𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑹 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

9 ~ white noise

"There it is!" Sokka exclaimed, rising from his seat.

It took them a few moments to land, but Guren was happy to stretch his legs the moment they did. He was positive he felt a few bones in his knees crack.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" A man from the side announced. "I am General Fong," He and the soldiers behind him bowed in greeting. "And welcome to all of you, great heroes; Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara and..." The man trailed off, faltering at the sight of Guren.

General, huh?

"Just Guren."

Fong blinked. "And...Just Guren."

Oh, wow. Never before had Guren had such a sudden urge to cave someone's face in as he did in this exact moment.

And then, he heard a sound he heard long, long ago.

Fireworks.

Colourful and loud, they lit up the already light sky in various colours.

"Not bad, not bad." Sokka commented.

Guren looked away.

_

They went inside and were currently sitting in a great hall.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

...Awesome?

"I try not to think about it too much." Aang replied.

Then a mild smile spread across Fong's features. "Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."

Cue the surprise.

"What?! No I'm not!"

Katara chimed in, "Aang still needs to master all four elements."

But it seemed like Fong still didn't get it. "Why? With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

Insistent, wasn't he...?

"But, sir, the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State." Sokka explained.

"See, it's this special state where-"

Aang was interrupted before he could finish.

"I'm well aware. Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable power," Fong got up from his seat and walked up to a map behind him. "Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores."

Slaughtered was the right word for it.

The Fire Nation had...an amazing amount of soldiers, military in general, and going head-to-head with them without a proper plan of action was nothing but suicide.

Aang really was their last hope, wasn't he...?

"But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon..." Fong dragged his finger across the map. "...we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Right, but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State, much less what to do once I'm there."

In a second, Fong turned to face them. "It's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll face your destiny."

Katara, Sokka and Aang stood up, but Guren remained seated.

"No. Nothing is decided," Katara declared, "We already have a plan. Aang is pursuing his destiny his way." Defiantly crossing her arms, Katara stared the general down.