Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue:

Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, humankind roamed on the backs of colossal Lion-Turtles. The world around them was volatile, dangerous, and for humankind to thrive they had to exist in harmony with their world-bearing protectors. For the danger laid in the turbulent instability of their Earth.

The Ocean's waves swelled only to turn placid with no guidance from the Moon, the earth quaked and rocked at every waking moment, the air whirled into cyclones in its capricious whim, and fire voraciously devoured the world. The Spirits of these powerful entities were fickle, inconsistent, and erratic. Isolated from one another, they relished in the solitude of their own chaos. They had little reason to concern themselves with the prosperity - or lack thereof - with the beings that inhabited the world around them. Their purpose was aimless.

This held true for all Spirits except two. Light and Dark focused only on each other; their ceaseless dance shook the Earth in their wake. Their intertwined purpose mirrored a delicate semblance of fledgling balance.

The Lion-Turtle's burden lay with protecting their human inhabitants from the unintentional wrath of the Spirits around them. Ancient and arcane beings, the Lion-Turtle's were each bestowed with sovereign power, enabling them to safeguard their delicate charges.

The Lion-Turtles were the ones who came after, preceded by Light and Dark. They followed After the beginning, yet Before the others. When the others came, the moon, the sun, the ocean, the wind, the sky, water, the earth, flame, and air, they found their place, and thus the Earth was conceived. The Lion-Turtles were there through it all, and when the other Spirits emerged, they took heed of their power, granting parts of it for themselves.

The Four Lion-Turtles were the first to master the four elements, and they used their newfound power to foster humankind.

Gradually, the Lion-Turtles granted this ability to a select few of the residents on their back. The badgermoles understood the earth as the sky bisons learned from the air, and the dragons tamed fire as the Moon and the Ocean fell into a beautiful rhythm.

Yet it was them, the Lion-Turtles, the Great Spirits of the World, bequeathed bending unto humanity. However, what they gave can just as easily be taken away.

The Earth found equilibrium with the Spirits, and subsequently, one entity ascended to preserve that balance in response to the destructive clashes between Light and Darkness. There was peace, and a keeper to it even as humanity grew away from the Lion-Turtles and settled into their new lands. An equipoise of power existed amongst the Four Nations.

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Chapter Text

"Everything will be alright, young one. You'll make new friends and learn new things. There's always something exciting about adventuring somewhere new."

Aang responded with a discontented hum. He shifted in his seat. With his elbow propped up on the car's door panel and his chin resting in the palm of his hand, he watched the unfamiliar, grassy scenery pass by. 

Only a few old stone ruins speckled the side of the highway, grass slowly reclaiming back the earth they were originally made from. Aang and his guardian were still miles away from the ancient city of Ba Sing Se, but the car rumbling across the road was calming, even if it meant they had to find a new home. Again.

"It's a beautiful city, Aang. And quite big. You'll find it just as exciting as I did when I came here at your age."

His ears perked up at that and glanced over at his guardian. "You came here as a kid? What was it like?"

Gyatso offered him a smile suffused with warmth which immediately left Aang feeling guilty. His guardian was doing his best to make him feel better about being swept from place to place. It wasn’t his fault, anyway, and Gyatso told him it was always for the best, even if it was hard sometimes. 

“It was,” he paused, as if trying to find the right word, “a special place.”

“Really? How could it be any more special than Gaolin?”

Gyatso chucked, “Imagine this - towering skyscrapers touching the sky, lights that turn the night into day, and streets bustling with life. It's like a symphony of stories waiting to be heard.”

“Sounds overwhelming,” Aang let out a dejected sigh.

“Sure, it can be. But when my own mentor wasn't looking, I would run down forgotten alleyways to seek out the ancient ruins in the center of the city. They were a sight to behold, even if only a few remaining boulders from the once-great buildings remained. Amongst the tall skyscrapers and away from the noisy roads, it was a peaceful place.”

"No offense, but that doesn't sound very interesting," Aang said sheepishly. The old Earth Kingdom ruins dotted the landscape everywhere, and on the brief occasion Gyatso would turn on their small television set that was nearly as old as his mentor, Aang would hear on the news that construction crews would often complain about the crumbling monuments being a nuisance to remove.

“You’d be surprised by the power that still lingers in ancient things. Why, just look at me!”

Aang smothered a laugh with the back of his hand.

“Energy resides in the places we least expect it. I meditated on a large boulder in the heart of the ruins, its facade eroded away, yet I could feel the strength that went into crafting it. The Earthbenders may be gone, but their essence endures."

Aang raised a dark eyebrow but said nothing. Gyatso still believed in some of the Old Ways, and - though he would never admit it aloud - he didn't understand why. The Earthbenders died out ages ago, along with the rest of the benders. Nothing remained except for some disintegrating buildings.

Glancing at his downcast charge, Gyatso frowned. "My adventures don’t have to be yours, young one. There are museums and zoos, so there will be plenty to explore. And your school is home to many different students from all over the world. You will fit right in." 

“I’m not worried about that, I just…” He trailed off, “Do you think we can go back to see Bumi and Kuzon soon?”

“Oh, I’m certain you’ll cross paths with those two again. For now, we will go where I can best take care of you.”

The car ride was silent the rest of the trip.

Aang took out his phone from the back of his pocket and began playing Fireops, turning the volume down on the lowest setting so as to not disturb his guardian. He knew Gyatso disapproved of any kind of technology progressing past a rotary phone, but Aang guessed that was because of his youth spent in a monastery or something. 

Either way, he was grateful to have a phone, and even more grateful Kuzon forced him to download that app. Growing bored of the game, he switched apps to check the map, which showed Ba Sing Se was over three hours away.

There was still light left as the afternoon sun beamed through the car windows. Aang basked in its warmth, and the air began to feel like a blanket. The soft motion of the car and the rumbling of the engine soothed him, and eventually he found himself nodding off. Just a little nap, he thought as he rested his head against the cool glass of the window. In moments, he fell asleep.

"Aang," Gyatso softly called out, "Aang, wake up. We're here." Gently, he took the boy's shoulders in his grasp and gave a slight tug.

"Huh," Aang sat up, rubbing his silvery eyes with a fist, "What?"

"We're here, Aang. Come on, get up and get your suitcase. We came into the city late, so you don't have to start unpacking until tomorrow." Gyatso motioned toward the new house they were about to call home.

It was too dark to see details, but Aang could make out the shape of the building in the moonlight. He glanced up and around, but all he saw were lamplights lining the road and similar houses dotting the side. They must be on the outskirts of the city, in the suburbs. Yawning, Aang slid out of the car seat to retrieve his suitcase from the back, while Gyatso fumbled around for his keys. Kicking the car door shut behind him, Aang followed Gyatso down the short driveway and into the house.

Gyatso deftly opened the front door with one hand, the other occupied with his own vintage suitcase. Stepping into the house and flicking on the light, Aang saw that this was the perfect space for the two of them. Not too big, but not too small. The walls were painted an airy light-grey that matched the wooden floors perfectly. Off to the side of the main hallway was a staircase that led up to the bedrooms. The house was completely empty except for the one small luggage bag Gyatso brought in and placed down next to the door. Aang kicked off his sneakers near the doorway, taking it all in.

"The moving truck should be arriving in the morning. In the meantime, I'll retrieve the air mattresses and blankets from the car. Why don't you go upstairs and settle in?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," He laughed.

Honestly, he couldn't wait to see his room. A grin lifting his features, Aang bolted excitedly up the stairs. He bypassed the bigger room on the right, and bounded up to the smaller room on the left at the end of the hallway. Like the rest of the house, the floors were made from dark wood, but the walls were the color of mist. One large window dominated the north-facing wall.

He set his suitcase down in the corner of the room - his room - and ran to the window with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He lifted the pane and breathed in the fresh, albeit a bit dusty, air of the city. On the outskirts of the city and up on the second floor, Aang had an unrestricted view of the night sky. Building lights lit up the ground around him like a grounded galaxy, and he knew it spread out further than what he was able to make out. Amidst the city lights' brightness, he discerned a scattering of stars adorning the night sky, their radiance resilient against the urban glow.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He heard his guardian ask from behind him. Aang turned to quickly glance at him as Gyatso set down a folded up air mattress, blankets, and two pillows on the floor. 

"I didn't know cities could look like this. Goaling is like a village in comparison."

Approaching his left, the old man kneeled down next to him. They took in the novel sight together.

"I wonder what it would be like to climb to the top of one of those.” Aang said after a moment, pointing to the only skyscraper visible from their position. “I bet it would feel like flying," 

Gyatso listed his hand up and ruffled his dark brown hair. "One day you may fly, my little sky bison."

"Gyatso," Aang complained, embarrassed at the childhood nickname.

Ignoring the objection, Gyatso rose up from his position fluidly. He walked to the pile of the items he brought up to fish out the folded up air mattress and a small compressor. The motor buzzed while the mattress filled.

When he was done, he turned to Aang fondly. "Now, get to sleep. We have much unpacking to do tomorrow, and you have school in the morning." He tossed multiple cozy blankets and a pillow onto the mattress and left his charge for the evening, shutting the sliding door behind him softly.

Oh. Right. That. Aang sighed, he missed Kuzon and Bumi already. Aang stared up at the sky and imagined what it would be like to be free, to travel at his whim and see his friends whenever he wanted.

He pictured himself flying between the tall buildings, whooshing the air around him to control the trajectory of his flight higher or lower, laughing all the way. It was a childish fantasy, he knew, but what kid didn't wish they could bend sometimes?

Reluctantly, he got up from the window. He still felt groggy from his earlier nap, and laying down seemed like a really good idea. A wave of exhaustion overtook him, and without fully making the bed - or brushing his teeth for that matter - he collapsed onto the makeshift mattress and fell asleep.

🜁

Something was broken, he thought as he gazed up towards the darkness with eyes not quite his own. Something was… hurting.

Roku…

He gasped, jumping at the gravelly sound. With slow, deliberate movements, Aang spun his head from left to right, attempting to identify the source of the sound in this endless obsidian void.

Roku...

A multitude of voices, ten thousand in unison, blended into a singular chorus, their tones weaving contradictory cadences that bordered on overwhelming. They murmured softly yet resonated loudly, echoed youthfulness yet carried the weight of age, exuded masculinity and femininity, all converging to whisper into the void. They drifted past Aang's senses like a leaf caught in a gentle breeze. He turned, responding to the call.

Roku…

Whispers echoed once more, enveloping him in the boundless emptiness. Surprisingly, a rational corner of his mind noted that he wasn’t afraid. The voices carried a dual nature, as if torn between beseeching for his assistance and offering their own help.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance - pure and bright as any star. It flickered iridescently off into the void. He took a step forward on instinct. The voices propelling him on, he began to follow it with more urgency in his stride.

Roku... The voices whispered repeatedly as he started to chase that elusive light.

"I can't help you." He called out, his own voice both high and low, both mature and boyish, a contradiction similar to the ten-thousand voices calling out to him.

You can. And you will. The voices became louder, more insistent. The light continued to recede into the distance, prompting him to quicken his pace. The faster he ran the further the light fell away into the all-consuming darkness.

"They killed me as well. They killed us all." His gruff-yet-youthful cry echoed throughout the void in a frustrated yell.

No. Just as we cannot die, you cannot die.

Faster and faster he ran after the light, desperation in every footfall. The light stopped dissipating into the background of the endless void, and hope flickered across his desperate thoughts. 

He was gaining on it! 

Drawing closer, he noticed the light expanding in size, its brilliant purity spreading through the darkness, banishing shadows and bathing the void in a radiant incandescence. Although it pained his eyes to look at, he couldn't avert his gaze. The essence of this beautiful radiance encompassed him, and he knew it would not hurt him.

We were defeated. And your light was nearly vanquished.

He couldn't stop chasing it even if he wanted to, driven by his own will, the will of the Spirits, the will of the past, and the will of the blaze, all propelling him toward the continually expanding light. It now consumed most of the once-dark and vacant void, saturating it with its radiant splendor. He wanted to shy away, to put his arms over his face and block out the light, to skid to a halt and prevent himself from running head first into it, but he couldn’t control his own body.

It needed time to recover. Now, it is stronger than it ever was.

"AHHHHHHHHHH," unable to stop his sprint toward the beacon, Aang screamed as he collided with the radiant brilliance, akin to the embrace of a miniature sun. He screwed his eyes shut as he braced for impact, only to gasp as a warm peace engulfed his entire entity. 

Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by the all-encompassing light, bestowing upon him the purest manifestation of power. Gradually, it merged with him, infusing him with cosmic energy in its most unadulterated form. Life, light, and tranquility surged through him, saturating his being with a deep sense of ultimate oneness.

You have been back for twelve short years, a droplet among centuries. We tire of waiting. Restore the balance!

🜁

Aang awoke with a start, sweat pooled on his brow.

The gentle woosh of cars passing by outside brought him back to where he was. He gasped in the cool air, grateful to clear his head, his eyes quickly adjusted to the natural darkness of his room, the only light emanating softly from his window from the street lamps. He signed in relief. 

Just a dream, then. The dreams were nothing , he told himself, they were only dreams.

Still - something in the back of his mind lingered like a warning. He quickly shook his head, internally declaring it a problem for another day. Dreams are meant to be weird, the rational part of his brain said, and this was just a normal dream.

"It's nothing to worry about,"  He assured himself. Turning back over, he squeezed his eyes shut until he fell back into a fitful sleep.

🜁

The alarm on his phone didn't go off. 

The effects of little sleep, fueled by that weird dream and a full day of travel yesterday, were beginning to take their toll on him. It took all his will to climb out of bed when Gyatso called his name. Fumbling through the pillows and blankets on his bed, he searched for his phone and tapped the screen. Unresponsive, he groaned in annoyance. Great. It was dead. Just his luck. In his exhaustion, he forgot to stick it on the charger last night.

The suitcase lying next to his bed remained shut, and he knelt down in front of it to unzip the top section to get his laptop. Thankfully, it wasn't out of battery. The time the top right bar of the screen read 6:34 AM. He pulled out his phone charger and plugged it into the outlet next to his bed, hoping there was enough time for it to get a charge that’ll last at least through the school day. Listlessly grabbing a towel out as well, Aang made his way from his room to the bathroom across the hall.

The utilities were clean, and he liked them as much as the rest of the house even if it took him almost five minutes to figure out how to turn the shower head on. 

As he spat toothpaste out into the sink and rinsed his mouth, his mind wandered to what the new school would be like. At first he loved going from place to place and making new friends, but that love grew stale years ago and now it sucked to leave those friends behind. On top of that, he and Gyatso never got the chance to go back and visit. What was the point of going places if he couldn't visit them again?

He couldn't fault Gyatso, he always had a good reason. Amongst other things, Gyatso's job kept relocating him from city to city, and there were some perks. They traveled across the nation and got to see so many places, and he always had his mentor to rely on.

Frowning, Aang went back to his room and  plucked out the school uniform from the bottom of his suitcase. Gyatso had ordered one ahead so he at least had one to wear until they had settled in after a few days, much to Aang's chagrin. He would much rather wear his favorite zip-up orange hoodie and a pair of jeans. The maroon blazer felt stiff around his shoulders, and the black trousers were much too formal. 

Now dressed, he went back into his room to quickly grab his half-charged phone. A text from Kuzon lit up the screen. "you better not make a new best friend today," it read, followed by a meme of a crying fox-cat as a reaction image.

"I miss u too," he typed back and added, "dont let bumi have too much fun without me" before shoving his phone in the back pocket of his trousers. Kneeling down in front of his suitcase, Aang pulled out a canvas backpack. Inside were some very basic school supplies, but it had all he would need. He slipped his laptop into its designated sleeve and secured it within his backpack. Neglecting to fully zip up the suitcase, a few items spilled onto the wooden floor as he rushed to join his guardian downstairs.

Gyatso had always been a morning riser, and Aang never saw him sleep past dawn. He found his guardian outside in the modest front yard, unloading a few boxes they managed to fit into their sedan.

"Good morning, Aang. Did you sleep well?" He asked as he lifted a medium sized box marked bowls&plates.

"Um... not exactly," he replied sheepishly. He didn't particularly feel like playing his apparent exhaustion off, but worrying his guardian was the last thing he wanted to do, "I think I'm pretty nervous about today."

"The first days are always the hardest, but it will always have an end." Gyatso turned to his young charge with a smile. "Besides, I'll be right here for you when you come back home and you can tell me all about it."

Aang perked up a little and met his guardian's smile with his own. "You bet! Who knows, maybe I’ll find something new about the city, like what those ruins you saw as a kid were.”

Gyatso chuckled at that and handed Aang a box which the boy eagerly carried back into the house. "Your instructors may not be so forthcoming, but there are other ways to learn." They set the boxes full of utensils on the kitchen counter. "Tomorrow, I promise to make you my famous blueberry pancakes when the movers arrive with the rest of our pans."

His stomach rumbled at the thought of pancakes as if on cue.

"In the meantime, I left some coins on the counter for you to pick up some breakfast on your way to school."

There had to be a Jasmine Dragon on the way, those chains were practically on every block across the nation. Finding a breakfast sandwich there would be no problem. He shouldered his backpack and glanced at his guardian who began to put the silverware away in a kitchen drawer. Maybe it was the strange dream last night, or the upcoming stress of the day, but he ran over to Gyatso and gave him a quick hug around the middle.

"You'll have a good time today, my boy." Gyatso ruffled Aang's hair.

Aang grinned up at his mentor, "I'll do my best!" he called as he grabbed the coins off the counter and ran out the door. Once outside, he breathed in the fresh morning air, tension easing from his shoulders and slowly giving way to excitement.

He passed the houses on the street and admired the blue sky above him as he walked. Vaguely, he wondered what it would be like to fly up and touch the clouds. It would probably be a lot faster to commute to school that way, at any rate. 

The walk to the nearest light rail station wasn't far at all from their new house, though, which made the morning trek to school fairly convenient. On top of that, the train went everywhere and he was a short walk away from being able to explore the whole city. It was mere minutes before he reached the station, which was busy with the usual suburbian morning rush foot traffic.

Unsurprisingly, next to the station was a Jasmine Dragon. They all looked the same no matter where in the nation they were. Aang pushed open the glass door and stood in line to order. During their long car rides from town to town, Gyatso would often stop at one to get something to eat before resuming their journey. Each time they went, Aang always ordered something slightly different, but still with lots of sweetener. Thanking the tea makers through a bite of a breakfast sandwich in his mouth as he left, he walked towards an empty bench and waited for the light rail to come.

The city boasted of its well operated public transit, not that the residents always agreed, but this morning the train came right on time. Aang left the bench to walk towards the open doors. Luckily the light rail wasn't packed full, and he was able to find a seat next to a window.

"Doors are closing," an automated voice announced over the speaker, "Please watch your step."

A few moments later, the train began to pick up speed. The blandscape passed by him quickly, but he really enjoyed taking in all the new scenery. In this part of town, buildings were low and not very closely built together. There was more room to expand on the outskirts of cities, so shops each had a defined design. Tall grasses snaked through abandoned alleyways, and spray paint littered the backs of businesses, away from the facades that greeted potential customers.

As they approached nearer to the central business district, the buildings crept upwards, instead of outwards, to conserve space. The sun reflected off of the windows of the high towers, turning the glass into a sparkling, artificial lake. While the architecture on each one shared common themes with its surroundings, there were nuanced differences in their designs. Still, Aang wasn't even close to reaching downtown. His school was in the suburbs just outside of the metro area.

"Next stop Bosco Station," a different automated voice announced. Aang left his seat and stood near the doors, careful to grasp on the supportive poles so he wouldn't lose his balance as the train came to a rolling stop. The doors opened and he was greeted with the sight of a crowd of people much larger than the one at the station back near his house, all presumably heading deeper into the city for work. Thankfully, they patiently let the leaving passengers exit the doorway before entering.

From here, he didn't really know which direction the Academy was. He just had pulled out his phone to look it up, when he saw another kid about his age get off the train from the compartment over. A patch on his backpack looked familiar, like something he saw when he searched the school's name, but the most obvious sign was the uniform the other boy was wearing.

He jogged up to the kid, who was walking briskly away from the platform. "Hi there!" Aang greeted when he caught up to him, surprising the older boy.

"Ah," the boy exclaimed, instinctively taking a step back and raising his hands defensively. "Where did you come from?"

"The train." Aang answered, ignoring how much he startled the other boy, "Are you headed to Kadasu Secondary?” He didn’t give the him time to reply. “This is my first day going there, and, well, I saw the insignia on your backpack and your uniform and maybe thought you were also headed that way."

"Oh, yeah. I am actually." The boy regained his composure and his shoulders relaxed a bit. They began walking together off of the platform. "Wait, you said you were new?"

"My guardian and I just arrived yesterday. This city is huge, the biggest one we've seen yet," Aang motioned with his arms to encapsulate just how big it was.

The older boy glanced at Aang from out of the corner of his eye. "Well, you're in luck then. Lately, we've been getting a lot more new students. Because of that, it'll be hard to stand out or make yourself a target for any of the upperclassmen.” He shrugged, “And hey, and maybe you'll find some clubs or something to get into."

"Are you in any clubs?" Aang asked, genuinely curious about what this new school has to offer. Back with Bumi and Kuzon, they played so much Redemption that other students eventually became interested, and it was now an officially recognized sport at his old school over in the Western Colonies. He doubted it would catch on here.

"No, but I help out part-time in the engineering lab so that takes up most of my time after class." He paused thoughtfully, "I do want to start a boomerang club, but I don't know if anyone here could truly appreciate the art."

"It would be nice to join one, but lately Gyatso - my guardian - has been hinting that I should do more chores after school or something. A club would be a good way to make new friends, though!"

"Honestly, depending on who you get to be your teachers you might not have time to actually participate in one. Some can be a bit… overbearing." The kid scratched the back of his head and shuddered. "My name is Sokka, by the way." He turned his gaze downward at the younger boy, and Aang shot the teenager a disarming grin.

"Thanks for showing me the way, Sokka. I'm Aang." Together, they strolled past bustling shops and skillfully navigated the throngs of people crowding the sidewalks.

"So, who do you have for your first class?" Sokka asked. The school was just one block away. 

"I'll actually have to head to the registration office and get my schedule," Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Aang looked down to check the time. Luckily, there was still a half-hour before classes officially started for the day at eight. "So I’m not quite sure yet."

"What year are you in?" Sokka stopped and eyed him up and down. "Sixth?"

"Yeah, good guess! How'd you know?"

Sokka ignored the question. "I had Instructor Yang for my first period when I was in that year. He's a nice guy, if you don’t get up to use the restroom, or rustle in your backpack for something, or breathe too loud.” He paused, “In fact, just don’t do anything and you’ll be fine.”

Aang grimaced. “Still as a rock, got it.” He didn’t know how much he’d be able to live up to that promise, but teachers never seemed to like him anyway. Not like it mattered much, there will come a time soon enough where he and Gyatso would be on the road again.

The school came into view as they rounded the street corner. Aang skillfully avoided smashing shoulders with a distracted commuter with a nimble sidestep. 

Shaking his head, Aang looked up. From this angle, the academy was all marble exterior with a bright red shingled roof. It was beautiful; its design reminiscent of a University rather than a secondary school. And it was huge. The building was at least three stories and leveled off near the grassy courtyard. Taking up half of the block, Aang couldn't tell how far back it went. Big, glass doors were cast open to welcome students in for the day. In the middle of the grassy courtyard was a weathered stone statue of a Fire Nation general wearing outdated armor.

"That's supposed to be Kadasu, Fire Lord Sozin's right hand man. Honestly, he's more like an oversized toilet for the squirrel-doves." Sokka snorted lightly as one bird perched on the statue decided it was the perfect time to relieve itself on the general's stone shoulder.

"Wow, I'll never be able to find the registrar's office.” Aang stopped on the white stone staircase that led to the entrance. “You didn't tell me how big it was. Can't anything in this city be small?" 

"I thought you knew. Big city needs a big school, after all. Besides, it's less intimidating than it looks once you get to know your way around the place." 

They walked up the white stone steps and through the doors, Aang's eyes wide in awe and Sokka nonchalantly picking at his fingernails. Inside was less grandiose than outside, however it was still a little overwhelming. Students’ footsteps echoed on the marble flooring, and the amber walls made the space look bigger than it actually was. Sliding wooden doors dotted the side of the halls, with the school's triangular insignia adorning the baseboard above each room's entrance.

"Aang," Sokka called, snapping him back to the present. Aang turned to find the older boy staring at him with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed, "I guess you're the distracted type," he mused. Then, Sokka lifted his hand and pointed down the left-wing side of the school, "enrollment office is down that way, you'll see a sign above the door."

"Thanks Sokka. You're the best," Aang grinned up at the boy. He was grateful he had someone to show him around a bit.

"Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself." Sokka waved him off, "Go, before you make us both late to class." His tone was wry but Aang could see a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Aang glanced down at his phone and tapped it. When the time lit up his screen, a nervous wince crossed his face. There were only about fifteen minutes before classes officially started, this place was massive, and he still needed to figure out where his first class even was. Turning away from the foyer, he booked it down the hallway, disregarding the curious glances from other students.

Registration office, registration office, he chanted to himself as he scanned each sign above the doorway as he rushed by. Most were just room numbers, or occasionally a janitor's closet. A larger door was coming up on his left, and thinking how this has to be it, Aang slowed down. One door was slid open to reveal a large desk, a sign below the it’s counter read Student Services. With a slight sense of reassurance, Aang entered. The atmosphere was notably quieter compared to the bustling hallway, with only a handful of students present. Most were sitting down at waiting chairs, scrolling through their phones. He approached the receptionist stationed behind the desk.

"Hi, uh, I'm here to get my schedule," He greeted her with a slight wave of his hand.

"You certainly came to the right place.” The receptionist took a sip of coffee out of a novelty mug with the words you just got schooled written on the white ceramic. “Do you know your student ID number?” She asked as she turned her office chair towards the desktop on her right.

“I think I have it written down somewhere,” he patted his pockets and extracted a crumpled up sticky note. Smoothing out the wrinkles, he handed it to her. 

The sound of her fingernails against the keyboard clattered quickly as she typed. "Alright, found you in our system. I have your schedule pulled up, and I'll also print out a map of the grounds." She informed him just when the printer started up off to the desk next to hers. Once it spat out the documents, she twisted in her chair to grab the papers and handed them over to Aang. "If you need anything else, we're right here for you," she said politely.

"Thanks, I will keep that in mind," He smiled at her and left with a nod.

In and out of the registration office, he still had plenty of time to get to class. That is, if his classroom wasn't on the completely opposite side of the building. Checking his schedule, Aang saw that his first class was with the same instructor Sokka mentioned, and just to his luck, it was on the other side of the building. He headed toward a stairwell to begin the long quest of finding his first classroom at this unfamiliar school.

Of course, it would be too easy if the door numbers were arranged in any kind of meaningful way. Sure, they were all bunched together, but every once in a while a door ending in six was in a place where a door ending in four should logically be. A bell rang out throughout the campus, jarring Aang into realizing classes had started - yet he still couldn't find his way to his first one of the day.

He took out the folded map from his back pocket and tried again, his brows furrowed together. The halls were emptying slowly around him as students dispersed into closed doors.

"Are you lost?" A voice asked, startling Aang and prompting him to jerk his head up from staring at the map. A girl stopped in front of the classroom door adjacent to him, her brows pulled together in slight concern. She looked to be his age, and definitely in his grade, maybe she would know where the Instructor's classroom was.

"Do you know where Yang's classroom is? I feel like I've been going in circles."

She let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, "That's because you are. He's on the third floor right above you."

Aang would have smacked himself. Clearly, he read the numbers wrong. Of course it was the third floor. He glanced over the map again and offered her a wide grin, "Thanks!" 

He bounded back towards the staircase and hurried to the classroom, praying he wouldn't arrive late and become a source of disruption, especially since this instructor seemed to have little tolerance for well-timed distractions.

He was wrong. Even though barely three minutes had passed since the morning bell rang, the classroom was deadly silent from the outside and the red doors were closed. Slowly, entertaining the slim possibility of slipping in unnoticed, he gently slid the doors open just enough for him to squeeze through. His hopes were dashed when he opened the door to meet the annoyed expression of a middle-aged man Aang could only assume belonged to the Instructor - or a very, very, very behind student.

Instructor Yang let out an annoyed sigh, "I don't usually tolerate any kind of interruptions after the bell has rung, especially from students running late, but I haven't seen your face before. Are you new?"

Aang chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, all students' eyes in the classroom were on him. "I just arrived in the city last night."

"Very well. Name?"

"Aang." After a moment’s hesitation, he rattled off his household name.

"Alright, Aang, I'll make sure your name is added when I take the roll. Find an empty seat anywhere." The Instructor gestured to one seat off to the left.

He hurriedly sat down and set his backpack on the floor next to him. Unzipping it, he pulled out his laptop and set it on the desk in front of him. A softer bell echoed throughout the room from a speaker high on the wall, acting as part of the announcement system.

Aang rose with the rest of the students with the bell. Together, voices intertwined, they all recited the Fire Nation Oath. Though these voices were younger, Aang had to suppress a shiver of the memory of the multiple voices from his dream. They all sat back down after the last line was spoken.

"Good morning students!" A student spoke out over the PA system, "This is a final reminder from the track and field club that sign up ends today. On that note, don't forget to support Kadasu's own Fireball team after school against South Tacharu's Earthraiders! For lunch served in the cafeteria this afternoon…"

The announcements faded out, replaced by a soft ringing that crept its way into Aang's hearing. Gradually, the unexpected tinnitus permeated throughout Aang's head. He groaned and screwed his eyes shut, hoping the strange noise would fade just as quickly as it arrived. The announcements mumbled in the background, and he attempted to concentrate on the words being spoken instead of the steady chiming crescendo. the ringing in his ears intensified, reaching a crest, and amid the cacophony a powerful voice whispered, "Aang!"

“...And lastly, student government elections are coming up. Start casting your votes for student body president beginning next week!”

Aang gasped sharply, inhaling cooling air. His eyes snapped open as he examined the classroom around him. Quickly as it came on, the ringing left along with whatever called out to him. Something in the back of his mind recognized that voice. He turned his head slowly from side to side, as if he could catch the source of it sitting at the desk next to him. Ridiculous. It's probably just nerves, he reasoned, besides Gyatso may know something to help later.

"...That'll be all for today. Have a productive day Kadasu!" The announcements ended as Aang's focus shifted fully back to the present. He eyed Instructor Yang as the man walked to the center of the classroom at the forefront.

A clamor rose up as students all murmured to each other about, what Aang assumed, were the announcements. That Fireball game did sound interesting at least.

"Alright, settle down," Yang demanded. He paused as the students quieted, a hush falling over the room. "Let’s get started. We have a lot to cover, so I expect you all to review the material afterwards. For today, we will be continuing our lecture on chapter seven, which covers the events leading up to the Fire Nation's victory at the Southern Air Temple.” As he spoke, he walked towards the left where his teaching podium was located, a sleek laptop adorning the top of it. A moment later, a professional powerpoint graced the screen in front of them from the projector. “We will discuss why this battle was a turning point in Fire Lord Sozin's tactic to end the Great War.” He tapped a key, “Next class, there will be a quiz first thing. Any questions?" 

No one deigned to speak up.

"Alright then. Before we get started, as always, we will begin by taking roll."

Despite the roll list descending in alphabetical order, Aang's name wasn't called until the end where the Instructor had scribbled his name on the bottom of the page.

"Now, direct your attention up here," the Instructor Yang motioned to the screen, "And please take notes."

Unlike other schools Aang went to in the past, most of the kids remained quiet while the Instructor was speaking. Sokka was right, the guy did seem fairly uptight. Following along, Aang typed out each bullet point listed on the powerpoint in front of him on a document specifically reserved for his notes:

• Southern Air Nomads preparing to ally with Omashu 297 BP

• Nomads posed a threat for Nation's dream of creating wealthy, industrialized world

• Sozin battled the Air Temple's armies 299 BP

"A just and equal society was created in the aftermath of this war, as you all know. Without the traditions of old, such as elemental bending, the Fire Nation was able to progress beyond geopolitical and spiritual differences.

"The Air Nomads considered themselves a spiritual community, yet grew disenchanted when their contact with the Spirit World weakened. Despite their efforts, they were unable to stop the Fire Nation's fight for progress. On the eve of the Summer Solstice two-hundred-and-ninety-nine years ago, Fire Lord Sozin attacked the Air Nomad's armies." Instructor Yang clicked the mouse of his desktop to turn to the next slide.

Aang's fingers hovered over his keyboard. There was something that didn't make sense to him, how could Sozin attack the Air Nomad's armies when they didn't have armies?

The thought hung over his head like a thick cloud, and his brow knitted in confusion.

Wait, what?

The instructor’s voice drifted off into the background, his speech given on the topics of the following slide was wasted on him - the words coming out Instructor Yang's mouth washing over him like water over stone. 

He must have learned that somewhere at another school. It just felt so real and true. A frown tugged at his lips. Acting on impulse without thinking through on what he was doing, his hand slowly raised itself into the air. 

The Instructor paused his lecturing. "Yes, Aang?" 

"The Air Temples didn't have a formal military," Aang asserted with confidence. He didn't know where the thought came from, but he knew it to be true, like something out of a long forgotten memory. "Fire Lord Sozin led the attack on them by ambush." 

The class turned in their seats to gawk at him, half of the student's faces marred with incredulity and the other half staring at him with wide eyes.

"Your claim lacks substantiated evidence, young man, and history remains a reliable source of truth.” Instructor Yang pursed his lips, “Our textbooks cover the scope of the militia utilized by the other three nations, backed by extensive research. I don't know where you could've gotten that idea, but I suggest you review the articles listed in this presentation.”

Aang’s spirits sank and he awkwardly grimaced, "Right, sorry. My mistake. Uh, carry on."

Clearing his throat, the Instructor continued on highlighting the points on the slides and delving further into details as he addressed his class.

Aang tried to pay attention to the rest of the class, he really did, but it just seemed so wrong. What was the point of learning if none of it was even right? His mind drifted back to a time in school back over in the Western Colonies. Kuzon and Bumi hated History classes. 

"It's all state-mandated info anyways", Kuzon would say, "you know what can't be changed with biases? Math." 

Bumi would give a completely different opinion, "There's no creativity in it, and besides its history. I mean, it already happened. Who cares?" 

They would usually waste their time passing notes back and forth to each other, and Bumi once made an awfully hilarious drawing of the Instructure with her tongue sticking out. He sure wasn't an artist, but Aang had to admit, it was a pretty good impression of her. Aang smiled at the memory, wondering what his two best friends were doing in their classes now.

When the bell rang out, Aang unfolded his schedule to see what class was next. Literature 9:30 AM-11 AM. 

Literature. Alright, he was pretty good with books and stuff, at least in his opinion, so this shouldn't be too hard of a class. As it's mostly reading anyway, there won't be any weird thoughts that come out of nowhere either, so there would be nothing else to focus on except for reading and reading only.

Aang walked out into the large hall with a small crowd of students, most of them conversing with each other. He shoved his schedule back into his trouser pocket and pulled out his phone. His finger touched the messenger app icon, where he quickly found the group chat between Kuzon and Bumi. Those strange dreams and that voice was probably nothing, but he wanted to talk to his friends about it anyway. He sent out a quick text, "the weirdest thing just happened to me in first period. Uhh is it normal to just know something that is true but a teacher says is wrong? "

He missed his friends and wished they were here with him. It would certainly be easier to find the classrooms with three heads instead of one, but considering that it would be Aang, Kuzon, and Bumi's heads it's more likely they would get distracted looking, end up three hallways over to where they were supposed to be, and show up even more late to class.

This time, he managed to arrive at his literature class right before the bell rang, grateful that there would be no awkward introductions. The Instructor was a middle-aged woman, her brown hair streaked with gray, and her eyes were framed by heavy glasses. She didn't even bother with an introduction.

"Pull out your books, class. I trust you all read Chapter Three." She said mildly as she stood at the podium front and center.

Aang glanced around at the other kids sitting at desks adjacent to him, all reaching into their backpacks, or already had the book-in-question out on their desks. He was about to raise his hand and speak his concern when he heard a whispered hiss off to his right. "Huh?" he said, turning towards the sound.

That girl from the hallway smiled back at him, "I saw you lost earlier on your way to first period," she kept her tone low, "you're new right? You can share my book."

He beamed at her, grateful for her kindness. "That sounds great, thank you." He whispered back, leaning forward.

Innocuously, she scooched her desk closer to his, careful to avoid any unpleasant screeching sounds as the metal slid across the wooden floor. Either this Instructor wasn't so strict, or she pretended not to notice as they shared the book all throughout the class. Possibly even she was one of those teachers that valued cooperation between students. Aang liked those ones the best.

"So, what's your name?" Aang whispered over to his new friend. Or he hoped she would be a new friend.

"My name's On Ji," She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"On Ji. That's a nice name. My name's Aang." He returned her smile. "This is the second time you saved my butt today. I definitely owe you one."

On Ji sniggered, "Don't worry about it. My family and I moved here last year from North Bherti, so I know how it feels to be new."

Aang glanced at her with his eyebrows raised, "You're from the Homeland?"

"Ahem," A clear voice snapped their attention back to the front, where the Instructor was gazing at them with her hand perched on her hip. Casting them a sharp look, she continued on with her lecture and Aang let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"We can talk later at lunch. Meet me on the second floor by the stairwell later." On Ji murmured, her eyes glued to the papers in front of her but flicked over to Aang. He reciprocated with a nod and offered a thumbs up.

The class ended and he waved goodbye to On Ji as they parted ways down the hallway. 

His next class was math, Kuzon's favorite, but he always had trouble understanding some of the concepts. Walking with some apprehension, he entered the classroom, which was thankfully not hard to find as it was just right across the hall from his Literature class. Math was always such a rigid subject, and Bumi would hardly pay attention in that class. Aang at least tried, not that he did very well.

With a few minutes remaining before the official start of the class, Aang shuffled toward the instructor seated at a large desk to the right of the door. Deciding to make a better impression after a somewhat rocky start in his last two classes, he thought it wise to introduce himself. The instructor looked up as Aang approached.

"Hi, I'm a new student and this is my first day," Aang began, trying not to ramble, "I was wondering if I could grab a textbook before class started - last period I had to share with someone else. I’m Aang, by the way, in case you need to put my name down on the roster."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Aang. Of course you can, just give me one moment while I pull up today's lesson." The Instructor smiled. Unlike his other Instructors so far, this man was obviously from the Earth Kingdom through and through, even if it was his smile that gave him away. The Fire Nation teachers always scowled. Aang wondered if it was because their faces were permanently bent that way from snacking on too many fire flakes.

Aang liked Instructor Haling a lot, and laughed at all his little jokes he peppered throughout the lesson, even if they weren't that funny. That alone made math so much more bearable than if he didn't try to crack jokes at all.

Towards the end of the class, Aang felt a buzz from his phone, and as soon as the bell rang he whipped it out to see if his friends had responded.

"Weird things always happen to you, and teachers are always wrong." Bumi texted back with a laughing emoji, "but seriously, how are u holding up? "

The text gave Aang pause. Weird things didn't always happen to him, did they? Maybe they did, but he couldn't get that voice out of his head. Well, maybe voice was the wrong word. It sounded like a voice of a thousand voices, like someone - or something - was calling out to him tenfold. But then that would be a weird thing to say, and he thought best to not trouble his friends.

"Im hanging in there," He added with a shrug emoji, "but I did make a new friend today though. would probably still be trying to figure out where my first class was if not for her. This place is a maze."

He stared down at his phone, typing with a small grin plastered on his face. On Ji seemed really nice, and Bumi was thinking of him. Truly, he had nothing to be worried about. School was going smoothly so far, the teachers were tolerable at worst, and he wouldn't have to sit alone at lunch or awkwardly find a seat next to someone he didn't know. The nervous dreams and uncomfortable daydreams would definitely go away now.

Text now sent, Aang looked up from his phone and almost let it slip from his grasp, the screen becoming a shattered mess if he didn't have quick reflexes. 

The hall was completely empty, but how was that even possible. Just seconds ago, it bustled with students, yet now an eerie silence pervaded the empty space. Aang gawked in astonishment, rubbing his eyes to dispel the scene. The colors seemed to have leached from the walls and surroundings, casting everything in an otherworldly blue hue.

A shiver ran down his spine. Somehow, this place felt familiar, yet an unsettling wrongness lingered, as if it were in pain. How could a place experience pain? Aang didn't know. He was just about to start walking forward to explore this strange plane of existence, when all of the color came rushing back with a punch of air. A gasp escaped his mouth, his eyes widening as he felt his senses snap back into place. The sounds of students walking, their footsteps echoing through the hall, enveloped him, and there he stood once again in a normal school hallway.

Aang nearly doubled over in shock, but he managed to maintain his composure at the last moment, remembering his surroundings. Alright, that’s it, he thought; he was officially losing his mind. Stumbling, he approached the hallway wall and leaned against it, rested his hands on the surface, and attempted to catch his breath.

He always knew he had an… active… imagination. Ever since he was a toddler, Gyatso caught him talking to beings that weren't there or remembering something that would've never had happened to a little boy in this century. For a while, it went away as they traveled more towards the Homeland - or, well, as close as they could still get while living on this continent. Aang just assumed that his imagination was calming down as he got older, like when children grow out of imaginary friends.

Groaning, he buried his face between his palms. Perhaps it wasn't merely his imagination; maybe he struggled with some kind of bizarre mental illness. The thought saddened and frightened him, emotions he certainly didn't want to entertain at the moment. He pushed the feelings aside just as he forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. There was nothing he could do about it now - absolutely nothing - except try to get through the school day.

Remembering that he was supposed to meet On Ji snapped him out of his confused reverie. Shaking his head, Aang headed towards the stairwell, the hallway gradually clearing as students migrated towards the cafeteria. True to her word, the girl awaited him at the base of the stairs, her back resting against the railing. Approaching her from behind, Aang lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ah!" she shrieked, whirling around and automatically raising her arms in a defensive stance. "Oh, it's just you," she smiled with relief, easing a bit as she gradually lowered her arms to her sides.

Aang cringed back when she jumped, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay - I tend to get startled easily," she beamed at him. However, her expression shifted to concern when she noticed the apprehension on her new friend's face. "Hey, are you alright? I really don't mind! I'm not upset or anything."

Not only was he going crazy, but he also began to worry those around him, a scenario he definitely wished to avoid. "I'm fine!" he exclaimed a tad too hastily, compelling himself to smile. "I think I just ate something weird this morning and didn't feel too well during the last period, but I'm starting to feel a lot better now."

On Ji looked him over, a soft "hmmm" escaping from between her lips. Her demeanor relaxed. Seizing Aang's arm, she pulled him over to a nearby water fountain.

"My first day wasn't the easiest, either." Understanding reflected in her dark brown eyes, "I've never been out of my country before coming here, but it's the same for most of the kids that go here. The Fire Nation wants to create a 'modern, globalized society' and as a result, Ba Sing Se is now home to people from all over the world. I know it can be a bit overwhelming."

Aang listened attentively, empathizing with On Ji. He bent over and took a long sip of water, the ice-cold sensation clearing his foggy head. Straightening up, he sighed, "I think I'm already getting a bit homesick, which doesn't make much sense. Before this, we lived in the Western Colonies, but even that was the longest I stayed in one place. My guardian and I, well, we travel a lot - something to do with his work. I don't mind going from place to place at all, but I still wish I had somewhere to come back to."

On Ji pursed her lips thoughtfully, "That makes sense. I think we all just want a place to call home. I mean, even the Air Nomads had their temples to return to, right?"

Her words stirred something within him, something warm. He took that feeling in and it grounded him. Looking up at her, he genuinely felt a lot better and responded with a grateful smile. "Yeah, that's true. Maybe this city can be like those temples for us."

On Ji returned his smile, "Since you seem to be feeling a bit better, we should get some food before the bell rings. Come on, I'll show you the way, and you can meet some of my friends. Don't worry,” she added, “they're really nice."

Aang trailed behind her through the halls until they entered a spacious cafeteria filled with students seated at long tables. On Ji waved at a small group of kids on the far side of the room, capturing their attention as they grinned back and waved.

"You'll find someone from everywhere here, if that makes sense." On Ji said as they fell in line to purchase their lunch.

He cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"My friends are also from Bherti, you'll always be able to find a little bit of home in a place as big as this. Hey, maybe you'll meet someone from the Western Colonies!"

Her smile and hope was contagious, "Maybe. That would be great!"

Curiously, Aang surveyed the cafeteria, his gaze meandering over the diverse groups of students. Subtle connections seemed to bind them, whether through shared hairstyles or distinctive jewelry. Among them, he noticed the teenager, Sokka, who had guided him through the school in the morning, seated beside a pretty girl who bore a striking resemblance to him. As her sparkling eyes lifted and met his, an unexpected warmth surged through Aang’s head, causing a rush of heat to flush his cheeks. 

"I recognize someone who helped me find the registrar's office this morning," Aang nodded toward Sokka. On Ji followed his gaze, "I'm going to go say hi really quick. Save me a spot?"

For a brief second, On Ji tensed up, but before Aang could think anything of it, the unease faded, and she returned to her usual state. “Of course!"

Balancing his lunch tray, Aang walked over to where Sokka sat with his friends. They all turned to him, their cerulean blue eyes locking onto him as he approached.

"Sokka!" he greeted, unintentionally interrupting a conversation the teenager was having with the person next to him.

Sokka shifted his attention, slight surprise written on his face. "Oh, hey, Anand, right?" He asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"It's Aang. I just saw you and, well, thought I'd stop by to say hi." Sokka's friends around the table eyed him wearily. Aang wondered if he had something on his face, and self-consciously wiped his cheek with a hand.

"You didn't tell me you met someone new," came from beside the teenager, drawing Aang's gaze in that direction.

It was the girl he had noticed while he was in line, and up close, she was even more stunning. Aang couldn't help but inhale sharply, hoping against hope that his cheeks weren't betraying him with a subtle hint of pink. Her features seemed to captivate him, and he found himself momentarily lost in her presence. The intensity of his reaction surprised him, leaving him momentarily breathless as he navigated the delicate balance between admiration and the fear of revealing too much.

"While you were busy splashing in the pool with your friends, Katara, this kid ambushed me on my way to school. The only right thing to do was to show him around." Sokka said, annoyed with the girl's gentle teasing.

"Splashing in the pool, huh?" Katara said as she nonchalantly rolled her eyes, "The swim meet is in three days. You know how important this is to me."

Aang schooled his expression and tore his eyes away from the girl. He didn't really know what they were talking about, but he got the feeling that bickering between them wasn't an unfamiliar occurrence. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted to say thanks again for showing me around, and oh, you were right about Mr. Yang."

Sokka let out a small humph, pivoting away from Aang with an air of aloofness that caught him off guard. Feeling a bit disheartened, he considered walking away to search for On Ji when Katara interrupted his retreat.

"Hey, don’t mind Sokka too much. He’s always a bit grumpy before lunch." She reassured with a sympathetic smile. Her words provided a slight comfort, giving Aang all the encouragement he needed to linger a moment longer despite the initial chill he had encountered. Before Sokka could begin to try to defend himself from her comment, she cut him off. "So, I assume you're new around here, and that's why my brother had to give you the grand tour?"

Aang nodded at the girl - Katara, he reminded himself. "My guardian and I just arrived last night.”

"Considering you're new here and all, you should come to the swim meet at the end of the week. Our team is mostly made up of Water Tribe members, and we're undefeated."

He was almost struck dumb by Katara's offer, "I would love to!" He found his voice, her friendly blue eyes meeting his. "I'll be sure to cheer you on."

Katara laughed. She pulled out a piece of scrap paper and a pen from her backpack, quickly writing something down, and handed it to Aang. "Here are my socials. Message me and I'll give you the details."

Aang took the paper gently from her hand, beaming at her like it was one of the greatest gifts he ever received. 

"Now that you've managed to weasel something out of us, why don't you go back over to your Homeland friends?" Sokka piqued up, motioning over to where On Ji was sitting before folding his arms over his chest.

The way he said it made it sound bad, but Aang supposed he shouldn't keep On Ji waiting any longer. “I guess I should get going. Thank you again for this morning Sokka,” he turned and waved, “It was nice meeting you Katara!” 

When he caught up to On Ji, she scooted over on the bench to make room for him. Aang gratefully sat down next to her. At first, her friends didn't seem too pleased with his presence but once he mentioned how he came from the Western Colonies they opened up and started talking about all kinds of stuff, including a small argument about which was the best boba place in the city. After that, Aang felt like he had to explore Ba Sing Se more, if not for the food alone.

The rest of the day passed by rather normally, which Aang was relieved considering how strange the morning went. Once lunch ended he went off to his science class, which unfortunately didn't consist of any cool chemistry experiments. The last class of the day was band, but he'd always been a terrible tsungi hornist.

Once he got home, he nearly forgot completely about all the weirdness that happened earlier, and Gyatso greeted him with a ruffle to his hair. There was a moving truck in their small driveway where his guardian was unloading box after box. Aang quickly put his backpack away to help.

He set a large box down on the living room floor. Just as he was about to run out the door to grab another one from the truck, he heard Gyatso call from the kitchen where he was putting away glassware into the cabinets. "Aang, come here a second, we could use a break."

"But I just got home to unpack," He called back from the living room, "And I haven't even gotten started on my marble collection yet."

"There will be plenty of time for that later. This will only take a moment."

Involuntarily, Aang felt his palms grow sweaty. He desperately wanted to discuss his weird daydreams with his guardian, yet the fear of being whisked away to a therapist's office held him back - which would definitely happen considering how utterly insane it all sounded. Especially because this wasn't the first time the visions happened, but it wasn't his fault the weirdness has gotten worse.

But he always felt comfortable talking to Gyatso about this stuff, and for the most part Gyatso didn't overtly display much concern about it. Yet, Aang sensed that, for some reason, his guardian took his eccentricities exceptionally seriously, which only made him more anxious that it would just be a matter of time before he's talking to a counselor, no matter how much Gyatso assured him that it would never happen.

As if detecting his young charge's apprehension, his guardian offered him a glass of water as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. Aang hopped up on one of the kitchen stools, his elbows casually propped on the granite countertops, as he stared down into the glass.

"Did you make any new friends today?" Gyatso asked as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Yeah! I met this boy who showed me around first thing, but I don't know if he likes me all that much. His sister, though, seemed really nice and invited me to her swim competition." Aang perked up thinking about Sokka, On Ji, and Katara. "And then there's On Ji. She let me share her book with her during Literature class, because I didn't have one yet, she's sort of new here too, and we sat together for lunch."

Gyatso laughed heartily, "I knew you'd be able to make friends, all you had to do was be yourself." 

“I texted Bumi and Kuzon today, too, especially after…” Aang trailed off, thinking about the incident with his history instructor. He scratched the back of his head.

Delving into what he suspected might be troubling Aang, Gyatso prompted, "Did anything else happen today?"

Aang deflated. He loved his guardian, but sometimes it was really irritating how it seemed like the man could read him like a book.

"Was a student mean to you?" Gyatso asked gently.

"No, that's not it." Aang nestled deeper into his crossed arms, becoming more closed off. He remained silent for a few moments, content in avoiding his guardian's imploring gaze. Eventually he sighed, straightened, and stared at his hands. "I had a strange dream again last night. And then… well… weird daydreams this morning."

Gyatso's voice was soft. "Do you want to talk about them?" 

Aang looked up at Gyatso and took a breath. The opportunity to get if off his chest was just too tempting, and he lost the battle between staying silent or speaking out. "There was this voice in my dream, calling out to me, but not to the real me, just the dream version of me. I heard that same voice again this morning, calling me by a name that isn't mine, and then, later, everything turned blue. I can't really put it into words. The blue place just felt off, damaged somehow." He struggled to articulate the experience any better, but once he shared it, he felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I think I'm losing my mind," he confessed, his words muffled into his hands.

Following his revelation, Gyatso lapsed into silence for a couple of moments. Aang glanced up at his contemplative guardian, with one eyebrow raised, wondering what he would say in response. Aang knew Gyatso would do whatever he thought was best, even if that meant therapy. Despite his reservations, he trusted his guardian. Perhaps then the weirdness would finally cease for good.

Gyatso circled the counter, taking a seat on the stool beside Aang. "My dear boy, pay attention to your dreams, but don’t let your worries consume you. Often our dreams offer insights that can guide us on our journey of self-discovery." 

“But what about the daydreams?”

“Things will reveal themselves in time, and what these visions mean may become clear soon. Trust in yourself, and you will be alright." Gyatso laid a hand on his shoulder. 

Aang gazed up at his guardian, his silvery eyes reflecting appreciation and love. He couldn't fathom what he would do without his guardian's guidance. The dreams had to become clear eventually, or maybe they would go away on their own. Either way, Aang would then be happy and finally be rid of them.

"Hm, out of curiosity," Gyatso remarked slowly, "What name did the voice use to address you?"

Aang searched his guardian's expression, wondering for a second why it mattered. He furrowed his brows. "It was really strange. The voice called me Roku, but I don't even know what that means, but it sounds... familiar somehow."

When Aang said that name, the wrinkles around his guardian's mouth, so slightly that he almost didn't even notice, deepened.

Chapter Text

That ethereal light returned to invade his dreams once more a few nights later. It burned brightly behind his mind’s eye alone, this time, without the company of the ten-thousand-voices echoing in unison. 

A supernova unfurled from the depths of Aang’s consciousness, an explosive burst of radiant energy that painted everything in dazzling brilliance. The intensity was nearly blinding, a celestial display that enveloped him in starlit incandescence. Like before, rather than overwhelming, it cocooned him in a soothing embrace, as if the light itself were an extension of his very essence.

In a moment frozen in time for three hundred years, he was one with the brilliance, an inseparable part of the luminous energy. The incandescent light cradled him in a cosmic embrace. Yet, as the energy’s fervor gradually waned, its luminosity transitioned from searing white to the gentle glow of cooling embers, resonating deep within him. It had always been a part of him, yet now it was unveiled rather than hidden.

The threat had subsided for now, and it was time to wake up. The radiant symphony dimmed, leaving behind the serenity of the glow within his core. 

🜁

This dream was different. Aang’s eyelids fluttered open, and he winced at the morning sunlight streaming through his windows. Unlike his past dreams, this one didn't leave him bone-weary and exhausted, nor did it evoke the same terror he felt during the others. He yawned, scrubbing a hand down his face. Admittedly, he was a little groggy, sure, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Grabbing his phone charging on the nightstand, he sat up and blinked at the time glaring at him from the screen: 6:17am. 

Wow, he actually managed to wake up before his alarm went off. It really was a new day. He felt… lighter somehow, a tranquil ease settling within him as if some weight had finally lifted. Maybe this meant that the nightmares would finally go away; Gyatso did say that dreams can lead to self-discovery, so perhaps he could consider his self officially discovered. 

He still had no idea what it all meant, but he’d rather have dreams like that any day over the other ones. Unlike the unsettling dreams haunted by mysterious voices, this one left him with a sense of safety. 

Aang crawled out from under the covers, stretching the stiffness from his limbs. When he raised his arms over his head, a soft breeze swirled around him, ruffling his hair and rustling the curtains. 

That was odd. The window was locked shut. Rubbing at his gummy eyes, he brushed it off as an early morning draft. 

He turned to smooth out the sheets on his bed. But as he reached over to grab the edge of the comforter, a gust of air whisked it from his grasp. It launched across his room and hit the far wall, dropping to the floor in a wrinkled heap. 

He stared at it with large gray eyes, trying to process what just happened. With hesitant, deliberate steps, he quickly tried to snatch it from the floor with an extended hand, but it floated out of his grip - caught once more in an unknown breeze. 

“What?” he gasped. Blinking, he grit his teeth in determination. Sticking out his tongue, he zeroed in on his prey, and lept towards the fallen blanket. With swift, graceful movements, he wrapped his arms around the heap before… whatever that was… had a chance to whip it away again. 

There wouldn’t be a reason to make his bed at this point, and he deposited the bundle on his mattress with a perplexed shake of his head, “Stay.”

Just in case, he went to inspect the window. As he expected, the latch was firmly in place. Aang quickly pulled on his school uniform after that. 

With an outstretched palm, he delicately nudged the door to his room. Another unknown burst of air surged past to forcefully propel it wide open, smashing the handle into the wall. Aang peered around the doorframe, gaping at the gash in the plaster.

Oh… kay. That was definitely not normal. He poked at the edge of the hole, debris dusting to the carpeted floor. 

Years ago, he shattered an antique vase when he was younger and lied to cover it up. The look of disappointment in his guardian’s eyes as he discovered his ward concealed something from him was too much to bear. Aang needed to tell Gyatso about this strange draft before he discovered the damage in the wall on his own.

He turned to book it down the stairs, a rush of that same weird wind guiding his feet, shooting him forward faster than what was humanly possible. Aang yelped and skidded to a halt just as he was about to crash into his guardian and send them both sprawling to the floor.

Gyatso nearly dropped his tea mug, some of the brown liquid sloshing over the sides. “Aang?” he questioned, swiveling around to look just as surprised as Aang felt. 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Aang didn’t know what exactly he was apologizing for, but it didn’t just have to do with the hole in the wall. Disoriented, he shook his head vigorously in an attempt to clear his thoughts. That supernatural sprint, with the wind guiding his heels, left him breathless.

“I heard a loud noise; is everything alright?” Gyatso asked calmly, setting down his teacup onto the coffee table. 

“It wasn’t my fault! I swear, it just sort of… happened.”

“I didn't jump to any conclusions, young one. Now, enlighten me, what happened?”

“The hole in the wall,” Aang responded evasively, still processing the events of these last few minutes. Dreams he could handle, but he didn’t know how he was going to explain away this. 

The image of patience, Gyatso merely raised a white eyebrow and waited for him to continue. 

A gentle gale swirled around his form as Aang huffed out a sigh. The mail on the coffee table stirred, then the air settled once more. Gyatso’s other eyebrow joined the first, but he refrained from saying anything. 

“A draft blew back the door, so the handle banged into the wall.” Aang explained. That was the only justification that made sense. 

“A draft?”

“You know, a puff of air.”

“Thank you Aang, but I know what a draft is.”

“Well it sort of came out of nowhere, and I guess now the wall is damaged,” Aang’s shoulders slumped, “I’m sorry.”

Gyatso didn’t reply right away. A few moments later, he took a languid sip of his tea. “Do you recall what I told you when you ran into that old urn?” “

Aang shook his head. All he remembered feeling relieved that Gyatso wasn’t too angry with him when he found the thing in pieces.

“What is broken can always be fixed.” The ceramic clinked against the glass coffee table as Gyatso set the mug back down. The words hung in the space between them.

“But you ended up just sweeping the pieces into the trash!” 

Gyatso rubbed his chin. “I wasn’t referring to the vase.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were afraid to tell me because you believed I would be angry with you, do you remember?”

Aang hung his head, a wave of old shame causing a blush to rush to his cheeks. “Yeah.”

“An object holds no intrinsic value beyond its material form. It can be replaced with ease,” Gyatso looked him in the eye, “Yet, the trust we share is a bond forged through time. Know that I value your trust above all else, and I understand that punishing you for a simple mistake would only fracture the foundation upon which it is built.”

“What does this have to do with the broken vase?” Aang tilted his head, “Or the busted wall?”

“You came to me with this, this time. That is precisely what I wished to fix.”

Aang twiddled his thumbs. “So… you’re not mad?”

“Why, then, should I harbor any resentment when you've acknowledged you weren’t at fault?”

“I wasn’t!”

Gyatso gestured for him to sit, and Aang plopped into the armchair beside him. “Sometimes, we tend to undervalue the things within our control, and other times we overestimate what is beyond us. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Aang slumped his cheek to his fist, “No.”

“All I wish to impart is this: be careful and exercise caution.”

“You know me, always one step ahead of trouble.”

Gyatso looked like he was on the verge of saying more but dismissed the notion with a hearty chuckle. “I’ll call the repair company. Now, get some breakfast before you find yourself late for school.”

🜁

The remainder of the morning unfolded rather uneventfully. Aang was careful to not make sudden movements or abrupt gestures, and as no strange currents of air blasted anything more away, he managed to push back the day’s earlier events to the recesses of his mind.

It likely amounted to nothing more than a draft. While that failed to account for his seemingly impossible dash down the stairs, he rationalized that he might have been more tired than he originally thought and just wasn’t thinking clearly about the whole thing. 

A natural breeze ruffled his hair as he walked to the metro station, and he leaned into it as it carded its soft fingers through the strands. The air around him felt alive in a way he hadn’t noticed before. After he boarded the light rail and took a seat, he gazed out the window as mild zephyrs kicked up small dust clouds. Even within the confines of the train he was able to pick out the breaths of the people situated around him - some steady and measured, others erratic and unpredictable. The man across from him was fast asleep, his mouth open wide and snoring like a hog-monkey. The air around him practically reverberated with every snort. 

Aang turned to stare out through the glass. One of his first memories was of Gyatso hushing him to sleep as he whispered a bedtime story. Centuries past, a oneness existed between humanity and the elements, a connection since severed by the Sozin’s Domination. However before the Great Comet illuminated the dark skies in a fiery blaze that fateful night, people could bend the elements to their will. The Water Tribes moved with the push and pull of the Ocean and Moon, the Earth Kingdom was as grounded and headstrong as the rocks around them, the Fire Nation burned bright as any sun, and the Air Nomads embraced freedom and peace as the pillars of their way of life. 

Older now, Aang knew it was all just fairy tales meant to lull him to sleep, but he still liked the Air Nomad stories the best. 

Yet as he watched the way leaves danced in the wind when the train flew past, a part of him wondered if it went just beyond bending, or if people truly had a greater connection to the natural world than they do now - if they could’ve sensed something that transcended the mundane. 

The train grounded to a halt at his stop, snapping him out of his reverie. He hoisted his backpack over his shoulders and followed the queue of commuters as they filed out through the sliding doors. The station buzzed with people.

In the distance, he spotted Sokka meandering through the crowd. Aang jogged to catch up to him, wafts of air disturbing the dirt on the ground in his wake. 

“Hi, Sokka!” He chirped as he caught up next to the older boy. 

Sokka yelped in surprise, pivoting, and brought his fists up in a defensive position, “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Um, going to school - same as you.” 

“Well, would you quit doing that?” Sokka relaxed his stance with a frown and began walking again. 

“I wish, but education is important. Though I’d rather be doing something a lot more fun,”

“No, not that.” Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose, “You’re too light on your feet. We need to strap a bell to you so I stop getting sneak-attacked.”

Aang laughed airily, striding up next to him. “I don’t know about that; maybe you just need to pay more attention to your surroundings.”

“Hey! I pay perfect attention to my surroundings,” Sokka protested, only to trip over a loose fragment of cement from a crack in the sidewalk. Thrashing his arms to regain his balance, he managed to steady himself after a moment of flailing. “That doesn’t count!”

“Sure,” Aang couldn’t keep the smile from his voice. 

“What do you want, anyway?” Sokka glowered, punting the chunk of rock down the walkway. “I already showed you around last time.”

“What? Want?” Aang looked sideways over at Sokka. “Oh, I'm good, really! I don't want a thing.”

“Yeah, right. You Fire Nation types don’t just talk to us lowly Water Tribe peasants out of the goodness of your heart.”

Aang cocked his head. “But I’m not Fire Nation.”

“Colony trash still counts.”

“Still, I’d never look down on you.” Aang tilted his face upwards to the sun. “Gyatso says that all life is sacred, and that no one is better than another.”

Sokka flicked his eyes towards the younger boy. “Whose Gyatso?”

“My guardian. He’s the wisest person I know.”

“Wow, he sounds truly humble.” Sokka deadpanned. 

Aang nodded, “He’s got his moments.”

Sokka kicked the rock again, propelling it further down the sidewalk. It clacked against the concrete. “Guardian, huh? What's that supposed to mean, anyway? Like a babysitter?”

“No way! He’s more like my mentor, my teacher. He’s taught me a lot about the world and stuff.”

Sokka didn’t bother to hide his eye roll. “Sounds like a walking philosophy book. How do you even stand that?”

“I don’t know. I like it. Makes me feel connected, you know? Like, we're all part of something bigger.”

“Eh, I prefer to keep things simple. No deep meanings or whatever. Just live and let live.”

“Fair enough. Different strokes for different folks.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Sokka jutted his chin out, indicating towards the gates ahead.
“Anyway, we’re almost at school. Just keep your head down and try not to blow us all away with your wisdom. ”

“Deal, but no promises on the blowing part. The wind does what it wills.” Aang grinned, thinking about the odd gust of air from this morning. 

Sokka wrinkled his brow and shook his head wryly. “You’re a weird kid.”

They turned the corner, approaching the school gates. 

As the doors loomed over them, Sokka slowed and folded his arms over his chest. “Did you really mean that?” 

Aang matched his gait, falling into step beside him. “Mean what?”

“That you don’t think you’re better than anyone.” Sokka replied, his eyes sizing up Aang’s sincerity.

“I genuinely believe it. No one's got it all figured out, and we're all just trying to make sense of this universe, right?”

Sokka raised an eyebrow, studying Aang's expression. “You're not like most Fire Nation kids. They often have sticks shoved so far up their asses that I'm surprised they don't waddle like penguins.”

“I told you, I’m not Fire Nation. Besides, I've never been a fan of stereotypes,” Aang shrugged. “Gyatso taught me that everyone deserves respect. We're all on our unique journey.”

Sokka let out a sardonic hum, then resumed climbing the stairsteps. “You know, despite your weird philosophy lessons, you're not as annoying as I thought you were.”

Aang beamed at him. “I'll take that as a compliment.”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re still annoying. Just don't try to convert me to your Gyatso-ism, okay?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Aang replied with a playful wink. 

“But seriously, I mean, I've never met a Colony kid who talks like that.”

"Maybe I'm just a rare specimen."

Sokka shot him a sidelong glance, “You really are something, you know that?”

“Something good, I hope.”

“Something, for sure.”

As they reached the school doors, Sokka slung his backpack over one shoulder and threw Aang a casual nod. "Alright, I guess I'll see you around. Just spare me any lunchtime lectures, alright? I get that enough from my sister."

"I will,” Aang chuckled. “You know, you're not as prickly as you pretend to be."

"High praise from the Fire Nation kid," Sokka quipped, a small grin breaking through his sarcastic exterior. "See you later, Aang."

"See you!" Aang waved as they went their separate ways, already looking forward to the next time he’d ambush Sokka at the train station. 

🜁

Aang plodded down the hallway, dodging students dashing past him. Luckily, this time he didn’t have any trouble locating his  classroom. It had only been a few days since he started at his new school, after all, but there were still plenty of times he got lost trying to find the restrooms. 

He dragged his feet towards Yang’s room, inwardly groaning. History was his least favorite subject by far - and he practically failed Chemistry last year - so that was saying something.

Yang ignored him as he trudged towards usual seat by the window. Sitting down, he unzipped his backpack and drew out the thick history textbook. A fallen leaf drifting in a gale flashed in the corner of his eye, and he turned to peer beyond the glass. Outside, the wind blew through the trees, ruffling their vibrant leaves. A vague sense of connection stirred within him when he gazed at the way the branches swayed back and forth, guided by the invisible currents. 

The announcements came on, but Aang tuned them out just as he ignored Yang when the instructor pulled up his bland powerpoint. It didn’t seem right to pay attention when the information being taught was just so blatantly incorrect. Besides, stuffy classrooms were boring. He’d rather be out there, in the open air, exploring the city.

“Ahem,” Yang cleared his throat pointedly 

The breeze outside stilled, and Aang looked away. Yang was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well?” 

Aang quickly glanced around the classroom, noting his peers gazing at him expectantly. He flitted his eyes up to the projector where the current slide they were on displayed a single prompt: Compare and Contrast.  

“I didn’t quite catch that.” He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, “what was the question again?”

Yang sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m having you all get into groups to discuss the key figures who participated in the events impacting the beginning of the Great War.”

“Right, no, of course. I heard that!” Aang quickly backtracked. “Um, where do you want me to go?”

“You may accompany Hide and his group.” Yang pointed to where a small circle of students congregated to the right of the classroom. The chair scraped against the floor when Aang rose to join, but he froze when Yang addressed him again. “I don’t like repeating myself, Pupil Aang, so please let me know if there is anything I can do to support you in maintaining your focus during class time.”

A wave of low giggles spread through the classroom. Heat rose to Aang's cheeks in embarrassment, but he simply nodded in understanding. Passing by the maze of desks, he met with the other assigned students. 

Their small party consisted of one other boy and two girls. The tall boy at the head of the group folded his arms over his large chest and smirked down at him. One of the girls nodded politely in greeting while the other covered her mouth to hide her ill-disguised mirth. 

“Don’t mind Toli, Aang.” The first girl rolled her eyes, “She only thinks it's funny when Yang calls out other students because last year he kept getting on her case for turning in the worst essay known in the history of humanity.” 

“It wasn’t that bad!” Toli frowned, dropping her hand from her mouth like it burned her.

“Your thesis was literally about how hot you thought Fire Lord Azulon was.” 

“It’s not my fault the man had pretty hair, Ailun. Plus, I managed to tie it back to how an attractive monarch can boost morale amongst his subjects.”

“Poor Fire Lord Azulon is rolling in his tomb right now.”

“Hey Toli, maybe this year you can write an essay about how hot you think I am.” The tall boy teased, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Toli eyed him up and down with a discerning glare. “Grow out your hair and we’ll talk.”

“Ugh!” Ailun shuddered. “Don’t you have a girlfriend, Hide?”

Hide rolled a shoulder with lazy confidence, “She said we’re on a break, but she’ll come back around. They always do.”

Ailun shook her head, “I still don’t know what On Ji sees in you.”

“On Ji?” Aang brightened, “I know On Ji! She’s really nice and actually helped me find Yang’s classroom on my first day.”

Ailun winced and Toli stiffened next to her. Aang’s forehead creased at their reaction, wondering what that was about. On Ji was kind and understanding, plus she promised to check out that new boba place with him soon.

“Hold up,” Hide turned on Aang, his lip curled upwards, “So, you’re the new kid she’s been babysitting.”

Oh. That’s why. Aang chuckled, “Yeah, that’s me, but I wouldn’t say she’s been babysitting me. Though I would’ve been really late to Yang’s class that first day. I’m already on his bad side enough.”

“Yeah, because we all need a helping hand, right?” Hide retorted, the sneer still etched on his face.

Ailun cleared her throat, attempting to diffuse the awkward moment. "Well, On Ji’s a sweetheart, but Hide here... not so much." She said with a nervous laugh.

“On Ji’s a nosy do-gooder, always sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Hide took a step forward and poked his pointer finger at Aang’s chest. “But don't you forget, she’s my girlfriend. Stay away from her.”

Toli, sensing the rising tension, interjected, "Come on, Hide, ease up a bit.”

Ailun laid a calm hand on Hide’s shoulder, “Yeah, quit being so territorial.”

“Say you won’t forget it, new kid.” Hide dug his finger further in. It was starting to hurt.

“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t forget she’s your girlfriend,” his brows drew together, “but she doesn’t belong to anybody. She’s not hurting you by being my friend.”

A flash of anger lit up Hide’s golden eyes. “Not good enough.”

Aang playfully threw his hands up in mock surrender, “Like you said, I’m just the new kid. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m keeping my eye on you,” Hide taunted.

Ailun sighed, “If you two are done, can we get back to the assignment? We don’t have time for your crap.”

Hide scoffed but stepped back and shot a lingering glare at Aang. Toli rolled her eyes, trying to steer the conversation back to the task at hand.

“So, about this assignment...” Toli began, casting a glance at Aang as if silently apologizing for the unnecessary drama that had unfolded. He offered her a grateful smile. 

“Right. This assignment.” Aang was happy to take the chance to change the topic, if just to get this nightmare of an assignment done and over with. “So, uh, who do you guys think were the key figures in the events leading up to the Great War?”

“Wow, you really weren’t paying attention. We’re not just supposed to be stating who we think was important or not, but we’re supposed to be comparing and contrasting two leaders on each side of the conflict.” Ailun gestured over her shoulder where the powerpoint slide stayed frozen on the screen.

Toli chimed in, “I think Fire Lord Sozin was a crucial figure. His expansion across the Earth Kingdom triggered a chain of events that led to the war.”

Hide snorted, “Real groundbreaking analysis there, Toli. Did you come up with that all by yourself?”

Ailun gave Hide a disapproving look, “Stop being such a jerk. Aang, what do you think?”

Aang hesitated, feeling the weight of Hide's animosity. “Well, I agree with Toli. Fire Lord Sozin’s conquest over the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu was a significant catalyst for the war. But, um, I'm open to other perspectives.”

Toli smiled appreciatively. Hide, however, remained unimpressed.

Ailun nodded in agreement, “Sure, but we still need to connect his actions against someone else from the other side of the conflict.”

“We could look at the Avatar,” Toli suggested.

Hide folded his arms over his chest. “Please, The Avatar was just a figurehead. There’s no way any of that bridge-between-the-spirit-world stuff really existed. We should look at someone who actually mattered, like the Earth King.”

“She’s not saying all of that woo-woo was real,” Ailun narrowed her eyes, “But the Avatar was the main leader on the opposing side of the war.”

“And then he died in the stupidest way possible, leaving Fire Lord Sozin to finally carry out his campaign of purging the world of those pathetic Air Nomads.” Hide waved his hand, “Good fucking riddance.”

“I mean it is true that Fire Nation rule took the world from a state of isolation, poverty, and underdevelopment to one of opening, prosperity and civilization. The Avatar was holding the Nations back.” Toli pointed out.

“Okay, and how do you want me to write that down on our comparison chart?” Ailun asked, poising her pencil. 

“Strong versus weak, ass-backwards versus modern, it’s really not that hard, Ailun.”

“Oh really? Well if you think it’s so easy, why don’t you write it all out?” Ailun curled her lip in disdain and tossed the paper at Hide. 

“Nuh uh, no way. Make the new kid do it,” Hide slid the worksheet over to Aang.

It didn’t matter to him whether he acted as the scribe or not. Aang clicked his pen open and drew two crossing lines on the blank document, “So we have Fire Lord Sozin on one side, and the Avatar on the other.” He labeled each column of the table.

Ailun leaned over and tapped a polished fingernail on the paper, “Roku.”

That name echoed in his ears, amplified by ten-thousand voices. The pen Aang was holding slipped out of his grasp and clattered to the table. “What did you say?” He asked stupidly. 

Ailun frowned. “All I was doing was pointing out the last Avatar’s name, just for clarity. There have been a  bunch of them, you know.”

“I knew that!” He said a little too quickly, snatching his pen back up. “I mean, I guess I just hadn’t heard him addressed by name in a while.”

“They all just blur together, anyway. Like, it was a title that passed down from generation to generation.” Toli tucked a stray hair behind her ear, “Who cares what their names were?” 

Ailun’s nose crinkled. “You’re being ridiculous. It matters because Avatar Roku was the end of his line, so his name will forever be tied to his disgraced title.”

“So he’s famous, right?” Aang pressed. 

Ailun pursed her lips. “More like infamous.”

“That explains it!” Aang barked out in relief. That's likely where he'd encountered the name before, and his subconscious mind must've latched onto it. Dreams often reflect waking experiences, so it's no surprise that his brain echoed what he'd heard in passing. Those dreams truly were hollow, devoid of any real significance or meaning. 

“Explains what?”

“Oh, nothing.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Okay, we have Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin. Hide gave us some ideas of how they were different, but we have to compare them as well.” He drummed the pen against the table. 

“They were both from the Fire Nation?” Toli suggested. 

“I guess we can start there.” Aang wrote down From the Fire Nation on each column. “What else?”

“They were born the same year and apparently were best friends growing up.” Ailun said. 

“Just goes to show you can’t trust the people closest to you,” Hide muttered darkly. 

“How did two best friends who grew up in the same place end up being on opposite sides of a war?” Aang wondered out loud. 

“Roku was blind to the world’s faults. He spent too much time alone, isolated on his island, and didn’t see how bad things really got for everyone. Sozin had a duty to spread Fire Nation success to the other Nations and share the wealth.”

Aang’s shoulders dropped. “Oh.” 

“Yeah, oh.”

Aang wrote down detached under Avatar Roku’s column, and involved under Sozin’s. “Well, that’s another one for the contrast part of this.”

Toli set her phone down on the table. “Class is almost over anyway,” she said, checking the time. 

“At least we got something down, unlike Ukeno’s group,” Ailun jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, pointing out a band of their classmates huddled together around one girl’s laptop, loudly laughing at whatever they were watching on the screen. 

It looked fun. Aang wished he was in that group instead. “Yeah, too bad,” he sighed, resting his cheek on his fist. 

Ailun groaned, her frustration evident as she glanced over the partially completed worksheet. "We could have done better," she muttered, her brow furrowing with disappointment.

Toli nodded in agreement, her gaze flickering over to Ukeno's group once more. "Seriously, they're always goofing off. I don't know how they expect to pass."

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Hide slammed his book shut and shoved his chair back with unnecessary force. "I'm outta here. I can't stand to be around you losers for another minute," he declared with a snarl.

"It was nice to meet you!" Aang cheerfully called after Hide's retreating figure, though his words were met with only a dismissive wave.

Toli watched Hide leave with a bemused expression before turning her attention back to the task at hand. "I'll just turn this in," she said, dragging the partially completed worksheet towards her and getting up from their table.

Ailun sighed, smoothing out her skirt as she stood up beside Toli. "Don't worry about Hide, Aang. He's... well... he's Hide," she said with a wry smile, as if that explained everything.

“Eh, I’m not worried. It’s not worth getting worked up over.” Aang chuckled, “But thanks anyway,” he replied, grateful for her support. 

Toli returned his smile, “I thought we made a pretty good team.”

“We barely wrote anything down!”

Aang laughed and went to retrieve his backpack from his desk, slinging it over his shoulder. At least they actually did something in today’s lesson instead of just listening to Yang drone on and on. He said goodbye to Ailun and Toli as he followed the wave of students out into the hallway to begin the trek to his next class. 

🜁

Anticipation crackled in the air like electricity on the eve of the biggest swim meet of the year. Katara's heart thundered in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she envisioned the challenge that awaited her. Tomorrow, the city's top athletes from each school would converge at the edge of the large swimming pool, poised like warriors ready for battle.

The thought of diving into the water at the sound of the starting buzzer sent shivers down Katara's spine. She had trained tirelessly for this moment, pushing her body to its limits in pursuit of victory. Every stroke, every breath, every moment spent in the water had led to this: the chance to prove herself among the best of the best.

As she closed her eyes and visualized the race ahead, Katara felt a surge of determination wash over her. She knew she had the skill, the strength, and the sheer willpower to emerge victorious. A child of the ocean, she was meant to succeed. 

Katara fluttered her eyelids open, gazing into the clear water below. It rippled and shimmered in the fluorescent lights, reflecting the recreation center around it like a dented mirror. Taking a deep breath, Katara positioned herself, muscles tensing. Then, with practiced ease, she vaulted off the blocks and plunged into its cool embrace. 

Katara propelled herself through the water. At each stroke, she sliced through it like a knife, her muscles straining with every powerful movement. The rhythm of her breaths matched the cadence of her strokes, and bubbles frothed around her form. Small waves lapped at her skin, urging her forward. All of her kicks were deliberate, calculated. 

With a final burst of energy, she lunged towards the wall with an outstretched arm. The tips of fingers brushed against the side of the pool. Gasping for breath, she burst to the surface, shaking beads of water out of her eyes. “That’s gotta be my best time yet,” she boasted aloud to an empty room.

She grasped the rough ledge and hauled herself up from out of the pool, water cascading down her legs. Twisting her body, she gracefully perched herself on the rim swirling her feet languidly. The water ebbed and flowed through her toes and around her knees. Leaning back, she rested her palms against the concrete. Small rivulets traveled down her dark blue swimsuit, pooling on the ground beneath her. If she could, she’d stay in this moment forever. 

But she couldn’t. There was so much on her shoulders, but in the water, she felt weightless. 

"I guess I better get going," Katara mumbled to herself, her voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water against the pool's edge. Gran Gran would be expecting her home for chores, and she was behind on her math homework – only because she was preparing so much for the meet, of course.

Sighing, Katara swept the back of her hand across her forehead, dispersing the water droplets with a flick of her wrist. They caught the artificial light, glimmering like diamonds as they hung suspended in the air around her. Katara's eyes widened in shock, her heart skipping a beat as she stared at the beads of water hovering in front of her face.

She sucked in a breath and held it until her lungs burned. Gravity should have done its work, but the droplets stayed as if frozen in time. Knitting her brows together, Katara extended her hand out tentatively, her fingertips brushing against the suspended droplets. At her touch, they splashed to the ground.

This was the second time an incident like this occurred.

The first was when she tackled the dishes piling in the sink left over from Sokka ordering in a, frankly, unnecessary amount of roasted meat from the restaurant down the street. As she reached for the faucet, the water gushed out scalding hot. Reacting swiftly, she yanked her hand back, only to witness the water freeze mid-air. 

Her heart leaped into her throat as she watched the stream of water solidify into a block of ice. With trembling hands, she fumbled with the valves, wrenching them to the hottest setting. To her relief, the ice melted before her wide eyes, disappearing down the drain along with the rest of the water.

After that, she chose to brush it off as if nothing had happened.

Still, something niggled at the back of her mind. Her Gran Gran used to tell her stories about the old days, a time of peace, where the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads existed in balance with one another. Members of each nation had the potential to manipulate their respective element, to become one with nature, and bend it to their will. This ancient and sacred art was unique to their specific cultures, passed down from generations. 

That all changed when Sozin used the Great Comet to commit the ultimate act of domination - breaking the Avatar Cycle and severing humanity from their elements - and establishing Fire Nation rule over all.

But was everything truly lost?

Katara shook herself out of her reverie. She wasn’t going to ignore it, this time. She won’t give up hope.