Avatar: Rebirth

Chapter 2: A Light in the Darkness

I ran with Ai as fast as I could, nearly colliding with Yang. "What happened?" I asked him.

He spoke hurriedly, nerves getting the best of him. "We were in the tower and there was a man with strange clothing and I didn't know what to do and I----"

"Yang!" Ai yelled. "This is no time to freak out!" She tried to seem brave, but her whole body was quivering. "Mulan is in trouble. So we need to help her, and that means courage!" She began walking toward the tower.

I stopped her. Grasping her shoulders tightly, I looked her in the eyes. "Ai, I know you mean well, but its dangerous. Especially for you." I called Yang over. "Yang, I want to take Ai back to the village." He began to protest, but I stopped him. "It's my fault for this mess, so I'm going to take responsibility. Besides, I don't want all three of my friends getting hurt."

"May," he pleaded, "please, be reasonable."

"The more we talk, the more danger we put Mulan in!" Seeing that my mind couldn't be swayed, he turned and left with Ai. I hope they'll be safe.

I turned toward the tower, stepping inside, and was instantly met with a frightened Mulan, her back to me, grasped by the water being bended by that strange man. Tears ran down her face as she screamed, "I won't tell you anything!" As I stood there, I could feel a dark aura emanating from this man. Who is he? What does he want from our village?

Seeing me stand there, he released Mulan, her body falling to the floor. He smiled at me, a menacing grin. "Hello." He began walking toward me. "Maybe you can help me find what I'm looking for, unlike this rude little girl here." He stopped walking. He was only a foot away from where I stood.

He had the dark blue eyes of a water bender, and long, dark hair, tied neatly behind his head. He wore a silk blue robe up to his knees, pants, and worn leather boots. On the left side of his chest, over his heart, was embroidered a purple and black insignia. I had seen it only once before, on the clothes of one of the Avatar's former councilmen living in our village. But this insignia was different. No, it couldn't be...

Just thinking about it gave me chills. I looked at the man and asked him, "What do you want from me?"I tried to seem calm, but my quivering body gave me away.

He took another step toward me. "I'm looking for a little village. Have you seen anything of that sort?"

I looked for something to grab onto, only finding the side of a crumbling wall. "No, I have not. I'm very sorry. I just want to take my friend and leave."

"So she's your friend." He smiled deviantly, sending shivers down my spine. "Well, she did mention something about a small town withing the ruins of Republic City. She said it was her home. Do you, by any chance, happen to live there too?"

Darn it, Mulan! Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut!? I clenched my jaw together. Now what was I supposed to do? "I don't live in that area. I live here on this island."

"Really now? Odd, there was no one living here when I last visited." His expression darkened. I tried to move away, but the wall I leaned on crumbled under my. Before I could fall to the floor, water wrapped around my body, suspending me in the air. "If you give me the information that I want to know, you and your friend can leave here unharmed. Understand?" His voice had a hint of irritation under the calm composure.

Water wrapped around my neck, threatening to strangle me. I gave him the most intimidating glare that I could. "Never," I choked out.

"Alright, you leave me with no choice." He raised his hand, bending water with it. He was about to strike at me, but was stopped by a blast of fire. Behind him, Mulan threw fire at him in an attempt to save her friend. But it was futile. The man redirected Mulan's fire and struck her with a water whip. She screamed.