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Opening[]
Air. Water. Earth. Fire.
After a long, fulfilled and yet exhausting life, Avatar Korra passed, being succeeded by Sari of the Earth Kingdom, who died early and didn't play a role in history.
The current Avatar is Asura of the Fire Nation, who mastered the elements quickly.
Although she thought she would never play an important role in history, she was proven wrong when the black ships arrived. The first one came in peace, but all the following carried a deadly load: WAR.
A war even the Avatar and her allies can barely end, one that threatens to consume the worlds involved.
And the question everyone asks is: Will there still be a world, a mankind to save?
Previously in Avatar: The War of the Worlds[]
Once again, the Fire Nation's attacks on Ba Sing Se heat up again, while their ground troops and the Dai Li make their final preparations for battle.
A quiet morning[]
Asura opened her tired eyes for the first time on this day. Only seconds later, she wanted to go back to sleep but found it impossible due to the noise the rebuilding in the Lower Ring caused, so she laid in her bed and stared at the ceiling, and fell asleep once again, until, however, a ray of light hit her face when the sun rose over the mighty walls of Ba Sing Se. She cringed a little, before she stretched yawning and got on her feet, when she took the calendar she had put on her beside locker, and found out which day it was. It was the first of September, the day the Hundred Year War had begun and ended, and as well the day of her birth. After she had put on her robe-like clothes and somewhat arranged her hair in a topknot, she stumbled down the stairs into the living room. The first thing she caught sight of was the clock. It was six a.m. and she was already awake, but much more surprising was that Mike was sitting at the table, reading a local newspaper, and drinking tea.
"Got up very early, strolled 'round a little and got a newspaper and some tea... the tea shop was called Jasmine Dragon... and run by Fire Nation citizens! Outrageous!", he explained without a trace of tiredness, ending the sentence with a snicker.
Baffled, Asura stared at him and, as well, felt crimson colour rushing to her cheeks for a reason unknown to her, until realisation struck her: it also was his birthday!
"Why? Isn't it your birthday... ?"
"Which reminds me that it is yours, too! I've got a present for you as the Avatar, but you've got to wait... "
"...and what would that be?"
"Some spiritual stuff, nothing special... "
Asura decided to sit down as well and eat from what the Grand Admiral had prepared, before she took a sip of caffeine-containing tea. He pupils widened as her tiredness ceased to exist. The two kept talking for what seemed to be hours, but soon were interrupted by the Avatar's brother, who, surprised at the sight of Mike sitting at the table, muttered under his breath as he made his breakfast. When he had seated himself in the - meanwhile relatively narrow - gap between Mike and Asura, he said, sounding a little crazy, "That's one quiet morning... It's too quiet!"
Asura and Mike leaned forward to restore eye contact and both simultaneously rose an eyebrow, as Mike said, "Uh, yes? Why do you even mention it? Enjoy it!"
"Can't. Something's coming up!"
"Yes, I know, a battle, but that's always like this: before a storm, there is calm, no matter how long it lasts. Just enjoy the calm."
Zolu, who seemingly had struggled to put on his uniform properly, sighed before he, too, sipped from the tea he had taken. After a few minutes, all seven of them had taken seats around the low table, sitting cross-legged. The last one to arrive was Malu, whose shoulder-length curly hair seemed to become messier every day, and Shen-Lin, who was, besides Mike, the only one who managed to put on her clothes, a Kyoshi-Warrior uniform and, above that, an emerald cloak, properly, as well as her hair which she wore in a queue. Even after more than one hour, the seven were still talking about trivial topics, such as Mike's multilingualism, or happenings in their childhood. This was when the conversation died down until Zolu mentioned, "Oh, I almost forgot: it's my sister's birthday!"
The sentence was said with a whiff of sarcasm, but no one cared. Asura blushed as she wanted to convince them that Mike's birthday was more important than hers, but all, except Shen-Lin and Mike, who kept completely calm, boisterously wished her a happy birthday, as Mike guided her outside to show her the present he had found for her - the quiet morning was over.
The Temple[]
The group of seven walked the streets of the Upper Ring to one of its more natural areas.
"Y'know, I've got this idea when I talked to Malu about this whole Avatar-stuff... At first I wanted to ask Zolu about it, but he just didn't want to talk about it... So here we are. So I thought, what would be a good present for someone who has to maintain balance in the... Well, Galaxy I guess, what could be a matching present... And the answer is, though I myself don't believe in the whole stuff, a temple! And here in Ba Sing Se is one!", Mike explained how he had come to bestow time in a temple upon her. Asura shook her head as they arrived, surrounded by a small park, before a huge pagoda-like structure which housed a meditation chamber and sacred relics of all four nations, such as, for example, spirit water from the North Pole. It was emerald, gold and white of colour, and the reflected light of the late summer sun were blinding. On its bottom, a door was visible and revealed a dark inside, lit by a few rays of sunlight coming through narrow grooves in the ceiling and green luminescent crystals positioned around the walls. Stelae were positioned below the crystals bearing a chest each, in which were relics of the four nations, the nation which was its origin symbolised by the nation's insignia on the stele. In the building's back was a small circular chamber, which was chalked up as Meditation Chamber. The Team filled the room and took a look at each of the relics, but on one special one they, especially Kiruya and Asura, took a very close look. Inside the old wooden box rested a glass amulet of blue colour, a string of leather making it possible to wear the amulet around the neck. With the caution of an archaeologist, Kiruya hove the small relic out of its container, and spoke, full of awe, "This is the legendary amulet that contained the spirit water with which Avatar Aang was healed... more than two-hundred years ago. And they refilled it, possibly even with spirit water!"
"Oh yes, legendary, because it's nothing more than a legend. Now could we focus on why I've brought you all, especially Asura, here?", Mike yawned.
"Shut up! This is history! And yes, I will focus on it later. It's my birthday, moron!", Asura exclaimed, but heard Mike muttering, "As it is mine!"
Kiruya put the amulet back into the box she had taken it from, and the others went around in the room, but she only let herself pull away from it. She wanted it, no, needed it, though the reason was unbeknownst to her.
"So, oh great master, why are we here?", Asura asked more bored than curious.
"Well, I believe the Avatar is not only to guard this world, but to guard the galaxy, or even more. I mean, save for religious ones, there are no records of anything similar in the whole Galaxy, and it consists of around a hundred billion stars and a similar number of planets. Oh, and the Avatar thing is proven to be able to interact with... dead, with his or her previous lives. And to maintain peace, or restore it, in the whole Galaxy is an enormous task, there are a few hundreds of planets like this one, some even bigger. And then, there are a few thousand ones that are inhabit but artificially changed to become habitable... a few thousands of planets, all of the size of this one, or even bigger. How many people live on this planet? Two, maybe three billion? Then human population would be somewhere around twenty billion, and that is just a fraction of the Galaxy's population. Try to comprehend this. And if a planet can't be at peace forever, a Galaxy can be even less. Just try to comprehend this. If my assumption is true, you have to guide and guard... 'round three-hundred billion people, three-hundred billion sentient creatures, or even more, in this Galaxy. Comprehend it."
Asura and everyone else had fallen silent as Mike had talked. Asura looked at Mike in disbelief, asking, "Are you kidding me?"
"No. Even I have only seen a fraction of the Galaxy, and I've seen so much of it... "
Asura still didn't want to believe the fact she had to serve, to guide and to guard the Galaxy, whatever that was. Three-hundred billion people. Thousands of worlds like this one, or even bigger. This sole world alone was more than enough. Tears formed in her eyes. She didn't know what to do, or how to. She felt utter helplessness and powerlessness and, for the first time in her life, needed advice. Advice from someone who knew what she was talking about. She needed to talk to one of her previous lives.
Contact[]
Cross legged, Asura had positioned herself in the meditation chamber's centre, held her fists together and closed her eyes. She had done this only once when she struggled to waterbend, and to calm her down back then. It was something different this time. She held a pendant of the Air Nomads with the symbols of each element, her hand resting at the symbol of fire. She forced herself to ignore everything she sensed, even the slightest vibration, even to forget it. Soon, she saw rays of bright blue light and ignored even these. When she had done that, she had to assert that, much to her dismay, she had to begin anew as she sensed everything just as before. After a second attempt, she reopened her eyes. She still was in the chamber, but was visible only as a blueish ghost, or spirit. She turned the pendant to earth and focused on calling the Avatar before her for help, Sari. Said Avatar had put her personal goals over her duties, and had been punished for it with a short life of only eighteen years. The girl garbed in green and tan appeared before her in the form of a cross-legged sitting, blueish spirit. Asura, however, saw her previous life in the true colours she had had when she had been alive. Brown hair was bound in a wide topknot, tanned skin visible beneath it, and a simple green dress with a rough tan tunic above marked her as a peasant, even when she had been in Republic City. Asura wondered how she had done it, how she had contacted her previous life, but little did it matter, more mattered it that she had done it. The previous Avatar cleared her throat.
"I didn't think someone would ask me for guidance... What is your need, Asura?"
Asura looked down, thinking of a way to answer the question, but Sari spoke first.
"You have troubles coping with the dimension of your responsibilities?"
Asura only nodded, as Sari continued.
"I only have one piece of advice: don't run from them. Your duty to the world is all that counts. Don't run from them like me!"
Before she had the chance to speak to her previous life once more, Sari faded and Asura sat there like before. She sighed and prepared herself for a talk with Korra. After a few minutes, Asura was visible as a blue ethereal figure again, and from that, the figure of Korra merged. The blue-clothed Avatar across her watched Asura with patient eyes that had seen the Equalists, a Spirit World invasion, famines, civil wars, et cetera, but certainly not the thing Asura had to deal with. Gathering her courage, Asura spoke first.
"Avatar Korra, I have called you for guidance. I know that every Avatar was somewhat shocked at the immense responsibility they had, but mine is... impossible to bear. I don't think I can do it."
Korra stared into Asura's eyes, which made Asura feel uncomfortable, but then the Water Tribe Avatar began.
"Your responsibilities are the same as mine, Aang's, Roku's and so on. Only that you were the first to realise their extent. I too realised it, but you want to know when? On my deathbed. I could do nothing to guide Sari, but I won't fail you. My advice for you is: there might be, no, are allies everywhere you go. Don't forget this!"
Asura watched the spirit and had listened her, but still, she wasn't satisfied.
"That didn't answer my questions!"
"No, it didn't. But it made the result you wish easier to reach."
With those final words, Korra faded just as Sari had. Asura looked around and found that the only source of light left were the crystals, and so she decided to get back to their house and go to bed.
Asura found herself in a forest. She looked around and saw that she was on a narrow path that led from deep swamps to a mountain, to which she felt herself drawn. She walked and soon, the trees became fewer of number, and made room for rocks and boulders that laid around. Around the mountain's foot, no tree grew, and only a few bushes, as well as yellowish tan grass. The mountain itself was more a needle of rock that rose high into the sky. She tried to ease her climb, though it was by no means exhausting, but it took her too long. However, she had no avail in doing so, and had to climb up normally. When she had climbed above the thick layers of mist that covered the skies, she caught sight of a gigantic tree that was upside down, and whose sight made her shiver. She turned her head back to the mountain and climbed. Wherever she was, the concept of time did exist only barely, and after what could have been an eternity and a second alike, she had reached the mountain's top. There sat a man clad in yellow and orange robes, a light blue arrow visible on his shaven head. He sat cross-legged, as if to meditate. Asura didn't dare to disturb the Air Nomad Avatar, but then the latter spoke, completely calm, "Avatar Asura, I've been expecting you, or rather have I dragged you here."
Asura looked around and whispered the obvious, "The Spirit World, of course... "
The Air Nomad rose to his feet and faced his most recent successor.
"And I am Avatar Aang, as you might have guessed. I heard of your struggles from my direct successor, Korra, and decided to help you as much as I can."
Asura looked at the infamous Avatar and immediately asked, "And what guidance can you offer?"
The Air Nomad looked the current Avatar into the eyes and began a little speech.
"All my previous lives said that I would have to kill Fire Lord Ozai back then. But I handled it my way. I only took his bending. Now you face a greater war and greater responsibilities, and you have to do it your way. My advice is: believe in yourself. No one else had face challenges like you before, you're a pioneer, just like I was. Do it your way."
Asura was fed up, she hated the little advice her previous lives gave her. So she screamed out, loud enough to be heard within ten kilometres.
"That isn't helping very much dammit! Can't you simply answer my question, the how?"
Aang looked shocked, as much as it was possible for the spirit of a dead Avatar, and fell completely silent. After hours had passed, or possibly only seconds, he cleared his throat.
"There is, as far as I know, one Avatar who can answer this question properly. The first. When you return to the Mortal World, contact said incarnation as soon as possible. It isn't easy, it is pure torture, but it's worth it. Farewell."
Asura woke up again and breathed heavily, knowing that her trip to the Spirit World hadn't been a dream. A knock on the door could be heard. That was when Asura found out she had slept only in her underwear, and clothed herself swiftly before she opened the door. With worry written all over his face, Mike stood there.
"First you come home from contacting your previous lives at midnight, and then you sleep till noon... What's happened?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just a trip to the Spirit World to visit another previous life and - Wait, you believe in it?"
"No, not really. Anyway, you wanna eat something?"
Asura nodded and stormed down the stairs to eat as soon as possible.
Another. The next one was an Earth Kingdom one. She moved her hands as fast as possible to the water symbol, and the next Avatar appeared before her. A young boy who had died before he was revealed to be the Avatar. The next was an Air Nomad girl, who as well had died early, but had mastered the four elements before. When she moved on to fire, the pain slowly became unbearable. She looked deep within herself, and found so many. She had passed hundreds of Avatars, and each next one took more time. She moved on to earth. Sweat gathered on her forehead and she grimaced, only seconds away from crying because of the pain. Water. The cry was silent, but that changed when she moved on. Air. Mike, who had been standing guard, moved to her side and laid his hand at her shoulder to ease her pain, but did it little to silence her screams. Fire. The boxes vibrated as she did everything not to experience the pain. Earth. Several small cracks appeared in the walls and the ground as she cringed. Water. Small pieces of rock fell off the ceiling, were burned and crashed into the walls as she tried to ease the pain by bending. Mike had already taken to his heels before Asura moved on for what she hoped to be the last time. The building shook at the audibility of her cry, the ceiling was on the verge of collapsing, before the Air Nomad man appeared before her. He was the first, had to be. He wore a red cloak and an orange cape over his yellow tunic, a similar pendant like the one Asura was using hanging around his neck. Asura erected herself before she spoke, "I've done it... I contacted the First!"
Her previous life in front of her shook his head and spoke clearly, "I must beg pardon, not yet. The first of us was a friend of my parents. She was quite of no nation, though fire was her native element... Avatar Asura, the guidance you seek is only one step afar."
Asura looked at the Air Nomad in utter disbelief before she readied herself for the last step. Mike laid both his hands at her shoulders, and she moved to the next symbol the pendant bore. Fire. A girl in her early twenties appeared, armed with two short swords, in a modified armour and a simple outworn red tunic. Her dark brown hair ran down her back in two queues and her light brown eyes could only watch in pity as Asura cringed on the floor, winced of pain, and puled, seeking an end of the pain. After a minute, Asura had set herself upright again, and was ready to talk to the First.
Notes and Trivia[]
- The first Avatar will be featured in my upcoming fanon The Prophecy. I guess I should've written it before I started writing A:TWotW...
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