Chapter 33- Finding Your Core Strength
"Your death? My dear, why would you ever want to know about that?" Aunt Wu asked you, completely shocked at your question.
"Because I have these troubles in my past. Ones I want to confront, the ones I was able to pull through. But what happens if those problems fight back? And what if I lose?" You asked her with a serious expression on your face.
"Oh my. Well, alright dear, let's see," She closed her eyes and held your hand close. Twig whined and nuzzled against you. You suddenly felt the ground shake, and you felt something dangerous nearby. Wu then opened her eyes and gave you a solemn look.
"Here is your future,"
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"Thank you Aunt Wu, so very much," You bowed to her. She smiled and closed the door behind you as you took a deep breath. Twig on your shoulder, chirping at you to get the berries you promised.
"Alright boy, let's go get those berries," You chuckled, walking off to a market cart.
"Thank you," You thanked the marketer and gave the berries to Twig, who snatched them and scarfed them down.
"Slow down bud you're gonna get hiccups," You smiled, then saw Sokka, Aang, and Katara at Wu's door.
"(Y/N)! You're just in time!" Sokka said in a panic.
"Can you believe she won't let me in? And after all the business I've given her?" Katara sighed at the closed doors, making you snort.
"But she doesn't even charge," Aang pointed out.
"I know, but still," Katara said.
"Well, we have other things to worry about. Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano." Sokka blurted out, making you feel that dangerous feeling from before.
"Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my mind" The ground shook hard again, this time you looked at the volcano, smoke coming out of the top.
"Oh no," You muttered. The four of you ran towards the people in a hurry.
"Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second! Aunt Wu was wrong!" Sokka shouted urgently.
"Yeah, yeah, we know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. science and reason lover." A woman smiled.
"If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother Aang saw the lava with their own eyes." Katara exclaimed.
"Well, I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears." A man said, not buying a word they said, making you get irritated.
"For the love of Kyoshi people! You're all going to die if you don't think for once and do things for yourselves! Do something to save you all instead of being useless!!" You shouted at them. Pfft, more like yelling at yourself.
The ground shook again and Sokka motioned to the volcano.
"Look! Can your fortune telling explain that?" Sokka yelled.
"Can your science explain why it rains?" A man scoffed.
"Yes! Yes, it can!" Sokka yelled, angry at all of them.
The people just walked away like nothing is happening and you just groaned in frustration.
"They just won't listen to reason," Katara reassured you.
"But they will listen to Aunt Wu!" Aang said with an idea in his head.
"I know, that's the problem," Sokka grumbled.
"Well, it's about to become the solution. We're taking fate in our own hands. First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book." Aang explained.
You, Sokka, and Katara stood outside of Wu's house, looking around to make sure no one was watching. Eventually Aang hopped out with the book.
"Okay. Sokka, you and (Y/N) get Aunt Wu, Katara and I will form the clouds," Aang explained. You and Sokka nod as Aang and Katara left on Appa. A few moments later, you got Aunt Wu to the center.
"Aunt Wu, look! Something is happening in the clouds." Sokka exclaimed while pointing at the sky.
"That's very strange. It shouldn't - Oh my!" She shouted as the clouds formed into a skull. Now you gotta admit That's terrifying to know if that means the volcano was erupting. Appa landed down and Aang got off.
"We still can save the village if we act fast. Sokka has a plan." Aang said to the people.
"Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot. If we can dig a deep enough trench we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river." Sokka explained.
"If any of you are earthbenders, come with me." Aang said.
"I'm an Earthbender!"
"I'm not!" The twins say.
"Everybody else grab a shovel!" The ground shook again.
"Come on! We've gotta hurry!" Sokka shouted as the people did what they were told.
"And (Y/N)!" You turn to Katara.
"You have to lead the lava down into the canopy with your bending," She said. Your eyes widen at her words and shook your head fast.
"I can't! My concussion blocked my inner core! If I'm able to turn a small rock into lava, how am I supposed to lead molten lava!" You said in a panic, frantically moving your fingers.
"I know you could do this (Y/N), you're how only hope to make sure it won't cover the town!" Aang said with pleading eyes. You gulped and hesitantly nodded. As the other benders moved the ground to make a path. You stood in front of the center and stared at the lava.
"Appa, take Twig with you, I need him safe," You told the bison as you pet Twig, and placed him on the saddle. Appa roared and flew off, Twig watching you as you four stood in front of the volcano.
You walked over the pile of rock at blocked the lava and street had your arms out.
"It's too much. Its going to overflow!" Katara shouted and the ground shook again. The volcano erupted from the stop and you yelled out as you tried to push the lava back. You felt the heat of the lava getting closer as you struggled to move it.
"(Y/N)!!" Aang shouted as he tried to help you, but Sokka pushed him back.
"She's got this!" He shouted as you felt like dying at your pain in your arms.
"Ack! I-I can't! It's too much! I don't think I can do it!" You shouted at them. As you struggled to push the lava back.
"You can! I know that this was something that you held onto! That you felt like you couldn't do anything without your bending!" Aang shouted.
"But you need to understand, that you still have your strength! Not just core strength, but the one you had with you! You're not useless! You were never useless!" Katara joined in.
"Yeah! And the person you are, you give us strength! So you need to find that you are still strong without your bending!" Sokka yelled.
You looked back at them, sweat pouring down you face, and then your turned back to the lava, and closing your eyes shut as you kept on struggling.
Lava is like water, it flows to wherever it wants to.
Lava is like fire, if you can't control it, it can damage things around it.
Lava is like air, it's everywhere.
Lava is like earth, you can control it.
You can push it back.
You made a mistake once, you're not going to do it again.
You then felt the heat of it fade away as you saw it move with a flick of your wrist.
"She's doing it! She's bending it again!" Katara yelled excitedly as Aang and Sokka cheered. You smiled brightly as you pushed it back and turned the lava into earth.
'This one is for you dad,'
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"By the way, we kind of borrowed your book." Aang sheepishly said giving the book back to Wu.
"So you messed with the clouds, did you?" Aunt Wu asked you guys with a stern look, then laughed
"Very clever!" She smiled.
"No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling." Sokka said crossing his arms.
"But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all." The man you first met said happily, making you face palm.
"I hate you," Sokka said through gritted teeth. You sighed and Twog hopped on your shoulder.
"Well, Aunt Wu was right on one thing, that my bending did came back very soon,"