The Rift Part Two

The Rift Part 2 is the second installment of The Rift trilogy. It was released in comic book stores on July 2, 2014, and is scheduled to be released in regular stores on August 1.

Overview
''The members of Team Avatar find themselves up to their necks in trouble as mysterious forces threaten to destroy land sacred to the airbenders. While Aang journeys to the Spirit World for answers, Toph confronts her own past.''

Synopsis
In the Earthen Fire Refinery, Toph Beifong tries to speak to her father, Lao Beifong, who pretends that he has no daughter and asks the Rough Rhinos to escort Avatar Aang and his friends out of the compound. Satoru is also chastised by his uncle for the destruction of the automatized line of production during the earthquake and is asked to make the scared benders come back to work under the threat of being fired. A fight erupts between the mercenaries and Team Avatar, as Aang and Toph do not want to leave before Aang could speak about the placement of the refinery on the Air Nomads' sacred lands and the behavior of Lao Beifong.

During the confrontation, Aang notices that some of the mercenaries are new to the Rough Rhinos, and talking with his opponent, Utor, discovers that some of the members of the group were part of the Fire Nation Army during the Hundred Year War.

After almost being sliced in two by a sixth member, Toph earthbends him into the air. Aang catches the opponent before he can hit the ground, chastising Toph as he did so. The man attempts to stab him, however Aang buries him up to his underarms before he has the chance. He turns to Toph, arguing that she had to be more careful. Toph retorts that she was almost cut in half. Aang tells her that, despite how hard it must have been for her seeing her dad, she had to fight with an inner calm. Toph argues that she is "not one of [his] little acolyte kids", and storms off.

Meanwhile, Sokka and Katara are having their own issues. Sokka's machete is ineffective against Mongke's armor, and he ends up running away, grabbing Katara as he did so. Using the refinery's fences, he runs into a dead-end, luring their opponents, who have jumped on their komodo rhinos. The Southern Water Tribe siblings jump out of the rhino's path, causing the animals to run into the fence separating the river from the rest of the compound. Katara manages to freeze the Rough Rhinos who had followed them.

The Air Acolytes had been versing Ogodei, with Jingbo chasing him down with a forklift. He is reprimanded by Xing Ying and Yee-Li for his violent behavior, giving Ogodei a chance to counter-attack. He wraps the two female Air Acolytes with his metal chain, however he is quickly taken down as Toph appears, untangling the girls and using the chains to trap the Rough Rhino member. Toph has a go at the acolytes, telling them that they had to concentrate on what was happening at that moment instead of "worshiping the past". Aang appears, asking why they had not left, and after a brief discussion, the acolytes manage to convince Aang that they stayed to learn about Air Nomad culture, and want to continue celebrating Yangchen's Festival. Aang asks Toph if she would like to join them, but his offer is shot down.

Aang and the Air Acolytes make their way to a certain tree – the same one in which Aang would eat with Gyatso. When they arrive, they realize it has been cut down. Aang tries to hide his disappointment, optimistically choosing to celebrate in the same spot, which turns out to be inside a restaurant. They enter, and Aang greets the owner, the cabbage merchant, who jumps in the air in surprise. Aang is recognized immediately, and the cabbage merchant is initially reluctant to let Aang remain in the same room as his cabbages. He eventually acquiesces, forcing Aang to order a plate of cabbage cookies in exchange for the acolytes eating their own food inside.

Inside the factory, Satoru is attempting to catch up on the lost work, however the benders are finding it hard to concentrate. Toph breaks through a wall, demanding to talk to her father. She storms through the factory towards Lao's office.