Avatar: The Fifth Element

25. The Fifth Chakra

Rumi sat cross legged outside of the cave near a waterfall, Guru Pathik giving her a knowing look.

"It's time to open your fifth chakra. Can you guess which one it is?" he asked, though he knew that Rumi was well aware of what it was.

"It's... ether, isn't it?" a worried expression washed over Rumi's face.

"Yep! This one is located at the throat. It deals with truth, and is blocked by lies. I'm sure you know quite a deal about lying, don't you?" Pathik grinned.

"Y-yes, I do," Rumi sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the visions to come to her.

She had hidden her identity from the whole village. Her, Osamu and Kaito planned to keep the secret as if their lives depended on it. Once she knew what Aang and the others were looking for, she still concealed her truth. She let Zuko fall for her while he didn't even know what she was, and when Iroh knew she was hiding something, she still kept herself concealed.

She saw the very moment she told Zuko she didn't care about him, and felt the pain in his own chest as she did so. She hurt him so much with her lies.

These lies were the birthplace of everything that blocked her from control. She kept them inside and through that the anger burned deep, concocting a nasty accumulation of ether that yearned to be set free. She saw herself—her own body—become decorated with scars as the element pulsated throughout her body, pushing past her blood and skin when she exerted herself.

Rumi felt it boiling over inside of her again, but instead of exploding in anger, tears began streaming down her face. She didn't open her eyes when she spoke.

"I lied to everyone about what I am! I lied to my friends, to Aang and the others, and I-I lied to someone I care about a lot!"

As the truth streamed out of her, the bad visions faded and were replaced with happy thoughts and memories. Once Aang's group knew the truth, they hadn't tried to hurt her nor did they fear her. Even Zuko, who she'd hurt the most, forgave her. He stuck by her side no matter what and took care of her after she exploded.

At one time, her chest felt heavy and her throat felt clogged. It had pained her to speak, but she now felt rejuvenated. It was as if she came back from the dead.

Rumi opened her eyes, letting out a breath. And with her breath, the burning of her scars faded away and she no longer felt shameful or guilty of her lies. She had forgiven herself, and the subconscious grudge she held against herself was lifted.

She felt free.

"I-I did it! I'm free!" Rumi jumped up in a bust of excitement, but Guru Pathik cut her celebration down short.

"You did well, but there are still more chakras,"
he explained.

Oh, right, Rumi thought. She knew this, she remembered it from when Aang was telling her about the chakras. There were seven of them.

"The sixth one is light," Pathik began. "It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. I'm sure Aang told you all about this one. The biggest illusion-"

"-is separation," Rumi intervened.

"Correct," Guru Pathik was impressed. "This one directly relates to your element. All elements are connected, and this is best represented by ether. It's within everything, and that is the reason you have power over the other elements as well. Opening this one should be easy for you."

And it was. The second Rumi closed her eyes, all thoughts cleared from her mind and she saw the universe. It stretched out into infinity and it appeared as though every galaxy, solar system and planet were all separate entities, but that was the illusion. Everything was connected by the invisible substance that took up space, as well as the space inside of things.

Rumi recognized this substance of ether. It was no longer invisible to her, as she saw its powerful white glow, enveloping everything.

When she opened her eyes, that glow still existed. This is what Rumi knew was the truth when she wasn't being blinded by the illusion. Everything is connected.

"That was easy for you, wasn't it?" Guru Pathik asked.

Rumi's eyes fluttered open as she nodded, "I think I'm ready for the final chakra."

Guru Pathik's smile faded as he shook his head, "I'm afraid you shouldn't open that one."

"What? Why?" Rumi asked, more concerned rather than angry or upset.

"That one deals with pure cosmic energy. I don't think it would be safe for you to unlock, you'd have the power to destroy the world," he explained.

Rumi deflated, "You're afraid that I would, aren't you? I... I'm not that bad. At least, I hope I'm not..."

"I don't think you would willingly do it, but giving anyone that power is unsafe. You must understand this; it is not because of you. The ether element is very touchy and dangerous. It needs to be restrained," Pathik looked at Rumi with a soft smile, hoping she wouldn't get upset.

For a moment, Rumi thought about it, though there really wasn't much to think about. She had to be rational, she had to stop blaming herself.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she got up and walked closer to Guru Pathik. "Thank you, you taught me so much."

He smiled at her, "You are a very strong bender, use it wisely."

"I will."

Exhausted, Rumi collapsed onto her bed and drifted off to sleep.

The night seemed to go by so fast as she was soon being shaken awake by Aang, "Rumi, Rumi!"

"Huh? What?" Rumi groggily rubbed her eyes and looked up at the excited Aang hovering above her.

"Do you wanna practice bending with me? I've never fought against anyone who can use all the elements like me!" he exclaimed, way too energetic for Rumi's taste, at least not right when she woke up. Aang's idea also worried Rumi a little.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I've never practiced with anyone other than Kaito, and that went, well, bad. I don't wanna hurt anyone."

"It'll be okay! You opened your chakras so everything should be good now. And everyone else will be there anyways, so nothing bad will happen, I trust you!" Aang smiled cheekily as he grabbed Rumi by the wrist and led her to an open area.

There, everyone else looked like they had been waiting. Rumi's first instinct was to go to Zuko, who enveloped her in a warm hug.

She pulled away, "If this goes bad—if I lose control—you have to stop me, okay?"

Zuko nodded, "I'm only agreeing because I know I won't have to."

-

A/N ~ hey guys! i'm losing track of what day it is but i still remembered to update today! i hope no one's bothered by what i did with the last chakra. i just felt like if Rumi opened that one, she'd be too powerful. i don't think anyone should be as strong or stronger than the avatar, and it seemed like it would realistically be dangerous for her to open. hope this makes sense!
anyways, remember to vote/comment/share!
—Blaise⚡️