Yin And Yang |WangXian| Avatar AU

7| Dragged Down

Wei Ying looked up ahead and saw Jiang Cheng coming to help him. He smiled and was determined to move faster again. They reached out to each other and held a tight grip on each other's hands. Jiang Cheng helped carry the disciple, and both rode off to avoid the water serpents.

They could see the two Jade airbenders up ahead temporarily pushing the massive water serpent away, and they could see how they flew towards them. The two Prides of Yunmeng looked at each other and, in silent agreement, knew what to do.

"Young Master Lan!" Wei Ying shouted.

Lan Huan flew closer to the two as he was called. The two Prides hastily threw together the unconscious disciple for Lan Huan to catch. The first jade caught him by surprise, leaving a look of confusion on his face. Wuxian and Wanyin could not give him any explanation as they zoomed off. Something needed to be done about the serpents, and they were the ones most capable of ending the havoc that the Mother of Water Serpents had brought. So they rode further into the more chaotic tides, both headed to the massive Water Serpent. The two prides went their separate ways and began encircling the serpent at incredible speed. The Twin Jades were left to stare and gape in awe as the two worked together. Both had trapped the serpent in a spiral. It went on for a few more minutes, going faster and faster. The serpent gave in to the water's spinning momentum because it was no longer able to bear its surroundings. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin gave it the final blow as they made quick hand movements, and the water brutally threw the giant water serpent away. It came into forceful contact with the strong, thick earth of the mountains enclosing the lake.

The water serpent fell lifelessly into the water and disappeared from their sight. The waves began to settle again, and, like a miracle, the light began pouring back through the clouds, waiting for the sunlight to pass through. A Lan Air Clan disciple came gliding to the two Jades; Lan Huan handed him the unconscious disciple and gave instructions to see if everyone was safe and okay. Both Jade airbenders swooped down to meet the two Pride waterbenders. Wei Ying was quick to make the ice large enough for the other two brothers to fit.

"Young Master Lan, did everyone make it safe?" Wei Ying asked.

"Yes, they're safe on land. I thank Young Master Jiang for that." Lan Huan answered with a bow.

Jiang Cheng bowed in return.

"It was my duty to help get the disciples to safety," he said.

Wei Ying smiled and wrapped an arm around the younger man's shoulder.

"Well done, A-Cheng! I feel so proud! Once we get home, I'll tell Uncle Jiang, Madam Yu, and Shijie about your heroism. They'd surely love to hear it and be so proud as well!" he declared happily.

Jiang Cheng's cheeks became tinted pink. He was annoyed and embarrassed. It would have been fine for Wei Ying to openly spout nonsense if it were just the two of them, but they were face-to-face with the Twin Jades of Gusu. He even called him A-Cheng in front of them.

"Wei Wuxian!" Jiang Cheng shouted to warn him from saying anything else.

Wei Ying laughed.

Lan Huan smiled at the interaction between the two. He turned to look at his own younger brother, whose eyes were on the waterbender dressed in black. He smiled, seeing his younger brother looking happy.

"Let's now head back to Caiyi town. We will have to seal the lake while we look for a permanent solution to the water serpents." Lan Huan said

Before they could leave, Wei Ying felt something tightly grab his ankle. He had no time to see what it was, for it quickly pulled him down with extensive force. The ice they stood on broke; it cracked, and all four of them dropped into the cold water. While the other three were able to stay afloat, Wei Ying was dragged further into the depths of the lake. He tried to scream, which was a bad idea as the water had now invaded his lungs. Wei Ying choked. He felt the tug again on his ankle and looked down to see that it was a water serpent's tail holding him tightly. He grabbed the tail and tried to pry it off. But the major lack of oxygen, his fading vision, and his fleeting strength made this a futile attempt. Soon he stopped struggling and closed his eyes, no longer having the energy to move. The water serpent then let go of him. Black tendrils from farther beneath greedily welcomed him, wrapping themselves all over him. Wei Ying weakly opened his eyes. He felt a new entity was grabbing him and needed to see what it was. He wanted to see where he was and how far he had sunk. It was all impossible to fully comprehend with his bearings as he was swallowing more and more water into his lungs. The depth of the lake seemed to stretch farther, like it had no end. The thin black tendrils continued to drag his body down. Wei Ying, in his feeble state, felt a different movement near him. He forced his eyes to open wider. What he could see was the blurred face of the giant water serpent they had supposedly defeated. It was too close, but it did not affright him at all. The Mother Water Serpent stared at him with wide, calculating, slit eyes. It turned away and led his body down. In his failing sight and perception, he believed that he was seeing a dome at the very bottom. A black dome-like structure made up of the tendrils that trapped him. It all pulled him in. He promptly felt deluged by the massive overflow of Yin energy inside. The black things finally let him go, making him float in the center of the dome. Outside, it had been blindingly dark, but inside, an unknown source of light lit the room from below. Voices came into his head. It was his own. He could hear himself in the very words he spoke about the Yin energy. His exact same words from back in the orchid room resonated in a very haunting and distant echo. It was like he was being reminded of something to do—something he could do or something he should do. Wei Ying didn't exactly know what it was he had to do, but simply by instinct, something was telling him to just proceed and obey.