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Chapter Text

There she was. The child. Out here by her lonesome, with no one else but her parents watching over her, smiles on their faces. The masked woman continued to watch from the shadows, moving like a wraith in broad daylight. Her footfalls had no sound, as the plainly dressed Fire Nation soldiers milled around, some keeping a watchful eye on the mysterious masked woman as they awaited her orders.

Shadow Weaver, as most of the Fire Nation addresses her, had a mission here. For the past few months, the Fire Nation general had painstakingly observed the family of the next Avatar, and for the last week, she and her group of specially selected individuals had been silently infiltrating the Great Walled City of Ba Sing Se. Now, her goal was in reach, the young child, playing in a field, stomping her feet on the ground as short pillars of earth shot out from nowhere.

With a simple hand gesture, her acolytes emerge from the shadows, pulling the girl's parents into a secluded alleyway. As the young girl turned back to find her parents, she was only met by the masked face of Shadow Weaver, who seized the child easily, knocking her out with a simple glance, cutting off blood flow to the young girl's amygdala, ensuring she remembers nothing of the life that she once had as an Earth Bender, as well as her knowledge of being the Avatar.

Shadow Weaver's plan was perfect, and for the next few years, she was given the respect and power she craved for in the Fire Nation. She felt invulnerable. And she was right.

---

"Don't lose focus. Once you do, your flame will lose power or go askew. Unless you wish for a life of discontentment, wasting away in the orphanage, I suggest you keep your back straight. All of you,"

The man in red and golden robes chastised, hitting Adora's back with a wooden rod, as Catra snickered behind her with her trademark laugh that was halfway to being a screech. And yet, to Adora, it was music to her ears.

Adora's half-tilted smile and dreamy look ceased as she heard a soft thwack, coming from the trainer slapping his rod against Catra's left thigh, straightening it out. Looking at Catra's surprised face, Adora's attempts of stifling a laugh failed miserably, as the other young Firebender looked at her first with a look of contempt, then glee as she joined Adora's laughter, much to their trainer's chagrin.

"How many times must I tell you to FOCUS?!" The trainer shouted, before letting out a sigh of defeat, letting the duo go on with their antics.

From the shadows, like years ago, Shadow Weaver stood, her brows furrowed behind her mask as she witnessed the two budding soldiers trained. The woman found her eyes transfixed on Adora however, letting herself wonder if the young blonde girl she raised would soon precede her position in Hordak's army. Perhaps she had been looking at the wrong girl.

When the young soldiers retired to their quarters, of which Catra and Adora shared, the two were talking animatedly about the day's training, and about how Catra startled Kyle with her fire, making the poor boy drop all of his rations. Their conversation was cut short, however, with the silent arrival of Shadow Weaver, the candles illuminating the room quivering and weakening in their glow for just a fraction of a second. The older woman approached Catra and Adora, her shadow enveloping Catra, as the younger girl looked towards the floor.

Grabbing Catra by the chin, Shadow Weaver burrows her gaze deep within her, letting her go. But before the other girl could even catch a breath, Shadow Weaver moves her fingertips, forcing Catra closer to her. The fear in Catra's eyes became even more palpable as the masked woman lifted her hand, levitating the younger Firebender above the ground as she gasped for breath.

Adora sees this, and reaches for Catra, seeing the obvious pain on her face. "Please, stop! She didn't do anything wrong!" The blonde shouted, desperate as Shadow Weaver reluctantly put her down, leaving Catra heaving, as the masked woman hid a scowl of disdain.

"I have high hopes for you, Adora," Shadow Weaver said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Adora's ear, before addressing Catra, her tone hard and commanding.

"As for you, you would be better off not  hindering Adora's talent in Firebending."

Her gaze locked to the ground, Catra nods tentatively, before she finally managed to croak out a response.

"Yes, General Shadow Weaver."

Unbeknownst to her, a fire began to build in Catra's being, only being extinguished as Shadow Weaver left the room, leaving Catra to finally let her tears roam free, streaking down her face. Adora's hand fell softly against Catra's back, guiding her back to their shared bed.

"Hey, Catra?"

"...yeah?"

"Everything is going to be okay. Nothing can topple us when we're together."

Catra let out a dry laugh, muttering softly, "Against General Shadow Weaver? You would have to be the Avatar to do that."

"I mean... if I needed  to be the Avatar, for you, I would."

Chapter Text

"Hey, Adora? Adora, wake up!"

"...huh?"

Adora sat up in her bed, eyes still half-closed and a trail of drool dribbling down her chin. Catra sighs, already fully dressed as she threw Adora's robes onto her face, earning a muffled sound of exclamation from the other girl.

Awake, but not fully alert, Adora stands up, her clothes still on her face as she felt around the shared table for her toothbrush. Catra let out an annoyed groan, taking Adora's toothbrush and putting it in her hand.

"Geez, Adora. Never took you for a late riser. Especially when we have the annual Fire Nation Tournament today."

With her mouth foaming with toothpaste, Adora made a choking sound before spitting it out in the washing basin, looking at Catra in utter surprise.

"T-The Tournament? Today!?" The blonde gurgled, sending minty spittle flying out of her mouth. Catra wipes her brow, flicking the moistness to the ground and nodding at her dumb best friend.

"Yes, it's today, so get dressed. We are going to sweep the floor with the competition." Catra smirked, snickering at the prospect of actually fighting other Firebenders.

---

When the duo arrived at the courtyard of the Fire Lord's palace, they saw for themselves the actual scale of the event. The stands, as well as the steps outside the palace, were filled to the brim with hopeful parents, experienced veterans looking to headhunt talent, and curious civilians seeking out the adrenaline rush of possible Agni Kai duels. Something else caught the two young Benders' eyes as well. Fire Lord Hordak, the fearsome man with his body permanently encased in an impenetrable suit of armour. The metallic red and gold seemed to glow even in the daylight, and the solemn man wore an expressionless veil.

Gesturing to the Fire Lord, Adora taps Catra's shoulder, trying to get her attention.

"Hey, isn't that the Fire Lord?" Adora implored.

Catra glances at him, and shrugs.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"They say that he has the armour because his body is riddled with scars from fighting the Earth Empire soldiers all by himself! Isn't that cool?" Adora said, with a slight twinkle in her eye.

"I don't really care. Not like he's going to pay any attention to us even after we win the Tournament." Catra shuts Adora down, but after looking at her dejected reaction, Catra sighs and speaks again, albeit softly.

"I mean, yeah his armour looks cool."

Adora's face lights up, and the duo walks up to the Fire Nation Corporal to sign up for the tournament, as Catra continued to observe Adora's face, smiling ever so slightly.

In an attempt to hasten the selection process, the officials decided to make it a two on two match, where two Firebenders will tag team to take the other teams down until the best team emerges victorious. The same rubrics were also given to the Non-Benders in their own fight categories.

Hearing the rules, the two young Benders beamed at each other, holding each other's hands in a show of solidarity and support to each other.

"As I said, we are going to wipe the floor with them."

And they did.

Adora and Catra were formidable opponents, their opponents either being overwhelmed by Adora's pure strength and brute force, or outwitted by Catra's carefully calculated strikes. Adora would draw away the enemy's fire, keeping herself grounded as Catra uses the environment to her advantage, once being able to land a direct hit to a man's face, severely injuring him and giving him a huge scar.

The battles raged on, and time after time Catra and Adora emerged victorious, eventually reaching the top. The two were both regarded as Champions of the Tournament, with two other women named Scorpia and Lonnie clinching the Champion position of the Non-Bending category. The winners were given the medals and applause erupted from within the courtyard, but then everyone went silent when Fire Lord Hordak rose to address the winning teams from both the Firebending and Non-Bending side.

"Well done champions," Hordak said in a deep, rumbling voice. "But you are not done yet. There are two openings for Captain in the Fire Nation Army, and I wish to give it to the best fighter and Firebender here. You will battle your partners. The Non-Benders will have a sparring match, and the Firebenders will invoke the centuries-old tradition of Agni Kai. The person who emerges victorious for both matches will be promoted to Captain status. For the Fire Nation."

The whole courtyard echoes Hordak's last statement, as Adora looked on with an expression that resembled admiration to some degree, as Catra looked at Adora, her expression soon turning sour. Catra wasn't here to compete for a leadership position, she was only here to make Adora happy and to kick Octavia's ass.

The tension in the air got more palpable as soldiers crowded around the arena for the fight again, as sounds of drums and the Suona filled the courtyard.

The fight between Scorpia and Lonnie starts off first, Scorpia taking a very head-on approach as she charged headfirst towards Lonnie right after the gong sounded. The smaller of the two women had the initial advantage as she dodged Scorpia's blows, ducking and weaving as she managed to land a few punches on her opponent. The successful hits were futile though, as the more heavily-built woman tanked the blows, waiting just long enough for Lonnie to get tired and expose a weak spot. Scorpia took advantage of this immediately, perfectly executing a roundhouse kick that hit Lonnie square in her sternum, downing her immediately. The gong was sounded again, as the match came to a close.

"I present you, Captain Scorpia of the Fire Nation!" The crowd cheers as Scorpia helps Lonnie up with a grin, the referee raising her hand as a show of her being the final winner.

Catra's palms were getting clammy now. Adora was almost vibrating in excitement, bounding up to Scorpia and shaking her hand animatedly as she bounded up the raised platform, taking her position as Catra followed close behind.

Taking their places on opposite sides of the temporary arena, Catra and Adora stood with their backs turned to each other before standing face to face, both of them silently regarding the other. A Fire Nation General sounds the gong, and the sounds of drums and Suonas filled the air again as Catra and Adora had their first Agni Kai.

Opening the fight, Adora bounds off her right foot, spinning in midair as she came down hard with an axe kick, sending an equally powerful blade of fire crashing down on Catra, as she rolled out of the way, recovering quickly enough to send a few fire jabs towards Adora in quick succession. Quick to react, the blonde Firebender sent a sweeping arc of fire towards her opponent, negating the jabs as the bursts of fire dissipated in the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Catra tried to gain the upper ground, propelling herself to a higher level before attacking Adora with twin fire whips, which she barely managed to evade, rolling to another side just in time. Catra lands right in front of Adora, who generated a ball of fire in her hand, smirking as she propelled herself backwards and thrust the ball of fire into the air as it imploded and blinded Catra for a few moments. Countering the attack, Catra executed a low sweeping kick as a ring of fire raced towards Adora. The other Firebender dodges, but Catra doesn't relent, putting down a suppressing barrage of flame attacks, all either negated or dodged narrowly by her opponent.

Both parties now gasping for breath, they assumed the horse stance before sending a steady stream of fire towards their opponent. At the last moment, Catra withdrew her attack, instead redirecting Adora's flame towards her, a move she was not prepared for. In a desperate attempt to block the attack, Adora put up a huge wall of flames, narrowly blocking her reflected attack. Catra used Adora's moments of distraction to set herself up again, gaining the higher ground as she prepared to slice down towards Adora with a fire axe kick of her own.

Before the blade of fire could reach Adora though, the blonde learnt from her mistakes, redirecting the flame towards Catra, who was caught unaware as a thin blade of fire nicked her bicep.

With a yelp of pain, Catra barely managed to land on her feet as she held her bleeding bicep. Adora rushes over, fervently apologizing for hurting her. Behind them, the gong is sounded again, signalling the end of the Agni Kai duel. A Fire Nation Corporal pulls Adora away from Catra, forcing her hand up in victory as the crowd went wild. Adora's gaze never did leave Catra though, and all she saw was Catra's head hung low in what seemed like shame.

When Adora receives her badge of honour, Catra was sat on the sidelines nursing her wound, watching from the shadows as her best friend was cheered on by the crowd. From the corner of her eye, Catra thought she saw Shadow Weaver, but the wraith of a woman was gone as quick as she appeared. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned her gaze back to Adora who bounded down the steps, sitting next to Catra.

"Hey, Catra."

"Hey, Captain Adora," Catra said with a little accidental disdain in her voice, wincing immediately.

"I'm not going to treat you differently, you know. You're just going to be Catra in my eyes. My best friend. Nothing can ever change that." Adora commented with a friendly pat on Catra's shoulder,

"Promise?" Catra asked, a hand still on her bandaged burn wound.

"Promise." Adora smiled, and Catra had no choice but to force a smile onto her face too. 

At least Adora was happy. Isn't that all that mattered?

Chapter Text

Just a moment ago, Catra could swear she was on level ground. Now, the both of them had wrestled one of those boats that ran on Firebending from one of the locals, and now they were out in the open ocean.

For one, Catra loved the refreshing breeze that was blowing at her face. The endless span of water surrounding her though, that was mildly disconcerting. Scratch that, it was very disconcerting.

"Where are we going again, Adora?" Catra shouted over the roar of the engine, as her friend heated up a piece of coal and dumped it into the contraption.

"The Black Cliffs!" Adora shouted back, a look of mischief clearly plastered on her face with that stupid lopsided grin of hers.

Catra nodded, but was no less apprehensive as when she first boarded the vehicle. They were fast approaching land now, thanks to Adora's fire propulsion. Catra sat on the bow of the ship, still clutching onto her bandage. The wound had healed by now, but it left quite an obvious scar, an orange-red streak against her light brown skin. The wound was still tender, and hurt whenever Catra prodded at it, so she replaced the bandage, hiding it under the sleeve of her robes so that Adora wouldn't worry too much.

Speaking about Adora, the newly appointed Captain of the Fire Nation didn't seem to inherit any new brain cells, as she aimed her fire jets right below their boat, sending them flying up the cliffs as Catra held onto the boat's hull for dear life. Once they had reached land though, the boat's levitation systems kicked in, as Adora pulled Catra beside her.

"C'mon! It's not every day that we get to do this." Adora urged Catra on as the other Firebender groaned before agreeing with her friend, the two talented Benders using their fire jets to propel the vehicle forward. Before they knew it, the trees were passing by beside them in a blur, the fresh forest breeze turned into a gale mixed with the smell of smoking flames.

"FASTER!" Catra shouted, finally getting the hang of the adrenaline rush, using two hands to propel them forward instead of one.

"aRE YOU SURE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GO THIS FAST!?" Adora screamed, finally gaining some semblance of a brain cell as the barreled down the forest, heading straight for a-

"TREE! HIT THE BRAKES ADORA! HIT THE BR- SHIT!" Catra yelped as the duo's vehicle hits the tree, flinging the both of them in separate directions.

Adora lands face first in a puddle of muddied water, wiping the dirt of her sodding wet robes and her face. Finally regaining clear vision, the young Firebender saw a small town just in front of the tree line. Surely Catra would head for the same landmark, she thought as she pushed forward, the little town seeming as if it had no prior allegiance to anyone. Not to the Earth Empire, and not to the Fire Nation either.

As she entered through the town gates, she could already hear the whispering of the townsfolk.

"Fire Nation. Look, she has the badge."

"Could she be a scout? Maybe they're planning to invade us soon."

"They wouldn't send a Captain to scout, would they? What if they're around the corner, ready to jump on us?"

Adora flinched at the last statement. Were all civilians not under the Fire Nation this mean? Then again, their living conditions haven't been the best. Their houses look shoddily built, and most of the roofs had visible holes in them. The children of the small town stared at Adora as she walked past, one or two even running away from her. Adora's heart sank. Were they afraid of her? Why would they be afraid of the Fire Nation is the Fire Nation sought to unite all elements under one banner? Adora mulled over the question for a while, before finally deciding to file it away for later.

Walking further in to the town, Adora saw a familiar shop sign. A green signboard with the faded words "Jasmine Dragon" engraved onto the wood. Entering the humble tea establishment, Adora sat cross-legged on one of the numerous little cushions in front of the low tables. She knew about this tea place, founded by a retired Fire Nation General in the middle of the old Earth Kingdom. Now the ea establishment exists almost anywhere, a symbol of hope and goodwill for those living in the vicinity.

A wee old lady came up to her, her head bowed as she served Adora steaming hot and fragrant tea, the floral scent something so foreign yet so familiar. Just before the old woman turns to leave, Adora stops her, as the woman looked as if she was cowering in fear as she turned around.

"Is something the matter, Captain? Is the tea not to your liking?" The old woman replied, her voice frail.

"No, no. Please, sit and have some tea with me. Having tea alone is quite...depressing," Adora said offhandedly, recalling the numerous times that Catra wouldn't sit and drink with her because she couldn't take the bitter undertones of most teas.

The old woman hesitated, her eyes widening before she sat down in front of Adora, setting the porcelain kettle on the low wooden table. Adora noticed that her garment was a very pale green, probably a uniform of the tea establishment or perhaps someone from the Earth Empire.

"Why would you have me sit here, Captain?" The old woman gingerly asked.

Adora looked at the woman eye to eye for the first time, seeing a hint of fear still lingering in her eyes.

"Do the people here hate the Fire Nation? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Adora assured, but the woman still seemed apprehensive.

"Perhaps. You can see that the war between the Fire Nation and the Earth Empire hasn't left the town in quite a good shape at all."

Lifting up her head from her chin, Adora opened her mouth to speak, but caught the old woman looking at her with a wide-eyed expression. She touches the left side of her face, pulling away her hands to see nothing.

"Is there... is there something on my face?" Adora asked, breaking the old woman's trance-like state.

"N-no. It's just... are you from the old Earth Kingdom?" The old woman asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Well, not that I recall. Why?"

The woman seemed to scrutinize Adora's face, focusing specifically on her jaw. Adora knew that she had an unexplainable scar on her jaw, but she didn't know that it was somehow this interesting or special.

"You look like her. The little girl. I remember now. You have the same eyes. The same scar."

"What are you talking about, lady?" Adora said, her voice rising in volume from uncertainty.

"Do you not remember anything about the Earth Kingdom?"

"No, absolutely not! I haven't even been out of the Fire Nation Capital until today!" Adora said in disbelief, as somehow the old lady seemed more and more convinced of her mysterious theory.

"Because, girl, you look exactly like her. The Avatar from the Earth Kingdom, thought dead for years after her disappearance from Ba Sing Se. Your scar, it's from an Earthbending accident from when you were little." The old woman rambles, as Adora let her thoughts wander.

She never did know much about her past. Whenever she actually tried to think about it, all she was met with was a gigantic headache. Is this the missing part of her history? Was she indeed the legendary Avatar?

Halfway into her thoughts though, Adora was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Adora!"

Catra said, as the old woman scuttled back to the back of the shop at the sight of the other Fire Nation soldier.

"Catra? You're here!"

"I figured you'll be here, in a dinky little tea shop." Catra teased, her robes looking much tidier than Adora's. She did always land on her feet for some odd reason.

Adora drank her tea quickly, thanking the old woman again before heading back to the familiar Black Cliffs, an unattended boat floating in the bay. Exchanging a look, the two "borrowed the ship again, this time cruising at a comfortable pace back to the comfort of the Fire Nation Capital.

"Hey, Catra?"

"Yeah, Adora?" Catra answered, looking at her best friend.

"You know about the Avatar?" Adora implored, testing the waters.

"That's an urban legend for sure." Catra replied, somewhat concerned for her friend's sanity.

"Did you hit your head in the collision? Do you have brain damage?" Catra said, taking Adora's head in her hands and examining it, squeezing her cheeks at some point.

"Oh god, I thought your weird little hair poof thing would cushion your fall! Do you have brain damage? God, Shadow Weaver is going to kill me!" Catra said with a feigned sense of panic.

Adora laughs, swatting Catra's hand away.

"No! I'm fine, I swear." Adora reassures her friend, sitting back in her normal position. Catra looks at her again, not very satisfied with her answer, but then again, Catra never seems very comfortable with anything.

Letting her thoughts wander again, Adora spent the remainder of the trip back home thinking. Why did so many people fear the Fire Nation? What was her actual past?

Was she the Avatar?

Adora made a mental note, already devising a plan to find out what seemed like the truth.

Chapter Text

Adora couldn't sleep for the past few nights. Her bed didn't suddenly get less comfortable and neither did Catra's presence in her bed seem unsettling. No, neither of those.

It was just, every time Adora closed her eyes to sleep, she would see people. Not herself, but total strangers. One night it would be a man with a beard in Air Nomad robes, the next night it would be a woman with a band wrapped around her bicep and animal fur draped around her waist.

The dreams were not still either. Adora could see everything, could feel everything as if she were actually there. She witnessed the Air Nomad chase down a man who seemed like a violent felon, and she witnessed the woman losing her bending to a mysterious figure in a mask.

All of it felt so real as if it were another life she lived previously. But Adora knew it wasn't. Reincarnation wasn't a thing. Like everyone else, Adora was mortal. Once she dies, she dies, and there's no coming back. Was there?

Adora looked around her room. The clock casts an angry red glow on her face, and Catra was sleeping soundly, curled up at the end of the bed. She lets herself smile, but not sleeping for 3 days took a toll on her, and Adora's eyelids drift closed.

Adora gasps, taking in a deep breath of air as she studied her surroundings in this weird limbo world. It was nothing like she had seen before, the environment around her seemed covered in ice and frost, and there were old Fire Nation ships barrelling straight towards a woman with a broadsword hilt in hand. With a flick of her sword hand, the woman conjures a blade of what looked like wind.

The woman was dressed plainly, in clothing that resembled that of a typical Waterbender. Not that she had ever seen one in real life, but for some reason, Adora just knew. The woman stood over a sheer cliff face, preparing to fight the incoming invaders, when another woman of a shorter stature runs over to her, holding the Waterbender's free hand. The other woman almost seemed... familiar.

"Mara, you don't have to do this yourself, dearie." The woman said, affectionately looking at the Waterbender, who looked down at the shorter woman, smiling softly at her. The other woman was dressed in a pale green outfit, something that looked familiar to Adora, but she couldn't seem to place it.

"Razz. You know that this day had to come sooner or later. I need to do this alone; I can't risk any of you losing your lives again because of me. I'm the Avatar, and it's my duty to protect this world. Even if it means that my legacy is cut short."

There's that word again. Avatar. Catra said it was a legend, but the number of times that the word has appeared in her dreams seem to state otherwise. Avatar Mara looks over the edge again, as the woman named Razz kissed her hand softly, Mara acknowledging it with another soft smile before her eyes began to glow a blinding white, washing away all emotion from her face.

"Stay safe, Razz. Make sure the next Avatar doesn't regret as much as I did." Mara said, floating above the ground with a spout of water. Razz nods solemnly, finally accepting Mara's fate as she retreated into one of the Water Tribe houses.

"Stay safe, Avatar Mara," Razz whispers, out of the Avatar's earshot.

Still levitating with the help of her water spout, Avatar Mara waves her left hand, surrounding the whole Southern Water Tribe with a towering column of water as she clenched her fist, freezing the column of water in place, effectively barricading the whole Southern Water Tribe. Looking over at her adversaries again, Avatar Mara wasted no time, propelling herself in the direction of her enemies.

With a swing of her wind broadsword, Mara cleaved a Fire Nation frigate cleanly in half, letting out a grunt of effort. The ships fired at her in retaliation, but Mara halts their attempts with just a raise of her sword, her blade switching from tamed torrential winds to a bright crimson flame. With a simple slash, the Avatar negates the Fire Nation's attacks, even redirecting a fire blast back at a ship, sinking it immediately.

The Avatar seemed to have no intention of giving up, as she summoned up a tornado with a simple circular kick, making it tear through a ship as the crew were tossed across the Southern Sea. At this point, there was only one ship left, and the Avatar's gaze was fixed on one man, his expression stoic even after seeing his own armada decimated in a matter of minutes.

Mara kept her gaze on him, as she landed on the ship gracefully, the blade of her sword switching to yet another element, a frozen fractal of ice, gleaming in the weak sunlight. The stoic man and Mara acknowledged each other, as the man removes his hood and throws off his outer robes.

Adora gasps.

The man was Fire Lord Hordak.

With a grunt, Avatar Mara slices through the air, a trail of water following her sword closely as Hordak, looking defter as well as young, jumps over her broadsword, blasting the Avatar with a large burst of fire. The Avatar is overcome by the flames, but after the smoke cleared, her glowing eyes were still visible as Mara bent the smoke surrounding her, throwing it into her opponent's face as she propelled herself towards the Fire Lord with a gust of wind. Grabbing his collar, Mara summoned a pillar of earth, bisecting the ship while holding Hordak firmly in place.

Mara's eyes finally revert to their original brown hue as she stared down the weakened Fire Lord, punching him square in the face.

"You. You and I are going to die here today. You will die for what you did to my family and my people, and I will die for the mistakes I made in the past." Avatar Mara said with a hint of resignation in her voice, turning her back on the Fire Lord.

"And what if I live? What if you make another mistake in your measly reign as Avatar?" Fire Lord Hordak taunts, clenching his fist as a pathetic spurt of fire escaped his fingertips.

Avatar Mara's back visibly tensed, as she turned around, taking purposeful strides towards the Fire Lord. Staring him down, she places her thumb on Hordak's forehead, as her eyes glowed white, blinding light pouring out of her mouth. Hordak's eyes and mouth glowed in a similar fashion, as the dishonoured Fire Lord opened it to let out a muted cry of pain. Mara continued to rest her thumb there as Hordak's glow waned, before dying down entirely, leaving him limp against his restraints, though he laughed weakly.

"I made you do it, Avatar. You did a selfish act. Two, actually. First, you encase your homeland in a practically impenetrable wall of ice, and then you take my bending away, so as to prevent yourself making another mistake."

Mara's gaze softens at this, the Avatar letting out a silent gasp of revelation as Hordak spoke yet again.

"Looks like the Avatar is just another human. I won, Mara. You lost."

The Avatar gripped her sword even tighter, her brows furrowing as her eyes glowed white again, her powered form floating above the ship as she slashed her sword four times, each slash with a different element. A blade of water slices cleanly through the hull of the ship, a whip of wind chops off a section of earth attached to Hordak's restraints, a pillar of bedrock shoots towards Hordak from the ocean floor, nicking his chin and drawing blood. The final strike of raging fire stopped short of Hordak's neck, as Avatar Mara raised the sword above her head, the fire burning brightly.

An ethereal projection then appears behind her, a lineage of people related not by blood, but by a mission. At that moment, Adora felt a faint tugging in her chest, witnessing Mara, as well as the past Avatars, Aang and Korra standing right next to her as the previous incarnations, Roku, Kyoshi, even Wan all stood behind Mara, the expressions on their faces equally tempered and filled with righteous anger.

"You will never win."  Avatar Mara said, the echoes of past Avatars audible in her voice. Adora felt her mouth opening to say the same words as well, but she stops herself, clasping her hand over her mouth.

With a final look shared between the two adversaries, Mara stabbed the hull of the ship with her flaming sword, as the surrounding area explodes in a display of engulfing flames, followed by a strong gust of wind, extinguishing the flames as it carried the sea mist with it.

Adora looks on from her place, watching the very spot where Mara stood vanish into nothingness, as she took her own life while trying to take Hordak's but ultimately failing.

Adora sees the hilt of Mara's sword whipped out of the explosion, the metallic ringing the only thing she heard as it landed on a nearby iceberg. As her surroundings quietened down again, an echo rings out in the silence, as if it was meant only for Adora.

"Remember."

Waking up in cold sweat, Adora reaches for her boots, quickly putting them on as she walked to her bedside table, grabbing a glass of water, watching Catra stir in her spot, not noticing that Adora was missing yet.

The blonde tips her cup to feed the water in her mouth, but was met with nothing. Looking down at her cup, Adora gasps silently again, noticing that her entire cup of water just turned into ice. That's definitely not normal.

Slamming her cup on the table, Adora sloppily puts on her robes and headpiece, frowning at the sight of the Fire Nation's emblem. She makes for the door with nothing but a small bag of knick-knacks, before she is stopped by a flustered Catra.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing? It's 6 a.m, whatever weird Fire Nation Captain crap can wait til tomorrow morning. Stay here with me and rest, please. You haven't been sleeping, I know it." Catra rambled, putting her bare hand on Adora's shoulder.

Without warning, Adora pulls Catra in for a rushed hug, before letting go.

"I need to do this, Catra. Trust me, please."

Catra looks at Adora with a softened expression, before agreeing hesitantly.

"When have I ever not trusted you?"

Catra watches as Adora smiles back at her, before rushing off. She didn't even say bye. Now alone, Catra goes to the kettle to pour out a cup of water, noticing the other cup Adora left behind.

She picks it up, surprised at the low temperature of it. She examines the inside of it, and nearly drops the cup when she realised that the water it contained had totally turned into ice. Putting the cup slowly on the table, watching Adora's shadow fade into the sunrise.

"So the rumours are true, Avatar Adora."

Chapter Text

Catra sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the rest of Adora's belongings. For some odd reason, Catra always knew that this day would come. It was always just a matter of when.

The room smelled like Adora's stupid jasmine tea. Groaning, Catra buried her head in the pillow, taking a deep whiff of Adora's scent. Admitting defeat, Catra lies face down on their shared bed, closing her eyes. It still felt as if Adora were right there, snoring softly. But she wasn't.

Getting off the bed, Catra goes to the table to pick up her throwing knives, sharpening them with a grinding stone. She thought that doing something routine would help her keep her mind off Adora.

But it didn't.

Every thought in Catra's head was just about her now. The stupid dumb girl with her dumb hair poof and her dumb smile, and just... everything.

Catra didn't want to admit her feelings to Adora. After all, the Fire Nation told them emotion was a weakness. That feeling love would soon lead to feeling pain. Breeding emotions would breed disaster. But right now, all of that just seemed to fade away, like the sound of Catra's knives on the grindstone.

It was just Adora, Adora, Adora.

The visions were getting worse. They used to just appear in her dreams, but now they're happening even when Adora's awake. Piloting a boat to the Black Cliffs, Adora tries to stay focused, but whenever her attention slips, she gets a weird vision.

Staring at the ocean for a few hours now, Adora's mind began to drift, and her eyelids grow heavier from lack of sleep. Resting her head on her hand, Adora nodded off.

"Randor, come look at your beautiful daughter."

A brown-haired woman in Earth Kingdom robes calls out to a bearded man in the walkway of their house, as the man named Randor drops his conical hat to run towards his wife and child.

"Marlena, my love, I missed you. And how is my little jewel, hmm?" Randor cooed, as a baby wrapped in light green cloth gurgled happily before burping. The two adults laugh, as the baby looks up innocently at them, smiling.

"Looks like little Adora takes after his father," The woman named Marlena said, tickling their bundle of joy.

"Then she'll grow up to be a mighty Earth Kingdom General, just like her father, yes?" Randor retorted as the infant gurgled happily.

"Actually, Randor," Marlena started. "She was taken to the Earth King today, for the Relic Test."

General Randor's eyes widened at his wife's beaming smile.

"Is she..."

"She is! Our little Adora is now the Avatar!" Marlena exclaimed excitedly, bouncing the young Adora in her arms. Adora cries in response, and Marlena and Randor chuckled as they tried to calm their child down.

Adora rouses from her nap, eyes still dreary from sleep. Wiping a stray string of drool from her cheek, she looks up at the approaching silhouette of the Black Cliffs.

"So I do have parents," Adora commented, propelling her ship up and above the cliff face like the last time she was here with Catra.

Using her Firebending to cautiously steer the vehicle, Adora looks around the forest, the sun beginning to seep through the canopy, bathing the forest floor in a soft glow that soon became overpowering when Adora propels herself forward.

Seeing the township from before coming into view, Adora grabs hold of the brakes, safely bringing the vehicle to a stop as she got off, walking into the town with her backpack and a small bottle of water. The citizens there still eyed her warily, and they still talked behind her back, but Adora learnt to ignore those eventually. She makes her way over to the same tea shop from a few days ago, smiling at the wafting scent of freshly brewed jasmine tea greeting her nose.

Walking into the Jasmine Dragon branch, Adora sees the old woman from before waiting at the same table that they sat at, a steaming pot of tea already set there for the both of them. Sitting down cross-legged, Adora greets the old lady with a nod.

"Razz. Old friend." Adora said, the words slipping out of her mouth by reflex rather by will. Afraid that she might have addressed the wrong person, the young Firebender mentally bit her tongue.

"Ah, dearie. A friend of yours indeed, Mara." The old woman mutters, a grin stretching across her face.

Adora looks behind her right shoulder, then her left. Mara wasn't there. Raising her eyebrows, Adora takes a long sip of her steaming tea, looking at Razz for some sort of explanation.

"I... don't see Mara anywhere."

Razz laughs, sipping on her own cup of tea, letting out a hum of approval.

"Silly you, she's not behind you, she's not here," Razz gestures to the tea shop's interior.

"She's here." Razz reaches out, prodding at Adora's sternum. "Mara, Korra, Aang, Kuruk and Kyoshi, they're all inside you. Inside your heart, dearie. You're the Avatar."

"So I have learnt. Rather... forcefully." Adora adds, pouring another serving of tea for her and Razz.

"The Avatar was gone for 12 years, did you know?" Razz said, thanking Adora for the tea.

"I know. That's why I'm here. For you to teach me how to Earthbend." Adora said with a hint of steely determination in her voice.

"I have no need to teach you, dearie," Razz laughs, gesturing to Adora. "Come now Mara, we are going to find some exotic teas."

The old woman got up, going out of the back door, leading them to the great wilderness outside of the small town. Adora got out of her seat in a hurry, finding it hard to catch up with Razz who was surprisingly fast for her age. Looking at the old woman scale a cliff face with her Earthbending skills, Adora looks on at the foot of the cliff, her mouth agape.

"How does she even do that?"

"Come on, Mara dearie! Feel your connection with the earth, and the life that it supports! Including the tea we are going to harvest!" Razz said excitedly, summoning pillar after pillar of rock, climbing like a staircase as she scaled the cliff face with ease.

Taking a deep breath, Adora grounds herself, feeling the grass beneath her feet. Breathing out slowly, she lets her muscle memory guide her, planting her left foot on the ground as she stomped her right foot in front of her as she pivoted, her ponytail swinging along with her as the ground beneath her began to growl and rumble. With another solid movement, Adora flexes her biceps as she clenched her fist and dragged it up in one fluid motion, the rumbling earth beneath her feet rising, bringing Adora along with it.

Launching herself off her first earth projectile, Adora celebrates with a shout of victory, punching a tree. She regrets the decision soon after, cradling her hand to her chest in pain. Razz stood behind Adora, smiling softly as she walked off in another direction without informing Adora.

Turning to thank her mentor, Adora instead finds nothing as she was greeted by the tumbleweed rolling across the forest floor, and the rustling of bushes from behind her. Pivoting on her foot, Adora sees two figures emerge out of the dense forest brush, one of them in blue robes with animal fur lining, and another in a... animal fur crop top and wolfskin cap?

Looking at each other, the two strangers stared at Adora, and Adora stared at them, then at herself, realising that she still wore the colours of the Fire Nation. Raising her hands up, Adora took a step back, ready to explain her stance.

"Wait, I come in p-"

"FIRE NATION!!"

"AHH!!!"

Chapter Text

"No, no wait, I can explain!" Adora stuttered, looking around for any trace of Razz, who mysteriously disappeared moments before.

The two assailants stood there, one already drawing on his bow and the other bending a solid flow of water towards Adora's face, knocking her back onto a stump of a tree. Air rushing out her lungs, the blonde rolls out of the way of an incoming arrow, quickly jumping to her feet. Another wave of water approaches her, and Adora uses her Firebending out of reflex, pushing two hands from her chest forward, turning the jet of water into pulverised steam.

"Stop, please! I don't want to fight you!" Adora begs, but the Waterbending girl has none of it, as she bends the water from a nearby river, freezing it in midair as she thrust the projectiles towards Adora, who panics and dodges her barrage of attacks narrowly, melting a few icicles with her Firebending.

The onslaught of attacks don't stop, however, and the Waterbender works in tandem with the boy with arrows, but with neither party having the upper hand, Adora desperately propels herself upward with a jet of fire, dodging a few arrows as they exploded beneath her. Landing on her her knees and fist, Adora cracks the ground, sending fragments of rock flying into the air. With a flick of her wrist, Adora sends projectiles of her own back at her two attackers, before moving her arms outward suddenly, causing the rock projectiles to change direction abruptly, stabbing themselves into the trees surrounding them.

The forest soon falls into silence again, Adora still assuming her finishing stance, breathing heavily as she eyed the two people in front of her, unsure of if they were going to attack her again.

"You... you can bend two elements?" The boy spoke up, cautiously folding his bow and slinging it around his waist as he stared at Adora curiously. The girl with short hair and animal fur draped on her shoulders scoffs, however, still staring Adora down.

"Still Fire Nation scum." The girl said condescendingly as she summoned a block of ice from thin air, handcuffing Adora, who yelped in surprise.

"No, Glimmer, do you know what this means?" The boy said excitedly, pulling out a scroll from one of his bag compartments, unrolling it to show his friend. The boy waves it excitedly, pointing at the scroll, and then at Adora.

"What, Bow?" The Waterbender replied with an annoyed look on her face.

"That means that she's the Avatar!" Bow practically screeches, as Adora winced.

"That can't be right. The Avatar was assumed to be dead long ago." Glimmer replied, dipping her water skin into the river to refill it, with no intention of releasing Adora from her ice handcuffs.

"I know. Quaint, isn't it? And, you know I could just melt this, and you know, get out? Not that I would, just... just telling you." Adora mumbles to herself. Glimmer still keeps a straight and disinterested look, kicking Adora's knee, prompting the blonde to move.

"Come on. Move. We'll get you to the United Republic camp to be interrogated and tried for war crimes." Glimmer said, her voice deadpan as Bow escorted her along, using his weapon to get pesky vines out of the way, as well as guiding her over overgrown tree roots.

"Sorry about back there. We are nice people. By the way, you're quite quiet." Bow mentions, looking at Adora. Adora gazes at him before keeping her eyes on the trail before them.

"I'd rather not swap pleasantries with my captors, thanks," Adora replied, her eyes sticking to the trail, though she can feel his eyes on her.

Halfway through their trek, they hear a loud boom, followed by a bright orange glow as the smell of smoke invaded their noses. Gasping, Glimmer runs toward the source of the sound as Bow and Adora shared a look before picking up their pace, going after Glimmer.

As they reached a clearing in the forest, they see a ferocious fight going on between some soldiers from the Fire Nation and the Earth Empire. People from the city nearby piled onto flying bisons, as they tried to escape the battle. There were familiar barks of orders from the Fire Nation and shouts from the Earth Empire soldiers. The two superpowers faced off, metal flying through the air as Firebenders evaded and attacked back, the Non-Benders from each faction fighting with tooth and nail with their weapons as the citizens of the nearby city could do nothing but watch as their home was wrecked. Glimmer stood dumbfounded, staring at the chaos, picking up a doll from the scorched earth. She then turned to Adora, who also stared with her mouth agape, and shoved the doll into her line of sight, flaring up.

"Look! Look what your people have done. And if you're really the Avatar, why aren't you doing something about it, huh? Are you just going to keep silent as innocent people die in a war that has nothing to do with them? Parents are losing sons and daughters, and children lose their guardians! Take a long, hard look at this, Avatar," Glimmer practically spits out the last word, gesturing at the ongoing battle angrily.

"Is this what Avatar Mara and Avatar Korra would have stood for? NO! You just had to be the coward, running away from your responsibilities as Avatar! Face it, you were the wrong person for the job." Glimmer roared, her jaw clenched with rage.

"I... I didn't mean to..." Adora trailed off, as Glimmer shouted at her again. This time, Adora didn't have the heart to listen to what she had to say. For a few seconds, everything that Adora knew seemed to fall away in just an instant. Her time in the Fire Nation, spending all her time there believing that they were helping the world, bringing them under one banner, but no. The Fire Nation was wreaking havoc, destroying homes. Killing kids. Kidnapping them from families to serve their own purpose.

Adora stared blankly ahead, the emotional turmoil inside of her building by the second. She feels her head getting lighter, as she hears the laughs of her late parents echo in her head again. Shadow Weaver's praise, and all of Catra's affectionate touches and shoves. Everything seemed to crumble down on her in that one instant, and the ice that bound her hands melted as Adora clenched her fists, her ponytail levitating in a strange show of power before-

A loud crack of whipping torrential winds echoes across the opening, as the soldiers from both factions stopped their fight immediately, looking towards the sky, where Adora floated above them with a pillar of fire, her eyes glowing a bright white. Bow and Glimmer, pushed back against a tree by the sudden strong gust of wind look towards Adora too, determination plastered on her face as the Earth Empire soldiers attacked her on account of the Fire Nation robes she still donned, flinging metal shrapnel towards her, some others hurling boulder-sized rocks at her. Adora's eyebrows furrow in anger, as Adora slices a boulder in half with a whip of air, stopping the metal shrapnel and rocks in mid-air with the clenching of her fist, sending them back to the Earth Empire soldiers with a flick of her wrist.

Landing back on the ground, Adora's eyes still glowed brightly as she took down two Fire Nation soldiers by bending fire and air at the same time, pushing them back. One Fire Nation soldier gets the jump on her, however, leaping from a tree and perfectly executing a familiar axe kick, catching Adora's outer robes on fire as the Avatar simply put out the flames by encasing herself in robes of air, suffocating the flames. Pulling water out of Glimmer's waterskin, Adora flings the masked soldier, making her land with a thud, her mask falling off her face.

Amazed and horrified by the show of power, the soldiers from the two factions quickly disperse and retreat, as the glow in Adora's eyes disappeared, the young Avatar falling to her knees in exhaustion, looking up to see the unmasked Fire Nation soldier she just flung.

"...Catra?"

"Adora. I... I knew it."

Catra mumbled, her voice shaking with betrayal as she retreated with the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers, leaving Adora kneeling in the middle of a decimated battlefield.

As Bow and Glimmer run towards her, all Adora could see was a petrified Catra, witnessing her power for the first time, retreating. All she could see was her expression, one of disgust, one of absolute, utter betrayal.

That was the last thing Adora saw before her vision went black.

Chapter Text

Groaning, the splotches in Adora's vision began to subside, and the bright light streaming in from the window becomes unbearable as she turns over onto her face, groaning even louder.

"Ugh, Catra, what is the sun doing in our room?" Adora said with a muffled voice, extending her hand out, expecting to feel another mass beside her, but this time, there was nothing. Opening an eye, Adora looks over the other side of her bed to see as much. She was kept in a room, the walls bleached white as the curtains were drawn, letting sunlight pour in from outside. Slowly getting out of bed, she looks down to see that she was pretty much bare, sare for the burnt pieces of clothing that she had on, her undershirt riddled with burn marks.

Making her way towards the window, Adora holds on to the beam for support, contemplating the view outside. For one, this building was tall, unlike the ground floor buildings with windowless rooms in the Fire Nation. The view was certainly something to behold, with none of the red-washed skies or the volcanic smog that constantly hung over the Fire Nation. Tall skyscrapers were sprawled on the river bank, the pure energy of the hustle and bustle of the city tangible from Adora's room. None of that same energy seemed to permeate into Adora though, as she walked away soundlessly, noticing the green robes and new undershirt on her chair, with a note attached.

Picking up the note, it reads: "We got some new clothes for you! Entrapta took your measurements for you and made you this snazzy new attire. Sorry that your Fire Nation robes were set on fire! The silk seemed very expensive! If you would like to meet us, we will be downstairs, at the cafeteria. Yours, Bow."

Putting down the carefully written note on her nightstand, Adora looked at her new green robes, made of a fine silk material which was cool to the touch, pants that were comfortably baggy, as well as a belt to wrap around her robes. Putting them on, Adora looked at herself from the mirror that was not quite tall enough for her. Looking at her reflection, Adora sighed at the scar that ran down her jaw, the smallest detail that drove a wedge between what Adora thought was real, and what she thought the world needed. She couldn't even remember what happened before she passed out, and the thought frustrated her deeply. Slumping on a chair, Adora stared at her own reflection. Her matted blonde hair, contaminated by smoke from Firebending, her hands calloused by years upon years of training, and her blue eyes. Those same eyes that distinctly glowed in response to her emotional turmoil. Throwing her head back, Adora's back hit the back of the chair as she let out a mocking laugh, before looking her reflection in the eye.

"You went into the Avatar state, Adora. You did this to yourself, and you're never going to get your old friends back. Now you're the Avatar, and you have no idea what you're doing."

Looking at her own lethargic expression in the mirror, Adora ties up her hair in her typical ponytail, sliding the Fire Nation hair pick through her ponytail, fixing it into place. Facing the mirror again, Adora could swear that she saw someone behind her. A blue ethereal figure with a sword. Shaking it off and dismissing the hallucination as a product of sleep deprivation, getting up and exiting the room while wrapping her hands in a light white cloth.

Finished with her hand wraps, Adora bounds down the steps, rubbing at her eyes to chase away any remaining traces of sleep. Seeing Bow wave excitedly at her, she forces a smile on her face, walking over to him and Glimmer. Sitting down, Bow greets her with a chirpy tone, while he elbows Glimmer, the shorter girl sighing before speaking up.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday. You didn't know, and you were just a kid, and you hadn't even seen a real battle before yesterday. I'm so sorry, and I'm pretty sure I had you pegged wrong, which is an understatement. I'm sure you'll be a good Avatar."

Adora scoffs silently to herself at the last statement but nods nonetheless. "Your apology is more than accepted. Friends?" Adora implored, sticking out her hand to Glimmer, of which she shook hesitantly.

"Now, where are we? This place looks and feels totally foreign to me." Adora asked with a more lighthearted tone.

"We are in Republic City. Home to numerous amazing events, which include the opening of the Downtown Spirit Portal! Though, that place is secured by the Air Nation. Today we're going to look for Entrapta, the person running everything in Future Industries! How cool is that!" Bow chirped.

Passing Adora a freshly steamed sweet potato, Glimmer stood up from her chair, donning her animal fur.

"Well, standing here isn't going to help us meet her any time faster." Glimmer interrupts goodnaturedly, drawing them back to their main point. She pushes both of them towards the exit, pushing them onto the street.

Now outside, Adora looks around, engulfed by the buildings surrounding her, Adora lets out a sound of amazement. The Fire Nation was advanced, but it wasn't exactly a metropolis, but rather a more traditional city. Looking at the Satomobiles driving down the well-built streets and hearing the cacophony of traffic sounds, a part of Adora felt like she was at home, even if this place was indeed totally foreign to her. Guiding her along, Bow and Glimmer bring her to a towering building, the sun reflecting off its gleaming exterior.

"Welcome to Future Industries!" A metallic voice rang out, and Adora looks at the source of it, a friendly-looking robot with a screen for its face. The robot scans them, and Adora swats the light away, only to find that it was harmless.

"I will escort you to Entrapta's lab for your appointment. Please, follow me." The robot says, before gliding off into the building.

Lingering outside for a moment, Adora looks at a statue of two women outside Future Industries, one that looked like was bending water, and the other had a glove with... lightning. The plaque on it read: "Avatar Korra and Asami Sato, pioneers of their time." Even though the statue was in no way living, Adora could swear she saw a glint in Avatar Korra's eye.

Pulling her into the building, Bow chirps again. "Entrapta is the number one person to go to for tech! And we're here to ask her to join us, the Alliance. To stop the war between the Earth Empire and Fire Nation, of course."

"Did you... did you just read my mind?" Adora asked, shocked. Bow shrugs, following the robot, who glided through a series of corridors that looked pretty much the same.

"Didn't we just walk here?" Glimmer asked no one in particular, looking at a painting of a cat as they passed it by. Adora and Bow shrug.

"I'm sure the service droid knows its way." Bow reassures.

In a few moments, the service droid stops in front of a door that is labelled with Entrapta's name on it. Bright lights illuminate the gaps of the door, with muffled noises and the occasional metallic ring. Glimmer and Adora share a tentative look, and both of them look at Bow, whose eyes sparkled with glee and excitement.

Opening the door, the trio see a woman with huge hair, her twin pigtails reaching below her waist. She looks as if she's preoccupied with something, as she welds two pieces of metal together, acknowledging her visitors with a muffled greeting.

"Salutations! Just hold on a minute, I'm almost done with my new invention!" Entrapta shouts over the noises of her lab.

The trio makes themselves comfortable on a couch, as another service droid rolls up to them, serving up a platter of tiny foods. Looking at it in glee, Bow takes a small maki roll and puts it in his mouth, his eyes twinkling as she chewed on it happily. Adora was suspicious of the food, having only eaten what the Fire Nation gave her. Picking up the maki roll, she puts it in her mouth, only to be severely underwhelmed.

"This is... not spicy," Adora whined quietly. Picking up the complaint from Adora, the service droid produces a sauce dish with another arm, holding out the green condiment towards her. Dipping another roll into it, Adora's face went wide with glee as she immediately wolfed down the other rolls, decimating the food platter, leaving just one for Glimmer, who took it politely, making a comment on the quality of the fish before eating it.

The trio ended up waiting for about half an hour, Adora falling asleep on Glimmer's shoulder before she was awakened by Entrapta.

"DONE!" Entrapta said in a loud, sing-song way as she strode glided over to them on her wheeled shoes. She holds out her invention towards Bow, as the device failed to beep.

"Ah, a Non-Bender. Like me!" Entrapta said to Bow, smiling softly at him. She then goes on to scan Glimmer, and the device beeps, the screen glowing.

"A Waterbender! How cool." Entrapta comments before moving on to Adora, scanning her sleepy form as the device started to beep incessantly, the screen glowing brighter than it ever did before. Prodding at Adora's cheeks, she takes a step back.

"Faaaaascinating. You're the Avatar! The one I took measurements of yesterday and the one that got was assumed dead after you got captured by the Fire Nation soldiers from Ba Sing Se! Can I keep you here? I want to learn more about you. You're basically an inexhaustible source of energy! You are renewable energy!" Entrapta rambled before Adora interrupts her ravings about energy.

"How do you know so much about me? And how do you know about my history?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm just the descendant of Avatar Korra and Asami Sato, it really isn't a big deal. Naturally, I know a lot about the Avatar. So I designed this to better scan for the next Avatar, since the whole Avatar relic thing is really just a game of chance. This scanner, however, it is based on science! And facts! And the fact is that you are the Avatar!" Entrapta dismisses, as the trio collective dropped their jaws, before collecting themselves.

"So... what did you three want to tell me? I don't remember the reason for your appointment today." Entrapta admitted, flipping through her logbook.

"Miss Sato-" Bow began.

"Oh, I don't even know if I'm a Sato. Please, just call me Entrapta." Entrapta interjected.

"-Entrapta, we would like to invite you to join the Alliance, a peacekeeping community to help end the war between the Earth Empire and Fire Nation. We are all sure you would be an incredible asset!" Bow says excitedly, clapping his hands.

"...I would love to! Besides, I haven't really had an appointment in forever. I guess you guys are my friends now!" Entrapta grins. "But something puzzles me. Why keep the Avatar when she's the thing that sparked the war in the first place?"

Adora's eyes widened at the statement. "Sorry, what? Are you saying that the war started because of me?"

Bow and Glimmer shared a look, but Entrapta nods, not sure why Adora has tears building up in her eyes, before excusing herself, running out of the room and navigating through the complicated corridors of Future Industries before running out of the building and deep into the forested area, Earthbending a small pedestal for her to sit on.

With her knees close to her chest, Adora sobbed softly. She didn't know why it was so sudden, but it was just here now, and Adora couldn't shake it off. So she cried, over the stress of her new responsibilities as Avatar, but more than that, as the reason that the war between the Fire Nation and Earth Empire even started in the first place.

Halfway into her crying session, Adora hears a grunt, followed by a heavy rumbling of the ground and a gust of dusty wind. Looking up, Adora sees what should have been impossible. A dragon the size of bear crash-landed in front of her, nursing its injured wing, licking at it, the efforts proving futile. Getting off her pedestal, Adora approaches the beast, the dragon huffing at the approach of a stranger.

"Hey, it's okay. I can bend fire, just like you." Adora cooed, pacifying the dragon with a display of her Firebending, manipulating a jet of fire, condensing it into a ball in her hands, slowly offering it to the injured dragon. With a huff, the dragon blows out a small fireball, before it dissipates in the air.

"Actually, let's see if I can do it. Watch." Adora waved a finger at the injured dragon, before concentrating her energy. She saw this technique being used before by the Fire Nation Generals, and read about the famed Dragon of the West, but never had the chance to try it.

Breathing in through her nose, Adora focuses her energy, channelling it all out of her mouth as she opened it, and a strong jet of flames shoots out, impressing both the dragon as well as herself.

The dragon then huffs another time, dragging his body nearer to the Avatar, who unwrapped her hand wraps, bandaging the dragon's injured wing, stopping the bleeding. Petting the gentle beast's face, Adora guides it to a standing position, before waving goodbye to it, walking back towards Republic City.

"Thanks for taking my mind off things. I hope you get to heal soon, you magnificent creature."

Adora walks for a few minutes, and turns back, expecting to see nothing, but the dragon was trailing closely behind her, almost smiling at her. Raising one of her eyebrows, Adora pet the dragon again.

"Why aren't you going back?" Adora asks, but only gets a gigantic slobbery lick from the beast as a response. Laughing, Adora wipes herself off as she gets off the ground, tickling the dragon's chin.

"I guess you can follow me." Adora concedes, at which the dragon happily blows out a weak spit of fire at the sky, the fireball exploding in a show of fireworks.

Smiling, Adora walks her pet dragon to the boundaries of the forest, where Bow, Glimmer and Entrapta were looking frantically for her. Once they had caught sight of her, Glimmer and Bow engulfed Adora in a bear hug, before the dragon nuzzles at Adora from behind.

"You... you brought a dragon!?" Glimmer gasps, backpedalling into Entrapta who stared at the beast in awe, her eyes twinkling as much as Bow's were. They marvelled at the dragon's metallic red scales, and the majestic green dorsal fin running down its back and tail.

"Does he have a name?" Entrapta practically squeals, examining the dragon, touching its mane and beard, the dragon looking very interested in Entrapta's hair.

"Uh... what about... Swift Wind?" Adora suggested, and Glimmer nods.

"That's quite a name. But I think it's quite suitable actually."

The dragon seemed to agree, hissing happily at Bow's petting and Adora's new name.

Seeing a shadow from above, Glimmer holds out her arm, anticipating the arrival of a messenger hawk, which chirps loudly as Glimmer fed it some seal blubber jerky. Unscrolling the message on its back, Glimmer gasps.

"Guys, my mom just sent us a message. The Northern Water Tribe just intercepted a Fire Nation telegram. They're going to attack!" Glimmer announces, looking at Bow and Adora nervously.

"Swift Wind can get us there in time, right?" Bow asked Adora, before looking at the dragon, who had a look of dejection in its eyes.

"Actually, the poor guy is injured. He can't fly, not with all of us on board, I don't think." Adora said, Swift Wind huffing in agreement.

Behind them, Entrapta glides around them, with a finger on her chin.

"Aaaaactually, I have been experimenting on this new thing. Hold on, I'll go get it for you, and we can strap it on Swift Wind. It should not only make him fly again but will also give us a speed boost!" Entrapta muses, skating back into the Future Industries building to fetch her new device.

After a few minutes, Swift Wind stretches out his new metallic wing and hisses in glee. Flapping them, he manages to get a few feet off the ground, them higher and higher, until she was doing flips and tricks in the air. Landing softly on the ground, Swift Wind licks Entrapta's face, before sitting on the ground, allowing Adora and the others to mount his spacious back, as the dragon flapped his new powerful mechanic wings, sending up into the air in no time. Patting his face, Adora turns back to his crew. Bow was admiring the scenery, and Entrapta was busy drawing blueprints in her logbook. Glimmer had a distant look, and Adora decided to sit next to her.

"Hey. If it means anything, I'm sorry, on behalf of the Fire Nation. I know this definitely isn't enough, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to stop the war from spreading further than it already has." Adora placed a reassuring hand on her back, but Glimmer flinches.

"Thanks, but it won't be enough, even if we did end the war right this instant. It already took its toll, Adora. The Fire Nation took my father away from me. He was the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, and one of the best Waterbenders in the whole tribe. But now, he's dead." Glimmer deadpanned as if reciting the story's events by memory.

"I'm so sorry." Adora apologised, and they stayed like that for the whole trip, before getting some shuteye before waking up the next morning, with the icy town of the Northern Water Tribe coming into view. Canvassing the Northern Ocean, Adora breathed a sigh of relief. The Fire Nation wasn't here yet.

Landing in the heart of the city, some wary Tribe members pointed their spears at the foreign dragon and were only stopped by a strong, commanding voice.

"Hold your fire! Those are my kids."

From the top of the staircase, Adora could make out an extremely tall figure, her back illuminated by the sun's brightness. Squinting, Adora saw the woman walking down, as the Tribe members stepped away, bowing at the woman before sheathing their weapons. The tall woman walked into Adora's view, and she saw the soft features on her face, and the blue garb that she wore, lined with animal fur.

"Is this the woman you sent me a messenger hawk about? The girl that proved herself to be the Avatar?" The tall woman asked, and immediately the crowd around them started whispering amongst themselves. Backing herself up into Swift Wind's warm body, Adora looked around, panic seeming to rise from her stomach. Bow kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder, nodding at her. Adora nods back and responds to the woman's question just before Glimmer could.

"I am. I am the Avatar."

The crowd around them gasps, as Glimmer nods, agreeing with Adora's answer.

"Well then. I am Chief Angella of the Northern Water Tribe, and we welcome you." The welcome party seemed cold, as the villagers unceremoniously left the group, leaving Glimmer to show them around.

"Sorry, it's just... everyone is a little high strung. After Chief Micah, my father, went missing, the whole tribe lost morale, including my mom. The impending Fire Nation attack isn't adding much more fun in their lives. Come on, I'll show you guys to your rooms." Glimmer said, her tone less happy than what it used to be before.

In the room, Adora felt how much she was out of her element here. It was her first actual job as Avatar, and yet, she could only bend two elements. Looking over at Swift Wind curled up in a ball and sleeping, Adora smiles before looking at the calendar.

October 26.

Catra's birthday was just around the corner, Adora realised. Getting out of her bed, she contemplated for a few moments, before getting into the chair that she was given, pulling out a pen from the inkwell and putting her pen to the sheet of paper. Before long, Adora was done and snuck out of her room, and into the apiary, where the messenger hawks were kept. Strapping the message canister to the hawk's back, Adora punched in the coordinates for the hawk's homing device, before watching it fly off into the dark of night as she sat down on the steps leading to the roosting tower, just thinking about what was to come her way, and what she left behind.

Sitting on what used to be her and Adora's shared bed, Catra reviews the battle plans for the Northern Water Tribe again, before pushing it to one side, groaning as she took off her outer robes and tossed it aside. Groaning into her hands, Catra was interrupted by a Water Tribe messenger hawk. She didn't recall having a spy there.

Opening the canister, Catra unfolds the letter inside, looking at the contents of the letter, and the familiar writing. After the hawk flies off, Catra snaps, throwing the letter from Adora aside as she impulsively takes a throwing knife from its sleeve and letting it fly, embedding itself into the wooden door, pinning a set of robes in place. Going up to the door to retrieve the knife, Catra realises that she damaged Adora's robes, puncturing a hole into them.

Mentally chiding herself for momentarily losing control, the Firebender looked at the silhouette of the Water Tribe messenger hawk, a smirk crawling up her face.

"Oh, Adora. You just led me right to you. Right to the Avatar."