The relative peace in Ba Sing Se and the rest of the world lingered for weeks. The city, though conquered, carried on with its life under the Fire Nation's shadow, as though the people had accepted that their fate no longer lay in their own hands. For Aang, that strange stillness brought both burden and comfort. He was growing stronger and more capable under Iroh's teaching, his firebending more controlled, his breathing steadier with each passing day.
And despite the grueling hours of training, there were rare moments when he allowed himself to imagine that perhaps the world could find peace without another battle. He dreamed, if only for a heartbeat, that Tai Lung might simply step aside and the Fire Nation would retreat, their hunger for conquest finally sated.
But reality arrived sooner than he wished.
Visitors from the North Water Tribe came to Ba Sing Se that morning. At their head walked Chief Arnook, flanked by a handful of guards. The moment they arrived, Arnook asked to see the Avatar, and the request reached Aang before the morning sun had risen high.
The Avatar and his companions gathered quickly in one of the Earth Kingdom's smaller halls, now repurposed for their use. Arnook entered with a steady stride, his eyes taking in each of them in turn.
"I am glad to see you are all safe after the fall of Ba Sing Se," Arnook said gravely. "I admit, the news came as a shock."
Aang shifted uneasily, guilt tugging at him as he replied, "We tried to defend the city, but in the end, the Fire Nation was too powerful… with Sozin's Comet in the sky, their firebending was unstoppable."
Arnook nodded in quiet understanding. "I can imagine it. If Agna Qel'a were to be attacked during the comet, I have no doubt our walls would have fallen in a single day." His gaze sharpened, and he asked, "How is your preparation for your duel with Tai Lung?"
The question startled Aang. Beside him, Katara leaned forward in alarm. "You already knew about that? The rumors are travelling too fast."
Arnook shook his head. "No rumor brought us here. On the day prior to the comet, a spirit fox appeared in our palace carrying a letter. The message was… peculiar to say the least. It told us Ba Sing Se had fallen, and that the Avatar would face Tai Lung in single combat, two months hence, at the Wulong Forest."
The words struck the group like a thunderclap. Arnook, however, continued steadily.
"The letter asked that we bring a group of worthy individuals to witness this battle. It promised that no harm would come to us during the two months of waiting. More than that, it explained that the fate of the world would be decided by your duel. At first, I was suspicious. We all were. Yet we sent letters to our contacts in the Earth Kingdom, and each reply confirmed the same."
Silence fell over the room until Arnook broke it once more. "So here we are. We came to meet with you, to see for ourselves your state of mind, with less than a month left until the duel. We stand behind you, Avatar, and wish you a swift victory. We also came to meet with Fire Lord Azula. She will explain the changes that will follow, depending on whether Tai Lung triumphs… or you do."
At that, Iroh, who had listened quietly until then, spoke "If I may, Chief Arnook, you said you confirmed the news and the letter before you journeyed here. How, exactly, did you know the time and the place of this battle?"
Arnook raised a brow at the question. "From the letter itself, as I said. And from the fact that every village and town we passed along the way was already speaking of it. They all know about the duel for peace."
Iroh's eyes narrowed as though he were trying to solve a puzzle. Chief Arnook, who had been watching, glanced from him to the uneasy faces around the room.
"What is wrong?" Arnook asked at last, suspicion filling his mind.
It was Sokka who answered first "We agreed to that duel, sure, but there was no mention of a time or a place. And another thing, The challenge to Tai Lung was on the day of the comet, not before. But you're saying you were informed of it the day prior to that."
Arnook's brow furrowed. His lips tightened as he processed the words, but it was Iroh who spoke next, his voice low and grave.
"They were aiming for this from the start," Iroh said. "This duel was never truly yours to choose, Avatar. Even if no one had spoken up that day, they would have arranged it themselves."
Toph scowled. "But why? What's the point of all this drama? Tai Lung could've squashed us like bugs back on the day of the comet. And if he really wanted some fancy 'legendary duel,' he could challenge Aang any day now."
Iroh's gaze grew heavy. "Because they do not want to simply defeat the Avatar. They want to destroy him as a symbol. They want the world to watch him stand tall, at the height of his power… and then fall to the Fire Nation. If the Avatar is defeated at his full power in a fair one-on-one battle, every last will to resist will crumble with him."
A shadow passed over the room at his words. Zuko, who had sat in silence until now, finally raised his voice "This way of thinking, of manipulating everything to send a message, it reeks of Azula. She's the one pulling the strings."
Arnook's frown deepened. He turned to Aang, his voice firm but troubled. "Avatar Aang, how prepared are you? The Fire Nation may stoop to tricks. And the outcome of this duel, make no mistake, it will decide the future of us all."
Aang straightened, drawing in a steady breath. "I've mastered all four elements now," he said, his voice tinged with unease. "I'm still training, still learning how to duel better, but I'm ready."
Arnook gave a solemn nod.
"But," Sokka cut in, unable to contain himself, "aren't they worried the Avatar won't even show up? I mean, they didn't tell us the date. Clearly they were planning to spring it at the last moment."
Iroh shook his head gravely. "Not showing up would be as disastrous as losing. The entire world already knows of this duel. They've invited witnesses, perhaps even the common folk. If the Avatar does not appear before them, their faith will shatter."
Aang's hands clenched into fists. His voice, quiet but firm "I won't let their plan work. I'll face Tai Lung. I'll defeat him. I'll bring peace."
Iroh inclined his head, though his eyes still carried unease. "My concern lies not in the duel itself, but in the spirit fox that carried the letter. A spirit serving Tai Lung… why would that be?"
The room went silent. Nobody had an answer.
"Maybe…" Sokka began, breaking the silence with a hesitant tone, "maybe he's got a pet spirit?"
Iroh shook his head. "No, I don't believe it is that simple, what I fear is Tai Lung's growing connection to the Spirit World. He has already entered the Spirit World. He learned the Jade evil art from there. This and the fox spirit show he had ties to the Spirit World now and is actively maintaining and using them."
Katara's voice broke in, thoughtful and sharp. "You said it was a fox… Could it be connected to Wan Shi Tong? The spirit of the library?"
Sokka's eyes widened. "Yeah, if Tai Lung learned that Jade stuff from the library, maybe he struck some kind of deal with Wan Shi Tong. But if that's the case…" His words slowed as a cold realization crept into them. "What else did he learn from that place?"
None of them dared to imagine the answer.
Sokka, not satisfied, spoke again "So they want to destroy the Avatar as a symbol, but what are they going to put in its place? Are they planning to make Tai Lung some sort of replacement while the Fire Nation turns the whole world into its property? If that's their grand plan, then maybe the idea of Tai Lung being the Fire Avatar has gone straight to his head."
At first, everyone simply stared at him. It wasn't uncommon for Sokka's theories to be met with blank looks. But this time, Aang's face changed. His grey eyes clouded over with a dawning horror, and when he spoke, his voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.
"No…"
Everyone turned toward him at once. Aang swallowed hard.
"Vaatu," he said "Tai Lung met with Vaatu. Sokka's right, Tai Lung's plan might be to merge with Vaatu. To become a new Avatar. A dark, twisted Avatar… one who could only bend fire."
Chief Arnook stiffened. His face was confused, almost disbelieving, he didn't know who Vaatu is but the expressions around him told him more than words could.
Katara's voice trembled as she asked "Could it be… he already merged with Vaatu?"
Aang shook his head quickly, though his voice was grave. "No. Raava told me, the world itself would begin to change if Vaatu was freed. Darkness and Chaos would spread across the land, and every spirit would feel it. That hasn't happened yet. And Tai Lung can't do it on his own. The Spirit Portal is closed, which means he can't enter with his physical body to free Vaatu. Only the Avatar can open the portal. And even if he can enter the Spirit World with his spirit, the other spirits would never help him to free Vaatu. They know what would happen if he was freed."
Sokka's eyes widened and said "Now you say that!! He must have been lying about joining hands with Vaatu!! He couldn't do that in the first place"
Toph asked "What if he uses that creepy Jade art to enslave you, Twinkletoes? Wouldn't that mean he could open the portal through you?"
A hush fell over the chamber. No one answered. They didn't need to. In that single, unthinkable possibility, they understood it all: Tai Lung's goal, Azula's schemes, and the true weight of the duel.
If Aang fell, it wasn't just the Avatar who would be lost. It would mean the return of Vaatu and the end of their world. Tai Lung and Azula had gone insane.