"I know Aunt Wu is an exceptional fortune teller, but why would one of those rare Fire Nation aircraft come to our village? Why would they come here? Nothing is interesting here!" said one man to another as they stood in front of the entrance to their village, doing nothing but waiting.
"I don't know, but we have to believe it will happen, right?" Aunt Wu's fortune-telling has never failed. She didn't fail when she told me that I would marry a girl from the city. And I did! Me, a simple villager," boasted the other man, causing the first to roll his eyes. He was tired of listening to his friend gloat.
"Yes, I know. But I've always had my doubts. What does the lady want from us? She doesn't accept our money or food donations. She gives fortunes to anyone who asks, and although they're accurate, I can't help but feel that there's something hidden in this..." said the first man. His friend looked at him suspiciously, clearly displeased by his words.
"Hasn't she given you accurate predictions? Didn't she predict that you would have a good harvest this season? You've had the best yield in the village!" What are you complaining about, Kaito?" asked the second man insistently. This made Kaito hesitate to answer because his friend's look disturbed him greatly.
Those eyes were full of contempt, just like the looks he sometimes received in the nearest town when he went to sell his products. People looked at him with contempt just because he was a farmer from a village at the foot of a volcano.
But that kind of look on his friend's face was wrong! Kaito knew it. Rintaro was a gentle, hardworking, kind man. It was no coincidence that he had married a woman from the city.
However, now he was looking at him badly, all because he had questioned the fortune teller. Yes, he had trusted Aunt Wu's abilities as a fortune teller. Perhaps her words had come true, but his harvest had actually gone quite well. In fact, he had landed a deal to export his products directly to the Fire Nation, a major achievement.
Still, deep down, he had doubts. After all, even con artists selling snake oil cures will charge money. This woman, who called herself Aunt Wu, asked for nothing in return!
He was a farmer, but no fool. He prided himself on being the smartest person in the village. He knew free things usually came at an unknown price. What would Aunt Wu's price be?
His friend's reaction and subsequent glance made him realize that this woman's influence in the village was perhaps greater than that of the village chief himself. Then, for some reason, he felt a deep sense of terror. Before he could act, though, a shadow covered him and Rintaro.
They looked up at the sky and saw a Fire Nation aircraft descending, something they had only ever seen in the distance. The aircraft descended slowly to 500 meters in front of the village entrance.
They also saw a flying bison, a creature they had only heard about in stories. It was known to have reemerged in the world along with an extremely important figure: the Avatar!
The Avatar! They did not know whether this being came with the aircraft or if their arrival was just a coincidence, but the arrival of this person in the vicinity of their village was indeed news worth celebrating.
"It seems Aunt Wu is right. She's always right," Rintaro murmured fervently, sending a chill down Kaito's spine. Kaito did his best not to show his conflicting emotions.
"How about we find out what's going on with these visitors? We might even get to see the Avatar!" Kaito asked cautiously, despite the excitement in his voice. Rintaro nodded. His eyes sparkled with excitement as if he had discovered something.
"Maybe they came to see Aunt Wu! Maybe her predictive abilities attracted the attention of the Fire Nation. She must have impressed the Avatar as well. It seems it's time for Aunt Wu's magnificence to spread throughout the world..." Rintaro murmured in response before running toward the airship, from which several people had begun to descend.
...
"Can you feel it?" Shisui asked, looking directly at Mount Makapu, the volcano that gave its name to the nearby village, Makapu Village.
Zuko, standing next to him, nodded. The prince could sense several things about this place. First, the temperature reminded him of the Fire Nation capital, perhaps because of the volcano in the distance. However, this in itself was problematic.
The volcano in the capital was dormant, but Mount Makapu was active. In fact, the villagers climbed to the top to check the lava levels inside.
Zuko immediately thought that something was wrong with this volcano. Was it about to erupt? He didn't know, but if so, it might not be as problematic as the other thing he sensed:
A strong spiritual atmosphere! Even worse, it was tinged with dark energy. Because he had spent time in the Spirit World and encountered dark energy, Zuko was able to notice these details.
"Are you a fortune teller or something? Is that why we're here? How did you know something was going on in this place?" Zuko asked.
Shisui gave him a look that fully expressed his desire to insult the prince.
"No, I was just curious about that fortune teller. But maybe there's something more behind her supposed accuracy." Shisui looked at the approaching villagers. His golden eyes lost their sparkle, and the world he observed changed radically.
In his view, a mass of black energy mingled with the colorful aura of the villagers. However, this mixture was much worse in one of them, while certain colors in another seemed to reject this intrusion.
'They influenced you, but you resisted? What strong will,' Shisui thought before his field of vision returned to normal. A smile full of relief spread across his face because he quite liked the resistance he saw in that man.
Soon, the villagers approached, watching as more people got off the aircraft. Some looked at Kaito and Rintaro with interest, as if they were observing strange animals.
Rintaro didn't seem to notice this subtle detail, but Kaito, who was more socially experienced, did. However, he didn't understand why these seemingly noble people were looking at him or what they found in him.
He soon forgot about it, though, when he saw a figure resembling the one described in the rumors and stories that had been circulating the world for months. It was a young, bald man dressed in typical Air Nomad clothing with a shaved head and blue arrow tattoos covering his body.
The Avatar! Kaito and Rintaro were visibly excited to be so close to one of the world's most important figures. Rintaro raised his hand and pointed at the figure.
"It's you! It's really you! You're back! You are the Avatar, and you're back!" Due to his excitement, the man began shouting incoherently; his body shook, and he looked like he was about to faint, but he didn't.
In fact, his body remained unusually still, and his features froze in a wide grin full of joy before slowly returning to a serious expression. His eyes looked coldly at the Avatar.
"But it doesn't matter whether you've come back or not. Aunt Wu's fortune-telling has helped us more than you have," Rintaro said in a cold voice. Then he blinked several times and brought his hands to his head.
"Huh? What happened? I don't know, but the Avatar is back! How cool!" As if his previous attitude and words were an illusion, Rintaro returned to normal, though he was no longer enthusiastic.
"You know, weird things always happened to Shisui. Now they're happening to you, Aang." Ty Lee approached the Avatar and whispered those words to him. He was left at a loss for words because what had just happened was really very strange.
"I don't understand what happened, but please help us, Avatar." Kaito seized the opportunity to make such a request. After all, it is said that the Avatar always helps those in need.
"Help with what? We're fine here! Aunt Wu has made us better than ever!" Rintaro replied, staring at his friend with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe he was asking for help. Their village was thriving!
"Calm down, friend. You're acting like you've been drinking cactus juice," Suki said as he approached the strange villager, but he jumped back as if he had been frightened.
"Oh, I know! You're afraid of and envious of Aunt Wu's fortune-telling abilities! You want to...!" Rintaro's cries ceased when Suki rapidly struck several acupuncture points on his body.
He didn't collapse, but his entire body was paralyzed. Only his eyes could move, and they expressed quite a bit of terror due to his state. No one present paid any attention to him, though.
"So, what in Agni's name is going on in this village?" Azula asked Kaito, who felt pressured by the princess's attitude. He replied quickly.
"I-I don't know! I noticed it today, but I've had some suspicions in the past. You see, it all started when Aunt Wu came to town..." Kaito easily recounted everything he thought was necessary to tell the Fire Nation nobles.
He was not only the smartest kid in his village but also the most informed. From stories, he knew that the Avatar had interacted with a certain group from the Fire Nation that included one of the legendary figures of recent times: the Sage Shisui.
'If the Avatar and the Sage get together, they can figure out what's wrong with Rintaro and Aunt Wu, right? I hope so,' Kaito thought as he explained that nothing was free and yet the fortune teller offered her predictions at no apparent price.
"Oh, so we have to beat up an old lady? I never thought we'd sink this low, but I like it," Ty Lee remarked after hearing the whole story. This prompted both Mai and Petra to slap her on the back of the head.
"If she's so powerful, she should know we've arrived, right?" Katara commented quietly, causing Sokka to click his tongue.
"Then she should run away, right?" The Avatar, a Sage, and an Ancient Spirit are coming. Not to mention us. Unless she's not that good at fortune telling," Sokka said, lightening the mood a little. However, those he mentioned just looked at each other.
"When it comes to dark energy, it's a sign that Vaatu is up to his old tricks again. It's not that simple," replied Raava, who had no intention of taking direct action.
As an Ancient Spirit, she could solve all problems with her raw power, but what would be the point of that? No, she would let Aang and the others solve the problem. If anything, she would offer some helpful comments.
...
In a small wooden house in Makapu Village, the murmur of an elderly woman praying could be heard. A gray-haired woman with a golden ornament on her head knelt with her palms together, and her eyes closed.
In front of her stood an altar with several sticks of incense burning. Murmurs came from her mouth, but one would have to get very close to understand her. She was alone in this place.
Leaning against the altar was an ordinary-looking brown calf, except its face was distorted to resemble that of a child no more than five years old.
A faint dark mist emanated from its body, and its red eyes glowed ominously, making its appearance even more jarring. The creature opened its mouth, revealing fangs.
"Obey the command that the Great Chaos has given you, human. Do not physically attack them; attack their minds, hearts, and wills. Use the gift I have bestowed upon you to play with their futures. Make them succumb to the weight of destiny," said the calf. It rose from the altar, its figure becoming transparent as it revealed its spiritual nature.
"As you commanded, Kudan," the old woman replied, bowing deeply and placing her forehead on the ground.
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AN: Kudan is a Japanese demon/monster/spirit (Yokai). Has the ability of make doom prophecies.