Balance | Old Version

Chapter 43 (The Siege Of The North, Part 2)

Elua's POV.

I open my eyes to see we're in some sort of swamp, everything was a yellow-green color and looked quite strange. Aang and I look at each other as we stand up and begin to walk, we come across some type of monkey that seems to be meditating.
"Ohm, ohm," The monkey 'ohms' with his eyes closed.
"Hello? I'm sorry to disturb you," I say kindly as I try to get his attention.
"We just really need to find the Moon and the Ocean spirits," Aang tells him.
"Go...away," The monkey tells us, clearly not wanting to deal with us. He pauses for a moment, then opens one eye and looks at us. "You're still here?" He asks annoyed.

"Yes! we need-" Aang tries to say, but is interrupted.
"Ohm!! Ohm!" The monkey says louder, trying to ignore us again. I sigh in annoyance, clearly, not everyone in the spirit world was the kindest. Suddenly, a blue light flies in front of us. "Perhaps that thing will help you? Chase it!" The monkey tells us. Aang takes off after it, I hesitate and stare at the monkey unconvinced. "What are you waiting for? Go!" He shouts, I sigh and take off after Aang. We chase it up a tree and out onto a large branch. Aang catches it in his hands, a huge smile on his face. But, as he does, the tree branch melts away from underneath us and we fall into the water below, landing with a splash and allowing the blue light to quickly fly away from us.

"Come back!" Aang shouts to it, but it just keeps going. We see the water move where our reflection should be, but instead of us, there stands Avatar Roku.
"Hello, Aang, Elua," Roku says to us.
"Roku!" Aang says in surprise. "The Water Tribe is under attack. I need to find the Ocean and Moon spirits!" He explains to him.
"The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits," Roku says as he suddenly grows out of the water and stands in front of us.

"They crossed over from the Spirit World to the Mortal World very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember," He states.
"Who?" I ask him.
"The spirit's name is Koh," Roku informs us. "But, he is very dangerous. They call him...the Face Stealer," He tells us, Aang's expression turns to one of shock and alarm.
"When you speak with him you must be very careful to show no emotion at all, not the slightest expression or he will steal your face!" Roku explains. Aang forces the fear from his face away and nods to Roku bravely.

Aang and I find our way to a huge tree atop of a tall rock. Apparently, this was where Koh lived. We cautiously walk up to the tree and see a huge hole in the middle of it. We move forward, but we stop when we hear a monkey screech. The sound makes both of us gasp in surprise and fear,
"Oh! Whew!" Aang says in relief as we look over to the monkey. "You're just a curly-tailed blue nose," He states. But, the monkey turns around to reveal that it has no face. Aang gasps in fright, but he quickly drops all emotion from his face and breathes deeply.
"Show no fear. Show no emotion at all," Aang whispers as we walk into the tree

"Hello? We're looking for a spirit named 'Koh.'" I say as I look around. Suddenly, a huge cockroach-like body moves around Aang and I, appearing in front of us. The white, clown-like face of Koh is inches away from Aang and I, but we keep calm and emotionless. Around the spirit's face are eight legs that are attached to its centipede-like body.
"Welcome!" Koh says in a deep voice.
"Thank you," Aang and I say at the same time as we bow to him.
"My old friends, the Avatar and Nadir," Koh says with an evil smile. "It's been a long time," He states.

"You know us?" Aang asks curiously.
"How could I forget..." Koh says turning away from us, and when he turns back, his face is now one of a middle-aged mustached man.
"One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me!" Koh shouts to Aang. "It was eight or nine hundred years ago," He states.
"I didn't know that," Aang states. "Why did he...or I...try to kill you?" He asks him, his face still holding no emotion.
"Oh...it was something about stealing the face of someone you loved," Koh says as his face changes to one of a beautiful, young woman with darl flowing hair.

"And how do you know me?" I ask him, he turns to me and seems to smirk at my question.
"You were the one I took!" Koh says evilly. "Of course, that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life? After all, you're a different person now. You've come to me...with a new face," He says, crawling around us as he speaks.
"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection," Koh tells us. "So...how may I help you?" He asks us as he changes his face a few times.

"We need to find the Moon and the Ocean spirit," I tell him calmly.
"Their spirit names are Tui and La. Push...and Pull...and that has been the nature of their relationship for all time," Koh explains.
"Please, help me find them," Aang says. "An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help," He informs Koh, who turns away from us.
"Oh, you think you need their help?" Koh asks us. "Actually, it's quite the other way around," He says, and in an instant, Koh turns and bolts to Aang, pressing his face within inches of his. I almost leap forward to defend Aang, but I hold myself back and keep calm.
"Someone's going to kill them!" Koh shouts.

"What do you mean?" I ask him in confusion.
"How can we find them and protect them?" Aang asks.
"You've already met them, actually," Koh states as he turns away from us.
"Tui and La, your Moon and Ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other...push and pull...life and death...good and evil... yin...and yang," He says as if he is telling a tale of love. Mine and Aang's eyes go wide as we remember the fish in the Northern sanctuary.
"The koi fish!" Aang says as he lets a smile wash over his face.

Koh, seeming to hear the emotion in Aang's voice, swiftly turns back around, ready to take his face, but Aang's face is once again, emotionless.
"We must be going now," I tell Koh calmly.
"We'll meet again," Koh says, almost in annoyance as he withdraws back into the shadows.
Aang and I quickly walk out of Koh's lair and run all the way back to Roku, who is now back a reflection once again.
"The spirits are in trouble! We need to get back to the physical world," Aang tells Roku.

"A friend is here to guide you back," Roku tells us as his reflection turns into a Panda. Aang and I turn around and smile as we see Hei-Bai standing behind us.
"Hei-Bai!" We say in surprise and happiness as we jump onto his back and he starts to walk. He takes us back to where we came into the spirit world and lets us hop off of him.
"This is where we came in, but how do we get back?" Aang asks Hei-Bai, unsure what to do and so was I.

Hei-Bai opens his mouth and blows at us, engulfing us in a blue light. When we open our eyes again, we're back in the sanctuary.
"Momo!" Aang says smiling as he runs over to the sleeping lemur. But, something felt wrong. I frown in confusion as I look down at my hands, only to see they're blue.
"Aang," I say as my eyes go wide. "Our bodies have been moved!" I exclaim.
"Oh no!" He says in shock. But we suddenly start to float through the sky, hopefully to wherever our bodies are.