Avatar: The Legend Reborn - Book 3: Harmony

Chapter 10: The Avatar's Fate

Book 3: Harmony
Chapter 10: The Avatar's Fate

Jiansu

If not for the searing pain where his hand used to be, Jiansu would have gotten an excellent nap. After his episode of being possessed by the Spirit of Chaos, Akira and Gyatso had brought him back to the village and tied him up with ropes so he couldn't bend out of them. Poor Akira. She blamed herself for Jiansu's lost appendage, but it wasn't her fault. Though he was unable to control his body, Jiansu had been able to see everything that had happened. He cared not for what he had lost, only that his sister and best friend had survived the encounter. He glanced down at the stub where his right hand once was. Despite being in shock, Akira had healed his injury well enough, at least to the point it wouldn't get infected or start bleeding again.

The door creaked open to the cold dark room where Jiansu was kept. He hoped to see Akira, or Gyatso, but it was Tenzin. The old Airbender drifted into the room, not even touching the ground. "How are you?"

Jiansu stared at the floor, depressed, but thankful the situation hadn't gone farther than it had. "As long as everyone else is fine, I'm fine."

"So I take it this is the real Jiansu I'm speaking to, not the other guy?" Tenzin inquired.

Jiansu managed a slight tilt in the corner of his mouth, a halfhearted smile. "Yeah, it's me."

Tenzin relaxed a bit. "Good. I was worried. It seems like no matter what happens, the Chaos Bringer always finds a way to return; within our lifetimes, no less."

Jiansu shrugged. "What can we expect? As long as Raava exists, he can't die. He was locked away for ten thousand years, but then he escaped and formed the Dark Avatar. Unable to end his reincarnation cycle, Korra was forced to kill him, and he was simply reincarnated into another problem for us to deal with. I thought Akira and I had ended his reincarnation cycle for good, but of course he found another way to come back. He was reborn within Raava, who in turn is within me. Akira was too... innocent for Vaatu to even care about; but me? I was a prime target."

Tenzin grimaced. "What can we do? Would it be possible to somehow trap him once again, or are we doomed to repeat this cycle for ten thousand years?"

The Earthbender shook his head. He thought he had been shown the future; that he knew what to expect and could play the situation to his advantage; but now he was unsure. Had it simply been Vaatu tricking him all along to get what he wanted? Everything was still going according to the Fates' plan, but Jiansu didn't know if he was playing his cards right, or if HE was the one being played.

"Tenzin, can I ask you a hypothetical?"

"Of course. Counseling the Avatar is pretty much my life's purpose at this point."

"If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do? If you were my age?"

Tenzin thought about it for a moment and replied. "Well first I would make sure everything was in order. I'd make things right with those I had wronged, and I'd let my family know I loved them. Then I'd accept my fate for what it was."

"You wouldn't try to fight it?"

"Not at all, no matter how unpleasant it may be. When my father was on his deathbed he said to me, 'Tenzin, my son, do not mourn me when I am gone. Part of every journey is the end. Every life must end in death. It is the way of the world, that all good things come to an end.' And he was right. His passing gave way to a new Avatar, who changed our world for the better. Something most people never learn is that our legacy isn't forged by what we have in life. It's about what we do, what we leave behind. Sometimes to sacrifice our lives for a cause is more impactful than to go on living for it. If there's one thing I know Jiansu, it's that part of the journey is the end."