From this distance, the Foggy Swamp looked like a great cloud of mist taking up the entirety of the coastline, with only the faint traces of branches and leaves peaking out from the mist to give a hint to the contents within.
Which was all well and good, as I had gotten a little sick of being on the ship and traveling the seemingly endless expanse of the ocean. How the other Zuko had made it three years mostly on a ship, even one much larger than my current vessel, I had no idea.
"Zuko?" I heard a call from the front of the ship, and I turned to see Yue leaning over the front of the ship, her white hair blowing in streams in the sea breeze, my breath stopped for a moment.
Her tanned skin glowed in the sunlight as her blue eyes stared out over the ocean. She was stripped down to a light tunic and pants, showcasing her slender arms and a glimpse of her burgeoning chest, which heaved lightly with her breaths.
"Yeah?" I called back, walking towards Yue with large steps across the metal clinking beneath my feet until I stopped next to her within easy speaking distance.
"Is that the Foggy Swamp?" she asked more quietly, stepping up to my shoulder, leaning against me slightly, nestling herself into my chest with an ease I found surprising.
I shrugged, "If I read the map right, we've made good time. I thought it would take longer to get here."
Yue's eyes looked distant as she examined the swamp, her eyes flickering over the foliage, "There's something… strange here," she murmured quietly. I noted an odd sparkle travel through her hair, like the faintest of touches of moonlight.
It was true, the nearer we got, the more it felt like I was nearing the presence of a much larger animal, like walking into the maw of a dragon.
-cycle can only continue with the four
What was that? I shook my head, attempting to shake the thought away.
The air fogged further as we approached, the navigation becoming more difficult until I resorted to diverting the mist away from us with large sweeping motions of my arms. I drew the ship in against the shore as close as I dared, approaching one of the bridges of land that kept water within the swamp.
"Are you ready, Yue?" I asked, and she nodded, still seemingly unsettled by the atmosphere that surrounded us, the heat of the swamp brushing our skin and pressing against it, a loud burble of insects echoed around us.
We reached a bridge of land and we had to put into practice one of the techniques I had been teaching Yue.
Side by side, we gently swelled the water beneath us with mirrored stances till we shifted the ship forward over the bridge of land and into the water that made up the swamp the water crashing against itself. The size of our ship did us favor here, along with its relatively shallow bottom.
Our boat drifted forward through the channel of water we had entered. I felt as if I had stepped into another world; heat ran over me, but in the form of humidity clinging to my skin, somewhat similar to areas in the Fire Nation, but not quite.
I let the ship continue its gentle movement forward along the river, fueling the engine with my firebending as needed to prevent too much usage for our limited supply of coal.
The further we traveled along the path of the water, the more I felt encompassed by a strange mood, a distracting thing that pulled at the edges of my concentration in a way I had never experienced before.
Our journey continued like this for a day, but even as the night began to sink through foliage, tracing gentle patterns of moonlight across the water, I found myself restless.
As the sun waned, I felt my strength resurge as moonlight played across my skin.
Yue had gone to bed in the cabin, but something kept me moving the ship forward.
There was a strangeness to this place.
I looked over the bow of the ship, humming idly to myself as I steered the ship with a shift of waterbending instead of shifting the wheel in the back.
As I touched the water of the swamp with my bending, I blinked something passing through my limbs, like a small bolt of lightning.
Then the feeling passed, and our ship continued its course.
I took a breath, filling my lungs with air that was as warm as any air within the Fire Nation.
It was almost too warm. I blew out a cloud of cold air, creating a mist of crystalline ice that quickly reheated to the temperature of the fog around us, joining the fog as steam once again.
Something flickered at the edge of my vision, and I turned only to see the same seemingly static forest before me.
I grimaced. I didn't feel tired, but there was evidently something wearing me down.
I stopped the ship and laid the anchor into the swampy water before I went back within the cabin, taking my usual sleeping spot a little way from Yue, who was breathing peacefully upon her mattress.
I lay back on my mat and stared at the ceiling, willing myself to sleep.
"You look tired," Yue's voice murmured into the shell of my ear as I stared out into the swamp, her body pressed against me softly as she wrapped her arms around me.
I shook my head, turning slightly to give Yue a smile, "I'm not," I said, "There's just-"
I stopped before I finished my sentence. It had been my idea to go into the Great Swamp, and it wasn't as if I was feeling disturbed.
I didn't know why I couldn't sleep. There was just… this energy in the air.
Not Chi, or at least not Chi in the way I knew it.
I tugged at the white strand of my hair, idly staring into the distance.
"Is there something out there?" Yue asked.
"No- Well yes- but nothing dangerous," that I at least was sure of, this feeling was….
Anticipation.
Not mine, but something else's.
"Yue," I murmured, "Do you have the feeling something's… waiting for us?"
Yue frowned at me, her lips pursing together as her blue eyes narrowed, the expression looking unnaturally cute with her long white hair tied up in a ponytail to prevent more sweat from beading down her neck.
"No, I don't, Zuko," she said, and I noted the worried edge to her tone.
I sighed and looked back into the swamp. It had to be my imagination, but it was like the deeper we got into the swamp, the more excited the feeling in my gut got.
Which, in a way, was good. I had gone to the swamp looking for insight into the world, into my destiny, yet still it was strange that the swamp seemed to want me to go even deeper.
Even more strange, we had not had to lift our boat into any adjacent rivers. This river we had been journeying seemed to go on forever, trailing through the trees, deep enough for a boat to go through with no effort from us.
"Zuko?" Yue shouted, her fingers nudging hard and insistently into my side.
"What?!," I asked, panicked, turning about and looking at her.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last three minutes!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide, "You weren't responding to anything!"
I frowned. That couldn't be, we had just been talking.
"I'm sorry, Yue," I said, shaking my head and looking back at the trees that surrounded us. They were definitely not the trees we were passing by before. The sun was out of sight, but I could tell from my internal flame that Yue was right. A small time had passed, and Agni's gaze had shifted.
I glanced at my fiancé with a hesitant smile, which faded as I saw her worried look, "It's nothing, I think I just zoned out for a bit."
Yue nodded slowly, though her worried expression did not change.
Which I couldn't blame her for, I didn't know where those minutes had gone.
I stood up immediately, putting a halt to the engine behind us with a flex of firebending with one hand as I slowed our course to a drift with a touch of waterbending with the opposite hand.
"Zuko?" Yue questioned, and I glanced at her with a strained smile that I tried to make natural, "I shouldn't be piloting the ship right now if I'm losing track of time like that."
The sail was already drawn in from lack of wind, which left me to walk back across the deck and stare out into the swamp.
The anticipation was growing, poking and prodding at my chi, urging me to move forward.
-not for three thousand years.
"Yue," I asked, already regretting my question, "You're not hearing a voice, are you?"
The worried look she shot me was answer enough.
I couldn't sleep again; the moonlight on my skin caused my blood to restlessly flow.
I glanced at Yue to see her fast asleep, her face completely lax, her nose wrinkled slightly before her face smoothed again to a peaceful expression.
I traced my eyes over her features, enthralled for the moment by the gentle slopes and planes of her face illuminated by a beam of moonlight from the cabin window.
-where time has no meaning-
I sat up abruptly, looking around for the voice, but once again, there was nothing there.
-only three days can be given-
I opened a palm, conjuring a small blue flame, raising it slightly, only to see the same cabin as before.
I frowned; there was something off. The water beneath us was moving.
I jumped out of my bedroll and sprinted out of the cabin onto the deck.
We were moving forward despite the fact that I had laid anchor and the engine was not engaged.
I ran to the side of the deck and looked at the water below us, feeling the chi surge and shift as our ship was propelled down the river at a gentle pace.
I glanced at the trees, which now completely shaded out the sky; it was only thanks to my bending that I knew it was late at night, Tui's power had just peaked, and Agni was far from rising..
The fog grew denser and denser, shading out my vision entirely, until all I could see was the massive wall of white fog in front of me.
I couldn't see anything, I couldn't sense anything with firebending, as if heat had vanished from the world. I couldn't feel anything with waterbending, as if the very fog itself was not actually made of water.
Something moved in the fog, a gleam of light, then out of the fog stepped a woman walking side by side with a man.
There were only a few characteristics I could give them for some reason; the man felt like the sun's brilliant rays, and the other felt like the moon's quiet light.
'You have come, my little flame,' the man spoke, though the voice was not carried by air, simply appearing in my head.
'He is not just yours,' the woman remarked reprovingly, though still somehow gentle to the voice in my head.
"Who are you?" I murmured to the air, sweat beading my skin in a way I was unused to, it couldn't be.
'You already know, don't you?' the man spoke, his voice not reproving but pointed, firm, "You are my child."
"Agni," I bowed my head.
'And you are mine as well, something that aggravates him to no end,' the woman said.
"Tui," I bowed my head again.
"I was there waiting in the North Pole for you, yet you never came," the woman hummed a soft musical sound, providing a gentle chiding feeling.
"I didn't think that I would find an answer there," I shook my head, "The spirits don't bless people like this, I've never read anything like it. I thought that the Foggy Swamp would give me answers."
"Only if you're ready to receive them," Agni spoke.
I frowned, looking down. Those words were weighty; a purpose was built into them.
"What will happen if I do?" I asked.
"When," Tui corrected gently, though there was almost a melancholic tone to her voice, "You cannot avoid this destiny, it is simply your choice when to pick this one up."
Well, I had come for answers. I couldn't very well leave without them.
"I'm ready, please show me," I said quietly.
The world vanished, and I felt weightless. I was standing in a starry expanse of night, and I looked below to see a world of green and blue.
A voice echoed in my head, a meld of Agni and Tui speaking as one.
Your beginning starts where time has no meaning. A cycle can only continue with the four. Your destiny begins in a way that has not been seen for time gone from thought, not for three thousand years.
Before you can begin your next journey, you must start another's; only three days can be given.
Make of them what you will.
The night sky vanished, and I found myself standing on a bridge, mountain peaks before me stretching out into the distance, a low chill flushed through the night air around me.
From the position of the moon above me, I could tell that it was exactly midnight, as the strength of the moon stirred my veins, and I could feel Tui looking at me.
There seemed to be something distinctly amused in the feeling generated by her, yet at the same time, there was something tremendously sad.
"Where am I?" I wondered aloud, and I turned as a faint heat presence made itself known, sitting over the bridge to my side.
"Go away!" an angry girl's voice called out.
I frowned, generating fire in my eyes, pushing back the dark to see a girl with long brown hair in orange and yellow clothing, her hands wrapped around herself, sitting huddled over on the bridge.
"I'm just passing through," I said calmly, "Could you tell me where we are?"
The girl turned toward me, and I spotted a grey arrow peaking out of her brown hair and wide, pale grey eyes.
"I don't understand," she mumbled. "You're at the Eastern Air Temple," she said softly.
I glanced around, taking in the girl's words. My brow furrowed; it definitely looked like an air temple, but I had just been in the swamp.
And that girl… Well, she looked an awful lot like an airbender.
"You're an airbender then?" I asked lightly, keeping any of my other feelings out of my voice.
The girl hesitated for the smallest of moments before she nodded shortly, gazing at me with wide eyes.
Agni and Tui, what had they done?
My eyes caught the glistening of tear tracks on her face, normally impossible for human vision in the night this dark.
I walked towards her, settling by her, noting her shift slightly as I did so, "What has you upset?" I asked.
The girl shifted, seemingly uncomfortable at my question, "It's nothing," she mumbled.
"Can't hurt to say it," I suggested lightly and noticed her stiffen again, "It's none of my business though," I acknowledged lightly, turning my gaze back to the stars.
"It's not," the girl mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest.
Some minutes of silence passed as I grew adjusted to this new, strange reality. It wasn't a dream, that much I could tell by my bending.
"Could you tell me the date?" I asked.
"It's the summer of the year of the dragon," the girl said quietly, almost sullenly.
"I was more interested in the year," I said,
The girl shrugged, looking even more morose, "Avatar Roku's era ended fourteen years ago."
Ah, well, that was… That was about right for what I feared.
I took a deep breath, and my gut clenched as I finally acknowledged an unnatural heat pooling in my veins; not there yet, but soon; it could only be Sozin's Comet, the feeling was close, climbing to a zenith.
Three days, the spirits had said three days.
Unwilling, my fist clenched, frustration flowing through me, there was nothing I could do.
My nails bit furrows into my palms, and I scowled. Nothing I could do? That wasn't like me at all.
But I needed to do this one step at a time, so I took a deep, calming breath.
"Would it be possible to talk to the head of this temple, the Mother Superior, I believe?" I asked, recalling that the Eastern air temple was said to be female only, at least those who lived here routinely. The girl looked at me, seemingly surprised.
"Why do you need to talk to Sister Iio?" she asked.
"I'm here on a mission of grave importance," I confessed, "I'm sorry it's most urgent."
The girl blinked, seemingly surprised, before bouncing to her feet, her chest shifting with the motion, making it very noticeable that her breasts were decently large, shifting mounds hidden by her loose clothing.
"Come with me then," she sighed, shaking her hair away.
The night was fading into early day as the girl led me over the bridges that made up the airtemple.
Even this early, I could see various air nomads, all women, moving about the temple, seeing to various tasks, some were washing clothing, others were trimming the vegetation, still others moved about shifting through airbending forms.
Bison occasionally drifted overhead, and looking at them was truly a surreal feeling and reminded me that dragons should still be known to the world right now, it would only be after the start of the war that the hunts truly gained ground.
The girl led me through the corridors of the temple till we arrived at an open chamber where an old woman sat cross-legged in the center. She had long brown hair, and on the front of her forehead was an arrow.
Her eyes flickered open as we entered, and I made eye contact with old grey eyes that widened slightly as she looked at me.
"What have you brought for me, Anya?" the wizened lady asked.
Anya seemingly struggled for a bit as she looked between us, "I met this boy and he said he needed to talk to an airbending master, I thought…" Anya trailed off, shifted on her feet slightly, looking nervous.
"I suppose that's as good a reason as any," the lady shrugged seemingly not concerned in the slightest, "My name is Sister Iio, I'm the Mother Superior at this temple, who are you, young man?"
Well there was no reason to lie this time, "Zuko, Ma'am," I said simply.
Sister Iio's expression turned to a small, gentle smile. "I see," her eyes flicked to my hair. "I imagine you've had many strange encounters before coming here, Zuko," she remarked obliquely. "What business does a firebender have at our temple?"
Well, she had spotted that quickly. "You can tell?" I couldn't help but question, wondering what about me she had observed to draw that conclusion so easily.
"Your eyes are a magnificent shade of pale gold," Sister Iio said, "Such a color is the heritage of only truly strong firebenders."
I cocked my head. I had never heard of such, though the only person whose eyes matched my own shade was my sister.
"I was not born with any particular strength," I shook my head.
Sister Iio chuckled a light airy sound that gusted lightly through the room, literally, "Strength is not in the chi, it is here," she reached out pressing a gentle fingertip to my forehead lightly, "The best firebenders are focused, driven, always moving towards their goals, it is in fire's nature."
"You are talking about positive jing?" I couldn't help but ask with interest; it had been a small discussion with my Uncle Iroh once, but it was never something I had given much thought to.
"Oh?" Sister Iio's smiled softly, "You are a student?" she asked.
I shook my head, "I dabble," I replied, "I have learned enough to make conversation with an Uncle, not more."
"Strange conversation topics," Sister Iio mused aloud, her smile still ever present, "So why have you come, Zuko of the Fire Nation?"
It was still unclear to me why I was here, yet… 'Make of them what you will,' had been the words given to me by Tui and Agni.
I could only interpret it as such that I had given permission, if obliquely, to alter the past beyond whatever was my main purpose; still, I needed to be careful, which meant I would only disclose what was necessary to Sister Iio for the moment.
Who knew who Anya would tell?
"Given the sensitive nature of what I have to say, I would prefer to only say this to you," I said, looking her firmly in the eyes.
Sister Iio hummed softly before she gestured at Anya, "Will you wait outside, Anya, for the moment?"
Anya startled, seemingly surprised at the words, before she frowned and opened her mouth to protest, before Sister Iio turned to her, raising an eyebrow at the girl.
Anya groaned a frustrated expression on her face as her cheeks flushed.
Anya leaped several feet into the air off her pillow, only to drift down lazily, landing on the ground like a feather.
She stomped out of the room, breathing a massive huff that blew through the room, before she slammed the door shut behind her.
I waited for Anya's heat presence to trail away from the door for several moments before I sighed as I noticed it wasn't budging.
"She's still in front of the door," I said to Sister Iio.
Sister Iio raised an eyebrow at me before she shrugged, "It is of no matter, I will prevent our voices from leaving here," she said, and I felt the heat in the room constrict for lack of a better term as if it was being held in place.
Finally, I spoke the words I had been planning, "All of you must leave," I said simply, "You must gather whatever you can and disperse to the winds."
Sister Iio's gentle smile turned to a frown, a contemplative look, "I'm sorry young man, I'm not quite sure what you mean, you want us to leave the Eastern Air Temple?"
"Yes," I nodded emphatically. There was no time to jockey for political position or power here; anything that could be done must happen now. "The Fire Nation is coming, and they will attempt to kill every last one of you."
Sister Iio looked at me for a long moment before she stroked her jaw, eyes narrowing slightly, "You speak what you believe to be the truth, I can tell, yet what you say is madness, even with the turmoil within the Fire Nation now, such a thing would not even be considered, to what end?"
"How am I supposed to determine the truth of your statements? What evidence do you have?" Sister Iio shook her head, "Beyond that, how would the Fire Nation have the strength to do as such? Our temples are nigh unassailable; positioned as high up as we ware, our element surrounds us."
"A comet is coming," I replied, "Once here, it will grant even an average firebender strength unparalleled, a strength close to a hundred times that the sun grants," or so it was said, all I knew from the histories was that it had been enough to commit the coming atrocity.
I could already feel my own inner fire peaking just from the proximity. All I could say with certainty was that this comet would give the power necessary to do as Sozin willed.
"You must believe me," I said quietly, yet channeling all my sincerity into my voice, "You must run."
A quiet spread between the two of us as I kept my eyes forward, looking directly into Sister Iio's own.
"These claims are too fantastical to believe," Sister Iio murmured, yet I saw the smallest flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, "Even if they were true, where would we go?"
"There are forgotten places in this world," I replied, "You would have to hide, hide as deeply and thoroughly as you possibly could, in the Wa Shi Tong desert, in the Islands, anywhere not here."
Another moment of silence occurred.
Finally, Sister Iio shook her head, "There is little I can do on your word alone. Do you have any kind of proof?"
I broke eye contact, looking down at the ground. I had no proof, and I had no time to gather any. Simply demonstrating the small increase in power of my firebending would not be enough.
"I have none," I acknowledge the words sounding just as worthless to my ears as it was to say them.
"We cannot just abandon the temple on the word of a random boy."
I maintained eye contact with Sister Iio.
Finally, Sister Iio sighed, "I will call a meeting of the other Masters, but I can promise nothing, until then, you are free to wander within the temple grounds," she paused before narrowing her eyes at me, "Say nothing of this to anyone else, until we come to decision I will not cause an unnecessary panic."
It wasn't a lot, but I felt my heart lift the smallest amount.
"Please just let me try to convince you," I said firmly, trying to impute every bit of sincerity I had within me.
Sister Iio looked at me, seemingly examining my features for a long moment before she dipped her head slightly, "You will have your chance," she said.
It wasn't much of one, I knew that, yet…
I recalled the reports I had read of airbenders years ago in the present time, reports that I had carefully erased. It wasn't a certainty, but if I had succeeded, then perhaps those reports could have more merit than I thought. I had erased them originally out of nothing but hope and the belief that if I could prevent inquisitions from searching for people to kill, that was at least some small benefit.
Still, if there was a possibility…
I had to have hope.
Sister Lio left to begin assembling the rest of the Masters, something she promised to have done by tomorrow, leaving me to exit the room and almost ran straight into Anya who was leaning against the wall to the right.
She was thumping her foot rapidly against the ground, and I could pick up the accelerated heat within her body, indicating her own discomfort, which I couldn't blame her for. The curiosity was probably driving her nuts.
In any other situation, I would have tried something roundabout, but there was simply no time.
The sooner I was able to get my message across, the more airbenders I could save, simple as that.
Anya and I looked at each other for a long moment, "You're not going to tell me what that was about, are you?"
"I can't right now," I acknowledged and noticed the girl droop at my words, "I'll tell you when I can, though," I tried to reassure her.
Anya looked at me with a look I typically associated with small, injured animals.
"I'm serious, I can't tell you," I sighed, looking at her.
We locked eyes, and I found myself slightly amused by the girl's stubbornness. I finally sighed, shaking my head, "Can you show me around the temple, Anya?" I asked.
Anya blinked, her eyes wide, "Uh," she hesitated, I suppose."
I could tell that doing so was pretty much the last thing the girl wanted to do, but at the same time, it would give her something to do other than focus on my secrets.
We walked through the temple quietly, and my eyes strayed to the open-air balcony, staring off into the distance thoughtfully.
The Avatar was out there somewhere, but there was no way for me to reach them.
Why had the spirits chosen this temple?
I could not shake the feeling that there was a greater purpose to my being here.
Before you can begin your next journey, you must start another's.
I was here for someone else, my eyes flicked to Anya walking next to me thoughtfully.
I had pretty much appeared directly next to her. It was entirely possible she was the person I was here for.
Yet that did not make a great deal of sense. Why would I be in the past to start the journey of a random airbending girl?
Well, technically, airbending master judging from the tattoos I saw on the back of her hands and the arrow peaking out from in front of her hair.
I guess I could start the topic from there, "Judging by your tattoos, you're an airbending master," I remarked, and as I said those words, something poked at the back of my head.
Anya startled, looking at me with wide grey eyes, "I-" she hesitated, "Well, yes, I am," she said quietly, looking down at the ground.
It was strange that she seemed so downcast about my statement, "I'm sorry, was that impolite?" I asked.
Anya startled, glancing at me before looking away, "No, I mean, I'm proud to have become a master, ya know?"
She certainly didn't sound proud, but who was I to judge?
"How long have you been a master?" I asked.
Anya shrugged, "Four years, I became a master of airbending when I was ten after creating my original move?"
That would make her a master at an incredibly young age, wouldn't that mean-
"You have an original move?" I couldn't help but ask with interest and growing discomfort.
Anya looked surprised before a small grin flashed across her face, "Yeah! Check this out!"
She shot into the air with a leap, causing her chest to bounce with the movement, and then landed with one foot down on a rotating ball of wind and the other crossed over her knee.
It couldn't be.
"What do you call this move?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
Anya grinned wildly, "The air scooter!" She swept around me, rapidly swirling in rapid circles, before she hopped down in front of me, beaming proudly.
Airbending master tattoo and the original mastery technique of the Avatar from my memories.
It seemed that the reason the spirits had sent me to this temple was actually quite apparent.
Well Fuck.
We walked the temple grounds together till we arrived at a field of posts where a group of girls were playing with a ball, passing it back and forth as they seemed to be attempting to get it through one of the hoops at either end of the field.
I noted that Anya was looking at the field with a somewhat distant look as the girls played.
"Are you not allowed to play?" I asked.
Anya startled, looking at me wildly, shaking her head back and forth, "It's not like that, it's well-" she was stuttering over herself, seeming unable to find the right words.
I let her fumble for a minute, with a slightly raised eyebrow, before I waved her words away finally as she seemed unable to come up with a coherent answer, "Sorry, I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable," I said, feeling a small spec of guilt for the question, it had been an unfair one but helped further confirm exactly who she was.
Anya seemed relaxed, ever so slightly nodding her head and looking away, "I just don't want to talk about it," she said quietly.
I hummed and nodded, looking back toward the field for a moment before I returned my gaze to her, "Is there something else you'd like to do?" I asked.
Anya startled, seemingly surprised at the question, but I didn't miss the way her eyes lit up.
"You want to do something with me?" she seemed astonished by the question, so much so that she stopped in her tracks, "You don't-" something seemed to occur to her, and her mouth sealed shut in the next instant.
"Uh, great!" she exclaimed, "Let's do something fun!"
I blinked, "Fun?"
She picked up her pace and began running.
I only hesitated a moment before I picked up the pace after her, having to push myself to keep up with her as the air seemed to bend around Anya, boosting her through the courtyard.
Still, it was possible using sheer physicality, which I had in abundance.
"Appa!" The girl cried out and then leapt over the side of the temple grounds.
I came to a skittering halt, glancing down to see that Anya had landed on the back of a bison who was slowly chewing through a pile of hay.
She grinned up at me and beckoned, "Come on!" she cried out.
I hesitated a moment, staring at her bright, grinning face. The wind whipped at me, blowing my hair back,
Unwilling, a small smile made its way to my face, and I kicked off the rock, letting myself free-fall for just a moment before I kicked a jet of blue fire out of my foot, slowing my fall, forcing me upward, negating my velocity for a brief moment before my fall continued.
I let my body free-fall for several more moments till I landed with a small thud next to the massive creature.
Appa snorted, his head turning to look at me with sleepy-looking eyes.
I held a hand out in front of his nose, letting him get a scent of me.
Appa sniffed at my hand before he rumbled and turned his head away from me, seemingly disinterested, or perhaps merely recognizing that I wasn't a threat.
"He likes you, don't worry," Anya said before beckoning at me, "Come on, I want to show you something!"
We floated through a mist of clouds seemingly in an ocean of white fluffy objects.
This was real, true flight, in a way I hadn't seen before.
I didn't consider myself overly uncomfortable with heights, but this was another experience altogether.
I found myself peering over the edge of the saddle, wondering for the briefest of moments what it would be like to jump off and pierce through the clouds.
"Where are we going?" I asked Anya, not looking at the girl directly, but keeping my senses focused on her heat presence.
"That's a secret!" Anya replied back happily.
"Ah, I see," I nodded my head sagely, looking up into the sky and closing my eyes against Agni's light, "I've been kidnapped."
I felt Anya startle slightly and the heat within her picked up pace, a small flush flushing around her face, "I didn't kidnap you!" she cried out, "You came willingly!"
"Under false pretenses, I was promised something to see," I shook my head, "But now that I'm here in the sky, I have no choice but to go where you will."
"I could blow you out of the saddle," Anya muttered petulantly, and I felt her hunch up slightly.
"But you won't," I needled her.
"Of course I won't," Anya explained hotly, "Airbenders are pacifists, we respect all life."
"Why?" I asked, my eyes still closed, turning my head slightly to better feel the sun's heat.
Anya seemed to hesitate at those words, "It's what we were taught. Air gives life to all of nature; without it, there is no life. So, we have to protect it; we must never take it."
"Never?" I quirked an eyebrow at those words.
"Never," Anya repeated firmly.
I hummed in thought, contemplating Anya's words, "Fire itself can also be considered as integral to life. The heart that's beating in you right now is powered by my element, yet firebenders have no such thoughts."
"Isn't then that the strange thing?" Anya asked curiously.
"Oh?" I cocked my head to the side, "Perhaps, perhaps not. Fire is naturally destructive. I hesitate to think of an element more adept at causing harm. Even a small amount,"
I flicked my hand, generating a small blue flame above my palm.
"Can hurt someone," I finished.
Anya did not respond for a moment as I held the flame in my palm outward.
"I suppose," she finally said quietly, "What does that have to do with respecting life?"
I sighed, letting the breath gust out of me, "Only that simply an element does not dictate respect for life. You choose not to take life according to your values, not because of your bending. Even if you were to bend fire, I don't think you would be willing to take life with it."
I felt Anya stiffen across from me, "Of course not!" She exclaimed, "That would be horrible!"
"Is it so horrible?" I questioned, "If I were to take someone's life to protect yours, would that be awful?"
Anya nodded emphatically, "Of course," she exclaimed, "That goes against all of our teachings."
"Then what would you do?" I asked, "If someone were to threaten another's life?"
Anya shook her head, "I would stop them, I would try to reason with them with my words."
"And if that failed?"
Anya shifted uncomfortably, "Then if I had to, I would subdue them."
"And if you couldn't?" I insisted lightly, "What if that was impossible? They were too strong, too quick, too unyielding?" I questioned insistently.
"I just would okay," Anya snarled, "There has to be a way!" she practically shouted.
Her voice echoed through the sky, and I could hear the tremulous edge on it.
A long moment of silence passed between us, now strained.
"I'm sorry," I finally said, "I did not mean to push you, I was merely curious, I've never met an airbender before."
"You haven't?" Anya asked.
"No," I tilted my head more fully to feel the rays of Agni, "You're the first."
"Mmm," she hummed.
Some minutes of silence passed, and I felt Anya shift slowly across the saddle, scooting on her but inch by inch toward me.
I made no move to show that I noticed her, curious as to her goals.
Finally, she had all but sidled up next to me, all but touching me.
"Firebenders are really warm, huh?" she murmured, holding a hand out above my arm.
"Some of us," I acknowledged, "It comes from our inner flame, it's the mark of a well-practiced firebender."
"So, you're like a Master firebender?" Anya asked.
"I wonder," I replied mildly, "True mastery is the work of a lifetime, do I look so old to you that I could call myself a master?"
"I mean," Anya shrugged her shoulders, "I'm a master airbender."
"And imagine your capabilities in five years, in ten, in fifteen, the you as of now would not be but a pebble compared to that mountain."
Anya frowned at me, "From that perspective, no one could be called a master," she exclaimed.
I chuckled, acknowledging her point with a small bow of my head, "Then if it makes you feel better, I achieved what is considered the pinnacle firebending technique at age ten."
"Pinnacle?" Anya asked, "Like a real big fireball?"
"Mmm," I shook my head, "Not quite."
"Then like," Anya hesitated, "A really, really big fireball?"
"No," I shook my head, "And now's not the time to be demonstrating that technique anyway."
Anya groaned impatiently, "Then why even bring it up?"
"You asked," I laughed.
"Whatever," Anya shook her head, "We're here anyway."
Appa began drifting down, and I opened my eyes to look at where we were in interest.
We were in a valley with a massive waterfall at the very end that traced a river throughout the rest of the land, but that was not the most striking feature of the valley.
That was the statutes.
All about there were statues of stone arrayed across the floor of what seemed to be an airbending master, judging by the tattoos and the robes.
"Where have you brought me?" I asked curiously.
"The valley of the masters," Anya said, "These statutes were carved with airbending, shaving small portions of rock away year after year."
I nodded, looking out over the valley. I had never heard of it and a part of me wondered if it even still existed.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
Anya shrugged her shoulders, and I noted that she looked away from me, "There's just something about this place that I like," she said softly, "It's familiar, ya know?"
What the Avatar would find familiar about a valley full of statues of airbending masters, I could only wonder at.
Yet…
I looked out at the valley, taking in the faint afternoon light, causing the statues to cast long shadows across the ground.
I couldn't help but wonder if this place would survive the coming storm.
I had been given an empty room to stay in for the night, but I found myself unable to truly rest, even as I sat cross-legged in one of the corners.
I found my mind unusually turbulent, or perhaps that was to be expected given what was happening.
Something was tearing and tugging at my conscience; my vision swirled as mist began to creep in from the sides of the room, just as it had done on the boat.
The world fogged to the point that all I could see was mist.
For a long moment, all I could see was clouded white mist swirling around me before rays of sun poked through and the mist dispersed.
I was once again standing on the deck of my ship, staring into the sky as the faint trails of Agni's light made themselves known.
I took deep breaths, soaking in my now unfamiliar yet familiar surroundings. The trees remained the same from when I had moored the ship, and the mist had cleared up for the most part.
"Three days," I muttered, observing the rising sun above the ship.
Now two.
It seemed the days were all I was given; I imagined that only when the next night fell, I would once again find myself back in the past to relive the day just before the comet's arrival. It would be my last chance to have the Airbenders at the temple leave.
Whatever actions I had taken in the past likely had already been accounted for in the future, unless I was actively changing things, but that seemed unlikely.
Still…
I gave a tired sigh
I now had to wait for this day to end before I ended up back in the past or at least that was what I assumed would happen.
"Zuko?" Yue called out from behind me in the cabin, and I felt her arms wrap around me gently before her chest pushed into my back.
"What's wrong?" I asked, noting that she was holding me rather more tightly than usual, her fingertips digging into my muscles.
"I was worried when I didn't see you in the cabin," she murmured.
I snorted, "Don't I usually wake up before you?" I asked in amusement.
"That's not the point," Yue mumbled into my back, "I just-" she stopped trailing into silence.
"Yue?" I questioned surprised.
"It's nothing," Yue murmured quietly, "Just some strange dreams," she said pressing the words into my flesh.
I could relate.
I turned in her grip, wrapping my own arms around her, gently stroking her soft, white hair. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"It's nothing," Yue repeated. "It's nothing." She buried her face into my chest, taking a deep breath.
I frowned down at the girl, before glancing at the swamp, thinking, a part of me almost wondered if Yue had sensed my absence. I hadn't considered the possibility before.
From the position of the sun, I could tell that I had not gained any time from being back in the past. Time seemed to have actually passed as it normally would have. Well, sort of. I had been taken at midnight and had once again appeared in the morning when the sun had broken so there was some slippage.
Which also meant I was a little more tired than usual, nothing I couldn't deal with, but it was there.
I glanced at the forest around us, unable to shake an uneasiness within me if I were being transported and not merely appearing.
That meant that whatever happened to me in the past would affect my current body.
The Foggy Swamp was a place of spirits, past and present. In the past, I was experiencing… I couldn't help but wonder when and how the spirits of the present would assert themselves.
To say nothing of the potential future.
There was nothing I could do but wait for the next night.