Chapter Text
“Ready for today’s lesson?” Barley said with a grin as he swept the floor, getting the room ready for that day’s class.
His brother Ian sighed. “As I’ll ever be.” They’d opened this academy a few months ago, the first of its kind in Ba Sing Se, to teach metalbending to other earthbenders, and he was already exhausted. He hated public speaking. Teaching was much more Barley’s thing than his.
There was a knock on the door. It looked like one of the students had shown up early.
Barley opened the door. “Oh, hi, Connie.”
A girl walked in. A shy teenage girl. She reminded Ian a little of himself.
“Master Ian? Master Barley?” she said hesitantly.
“Yeah?” Barley said.
“Something weird happened to me the other day, and I wanted to talk to you about it,” she said.
Barley furrowed his brow in concern. “Okay.”
“I was practicing my bending outside the city, and this bald man came over to me,” Connie said. “He grabbed me and put his hand on my forehead. This weird light came out of our bodies. It felt like he was…overpowering my soul.” She swallowed. “And after he left, I realized…I couldn’t bend.”
“What?” Barley gasped.
“Are you sure?” Ian asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he didn’t want to believe what she was saying.
Connie nodded.
Barley and Ian looked at each other. Their friend Alberto had told them about something called chakra-blocking, a rare technique that could seal someone’s chakras permanently and stop them from bending. Was that what this was?
“Maybe it was temporary,” Barley said hopefully. “Try bending. Maybe I can help you unblock it or whatever.”
Connie stamped the ground and tried to bring up a chunk of the stone floor. Her form was perfect. But nothing happened.
“We’ll figure this out,” Barley said. Ian could tell he was trying way too hard to sound calm. “He put his hand on Connie’s shoulder. “Just…go back home and stay safe. And tell your friends class is canceled today.”
Connie left. Barley put a sign on the door. Then he and Ian sat down on the floor to talk.
“This sounds like chakra-blocking,” Barley said. “Does that mean they’re a bloodbender, too?” That wasn’t good. Bloodbending was dangerous in the hands of someone who wasn’t as careful as Alberto was.
“It could also be like Syndrome’s machine,” Ian said. The previous Firelord had built a device to steal benders’ energy and ability to bend.
“She said she was outside the city,” Barley said. “Maybe we should go look around.”
Ian hesitated. He didn’t want to have his bending taken. Barley didn’t have to worry about that since he was a nonbender anyway. He didn’t even know what they’d do to this person if they found him. But he supposed they didn’t have any other leads.
They walked through the gates of Ba Sing Se and out into the fields. Ian wasn’t sure what they were looking for. The Earth Kingdom was so large. He could be anywhere.
Then they saw a man walking down one of the hills. Someone Ian had never seen before. He was wearing bright yellow and orange robes, and a wooden necklace with the symbol of the airbenders on it.
“An airbender!” Barley whispered excitedly. Ian couldn’t believe it. The airbenders had been almost entirely wiped out by the Fire Nation nine years ago. There were only three or four left that they knew of.
Barley started to approach the man. Then Ian grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
The man was approaching a young earthbender standing by a pile of rocks. With a wave of his hand, he blew the earthbender back. The earthbender fought back with a large boulder. The airbender continued to attack him with gusts of wind.
Barley ran forward, drawing his sword from the sheath at his hip. “Leave him alone!” Ian followed, throwing more rocks at the airbender.
The airbender sent a tornado at Ian and Barley, pushing them back. Through the wind, Ian saw the airbender approach the earthbender and place his hand on his forehead.
“He’s doing it again!” Barley yelled over the wind. “We have to stop him!”
They tried to reach them, but it was too late. The earthbender and the airbender both glowed with light. A beam of light shot out of their eyes and mouths.
Barley and Ian watched in horror as the earthbender’s glow faded. The airbender’s glow consumed them both, then faded as well.
The earthbender staggered around, stunned, then collapsed. The airbender fled.
Ian and Barley ran to the earthbender. He was barely conscious but alive.
Barley and Ian looked at each other. They knew exactly who to call for help.
--
Princess Violet walked through the hallway of the Fire Nation palace. Her connection to the Fire Nation was…complicated. Her little brother Dash was an airbender like her. Unlike her, he’d spent most of his life in the Fire Nation after being kidnapped by the royal family. That had made him next in line to be Firelord after Syndrome’s death, despite him not being a firebender. After their reunion, she’d moved in with him to help him, bringing her boyfriend Alberto into the palace with her.
Well, fiancé now, she thought happily. He’d proposed just a few nights ago. He’d even made her a traditional Water Tribe betrothal necklace from his culture.
She turned a corner and saw Alberto sitting on the floor, feeding his flying lemur Mushi some fruit. Violet smiled when she saw the shiny badge around Mushi’s neck.
Dash had recently started a new mental health initiative, and Mushi had just been certified as Alberto’s mental health companion, to help him during panic attacks and emotional distress. The badge made it official. And just like her with her betrothal necklace, the lemur didn’t want to take it off, and he proudly showed it to anyone who would pay attention.
Everyone knew it was just a formality at this point. Alberto already took Mushi everywhere, including meetings with important noblemen. But it was nice to have it officially recognized. Alberto got less nasty looks from people, and he seemed much happier.
Alberto looked up and grinned when he saw her. “Hey, Vi.”
She knelt down next to him and kissed him. “Hi, sweetheart.”
Alberto reached out and touched the betrothal necklace like he still couldn’t believe she’d said yes. He ran his fingers over the blue stone, tracing the Water Tribe symbol carved into it.
Violet cupped his cheek. “It’s still a yes.”
Alberto smiled.
Mushi leapt onto Violet’s leg and held up his badge, squeaking.
“I see,” Violet said with a smile. “Very impressive.”
He puffed out his chest. Violet and Alberto laughed.
Dash walked over. Violet smiled at him. He’d only been Firelord for a year, but he was adjusting to the role pretty well.
It was strange to think that he was fourteen now. She’d been that age during the war, navigating the loss of their parents; the kidnapping of their brother, Avatar Jack-Jack; her relationship with Alberto…
Dash held out a letter. “This came for you. It’s from Ian and Barley. They want you both to come to the Earth Kingdom. Immediately.”
Alberto raised an eyebrow curiously. “Really? Why?”
“Apparently, there’s an airbender out there.”
Violet gasped. “An airbender?”
There were a few other airbenders who had survived the genocide. Her brothers Dash and Jack-Jack, and her airbending master Edna. But Dash and Jack-Jack had been raised by the Fire Nation, and Jack-Jack was the Avatar, who had the ability to control all four elements, and had spent an equal amount of time studying all of them. And Edna had had her bending removed by Syndrome, leaving Violet feeling like the only true airbender left.
“Yeah, but it’s…not good,” Dash said. “He's going around taking people’s bending somehow. They saw it with their own eyes.”
Alberto sucked in a breath. “Like chakra-blocking?” Violet could feel the tension in his body, like a tightly-coiled spring. Mushi could too. He burrowed into Alberto’s ribcage and purred. Alberto relaxed a little and petted Mushi, letting the soft fur and repetitive motion calm his nerves.
Dash shrugged. “They have no clue. They’re hoping you can help.”
Violet and Alberto got ready to leave immediately. In less than an hour, they were on an airship to Ba Sing Se.
Violet read the letter. She couldn’t imagine why an airbender, one of the most peaceful people in the world, would be doing this. Maybe she could talk to them, airbender to airbender, and this wouldn’t have to end badly.
Alberto stared out at the horizon, one hand on Mushi’s back. “Do you think it’s chakra-blocking?”
“I don’t know,” Violet said. “Isn’t that a bloodbending thing? Could an airbender even learn that?”
“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure,” Alberto said uneasily. He’d only had one lesson in chakra-blocking, and he’d been pressured into it against his better judgment, so he hadn’t asked the healer any follow-up questions.
“Well, maybe you can undo what he did, then,” Violet said hopefully.
“Yeah, maybe,” Alberto said.
A few days later, they arrived. It was early in the morning, but Barley and Ian were already waiting for them outside the city.
“There’s been several more incidents,” Barley said as they led Alberto and Violet to the school. “From what we can tell, none of the victims have anything in common except that they’re earthbenders. We don’t know if he has a vendetta against earthbenders or just benders in general."
“And it’s always outside the city,” Ian added. “So I don’t think he’s targeting Ba Sing Se. Yet.”
“I don’t think he wants anyone to know about his existence,” Barley said. “I think that’s why he’s staying outside for now.”
They got to the school. Connie and several other people were huddled on the floor. They all looked scared.
Barley introduced them to Alberto and Violet. “These are our friends, Alberto and Violet. He’s going to see if he can restore your bending.”
Alberto knelt down and put his hand on Connie’s forehead. He sensed her chakra paths. He expected them to be in knots that he could untangle with bloodbending, but they weren’t. That wasn’t the problem.
“Her chakras are fine,” he reported.
“So you can’t fix it?” Ian asked. Alberto shook his head.
“Are you sure you haven’t heard of anything like this before?” Violet asked Barley. He was a history buff, and he knew about lots of rare and ancient bending techniques.
He shook his head. “Is this a secret airbender thing?”
“Not that I know of,” Violet said. “Maybe some kind of…spirit-bending? Soulbending?” Airbenders were the most spiritual of the elements. Maybe he’d found a way to access other people’s spiritual energy or something.
“Do you know why he’s doing this?” Alberto asked. “Why would he want people to lose their bending?”
Barley shook his head. “We don’t know.”
“So what now?” Alberto asked. “How do we track this guy down?”
Ian shrugged. “No idea. And even if we did find him, how would we stop him?”
“Alberto could chakra-block him,” Barley suggested. “I don’t know if that would stop him, but it might, if he’s using his airbending to do this somehow.”
Alberto shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know.” He’d never actually used chakra-blocking before. He never wanted to. Bending was a sacred part of someone’s identity, and it felt wrong to take that away. Then again, that was what this airbender had done to other people, so maybe it was fine.
“I’ll write to Edna and see if she’s heard of anything like this,” Violet said. If this was airbending-related, Edna would probably know about it.
“We should warn the Earth Queen,” Barley said. They hadn’t told her yet. They’d wanted to wait to see if Alberto and Violet could fix this. But now she should know. She could post guards outside the city and have them on the lookout.
Together, the three of them started the walk to the palace. Ian kept looking around warily, even though the airbender probably wasn’t around. Airbenders were stealthy and light on their feet. He could ambush them any second.
They reached the palace. Guards stood outside.
They eyed Mushi warily. “No wild animals in the palace.”
Alberto’s grip on Mushi tightened. “He’s not a wild animal. I’m not going in without him.”
“He’s well-behaved,” Violet added. “The lemur, I mean.”
The guards looked at each other, then let them through.
More guards led them to the throne room. The Earth Queen, Atta, sat there.
“Welcome,” she said. “Can I help you?”
Barley bowed. “We have urgent news, Your Majesty. There’s an evil airbender outside the city.”
“He’s taking people’s bending,” Ian said.
Queen Atta blinked at them, then laughed quietly. “An airbender? Taking bending?”
“He’s done it several times,” Barley said. “He might be planning to invade the city at some point. We need to stop him.”
“The city is safe,” Queen Atta said.
Alberto rolled his eyes. They’d heard that before, during the war. The citizens had been living in such denial that they hadn’t even believed the war existed.
Queen Atta noticed. “Is there a problem?”
“Did you learn nothing from the war?” Alberto said. “Turning your back on the problem isn’t going to fix anything. Your citizens are being violated. Don’t you care about that?”
“Well of course I do!” Queen Atta said sharply. “If anything was happening, I’d care a lot.” Who was this messy boy with a wild animal on his shoulder? Who was he to come and tell her she didn’t care about her subjects?
Alberto crossed his arms. “So you don’t want to even look into it first before writing us off as crazy? Wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry?”
Before Atta could reply, the doors to the throne room burst open. Three figures stood there. The airbender, and two earthbenders.
“It’s him!” Barley yelled.
Guards drew their weapons.
One of the earthbenders grinned. “Oh, no, we’re scared.” He looked at the airbender. “Think we can take them, Axelrod?”
Guards rushed at Axelrod. He blew them away and ran toward Queen Atta. With a wave of his hand, he pulled the air from her lungs. Her body jerked forward with a gasp.
Barley and Ian ran toward the airbender to stop him, but the earthbenders pulled up two large stone pillars and blocked them. Ian fought them.
Violet and Alberto ran toward Axelrod. Alberto swung a water whip at him. “Over here, airhead!”
Axelrod turned and saw them. A smile tugged at his lips. “Ah. The big scary bloodbender. The terror of the South.”
Alberto’s eyes flashed dangerously. Mushi growled, his fur puffing out. Violet knew Alberto wouldn’t use bloodbending, but he looked like he was about to.
Axelrod’s hand went out. Alberto gasped as the air was pulled from his lungs.
Violet screamed as Alberto crumpled to his knees. “Stop it!” She sent a harsh slice of air at Axelrod, pushing him back.
He stopped. Alberto slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Mushi screeched and nuzzled Alberto’s face.
Axelrod turned his attention to Violet, a gleam in his eye. “Another airbender.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard of you. You’re the Fire Nation Princess now, aren’t you?”
Violet didn’t know what to say.
“You don’t belong with them,” Axelrod said. “You’re an airbender! Help me get revenge for our people!”
That’s what this was about? The genocide? “But why attack the Earth Kingdom?” The Fire Nation was the one responsible.
“One of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world, and they just sat by and did nothing,” Axelrod spat. “So did the Northern Water Tribe! They’ll all pay! I have assassins ready to go to the Fire Nation and the North Pole, as soon as I give the word.”
Violet gasped. Dash.
“You disgust me,” Axelrod sneered. “One of the last airbenders, now working for the Fire Nation. You abandoned us to live with the people who destroyed our culture!”
“I–I didn’t–that’s not–” Violet faltered. Maybe she had.
Alberto groaned as he tried to sit up. “Leave her alone.”
Ian had managed to trap the earthbenders’ hands in stone, trapping them and stopping their bending. He turned his attention to Axelrod.
Barley was shielding Queen Atta. He ducked over her as rocks flew.
Together, Violet and Ian drove Axelrod back toward the doors. He turned and fled, pursued by some guards.
Violet immediately ran to Alberto and helped him up. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Alberto said.
Queen Atta stood up shakily. “I’ll set up a search team immediately.” She looked at Ian and Barley. “Can you lead it?”
“Us?” Ian exclaimed.
“You showed excellent leadership here, and you seem to understand the situation,” Queen Atta said.
“Don’t you worry, Your Majesty,” Barley declared. “We’ll find him.”
Alberto turned to Violet. “We need to tell Luca.” His best friend lived with the North Pole royal family. He would undoubtedly become a target.
They could have just sent him a letter, but Alberto wanted to talk to him in person about this whole situation. Luca would know what to do. Or even if he didn’t, he’d stop Alberto from doing something he’d regret.
Violet sent off a letter to Dash, warning him about a possible assassination attempt. Then she and Alberto boarded their airship and set off for the North Pole.