𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑹 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

33 ~ all i wanted

Aang was gone.

They awoke in the morning and he was...gone. Without a trace, without a word. His staff was left behind, and he never left without his staff. Even Momo was gone.

There was no trace of a struggle, and his footsteps led into the sea.

Why?

How?

None of it made sense. Aang wouldn't...leave like that. He wasn't like that. He'd talk with them, explain it to them. At least...that's what Guren thought he'd do.

Damn it.

What were they supposed to do now?

Search the entire island?
.
.
.
They separated, agreeing to meet at the same spot, and left to search for Aang.

Guren went on his own, despite Zuko's protests; he was grabbed by Toph whom wanted to go on a 'life changing trip' with him. So Guren left on his own, deep into the forests that surrounded them.

Perhaps this peace and quiet could give him a moment's time to think. So he walked and walked, looking around each corner only to be met with disappointment and a heavy feeling in his chest. Yet he didn't give up. Through every thicket and bush, over strewn across rivers, he kept on moving...until he saw a cave.

The entrance was large, and Guren couldn't see inside, not through the pitch darkness that spread within.

Slowly and carefully, his feet led him forward. His stomach churned, insides constricting, and an uncomfortable feeling settled at the pit of it. It was...similar to fear, he realised. Fear. The mere thought of going inside the cave made his body react with fear. He kept going, feet dragging along the gravelly ground.

With his fists clenched, he stepped inside.

A chill ran down his spine as the darkness covered him, and now the exit seemed so, so far away. All that was left was to keep walking forward. So he did, deep inside the cave, until not even the outside light could reach.

With each step he took, something cracked beneath his feet. Over and over again, it was as if the entire ground was covered with whatever it was that he couldn't see. A part of him didn't even want to know what he was stepping over.

Then he stopped, for he felt it—like he was being watched. An intensity bore into him, freezing him in place, till even his own heartbeat slowed down.

First, there came a screeching cry.

Second, a blinding fire burst around him, turning night into day.

The metallic roar echoed around him, the high-pitched sound making his eardrums ache. Guren could only stare, fear wrecking each inch of his body, as the giant creature towered over him. Its silvery wings unveiled, like a glowing cloud, and molten lava spread like thousands of veins under them. Everything began to glow, brighter and brighter, and finally he saw what was in front of him.

She was as beautiful as on the day the sky rained fire.

Nemesis.

Heat rolled over him, and the impending blast ruptured. The space between them cracked, as if the air was ripped open, and everything was cast into darkness once again.

He swallowed, fear washed away, heart ceaselessly drumming against his ribs, echoing in his ears. His throat ached, and the all-familiar burning of his eyes came forth.

Then, a small fire lit up, and he saw her again. Standing tall, one wing curled against her body and the other slightly unfurled, she looked at him. Pressing his lips thin, he took a small step forward, careful. Many years had passed, and the last time she saw him was when he was a child, so small he could barely reach her knees. Perhaps she didn't remember. Perhaps-