- Third POV -
Aang, Mizuki, Katara, Sokka and Teo are walking across a bridge to a large room that looks well kept. The room has no roof, although around the walls there are statues of monks, mostly meditating.
"It's nice to see that at least one part of the temple that isn't ruined" Mentions Aang as he looks at a statue of a long-bearded airbender meditating.
"Look out!" Shouts a man as the statue is knocked down by a wrecking ball. The teenagers quickly cover their heads. Dust is coming from the statue, causing team Avatar and Teo to cough. The dust clears to show six men standing where the statue used to be.
"What the doodle? Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!" Exclaims the mechanist as he approaches the teenagers.
"Do you know what you did!? You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!" Shouts Aang furiously while Mizuki glares at the man.
"Well, people around here are starting to stink" Shrugs the mechanist.
"This whole place stinks!" Retorts Aang as he points at the machines.
"This is a sacred temple! You can't treat it this way!" Snaps Mizuki angrily.
"I've seen it when the monks were here! I know what it's supposed to be like!" Continues Aang.
"The monks? But, you're twelve" Mumbles the man confused.
"Dad, he's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago" Explains Teo.
"What are you doing? Who said you could be here?" Threathens Aang as he takes a menacing step closer to the mechanist, who takes a step back
"Hmm, doing here...a long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood. My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother. I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place" Begins the mechanist while Teo looks down sadly.
"Couldn't believe it! Everywhere! Pictures of flying people! But empty, nobody home. Then, I came across these fan-like contraptions!" Says the man as he does an airplane like gesture.
"Our gliders" States Aang.
"Yes! Little, light flying machines! They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone will be on equal ground! So to speak. We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here. And, after all, isn't that what nature does?" Finishes the mechanist.
"Nature knows where to stop" Mizuki glares at the man.
"I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us" Replies the mechanist.
"Look at the time! Come! The pulley system must be oiled before dark" The man turns around to face the workers while pointing at candles.
"Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same" Asks Sokka confused.
"The candle will tell us. Watch" Beams the mechanist as the candle pops four times.
"You put spark powder in the candle!" Exclaims Sokka.
"Four flashes. So it's exactly four hours past mid-day. Or, as I call it: four o'candle" Upon hearing the joke, Sokka begins to laugh.
"If you like that, wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener" Says the man as he holds up his left hand, revealing that three of the fingers are made of wood.
"Only took me three tries to get it right" Chuckles the mechanist as he pulls off the three wooden fingers, and throws them into Sokka's hand.
"Aaah!" Shrieks Sokka horrified.
"Follow me!" Says the man as he begins to walk away. Sokka turns around and follows the mechanist.
"Hey, Aang. I want to show you something" Says Teo.
"I just can't get over it. There's not a single thing that's the same" Sighs Aang upset.
"I don't know about that. The temple might be different. But the creatures that live here are probably direct descendants of the ones who lived here a long time ago" States Teo as he picks up a hermit crab from the ground and hands it to Mizuki.
"You're right. They're kind of keepers of the temple's origins" Agrees Katara while Mizuki hands the animal over to Aang, who begins to smile.
"Besides, there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all" Mentions Teo as he enters a long hallway with airbending symbols through it. There's a door with an airbending contraption on it.
"Hey, it's just like the one in the other temple!" Points out Katara.
"Only an airbender can open it, so inside it's completely untouched. Just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it's like in there" Informs Teo confidently.
"Aang? Mizuki?" Says Katara as she looks at her friends, slightly worried of what their reaction will be.
"I'm sorry. This is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way" Replies Aang upset.
"I agree with Aang" Sighs Mizuki.
"I completely understand. I just wanted you to know that it's here" Says Teo somewhat disappointed, although he tries not to let it show.
"Thanks" Replies Aang.
"We appreciate it a lot Teo" Mizuki smiles at Teo, who returns the gesture.
❀❀❀
Sokka and the mechanist are walking down a dark stairway holding lanterns.
"These lanterns are terrible. I can't see!" Complains Sokka as he opens the top of his lantern only to find them filled with fireflies.
"Why would you want to use fireflies for light?" Asks Sokka confused.
"Hey! Close that up! They'll get loose!" Scolds the mechanist. Sokka closes his lantern.
"Fireflies are a non-flammable light source" Explains the man. The duo continues to walk for a while until they arrive at a wooden door.
"Cover your nose and hold your breath" Suggests the mechanist as he opens an eye slot in the door, both look inside a pitch-black room.
"Okay...so you brought me all the way down here to see an empty room" Deadpans Sokka annoyed.
"Wrong. It's filled to the brim with natural gas. Came across it my first time here. Unfortunately, I was carrying a torch at the time. Nearly blew my self and the whole place even more sky high! Thought my eyebrows would never grow back. Anyway, there's a vital problem that needs solving. From time to time, we have gas leaks. And they're nearly impossible to find" Explains the mechanist as he closes the door.
"So, this place is an explosion waiting to happen" Figures out Sokka.
"Yes, until I figure out how to locate something I can't see, hear, smell, or touch" Informs the man.
To be continued
Word count: 1.065
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The dualbender (atla) book 1
Fantasy[completed] [currently under editing] Mizuki is a girl who lost her parents to the Fire Nation when she was twelve. After two years of hiding, escaping and trying to survive she found the Avatar with some help of the two Water Tribe siblings. She de...
