Chapter 4: Aang meets Sukuna

"Uhhh… what happened?" Aang murmured as his eyes slowly peeled open.

His vision was blurry at first, but it sharpened into an unfamiliar scene, lush green trees towering above, birds he'd never seen chirping from branches that glowed faintly with an otherworldly light. The air was crisp, heavy, and eerily silent.

He blinked. Then sat up.

"Appa? Appa, where are you?" Aang called out, turning in all directions. Panic began to rise in his chest as he tried to piece together what happened.

One moment, he was fleeing the Southern Air Temple, the sound of storm winds rushing in his ears… the next, a giant wave... the cold grip of the ocean... and then—

BAM.

The memory slammed into him like a freight train.

"I fell…" Aang whispered. "Into the ocean. Appa too…"

Fear struck him like lightning. "Appa!" he shouted again, louder this time, voice cracking. "Appa!!"

And then, a voice, smooth and amused, echoed from the trees.

"Don't worry about your bison, boy. He's fine."

Aang gasped and spun around. "Who said that?!"

Instinctively, he leapt back, attempting to propel himself with a burst of airbending—but nothing happened. Not even a breeze. He landed awkwardly and stumbled.

"W-What?" he muttered. "Why... why isn't it working?"

A chuckle came from above. "Yeah, you might want to say goodbye to your bending—for now. You're not in the physical world anymore. This is a different plane of existence."

A figure dropped from the treetops with the grace of a falling shadow. He was tall, with long black hair that swayed like silk, dark eyes with unsettling white irises, and a strange aura that made the forest around him shimmer slightly, like reality was bending in his presence.

"My name is Sukuna," he said with a grin. "And I'm the Guardian of the Avatar."

Aang blinked. "You're the guardian of what now?"

Sukuna raised an eyebrow. "The Avatar. That would be you, by the way. Look, I know this is all confusing, but—"

"I don't care about any of that!" Aang snapped. "Just tell me where Appa is so I can leave! I don't know who you are or what's going on."

Sukuna folded his arms and sighed. "You can't run away from your destiny, boy. Sooner or later, you'll have to confront it."

But Aang didn't respond. He turned away, ignoring Sukuna completely, and began walking off into the trees, leaving the tall spirit standing silently behind.

Hours Later

Aang wandered the glowing forest, calling Appa's name again and again. "Appa… please... where are you?"

He stumbled over roots and through thick mist, driven by worry and guilt. The weight of his choices crushed his small shoulders—leaving the temple, running from responsibility, abandoning his people. And now… now he had no idea if Appa was even alive.

Eventually, his knees gave out. He dropped to the forest floor, trembling.

"No… no... nooooo!!"

He punched the ground over and over as tears ran down his cheeks. All the emotions he'd buried—the regret, the fear, the sadness—burst out like a dam breaking.

Just then, Sukuna reappeared, floating effortlessly in front of him, his arms lazily crossed.

"I told you already," he said calmly, "your sky bison is alright."

Aang looked up, eyes watery, a single strand of snot trailing from his nose. This time, he didn't argue. He just whispered, "Is he… really okay?"

"Yes," Sukuna replied. "You and Appa ended up in a precarious situation, but due to the bond we share, I was able to pull you into my plane. As for your bison... you'll reunite soon. I promise."

Sukuna paused, his expression shifting from detached to slightly annoyed as he stared at Aang's teary, snot-covered face.

"Now clean your face. You're the Avatar, not a toddler."

"Uhh—sorry…" Aang sniffled, wiping his face clumsily with his sleeve. "So... who are you again?"

Sukuna smirked. "As I said, I'm the Guardian of the Avatar. I've been with you from the beginning of your life to the end. You could call me a mentor, maybe even... a friend. If you're into that."

"Oh. Okay…" Aang said, then frowned. "But this whole Avatar thing, I don't think I'm cut out for it. Can't you just give it to someone else?"

"Oh yeah, I could..." Sukuna said, his voice suddenly dropping, a sinister grin curling his lips, "...but that would mean I'd have to kill you."

Aang's eyes went wide. "W-What?!"

Sukuna burst into laughter. "Kidding! Relax, kid. I'm not that cruel—yet."

He sighed, then sat cross-legged in the air, hovering.

"Look, I get how you feel. Honestly, those monks screwed up—telling a twelve-year-old kid about their world-ending destiny? That's trauma in a robe. But Aang… whether you like it or not, the fate of this world is in your hands. It's a heavy burden. But you're not alone. You have me."

"You're not the first Avatar I've trained," he added. "And you won't be the last."

A moment passed. Aang didn't respond, but he didn't run this time either.

Sukuna clapped his hands. "Now. Let's go somewhere a little less depressing."

With a snap of his fingers, the forest around them began to glow—and the entire plane shifted.

And just like that, they disappeared.