Chapter Text
After the conversation Sokka and Zuko had, he came to understand a little more of the pain and hatred Katara felt toward the Fire Nation. He decided to talk to her and explain that he knew the identity of the man who killed her mother.
As they spoke alone, and she heard how Zuko could lead her to the man who had taken her mother from her—the one responsible for causing her the greatest trauma—she instantly understood what Zuko was offering her: he was giving her the chance to take revenge, to finally heal the wound that remained open inside her.
She didn’t need to think it over; she had decided to follow the path of revenge, and once the man was dead, she would finally be able to allow herself to be happy.
She gathered her things and walked over to Appa; she was going to take the bison and return after she’d taken her revenge. But she was met with Aang’s refusal to let her take the bison; he didn’t want Katara to follow the path of revenge and thought it would be better for her to learn to forgive.
Aang explained to her that revenge is a two-headed serpent. As you watch your enemy fall, it poisons you as well. But now that Katara knew of that man’s existence and knew a way to find him, she felt she had no other choice.
Aang tried to show her that there was another option: to forgive him. And that forgiving isn’t the same as doing nothing—since it’s easy to do nothing, but forgiving is hard.
She had no intention of following his advice, since forgiving wasn’t just difficult—for her, it was impossible. But she still gave up on her plan to take Appa in broad daylight.
Now the plan was to sneak out at night while everyone was asleep, take Appa, and fly to the southern invaders’ ship. They hadn’t expected to run into Sokka and Aang while still awake and have them question her plan for revenge. Aang reproached her for wanting to take Appa in secret, and when he saw that Katara didn’t deny her intentions, he forgave her, hoping that this act of kindness would help her find her way.
Aang understood that this journey was important for Katara to find closure; he didn’t intend to stand in the way of her healing process; he just hoped that, if the time came to face the man face-to-face, she would make the best decision.
Although Aang’s words about forgiveness had touched her heart, her desire for revenge was stronger.
They flew through the sky following Zuko’s instructions until they reached the Fire Nation Navy’s communications tower, where they had information on the troops’ location.
They managed to infiltrate successfully and discovered that the invaders from the south were on Whale Tail Island. With their destination set, they continued their journey toward the island. They would reach their destination in a few hours, but Katara refused to sleep; she couldn’t bring herself to rest when she was so close to that man.
After hours, Katara spotted the ship in the distance; seeing it there with its flag made her stomach churn. Her stomach was tied in knots. She couldn’t wait to end the leader’s life.
They forced their way aboard the ship. There was no one who could stop them. Upon reaching the captain’s cabin, Katara used water tendrils to break down the door and finally confront the man.
With the full moon at its highest point, Katara decided to use the technique she had sworn never to use again: bloodbending. This was the second time she had used bloodbending against someone, and despite the remorse she felt at controlling another person’s body and will, the sense of power she felt from having her mother’s killer immobilized was incredible.
The moment Katara used bloodbending, Zuko’s expression changed completely; he tensed with fear, felt glad he’d joined Team Avatar before facing Katara again with his new techniques, and felt like a fool for having betrayed them the last time.
After removing the captain’s helmet, Katara’s expression shifted from anger to disappointment when she realized this wasn’t the man they were looking for.
“No, it’s not him,” Katara said disappointedly. “It’s another man.”
“What? What do you mean it’s not him? He’s the leader of the invaders from the south; he has to be the one you’re looking for.”
Katara simply turned and walked out of the room.
“If you’re not him, who are we looking for?” Zuko said as he shoved the leader against the wall.
“You must be looking for Yon Rha, but he retired four years ago,” the man said with effort.
With this new clue, Katara and Zuko mapped out the route to the village where Yon Rha was; it wouldn’t take them more than half a day to get there. They climbed onto Appa with their new destination set.
“Come on, Appa, one last stop and we’ll head back to Aang,” Katara said, trying to sound friendly. “Yip Yip.”
Appa grunted in acceptance of the command. His tail swished up and down, and his body soared toward the sky.
“You should rest. You need to conserve your strength. It’s not healthy to stay awake this long.”
“Don’t worry about my strength or my health. I’m strong enough to handle this.”
“All right, I won’t push it any further,” Zuko replied, pausing for a long moment to formulate the words that had been swirling through his mind. “What was that technique you used earlier? The one you used to immobilize the soldier. You’ve never used it against me before—did you just learn it? I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“It’s called bloodbending. I’m only the second waterbender to master this technique. And this is the second time I’ve used it. I found this technique horrifying when I first learned it; I couldn’t believe how someone could impose their will on someone else. I promised myself I’d never use this technique again… But it seems this quest for revenge is bringing out the worst in me.”
“Do you think what the Avatar said is right? All that nonsense about forgiveness and revenge?”
“I don’t think it’s nonsense. But he doesn’t understand the pain of knowing that my mother’s killer is living freely while I suffer every day because of her death. I guess my mindset is different from Aang’s, which is why I don’t think he’s wrong in what he believes—because our values are different. Would you forgive your father for everything he did to you? For scarring your face for life?”
Zuko fell silent, thinking about his answer. He could have answered quickly and said he’d never forgive him, but he wanted to give an answer that captured all his feelings.
“No, I can’t forgive him. What he did to me was horrible; I was just a child trying to please my father. The way he hurt me to make me like him was cruel. I’ll always carry this scarred face, which shows my defiance toward him. Knowing that this scar is no longer a sign of dishonor—it’s now a sign of my strength and a reminder of just how dangerous fire can be. So if I had to answer whether I forgive him for everything he did to me, my answer would be no, but I’ve learned that I have the chance to break the cycle of hatred and be a good person; I won’t let that hatred consume me.”
Katara smiled and leaned back against Appa to reflect.
“And do you think I’m wrong for not being able to forgive and seeking revenge?”
“No. You have your own problems. It’s not my place to impose my ideals on you. If revenge is what you need to move on, then I’ll be there to support you. I’ll hold him down for you so you can do what you need to do. I want to show you that I’ve changed and that you can count on me.”
“Thank you,” Katara replied in a low voice so Zuko wouldn’t hear. “I think this has been our longest conversation yet.”
“You’re right. I hope we can have more conversations like this in the future.”
“Don’t think I’ve forgiven you yet. But I’m glad I’m on this journey with you.”
Zuko leaned back and gazed at the stars; the view was beautiful. Having the chance to lie beneath this sky and simply admire it without doing anything was rewarding. He was so absorbed in the view that he didn’t notice the sky had clouded over and it had started to rain until the first raindrops fell on his face. A sudden storm had rolled in; the sky, which had been clear just a moment ago, was now covered by dark clouds. The sea was churning with ever-larger waves that crashed against one another, creating a constant roar. And the wind was growing stronger, making it harder to fly.
“Appa, try to fly higher to get us away from the storm,” Katara shouted as she pulled on the bison’s reins.
Appa followed her instructions and began to rise. Just as he was about to fly over the storm, a bolt of lightning struck nearby, startling him. Due to the sudden jolt, both Zuko and Katara fell into the water. Appa didn’t realize they had fallen and simply flew away from the storm in fear.
Out at sea, the waves were trying to drag them under. Zuko swam with all his might toward the surface, but the ocean seemed determined to pull him back down. It was a little easier for Katara to stay afloat.
Katara created an ice platform so she wouldn’t have to swim so hard. And when Zuko finally managed to reach the surface without drowning, she reached out a hand to pull him up onto her platform. As he climbed up, the first thing he did was cough and vomit up all the water he’d swallowed.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m…” He coughed. “I’m okay. I just swallowed a little water.”
The platform rocked with the rhythm of the ocean; the ice cracked under the impact of the waves. Katara had to refreeze the water beneath her feet to keep from falling, thereby thickening the ice so it would be harder to break.
They didn’t have time to react when a wave over two meters high appeared in front of them and crushed them. The ice broke, and they both sank into the sea. Katara surfaced with some difficulty and tried to find Zuko, but he wasn’t visible on the surface. She tried to look underwater, but it was hard to see in the darkness. Zuko finally surfaced, taking a deep breath; Katara swam alongside him so she wouldn’t lose sight of him.
“Did you swallow any more water?” Katara asked.
“Just a little.” He coughed twice. “Do you think it’ll take Appa long to realize we’re not with him?”
“I hope he realizes it quickly. But I doubt he’ll come back with this storm. We’ll have to find solid ground to shelter from the storm. I don’t remember any nearby islands, so we’ll be here for quite a while.”
“All right. Then let’s keep swimming… Gh…” A wave washed over Zuko’s head, and he stopped talking. “Cough, cough… I’m sick of swallowing water!” he said, frustrated. “Wait.”
“What?”
“Something just touched my foot.”
Katara smiled at Zuko’s sudden fear.
“Are you afraid of fish? I didn’t expect you to be such a scaredy-cat.”
“I’m not afraid of fish!” Zuko shouted. “But it felt like something else.”
“Okay, I’ll go check what it is. So you’ll stop being scared.”
“I’m not scared!” he shouted, but Katara didn’t hear him because she had already dived underwater.
Not even thirty seconds had passed when Katara surfaced; her eyes were wide open, and panic was etched on her face. She waved both hands, and the water froze to form a new platform, much thicker than the previous one.
“Climb up,” Katara shouted as she held out her hand to Zuko.
Her arms moved in circular motions, and the water beneath them reacted, propelling them faster and faster.
“What’s going on? What did you see underwater?”
“There’s something huge down there…”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence. A massive creature emerged from the depths of the sea. It was deep blue, with faint black markings on its body. Its eyes stood out because they were completely black, and its pupils were a brilliant gold. A wide grin stretched across its mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth. Its body was elongated. On its upper body, it had three fins in a row. It had six arms that looked like tentacles because they were so long.
“It’s a spirit,” Katara whispered. “Don’t make any sudden movements. We mustn’t draw its attention.”
Katara kept moving her arms, and the water slowed down. They had to move away slowly. The spirit turned to look at them. Its body stopped moving as it fixed its gaze on the two young people on the ice. One of its tentacles moved slowly toward them. If the tentacle fell on them, it would undoubtedly crush them.
Katara acted on instinct, and a small wave pushed the tentacle away before it could reach them. Confused, the spirit dropped three of its tentacles toward them again. Katara deflected each one.
This irritated the spirit, as they were preventing it from moving freely. It let out a growl reflecting its displeasure. Its tentacles struck the water, churning up the waves.
“I think it’s really angry,” said Zuko.
“Change of plans. We have to get out of here as fast as we can.”
Their movements grew faster; the water propelled them swiftly away from the spirit.
The spirit took their flight as a signal to attack them. It began to chase them, swimming beneath them, and every so often its tentacles would break the surface to try to catch them.
Zuko launched attacks every time a tentacle approached. The spirit’s head emerged from the water; it stared intently at Zuko, and each of its tentacles aimed to strike him; Zuko leaped and dodged every one of them. He drew his swords; fire shot from his hands, enveloping both blades. He leaped toward the spirit.
In midair, he continued to launch attacks with his kicks. As he was falling, he brought his swords together, intensified the fire from his hands, and struck the spirit squarely in the face. The spirit let out a scream so loud that the waves around it stopped, and for a few seconds, the sea stood still. Katara and Zuko covered their ears so they wouldn’t hear the deafening scream. And finally, the spirit sank into the sea.
When Zuko looked down, he realized he hadn’t figured out how he was going to land without hurting himself. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact when a whip of water wrapped around his waist and gently set him down in the water. Zuko swam toward the platform and stood next to Katara.
“Am I done?”
“I hope so,” Katara replied as she sat down and caught her breath.
Zuko followed her example and sat down to catch his breath. He let out a nervous laugh. They had survived an attack by a spirit; it was a great achievement.
They didn’t have time to relax when the platform they were standing on rose two meters; the ice melted completely. Both Katara and Zuko fell into the sea. They didn’t have time to react as the spirit lunged at them with force, ramming into them and dragging them under. They only felt the impact of the spirit’s body, which sent them flying, and then everything went black.
When she opened her eyes, Katara, still confused, immediately looked around, trying to find the spirit, but it was gone. She wasn’t even in the ocean; somehow she had ended up in a forest—a colorful one with plenty of vegetation.
“You’re finally awake,” Zuko said in a teasing tone.
“Where are we? How did we get here? Did you bring me here?”
“I don’t know. I woke up a few minutes before you, and I haven’t looked around enough to know where we are.”
Katara kept looking around, searching for clues. She had never been to this place before, and everything seemed out of place. She had never heard of a place like this during her travels. She was so focused on solving the mystery of where they were that she didn’t notice the tiny creature that flitted past her. The tiny creature was barely ten centimeters tall, shaped like a mushroom, with insect-like wings fluttering in all directions and a purple-and-yellow color; it was a spirit.
“I know where we are,” Katara said.
“Really? Where are we?”
“Aang told me a little about this place. I’ve never been here before, but everything seems to match the descriptions Aang gave me. This is the Spirit World.”
“Damn it! I thought I’d finally gotten rid of the spirits. But now we’re in their world. How do we get out of here?”
“I think we could look for a spirit that has a connection to the physical world and ask it to send us back. Or we could find a spirit that can send a message to the Avatar; it should be easier for Aang to deal with these spiritual problems.”
“Then we’ll just have to keep walking.”
They both wandered through the colorful forest for hours. They hadn’t found any spirits willing to help them. All they could do was keep walking until they found a way out.
They came to a small lake where several spirits were drinking. They were both thirsty, so they waded into the water. Katara swirled her hands, and the water formed a small sphere, which then created a stream that flowed into her mouth so she could drink. She did the same so Zuko could drink as well.
They didn’t notice when the spirits stopped drinking and fled the area, nor did they notice that the water in the lake began to move strangely. They only noticed these changes when something pulled them from below.
A force pulled them toward the depths; they couldn’t resist. When the force finally let them go, they swam quickly to the surface to catch their breath. The first thing they saw was the ocean; they had returned to the sea. The second thing they noticed was the city in the distance; it was brightly lit—surely there was a festival going on, which explained all the activity.
They both swam toward the shore and were amazed by the enormous buildings looming before them. Not even the City of Ba Sing Se had buildings of this magnitude. Each building had hundreds of flames that never went out and illuminated everything.
This world didn’t seem to be the spiritual realm, nor was it the physical world. Without a doubt, this wasn’t their world—it was something entirely new.
Some time later, they discovered they were in Japan, in a society filled with people with quirks, heroes, and villains