Post by Ming Ue on Oct 27, 2008 22:01:42 GMT -5
Book 4: Jiāng lái: The Future ( 將來)
Chapter Ten: The Spirit World
Silence echoed throughout the land as every spirit, good and evil, stood silent. The temple of Akasha was alit with spiritual energy signaling that the Great Spirit had entered her sanctum.
Kyoshi, Roku, Yangchen and Kuruk all looked at the scene with a sense of confusion and awe.
“I wonder what has occurred for Akasha to appear,” Kuruk pondered as the temple’s glow grew brighter.
“There must be something wrong with the balance in the human world,” Kyoshi said calmly.
Roku frowned, if there was a problem with the balance then that means there was something wrong with Aang.
Yangchen took a step towards the glow. “It is the Avatar Cycle,” she said bluntly. “I am sure of it.”
The other Avatars looked at the Airbender with a hit of worry.
“Something happen to that cue ball Aang? He’s probably worried about killing a fly.” Kyoshi asked trying to hide her unease with a joke.
Yangchen however didn’t even notice the joke. “No, Aang is fine, but I know it has to do with the Avatar Cycle, with the Air Nomads.”
The temple of Akasha was a lush place, filled with the green grass of Earth. Flowers and trees bloomed freely and untouched by any negative force. In the center of the room was a stone throne with the symbols of the elements engraved around it. A freshly lit green candle with the symbol of Akasha, a void, was placed beside the throne.
A male figure paced on the stone pavement. The man had a smoking matchstick in his hand, tucking it behind his back.
Dressed in robes of an Air Nomad, the spirit of the Air waited for the arrival of his other companions.
Letting out a sigh his grey eyes darted towards the door, before turning back to the candle looked at the candle. “Where are they?”
As soon as he uttered those words the temple door burst open and four figures entered. One, a male with black hair and gold eyes, let out a snort as he saw the Air Spirit standing with the smoking wick.
“I told you so Bhuma,” he said to the green-eyed woman standing beside him. “Only Kaze would summon Akasha so soon after our last meeting.”
Kaze frowned and took a challenging step forward. “Is that a problem, Agni?”
Agni smirked and took an equal step towards Kaze, crossing his arms smugly.
“Would you like to make it one?”
Bhuma had a wicked grin on her face, eager for some entertainment. Tui, on the other hand, sighed and came between the two spirits.
“Come now, Agni,” he said. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Yes,” Yue agreed stepping next to her spirit-mate. “After all Kaze would not call the Great Spirit here without a good reason. Right Kaze?”
Kaze nodded in response. “I have information that concerns the Avatar Cycle.”
The annoyed spirit of the Earth summoned her stone throne and set down with a thump.
“Well the let’s get on with it,” she stated. “Some of us have more important things to worry about than the Avatar State and how it’ll affect humans.”
Yue frowned at that comment and turned to Bhuma slightly appalled. “How can you not care? You are the spiritual guardian of the element Earth, the guardian of all Earthbenders.”
“Yes and they almost all bore me,” Bhuma said frankly. “Only a few individuals a lifetime have been worthy of calling themselves Earthbenders. The rest are simply rock-chuckers.”
Agni chuckled and took his seat beside Bhuma. “Not to mention with the war finished, they aren’t even good for a bit of entertainment.”
“That war was barbaric!” Kaze yelled at the Fire Spirit. “Countless people died as a result of your people!”
“Humans at their purest nature, Kaze. Besides, it’s not my fault that the people of the Fire Nation are spirited,” Agni commented smugly causing a laugh from Bhuma.
Tui, like Kaze, was not amused by any glorification of the war. “You seem to have forgotten that not only human’s lost people in that damned war.”
All eyes turned towards Yue, the new Moon Spirit. Since her arrival, even spirits saw how badly Sozin’s War had become. For a spirit to be killed purposely by humans, just for a victory, showed just how far mortals had fallen. Yue served as a constant reminder of human greed. Even though she had all of La’s thoughts and memories, she could never and would never, replace the true Moon Spirit.
Feeling their gaze Yue flushed and tilted her eyes to the floor.
Kaze placed a kind hand on her shoulder before turning to his fellow spirits. “We will lose even more if something is not done to correct the Avatar Cycle.”
“And what, Kaze, is wrong with the Avatar Cycle?” asked a voice from behind them.
Beside the candle stood an old woman dressed in black. Her grey hair flowed down to meet her knees. The five spirits bowed deeply in respect.
“Akasha, the Great Spirit,” they said in unison.
The ancient spirit bowed her head and motioned from them to rise. Turning her gaze towards Kaze, she waited for him to speak.
“Great Akasha,” Kaze spoke politely. “The Avatar Cycle is damaged. It may even be beyond repair, unless we act soon.”
“Why do you think this?” the woman asked. “I thought we already soothed your nerves on this issue?”
Bhuma quickly leaned close to Agni. “Here comes the monologue,” she whispered with an annoyed groan.
“As I brought up in the last meeting, now that the Air Nomads are gone –with the exception of Aang- there is no longer a balance within the Avatar Cycle.”
“Yes,” Agni cut in, “but as we brought up in the last meeting, Aang can simply have Air Nomad children with the Water Tribe girl is he is besotted with.”
Kaze glared at the Fire Spirit with annoyance. “Correct but I mentioned then, that there would not be any guarantee that they would produce Air Nomad children. However, now there is no way at all for them to have children.”
“Why is that?” asked Akasha.
“Aang is sterile,” Kaze stated bluntly.
That statement sent a slight shock throughout the others. Aang have Air Nomad children had always been the plan for returning balance. No one had ever considered that he couldn’t have children.
Yue looked at Kaze curiously. “How do you even know this?”
“After our last meeting I sent Kangimo to actually see what would happen if Katara and Aang reproduced. When she returned she informed me that Aang was not able to produce children.”
Akasha was silent and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened she spoke.
“What was your plan to fix this Kaze?”
“Like I said last time, we should create new…”
“No!” the Great Spirit exclaimed sharply. “We will not create anymore Air Nomads. Interfering with the current order will cause even more problems.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kaze stated. “Spirits interfere with the human world all the time with hardly any repercussions.”
“Really?” Akasha questioned coldly. “Maybe you have forgotten why we created the Avatar in the first place?”
Kaze’s eyes dropped to the floor, embarrassed. “No, I have not.”
“Then you remember how the spirits used humans for their own sick pleasures? Rape, slavery, torture along with a multitude of other ills was common. Did I not tell you, I would never allow spiritual interference at a large level ever again?”
“Yes, but what I’m suggesting is not negative. Koh…”
“Koh is nothing!” Akasha yelled. The temple started shaking slightly expressing her anger for all to see. “The tricks he pulls affect next to nobody. He has already been punished for any larger crimes. What you are suggesting is on a global scale. Negative or no, I will not allow it.”
“Then what about the Avatar Cycle?” Kaze pleaded.
Akasha let out a dark sigh. “When it is time for the Avatar Spirit to move on from Fire to Air, I will remove Air from the cycle. Permanently.
Kaze’s face turned white at this statement. Akasha knew what it meant to remove Air from the cycle. All the spirits of Air Nomad Avatars would be destroyed. Their existence wiped out, all their knowledge and experience would vanish like a distant thought.
Before he could speak against this Akasha raised her hand to silence him.
“I know what will happen, so there is no need to remind me. I have thought it over before and I understand the consequence. I will not risk global disruption because a group of people were too weak. That was a human fault and humans will deal with the effect.” Her brown eyes pierced into Kaze’s grey ones. “You are dismissed.”
Kaze sat in his temple with a grim expression. Through a mirror on his wall, the spirit of Air watched the young Avatar racing against his Earthbending companion. Another girl, a non-bender, watched the match cheering on the Avatar. As the Avatar’s face lit up with happiness, Kaze couldn’t help but envy the boy. Ignorance was definitely bliss.
“He does not even know that he has destroyed his people,” Kaze said sadly.
“I’m surprised you care so much,” said a soft voice from behind him.
He turned to see Yue standing in the doorway with a kind smile. The Moon Spirit walked and stood next to Kaze.
“Why wouldn’t I care?” Kaze asked. “They are my people.”
“True, but even my…husband, why once loved his people, now loathes many of them.”
“Well, Tu is one of the very few spirits to actually be in love. When the real La died, he lost a piece of himself. You should know what that is like Yue.”
The Moon Spirit nodded as her thoughts turned to Sokka. Her first love, her only love.
“I do Lord Kaze, but I also know that you must not hold onto the past or it will only bring you down.”
“Oh?” Kaze asked curiously. “So you were fine when your love went flying into the arms of another woman?”
Yue blinked at that comment before breaking into a soft laughter. “You really have never been in love, Lord Kaze,” she stated through giggles.
The grey eyed man frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that when I,” she paused to search for a word, but only one fit, “died, Sokka was broken. How could I hate a woman who fixed him? I was happy when I felt the love re-enter his heart with Suki. She was a friend to me for loving him, a best friend even. When she died I grieved for her deeply.”
Yue turned to walk away from Kaze, but turned to the Air Spirit. “Love, Lord Kaze, is being happy for those you love, even if you’re not the cause of their happiness.”
As the woman left Kaze turned back to the image of the Avatar and his companions, Yue’s words sticking to him. His eyes flickered to the one called Meng. She loved the avatar, would she be happy if he was happy?
Suki looked down into the water, looking at the image of Sokka walking through the arctic tundra of the Southern Water Tribe. Her beloved’s once gentle blue-eyes were darkened with grief and pain. Both of which, she was the cause.
“Sokka is still in the Tundra?” Yue asked as she appeared beside Suki.
The dark-haired girl nodded. “It’s been a week and he still hasn’t left.”
Yue sighed and collected her dress to sit next to her friend. “Then I also suppose the girl we sent from him was also not up to par?”
“Sokka barley looked at her,” Suki said. “I had hoped for awhile that Toph might still hold a flame for him, but she no longer cares for men.”
“Well maybe for now we should just leave it up to fate,” Yue suggested. “After all our poking and prodding might be a distraction.”
“I suppose, plus there is something else I have been concerned about.”
“What?” Yue asked.
Suki dipped her finger into the water. The ripple removed the image of Sokka and Razia Zetian’s face appeared.
“I’m not sure how I know her, but she seems so familiar.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“At this moment…I don’t know.”
A/N: I think this is the shortest chapter I’ve written in awhile. However, I tried to put a lot of information into it.
Also, I will try my best to have a chapter published every two weeks.
Hope you enjoyed.
M.U/A.L
Chapter Ten: The Spirit World
Silence echoed throughout the land as every spirit, good and evil, stood silent. The temple of Akasha was alit with spiritual energy signaling that the Great Spirit had entered her sanctum.
Kyoshi, Roku, Yangchen and Kuruk all looked at the scene with a sense of confusion and awe.
“I wonder what has occurred for Akasha to appear,” Kuruk pondered as the temple’s glow grew brighter.
“There must be something wrong with the balance in the human world,” Kyoshi said calmly.
Roku frowned, if there was a problem with the balance then that means there was something wrong with Aang.
Yangchen took a step towards the glow. “It is the Avatar Cycle,” she said bluntly. “I am sure of it.”
The other Avatars looked at the Airbender with a hit of worry.
“Something happen to that cue ball Aang? He’s probably worried about killing a fly.” Kyoshi asked trying to hide her unease with a joke.
Yangchen however didn’t even notice the joke. “No, Aang is fine, but I know it has to do with the Avatar Cycle, with the Air Nomads.”
The temple of Akasha was a lush place, filled with the green grass of Earth. Flowers and trees bloomed freely and untouched by any negative force. In the center of the room was a stone throne with the symbols of the elements engraved around it. A freshly lit green candle with the symbol of Akasha, a void, was placed beside the throne.
A male figure paced on the stone pavement. The man had a smoking matchstick in his hand, tucking it behind his back.
Dressed in robes of an Air Nomad, the spirit of the Air waited for the arrival of his other companions.
Letting out a sigh his grey eyes darted towards the door, before turning back to the candle looked at the candle. “Where are they?”
As soon as he uttered those words the temple door burst open and four figures entered. One, a male with black hair and gold eyes, let out a snort as he saw the Air Spirit standing with the smoking wick.
“I told you so Bhuma,” he said to the green-eyed woman standing beside him. “Only Kaze would summon Akasha so soon after our last meeting.”
Kaze frowned and took a challenging step forward. “Is that a problem, Agni?”
Agni smirked and took an equal step towards Kaze, crossing his arms smugly.
“Would you like to make it one?”
Bhuma had a wicked grin on her face, eager for some entertainment. Tui, on the other hand, sighed and came between the two spirits.
“Come now, Agni,” he said. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Yes,” Yue agreed stepping next to her spirit-mate. “After all Kaze would not call the Great Spirit here without a good reason. Right Kaze?”
Kaze nodded in response. “I have information that concerns the Avatar Cycle.”
The annoyed spirit of the Earth summoned her stone throne and set down with a thump.
“Well the let’s get on with it,” she stated. “Some of us have more important things to worry about than the Avatar State and how it’ll affect humans.”
Yue frowned at that comment and turned to Bhuma slightly appalled. “How can you not care? You are the spiritual guardian of the element Earth, the guardian of all Earthbenders.”
“Yes and they almost all bore me,” Bhuma said frankly. “Only a few individuals a lifetime have been worthy of calling themselves Earthbenders. The rest are simply rock-chuckers.”
Agni chuckled and took his seat beside Bhuma. “Not to mention with the war finished, they aren’t even good for a bit of entertainment.”
“That war was barbaric!” Kaze yelled at the Fire Spirit. “Countless people died as a result of your people!”
“Humans at their purest nature, Kaze. Besides, it’s not my fault that the people of the Fire Nation are spirited,” Agni commented smugly causing a laugh from Bhuma.
Tui, like Kaze, was not amused by any glorification of the war. “You seem to have forgotten that not only human’s lost people in that damned war.”
All eyes turned towards Yue, the new Moon Spirit. Since her arrival, even spirits saw how badly Sozin’s War had become. For a spirit to be killed purposely by humans, just for a victory, showed just how far mortals had fallen. Yue served as a constant reminder of human greed. Even though she had all of La’s thoughts and memories, she could never and would never, replace the true Moon Spirit.
Feeling their gaze Yue flushed and tilted her eyes to the floor.
Kaze placed a kind hand on her shoulder before turning to his fellow spirits. “We will lose even more if something is not done to correct the Avatar Cycle.”
“And what, Kaze, is wrong with the Avatar Cycle?” asked a voice from behind them.
Beside the candle stood an old woman dressed in black. Her grey hair flowed down to meet her knees. The five spirits bowed deeply in respect.
“Akasha, the Great Spirit,” they said in unison.
The ancient spirit bowed her head and motioned from them to rise. Turning her gaze towards Kaze, she waited for him to speak.
“Great Akasha,” Kaze spoke politely. “The Avatar Cycle is damaged. It may even be beyond repair, unless we act soon.”
“Why do you think this?” the woman asked. “I thought we already soothed your nerves on this issue?”
Bhuma quickly leaned close to Agni. “Here comes the monologue,” she whispered with an annoyed groan.
“As I brought up in the last meeting, now that the Air Nomads are gone –with the exception of Aang- there is no longer a balance within the Avatar Cycle.”
“Yes,” Agni cut in, “but as we brought up in the last meeting, Aang can simply have Air Nomad children with the Water Tribe girl is he is besotted with.”
Kaze glared at the Fire Spirit with annoyance. “Correct but I mentioned then, that there would not be any guarantee that they would produce Air Nomad children. However, now there is no way at all for them to have children.”
“Why is that?” asked Akasha.
“Aang is sterile,” Kaze stated bluntly.
That statement sent a slight shock throughout the others. Aang have Air Nomad children had always been the plan for returning balance. No one had ever considered that he couldn’t have children.
Yue looked at Kaze curiously. “How do you even know this?”
“After our last meeting I sent Kangimo to actually see what would happen if Katara and Aang reproduced. When she returned she informed me that Aang was not able to produce children.”
Akasha was silent and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened she spoke.
“What was your plan to fix this Kaze?”
“Like I said last time, we should create new…”
“No!” the Great Spirit exclaimed sharply. “We will not create anymore Air Nomads. Interfering with the current order will cause even more problems.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kaze stated. “Spirits interfere with the human world all the time with hardly any repercussions.”
“Really?” Akasha questioned coldly. “Maybe you have forgotten why we created the Avatar in the first place?”
Kaze’s eyes dropped to the floor, embarrassed. “No, I have not.”
“Then you remember how the spirits used humans for their own sick pleasures? Rape, slavery, torture along with a multitude of other ills was common. Did I not tell you, I would never allow spiritual interference at a large level ever again?”
“Yes, but what I’m suggesting is not negative. Koh…”
“Koh is nothing!” Akasha yelled. The temple started shaking slightly expressing her anger for all to see. “The tricks he pulls affect next to nobody. He has already been punished for any larger crimes. What you are suggesting is on a global scale. Negative or no, I will not allow it.”
“Then what about the Avatar Cycle?” Kaze pleaded.
Akasha let out a dark sigh. “When it is time for the Avatar Spirit to move on from Fire to Air, I will remove Air from the cycle. Permanently.
Kaze’s face turned white at this statement. Akasha knew what it meant to remove Air from the cycle. All the spirits of Air Nomad Avatars would be destroyed. Their existence wiped out, all their knowledge and experience would vanish like a distant thought.
Before he could speak against this Akasha raised her hand to silence him.
“I know what will happen, so there is no need to remind me. I have thought it over before and I understand the consequence. I will not risk global disruption because a group of people were too weak. That was a human fault and humans will deal with the effect.” Her brown eyes pierced into Kaze’s grey ones. “You are dismissed.”
Kaze sat in his temple with a grim expression. Through a mirror on his wall, the spirit of Air watched the young Avatar racing against his Earthbending companion. Another girl, a non-bender, watched the match cheering on the Avatar. As the Avatar’s face lit up with happiness, Kaze couldn’t help but envy the boy. Ignorance was definitely bliss.
“He does not even know that he has destroyed his people,” Kaze said sadly.
“I’m surprised you care so much,” said a soft voice from behind him.
He turned to see Yue standing in the doorway with a kind smile. The Moon Spirit walked and stood next to Kaze.
“Why wouldn’t I care?” Kaze asked. “They are my people.”
“True, but even my…husband, why once loved his people, now loathes many of them.”
“Well, Tu is one of the very few spirits to actually be in love. When the real La died, he lost a piece of himself. You should know what that is like Yue.”
The Moon Spirit nodded as her thoughts turned to Sokka. Her first love, her only love.
“I do Lord Kaze, but I also know that you must not hold onto the past or it will only bring you down.”
“Oh?” Kaze asked curiously. “So you were fine when your love went flying into the arms of another woman?”
Yue blinked at that comment before breaking into a soft laughter. “You really have never been in love, Lord Kaze,” she stated through giggles.
The grey eyed man frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that when I,” she paused to search for a word, but only one fit, “died, Sokka was broken. How could I hate a woman who fixed him? I was happy when I felt the love re-enter his heart with Suki. She was a friend to me for loving him, a best friend even. When she died I grieved for her deeply.”
Yue turned to walk away from Kaze, but turned to the Air Spirit. “Love, Lord Kaze, is being happy for those you love, even if you’re not the cause of their happiness.”
As the woman left Kaze turned back to the image of the Avatar and his companions, Yue’s words sticking to him. His eyes flickered to the one called Meng. She loved the avatar, would she be happy if he was happy?
Suki looked down into the water, looking at the image of Sokka walking through the arctic tundra of the Southern Water Tribe. Her beloved’s once gentle blue-eyes were darkened with grief and pain. Both of which, she was the cause.
“Sokka is still in the Tundra?” Yue asked as she appeared beside Suki.
The dark-haired girl nodded. “It’s been a week and he still hasn’t left.”
Yue sighed and collected her dress to sit next to her friend. “Then I also suppose the girl we sent from him was also not up to par?”
“Sokka barley looked at her,” Suki said. “I had hoped for awhile that Toph might still hold a flame for him, but she no longer cares for men.”
“Well maybe for now we should just leave it up to fate,” Yue suggested. “After all our poking and prodding might be a distraction.”
“I suppose, plus there is something else I have been concerned about.”
“What?” Yue asked.
Suki dipped her finger into the water. The ripple removed the image of Sokka and Razia Zetian’s face appeared.
“I’m not sure how I know her, but she seems so familiar.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“At this moment…I don’t know.”
A/N: I think this is the shortest chapter I’ve written in awhile. However, I tried to put a lot of information into it.
Also, I will try my best to have a chapter published every two weeks.
Hope you enjoyed.
M.U/A.L