A New Path - Chapter 261

As the chilling wind of another uneventful night jolted him awake from his zombified state, Aang opened his eyes and took in the scenery of the mountain top. the beautiful, almost mesmerising view from the top of the world always had him gasping for air.

With the world by his feet, he usually felt serenity, a sense of security. But, not this morning! “No response, I don’t know what I was expecting.” Aang let out a long sigh of disappointment. “But I can’t stop yet. This is the only option I have left.” He gazed up at the celestial bodies in the sky, and just for a second, he saw a cluster of stars in the sky lit up in an extra bright flash of light. “Strange,” He said.

“Huh?” Aang felt a disturbance in the energy around the mountain. He turned his head and in his peripherals, he thought he saw a hazy blur pass by behind him. But, when he looked around he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Every tree and tiny pebble were in the same spots they always were.

“Why did the air suddenly get so heavy?” He closed his eyes and decided to try his luck with the mind’s eyes instead. Even with him being the Avatar and the master of all four arts of bending, he couldn’t root out from where this uncomfortable feeling originated. Almost like someone was watching him, but they must be way out of his league because he couldn’t even tell if he was being watched or not. He just had an uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong.

Aang still sat and tried to source out this problem when a space rift opened up in front of him. Amell and Valerie stepped out and Valerie immediately felt the cold air ontop this mountain, so she turned around and snuggled herself into Amell’s coat.

“Aang, my boy. I heard your distress call. What have you gotten yourself into this time?” Amell and Valerie walked out of the portal and sat down on the ground. Well, he did, Valerie took the opportunity to find a comfortable position on his lap.

“Master, I didn’t think I would get through to you this time. I have been here for three days and nights, meditating.” He cupped his hand and bowed his head as you would when welcoming your master.

Valerie tilted her head and inspected the Avatar up and down. “Why is a man wearing a dress?” She glanced up at her father who chuckled and patted her head. “That is the traditional monk robes. Both boys and girls wear them.” Amell gave the most simple and direct explanation as he could because Aang’s expression told him that the Avatar was not in a joking mood.

“Aang, allow me to introduce you two. This is Valerie, my daughter.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Valerie. My name is Aang. I am a student of your father. He trained me in air bending when I was around your age, maybe a little younger.” Aang was usually a very talkative person, someone you could strike up a conversation with at any time. But, now something was bothering him because he didn’t keep his focus on Valerie. Instead, he looked seriously at Amell.

“Master, the reason I called for you this time is not for fun and games. Will you stay and listen to me?”

“I noticed that you are not in the best of moods right now. I will assume it is something you can not fix on your own.”

“No, I can not! It’s my daughter. She is sick, really sick. I have done everything I can, and I have travelled all over the world finding every specialist that exists. None can help her.” This was the first time Amell had seen Aang experiencing true despair. That was something he could relate to.

“So, you came looking for the only person you thought would have a chance of saving her. Did you tell your family about me?” Amell had erased himself from the memory of everyone he had contact with during his stay in this world, except Aang and Toph.

“I haven’t. I just said I was gonna look into one last option. Do you think you can help, Master?!” Now, Aang was almost raising his voice against his master, and as a student of Amell, he knew better than that.

“How could I answer that while I’m sitting here? Explain her symptoms to me!”

“She has a high fever, concurring headaches, and the spiritual channels inside her body are breaking apart slowly causing her immense pain.” Amell took a look at Valerie and horrifying short movies started playing inside his head.

“We should be off quickly. If I am going to be saving your daughter today, I need to be next to her, and not up here on this mountain.” Aang’s eyes lit up in delight. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled with all his might. It echoed out over the old mountains and only a moment later, Appa, his flying Bison, Aang’s partner for life flew up from somewhere below the mountain. He landed beside Aang and the ground shook when he landed, Valerie almost lost balance because of that.

“So, he is still alive. How’s he doing?” Amell looked at Aang for answers even though one look or touch on Appa would tell him everything he needed to know.

“He is my partner, so of course, he is okay. He will be around for as long as I am.” Aang smiled happily and stroked the Bison on the nose. “Both of you, go on. He will take us back in no time at all.” Aang jumped up, but they didn’t follow him. Amell stood with a cheeky smile and lightly shook his head.

“Boy, are you forgetting that I have a partner of my own. The Portgas bloodline has its mounts.” Amell closed his eyes and concentrated for long-distant communication. After several seconds, he opened up another portal in the air. This was one was huge, three times the size of Appa. And, out from that portal came an eagles talon. The weight behind it shook the ground, and this time Valerie did lose balance and fall. Amell stood firm as a mountain and watched Orlando fully step out of the portal while simultaneously showing off his majestic figure perfectly.

“H-He grew even larger?!” Aang who sat on Appa felt tiny. Not only that, he felt so tiny that he didn’t feel like Orlando could see him because of it.

“Multiple times. I’m starting to get a little worried. If he grows any bigger, I won’t be able to take him anywhere.” Orlando blew a puff of air against Amell, trying to knock him down, of course, it didn’t work. The wind simply past by Amell without touching him.

“I’m kidding,” Amell looked up at Orlando with a smile. “Valerie, get on!” She nodded and air bent her way up his back until he landed on his head.

“S-She can air bend!” Aang who was quite obsessed with the resurrection of the air nomads looked on with slight greed and hopefulness. “Maybe she could marry my son, haha,” Intended as a joke. But, Aang did not fully realise the wrath such a joke could bring.

“Tread carefully, boy, otherwise, I will personally make sure the line of both Avatar and air nomad stops with you.” The intent around his words was too clear to miss, so Aang just nodded and made a mental note of not joking about that anymore.

“Now we can go!” Amell jumped up on Orlando’s head. And, they both took off. The combined might of both of these incredible beasts taking off destroyed some of the ground around them. They were nothing but two big white spots streaking across the night sky. They were flying close to each other, but one might not notice Appa since Orlando was almost four times the size of him. His form was majestic and the moonlight bouncing off his feathers made him look almost angelic. “Aang, tell me of your family. Have the situation improved since the last time I visited?” Amell’s voice was crystal clear despite the distance and the speed in which they travelled.

“I like to think so,” Thanks to Amell’s inhuman senses, he can hear a whisper from miles away if he focuses. “The kids are teenagers, almost breaching into adulthood. So, there is currently quite a lot of drama, especially with my daughter Kya’s condition worsening. Everyone is on edge!”

“Your wife is a very proficient healer, correct? And you have your energy bending. How has that worked out for you?” Valerie had fallen asleep in his embrace, maybe because of the combination of the thin air up here and the soothing atmosphere.

“Katara’s healing water slowed it down a little bit at first, but the sickness works almost as it evolves from combat. It became resilient to her healing, so that quickly stopped working for us. And, my energy bending can’t do anything here. That is why I come to you for help, Master. Your mastery in that very specific art is miles above mine.”

“I understand. I shall certainly try!” Amell’s eyes lit up in bright silver and he let out a sigh. “I see that proud city of yours. Very modern. The world sure has changed since I left.”

“You see it! That’s impossible, Master! We are so far from it!”

“Aang, you are the Avatar, and not only that, you are my student as well. You should be well aware that there are more ways than one in which we can see. Do you not remember anything I and Gyatsu taught you?”

“I’m sorry, Master! My mind has been one huge blur the last few days, as you can imagine.”

“Even more reason to get it together. As the Avatar, and Kya’s father. It is your job to never lose focus or hope. Get it together, boy!” The light in his eyes died down and he breathed out slowly. “I see we have quite the distance left to travel. It would be quite enjoyable, but we do not have that kind of time. We are going to jump through a rift.”

“A rift? Like you and young Valerie arrived by. Incredible!” Aang knew this was energy bending. He wasn’t anywhere near the level of his Master, but he was practising daily in the hope that one day, he would be.

“The first few times you do it, it’s going to feel like you are spinning around at the speed of lightning. Most people puke the first time, so prepare yourself.” With the warning out of the way, Amell waved his hand in front of him and two rifts opened up and swallowed both beasts and their masters.

When Republic City was constructed by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, Aang had another air temple built close to it. It became the fifth air temple in the world, and they called it Air Temple Island. It served a multitude of purposes, but the most notable one was that it was the home of the Avatar. Above the island, the two rifts appeared again and Appa and Orlando flew out of their respective rift. Aang managed to hold the contents of his stomach down. He gazed down on his island and his sense of urgency suddenly increased. Now that he was so close to Kya, the mental exhaustion and stress also made a comeback.

“Beautiful island, Aang.”

“We should hurry down, Master. We don’t know how Kya is doing!” Aang and Appa left Amell and Orlando behind as they descended toward Air Temple Island. In the cover of darkness, their arrival wasn’t noticed by anyone on the island, despite everyone being awake.

Inside the temple, in Kya’s room, the girl laid on her bed with a group of people sitting around her. The atmosphere was anything but cheerful this night. Kya’s condition had her at the brink of death, and everyone knew it. No one said anything until a girl in the corner sitting with her head between her legs looked up in delight. Her name was Suyin Beifong, and she was an earth bender just like her mother, Toph Beifong. The reason that she suddenly sprouted a smile was because of the ability she inherited from her mother, Seismic sense. She sensed the arrival of Appa outside the temple.

“Auntie!” She stood up in a hurry, “Uncle Aang is back!” She bent down and shook the body of her sister that sat asleep beside her on the floor. Katara who sat half-sleeping next to Kya jolted awake almost immediately.

“Everyone, Uncle Aang is back!” She said it again, even louder so everyone who hadn’t woken up would do so.

“Are you sure, Suyin?” Katara rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“Definitely,” he struck the ground again and closed his eyes. “There is someone else with him too, but I can’t make out who it is.” As she said it, the door opened and Aang walked in. “I’m back everyone.” His eyes immediately locked onto Katara, and she smiled when she saw his face. She looked to have longed for this. “So I’m told.” She said and walked up and hugged him. As she opened her eyes after the hug she got a look at Amell who stood out in the corridor behind Aang.

“Honey, why is there a giant standing in the corridor behind you?” She escaped the confines of the hug and looked suspiciously at her husband. Sokka. Katara’s brother grabbed his weapon and looked at Amell. “Yeah, Aang. What’s up with the stranger?”

“I apologize for disturbing the peace this late at night. The highly respected Avatar came before me seeking council about the condition of your daughter. And, how can I refuse a request from the Avatar himself.” Aang, being fully aware that Amell was making fun of him wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

Katara looked into his eyes. “Can you heal my daughter?” Sokka moved to stand in front of the bed. The two sisters, Lin and Suyin Beifong together with Sokka moved closer to Kya. Her brothers, Aang’s two sons already stood by the bed, on-guard against this seemingly gentle giant.

“I do not know, young Katara. If you will allow me to examine your daughter, I will know more.” Amell could easily knock them unconscious, heal Kya and explain later. But, Aang was his student, and if he was gonna build a good relationship with them, it might be best to start on the right foot. Katara turned to Aang, “Can we trust him?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes, you know I do. We all do, you know that. I asked, can we trust him? Kya’s condition is worse than ever.” Katara was always with Aang when they vetted previous healers, that’s why her suspicion was great right now.

“If you trust him, trust me! He knows what he is doing. I will explain everything later, for now, let him take a look at Kya.” Aang placed his hands on her shoulder and moved her away. The others calmed down, and Amell slowly made his way inside the room. The was just big enough to let him walk comfortably. But, if he walked completely straight, his head would go through the roof. Suyin leaned over toward her sister and whispered, “Sis, he’s freaking huge. Didn’t mom used to say she knew some extremely tall person when she was young?”

“I vaguely remember her mentioning it. I don’t even know if it was a man or not. But, That’s neither here or there now, let’s focus on this.”

Amell stood over the bed, and his eyes lit up in bright silver. The occupants in the room who saw it were amazed by it. That was not something you saw every day. It was similar to how Aang’s tattoos lit up when going into the Avatar state, just not as noticeable and dramatic as that. “How in the world?!” Amell turned to Aang, “Boy, tell me exactly when she got sick!” His tone wasn’t tranquil anymore, nor was it neutral. It was actual worry and even some anger. Aang had never seen him like this before.

“Did he just call dad boy?” Bumi, Aang’s eldest child asked Tenzin, the youngest sibling. Tenzin looked back, just as shocked, “I-I think so… Yeah,”

“Twenty-two days ago. It started slow, but it became gradually more aggressive, and eventually, everything we tried stopped working.”

“Tell me, what was she doing the day she got sick? Anything out of the ordinary? No matter how small or insignificant you may find it.”

“I and Katara have gone through that day a thousand times in our heads. Nothing stands out about that day.” Aang was still in a state of shock and surprise from seeing this new serious side of his Master. While he was trapped in that state of limbo, Katara grabbed his hand and looked at Amell. “You know what it is, don’t you? Can you cure her?!” Her desperation was understandable, so Amell tried to clam down as to not rile her up further.

“I know what is doing this to her. I will fix this, but after I am done here, you two will sit down with me and you will tell me everything, and I mean everything Kya did that day. As well, what you were doing.” Katara didn’t answer, instead, she remained silent just to make sure she didn’t break Amell’s focus

‘Vaatu, are you seeing what I’m seeing inside this girl?’ Amell turned to his spiritual partner. Vaatu who normally was unconcerned for humans was rather upset as well.

‘I do not see it as you do. I sense it! It is like you, unlike anything I have ever felt before. The presence that has invaded this human is on-par with you. It might be stronger than you, I am unsure of that.’

‘same here as well, I don’t know its exact strength.’ Amell placed one index finger on her chest and the other on her forehead. ‘Vaatu, this will require absolute focus. Do not mess this up or she will die.’ The energy gathered around his hands started turning green and it became visible in the physical world, so everyone could see it.

‘Of course, Amell. I am with you!’ His aura was released in controlled amounts, but the people around all felt their hair stand up, and they felt their skin crawl. Suddenly without warning, Amell’s eyes started shining in bright red colour.

“What’s happening?! Aang, that’s how you look in the Avatar state! Who is this man?”

“I don’t know what’s going on either. I’ve never seen him do this!”

“Uncle, can there be two Avatars?” Suyin asked. She was fascinated with what’s going on and she wanted to get closer, but just looking at Amell made her hesitate. Lin hit her lightly on the head, “Stupid, of course, there can’t be more than one. Don’t you know anything?”

“Lin is right. Throughout the ages, there has never been two Avatar. There can’t be more than one Avatar, it’s impossible! Utterly impossible.” Katara answered. Her eyes were glued on Kya.

“That is something different. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just… Different.” Aang focused on Amell more than his daughter, not because he didn’t care, but because he had never encountered another spiritual presence this powerful. Kya’s body started to spasm a little and Katara almost jumped in and pushed Amell away, but Aang held her back. Her mother instincts when seeing her daughter spasm were hard to keep down, especially since she was in such an emotionally vulnerable state.

‘Vaatu, I have it trapped! Give me everything you have… Now!’ Kya’s body was enveloped in a layer of bright green light and her gag reflex activated and out from her mouth came a small grey gooey substance that Amell grabbed and disintegrated using his most destructive energy.

‘Thanks, Vaatu. Go to sleep, you deserve proper rest after that one.’ Vaatu didn’t hear him as he had already gone into a deep slumber. He removed his fingers and colour already started returning to Kya’s face.

“She will be fine. She just needs a long and quiet rest.” Katara rushed past him to get to her daughter.

“Boy, you, I and Katara have to talk now. This is not over, meet me outside.” Amell walked out of the room with a serious expression, leaving everyone inside wondering the same thing. “What the hell just happened?”

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End