Heavenly Pursuit (Princess Yue)

Chapter One

Time in the Spirit World moved differently than it did in the Human World. Sometimes, it moved so slowly that the little humans down below looked like they were moving through molasses. They would move a few centimeters at a time, barely shuffling about. It was strange watching them move around that slowly; she wasn't sure if they were moving that slow down there or not. Maybe it was just up here that made them look like that. She wasn't sure yet. She was still getting used to being back in the Spirit World after spending years in the Human World.

Other times, it moved so fast that she wasn't able to see everything that was happening. Everything would move in a blur, making it hard for her to see anything besides the colors flashing across her vision. Sometimes it was nice to not be able to see anything happening in the Human World. She assumed that time moved so fast because bad things were happening down with the humans that she didn't want to see. It would have broken her heart to see the terrible things that were going on, and Time seemed to know that. 

Maybe it was a good thing Time moved at different rates. She didn't want to see anything bad happen to the humans because it would break her soul. She loved them with her whole being, and it would hurt her more than anything to see them tortured. It was good that time moved slowly when good things were happening so she could rejoice with them. She was one of the more popular Spirits, so she was always involved in the prayers of the people down on earth, especially in the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. They knew just how important the Moon was to the world around them.

The only people she hardly heard prayers from were the Fire Nation people. She knew that they prayed to the Sun Spirit, but he wasn't the only one to pray to. She wasn't sure if they just didn't want to pray to her because she was the Moon Spirit, but it made her upset. She wanted to look out for everyone, not just the ones that prayed to her. She wanted to help the whole world, not just certain groups of people. She hoped they would get out of that habit once the war ended.

That particular night was a slow one. She was looking down at the Earth, her heart heavy with the pain and grief of the many people praying to her. They all were talking about the same war that had been going on for centuries. It wasn't just about the Hundred Year War; no, it was about all the wars that have been waged, the ones between two friends or between two countries, ones that she wasn't able to end, even when they pleaded for her to do so. She was sad for them, but there was nothing she could do. Not by herself, at least. Maybe in the future, all of the Spirits could come together and harmonize the Earth's people so that they wouldn't hurt each other anymore. She hoped the Spirits would do that for the people they had once loved so much.

Far beneath her, the waves of the sea crashed against each other, and the dark clouds crowded around her. It was going to be a stormy night, one that she had seen before. Many stormy nights had passed by her. But this time, there was a boy in the water, cowering away from the frigid waves around him. He looked worse for the wear like something bad had happened to him recently. Her human side knew who he was. Her spirit side lit up at the sight of the young Avatar, one whose journey had been so hard. His life had been filled with such heartache, and he deserved happiness. She closed her eyes and felt her power break through her chest, shining down on the water below her. Her head grew fuzzy as she lowered her Spirit down to the Human World once again. Her eyes flashed open, falling upon the Avatar. He looked devastated as he clung to the log that was holding him up in the water.

"You already saved the world," she said in an ethereal voice. It echoed around the two of them, bouncing across the waves. The boy's head snapped up, his grey eyes widening when he saw her. A hint of recognition flashed through them, but then a sense of doubt crept into them. She knew why he was feeling that way; her human form had died so many months ago. "And you'll save the world again. But you can't give up."