of a panda bear.
I pulled my hand away, and the vision disappeared.
“You’re the spirit of this forest!” I said, finally
understanding. “You’re angry because the Fire Nation
burned down your home.”
Hei Bai stopped growling. He was listening to me!
“When I saw the forest had burned, I too was sad,”
I said. “But my friend gave me hope that the forest
would grow back.” I pulled out the acorn that Katara
had given me and placed it on the ground.
Hei Bai changed back into the panda from my
vision. He folded his paw around the acorn and left.
It wasn’t long before the missing villagers stumbled
out of the forest. The spirit was returning them!
When Sokka walked out, Katara ran up to hug her
brother. “Thank you, Aang,” she said. It felt good to
solve the villagers’ problem and bring Sokka back. I
was getting used to being the Avatar . . . at least a little
bit.
Now that Sokka was back, I had to focus on my
next mission. “I think I found a way to contact Avatar
Roku,” I told Sokka and Katara. “If I go to his temple
on the winter solstice, I can speak with his spirit.”
“But the solstice is tomorrow,” Katara announced.
“Yeah,” I said. I knew there wasn’t much time, but
this could be my only chance to talk to Roku. I also
knew I had a bigger problem. “And his temple is in
the Fire Nation.”
We left right away. I thought it was too dangerous for
Katara and Sokka, but they insisted on coming with
me and Momo, my lemur.
“Aang! We’ve got trouble,” Katara pointed out as
we rode on Appa, my flying bison.
It didn’t look good. A dozen Fire Nation navy
ships stretched out ahead of us. We had reached the
edge of the Fire Nation.
“We’ve got to run the blockade, Aang,” Sokka
urged.
Once they caught sight of us, the Fire Nation
navy sent fireballs streaking through the sky from the
ships below. Appa barrel—
rolled, then dodged the blasts.
I smelled the burning ashes
and felt the heat against my
skin. Before the Fire Nation
navy could reload and launch
another volley, we flew over
them—and into the Fire
Nation.
Avatar Roku’s temple was a
multitiered building that sat
atop a craggy hill of jagged
rocks. Molten lava surrounded
it, creating a fiery moat.
Flames shot into the sky.
The entry hall of the
temple was dark and
creepy. I felt a chill in
the air, as if the place had
been abandoned for years.
Five old men in
hooded red robes stepped
from the shadows. “I am
the Great Sage, leader of
the Fire Sages. We are the
guardians of the temple of the Avatar.”
“I am the Avatar!” I exclaimed, relieved to be
among friends.
“We know,” the Great Sage said, before punching
a fireball directly at me.
“Run!” I yelled. I didn’t know why the Fire Sages
were attacking me, but I knew it wasn’t wise to wait
around to find out.
We came to an intersection of two hallways. “This
way!” I yelled. We turned left and came face-to-face
with one of the sages. I steadied myself, ready to fight.
“I am Shyu, a friend,” the hooded sage said. “I
know you wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take
you to him.”
Shyu punched fire at a duct in the wall. The stone
wall slid open to reveal a secret passageway, which was
lit only by lava from an underground molten river.
“If this is the Avatar’s temple, why did the sages
attack me?” I asked.
Shyu shook his head sadly. “Once the sages were
Sozin forced them to follow him.”
It figured that Sozin was behind this.
A stone door slid open. We stepped out into a
large atrium supported by massive stone columns.
Ahead of us were two huge and heavily decorated
metal doors. In the middle of the doors was a row of
five keyhole-like openings.
“There’s the sanctuary,” Shyu said. “Once you’re
inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku’s statue.
Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to
open these doors alone. Otherwise the sages must
open the doors with five simultaneous fire blasts.”
Sokka studied the torch lamps that lined the walls
of the atrium.
“Five fire blasts, huh?” Sokka asked, smiling. I
knew then that he had an idea.
Sokka poured oil from one of the lamps into an
animal-skin casing. He sealed the top with a leather
strap. “This is a little trick I picked up from my
father. Once you light this strap . . . kaboom! Fake
Firebending.”
I
took
the
homemade bombs and
shoved them into the
openings. Shyu shot a
line of fire across the
straps.
Kaboom!
Smoke shot into the atrium, filling the room. I
ran to the doors. They were scorched and blackened,
but they still wouldn’t open! Sokka ran a finger over
the blackened doors. “That blast was as strong as any
Firebending I’ve seen.”
“Sokka, you’re a genius!” Katara hugged him. “It
looks like your plan worked.” She reached down and
patted Momo’s head. “All we need now is a lemur.”
I was confused. The doors still weren’t open. “Did
the definition of genius change in the last hundred
years?” I asked.
While I hid behind one of the pillars in the atrium,
Shyu ushered in the other four sages.
“Come quickly!” he said. “The Avatar has entered
the sanctuary! Look at the doors.” Shyu pointed to
the marks on the big doors.
The Great Sage turned to the others. “Open them
before he contacts Avatar Roku!”
The Fire Sages shot flame into the five openings.
The doors slowly slid open with a creak of protest
from their ancient hinges.
Momo was on the other side.
“We’ve been tricked!”
the Great Sage yelled. “The
lemur must have crawled through the pipes!”
Momo jumped on the Great Sage. Katara tackled
one sage and knocked him into another. Sokka
wrapped a cloth around the head of the last sage and
tripped him.
“Now, Aang!” Shyu yelled.
I leaped over the sages and dove through the
doorway, seconds before the doors slammed shut.
I was inside the sanctuary!
As the sun set, the light of the winter solstice shined
through a gigantic ruby set into the wall. The light
slid across the floor and up the front of the statue.
The time was finally here. I bowed my head and
closed my eyes.
“Avatar Roku? Are you there?” I had so many
things to ask him.
When I opened my eyes, I saw mist swirling around
my feet. Avatar Roku was standing in front of me.
Tall, lean, and muscular, he had a long, white beard
and long, white hair. At last my questions would be
answered.
Roku smiled. “It’s good to see you, Aang,” he
said in a deep and powerful voice. “I have something
important to tell you. One hundred years ago Fire
Lord Sozin harnessed power from a passing comet
and destroyed the Air Nomads. Sozin’s comet will
return by the end of this summer, and Fire Lord Ozai
will use its power to finish what Sozin started. The
Fire lord must be defeated before the comet comes.”
Roku put his hand on my shoulder. “We must
go our separate ways for now, Aang. A great danger
awaits you outside the sanctuary doors. I can help
you, but only if you’re ready.”
I knew my answer. “I’m ready.”
Mist swirled around us. The doors opened. The
Fire Sages unleashed a fury of fire at me.
But I wasn’t there. In my place was Avatar Roku. I
was Roku and he was me. Roku’s arm swept in front
of him, creating an arc of power. The Fire Sages fell
like dominoes. The sages had chained Shyu, Katara,
and Sokka, but the force of Roku’s power broke them
free.
Stone began to crumble from the ceiling as lava
bubbled from the floor. Roku was destroying his
home!
The sages quickly got up and fled. A mist enveloped
Roku, and when it dissipated, I was in his place. Avatar
Roku was gone.
Katara, Sokka, and I ran out of the temple and
quickly climbed onto Appa. As he flew us to safety,
the full weight of my destiny sank in. I still had
questions for Roku, but first I had to defeat the Fire
lord. I had to restore balance.
I had to save the world.
THE FIVE FIRE SAGES
The Fire Sages are the last of their kind—remnants
of a bygone era in the Fire Nation when greater
importance was placed on spiritual matters. They
live at Avatar Roku’s Fire temple on Crescent
Island. Wise leaders as well as powerful Firebenders,
the sages watch over the sanctuary, protect it from
Here is more information that I have gathered.
invaders, and gather what knowledge they can about
the Avatar.
The history of the sages goes back thousands of
years. A council of sages led the Fire Nation in its
early years. The lead sage was known as the Fire
lord because of his high level of Firebending ability
and his deep spiritual connection to fire. Throughout
the years, the Fire lord severed ties with the sages and
took over control of the Fire Nation for himself.
Now led by the Great Sage, the sages are relegated
to spiritual matters only. Tensions between the Fire
.
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During Fire Lord Sozin’s reign, the sages remained
loyal to Avatar Roku. They kept watch over the
sanctuary in Roku’s absence. But after the Avatar’s
death, Fire Lord Sozin forced them to serve only him.
Now, after three generations, the sages willingly serve
the Fire lord and council him on spiritual matters—
except one sage, Shyu.
At age sixty, Shyu is the youngest of the Fire
Sages and the only one still loyal to the Avatar. His
ancestors were all sages. His grandfather was the sage
who first declared—against popular belief—that the
Avatar survived the Fire Nation attack on the Air
temple. Many years later Shyu’s father also made the
determination that the Avatar was an Airbender and
still alive. This was not what the Fire lord wanted
to hear. Shyu’s father was branded a traitor and sent
away, leaving Shyu to be raised by the other sages.
Shyu is the last of his proud lineage, a sage who
does not blindly follow the Fire lord. But he knows
Located inside the Fire Nation, Crescent Island is
home to the Fire temple of Avatar Roku. Crescent
Island is a volcanic island, and its rocky landscape
is crisscrossed with rivers of lava, including one that
runs under the temple.
CRESCENT ISLAND
the price he would pay if he spoke out against the Fire
Lord. Fire Lord Ozai has set forth a decree that anyone
who helps the Avatar will be considered a traitor to the
Fire Nation, and punished.
Hei Bai is the black-and-white spirit who has
guarded Senlin’s forest for thousands of years. His
natural form is a gentle panda bear, but, angered by
the Fire Nation’s destruction of his forest, he has
changed into a snarling monster who threatens the
local villagers.
HEI BAI
THE SPIRIT WORLD
The spirit world is inhabited by a wide variety of
spirit creatures who act as guardians of the rivers, forests,
and mountains. The spirits of the previous Avatars
are alive within the spirit world, and they watch over
Aang. He may contact them during a solstice or when
he enters the spirit world.
RULES OF THE SPIRIT WORLD
When the bender is in the spirit world, he can
still observe the natural world, but no one can see or
hear him. If something bad happens to his body in
the natural world, or if his body is moved, his spirit
might not find its way back.
BENDING IN THE SPIRIT WORLD
Once they enter the spirit world, benders no longer
have their bending ability. Because the spirit world
has no physical form, a bender cannot manipulate
any of the four elements.
For Aang, the Avatar
state is triggered by extreme
physical or emotional stress.
Aang sends out a distress
signal to his
past lives—the
previous Avatars—
for help.
ENTERING THE
SPIRIT WORLD
the Avatar’s life.
I pulled the hand-carved wooden mask over my
face. I wrapped my cloak around my body to shield
me in the night. No longer was I, Prince Zuko, the
disgraced son of Fire Lord Ozai. I was now the Blue
Spirit, and my mission was to free the Avatar.
When I heard that Admiral Zhao had captured the
Avatar, I had to come up with a plan. I needed Aang
to reclaim my status in the Fire Nation. I couldn’t let
Zhao have him.
Sneaking into the stronghold where the Avatar
was held prisoner was easy. Admiral Zhao’s self-
congratulatory speech distracted the guards, and
I slipped inside the gates.
“We are the sons and daughters of Fire,” Admiral