She didn’t have a lot of time to get back to her friends. Pressing against the wall, she could hear the shouts from the marketplace. She ran across an empty street, she was almost back.

“Hold it!” A woman’s voice called out, causing her to jump in surprise.

Miku turned in time to see a woman dressed in the clothes of a guard with some sort of rank insignia on her. She was bald with the tattoos of a soldier. She was carrying a staff in her hands as she looked at Miku with narrowed eyes.

“A member of the Fire Clans?” She asked, confused as she looked Miku over. “You don’t look like any of the merchants. What are you doing here?”

“Uh…” Miku said, looking at her and then towards the temple. “I came through here a few days ago. I’m trying to get back to my ship.”

The woman looked at her skeptically. “You’re a long way away from the harbor.”

“I have a poor sense of direction, I come from a small village in the Fire Islands so I’m not used to a place this big,” Miku said, it wasn’t a complete lie, but she could only hope she’d buy it.

“Odd that we’re looking for a Firebender right now and you just showed up,” the woman said with a look.

Miku flinched at that, she had a point there. Miku’s outfit and look was very distinctly Fire Clan. She quietly reached for her sword, putting the guard on edge for a moment.

“Let’s not do anything foolish,” the guard said. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here? I know you were traveling towards the Western Air Temple.”

Miku looked at her for a moment before nodding slowly. She needed a simple explanation that made sense, and she was pretty sure she had one. She just needed to avoid looking guilty.

“I come from a family of Fire Sages,” she said calmly. “I’m curious about the temples around the other nations. I heard there was an old Temple here in Andhee and wanted to visit it.”

The woman looked at her and shook her head. “You picked a bad time to visit. Return to your ship, maybe once the lockdown is lifted you can come back to the Temple, with an escort.”

“Of course, thank you,” Miku said with a respectful bow.

Rahl looked the girl over for a moment. She had rarely seen someone from the Fire Clans outside of a few merchants. There was something about this young woman that made her pause however. Like there was something more to her than she was saying.

But for now, she needed to focus on her mission. It was not likely that she would leave Andhee anytime soon after all.

Miku turned and started walking away. She took a few glances behind her towards the guard, she needed to get into the temple somehow. Once she was sure it was clear, she moved down an alley and stopped to think.

She didn’t need to draw the attention of the local guards, but she got an interesting vibe from that woman. She waited to be sure she was gone and darted across the street and through the door.

Now she needed to find her friends.

00000

“This was a bad idea,” Omalah said, pacing restlessly. “We shouldn’t have let her go off on her own.”

“Avatar Miku seems like a capable young woman,” Nosani said as she looked at Omalah with a raised eyebrow. “Do you not trust the Avatar’s abilities?”

“Well… I mean… of course I do,” Omalah said, playing with her hair.

“Then I don’t see why you’re worried about her,” Nosani said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Well..I mean… I am her bodyguard,” Omalah pointed out. “So I feel like I should be out there with her is all.”

“She’ll be fine,” Wei-Sun said with a smile. “She’ll come through that…”

As if on cue, the door opened and an out of breath Miku came inside. “What did I miss?” She asked.

“Nothing, are you okay Miku?” Omalah asked. “You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?”

“A little bit with a guard, but nothing I couldn’t handle,” Miku said with a shrug. “Why?”

“She was worried about you,” Wei-Sun said with a chuckle. “Was rather cute really.”

“Very funny,” Omalah said with a shake of her head. “But you said you had a run in with a guard? Did they follow you here?”

“No, she seemed to buy my story,” Miku said with a shake of her head. “We’ll need to be more careful leaving though. The guards are more on edge than ever right now.”

“Just what we need right now,” Nosani said before nodding. “Alright, no point in putting it off any more. Let’s get going.”

The four of them collected their stuff and headed deeper into the temple.

00000

Miku found herself back in front of the statue of her predecessor Tonah, looking up at the statue for a moment she thought for a long moment about what they must have seen in their lifetime. What kind of adventures they must have had, what people they had met, maybe they had felt much the same as she did right now when they started out.

She wondered what her successors would think of her someday. Would someone build statues of her? That thought was strange to her, that she may be important enough to have statues made of her someday.

She wondered how many Avatars had died in obscurity if any. She would have to see how she would be remembered.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Omalah looking at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just thinking,” she said as she turned to look at her friends. “So, where should we start looking?”

“Let’s start here,” Nosani said as she looked at the statue. “Avatar Tonah…they believed in the preservation of life and knowledge. I don’t think they would like what has become of our people. But perhaps whoever built the library here knew that.”

She looked over the statue for a moment. She moved in close to it, looking at the statue of the Airbender closely. There was something odd about it, she placed her hand on the statue’s head before speaking up.

“Avatar Tonah was part of a sect of Airbenders that rejected the traditional tattoos, favoring simpler designs,” Nosani said. “Most statues of them don’t have tattoos, so it’s odd that this one has them.”

She placed her hand on the arrow tattoo on the forehead and it began to glow. For a moment nothing seemed to happen before the light turned the arrow into a small circle that moved downwards and separated into seven points of light.

The statue moved backwards and revealed a staircase going downwards. Nosani looked at the others and went down first, using her staff to tap on the stairs as she gestured for her friends to follow.

The four of them stepped off the stairs and into a large room. The walls of the room were lined with shelves of scrolls. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, and there was a smaller statue of Tonah on the far end.

“Alright, let’s start looking then,” Miku said. “We’re looking for old records from before the Air Empire. Anything about spirits and encounters with them or places they were imprisoned.”

“Right,” Omalah said as they started to check the shelves.

Miku checked over the shelves as quickly as she dared. Some of them had strange symbols on them that she didn’t recognize. Some of them looked like they may be from the Fire Islands. Curiosity overcame her as she picked one of them with an earth Kingdom symbol up and carefully unrolled it. She didn’t know why, but she felt drawn to it.

“This may be my final record, but the Sages asked me as the Chronicler to travel and record the first teachings of Avatar Liu.”

Avatar Liu? This had been written about her predecessor?

She unrolled it further and started to read.

“It’s a rare honor for any of us to know more than one Avatar, perhaps that is why Liu asked for me. In my youth I sailed under Avatar Cewan’s black flag while he fought the Eternal Winter. He was a fine man despite his profession, but perhaps that was what we needed at the time. I have to admit I am curious to see what this new Avatar will bring.”

“I was escorted into the Avatar’s personal chambers in Omashu. He had just completed his training among the Water Tribe. He was still a young man, but he greeted me like an old friend. It was strange, but I could tell that my old friend was still in there somewhere.”

”He spoke of his time on the streets of Omashu before he learned he was the Avatar. When I asked him what he thought of his status he laughed and replied, ’It was quite the change. But more than that, sometimes the weight of it feels heavy. To be the Avatar is to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders at all times. It’s not easy, but I’m managing. And I’m lucky to have friends supporting me.’”

“I wonder how many people truly have the chance to speak with the Avatar like this. It’s a rare moment of candidness from the Avatar. He is a curious one to be sure, I wonder what he will do in his life.”

She rolled the scroll up and put it away. As curious as she was, she didn’t feel right taking it with her. She looked back at her friends and Omalah gave her a curious look.

“Did you find anything?”

“Not really, just a scroll from Avatar Liu’s time,” Miku said. “It’s given me a lot to think about. But still, it’s not quite what we’re looking for. Did you three have any luck?”

“I’ve found something,” Nosani said, holding up a scroll. “This has some information that might be useful. Its a record of spirits from the temples, it looks older than the Empire.”

She unrolled it further and frowned a bit. “Well, that’s going to make things harder. It looks like…”

She was cut off when there was a wind gust through the room. The scrolls rustled a bit as a hooded figure stepped into view. Miku tensed up, forming a flame in her hands as she looked at the figure.

“Well, I was not expecting the Avatar to be here,” the hooded figure said in a cool voice. They looked at Nosani with a frown. “And what do we have here? An Air Nun where she shouldn’t be?”

“You’re one of the Keepers,” Nosani said with a frown.

“Keepers?” Miku asked with a confused look. “What are they?”

“We are Airbenders tasked with keeping spirits who have escaped from causing trouble,” the Keeper said. “You would do well to tell us where the fugitive spirit is. It is too dangerous to be allowed to wander.”

They raised their hands to their hood and removed it. Underneath was an androgynous face with a bald head and the arrow tattoos of an Airbender.  They looked at Nosani with blue eyes as they leaned on a staff.

“We were tasked by Avatar Cewan to ensure that another spirit invasion cannot happen,” they said. “This is the creed of the Keepers.”

Miku took a step back as she felt a wind pick up around her. She felt an intense feeling within her as if someone was fighting to the surface. She saw flashes of memories that weren’t their own.

A ship on the sea.

A powerful storm that brought ice and snow.

A smiling woman’s face.

A massive serpent that coiled around itself with ice cold breath.

A lion spirit that let out a chilling roar.

And with that, her vision turned black.

00000

Miku felt the sensation of a ship moving beneath her feet. She struggled to get to her feet, expecting to find herself back on the Stormguard. Instead she found herself mostly alone on a smaller ship made of darker wood. She glanced up to see a flag made of black with a symbol of crossed swords on it. The only other person was a man with his back turned to her.

“Where am I…” she groaned.

“You are aboard the Angler Eel,” the man said in a gruff voice. “You are not quite what I expected.”

“Who are you?” Miku asked.

“I sailed these seas a long time ago,” he answered. “In a time when Spirits were loose upon this world. I can still feel the chill of their master’s eternal winter in my soul.”

He turned to look at her. He was an older man dressed in dyed blue furs and black hair that was scraggly. He had a short goatee and a rough face with a scar running across his left eye.

“You’re Avatar Cewan,” Miku said in realization.

Chapter Text

Miku stared Cewan down as the pirate Avatar looked her in the eye. He looked older and more grizzled than in the first vision she had of him. He placed a hand on the sword on his belt as he looked her over.

“What am I doing here?” She asked. “And why are you here?”

“Whatever happened in the real world brought you into a memory of my ship,” Cewan said as he paced back and forth. “I suppose that it is about the Spirits. Are they threatening the world again?”

“No… they’re… it’s complicated…” Miku said with a shake of her head. “I don’t think it’s a threat.”

Cewan looked at her, she shivered a little as she realized his scarred eye was focused on her specifically. There was a strange feeling behind that gaze, like he could look right into her soul.

“Look,” he finally said with a wave of his hand. “Spirits are fickle creatures. I had the misfortune of crossing paths with one named Boreal, who sought a winter that would never end. If you don’t approach them with caution, then you will have far worse things to deal with.”

“You were faced with a full invasion, I’m dealing with a cat looking for her mate,” Miku said as she did what she could to hold her composure.

Cewan frowned a bit at that, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He looked like he was considering what she had said at least. He leaned against the side of the ship before gesturing for her to come close.

“You’re young, you only recently found out you were the Avatar didn’t you?” He asked.

“Is it that obvious?”

“You have the same look as many tyros in my crew,” Cewan said with a smirk. “A lot of people were surprised to learn the Avatar was a pirate.”

“How did the Avatar wind up becoming a pirate anyway?” Miku asked, seeing a possible opportunity.

“I grew up in a small town in the North Pole,” Cewan said. “When I was a teenager a Firebender pirate named Yalun sailed into our bay. She offered a chance to escape my boring life and I took it. It was a chance at freedom and to find a place in the world… and I didn’t even know I was the Avatar yet.”

Yelun sounded somewhat familiar to Miku. But she brushed that off, it wasn’t why she was here.

“So you fought the spirit invasion by Boreal for the same reason?” Miku asked. “Freedom?”

“Freedom is what I built my life on,” Cewan said. “Being the Avatar just meant that I had more chains on me. I did not like what had to be done, but it had to be done.”

“And what if it doesn’t have to be done this time?” Miku asked. “What if some spirits can be allowed to go free? If we are supposed to be the bridge between worlds, then why cut off one world?”

Cewan shrugged. “Then that is your decision to make. But make your choice carefully, or it might hurt you. Spirits are fickle creatures after all.”

“Did you ever encounter a cat-like spirit in your time?” Miku asked. “Wind spirit, really furry, has a bit of a different coloring on her face and part of the body. Seems a bit like a guardian spirit?”

“Hmm… no but I do remember a lion spirit,” Cewan said as he glanced at her with a curious tilt of his head. “But I do not know what happened to her in the time since my death. It is always possible the Keepers imprisoned her.”

Miku looked at him and then back out at the ocean beyond. The older Avatar leaned over the railing next to her as they stood there together for a long moment. She chuckled a bit and shook her head.

“What’s so funny?” Cewan asked.

“Avatars are complicated things, aren’t we?” She asked. “We all have our ambitions, our hopes… and becoming the Avatar makes it all more complicated, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“But, it also saved me from a bad situation,” Miku commented as she thought it over. “My father wouldn’t have ever let me make a life for myself unless he was forced to. You’re right about one thing… Freedom is important.”

“But?” Cewan asked.

“But that goes for both humans and spirits,” Miku said as she nodded her head. “I will make my decision for myself. That’s the kind of Avatar I want to be, one that makes her own decisions.”

Cewan chuckled a bit as he waved a hand. “Then fair winds to you Avatar Miku. Let them guide you on your path.”

And he vanished. Miku was about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at the face of an older man with darker skin and dressed in a green and gold outfit and short black hair with a bit of a goatee.

“Avatar Liu?” She asked as her world turned white again.

00000

Miku groaned a bit as she felt herself coming back to consciousness. She looked up to see the familiar ceiling of her quarters on board the Stormguard . She rubbed her head, not sure what to think about what had just happened.

“Are you okay?” Omalah’s voice said, but she sounded like she was far away. Miku groaned a bit as she sat up, seeing Omalah and Wei-Sun looking at her worriedly. “You really scared us back there.”

“I’m fine… I think…” Miku said as she placed her hand on her head, trying to focus on what was going on. She tried to get up, only to find herself keeling forward. “Nope… not fine…”

“You need to lay back down,” Wei-Sun said as she gently pushed Miku back onto the bed. “You might be the Avatar, but right now you’re also my patient. So you need to stay in bed right now, got it?”

“Okay, but what happened exactly?” Miku asked. “I blacked out after we ran into that Keeper.”

“We basically had to carry you out of there,” Omalah said with a shake of her head. “You’re surprisingly light for your age. It wasn’t easy, but once we were out of the search area we were able to blend in, well as best we could.”

“Hopefully that Keeper didn’t follow us,” Wei-Sun added with a shake of her head. “I had heard rumors about the spirit hunters, but… I’ve never seen anyone so intense.”

“Yeah…” Miku said as she shook her head. “How is Stara?”

“About as well as can be expected,” Omalah said. “We’re not exactly in the best position right now and the Empire is going to keep looking for her. So, what do you think we should do?”

Miku thought for a moment as she thought back to the conversation she had with Cewan. Cewan had clearly formed the Keepers in order to stop any of the Spirits causing trouble, but this behavior was not what Cewan believed in. Freedom was what he had built things on, and this wasn’t freedom.

How did they deal with that contradiction?

“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted. “But we’re going to figure it out.”

00000

Rahl looked up from the scroll she had been reading when she heard a familiar sound as the Keeper entered her office. They had lowered their hood and was looking annoyed as they leaned against the wall.

“Captain Rahl,” they said as they looked at her annoyed. “You did not inform me that the Avatar had arrived in Andhee.”

Rahl blinked a bit in confusion as she looked at the Keeper. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, as far as I know the next Avatar hasn’t been identified, let alone showed up in town. I don’t know what they even would be doing here.”

“I encountered her in the library underneath the old temple,” the Keeper said as they reached into their robes and took out a piece of paper before blowing it over to Rahl. “She’s a Firebender, she has a distinct streak of red in her hair. Perhaps she…”

Rahl only half listened as she took the paper and narrowed her eyes as she saw the rough drawing of Miku. She didn’t even need to think too hard to recognize her.

“I’ve seen her.”

“Excuse me?”

“She claimed to be the daughter of a Fire Sage,” Rahl said with a facepalm. “She was near the old temple. She seemed harmless, so I let her go.”

“Was this before or after the fireball in the old market?” The Keeper asked, but Rahl’s silence was the only answer they needed. “Of course it was after. You let a Firebender go after one had caused a fireball.”

Rahl looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment before speaking. “At the time she seemed innocent, and she didn’t make any threatening moves. And I don’t need to point out how bad it would look if it turned out we detained the Avatar.”

The Keeper nodded slowly as they looked out the window for a moment towards the docks, they knew that Rahl was right about that, but that was still trouble. It certainly meant that the Avatar was still in the city as they had lost her and her companions on the way out, the question now was where.

“Do we know where she is?” They asked.

“Most likely she’s based out of the Earth Kingdom vessel that arrived with diplomatic papers,” Rahl said with a shake of her head. “Tensions are high enough without causing an international incident.”

The Keeper narrowed their eyes at the sight of the Earth Kingdom Junk. They knew that there wasn’t any way to prove that the Spirit was on that ship, but they needed to figure out what to do next.

“Avatar or not, a Keeper’s Duty is clear,” the Keeper said as they picked up their staff and looked at Rahl. “Captain, I will see you again later once I am done.”

They left through the window, leaving a very conflicted Rahl.

Being on the wrong side of the Avatar tended to end badly for those unfortunate enough to find themselves in such a situation. She was starting to wonder if she really was in way over her head at this point

00000

“I see the Avatar has finally returned,” Stara commented as Miku walked into Yao’s room, being supported by Omalah. “You’ve certainly seen better days.”

“Nosani already got us up to speed on what happened,” Yao said as Omalah helped Miku to a chair. “Are you okay, Miku?”

“I think so,” Miku said as she was helped into a chair. “I have a lot to think about, that’s all. Did we find anything before we ran into that Keeper?”

“Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front,” Omalah said. “The good news is that we were able to recover some of the papers that had caught our eye and Nosani is going over them now.”

“Well, that’s good news at least,” Miku said. “What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is that they don’t believe my mate is in the city,” Stara said with an annoyed hiss. “So wherever the Keepers hid her away, they did not have the courtesy to at least keep us close together.”

“Right, that is a problem,” Miku said in understanding. “We don’t have a way out of the city right now, do we?”

“No, I sent a message to the Earth Queen, but the wheels of bureaucracy and diplomacy turn slow,” Yao said with a shake of his head. “And the need for secrecy in our mission also makes things difficult.”

“Then we need to figure out what to do for ourselves," Miku said in understanding. “That’s going to be easier said than done at this point. That Keeper is bad news, and they’re convinced that their mission is right. So, how do we stop someone like that?”

She ran a hand through her hair as she tried to figure out what the answer to that was. This was a tough situation, and one that she honestly didn’t know how to answer. They were trapped between a rock and a hard place right now.

“The Avatar is meant to be the bridge between the mortal world and the spirit world, so how do I do that…” She said softly to herself. “Cewan didn’t do that job properly.”

“What are you thinking about, Miku?” Omalah asked.

“The Keepers are just making things worse for both worlds,” Miku said as she placed her hand on her chest. She turned and looked at Stara and gave her a slight bow. “I’m sorry for what my predecessor did. But I am not him, I will do everything I can to find your mate, and get us out of this situation.”

“I… see…” Stara said, not expecting that. “Thank you Avatar.”

“Just call me Miku,” Miku said as she shook her head.

“Alright Miku,” Stara said with a nod as she looked at Miku and then at Yao. “And what about Kona? She doesn’t deserve to be a target of the Keepers because of me. And she doesn’t have anyone.”

Miku thought about it for a moment as she looked at Yao who gave her a nod. “We will figure out what we can do to help her, I promise you.”

“We will see what the Avatar’s promises are worth,” Stara said as she got up and vanished through the wall.

“So, what do we do now?” Omalah asked.

“If they know you’re the Avatar already, then you have little reason to hide the fact,” Yao said as he crossed his arms. “Perhaps the time has come to start acting more like the Avatar."

“Maybe,” Miku said as she placed her hand on her sword’s hilt. “But the last time I did that, I got kidnapped by the Order of the Silver Dragon.”

“This time, we will be ready,” Omalah said with a nod. “And you don’t have to tell everyone after all. This time, we’re going to do it on our terms.”

Miku nodded. She thought back to the officer she had run into before. “Perhaps I have an idea as to where to start.”

The door opened suddenly as Nosani came into the room, holding a scroll in her hand. “I believe I’ve found something that might be able to help.”

“What is it?” Yao asked, looking intrigued.

“A solution to our problem,” Nosani said with a smile. “And one that Avatar Miku can pull off.”

00000

The Keeper made their way through the old temple. They stopped by a statue of an Airbender master. They did not normally travel to these temples, but they had been sent a message to meet someone there.

They took a seat at the foot of the statue and breathed slowly. The feeling of calm washed over them as they contemplated what had happened so far. Encountering the Avatar had certainly been unexpected, but they weren’t going to let it stop their mission.

The Avatar was still young, she did not understand the necessity of the Keepers. She would hopefully come to understand in time when she was old enough.

“Keeper Teir,” a woman’s voice said from ahead of them. “Prompt as always.”

“Of course,” Teir said as they opened their eyes. A tanned skinned woman dressed in green and gold clothes sat across from them. “I was surprised to hear from you this far from the Earth Kingdom however. I don’t suppose you’re here on behalf of the Earth Queen again.”

“Not this time,” the Earth Kingdom woman said as she ran a hand through her sandy brown hair. “I’m here on behalf of my other employer. He believes that you might be in a unique position to help.”

Teir paused for a moment as they looked at the woman. They didn’t immediately trust this woman, she was an information broker that worked for the Earth Queen as her “official” job, and had often helped the Keepers deal with spirit problems in the Earth Kingdom. But they didn’t know what she meant by her other employer.

“Very well,” they finally said.

“I understand that the Avatar has arrived in Andhee recently,” the woman said as she looked at Teir with a frown on her face.

“Yes, I know, I encountered her as she was looking for something here in the Temple,” Teir said with a slight nod. “I believe that she is here looking for information on a Spirit that I have come here to hunt.”

“And I am sure you know that the Avatar will likely stand in your way,” the Earth Kingdom woman said with a frown. “She is still young, and lacks the proper guidance she needs. The Earth Sage who is traveling with her will not provide the guidance we both know that she needs.”

“You’re suggesting that I fight the Avatar?” Teir asked with a raised eyebrow. “That is usually not a good idea, and is not part of my mandate.”

“Your mandate is to protect the world from spirit threats,” the woman reminded them.

“That does not necessarily mean the Avatar,” Teir said with a frown. “She is still young after all. Youth is where we make the mistakes that we learn from later in life. She likely just lacks the guidance she needs."

“Hmm…” the Earth Kingdom woman said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps what she needs is a proper Airbender Master. One that can ensure that the young Avatar will not go down the wrong path.”

“You are suggesting that I convince her to come with me?” Teir asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I suggest you do whatever you feel is right,” the woman said with a shrug. “But right now she is standing between you and fulfilling your mandate, is she not?”

“She is…” Teir said carefully.

“Then you need to do what is required of a Keeper when faced with a threat to your mission,” she said as she turned and headed for a wall. “The Avatar is not exempt from the rules after all.”

She raised a hand and pulled it down as the wall opened up and she stepped forward through it, closing it behind her.

Teir stood up slowly as they reached over and picked up their staff. Anyone who stood between a Keeper and their target was to be incapacitated and dealt with accordingly. The Keepers had set this down a long time ago, and it hadn’t even been considered that the Avatar might get in the way of it.

They walked down the hall again, they would need to find a way to deal with this.

00000

“Captain Rahl,” a male guard said as he poked his head into Rahl’s office.

“Yes?” Rahl asked as she looked up from what she was working on.

“There’s someone here to speak with you,” the guard said as he looked behind him for a moment. “She claims you met her not long ago. Something about being the daughter of a Fire Sage.”

Rahl paused for a moment, what was the Avatar doing there?

“Yes, let her in,” she said. “I don’t want to be bothered while she’s here. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” the guard said as he turned and headed out of the office.

Rahl put the quill pen she was writing with down and looked at the door, looking towards where the guard had vanished through. The Avatar showing up in the Air Empire could mean a lot of things, but she didn’t expect them to appear in her office.

The young woman who walked in didn’t look that different from most young women she had seen on the occasion she saw people from the Fire Islands. She was a little taller than average, with her hair tied up into a top knot and with a streak of red through it.

“Avatar,” Rahl said as she stood up, bowing to her. “I’m sorry that I didn’t realize it was you before.”

“I only recently found out,” Miku admitted as she took a seat across from Rahl’s desk. “We just want to get out of the city so I can continue with my training. This lockdown means that we can’t leave.”

“Yes, well the Keepers are here until they find what they’re looking for,” Rahl said with a shrug of her shoulders. “They believe that there is a threat to the world loose in the city.”

Miku sat there for a long moment as she tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. She tried not to look nervous, but was having a harder time making eye contact with Rahl than she normally did with people. She took a deep breath and finally spoke again.

“I don’t believe the spirit is a threat to anyone,” she finally said. “As far as I can tell, the spirit in question is more of a guardian. I believe the Keeper is overreacting in their actions against her.”

“And can you prove that?” A voice said from behind her and she jumped up and turned to see the Keeper standing there. “You don’t know everything about the spirits, do you Avatar?”

“No, I don’t,” Miku admitted as she played with a strand of red hair. “But what actual evidence do you have that the Spirit is a threat?”

“The Spirit was imprisoned, that is enough.”

“How many spirits are imprisoned because they were spirits, not because of anything they did?” Miku asked.

“That is irrelevant,” the Keeper said as they waved a hand dismissively. “The division between the human world and the spirit world has been necessary since the days of the first Avatars. You know that better than I do.”

“It’s still wrong,” Miku said as she crossed her arms. “I’ve decided that the Spirit will not be detained unless it is proven they are actually a threat.”

The two of them stared at each other with intensity in their eyes. Keeper Teir hadn’t crossed paths with an Avatar before. Their mentor had spoken of Avatar Liu with reverence, but he had rarely clashed with the Keepers as he had mostly dealt with material threats.

Now this new young Avatar was acting as if she knew better than her predecessors. That’s when they saw it, the glimmering energy of the Avatar state. It was only a small one, but they could see a glow of energy from that streak of red through the young woman’s hair.

“I see…” They said with a frown. “You’re not just the Avatar, you’re one of the Touched.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Miku said as fire started to gather in her hands. “But you’re not going to get your hands on this spirit. I’m invoking the rite of Tshod Ita.”

Teir narrowed their eyes at her, speaking in a calm intensity. “Only a fully inducted member of the Keepers is allowed to invoke that sacred rite.”

“Or the Avatar,” Miku said with equal intensity. “You know the rules.”

“The pursuit of the Spirit is to cease until the trial is completed,” Teir said as they bowed their head slightly. “Very well, I will prepare the challenge arena. You had better not fail to arrive, Avatar.”

“I’ll be there,” Miku said, and watched as the Keeper departed. She turned to look at Captain Rahl. “You really should keep that door closed.”

“It wouldn’t do any good,” Rahl said with a sigh. “But I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Me too,” Miku admitted as she looked at where they had gone. “But as far as I can tell, this  is the best chance I have.”

“Do you really believe what you said?”

Miku closed her eyes for a moment, not sure how to answer that for a moment. “I do.”

“Alright,” Rahl said with a nod. “I will have my guards leave your ship alone, for now. But you are still not to leave the city, understood?”

“I understand perfectly,” Miku said with a nod. “I have no intention of leaving.”

00000

“We should probably leave while we have the chance,” Omalah commented as the four of them, Yao, Shen, and Kona along with Stara were seated around a table in the Stormguard . “This Keeper is bad news.”

“Normally I’d agree, but Miku invoked a very serious rite,” Nosani commented as she shook her head. “If she leaves, then it will be a problem down the line if we are going to deal with the Air Empire and the Keepers in particular.”

“Which was your idea,” Wei-Sun reminded her.

“Which is why we can’t just turn our backs on it,” Nosani continued. “If we succeed here, then Miku will improve her standing in the Empire.”

“And… I honestly have a bad feeling about this,” Miku finally said as she looked over at Stara. “Stara, I need an honest answer, why did you get sealed away?”

Stara paused for a long moment as she looked up at Kona who gave her a nod. The cat spirit stretched out a bit before hopping up at the table and looking right at Miku, her eyes glistening a little.

“You really want to know, Avatar?” She asked.

“If I am to help you, then I need information,” Miku said simply. “You say you are a guardian spirit, why would you be sealed away then?”

“There have always been times when my world and yours have come into conflict,” Stara said with a shake of her head. “Even the Avatar does not always ensure the balance is kept, as Avatar Cewan did.”

“Cewan was fighting an invasion,” Miku countered.

“I am not saying that Boreal is not a threat, he is a spirit of winter at its harshest and sought an Ice Age,” Stara said. “But he was only a symptom of a greater problem. One of your ancient predecessors, an Airbender, sought to ensure the separation of our worlds. She caused many of us to be either sent home, or imprisoned.”

“And you were one of them,” Miku commented.

“I was a guardian spirit along with my mate who watched over one of the ancient Lion Turtles,” Stara said as she licked her paws. “We followed many of the people that left to help them, and this is what thanks we were given.”

“I see…” Miku said softly as she looked at Nosani.

“This does match up with what we know of that era,” Nosani said.

“Sometimes we escaped and returned to the mortal plane only to be sealed away later by groups like the Keepers,” Stara said, turning to look at Nosani. “Some spirits claim that she even sealed away the Sunset itself when it refused to leave this world. Sealing away such a powerful spirit could have had dire consequences. I can only imagine what other trouble her actions have caused.”

Miku and the others sat in silence for a long moment as they watched the cat spirit. She didn’t seem to be lying, but this was still a lot to take in at once. Miku leaned back in her chair and shook her head.

“I had no idea,” she finally admitted.

“That is irrelevant,” Stara said. “It is still on you as the Avatar to maintain the balance.”

“I will do what I can,” Miku said with a sigh before bringing up something else that had been bothering her. “The Keeper, they called me something else that I didn’t understand. They said I was Touched.”

Stara looked at her with a confused look, then her eyes fell on the streak of red in her hair. “How long have you had that?”

“This?” Miku asked, playing with a strand of red hair. “I don’t know, I’ve had it ever since I was a little girl as far as I know.”

“I see…” Stara said. “Interesting, an Avatar who has been Touched…”

Miku looked over at the others, still a bit confused as she looked at the strand of red hair. “I still don’t know what that means.”

“Touched are people who have been affected somehow by Spirits,” Nosani said as she glanced at Stara who nodded. “It can cause physical changes, but they are very rare.”

“You were put in contact with a spirit, likely when you were too young to remember,” Stara said as she stretched a bit. “I don’t know who it might have been though. Lots of Spirits out there, and that includes in the Fire Islands.”

“I think I would remember meeting a spirit,” Miku commented.

“Not if you were a baby at the time,” Wei-Sun pointed out.

“For what it's worth, I’m sorry I can’t tell you more,” Stara said. “You are the Avatar, it is entirely possible that was enough to draw the attention of a powerful Spirit.”

“Do you have a Spirit friend too, Avatar Miku?” Kona asked.

“I’m not sure,” Miku admitted as she looked at the girl. “Maybe.”

Omalah frowned a bit as she ran a hand through her hair. She went over and pulled Yao over, speaking quietly to him. “The last Avatar that was influenced by a spirit was… dangerous. Are you sure that this is okay?”

“I don’t think we have much choice in the matter,” Yao whispered back. “The Avatar is who it is meant to be. We don’t question the will of the Spirits.”

“The Water Tribe still speaks her name in whispers,” Omalah hissed. “I fear what might happen if we have a repeat.”

“What happened before was because she did not have the right people with her, and helping her,” Yao said as she gave Omalah a smile. “I believe that this will be different. Besides, we don’t know what kind of spirit we are dealing with.”

“You want me to keep an eye on her?”

“Your job is to protect her… even from herself,” Yao reminded Omalah. “This is a mystery to be studied, but it doesn’t change who Miku is.”

“I hope you’re right,” Omalah said as she glanced at Miku. “If she really was touched by a spirit, then I will do what I can to learn more about it. Maybe Nosani can help me figure it out.”

“Okay good, sounds like we have a plan,” Yao said with a smile. “Now come on, we should go talk to her again.”

Omalah nodded as they walked back towards the others. Miku was talking with Stara and Wei-Sun while Nosani was observing the cat spirit. Omalah moved next to the taller Airbender and gave her a nod.

“What do you think?” She asked. “About… You know…”

“It’s not completely unheard of,” Nosani said. “Some believe that the Avatar themselves likely gain their power from a powerful spirit that an agreement was reached a long time ago. That’s just a legend though.”

“Right… alright, we’re going to figure this out,” Omalah said. “Hopefully she knows what she’s doing with this plan.”

00000

Miku took a deep breath as she found herself in the middle of a rough arena that had been set up outside of Andhee. She was pulling off her outfit, leaving her just in her under wraps and pants.

“The rules of the rite are that you are only able to use Airbending or martial arts,” Nosani explained as she took out blue paints and started painting along Nosani’s skin, causing her to giggle a little. “Since you are not an Air Avatar, this will be in place of your tattoos.”

“Is it necessary?” Omalah asked. “And she’s not exactly trained in Airbending yet.”

“She doesn’t have to be, she just can’t use her Firebending,” Nosani explained. “It will make things harder, but it should help with her training as well.”

“Assuming she doesn’t get killed,” Wei-Sun muttered.

“Tshod Ita is not a fight to the death,” Nosani said in an annoyed tone. “She will likely only get minor injuries. The goal is to knock your opponent out of the designated area.”

“Are you sure I can’t help?” Omalah asked.

“It’s meant to be a one on one fight,” Nosani answered. “Don’t worry, she will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right,” Omalah said as Nosani finished painting the arrows on Miku’s skin. “I still don’t like it though.”

“I’ll be fine, Omalah,” Miku said with a smile as she handed Omalah her sword. “I appreciate your concern though. So are there any other rules I should know about?”

“Just try and keep to the center of the arena,” Nosani said with a nod. “It’s the safest place you can be. Think of it like being in the eye of a hurricane, only with less winds around you… I think.”

“Alright,” Miku said as she made sure that she had everything ready. “I think I’m ready.”

“Good,” Teir said as they stepped into the arena across from her and gave her a respectful bow. “Avatar Miku, this is your last chance to back out, no one will think any less of you.”

“I’m not going to back off,” Miku said as she stepped into the circle, the two of them starting to walk around the circle in step with one another. “I’m here to fight for Stara’s freedom. If you truly care about balance, then you will stand down.”

Teir shook their head as they gave her a nod of respect. “Then we both are here to fight for our own convictions. I will not give up my hunt unless defeated. Let us see who’s convictions are stronger.”

Miku nodded as she came to a stop at the same place she started on and held her hands up in a  fighting stance. She couldn’t use her Firebending, but that wasn’t going to stop her from fighting to the end.

“Alright you two,” Nosani said as she moved in between the two of them. “You both know the rules, no bending other than Airbending, no weapons, and any interference from outside will be disqualification for whoever it is in favor of. If you fail to respect these rules, then the rite is over. Now, begin.”

Miku dug her feet into the ground and rushed right at Teir. The Airbender didn’t even seem bothered as they held their hands up and a massive burst of wind blew at her, catching her off guard as she started to be pushed backwards again.

“The wind favors me,” Teir said. “You will need to try harder than that.”

Miku stared the Keeper down. They were watching her just as closely, they were both waiting to see what the other was going to do next. Miku wished she had been able to tap more into her airbending before she had to actually fight someone in a match that required her to use it.

She ran forward again, heading right for Teir. They raised their hand to start to throw another burst of wind at her, but she went in for a sweeping kick as they sent the burst at her. They jumped out of the way of the kick, landing on the other side of her.

Miku closed her eyes, focusing on herself. She knew how to draw on her firebending, but she needed to calm herself if she wanted to use airbending.

“Come on Miku…” Nosani said quietly. “Center yourself… become one with the wind…”

“Impressive,” they admitted. “But you’re going to have to…”

Miku interrupted them as she held a hand out and sent a burst of wind right into Teir, sending them flying back. She looked at her hand, a bit surprised, but she smiled a bit as she got to her feet and walked back towards them.

“I’m surprised,” Teir commented, coughing a bit. “I did not think you could Airbend yet.”

“I may not have mastered it yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use it a bit,” Miku said as she stepped forward, the wind starting to blow around her. “It looks like the wind doesn’t favor you as much anymore.”

Omalah watched a bit nervously, she didn’t like how close this fight was right now. She knew that Miku could fight, but she didn’t actually know if she was going to be able to handle this. At least she wouldn’t get hurt or killed, but she still felt afraid right now.

“She’s going to be okay,” Nosani said, looking down at Omalah.

“Are you sure?” Omalah asked.

“Keepers are not trained to use airbending for combat against other benders,” Omalah said. “That's why this plan might work. But she also is still learning how to actually fight using Airbending, so that might even things out.”

“You’re not filling me with a lot of confidence,” Wei-Sun said.

“It was this or give up,” Omalah pointed out.

“Okay, good point,” Wei-Sun admitted.

Teir ran right at Miku, the Firebender adjusted her stance as she dodged out of the way of one of the attacks. She could feel the wind moving through her hands as she focused her energy. She was still a novice at airbending, but she was at least able to keep her opponent on their toes.

“You are impressive, I will give you that,” Teir said as they watched Miku. “You could make a fine Avatar. But you need discipline, I could teach you that.”

“I don’t need to learn discipline from you,” Miku said as she kept a close eye on them. “Not with the way you’ve been acting.”

“Then I will have to show you,” Teir said as he gathered a powerful gust of wind and sent it right at Miku, sending her stumbling backwards towards the edge of the arena. “The Avatar exists to keep the world in balance. Without discipline, you will only make the world worse.”

“Maybe… but I should be free to make the decisions for myself,” Miku said as she braced herself against the wind. “Just because I’m the Avatar doesn’t change that.”

“We’ll see,” Teir said as Miku ran at them, swinging a fist around and striking them in the stomach followed by a quick kick. “How…”

“I’ve been training most of my life to fight back against people trying to control me,” Miku said as she kicked at them again, sending Teir back. “I’m going to make my own choices.”

She slammed her knee into Teir’s chest.

“I’m going to fight against those who want to control me.”

She punched Teir in the face.

“And I am NOT going to go anywhere with YOU!”

She kicked Teir so hard, sending a gust of wind of her own at him, they went flying back. For a moment it looked like they were about to cross the line when suddenly a rock rose out of the ground and caught them.

“WHAT?” Miku shouted.

Teir frowned a bit as they realized what had happened, looking back. “I told you not to interfere…”

“If you wouldn’t have insisted on this foolish duel, I wouldn’t have to,” a woman’s voice said as the same Earth Kingdom woman Teir had been talking to earlier stepped into view. “This whole thing is pointless, you should have taken the Avatar while you had the chance.”

“I do not answer to you,” Teir said as they sent a burst of wind that sent the woman back. “You have interfered with the Tshod Ita. That is unforgivable.”

“Such a foolish tradition anyway,” the woman said with a sigh as she brushed herself off and walked forward. “Avatar Miku, I have been looking for you for the last few days.”

“Who is that?” Omalah asked, looking at the woman with a confused look on her face. “What does she want?”

Wei-Sun narrowed her eyes as she looked at the new arrival. “I recognize her, her name is Entah, she’s part of the Earth Queen’s Court in Ba Sing Se. She’s normally an ambassador to the Air Empire, but what is she doing here?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Omalah said as she drew her swords and nodded to her friends. “The duel is off, right?”

“Right,” Nosani said as the three of them rushed towards Miku’s side.

Miku dodged out of the way as a boulder went flying at her head. Entah smiled wickedly as she raised her hand and rocks flew onto her hand, creating a powerful looking rock gauntlet.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Miku said as fire started to dance over her fingers.

“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Entah said as she slammed her foot into the ground and a line of jagged rocks jutted out of the ground, hitting Miku in the face. “You might be the Avatar, but you’re weak still. We are going to forge you into a weapon.”

“A weapon…” Miku said, sending a burst of flame at the woman as she blocked it with the rocky gauntlet. “I’m not a weapon, I never will be.”

“We’ve got your back,” Omalah said as she made her way behind Miku, tossing the dao to her. “Miku, are you okay?”

Miku nodded a bit as she turned her attention back towards the woman. Enta had a sneer on her face that made it clear she didn’t want to fight on these terms.

“You’re outnumbered four to one,” Nosani said. “Give up and we won’t fight you.”

Enta didn’t answer, instead she ran right at Miku with her rocky gauntlet outstretched. She raised her other hand as rocky walls started to form around them. Nosani, Omalah, and Wei-Sun were cut off by the walls, causing them to stumble back and leaving Miku alone with Enta and Teir.

“Well, now it seems like it’s two to one, in my favor,” Enta said. “Come Teir, let’s deal with her before her friends make it through.”

“Teir, she was already willing to violate the duel, do you really think she cares about you or the Keepers?” Miku pointed out as she sent a fireball at Enta who blocked the attack with a wall of earth before sending it flying at Miku. “I don’t know what she claims to have promised you, but I don’t think she intends to keep it.”

Teir watched as Enta started to raise the walls again. Rocky walls were starting to press in on Miku, causing her to step backwards.

“Teir, don’t listen to her,” Enta said. “She’s trying to confuse you.”

“What is the Keepers’ mandate when it comes to the Avatar?” Miku asked as she felt the rock closing in more. “Why would anyone want to stop the Avatar if they didn’t have some sort of ulterior motive?”

Teir frowned a bit at that, looking at Miku and then at Enta. She had a point about that, but what could they do? They did have a feeling, like something about this wasn’t right.

Besides, they had lost the duel because of Enta’s interference. They took a fighting stance as they stared the Avatar and the Earthbender down.

This was where they would have to make a choice.

Miku dodged out of the way of another rock as her sword swung at Enta, only to have her block it with her gauntlet. Miku was still a bit worn out from her fight with Teir and Enta was at full strength.

“I see why the Order sent me,” Enta said. “Your stance is weak.”

“The Order… the Order of the Silver Dragon sent you?” Miku asked as she dodged out of the way of another rock.

“The what?” Teir asked as they looked at Miku and Enta confused.

“She serves an organization that has already tried to kidnap me several times,” Miku said, fire growing in her hands. “They’re trying to take control of the Avatar.”

“What?” Teir asked as his head snapped towards Enta. “Is that true?”

“Of course it is,” Enta said. “And this Avatar is pathetic. I told you, she could use a better master if she wants to be a truly great Avatar. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the last few generations.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Miku said. “Make a decision for yourself, this isn’t right!”

Teir looked at her and then at Enta before taking a step back, kneeling in prayer. They didn’t know what to believe, and hopefully this was a way to make sense of this.

“It looks like it's one on one then,” Miku said as she pointed her sword at Enta.

“A shame… I will have to deal with them after we’re done,” Enta said as rocks started to gather around her. “It’s over.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Miku tried not to look nervous as she stared the Earthbender down. Her friends were having a hard time getting to them, so she just needed to make sure that she was ready for the next attack, but then another attack went flying right at her head.

That’s when a gust of wind knocked it off course. The two of them looked surprised as Teir stood up.

“How dare you!” Enta growled.

“You are the one who is attacking the Avatar,” Teir said as they moved so they flanked Enta while Miku stood across from them. “Avatar, I apologize, I did not know this woman’s motivations.”

“You’re not going to take Stara, are you?” Miku asked.

“I lost the duel,” Teir said as they started gathering wind in their hands. “Regardless of Enta’s interference, I still lost. So, I will keep my end of the deal.”

“Good,” Miku said as she sent a fireball at Enta, catching her across the chest.

Teir sent a powerful gust of wind at Enta, forcing her to defend herself from both sides with her rock gauntlet blocking another fire attack from Miku. She growled as she looked between the two of them, rocks flying to repair her gauntlet.

“I am not going to let you escape,” Enta growled. “Avatar or not, you are…”

“Avatar, when I say so, send as powerful a fire attack as you can muster!” Teir called out to Miku.

“What?” Miku asked.

“Trust me!”

Miku looked at them, and then towards Enta. She didn’t know if she could trust Teir, they had just been her enemy after all. But at the same time, she didn’t really have a lot of choice but to trust them if she wanted to get out of this.

“Alright…” She said, noticing that Teir was stepping back, so she did the same.

Miku breathed in as she prepared for her next attack. She dodged out of the way of another rock thrown at her, but then realized she couldn’t move. She looked down to see that her feet were trapped in rock.

“Now I’ve got you,” Enta said, using rocks to start to encase Miku’s body. “Your friends are going to be too late to stop me.”

Miku wondered if maybe Teir had lied. She would only have a few seconds to make her move, and she was afraid that it might already be too late. That’s when she felt the wind flowing around her, and she could see that Teir was doing some sort of hand motions.

“NOW!” Teir called out.

Miku sent a burst of fire forward just as her fingers were covered in rock. When it hit, there was an explosion of fire that shattered the rock around them and sent Miku and Teir flying back.

“What the…” Omalah started to say before realizing Miku was free. “Miku!”

She ran over to check on Miku who was groaning a bit as she got up, rubbing her head. “Okay… that was more explosive than I thought it was going to be.”

“Are you okay?” Omalah asked as Wei-Sun went over and checked on her.

“I think so,” Miku said.

“We need to get her back to the ship,” Wei-Sun said. “I want to look over her more thoroughly.”

“Where’s the Keeper?” Nosani asked, looking around she saw Teir getting to their feet. “And they’re still up.”

“Hang on…” Miku said. “Let them… they helped me back there.”

Teir gave her a nod as they got up, looking at the center of where they had fought. Enta was lying unconscious but was still alive.

“Are you alright, Avatar?” Teir asked.

“I’m fine,” Miku said. “I didn’t expect that though…”

“Sometimes, the elements can be brought together, but it’s often destructive,” Teir said with a nod as they walked over towards Enta. “Come, let us get back to town. I will deal with this woman myself.”

“What’s going to happen to her?” Miku asked.

“I will deal with her,” Teir said with a frown. “This may be proof that someone is attempting to interfere with the Air Empire.”

“We’ve seen them try and interfere before,” Nosani said. “We just stopped them in the Western Air Temple.”

“I see…” Teir said. “Very well, the Emperor of the Four Winds must be informed.”

They turned back to look at Miku and bowed in respect. “I am sorry Avatar Miku, I was deceived by her. I will have the lockdown lifted so that you may leave.”

“Thank you,” Miku said. “And I accept your apology.”

“If there truly is a group that is threatening the Air Empire, then perhaps it is the will of the Spirits that you are here,” Teir said. “Come, we will return to Andhee.”

They picked Enta up, and the group headed back towards the town.

00000

“It appears your plan worked,” Yao said as Miku was being checked over in a room in the Stormguard . “We have just been given authorization to leave Andhee.”

“Unfortunately the Order of the Silver Dragon interfered,” Omalah said as Wei-Sun finished making a medicine.

“Of course they did,” Yao said with a sigh. “They seem to be everywhere at this point.”

“Its a shame that they are causing such division in the Air Empire,” Wei-Sun said as she offered the bowl to Miku. “Drink this, it should help heal any wounds.”

Miku nodded and took a drink from the bowl. It was an unpleasant taste, but she drank it as quickly as she could. She gave Wei-Sun a smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Wei-Sun said.

“Perhaps we need to take our appeal to the Emperor himself,” Nosani commented.

“Wait, what?” Miku asked.

“The Emperor of the Four Winds Ashaan is not a reasonable man most of the time,” Yao said with a frown. “He is not likely to listen to us.”

“Maybe if the Avatar was there,” Miku said softly. “By this point, word is already starting to get out. I’m sure that Keeper will tell their order about this encounter.”

“Indeed,” Yao said. “But you have a point. I will tell the Captain to set a course for Si Feng, if that is what you wish.”

“It will mean your training will have to be accelerated,” Nosani commented. “The Emperor is surrounded by some of the strongest Airbenders in the Empire. If we’re going to go to Si Feng, we need to be ready.”

“Alright,” Miku said with a nod of understanding. “I will do my best.”

“I’m sure you will,” Nosani said. “We’ll train more once we get out of the harbor.”

“Oh no, she’s going to have to stay here for a couple of days,” Wei-Sun said. “You’re not going to leave until I’m sure you don’t have any internal bleeding.”

“Fine,” Miku said with a sigh.

“It’s alright, we have a while before we reach Si Feng anyway,” Yao said. “It’s close to the Si Wong Sea.”

“Then we have some time before we get there, yes,” Nosani said. “Alright, Wei-Sun let me know when we can start our training.”

Miku nodded as she laid back on the bed. “I’m sorry for worrying all of you.”

“Try not to do it again,” Omalah said as she reached over and placed her hand on Miku’s.

“Yes, I’ll try not to get surrounded by rock walls and have to get out by causing an explosion again,” Miku said with a chuckle.

“You know what I mean,” Omalah said. “I’m not leaving your side until I know you’re okay.”

“Come on, you two should leave her alone for now,” Wei-Sun said as she ushered Yao and Nosani out. “She needs her rest.”

Yao and Nosani headed out of the room as the door closed behind them. “I hope she’ll be okay,” Nosani commented.

“Me too,” Yao agreed. “So, you are to be her Airbending master then?”

“It seems so,” Nosani said. “She still needs to learn a lot about how to Bend, but that was to be expected from a young Avatar. I’ll do what I can to help her learn.”

“Good,” Yao said with a nod. “Welcome aboard the Stormguard .”

“Thank you,” Nosani said with a nod. “It means a lot.”

“I’ll make sure you have a…” Yao started to say when he looked up to see Kona and Stara watching them. “Oh, hello there.”

“Is it true that the Keeper won’t go after Stara anymore?” Kona asked.

“Yes, Avatar Miku found a way to stop them,” Yao said as he looked at Stara. “The Keeper is bound by the rules of the duel after all.”

“Good…” Stara said.

“What’s going to happen to us now?” Kona asked.

“Well, Stara you said you still want to find your Mate, right?” Yao asked.

“Of course,” Stara said. “She is still out there after all. I just… I don’t know where.”

“We are going to need to travel a lot,” Yao said. “Perhaps… you could come with us? I’m sure that Avatar Miku would be glad to have you along.”

Stara looked at him, then at Kona for a moment as she thought about what to say to that. She let out an annoyed meow before shaking her head. “Not without Kona. She doesn’t have anyone else, so I can’t leave her.”

“But Stara…” Kona started to say.

“Kona, you don’t have any family in Andhee, and we’re all we’ve got,” Stara said with a shake of her head. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Alright,” Yao said.

“What?” The two of them said in unison.

“If she has nowhere else to go, then she can stay on the ship,” Yao said. “I will speak with the Captain to work everything out.”

“Really?” Kona asked.

“Yes, of course,” Yao said. “Come on, I’ll show you to the Captain.”

Nosani smiled a bit as she watched them go. Her travels with the Avatar were just beginning, and she had a feeling things would be interesting.