Book 2 of the Moon and Sun Trilogy
"Wherever the sun's rays may fall, I shall be the shadow that persistently follows you."
The adventure continues as Aang and his companions strive to master his next bending style: Earthbending...
A/n: Welcome to another installment of the Moon and Sun Trilogy. It has been almost two years since I finished the first book, Moon! I hope I gave everyone time to read and catch up to Moon to fully understand where I am taking.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"No matter what, the mission goes on."
Zuko
Have you ever felt as though you've encountered death? It's a terrifying sensation that gradually overtakes you, akin to an insect skittering across your skin. It's the feeling of being under constant surveillance, with watchful eyes tracking every move you make. Is death akin to knocking on a door, hesitating to see who will unveil themselves from behind it, revealing their disguise or true identity? Once more, have you ever felt the presence of death?
I've "died" several times before. It combines everything I mentioned each time, but it's been getting worse with each occurrence. When I think my life is over, something or someone stops me from experiencing that horrible way of dying. My Uncle Iroh is usually the one who stops it. Since I killed Tsukkio, she has been haunting my thoughts. I saw the light leaving Tsukkio's eyes whenever I closed my eyes. It was scary as I had to relive that moment since Uncle Iroh and I had left the Northern Water Tribe. I wondered what I could do to free myself from Tsukkio's wrath.
Out at Sea
"Zuko... Zuko... Nephew, are you okay?" A familiar voice called out to me.
I opened my eyes to the bright rays of the sun. I squinted against the glare until someone shaded my eyes. Fully opening them, I saw my uncle. Uncle Iroh's face bore a look of sorrow. Hours had passed since we left the North Pole, yet it felt like we had been trapped there for months, perhaps even years. Uncle Iroh's old but gentle, calloused hands were under my arm, lifting my upper body from the makeshift boat.
"Zuko, are you okay?" Uncle Iroh inquired once more.
"Yeah... I'm fine," I replied, touching my head.
Suddenly, I felt a tight, constricting ache in my chest and a pounding in my throat. It felt as though someone's hands were wrapped around it. Coughing, I slowly crawled to the edge of the makeshift raft. My orange eyes met with my reflection in the water. I tried to focus on my reflection through the tears in my eyes. No hand marks were around my neck, but I noticed another glare in the water. It was Tsukkio staring back at me.
I glanced back to check if Tsukkio was there, but she was gone. My abrupt movement made the ocean water churn, rocking the small raft violently. Simultaneously, Iroh struggled to maintain balance amidst the raft's swaying, nearly tumbling into the water.
