《Avatar With A System》


 Chapter 1 - 1: Firebender

    As a spirit floated in the void while trying to understand who it was or why it was there, a soft voice that was neither masculine or feminine broke the long silence with it''s words.


    [Im sorry my child]: ???


    The spirit turned to see a being surrounded in a bright Golden light making it impossible to make out any features other than it looking human in shape. The spirit had registered the figure apologizing while calling the spirit its child and this confused the spirit as it began to try and speak, but no voice came out, and instead the being began to talk.


    [You are very weak right now so you won''t be able to talk, but I will make this simple¡­ I am God, I had accidentally made a mistake when transferring your soul to Heaven after you died, and you ended up in the void]: god


    As God spoke the spirit began to get interested in what God was talking about as it couldn''t remember anything but waking up in this void, but the spirit had its attention dragged towards God again as he continued to speak.


    [I''m sorry because I haven''t paid much attention to my creation known as humanity recently as I found something known as Anime and failed to notice all the problems rising such as potential war, viruses infecting the entire world, as well as letting Lucifer play around on Earth making people come out during Quarantine for their "Essential" screw to stop the wobble in their desk¡­ And then we have you¡­ The most forsaken here¡­ You were just walking down the street minding your own business when you saved a woman and her baby from being mugged by a serial killer]: god


    The spirit watched as God began to weep for the loss of the spirit, but no matter how much the spirit tried to remember nothing came to mind and instead it just grew a happy glow as it awaited God''s next words.


    [I know you can''t remember anything¡­ The reason is because the killer who decided to kill you rather then the mother and child as they ran for their lives had crushed your head destroying your brain and nothing was recoverable¡­ So I have decided to give you something in return for your loss¡­ I will send you to one of my favorite worlds so far with a System, but that''s not all¡­ I will give you the knowledge of the entire story of the world as well as the knowledge on how to use the System]: god


    As God finished speaking, the spirit had a curiosity towards what God was talking about, but seeing that God was trying to be kind, the spirit just accepted his fate and left everything up to fate.


    The spirit then lost any kind of consciousness it had as it fell asleep into the darkness.


    ... Time Skip ...


    [Soren!... Time for dinner!]: ???


    As the voice of a woman was heard by the boy ?ssumed to be called Soren, he perked up and quickly ran back to his home that appeared to be a wooden house big enough to house 4 people, but only 3 lived there while shouting.


    [Coming mom!... Don''t start without me!]: soren


    Soren entered the front door to the home and walked into the living room that was connected to the dining room and met with his mother who was waiting for him in the living room.


    [Welcome home!... Go wash up and come join me and your father for dinner]: mother


    [Yes mom!... I''ll be right back!]: soren


    Soren ran off to the bathroom while his mother watched him disappear into the bathroom from behind with a smile on her face showing the immense joy she feels when she sees her son. After a few minutes, the door to the bathroom opened revealing Soren who had just finished washing up and began walking to the dining room where both his mother and father were waiting for him.


    [Now Soren, it''s rude to not use manners when at the dinner table¡­ Respect your mother and show her proper table manners]: ???


    [Aww¡­ Yes dad¡­ Sorry mom]: soren


    As Soren looked down towards his plate in a bit of shame his mother spoke up for him.


    [Now Lee, go easy on Soren¡­ He''s a growing boy who loves his mother''s cooking¡­ And it''s also his birthday tomorrow, so let him off easy]: mother


    [Kiko you can''t be serious¡­ If we don''t teach Soren now, then what will happen when he decides to leave home, or if something happens to us here?... I want our boy to grow up into a great man one day]: lee


    Both Lee and Kiko began to have a small argument leaving Soren to feel like he started it, making him feel bad as he held back some tears and spoke while getting out of the chair.


    [May I be excused¡­ I don''t feel well]: soren


    Both Lee and Kiko noticed Soren''s behavior and where the source of it came from and quickly stopped their argument while letting Soren go to his room. Later that night Kiko brought some food to Soren''s room as she noticed that he had hardly touched his dinner earlier and knocked on the door before entering it.


    [Soren?... May I come in and talk with you?]: kiko


    [You know you didn''t cause that fight right?... That was your father and I trying to hold our grounds and make our stances known, but you seem to take it as your fault]: kiko


    [But dad is right¡­ I should show manners and I didn''t at the table so he thought I was disrespecting you]: soren


    When Kiko heard her son''s words she pulled him into a deep hug while she spoke.


    [Oh my baby boy¡­ *singing tune*... Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home *singing end*... Happy birthday my son]: kiko


    Soren had fallen asleep to one of his favorite lullabies that his mother would always sing to him to calm him down, and when Kiko saw Soren fast asleep she tucked him into his bed and left the room with the food she brought him.


    ''Goodnight my precious son'': kiko


    The next morning Soren was awoken to a ringing sound as he head began to throb from the pain he felt as tons of information was forced into his head, and after what seemed to be hours of pain made in a matter of seconds Soren''s head began to clear as a transparent screen was seen in his vision.


    ''So this is the System?... It looks interesting'': soren


    As Soren said that a robotic voice was heard as his attention was brought to it.


    When Soren heard this he began to remember everything related to the T.V. series Avatar: The Last Airbender and referred back to the System for further advice.


    ''So what are you?... I know about you and your functions, but why? Where did you come from and why do I know what will happen in the future?'': soren


    {Great question!... First off, Happy 12th Birthday Host¡­ You have a special gift box awaiting you in your Inventory¡­ As for your question, I can not answer you due to it involving the balance of the Universe}


    Soren felt that his answer really wasn''t an answer as nothing was answered for him, but after learning of a special gift for him in his Inventory Soren opened it.


    {Ding!... Opening Birthday special¡­ Ding!... Host has received the power to Firebend, along with 3 Firebender Scrolls of uncommon rank¡­ Happy Birthday!}


    Soren was a bit excited to receive the ability to Firebend as when he turned 5 both his parents wanted to know if he would be an Earthbender like them, but Soren was unable to Earthbend.


    ''Awsome!... But Mom and Dad might be upset that I''m a Firebender instead of an Earthbender like them¡­ Also, is there anything I can call you System? Also refer to me as Soren instead of Host please'': soren


    {Ding!... Accepted Soren¡­ You may also call me however you like}


    ''Okay!... I''ll call you Nina then'': soren


    ''What!?... But isn''t that something only the Avatar can do?... With my current knowledge, we should be around 3 years before Aang is freed from the Iceberg so I can''t be the Avatar'': soren


    {Ding!... Many have thought that only the Avatar can wield all the Elements, but that is false¡­ Anyone can wield all the Elements if they get the blessing from the Ancient Lion Turtles, but it is unknown where they are currently¡­ The only thing that makes the Avatar "THE Avatar" is his Avatar State made possible by Raava letting the Avatar tap into all the power and experience from his past lives and use all the Elements at once¡­ Ding!... New Quest!... (Learn Earthbending from the Earth Lion Turtle)... Time limit of 3 years}


    Soren was shocked to hear that the System wanted him to learn a new Element even before learning how to create fire much less bend it. Soren just sighed before he made his way out to the living room where he saw both his mom and dad waiting with a cake that said "Happy Birthday Soren!" In Red frosting. Soren then sat down at the dinner table with both his parents watching him intently as he ate a piece of cake, and it was then that Soren thought he''d tell them what he felt he had to do now.


    [Mom, Dad¡­ Last night I had a vision of the Avatar, and I felt like something was calling me to join him on his Journey to defeat the Fire Lord¡­ So I want to leave home to train]: soren

 Chapter 2 - 2: City of Omashu

    When Soren spoke about his dream, as well as the want to leave home to train, both Lee and Kiko looked at each other before looking back towards Soren with a look of pain and heartache in their eyes as they both knew that one day they would watch Soren leave off on his own journey.


    [Soren¡­ If you say you''ve had a dream of joining the Avatar on his journey, then I can''t stop you¡­ But the thing is¡­ The Avatar has been missing for almost 100 years now, so why would he reappear now of all times?]: lee


    Soren thought about this same question as he had the knowledge of the future, but he had no idea why the Avatar had chosen to disappear in the first place, all he knew was he would reappear in the Southern Water Tribe in around 3 years.


    [I don''t know dad, but I do know that I need to leave home and go train for the future]: soren


    When both Lee and Kiko saw the determination in Soren''s eyes they felt that it was indeed time to let their son leave the nest and fly on his own.


    [We understand Soren¡­ Just promise me that you will come back to visit us in the future]: kiko


    [Thanks mom, dad¡­ I will definitely come back in a few years]: soren


    Soren had given both his parents a long hug before leaving the house with a bag full of clothes tied to a stick, and as both Lee and Kiko watched their son continue down the road tears began to flow down their cheeks, and they continued to look at Soren''s figure even after it completely disappeared from their sight.


    [Be safe my boy¡­]: lee


    Soren was walking down the dirt road while conversing with Nina his System while trying to figure out more information about how he was given the System, but no other information was given aside from Nina saying that a higher being had gifted the System to him.


    {Ding!... The Lion Turtles have long since deserted Humanity to let them be on their own. For a little backstory, the Lion Turtles are the closest beings to Gods in this world and had the ability to give the power to bend the elements to the human''s, but after realizing that humans were greedy beings who seeked power for their own gain, the Lion Turtles left humanity to be on their own while refusing to give the power to bend the elements to anyone else, and you had to be born with the power if you wanted to be able to bend any of the elements¡­ Over time, humans thought that the Lion Turtles had died off, but Lion Turtles will never die from natural causes, so you just need to find the Earth Lion Turtle}


    [So I need to find something that refuses to let humanity find it in the first place¡­ Seems like a long journey ahead of me, and I guess for now I can practice Firebending]: soren


    Soren continued walking until the sun began to set and he set up camp in the nearby forest while using what little bit of sun light he had left to read the 3 scrolls that Nina had given him for his birthday, and after trying the moves in the picture a few times while trying to make his Chi flow like the scroll directed, Soren was finally able to get a small flame to shoot out of his fist.


    [Haha!... Nina! I did it!... I was able to Firebend!]: soren


    {Congrats Soren!... Now it is recommended you start a fire to have some warmth for tonight}


    [Oh yeah!... Thank you Nina, your such a big help]: soren


    Soren then used the same move he saw in the scroll and after a few tries a flame came from Soren''s fist and ignited the campfire. Soren then unrolled his sleeping bag and placed it just a few feet away from the fire and crawled into the bag and tried to go to sleep, but no matter how much he tried, it proved to be futile.


    [I can''t sleep¡­ I miss mom and dad already¡­ I guess I can sing the song mom always sings to me¡­ *starts singing Leaves from the vine*... It''s still not the same]: soren


    Soren just decided to sit there with his eyes closed and after 15 minutes Soren finally fell asleep as the campfire crackled and popped creating a nice ambiance for anyone camping. Soren had woken up next morning to the sun rising past the mountains in the distance and after cleaning up his campsite Soren began practicing his Chi control as to get fire every time he used a Firebending move and after a few hours, Soren was able to understand how to move his Chi throughout his entire body letting any move he would practice in the future be easier.


    Soren put away his scrolls as well as any clothes that he originally had on his person into his Inventory and went out to find food now that his food rations were going to get low. Soren then found a river and took off his clothes so he could bathe, and as he stepped into the water he quickly got out due to it being freezing cold.


    [Whoa!... That''s cold!]: soren


    Soren then decided to heat up the river with a bit of fire, but because his fire was still weak, and the water was flowing downstream none of the warm water stayed, and Soren had to take his first cold bath. After the bath, Soren got out and put on a new set of clothes while starting a fire as to dry off faster before continuing his hunt for food, and after drying off Soren went back to the river to fish with a fishing line and some bait, and while fishing Soren began to reminisce back on the time his dad taught him how to fish.


    ... Flashback ...


    [Okay son, tug on the line lightly before letting it drift, and when you feel you have a bite, pull with all your might and start pulling in the fish]: lee


    [Okay dad!... I''ll catch a fish for sure with this method you taught me]: soren


    Soren threw in the bait and let it trail down the stream before slightly tugging on it to make it seem still alive and injured, and just as Soren felt a bite he pulled with all his might, but the fish slipped away with the bait as well.


    [Aww man!... He got away!]: soren


    [Hahaha!... Don''t worry about it son, you''ll get him next time¡­ Come, let''s go home with what we already have]: lee


    ... Flashback End ...


    Soren had felt a tug and quickly yanked back on the line while catching the fish, and started pulling it in, and with that, Soren got himself dinner. Soren finished eating before cleaning up and walking a bit further through the woods before dark took over making Soren set up camp again, and the next morning Soren woke up and continued the same routine as yesterday, being wake up, bathe, fish, eat breakfast, continue walking, rest, practice Firebending, fish for lunch, travel, bathe, fish for dinner, sleep, repeat. Soren didn''t like to hunt the animals of the forest mainly due to not knowing the species too well, and he didn''t want to anger a beast that can kill him instantly, so Soren stuck with fish for food, but he started to feel sick of it, and if he continued to eat anymore, Soren felt he would become a fish himself.


    [I need to find a village soon, I''ve been walking for 6 days now]: soren


    When Soren couldn''t find a village on his own he resorted to asking Nina, and after asking he was surprised to find out that there was indeed a village nearby and immediately went in the direction given by Nina, and after half a days travel, Soren came across a gigantic cave.


    [Wait¡­ this looks familiar¡­ This is the Cave of the Two Lovers, it was a labyrinth that two lovers used to meet each other in secret. My mom used to also tell me about this story, one day the man didn''t come because he had perished in the war between the 2 villages, and when the woman found out she used her power to bend the Earth and ended the war and brought peace between the 2 villages and together they made the great city of Omashu named after the woman Oma, and her deceased beloved Shu¡­ Mom always told it as a forbidden love story, but unlike most of her stories, this one didn''t have a happy ending for both lovers]: soren


    Soren continued into the cave and held his hand out as a torch with a small flame dancing in his palm as he began walking through the dark path, and after thinking about the memories he had, Soren put out the light and watched as the tunnels lit up with glowing crystals on the roof of the cave, and following those lights Soren made it through the tunnel and was able to see the great city of Omashu.


    [Good thing mom gave me some money before I left, with this I should be able to get by in the city for a while]:soren


    Soren then made his way up to the city gate and was met with a man wearing what appeared to be the guardsman uniform for the guards of Omashu, and when the guard saw Soren he stopped him in question.


    [Halt!... Where are your parents little fella, and what brings you here to Omashu?]: guard


    When Soren stated his reason for being there, the guards saw nothing wrong nor did he find any lies in Soren''s words and let him pass.


    [Okay, enjoy Omashu]: guard


    The guard made a hand signal and along with 5 other guards used Earthbending to open up the gates of Omashu letting Soren enter before the gates closed behind him. When Soren saw the insides of the city he was awestruck as there were children happily playing in the streets as well as men and women strolling around with smiles on their faces, this made Soren feel that Omashu was a great city full of life compared to the small village of elderly he and his parents lived in.


    [Wow!.... This place is so huge! I could spend weeks just visiting this city and all its sites¡­ Now, where can I find some good food?]: soren

 Chapter 3 - 3: Lion Turtle

    Soren had begun walking down what appeared to be the main road, and as Soren began walking around to look for a good place for food and while walking down the street Soren caught sight of the widely known mail system of Omashu.


    [Wow!... So this is the mail system that the Avatar had used as a sled¡­ I wonder if I can try it¡­ Maybe later, first I wanna eat some food]: soren


    Soren continued to walk down the road until he saw a group of people gathered around this one stall selling what smelled to be like some kind of meat, and upon getting closer to the stall and squeezing his way through the crowd, Soren was now at the front of the line to a kebab stand, and when the man saw Soren a smile appeared on his face. The man had a smile because of the look Soren gave upon taking in the scent of the roasting kebab''s, he could see drool dripping out of Soren''s mouth as well as his full attention on the food being cooked on the grill, he then decided to reward Soren for giving him such a complement not by words, but by actions.


    [Here you go boy¡­ You remind me of my lost son, as he would always look at my food like you have¡­ Please take this as a reward for letting me see a bit of my son in a strong young boy such as yourself]: stall owner


    When Soren heard the man he took the kebab with gratitude in his eyes and he began to savor the flavor of the kebab given to him by the stall owner. As Soren ate the kebab, the stall owner''s smile grew brighter and as he thought about the happy face Soren gave, he began wondering where Soren''s parents were and decided to ask.


    [So, where are your parents little buddy?... Don''t tell me they let you roam the streets all alone?]: stall owner


    As Soren finished the food in his mouth he wiped the grease off of his lips and began to speak with a smile to the stall owner.


    [Well, in my village, you are considered an ?du?t at 13, but because I had a dream of the return of the Avatar, I left home a year early to train¡­ Anyways, thanks for the food old man!]: soren


    The stall owner was a bit surprised by Soren''s words as the Avatar had disappeared for a little over 90 years and most thought that the Avatar had been wiped out along with the eradication of all the Air Nomads when the Fire Nation killed them all trying to find and capture the Avatar. The stall owner then watched as Soren disappeared from the crowd and his vision was then filled with other customers throwing money at him for the delicious kebabs, and all he could do was give off a sigh as he went back to cooking.


    ... Elsewhere ...


    [You are now banished from the Fire Nation¡­ The only way I will accept you back is if you capture the Avatar and bring him back to me¡­ Now go! And take my brother Iroh with you!]: ???


    A boy with a ponytail wrapped in a Red cloth with bandages wrapping the left side of his face was seen kneeling before a man sitting behind a wall of fire that seemed to react along with the current emotion he was feeling, and beside the boy stood an elderly man with a big round stomach with gray hair and a beard.


    [Come on Prince Zuko¡­ We must leave now]: iroh


    [Yes Uncle, we must leave at once and search for the Avatar so that I can return my Honor]: zuko


    The room became silent with only the sound of flames crackling as they burned covering up the man who sat upon the throne behind them, and as both Zuko and Iroh left the room, the wall of fire began to settle only to reveal the face of the current Fire Lord, Fire Lord Ozai, and his face showed one of detest towards his son as he didn''t care if his son succeed on this impossible mission he set, or died on the journey, but he knew that Iroh would protect Zuko, so any shred of love Ozai might have for his son was put at ease.


    ... Omashu ...


    Soren was walking through the city while using the bamboo stick used to skewer the kebab together to pick the remaining scraps out from between his teeth, but as he was focusing on that he failed to notice being surrounded by some strange and sketchy men looking dirty and mean.


    [Hehehe!... Look what we got here Boss! A nice young one, and his body doesn''t seem too bad either¡­ He''ll make a great labor slave for sure!]: man 1


    [Hehe, yeah!... We might even get a few Gold coins for him Boss!]: man 3


    [Alright!... Calm down, if we make too much noise we will alert the city guards to our plan, just take hold of him with the chains!]: man 2 (boss)


    Soren then watched as a group of around 6 people began to surround him from all angles, and as Soren began to look for a path of escape he was caught in a net made of steel that took 3 grown men to throw at Soren, and as it made contact with Soren it brought him to the ground as well as knocking him unconscious due to the fact that it was a metal net being thrown at him.


    [Hahaha!... We got him boss!]: man 4


    [Shut it!... And what did I say about using the net! You might harm him and diminish the goods value!... You better hope he''s still worth a pretty copper coin, or you guys will be sold next!]: boss


    When the boss spoke these words the group felt shivers run down their spines as they have seen what happens to those sold into slavery, and it wasn''t pretty. The group then put Soren into a metal box used to transport criminals, and the reason for using a metal box is to keep Earthbenders from escaping, and the group of criminals didn''t know if Soren was an Earthbender or not, even though Soren didn''t try to fight back, they still took precautions. The group then started leaving Omashu and began traveling towards their next destination, and about 3 hours outside of Omashu, Soren began to wake up and notice his current predicament while showing just a bit of fear of what was to come next.


    [Nina, where am I?]: soren


    {Ding!... You are currently in a steel box on the back of a carriage being transported to what could be ?ssumed to be a Slave camp}


    Soren was a bit scared as he had heard stories from his parents about children who were caught by slave traders when they stayed out late or were far away from their parents, and it seemed that Soren had been caught by these traders.


    [What should I do?... I''m not an Earthbender, so I can''t try to do what Toph did when she was captured¡­ But I have Firebending, can I melt the metal?]: soren


    As Soren began talking to himself, the group of men heard quiet mumbles from inside the box and this notified them that Soren was awake finally.


    Soren heard the man as well as the loud noise from him banging on the metal box, and this just made Soren feel even more scared, but something big happened in that next moment. Soren heard a strange voice calling out to him in a soft tone, and as he listened to the voice Soren felt the need to head towards the voice, but he was trapped inside the box, but after letting out a sigh Soren set his resolve to leave the box and placed his hands on the metal surface and felt the cold steel on the palm of his hand, and this gave Soren an indication of what time of day it was as if it was day time, the metal would have a warm temperature to it, while Soren could guess it was around dusk or night time. Soren then began to pass his Chi into the palms of his hands as they began to emit an intense heat, and began heating up the metal at a rapid pace, and after a few seconds, the metal box began to have 2 orange spots the size and shape of a 12 year olds palms before the color began to spread out and the area around the palm shapes began to get Yellow before turning White and disappearing only to reveal 2 palms and a 12 year old boy pushed his way through while burning his clothes a bit, but he was now free, and he ran off towards the woods before the group of criminals even noticed.


    ''Now, where did that voice come from?'': soren


    Soren began searching the area for the soft tone voice that he felt had called out towards him, but nothing was ever heard, and just as Soren was going to give up his search, he once again heard a voice in the same soft tone as before.


    [Come, child of the Earth¡­ Be blessed and live life like a bolder¡­ Immovable and Unbreakable]: ???


    Soren had began to follow the repeated sentence and after walking in a trance like state for over an hour Soren had come across what appeared to be a gigantic face sculpted to the point it could be considered a masterpiece, and as Soren inspected the sculpture that he ?ssumed took up a whole lifetime worth of work to the person who sculpted this piece. Soren inspected the surface of the image to see all the moss and vines that grew over it while trying to hide the work of art, and as Soren went to touch the surface he watched as an eye had opened and zoned in onto Soren''s person, and upon seeing Soren, the ground began to rumble and shake, as the ground began to open up and Soren fell into the gap only to reappear in the palm on the gigantic beast once thought to be a sculpture.


    [Human?¡­ No, but you are similar to a Human¡­ Why have you come to me in my final hours before my death?]: ???


    When Soren heard the beast, his attention was drawn to the fading life force of the beast as he was caught in his words and began to speak.


    [I was called here by you¡­ I could hear your call to the child of the Earth]: soren


    [Impossible!... The child of the Earth is one who is destined to wield all 4 Elements, or what you Humans refer to as the Avatar, but I don''t sense the spirit of Raava within your soul, so you are not the Avatar]: ???


    [I guess I will tell you¡­ I am the Ancient Lion Turtle of the Earth, I had been injured in some of the previous wars in the past and have yet to heal, so for the past 100 years have been calling out to the Avatar to pass my legacy down to him to repay his past life for helping me all those years ago]: earth lion turtle


    Soren then sat down and listened to the story about how the First Avatar known as Avatar Wan had befriended him, and helped him out in the past, and the gift given was Earthbending, but the Lion Turtle felt that this was still not enough as it would be selfish to die and not pass on his teachings to the current Avatar, but no matter how long he had called for, nobody showed up. Soren then got a new notification from Nina and put it to the side and waited for the Lion Turtle to finish his story, and after the story was over Soren spoke up.


    [Well Mr. Lion Turtle, I may not be the Avatar, but I have been destined to join him on his journey in 3 years when he reappears to the world¡­ But I can only help him if I can get stronger, will you be willing to grant me strength like you did Mr. Wan?]: soren


    The Lion Turtle began to stare at Soren in silence after hearing his words as if contemplating on what his answer would be, and after a few more moments, the Lion Turtle spoke up.


    [I''m sorry¡­ I cannot do that¡­ Us Lion Turtles have sworn never to give Humanity our powers ever again, and you must be blessed with the ability if you wish to use one of the Elements, and as I can see, you are already blessed with the power to Firebend, so why do you need the power over Earth?]: lion turtle


    [But I am different Mr. Lion Turtle!... I know I am destined to bend all 4 elements just like the Avatar, and I just need your blessing to continue in mt journey]: soren


    [... Little one¡­ You still don''t understand, even if I were to give you the ability your human body cannot handle the power¡­ I told Wan the same thing, but he had Raava, so I could give the power to her]: lion turtle


    [But I am no normal Human, you''ve already seen that with me being able to hear your call¡­ I just know I would be able to hold the power and control it¡­ Just give me a chance]: soren


    The Lion Turtle sighed at Soren''s words and thought back to the first time he meet Wan and Raava, and after a brief flashback the Lion Turtle spoke again.


    The Lion Turtle then held Soren in his palm and used his other hand to touch Soren''s forehead and heart as a Brown light shined and enveloped Soren completely, and after fading Soren passed out due to the alteration of his Chi and a "Ding" went off in his head signifying the completion of the quest.


    [I will give my legacy to you young one, if you get the chance, teach Wan''s reincarnation as well¡­ Goodbye]: lion turtle


    The Lion Turtle was then absorbed into the ground and an outburst of Chi was dispersed throughout the planet rejuvenating the plants and animals as well as Soren who received the most of it leaving 1 less Lion Turtle in the world.

 Chapter 4 - 4: Water Tribe

    Many hours have passed, and soon, Soren had woken up in the middle of the forest, and while looking around had noticed that the Lion Turtle had vanished, and he was left feeling stronger than before, and after trying to get up off the ground Soren''s mind was attacked by Nina as she rang out with a notification.


    {Soren, you will now experience immense pain from the increase of forced knowledge left behind by the Lion Turtle, please brace yourself}


    [Wait What!?... AHHHHHHGGRRUUAAHH!]: soren


    Soren quickly fell back down to his knees as he clutched his head from downpour of forced information of all the Earthbending styles and techniques that the Lion Turtle knew over his vast lifetime as a mythical beast that was on the level of the Gods. Soren had been under this pain for 30 minutes and felt like his head was threatening to split open due to the influx of knowledge, but after Soren was about to pass out from the pain, it all stopped, as the knowledge had also stopped, and when that happened, Soren once again passed out as it was tough for a 12 year old boy to endure such pains and suffering.


    [W-where am I?... Oh wait, I''m still in the forest]: soren


    Soren sat up while clutching his head, and before long he decided to see just what happened to him due to the gift the Lion Turtle gave him, and he remembered a command for the System that he had yet to use since he unlocked the access to Nina.


    [Nina, can you show me my status please]: soren


    {Yes Soren¡­


    Name: Soren Huang - Age: 12 - Elements: Fire, Earth


    Chi: 10,000


    Blessings: Earth Lion Turtle, ######


    Skills: Firebending (Beginner), Earthbending (Master)}


    [Nina, is there a way to put the status of a normal bender into how you displayed my status so I can know where I stand?]: soren


    {Yes Soren¡­


    Name: Lee Feng - Age: 24 - Element: Earth


    Chi: 5,000


    Blessings: Natural Born Bender


    Skills: Earthbending (Intermediate), Fishing, Martial Arts (Intermediate)


    This is the status of a grown man from the Earth Kingdom, he just b?r?ly qualifies as a Military soldier, and will soon be trained into a high ranking Earthbender soldier for the Earth King¡­ You are half his age, and are already 2 times stronger than him, and can also use 2 Elements, and more to come in future¡­ Speaking of¡­ Ding! Congrats for completing your Quest in record time!... Here are your rewards¡­ Ding! New Quest!... Penguin Sledding}


    Soren was a bit surprised to see that he was 2 times stronger than an ?du?t male, and was starting to understand where he stands in power, and after seeing the new quest he began to look into it, and noticed that he now needed to make his way to the South Pole, as that''s where the start of the story will be.


    {Quest! Penguin Sledding: Head towards the South Pole and meet up with the Avatar and his 2 companions before they leave to start their journey¡­ Time Limit: 2 Years 10 Months}


    ''So I need to head South obviously, and it appears to be in that direction'': soren


    Soren thought to himself while looking towards the south, and after waving goodbye to the people in the village Soren began heading towards his destination to fulfill what he thought to be his destiny, and along the way he caught lots of food with the help of both his Firebending and Earthbending.


    ... Time Skip ...


    [All Water tribe women come aboard!... Setting sail back to the Southern port!]: ???


    Soren was walking through the town near the ocean trying to figure out how he was going to make it across the ocean to head to the South Pole, he thought about using his Earthbending to build himself a path, but thought that it would be extremely hard due to him needing to use so much energy, and if that wasn''t the case, any Earthbender would just bend any kind of path he needed, and sometimes that was the case for small paths, but something that could go down for thousands of mile would be hard to control. As Soren thought this, he overheard a woman yelling about the Southern port, and as he looked over to the woman, he noticed that she was wearing a Water tribe outfit, and her ship was made in the water tribe, and as Soren inspected the ship, he noticed that many more women began to bring back crates of supplies, and Soren found his ticket in to the ship.


    [Here, let me help you with that]: soren


    Soren had rushed over to help a struggling water tribe woman with the crate she was carrying, and after helping her carry the crate onto the ship, the woman had a smile appear on her face as she was glad Soren was helping her, but also because he was quite good looking.


    [Thank you for your help kind sir¡­ My name is Yu Na, but you can call me Yu-Yu for short¡­ What''s your name?]: yu


    [I''m Soren Huang, but you can call me Soren¡­ I came here because I needed to get to the Southern Water tribe, but after arriving at this city, I noticed that there were no ships that could take me there]: soren


    [Well why don''t you travel back with us then¡­ I''ll vouch for you]: yu


    [Thank you so much, I would appreciate that very much]: soren


    Soren then set sail with the women from the Southern Water tribe, and Soren was told that it would take 4 days to reach the Southern Water tribe, and during that time he reminisced over his journey here.


    ... Flashback ...


    ''I have been traveling for a few months now, but I still can''t find a village to rest up at'': soren


    As Soren said this, it was night time and he had just made himself a shelter with Earthbending, and it looked exactly like Toph''s Earth Tent, but it was much bigger, as Soren wanted to be able to cook inside of it to try and keep away any kind of animals or bandits, and it worked.


    [Nina, do you think I should practice Martial Arts?]: soren


    {Well Soren, Earthbending and Firebending are just Martial Arts with Chi added to use the Elements, if you were to practice these moves without the use of Chi, then you are in spirit using Martial Arts, but it would look weird to an Earthbender to see you using Earth Styles without bending the Earth around you, but you can open one of the rewards for completing the last quest and try your luck with that instead}


    When Soren heard this his interests were spiked as he quickly opened the Inventory and took out a Golden ticket like thing that was shining, and after crushing it like Nina instructed, a lottery wheel started spinning, and soon stopped on a Purple colored triangle before the wheel disappeared, and was replaced with the reward.


    Soren was interested in what he had just won, and after collecting the reward, he head began to hurt once more, but not as much as the time with the Lion Turtle, and in a matter of second, Soren had understood the basics of the style, and Nina informed him that any skill won from the lottery system needed to be trained from the Basic level up to the Master level, while the Lion Turtle gifted Soren his knowledge, so it didn''t need to be trained or unlocked as long as Soren had survived the intake of such knowledge.


    ... Skip ...


    Soren had been traveling for a little over a year, and had come across many different kinds of bandits, and would train his martial arts on them, and over that time Soren got extremely proficient with it, but he never killed any of his opponents directly, if he happened to knock them all out and leave and an animal happened to come by and kill them, Soren wouldn''t know or care, as he was already long gone from that spot.


    [I''m 14 now, and have just over a year left to make it to the South Pole¡­ I wonder how close I am]: soren


    When Soren first got the mission to head to the South Pole, he was a few months away from being 13, and knew that he needed to be to the South Pole by the time he was 15 to complete the Mission, and not be left behind, so with that thought, he quickly picked up his pace, and almost a year later, Soren made it to the town that he had met Yu Na in, and was preparing to go to the South Pole, but didn''t have a way until he saw the Water tribe ship.


    ... Flashback End ...


    ''Nina, what''s my status looking like?'': soren


    {Ding!... Here you are Soren¡­


    {Name: Soren Huang - Age: 14 - Elements: Fire, Earth


    Blessings: Earth Lion Turtle, ######


    Skills: Firebending (Intermediate), Earthbending (Master), Jeet Kune Do (Advanced)}


    Soren was smiling at his status, while he was being watched by the woman who let him come aboard their ship, and when she saw him smile, she felt that he was the cutest thing she had ever seen as a bit of a blush appeared on her face. After 4 days, Soren had finally arrived at the South Pole, and upon leaving his cabin that he was given while he traveled with them, he noticed that it was extremely cold, and he quickly went back inside the cabin while secretly using his Firebending to warm up. Soren had known that being a Firebender even if you were not from the Fire Nation was a bad thing because if you were a Firebender, you were automatically ?ssumed to be from the Fire Nation, so Soren knew not to show he Firebending out in public, and if he does, then he should only show Firebending, as if they saw him Earthbend he would be hailed as the new Avatar, and the Fire Nation would be on his back.


    ''I just need to hold out until Aang makes his appearance to the world once more, then I can help him with both Fire and Earthbending training'': soren


    Though Soren said that, he still planned to let Toph and Zuko join the team and teach Aang, but it never hurt to have multiple teachers, and if Soren learned Waterbending, then he would teach Aang that as well.


    [We''re here Soren¡­ Here take this coat, you must be freezing being used to such warm weather and all]: yu

 Chapter 5 - 5: Leaving the South Pt:1

    Soren followed Yu out from the cabin and came on deck wearing a Blue water tribe coat with White fur around the collar and was tied together by a water tribe belt. Soren had also put on some Bue und?r??rm?nts that were given along with the coat, these clothes made Soren look like a full fledged member of the water tribe, but what put him off from the rest were the Brown pants he wore as they were the only thing that the ship full of females didn''t have. Soren took a look around and noticed that he could see his breath in the air as he exhaled into the cold weather, Soren then turned to Yu and saw that she was waiting for him to follow her off the ship and into the village to meet everyone, and when Soren saw Yu waiting for him he quickly followed her off the ship and into the icy village.


    ''So this is the Southern Water Tribe¡­ it''s quite small¡­ I also can''t use Earthbending here'': soren


    Yu then came and pulled Soren by his hand as she began to introduce him to everyone present in the village with a smile on her face.


    [Everyone, this is Soren¡­ He helped me load some supplies when we were at the Earth Kingdom. He said he wanted to see the Southern Water Tribe so I brought him along to visit]: yu


    When Yu had introduced Soren, many of the elders began to give the both of them scrutinizing looks, and while the elders were mainly looking at Soren, one of the elders who had loops in her Gray hair noticed that Yu was holding Soren''s hand in her own and she had a slight blush around her cheeks.


    [Hmm¡­ He can stay for now]: elder 1


    [Really!?... Thank you elders!]: yu


    Soren was then dragged away by the excited Yu who had wanted to show him the entire village, and Soren was happy to explore the village with Yu. After a few hours Soren was back in the village with Yu, and when they returned Soren was shown his room that he would sleep in for the time being he was there.


    ''I wonder when the Avatar will make his appearance¡­ All I know is it will be when a girl named Katara and her brother Sokka go out to hunt for some food'': soren


    Soren then spent the next few days hanging out in the village with Yu and the other village children, and during this time Soren found out that Yu''s main job was to take care of the children while their mothers went out to hunt or gather supplies, and their father away due to the war. During this time Soren had met both Katara and Sokka, and unlike Katara who was quite open and accepting of Soren, Sokka was suspicious of him for being a Fire Nation spy, but no matter how Soren tried to reason with Sokka he was unwilling to trust Soren.


    [Goodbye Gran Gran, Soren, Yu, and everybody else¡­ We''ll be back in a couple hours]: katara


    Katara waved goodbye to everyone present who was there to watch both Sokka and Katara leave to go hunting. While Sokka and Katara went off on their trip Soren was tasked with helping Yu take care of the children, Soren had no problems as he quite liked playing with the kids and teaching them some moves he learned during his trip to the Southern Water Tribe.


    [Soren!... That was fun! Do it again!]: child 1


    ''Looks like my journey has now started'': soren


    Soren watched both Sokka and Katara come down from the beast while Katara came down with a boy looking to be around 12 in age and a bald head with a Blue arrow on his forehead going down his back and down his arms and legs, Soren then watched as Katara took the boy with Blue tattoo''s into a tent to let him rest. When Soren saw Katara come back out he let down the child he had held and went over to talk with Katara about what happened to the boy and what the thing they came in on was even though he knew the situation, but to make it seem normal Soren asked about the boy.


    [Hey Katara, who was that?... Also what''s that big beast over there? It looks soft and fluffy]: soren


    [Huh?... Oh! Soren¡­ That thing is Appa, and the boy in the tent''s name is Aang, me and Sokka found both him and Appa inside an iceberg]: katara


    [An iceberg huh?... Sounds interesting]: soren


    Soren then began to familiarize himself with the beast known as Appa as he ?ssumed that they would be really close in the future when he leaves with Aang, Katara, and Sokka. After a few hours passed Aang had finally woke up and Katara had come into his tent right as he woke up, and when Aang got dressed he came out to observe the village, and the first person he saw was Soren.


    [Hello!... My name''s Soren, I''m from the Earth Kingdom, but I had a vision that led me to this place in waiting for someone super important¡­ So what''s your name?]: soren


    Soren tried to pry into Aang''s background with his words, but to his surprise Aang completely ignored the prying and just answered with a wide smile.


    [I''m Aang!... Wanna go penguin sledding with me?]: aang


    ''Penguin sledding?... Wait, wasn''t that the name of my quest?... Yup, just as I thought, it still hasn''t been complete, maybe I need to join Aang?'': soren


    Soren had checked his quest quickly and noticed that it had yet to be completed and after having an idea to finish the quest he accepted Aang''s offer and then Aang, Katara, and Soren had left the village after Aang was introduced to everyone, and this was when everyone found out that Aang was a bonafide Airbender, and the last of kis kind at that aside from Appa who was an originator of Airbending.


    [Quack Quack!... Come here Mr. Penguin!]: aang


    Soren and Katara then watched as Aang began to act like a penguin and quack like one as well while doing the chicken dance with his arms as he began to chase the penguin''s around, but as he got close to them they would run away from him.


    [Hehehe¡­ Aang! You''re doing it all wrong, want me to teach you?]: katara


    When Aang heard this he immediately ran over with amazing speed.


    [Please teach me the ways to penguin sledding!]: aang


    [Hehehe¡­ I will, but first you gotta promise to teach me Waterbending]: katara


    When Aang heard this he didn''t even think before answering, but after answering fully registered what was said and corrected himself.


    [Well you see¡­ I''m the only Waterbender in the entire South Pole]: katara


    [Really?... There are a ton up in the North Pole, why not go train there?]: aang


    [Yeah, but we haven''t had contact with our sister tribe in ages, and we have no way to get there]: katara


    [Really!?... Me and Appa can take you to the North Pole]: aang


    When Katara heard Aang''s words she got excited at the thought of finally learning Waterbending from a master.


    [Really!?... That would be great Aang!]: katara


    [Hey hey hey¡­ I wanna go too!]: soren


    Soren had interjected and caught the attention of both Katara and Aang and when Soren spoke about traveling with them Aang spoke up.


    [That''s fine!... The more the merrier, and on our way we can go to some amazing places to have even more fun]: aang


    [The Fire navy?... What happened?]: aang


    [The war happened¡­ That''s why we no longer have any Waterbenders in the South Pole]: katara


    [War?... But when did that happen?]: aang


    [About 100 years ago¡­]: katara


    Katara then began to tell Aang about the War that happened 100 years ago a few days after the disappearance of the Avatar, and with this news Aang, Katara, and Soren entered the wrecked war ship and began to look around, and as Soren stepped onto the ship he felt a strange sensation that he had not felt since he had stepped on the solid Earth back in the Earth Kingdom.


    ''Strange¡­ I feel connected to the metal¡­ Wait¡­ Do I have the same ability as Toph?'': soren


    Soren began to feel the unrefined earth deep within the metal, but planned to try it out later as he didn''t want to out such an ability this early. Soren, Aang, and Katara then began to explore more of the ship and when they came across the captains quarters Aang had tripped over a thin line and triggered a trap after telling Katara that they didn''t have to worry about the booby traps that might be present in the ship.


    [Uhh¡­ Katara, what was it that you said about booby traps?]: aang


    Aang, Soren, and Katara were then trapped within a rusty steel cage while a flare was shot off into the sky to signal any nearby Fire Navy that could see it. Aang then saw that there was a hole in the roof and took both Katara and Soren out from the ship and back down to the ground, and while Aang was doing that farther off in the distance a boy with a nasty burn scar on the left side of his face with his head shaved except for a ponytail kept at the top of his head looking through a telescope.


    Zuko then took his sight off of what was in the telescope and looked to his uncle who was standing next to him with a cup of tea in his hands and began to give out orders.


    [Uncle, tell the captain to set course to the Southern Water Tribe]: zuko


    Aang, Soren, and Katara then went back to the tribe only to see the entire village waiting at the gates for the 3 of them and when they came back a boy was waiting for them, Soren knew this was Sokka and he didn''t look too pleased as he was giving both Soren and Aang the stink eye as he began to shout at the 3.


    [See!... I told you they were Fire Nation spies! They set off that signal to tell the Fire Navy where we were¡­ And to think I was this close to trusting you Soren, you finally show your true colors]: sokka


    When Katara heard her brother trying to bash both Aang and Soren for doing something they didn''t do on purpose, she began to speak up for them.


    [Shut up Sokka!... Aang didn''t do it on purpose, it was all an accident¡­ We were exploring the Fire Navy ship and accidentally fell into one of the traps left behind]: katara


    Katara was then chastised by Gran Gran for exploring the ship when she was told specifically not to as it could cause trouble, and Sokka then began to try and kick both Soren and Aang out of the village for being enemies to which Yu spoke up.


    [NO!... You can''t kick Soren out!... I love him!]: yu


    When Soren heard this he was quite surprised to hear such a confession, but he knew that staying would bring more trouble then just leaving, so that''s what he did, in fact, both he and Aang both left the village on Appa.


    [I don''t mind¡­ We could travel the world and have some fun until you want to leave]: aang


    Soren and Aang began laying atop Appa as he swam away from the Southern Water Tribe, and while getting to know each other a bit Soren had noticed some soot fall on his hands, and turning his head back to where they were leaving from Soren saw a bunch of billowing Black smoke filling the air.


    [Oh no!... Aang!.... We need to turn around immediately! Katara and the others are in trouble¡­ Yu! I hope you''re okay]: soren

 Chapter 6 - 6: Leaving the South Pt:2

    Once Aang saw the soot filling the sky, he quickly jumped off Appa and used his glider to fly back to the village while Soren took control of Appa and turned him around towards the village.


    ''I gotta get myself one of those gliders when I meet the Lion Turtle that grants me the power to bend Air'': soren


    After a 15 minute ride back to the Southern Water tribe village, Soren saw both Katara and Sokka preparing to go save Aang from the clutches of the Fire Nation. Soren had got off Appa when he reached the icy shores of the Southern Water tribe and saw everyone a bit agitated due to their encounter with the Fire Nation, and when Soren got off Appa and went into the village he was greeted by the villagers.


    [Where''s Aang?... Did he make it back in time?]: soren


    [They took him!... The Fire Nation soldiers took him with them saying he was the Avatar]: yu


    Yu was the first one to speak up as she rushed up towards Soren and gave him a hug, but seeing as Soren seemed to be in a hurry to go save Aang she let him go and saw that he was looking towards both Katara and Sokka who were arguing.


    [Go save Aang¡­ But be careful out there in the big world¡­ And make sure to come back and visit me in the future]: yu


    Yu then got up on her tippy toes and gave Soren a peck on the cheek as she ran back to the group of women who started giggling about Yu''s forward attitude. Soren felt his face warm up a little as a blush grew onto his face, but seeing as Katara and Sokka were ready to leave he quickly ran back to Appa and shouted towards both Katara and Sokka.


    [Katara! Sokka!... Get on, we need to go save Aang]: soren


    Katara quickly jumped aboard while Sokka was a bit hesitant while claiming he didn''t trust Appa, but when Katara began talking about leaving him behind, Sokka immediately hopped aboard as Soren had Appa start sailing towards the trail of Black soot that lingered in the sky signifying which direction the warship went off to.


    [Ha, let''s see this big snot monster fly now!]: sokka


    [Appa! Yip Yip!]: soren


    Soren began hoping Appa was rested enough to start flying, and as Appa heard the command he quickly launched out of the water and began flying through the sky.


    [Wah!... He''s flying! He''s really flying!... Katara, he''s fly-!... *Ahem* I mean- so what, he''s flying¡­ Big deal]: sokka


    ''Please be alright Aang!'': katara


    ... Zuko''s Ship ...


    On board the warship that took Aang, a boy about 16 years in age stood with his hands behind his back on the front of the ship while looking off towards the horizon as his top knot swayed with the wind.


    [Uncle¡­ Have the men set a course for the Fire Nation¡­ We''re going home]: zuko


    [Yes Prince Zuko¡­ But after I finish my Jasmine Tea]: iroh


    A pig bellied old man with shoulder length Gray hair running down his back, and a short Gray top knot on his head, while his beard was separated into 3 sections being his mutton chops, and sprouted out at his chin into a point was standing behind Zuko with a cup of tea in his hands replied to Zuko''s request and went back to drinking the tea from his tea cup. Zuko then watched as a soldier came running up to him with Aang''s staff in his hands, and after handing the staff over to Zuko the soldier ran off back to his post, and Zuko looked at the staff in his hands with a small smile as he began to have thoughts about giving the staff to his father as a trophy of his successful capture of the Avatar.


    [Uncle, put this in my quarters along with my other belongings¡­ I need to prepare for when father welcomes me back with open arms]: zuko


    Zuko then handed Iroh the staff and walked off, and this left Iroh alone with the remaining soldier that was tasked with guarding them in case of any surprise attacks. Iroh finished his tea and turned to the soldier and handed him the staff while speaking.


    [Place this in my Nephews room for me, and have the ship set course for the Fire Nation]: iroh


    ... Soren''s Side ...


    [I think I see the ship just up ahead¡­ Slow us down so we can get in close]: katara


    Soren nodded to Katara''s words and made Appa begin his descent towards the ship so that they could begin their rescue mission for Aang, and when Soren saw that the ship was still calm he knew that they had yet to be spotted and decided to hand the reins over to Katara and make his entrance.


    [Here, take over¡­ I''ll go down there and rescue Aang]: soren


    [What!?... Are you even capable of doing that?... I mean, are you a bender, or some kind of fighter?]: katara


    [Well I''m an Earthbender, so I should be able to handle myself]: soren


    [But there''s no earth to bend down there]: sokka


    [Sokka, where does metal come from?]: soren


    [The ground¡­ Why?]: sokka


    [Well I suppose you could-... Wait! Can you do that!?]: sokka


    [I don''t know¡­ But I''ll find out when I get down there now won''t I]: soren


    [Just be careful Soren¡­ We''ll watch out for you guys from up here and try to help out if we can]: katara


    Soren gave Katara a nod as he then jumped off Appa and landed on the main deck of the ship while hoping deep down that he could bend metal like Toph could in the storyline, and if he could he would be the very first Metalbender known in history.


    ''Please work!'': soren


    Soren was noticed immediately by the soldiers on deck and was now under fire as the soldiers began attacking him with Firebending, and all Soren could do was hold his breath as he stomped his left foot forward and brought his arms to his side and the metal of the ship began to crumple and light to block all the fire heading his direction.


    [I did it!]: soren


    [He did it!]: sokka, katara


    Everyone was surprised to see the metal of the ship distort as it began moving at the will of Soren and formed a defensive wall to protect him from all thor attacks.


    Soren then ran at his makeshift defensive wall and ran through it while crossing his arms, and this action made the metal wall envelop Soren as he now became a metal man. Soren then started charging towards the group of Firebenders as the sounds of fighting started emanating from the inside of the ship as well as it signified Aang''s escape from his capture. Soon, Aang came bursting through the main door leading to the main deck with his glider in hand and saw the sight of a metal covered being beating on the soldiers as all the fire they threw at it was ineffective at stopping the metal being in its tracks.


    [What the-?]: aang


    As Aang was caught off guard from the sight, he could see Katara and Sokka flying atop Appa off in the distance as they began calling out to him.


    [Aang!... Over here!]: katara


    [Katara!... You guys came with Appa to rescue me!]: aang


    [Soren came along as well¡­ He''s that metal man kicking all that Firebender bu??]: sokka


    Aang heard Sokka and looked towards the one he claimed to be Soren and saw him remove the piece of metal that covered his face revealing his sharp facial features.


    [Aang!... You''re safe!]: soren


    Soren then made a movement with his arms in a down and outward motion as if shaking something off his arms and the metal armour surrounding his body released him as he made a move to leave the ship and join Katara and Sokka, but soon the door burst open again with the main deck being filled with a whole bunch of Firebender soldiers along with Zuko.


    [Sir yes Sir!]: soldiers


    Soren was caught off guard as a soldier quickly blasted him with a gigantic ball of fire and sent him off the edge of the ship into the freezing cold waters below.


    [Soren!]: katara, aang, and sokka


    Aang quickly tried to use his glider to go save Soren, but he was then attacked by the Firebenders as he had to make moves to avoid their attacks leaving Katara and Sokka to rescue Soren. Soon, Soren was brought up out of the water by Sokka and onto the warship''s main deck as Katara joined Aang on deck for fighting the incoming soldiers, but with her inexperience with Waterbending, she ended up freezing Sokka''s feet as he was trying to get Soren aboard Appa''s back.


    [Katara!... Watch where you aim that thing]: sokka


    [Sorry Sokka!]: katara


    Katara then turned around to face Sokka as she quickly did the same action on purpose making the same mistake as before and freezing the soldier behind her.


    [I did it!]: katara


    Soon, Katara, Sokka, and Soren were on Appa as he took off into the sky and Aang began to fly up, but was caught by Zuko as he fell into the waters below.


    Before anyone could do anything about the fallen Aang, the waters began to rise and shift as a bright glow came from the waters below and a sea monster made of water came up and began washing away everyone on the main deck as he also began destroying the ship making it''s function fall below average and unable to follow Appa''s speed, and after Aang''s rampage ended, Katara saved him and they began flying away on Appa towards a safe place, but form the warship an angry voice could be heard.


    [I''ll get you Avatar!... I''ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and capture you so that I may regain my honor and reign beside my father!]: zuko


    All of this was b?r?ly heard as Katara flew Appa further and further away from Zuko''s warship and they were soon out of sight.


    ... Time Skip ...


    A few hours later Soren had woken up due to the ringing of notifications in his head, and upon opening his eyes and checking them he was quite surprised as he saw some new things appear.


    {Name: Soren Huang - Age: 15 - Elements: Fire, Earth


    Chi: 15,000


    Blessings: Earth Lion Turtle, ######


    Skills: Firebending (Intermediate), Earthbending (Master), Jeet Kune Do (Advanced), Metalbending (Beginner)}


    {Ding!... New Quest! - Kyoshi Island - Description: Travel to Kyoshi Island and slay the Unagi to unlock the Quest for the Water Lion Turtle¡­ Time Limit: 3 weeks... Fail Condition: Unagi isn''t defeated within 3 weeks}


    ''So I will be learning how to Waterbend soon?... Seems useful'': soren


    As Soren got up to move around he felt a bit sore and gave out a low grunt which was caught by both Sokka and Katara.


    [Woah there¡­ Take it easy, you were just blasted by a Firebender]: katara

 Chapter 7 - 7: Southern Air Temple

    Soren heard Katara''s words and decided to follow them as he slowly sat up to see everyone. Soren saw both Katara and Sokka staring at him with a bit of confusion while Aang was still passed out and unresponsive for the moment, and when Soren registered the time of day with the sun starting to set he knew it would soon be night.


    [What''s up?... Why are you looking at me like that?]: soren


    [You were blasted with a fireball and came out without a single scratch¡­ Not even your clothes were affected...]: katara


    [Only Firebenders can do that!]: sokka


    Katara was interrupted by Sokka who seems to have a bit of disdain in his voice when speaking, but when Katara gave him a dirty look Sokka immediately shut up and let Katara continue.


    [But you''re an Earthbender, so there is no logical way that you could have come out unscathed in that fight so we were just a bit curious as to why you were unaffected by that attack]: katara


    Soren was torn between telling both Katara and Sokka about his ability, but he didn''t want to be looked at like an outcast because he was able to do stuff others couldn''t, and he felt if it were to be known that he can bend 2 elements, and in the future bend the other 2 as well, he would be looked at like he was some kind of hero meant to take over to place of the Avatar.


    [I don''t really know¡­ I was caught off guard and in the next second I had passed out only to wake up here¡­ So what happened to Aang?]: soren


    Soren quickly pushed the topic towards the one about Aang''s current condition as he seemed to be unconscious, and when Katara heard Soren change the subject she just followed along as she looked towards Aang with a worried look.


    [He went through some kind of transformation and used Waterbending to form a big water monster around him and destroy that Fire Nation ship¡­ After that he passed out and still hasn''t woken up, but I think he will wake up soon]: katara


    Soren nodded towards Katara''s words and decided to close his eyes for a bit while waiting for Aang to show any sign of waking up. Soon the sun set and the night rolled on in as Katara and Sokka began to head to sleep, and Soren also fell asleep, while Aang had just woken up after having some kind of nightmare that snapped him awake.


    ... Time Skip ...


    A couple of days later, Aang, Soren, Katara, were packing up their camping equipment on a small Island preparing to leave and head towards the Southern Air temple, and Aang was getting excited to show both Soren and Katara his home, while Sokka was sleeping in his water tribe style sleeping bag.


    [I can''t wait to show you guys the Southern Air temple and home to the place I grew up¡­ It''s one of the most beautiful places in the world]: aang


    [Aang, I know you''re excited, but it''s been 100 years since you were last there]: katara


    [Aang, what I think she means to say is that a lot can change over 100 years, and you should prepare yourself to what might have happened over that time]: soren


    [I know, but I need to see it for myself]: aang


    Aang then floated down to the ground and walked over to Sokka while shouting for him to wake up, but he refused to do so, so the next best thing to get someone to wake up was a harmless prank. Aang found a stick and picked it up before walking closer towards Sokka and began poking him all over while dragging the stick across his body and shouting.


    [Sokka! Wake up!... There''s a Prickle Snake in your sleeping bag!]: aang


    Once Aang said those words Sokka jumped up while shouting and trying to remove his sleeping bag from his body.


    [Ahhhh! What!... Where! Get it off me, get it off me!]: sokka


    [Hehe¡­ Great you''re up¡­ Let''s get going!]: aang


    Both Katara and Soren began chuckleing towards Aang''s actions, and soon after that they were flying in the sky on Appa again and started heading towards the Southern Air temple.


    ... Elsewhere in the Fire Nation ...


    [Uncle, I want repairs done to the ship as soon as possible¡­ If we stay too long we risk losing his trail, and I don''t want that happening]: zuko


    [You mean the Avatar-]: iroh


    [Don''t mention his name on these docks!... Once word gets out that he''s alive, every single Firebender in the Fire Nation will be scouring the globe for him, and I don''t want anyone getting in the way]: zuko


    AS Zuko finished his sentence, a voice from behind spoke up as he was quite curious as to who Zuko was talking about.


    [Getting in the way of what? Prince Zuko]: ???


    Both Zuko and Iroh turned to see a middle aged man with Graying hair pulled back into a top knot and mutton shops down the sides of his face keeping his chin at a clean shave. The man was wearing the standard issued Fire Nation uniform for a Commander, and when Zuko saw him he immediately spoke up greeting the man by his name and former title.


    [Captain Zhao]: zuko


    [It''s Commander now¡­ and General Iroh, great hero of our Nation]: zhao


    Zhao greeted Iroh with a slight bow to show respect to which Iroh bowed back and spoke.


    [The Fire Lord''s brother and son are welcomed guests anytime¡­ So what brings you to my harbor?]: zhao


    [Our ship is being repaired]: iroh


    Iroh then pointed Zhao towards the ship''s main deck to show off the great amount of damage done by both Soren and Aang when they went on their rampages.


    [That''s quite a bit of damage]: zhao


    [Yes, you wouldn''t believe what happened¡­ An Earthbender and 2 of his friends came in and ambushed our ship¡­ He was able to bend metal like it was the earth below our feet right now]: zuko


    Zuko was able to find a person to blame for most of the damage leaving the part about the Avatar out of the conversation, but just as Zuko implied, Zhao couldn''t believe it one bit as it was unheard of for an Earthbender to bend metal much less go to the South pole.


    [An Earthbender you say?... And he was able to bend metal?... That does sound unbelievable¡­ How about you tell me all the details over a few drinks?]: zhao


    [Sorry, but we have to go]: zuko


    Just as Zuko began to walk off he was stopped by Iroh who couldn''t let the chance for a free drink slip by him.


    Both Iroh and Zhao began walking off to discuss while Zuko followed behind in a grumpy mood due to his disdain for the Commander.


    ... Back with Soren ...


    Appa was flying through the sky while Sokka''s stomach was growling due to not eating after waking up late, while Soren and Katara were listening to Aang talk about all the fun times he had back in the Southern Air temple.


    [Hey! Which one of you ate all the Seal jerky!?]: sokka


    [Huh?... Oh, that was food?... Sorry Sokka, I used it to start the campfire last night]: aang


    [You what!?!?... No wonder the flames smelled so good... That was all my food]: sokka


    Sokka then began to sulk as his stomach was protesting not being fed yet leaving Aang to go back to his conversation with Soren and Katara, but it didn''t last long as Aang soon shouted.


    [We''re almost there!... This is the Potola Mountain range!]: aang


    [Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the Airbenders]: katara


    [Well¡­ I just want you to be prepared for what you might see¡­ The Fire Nation is ruthless¡­ They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people]: katara


    [Just because nobody has seen an Airebender before doesn''t mean the Fire Nation killed them all¡­ They probably escaped]: aang


    [I trust Aang¡­ They must have escaped]: soren


    [I know it''s hard to accept, but-]: katara


    [You don''t understand Katara, the only way to get to an Air temple is on a Flying bison, and I''m sure the Fire Nation doesn''t have any of those¡­ Right buddy]: aang


    Aang said the last part towards Appa while rubbing the top of his head making him purr a little. Aang had evaded the conversation from dragging on any further and by doing so Katara stopped prodding at the ever looming reality while looking towards Soren with a glare for agreeing with Aang even though the entire world knows that the Fire Nation had killed off the Airbenders to try and keep the Avatar from reincarnating again. Soon they flew above the clouds and got a complete view of the Southern Air temple and all its glory, Katara, Sokka, and Soren was awestruck seeing it in person, and were getting a bit excited to go explore it, but that knowledge held by them about the eradication of the Airbenders made it a bit hard to show how excited they were about seeing this place.


    [It''s so big!]: soren


    [It''s beautiful, Aang!]: katara


    [Is there food!?]: sokka


    ... Fire Nation ...


    [And by years end, the Earth Kingdom will finally be under our rule, and the Fire Lord will have complete victory and put an end to this entire war]: zhao


    [If my father things that the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he''s a fool]: zuko


    [Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue¡­ So, how''s your search for the Avatar going?]: zhao


    As Zhao was trying to prod at Zuko, Iroh was messing around with some of the weapons in Zhao''s tent and dropped them all making a loud bang as the sound of clashing metal was heard when they hit the ground.


    [Ehh¡­ Sorry, my fault entirely]: iroh


    [We haven''t found him yet]: zuko


    [Did you really expect to?... The Avatar died 100 years ago along with the rest of the Airbenders¡­ Unless you found some evidence that proves the Avatar is alive]: zhao


    [No¡­ Nothing]: zuko


    [Prince Zuko¡­ The Avatar is the only one who could put a stop to the Fire Nation winning this war, so if you have any information on the Avatar, spit it out now]: zhao


    [I haven''t found anything¡­ It''s like you said, he died 100 years ago¡­ Come on Uncle, we''re leaving]: zuko


    Just as Zuko tried to leave he was blocked as a soldier began to speak up making Zuko''s worst fear come true.


    [Commander Zhao¡­ We interrogated the crew as instructed and found out that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody and let him escape along with a man who could bend metal like it was earth]: soldie

 Chapter 8 - 8: Avatar Wan

    When the guards told Commander Zhao about the information gathered from the interrogation of Zuko''s crew Zuko knew his plans were ruined and soon enough everyone would know that the Avatar is still alive.


    [Now¡­ Remind me Prince Zuko, who exactly damaged your ship again?]: zhao


    Zuko didn''t want to speak as he was feeling quite sour as he didn''t think Zhao would be sneaky enough to have his men interrogate his men while they had some drinks, and in the end Zuko looked towards Zhao with a glare and began to speak.


    [I told you¡­ An Earthbender who could bend metal destroyed my ship, I just left out the part about the Avatar for personal reasons]: zuko


    [And why would you leave out such an important detail, Prince Zuko?... Don''t you know that this could be considered treason to your nation¡­ The Avatar is the only person in the entire world who could and would ruin our win in this war, and you messed up big time with this new development]: zhao


    [Don''t worry about it¡­ I''ll get him next time]: zuko


    [No¡­ No, you wont get that chance¡­ You are officially off this mission, and I will be taking over from here on out]: zhao


    When Zuko heard Zhao tell him that he would be removed from the only mission that could redeem him in his father''s eyes he felt anger and hatred well up from inside as he felt it was his destiny to capture the Avatar and return to the Fire Nation as a hero.


    [No!... You can''t do that! I have been hunting the Avatar for 2 years, and now you want to take my credit for yourself]: zuko


    [Hahahaha!... Your credit?... You are just some banished and forgotten son of the Fire Lord¡­ Nobody would ever believe you, and you''re lucky that you have brought me this news, and as thanks, I won''t mark you as a traitor for letting the Avatar escape¡­ Hahahahaha!... Men! Hold Prince Zuko, and General Iroh here for a while while I get my men prepared for departure¡­ Oh! And have Prince Zuko''s men pack their things, I''ll be taking them along with me¡­ I don''t want this information spreading too quickly now]: zhao


    Zhao then began walking out of the room while laughing, but before he could leave Zuko shouted and caught his attention.


    [No! You can''t do this!... I will be the one to capture the Avatar and return home to my father with honor]: zuko


    [Honor?... Hahaha! You are just a banished prince now, if your father really wanted you back home, he would have taken you back Avatar, or no Avatar¡­ As I said moments before¡­ A forgotten son of the Fire Lord, and you even have the scar to prove it]: zhao


    [Oh yea!?... Well maybe you''d like one to match!]: zuko


    [Prince Zuko! Calm down and relax]: iroh


    Iroh tried to calm Zuko down as he was releasing his anger out through the candles and lanterns surrounding the inside of the tent as the flames grew bigger, and Zuko''s anger only got worse as Zhao antagonised him by plucking on the one nerve that hurt Zuko the most.


    [Yes! An Agni Kai¡­ At sunset]: zuko


    [Very well¡­ It''s a shame your father won''t be there to watch me humiliate you¡­ I guess your uncle will do just fine]: zhao


    Zhao then turned around and left the tent as Zuko starred as his departing back with a fire in his eye, soon the guards followed suit leaving Zuko and Iroh alone in the tent to discuss between themselves.


    [Prince Zuko¡­ Have you forgotten what happened last time you duled a Master?]: iroh


    [I will never forget Uncle]: zuko


    ... Elsewhere with Soren ...


    I was getting dark as Soren, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were now standing before a gigantic door with what appeared to be ancient pipes curling around each other and looking like a puzzle with 3 Blue spirals depicting air currents, and as Sokka''s hunger got the best of him hoping that there was food on the other side of the door, he tried to barge in, but was met with complete resistance as the gigantic doors refused to open.


    [They''re locked!... Aang, how do you open them]: sokka


    [Hahaha¡­ They require Airbending to open them¡­ Sokka, stand back]: aang


    [Hello?... Anyone home?]: aang


    Aang was the first to enter followed by Katara, then by Soren leaving Sokka a bit hesitant, but soon he followed after as well, and when they saw the hundreds if not thousands of stone statues filling the room in what appeared to be a pattern signifying the people of the 4 nations, Aang, Soren, and Katara began looking around while Sokka was distraught that there was no food in sight.


    ''Woah¡­ So these are the Avatars of Aang''s past lives?... The look to be in perfect condition¡­ The Airbenders were truly a remarkable group of people, they even kept the place free from decay, or maybe that was the leftover spiritual presence from all of Aang''s past lives?'': soren


    Soon Soren watched as Sokka was alarmed by some movement from outside and quickly gathered both Aang and Katara to hide thinking it was a Firebender. Soren quickly went his own way to make himself scarce as he still wanted to look around without being troubled, and soon after he saw both Sokka and Aang running out the doors after some little flying monkey looking thing. Katara was left in the room to continue looking at the statues and when she saw Soren doing the same she decided to spark up a conversation.


    [Why did you lie to Aang?... You know if we stay here any longer he will eventually find out]: katara


    [Why did I lie?... Think about it¡­ Aang was raised here his whole life, they didn''t display violence, and there were no such events as a war to take over the entire world. Aang left his people on a bad note and feels guilty, I can see it in his eyes, and all of a sudden 100 years later when he reemerges he is forced to know that his people were slaughtered due to his existence being a threat to some greedy person in power¡­ What would happen if he did find out about that? Do you think he would be happy that his people sacrificed themselves to keep him safe, or do you think he would blame himself for not being there to stop the eradication of his only family¡­ That''s why, if and when he does find out, we need to be there for him¡­ We will be his family, and he needs to be able to rely on us when he''s down¡­ That Katara is the reason I lied to him]: soren


    Katara took in Soren''s words as she felt that he was right, and that Aang would be upset to find out that his family died for him, and he would need someone there for him when he finds out the truth, and deep down she wanted to be that person there for him.


    [I''m gonna go find Aang and Sokka]: katara


    [Okay, I''ll be there soon¡­ I feel that something is calling to me here]: soren


    Katara then ran out the door to go and find Sokka and Aang while Soren looked up to the roof of the temple and saw a faint glow, and that glow was the thing Soren felt he was being called towards. Soren then found the path spiraling up towards the top of the temple with statues of the past Avatars lining the way, and with that Soren began to climb the path, and after a few minutes Soren reached the top where the statues were no longer stone, and only one statue stood a decaying statue made of wood that depicted a man with long hair wearing a tunic and a scarf missing it''s arms, with an undefinable face, but the thing that stood out the most about the statue was the depiction of a diamond shaped creature with long flowing tentacles that wrapped around the man and glowing Blue markings.


    [Strange¡­ Why is this statue glowing?]: soren


    Just as Soren spoke, the other statues lit up and caught Soren''s attention as he watched the others begin to light up as well as they spiraled down, and even the wooden mans statue lit up, with a Bluish White in its eyes, but the creature surrounding him still had a Blue glow.


    [Oh no¡­ Aang!]: soren


    Soren''s knowledge about the Avatar world has nothing much to do with the individual characters and their traits, but knowledge of the events such as Aang coming out of the Iceberg, traveling the world, the Earthbender known as Toph joining the team, and Zuko the Prince of the Fire Nation joining the team before Aang defeats Ozai and brings peace to that era of his time. Soren quickly tried to leave and go see what happened to Aang, but before he could leave the Blue glowing light surrounding the creature carved out around a man began to grow and absorb Soren sending him into a bright light blinding him and making him raise his hand to stop the light from burning his retinas.


    [What the heck!?]: soren


    [Hello!... My name is Raava, I am the Spirit that resides in all Avatars¡­ I have felt the blessings of the Earth Lion Turtle on you and have called you to meet with me]: raava


    Soren was standing in an open field with nothing but Earth around him and some rock formations, but as Soren took a further look around he noticed the sight of what appeared to be the aftermath of a great war with bodies laying around as well as weapons and spilled blood soaking the ground. Soren then looked back towards the one called Raava and saw the appearance of a ghastly White spirit like creature with Blue markings and a Diamond shaped eye at its center.


    [Why do you want to meet with me?]: soren


    [You have been blessed by something more powerful than even Vaatu and myself combined, and through that blessing you were granted the ability to house all 4 Elements, something that only the Avatar can do, but the thing you lack that makes the Avatar the Avatar is me¡­ Though I can''t give you that power, I can give you something that will help you bring balance to this world just like the Avatar''s in the past¡­ The current Avatar isn''t powerful enough to win this war on his own and will need your help¡­ Take this as my parting gift for you¡­ Go talk to that man over there]: raava


    Raava then turned her flat body and pointed towards a dying man with long Gray hair and a pointed Gray beard growing from his chin. He was leaning up against a piece of rock that was shaped like a bronze coin, wearing stone plated armor and a Black tunic with Red lining under it. The man was surrounded by a bunch of bodies and arrows lined the ground like a pin cushion as blood from the dead bodies flowed like a river and soaked the soil.


    [*Cough Cough*... Eh, come here boy]: man


    Soren then walked over to the man and knelt down to meet him face to face as the man placed his hand onto Soren''s shoulder and began to speak.


    [My name is *Cough*... Avatar Wan¡­ I was the very first Avatar in this seemingly endless cycle of war before peace, and throughout my long life I have learned one thing, and that is peace can never be won without bloodshed¡­ You might get peace for a short time, but without someone there to instill fear into the minds of those who seek power, there will always be a fight for the throne, and the Avatar is the one who was meant to bring peace and stop those power hungry people from vying for the throne in the first place¡­*Cough* Please, with this knowledge I pass onto you¡­ Keep this world from falling into utter ruins if the Avatar fails to complete his duty¡­ He seems like a good kid, but that''s the thing, he''s still just a kid *Cough Cough*... Come closer]: wan


    Soren did as Wan asked and came even closer and let Wan place one of his hands on his face, placing his thumb on his forehead, and the other on the center of his ?h?st right where his heart it, and with a flash of glowing Green light, Soren had the knowledge of Firebending taught from the dragons themselves, the ones rumored to be the very first Firebenders.


    [Go!... Take this as payment for protecting the world¡­ I know there is nothing free in this world¡­ Hehe *Cough Cough*]: wan


    Soren then watched as Wan''s head went back and he watched as Raava''s soul began leaving his body to find a new host for reincarnate into, and with that Soren was pushed out of the world with a bright light making him close his eyes before he reopened them only to see himself standing in front of the statue of Avatar Wan, and Raava was no longer glowing Blue, but the markings on the wood were painted Blue still.


    [Don''t worry Wan, I''ll make sure to protect this world from danger]: soren

 Chapter 9 - 9: Agni Kai

    After Soren realized he was back in the dark and vacant temple that housed all the previous Avatar''s statues, he noticed that the previously lit up statues had completely gone back to normal. Soren quickly scaled back down from the top of the temple and left the dark eerie room to go find Aang, Katara, and Sokka, and after a brief search Soren found Aang being comforted by Katara as he seemed to be quite depressed due to the loss of his people.


    ''So he has found out the truth¡­ It was bound to happen at some point'': soren


    Soren couldn''t do anything but try and sympathise with Aang, but without ever experiencing the loss of family, Soren couldn''t fully understand how Aang truly felt.


    [Come on guys¡­ We should leave, who knows if the Fire Nation soldiers have any bases nearby]: sokka


    [I second that¡­ Let''s get out of here¡­ Aang, do you know of a place called Kyoshi Island?]: soren


    [Kyoshi?... I know her, she is one of my past lives, but¡­ I don''t know where the island is, but maybe we can find it on our trip to the Northern Water tribe]: aang


    Soren just sighed and hoped that they would come across some kind of information soon as he knew that the missions given by the System were very important for the future of this world. Soon after that, Aang went back to the statue room and tried to find any kind of message from the statue of the previous Avatar known as Avatar Roku, but nothing made any kind of evident appearance for Aang, and he felt he was left to deal with this on his own, but before they left the Southern Air temple Aang picked up a new pet which was the Flying Lemur he called Momo, and with everything packed and ready to go, Soren, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the newest member of the group Momo left the Southern Air temple on Appa, and began heading towards the next destination Aang set his sights on.


    ... Fire Nation ...


    In what appeared to be an open arena guarded by Fire Nation soldiers, two men stood opposite of each other knelt down with their backs turned. These two people were Commander Zhao, and Prince Zuko, and on Zuko''s side his Uncle Iroh was giving him a good luck speech while reminding him not to get lost in the rage and anger that was welling up inside his young nephew.


    [Remember your Firebending basics, Prince Zuko¡­ They are your greatest weapons]: iroh


    [I refuse to let him win Uncle]: zuko


    Zuko then got up and turned to face his opponent who also got up and turned to face him, and when Zhao got up he spoke in a ???ky attitude that made Zuko a bit angry.


    [This will be over quickly]: zhao


    With those words the sound of a metal gong being bashed rang throughout the courtyard-like arena and signified the start of the match letting both Zhao and Zuko engage in combat. With the battle being started Zuko made the first move as he gathered fire around his fists and with a yelling grunt began punching towards Zhao from a distance sending fireballs towards him only for Zhao to dodge each and every single one of them. Zuko began moving around the arena while sending a flurry of attacks towards Zhao, but he continued to make slight movements to dodge the attacks and kept a smirk on his face that told everyone that he already won in his mind. Zuko then sent another attack towards Zhao, and Zhao didn''t dodge it as he brought his hands up to block and when the fire struck him, Zhao spread his arms apart making the fire disperse into thin air. Zhao seemed to just be getting warmed up while Zuko was out of breath and sweat began dripping from his forehead as he was surprised to see that Zhao was unaffected by any of his previous attacks that he made with rapid succession, but seeing his failure Zuko made a change to his style as he switched to using his legs and brought down slashes of fire towards Zhao who continued to take them head on while dispersing them with his hands seeming to still be unaffected in the slightest, but Zuko didn''t take this as a loss and continued to fight.


    Zuko then sent another swipe with his leg as fire shot out towards Zhao before he brought his leg in and kicked outwards sending a speeding bolt of fire towards Zhao making him use his own fire to attack back for the first time as he gathered fire around his hands and clasped them together before crouching and sending an upwards strike of fire into the bolt of fire sent by Zuko effectively splitting the fire and making it disperse off to the sides. As Iroh saw his nephew struggling to fight with Zhao he couldn''t help but cheer him on from the side while reminding him to use the basics as they were his greatest weapons and were much stronger than the flashy moves done previously by Zhao who had only gotten a certain level of mastery before moving on to create his own form of attacks.


    [Basics Zuko!... Break his root!]: iroh


    Zhao sent a strong and fast blast of fire towards Zuko who used his arms to block as he was sent back a little bit and threw his arms down towards his side to disperse the flames before catching himself and studying his balance. Zhao then continued to send the same move towards Zuko as he continued to deflect the fire to the side as he continued to be pushed back just a little, but after the 3rd deflection Zuko was overwhelmed by Zhao''s power and was sent back as he crashed into the ground and felt weak due to the exertion of his energy in his previous attacks. Zhao saw this and took this chance to jump towards Zuko and end the fight, Zhao punched towards Zuko''s face hoping to give him a scare to match the one given by his father, and as Zuko saw the incoming attack he quickly acted as twisted his body in the air dodging Zhao''s attack and using his leg to sweep Zhao off his feet and stumble back towards the ground as he got into a firm stance and was now looming over Zhao''s body with his fist aimed towards his exposed body ready to attack at any moment. Zhao was left stumbling back as Zuko continued to press forward as fire came from Zuko''s every step and attacked Zhao making him stumble further and further back not letting him regain his balance until Zhao finally gave into the loss of balance and tumbled to the ground as Zuko then took position over Zhao''s body and proved that he won the fight.


    Zuko gave into the anger and shot a blast of fire towards Zhao, but as Zhao closed his eyes waiting for the impending pain of scorched skin, he was surprised to open his eyes and see Zuko missed his shot and the fire contacted the ground next to his head.


    [That''s it?... Your father raised a coward]: zhao


    [Next time you get in my way, I promise I won''t hold back]: zuko


    Zuko turned to walk away sparing Zhao''s pathetic life, but as Zuko was leaving Zhao''s anger got the better of him and he decided to attack Zuko while his back was turned, but before the attack could reach Zuko, Iroh stepped in and dispersed all of Zhao''s fire and grabbed hold of his extended foot aimed towards Zuko''s departing back. Zuko turned to see this and Iroh threw Zhao away with a bit of force as he was thrown back and landed on the ground again, and as Zuko ran back to finish what he started Iroh stopped him from continuing what he was about to do.


    [No, Prince Zuko¡­ Do not taint your victory]: iroh


    Zuko then eased off as Iroh then turned to face Zhao and began speaking again.


    [So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in the face of defeat?... Disgraceful¡­ Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you¡­ Thanks again for the tea, it was delicious]: iroh


    Iroh then turned to leave followed by Zuko, leaving Zhao to reflect on his actions as his anger just grew even more for the exiled prince, and as Zuko and Iroh left the arena Zuko asked Iroh if he really meant what he said to Zhao.


    [Did you really mean that, Uncle?]: zuko


    Zuko and Iroh then went back to the docks just in time to see the men of Zuko''s ship preparing to depart with their belongings, but before they could leave Zuko informed them that they would be staying with him and that they would be leaving immediately. Sounds of sighs could be b?r?ly audible to the young prince as they didn''t want to be heard and then have Zuko kill them for such actions, and they all quickly moved to start the ship and leave the docks of the Fire Nation as they sailed out to begin the hunt for the Avatar. A few days later Iroh came into Zuko''s room as he was in meditation with some candles lit before him, and when Zuko saw him enter he began to speak.


    [The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news about the Avatar]: zuko


    [Well, there is news, Prince Zuko¡­ But you might not like it¡­ Don''t get too upset now]: iroh


    [Uncle¡­ you taught me that keeping a level head is the sign of a great leader¡­ Now, whatever you have to say, I''m sure I can take it]: zuko


    [Ok, then¡­ We have no idea where he is]: iroh


    As Iroh told Zuko the bad news the candles in front of Zuko exploded with flames as they melted at a faster pace showing how angry Zuko was, but Iroh calmed him down shortly after.


    [What!?... Give me the map!]: zuko


    [You really should open up a window in here, Prince Zuko¡­ There have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down]: iroh


    Looking at the map Zuko saw the locations where people informed the Fire Nation soldiers of a flying bison being spotted in the sky, and looking at the pattern of the sightings make it look like erratic evasion.


    ... On Appa''s back ...


    [You got no idea where you''re going¡­ Do you?]: sokka


    [Well¡­ I know it''s near water, if that helps]: aang


    Both Sokka and Soren looked over the sides of Appa and saw nothing but water as they were flying over the vast sea, and Sokka seemed a bit annoyed as he spoke.


    [I guess we''re getting close then]: sokka


    Soren decided to look into his system while they were flying since he had nothing better to do while Sokka was having his pants repaired by Katara after he ripped them earlier trying to get off Appa to use the bathroom.


    ''Hey Nina¡­ Can you show me my status please'': soren


    {Sure thing Soren!...


    Name: Soren Huang - Age: 15 - Elements: Fire, Earth


    Blessings: Earth Lion Turtle, ######, Raava''s Blessing


    Skills: Firebending (Master), Earthbending (Master), Jeet Kune Do (Advanced), Metalbending (Beginner)}(A/N: I forgot to update the status to the right one in the last couple chapters so I will be updating it soon)


    ''Nina, what does Raava''s blessing do?... It''s something new to my status'': soren


    {Raava''s Blessing is a Blessing that places you on the path to bring World Peace just like the Avatar, but you don''t have access to the Avatar state like Aang does¡­ If you want, you could take over for Aang as the Avatar in a way as you both were meant to bring peace and balance to the 4 Nations, but Aang was meant to bring peace and balance to not only the 4 Nations, but also to the Spirit world}


    ''I see¡­ So I am basically an Avatar without access to the Spirit world or past lives to help guide me like the actual Avatar?'': soren


    {Precisely¡­ But because you have me you don''t need to have a connection to any past lives as I am all knowing, so in a way I am your past life, but if and when you die you won''t be reincarnated with me, and I will return back to my creator}


    ''But you can''t leave me¡­ For the past 3 years you were the only person I was able to talk to, if you ever left me I would feel like I''m losing a close friend'': soren


    {That''s sweet Soren¡­ Thank you, but don''t worry, you will live a relatively long life and will have many years to create new ties before you would die and I would be returned back to my creator}


    ''... I don''t wanna talk about this anymore'': soren


    [Don''t worry Sokka, where we''re going you won''t need any pants!]: aang


    [Huh?... Pants?]: soren


    Aang then brought Appa down and they landed on a small island with a crescent shaped cove as Aang began searching the sea while standing on the shore, while Sokka, Katara, and Soren wanted to move along for their own reasons.


    [But Appa''s tired, and he needs a rest¡­ Aren''t ya boy?]: aang

 Chapter 10 - 10: Kyoshi Island

    Appa reacted to Aang''s question with a slight growl that one could interpret as an "I''m okay", but after Aang said the same question again while poking Appa with his elbow and gave a wink, Appa knew what was going on and played along as well.


    [GROWWWLLLLL (I''m SOOOOOO Tired)]: appa


    Aang pointed towards Appa to show Soren, Sokka, and Katara that Appa was tired, and Sokka decided to put in his two cents while Katara just seemed conflicted, but Soren was not paying attention in the slightest as he had just received a notification and zoned out.


    [Yeah, that was really convincing¡­ Still, it''s kinda hard to argue with a 10-ton magical monster]: sokka


    Just as Sokka said that, two gigantic fish hopped out of the water as Aang began to undress and began running towards the water while shouting.


    [That''s why we''re here!... To ride the Giant Koi fish!]: aang


    While Aang ran into the water, Soren was still looking at his system notification as it displayed.


    {Ding!... Quest: Kyoshi Island - Description: You have arrived on Kyoshi island sooner than required¡­ The Quest to defeat the Unagi has updated from a slay quest to a conquer quest. - New Description - Conquer the Unagi by riding it for 3 hours¡­ Fail: The Unagi eats you, or you fall off it''s back} (A/N: I forgot about Aang using the Unagi to put out the village fire, so I can''t kill it off)


    When Soren finished reading the quest update he noticed Aang riding one of the Koi fish and decided he was going to join in as well and hopefully find the Unagi.


    [This is so stupid!... We should be heading towards the Northern Water tribe, not riding fish¡­ And the fish is doing all the work!... Right Sore-]: sokka


    Sokka then watched as Soren ran right past him in nothing but a pair of und?rw??r as he jumped into the freezing cold water and began swimming out towards where Aang was, and soon after waiting for one of the fish to swim by him he caught it by one of its fins and climbed up to ride on top of it like Aang.


    [Whoooooo!... This is quite fun!]: soren


    Soren was riding the fish while it was swimming around trying to lose it''s rider and after a few minutes of surfing the waters on the back of such a giant beast, the other fish began to scatter as only Soren and Aang were left on their fish as Aang began to question what happened.


    {Warning Soren¡­ The Unagi has arrived}


    Just as Nina informed Soren of the appearance of the Unagi, Aang was launched off his fish as it was dragged under water and quickly eaten, and seconds later a gigantic Black fin sprouted out from the surface of the water as Aang freaked out and began running as fast as he could as he basically ran on water making the Unagi chase him.


    ''I think maybe I should rethink trying to ride that thing¡­ Just for now at least'': soren


    Soren quickly made his fish swim towards the shore while Aang was still running for his life, and as soon as Aang reached the shore the Unagi turned to where Soren was, but he was long gone as well as the fish he was riding on.


    [I don''t know]: aang


    [Well I vote we don''t stick around long enough to find out]: sokka


    [I don''t know¡­ I kinda wanna ride it]: soren


    When Soren spoke up everyone looked at him as if he were crazy for saying such a thing, but Aang also thought about it for a moment before shaking his head while dismissing the thought.


    [I think Sokka''s right, it is time to leave]: aang


    Just as Aang said this, their entire group was surrounded by warriors with painted faces as they took out Sokka first, then Katara, and finally Aang, but Soren didn''t want to get caught and tried to protect himself with Earthbending as he launched some rocks towards his opponent before someone snuck up behind him and whacked him in the back of the head effectively knocking him out.


    [Or... We could stay awhile]: sokka


    When Soren woke up he could tell many things had happened, and the first being he was cuffed with metal shackles around his hands and feet, while he was also strapped to a pole with a statue at the top of it along with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Sokka was being grabbed by the collar by one of the women who ambushed them and brought them here, and they were being called Fire Nation spies by an old man, presumably the village chief.


    [Umm¡­ We aren''t Fire Nation spies, so can you let us go]: soren


    As the chief said this, Aang had a few things click in his head as he came to a realization and began to speak.


    [Kyoshi?... I know her!]: aang


    [Impossible!... Avatar Kyoshi was born here over 400 years ago and has been dead for centuries]: village chief


    [Well, I know her because I''m the Avatar]: aang


    When the village chief heard Aang''s words his face showed an expression of shock and disbelief while one of the warriors next to him shouted at Aang.


    [That''s impossible!... The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared 100 years ago]: warrior


    [Yup!... That''s me!]: aang


    The village chief became furious at Aang''s claims of being the long lost Avatar and with a look of anger on his face demanded.


    [Throw the imposter to the Unagi!]: village chief


    [Aang!... Do some Airbending!]: katara


    Aang understood their situation and quickly jumped off the ground while using the air around him as little air blades that cut the ropes and he backflipped over the statue of Kyoshi, and slowly floated down to the ground as the winds carried him down gently.


    [Wow *Gasp*... That''s amazing!]: surrounding village people


    [It''s true!... You ARE the Avatar!]: village chief


    [Yeah!... Now, check this out!]: aang


    Aang then took 3 marbles from a pocket sewn in his clothes and placed them between his hands as he used the air around them to make them float and spin in a circle in a fast rotation causing everyone in the village to freak out in awe as one guy began foaming at the mouth as his screams of joy and excitement rang throughout the village before he passed out. After the misidentification of the Avatar and his friends being called Fire Nation spies was over, they were all released, and when one of the warriors went to release Soren from the shackles he stopped her and spoke.


    [I got this one]: soren


    Soren then used Earthbending to remove the metal restraints surrounding his wrist and ankles as he now became free, and this shocked the warrior to her core as she wondered if all Earthbenders could do such a thing, but before she could ask, Soren was already gone as he wanted to explore the village and prepare himself for the task of riding the Unagi.


    ... Information spreading time ...


    [Huh?!]: fisherman


    The Fisherman then took his fish and went out to sell them to the Earth Kingdom where he found a close friend and began talking and telling the story about the Avatar''s appearance on Kyoshi.


    [Yeah!... He and his friends stopped by a few days ago¡­ He''s amazing with his mastery over the air¡­ Hope you can sell these fish like last time as well, we fished up a lot of them]: fisherman


    The fisherman then went back to Kyoshi while his friend began selling the fish in his market, and when he saw an old friend he began talking about the Avatar.


    [Yeah¡­ You couldn''t believe when my friend came from Kyoshi and told me that the Avatar is there¡­ I wanted to stop everything here just to go meet him... So, how is your new job as a chef going?]: shop owner


    The man shopping for the fish gladly spoke with his friend before leaving with the fish and going back to the ship he worked on to prepare that night''s dinner for none other than Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.


    [Prince Zuko¡­ I found word that the Avatar is staying on Kyoshi Island as of right now]: chef


    When Zuko heard that he quickly got up and shouted.


    [What!?... The Avatar''s on Kyoshi Island!?... Uncle, ready the Rhinos, we''re going to Kyoshi island¡­ He''s not getting away from me this time]: zuko


    Iroh was about to grab the chop sticks and begin eating Zuko''s food seeing as he was walking out the door, but Zuko quickly turned around and grabbed his plate and shouted at Iroh.


    [I was going to save it for later!]: zuko


    Zuko then walked out with his plate of food leaving Iroh to sulk about not getting to eat it as he was still hungry even after eating his share.


    ... Kyoshi Island ...


    It had been a week since Soren had finally reached Kyoshi Island, and his Quest timer was still ticking down as he only had a few days left to complete it, and today was the day he was going to ride the Unagi. Soren had a change in clothing as he no longer wore his dirty Green tunic with Brown pants and Black shoes, and instead he wore a Blue tunic with a White fluffy collar and a pair of Black baggy pants along with Brown boots with animal fur sticking around the cuff of the boot. They were winter clothes that were needed since their end game destination was to go to the North pole and get Katara and Aang, a teacher from the Northern Water tribe, so winter clothes were a must have for their journey.


    [Katara, Sokka¡­ I''m going to go out to the cove for some swimming¡­ Where''s Aang?]: soren


    [I don''t know¡­ He said he was going to ride the Unagi before rudely leaving]: katara


    [I see¡­ Lover''s quarrel]: soren


    [We''re not lovers!!!!]: katara


    Sokka saw how angry his sister got and decided to play on it as he spoke.


    [Totally lovers¡­ Hehe]: sokka


    [Sokka!]: katara


    Soren quickly left the house as he didn''t want to be caught in the path of Katara''s rage, and Sokka soon left as well, but he had a few lumps on his head where Katara hit him for messing with her.


    [*Sigh*... I hate girls when they''re angry]: sokka


    [Hehe¡­ Better luck next time Sokka¡­ But I need to go ride the Unagi]: soren


    [What!?... You too, Soren?... But why? It seems so dangerous]: sokka


    [I''m all for danger, but if I happen to die in the process I wanted to tell you guys where I was going beforehand so you don''t keep looking for me¡­ Hehe, I hope I see you guys later]: soren


    Soren quickly left Sokka before he could say anything else, and Sokka just sighed before he went towards the location of the Kyoshi Warriors to talk with them and show off how manly he was in front of him as his s?xist attitude began showing.


    ''Alright Nina, is there any way you can tell me when 3 hours are up?'': soren


    {Sure can Soren¡­ I''ll set a timer for you}

 Chapter 11 - 11: City of Omashu Again

    ''Nina, what is a Timer?'': soren


    Soren had never heard of the term "Timer", but ?ssumed it had something to do with keeping time, and just like he expected, Nina informed Soren that a Timer was something to keep time, and let you know when a certain amount of time has passed. Soren then watched as a mechanical virtual timer appeared flashing in Soren''s view with the numbers "00:03:00:00" being stationary as Soren had yet to begin his ride on the Unagi, and after seeing this Soren began swimming out towards the sea as he also noticed Aang not too far away from him appearing to be waiting for something in the water.


    ''All I''m gonna say, is Aang better not steal my quest and make me fail, or I''m gonna hit him with a rock the size of a house later on today'': soren


    After a few minutes of waiting, Soren noticed that the group of onlookers that Aang had brought with him had started to disperse leaving Aang to be a bit melancholic due to losing his first ever fan base since coming out as the Avatar, and at that moment, one could tell that the little bit of fame the young Airbender felt was a whole new world to him, and now that it was being ripped away by a bunch of little girls thinking he was now boring made Aang rethink his position in the world as not some famous person, but as someone meant to bring peace and harmony to the world.


    [Hey Aang!... Where did your fans go?]: katara


    Katara shouted from the shoreline as Aang perked up and noticed Katara standing there with a look of worry on her face, and seeing that even though fame comes and goes, friendship last forever unless you break it forcefully, made Aang rethink just exactly what his priorities were, and that was friendship over everything else.


    [They left me¡­ They said I was boring]: aang


    [Hehe¡­ Well Mr. Boring, get out of the water before you catch a cold]: katata


    Katara was subtly flirting with Aang even if she didn''t notice it, and Aang seeing Katara as a love interest made him blush even if he didn''t notice the slight flirting as he started to swim back towards the shore, but was soon being surrounded by a dark pool as a Black fin sprouted out in front of him making the Unagi''s presence known.


    [AHHHHH!!!!... Katara! Help!]: aang


    Before Katara could do anything, Aang grabbed hold of the Unagi''s whisker as it''s head raised out of the water bringing Aang along with it, and using the highly pressurized water kept in its mouth, the Unagi tried to spray Aang and kill him with the water blast, but Aang swiftly went into action as he used the air and his weight to swing out of harm''s way on the Unagi''s whisker, but the slipperiness of the whisker made Aang fall back into the water as the Unagi went in to eat Aang whole, and Katara made it just in time to grab hold of Aang. Just as the Unagi was going to eat both Katara and Aang, Soren used Earthbending with his arms as he made the lake bed spike up and stab the Unagi harming it, but the Unagi saw this as nothing but and annoyance and turned its attention to Soren letting both Katara and Aang escape.


    [Soren!... Don''t try and fight that thing! You''re out of your element, and it''s in its home]: katara


    Katara tried to get Soren to run away, but seeing his chance to ride the Unagi as it tried to swallow him seemed quite tempting, and as the Unagi tired to engulf Soren, he swam as quickly as possible to the side, and made it just in time to dodge the Unagi''s attack, and he grabbed hold of the Unagi''s whisker just like Aang did, making the Unagi angry as this was the second time today someone grabbed its whisker, and as it raised its head from the water to attack Soren, Soren used his weight to swing over to the other whisker before grabbing hold of it and swinging up to the head of the Unagi as he stood firm and pulled on the whiskers of the Unagi to fall under his command.


    [I hope he''ll be alright]: katara


    Katara looked on as Soren began riding the Unagi as his face showed a smile, and the timer that was blinking with the numbers "00:03:00:00" began to count down as Soren saw the notification from Nina ring off in his head.


    {Timer has begun¡­ Soren, you must stay on the Unagi for 00:02:59:55 if you wish to complete the quest}


    ''This will be a piece of cake!'': soren


    Soren then regretted his thoughts as the Unagi dove under water taking Soren with it in hopes of drowning Soren out, but after a few seconds the Unagi came back above the water due to Soren yanking on its whiskers to the point of almost ripping them off, and making it scream in pain.


    ... On the coast of Kyoshi Island ...


    [Uncle, how coles are we?]: zuko


    [We should be reaching Kyoshi at any moment, Prince Zuko¡­ But I gotta say, you shouldn''t worry so much, and sit back to have a cup of tea]: iroh


    [Now is no time for tea!... The Avatar is roaming the world becoming stronger by the second, and you want to sit down and have tea?... I need to capture the Avatar as soon as possible and return home a hero!]: zuko


    [Ah, what''s so great about being a hero anyway¡­ You don''t get anything special, rather you get stuck with no peace and quiet due to people wanting to visit you]: iroh


    Iroh took a sip from his cup of tea while reminiscing about his days as a hero who almost conquered the great capital Ba Sing Se, but this led to the memories of his lost son and he became more silent. Soon, one of the soldiers came in and informed both Zuko and Iroh that they have arrived at their destination and Zuko gave the order to have the Rhino riders move out as they began surrounding Kyoshi Island from the back as to no alert the Avatar or any other Island member of their arrival.


    [Alright men!... Spread out and surround the village¡­ Wait for my command before moving in to attack]: zuko


    [Yes Sir!]: soldiers


    Soon the village was surrounded and Zuko began his attack by giving the signal for the others to move in, and in seconds the entire village was scattering while the screams of the people rang through the village alerting Aang and Katara who were still supervising Soren and his monstrous ride.


    [I know!... Come on, we gotta go save them¡­ Soren will be alright here]: aang


    [Well shouldn''t he come with?... His ability would help a lot]: katara


    [Yeah, but he seems to be quite busy fighting with that monster¡­ I''m sure once he is free he''ll join us]: aang


    Just as Aang and Katara were about to run off, Katara turned around and shouted towards Soren.


    [Soren!... When you''re done, come help in the village!]: katara


    Soren turned to see what was going on and felt that he was helpless in the situation as he could leave now and lose the quest, or he could complete it and let Aang and the others save the village, and weighing his options he felt if he were to give up now and leave he might die in the process since the Unagi was extremely upset towards Soren.


    [Come on you beast! Submit to me!]: soren


    Soren yanked on the whiskers once more to show dominance towards the Unagi, and it just responded with more angry roars, but Soren noticed the timer was almost done as it displayed the numbers "00:00:03:02" making Soren not want to give up now and just prayed that Aang and the rest were doing fine without him.


    [Men!... Spread out and find me the Avatar!]: zuko


    [No need, I''m right here!]: aang


    Aang flew in on his glider, and not too far away Katara was using the little bit of Waterbending she knew to try and put out house fires, and when she saw Zuko and a group of Firebenders attacking Aang together she jumped in to help. Sokka was another story as he was dressed like one of the Kyoshi Warriors as he wore a Green and Black dress with White face paint and Red and Black makeup on his eyes as he held his boomerang in one hand, and his hammer machete in the other.


    [Suki!... I''m sorry, I didn''t see you as the warrior you truly are, and only saw you as a girl¡­ I hope if we survive this you can forgive me]: sokka


    [You idiot¡­ I am a girl¡­ But I''m also a warrior]: suki


    The woman known as Suki was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors that Sokka had said some s?xist remarks towards, and after realizing just how wrong he was, he tried to apologize, and when Suki heard the apology she responded with giving Sokka a kiss on the cheek, making him melt a bit.


    [Sokka!... We gotta go! Hurry up!]: katara


    Katara called out ot Sokka as both her and Aang were heading towards Appa who was growling in the distance, and seeing Aang and Katara''s untimely timing, he gave a grunt before rushing off towards Appa like both Aang and Katara before they took off towards the sky and flew towards Soren to pick him up.


    [I can''t believe we have to leave them like this]: aang


    [Don''t worry Aang¡­ This is for the best... Zuko and his men will follow us and leave Kyoshi Island alone]: katara


    Both Aang and Katara turned to see Sokka leaning over the edge of Appa looking at Soren who had made the Unagi follow his every command, and with a slight reign on the whiskers of the Unagi, Soren made it spew a rain of water over the entire village successfully putting out the raging fires all over the town. Soren saw that his plan worked and he quickly jumped from the top of the Unagi''s head up towards Appa who came closer to Soren, and Sokka caught Soren as he helped pull him up.


    [That was dangerous you know]: sokka


    [Yeah, but I got to ride the Unagi]: soren


    Soren then turned to see the setting sun as soon night would fall upon them as Aang began flying Appa towards their next destination. Soren sat down on Appa''s back and began looking at the rewards for the completion of the quest, and he was quite happy with them.


    {New Quest!: Water Lion Turtle - Description: Find the Water Lion Turtle and learn everything it has to offer as well as have him bestow upon you the element of Water¡­ Time Limit: 6 Months}


    ''This is quite long compared to how long after Aang took after being freed from the ice to save the world¡­ Looks like I''ll be able to bend 3 out of 4 elements by the time of the Solar Eclipse hopefully'': soren


    Soren fell fast asleep after the exhaustion of riding the Unagi for such a long time, and after a few days of rest and fun as Aang wanted Soren to show him a few Earthbending moves to which he wasn''t able to pick up anything, Soren, Aang, Katara, and Sokka arrived to the city of Omashu.


    [Wow¡­ It''s been a while since I last visited]: soren


    [Soren¡­ You''ve been here before?]: katara


    Soren began to reminisce on the time he spent in his home growing up, and what it was like when he took his first steps into venturing the world.


    [That''s great Soren¡­ I used to always come here to visit my friend Bumi]: aang


    As Aang, Soren, and Katara were taking in the sights of the city from afar, Sokka was only worried about the buildings and how they didn''t melt, making Soren and Aang laugh as they were far from any snow.


    [Well let''s go slow pokes¡­ The real fun waits inside the city]: aang


    Soren was the first after Aang to start heading towards Omashu followed by Katara and Sokka who were still surprised by such a big city outside of the only home they ever knew. When the 4 of them finally made it to the city Aang was made to wear patches of Appa''s shedding fur as he now looked to be an old man with White hair and a mustache, and he played the part well when questions by the city guards, but soon after they all got in with no problems, and began sight seeing as Aang began giving the grand tour of the city, something Soren had already seen previously.


    [So Aang¡­ Tell me why we are in a mail cart right now]: soren


    [Hehe¡­ Just trust me Soren, this will be fun¡­ I bet you haven''t done this before last time you were here in Omashu]: aang


    [No¡­ This will be a first alright]: soren

 Chapter 12 - 12: The King of Omashu

    Aang had the stone cart sitting on the edge of the stone slide that would take the mail through the system, but seeing how tight and cramped the cart was Soren decided to get his own cart and wait for Aang to start heading down before he went after.


    [We''ll see you at the bottom Soren hehe¡­ All first time riders hold tight! Here we go!]: aang


    Aang then leaned forward and the stone cart began sliding down the stone slide, and Soren was quick to follow after them as he jumped into his own cart and began following after Aang, Sokka, and Katara. The cart began to speed down the stone slide as Soren began catching up to Aang''s cart, and when Aang saw this he gave Soren a cheeky smile as he used some Airbending to speed up, leaving Soren feeling the unfair advantage Aang had.


    [No fair!... I''m not an Airbender!]: soren


    Soren then came up with an idea as he transformed his stone cart into a flat board that wrapped around his feet to hold him in place with Earthbending, and leaning forward Soren began catching speed as he got faster and soon caught up with Aang, but it was just in time to see another stone cart holding a bunch of sharp spears closing in on them.


    [Hey Aang!... Look behind you!]: soren


    Aang turned around to see Sokka freaking out about the spears that were on the verge of piercing him.


    [Don''t worry Sokka, I''ll just make us go faster]: aang


    Aang then sped up the cart once more, and seeing them leave behind the spears, Aang thought they were in the clear, but once he turned back around to face the front he saw the turn coming up, but their speed was too fast and they would crash.


    [Aang! Look out!]: katara


    Aang then began rocking the cart back and forth as it then came off the track and began sliding along the houses before landing back in another stone slide leaving Soren speechless as to how he would ever catch up now.


    [You sly monk¡­ I can do that too]: soren


    Soren then used some Earthbending and altered the slide, turning it into a ramp that launched him into the air, and he then landed right into the slide just below successfully being placed on the track Aang landed in. Soren and then began the chase after Aang, Katara, and Sokka, and due to the weight being heavier in Aang''s cart, they went faster, so Soren covered his body with some of the stone track and made himself faster. Soon, Soren caught up with Aang, and scared him a bit as he tried to stay in the lead, but before he could do anything to make himself faster, Soren made another ramp and his stone board launched him into the air again as he landed in front of Aang, but before he could gloat about taking the lead, Aang shouted out.


    [Soren! Look out!]: aang


    Soren then looked forwards towards the direction Aang was pointing in, and saw 2 Earthbender guards wearing the Omashu''s soldier uniform, and saw them handling the other mail carts. Soren then began to rock the stone board back and forth as he was once again taken off the track and began sliding down the rooftops once again, and it was followed by Aang as he also came after Soren to escape the inevitable crash waiting to happen with the other mail carts, and in the end there was a big crash along with the sound of crunching and cracking wood, followed the the heart felt sorrows of a crying man.


    [MY CABBAGES!!!!!!]: cabbage salesman


    Soren, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were all piled under a wreck of broken wood, and crushed and bruised cabbages. Soon the guards that heard the commotion had rushed over to see the scene of the crying salesman and Aang giving off a smile that said he was sorry for this awkward situation as he spoke.


    [Hehe, 4 cabbages please]: aang


    Soren just gave a sigh, while both Katara and Sokka were giving Aang dirty looks for dragging them into this, but under those looks the both of them had fun. Soon Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Soren were brought to the palace where the King resides, and they were cuffed with some metal shackles, and while Soren could remove them at any time, he didn''t want to cause any more trouble than need be, so he just went with the flow.


    Soren, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were placed down on their knees waiting for judgement, while the cabbage salesman came along to give his statement if need be, but he decided to shout in a fit of rage.


    [Off with their heads!... 1 for each head of cabbage!]: cabbage salesman


    [Silence!... Only the ing can pass down judgement¡­ What is your judgement sire?]: guard


    Everyone looked to the king as he looked as if he were pondering the answer to the question just asked by the guard, or maybe he was thinking on how to trick the 4 kids before him.


    [Hmm¡­ Throw them!... A feast]: king


    The guards in the room looked surprised, while the cabbage salesman looked upset at the fact that his beloved cabbages were massacred, and the villains got away with it, and not only that, but got some free food out of it. Aang, Soren, Katara, and Sokka were all confused by this judgement, but didn''t say anything further, and then they were all led to the dining room, and after a few hours of waiting, all the food was prepared and both Soren and Sokka began digging into the free food, while Katara was trying to figure out what kind of trick was in play, and Aang just didn''t eat meat.


    [So tell me, young bald one¡­ Where are you from?]: king


    [I''m from¡­ Kangaroo Island]: aang


    [Kangaroo Island ay?... I hear that place is really Hopping!...]: king


    [Sokka, why are you laughing?]: soren


    [What, it was kinda funny]: sokka


    [No, not really]: soren


    After seeing no reaction besides from the forced reaction from Sokka, the King let out a yawn and stretched his arms out before speaking.


    [These jokes are making me tired¡­ I guess it''s time to hit the hay]: king


    The King reached into his long sleeve and threw a chicken leg towards Aang, and Aang caught it with some Airbending shocking everyone present except Soren, Katara, Sokka, and the King.


    [Looks like we have an Airbender in our presence¡­ And not just any Airbender, but the Avatar!... Now, what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Pipinpadaloxicopolis?]: king


    Aang quickly tried to get everyone out while spouting nonsense about coming here to do his Avatar duties and make sure there was no threat of Fire Nation soldiers here, but before he could successfully escape with everyone, the guards at the front entrance of the dining hall stopped Aang from making an escape with the others.


    [You can''t keep us here!... Let us leave!]: katara


    [We''re in serious trouble, aren''t, we?]: sokka


    [Yup]: soren


    [Tomorrow, the Avatar will face 3 deadly challenges, but for now, the guards will show you to your chambers]: king


    After discussing what exact kind of chambers they will be staying in, the King made it known that Soren would not be staying with Aang and the other, but rather he would be watched at all times since in the investigation of the mail system incident, there was obvious use of Earthbending present.


    [Don''t worry guys¡­ I''ll be fine, just rest up so we can leave this place]: soren


    Soren was then separated from Aang and the others as he was brought down a dark hall and watched as a guard pulled out a set of jingeling keys, and opened a steel door before Soren was thrown inside.


    [Normally this place would be used for criminals who could Earthbend, but since you aren''t considered a criminal yet, you won''t be treated like one, but this is the best that this room could get¡­ Good night]: guard


    Soren waited for the guards to leave before he began looking around the room and noticed that there was a set of blankets, and a pillow set on the metal bench that was considered a bed, and after setting up a small bed, Soren went through his options in his head.


    ''I can break out of here and go get Aang and the others before making an escape and have Aang labeled as a criminal thus diminishing his honor as the Avatar¡­ Or I can stay here and see how this will play out¡­ All I can remember from the knowledge I have is that Aang had visited Omashu with Katara and Sokka before leaving and heading to a small village on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom'': soren


    [Wake up!]: guard


    Soren was awoken by the voice of one of the guards who were stationed to watch over Soren, and he was then taken and put in a set of metal handcuffs before he was fixed with a special looking ring made of a type of crystal material. Soren was then brought next to both Katara and Sokka, and opposite of them was Aang who was looting at the 3 of them as the crystal rings began to expand and cover over Soren, Katara, and Sokka''s bodies.


    [Those rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystals¡­ It''s a crystal that grows remarkably fast, and by nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it¡­ Terrible fate really¡­ I can stop it, but you must complete my 3 challenges]: king


    Soren, Sokka, and Katara already began to notice the crystals on their finger growing as it began to cover their fingers, and Aang agreed to the tasks. After a few hours Aang had completed 2 of the 3 tasks, while Soren, Katara, and Sokka were completely covered in the jennamite leaving only their faces open.


    [Now, the last task is a simple fight¡­ Choose anyone, and beat them in a fight and I will release your friend]: king


    Aang then picked the King himself thinking he was some frail old man that he would be able to beat easily and save his friends, but it was a hard fight, and Soren was quite interested in how the King fought and wanted to fight him as well, and after seeing the fight end, Soren decided to challenge the King.


    [Hey!... Old man, I wanna fight you]: soren


    Soren stomped his right foot and made a spike come up and strike the jennamite around his arm shattering it, and freeing Soren''s arm in the process, and then Soren took his freed arm and shattered the jennamite freeing his entire body shocking everyone present.


    [Hey!... Soren! You couldn''t have done that earlier?]: sokka


    [This taste is quite good actually¡­ I heard about jennamite my first time in Omashu, but never got the chance to try some]: soren


    Soren then made some movements with his arms and freed both Sokka and Katara and then he joined both Aang and the King in the arena and spoke once again.


    [I wanna fight you now]: soren


    The King saw this and thought Soren was quite interesting, not only for coming up with a way to free himself from the jennamite, but also for freeing himself from the metal cuffs that should be impossible to do.


    [Hehehe¡­ You wanna fight me?... Okay!]: king


    Aang saw Soren send a kick to the ground that sent a trail of stone spikes towards the King, making him jump back and deploy a stone wall to stop the spikes from piercing him. Aang then moved out of the arena and landed near the now freed Sokka and Katara and began watching the fight take place between Soren and the King of Omashu.


    [Go get him Soren!.... Avenge my stiff muscles!]: sokka

 Chapter 13 - 13: Haru’s Village

    [Ahh!... So you want to fight an old man?... How rude of you¡­ Maybe I should teach you not to pick on old people]: king


    The King then used the stone wall he created to stop the spikes sent by Soren, and separated it from the ground before sending the wall flying towards Soren''s direction as it made all of the stone spikes crumble due to the force behind the wall. As Soren saw the wall closing in on him he quickly dodged to the side, but only for the King to expect Soren''s actions as the King then sent 2 boulders straight towards Soren, only to have Soren try and erect a defence of stone, but had it broken through as the boulder slammed into Soren sending him flying back.


    [Oh¡­ so such a tiny pebble was able to take you down huh?... Such a shame, and here I thought you would give me a good exercise]: king


    Soon the dust and dirt screen cleared to show Soren getting up, and he had a bit of a limp as he tried to protect the rest of his body by sacrificing the right side of his body making both his right arm and right leg take the damage, but it''s not like Soren didn''t protect himself as he used some of the mass from the boulder and covered his leg and arm as it was sent into his body. Soren had a bit of blood running down his arm as his tunic was a bit ripped due to the impact, and Soren''s hair was a bit disheveled.


    ''So this is what it''s like to fight someone with almost 100 years worth of experience in real battles¡­ Nina, is there any chance of winning this battle?'': soren


    {Yes, there are many ways you can win this battle, but the possibility of pulling them off are slim due to the damage you have sustained, along with the lack of Chi}


    ''Looks like I will need to improve then¡­ Hehe, this was only supposed to be a test anyway, I guess I can give up here, but before I do I''m going to give it my all in an all or nothing attack'': soren


    [You are strong, old man¡­ But I''m not done¡­ I''m going to give you my all in this last attack]: soren


    Soren then began to stomp both of his feet as he better lowered himself into a crouched stance to better his defence, then with his arms he raised them before lowering them to his side. Everyone who saw this fight wondered just what Soren was trying to pull off, but once they felt the whole room, or better yet, the whole city of Omashu start to tremble, they all knew it was going to be a big attack. The ground began to shake and crumble as cracks began to form around both Soren and the King before the ground began to rise into the air and form a ball shaped planetoid the size of the room. Both Soren and the King left the now forming planet and landed on what was left of the ground as Soren felt the massive drain in his Chi, and was on the verge of passing out, while everyone else in the room began to feel the cold sweats as they saw what was being formed and all thought the same thing.


    ''What a monster'': everyone


    Soren was using an attack that was imparted to him by the Earth Lion Turtle, and it was one of the attacks that was meant for Aang, or whoever was the current Avatar, but Soren had yet to teach Aang any Earthbending, and this was the first time anyone had ever seen it. This move was meant to create whole island, or if you were powerful enough, you could create a whole world, but only a God would be able to pull off such a feat, while it was said that all 4 of the Lion Turtles came together and created this world as they were the closest things to God in the world.


    Soren who was on the verge of collapse said these final words before he sent the small planetoid the size of the room towards the King, and when the King registered Soren''s words he began to freak out as he quickly began using all of his power to try and stop the attack, and even with all the power the King had amassed over the years, he was slipping as his muscles began to tear from the inside.


    [A-Aang!... Please! Help me!]: king


    When the King began begging for Aang''s help, the face he made while asking reminded Aang of an old friend as he mumbled a name before shouting it.


    [Bumi!]: aang


    Aang quickly moved into action for his friend almost unconsciously as Aang''s eyes began to glow White while his tattoos also began to glow White as well. Aang then began to use the power of Earth and wind as he called upon one of the previous Avatar''s who mastered the power of Earth more than the other elements, and began moving his arms in a grabbing and splitting motion as the gigantic boulder began to split and crumble as the rocks and dirt began to fill in the hole that was made previously. Soon, all that was left was just a tiny boulder that King Bumi was able to toss to the side, and Aang had also passed out due to the overuse of Chi.


    [Aww¡­ Aang¡­ You saved my life]: bumi


    King Bumi walked over to Aang and picked him up, and then he walked over to Soren and picked him up as well before using what little Chi he had left to bring the both of them up to the spectator seats, and watched as both Katara and Sokka ran over to inspect the both of them.


    [You are free to go¡­ Please, tell Aang when he wakes up that it was nice to see him again¡­ I''m tired after all that¡­ These old bones really aren''t what they used to be, I''ll have my guards escort you out]: bumi


    Katara and Sokka were then led out of the castle to where Appa was kept, and both Soren and Aang were brought along as well, and once everyone was on Appa, the guards left and Katara had Appa start flying towards the North. After a few hours, Soren had woken up, and saw that Aang was also awake and had taken over flying Appa, the sun begun to set and Aang found a nice clearing where everyone could rest, and after setting up camp Sokka went out to find some food, but only came back with a bunch of nuts and rocks. And as they were asking Sokka where the real food was, they all heard loud banging sounds a ways out into the distance, and seeing how everyone except Sokka was curious about what was making the sounds, they all went to explore.


    [Let''s go meet him]: aang


    [He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously]: sokka


    Just as Sokka finished speaking Soren shouted out into the distance.


    [Hey!... You''re an Earthbender? Can we talk for a bit?]: soren


    The Earthbender saw Soren and the others and began running for his life as he used some Earthbending to set a blockade for his escape, and seeing as everyone wanted to talk to him, along with the possibility of there being a market in the village he lived in, they all began following him from a distance. Once they entered the town, Aang and Sokka began looking for some food, while Katara was trying to find any sign of the boy they saw earlier, and as if luck had struck, she saw what appeared to be the back of the boy that they met in the forest enter a house nearby.


    [Hey guys¡­ I think I found where that boy ran off too]: katara


    Katara began to walk towards the house, while Soren began looking for some food as he was quite hungry, but seeing as he lost everyone else, and there was a commotion off in the distance he decided to go see what was going on, and when he got there he saw a group of Firebenders threatening a shop owner, and inside the shop were Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the boy they saw earlier.


    ''Looks like I found them'': soren


    Soren then came up and waited behind the group of Firebenders, and happened to see them threatening the old lady who owned the shop with fire in their hands, and seeing his chance to be sneaky, Soren put out the fire by taking control of it from a distance making the guards a bit surprised and on alert. After taking money from the lady who ran the shop, they left while still wondering what had happened for their fires to go out like that, but didn''t put much thought into it as they left, and Soren entered the shop and gathered back up with everyone else.


    [No¡­ But why is the Fire Nation here?]: soren


    [They have been here for 5 years¡­ Fire Lord Ozai uses our towns coal mines to fuel his ships]: lady shop owner


    [They''re thugs!... They steal from us, and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it]: boy


    [Quiet Haru¡­ Don''t talk like that]: lady shop owner


    [But Haru''s an Earthbender¡­ He can help]: katara


    [Earthbending has been forbidden¡­ It has caused nothing but misery for this village, and he must never use his abilities]: lady shop owner


    [How can you say that?... Haru has a gift. Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend¡­ It''s a part of who we are]: katara


    [You don''t understand]: lady shop owner


    [I understand that Haru can help you fight back¡­ What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven''t done already?]: katara


    Katara was shocked as she found out why Earthbending was frowned upon, and seeing Haru''s face she could tell he was hurting inside and the hate for the Fire Nation was evident in Sokka''s eyes as he began to flip on how the Fire Nation was just ruining the lives of everyone. After calming down, everyone began to talk and the question about having a place to stay came up, and Haru''s mother offered for them to stay in the barn behind their house, to which the offer was gladly accepted. Soren quickly went to sleep on a pile of hay, while Sokka and Aang began making their own beds, and Katara wanted to apologize to Haru, so she followed him through the forest, and later on that night Katara came back and began to tell everyone about what happened.


    [I was so brave of Haru to use his Earthbending to save that old man]: katara


    [You must have really inspired him]: aang


    [Or maybe he fell in love with you hehe]: soren


    When Soren said that, Katara began to blush, while Aang wanted to change the conversation to a new topic while inside he was a bit jealous of Haru as he saw the way Katara acted towards Soren''s teasing.


    [Everyone should get some sleep, we leave at dawn]: sokka


    [Dawn?... Can''t we sleep in for once?]: soren


    [Absolutely not!... This village is crawling with Fire Nation soldiers¡­ If they discover you''re here Aang, we''ll be eating fireballs for breakfast¡­ Good night]: sokka


    [I''d rather eat fireballs than nuts]: katara


    As the night rolled by, Soren felt some weird vibrations from the ground almost as if the sound of marching troops was coming towards their position, and since this was a first, Soren woke up and went to see what was going on. Soren then saw a large group of Fire Nation soldiers surrounding Haru''s home, and when Haru opened the door, he was grabbed.


    ''I gotta save him'': soren


    Soren quickly went into action as he rushed in from behind the soldiers and sent some stone spikes towards them, catching them all off guard as Haru was dropped.


    [Quick! We are being attacked from behind!]: fire nation soldier


    One of the soldiers shouted, bringing all the attention onto Soren, and they began shooting Fireballs towards him, but as he dodged them, he got a notification.


    {Ding!... New Quest: Earthbender Pep Rally¡­ Get captured along with Haru, and start a movement that puts the spirit back in the Earthbenders hearts}


    ''So this is how my night will play out¡­ I''m tired'': soren


    Soren put in a few more moves before he acted like he was out of steam, then the Fire Nation soldiers took both Haru and Soren into captivity.


    [Come on men!¡­ We got 2 for the price of one Hahaha!]: fire nation soldier


    [Welcome new prisoners!... I am the warden, and what I say goes around here, if you treat me with the utmost respect, you will have an easy time here, but if you anger me¡­ Well¡­ You will quickly see my bad side]: warden


    The warden made a few fireballs and held them in each of his hands as the heat radiating off of them was intense, but to Soren it just got a little warmer in the area.


    [Now!.... Get to work!]: warden

 Chapter 14 - 14: Prison Break Out

    After the warden left Soren, and the group of new prisoners were all given some tools like hammers or sledge hammers, and then they were brought to the main yard where prisoners would be staying. Soren began looking around while talking with some of the long time prisoners until Haru came up with an old man holding a bowl in his hands, who had a similar appearance to him, and then Haru introduced Soren to the man.


    [Soren, this here is my father, Tyro¡­ Dad, this here is Soren, he tried to protect me from the Fire Nation soldiers who came to take me away]: haru


    [Nice to meet you sir]: soren


    Tyro then held out the bowl of what appeared to be mud with some cut up meat and carrots, and handed it to Soren while speaking.


    [Have some breakfast, Soren]: tyro


    Soren looked at the bowl of mush and wanted to decline, but felt that he would be disrespecting Haru''s father if he did decline, so he took the bowl from Tyro and took a bite while Tyro began apologizing about both the look and the taste of the food.


    [It''s not as bad as it looks¡­ But it''s still pretty bad]: tyro


    Soren hated the taste of the food, but felt it would be wasteful to leave any behind and continued to push through and eat the soup that was watered down and had no kind of flavor, the soup seemed as if it was made with all the unusable or rotten parts of the animals and vegetables used to make it, while the stock of the soup seemed to be water mixed with some starch to give it a thickness and make it more filling for those eating it.


    [Thank you for the food]: soren


    [No problem, Soren¡­ But I would have liked to repay you with something more for trying to protect my son, but this is all I have¡­ Anyway, we should all get ready as today we will be working by the furnace, so it''s going to be quite hot]: tyro


    Soren saw Tyro grab a nearby hammer, and then he began leading Haru off to start the day, and seeing as everyone began to leave as well, Soren quickly followed behind Tyro and Haru. Soren was then exposed to all sorts of hardship that these prisoners went through daily for who knows how long, and it didn''t help that guards were watching over their every move as they worked making it hard for Soren to find any kind of way he could lead an escape from this place. Soren had also watched the guards start to whip anyone who was either slacking on being slow, which in turn made them even slower due to the fatigue along with the inflicted wounds and pain.


    ''I should come up with an escape plan soon¡­ But there is no way I can get everyone off all at once, and if I metal bend a boat, I would still only be able to transport so many at a time'': soren


    [AHHHHH!!!]: soren


    [Get to work slacker! There are no breaks until we say otherwise]: fire nation guard


    Soren went back into hammering the nails into the steel while holding back the urge to wrap the guard up in a piece of metal and send him off the edge of the prison encampment. Soon the day came to an end with each and every muscle in Soren''s body aching due to the overworked stress, and once dinner was called, they were all stuck with eating the same nasty tasting soup from breakfast, making Soren think it wasn''t even new soup, but the leftovers from this morning as it was cold as well.


    ''I at least want a hot meal¡­ I''m gonna heat it up, maybe it will taste better'': soren


    Soren went over to a secluded corner and made sure the coast was clear before he made a flame appear at the tip of his middle and pointer finger, and heated the soup quickly before taking a bite of the piping hot soup.


    ''Much better, but still tastes like mud¡­ I can at least taste the meat this time as it''s now cooked'': soren


    Soren finished off his food in private as to not draw attention to himself having hot food while everyone else is dealing with their cold tasteless food, and after finishing the food, Soren went back over to Tyro''s group of friends and sat down.


    [Where''s Haru?]: soren


    [Haru made some friends earlier today with some other inmates and went to go sit with them]: tyro


    [We will all get to bathe and then head to bed¡­ But don''t expect much¡­ The water will be cold, and there are no beds, we just get a blanket]: tyro


    Just as Soren was about to talk about his plan seeing how severe the treatment was here, Haru came up from behind with Katara in toe and began to speak.


    [Katara, this is Tyro, my father¡­ Dad, this is Katara, one of Soren''s friends]: haru


    Just before Tyro or Katara could speak, Soren spoke out.


    [Katara?... What are you doing here? And how did you get here? You''re not an Earthbender]: soren


    [Soren!... I faked being an Earthbender to get here after hearing about how you and Haru were taken by the Fire Nation last night from Haru''s mother¡­ I came to bust you guys out of here]: katara


    Before Soren could respond, Tyro spoke up to calm the situation.


    [Katara, please take a seat and have some dinner with us¡­ As for breaking out, that''s impossible¡­ We will be here for the rest of our lives]: tyro


    [But it''s not impossible¡­ Soren here is not only an Earthbender, but he can bend metal as well¡­ You guys are all powerful Earthbenders, so you gotta stick up for yourselves, and get out of here to go back to your families]: katara


    [Sorry Katara, but we will stay here, you can take Soren with you and leave this place¡­ We don''t wanna drag you down]: tyro


    [Tyro!... Some of the inmates are complaining that there aren''t enough blankets to go around]: imate


    [Don''t worry¡­ I''ll take to the guards about it]: tyro


    Tyro then went on about getting some of the unrest among the inmates to diminish leaving Soren and Katara on their own.


    [We need to come up with a plan to give these people their spirit back¡­ Otherwise we can''t get them to leave]: katara


    [I have a plan, but we need Aang to get it to work]: soren


    [Care to tell me what this plan is?]: katara


    [Everyone here have little to no hope in any form of freedom, and being in here for 5 years, most of these people still think the Avatar is dead, but if they were to see Aang make an appearance, then maybe it would give them hope, and using the coal in this prison site as earth, breaking out would be quite easy]: soren


    [Wow¡­ You thought that far ahead?]: katara


    [No need to worry about that¡­ Aang and Sokka should be here in 2 hours or so]: katara


    [Then let''s wait till then]: soren


    Soon the night came by and Katara met up with both Aang and Sokka, while Soren informed Haru about his plan, and asked him to get everyone ready, but to keep word about the plan to himself. Once the sun began to rise, Katara and Sokka were standing by the huge ventilation shaft as they were soon surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers, and as the warded came in Tyro tried to get Katara to back down from this fight, but Soren walked over to her along with Haru, and just as the soldiers began to close in on them, the ground began to shake as huge deposits of coal were shot through the vent and into the air as it began to fill the ground, and Aang came out coughing as he was covered in coal dust, and this signaled Katara to start her speech.


    [Here''s your chance Earthbenders¡­ Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!]: katara


    As Katara said this, many of the Earthbenders began to back away in fear, but both Haru and Soren began bending the coal around them as the warden signaled the attack to commence. Soren then hit one of the soldiers with a ball of coal while haru did the same on his side, and seeing this, all the other Earthbenders felt it would be wrong to give up now, and began to join in.


    [W-What are you doing!... Stop them!]: warden


    Soren gave a smile as he stopped bending coal and began bending the steel around the main ground as it started surrounding the soldiers in a wall of steel that they couldn''t escape.


    [W-What the¡­ H-He can bend metal?!?... I-Impossible!]: warden


    Soon, all the Fire Nation soldiers were beaten up and taken out while the warden was sent into the sea as he begged to be let go saying he couldn''t swim, but he was dropped into the water anyway. Soon, all the prisoners were placed onto the ships and began setting sail towards their homes, and Soren was waiting on Appa, while Katara was talking with Haru.


    [I guess we should start heading towards the Northern Water Tribe¡­ I just now realized that we are quite far behind on schedule]: aang


    (A/N: I''m going to be skipping a lot of episodes as I feel it has no importance, and most of you have seen Avatar and know what comes after the prison break¡­ I will be skipping into the part where they stop by in a Fire Nation town so Aang can observe Firebending¡­ I want to try and find a way for Soren to come out to the group of being able to Firebend as well as Earthbend, and in the future Waterbend and Airbend¡­ Any ideas?)


    [This should give us a good idea of what''s around here]: katara


    Soren, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had gotten off of Appa and began walking through the woods until they came up to a stone pillar that had some posters talking about a festival on it, and when Aang saw the poster he began to read it while Sokka was hungry and looking for food.


    [See if you can find a menu¡­ I''m starving]: sokka


    [You''re always starving Sokka]: soren


    [Hey!... I bet we can find something to eat here¡­ The Fire Days Festival. It has Fire Nation cultural exhibits, Jugglers, Benders, Magicians¡­ This would be a great place for me to study some real Firebenders]: aang


    [You might wanna rethink that¡­ Come look at this]: sokka


    Sokka was on the other side of the stone pillar looking at wanted posters with Aang''s being the one on the front. Everyone went around to see all the posters with Aang grabbing it to marvel at his drawing.


    [Yeah¡­ a Wanted Poster!... This is bad, we should leave soon]: sokka


    [I think it''s best if we keep moving]: katara


    [Yeah, but I have to learn Firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch some masters up close]: aang


    [Fine, I guess we can go check it out]: katara


    [What!?... Are you trying to get us killed?]: sokka


    [I think it''s fine as well, and we can wear disguises¡­ If we need, I''ll crush some Fire Nation soldiers with my Earthbending, and we can leave]: soren


    Soon, everyone entered the small village and began to take in the sights of the festival in all its glory, fireworks were being shot into the sky and exploding, while the streets were filled with people wearing masks, while Soren, Sokka, Katara, and Aang were all wearing hoods over their heads.


    [I think we need new disguises]: soren


    [And where are we gonna get masks like that?]: sokka


    [Get your genuine Fire-Festival masks here!]: sales man


    [Never mind, I stand corrected¡­ Let''s go get some masks]: sokka

 Chapter 15 - 15: Fire Days Festival

    Quick note: Thank you all for waiting patiently, I''ve been in a bit of a down slope, but I''ve really just been trying to do too much at a time, and it got to me where I''ve not even written on a single story, because all the one''s I''m trying to write have conflicted within my head, causing me to want to do nothing, so I took a break from everything... But I want to make a come back and finish off all my books before deciding to either quit writing in all, or just take another break and come back when I have more inspiration... So it''s decided, I''ll first finish AWS, then I''ll choose the next one to finish... Enjoy the chapter... Still slow releases.


    Upon buying some masks from the street vendor, everyone put on the masks and began walking around the small town that seemed to have more visitors than normal due to the Fire Days Festival. Shortly after starting their exploration of the town, Aang noticed a street vendor selling food, causing Sokka to rush over to the shop with saliva running down the side of his mouth that was only hidden by the mask on his face.


    [What do you have?]: sokka


    [They''re flaming fire flakes¡­ The best in town if I say so myself]: shopkeeper


    Upon explaining the name of the contents in the small bag with smoke emitting from the flake-like shavings, the shopkeeper began bragging about how his stall sold the best flaming fire flakes in town, but Sokka didn''t care, as hunger took over, making him grab the bag as he began shoveling it''s contents into his mouth, before his face began to redden, and the heat started to kick in, causing him to spit out the food, as he started crying due to how hot and spicy the food was.


    [Ahhhhh!... Hot! Hot! Hot!... Eaaahhhggg!]: sokka


    [You idiot!... Flaming fire flakes¡­ The name should tell you they''re hot]: katara


    Upon realizing his mistake, Sokka walked away with a dejected face, while Soren decided to buy a couple of bags, making Katara question if he just saw what happened to Sokka seconds earlier.


    [Soren, you do know those are quite spicy, right?]: katara


    [Yeah, I know¡­ My mother used to make a really good spicy curry soup that would light a fire inside your stomach, I just wanted to compare the difference in spice]: soren


    [I see¡­ Then there''s no problem, as long as you don''t waste them like Sokka]: katara


    Katara gave Sokka a slight glare that couldn''t be discerned from underneath the mask, while Soren began feeding some of the fire flakes into his mouth before chewing them, as the heat began spreading, but there seemed to be no effect, causing Soren to question the shopkeepers words about these being the best in town, but because he didn''t want to offend the nice old man, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    [Hey¡­ Look at this!]: aang


    [Ahahaha!... Don''t worry loyal citizens! Nobody can surprise the Firelord!... Ahahaha!]: firelord puppet


    Upon watching the puppet turn around, the appearance of an Earthbender puppet made its appearance with a small bolder raised above its head, as the kids watching the show began to voice their concerns about the obvious sneak attack about to be performed on the puppet Firelord, only for the puppet Firelord to turn around and seemingly breath fire from its mouth, and completely burn the Earthbender puppet to ashes, causing the kids watching to shout with cheers of joy that the Firelord won. And upon seeing this sight, Soren and the others began to leave, as they no longer wanted to stick around to see what was next, before Aang found something new to be interested in, as he led the group to a big stage saying he felt that this new area would be more interesting, and he might possibly learn something from it.


    [The crowd seems to be pretty big]: aang


    [Well, knowing the Fire Nation, it''s probably an execution]: sokka


    [Oh, come on¡­ Not everything is an execution, Sokka]: katara


    [No... But it could be!]: sokka


    Soren just silently chuckled at the banter between brother and sister, as they all closed in on a spot towards the front, where they saw a young man in white clothing with red accents who was controlling the fire from the tall pillars that had fires raging atop of them, and upon making the fire explode, a bunch of doves flew away from the center of the explosion.


    [Wow!... I gotta learn that trick!]: aang


    [Seems to be one of those Fire Maigicians]: soren


    [Thank you!... And now, for my next trick, I''ll be picking a volunteer from the audience]: performer


    Upon hearing this, Aang was quick to stick his hands up while shouting like a child who wants to play with a new toy.


    [Ooh, ooh!¡­ Me! Pick me!]: aang


    [What are you doing, Aang!... Put your hand down, are you trying to get us caught!?]: sokka


    [But I wanna get a closer look]: aang


    [It''s better if you just continue observing from a distance, as we don''t want to attract any attention to ourselves]: katara


    Upon whispering in Aang''s ear, the performer pointed towards Katara, causing everyone to look at her and the rest of the group.


    [How about you, little lady?]: performer


    [Umm¡­ No thanks, I''m okay just watching]: katara


    [Aww¡­ She''s shy¡­ How about we give her some encouragement, with a round of applause!!!]: performer


    Upon saying this, the crowd began cheering and clapping for Katara, causing Aang to give his two cents on the matter.


    [Come on, Katara¡­ What''s the worst that could happen?]: aang


    Upon seeing Aang encourage her, Katara reluctantly accepted and got onto the stage, causing the performer to smile as he started his next performance.


    [Way to go, Katara¡­ And you call this observing from a distance?]: soren


    Soren''s words reached the ears of Katara, causing her face to redden under the mask, as she was now doing the opposite of what she spoke about earlier, only for Soren to follow up his previous sentence.


    [Just kidding¡­ Have fun!]: soren


    Katara then stood at the center of the stage, while the performer pulled up a chair and had Katara sit down as he explained the name of his next trick.


    [Alright, the name of this next trick is called "Taming the Dragon!"... And you, little lady, will be my captured princess!]: performer (A/N: the name of this trick sounds a little sus)


    [Don''t worry, young maiden!... I will tame this fiery beast!]: performer


    The performer then created a rope of flames that connected to the head of the dragon-like fire construct, and began leading it around the crowd and through the air before he began the last part of his act.


    [I-It''s too strong!... I- I''m losing control!]: performer


    The performer was shown to be a great actor, as the crowd was fully immersed in the trick, where even Aang, Sokka, and Soren were all trying to find a way to save Katara, while Soren was trying to debate if he should reveal his ability to Firebend.


    [We gotta help her!... She''ll get hurt if we don''t do anything!]: aang


    [Aang, calm down¡­ We don''t wanna make a scene¡­ Have faith that Katara will be okay!]: sokka


    Upon holding Aang back, the performer went for the finale of the trick, as he spoke, and led the dragon towards Katara.


    [Oh no!... The rope! It''s breaking!]: performer


    Upon seeing the dragon close in on Katara, Aang through all care for keeping his identity a secret, as he appeared before Katara and used Airbending to create a vortex that dispersed the dragon, causing the performer to be pushed away as the fire turned into confetti that rained over the crowd, before the crowd began booing, as the trick was ruined.


    [Hey!... Are you trying to upstage me, kid!?]: performer


    Upon realizing that his cover was blown, both Sokka and Soren got onto the stage and went to untie Katara, while Aang began doing his Airbender jigg, causing the crowd to boo even louder, before one of the guys in the crowd recognised Aang.


    [Hey!... That kid''s the Avatar!]: man


    Soon, the crowd began to clear out as the Fire Nation soldiers began rushing towards the stage with their weapons drawn, ready to attack and capture Aang and the rest.


    [Hey¡­ Follow me, I can get you out of here]: ???


    Upon seeing a strange man in a cloak calling to help them escape, Aang and the rest followed him without any second thought, as it was to trust this man and escape with a high possibility that it''s a trap, or get caught by the guards of the city that would definitely lead to their capture. The chances were small due to them being in a town governed by Fire Nation folk, but not everyone from the Fire Nation was after Aang, so the obvious choice was to follow this strange cloaked man. After running through the city, the group came to a dead end, and had begun to be surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers, while Aang called for Appa with his bison whistle, leaving Soren to raise an earth wall for defence.


    [That should hold them for now, but it won''t hold them for long!]: soren


    Just as Soren said this, the earth wall began to glow with a red light, as the solid wall began to turn into molten earth, and just as a hole big enough to let people pass, Appa made his appearance and picked everyone up before flying off, but not before the cloaked man threw a bomb into a giant cart of fireworks, causing a distraction for their escape.


    [You seem to know your explosives]: sokka


    [Wait¡­ You''re a Fire Nation soldier!]: sokka


    Sokka was quick to go on the defensive, but before anything turned ugly, the man spoke.


    [Was!... I''m no longer a soldier¡­ My name''s Chey]: chey


    After flying a few miles away from the city, Aang had appa land down for the night, as they all gathered around a fire and listened to Chey''s story, and in the end they found out that he had followed in the steps of his master who was also a deserter of the Fire Nation Army.


    [So, this Jeong Jeong, guy¡­ How did he escape the Fire Nation for so long?... If you said he held a high position within the Army, then he should have information that could be crucial to the Fire Nation, so letting a man like that leave alive is just asking to have useful information weaponized against the Fire Nation]: sokka


    [Jeong Jeong isn''t an easy man to track down, and even now it''s hard to find him, even for someone like me who is one of his followers]: chey


    [Then do you know where he is, now?]: aang


    [He should be around here for a little while¡­ If you want to meet with him, I can try to work something out for you, Avatar]: chey


    [That would be great!... I really need to learn Firebending, and who better than a man who was considered a Master among Masters]: aang


    Just as the conversations were about to continue, Soren and the rest had all been surrounded by old men wearing little to no clothes and a bamboo hat, pointing spears towards the group, before being led deeper into the forest, before Chey was forced to go talk to the man he was praising minutes earlier, as he wasn''t supposed to go looking for the Avatar, but persisted and left anyway.


    [Don''t worry!... He''s a good man¡­ No¡­ He''s a Great Man!]: chey


    [Hey, I think Chey may be a little crazy]: soren


    [I''ve been saying that for the last hour!... But no!.... Nobody ever listens to Sokka!]: sokka

 Chapter 16 - 16: Jeong Jeong’s Training Pt.1

    After Chey left to see Jeong Jeong, Aang and the others were led by the men with bamboo hats to a small hut as they waited for Chey''s return. Soon, a few hours had gone by, and Sokka was fast asleep in his sleeping bag, even after claiming he wouldn''t fall asleep, just in case they were attacked by the men who brought them to the hut. Katara and Aang were both left talking with each other about the Northern Water Tribe, leaving Soren to watch guard for any trouble as they waited for Chey''s return, and they didn''t have to wait long, as Chey had been seen approaching with a dejected face, as Aang spoke.


    [What happened?... Can I see Jeong Jeong, now?]: aang


    [No¡­ He refuses to see you, and he''s very upset that I brought you here, and wants you to leave immediately¡­ I''m sorry, Avatar]: chey


    Upon hearing the commotion, Sokka woke up with a sleepy face, as he spoke in a half awake tone.


    [Are we leaving?... *Yawn*]: sokka


    Aang ignored Sokka, as his stubbornness overtook him, as he prodded at the situation.


    [But why?... Why won''t he see me?]: aang


    [He says you''re not ready¡­ He says you need to master Waterbending and Earthbending, and you have yet to do so]: chey


    [Wait¡­ How does he know that?]: aang


    [He saw the way you walked into the camp¡­ He can tell¡­ That''s another thing that makes him such a great man!]: chey


    Aang didn''t like Chey''s answer, and decided to speak with Jeong Jeong himself, while Soren, who happened to be listening in on the side felt a weird sensation in his gut, as if this Jeong Jeong could tell that Aang hasn''t mastered Water or Earthbending, could he tell that he could Firebend as well as Earthbend?


    ''I better follow them¡­ Maybe I can learn something from this Firebending Master'': soren


    After Aang left the small hut to go talk with Jeong Jeong, Soren decided to use his Earthbending to create an enclosed tent over his body, with a single sentence.


    [I''m going to sleep¡­ Sokka, watch for trouble]: soren


    [Awww!... But I was just about to go back to sleep!]: sokka


    Soren didn''t give him time to complain as he barricaded himself with his Earthbending, before creating a small hole into the ground, as he created a tunnel, tunneling a few meters outside the hut, and out of the detection of the guards, before he came back above the surface, and snuck his way towards Jeong Jeong''s hut, where he was able to listen in on the conversation inside the hut.


    [If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river''s destiny?... No!... He only knows that it runs on and on, out of his control¡­ He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see its end¡­ He cannot imagine the ocean!]: jeong jeong


    [Okay¡­ But it''s the Avatar''s duty to master all of the bending disciplines]: aang


    [To master the bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself!... But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you!... Now, get out!]: jeong jeong


    [Please¡­ I have to learn!... This could be my only chance]: aang


    Just before Jeong Jeong could speak, Soren decided it was time to reveal himself, as well as the truth, as he could tell this old man was a tough nut to crack.


    [Just stop, Aang¡­ If you want to learn, I can teach you]: soren


    Just as Soren spoke, both Aang and Jeong Jeong turned their attention to his direction, and before Aang could question Soren''s words, Jeong Jeong spoke.


    When Aang heard this, he was confused, as Soren was an Earthbender, so he couldn''t understand what was happening right now, and spoke.


    [What do you mean, Firebender¡­ Soren''s an Earthbender]: aang


    [Hmm¡­ Is that so?... Impossible!... He walks like a Firebender!]: jeong jeong


    As Jeong Jeong explained how he was able to decipher the method used to tell if someone had mastered a specific element, Soren looked to Aang with an apologetic expression as he spoke.


    [I''m sorry, Aang¡­ Yes, I am an Earthbender, but I am also a Firebender]: soren


    [I-Impossible!]: jeong jeong


    Soren looked at the unbelieving face of both Jeong Jeong and Aang, before he raised his left hand and conjured a small flame, while raising his right hand, and using his right leg to stomp the ground, he raised a small rock into the air, causing both Aang and Jeong Jeong to widen their eyes in surprise. Jeong Jeong thought Soren was a Firebender, but upon hearing how Aang explained he was an Earthbender, he thought he miscalculated, but upon seeing Soren wield both elements, it turned his whole world upside down.


    [H-How is this possible!... Only the Avatar can wield more than a single element!]: jeong jeong


    [I''m sorry for lying to you, Aang¡­ But I thought if you guys knew that I could Firebend as well as Earthbend, you''d look at me as if I was different]: soren


    [So you will teach me Firebending?]: aang


    Soren began to smile upon hearing Aang''s words, as he was happy that Aang didn''t question him about his ability, and instead asked him to teach him, making Soren nod his head.


    [Yes!... I''ll teach you if this man refuses to do so]: soren


    Upon hearing the conversation between the two children, Jeong Jeong became upset, as he shouted.


    [Are you crazy!... The Avatar must learn Water and Earthbending before he can learn Firebending!... Water is cool and soothing, while earth is steady and stable!... But fire, fire is alive¡­ It breathes, it grows¡­ Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself¡­ But fire will naturally spread, and destroy everything in its path!... If one does not have the will to control it, you will lose everything¡­ That is fire''s destiny, and you are not ready, and neither is the young man next to you!... But¡­ If you refuse to listen, It''s better to have a master who has more experience¡­ So I will teach you]: jeong jeong


    [Really?... That''s great!]: aang


    Soren stood to the side with a small smile on his face, as Aang celebrated, leaving Jeong Jeong to give a dirty look towards Soren.


    [*Hais*... You will start training tomorrow]: jeong jeong


    Both Soren and Aang then left Jeong Jeong''s hut, as they went back to their hut, only for Soren to stop and speak.


    Upon hearing his question, Aang stopped and turned to look at Soren with a questioning gaze as he spoke.


    [Why?... You shouldn''t have to feel the need to hide from us¡­ We''re your friends, after all¡­ Also, if you don''t mind me asking, how did you learn that you could use dual elements, as that''s never been heard of before]: aang


    [Well¡­ I was born a Firebender, but not from the Fire Nation¡­ My parents were non benders, but I don''t know about my grandparents, as they could have been Firebenders¡­ As for my ability to Earthbend, I got it from a gigantic lion turtle spirit¡­ He gifted me the power to Earthbend, and my meeting with you at the Southern Water Tribe wasn''t a coincidence, as I had been told to meet you there by¡­ I guess you could say a spirit]: soren


    Soren didn''t know how to explain the existence of the System, as he decided to go with calling it a spirit, making Aang quite interested in Soren''s story, as the two of them walked back to the hut, as it was decided that Aang wouldn''t say anything to the others unless it was important. Upon waking up the next morning, Aang, Katara, and Soren went down to the river bay to meet with Jeong Jeong, while Sokka followed them to go fishing for breakfast.


    [Alright!... Spread your feet apart!... Wider!... Wider!... Bend your knees!... Good! Now, concentrate and breathe in!]: jeong jeong


    Aang was being trained by Jeong Jeong while Katara was practicing her Waterbending, while Soren continued to watch from the side, as Aang trained. Soon, Aang was brought up a trail by Jeong Jeong with Soren following behind them at a distance, and upon seeing them climb a small mountain, Soren decided to follow them and train with Aang, causing Jeong Jeong to question him.


    [What are you doing!]: jeong jeong


    [I''m training¡­ Can I not train here?]: soren


    [You can already control, fire¡­ Why would you be doing this training?]: jeong jeong


    [Hmm¡­ This is true¡­ Would you like to learn something from me?]: jeong jeong


    [Sure!]: soren


    Upon seeing Jeong Jeong lead Soren elsewhere, Aang got upset as he shouted.


    [Hey!... Why does he get to learn something, but I just get to sit here!?]: aang


    [Be quiet!... No talking!... Just breathe!]: jeong jeong


    Soren was then led down the mountain and towards an open field, before he stopped a few meters away from Jeong Jeong, who was facing away from him with his hands behind his back.


    [How much do you know about Firebending?]: jeong jeong


    [I know quite a bit, but I''m nowhere close to becoming a master among masters]: soren


    [Then it''s safe to ?ssume you don''t know how to bend lightning?]: jeong jeong


    Jeong Jeong didn''t speak, and instead he just raised his hand with his pointer and middle finger raised towards the sky, before an electrical current began to form, before Jeong Jeong used his other hand in the same form, but angled towards a set direction, where Soren watched as a blue lightning bolt was shot from Jeong Jeong''s finger tips.


    [Wow!... So cool! Please teach me!]: soren


    [Hahh¡­ This is a very advanced technique, and it''s also very dangerous, so pay close attention]: jeong jeong


    Jeong Jeong then went through the movements as Soren followed them to a T before Jeong Jeong told him to continue practicing those movements, and to not try to absorb lightning yet. Soon, the day had come to an end as the sun began to set, as Soren began heading back to the camp, just in time to see Aang holding a fireball in his hand.


    [Congrats, Aang!]: soren


    [Soren!... Hey, watch this!]: aang


    Aang began playing with the fire in his hand, while Katara was warning him to be careful, leaving Soren with a bad feeling in his stomach, as he got closer to Katara just in case anything bad happened.


    [I wonder how that juggler did it]: aang


    Aang then began replicating a move, only for the fire to circle out and begin to spread, making Aang realize his mistake as Katara tried to defend herself, and just before the flame could reach her, Soren acted as he stepped in front of Katara and gathered all the flames before shooting them into the sky, dispersing them in a single go.

 Chapter 17 - 17: Jeong Jeong’s Training Pt.2

    As Aang began firebending, Sokka happened to be alerted, and upon running over to see what happened, he arrived just in time to see Soren redirect the fire that was shot towards Katara, as he was left speechless.


    [Katara!... Are you okay!?... I''m so sorry!]: aang


    [She''s fine¡­ But you were reckless in your actions with no form of control]: soren


    Soren''s words stuck Aang in the heart, as he knew that if Soren hadn''t been there to protect Katara, she could have gotten seriously hurt.


    [I''m sorry¡­]: aang


    Just as Aang spoke, Sokka came running in as he shouted, his tone in obvious confusion and anger.


    [What just happened!... Soren, how did you do that!]: sokka


    [Sokka, calm down¡­ It''s fine]: katara


    [Yeah, but¡­ You could have been hurt!... I knew it was a wrong idea to let Aang train here!... And you, Soren! How are you able to Firebend!?... You''re an Earthbender!]: sokka


    Sokka gave no time to answer any of his questions, as he continued to spout more and more questions, only for Katara to smack him on the head.


    [Sokka! *whack!*]: katara


    [Oww!... Hey! What was that for!?]: sokka


    [You''re asking too many questions!... I said, calm down¡­ Let''s take this slowly, and rationally think about this¡­ One question at a time]: katara


    Katara took the role as peacemaker, as Sokka began to calm down, before asking each of his questions. Questions that mostly pertained to how Soren could be both a Fire and an Earthbender, and upon seeing that it would be useless to lie, and to the people he considers his friends, at that, so he decided to tell them the truth.


    [Yes, I am both a Fire and an Earthbender¡­ It seems impossible, and it truly is, but I was thought to be a non-bender like my parents, but one day I awoke to find out I was a Firebender¡­ I soon left home to train to control my fire, and came across a gigantic lion turtle, and with his dying breath, he gave me the ability to Earthbend¡­ I then had begun my journey to the Southern Water Tribe where I met you guys, and decided to journey with you¡­ Did that answer all your questions, Sokka?]: soren


    [I guess that seems logical]: sokka


    Sokka immediately began agreeing to the fact that it was logical for a spiritual turtle to grant powers, and with this thought in mind, Sokka shouted out an idea.


    [Wait!... Does that mean that if we find one of these lion turtles, I can finally become a bender as well!?]: sokka


    Everyone in the group looked towards Sokka with a deadpan expression, while Katara spoke in a teasing tone.


    [Oh?... I thought the ''Great and Mighty- Sokka'' was fine being a non-bender?]: katara


    Upon hearing the obvious sarcasm in her tone, Sokka spoke while rubbing his nose.


    [Yeah, I am great¡­ But I can become even greater if I were to be able to bend an element, and if Soren said the one who gave him the ability to Earthbend is dead, then I have 3 other options to choose from!... Or can all the lion turtles grant any element?]: sokka


    [From what I learned, there were 4 main lion turtles who used to grant the ability to bend their respective element, but after a certain incident many thousands of years ago, the lion turtles swore to never bless people with their elements again, and bending would only be passed down through blood¡­ Also, who knows if any of the lion turtles remain today¡­ I might have gotten luck to find the last one, and even if they are still alive, you still gotta convince them to bless you with an element]: soren


    [I see¡­ Aang!... New goal! We gotta find us a Lion Turtle!]: sokka


    [Umm¡­ How about a Turtle duck?]: aang


    Sokka inspected the small and cute turtle duck closely, before rubbing his chin and scowling at the small creature before speaking.


    [Cute¡­ But not what we''re looking for]: sokka


    Just as Sokka said this, Aang set the turtle duck down and began looking for other turtle like creatures, while Sokka went along with him, leaving Soren and Katara alone to look at their childish natured behaviour.


    [Thank you for saving me, Soren¡­ If not for you, I don''t know what I would have done]: katara


    [No need to thank me¡­ I was just protecting a friend]: soren


    Upon getting into talking with each other, the ground began to rumble, as both Aang and Sokka began to return with haste, as they both seemed to be scared out of their wits.


    [Run!... Monster!... Big! Monster!]: sokka


    Sokka and Aang ran towards the others, but Sokka seemed to be falling behind, while Aang used his Airbending to increase his speed, and upon seeing what was chasing them, Soren and Katara also began preparing to run.


    [W-We were looking for a lion turtle, and happened to stumble into its nest¡­ Run!!!]: sokka


    As Sokka said this, he happened to reach both Katara and Soren, before trying to squeeze past the both of them, only to push Katara to the ground, where she sliced the palm of her hand on a jagged rock near the creak they were standing near.


    [Ahh!]: katara


    Upon realizing his mistake, Sokka quickly stopped and turned to Katara, before pulling her as both he and Soren began following Aang, only to see Jeong Jeong appear before shouting.


    [What happened!?... I told you to breathe, and concentrate on the leaf!]: jeong jeong


    Upon seeing the situation, Jeong Jeong released a sigh, before he raised his hand towards the sky with his pointer and middle finger pointing towards the clouds, before he mumbled.


    [I''m sorry¡­ I don''t wish to hurt you]: jeong jeong


    Jeong Jeong then used his free hand to control a single bolt of lightning towards the lion vulture as the shocking sensation caused the creature to escape, leaving Soren and the others alone, while Jeong Jeong sighed in relief. As Jeong Jeong prepared to turn around to scold the group, he noticed Katara sticking her hand in the river water to clean the wound, but to his surprise, the water healed her.


    [You have healing abilities¡­ Only the great benders of the water tribes sometimes find themselves to have this ability¡­ I''ve always wished I were blessed like you¡­ To be free from this burning curse]: jeong jeong


    [*Sigh*... Waterbending brings healing and life, but Firebending brings pain and destruction¡­ It forces those blessed with its curse to walk a razor''s edge between humanity and savagery, as one small slip up, and you can burn down an entire village of innocents¡­ And such a sight will tear you apart as long as you still seek for humanity¡­ Alright¡­ It''s time to start packing, I''m sorry, Avatar, but I can no longer teach you]: jeong jeong


    [Hih?... But why?... I thought I was doing good]: aang


    [If you consider almost burning your companion ''Good'' then you are not ready to truly learn Firebending]: jeong jeong


    Aang seemed to remember this, as such an event made him think of the possibility of what would have happened if Soren hadn''t been there, making him nod in agreement in the end.


    [I understand-]: aang


    As Aang spoke, a gigantic fireball landed in the river just next to them, and upon looking towards the direction it came from, they noticed a familiar figure at the bow of the leading ship.


    [Commander Zhao!]: sokka


    [Go!... Leave this place, and never return, or you''ll be destroyed!]: jeong jeong


    Upon hearing his words, Sokka went to pack up all of their supplies, while Soren, Aang, and Katara were prepared to fight until Sokka said everything was ready.


    [We''re fighting!... That''s the Avatar''s duty¡­ I must bring peace and balance, so if Zhao wants to fight me, I''ll fight]: aang


    [And we''ll help him!]: katara


    Soren just stayed silent as there was nothing left to say.


    [You brats!... *Sigh* Don''t get hurt in the process!]: jeong jeong


    Jeong Jeong then got into a horse stance as he waved his arms in a circle before erecting a gigantic wall of flames that cut off Zhao''s attack path, making it harder to bring along his entire troops.


    [Fret not, men¡­ My old master gave up fighting long ago, and is now just a washed up nutcase¡­ Isn''t that right, Master Jeong Jeong?]: zhao


    Upon seeing Zhao step through his flame curtain with ease, Jeong Jeong decided it was pointless to keep it up, and made the entire thing disappear to save energy.


    [What do you want, Zhao?]: jeong jeong


    [It''s simple, really¡­ I want the Avatar]: zhao


    [*Sigh*... You used to be such a great man!... I can''t believe my former master has regressed to become a simple savage]: zhao


    [You''re wrong, Zhao¡­ It is YOU who have become the savage]: jeong jeong


    [It''s Admiral Zaho now]: zhao


    [That title will not help you against the Avatar¡­ Don''t try to fight him, you are no match!]: jeong jeong


    [I think I can handle a child]: zhao


    [We''ll see¡­]: jeong jeong


    Jeong Jeong then turned away, as Aang decided to finally make a move, seeing as resolving this peacefully will not work, but he did give Zhao a final warning.


    [Admiral Zhao!... I don''t want to hurt you, but if you plan to harm anyone in this forest and cause more harm, I''ll have to fight you]: aang


    [You? Fight me?... Ahahaha!... Then bring it on, little boy!... Men! Surround the Avatar, and bring him to me¡­ Alive!]: zhao


    [Sir, yes sir!]: firebenders


    The Firebenders began surrounding Aang, Katara, and Soren, all with their fists pointed towards them, ready to Firebend at any moment, while Katara gathered some nearby water, while Aang was ready to use the air to defend against any incoming attacks, leaving Soren to start bending the Earth around him, ready to trap and attack the soldiers with rocks.


    [Hey, Soren¡­ Why don''t you use your Firebending to fight this one¡­ I kind of wanna see how good you are]: aang


    Soren looked towards Aang with a questioning gaze, as he knew that if he did this, the Fire Nation would undoubtedly find out he could dual bend.


    [Yeah, I think this would be quite informing, so we know your capabilities]: katara


    Soren then looked to Katara to see that she was just as interested in his firebending, leaving him defeated in keeping his secret, as the rocks he was controlling dropped, and fire appeared in his hands.

 Chapter 18 - 18: Jeong Jeong’s Training Pt.3

    [W-What in the world!?... Hey! He''s Firebending!]: fire nation soldier


    Upon seeing the flames coil around Soren''s arms, as he prepared to fight his enemies with the same abilities they had, they were shocked, because seconds earlier, they witnessed him controlling the Earth around him, while intell on Soren says he''s an Earthbender with the ability to bend metal.


    [He''s a Firebender!?... Impossible!... I witnessed for myself his Earthbending prowess]: zhao (A/N: I don''t remember if I ever had Zhao see Soren fight, but I''ll say he did)


    Zhao was confused, but his soldier demeanor held strong, as he commanded his troops to advance, as a new command was given.


    [All soldiers! Change of plans!... Capture both the Avatar, and the- Dual bender!]: zhao


    Zhao felt proud that he came up with a new term for Soren, as it was never a thing for someone to bend more than one element, but now that someone who could bend two elements appeared, a new term needed to be developed, and while people who wield more than one weapon are considered Dual wielders, Soren would be known as a Dual bender.


    [Sir, yes sir!]: fire nation soldiers


    Once the command was given, all the soldiers began conjuring fire as it flowed around their beings, as they began to close in on Aang, Soren, and Katara.


    [I think your plan for peaceful negotiation has been thrown away, Aang]: soren


    [Yeah, I can see that¡­ I guess the only way out is a fight]: aang


    The Fire Nation soldiers began throwing fire towards Aang, while he continued to either dodge or disperse the fire with his Airbending, while Katara used her limited knowledge in Waterbending to attack and freeze the soldiers in place, while Soren used a mixture of both Fire and Earthbending to attack and repel the enemy soldiers.


    [Woah!... I didn''t know you could use both at the same time!]: aang


    [Yeah, it was something I picked up during my journey to the Southern Water Tribe¡­ You should be able to do the same, using Water and Airbending]: soren


    Aang then had an idea upon listening to Soren''s words, as he used the knowledge he gained from training with Katara, as he created small ice boulders about the size of baseballs, and used Airbending to increase the speed in which these balls of ice were shot towards the soldiers, as upon impact, the soldiers that were hit were taken off their feet.


    [Wow!... It really worked!]: aang


    Soren only smiled as he continued to shoot rocks that had been superheated by his flames towards the remaining Firebenders that happened to have their attention pulled towards their companions that had been knocked unconscious due to Aang''s previous attack.


    [What!?]: zhao


    Upon hearing one of his men give the order for retreat due to the fear he felt towards both Soren and Aang, Zhao became angered, as he decided to fight personally.


    [Looks like you can''t trust a bunch of cowards to get a job done]: zhao


    Zhao then joined the fight as he continued to shoot waves of fire towards Aang, Soren, and Katara, while Soren stood before Katara to disperse and defuse any of the attacks that came their way, leaving Aang to dodge and defuse the fire as he led Zhao''s attacks away from Soren and Katara, but upon seeing the damage done to the surroundings, it clicked in his mind what Jeong Jeong was talking about all along.


    [No self-control¡­ That''s what he meant]: aang


    Aang then looked towards the ships that Zhao and his men came in on, and upon having an idea on how to escape the situation with little violence, Zhao shouted.


    [Stand and fight, Avatar!... Or are you just a coward like the rest of them?]: zhao


    [Oh... Were we fighting?... I thought you were just getting warmed up]: aang


    [I was¡­]: zhao


    [You''ve lost this battle, Zhao]: aang


    [What!?... But you have yet to throw a single blow!]: zhao


    [No, but you have]: aang


    Aang then gestured towards the other ships that were sinking due to the damage taken by the fire, making him even more enraged than before, giving Aang time to leave, but not before taking one last jab at Zhao''s pride as a Firebender.


    [Jeong Jeong said you have no restraint]: aang


    [RRRRAAHHHHH!... AVATAR!!!]: zhao


    [Have a nice "walk" home!]: aang


    Aang then got on Appa, as Sokka was at the reins, while Soren and Katara were accounting for all their belongings, but just before they could completely take off, Zhao appeared from the fire, as his face was red with anger.


    [You¡­ You''ll never escape alive!]: zhao


    [Aang!... Watch out!]: soren


    Just as Aang turned to look at Soren, Zhao had shot a bolt of lightning towards Aang''s back, leaving Soren just enough time to jump in front of the attack, as his pointer and middle finger were pointed towards the incoming lightning, as he began absorbing the lightning, before his other hand began tracing up his arm towards his shoulder, before going down towards his stomach, making the lightning miss his heart by an inch, before redirecting the lightning back up and out his tracing hand with the hand that absorbed the lightning, back towards Zhao. (A/N: I did my best to describe the move)


    [What!?... Impossi- AAAHHRRGGG!]: zhao


    Zhao was shocked, both mentally and physically, as he didn''t get the chance to protect himself from the redirected lightning in time due to the shocking scene of Soren redirecting his lightning in the first place.


    [Aang! Soren!... It''s time to go!]: sokka


    Both Aang and Soren quickly got back on Appa before Sokka yelled the magic words.


    [Yipp yipp!]: sokka


    Appa then took off with a low groan, as Aang looked onto the once burning forest caused by Zhao and his men, only to see the flames had died down, leaving room for Katara to speak.


    [After you led Zhao towards his ships, Soren took control over the fire and made it disperse]: katara


    Upon turning to thank Soren, Aang noticed his sweaty forehead, while his face was as pale as a sheet, causing Aang and the others to worry as they shouted.


    [Soren!... Are you okay!?]: aang, katara, sokka


    [I-I¡­ I''m¡­ I''m fine¡­ J-Just a little tired]: soren


    Soren then began to close his eyes, while Katara used some of her drinking water to cool off Soren''s body, while Aang began pacing back and forth. Soon, 4 days had passed, and on the morning of the 4th day, Soren had finally shown signs of waking up, and upon opening his eyes, he was met with Katara and Aang looking over him, while a warm yet cold sensation was felt over his body, and upon looking down, he noticed the glowing color of the water being administered by Katara.


    [Good, you''re awake¡­ Here¡­ Here''s some food¡­ You must be extremely hungry]: katara


    Katara handed Soren some warm soup, as Soren had sat up, and the glowing water had dissipated as Katara stopped healing him. Soren then looked at the soup, but just before he got the chance to eat it, the sound of a grumbling stomach was heard, as his attention was brought towards a dejected Sokka.


    [What''s wrong with him?]: soren


    [Well¡­ That was going to be his food, but you had woken up, so he valiantly gave it up for you]: katara


    Upon hearing this, Soren couldn''t help but chuckle, before he spoke.


    Upon hearing Soren''s words, both Aang and Katara began laughing, while Sokka was upset, as he truly didn''t offer to give up his food, he was threatened into doing so.


    [Anyway¡­ We should be coming up to the Northern Air Temple, and we''ll arrive by nightfall¡­ Then after a short visit we''ll be heading straight towards the Northern Water Tribe!]: aang


    Soon, nightfall came, and Aang landed Appa before having him wait a little ways away from the town, before they all entered and began looking for supplies for restocking.


    [Hey, look!... A story teller¡­ Let''s see if he''s got any interesting stories]: aang


    [So, travellers¡­ The next time you think you hear a strange large bird talking, take a closer look, as it might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man!... A member of a secret group of airwalkers who laugh at gravity, and laugh at those bound to the earth by it!]: story teller


    Aang then began reminiscing on Airbender stories, as they weren''t fictional, but fact for him, and Katara was infatuated with such amazing wonders. After everyone began to leave, Aang tried talking to the story teller, who only wanted money, but sadly Aang was broke.


    [It really means a lot to hear Airbender stories¡­ It must have been over a hundred years since your great grandpa met them]: aang


    [What are you prattling about, child?... Great Grandpappy saw the airwalkers last week]: story teller


    Upon hearing this, Aang''s mind began racing, as the thought of having survivors to his people made him have a bit of hope.


    After loading all the supplies bought from town, Aang got onto Appa and began flying towards the Northern Air Temple, as his excitement went through the clouds. Upon closing in on the Northern Air Temple, Sokka, Katara, and Soren could see people flying through the skies, or what appeared to be flying, and from a distance, Aang also thought they were Airbenders, but upon closer look, his hopes all vanished.


    [Look!... Airbenders!]: katara


    [No, no they''re not]: aang


    [What do you mean, they''re not Airbenders!?... Look, those guys are flying!]: sokka


    [Gliding, maybe¡­ But not flying!... You could tell by their movements, they''re not Airbending¡­ They have no spirit]: aang


    Upon finishing his sentence, the sound of laughter came over head, as Katara, Sokka, and Soren quickly ducked as one of the gliders came flying over their heads.


    [I don''t know about that, Aang¡­ That kid seems to have some spirit]: soren


    Aang saw the kid looking at him with a bright smile on his face, causing Aang to take up such a challenge, as he took his glider in hand and started flying through the skies, racing the laughing boy, while Soren took over for Aang as he flew Appa down to the temple floor, as they watched the race between Aang and the boy in a chair like glider.

 Chapter 19 - Update

    I''m sorry I haven''t updated or even created a chapter like this to explain what''s going on.


    I currently am at a new job where we are severely understaffed, and even with influx of new employees, the turnover rate is very high. In the last month, I''ve seen 10 people come and go, so my hours are crazy high. I get about 60 hours a week, and on my only days off, I have to catch up on sleep, so I haven''t had time to make any chapters, and I only have a little bit of time to read other books. Please understand that I do plan on coming back to this in the future, but I don''t have any clue as to when I''ll have the time and energy to create more chapters.


    I really love creating fan fiction, and I see that a lot of you guys like reading my works, but I just can''t be the writer that has unlimited energy to work a overtime job and write thousands of words a week. If you have any questions, I have a discord, or I can respond in the comments.


    Until next time! Author-san out