Avatar - The Last Airbender (Storyteller Version)

Chapter 23: The Avatar and the Fire Lord

Late one night, when Aang was asleep, the spirit of Avatar Roku came to him in a dream.

ROKU: Aang, it's time you learn of my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to understand how the war began if you want to know how to end it. Meet me on my home island on the day of the summer solstice.

When Aang awoke the next morning, he told Katara and the others all about Roku's message. Shrouding Appa in a cloud again, they traveled over the Fire Nation sea and soon found a small, barren island with two volcanoes. Aang recognized it as Roku's home from his dream.

At the same time at the Fire Nation's royal palace, Zuko was awakened by the sound of footsteps. He opened his bedroom door and stared down the hallway. Someone was dashing into the distance. As he was about to pursue the mysterious intruder, Zuko spotted a scroll on the floor. He picked it up and unfurled it.

ZUKO: "You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny."

After thinking about it for a moment, Zuko decided to ask Azula.

ZUKO: What do you remember about our great-grandfather's history?

AZULA: Oh, Zuko, it's so strange how your mind works. Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's Comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man.

ZUKO: But how did he die?

AZULA: Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko? He died peacefully in his sleep. He was ancient.

Returning to his room, Zuko pondered over the scroll, trying to make sense of its message, but he couldn't. In frustration, he tossed it aside. The scroll dropped on top of a lamp. Its light shone through, and a second message appeared on the scroll! Seeing this, Zuko took another look.

ZUKO: "The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragonbone Catacombs."

Slipping out of the palace, Zuko made his way to the Fire Nation's High Temple. He uncovered a hidden passage, and descended a long spiral staircase to a vaulted tunnel illuminated by torches. At the end of the tunnel was a mighty door marked by a relief of Fire Lord Sozin. Using his firebending, Zuko opened the door, and strode into a dark chamber. Scroll boxes rested against a massive dragon-shaped sculpture at the back the room. Examining the boxes, he found one bearing the words, "The Final Testimony of Fire Lord Sozin." Zuko took the scroll from the box and sat beside the dragon statue, reading Sozin's words.

SOZIN: "As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter. I remember my friend."

On Roku's island, the sun was just going down. Sitting calmly on a ledge not far from his friends' campsite, Aang closed his eyes and began to meditate. His arrow tattoos glowed, and soon he found himself in the Spirit World, standing on a high plateau stretching above the clouds. A moment later, Avatar Roku's spirit appeared, riding his dragon, Fang, across the orange sky.

ROKU: Come, Aang.

AANG: Where are we going?

ROKU: To visit my past—our shared past.

Aang climbed aboard and together they soared through the clouds. Within moments, the pair found themselves in a palace courtyard. Two teenage boys were engaging in a contest of wills. They were Roku and Sozin—young! Amazed, Aang glanced back at the old Avatar.