Chapter Text
"Uhhh I don't think this is Wan Shi Tong's Library…"
The team nodded at Sokka's words. And by team, it was Katara, Suki, and Toph. They all picked up on the smell of something rancid. Not one of them could point it out immediately except for Toph.
"This carpet is damp…" She gritted through her teeth. Going barefoot was now surprisingly the worst fashion choice to build upon. The soles of her feet were now covered with unknown moist from the damp carpet. Yuck. This was definitely not the library.
Suki brushed a cautious finger against the yellow walls. In fact, that was the only thing they could see. Yellow. "What is this place?"
Nobody answered. Suki has never been in Wan Shi Tong's library, but she reckoned that a library would have, y'know? books—plenty of them, and not whatever this was.
It was when Toph went completely silent that everyone stood still. Sokka tossed her a concerned look. They've been walking for what, seven minutes? But far along the corridor, Toph stood frozen. She couldn't move, her feet couldn't stammer a single step.
"I can't see."
Damp carpets below them squelched at the onslaught of their running steps. They rushed towards Toph, silently questioning why they hadn't realized she was no longer following. Something was going on, but what could it possibly be? Perhaps an elaborate trap by Wan Shi Tong himself? Sure—their first encounter had started off at the wrong foot. But being trapped in some sort of yellow prison was very unkind of him.
And yet they all wondered, where was Zuko and Aang? If this was a deliberate attempt at punishing them—then why did Wan Shi Tong spare the Avatar and the Firelord? There were too many questions left unanswered, it frustrated them to no end. But right now, they had to focus on Toph.
"You can't see?—"
"I can't. There's a lot of things I can hear," she grumbled. "But I can't see."
Buzzing from the lights above rung in their ears. Like somehow they just realized how eerily noisy this place was. Toph's sharpened hearing was burdened with the constant buzzing and whirring from above her. It was frustrating. She couldn't tell what was emitting those noise but she couldn't tune it out either.
Katara's gaze danced across the damp carpet. Maybe she couldn't see from how wet the floor was? A plausible theory that she tried to confirm by bending the water from its dampness. But to her horror, nothing came out. Not a drop of water she managed to pull. And that's when it dawned on her, they couldn't bend.
She stared at her hands, they trembled beneath the fluorescent lights that seems to emphasize the power she no longer has. Katara couldn't bend, neither could Toph. And that alone was worse than this prison they've been subjected to. Something so sacred to their identity, now stripped from them unknowingly.
Sokka could see the horror on her face. It didn't take a genius to know that something else was bothering her. As if being trapped here wasn't enough. He gulped.
"So you guys can't bend?" Sokka breathed, more so a dawning realization than a question. It was no problem for him and Suki. Being a non-bender had it's perks—this was an odd perk he didn't know existed. Unfortunately, it was a huge disadvantage for all of them. Traversing to what seems to be a never-ending hall of yellow was a hell of its own. And now they had to proceed with less power—cautious of potential enemies that lurks behind these walls.
They were afraid.
Where was Aang, Appa, Momo and Zuko—and what is this place? Where the hell are they? Too many questions they couldn't answer, not a single one made sense.
It was frustrating to no end, losing your vision, your bending, and worse of all not knowing if there was an end to this.
They've been walking for thirty minutes—or was it twenty-five? They couldn't tell anymore. Time was immeasurable in this sanctuary. There was no telling if it was day or night, no way to determine if they were even going to make it out alive. It was a dangerous thought that passed through their heads countless of times during this journey.
Being in many dangerous adventures and somehow making it out in one piece was impressive. But perhaps things would be much different now. Will there still be a second chance?
They hoped so.
Sokka had been carrying Toph for a while now, not wanting her to compromise with the rancid carpets below. The last thing they needed was Toph with feet infection. And for some reason that sounded way worse than not being able to bend. Both Suki and Katara alternated between walking in front and behind. Their weary, albeit guarded stance served to ease their worries, because at the very least, they weren't fighting, yet.
The place was a labyrinth to be concise. Suki had now been walking up front, leading the team even though she was just as blind as the rest.
Toph could painfully relate.
Lights flickered in some hallways. And the team made the smart decision of not following strange lights.
Katara followed behind them, against Sokka's will because he hated not being able to keep watch over his sister. He was used to this role—wanting to lead, to protect, yet always being the one who's protected. But he didn't move too harshly, no matter how agitated he was, because Toph was perched asleep over his back. Her legs falter around his hips, and somehow—despite their situation—she still managed to fall sleep.
How much time has passed? Suki's mind counted for about fifteen minutes since her initial position exchange with Katara. But what she couldn't count was the time of the day. They had traveled through Si Wong Desert at around midday. And when they attempted a smooth land on top of the sunken library, they ended up in this place.
It must've been afternoon already.
Toph's eyes blinked blearily, her nose then adjusting to the harsh smell of the same moist carpets, the same dusty air that made her cough relentlessly. So this was real. Not a nightmare, and certainly not some hallucination from cactus juice. Her groggy voice soon cut through the silence.
"Why haven't we moved yet?"
Sokka froze in his step, he did a quick look-around of where they were standing at the moment. Katara—still wary—had paused alongside Suki.
"What do you mean? We've been walking for an hour now." Katara's voice grew agitated, tired and unsure. And yes. They have been walking for a full blown hour. Nothing foreign, they've walked for longer. But the same static ache plagued their feet. And the monotonous journey had drained their spirits of any energy.
But Toph was sure. This was the same place from when they entered.
One and two—a beat. And one and two again. The same rhythm that rung through her ears earlier. Fluorescent lights whirred and buzzed in a constant pattern Toph could familiarize. And from the time she stood frozen here earlier, she had already memorized the pattern by then.
"Toph's right…" Suki traced her fingers on the wall. There was a mark from when she had done that earlier. The walls were dusty, and as she ran a finger through the same line—a figure rushed on her peripheral. Suki whipped her head frantically before casting an expectant glance towards the team.
"Did you guys see that?"
Sokka pulled out his boomerang. "See what?"
Suki gestured a panicked hand to her left. Was she going crazy? It had only been an hour yet she was slowly succumbing to the insanity of this place. If this is some grand prank then they sure as hell did a great job. But even that was getting harder to believe. Suki couldn't think of a single person who could arrange such an elaborate joke.
"Pass me some coal." Toph held her right arm out. She gazed fiercely into the wall despite not being able to see anything. But there was one thing she had to do, stat.
Sokka wounded his hand backwards and tossed a piece of coal at her direction "On your left!"
It was safe to conclude that Sokka had remained partially knocked-out after his horrible decision of provoking Toph.
"Nice one," Suki hissed. Her brow raised in approval. She prided herself in kicking Sokka in the butt. Looks like she had an alliance now with an Earthbender.
Katara perked. "What if we still ended up walking in a loop?"
They all sighed together at the thought. The uncertainty of everything was unsettling to say the least. Is there even an exit to this place?
"My feet are cramping. Can't we just rest for a moment?" Suki flailed an arm before resigning to take a seat on the floor. Bad idea.
She grumbled, standing up hastily. "Now I look like I peed myself!"
Sokka stifled a chuckle before pursing his lips in order to shut up. Now was not the time to provoke another person. Unless he wanted to be permanently paralyzed, of course. But hey, even Toph thought it was funny. What's the harm in having a little fun?
"Katara?" They all perked at the sound of an echoing voice. That had to be Aang, was he here as well?
"Aang?" Katara echoed back. Despite the numbing ache of her body, she continued towards the direction of his voice.
A few distance from where she stood, the beaming of red lights casted on the hardened corners of her face. Red halls? Or was it just the lights.
The chaos between the group faltered as Sokka's voice fell into a meek whisper.
"Where's Katara?"