avatar ♒︎ teen wolf

ZERO; PROLOGUE

⚡︎ ⚡︎ ⚡︎

Running.

The air whipped my hair all round my face, straying in my eyes and sticking in my mouth. My legs moved so fast and so effortlessly that I barely even registered the fact that I was running for my life.

I have to get to Mo.

I repeated the phrase in my mind over and over, until the words didn't sound like words anymore. I have to get to Mo. He's in his room. They are coming for us, and I have to get to Mo.

A strained scream suddenly rang through the room, its familiarity making me flinch. Who had they gotten to now? Mother? Father?

No, none of that thinking. I had to get to my brother.

I maneuvered my way through the air temple, making a sharp turn and bursting through my brother's door. I heard a faint gasp and then rustling, seeing that the boy was reading a book on his bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but I put a finger to my lips to shush him.

"Quiet," I whispered.

Mo was fifteen, just as old as I was, but he was wiser than any boy I had ever met. Being twins and both of us being benders, we had a special bond unlike anything else. It was easy for him to sense my fear and he silently set his book down, standing as he did so.

"Ria," he murmured, "what's wrong?"

I placed a hand on his shoulder, making sure he was looking me in the eyes. "The Red Lotus has come for me." I hung my head. "I don't know why. I'm not even the true Avatar yet."

Mo's eyes grew wide. "Where are mother and father?"

"I don't know." Pause. "I heard screaming."

Suddenly, the door burst open behind us, revealing a tall man with muscles so big I thought they would burst out of his arms at any second. His silvery hair hung about his face, making his smirk look even more sinister. I whirled around and readied myself for his attack.

"Avatar Ria," he finally spoke. "It is quite an honor to meet you."

My eyes flickered to the blood staining his hands. "I wish I could say the same."

He chuckled. "I am Septus, the leader of the Red Lotus. I am going to ask you once, Avatar. Please come with us, and no one else will be harmed."

As an answer, I pointed my hands toward the ground and channeled the element of fire, creating a wall of flames between me and Septus. My staff was out in less than a second, ready for flight. I quickly grabbed Mo, yelling for him to hang on, and we crashed through the window.

The staff I held above my head transformed into a small, red hang-glider. Mo held onto the straps of wool that lined the glider, hanging on for dear life.

In that moment, I wasn't afraid. If either of us fell, we would be able to airbend ourselves to safety. This is what we had been training for our entire lives. We were natural born airbenders, raised in the very air temple that would soon house some of my worst memories.

"Do not think this is the last time you will see me, Avatar!" a voice boomed from behind me. I glanced back to see Septus fighting off the flames with water.

How he was still alive, I didn't know. The whole temple was burning by now, the wood interior certainly turning into ash.

I searched frantically for any survivors running out towards the ocean that surrounded the temple, but the whole island was silent. My bottom lip trembled. Where were my parents?

"Ria, focus," Mo commanded. I looked back in front of me to see that I was struggling to keep my glider balanced. I quickly bit my lip and blinked the tears away. If I wanted to save myself and my brother, I was going to have to stay strong.

I kept my eyes trained forward and never looked back.

⚡︎ ⚡︎ ⚡︎

a little shorter prologue than usual, but this keeps Ria's story (kind of) mysterious, and I like that. be on the lookout for the next update ;)

PS I LOVE ALL OF YOU

-kati