memory of a clear sky in spring

prolouge: fog in the air

Kelsang was painfully aware of the stares he received as he made his way through the town. The people of Yokoya Port, despite living on the intersection between three different nations, never seemed all too welcoming of outsiders. The town was so small that news passed almost instantaneously, and by the time Kelsang had landed Pengpeng in the surrounding woodland and entered the village proper, the entire town knew that an Airbender was visiting. Due to being such a small town in such an isolated part of the Earth Kingdom, the people of Yokoya didn’t often receive visitors, especially from the other nations. That, at least, explained the stares.

After a few moments spent wandering the town, Kelsang found who he was looking for-a gruff-looking farmer by the name of Yamato. The man had two daughters, ages six and eight if Kelsang was remembering correctly, and worked as a farmer.

“Hello, Yamato.” Kelsang smiled as he approached the farmer, giving a polite bow.

Yamato returned the bow only out of custom. “I suppose you’re here to pay me?”

Kelsang sighed and dug around his robes, trying to find the large sack of gold he had promised the farmer. “And to check on Kyoshi.” After handing the cloth bag to Yamato, he asked, “Is she alright? Is she being fed well?”

Yamato smiled disingenuously. “Don’t worry, she’s fine! Kyoshi, come over here!”

Moments later, a small, frail girl emerged from the house Kelsang and Yamoto stood in front of. She was frailer than Kelsang remembered- her blue tunic ill-fitting and threadbare. Nevertheless, she was still recognizable as the girl Kelsang had come to think of as a daughter.

“Kyoshi!” The airbender greeted, bending down to make eye contact with the young girl. Despite having grown since Kelsang had last seen her, she still had a child’s stature. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to see you sooner.”

“It’s alright.” Kyoshi replied, swinging back and forth on her feet as she spoke. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

Kelsang put his hand on Kyoshi’s hand. “Come on, let’s go walk.” He glanced at Yamato for any sign of disapproval. The farmer simply shrugged and returned to the inside of his house.

After Yamato had disappeared, Kelsang turned back to Kyoshi. The girl- now almost nine years old, had taken his hand off his shoulder and now held it in her own. Taking the cue, Kelsang smiled. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

Kelsang had to slow his natural walking pace to match Kyoshi’s, but he didn’t mind. It did nothing but help him enjoy the scenery of Yokoya more.

“Kyoshi,” Kelsang mused as they walked. “Are you being taken care of?”

The young girl nodded, but answered hesitantly. “Yes. I think so.” Kyoshi paused. “I don’t really know.”

Kelsang sighed a weary sigh. Yamato was not feeding the child Kelsang was paying him twenty gold a month to feed. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come earlier, Kyoshi. I really am.”

Kyoshi gave him a frail smile. “That’s ok. You’re here now.” The light in her eyes faded as she stopped walking and stared at the ground. “I have a secret I need to tell you.”

Kelsang paused before responding. While he knew Kyoshi’s parents had abandoned her in Yokoya, the rest of her past was shrouded in a veil of mystery. “You do?”

Kyoshi nodded and took Kelsang’s hand into her own before leading the both of them to the side of a road and through an alleyway. Whatever Kyoshi’s secret was, it was becoming clear to Kelsang that it was too important for her to say in public.

The alleyway Kyoshi led Kelsang to was small and secluded- ideally the perfect place to confess a secret, at least to Kyoshi. Despite it being between two houses with very open windows and in the part of town that always smelled like fish, Kelsang couldn’t help but understand the comfort the surrounding walls brang- it was certainly more reassuring than confessing things in the middle of the street. In this moment, the alleyway could’ve been a separate world entirely, created just for this.

Kyoshi stared at her feet in worry and clutched her braided hair. She didn’t say a word until Kelsang once again put his hand on her shoulder. “Kyoshi, what did you want to tell me?”

Kyoshi took a breath to prepare herself for her confession. “You know…. How you’re an airbender?”

Kelsang nodded, anticipating Kyoshi to confess to being an earthbender, or maybe even a waterbender. Even though she had attended the Avatar test he and Jianzhu had held over a year ago, Kelsang had assumed the girl to be a nonbender on the sheer basis he had never seen her bend.She wouldn’t have been the only nonbending child taking the Avatar test that day.

Kyoshi closed her eyes. “I’m an airbender too!”

“You are?” Kelsang stammered. Given the conversation, he should’ve considered that result to be a possibility, but for some reason he oversought it. He remembered the stories he had been told about Nun Jesa and how she had left the Air Nation for a life of crime. Even though he had only met Jesa once or twice, it was easy for him to spot the resemblances between her and Kyoshi.

Kyoshi nodded and glanced at the alleyway’s entrance. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

Kelsang shook his head. “No, no. I’m not mad. I’m just a little surprised, since this is the Earth Kingdom.”

Kyoshi nodded in understanding, the worry slowly fading from her face.

“Could you show me some of your airbending?” Kelsang asked. If Kyoshi really was an airbender- which she most likely was, Kelsang did not know the girl to lie- then the next step would be to take her to the temples. She’d be safe there.

Kyoshi gave a hurried nod and put her hands in front of her as Kelsang took his own off her shoulders. It took a moment, but within a minute's time Kyoshi had created a spiraling orb of air between her hands. It dissipated when she looked up at Kelsang, causing her to flinch. “I’m not that good…”

“No, no.” Kelsang put his hand on Kyoshi’s cheek. “Kyoshi, do you want to come with me to the Southern Air Temple?”

---

The Southern Air Temple was nothing like anywhere Kyoshi had been before. It was on a mountain in the sky, to start. It was bigger than anywhere she had been before, too, though the village of Yokoya wasn’t that big in the first place. Even now, sitting in a small library filled with scrolls she couldn’t read, she couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the small details carved into the walls.

Kyoshi stood up and walked to the room’s open window, gazing out at the temple gardens below, watching the airbenders mill about their lives in their robes of orange and yellow, the colors of the sunset juxtaposed against the now mid-morning sky. What seemed like hours ago, Kelsang had brought her here on Pengpeng and presented her to the Council of Elders. Standing before the Council, Kyoshi had reluctantly displayed the same airbending she had shown Kelsang. Afterwards, Kelsang had taken her to the library, explaining that he needed to talk with the elders about her. He had looked relieved when Kyoshi agreed to sit patiently until they came to a conclusion.

Entranced in watching an outdoor music class taking place, Kyoshi barely noticed when Kelsang knocked on the door and opened it. She turned around and sat as politely as she could, patiently awaiting his response.

Kelsang smiled and sat next to Kyoshi, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Kyoshi, I have good news!”

Kyoshi looked Kelsang in the eye but didn’t make any verbal response.

“You’re going to be an Air Nomad, Kyoshi!” Kelsang smiled and enveloped her in a warm hug. Kyoshi nearly cried at the sensation, it had been so long since someone had hugged her.

Kyoshi looked up at Kelsang. “Really?” The truth seemed too foreign to be real. “Am I going to stay here?”

Kelsang gently shook his head. “You’re going to go to the Eastern Air Temple to train with the nuns there. I’ll be there as much as I can, and I can assure you that you’ll be safe there.”

It took a while for the truth to truly settle. “I’m going to be safe?” Kyoshi asked, aware of the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Yes, you are.” Kelsang put his hand over her head, pulling her closer to him in a warm embrace.

Kyoshi let herself cry in relief as she leaned into Kelsang’s hug, relieved in the safety of the air temple and the security of the life she had infront of her. She was safe.

eight years later, yokoya port

Despite having lived in the Avatar’s mansion for just over two years now, it still took Kyoshi twenty minutes to find her way to the Avatar’s personal garden. The mansion was a labyrinth of stone and wood, and while the compound was considerably smaller than the temples Kyoshi had grown up in, it was much more compact, winding halls and small crannies crammed into every space imaginable. After years of living at the estate, Kyoshi still found herself getting lost. She was sure there were parts of the mansion she had never even stepped foot in. The Avatar’s garden, however, was one of the places she frequently visited.

Unlike the rest of the mansion, the garden wasn’t accessible to guests, only to Avatar Yun, his teachers, and his closest companions, as well as the garden staff. The small, walled garden featured an array of flowers and plants from all four nations, a cleared, open area of grass meant for meditation, and a bubbling creek. It was the ideal place to escape from the hustle of everyday life at the mansion, and was the closest reminder Kyoshi had to her home. The more time she spent at the Avatar’s mansion, the more she missed the Eastern Air Temple, where she had grown up.

Kyoshi sat down in the clearing, under the gentle shade of the cherry tree, and assumed a meditative posture, her fists positioned in a way so that her arrow tattoos would point at one another. As Kyoshi mediated, she focused on the soft sounds of the garden around her, and the gentle spring breeze filtering through the tree branches.

“There you are!” Rangi called as she entered the garden, her armor jostling as she jogged up to Kyoshi. “I swear, you probably come here more than Yun does.”

Kyoshi opened her eyes and looked up at her friend. Silhouetted by the afternoon sunlight, it was hard to distinguish Rangi’s features, but her pointed shoulder armor and top knot gave her away. Kyoshi smiled. “Hey, Rangi! What brings you here?”

Rangi plopped down on the ground in front of Kyoshi. “Have you seen Yun? I’ve been looking for him since lunch.”

Kyoshi shook her head. “No, I think he’s been training with your mother.” Hei-ran was both a master firebender and an experienced teacher, it made perfect sense that she was chosen to teach the young Avatar his second element.

“I checked the training grounds and no one was there.” Rangi huffed. “I thought you might know where they are. Do you think he might be with Master Kelsang?”

Kyoshi could only shrug in reply. It had been a while since she had last seen either her father or Yun. “Do you want my help looking for them?”

Rangi reluctantly nodded and stood up, waiting to respond until Kyoshi had followed. The firebender put her arm around Kyoshi’s and led her to the garden’s exit. “Come on, let’s go.”

---

Rangi and Kyoshi received respectful nods and smiles as they walked through the more public areas. Both prodigies in their respective elements and official companions of the Avatar, they earned a level of respect amongst the crowd Jianzhu usually hosted. Despite the pleasant smiles and greetings, Kyoshi couldn’t help but feel out of place amongst the Earth Sages constantly gathered in the mansion.

Kyoshi glanced over the public garden. It held many of the same features Yun’s private garden did, though it was larger, and much more crowded. Visiting dignitaries milled about the garden, making small talk amongst the flowers. While many of the guests hailed from the Earth Kingdom, Kyoshi spotted a few red and blue coats amongst the hydrangeas and fire lilies. Theoretically, she and Rangi would fit right in amongst the crowd.

Moments after they entered the garden courtyard, Kyoshi and Rangi were stopped by one of the many dignitaries. The man wore a crisp, dark green robe and couldn’t have been much older than either of them. “Greetings, girls! I’m Aiguo Sang, though I’m sure you already know that.” He greeted in an overly confident, sing-song voice.

Kyoshi glanced at Rangi, who was in the midst of sighing in defeat. “We’re kind of in the middle of-”

“You know, I am the governor of the Gangbei Province.” Aiguo continued ignoring Rangi’s comment. “And our city has been absolutely prospering lately. It’s incredible! I can’t take all the credit, though, I have to thank our new port for that. It’s amazing what a little city infrastructure can do!”

Kyoshi glanced at Rangi, unsure what they had to do with this issue. “Actually, we were looking for the-”

“Rangi! Kyoshi!” Yun smiled as he ran across the gardens to them, stopping only feet from Kyoshi. His fine green robes were rumpled and covered dirt, his hair a mess. “I was looking for you!”

Kyoshi laughed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We were looking for you!”

“I was just training with Jianzhu.” Yun shrugged. “We went out into the countryside so we wouldn’t disturb anyone with the noise.”

Kyoshi nodded. From what she had seen, earthbending was the loudest of the four bending arts. She watched as Aiguo disappeared back into the gardens, his plan apparently foiled by the presence of the Avatar.

“You should’ve told us where you were.” Rangi huffed, crossing her arms in front of her in defiance. “We spent the last thirty minuets looking for you.”

Yun shrugged and smiled. “Well, I’m here now!”

“Do you know where Kelsang is?” Kyoshi asked.

“I think he’s with the rest of my bending teachers.” Yun put a hand to the back of his head. “Oh! I have news for you two!”

“Really?” Rangi asked. “What is it?”

Yun took a moment to glance around the garden. Kyoshi was sure she saw a flash of worry in the boy’s eyes. “We should probably go inside for it, it’s kind of private.”

Kyoshi exchanged a glance with Rangi, then nodded. “Alright. If you say so.”

---

Yun led Kyoshi and Rangi inside, to one of the mansion’s many private libraries. While not the most secluded area of the mansion, it was far better than the public garden.

Kyoshi sat down on one of the couches as Yun closed the door behind him. Rangi stood behind her, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.

Once Yun had assured that the door was closed, he marched in front of Kyoshi and Rangi so they could both see him. A beaming smile was written across his face.

“We’re going on a trip!” Yun beamed. “All of us!”

“Where are we going?” Rangi asked as she moved around the couch to sit next to Kyoshi.

“And why couldn’t you tell us in the garden?” Kyoshi added.

Yun put his hand to the back of his neck. “We’re going to the Coral Isles, to investigate a… weird spiritual occurrence. Jianzhu thinks that if I’m there, maybe I can resolve the issue. Since it won’t be dangerous, you’re all allowed to come with us!”

The Coral Isles were an archipelago located south-east of the mainland Earth Kingdom, only a day’s trip away fr0m the Eastern Air Temple. Once, Kyoshi had visited the islands with some of her fellow airbenders. “What sort of spiritual occurrence?” She asked.

Yun hesitated to respond. “I’m not exactly sure, I’ll have to check with Jianzhu. I’m sure it’s nothing. At least nothing I can’t fix.” His words were laced with worry.

“Alright.” Rangi said, her voice affirming and direct. “We’ll come with you. When do we leave?”

“In about a week.” Yun replied, now sitting down on the seat opposite them.

Kyoshi smiled. “Alright! I can’t wait!”

Even though he had just sat down, Yun stood up and brushed some of the dirt off his robes, much to Rangi’s apparent disgust. He walked to the door. “Ok, sounds great! I’m going to go tell Jianzhu, I’ll get back to you when I know more!”

Before either Kyoshi or Rangi could reply, Yun disappeared into the hall, leaving them in the library alone.

“So... the Coral Isles…” Rangi trailed off. “Have you ever been there?”

Kyoshi nodded. “Yeah, once when I was twelve or thirteen. I wonder what the spiritual issue is…”

“Yeah, me too…” Rangi stared at the wall then abruptly stood up. “Anyways, I’m going to go find out more information about this. See you later?”

Kyoshi nodded but stayed seated on the couch. She smiled at Rangi. “See you later!”

Once Kyoshi heard the sound of Rangi walking down the hallway, she stood up and left through the same door, setting off to find her father.

behind closed doors

It just so happened that only moments after leaving the library, Kyoshi, Rangi and Yun reunited in the hallway, making it silly that they had bid farewell.

“Hey, Rangi, Yun.” Kyoshi smiled as she approached her two friends. The two looked like they were in the middle of a conversation but turned to look at her. “What were you talking about?”

“Yun was telling me about the ‘spiritual issue’ we’ll be investigating while in the Coral Isles.” Rangi turned to the Avatar. Kyoshi followed her gaze.

“According to Jianzhu’s- our- sources in Aringeru, there’s been widespread crop failures.” Yun explained. From what Kyoshi remembered, the island region’s main export, other than fish, was coconut and mango crops. “Rangi thinks it could be bandits or some other, non-spiritual interference.”

Both sets of eyes were on Kyoshi, waiting for her to respond. As the Air Nomad- and therefore, most spiritually profound- of the group, she was being trusted to give insight on the matter. “I’m not sure… I don’t know how bandits could cause crop failure.”

“I know, I know.” Rangi sighed. “It doesn’t make sense to me why it would be the spirits, either, though. There isn’t any great imbalance in the nations or anything. Why would the spirits cause crop failure in Aringeru, of all things?”

Kyoshi only shrugged in response, and turned to Yun for an answer.

“That’s why we’re going. To find out.” He simply responded. “Where were you two headed, anyways?”

“I’m trying to find Kelsang.” Kyoshi answered, at the same time Rangi explained she was looking for her mother.

“Oh, great!” Yun smiled. “Because I’m going to find Jianzhu- I’m pretty sure they’re having a meeting or something. Let’s go!”

Kyoshi exchanged a worried glance with Rangi. “If they’re in the middle of a meeting, shouldn’t we-”

“Nonsense. It’ll be fine.” Yun smiled, giving them a confident smile. “We’ll be fine, they’re probably just talking about training schedules or something like that.”

Rangi scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You don’t get in trouble for anything.”

“Neither do you two.”

“Kyoshi and I don’t break the rules.”

Yun put his hands up in surrender. “All right, point taken. I’m just saying, if that’s what you want to do…”

Rangi sighed and linked arms with Kyoshi. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“I knew you’d agree.” Yun smiled as he started to walk backwards through the hallway. Kyoshi worried that he might run into something.

As they walked through the mansion’s labyrinth of corridors, Rangi slowly loosened her grip around Kyoshi’s arm. Even though Yun was telling a story about his training that day, Kyoshi’s attention caught on the paintings displayed throughout the hall- fine arts from all four nations. Kyoshi recognized some of the paintings to be in the detailed, floral style of her home nation, others in the Water Tribe style of block-printed forms. While she had noticed the pieces before, Kyoshi truly realized how connected to the other nations the small mansion in the southwestern Earth Kingdom was- it was a testament to the Avatar itself.

“What are you looking at, Kyoshi?” Rangi asked, tugging on the Airbender’s sleeve. It was only when Kyoshi’s concentration broke did she realize she had been concentrating- focusing on one of the pieces Jianzhu had on display. It was an ornate, woven tapestry in a style Kyoshi didn’t recognize- a decorative piece meant only to be displayed on the wall and enjoyed by Earth Kingdom nobles, nothing like the art of the Air Nomads Kyoshi had grown up around.

“I was just looking at this.” Kyoshi tore her eyes away from the piece. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.”

Rangi paused to look over the tapestry, taking in the interlocking geometric patterns and delicate calligraphy. “I don’t think I have either. It’s not like the art in the Fire Nation, or anything I’ve seen in this region of the Earth Kingdom. Hey- Yun! What do you know about this tapestry?”

Yun, who had been a few ahead of them, turned around and came to view the piece. “What is it?”

“This tapestry…”Kyoshi gestured at the woven art. “I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

“You should have.” Yun stated as he took a brief glance at the artwork. “That’s the only surviving part of The Epic of Taihou, commissioned by the great Avatar Siu-Leung. It’s one of the greatest pieces of art from the era.”

“I’ve never heard of it before…” Kyoshi ignored how the statement felt like a lie and stepped back from the tapestry to marvel at it. “I don’t recognize the style either.”

“It’s from around Jinsha, near the southern reach of the Si Wong desert.” Yun hastily replied, taking both Kyoshi and Rangi by the arm and pulling them down the hallway. “Now, are we going to look at old rugs or are we going to go find Jianzhu?”

“Fine, fine.” Rangi scoffed as she shook off Yun’s grasp. “I was just interested in it. We’re leaving now.”

Kyoshi let her gaze linger on the tapestry for a moment longer, letting herself get lost in the intricate pattern and the eerie familiarity of the tapestry. She feared if she looked at it longer, she would get lost in an eternal, dreamlike memory.

“Kyoshi, you coming?” Yun called from down the hall. He and Rangi had already left, and had apparently paused their bickering to call back to her.

Resting it’s uncanny draw, Kyoshi turned away from the artwork and jogged down the hallway to meet up with her friends. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

---

It wasn’t long before Kyoshi, Rangi and Yun arrived outside Jianzhu’s office. Despite being on the third floor of the estate, it was built to be in the heart of the building, which led to the only door leading to the office being in a dim, windowless corridor so small, dark and thin Kyoshi almost thought it would collapse in on itself. It was one of her least favorite places in the estate.

The door to Jianzhu’s office was closed, but Kyoshi could hear muffled voices beyond the thin walls. She recognized one as Kelsang’s- her father’s voice deep in worry. Kyoshi couldn’t make out what was being said, the words muffled by the walls.

Yun pressed up against the wall to hear better, passing the lantern he had picked up to Rangi. “Wow- it’s everyone.”

“What do you mean, everyone?” Rangi asked, displeased in her newfound lantern possession.

“All my bending teachers. Jianzhu, your mother, Kelsang. Master Amak’s even there.” Yun whispered. While Kyoshi knew of Yun’s waterbending teacher and had even spoken to him on occasion, she didn’t know him well enough to pick his voice out of a crowd. When she moved her head closer to the wall, though, she could pick up a masculine voice with a water tribe accent.

“We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s espionage.” Rangi huffed.

Yun simply waved her off. “Shhh… I’m focusing. They’re talking about me.”

As Kyoshi listened further, she could make out what was being said. Jianzhu seemed to be interrogating Hei-Ran about Yun’s recent training.

“It’s going well, as well as it can be at this stage.” Rangi’s mother reported, her military background showing in the directness of her statements. “Things could be moving a bit quicker, but there’s not much we can do about that. As a student, he doesn’t leave much to be desired.

Yun tapped Kyoshi on the shoulder and beamed in pride. She gave him an affirming smile back- her friend’s dream had finally come true, he had moved on to his second element. Even a year into his training, the truth seemed to foreign to be real.

“That’s good.” Jianzhu replied. “I still want to hear reports on every session the two of you hold. Even if he’s your student now, I still need to keep track of the Avatar.”

Kyoshi was about to pull away from the wall out of the dullness of the conversation when Kelsang spoke up. “He hasn’t produced any flame yet, has he?”

Kyoshi glanced at Yun for a moment, only to see a look of fear painted across his face. His teachers were taking his greatest secrets- his failures- and parading them across the lawn for everyone to see.

“I’m afraid not.” Hei-Ran replied, her voice growing deeper. “I’ve been as patient as I can, but-”

Something dropped, the metal lamp that Rangi had been carrying. Instead of in the firebender’s hands, the object clattered to the wooden floor. Kyoshi scooped it up and extinguished the flame inside with a puff of air before it could cause a house fire. The firebender had put her arms around Yun’s in a gesture of comfort while the Avatar buried his head in his hands.

Before Kyoshi could respond to the event, the door opened, letting Jianzhu, Hei-Ran, Kelsang and Amak file out.

“Avatar,” Jianzhu nodded at his pupil, then turned to Rangi and Kyoshi. “Lieutenant Rangi, Nun Kyoshi.”

Kyoshi gave Jianzhu the appropriate bow, her motion mirrored by Rangi save for the placement of her hands. She spared a glance at her father, who seemed more agitated than usual. She’d have to ask him about it later.

Yun gathered himself enough to greet Jianzhu. “Greetings, Sifu. My friends and I were just looking for you.”

Jianzhu raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yes,” Yun cleared his throat. “Detailing our trip to Aringeru?”

The earthbending master nodded sagely. “Ah, yes. I’d figure you’d have questions. We can discuss it later, at tonight’s gala.”

Over the few years, Kyoshi had attended multiple gala’s hosted in Yun’s honor. It was almost a bi-weekly tradition now. She had never really gotten used to them.

Hei-Ran put her hand on Yun’s shoulder, and exchanged a glance with him, Rangi and Kyoshi. Kyoshi noticed how similar her eyes were to her daughters. “You all should get cleaned up for the festivities tonight. Lu Beifong is visiting, we need to look our finest.” The words seemed almost coming from her, the gaze she sent to Jianzhu only confirming Kyoshi’s suspicions more.

“Alright.” Kyoshi took both her friends by the hand and started to lead them down the hallway. “We’ll see you soon.”

---

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, where’re you from?” Hwang asked as he leaned over the table to make eye contact with Kyoshi. One of Lu Beifong’s many grandchildren, he had attended the gala alongside his family in order to do business with the Avatar and his benefactor. Instead of paying attention to the tableside discussion of politics, however, he had taken to bothering- and maybe even flirting with- Kyoshi.

“The Eastern Air Temple.” Kyoshi answered, adjusting the folds of her robes. She had changed into a more formal version of the typical Air Nomad attire, one that showed off her tattoos.

“Ahhh…. yes. “ Hwang nodded, signifying that he had no idea where that was. He took only a moment of pause before putting his hand to his chest. “Me? I’m from Gaoling, but you probably already knew that.”

Kyoshi gave Rangi a glance from the other side of the room. The grand dining hall was set up in a fashion that each element was separated in the order of the Avatar Cycle, meaning she sat directly across from Yun with Rangi to her right. There were always a majority of Earth Kingdom citizens present, though, and more high-ranking among them typically thought it their right to sit with whoever they wanted, regardless of element.

Rangi seemed engaged in a conversation with her mother and a visiting dignitary from the Fire Nation, invested enough that she didn’t even notice Kyoshi’s pleas for help.

“So what’s being an Air Nomad like? Your tattoos are nice, when’d you get them?” Hwang continued, ignoring Kyoshi entirely.”

“Uhm, it’s nice.” Kyoshi turned to her father, only to find he was engaged in a conversation with an Earth Sage Kyoshi didn’t recognize. “And I got my tattoos about a-year-and-a-half ago.”

Hwang nodded sagely and took a sip of his sake. “Now, usually I can’t stand tattoos. They’re so… you know… criminal? It’s not even a good look.”

Kyoshi nodded and moved away from Hwang. Even though she hadn’t responded, he continued. “I don’t know why your people endure it, either. Doesn’t it hurt? Why would you do that?”

Thankfully, Kyoshi didn’t have time to respond before Jianzhu stood up, calling the room’s attention to him. After greeting the party for the third time that night, he started to explain the trip he would be taking the Avatar-and-companions on to the Coral Isles in a week’s time. As Kyoshi had heard most of it from Yun already, she allowed herself to ignore most of what Jianzhu was saying. One thing stood out to her- he didn’t mention what the problem was, only that it needed to be solved. When Kyoshi glanced around the room, she noticed that the only people that seemed to take issue with this were the other foreigners, Rangi included.

When she looked to Yun, he looked perfectly content, truly within his element.

open skies

To Kyoshi, there was no better feeling than that of flight. Travelling through the open air with nothing but her bison and her closest friends was the moment she felt most connected with her element- the wind filtering through her hair, nothing but the sky above and clouds below. It was close to paradise.

The sentiment was not shared by her companions.

“Kyooosshhiiiiiiiiii….” Yun whined as he clung to the saddle, holding on for his life. “Can we go lower?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the Avatar?” Rangi scoffed. She, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease in the clouds, leaning against the saddle walls with her head tilted at the sky. “You should get used to this, it won’t be the only time you’ll have to fly.”

“I’ve ridden a bison before.” Yun scoffed. “But I’ll have you know, I’m an earthbender. I’m not meant to be this far away from solid ground.”

“Yep. You’re going to have a blast with airbending with that attitude.”

From what Kyoshi could tell from the driver’s seat, Yun blew a raspberry at Rangi and the two burst out in laughter. She awkwardly turned around to face her friends. “Flying’s fun! You get to see the world from up high!” She leaned forward to scratch her bison on the forehead. “Huan agrees.” Huan let out a low roar in response, to which Kyoshi laughed.

“And it’s the most efficient form of travel.” Rangi added. “Made less efficient when we go further down. It defeats the purpose of flying anyways.”

Yun only scoffed and returned his gaze to the sky around them. It had been cloudy ever since they set off that morning, the conditions only worsening with time. While not the ideal weather to be flying in, it had made for a stunning sunrise view.

“Hey, look, there’s Kelsang and the others!” Kyoshi gestured to her left while simultaneously leading Huan in that direction. Kelsang’s bison, Pengpeng, emerged from the mist, carrying not only Kyoshi’s father, but Hei-Ran, Jianzhu and Amak.

Kyoshi waved to the other travelers as they passed, and was met by a returning greeting from Kelsang only.

“Why are we taking two bison, anyways?” Rangi crawled over to wave to her mother. “Isn’t it a bit excessive?”

“Yun wanted for us to travel alone.” Kyoshi shrugged. “Plus, Pengpeng’s an old girl, she can’t carry everybody.”

“When are we gonna get there?” Yun asked, already turning back to the sky as Pengpeng disappeared back into the clouds.

Kyoshi looked at the sky above her, illuminated by the sun behind all the clouds- they had left at sunrise, meaning a few hours had passed. It only took half a day’s worth of travel to get from the Eastern Air Temple to Yokoya, so she assumed it would take the same amount of time to get to the nearby city of Aringeru. “Only a few more hours.” She turned back to Yun. “Are you excited?”

Yun shrugged, still holding onto Huan’s saddle like his life depended on it. “I’m excited to get back on solid ground, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

Strangely enough- it wasn’t exactly solid ground they reached after the rest of their flight, but a network of bridges, suspended above the water.

“Aringeru isn’t like most Earth Kingdom cities,” Jianzhu explained as the party disembarked from their respective bison. He side-eyed the wooden structures, as if he disapproved of them in some way. “In more ways than one. Built on top of an archipelago near the Shanu Reef, this region is well known for its… difference from the mainland Earth Kingdom.”

Kyoshi took a moment to glance at their surroundings. They had landed in the shallow piers of the city, far from the crowded heart square, though even on the outskirts of town she could notice the little bits of Coral Isles culture in the cityscape. Outside of being built over water instead of on solid ground for easy earthbending, there was a history written in the tapestries worn over the doorways and the rain canals lining the rooftops- in the canoes and gondolas anchored to nearly every empty post. Kyoshi knew that many of the original settlers of the area were indigenous to the distant islands of the eastern sea, somewhere so far from what she called home. When she had first visited the region years ago, she had appreciated the subtle influences of a unique culture, and now found it difficult to see Jianzhu’s perspective on the matter. “I think it’s nice.”

Jianzhu didn’t respond, his attention caught by someone approaching them. The man wore finery ill-fitting to the damp, wooden town around him, and had an appearance more akin to Jianzhu’s than that of the Coral Isles naives Kyoshi had met before.

“Master Jianzhu! Avatar!” The man clapped before bowing in front of the group. “I am Governor Hilmi, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you all to Aringeru.”

Jianzhu nodded at his student before returning the bow. “The pleasure is all ours, Governor.” Yun recited. Apparently, it was important that the Avatar handle this matter. “I thank you for your hospitality, and introduce the members of my ensemble.”

Each member of the party bowed as their name was called, in reverence to Governor Hilmi’s authority. Once the last of them had been announced- Kyoshi herself- Hilmi took a moment to look over the group. “You’ve assembled quite the team, Avatar. I trust that you and your companions will be able to solve this little issue in no time.” Kyoshi barely caught Yun’s glance before Hilmi spoke over her again. “Now come, follow me. We should get into town.”

Hilmi led the party through the city, occasionally stopping to point something out or apologize for the humidity, or the fog, or the locals. Kyoshi lagged behind at the back of the group, leading Huan through the water by his reins. The canal was just big enough for a bison, Kyoshi doubted the city was built to accommodate sky bison.

Rangi lingered in the crowd for a moment, letting Kyoshi catch up to her. “It’s pretty hot here…” the firebender complained, adjusting her armor.

“Isn’t the Fire Nation pretty warm?” Kysohi replied, to which Rangi shrugged.

“I haven’t been there in a while, and it’s not this humid there. Isn’t the Eastern Air Temple close by? I bet you’re used to this weather.”

Kyoshi hummed in reply. “Sort of, it’s much cooler at the higher elevations, which makes it nicer.” She paused to look around at the town’s scenery. “Have you ever been to one of the Air Temples?”

Rangi shook her head, causing her hair to slightly bounce. “I haven’t, not yet at least.”

“Maybe, if we have the time, I can take you and Yun to my home.” Kyoshi mused. Rangi didn’t have a chance to respond before they had reached what Kyoshi assumed to be Governor Hilmi’s estate.

During their short journey, they had at some point transitioned from walking over wooden boardwalks to solid ground and sanded paths, and now stood in front of a massive wooden building, build in the same architectural style as the town but on a larger scale, a mountain of wood emerging from the surrounding forest of palm trees. Kyoshi wondered why the structure hadn’t been earthbent.

As Hilmi started rambling about the history of the building- a topic that interested Jianzhu and seemingly no one else- a pair of attendants approached Kyoshi.

“We’ll be taking your bison for you, miss.” One of them said, bowing politely. “He’ll be kept in the Governor’s private stables, kept safe from harm.”

Kyoshi nodded and reluctantly gave the attendants Huan’s reins, then watched as they led both her bison and Kelsang’s to the stables. As soon as the bison had disappeared from view, she turned to enter the estate with the rest of the group.

---

The room they had given Kyoshi was no smaller than the one she occupied at the Avatar’s mansion, if much more decorated. After years, she was still having trouble getting used to the amount of finery in everyday Earth Kingdom decor. Kyoshi set down her travel bags on the floor next to the bed and opened the window, letting a soft spring breeze filter through the curtains. She leaned out the window to take in the courtyard view but turned around at the sound of her name.

“Hey, Yun.” Kyoshi turned around to face the Avatar as he stood in her door frame. “Have you unpacked yet?”

Yun nodded and entered the room when Kyoshi beckoned him in. He sat down on the bed. “You should come see the Avatar’s suite, it’s huge. Very extravagant.”

Kyoshi laughed and leaned back on the windowsill. “I bet it is. It’s so different from what it’s like at the Air Temples... though it’s nice to be so close to home again.”

Yun nodded, though not in agreement. Of any of her party, she was the only one who had gotten closer to her home (save for Amak, but that was only because they had traveled north). They had gone eastward- away from the Fire Nation and Yokoya to islands bordering a completely different part of the Earth Kingdom- the Earth Kingdom was so big that each region of it seemed foreign to each other. Even Kelsang was far from his homeland- they had been considerably closer to his home temple, the southern, back in Yokoya.

Kyoshi hesitated to respond. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Rangi and I were talking about, how if we have the time, we might be able to fly up to the temple and spend some time there, if you want.”

The idea seemed to brighten Yun’s mood. He jumped to his feet and left out the same door he came from. “Sounds great to me. We’re starting our investigation on the crop failures tonight, after dinner. Everyone’s gonna be there, but we’re all free till then.”

---

After eating dinner, they were all ushered out of Hilmi’s fine dining hall bu Jianzhu.

“Where are we going?” Kyoshi turned to her father as they walked together, following the Yun and Jianzhu.

Kelsang paused before responding. “Jianzhu hasn’t told me much, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to the Seer Stones.” When met with Kyoshi’s silence, he explained. “They’re stones, at the top of the island’s highest peak. They’re said to be connected to the spirits of the islands. If Yun can connect with the spirits, maybe he can commune with them and find out what’s happening to the crops, and why.”

“If this is some sort of Avatar-spiritual thing, then why do all of us have to be there?” Rangi huffed from behind them- she and her mother were walking directly after them.

“Hush, Rangi.” Hei-Ran chided, her voice calm. “I’m sure Jianzhu has a reason for it.”

Jianzhu led them to the top of the mountain, to a flat surface adorned with large, intricately carved stones covered in moss. A pool in the center of the clearing reflected the near-full moon above. Kyoshi would’ve suspected they had entered a different world if not for the golden light of Aringeru from the valley below.

As soon as the last of their procession, Amak, reached the peak, Jianzhu clapped his hands. “Alright, everybody. Places- find your element on the cardinal stones, Avatar in the center. We’ve only got so much of the night left.”

When Kyoshi inspected the stones, she found symbols adorning them. There were eight in total, and every other one had the symbol of an element. The one closest to he had the symbol of water.

It wasn’t long before Kyoshi found her own stone- the one carved with the symbol of air, directly across from the one Jianzhu sat under. To her left sat Rangi and Hei-Ran under the fire stone, and Amak under the water one. It was the elemental cycle. Yun stood in the center, ankle deep in the water.

Jianzhu glanced around to make sure everyone was in their proper places. “Alright. That’s good. We have excess of some elements but that doesn’t matter- everyone here knows how to mediate?” He seemed anxious.

Kyoshi, along with everyone else, nodded.

“Good- assume meditative positions.” Jianzhu nodded, sitting down on the grass. “The energy of all four elements will help Yun connect with the island spirits.”

“Sifu-” Yun hesitated before sitting down with everyone else. “In the water?”

“Yes, yes.” Jianzhu nodded hastily. “Get on with it. We’re wasting moonlight.”

Yun hesitated before sitting down in the water. Once she had made sure that her friend was alright, Kyoshi closed her eyes and focused.

Jianzhu had said that they needed to combine the elemental energies- was she supposed to think ‘air’ thoughts? Was she supposed to focus on her grip of the air around her like she did when she was bending? Was she just supposed to meditate? Whatever she was doing, she hoped it helped Yun.

Something interrupted Kyoshi’s focus. It was as if the entire world was calling to her, telling her a message. It was distorted, as if she was hearing it through a tunnel of wind. She figured she must’ve been doing it right- if this was what message she was getting, Yun must’ve been seeing the full picture.

“Stop- stop.” Jianzhu’s voice interrupted her moment of near-clarity. “Everybody stop. We’re doing it wrong.”

Kyoshi could hear Rangi scoff, “How does he know that?” Before being shushed by her mother, but the Earthbending master didn’t notice, or he didn’t care.

Jianzhu approached his student and turned him around, so that his back was to Kyoshi. “It’ll work better if you face your native element.” He looked up and made eye contact with each person. “I need you all to focus on your element, this has to work.”

After exchanging worried glances with Rangi and Kelsang, Kyoshi resumed meditation and was only met by the same distant cries over a howling storm. After five more trials and errors with no progress made, Jianzhu finally called it quits and decided to gather everyone up to head home.

As Kyoshi got up and passed around the pool of water in the center, she could’ve sworn she heard someone calling out her name.

the message

Kyoshi’s dreams smelled of salt water, like she was caught in the middle of a storm, or she had been tossed into the ocean. It was hard to see past her hands, her vision a gray abyss, but her other senses had been assaulted by the sensations that came with her dreams. There was water all around her, in her hair, weighing down her clothes, even in her lungs. All she could hear was the resounding mantra of her name, three syllables uttered like a curse, or a warning.

She nearly fell out of bed when she woke, only just managing to pick herself up and detangle herself from the knot of blankets she had woken up in. After pulling a cotton robe over her bare shoulders and fixing up her short hair, Kyoshi left her guest room to meet up with her friends for the day.

Kyoshi had nearly forgotten where they were- the estate of Governor Hilmi in Aringeru, out on Avatar business with Yun. While the structure of the mansion was similar enough to the one she had lived in the past few years- a single courtyard with an elaborate, almost maze-like structure built around it- it was the little details that stood out to Kyoshi, the wooden walls instead of the stone she was used to, the open windows that would’ve been a waste of heat back in frigid Yokoya, the thatched roof above. In some ways, it was closer to the architecture of her home nation than it was the mainland Earth Kingdom.

From what Kyoshi could tell, Governor Hilmi didn’t have the same taste for art that Jianzhu did. Instead of imported calligraphy and Avatar relics, most wall space was taken up by floral arrangements, showing off the equisist, unique flora of the archipelago. Kyoshi had paused to admire an arrangement of orchids and hibiscus when she spotted Rangi approaching her from the other end of the hallway.

“Good morning, Rangi.” Kyoshi smiled and turned to greet her friend. “How’d you sleep?”

Rangi sighed and leaned back on her heels. “Alright, I guess. I’ve slept better before. I couldn’t stop thinking about that ceremony Jianzhu made us do…”

Kyoshi nodded, recalling the moonlit ritual, and the strange feeling it had caused. “Yeah…” Kyoshi nodded, remembering the voice that spoke her name, as if it was speaking through her mind itself. The others had to have experienced something like it, it couldn’t have just been her. It had to be a normal occurrence, given the circumstance.

Rangi must’ve sensed her tension, because she shifted her stance awkwardly. “So, how’d you sleep last night?”

“I slept alright…” Kyoshi answered. She hesitated to elaborate. “I did have a nightmare, though.”

“Really?” Rangi asked. She started to walk down the hallway, and, despite not knowing where the firebender was going, Kyoshi followed. “What about?”

Kyoshi sighed. “I don’t know… it was weird. Really rainy.” The more she thought about her dream, the more the memory of it faded. “I can’t exactly remember.”

“Oh.” Rangi paused in the middle of the hallway. “Kind of a shame, I would’ve liked to hear about it. Anyways, my mother will be training with Yun all day long, she said we have the day off.”

“Huh.” Kyoshi put her hand to her chin. It wasn’t often she and Rangi got the day off, even though she wasn’t sure what their jobs technically were. “That’ll be nice. It’s like a vacation!”

“Mother just doesn’t want me around to ‘distract the Avatar’, like I’d do that.” Rangi scoffed, but Kyoshi caught a glimpse of her smile. “It might be nice, though. What do you want to do?”

Kyoshi paused and glanced out the closest window. It was nicer here in Aringeru than it had been in Yokoya- back on the peninsula, some of the snow had still been melting, a mess left over from wintertime. She could see the peaks of rooftops just over the trees. “We could go into town, that might be nice.”

Rangi nodded, as if she was affirming the thought to herself. “Yeah, we’ll go into town. It’ll be nice.”

---

The markets of Aringeru were almost exactly like Kyoshi had remembered it- vibrant, colorful and full of life. She had to hold onto Rangi so the shorter girl wouldn’t get lost in the crowd, maneuvering through vendor’s stands and merchant carts. The Mahina Bazaar- the largest open market in Aringeru and possibly the entire south-eastern Earth Kingdom- stretched over a large portion of the island’s land and onto the wooden city built above the bay. For a city in the Earth Kingdom, Aringeru seemed to dangle precariously close to the ocean.

The market was full this morning. While Kyoshi had gently blown away clouds of morning fog on her and Rangi’s walk to the market, the fog had already been cleared down at the market, thanks to the amount of people present there. Surprisingly, the locals wore coats and robes of not only green, but blue, yellow, and even hints of red. Kyoshi noted an overwhelming amount of cyan robes characteristic of the archipelago’s native population. Her gaze caught on a pair of young children, both no older than seven or eight, dressed in robes of bright cyan. It was hard to tell from such a distance and because of the crowd, but Kyoshi was fairly certain the two were playing a game that involved bending splashes of water at each other.

Rangi tugged at Kyoshi’s sleeve to catch her attention. “What are you watching? Why’d we stop?”

Kyoshi shook her head. She guessed it really didn’t matter whether or not two Earth Kingdom children were waterbending- she had been found in the Earth Kingdom, after all- and turned to the stalls surrounding them. Most sold fruits, buns or some other type of food, but one stood out to her- a jewelry stand. She took Rangi by the hand and pulled her over to it.

“Why are we looking at this?” Rangi huffed as Kyoshi fawned over the intricate necklaces, earring and hairpins. “You don’t even wear jewelry.”

Kyoshi sent her friend a smile. “I just think they look nice.”

Before Rangi could respond, they were interrupted by the appearance of the vendor. “Can I help you two fine ladies?”

Kyoshi gave an awkward wave. “Uh, we’re just looking at this point.”

The vendor moved to where Kyoshi was standing over the display of hairpins and directed her to a box showing jewel-encrusted armbands. “You know, courtship season is coming up. I’m sure a lady such as yourself has someone special in your life? Maybe you’d be interested in getting him a gift?”

Kyoshi forced an awkward smile to comply with the vendor’s sweet talk. She wasn’t going to spend her morning explaining her culture’s traditions, so she just shrugged. “Something like that.”

Rangi rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m just going to let you buy whatever you’re buying. There’s something I wanted to check out over there.”

The statement took Kyoshi aback, but only for a moment. “Ok, alright.” She waved to Rangi as she turned around. “See you later.”

Once Rangi had disappeared into the crowd, her hand on the hilt of her sword, Kyoshi turned back to the hairpins she had been looking at before. One of them stood out to her- simple in design, at least in comparison to the others with a gentle floral motif and what looked like a ruby at the top. She pointed at it. “How much does this one cost?”

The vendor peered over the table to look at Kyoshi’s choice. “That’s fifteen gold. A nice pick, if I say so myself.”

Kyoshi smiled and took the money from her purse, handing the metallic coins to the vendor. “I’ll take it.”

The vendor smiled and picked up the hairpin, wrapping it in a silk cloth before handing it to Kyoshi. As he did so, he mused, “You know, I never thought you airbender types would be all that into stuff like this.”

Kyoshi shrugged and put the hairpin in her pocket. She couldn’t think of an appropriate response to the man’s comment, so she smiled and waved goodbye before setting off to find her friend. Surprisingly, she found both Rangi and Yun standing next to a bun stand.

“Hey, Kyoshi!” Yun raised one of his hands to greet her, even though it was the one he was holding his food in. “How’s it going?”

Kyoshi stifled a laugh as she approached her friends. “I didn’t know you were here, Yun.”

“It’s a long story.” The Avatar shrugged. “I’ll tell you later, I guess.”

Kyoshi turned to Rangi in absence of a satisfying answer. “Did you get what you wanted?”

Rangi shrugged. “I guess so.” Before Kyoshi could ask, the firebender shoved a paper-wrapped bun to her. “Here, we bought this for you.”

“Aw, thank you!” Kyoshi smiled and took the bun, eating it as she and her friends walked through the market.

“So, Yun.” Rangi asked, stepping forward to make eye contact with him. “Where are we going?”

“Inland.” Yun answered, gesturing forward. He spoke with food in his mouth, but Kyoshi didn’t comment on his improperness. “Jianzhu wants us all to meet near the fields to survey what’s been happening.”

“Huh…” Kyoshi mused as they made the transition from damp boardwalk to sand-covered ground. “Is that what you were doing this morning?”

Yun shook his head, causing his ponytail to bounce. He shot an enthusiastic smile at Kyoshi and Rangi- clearly, whatever he was going to say, he was excited about. “Actually- and you won’t believe this- I was meditating with Master Kelsang! We were trying to commune with my past lives! Yangchen, specifically.”

Kyoshi nearly stepped back in surprise. “Really?” She knew Yun, as the Avatar, was supposed to be able to connect with his past incarnations, but as far as she knew, he had never attempted it before.

“Did it work? Did you talk to her?” Rangi asked.

Yun sh0ok his head. “No. Kelsang says I might have to work in order and speak to Kuruk before I reach Yangchen.” He paused. “I don’t know how I feel about that, Jianzhu says Kuruk was nothing but a lazy, selfish hedonist.”

Kyoshi glanced at Rangi before responding. Her father didn’t speak much of Yun’s past incarnation, giving her less of a frame of reference of who the man was then Rangi and Yun had. The firebender only shrugged.

When Kyoshi returned her gaze to the path in front of her, she realized they had arrived at the fields, though the only thing that could tell her that was the roadside sign and the presence of the rest of their party. The entire field looked as if it had taken from its home, flown them to the Si Wong desert to dry them out, then returned it all to the field.

Kyoshi filed up next to her father to observe the destruction. “What happened? Is this what we were supposed to be investigating.”

Kelsang shook his head and put his finger to his lips. “Wait a moment.”

Within a few seconds, the sound of a million voices rose out of the ground, a chorus of screams that Kyoshi couldn’t decipher- the wayward cry of an invisible force. Even though she couldn’t decipher what was being said, Kyoshi instantly knew what was going on- the spirits were angry with what was happening here. The hairs on the back of her neck stood, and Kyoshi got an odd sense of familiarity, as if she was reuniting with a long-dead foe.

the chasm

Kyoshi nearly fell backwards at the sound, only saved by the arms of her father catching her. The scream pierced through her eardrums and reached into her brain, causing sharp pain in her temples. Kyoshi couldn’t think, it was hard to take in anything but the sound and the faint scent of ozone. Something inside her told her to fight it, to ready herself for battle. She didn’t understand it, and it scared her.

Kelsang stood her upright and put his hands over her shoulders, turning her to face him. Kyoshi couldn’t hear him over the cacophony, but she could make out the concern in his eyes. She turned back to the field to see that a chasm had opened in the center of it, unyielding white light pouring through the cracks in the ground. It was screaming her name and her name only. Though she couldn’t make out the individual syllables, she knew it was her name. Just as she was starting to understand it, the light drained back into the chasm like water down a drain. The noise subsided, and once there was nothing left than the crack in the ground, it too, returned to normal, the ground mending itself as quickly as it had broken. Within only moments, the field had returned to the state it had been in when Kyoshi and her friends had arrived.

“What- what was that?” Yun spattered. He didn’t look as distressed as Kyoshi felt, but he made up for it with the pain in his voice.

Jianzhu combed back strands of his hair that had come loose, noticeably calm, given the circumstance. “That- was the skytalon, at least that’s the name you should all call it. It’s a spirit.”

Kyoshi nodded and gathered herself. She had gathered that much from what she had seen, aside from the name.

“Weren’t we supposed to be here to check on unnaturally rotting fields?” Hei-Ran snapped, raising an accusing finger at Jianzhu. “This- don’t tell me you were expecting this.”

“I wasn’t.” Jianzhu deadpanned, looking out onto the field, still decaying. “Though, it’s safe to say we’ve found the root of our problem.”

“How long has this been going on?” Kyoshi asked, turning not to Jianzhu but to her father.

Kelsang could only shrug. “Ever since we arrived here, I assume. Jianzhu, Amak and I came here a few hours ago to investigate the fields. The screams- it happens on an hourly basis as far as we can tell.”

Kyoshi exchanged a glance with Rangi and Yun, who shared her worries. Rangi put her hand over the sword at her hip. “Are we going to have to… fight that thing?”

“You can’t fight spirits!” Yun protested, looking at his hands for an answer. “That’s- you just can’t do that!”

Jianzhu cast a glance at his peers- Kelsang and Hei-Ran and Amak. “We aren’t. I don’t even know how we’d go about fighting something like that.”

The clearing fell silent until Yun spoke. “So, what are we going to do?”

Jianzhu shook his head. “Not we- what you’re going to do, Avatar. You’re the one who can fix this issue.”

“What?” Yun stuttered. He stumbled backward, nearly crashing into Hei-Ran. “I can’t- I don’t know-”

“Then you will learn.” Jianzhu’s brow furrowed. “Tell me, Yun. Do you enjoy robbing the world of its Avatar, sitting in wait for you to decide to perform your duties?”

“No- but-”

“He’s just a boy, Jianzhu.” Kelsang moved to put his hand over Yun’s shoulder. “Give him some time to adjust.”

“Just a boy?” Jianzhu stammered. “He’s the Avatar, Kelsang! He has a responsibility to the world! We can’t keep making these excuses with him!”

Kelsang didn’t make a verbal response, only maintained eye contact with Jianzhu.

“You never made these excuses with Kuruk.” Jianzhu spat, gathering himself up in failed efforts to intimidate the taller man.

“It’s been a while since Kuruk was alive.” Kelsang stated monotonously, pulling Yun towards him, away from the field and Jianzhu. “I’m going to take the children back to the governor’s estate and try and lead Yun through some meditation exercises.”

“We’re leaving?” Kyoshi asked as her father led Yun away from the rest of his mentors. To her surprise, Rangi followed with little hesitation.

Kelsang relaxed his shoulders and sighed. “Yes. We’re leaving.”

---

Kelsang didn’t seem to relax until they were alone- past both the exterior and interior mansion walls and all the way till they were in one of the quieter rooms of the mansion, free from the gazes of Hilmi’s staff and any other guests. The room was small, on the second floor of the building, and furnished in the same style as the Air Temples. The curtained windows let in a soft noon breeze and warm light that cast a glow across a portion of the floor. The walls were lined with shelves filled with scrolls, making the entire room smell like paper and ink. It reminded Kyoshi of her home, and instantly put her at ease.

“Come, sit down.” Kelsang gestured at an array of cushions at the center of the room, directly in the light of the sun. He hovered over a nearby table, most of the open space taken up by a tea set. “Rangi, would you help me boil some of this water?”

Rangi nodded and rushed over to comply while Yun and Kyoshi sat in the sunlight. Kyoshi put her hand over her friend’s shoulder. “Are you doing alright?”

Yun nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. Just thinking about things, Avatar stuff, you know.”

Kyoshi frowned, and was going to ask Yun to elaborate before they were both handed cups of piping hot tea. “Careful, it’s hot.” Kelsang warned before he sat down across from Yun. Rangi sat next to him and took a sip of her own tea. Kyoshi followed- it was spiced, just the way she liked it.

“Are you alright, Kyoshi?” Rangi asked. “You seemed to be really affected by… whatever happened.”

Two pairs of eyes turned to Kyoshi- Kelsang’s and Yun’s. She put her hand to the back of her neck. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just a little caught off-guard.”

“Are you sure? You looked like you were in pain back there.” Yun’s brow furrowed.

Kyoshi moved her hand to her forehead. If she focused enough, she could still hear the ringing in her ears. “I don’t know… I don’t even know what was happening back there.”

Kelsang sighed. “I think I might. I’m not an expert on the matter, but there have been rumors going around that ever since Yangchen’s death, spirits and humanity haven’t been on the best of terms.”

Kyoshi hesitated to reply. It made sense to her, that the spirits would’ve been angry with humanity after the passing of Great Yangchen, especially considering what she knew about her successor.

“I wasn’t sure how much merit the theory held, up until this morning.” Kelsang continued. “Now, it’s undeniably true that for whatever reason or the next, the spirits are angry with us. Since we don’t know why, it’s going to be even harder to figure out what to do to fix the problem.”

A deafening silence filled the room until Yun cleared his throat. He set his cup of tea down on the wooden floor. “It sounds to me like we’ve got a clear goal, then. We need to find why the spirits are attacking the region.”

“It’s not just the region.” Kelsang continued, putting his hands to his temple. Kyoshi, if anyone, knew him well enough to detect his stress. “Jianzhu won’t like that I’m telling you this, but we’ve been receiving reports all across the nation of similar activities. You were supposed to move onto the others until you fixed this problem, but… I don’t know now.”

“Oh.” Yun whispered, quiet enough not to be heard but loud enough to fill the room. He cast glances at Kyoshi and Rangi, but neither of them could give him an answer. “Is there anything we can do to find out what’s happening?”

Kelsang hesitated. “I’m not sure I would be any help, I’m not exactly the spiritual leader I once was.” He cast Kyoshi a worried, saddened glance she didn’t know how to interpret. “There’s someone else who might be able to help, a retired Fire Sage, but he and I aren’t exactly on good terms, it would be hard getting a hold of him.”

“He sounds like our best bet.” Yun scoffed. “I mean, if we’re going after spirits.”

“Who is this guy, anyways?” Rangi asked. “My mother might know him, she could get in touch.”

Kelsang tensed. “Oh, she definitely does. His name is Nyahitha, he was one of Kuruk’s friends, apart from our group. I’ve only spoken to him once or twice, but-”

“If he was a friend of Kuruk’s, he might be able to help.” Kyoshi offered. “If it’ll help Yun fix the world, don’t you think-” Her sentence was caught off by the sound of the door opening.

Jianzhu, Hei-Ran and Amak all filed into the room, soaking-wet and battle worn. Despite how much she stared at them, Kyoshi couldn’t figure out what, exactly, had happened to the three of them.

“Jianzhu! Hei-Ran” Kelsang exclaimed as he stood up to greet his friends. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Jianzhu brushed his friend off with a simple gesture of his hand. “I have news that everyone should hear, though.”

Kyoshi exchanged a glance with Yun and Rangi before standing up to address Jianzhu.

“We’re going to be heading back to Yokoya soon.” The earthbender stated, his voice dry and monotonous. “Tomorrow, in fact.”

“But, Sifu-” Yun protested, the only one with enough merit to speak. “We just got here, wouldn’t that be impolite?”

“It’s only what’s necessary.” Jianzhu cast a glance at his pupil before continuing. “Believe me, I would rather have it any other way, but the situation is more complicated than previous judgements suggested.”

“Alright.” Yun answered. “If you think that’s what’s right.”

Kyoshi shared a glance with Rangi before nodding, her fear reflected in the other girl’s face. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as she agreed to something she didn’t fully understand.

return home

The trip back home from the Coral Isles seemed longer than the initial trip. Kyoshi suspected it, technically, was, thanks to a storm that had gathered in the middle of their journey. The rain was heavy and cold, but not dense enough to prevent travel, so they persisted onwards, under Jianzhu’s direction. Thankfully, it was only a short, few hour-long trip- just enough time for Kyoshi to think.

She was grateful that her friends- she was once again travelling with only Yun and Rangi- had elected to share her silence, and least in part. When the rain had started, Yun had made an off-hand comment about wishing he could already waterbend so that he had a chance of staying drier. Rangi had scoffed in disarmament, most likely upset about getting wet herself, and the topic had been dropped sooner than it had been brought up. Kyoshi figured they all wanted to think, after what had happened.

It had known her name. The skytalon- if Jianzhu’s name for the spirit were to be believed- had known her name. It had called her by her name- though, looking back on it, she couldn’t recall the scream forming into the distinct syllables of her name, only that it had called her. She must’ve been remembering the event incorrectly, there wasn’t any other answer. It couldn’t have known her, there wasn’t any explanation for it.

Kyoshi drew her attention to a matter far more trivial, but one still filling her with dread. The hairpin she had bought for Rangi in the market still lay in her pocket, wrapped in silk to protect the fine material, like an unsaid promise not fulfilled. She had been hoping to present the girl with the pin sometime during the journey, though she never had a set plan in the first place. What had once been a spark of hope now fell apart, the rain running down her scalp washing it away like a block of sugar. She didn’t even know if Rangi would like her like that!

Kyoshi turned back to her friends for a brief moment. By now, they had been travelling for a few hours and were only half-an-hour away from Yokoya. Rangi looked to the distance, facing away from Kyoshi. Yun leaned against a sack of grain, and Kyoshi would’ve guessed he was asleep if she didn’t know better. Both of them, like herself, wore raincoats of woven straw and simple, conical hats to match, to keep the rain out of their eyes. All together they looked like a group of farmer’s children, rather than the Avatar and his companions. Farmer’s children who had somehow gotten a hold of a sky bison, that was.

Yun must’ve noticed her staring and tilted his head upwards, just enough so that Kyoshi could just see the deep green of his eyes. “Hey, Kyoshi.” He said monotonously, just loud enough to be heard over the storm.

“Hey.” Kyoshi replied. She glanced ahead. “We’ll be reaching Yokoya soon.”

“That’s good.” Was the only reply Yun gave. It was clear there was something on his mind, but Kyoshi decided against pursuing the subject.

Kyoshi looked out onto the horizon, any semblance of their surroundings hidden by the dense clouds. “I think I’m ready to be home. I’m sick of the rain.”

---

After landing in the stables and dismounting, Kyoshi was pulled aside by a stablehand and ushered into the house. Before she could ask any questions, she was handed off to one of the house staff and taken to the estate’s private bathhouse, where it was explained to her that she should freshen up after a long day’s trip, in the storm. They explained, in softer tones since the women knew Kyoshi by name, that this was all very unexpected and they were having all the travellers bathe and rest before seeing the healers, and they just hoped she wouldn’t catch a cold. Kyoshi nodded and obliged, assuring the women that she would freshen up, before ushering them out of the room so she could be alone.

A hot bath had already been drawn, much to Kyoshi’s pleasure. After taking off multiple layers of rain-heavy garments- taking extra care to place the hairpin apart the pile of wet fabric, Kyoshi submerged herself in the tub. It was reaxingly warm, compared to the cold rain of the outside. She took a moment to utter simple thanks to the spirits for giving her such luxuries as people that cared for her and a hot bath waiting at the end of a long trip- she knew from experience that they weren’t common much elsewhere.

After cleaning her hair, body and face, Kyoshi stood up to dry and dress herself. Thankfully, the house staff had laid out one of her robes over the stool, folding it neatly to minimize the risk of it accidentally getting wet. It was one of her simpler outfits- made for the winter Kyoshi thought they had just left. After drying off her hair- a quick process, thanks to its short length- and getting dressed, Kyoshi tucked the hairpin she had bought into her sash and set off for the rest of the mansion, to find her friends.

---

Of all the people she could’ve intercepted, Kyoshi ran into Jianzhu in the hallway, nearly colliding with the man because of oversight.

“I’m so sorry!” Kyoshi dropped into a quick, apologetic bow. “I didn’t see you.”

Jianzhu shook his head. “No, no, it’s quite alright. Simple mistakes can be forgiven.” He paused. “Kyoshi, would you join me for tea? I’d like to speak with you.”

Kyoshi hesitated before responding, though she couldn’t tell why. There wasn’t any reason she had to be nervous. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

A smile grew over Jianzhu’s features, and he motioned into the door closest to them. “Come, follow me.”

Jianzhu led Kyoshi into the small room- which she discovered to be a parlor upon entering it. He led her over the tatami and sat her down in the center of the room for a formal tea ceremony, according to the local tradition. Before sitting down himself, Jianzhu rang for tea, and was soon answered by one of the staff. Before long, a tea set was brought to the tea room and placed in front of them.

“How do you prefer your tea, Kyoshi?” Jianzhu asked. As the host, it was his duty to make the tea. He was probably the better of the two of them, anyways, with more experience in both diplomacy and life.

“Spiced, if you have it.” Kyoshi stated, awkwardly and forced. “Or in the Air Nomad style.”

“I’ll go with the former, as I’m still unsure how exactly to prepare it in the Air Nomad style.” When met by Kyoshi’s stare, Jianzhu gave a simple gesture of his hand. “Your father never bothered to teach me, there was always something else going on.”

Within moments, both Kyoshi and Jianzhu held steaming cups of tea, waiting for each other to have had enough to speak first.

“We haven’t spoken much before, have we?” Jianzhu offered as he set down his own teacup.

Kyoshi shook her head. She knew Jianzhu only by proxy, having been introduced to him by her father and hearing about him mostly from Yun. This was the first time they were speaking privately, or at all. “I don’t think we have.”

Jianzhu hummed in agreement. “Kelsang treats you well, does he not?”

It wasn’t a surprise to Kyoshi, that Jianzhu knew where she had come from. After all, Kelsang had never married, not to mention ever courted a woman, so there wasn’t much of a way he could procure a child the traditional way. She nodded.

“As I understand, you were born in the Earth Kingdom,” Jianzhu continued, “And yet, you’re an airbender. You must have perspectives on international affairs completely unique to yourself.”

Kyoshi shook her head and set down her own teacup. “I don’t think I do, that much. I don’t really consider myself to be part of the Earth Kingdom, at least not anymore. I was raised as an Air Nomad, so that’s the culture I identify with.”

“Ah, I should’ve figured as much.” Jianzhu nodded. “You know, your people are notorious for being great spiritual leaders.”

Kyoshi had to force herself to nodd. Even though she could tell where the conversation was headed, she didn’t like how indirect Jianzhu was being about the matter. It put her at ill-ease.

“So, what do you think we should do?” It was the question Kyoshi had been dreading.

“Well…” Kyoshi hesitated to answer. “Since Yun’s the Avatar, and he’s the one who can fix the issue, I think we should prioritize his spiritual training.”

“So you suggest we prioritize spiritual training over the initial mastery of the elements?” When Kyoshi nodded, he made a subtle recoil, slightly straightening his posture. “It’s unorthodox, to say the least.”

“The problem is spiritual, so we should focus on it to save the most people.” Kyoshi continued. “It’s just the right choice to make.”

“You think very efficiently, for an airbender.” Jianzhu commented, a lack of emotion present in his voice. “How would you go about teaching Yun in the matters of the spirits?”

“I hope it wouldn’t be up to only me, I’m not done with my training and am far from a master in that regard.” Kyoshi gave a forced chuckle, her sense of near-calm ruined by the memory of the skytalon. “I’d suggest finding a teacher for Yun, a reliable one.”

“Like your father, perhaps?” Jianzhu offered. “He was Kuruk’s spiritual mentor.”

Kyoshi dug her clenched fists into her thighs, recalling what her father had told her earlier. For whatever reason, he doubted his own abilities to teach Yun. “Maybe. Didn’t Kuruk have another spiritual mentor- Nyahitha?” The name rolled off her tongue, even though she had only heard it spoken once.

Jianzhu shook his head. “I would hardly call him a mentor, but I digress.” He paused, almost as if he was hesitating. “I do suspect Kelsang would hesitate though, as I understand you do. Has he told you?”

Time seemed to still as it waited on Kyoshi to respond. “Has he told me what?”

“Why he’s hesitant to teach the young Avatar.” Jianzhu replied calmly. “I doubt he has.” When Kyoshi shook her head, he nodded gravely. “It was years ago, when Daofei roamed the seas and countryside free of consequence.”

Kyoshi nodded. She knew of the criminals that held a reign of terror for the first decade-or-so of Yun’s era, before being all but wiped out by Jianzhu, the Architect. She even had a bit of personal experience with them.

“There was a group of seafaring Daofei- they called themselves the Fifth Nation- that threatened the waters south-west of here, in between the Southern Air Temple and the Eastern. If they had been allowed to succeed, they would’ve laid waste to both Air Temples and any nearby Earth Kingdom settlements. Thankfully, your father was able to defeat their fleet cleanly and efficiently, sending a clear message to what Daofei remained.”

A shiver went up Kyoshi’s spine. Despite never having heard the story before, she felt like she knew where it was going.

“Unfortunately, due to the customs of your people, your father’s brilliance was not met with what respect it deserved. I’m no expert on the politics that happen within the temples, but I know for certain he fell far from grace that day.”

Kyoshi stared at her hands- hands adored with the blue of her people. How had she not known this before?

“Are you alright, Kyoshi?” Jianzhu asked, no concern in his voice.

Kyoshi nodded, putting her hands to her eyes to catch any tears that escaped them. “I- I need to leave.”

---

Kyoshi ran, to the one place she could be sure Jianzhu wouldn’t follow her- the mansion’s kitchen. A dark, dim area built to be seen by staff and not the guests, he most likely wouldn’t even think to look for her there- given that he was looking for her in the first place, he had shown no hesitation when she abruptly left their tea ceremony. She couldn’t be too conscious, though, and the work would help her think.

Once she had descended through the service entrance and into the dusty basement corridors, Kyoshi was greeted, or rather, intercepted, by a pair of servants heading in the same direction as her.

“Oh, hey, Kyoshi!” One of the servants- a girl named Maho who was no older than Kyoshi- said, giving a slight formal bow. She glanced at her companion before continuing. “What are you doing down here?”

“I wanted to see if there was anything I could help with.” Kyoshi clasped her hands together in front of her as she spoke.

“Alright.” The other servant-Sano- answered before Maho could, gesturing for Kyoshi to follow them. As they walked, she explained, “We’re having another feast, for the Avatar’s return, so the help is welcome.”

Kyoshi hummed in response. “Sounds good.”

“I don’t know why Master Jianzhu keeps holding more feasts.” Maho complained. “It’s like he wants us to suffer more.”

“Don’t say that.” Sano replied, while Kyoshi stifled a laugh. “He’s doing his job, and we’re doing ours.”

“I guess you’re right.” Maho shrugged. “Still weird that he left for three days and comes back without prior notice.”

Kyoshi didn’t tell the other girls what she had seen while in the Coral Isles, assuming someone in a position would get upset at her sharing confidential information. Instead, she simply shrugged and smiled.

As soon as their party of three reached the kitchen, Kyoshi was ushered to the line and given a knife and the instructions to ‘chop vegetables’ for the dumplings. Not needing any further instruction, Kyoshi nodded and got to work, easily falling into a simple rhythm of work with the others. While she often helped prepare meals at the temple with the other nuns, but ever since she had arrived in Yokoya, she had been barred from the kitchen in compliance with the traditions of the Earth Kingdom. Kyoshi had taken the rule liberally, though, and had become friends with a number of the staff members of the years she had stayed at the mansion.

“Kyoshi!” A voice called from somewhere in the kitchen. Kyoshi recognized it as Rangi’s and briefly paused her work to face the girl.

“Hey, Rangi!” She smiled, waving with the hand that wasn’t still holding a kitchen knife. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Rangi replied, crossing her arms in front of her. The firebender had changed out of her armor and wore a simple, dark red tunic.

“Chopping vegetables!” Kyoshi replied simply, gesturing to the carrot she had been in the midst of dicing. It was actually quite obvious why she was there.

Rangi put her hand to her temple. “You were supposed to see the healers! What if you caught a cold?” By now, she had drawn the attention of a few nearby chefs. “What if you get a cold?”

Kyoshi shrugged. “I’m feeling fine! Plus, I don’t get colds easily.”

Rangi stiffened and took Kyoshi by the hand. “You should come anyways, Yun wants to speak with us soon.

After giving apologies to the staff, Kyoshi complied and followed Rangi into the hallway. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to help out with the feast tonight.” Kyoshi smiled.

“You should have gone to the medics first.” Rangi huffed, losing her grip on Kyoshi’s hand as they transitioned from the dim service corridors to the main halls of the estate. “Even if you’re feeling fine, you should always prioritize your health.”

Kyoshi nodded. “Yeah, I probably should’ve.” She put her hand over her pocket, where the hairpin still was, but decided against it.

“What’s wrong?” Rangi asked. Her voice grew softer as she became aware of Kyoshi’s tension.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Kyoshi shook her head. “I was just speaking with Jianzhu earlier… it’s nothing.”

Rangi stiffened. “Oh. Alright, then. We should get going.”

the visitor

It seemed as if everyone important in the mansion had gathered into a single small library, and Kyoshi and Rangi were the last to arrive. Seated on chairs amongst the shelves were Jianzhu, Hei-Ran, Amak, and even Kelsang. Yun sat under the closed window on a plush-lined bench, illuminated by the light of a nearby lantern. The contained fire cast him in a soft warm glow that negated the greens of his robes and made him look, at least to Kyoshi, like a painting.

Rangi directed Kyoshi over to one of the tables and sat down by it. Kyoshi followed, resting her hands over it. For a moment, nobody spoke, as if they were waiting for one another to make the first move.

Eventually, Jianzhu stood up and walked to the center of the room, the sound of his footsteps muffled by that of the rain and fireplace. “I… assume you all know why you’re here?”

The room fell silent in response to Jianzhu’s question. He nodded and put his hands to his temple, then clasped them politely behind his back. “There are… situations that I alone cannot prepare the Avatar for. It seems that we’ve encountered the first of those situations. It’s no secret that I’m not well-versed in the spiritual, and we’ve been forced to resort to other means.” Kyoshi noticed the glance the Earth Sage sent at her father. “Which leads us to where we are now.”

“You can’t possibly be thinking of him.”Hei Ran spat, leaning forward and low. She sounded so much like Rangi did when she was angry, it was almost uncanny.

Jianzhu hesitated before responding , as if he was afraid to.“Hei-Ran, I know-”

“Who is it?” Yun turned to face both his mentors. “Who are you talking about?”

A moment passed in silence before Jianzhu answered. He took in a deep breath before saying, “Both Master Kelsang and your friend, Nun Kyoshi, suggested that we confer with one of Avatar Kuruk’s close friends, Sage Nyahitha of the Bhanti Tribe.”

“Yeah, I think I remember that.” Yun hesitated. “Alright, sounds like a good plan. We should write to him and get him to come over here.”

Jianzhu and Hei-Ran exchanged a glance, to determine who would have to respond. Hei-Ran lost. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple… he’s not been in the good graces of the Fire Nation for quite some time…”

“If he’s the best person for the job, I don’t see why we shouldn’t ask him.” Heat and anger grew in Yun’s voice, and Kyoshi could’ve sworn the room was growing steadily hotter as a reaction to his emotion, though it could’ve been because she was next to Rangi- silent but just as frustrated.

“Yun…” Jianzhu uttered, but couldn’t follow up on the statement. Here, Yun called all the cards- as the Avatar, he outranked them all. After sharing a meaningful, silent glance with his peers, he turned back to his pupil. “Alright. We can send him a letter and see if he’s interested.”

Yun nodded and sat down on his bench. Jianzhu returned to his own seat in defeat and started a hushed conversation with Hei-Ran and Amak.

Kyoshi turned to Rangi, but couldn’t muster up anything to say.

---

It took three weeks for the letter to get to Nyahitha, for him to reply, and finally for him to travel down to Yokoya, and it rained every day of those few weeks.

“It doesn’t usually rain this much in springtime…” Kyoshi mused as she and Rangi walked under one of the mansion’s many awnings, one that would usually be used to shield from the sun but here protected from the rain.

Rangi didn’t answer, most likely caught up in her own thoughts.

“It usually rains around fall,” Kyoshi continued, even though Rangi likely knew the same information. “At least it does at the Eastern Air Temple. Because of the monsoons.”

Instead of responding, Rangi stopped to gaze at the courtyard, her view obstructed by a curtain of rainwater. “I wonder how long the storm will last…” She mused, keeping her voice low.

“I don’t know.” Kyoshi mused. “I hope Nyahitha isn’t too bothered by the rain. Does it rain a lot in the Fire Nation?”

Rangi stiffened her posture. Apparently, Kyoshi’s comment had done what she had planned it would- remind Rangi of what they were supposed to be doing, heading down to the pier to meet with Nyahitha. The sage was arriving in only half an hour.

“We should get going.” The firebender grabbed ahold of Kyoshi’s hand and pulled her down the hallway. “We don’t want to be late.”

---

The piers were a ways away from the mansion, meaning Rangi and Kyoshi had to travel through the town to get to them. In her time at the mansion, Kyoshi had only ever been in town once or twice, but the stares of the villagers still stung like a wound from a whip. She ignored them, for Rangi’s sake, and kept her composure as much as she could. After all, they were probably just stares. People outside the temples tended to struggle recognizing people once they got their arrows, anyways.

At the piers, a crowd had gathered- equal parts Jianzhu’s guests and local townspeople here to see a Fire Nation ship in their harbor. The crowd parted around Kyoshi, giving her and Rangi easy access to the front of the crowd, where Yun and their mentors stood.

Someone- Kyoshi guessed the small group of house servants that had accompanied the party to the docks- had set up a large umbrella to shield the Avatar and his companions from the rain. Jianzhu, Yun and Hei-Ran stood under it, though Kelsang and Amak were both too tall to. When Rangi joined her mother next to Yun, Kyoshi followed her cue and stood next to her father.

“You’re just on time.” Kelsang gave her a smile before wiping some of the rain from his face. He pointed out onto the ocean, specifically at a Fire Nation ship approaching them. It was small, only large enough to hold a small crew and a few passengers- undeniably, who they were looking for.

“Are you… nervous?” Kyoshi prompted. She didn’t know exactly how her father felt about their visitor, given how little she knew about the man in the first place, but she figured it was a safe bet.

Kelsang didn’t respond immediately but took time to think the question over. “I’m not exactly sure…” He stalled long enough that the ship arrived before he was able to finish his thought.

The ship landed at the pier with a thud and was soon roped to it by the members of the crew. A small plank was laid out so that the singular passenger could disembark- a figure so unassuming Kyoshi had to second-guess herself at the sight of him.

The man- who she could only guess was Nyahitha- was short, but not by his own nation’s standards. He wore simple robes devoid of any embellishments or symbols or even colors outside of blood-red, and had pulled his long, graying hair into a low bun uncharacteristic of his homeland. If Kyoshi were to see him in any other circumstance, she would’ve had a difficult time believing the man was from the Fire Nation, not to mention a former Fire Sage.

Jianzhu stood up to greet his guest, giving only the appropriate bows. “Nyahitha, we meet again.”

Nyahitha paused to wipe the rain from his face and adjust his shoulder bag before he returned the greeting. “Jianzhu.” He glanced to Yun, was already approaching him. “Is this the kid?”

Jianzhu nodded and smiled through the grit in his teeth. “Yes, this is Avatar Yun. I’m sure with your proper guidance, he will-”

“Don’t patronize me.” Nyahitha cut Jianzhu off with a glare and a motion of his hand. He tok a moment to glance over Yun. “So… you’re the new Kuruk?”

Yun nodded hastily before he could understand the words fully. “Uh, yes?”

Nyahitha nodded. “Alright. We might be able to make some progress.”

Jiazhu nodded and turned around, clearing the crowd around him so that they could all safely return to the mansion. Kyoshi couldn’t be sure, but she was almost certain she saw the man sigh in worry before leaving the pier.

---

Upon reaching the mansion, Nyahitha was whisked away by a group of staff, likely to freshen up and get settled into his living quarters. Jianzhu, Hei-Ran and Yun all followed him, and Kyoshi was about to before Rangi grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into a side room.

“What’s wrong?” Kyoshi asked as Rangi glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was eavesdropping. The rain had affected the girl’s appearance- Rangi’s wet hair stuck to her face and the raindrops to her eyelashes, but she still looked beautiful.

Rangi jolted to attention at Kyoshi’s question. She stiffened her posture and collected herself. “I-” Rangi hovered her hand over her belt, then rested her hand on it. “You’re a mess, let me help.”

Kyoshi smiled. Her friend was simply being herself. “Aw, Rangi.” Kyoshi fixed her own hair- like Rangi’s, it was slick with rainwater. “I’ll be fine, I’ll just… airbend the water away.”

“You can do that?” Rangi raised an eyebrow.

Kyoshi shrugged. “First time to try anything, I guess. Though, it’s probably not a good idea indoors.”

A slight smile grew over Rangi’s delicate features. “Yeah, it probably wouldn’t.” She produced a clean, white handkerchief from her pocket and lifted it up to Kyoshi’s face. Kyoshi leaned down so that Rangi could more easily reach her as she cleaned some of the rain from Kyoshi’s face.

“So…” Kyoshi whispered. It would’ve been a crime to speak any louder and ruin the moment. “It was pretty rainy out, huh?”

Deep in though, Rangi had started idly tracing Kyoshi’s forehead tattoo. She stopped at the sound of Kyoshi’s voice, then almost instantly resumed after gathering herself. “Oh. Yeah. It is.” Rangi hesitated, focusing on a spot just above Kyoshi’s line of sight. “I hope it stops raining soon.”

Kyoshi nodded, but just slightly as to not interrupt Rangi’s meticulous work. She became aware of the hairpin she still kept hidden in her pocket, waiting for the right moment to be presented to Rangi. It wasn’t time yet. There was too much hanging in the air, too much hidden beneath what was a simple conversation.

“There.” Rangi declared, gently moving a stray hair into place before resting on the soles of her feet. Kyoshi assumed her full height. “You’re all cleaned up now, or at least cleaner.”

“Thank you.” Kyoshi paused. She put her hand over her cheek, as if it would hide her blushing. She decided to change the subject of conversation, for her own sake. “So… do you think this will work?”

Rangi stepped back a moment, briefly caught unguarded. “Oh! You mean with Yun and Nyahitha?”

Kyoshi nodded. She worried for her friend, and how much responsibility he carried. Being the Avatar couldn’t be easy, especially since Yun was struggling to contact his past lives.

“Oh, alright.” Rangi nodded. “I mean, we don’t really know yet. We can only guess how it goes. I believe in Yun, though.”

If there was one thing their friend excelled at, it was doing the impossible. Kyoshi nodded and gathered herself, straightening the folds of her robes. “We should get going, actually. They might be starting soon.”

---

Nyahitha had set up in one of the mansions parlors, and by the time Kyoshi and Rangi entered the room, it had been completely cleared out. The lounges and chairs usually spread across the center of the room had been moved to the sides of the room, making room for a large maroon rug and an array of candles. The shelves and paintings had stayed in their places, but were being covered up by large black sheets of cloth. The curtains had been drawn over the room’s singular window, even though it wouldn’t have cast any light into the room. Surprisingly, the chamber was full of people, from the housestaff scurrying around the room, to Yun’s masters standing around making quiet conversation, to the Avatar himself, sitting on one of the relocated benches. Nyahitha himself was deep into a conversation with Jianzhu, gesturing frustratedly with his hands as he spoke to the Earth Sage.

“What do you mean you don’t know what you want me to do?” Nyahitha snapped as Kyoshi and Rangi approached them, not noticing the other people in the room. “What does the boy need? Did you not consult a spiritual expert at all?”

“Nyahitha, you’re the spiritual expert we’re consulting.” Jianzhu drew his hand over his face, resting it on the bridge of his nose. “Just lead him through some spiritual exercises, I don’t know. Try to get him to connect with his past lives.”

Nyahitha cursed- muttering something about being paid well for his services, before straightening his posture and turning to the room. “Is everyone here?”

Kyoshi joined the rest of Yun’s companions in nodding and muttering affirmations. Nyahitha nodded and turned to look at each person individually before continuing. “Avatar, come over here.”

At the man’s beckoning, Yun stood up and walked towards Nyahitha. “Are we starting soon?” He swayed on his heels in anticipation.

Nyahitha nodded. “Yes.” He turned to Jianzhu. “The exercise will probably go best if it’s just the two of us. We want to clear any distractions.”

Albeit reluctantly, the Earth Sage nodded. “Alright. We’ll clear out the room.” He exchanged glances with Kelsang, Amak, Hei-Ran, and even Kyoshi and Rangi before being the first to leave. Kyoshi took ahold of Rangi’s hand and followed.

Amak, who was the last to exit the parlor-turned-meditation center shut the heavy door behind him, severing Yun and Nyahitha from the rest of the group. They all stood in the hallway, waiting.

“So…” Kyoshi swallowed her fear and was the first to speak. “We’re going to wait until they’re ready?”

Jianzhu nodded. His voice was dry and irritated as he said, “Yes. That’s the point.”

Kyoshi looked to her feet in shame.

“How long is this going to take?” Rangi snapped, only barely managing to keep her anger in check.

Hei-Ran put her hand over her daughter’s shoulder- or rather, shoulder armor. “We don’t exactly know. These things take time, and we need to be patient.”

The space of hallway they all took up fell silent, no one daring to speak up. It could’ve only been a few minutes before the silence was punctured by the sound of the door opening.

Kyoshi turned to see Nyahitha pulling the door open, fresh panic in his eyes. Kyoshi couldn’t see Yun behind the man.

Jianzhu rushed over to help him, only to yell at Nyahitha once he was close enough to do so. “What’s wrong? You- you can’t have connected that easily!”

Nyahitha shook his head, running his spare hand through his perfectly manicured bun. “No… no. We didn’t get anywhere. He’s not the one. Yun isn’t the avatar.”

by firelight

“What do you mean it’s not him.” Jianzhu repeated, though Kyoshi didn’t doubt he had heard Nyahitha the first time.

Nyahitha took his hands away from his hair and straightened his posture. “I told you. It’s not him. He’s just… he’s just a normal earthbender. He isn’t the Avatar.”

Hei-Ran interrupted before Jianzhu could respond, putting her hand over the earthbender’s shoulder. The older woman’s eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing. “How do you know?”

“I can tell! I know what Kuruk’s spirit feels like!” Nyahitha explained, newfound force behind his voice. “Yun isn’t Kuruk’s reincarnation! I can tell!”

Kyoshi glanced at her father, the worry in her own heart painted all over his features. The older airbender stepped forward and put his hand over Nyahitha’s shoulder.

“Nyahitha,” Kelsang spoke slowly and calmly, like he did when Kyoshi was frustrated or afraid. “I knew you and Kuruk shared a… connection, but maybe you’re jumping to conclusions. It can’t be that easy to determine the identity of the Avatar from one meditation session.”

“I concur.” Jianzhu stated. His voice hadn’t grown any less distinguished or profound, despite the circumstances. The earthbender put his hand over Nyahitha’s shoulder- a gesture that would've been seen as supportive if not for the panicked expression on the sage’s face as he removed Jianzhu’s hand.

“I haven’t lost my touch.” Nyahitha spat. “That’s impossible. I know how Kuruk’s spirit flows, how it reacts, what it feels like. That boy is not his reincarnation.”

A deafening silence fell across the small room until Hei-Ran broke it. “Nyahitha, you’ve been retired for almost two decades now. You’re living in- where, North Chung-Ling? Needless to say, you haven’t been the most rooted in the spiritual as you could be-”

Nyahitha threw his hands over his eyes. “At least I haven’t been murdering people like all of you!”

After a moment of pause, Jianzhu drew his hand over his eyes. “Nyahitha, they were Daofei.”

“That doesn’t justify it.” He sent a glare towards Hei-Ran. “Certainly didn’t justify what she did.”

Rangi alternated between looking at her mother and Kyoshi, before uttering a shaking reply. “Mother… what did you do?”

Hei-Ran stalled in responding long enough for Yun to open the other side of the door, standing directly behind his new spiritual teacher. Even from a distance, Kyoshi could see the tears in the corners of the boy’s eyes. “Sage Nyahitha…?”

Nyahitha spun around in shock, almost falling over but managed to brace himself on the doorway. “Y-Yun. You…?”

“I heard everything.” Yun muttered, looking at his feet to avoid eye contact with anyone. “Is… you’re telling the truth, right?”

“I am.” Nyahitha’s voice was soft, especially compared to the glare he sent to Jianzhu. “You… you aren’t the Avatar.”

Kyoshi reached out to touch Yun’s shoulder, even though she couldn’t muster anything to say. She retracted it, though, when he abruptly turned to his teachers. “Wh- what? Was it a lie? Why would you lie to me?”

Jianzhu’s facade lapsed- he turned to Hei-Ran and Kelsang and even the still-silent Amak for support. “We should all sit down for this. It’s… it’s a bit of a long story.”

Wordlessly, they all shuffled into the parlor to speak in an enclosed space. Kyoshi, who ended up being the last to exit the hallway, shut the heavy door behind her before she joined the others in the center of the room. Whatever they were talking about, it needed to be kept behind closed doors.

The room hadn’t changed since the last time Kyoshi had seen it- all the furniture moved to the walls, the floor space occupied by a rug. Instead of moving the chairs back, it seemed everyone was impatient enough to make due on the floor, sitting in a circle around a ring of lit candles- the only light in the room. Kyoshi soon found a seat next to her father, but reconsidered her choice when she noticed it distanced her from Yun. It was too late to move, though, because Nyahitha spoke.

“When we began meditating, I was able to tell there was something off about Yun.” The sage explained, using as little gestures as possible to accentuate his words. “I know the Avatar Spirit- even though it’s been years, it’s still recognizable.”

Rangi cleared her throat. “And, uh, how do you know this?” To her, a military-raised combative bender, Nyahitha must’ve sounded like he was making up words as he said them.

“A lifetime of spiritual training.” The sage responded curtly. “Yun has the spirit of an earthbender- steady, persistent, and powerful, but not the Avatar.”

Yun, who was already sitting improperly, buried his face in his knees.

“Are you certain of this?” Jianzhu pressed the last few words of his question.

Nyahitha nodded. “Fairly. There’s more I could do, but I’m pretty sure you have something to tell us, Architect.”

Jianzhu tensed at the mention of one of his titles and glanced at Kelsang. Kyoshi’s father mirrored the motion, then looked down at his tattooed hands.

“We found Yun in the village of Makapu.” The earth sage explained after clearing his throat. “It’s a small town up on the North-Western peninsula, known for its proximity to Mount Makapu, a small volcano. From what we could tell, he had lived on the streets his entire life, though he possessed a rare skill for Pai Sho. He-”

“He replicated Kuruk’s strategies.” Kelsang interrupted. “Move-for-move. It was impossible, so it had to be him.”

“Indeed.” Jianzhu seconded. “Once we say him earthbend, there was no question of it- the boy was the Avatar. There were too many improbabilities to reconsider it.”

Nyahitha’s brow furrowed. He leaned forward, and the candles closest to him flared up in response to his passive bending. “So that was it? You found one kid with some weird skills and maybe a few coincidences with Kuruk and suddenly now he’s the Avatar? Do you know how many children you’ve qualified for the position now?”

“Nyahitha…” Jianzhu’s voice spelled warning as delicately as he could phrase it.

“Have you lost your minds? Has tradition been cast aside?” Once again, Nyahitha put his hands to his eyes, then to his hair. Kyoshi was surprised his bun had lasted so long, at this rate. “Did none of you think to check with anybody?!”

Jianzhu straightened his posture enough to gain intimidation without actually standing up. “Nyahitha, times were desperate! We hadn’t had an Avatar in fourteen years by that point!”

“And you didn’t have a need for one, after decimating every criminal organization from here to Agna Q’ela.” The sage scoffed.

“Nyahitha…” Hei-Ran cautioned.

“What?” He exclaimed.

After sighing, Jianzhu continued. “The world needed an Avatar, and I took it upon myself to deliver one into its hands. It seemed like the will of the spirits, that we found him at the time we did.”

Nyahitha took a moment to respond. “The spirits didn’t will that you found the wrong kid, I can tell you that much. This is all your fault.”

“I know.” Kelsang murumered. He turned to his student. “Yun, I am so sorry. I can’t apologize enough.

Jianzhu didn’t apologize. “We’re jumping to conclusions, after what- a hunch?”

“Has he ever firebent?” Nyahitha asked. Instead of making eye contact with Jianzhu, he turned to Hei-Ran.

Hei-Ran didn’t respond.

“Hei-Ran, I asked you a question. Has he firebent?”

The headmistress shook her head. “No. He’s never even shown signs of being able to produce flame.”

Nyahitha didn’t respond, his point proven. The room fell into dead silence, save for Yun’s occasional whimper.

“We still aren’t certain yet.” Jianzhu declared, resting his fist on an open palm. “Nyahitha, you said there was something more you could do.”

The sage nodded. “Yes, I can read his energy. Yun, come over here. I need you to lay flat on you back.” Nyahitha got to his knees and gestured to the space in front of him. Yun reluctantly complied, laying with his face to the ceiling before them all, like a dead body on display. He closed his eyes.

“Now, this might feel weird, but it won’t hurt.” Nyahitha said warmly as he guided his hands over Yun’s body, creating delicate paths of flame as he did. It was only as she watched him repeat the process did she notice he was going over Yun’s energy pathways- the same pathways her tattoos symbolized.

After three more passes of fire over Yun’s body, Nyahitha helped the young boy sit up, putting his hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry. You aren’t the Avatar.”

Yun didn’t make any verbal response, but buried his head in his hands.

“Are you certain?” Hei-Ran asked. Her voice was cautious.

Nyahitha nodded. “There’s no better way to be sure than with energy-reading. He isn’t the Avatar.”

Kyoshi looked to her father, who had covered his own eyes to hide, and to Rangi, who looked on the verge of exploding. Neither sight gave her any consolation.

“Are we sure we can trust his judgement?” Rangi sputtered. “I mean- Mother, he-”

“He’s right.” Yun mumbled into his own sleeve. “I’ve never firebent, I’ve never connected with my past lives. I’ve never done anything to prove myself as the Avatar. I’m nothing.”

Kyoshi wanted to walk over the candles and throw her arms around her friend, to cry and plead and tell him that of course, he wasn’t nothing. She wanted to apologize for sins she hadn’t committed. Kyoshi restrained herself.

“So…” Kyoshi dared to ask. “What happens next?”

Instead of providing an answer, Hei-Ran got to her feet and calmly left the room. Jianzhu and Amak (who had remained silent the entire ordeal, somehow) soon followed, as did Rangi, but not without raising the intensity of the candlelight in her fury. Kyoshi reached out to stop her but was caught by the flame, the heat leaving a burn across her hand. She fell backwards, only to be caught by Kelsang.

“Kyoshi, are you alright?” Her father asked, his voice tired and calm.

Kyoshi nodded and sat up. “Yeah. I’m going to go wash up some.”She hesitated before adding. “You should help Yun.”

Kyoshi stayed only long enough to see her father nod before disappearing down the hallway.

---

Kyoshi didn’t follow Jianzhu and Hei-Ran, or even try to find where Rangi had ended up. Instead, she ran aimlessly down the hallway, cutting tight corners and moving fast enough that she didn’t have to think. Somewhere, in the back of her head, a voice reminded her that she was passively using her airbending to increase the speed of her movements, and that she should probably be more careful about running indoors, but she ignored it. Kyoshi’s footsteps were heavy as she passed through the maze of hallways and libraries and art on display, until she reached the room she was looking for- a small closet-like space on the residential floor. It was the washroom she used daily, just a few doors down from her bedroom here at the mansion. Kyoshi didn’t know why she had traveled up a flight of stairs to get to it, but it was too late to reconsider.

After closing the door behind her- Kyoshi hadn’t passed anyone in the hallway but figured it was better to be cautious- she fell to the wall and sighed, letting out the tears she had wanted to cry back in the parlor.

It was wrong. Everything was wrong. If they had all been mistaken about the identity of the Avatar- for years, none the less- there wasn’t any limit to what else could be a lie. She didn’t know what was going to happen next or what was going to happen to Yun or even if she would ever see either of her friends again- they might send Yun back to wherever he was from and Rangi to the Fire Nation and her to the temple as an attempt to cover up the mess. It was as if someone had pulled a thread in the fabric of the world, and now everything else was falling apart, ruining the delicate embroidery they had all spent so long working on.

Kyoshi buried her head in her hands, only to notice the burn across her palm. The red mark served as a brutal reminder of why she was here in the first place. Retrospectively, she probably should’ve seen the healers first.

After a moment’s wait, Kyoshi gathered herself up and moved over to the washbowl. She rolled up her sleeve and rested her injured hand in the still water, letting the chill numb the pain. As she waited for the pain to fully subside, tears welled in her eyes. Kyoshi couldn’t help but collapse over the table as she wept, but for what she couldn’t tell. All she knew was that she needed to pour her emotion into water- into the tears in her eyes and the rain outside and the water around her hand. It was all she could do.

The pain subsided, faster than it should have. Kyoshi opened her eyes to see a thin glove of glowing water, coating her injured hand. The burn itself was nowhere to be found, like she erased it from existence.

Kyoshi instantly recognized what she had done- she had seen the effect on her own wounds time after time, but it had never been of her own making. Now- it was only her here, no healers in sight to fix her. She had done it herself. It was impossible. She had bent water.

brine

Kyoshi stumbled backwards when she realized what she had done, accidentally kicking over the small table and everything on it. The washbowl fell to the floor and shattered, creating a mess of ceramic shard and water all across the wooden floor. Kyoshi retracted from it, moving away from the ruins of her destruction as quickly as she could. She had waterbent. She had waterbent. She, an airbender all her life, a tattooed master raised in the temples, had bent water around her hand and healed herself. It was impossible. It wasn’t even the right element in the cycle.

Kyoshi picked herself up, stabilizing herself on the wall. She avoided stepping on the ceramic- the house-shoes she wore were thin and wouldn’t protect her feet. The water itself had created a puddle on the ground, a sight so simple and common it almost taunted her. She could envision herself imitating the movements of the master waterbenders and pulling the liquid upwards into a bubble, with only a simple, fluid movement of her arm. She had seen it a thousand times, a motion so fundamental of a bending art that wasn’t her own. Except- apparently- it was, because she had just done it.

After staring at the water for a moment, Kyoshi gathered herself, brushing the loose strands of her hair out of her face. She pressed her hands to her throbbing temple, hoping the coolness of her palms would calm her down and make things seem more clear. It didn’t help, all she could see was the glow of the blue that had surrounded her hand.

Reluctantly, Kyoshi left the washroom. No matter how much she wanted to lock herself away in it and hide forever, sitting in a cramped space wasn’t doing her any good. After she had closed the door behind her, she stumbled into the empty hall. There weren’t any house-servants in sight, Jianzhu had most likely called a staff meeting to explain the new situation. That was, if even he had a plan for what was going to happen next.

Due to the storm still raging outside, the hallway was dim, lit mostly by oil lanterns and candles instead of open windows like Kyoshi preferred. It seemed like the hallway was going to close in on her and swallow her hole. She might’ve appreciated the gesture- it might be a better fate than having to tell her new secret.

Who was she going to tell? She couldn’t tell Jianzhu or Hei-Ran or Amak. It would only worsen what Yun was going through and Rangi wouldn’t believe her. There was only one person she could really trust with the information- her father.

Kyoshi had assumed that Kelsang was still with Nyahitha and Yun in the parlor-turned-spiritual abode, and she was right. When she stepped inside, Nyahitha was in the process of extinguishing candles and lighting oil lamps in their wake, while Rangi, who apparently had returned after not getting an answer to whatever question she had begged her mother, paced the length of the rug and muttered to herself. Kelsang had pulled out one of the benches to sit on with Yun. He draped his arm over the boy’s shoulder, just like he always did when Kyoshi was scared and alone.

Even though they had been speaking quietly before, Kelsang and Yun’s conversation fell silent once Kyoshi approached them. Once she was closer, she could see the tear lines running across both their faces.

“Kyoshi…” Kelsang asked. “Are you alright?”

Kyoshi hastily nodded and adjusted the fold of her robes. She hadn’t taken into account how haggard she might look. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” It took all her strength to take in a breath before speaking. “I have… I have something I need to tell you.”

Kelsang’s face went blank. “Oh? What’s wrong?”

By now, both Nyahitha and Rangi had noticed her entrance and were both waiting for Kyoshi’s response.

After a moment of silence, Rangi put her hand over Kyoshi’s shoulder. “Kyoshi, are you alright?” She whispered.

“Did you see the healers?” Yun asked. He must’ve noticed the burn on her hand- or the lack of it.

Kyoshi pulled her hand and held it over her heart, hiding it from everyone else. “I… kind of.”

Kelsang moved over on the bench to allow Kyoshi to sit down. She complied, and buried her face in her hands, only relaxing her shoulders when she felt Kelsang’s arm around her. She leaned into her father’s warm chest, like she did when she was a child. He was warm, and the textured cotton of his robes against her face was like home to her. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was still home, at the temple, and nothing had changed.

“Kyoshi…” Kelsang whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“I- I was going to wash up my burn, but-” She sobbed. Kyoshi hadn’t meant for it all to come out all at once, but it did. “I- I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!”

Kyoshi felt a warm hand over her shoulder- Rangi’s. “Kyoshi…” The girl whispered. “What happened?”

Kyoshi held her breath, scared to say the truth. “I- I think I waterbent. I healed up the burn over my hand.”

“Oh.” Kelsang whispered. “Oh.”

“She- you bent water?” Nyahitha asked. He leaned down so that Kyoshi could see him. “You healed yourself?”

Kyoshi nodded. She could feel the beat of her heart rapidly quickening. “I didn’t- I don’t- I’m an airbender!”

“Are you sure you didn’t…. Heal yourself with airbending?” Yun sputtered.

“Impossible, you can’t heal with air.” Nyahitha declared, turning to Kelsang. “Nobody can.”

Kyoshi’s father nodded slowly. It was affirmation enough. “Kyoshi… are you sure you waterbent?”

“I healed myself!” She lifted her unscathed hand to show everyone. “I- I went to wash up, I didn’t see the healers or anything! I promise!”

“Why didn’t you go to the healers first?” Rangi scoffed.

“I don’t know?!” Kyoshi yelped. “That doesn’t really matter right now!”

“What- what’s going on?” Yun whimpered. “If Kyoshi can waterbend, does that mean-”

“But I’m an airbender.” Kyoshi said. She couldn’t get a statement out of her head. She was an airbender. She was an airbender. The cycle didn’t go air-water-air. It was absurd. There had to be some mistake, an accidental knot woven into the fabric of the world. There had to be.

Kelsang put his hand on Kyoshi’s shoulder- both a gesture of support and a motion to turn her to him. “Kyoshi, please. Look at me.”

Kyoshi nodded and looked at her father.

“We’re going to figure this out, ok? But I need you to stay calm.” He turned to the rest of the group. “I need you to all stay calm. We’re going to go to the Southern Air Temple.”

“All of us?” Yun outburst, looking between Rangi and Nyahitha. “Are you sure?”

“All of us know… whatever we now know, so it’s best if we all go together.” Kelsang replied. “I- I don’t know what else we can do. Maybe the temple abbots will have an answer for us.”

Kyoshi nodded, trying to reassure herself. They were going to go to the temple abbots. The temple abbots would have an answer for them. It would be simple.

“Kelsang.” Nyahitha said, his voice laced with caution. “What’s going to happen to Yun.”

“I don’t know.” Kelsang shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll have to figure that out later. We’re going to have to figure out a lot of things later.”

“So that’s it? We’re all just going to pack our bags and leave Yokoya?” Rangi’s brow furrowed, her armor clanking against itself as she crossed her arms. “We’re going to abandon everything?”

“We have to.” Nyahitha shook his head. “Kyoshi’s an airbender- an air nomad- so it’s only legal that we go to her nation’s leaders about this, whatever it is.”

“And what is it?” Rangi frowned.

Nyahitha hesitated but gave in when he realized he was the one who had the answers. “Well, that’s a bit of a complicated question. We- we don’t really know. There haven’t been any records of people bending two of the four elements. She could be possessed by some kind of spirit, or it could’ve just been a fluke, or a misunderstanding. There have been a lot of spiritual mishaps happening lately. Or…”

“Or?” Yun raised an eyebrow.

“Or, she’s somehow the Avatar.” Nyahitha shrugged. “That one’s the most unlikely of the three, because we’d have to have both an earth- and a fire- Avatar die extremely young for her to even have a chance at lining up with the cycle. As far as we know, the last Avatar was Kuruk.”

As far as they knew. Kyoshi knew her father and his friends had spent almost fifteen years searching for Kuruk's reincarnation. An entire Avatar could’ve been born, lived, and died a young death in that time period and they wouldn't have even known it. In actuality, they didn’t know anything.

“We’re going to figure this out.” Kelsang said. “I promise. The answer will probably be simpler than everything.” He looked to Kyoshi, as if she might burst into a smile and declare it a joke in that minute. She didn’t.

“And what about Sifu?” Yun asked, referring to Jianzhu. “Are we going to tell him?”

“Or my mother?” Rangi added, though with a hesitancy.

Nyahitha and Kelsang exchanged a glance. “I… I don’t know.” The firebender sighed. “I don’t think it’s in our right interest to tell Jianzhu.” He didn’t mention Hei-Ran.

Before anyone could respond, the heavy door opened, letting Hei-Ran in. She quietly dismissed whoever she had been speaking with before and turned to the occupants of the room- all huddled up around Kyoshi.

“What-” Hei-Ran cut herself off by putting her hand to her forehead before she could complete the sentence. “You’re all still here.”

“Mother!” Rangi called out, though she didn’t have a follow-up to her statement.

Kyoshi forced herself to look up at Hei-Ran. Strands of the headmistress’s dark hair had come loose, framing her face. She seemed tired, and kept her hand positioned over her forehead. “Kelsang, what’s happening here?”

Kelsang gathered himself. “Well, allegedly, Kyoshi bent water and healed a small wound on her hand.”

“I didn’t mean to burn her!” Rangi cried just as Kyoshi was professing her own innocence in the matter.

“She what?” Hei-Ran outburst. “And you believe her?”

“Kyoshi doesn’t lie about things.” Kelsang stated blankly. “I believe her.”

“She’s still a child. And-” Hei-Ran buried her eyes in her hand. “Kelsang, if she did waterbend, what does it mean?”

“I don’t know.” Kelsang replied, speaking softly like his words would wake the spirits. “I’m taking Yun and Kyoshi to the Southern Air Temple for safety. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to take Rangi with me as well.”

Hei-Ran sighed through gritted teeth, producing a hesitant hissing sound. “That’s- that’s probably for the best. It’s not safe for Yun here now, so I doubt it will be for any of them. If Jianzhu hears of this....”

“What’s happening with Jianzhu?” Nyahitha asked.

After glancing at the door she had shut, Hei-Ran answered. “He’s lost his temper. I- I don’t know what to do. I think leaving is the best option right now.”

Nyahitha peered out the window, looking behind the heavy curtain. “It’s still storming heavily out. Do you think it’s safe to leave now?”

“Nyahitha, I heard Jianzhu say he was going to kill Yun.” Hei-Ran whispered. Yun flinched at her words and grabbed onto Kelsang. “I’m pretty sure it’s our best option.”

“Alright.” Kelsang nodded and stood up, bringing both Kyoshi and Yun up with him. “We’ll get going now. If we start travelling soon, we should be able to make it by tomorrow morning. If we’re lucky.”

A silence fell across the room until Rangi broke it by taking hold of Kyoshi’s hand. “We should probably go get packed.”

---

In the end, they decided on taking both bison to the Southern Air Temple. It would be wrong to leave one of them behind, and they needed the extra space. Kelsang would ride with Hei-Ran and Rangi on Pengpeng, while Kyoshi took Yun and Nyahitha on Huan.

Unfortunately, it meant it took longer for them to get ready.

Jianzhu’s entrance to the stables was applauded by a clap of thunder and painted by a flash of lightning from outside. In the momentary light, Kyoshi could only make out the man’s silhouette, discerning enough of his shape to see how rain-drenched he was, just like the rest of them.

The earth sage held his hands behind his back as he fully entered the light of the inside, a gesture that served both to make him look polite and to conceal any weapon he might be holding. Despite his uptight posture, it was clear the man had been distressed. Strands of his wiry hair had escaped their perfect placement, dark circled shadowed his bloodshot eyes. Despite everything, he looked like he was trying, desperately trying, to maintain composure.

“Where are you going?” Jianzhu’s voice rang across the stables like the tone of Yokoya’s village gong, no less loud and clear from the rain.

Kelsang, who had been halfway through climbing up Pengpeng to secure the final few sacks of supplies onto her saddle, was the first one to respond. “We’re leaving. Without you.”

Kyoshi looked between Jianzhu, her father, and Yun. Of the two bison, hers was closer to Jianzhu. Yun was on top of Huan’s saddle and had been securing parsels. It wasn’t the most unprotected area, but he was still at risk of attack.

“You can’t leave.” Jianzhu’s face remained neutral. “Where are you going, and why are you taking Yun?”

Kyoshi glanced up at her father, who had dismounted his bison and started approaching Jianzhu. Her gaze followed him until he was only a few feet away from Jianzhu and stopped.

“You dare,” Jianzhu snarled. He had to look up to make eye contact with Kelsang. “You defy my will and order, with a matter as delicate as this one.”

“Yun is a child, Jianzhu!” Kelsang’s deep voice boomed in a way Kyoshi had never heard it before. “He’s a boy!”

Jianzhu’s nostrils flared. “He is my ward. You don’t decide what happens to him or not. This isn’t an Air Nomad matter anymore.”

“Jianzhu, please.” Kelsang whispered. The tones of his voice grew softer, more compassionate. “You know this isn’t right. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I know-”

Kelsang’s sentence was cut off by a sickening, flesh like noise, accompanied by the crude, slicing sounds of earthbending. It was only when Jianzhu lowered his hand did Kyoshi notice he had raised it, bringing up a thin, diagonal pillar of earth that pierced through Kelsang’s body. Kyoshi caught her father before he could hit the ground.

All Kyoshi could do was scream and weep. Behind her eyelids she could see flashes of light threatening to take over, voices accompanying her in her pain, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Through her tears, Kyoshi could make out Nyahitha. The sage had picked up Kelsang and was distributing his weight between the two of them. “Kyoshi. Kyoshi, stay with me.”

Kyoshi looked Nyahitha in the eye and nodded. She couldn’t see where Jianzhu was, or anything behind her immediate sight.

“Good.” Nyahitha said. “I need you to help me get Kelsang onto Huan. Yun, you’re flying.”

Kyoshi could here Yun’s voice faintly, over the echo in her ears. “I am?”

“Yes. For now.” Nyahitha replied as he and Kyoshi climbed up Huan, bringing Kelsang with them. As Kyoshi settled in her bison’s saddle, her vision began to clear and she could see Rangi climbing over Pengpeng’s saddle. She couldn’t make out much more before Yun shouted, “Huan, yip yip!” and she was thrown back from the motion of flight.

bitter cold and bitter truths

The rain beat heavy on the back of Kyoshi’s head as they escaped into the storm. She cradled Kelsang’s body in her arms, praying to anything she could think of that he would live. He had to live.

The spike of earth Jianzhu had lifted had gone straight through Kelsang’s chest. The wound let out a steady flow of blood, pouring onto both his wounds and Kyoshi’s. There was nothing Kyoshi could do but cry and pray and hope that he, somehow, would live.

“Kyoshi!” Nyahitha called out, even though he was only a few feet away from her. Kyoshi looked up to study the man, only barely making out his worried features. “Kyoshi, I need you to focus. Please.”

Kyoshi nodded, though she could barely hear Nyahitha’s voice over the rain. He said something and moved Kelsang off her lap, laying him flat across Huan’s saddle. The older airbender groaned softly at the movement, a small sign of life that made Kyoshi’s heart race.

“Kyoshi.” Nyahitha repeated her name, then took her hands into his. “Kyoshi, I need you to heal him. He won’t make it if you don’t heal him.”

“But-” Kyoshi stammered. She had only healed once, and for all they knew she could’ve been dreaming. She wasn’t a healer.

“Kyoshi…” Nyahitha looked like he was going to continue, but he shook his head and put Kyoshi’s hands over Kelsang’s chest. “You’re the only waterbender we’ve got. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Kyoshi nodded and looked between Kelsang and Nyahitha. She didn’t ask what healing qualifications a fire sage had, it would’ve taken too long to ask.

“Good.” Nyahitha murmured. “I need you to gather some water around his chest to heal the wound. We’re in no lack of water here, so it should be easy.”

“Alright.” Kyoshi shouted to be heard over the rain. She closed her eyes and tried to reach out for the fall of the rain- the water suspended in the air and colliding towards them. To her surprise, she felt it all, as within her grasp as the wind and air. Except- it was all moving. It was moving fast.

“Do I just.. Do I just stop it?” Kyoshi stammered. The water didn’t move like air did. With air, she only had to gently guide the flow. The water in her bending grip flowed slower, with more weight to it.

“Yes.” Nyahitha said. “We need- we need a bubble, of sorts.”

A bubble. That made sense. It was a move basic enough to be her first real attempt at waterbending. Kyoshi focused on the water covering her hands and trailing onto the saddle floor. It soaked all their clothes and mingled with the bloodstains in Kelsang’s robes. With a slow clench of her fists, Kyoshi gathered the water into a bubble hovering just above Kelsang’s chest.

“Good.” Nyahitha said, gently guiding Kyoshi’s hands down, bringing the bubble down with them. “I need you to maintain that bubble for me, alright?”

Kyoshi nodded, keeping the water in place even as it touched Kelsang’s exposed wound. “Ok. I can do that.”

Nyahitha nodded, moving one of Kyoshi’s hands in a circular, spiraling motion. She guided the water with it. “Healing with waterbending can be performed by using the water to guide energy through the body. Kyoshi, I need you to do that. Can you do that?”

Kyoshi opened her eyes to squint at Nyahitha and nod. “Yes. I think I can.” She had to. There wasn’t any other choice.

Nyahitha nodded and continued to guide Kyoshi’s motion. She pulled on the flow of the water, trying to alter the flow of Kelsang’s energy and repair what had been done. It was a simple, repetitive task but one so taxing she had to pour all her energy into it. At one point, Nyahitha let go of her hands, apparently confident she had gotten the hang of the task herself. Kyoshi didn’t open her eyes the entire time, sure that all she would see was rainwater and a reminder of her grief. Almost an hour of silence had passed before Kyoshi felt a hand over her shoulder, the touch stirring her from her healing.

When Kyoshi opened her eyes, she saw Nyahitha, lighting up the small space with a flame in the hand not on her shoulder. They had escaped most of the storm and were now flying through relatively clear skies. Yun had moved from the head of the saddle to central seating to watch her heal, and when Kyoshi wiped away the rain from her eyes, she could see Rangi and Hei-Ran riding Pengpeng in the distance.

Kyoshi immediately turned down to Kelsang- she had broken the bubble of water she had been using to heal and was unsure if she could reform it. “Is he-”

“He’s alright.” Nyahitha whispered. The rain was quiet enough that Kyoshi could actually hear him. “He’s asleep now. You did well. He’ll be proud of you when he wakes up.”

“Th-thank you.” Kyoshi nodded and wiped away water from her eyes. She didn’t know if it was rainwater or tears.

Yun cleared his throat. “Nyahitha.....”

The Sage turned around to face Yun. “What is it?”

“Kyoshi waterbent. She was bending water for a full hour.”

“... She was.” Nyahitha said. His words hit Kyoshi like the sting of a whip. She had waterbent. In the moment it had felt like nothing, a necessary extension of her power to save her father. She hadn’t needed to think about it then, but she did now.

“What’s that mean?” Yun asked, his eyes darting between Nyahitha and Kyoshi.

“I- I don’t know.” Nyahitha confessed. “Well, I do know. But it’s better if we tell the others later.” He let the question sit for a moment. Kyoshi had a bad feeling that she knew what truth Nyahitha did, and it only made her feel worse. If she was the Avatar, well- she didn’t want to think about what that meant. To her relief, Nyahitha seemed as content as she did, because the Sage soon got to his feet.

“Speaking of the others, we need to get them over here.” Nyahitha braced himself on the wall of the saddle. Kyoshi would’ve told him that standing up on a bison saddle was a bad idea, but she suspected he already knew. “There’s been a change of plans.”

At Nyahitha’s call, whichever firebender was flying Pengpeng directed the bison closer to Huan. Kyoshi adjusted Kelsang’s sleeping body so that she could better see the others, and waved at Rangi when she saw her at the front of the saddle. She should’ve known it would’ve been her, she had been the one to teach Rangi how to fly a bison.

“Is Kelsang alright?” Hei-ran shouted over the rain as she leaned towards Huan. She looked like she might fall off, into the frigid ocean below.

“He’s fine, for now.” Nyahitha cupped his hands around his mouth to reply. “Thanks to Kyoshi.”

Rangi’s mother nodded. It took a moment for the truth to set in. “What?”

“Kyoshi managed to waterbend-heal him to stability.” Yun shouted. Even at such a volume, he couldn’t keep the disdain out of his voice.

Another moment of silence passed.

“Oh.” Hei-ran replied. “And- and you all saw her do this?”

“I taught her how.” Nyahitha called back.

“Uh, what are we going to do about this?” Rangi turned around to better face the rest of the group, including her mother. She shot a worried glance at Kyoshi, and Kyoshi wished that she could give her friend a warm embrace.

“We’re going to go to the Southern Water Tribe and figure it out there.” Nyahitha declared. “Kelsang still needs healing, and we’re going to find more waterbenders there than in the Air Temples.”

Kyoshi leaned back against a grain sack, giving into the back pain caused by sitting up so long. They had only just started their journey and had taken their first detour.

Hei-ran seemed to relax at the change of plans, or at least show relief that they had a plan to speak of. She sat back down in Pengpeng’s saddle and adjusted her rain soaked robes. “Alright. Southern Water Tribe it is.”

---

Someone in the Southern Water Tribe must’ve seen their bison approaching, because they were greeted by a party of healers almost immediately after landing. They worked quickly, taking Kelsang away from Kyoshi’s arms only moments after she had climbed down with him. She didn’t have a chance to ask where the healers were taking her father before she was ushered away by a pair of tribesmen, taking her into the women’s ward of the local hospital. Kyoshi could barely make sense of the twists and turns of the building’s hallways, only seeing a blur of blue and white. They led her into a small room of her own- furnished with a bed and a bowl of healing water. It was warmer inside than it was outdoors, but it was still the South Pole. Kyoshi was colder than she had ever been before, but she figured her soaking wet robes factored into her shivering.

The healers- a pair of Water Tribe women a few years older than Kyoshi but much shorter than her- kept asking Kyoshi questions, thankfully only about how she felt. They didn’t ask about where she was running from or what had happened and how Kelsang was already partially healed when he had arrived despite none of them being waterbenders. They let her secret stay kept for only a moment longer.

After helping Kyoshi change into a simple, blue indoor tunic, the healers helped her lay down on the warm bed before applying cool healing water to numb her extremities. They told how lucky she was that she hadn’t ended up more injured, and Kyoshi told them about the old trick airbending masters used to maintain the temperature of the air around them. The women laughed and left the room, telling Kyoshi that they’d check up with her soon. Kyoshi fell asleep before she could hear the door close behind them.

---

The sound of a door opening woke Kyoshi. For a moment she panicked- she didn’t know where she was at first. The room was colder than it ever had gotten at the mansion in Yokoya, and the open window cast harsher, bluer light that refracted in the ice-brick walls. At some in her rest, someone had layered blankets over her sleeping body, keeping her warm but unable to move.

As soon as she had gathered enough consciousness to do so, Kyoshi turned to her visitor. A short, middle-aged water-tribe woman with braided hair stood in the doorway, still talking to whoever she had walked with. Once she had noticed Kyoshi’s staring, though, she made a hasty goodbye and walked fully into the room.

By the time the woman had crossed the room, Kyoshi had pulled most of the fur-lined quilts off her upper torso to sit up. The woman laughed- a hearty, piercing sound- when she got to the bed. “You regained your strength quickly. That day-long nap did you well.”

Kyoshi nodded awkwardly and adjusted the fit of her collar. “Yeah. Uh, I’m-”

“Nun Kyoshi.” The woman answered, offering her hand for Kyoshi to shake it. “I’ve heard from the others about you and your group. I’m Atuat, and I’ve been patching up you and your friends.”

“Thank you.” Kyoshi took Atuat’s hand and put both of hers around it, instead of shaking it. “My- my father, Monk Kelsang. Is he-”

“Monk Kelsang is fine.” Atuat smiled reassuringly. “Thanks to my work, mostly. You all are lucky I was here.” When Kyoshi replied with a blank stare, she explained. “I’m from the northern tribe, but I was visiting a friend here.”

“I’m grateful for it.” Kyoshi smiled. In a world full of disasters, it was relieving to have one positive coincidence.

“Though it’s a bit strange…” The doctor continued. “When I got to your father, Kelsang, he had already been healed to the point of near-stability. It was sloppy work, but still recognizable as healing by waterbending- I, of anyone, should know.”

Kyoshi’s heart started beating so fast the sound echoed in her skull.

Atuat looked Kyoshi in the eye. “And none of you are waterbenders. It’s a mystery.”

“Y-yeah.” Kyoshi stammered. She looked at her hands. “It’s a mystery.”

The tension in Kyoshi’s voice must’ve been palpable, because Atuat reacted to it. “Enough about that, though. Your friends want to talk, they’ve been waiting for you. Are you feeling well enough to walk?”

Kyoshi nodded and pulled the rest of her blankets away from her, exposing her legs and feet to the frigid air. “Yeah, I’m alright.”

Atuat led Kyoshi through the same twisting hospital hallways she had been guided through upon arrival, though they seemed less like a labyrinth and more like normal halls now that she was rested and clear-minded. Within the time of a few minutes, they arrived at a door indistinguishable from every other door in the building.

“Your friends are in there.” Atuat opened the door but didn’t go inside herself. Before Kyoshi had fully entered the space, she felt a touch on her arm. “Good luck.” Atuat smiled dryly.

The room itself was a small parlor, lit with oil-lamps dim enough that Kyoshi couldn’t make out the titles of the books on the walls. Her companions- save for Kelsang- were all seated across the room, sitting in various chairs. The only exception was Nyahitha, who stood near the lamps, as if his very presence was keeping them lit.

When Kyoshi closed the heavy door behind her, Rangi tore her attention from the wooden table and jumped to her feet. Before Kyoshi could react to the sudden motion, she was enveloped into a hug.

“Rangi!” Kyoshi exclaimed, returning the embrace. “You’re alright!”

Rangi stepped away from the hug and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sharp noise of a chair’s movement. Hei-Ran had stood up to greet them both.

“Kyoshi, why don’t you sit down.” The headmistress gestured to the table. Kyoshi nodded and took a seat next to Yun. She didn’t make eye contact with him, wanting to avoid the inevitable for as long as possible. He wasn’t the Avatar, and she had a terrible idea of who it might actually be.

“Nyahitha, sit down.” Hei-Ran said sternly, in the tone of voice Kyoshi suspected was used only for wayward students and, apparently, disgraced fire sages. “The rage you’re brewing is going to burn down the entire tribe.”

“Don’t scold me.” Nyahitha crossed his arms. “Don’t speak to me like I’m your child.”

Kyoshi instinctively sent a glance at Hei-Ran’s actual child before returning her attention to the brewing argument.

Hei-Ran put her hand over her forehead. “Then stop acting like a child.”

“I’m not acting like a child.”

“I can’t believe I forgot how immature you are… how were you ever eligible to be the high sage?”

“I’m not immature! You’re the one bringing up things that stopped being relevant thirteen years ago! Why do you keep bringing up my past?”

“Because your terrible decisions ruined Kuruk and now we’re here.” Hei-Ran barked. Judging by the pallid look on Nyahitha’s face, she had crossed a line.

Nyahitha closed his eyes and tried to assume a calm stance, but the intensity of the lantern-light around him betrayed his emotions. “You ruined Kuruk when you abandoned him.”

“Nyahitha…” Hei-Ran sighed, burying her eyes in her hand. “You know I didn’t love him, not like that.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Nyahitha scoffed, fixating his gaze into the fire to avoid looking at Hei-Ran. Kyoshi turned to Rangi, only to see her emotions reflected on the other girl’s face.

Yun was the first to break the silence. “Nyahitha… what’s happening.”

“Right, everybody’s looking to me for answers.” Nyahitha ran his hands through his hair.

“You are the spiritual expert here.” Rangi added dryly. Nyahitha sent her a glare to shut her up, one she only returned.

“We only have bad news.” Nyahitha explained. He braced himself over the table. “I don’t know how else to preface this. Kyoshi... Kyoshi is the Avatar.”

A silence fell over the room. By now, they had all figured it out in their own right, but it had taken someone else to utter the words for the truth to really set in. She was the Avatar. She was the Avatar. It was impossible.

Yun buried his hands in his face and started to sob. Kyoshi put her hand over his shoulder, but couldn’t say anything to support him.

“What’s- what’s going to happen next?” Rangi dared to ask. “Waterbending? We are in the right nation.”

Kyoshi took in a breath to still the shaking of her body. “I think- I think we should figure out how, first.” She didn’t add how it was just because she wanted to avoid the harsh truth for only a moment longer.

“Right.” Hei-Ran nodded. “The cycle doesn’t go air-water-air, so there has to be some reason behind this. We’ll figure it out.”

“How?” Yun asked. His voice was weak.

Hei-Ran paused before answering. “It’s complicated, but I think I know where we can start- solving the mystery of Kuruk’s death.”

While Kyoshi knew about Yun’s-her- past life, she had never learnt much about his final days. Kelsang never brought it up, and Kyoshi suspected that he simply didn’t like reconciling about his friend’s untimely demise. It wasn’t until she had moved to Yokoya did she learn from Rangi and Yun that the previous Avatar had mysteriously disappeared years ago only to be pronounced dead with no exact death date. Everyone said that it was, without a doubt, a murder, but the perpetrator had never been identified.

“Kuruk’s death…” Nyahitha repeated. “That’s… that’s a fair starting point. Does this mean-”

Hei-Ran took a deep breath. “Yes. This means we’re going to have to find Uki.”

the hunter

“Who’s- who’s Uki?” Yun’s voice wavered as he asked the question.

Hei-Ran took in a breath before responding. “Uki is Kuruk’s younger sister. We haven’t been on good with her terms since her brother’s death, but-”

“Speak for yourself.” Nyahitha scoffed. “You haven’t been on good terms with her.”

“I haven’t been on good terms with her since her brother’s death,” Hei-Ran repeated. “But for the last fifteen years, she’s been trying to solve the mystery of Kuruk’s death. If we need to know what happened to him, she’s the person to ask.”

Rangi nodded. “Alright, that sounds like a good plan. We can find her, explain the situation, and solve the mystery. And then Kyoshi can start learning waterbending.”

Kyoshi flinched at the idea that in the near future she would be learning another element.

“It’s- it’s not that simple.” Hei-Ran sighed. “We don’t know where Uki actually is. She’s been missing for years, we don’t even know if she’s alive.”

“Oh, she’s alive.” Nyahitha said. “At least she was a few months ago. She sends me letters to update me on her... pursuits. The last news I have is that she’s traveling to the Si Wong Desert. Chances are, she’s probably still there.”

“She’s been writing you?!” Hei-Ran jumped to her feet. “And you never told anyone?”

“Excuse me for not telling you everything about my life fifteen years after we stopped talking to each other.” Nyahitha defensively put his hand over his chest. “Uki told me not to tell anyone. I keep my promises. Unlike some people.”

“So, we know where she is.” Yun stated, speaking before Hei-Ran could. “In the desert. We have a plan, we should just go for it. She’s in… the Si Wong desert. It shouldn’t be that hard to find her in… the biggest desert in the world.” The optimism in his voice had faded by the end of his sentence.

“It’s not about finding her, we’re perfectly capable of that.” Nyahitha sighed. “It’s the other things I’m afraid of.”

“Other things like what?” Rangi frowned.

“Other things like I’m afraid she might try to stab your mother.” The sage snapped in response before regaining his composure. “All these years and she’s still got all of her brother’s impulsivity with twice the temper.”

“Are you sure this is the person we should be asking for help?” Kyoshi asked, looking between Hei-Ran and Nyahitha. “If she’s going to react so emotionally, wouldn’t it be better if-”

“No, she’s our only choice.” Nyahitha cut Kyoshi off before she could finish the sentence. “The authorities abandoned Kuruk’s case six months after he died, and once he-” he pointed at Yun, “Was named his successor, nobody thought to think anything of it. Except for Uki. If we’re going to figure out how Kyoshi’s the Avatar, we need to solve Kuruk’s murder. And to do that, we need Uki. She has the… connections we need.”

“Connections?!” Hei-Ran abruptly stood up, leaning over the table. “Care to explain what that means?”

Nyahitha jumped back and raised his hands in the air. “Hei-Ran, I-”

“Don’t-” The headmistress cut him off for a moment, to regain her composure. “Explain, please.”

It took a moment for Nyahitha to gather enough strength to respond. “What I was saying… is that, from what I can tell, Uki has ties to criminal organizations that could be of use to us.”

“She’s a Daofei?!” Hei-Ran cried out. Kyoshi was surprised the room didn’t set itself ablaze, only grow marginally hotter. “Why did you let Kuruk’s sister become a Daofei?!”

“First of all, she’s an adult and can make her own choices.” Nyahitha snapped, his voice raising in volume. “Second, I never said she’s a daofei. I said she had ties.”

“Ties to what?” Hei-Ran slapped the table, punctuating her sentence with a sharp, loud noise. “To criminal organizations?”

The room fell silent, save for the crackle of the fire and Nyahitha’s haggard breaths. “Look.” The sage took in a breath. “Do we want to have an Avatar or not? Because if this is the line, we don’t have to find Uki. We can just live without an Avatar until we all die from falling into spirit chasms!”

Hei-Ran put one hand over her eyes. “Fine. Fine. We’ll find Uki.”

“Good.” Nyahitha gathered his robes and straightened his hair. “It seems we’re all in agreement?”

Kyoshi nodded when she realized a question had been posed. She had more questions, though she suspected no one had an answer to them.

Nyahitha nodded. “Good. Good. I’m going to go find a map of the Si Wong desert. Chances are, we’ll need it.”

The sage had left the room before Kyoshi could ask when they were leaving, so she turned back to the table. Rangi and Hei-Ran were already preparing to leave, so she turned to Yun. When he caught her glance, he buried his face in his hands.

Kyoshi took the seat next to Yun and put her hand over his shoulder, trying to be as supportive as possible. “Yun… I’m…. I’m so sorry.”

Yun wiped the tears from his eyes, only then letting Kyoshi know he had been crying. “I- I just…. None of this makes any sense! It shouldn’t be you! You shouldn’t even have the possibility of it being you!”

“I know.” Was all Kyoshi could say. There was too much wrong about everything. She could only hope that speaking to Uki would bring them all more solace.

“It should’ve been me… it should’ve been me.” Yun repeated, wiping his tears onto his sleeves. Kyoshi almost chided him for staining his fine silk clothes. Almost.

Kyoshi put her hand over her pocket, where the hairpin she bought for Rangi still sat. After all this time, she hadn’t worked up the courage to give it. It would seem like a mockery of everything, a cruel joke about how far they had come. She didn’t want to think about the simplicities of the past, now that the very world had turned on its head. “I’m sorry.” It took all of Kyoshi’s strength to force out the words. She stood up. “I’m- I’m going to go look for my father. I want to check on him before we leave.”

Yun didn’t say anything as she left the room.

---

The door to Kelsang’s room was cracked slightly open, but Kyoshi still knocked, out of habit. A calm, familiar voice replied, “Come in!”, and Kyoshi did so.

The room was small, and of similar design to the one Kyoshi had woken up in, though the window was kept curtained to preserve heat. Kelsang lay out on the bed, still asleep and being attended to by Atuat. From what Kyoshi could tell, he looked better.

Atuat momentarily paused her healing to look up at her patient’s visitor. “Kyoshi! I assume you’re here to-”

Kyoshi nodded before Atuat could finish her sentence and rushed to her father’s side. She cradled Kelsang’s hand in her own and closed her eyes, biting back tears as she whispered prayers to the spirits. He had to make it out ok. He had to.

“He’s going to be alright.” Atuat whispered, putting her hand over Kyoshi’s shoulder. Both the words and the motion surprised her, she wouldn’t have expected the woman to express such compassion to a stranger.

“Are you- are you sure?” Kyoshi whimpered.

Atuat nodded. “He’s been making a steady recovery, and will be back to normal in a few weeks.”

Kyoshi nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. All she could do was keep nodding. He was going to be alright. If she couldn’t focus on anything, she had to focus on that. Her father’s recovery was a constant, steady thing she could keep track of. He would be alright.

---

Nyahitha gathered them all in a circle before they fully entered the tavern. “Alright. This is the place Uki said she would meet us at.”

Kyoshi exchanged a glance with Rangi, then looked over the sage’s head to inspect the Misty Palms Cantina. The building itself was shaped from sand-colored mud brick, and had an olive green tapestry hung over the entryway instead of the door. Ever since they landed on the outskirts of the oasis, their group had been garnering stares from the locals- settlers and sandbenders alike. The glares were bearable, though, at least when compared to the sun beating down on them. Kyoshi didn’t know why anyone would choose to live in the desert. Judging from their reactions, neither did her companions. Yun kept pulling out his shirt to keep cool; Rangi held her hand over her eyes shield them from the sun.

“Now,” Nyahitha continued, straightening his robes. The entire week-long journey, he had explained the situation over again at any chance he got. “When we’re in there, we all need to act calm and confident, but not draw any attention to ourselves. Does everybody understand that?”

Kyoshi nodded- by now, she knew Nyahitha’s worried monologue by heart- but her confidence faded when she glanced over their group. It would be hard to lay low when only one of them looked like they were from the same nation.

Hei-Ran huffed in impatience and stepped in front of Nyahtiha, towards the makeshift door. “Let’s just get this over with.”

After watching the headmistress disappear into the tavern, Kyoshi exchanged a glance with Rangi and Yun, then followed.

The moment she stepped into the indoor room, Kyoshi was confronted by the stiff, still air. When they had been outside, it was easy to enjoy the slight breeze that marginally helped relive the heat, but the wind was absent indoors. The air was so still and the room so dust-filled and dense, Kyoshi wondered how anyone could work in it without loosing their breath.

Thankfully, the tavern wasn’t too crowded. Only a few patrons- most dressed in the loose, beige robes characteristic of this part of the Earth Kingdom- graced the bar and the t*ables. They all seemed to notice the foreigners entering the tavern, and muttered to themselves in a language Kyoshi didn’t recognize.

“Do you need anything?” The bartender briefly paused his work to address them. He spoke with a gruff voice and a heavy accent.

“Yes.” Nyahitha straightened his hair and moved to the front of the group. “We’re looking for a woman named Uki, do you know her?”

The bartender looked over Nyahitha, then nonchalantly gestured to the back of the room. His gesture led Kyoshi’s gaze to one of the back tables, where a singular person sat.

“Thank you.” Nyahitha awkwardly waved, then led the group to the table.

Once they had approached her and taken their seats at the table, Kyoshi could fully take in the woman’s appearance. She was a short, well-built woman in her mid-forties, with brown skin and a familiar, square face. Dressed in loose, neutral-toned robes, the only indication of her water tribe origins were her dark blue eyes, the intricate plaits framing her face, and the bone-carved spear leaning on the wall behind her. She didn’t say a word until everyone had been seated.

“Wow. You actually showed up.” Uki leaned back in her seat. “Good for you all.”

Kyoshi glanced at Uki, then to her companions. The woman returned the motion looking them all over. She hesitated over Kyoshi for a moment too long.

“Are you… Kuruk’s sister?” Yun dared to ask. His voice trembled. For a reason Kyoshi couldn’t decipher, he was afraid of her.

Uki paused to take a sip of her drink. “Yeah. You could say that. And you’re…” She looked Yun over, “You’re the kid, right?”

“In a sense.” Nyahitha put his hand over Yun’s shoulder. “Yun isn’t… actually the Avatar.”

It took a moment for Uki to respond, but she eventually did by letting out a laugh. “Ha! Is that why the gravedigger never let me see him?”

“It’s not- wait, gravedigger?” Yun asked.

“Your beloved ‘mentor’ is a mass murderer,” Uki said, making air quotes as she spoke. “He buried, what was it, five thousand people alive.”

“Those people were Daofei.” Hei-Ran seethed.

“They were still people.” Uki’s brow furrowed as she leaned over the table. “I bet he didn’t know one of their names.”

Hei-Ran glanced over Uki. “And you did?”

Uki didn’t respond but relaxed back in her seat. She took another drink.

Hei-Ran drew her hand over her eyes. “Is this really what you’ve been up to for all these years? Associating with daofei?”

“You know the answer to that, headmistress.” Uki spat.

“What would Kuruk think of you? Have you ever considered that you need to move on?”

“What would he think of me? What would he think of me?” Uki’s voice rose in time with her anger. “You should be asking yourself that. You didn’t even show up at his funeral!”

“I was raising my infant daughter!” Hei-Ran seethed. “Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about that, since you left any family you still have.”

Uki instantly glanced to Rangi, as if she was noticing her presence for the first time. Rangi flinched under the woman’s scrutiny and hunkered down as if she might pounce on her. After a moment of still silence, Uki spoke. “I’m doing this for my family. It’s what Kuruk deserves. Now, tell me why you’re here before I make you leave.”

Nyahitha hesitated before replying, hovering his hand over Kyoshi’s shoulder. “We need your help, and are willing to help you in return.”

Uki looked over Nyahitha. From what Kyoshi could tell, he was the only one she viewed free of scrutiny or disdain, only sadness. Her voice lowered in pitch and volume. “What do you need?”

“It’s confidential, but…” Nyahitha glanced over Kyoshi and Yun. “Kyoshi, here, is….” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “She’s Kuruk’s reincarnation.”

“Oh.” It took Uki a moment to register the sentence. “Wait- what?”

“She… waterbent.” Yun whispered. His voice quivered.

Uki looked up at Kyoshi, studying the details of her face. “You- but that’s impossible. The cycle-”

“I know.” Nyahitha sighed. “That’s why we came to you.”

“Why? Why did you come to me? I’m not- I wouldn’t know anything about this.”

“Because I think Kuruk’s death has something to do with this.” Nyahihta lowered his voice. “If we solve Kuruk’s murder, we might solve this.”

Uki let her gaze return to Kyoshi, but hesitated to respond. “Fine. I’ll help you. For Kuruk’s sake.”