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Chapter Text

Erend was lost, hungry and confused. He had gotten lost following his big sister, Ersa, on a trip to the west into Carja territory. The route her group had plotted went through to Nora territory just a little bit, not wanting to anger the secretive tribe.

Erend had been following a ways behind to keep from being found out, he had been tired of the familiar buildings and grounds of the Claim, having begged his sister to come along and was refused. Being a heavy sleeper, he’d forgotten to wake up right at dawn when the group would continue their journey and found himself lost. Smoke signals in the distance had guided him to a strange outpost nearby where no one would speak to him. Everyone looked at him like he'd grown a second head. No one would help him and at a certain point they simply pushed him out of the outpost. For days on end Erend had barely been able to survive. Having made himself a crude bow and spear using his little knife he always carried with him. And now here he was, standing knee deep in a river, watching the water with his spear in hand. He saw a fish dart by and made an effort to strike it with the spear but it eluded him. Erend yelled in frustration, stomping over to the side of the river and throwing down his makeshift spear, sitting down and pulling his knees to his face and started to cry.

What he didn't know however, was that he wasn't alone in the wilds.

Little Aloy had been wandering around the snowy wilds of the Embrace to see what new things she could find. She rambled to the birds in the trees about whatever was on her mind since she had no one to talk to. In the middle of her one sided conversation with a crow she heard what sounded like the cries of a little boy. She followed the echoes of his cries until she came to a clearing by a river. She was shocked to see a young outlander, he looked to be about 12 or 13 years old. He had short brown hair that had been shaved into a tame mohawk, he wore worn leather overalls with a white and orange striped shirt under it along with a pair of beat up leather boots. And the poor boy was sobbing while curled into a ball.

Aloy didn't know how to approach him but she knew that food always calmed her down when she got upset. She went to the edge of the river and tried to remember Rost's lessons about water bending. She put her little spear on the ground, then raised her hands, causing the water to rise towards her. A fish had been caught in the water so she took the opportunity to grab it. She picked up her spear and used it to kill the fish. Aloy quietly gathered a bundle of sticks to use as fire wood and brought them over to the little boy. She started making a fire teepee and looked up at him, her bright green eyes filled with concern.

"Worthless. Good for nothing, idiot. Forge be damned troublemaker. Can't do anything right. What am I gonna do now?" Erend mumbled into his sleeves.

"Are you hungry?" Aloy asked.

Once she spoke it snapped him out of it and he jumped, scooting away from her in fear and raising his arms to shield himself. It took him a second to calm down and peek from behind his arms. He blinked at Aloy curiously. His cloudy blue eyes met her verdant green ones. He saw the dead fish and the little fire pit she made and groaned in discomfort. Aloy could hear his stomach growling angrily. Erend cautiously approached her.

"You're talking to me right? Y-Yeah I could use some food." Erend replied, his voice sounded nasally from crying.

A small smile appeared on Aloy’s face when he scooted closer to her.

Erend slowly approached the pile of sticks and took a deep breath, snapping his fingers near his face a few times. Sparks flew from his fingers as he snapped them, till he got it right and a flame appeared in his hand which he then used to light the wood and brambles.

Aloy’s eyes got big, her expression full of excitement when she saw him create a flame. "You can make fire? I can make fire too!" Aloy said excitedly. She furiously rubbed her hands together until sparks came from between her palms. She proudly showed him the little flame she'd created in her hands.

"I've never met anyone else who could make fire before. I'm Aloy by the way. What's your name?"

Erend tilted his head at Aloy as she made a flame in her hands but seemed more comfortable with her after her introduction. Scratching the back of his head with a nervous grin on his face. "My name’s Erend. I'm a fire bender but I'm not too good at it yet." He laughed shyly before taking the fish and skewering it on a stick, setting it over the flames to help it cook. "So Aloy, why won't anyone here talk to me? Other than you of course. Cause I haven't done anything wrong and I need help to find my older sister again."

Aloy clapped to smother the flame in her hands.

"The Nora hate outlanders, it's against the law to talk to outlanders or outcasts. I'm an outcast and I think that rule is stupid. They don't care if you haven't done anything wrong, all that matters is that you aren't Nora. Maybe I could talk to Rost about it. Maybe he'll let you stay with us for a while until something comes up." Aloy answered.

"Why do the Nora hate Outlanders? I don't seem too bad do I? I mean- I just need help finding my family, is that too much to ask? Not that it matters. I might as well be an outcast to the Oseram anyways." Erend trailed off. "In the Claim you've got to be good at one of three things to make it: forging, tinkering or business. I'm not good at any of those things. Most other Oseram are the ones you find outside the Claim. They’re either Delvers, Scrap Salvagers or Freebooters and Arms for Hire. I'm good with a weapon and I'm getting better with fire bending, at least I have that going for me." Erend finished.

Aloy understood feeling like you don't belong, she'd been denied the chance to belong anywhere from the moment she was born.

"You said you're good at fighting, maybe when you grow up you can be a Freebooter or an arm for hire! Whatever those are. I'm sure you'll find your place some day. You don't have to be good at forging to be a good Oseram, you said it yourself! Don't beat yourself up so much." Aloy added. She stood up and went to the edge of the river since she felt quite hungry as well. She repeated her movements from before, moving her little arms to make the water rise. She grabbed a fish out of the bubble of water she'd made. The water splashed as it joined the river again. She killed the salmon with her spear and brought it over to the little campfire to cook.

Erend watched in amazement as she controlled the water of the river after just controlling fire. "I didn't know that people could bend more than one element! Gosh you're so much cooler than me."

"Other people can't bend more than one? I thought everybody could." Aloy whispered to herself.

"I bet if I could bend more than one element people would finally see I'm not useless after all."

"Hey, hey, I've never met anyone else who could bend fire. And I think that's pretty cool. You're probably better than me." Aloy didn't want him to sell himself short.

Erend shrugged his shoulders, the steel rings in his oversized armor shining in the flames. He turned his fish around so it could cook on the other side. "What about you? Why are you an outcast of the Nora?" Erend asked.

"I was cast out because I don't have a mom. Everything revolves around women with the Nora so me not having a mother was something to be thrown out for I guess." Aloy answered.

"Why would you be cast out for not having a mom? And why does having a mom matter so much anyway? It's not your fault, you were just a baby. That doesn't make sense to me." Erend commented.

Aloy shrugged, not understanding it either. She absentmindedly clenched her fists and relaxed it, lifting up a small rock near her foot and putting it back down without touching it. She didn't want to think about that right now so she asked something different. "I can only create small flames at the moment. I can see you're older than me, can you do anything cool yet with your bending?" Aloy asked.

"Hmm. Yeah I can do something cool, I just learned how to do it recently. It's called lightning generation!" Erend replied.

"Fire benders can do that? I wanna learn how to do that! That would be so cool. Maybe we could both train our fire bending and some day I can learn lightning bending too! Can you show it to me?" Aloy asked.

Erend stood up, wanting to impress his new friend like she had impressed him. He closed his eyes and started to breathe deeply in and out, in and out. Before raising his hand with two fingers pointing up and beautiful purplish blue lightning sparked from his fingers as he drew a circle in the air then thrust his hand forward, his fingers pointing outward and shot the lightning away from them, hitting a large boulder several meters away and causing it to crumble into smaller bits. He sat back down panting for breath. His short brown hair now all standing on end and making his hair look poofy.

"Yeah. it's not easy though, I can only do it for a few moments but I'm still learning. What? Is something wrong?"

Aloy watched him with great interest, she gasped in surprise seeing him break apart a boulder with lightning, the loud bang from it splitting apart the rock startled her. She started clapping with excitement, amazed that someone could do something like that. Although she couldn't hold back her giggling when she saw all his hair had puffed out from the electricity. "Your hair is all poofy! That was so cool! I wanna learn how to do that. Wait, wait, I can do something cool too. Give me a second." Aloy reacted.

"Oh yeah I forget that tends to happen when I do that."

Aloy stood up and ran over to the pile of rocks where a boulder once sat. She settled into a wide stance and held her fists at her sides. She tried to remember how she did this trick ages ago. She raised her arms over her head, straining as she put all her effort into lifting a heavy rock without touching it. She pulled one arm down and punched as hard as she could, sending the rock flying towards a tree. Unfortunately she missed, it upset her but she was just happy that she didn't mess it up this time. She fell on her butt and laid down in the grass, panting from exerting herself so much.

He watched her lift a large rock and throw it into the forest and looked at her in disbelief.

"You can earthbend too? Fire and spit, I've never met someone that can bend three different elements! All I can do is firebend and make lightning. But we both seem to have a little trouble with some parts of firebending. Maybe we could train a bit together, at least till I have to go home of course."

***

Rost had been looking for Aloy for quite a while now, and started to grow concerned. He had checked all the areas she frequently visited when training but she was nowhere to be seen. He called out for her in hopes she might hear him. "Aloy? Aloy, home now!" Rost searched through the woods, his worry building the longer he searched.

***

Aloy tried to show Erend her fire bending by lighting a fallen tree branch on fire, but she couldn't make that big of a flame. He corrected her form and she tried again several times, each attempt showing minor improvements. This was the most fun she'd had in a long time, she finally had a friend to play with. But she stiffened when she heard Rost call out to her. She smothered the flames on her hands and looked around for him.

"Crap, I've been out here for a while. I need to go to him or else he'll be mad. Come with me and I can try to ask him to let you stay with us." Aloy explained.

Erend hesitated but he saw no better options, so he followed the little redhead.

She followed Rost's voice until she saw her stern guardian looking down at her. "Sorry for being gone so long, Rost. I found an outlander who needed help. Erend here was cold and hungry. He got lost on a trip with his sister and he doesn't know where she went. Please, could he stay with us until something comes up? He's really friendly, he didn't hurt me just so you know." ALoy requested.

"Hello sir. Like Aloy said, I got lost while following my sister's traveling party. She didn't know I was following her and I got lost." Erend added.

Rost remained silent as he looked between the outsider and his adoptive daughter. The boy showed no signs of hostility, and his story was plausible and seemed to be telling the truth. While it was against tribal law to talk to outsiders, as far as he knew there was no law preventing an outcast from talking to an outsider. And the boy seemed desperate for safety which was reasonable. Rost sighed and closed his eyes for a second before looking back at Aloy and nodding. He would allow it for a little bit. He turned around and gestured for the two of them to follow.

"Very well. Come. It will be dark soon." Rost agreed.

"Thank you Rost. Erend, I can make you a bed when we get back to the cabin."

Erend handed Aloy the salmon she'd been cooking on a spit, taking his own fish along too, but finished cooking it up in a bizarre way that Aloy never thought about. He took a deep breath, and small flames burst from his mouth as he blew out, cooking the fish better. He started to eat it on the way to their cabin.

She looked over at Erend and saw him breathing fire onto the fish she'd caught, cooking it way faster than over a fire. She wanted to try that and thought about how he could've done it. 

She took a deep breath and blew out like he did, she didn't produce nearly as many flames as he did. She was still proud of herself for being able to mimic his bending. But she panicked seeing that some of the embers had gotten on Rost's boots that were covered in fur. 

“Sir, your boots!” Erend reacted.

Rost spun around, he looked down and noticed the fur of his boots starting to burn.

Aloy quickly flicked up a rock to open Rost’s water skin that was strapped to his hip, pulling the water out to douse the small flames on his boots. Unfortunately he'd be left with damp boots but it's better than being on fire.

"S-sorry! I was trying to cook my fish and your boots had embers on them." Aloy apologized.

"How did you- By All-Mother. You can't be- can you..? Nevermind, let's just get home." Rost mumbled under his breath. He looked perplexed, his eyes opening wide with realization. He would have to talk to Teersa about this. Rost turned around again, resuming their hike.

Erend let out a sigh of relief, glad that Rost wasn’t upset. In the meantime, he gave Aloy some pointers for fire breathing since she seemed to be forcing it.

"Aside from your- um- dad getting caught in the crossfire, you did good but it's all in the breath.’ Erend commented.

Rost heard Erend address him as Aloy’s father, which made him take pause. He wasn’t offended by the title, but he felt off, High Matriarch Lansra had made it very clear that he wasn’t Aloy’s father, simply her caretaker. But he wanted Aloy to see him that way deep down…

“My teacher told me that the breath becomes energy for the body, then you channel that energy out past yourself to become fire! It doesn't come from the muscle. Wanna try again?" Erend continued.

Aloy took notice of Rost’s reaction but didn't know what to make of it. She'd have to ask him later. At least he wasn't mad at her for briefly catching his boots on fire. She nodded at Erend. Her fish was mostly cooked so it wouldn't take much more heat to fully cook it. She took a deep breath again and closed her eyes for a moment, slowing down her steps. She turned away from Rost so she wouldn't get any flames on him again. She blew out, trying not to force it this time. With a flash of bellowing flames, she scared herself into stumbling backwards, accidentally burning her fish to a crisp. She looked sadly at the burnt fish, she'd have to wait until they got back to the cabin to get food now.

"Aw man. I was really hungry too... Oh well." Aloy said disappointedly. She dusted herself off and continued onwards with Rost and Erend.

***

After a long walk, they reached the cozy cabin that Aloy and Rost called home. Although Rost would have to leave them alone for a little while, he had some important news to tell the matriarchs.

"I will be back, Aloy. Don't get into trouble with your new friend." Rost instructed.

Erend sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace with Aloy in front of him, using his knife to cut off portions of his fish so they could share the catch.

Aloy gladly took the portion of fish from him and ate it, thanking him with a nod. Rost could see how much happier Aloy was now that she had someone else to talk to that was close to her age.

***

Rost took a trip to Mother's Heart to seek the High Matriarchs, more specifically Teersa, who was the only one that would speak to him. 

He stood before the Matriarchs’ Lodge, wondering how he would explain what he'd witnessed earlier. Not long after knocking on the door to the lodge, the high matriarch in question appeared from behind the door. He bowed his head respectfully and kneeled, waiting for her to grant him permission to speak.

Teersa came out of the lodge and was met with the aging death-seeker. She smiled at him and nodded. "You may speak Rost. What news do you bring?"

Rost rose to his feet and met the old woman's gentle gaze and gave her the news. "I believe there has been a mistake. Aloy demonstrated a feat of bending that is impossible for anyone else to achieve. I have a strong reason to believe that Aloy is the Avatar," Rost began. "She met a young outsider earlier named Erend, he was separated from his sister and snuck through the border of the Embrace. He was showing her how to breathe fire and she accidentally caught my boots on fire then she used a rock to open my waterskin, and smothered the flames," He finished retelling the story of her impressive bending. 

Teersa was baffled by this news. The mysterious origins surrounding her birth along with her possibly being the Avatar made her extraordinary. "She's 8 and she can do all of that? Perhaps she hid it from you. I'd have to see it for myself. I don't doubt you're telling the truth by the way, I just- I need to be sure. Has she demonstrated air bending?"

"No, I haven't seen her air bend, but if she is capable of 3 of the 4 then she may simply not know how to air bend yet." Rost replied.

"Typically every incarnation, depending on their personality, will have trouble with a certain element. You’ve said before that she is very feisty and confident in herself?" Teersa began.

Rost nodded.

“From scraps of knowledge we have, we know of Avatar Korra who was very hot headed and self assured in her younger years, she was a bending prodigy but lacked air bending due to her lack of spiritual connection. But as she grew up she became one of the most spiritually attuned Avatars to ever live. Some texts say she was able to harness raw spiritual energy to prevent it from destroying a city and instead turned it into a spirit portal. Perhaps she has the same issue, but that makes me all the more hopeful that she will be like Avatar Korra.” Teersa explained.

“But how could I possibly teach her air bending? I’ve been to the Forbidden west and I never encountered air benders. I don’t know their techniques or practices.” Rost questioned.

“I don’t expect you to teach her that Rost, but what you can do is teach her meditation. If you teach her that, she will form her connection with the spirits once again - if she really is the Avatar reborn.” Teersa replied. “You mentioned an outlander earlier, did you mean to ask me about that as well?”

"Yes. I am torn on what to do about the boy. Aloy seems so happy to speak with someone around her age, but he doesn't belong here. He came here by mistake, a mistake he is well aware of making for following his sister outside the Claim. I do not know where his sister might be, he said his sister was headed for Carja lands but I do not know how long he has been separated from her for." Rost answered.

"If the boy is Oseram and he hasn't harmed her, then he may stay with you two until further notice. I will tell the braves in the guard towers to watch for any Oseram and I'll send a messenger to Mother's Crown to watch for an Oseram caravan there as well. We'll make sure that boy is returned home. I'll be leaving Mother's Heart with you, I need to see what Aloy can do."

Rost nodded, surprised that Teersa herself would join him for the journey back for proof on the matter.

Teersa informed Jezza and Lansra of her departure, which led to an argument between her and Lansra due to the woman's fierce hatred and fear towards Aloy. However, Jezza was able to settle the matter. Teersa set out with the death-seeker, leaving Mother's Heart and heading towards the cabin.

***

Aloy quickly went outside to grab some firewood, she lifted with all the strength her tiny body could muster to carry the firewood to the fireplace. She dropped them next to the fireplace with a huff. 

Erend helped her bring in more wood since he could carry much more than her.

Aloy put in a big piece of firewood and tested out her new fire bending trick. She repeated what she did earlier and breathed fire onto the log. Thankfully she didn't catch anything else on fire and the log went alight. She waved her hands around with excitement and turned back to Erend. "That trick makes lighting fires way easier! I don't know much about the Oseram but I know you guys really like forging and mining. Do you guys have any special things you do? Do you guys have cool traditions?"

"Of course we do! We have songs we like to sing at festivals or during times of struggle! My favorite is an old song about an ancient struggle between the Oseram and the Carja. They tried to take our territory and our craft but we fought back with steel and won our treasures back using our metalwork to drive them away. We sing it in times of trouble to keep ourselves going, to give us drive! Do you want me to sing it? I'm not too good at singing but I'd be happy to show you."

"Go ahead, I wanna hear it! By the way, I think there's some leftover boar meat in that box over there. We can make that for dinner later."

***

After a long trek back to the cabin, they could hear a boy singing from inside the cabin. When Rost opened the door to the cabin, they saw Aloy sitting by the fire listening to Erend sing an old Oseram song. Nothing seemed out of place and there was a fire going too.

Aloy noticed the door opened behind him, thankfully it was the end of the song so they didn't cut him off too much. She caught his attention and pointed towards the door.

"Rost, who's that?" Aloy asked, pointing at Teersa.

"I am Teersa, Aloy, a High Matriarch. Rost came to tell me that you can bend in a way no one else can, a way that only the Avatar can, and I needed to see for myself. Sorry to interrupt you young man, I just need to see your friend for a moment."

"Awe I was just getting to the good part!" Erend pouted.

His pouting earned him a sharp glare from Rost before he beckoned Aloy forward.

"Aloy, she'd like you to show her your bending. Not just your water bending." Rost clarified.

Aloy was quite nervous since she'd never met one of the high matriarchs before and she didn’t think she was that good at bending the other elements. She was good at water bending, she was improving her fire bending and she'd only just started earth bending. Unfortunately, she couldn't air bend at all. Aloy stood up and all of them stepped out of the cabin. They went down the mountain to a meadow near one of the many bridges so she had a clear area. She looked back at Teersa, Rost and Erend. Erend gave her a thumbs up which made her feel a little better. She stood at the edge of the river and began pushing it up and downstream repeatedly until she'd made a towering wave. Already she had exceeded the skill of most 15 year old braves. She pushed the water back down and let the water flow as normal. That was the easy part.

Aloy settled into a wide stance and imagined the face of the kid who'd thrown a rock at her head back when she was six. She threw her fist forward and launched a fireball from her little fist, hitting the rock outcropping across the river. She tried to relax as she demonstrated her new trick Erend had taught her. She felt a little dizzy after breathing fire again but she gathered herself. Now for the really hard part. She saw a huge rock nearby but she didn't know if she could lift that just yet. But there were no smaller rocks to lift. Erend could see her shaking, she wasn't confident enough in her ability to take the next step.

Erend saw her struggle, she needed help and he could provide it. He was familiar with earthbending techniques, having been taught them when he was her age to gauge if he was an earthbender or firebender. He ran to her side and took a stance very similar to hers. He demonstrated the earth bending techniques he'd been taught when he was little, correcting her form.

Aloy followed his example and focused on the boulder in front of her, she tensed every muscle in her body as she kicked up the boulder.

Teersa had never seen such a small child bend this way and with so much force, let alone earth bend. She was even more intrigued as she saw lightning spark from the boy next to her. She knew he was a fire bender but there was no way he could create lightning this young.

Aloy punched above her head, forcing the boulder into the air. Right as Erend shattered the boulder with lightning, she stopped several chunks of rock from hitting Teersa and Rost. She let the rest fall and rested the chunks she'd suspended in the air on the ground. She felt like she'd pulled several muscles.

Teersa stumbled backwards from the chaotic bending display, gritting her teeth since that thunderous sound definitely reached Mother's Heart nearby.

Rost was equally as shocked as Teersa. Once his ears stopped ringing from the crack of thunder from Erends display, he gave Aloy an approving smile and a nod. He was pleased with her.

Erend was also exhausted from that display but he was also pumped. He let out a triumphant yell, wrapping an arm around Aloy's shoulder and pumping his fist in the air.

"You both are remarkable benders. I've never seen someone so young generate lightning. Now I know for sure that you're the Avatar, Aloy. All Mother had blessed us with a gift and none of us knew it." Teersa proclaimed.

Aloy didn't know what this "Avatar" was but it sounded really important.

"Thanks Erend, that really helped me. What's the Avatar? I've never heard of that." Aloy asked.

"The Avatar is a person that is born with the ability to bend all four elements and master them. No other person is capable of such a thing. They can also speak to spirits beyond our world, they are the bridge between our world and the spirit world. It's clear to me that you are the Avatar." Teersa informed them. The High Matriarch turned towards Erend to speak to him. "Young man, I will have Nora Braves keep watch for any Oseram that come through Nora land. They will report back if they spot any Oseram and bring you to the border to meet them to see if your family is there. You have my permission to stay with Rost and Aloy until then. I must head back to Mother's Heart so the braves don't think we're under attack. I wish the best of luck to both of you." Teersa finished. She bowed her head towards Aloy and made her way back to the settlement.

Aloy, Erend and Rost returned to the cabin right as the sun disappeared over the horizon. As they went to bed, Aloy smiled at Erend before turning to the other side and dozing off.

***

Erend and Aloy had been getting along very well the past 2 weeks. But unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Today was the day that the Nora scouts spotted an Oseram caravan traveling through the Sacred Lands. Ersa was with them and was quite furious that her brother was with them.

Ersa had been escorted into Nora territory and brought to the Embrace. She was then brought to Teersa as per Teersa's wishes so the outlander could be confirmed and led back to her little brother.

Meanwhile, Erend had been telling Aloy stories and helping her with her firebending, and she had been showing him how to weave and stitch along with other useful skills.

They were sitting in the front of the cabin, taking a break from training and were making trinkets with some leather and beads. One of the Oseram steel rings on his ill-fitting armor had fallen off recently from wear and tear. He decided to use it and made a strong braided leather chain for it. Erend had given it to Aloy as thanks for not leaving him in the forest a few weeks back.

Suddenly, they heard a woman's voice, Rost grabbed his spear defensively but lowered his guard seeing an Oseram woman approach the cabin, assuming it was a member of Erend's family.

"Erend, you are in so much trouble!" Ersa yelled.

Aloy flinched hearing the woman yell so suddenly. She saw an 18 year old girl clad in leather armor. She had short dark brown hair like him too. Aloy made the safe assumption that she must be Erend's older sister that he'd spoken about.

"I guess it's time for you to go. Thank you for teaching me so much about fire bending and sharing your culture. I hope I'll see you again someday."

Aloy hugged him tightly and handed him a red and blue beaded necklace that she'd made. She wanted him to have a gift so he wouldn't forget her. They held that hug for what seemed like ages before he stood up and reluctantly returned to his sister.

Erend was upset that he had to leave his new friend behind but he couldn't stay in Nora territory. He hung his head as Ersa flicked him on the head and told him off for following her while also checking to see if he was hurt. Ersa then sighed and turned to Teersa, who had followed her here to make sure no Nora would stop Ersa.

"Sorry if he caused any trouble, he can be a handful but he's still my baby brother. Thanks for looking out for him and keeping him safe for me but now I gotta head home with him, no doubt mom and dad will be upset but I guess I can't blame him." Ersa apologized, now with a much more gentle voice.

Ersa took Erend's hand and started walking back the path they came. Erend looked back at Aloy with a hopeful smile and waved goodbye.

Teersa began to walk back with Ersa and Erend. Aloy looked back at him with a sad smile, waving back at him, hoping to All Mother that they would cross paths again…

Chapter Text

11 years had passed, finally the day before the Proving had come.

Aloy had become an exceptional bender, but she still couldn't airbend. She had been training vigorously with Rost for the past several years. She'd learned how to use mud, snow and ice, along with how to counter a water bender with her other bending. Not only that but she'd become an exceptional archer and handy with a spear. During her training, she hadn’t understood the purpose of learning to use weapons and tools when she had the elements at her disposal. But Rost insisted that you never knew when having such a skill would come in handy. She trusted his judgment but didn’t fully understand the importance of having something to fall back on.

After running some quick errands like fetching Odd Grata's prayer beads, hunting some rabbits for her and buying a tripcaster from Karst, Aloy finally went to Mother's Heart, the biggest settlement in the Sacred Lands. She’d heard from Rost that some of the most powerful waterbenders in the western world lived in Mother’s Heart, she desperately hoped that she wouldn’t be racing against them in the Proving. She approached Rost outside of the bridge to the massive village, wanting to ask him to do one last sparring session, but his mind seemed to be occupied. Aloy could hear drums banging, people singing and yelling, not exactly a peaceful environment. 

"It's a lot louder than I expected. Anything I should know before I head in?" Aloy asked.

"Look for High Matriarch Teersa, she'll show you around and help you get ready for the road ahead. But there is one thing. Once you have won, you will be part of the tribe... And you will not find me at home Aloy. You will be one of the tribe, as you should be, but I will remain an outcast. I- I want you to take this, to remember…" Rost approached her slowly, hesitating before reaching into a small pouch on his side. He handed her a necklace with a pendant of carved bone.

Aloy took the pendant, her eyes traveled up to meet his slowly. The realization of what was happening slowly dawned on her. "Why are you talking like we'll never see each other again? ... No, no! I already told you, I have things figured out! I'll come to you in secret. I'll be breaking the law, not you! You don't even have to talk to me!" She'd been longing to be around others her whole life but now she was reflecting on all her time in the wilds with Rost. She didn't want to leave behind the man who'd raised her.

"No, Aloy. Your attachment to me will only hold you back. It has been my wish that you be part of the tribe, so you don't and won't live in isolation anymore than you already have. I've done my duty to you, and the tribe, now I must go. So for your sake, I must go where you will never find me…" Rost refused. To bid her goodbye, he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to him, wrapping her in a loose hug. He wasn't allowed to be affectionate towards her but this was his one exception.

Aloy was shocked when he pulled her into a loose embrace. Her eyes became glossy with tears but she fought to hold them back. She hastily wrapped her arms around him. She made sure to commit this moment to memory and record it on her focus. She'd hold on to this moment for the rest of her life. She reluctantly let go of him and put the pendant on, the bone pendant sitting on top of the scarf Rost had made her. "I see... I'm glad to have this then. It will- remind me of you, of everything you did. And how you helped me prepare for this day."

"This is- This is goodbye Aloy. May All Mother bless you, and good luck…"

Watching him leave her there felt like getting stabbed in the gut. She'd been so excited for this day but not having him there to witness it or at least be home to congratulate her soured her excitement. "And you… Thank you, for everything." Aloy replied even though he was too far away for him to hear her. She closed her eyes tightly to hold back her tears. Now is not the time to cry, she thought. She'd have time to lament later, after she'd won the Proving and gotten the answers she needed. When she opened her eyes he was gone. No going back now . She went across the bridge and was blocked by two belligerent Nora guards, thankfully Teersa was there to open the gates for her. 

“Make way, make way!” Teersa shouted as the massive doors opened. “Aloy! It is so good to see your face again. You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.” 

Aloy stepped through the gates and the guards closed them behind her. “Well yeah, the last time I saw you I was 8. Did you expect me to look the same 11 years later?”

“Of course not, you simply look so grown up. You’re a strong warrior already, I can tell. Have you unlocked your airbending yet?” Teersa asked.

Aloy looked downcast, disappointed in her lack of discipline. “I can’t airbend yet. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, I’ve meditated every week for 11 years and I still can’t make a single puff of air!” 

Teersa seemed just as disappointed as her, but she wasn’t disappointed in Aloy, she was saddened that Aloy had the same struggles as Avatar Korra. “I’m so sorry to hear that. It seems you have the same issue as one of your past lives.”

“Past lives? What are you talking about?” Aloy raised an eyebrow at the old woman.

“Oh dear, I forgot to explain that. The Avatar isn’t just one person. They are the host of the Avatar spirit, Raava. Connected to Raava are all of the Avatars that came before you. While each Avatar is a unique person, they may have traits from a past life. You seem to have inherited the struggle of Avatar Korra. She was a bending prodigy like you, she could bend 3 of the 4 elements by the age of 5. But she didn’t unlock her air bending until something terrible happened to her…”

“May I ask what happened?” Aloy asked hesitantly.

“A wicked man named Noatak, or as he called himself, Amon, used a forbidden waterbending technique to take away her bending… He tried to do the same thing to a close friend of hers but she stopped him.”

“How?”

“By blocking the chi pathways that let her control fire, water and earth, he accidentally released the blockage that stopped her from airbending. She saw her opportunity and took it. I fear that you may need to have someone perform that same technique on you in order to airbend… And there's only one man I know that I would trust with such a task.” Teersa answered.

“Who? If there's someone that can give me my airbending, I’ll go to them. I don’t care if it hurts, I’ve been working at this for years and nothing has happened. I’ll do anything.” Aloy begged.

“No, no one should be subjected to that. I’m sure I can find a way for you to unlock your airbending without resorting to such a thing.”

“But you said that was the only thing that unlocked her bending! If you know someone that can do it without hurting me then tell me where to find them.”

“Aloy, he wouldn’t do it because he’d be terrified of hurting you. I cannot put either of you through that.” 

“Who are you even talking about?” Aloy asked, frustrated with how cryptic Teersa was being.

Teersa paused. She looked on edge, turning to check if anyone had been listening to their conversation. “I can’t tell you here. There are too many people around and there are outsiders I need to guard. We’ll talk later. In the meantime, there's a young man who calls himself an old friend of yours who has a gift for you. I suggest you go chat with him.”

Aloy was confused by Teersa's mention of an old friend that wanted to see her. She didn't know anyone here, or at least she thought she didn’t. “Why can’t you tell me-”

“May the goddess protect!” Teersa cut her off, hurrying back to the Matriarch’s lodge.

Aloy huffed in frustration but she figured Teersa must have a good reason to be so nervous. She put that to the side for now and wandered around the center square of the village, searching for the man who supposedly knew her. The drumming vibrated the dirt she walked on, the singing was overwhelming to her and the myriad of smells made her uncomfortable. Someone called out to her, distracting her from the barrage of stimuli. She followed the voice till she caught up to a skinny young brave with short dreadlocks. 

“Teb, is that you? You haven’t changed a bit.” Aloy commented.

Teb laughed. “And you have changed a ton. Last time I saw you, you were half my size. And now I think you might be as tall or taller than me! I heard you were going to be running in the Proving so I prepared an outfit for you.” Teb handed Aloy a brand new set of clothes with pieces of armor to go with it. He pointed to a tent next to him for her to change in.

“Thank you so much. But what's it going to cost?”

“Cost? Nothing, it's free. Take it as a gift. You can change in there, I’ll make sure no one bothers you outside.”

Aloy nodded and ducked as she went inside the tent. She changed out of her ragged old clothes and into her brand new leathers. But she kept her scarf and Rost’s pendant. She stepped out and looked at the details in her clothes. “You’re a fine stitcher, Teb. It fits perfectly.”

“Good, that means it won’t get caught on anything when you’re racing tomorrow. Anyways, don’t let me keep you any longer. The Blessing ceremony will happen soon, don’t want to make you miss that. I heard they’re also going to announce the identity of the Avatar there as well! First Avatar in a thousand years is what the Matriarchs are saying.”

Aloy’s heart sank. “Wait wait wait- they’re announcing it to everyone ?”

Teb seemed confused by her sudden worry. “Yes? Is that bad?”

“I- Nevermind, I just didn’t realize they were going to announce it so- um- publicly.” 

Teb gave her a questioning look but didn't say anything. To avoid making the conversation more awkward, Aloy hurried away, heading to the Matriarch’s Lodge. She walked past a small stage with people in costumes acting to an audience of children and adults alike. She passed a campfire with a big cauldron over it with several people eating and talking around it. So this is what living in the tribe is like… She reached the lodge but there was a furious audience of Nora outside, yelling at the Carja envoys on the grand porch of the lodge. She saw a man in a silly looking red robe holding a scroll with a bulky, broad man standing behind him. Possibly a bodyguard to make sure the Nora don't attack the priest. The big man behind the oddly dressed priest looked familiar. He had a well cut mohawk, wore an orange and white striped shirt beneath his armor, the steel rings and plates were distinctly Oseram but the most important detail was the red and blue beaded necklace that hung around his neck…

As the Nora crowd started bombarding the priest with fruit, Erend stopped them, stepping in front of the priest. His voice was loud and clear for all to hear, his voice had gotten much deeper than the last time Aloy heard it. "Nora faithful- Nora faithful, hold your fruit! I'm Oseram, not Carja so I'll tell you right out, the 13th Sun king was a murderous bung! He was a tyrant and a monster. He raided my tribe for blood sacrifice just like yours. My sister, Ersa was taken. I hated the Carja! But the 13th Sun king is dead, has been for 2 years now! And you know who killed him? His son, the 14th Sun king. Not for power or riches, but because someone had to put an end to his father’s atrocities! And the message this poor priest is trying to give you is an apology, straight from the lips of the 14th king, so won't you please, won’t you lend him your ears?"

The crowd calmed down and listened. Aloy was impressed by Erend's diplomatic skills and how strong he'd become. She'd have to test how much his fire bending had improved over the years. She glanced down at her hip to see that her braided ring lock was still securely attached to her belt, the same trinket he’d made for her when they were kids. 

Aloy's Focus pinged, there was another device like hers nearby. Her Focus activated and she spotted a strange signal amongst the crowd. She carefully stepped in between people while they were focused on Erend and the Sun priest. She noticed the wearer of the other Focus was an older, rough looking Oseram man. 

"I've never seen anyone else with a Focus. Where did you get yours?" Aloy asked.

The outlander was shocked that a Nora would have a focus on them since the Nora fear the metal ruins. Suddenly he winced and clutched the side of his head as if his Focus was hurting him. She asked if he was alright and he insisted he was fine, she tried to ask him just one more question, but he left as quickly as he could. Quite suspicious, but she'd have to ask him the next time she saw him.

However, she saw Erend approach them just before Olin hurried away. She saw him hop down off of the stage, unfortunately, he didn't seem to recognize her immediately.

"I've seen you before. Do you remember meeting a little girl when you were younger, with red hair and could bend more than one element?" Aloy questioned. She untied the trinket from her belt and held up his gift to her. "I see you still have the necklace I gave you. I've kept your gift safe and sound too."

So many years had shaped Erend into a strong young man. He stood over half a foot taller than her. He wasn’t sure what she was talking about until she brought out the ring lock trinket... Memories came flooding back to him and the same goofy grin she had seen on his face ages ago came back once more. "Aloy? Holy shit, it is you! Well I'll be damned! Look at you all ready to go for the Proving." He let out a hearty chuckle and brought her close for a quick hug. 

Aloy beamed at him seeing him recognize her. Erend's loud realization turned some heads, but she didn’t care, she had her old friend back. The hug definitely surprised her though, physical touch was foreign to her, having only been hugged once by him and once by Rost.

"I still have the necklace you gave me. I've had to repair the leather string a few times but the beads are all the same I promise to you. I totally forgot you'd be running in the Proving, what a coincidence that I happened to take this escort mission huh?"

"Don't worry, I figured the cord would have to be replaced at some point." Aloy spoke to him with ease. The edge of being around so many strangers was taken off by him being here. "Yeah, tomorrow will finally be the day. I'm so glad you took that mission to come here, I'd thought I'd never see you again. Thank All Mother I was wrong. That's some tough looking armor you got there, was I right about you becoming a Freebooter or an arm for hire?"

"Well at first yeah, but then I joined my sister and some other Freebooters in a rebellion against the Mad Sun king and now I'm part of the Royal Vanguard, King Avad's personal guards. And Ersa, my sister, is our Captain!" Erend exclaimed.

“You’ve been moving up in the world! I hope you’re living a better life in Meridian than you were in the Claim.” Aloy smiled as she spoke. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something you said before. You said something about the "Red Raids" and the Carja. I’ve never heard of anything like that growing up."

"Your people were at war and you didn’t even know? I guess you and Rost were safe from the fighting since your cabin is pretty remote. The Mad Sun king believed that to calm the Derangement of the machines, a great blood sacrifice would be needed to calm their Sun God, which they thought was causing the machines anger. So, he waited to start his invasion of the other tribes until Sozin’s comet came. The comet flew extremely close, which amplified the power of the weakest firebender to the Mad Sun king himself. He ordered legions of his men to raid other tribes for sacrifice in the Sun Ring; where the prisoners would be forced to go up against machines without weapons and have their chi blocked while the Carja watched…" Erend explained.

"Oh… I guess that’s why Rost never let me practice firebending close to the villages. He didn’t want people to think they were under attack again.” Aloy concluded.

“And good on him for it, even fellow Oseram give me weird looks because I’m a firebender and to make matters worse, I work for the king himself. But I’d rather not focus on that right now.”

“Now that I think about it, I only saw your sister for a short time. Do you think I could meet her sometime? I'm sure I'd be able to work something out after the Proving."

She heard a bell sound off nearby, Nora braves and contestants began to head away from the Matriarchs' lodge to the blessing ground.

"Damn. I guess we'll have to pick up our chat later. It was lovely seeing you again, Aloy.”

“And you as well.”

***

As the sun disappeared behind the mountains of the Embrace, Proving contestants gathered to a cliffside where rows of paper lanterns lay on the ground. Next to the landing was a small stage where the High Matriarchs watched. Tons of Nora gathered around, and the ones that couldn’t get a front row view looked up from the village square below and down from the higher lodges. All of the Nora were watching with great anticipation. Nobody was looking at her in particular but she could feel hundreds of eyes on her. Everyone was trying to figure out who the Avatar was before the Matriarchs announced it. Aloy was terrified of how people would react to a motherless outcast being the Avatar. Every step towards the blessing grounds felt like a step closer to her death. Her heart was pounding in her ears, muffling other sounds around her. Suddenly, she heard two voices in her mind, neither were hers but one sounded eerily similar to her own.

“ If anyone has a problem with you being the Avatar, then they’ll have to take up their grievances with me.”

“ I think Aloy can handle them herself, Korra.” 

Aloy paused, stunned at the realization that her past lives had just spoken. But she couldn’t dwell on it. She walked past the onlookers and went towards the stage where the Matriarchs stood. 

“Aloy, your lantern is up in the front. I made it for you.” Teersa smiled.

Aloy felt a little at ease hearing that she wouldn’t miss out on a traditional rite of passage. But she couldn’t help but ask why they felt the need to announce her identity to the whole tribe.

“Thank you, Teersa. But, if I may ask, why do you have to announce who the Avatar is? Is it really that important for the whole tribe to know? You know what everyone here thinks of me.” Aloy whispered.

Teersa crouched down so she could hear Aloy better. “I know how they view you, but this is a once in a lifetime event. I never told you this and I assume Rost never told you this, but you are the first Avatar to be born in over a thousand years. There hasn’t been an Avatar since the fall of the Old Ones, do you understand how important it is for the Nora to know their protector has been reborn?”

“I’m not their protector though, they threw me out. Why is it my responsibility to protect them now?” 

“You aren’t just the protector of the Nora, you’re the protector of all tribes and nations. While the tribe has shunned you, it has taught you a valuable lesson that I’m sure Rost has told you already. “The strength to stand alone is the strength to make a stand.” You’ve stood alone for long enough, it is time you use that willpower to help those who cannot help themselves. Now go to your lantern, the rites will begin momentarily.”

The weight of her words weighed heavy on Aloy’s mind as she went to her lantern and knelt down. Behind her, she heard Lansra scoff at her presence. 

“You better have a good reason to believe a demon like her is the Avatar… Such blasphemy. I’ll believe that nuisance of a boy, Bast, is the Avatar before I believe it's that thing .” Lansra commented.

“Sister, Teersa saw the girl bend the elements with her own eyes. If you can’t fathom the idea that she is the Avatar then you must be becoming daft in your old age.” Jezza replied.

“How dare you! I swear I’ll-”

“ Sisters! Aspirants, before each of you sits a prayer lantern crafted by your mother and spark rocks. In her honor, light its flame!” Teersa announced.

Aloy thought about who she should attribute her lantern to. “In honor of Rost and all he did to get me here…” Aloy created a flame at the tip of her index finger and lit the wick inside the lantern. The other aspirants used the spark rocks to light their lanterns and lifted them into the air. 

“All-Mother, hear our prayer. What is the child, but a Mother’s hope that takes flight? A glowing flame that climbs the air set free to the wind, sailing the sky till it fades and falls? So from one to another passes the chain of love.” The Matriarchs proclaimed in unison.

A blonde haired lanky boy next to Aloy gave her a dirty look and then looked shocked. She wondered why till she looked at her hand and realized the flame was still there. She waved her hand, snuffing out the tiny flame and tried to ignore him. 

“Aspirants, rise to your feet. Nora faithful, listen closely for the identity of the first Avatar in a thousand years is amongst us. In fact, she is among the many contestants before us!” Teersa projected for all to hear.

The young Nora around her looked at each other, looking at the other girls, muttering amongst themselves trying to figure out who it could be.

“The Master of the elements, the Bridge between the worlds, the Protector of all nations is not who you think it is. For she is an outcast, someone that was to be shunned and forbidden from entering our villages. I have seen her bend the elements with my own eyes and now she is to be known amongst the Nora!” Jezza continued.

Aloy pulled her arms close, hugging herself to try and calm down.

The Nora around her and in the rest of the village looked bewildered, confused and shocked that such a powerful person could be an outcast.

“We have waited 11 long years and now she has come to us to be welcomed into the tribe. Gracious All Mother has blessed us with the presence of Avatar Aloy, the beginning of a new cycle and a new era!” Teersa finished.

The whole village went silent. Aloy had expected yelling, screaming, objects being thrown, but this was far worse. The aspirants around her backed away like she carried the plague. Aloy shook in place, she didn’t know what she was expected to do. 

“ This must be a cruel joke. Why didn’t she prepare you for this!?”  The Avatar Aloy couldn’t identify spoke again. She didn’t understand why the woman sounded almost exactly like her but she knew it wasn’t her inner monologue.

“She can’t be the Avatar! Why would All Mother give a motherless outcast that much power?” Bast shouted.

An older man in the crowd shouted as well. “That's impossible! The Avatar can’t be an outcast, they’re forsaken by All Mother. She's fooled you into letting her into our village!”

Several other Nora shouted expletives at her and repeated the same rhetoric as Bast.

“Brothers and sisters, calm yourselves! If you all truly do not believe she is the one, then perhaps she can demonstrate her bending. Aloy, if you could.” Teersa gestured to her.

“But I don’t have any water with me?” Aloy spoke hesitantly.

“Pull it from the river below. You can do this. I know you can.”

Aloy swallowed thickly and turned around, looking out over the Embrace as she attempted to ignore the angry mob watching her. Her hands trembled so badly that she couldn’t waterbend properly.

“Get on with it girl! Or can you not fool us?”

Before she could lash out or break down from the pressure, she felt her limbs move on their own. Someone else was guiding her movements. Her arms moved with the flow of the river that cascaded into a small waterfall below the cliff, she lifted up the water and lifted up a 30 foot tall wave so onlookers could see. With well disciplined technique, she brought the water back down to the river and returned it to its natural flow. Channeling the energy in her body, she let it flow up her right arm and through her hand, an explosion of flames erupted from her fist, lighting up the surrounding area. With better technique than she could muster on her own, she settled into the crowding bridge stance, causing a column of rock to burst from the ground below the cliff. Her feat of earthbending made the ground rumble. With a similar technique to water bending, she pushed the column of earth back into the ground. Suddenly, the guiding grip on her body was released, leaving her stunned and confused as to what just happened.

Lansra was enraged by the sight of Aloy proving her wrong, but she could always pick her apart, she could never let Aloy have peace. “What’s wrong girl? Can’t make a measly puff of air? I thought the Avatar was supposed to be the master of all the elements.”

Aloy whipped around to look at Lansra. “What is with you? I just showed you that I can bend three of the four elements and that still doesn’t satisfy you? What will it take for you to stop calling me a curse? Will going into the Avatar state convince you?”

Lansra gasped and clutched her chest. “Are you threatening me, girl?”

“Stop this at once! You all have seen definitive proof of her power. While many of you still shun her, there is no question about her power. She is your Avatar, the world’s Avatar, and if anyone has a problem with her holding that title then so be it. Aspirants, head to your lodges. And to anyone lodging with Avatar Aloy, do not start any fights. You will only hurt yourself.” Teersa interjected.

Lansra sneered at Aloy, disgusted by the idea of Aloy having so much power. Aloy glared back at the rude old woman, sharing a similar contempt for her.

Something Aloy noticed as people began to file to their lodges was one girl stuck around. She was dressed like any other Nora brave, she had long dark hair and dark skin with deep brown eyes.

“I never thought I’d see the Avatar return in my lifetime. Nice to meet you, Aloy. I’m Vala.” Vala held out her hand.

Aloy shook her hand, giving her a nervous smile. “Nice to meet someone who isn’t repelled by me. I figured people wouldn’t be happy hearing a motherless outcast is the Avatar, I don’t know what Teersa was thinking…” 

“Personally, I think it makes sense that All Mother chose you. If any other Nora was chosen as the Avatar, it would be bad for the rest of the world since we’re forbidden from leaving the Sacred Land. You’re not bound by those laws, at least not yet.” Vala speculated.

“I can only imagine the problems that would cause if other tribes found out the Nora were hogging the Avatar for themselves. I don’t want to get caught in the middle of that.”

“Well, hopefully the Matriarchs will make an exception for you and make you a Seeker.” Vala suggested.

As Aloy opened her mouth to respond, something smacked her in the back, knocking her into Vala. They didn’t fall but they stumbled dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Once they regained their footing, they spotted the culprit, Bast.

“What is wrong with you, Bast? You nearly knocked us off the edge!” Vala shouted. 

“I’m trying to see how “the Avatar” reacts to conflict. I’m one of the best waterbenders in Mother’s Heart, let's see how you handle an actual fight!” Bast challenged her foolishly.

Aloy rolled her eyes at the boy. She’d trained with Rost her whole life, she could handle a teenage boy. She acted quickly, refusing to let him get another strike in. She pulled water from the river below and circled it above her head, building up speed before blasting it towards him with the pressure of a fire hose.

Bast was knocked backwards into the rock wall on the other side of the path, knocking the wind out of him.

“That is how I handle fights. Now leave us alone.” Aloy stated flatly, unamused by his attempt at fighting her. Aloy and Vala left the blessing grounds and headed towards the bunkhouse, leaving Bast to pick himself up.

Chapter Text

Aloy’s night in the bunkhouse was interesting to say the least. The guard outside the door mocked her as she entered and the other contestants whispered about her and gave her dirty looks. But when Bast came limping into the bunkhouse, soaked from head to toe, whispering turned to laughing. Aloy and Vala had a good chuckle seeing Bast look so defeated. And having their beds next to each other made Aloy feel at ease in the crowded barracks. Aloy struggled to get to sleep, so Vala stayed up with her…

Vala turned over in bed to face Aloy.

“Trouble sleeping?” Vala whispered.

Aloy sighed. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“I'm just thinking about what happened earlier… Who the hell decided it was a good idea to put me on the spot with no preparation? Everyone else seemed to be in on it besides me.”

“I bet it was one of the Matriarchs. One of them seems to have an issue with you.” Vala replied.

“I'll bet it was Lansra. She seems to be offended by my existence. She probably wanted to humiliate me in front of the whole tribe...”

Vala saw tiny wisps of flame come from Aloy's nose as she exhaled.

“Hey hey, calm down. I know you're upset but at least it's over.” Vala sat up and reached out to her, grabbing Aloy's hands gently. “Whether the tribe likes it or not, you are the Avatar, their Avatar. And there's nothing they can do to change that.”

Aloy locked eyes with Vala, stunned by her gesture. She had a self-deprecating joke in mind but it died in her throat.

Vala noticed her reaction and chuckled quietly. “Did I break you?”

“No. I- I just wasn’t expecting you to do that.”

“What? Grab your hands?” Vala asked.

Aloy nodded. She slowly pulled away, not knowing how to respond to such a gesture. 

“If it means anything to you, I think the world is lucky to have you as the Avatar.”

“Why do you say that?” Aloy asked.

Vala sat back on her bed. “You know what it's like to not be a part of any tribe or nation. You don’t have a bias towards any of them, besides the Nora obviously. As far as we know, the two Avatars before you didn't have that experience.”

Aloy raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. “Okay, you lost me. How is that lucky?”

“What I mean is, you won’t neglect the other tribes in favor of your own. You don’t have the same hangups about outlanders and outcasts either. If the Avatar had been born of the tribe, the rest of the world wouldn’t have an Avatar.”

It took Aloy a moment to understand what she meant, but Vala saw the realization in her eyes.

“I guess you’re right. I never thought about it that way.” Aloy smiled.

Vala returned her smile. A brief silence fell between them.

“But if I’m supposed to help everyone out there, I’d be casting myself out by leaving the Nora lands. They’d never let me back in the Embrace…” Aloy spoke up.

“I’m sure High Matriarch Teersa will make an exception for the Avatar. We’ll worry about that after you become a brave, okay?”

Aloy nodded, laying back in bed since she assumed Vala didn’t want to talk more.

But Vala continued. “I don’t know if this is personal or not, but can I ask you something?”

Aloy lifted her head up, curious as to what the question was.

“Can you enter the Avatar state?”

“No. I've tried multiple times but it's never worked. I even tried the hard way by putting myself in danger but even that didn’t trigger it. I bet it's probably blocked by the same thing that's blocking my air bending.”

“Maybe I could help?” Vala didn't sound confident.

Aloy scooted to the edge of the bed and leaned in. “You can!? How?”

Vala shushed her as a few people stirred around them.

“I'm pretty good at healing and tapping into people's energy. Maybe if we sneak out and head to the river, I can find that blockage with my bending. Are you up for it?”

“Absolutely.” Aloy whispered.

***

Aloy and Vala crept up to the door, avoiding the creaky floorboards. Just as Vala was about to open the door, Aloy grabbed her hand.

“Wait, let me check if there's someone outside.” Aloy said under her breath.

Aloy placed her palms against the floor and closed her eyes. She felt very faint vibrations in the wood, a fuzzy silhouette of a man appeared in her mind. He was patrolling just outside of the barracks.

“He's almost out of our way. And… go!”

Vala pushed open the door and they stepped out. Aloy stepped onto the path, headed for the gates but Vala had other ideas.

“Let's head down the hill behind the lodge. No one will be able to see us if we head down that way.” Vala suggested.

Aloy grinned with excitement. “Lead the way.”

And she did. Vala and Aloy snuck behind the lodge and climbed down the hill till they were out of Mother’s Heart. Once they were out of sight, they stood up and jogged to the river nearby. The sparse forest around them seemed to glow blue from the herds of Striders and Watchers that wandered the area. Thankfully, none of them got too close to the river.

“Here we are. Now, lay down in the water. Make sure you’re fully under- aside from your face obviously.” Vala instructed.

“Thought you were asking me to drown myself for a second.” Aloy laughed.

“My mother would have my head on her spear if I told you to do that.” Vala replied.

Aloy took off her boots and stepped into the water. She laid down, ensuring her body was under. “So? What next?”

“The next part is all me, just stay still and try to empty your mind.” Vala stepped in as well, raising her arms over Aloy. She swept her arms over her, pushing and pulling the water till it gained a glow similar to the machine lights.

Fireflies flew around the area and crickets chirped. The glow of the fireflies above her looked like the sky had gained new stars. Aloy tried to map them out as she stared at the sky. She was still hurting from Rost leaving her but looking at the stars brought her some peace. She remembered seeing a list of Old World constellations on her Focus, she figured matching up the constellations would calm her mind.

Vala focused on the energy flowing through Aloy’s body, with the occasional distraction. After all, potentially altering the Avatar’s chi is a daunting task.

“I think you might be right about what you said earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Aloy asked.

“Your Avatar state and air bending are blocked by the same thing. From what I'm sensing, you're terrified of so many things and feel like a part of yourself is missing.” Vala replied

“You can find out all of that with just the water?”

Vala had a stern look of concentration on her face. “My mother taught me. She's a tough woman but she's also a fantastic teacher. Now, what I'm about to do might hurt since I'm not as good as my mother or the Matriarchs. I've never done this on an Avatar before so I have no clue what will happen to you, so prepare yourself.”

Aloy laughed. “Oh yeah, cus that's reassuring.”

“What else do you want me to say?! Do you want me to lie to you?”

“No no, I just think you could've said something better than ‘I have no clue what's about to happen, good luck.’” 

“Shush. Stay calm and stay still.”

Aloy did as she asked. But nothing seemed to change. For a few minutes the only sounds that filled the air were bugs buzzing around, machines whirring in the distance, and fires crackling in Mother's Heart…

“I don't feel any different. Are you sure this is working-”

“ALOY!? CAN YOU HEAR US?” A cacophony of voices yelled in her mind. 

“What the hell was that? Did you hear that?”

“Hear what? what did you hear?” 

“It sounded like tons of voices overlapping. All of them said my name and asked if I could hear them.”

“Maybe those are your past lives?”

“But you said there were only two Avatars before me. It sounded like there were hundreds of voices. Do the Matriarchs know something else I don't-”

“Listen to us, Aloy! We don’t know how long this connection will last. I'm Avatar Aang, the last Avatar of the old cycle, you’re the third Avatar in the new cycle. There were thousands of lives that came before you that you should have access to. You need to-”

“I need to what? What do I need to do?” Aloy asked the voice in her mind.

Vala watched in fascination. “I'm going to have one hell of a story for Varl later…” She whispered under her breath.

“I am sorry, Aang could not hold on any longer. I am Avatar Kyoshi, young Nora. I know what it is like to not know where you came from, to feel lost. But, you will find your family in due time. As for what you need to accomplish, the world has been out of balance for too long. Spirits have grown to despise humans for what they did to the planet, and you need to remind them of the past.” Kyoshi’s voice faded away.

“What do you mean ‘remind them of the past’? How am I supposed to do that when I can't even air bend?”

“Your friend has altered the flow of your energy. Now it flows freely through your body. I am Avatar Kuruk, Aloy. We don't have much time left to speak. But we have just enough power to grant you the ability to do your duty to the world. But you will have to discover more of who you are in order to seize its potential.” Kuruk’s voice became a distant echo in her mind.

Before Aloy could process what she'd been told, her body stiffened, her eyes glowing brightly for a split second. She shot up, gusts of wind shot from where she sat. Vala got knocked onto her back from the gale. 

Aloy scrambled to her feet, ignoring her sopping wet hair and clothes. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” She helped Vala to her feet, checking to see if she was hurt.

“I'm fine! Really Aloy, I'm fine.” She dusted herself off and wiped off her hands. “That was incredible… Weird, but incredible all the same. What else did they say to you? Do you know who was talking?”

“I- Can we just go back to the lodge? I have a lot to think about.” Aloy pulled most of the water from her clothes and hair, squeezing out the rest from her braids. 

“You sure? You look pretty shaken.”

“I'll be fine. I promise. Lead the way.” Aloy gestured for her to go ahead.

Vala listened but she looked over her shoulder frequently, checking on Aloy.

Aloy was frazzled to say the least. But she tried to keep her mind set on the Proving tomorrow morning. Just to see if she had hallucinated what just happened, she practiced the one air bending form she knew. She picked up three pebbles and held them in her palm. She took a deep breath and let it out. The air lifted up the pebbles in her palm, spinning them an inch above her skin for a second or two before dropping.

“I- I can air bend… Not much but- I'll take it.” Aloy whispered to herself. “If only you could see me now, Rost…”

***

The door swung open at the crack of dawn. Resh, the guard for the bunkhouse, slammed the butt of his spear against the floor repeatedly until everyone was awake.

“On your feet, aspirants! Ground rules must be laid out due to a complication with a particular contestant.” The elder brave glared at Aloy. “The Matriarchs have decided that in order to make the competition fair for everyone, Aloy will not be allowed to use any element other than water. And if she is caught using any element other than water, she will immediately be disqualified.”

Aloy rolled her eyes but she understood the purpose of the rule. 

Resh took notice of her annoyance. “So sorry but no one is getting special treatment, especially not a motherless outcast.”

“I won’t need it anyways. Handicap or not, I’m still going to win.” Aloy gave him a smug grin.

“You’ll be lucky if you even finish, outcast.” Bast chimed in.

Aloy huffed with amusement. 

“Aspirants, leave all extra gear and weapons in the bunkhouse. Get your boots on, we’re leaving now!” Resh announced.

The troop of Nora aspirants followed a few elder Nora Braves out of Mothers Heart and to the base of a cliff to begin the ascent. Aloy and Vala scaled the side of the mountain far above the other contestants. Whenever Vala slipped, Aloy caught her and vice versa. Even though they would soon be opponents, Aloy kept helping Vala since she’d been so welcoming in a place where no one wanted her. Bast huffed and puffed as he climbed over and around people, climbing between Aloy and Vala, attempting to shove Aloy off the cliff face. Aloy wanted to yell at him but she didn’t want to waste her breath. 

***

At the top of the cliff, they reached a clearing on the mountain. Each contestant used the snow around them to kill a Grazer and collect their trophy, but Aloy was sabotaged. By the time she began the race with her trophy strapped to her hip, she was dead last. A guard tried to ease the pain of losing, telling her all she needed to do was finish so she would be made a Brave. But Aloy couldn’t settle for the bare minimum, she needed the winning boon, she needed to find out where she came from.

She stood a fork in the course. The path to the left was clear and safe, but slow. The path to the right was crumbling and risky but she could get the edge on the rest of the runners. 

Aloy jumped on to the crumbling wooden pillars to cross a massive gap between peaks. The guard tried to grab her but he missed. She hopped across the rotted obstacles to the other side and began her mad dash to the finish.

“You're going to get yourself killed! You're insane to go that way!”

She kept running anyway.

Snow and wind whipped against her face as she ran, making it hard to keep her eyes open. She glanced to the side and spotted the rest of the aspirants running below on the safe trail. She was catching up. Part of her path was missing so she melted the snow drifts around her and created a bridge of ice. 

“Is that the outcast up there?” 

“Does she have a death wish?!”

“She's catching up to Vala and Bast!”

Aloy charged forward, reaching a zipline and jumping on, using her scrap metal handle to ride it down. Once she reached the bottom, she rushed around the bend and climbed up a cliff face marked with faded yellow paint. Once she reached the top, she picked up speed again but she was lagging behind Vala who was in the lead down below. Aloy used the snow around her to skate down the arm of Metal Devil, leaping off the halfpipe of ice onto the last zipline. She hit the ground about 10 feet in front of Vala and Bast, leaving just enough room to cross the finish line first. She slammed down her trophy, with Vala and Bast throwing theirs down seconds after her. 

"She didn't win! The outcast cheated!" Bast yelled in frustration at his loss.

An elderly Nora stood at the altar of the finish line. She knew Aloy was the clear winner and Aloy could see it in her eyes. But she had no idea if the old woman would have mercy on her.

"An outcast, win the Proving? Never! For she is a Brave now. As are you all, so long as you put your trophy on the Altar. But it is Aloy, once outcast and now Brave who is the first among you-" The Proctor gasped.

The Proctor was cut off with a flaming arrow to the chest... A squad of masked killers raining arrows above them. Several aspirants died right before Aloy's eyes, their lives cut short by arrowheads. 

Thanks to her support, several people escaped via a zipline a short distance away from the altar. 

Vala and Bast were a part of the few remaining. Bast tried to stand up and fight, using the snow to fire icicles at the attackers. But his aim proved to be lacking. He clearly had never been prepared for a proper fight judging by his clear panic.

Vala and Aloy did what they could to help, but Bast pushed out too far. He was cut down by arrows and forever marred by the flames.

Vala tried to run out from her cover, wanting to do something, anything. But Aloy stopped her. 

“No! I won't let you throw yourself away! If we stick together and we fight hard enough, we might just be able to win.”

Vala looked into her eyes. Aloy wasn't the best at reading people but she knew terror when she saw it. Just last night, Vala was the one comforting her, but now it was time for her to return the favor.

“Promise me one thing.”

“Anything.” Aloy replied.

“If I die, tell my mother that I died fighting alongside the Avatar to protect the tribe.”

“I'm not going to let that happen, we aren't going to let that happen…”

***

Bodies littered the ground, the snow and rocks painted red with the blood of children.

Vala and Aloy had taken out dozens of men but the attackers kept coming. Each time they brought more and more firepower against them.

Aloy had taken cover behind a rock as a hail of bullets, arrows and fire balls heated up and chipped away at the stone.

Vala was pinned down as well, trapped behind a few boulders as gunfire held her down.

Aloy’s heart beat hammered in her chest, her blood pumping hard. 

“You can do it, Aloy… Just breathe, just breathe, just breathe.” Breathing deeply took immense effort. 

Her back felt warm…

“Shit shit shit!”

Crack!

“ALOY!” Vala called out. She peeked out from behind her cover, hastily making an ice barrier between Aloy and the hail of arrows and bullets.

Fear took over Aloy. The world went quiet. Her heartbeat was the only sound she could hear.

Her eyes glazed over, she gasped for air, her pupils were replaced by an unnatural glow… She stood up and turned around, taking a strong stance before splitting the boulder into chunks with a stomp. She punched the huge chunks with the force of 100 men, the massive stones hitting the masked attackers and killing them swiftly. The ice barrier shattered, sending icicles flying in every direction.

Aloy felt as if she was merely spectating herself, she was trapped inside her own mind.

Her body melted the snow around her with a blast of fire and froze the water into shards. She launched them at her attackers without hesitation, blocking the hail of bullets by kicking up a wall of stone.

Several masked attackers tried to attack Vala up close while she was distracted.

But her body acted quickly. She opened the ground beneath the masked men, trapping them in the stone.

In the distance she saw the figure of someone come into view, also transparent, attempting to reach out to her. She tried to reach out to the ghost but they kept disappearing.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Aloy called out.

The rain of hellfire continued. It was inevitable that she would get hit but she didn't feel any pain from it.

As she spectated herself, for a brief moment she heard voices that weren't her own. She saw a glimpse of a glowing blue woman that was dressed in strange clothes, talking to a man in equally odd clothes.

"The... Avatar? Why did you wait this long to tell me you were the Avatar! Barely anyone is capable of bending anymore, how the hell are we supposed to weaponize it?" A male voice echoed in her mind.

"It wasn't relevant before. I've taught people how to bend before and I can restore someone's ability to bend the elements, I can teach a bunch of soldiers and civilians." The woman responded.

"We don't have the time to teach millions of civilians how to bend the elements, Dr. Sobeck! I don't care how quickly you can teach people, the swarm will continue to slaughter millions while you're out there teaching people how to toss rocks." A male voice echoed.

For a second the woman seemed to lock eyes with Aloy, tilting her head then she vanished. She was bombarded by a series of visions. A desolate world, devoid of life, the sky constantly gray with smog, acid pouring from the tainted clouds above onto a world covered in horrifying machines… A woman who looked like her, laid in front of an old house surrounded by flowers. A woman dressed in white gold looked back at her doppelganger sadly before fading away. None of it made sense to her. Too much was happening at once.

***

Aloy's body seemed to ramp up its own attacks. She froze several men solid. She pulled her arms towards her chest, followed by the ground rumbling fiercely. A tower of rock that held up one of the tendrils of the Metal Devil crumbled, crushing several of the attackers. She continued her assault, launching her own barrage of fire at the remaining attackers, burning them to a crisp. For the ones that survived the fire, she crushed them with boulders.

Aloy gained a split second of control over her arm and tapped her focus, she located the leader who was equipped with a focus. 

The glowing woman appeared in front of her again, and she didn't vanish this time. She looked so much like her but maybe twice her age.

"Who are you? Can you even hear me? What's happening to me?" Aloy called out to the woman.

“Aloy, please try to calm down. You're experiencing the Avatar state. I’m so sorry it had to happen this way… I was just trying to protect you.” The woman finally responded, answering with her voice. She didn't seem as formal as the other Avatars that she'd heard before. They were both equally terrified it seemed.

She was thrust back into her own body without warning. Aloy gasped for air like she'd just surfaced from the depths of an ocean, she fell to the ground trying to catch her breath. She had even more questions than she did before she began this race.

The attackers were dead. The leader lay before her, his focus still calling out to her.

Vala scanned the battlefield for any more attackers. She saw nobody except Aloy, but something wasn't right. She felt like she was being watched…

Aloy pulled herself on to her knees and picked up the focus from the leader and scanned it. She shoved it into her belt pocket before trying to stand up…

Without warning, she was struck by lightning from behind. Her whole body seized up as she cried out in pain. She crumpled to the ground, twitching and writing uncontrollably as a man approached her from behind.

A bulky man stood over her with a stone cold expression. He bent down and his large callused hand encompassed her neck as she was lifted from the ground. 

Aloy desperately fought his grip, attempting to grasp at his hands but her body was still twitching from the electricity.

“VALA! V-VALA HELP, PLEASE!”

“No one is coming to save you, girl.”

The dead eyed man strided to the edge of the cliff, dangling her helpless form over the edge. She couldn't even burn his arm with fire in this state to escape...

He pulled a curved knife from his hip and held it to her throat.

"Turn your face to the sun, Avatar."