ATER Book 2: Air

Chapter 15: 'Till Death Do Us Part

I could feel myself walking in and out of consciousness. My body wasn't a solid. It felt like all my particles were feathers tossed into the air, scattering everywhere. When I finally found a solid state of mind, I opened my eyes.

White. Everything was white. I couldn't make out any objects because they were all the same shade. I looked down and saw that a) my body was whole and b) I was clothed in a long, flowing white gown.

I pushed myself up, not really sure if I was strong enough to support my weight. Surprisingly, I managed. "Hello?" I called out into the open. "Is anyone here?"

"Of course there are people here," a familiar voice said behind me. I turned to see Morada wrapped in a snow white chiton. "You just can't see them."

"Morada!" I ran to hug her, only to find that my arms passed through her. Morada laughed.

"I guess I'm a little transparent today." I smiled, settling my arms by my side.

"Where are we? Am I dead?" I asked. I was hoping that maybe Morada had more of a clue than I did.

"Well," she said, "not quite. But you're very close. And what do you see? Not everything is the same shade." Sighing I looked around, focusing on little things, like the floor, the ceiling, the walls, et cetera. And then, they began to form a room vaguely familiar.

"It's...it's my mom's throne room."

"Hmm. Funny."

"Why is that funny? What do you see?"

"Well, I see a place that no longer exists, but that's not what I find funny."

"Then what? That I'm virtually in a room full of hate?" Morada raised her eyebrows.

"Do you really hate your mother, Luna?" she asked quietly.

"Yes! Well, maybe not totally. But I certainly don't love her!"

"Luna, I know there is one part of you that loves your mother, even after everything that's happened."

"Wait a sec, I never told you that my mother was still alive. How do you know?"

"When you become a spirit, you find out lots if things. But look, the reason I called you here wasn't to talk to to you about your mother."

"Wait, you called me here? How?"

She waved away my question. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that there is something I need to tell you."

"Ok, I'm listening."

"You know how the Wu Li Shong are using Quintessence to take over the Fire Nation, right? Well, there's this substance called Mimvaalu, nicknamed 'Anti-Quintessence'."

"What does it do?"

"If you even have it on you, shoved away in your pocket, anyone around you using Quintessence won't be able to. It deactivates it. If you used it against the Wu Li Shong, you would level out the playing field."

"But they'll still able hypnotize people!"

"No, they use Quintessence for that as well. Besides, if you get close to any soldiers, put it on them. That way, wherever they go, like in the Head Quarters, no one will be able to brainwash or use Quintessence."

"Ok, so if this is all true, then the rock must be in some dangerous location, right?"

"Wrong. You know exactly where it is." Morada smiled smugly. It took me a moment to realize where she was talking about. When I did, my heart sank.

"No, they're is no way I'm going back."

"Luna-"

"Why would she let me come back?"

"Luna." Her voice was stern. "You have to. The Wu Li Shong have terrorized people for too long. They're not going to stop after the Fire Nation. If they take over Republic City, they'll win."

I sighed. "And I can't let them." I took a deep breath before I asked, "Should we leave immediately?"

She nodded. "Yes, and take Ummi with you. He'll teach you firebending. Now, go back. Our friends are worried." She snapped her fingers. As soon as she did, the white dissolved into black.

*******************************

"Luna," I heard a voice calling. "Luna. Wake up. Please."

"Luna, come on," another voice called out, a more masculine voice. "Luna, please wake up."

My eyelids felt heavy. When I tried to open them, it felt like they weighed a ton. I could only open them a crack. When I did, I saw two figures standing over me.

"Khanu, stand back," a female voice said. "You're going to suffocate her!" I lifted my hands and rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes.

"Wazgoinon?" I slurred. I felt a cooling sensation rest onto my forehead.

"Shh," someone said near my head. I turned to see Ummi rubbing a cold cloth on my forehead. "You need to keep your movements small to preserve energy."

I tried to remain still while I asked, "How long was I out?"

"About a week," Salwa replied. "How much do you remember before you passed out?"

"Not much. Something about Morada dying?" Khanu sighed.

"We were hoping you wouldn't remember that part."

Searching through my frazzled mind, I thought about what my mind thought was so urgent, I had to say it now.

"Hey, there's something I need to tell you guys. When I was unconscious, I...I nearly died. I was so close death that I could talk to Morada."

"What did she say?" Salwa asked.

"Well, we chatted a bit. Then, she told me something incredible: most of the schemes the Wu Li Shong have been doing have been achieved by using Quintessence."

"Hmm," Ummi murmured, "so it does exist."

"Even better," I continued, "there's a particular rock that can keep anyone from using Quintessence."

"Amazing," Khanu said. "Where is this rock?"

I took in a sharp breath. "A place I thought I'd never go again. I'm going home. I'm going back to Cakuho."