Chapter 5: Aang sees Sozins Comet

In the blink of an eye, they stood atop a beautiful mountain, overlooking a stunning waterfall. The view was breathtaking.

Though startled, Aang chose not to question the teleportation this time.

"So," he asked, "you said you're the Guardian of the Avatar. What are you exactly? A spirit? And what kind of bond do we have?"

"Good questions," Sukuna replied. "You could say I'm a spirit, yes. As for the bond... it's a long story, but here's the gist.

"At the dawn of the first Avatar, a great war broke out between the human and spirit worlds. From that era came two spirits within every Avatar. The first gives the Avatar their ability to bend all four elements, and controls the cycle of reincarnation. The second is a guardian spirit, one who chooses whether to guide the Avatar, if they're deemed worthy."

He paused, then smirked.

"I am that guardian spirit. And you? You're lucky. Not every Avatar earns my help or ever visits my plane. What I give you may save your life—once you return to the real world."

"Return?" Aang asked. "What challenges are you talking about?"

Before Sukuna could answer, his eyes narrowed, sensing something.

"Damn. It's already happening. I knew I should've shortened the time difference…"

Aang blinked. "Wait—what's happening?"

"You want to know about your challenges?" Sukuna said. "Then let's go see for ourselves."

With that, he grabbed Aang by the arm, and in a flash, they were floating in the sky above the Southern Air Temple.

"What?! How is this possible?" Aang gasped.

He flew toward his room and saw Monk Gyatso inside, talking to himself. Listening in, Aang was stunned.

"I've... been gone a week?" he whispered.

"To you," Sukuna said as he reappeared, "it's only been an hour. But in my plane, one hour equals a week in the real world. A mechanism I created—for my own convenience."

Suddenly, loud bells rang across the temple.

Monk Gyatso bolted from the room.

Aang and Sukuna followed—and then, in the sky, a massive meteor blazed across the horizon.

Sozin's Comet.

In the distance, an army of Fire Nation soldiers soared toward the temple, using the comet's power to create fire-jets on their legs. As they reached the gates, they unleashed an unrelenting barrage of flames.

Chaos erupted.

Airbenders fought valiantly. Some tried to escape. Others shielded children. But the Firebenders were ruthless—men, women, even children were incinerated.

The elder monks put up a fierce fight... but were eventually overwhelmed.

Only one remained.

Monk Gyatso.

He was cornered in a chamber, fending off wave after wave of Firebenders with his airbending. Aang watched, frozen, devastated beyond words.

"Sukuna…" he whispered. "Please… do something. They're dying!"

"I'm sorry, Aang," Sukuna said, his voice quiet. "I can't interfere with the physical world. I exist only in the spirit realm."

"Then let me!" Aang cried. "Can't you return me to my body?"

"I wish I could," Sukuna replied solemnly. "But your body is trapped somewhere—barely alive. Someone from the real world must free you before you can return."

Desperate, Aang flew to Gyatso's chamber. He watched as the monk, battered and bleeding, prepared for a final act.

Monk Gyatso took a deep breath and let go of all attachment. He looked upward, eyes calm, and whispered, "I'm sorry… Aang."

Then, he slammed the chamber doors shut.

He drew in all the air from the room.

The Firebenders gasped, stunned—their flames extinguished.

There was no oxygen left.

One by one, they dropped to the ground—gasping, choking—until finally, Gyatso collapsed too.

He died… surrounded by his enemies.