where the past can't reach us // zuko x reader

Chapter One - Waking Up

(a/n) - a bunch of dashes mean a POV change from 1st to 3rd person or vice versa

A ray of light broke into the cold, dark room, illuminating the thick blanket of dust that had settled on every possible surface. The room was still; everything was quiet and nothing moved. It must have been this way for a few decades at least, untouched by the usual wear and tear that happens to abandoned buildings. Then again, it wasn't completely abandoned.

The bright light settled on the face of a young girl, no more than twelve years old. She lay on a bed - the only piece of furniture in the room that wasn't coated in dust. Judging by the state of the room, she hadn't moved in a long time. But now, things were about to change. The warm sunlight washed over her closed eyes, gently breaking through her sleep. Her eyelids twitched for a few seconds. She woke up.

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I looked over the room, eyes gradually adjusting to the light, and tried to take in every detail. Where was I? Why was I here? And, most importantly, how long had I been here for? And... Who was I?

Confused, I sat up and tried again to understand something from my surroundings. At the foot of my bed, there was a note written on fragile yellow paper. It looked old, as if my only clue to getting any kind of answers would disintegrate at the lightest touch. But, oh well, what other choice did I have? I unfolded the note and began reading.

Dear (y/n), I don't know how long you've been asleep, or if you've woken up at all, but in case we're not here to explain everything to you when you do wake up, I thought it would be best to write you a letter.

The magic we used on you was ancient and rare. We don't fully know ourselves how it works. You could wake up with no memory of your life. You could wake up decades into the future. You could remain in the spirit world forever.

The reason we were forced to use this magic was because of a series of unfortunate events that almost led to your death.

The circumstances of your passing would have been, to put it mildly, less than desirable – your troubled mental state at the time of death would have led to great difficulties in your next life - so we thought that a prolonged coma would help to calm your spirit before your rebirth. However, if we have fully succeeded, you shouldn't have died at all - your body should have healed and you should be awake and reading this. So, without further ado, here are the basics:

Your name is (y/n). You live in the Western Air Temple. You are twelve years old.

To get more information about yourself and what happened during the time you were asleep, please give this note to the first adult monk you see, and I'm sure they would be happy to explain everything. I can only hope that, by the time you wake up, there will still be Air Nomads left in the area. These are uncertain and dangerous times, and nobody knows what will become of the world in the next few months and years.

For now though, I wish you mental strength and a peaceful existence. I hope that, by the time you're awake, everything would have worked itself out.

Your mentor,

Mother Jamyang

I read the letter again and then once more for good measure. It didn't exactly tell me much. "A series of unfortunate events that almost led to your death" – what was that supposed to mean? "Troubled mental state"? "Prolonged coma"? "Western Air Temple"? "Air Nomads"? "Uncertain and dangerous times"? It was all making my head spin. But at least I knew four things for certain: