#the ravens and moriyamas were never able to fully change him

[mcmeasle]

don’t mind me, just crying about a flower and what it might mean about our boy Jean’s journey

[wematch]

Avatar: The Legend of Neil CH6

For many years, the four nations lived together in harmony.

Then, everything changed when a conspiracy to start a war began.

Only the avatar, master of all four elements, could stop it, but when the identity of the new avatar was found, he vanished.

Many years passed without anyone knowing where he was. Then he appeared on a farm in the Earth Kingdom, disguised as a firebender named Neil. And although his bending skills were weak when he got there, with practice he grew stronger every day that passed.

Now with a war looming by, Neil must find his own path into becoming the new avatar and bring balance to the world.

***

As always, a huge thank you to @tntwme​ for being an amazing beta! Your feedback truly makes a difference <3<3

This fic was inspired by this amazing piece of art by @aymmidumps​, go check it out! [here]

You can also read it from the start on [AO3]

Book 2: Water

Chapter 2: Visitors

Neil suddenly jolts awake. He sits up and looks around, startled. It takes his brain a moment to understand what woke him up but then he hears someone shouting in the distance, so he jumps to his feet and rushes outside.

Neil freezes the moment he sees the massive tree on fire near the entrance to the farm. He looks around, trying to make sense of what is happening, and that’s when Kevin creates a whip of fire, the light of it making it possible for Neil to recognize him. A fire blast is thrown in Kevin’s direction. He stops the attack with the whip and uses it to counterattack. Wymack suddenly becomes visible when he steps closer to the burning tree and it’s in that moment that several shots are fired in their direction.

Kevin and Wymack block the attacks and are quick to retaliate. More fire shots are fired in rapid succession. Wymack avoids the fire by launching himself into the air but he’s caught on his arm by an attack coming from his back. Neil watches in shock as Wymack barely manages to defend himself in time with his other arm, from another attack coming his way. Kevin screams, outraged, and tries to move closer to help him. Kevin proceeds to attack with multiple fire punches in the direction of their attackers but he’s outnumbered and his attacks are blocked and fire is shot from multiple directions back at them giving him no time to breathe.

Neil starts to run in their direction, his heart beginning to race a mile a minute. He’s too far away to see their attackers but he has a sinking feeling that he has been found. But there’s no more running away. He’s not letting them hurt anyone else in here because of him and they’re not getting him without a fight, not anymore. He runs as fast as he can hears someone shouting behind him to wake up everyone else. 

Andrew passes at his side so fast that Neil is slightly thrown off by the sudden movement of the ground caused by his earthbending. He’s halfway there when Andrew catapults himself to the middle of the fight, makes a wall to shield Wymack, and starts to attack viciously. Neil falters a step when he sees Lola turn to face Andrew and send fire in his direction. She had finally found him.

Neil keeps running towards Andrew’s side and throws a fire punch when he sees an opening. Romero blocks it and begins to grin when he notices who he is. “I’ll be damned if it isn’t Nathaniel,” he says.

Lola shifts places with Romero and starts attacking in his direction. They punch, one after the other, and Kevin and Neil take turns to block them. Andrew builds another wall to protect them for a moment and sends it in their opponents direction and that’s when Neil and Kevin attack together. Wymack proceeds to blow wind so strong in their direction that Lola and Romero fall and keep getting thrown further away into the trees.

Neil runs in Lola’s direction, anger beginning to boil inside him. He hears someone calling his name but he doesn’t look back. They can do whatever they want to him but he isn’t letting them hurt anyone else here because of him. “Leave them alone,” Neil shouts at her between launching fire blasts in her direction, ���it’s me you want, not them.”

Lola gives him a cold smile. “Things have changed, Nathaniel,” she fires back, “now I’m just here to kill you.” She continues to attack and Andrew puts himself in front of Neil to block her attack with a massive wall.

Neil didn’t even notice Andrew coming his way. He shares a glance with Andrew behind the wall. He doesn’t know what to think at this moment. Had his father found another way to dethrone the firelord? If that had already happened he’s sure they would have heard the news. So whatever new plan he has, it’s yet to happen.

“Focus,” Andrew tells him. Neil gives a quick nod and prepares himself. Andrew punches several times through the wall to send the rocks in her direction and Neil fires some punches too.

Romero is about to attack them from behind when an arrow is thrown at him, pinning his trousers to the ground, and making him fall. Andrew takes the opportunity to trap Romero’s hands and feet with earth and Aaron grabs a rock and moves past them to hit Romero on his head, making him fall unconscious. Neil glances at his side and sees Renee lowering her bow. The others are already fighting the other two firebenders that came with Lola in the middle of the field. Renee gives him a reassuring nod and Neil focuses on the threat in front of them.

“Leave now,” Neil warns Lola.

“Oh I don’t think so, not when I just realized who your new friend is.” She attacks as soon as Kevin reaches their side, throwing fire punches in his direction. “Riko will be pleased to know where you are hiding, Kevin.”

In the corner of his eye he can see Kevin freeze for a second, and then he begins to look around in a frantic motion, panic immediately taking over with what Lola just said. This is all his fault and he won’t stand for this. He will not be the cause for Kevin to go back to the Ravens. 

It’s been years since Neil ran away but he heard enough stories about them to know that it’s a death sentence to go back there after you run away. Neil steps next to Kevin, and the others start to make a circle around Lola. She glances around, noticing how severely outnumbered she is but keeps fighting in every direction.

“Kick and then punch towards the sky,” Kevin muters. He follows Kevin’s lead as he kicks fire in her direction. As expected by Kevin, in order to avoid the fire, Lola jumps over them, but they’re prepared and as soon as they see her in the air, they punch. 

Lola is quick and uses their fire to blast herself further away but she runs into an ice wall made by Dan, the impact making the wall shatter all around her. Neil watches as she falls down, looking unconscious. When she hits the ground she opens her eyes and begins to get up when she seems to fall into a hole in the ground up to her waist.

Neil looks at Andrew right by his side, blank expression giving nothing away of what he’s thinking while he holds her down. Neil, panting, walks up to her. “What new plan does he have now?” he questions, because above all else, he needs to know what changed.

She begins to laugh. “You look so much like him, too bad you’re such a disgrace to your family,” she spits.

“Answer him,” Andrew says, stepping closer. When she doesn’t say a word he adds, “I won’t ask again,” and sinks her further into the ground, leaving only her head up.

“You think I’m scared of you?” She begins to grin.

Andrew gives her a cold smile. “Wrong answer,” he comments, and fully sinks her under the ground.

Seconds pass and they all walk closer towards where she was.

“Andrew, that’s enough,” Wymack warns.

“Not yet,” Andrew waits a few more seconds and then brings her head up to the surface.

Lola gasps for air and Andrew moves one step closer. “Answer him, or next time I’ll leave you three feet underground.” 

She glares at him, no longer thinking that Andrew is someone to give empty threats. “There’s a comet coming,” she lets out, still trying to catch her breath, “and with it the power of one hundred suns.”

“When?” Neil demands. A comet changes everything. Nathan won’t need him to do his dirty work, he and his men will be much more powerful than the other type of benders. Neil can’t believe it, he’s been on the run for this long and his mother died for the Moriyama's plan not to happen. It couldn’t have been for nothing.

“There’s nothing you can do,” she begins to grin coldly at him, “Not even you, the avatar, will be able to stop it.”

He feels everyone staring at his back. Neil doesn’t know what to say or do, he never asked for this and now he feels helpless. He looks at Andrew and for a moment they lock eyes. How is he going to stop this from happening? Andrew breaks eye contact and throws a rock at Lola’s head, knocking her unconscious. 

“You knew who I was, didn’t you?!” Kevin accuses him and pushes Neil, “and you led them right to me!” he shouts, looking desperate.

Neil clenches his fists and doesn’t say a word. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed for this long. Not after Wymack discovered who he was and definitely not after Andrew saw him practice airbending. But he’s tired of running. Kevin pushes him again, this time harder, throwing him to the floor and Neil does nothing to stop him. “Riko’s going to find me and I'll never be able to leave the Ravens again,” Kevin shouts and Neil can feel the panic in Kevin's voice.

“Enough,” Andrew says and steps in front of Neil. “Go pack, now,” he tells Kevin.

“What?”

“We’re leaving, go pack.”

“Wait, hold on!” Nicky says and jumps next to Kevin. “What the hell just happened here?” He turns to the others and points at Neil. “And lets not forget she just told us he’s the avatar?! Is no one else freaking out about that?”

“Neil, are you really--” Matt starts.

“Yes,” Neil interrupts him. 

Allison whistles. “Damn, Neil.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Aaron questions.

“Andrew is right.” Everyone turns to Wymack. Dan is already at his side, looking apprehensively at his injured arm. “Go pack, none of us can stay here,” he tells everyone. 

“But where are we going? Those people are going to chase us now!” Kevin yells, pointing at Lola on the floor.

“He’s got a point,” Dan comments, while she bends water around Wymack’s arm and suddenly the water begins to glow under her hands and Neil is transfixed. He had never seen a waterbender heal someone before.

Wymack turns his head towards Andrew. “We can give them to the guards. It won’t hold them long but it can give us some time.” 

Andrew nods and turns to Renee. “We need to figure out where we’re going.”

“Omashu is close, we’ll be safe there. We can warn the earth nation from there?” She offers.

“No,” Neil interrupts and everyone turns to him. “Didn’t you hear her? The comet is coming. I can’t hide anymore, I need to stop them before it happens.”

“What exactly will happen?” Matt asks.

“War between the nations,” Everyone stops for a moment, letting it sink in. “If she’s telling the truth--”

“She is,” Andrew informs him.

“Then there’s no other way, I have to go back to the fire nation and stop them.”

“But for now, we need to get out of here,” Wymack reminds them. 

Dan removes the water from Wymack’s arm. “It wasn’t severely burned so I don’t think you’ll get a scar if I can do a few more sessions.”

Wymack puts a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Dan.” Wymack calls Blue and they put their attackers on the Bison’s saddle. “When we get back, we need to figure out where to hide near the fire nation.”

“If you want to go to the fire nation,” Allison starts, “we can go to my island and hide there.”

“Your island?” Nicky asks, with his mouth open.

“It’s my family vacation house.”

“You’re joking,” Matt starts, “who owns an island?”

“It’s very small,” Allison dismisses him with a wave. “We can hide there, my parents won’t go there until next summer.”

Neil is taken aback. “I can’t ask you to come with me--”

“Just, shut up,” Andrew interrupts him. They stare at each other until Andrew turns around and catapults himself into Blue’s saddle just when Blue begins to lift into the air.

Matt and Dan focus on putting the fire out, while everyone else starts to run around to grab their belongings and food for their journey. When Wymack and Andrew return they seem to have made a plan on the way back. Since Blue can’t fly with all of them they have to split up. Wymack and Kevin are going to get Abby and then they will be travelling to Ba Sing Se, with the mission of discovering when the comet is going to arrive and after they find the information they need, they’ll join them in the fire nation.

Allison points out the location of the island on a map and gives it to Wymack. While the others pack their belongings, using Neil’s ostrich horse and Allison’s to carry most of the weight.

Before they split up, Dan walks up to Wymack and gives him a careful hug. “Don’t worry, Abby will take good care of me,” Wymack reassures her. Dan nods and steps back into Matt’s arms. Wymack looks around. “Be safe, we’ll see you soon.” He jumps to Blue’s saddle and everyone wishes them a safe trip. 

Kevin is about to climb up on the bison when Neil walks to his side. “Kevin, wait.”

Kevin stops, but he refuses to look at him. “I won’t let them send you back to the Ravens,” Neil tells him quietly. A moment passes and Kevin glances at him. “I won’t,” Neil repeats more fiercely and Kevin nods before he climbs to join Wymack.

They all watch them disappear into the night sky for a moment, then one by one, they start to walk away. Neil takes a step but notices something on the ground and stops. It’s a small notebook, dirty and wrinkled. He feels Andrew pause at his side while he picks it up. It’s open on one page but Neil can’t quite figure out what he’s looking at so he shows it to Andrew. 

“That’s Kevin’s,” Andrew informs him. “He’s going to go mental when he finds out that he lost it,” and Neil is surprised to find the hint of a smile in Andrew’s expression.

He looks down at the page again for a moment. He doesn’t understand the oval divided in half with the elements drawn on the side. “What do you think this is?”

Andrew ignores his question and begins to follow the others. Neil puts the notebook in his pocket and takes a deep breath. In just a few hours everything changed. Now he’s on his way to face his father, something he never really thought of doing, but as he watches everyone abandon the farm because of him, he knows he has to do this. He can’t let Nathan start a war without doing everything in his power to stop it.