Work Text:
Chapter 1
--Earth Kingdom--
Ominous riffing floats on the autumn breeze that blows into the night of Ba Sing Sai.
♪Aaahhhahahaahahahahahh…ah!♪
Aang jolts awake, eyes wide. He looks around at his sleeping friends. What was that! Was I the only one that heard that? Spooked, he sat up. It had only been a month since Sozin’s Comet and his fight with the former Fire Lord Ozai. He was still a little on edge. Quietly, he jumped out of his hammock, and stepped around Sokka’s snoring form on the floor. Outside the house, the moon glowed bright in the night sky, illuminating an empty street. Aang sighs. It was probably nothing. He must have just imagined it. As he turned to go back inside, he suddenly heard another quiet trill fill the night. Abruptly, he stops in his tracks. I’m probably just overtired, he tells himself. It’s been a long summer. I should just go back to sleep. With another sigh he steps back into the house. Smiling, Aang walks over to his hammock where Katara is awake waiting for him.
“Are you ok?! I just noticed you weren’t in your hammock and got worried” she blushes.
“Yah yah...no I just had a bad dream and needed to get some air I guess”.
“Oh do you want to talk about it?”
“NO! I mean no it's nothing I’m fine." Aang plasters on his signature smile. “Just go back to bed.”
Katara smiles sadly but nods her head and walks over to her sleeping bag next to Sokka. Aang dramatically flops back into his hammock and looks over to Katara guiltily. “I’m sorry for waking you up. I thought I was being quiet.”
“Oh no it’s ok. Let’s just go to sleep.” Aang nods in agreement and lays down turning his back to his friends. Still slightly haunted he closes his eyes and falls into a fitful sleep.
As the next day passed like normal, the thoughts of the mysterious voice floated to the back of Aang’s mind. It wasn’t until night that the voice intruded his sleep once again.
♪Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhaah...ah!♪
Aang tosses in his bed. ♪Aaaaahaaaahaaaa♪.
Tossing again he tries to block it out with his pillow as it rings in his ears again. Aaahahaha. He jolted up fist raised. Again?! He thinks. I must be going crazy. Frustrated, he creeps out of the room, grabbing his glider on his way out. Aang makes his way to the front door of the house. Hanging on the door frame he whispers under his breath, “I can hear you, but I won’t.” *a pause* ♪aaaahahaaa♪. He sighs and looks wistfully out in the direction of the angelic call. I could follow this...voice? Calling me. See what it wants! As exciting as it sounds, he thinks of his friends. ♪AAAHHHAHHHH♪ There it was again. Aang squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. They just got back from a year of traveling around the world. It wouldn’t be fair to drag them onto another quest so soon. He turns and makes his way back into the living room.
Walking past a table, he notices Sokka's drawings of the gaang and smiles. Why would I need to find something new, everyone I love is right here? Again the siren-like voice fills his head. “Gaahh!” Aang bursts out, running back out the door into the street. “What do you want from me!” he yells angrily as he twists into the air, letting loose gusts of wind. Surprised by his outburst, he floats down onto his knees. Under his breath he whispers “are you here to distract me?” He lifts his eyes in the direction of the sound, “or maybe you're someone out there who needs me, needs the Avatar!?!”
He can’t run from his avatar duties again. Not after what happened last time. Hardening his gaze, Aang jumps back to his feet and turns in the direction of the song. Before he can doubt himself, a path is illuminated in the ground racing down the streets of Ba Sing Sai. Suddenly, bright spirits surround Aang's arms and legs pulling him forward down the path leading to the looming wall surrounding the city.
He tentatively allows the spirits to guide him to a soft glowing light floating above the path. He reaches out to touch it, but the light disperses into a thousand tiny pieces forming shapes. Flowing around him, the specks seem to be telling a story. A man mounted on a cat-deer ran by, followed by more figures moving and bending in the light. Aang’s eyes widened. The figures appear to have glowing eyes as if they are in the avatar state. He then recognizes a figure of Yang Chen riding a sky-bison flying by followed by Kyoshi bending the earth in her great battle against Chin the conqueror. Aang continued walking forward, giggling in awe as the avatars of the past lit up the night sky. With a flash, the figures join together again into one large glowing orb moving quickly away from Aang in the direction of the voice. He races after it. The light made its way through the city and flew higher into the air climbing up the famous west wall of Ba Sing Sai. With the anticipation building up in his stomach, Aang thrusted out his hand pulling the ground up to create a ramp following the light's ascent. Running out of ground to bend, Aang airbended himself forward, opening his glider as he flew toward the light, flying over the wall. His eyes widened with excitement as he reached out to touch it.
Without a warning, the light dispersed into thin air, surrounding Aang in darkness once again.