The Throne Room was dark and humid, the only source of light coming from the fervid wall of flames burning into the ceiling in front of (Y/N). Behind the curtain of blazing flames was the silhouette of a large figure with broad shoulders and a high-top bun. His mere presence and shadow alone were intimidating, a dark sinister energy buzzed around him. She could feel this oppressive energy like a dark heavy cloud gathering in the sky, growing until it fills the vast expanse of space.
The Fire Lord was a festering human, one who relished on power and fear.
(Y/N) bowed and stood back up. "Ozai."
A low chuckle comes from the dark figure, amused. If anyone else has said his name so casually and sharply they'd be burnt on the spot.
"Years of captivity still has not tamed your tongue, (Y/N)." His voice was deep and heavy, travelling across the large throne room with ease.
(Y/N) narrowed her eyes at him. "You can put a dragon in a cage but it is still a dragon nonetheless."
"If I had five Generals with your nature, I'd have the Earth Kingdom crumbling by now."
"Prideful creatures like myself don't waste time on meaningless wars that upset the balance of nature."
"Well," He leaned forward a bit and tilted his head, "I suppose that's why I created Scylla."
(Y/N)'s jaw tightened and her eyes glinted golden.
"Now, aside from this heartwarming greeting, I know you have news to tell me." Ozai said, slightly amused by the scowl plastered on her face.
It was vexing how smug a human can get when they're high on more power and authority than they know what to do with. Ozai was a symptom of the cancer festering the Fire Nation, it saddened her that her people could be so blindly belligerent.
She sighed, making sure to keep her temper in check. "With the return of the Fire Nation my search is at hand. The other children are elusive; thus, I require full immunity and freedom to do as I please in order to capture them."
There was a pause and she could feel the Fire Lord's intense eyes beyond the burning wall.
(Y/N) swallowed but made sure the nervousness did not show on her face. Her eyes were dead set, lips placed in a thin line, not a hair out of place or even a trickle of sweat. Cool as a cucumber.
"And by immunity, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Scylla kills whoever she needs to kill and I do everything I need to do in order to capture the other children." She said coolly.
Ozai suddenly stood up and the fire dwindled down as he walked towards her. Finally, as he stepped over the dying flames, she could see him through the flickering orange light of the fire.
His features had gotten sharper, the line under his eyes heavier but there was a certain aging maturity to him; it was as if he had aged five years over the last three years that she had been on the frontline.
He towered over her, dark amber eyes staring into the depths of her soul; so intensely she was certain he'd look straight through her.
She narrowed her eyes up at him, refusing to show that she was intimidated by him.
"And what if you use this immunity to, let's say, band together the other Children and join the Avatar to defeat me?" He asked, voice heavy and deep.
"I Yielded to you." She said in an obvious tone, "As much as I am opposed to you and the idea you stand for, I am your servant until you release me back into the Spirit World."
Or if you die, she thought quietly to herself.
He seemed pleased with her answer so she let out a small sigh of relief as he walked back up to his throne. Then he pulled out a small intricately designed silver bell from his side and held it up.
Looking over his shoulder, he said in a low voice, "If you disobey me, you'll return back to the island that made Scylla."
(Y/N) swallowed and looked down, clenching her fist.
___Meanwhile at the Southern Air Temple___
High above the sprawling landscape of the Southern Air Temple, where the gentle whispers of the wind danced through the ancient stone spires, a spirit boy named Sora watched the temple, a look of impatience flashing in his grey eyes mirroring the boundless sky. The air was crisp, and the sky stretched endlessly in a canvas of vibrant blue, with not a single cloud to interrupt its expanse. The sun, a radiant orb of warmth, bathed the temple grounds in a golden embrace.
Sora sat cross-legged beside an imposing figure. An unexpected companion shared the sacred space with him-his spirit guide bison named Zephyr. Zephyr's fur glistened with a myriad of earthy tones, a testament to the connection between the boy and his loyal companion that transcended the Physical and Spiritual Realm.
Sora got up and effortlessly jumped from the ground up to the tip of a nearby tree to watch the silent sky.
"Hey, Zephyr, how long until the Avatar gets here do you think?" Sora asked his ten-ton furry companion who was sleeping on a grass of wildflowers.
The bison made a low grumble and lazily reached its front foot up to catch a yellow butterfly.
"Because this is his temple, it'll probably be the first place he goes back to." Sora replied with a proud grin, "I'm just a genius, aren't I?"
The bison doesn't make a sound, watching the yellow butterfly as it flies from its extended front leg to the top of her nose. She stays perfectly still, large black eyes twinkling with awe and adoration as it watches her winged friend.
"Yeah yeah, say whatever you want but when the Avatar comes to this temple, you'll be eating your words." He effortlessly glides through the air towards the next tree.
To the human eye it might look like a one-sided conversation but it isn't, Zephyr responds in his mindscape, a link that all Children of the Spirit have with their animal companions.
"We've been through this; we need him because he's going to fight the Fire Lord and we need to rescue (Y/N)." His cheeks brighten at the mention of her name.
Zephyr grumbles lowly, still remaining perfectly still as the butterfly now travels up to the tip of her furry head.
Sora's cheeks burn red, "She doesn't need to know if I exist or not, besides Mizu and Shui are in the North Pole and they refuse to leave Yin and Yang's sight, after what happened to (Y/N) and Hisashi I'm sure the Fire Nation is that stupid enough to want to hurt Yin and Yang. Then there's Daichi who's probably buried in a pile of books in Wan Shi Tong's library so that leaves you and me, humanities last hope, me with my handsome boyish charms and you with your." He turns to her and sees the colossal sky bison enamored by the yellow butterfly, "We gotta work on your whole aesthetic, I'm thinking scary and beast-like over whatever this is."
Zephyr rolled her dark eyes.
Sora turned back to watching the temple and resumed a stoic expression, puffing his chest forward. "And of course the love interest is the beautiful Child of Fire, (Y/N)-"
Suddenly he saw a dark spec in the sky. Something was approaching in the distance and since there were no bison's left in the world that could only mean one thing.
He grinned widely and jumped in the air. "There he is, told you I was a genius. Sora the Genius Child of Air, has a good ring to it, no?" He quipped over his shoulder.
He wondered how old the air nomad was, how ancient he was to have been stuck in a meditative state for 100 years.
Suddenly there was a low pained growl from his bison. His grin faded as he turned. Something was wrong. The yellow butterfly was gone and the bison's eyes were wide with terror, only it didn't move an inch.
"What? What do you mean you can't move?" Sora asked, perplexed.
He glided down and landed beside Zephyr. He rushed to the giant's side but he couldn't even nudge the bison.
"Something's stopping you?" He asked, bewildered and panicked.
"I don't know what to-" Suddenly he froze midsentence.
His eyes widened. He was frozen in place, the only control he had over his body was his eyes and his voice.
"Zephyr-" His whole body twisted on its own accord, bone cracking and limbs contorting at awkward angles as he released a strangled cry.
Then from all around him figures emerged from behind the trees. Four figures in blood red cloaks with their hands stretched out as if they were bending something.
He willed the air around him, feeling the wind pick up speed. He didn't need his physical body to bend, he was the embodiment of air.
The figures' cloaks whipped in the wind and they tried to move forward but an invisible force kept them from coming any closer.
They pressed on, bending his body to their will as if he was their puppet.
The wind picked up speed and the trees shook as a whirlwind was beginning to form. Sora released a frustrated cry as he struggled to reach for Zephyr. The veins on his head tightened and his eyes became bloodshot.
One of the blood benders flew back, knocked back by an invisible force.
"Knock him out now!" A strangle guttural voice ordered.
Suddenly his whole body plummeted to the ground lifelessly within a single second.
Zephyr's pained roar echoed through the forest, reaching the ears of Appa, the Avatars giant sky bison, who responded with widened eyes and a restless shuffle. Aang, the Avatar, felt the pull of his companion's distress.
"No, Appa, we're going to check the temple out first," Aang gently tugged at the reins, trying to steer the colossal bison in the direction of the ancient structure.
Appa grumbled loudly, his immense frame shifting uncomfortably as he resisted Aang's guidance, clearly torn between his loyalty to his master and the concern for his fellow bison.
Sokka, leaning against the large saddle, smirked smugly. "Even you can't control the big guy sometimes, huh?"
Aang shot Sokka an amused look, "It's not like I'm his master; Appa can go where he wants. But we just need to check the temple first."
Appa grumbled again, a mix of impatience and worry evident in his demeanor. Katara, however, diverted her attention from the banter and focused on the awe-inspiring sight of the Southern Air Temple. The ancient structure, with its towering spires and weathered stones, stood as a testament to a bygone era. Its desolation, a stark reminder of the toll the war had taken on the once-vibrant Air Nomad culture.
Katara's eyes reflected a mix of wonder and sadness as she took in the grandeur of the temple. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before," she whispered, her voice carrying a mix of reverence and sorrow. The Southern Air Temple held the echoes of a rich history, now silenced by the ravages of war.
As the group approached the Southern Air Temple, Appa grumbled loudly, as if warning Aang he was about to make a jump for it.
"Huh?" Aang looked down at Appa.
Suddenly the sky bison made a sharp turn with determination, propelling them toward the source of distress. Aang's eyes widened as he struggled to rein in his loyal companion. "Appa, no! We need to check the temple first!" he pleaded urgently.
Sokka clung to the saddle, his earlier smugness replaced by a wide-eyed realization. "Aang, he's not listening!"
Katara gripped the sides of the saddle, wind whipping her hair across her cheeks, "Aang! Do something!"
Aang struggled to pull at the sky bison but it was useless. "I'm trying!"
"Well try harder!" Sokka screamed over the wind, holding onto the saddle for his dear life.
The forest blurred beneath them as Appa soared towards the call of distress.
"Appa no!"
Against Aang's will, Appa descended rapidly, breaking through the treetops and landing in a clearing that seemed to be the center of a whirlwind. The air whirred with an unseen force, and leaves danced in a chaotic ballet around them. The sudden stillness after the tumultuous descent left the group momentarily disoriented.
Sokka jumped off instantly. "Aang what the hell was that! I thought you could control him!"
Aang dismounted with a furrowed brow, glancing around the clearing. "Again, I can't control him, something caught his attention."
The clearing, bathed in dappled sunlight that filtered through the canopy above, held an eerie silence, there was no wind here, as if the forest was holding its breath. In the center, a faint energy lingered-a residue of the mysterious force that had drawn Appa here.
"Aang." Katara's soft voice called from the other side of Appa.
Aang jumped up and his eyes widened at the curious sight of a large white sky bison trying, and failing, to hide behind a singular tree.
Sokka's eyes widened in horror. "And it multiplies."
Appa, though still on edge, walked toward the bison cautiously. She walks out slowly to greet him, although her steps are slowed and unsteady. Appa muzzled against Zephyr, as if seeing an old friend.
Aang approached the pair, a mixture of gratitude and concern in his eyes. "Thanks, Appa. I didn't think we'd find another bison around here."
Katara's eyes softened as she reached over for the sky bison. Zephyr leaned into her touch, allowing her eyes to slip shut in comfort. "She looks scared, I think something happened to her."
Sokka looked around and knelt down on the grass. He watched how the blades of grass slept down at a curious angle. His eyebrows furrowed.
"Hmmm, it's almost as if a tornado happened but just at this spot."
"Airbending." Aang grinned, both hopeful and curious. "That would mean some of them did survive."
Sokka and Katara exchanged a stunned look of confusion and disbelief.
Aang reached over to gently pet the sky bison; "Do you know where-"
As soon as his hand touched the sky bison he collapsed, falling to his knees.
"Aang!" Katara rushed to his side.
She gently slapped his cheek to wake up him, "Aang come on wake up."
Aang slowly opened his eyes as Katara helped him up. He stared at the sky bison in shock.
"Guys, this isn't a sky bison. Her name is Zephyr, she's a spirit guide."