The air in Ba Sing Se was thick and heavy, the dread filled its people as they heard the rumors of the incoming army, an army led by an unstoppable monster, a monster even the Avatar couldn't fight.
It had been three days since the White Lotus went to meet with Tai Lung, and no word of their return had come. Messenger hawks carried grim tidings: the Fire Nation army was still on its relentless march toward the Earth Kingdom capital. As for the White Lotus, scouts had found only a deserted camp, scarred with signs of battle. No bodies, no remains, nothing but the ominous silence of absence.
Everyone understood what that meant. The plan had failed. The White Lotus were either captured or killed, their corpses could be buried somewhere unknown.
Iroh felt the loss heavier than anyone. The Dragon of the West shoulders weighed down, eyes dim with sorrow. His friends had acted rashly, driven by fear and paranoia, and paid the price. Their failure had only deepened the madness tightening around Tai Lung. In Iroh's eyes, their chance to reach the young warrior through words and reason had grown slimmer than ever.
The Avatar team and the leadership of the Earth Kingdom had no choice but to focus on what lay ahead. The comet loomed ever closer, and by their calculations, the Fire Nation's arrival would coincide with its passing overhead. Even without Tai Lung, the enemy's strength would be overwhelming. And with him, empowered by Sozin's Comet, it was a nightmare none dared to imagine.
In the Earth King's court, tense voices echoed. Aang stood before the throne, his face pale and tired. General How along with the rest of the Council of Five, all wore worried expressions.
"Maybe we should have listened to Teacher Iroh," Aang said weakly. "We lost the White Lotus… and all it did was make Tai Lung angrier."
General How bristled. "We don't know what happened for certain. Perhaps they escaped, taking a long route back. And frankly, I do not agree with Iroh's assessment of Tai Lung. Talking will not stop this invasion." His hand slammed down on the map. "I suggest we use his father against him. If Tai Lung wants his father alive, he will have no choice but to stop his campaign and retreat."
"That's wrong," Iroh protested again, voice tired. "It will make things worse, Admiral Lung values his honor and won't accept being saved at the cost of the defeat of his nation and people. Tai Lung understands that and he will act with intent to uphold his father honor no matter the cost"
The Earth King, quiet until now, raised his voice. "I am with General How. We cannot throw away such a bargaining chip. Tai Lung must be bound by some conditions, or all is lost."
Iroh was depressed, his warnings were falling on deaf ears.
Sokka crossed his arms, scowling. "Let's say we do that. Let's say we threaten him with his father's life. What if he doesn't listen like old Iroh says? What if he chooses the honor and pride of his father over his life? Then what?"
General How's eyes hardened. "Then the Avatar must fight him. You must end this, Avatar Aang."
Aang's head lowered. "During the comet? That… that won't work."
"Then we move now!" General How thundered. "We cannot sit and wait for doom to fall upon us. We threaten him and if it doesn't work, we strike their army before the comet, when we still have a chance! The White Lotus were wrong. The best chance was always to throw everything we have at him, regardless of the losses. Retreat after retreat has doomed us, the Black Sun retreat was our greatest mistake!"
The words struck Aang like a blow. He had been the one to insist on retreating during the Day of Black Sun. Guilt tightened his throat, but before he could respond, the doors of the court slammed open.
A soldier stumbled in, breath ragged, eyes wide with fear.
"Your Majesty!" he cried. "The outer wall of Ba Sing Se has been breached! Strange green spirits have broken through, they take the form of men but look like sculptures made of jade. They wield earth, fire, and water alike! They are heading straight toward the palace!"
Confusion rippled across the court.
Aang took two steps toward the soldiers and asked "Are you sure they are spirits?"
The soldier nodded frantically.
"I'll go," Aang said, determination flickering in his voice. His friends and teacher immediately moved to his side. General How followed close behind. The Earth King hesitated, torn between fear and curiosity. At last, he rose from his throne and followed. He had to see it with his own eyes. And seeing the King leave, the rest followed suit.
They burst through the palace gates, the echo of battle growing louder with each step. Clashing stone, roaring fire, the rush of water, all blended into a chaotic storm. And then, as they cleared the walls, the sight before them froze them in place.
Dozens of warriors made of green stood in formation, their bodies flickering like phantoms yet fighting with deadly might. Fire blazed. Earth split. Water danced. Each one wielded a different element.
But it wasn't their power that horrified the onlookers.
It was their faces.
Katara gasped, her hand clapping over her mouth. Sokka took a step back, his usually confident voice trembling.
"They… they're all…"
Aang's chest clenched as his eyes scanned the battlefield, recognizing face after face among the green army.
Every one of them bore the features of the White Lotus.
Aang watched in horror as the jade figure of Bumi crouched, then clenched its fists and punched upward with both arms. The very land in front of it exploded; rock and soil tore apart and the soldiers standing there were sent flying like ragdolls. On the other side, Master Pakku raised a hand and a wall of water slammed into the running guards, instantly freezing them into statues of ice. The same brutal choreography repeated across the field: each jade master moved with terrifying strength and skill, and each of their strikes left devastation in its wake.
"Bumi?!" Aang screamed the name as disbelief and dread churned in his chest. The jade-like Bumi turned and looked straight at him. Slowly, deliberately, the assembled jade masters relaxed their stances and began to walk toward Aang. He paled and instinctively took a step back, pointing his staff at the jade masters before him as to warn him from taking another step toward him.
Around him, friends and allies alike took defensive stances: Toph, Katara, Sokka, Iroh, General How, every face taut with confusion and fear. For a heartbeat the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then the jade soldiers opened their mouths in unison, they spoke in a perfect sync "Why are you afraid of your own friends and masters?"
The voice was not their own, yet many in the courtyard recognized its cadence. Aang's voice came out barely a whisper. "Tai Lung?"
A low chuckle drifted from the jade masters. "Do you like my new soldiers?" the voice taunted. "Made of authentic great masters, nothing wasted."
Aang's knees threatened to give. All the color bled from his face. Iroh found his voice first, small and strangled. "What have you done, Tai Lung?"
The jade figures turned as one and fixed their gaze on Iroh. "Instead of killing the old masters," the voice cold and cruel "I made them into soldiers. Think of them as tools that obey my will."
Iroh's face went ashen. "This is beyond evil, Tai Lung."
Tai Lung's answer was slow, almost conversational. "You exaggerate, General Iroh. I'm just playing by the same rules you adhere to: take people and use them to win any advantage you could."
General How, the man who had led the invasion force, stepped forward. "So you sent them here to trade them for your father?"
Tai Lung's eyes narrowed on the general. "Are you the leader?" General How nodded. "I am General How, the one who led the invasion and who holds your father."
There was a pause, then Tai Lung's voice rang again. "I see. You are wrong, General. I did not send them for trade."
"For what, then?" General How demanded.
"To prepare the stage, to prepare you" the reply came short.
"For what?" General How repeated in confusion.
The Bumi jade moved forward until it stood uncomfortably close to the general. Its voice, filtered through whatever sorcery held it, was soft and final. "For me, I am coming. It will be the end."
General How faltered. He raised a desperate hand. "We have your father. If you want him alive, you will call off this invasion."
Tai Lung laughed then, a sound that had no warmth. "You will free my father and surrender unconditionally, or I will erase Ba Sing Se from the world. Those who survive, I will turn into jades that will serve the Fire Nation for eternity."
General How's face went white.
"Are you going to sacrifice your father just like that?" Aang cried out, stepping forward.
The jade soldiers tilted their heads and said softly "Sacrifice my father? If my father is harmed, I will destroy this world. A fair trade I say"
Aang's voice trembled with furious resolve. "No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to do that. I'll stop you."
Tai Lung's reply was mocking. "Being Raava's human pet gives you courage, doesn't it? You think that makes a difference."
Hearing the mocking words, Aang showed a confused look on his face.
Seeing this, Tai Lung said "You didn't communicate with Raava in this life, did you? Even so, Raava should be able to hear me. Won't you come out now?"
Aang's hands tightened on his staff by reflex, but his face was puzzled. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said.
For a beat, the jade masters were silent. Then, they spoke again. "You know it is rude to ignore someone calling you. Maybe this will motivate you, Vaatu says 'Hello'"
At the name, Aang entered the Avatar state. The tattoos along his body flared, but it was different now: strange marks bloomed across his chest, symbols that had never been there before. Raava's voice rang, different from Aang's voice and the usual avatar overlapping voices.
"You do not know what evil you are meddling with," Raava said.
Tai Lung replied. "I know the spirit of chaos and darkness when I see it. Tell me, do you truly think I cannot destroy this world if I free Vaatu and help him? Do you truly believe you and your pet human have a chance to defeat me and Vaatu if we are working together?"
Raava asked "What do you really want?"
Tai Lung answered. "You will free my father and surrender the city, along with those who led this invasion. If you don't, I will stop at nothing to bring the end to this world. Unlike you all, I honor my words."
For a moment the world held its breath. Then the jade soldiers melted away into small green stones that rose and streaked into the distance.
From within Aang, Raava's presence whispered a single, terrible verdict.
"If he truly joins hands with Vaatu," she said, "the world will end."