Prologue

Avatar Aang finally had the time to rest after the whole day dabbling in politics to ensure that the formation of the United Republic of Nations would not go awry. The last time the Fire nation and the Earth kingdom fought was at The Battle of Yu Dao a decade ago, the coalition government that exists now with representatives from the Earth and Fire nations were going along peacefully... for now. He was at peace with them, yet within him he holds fear of events that may undo his life's work. Events such as that that happened in Yu Dao that lead to the battle, the fire lord withdrawing his support or even infighting among the ranks of the fledgeling nation. Yet for now he wanted peace, somewhere to meditate and to calm himself down... away from all the politics and lies.

Maybe the mountains.

He thought to himself, he had never went to one of the mountains surrounding the city and yet it always held a special draw to him as if there is some spiritual connection to be had. The draw was never powerful enough though, he had no time to ponder on such things as being an Avatar he had duties, people to protect. Yet today was a special day he thought, maybe just maybe he'll go there once to see and have a feel for the place before going back. People barely go to the mountains so it could be an excellent place to be at peace and meditate without the noise of the small yet booming city.

He wanted to bring Katara with him, but he thought otherwise.

It'll only be and hour or so and there is no need to drag her up the mountain and just watch me mediate away.

But that had happened before, when they were younger and new to the idea of dating. Endlessly thinking about each other and enjoying every moment they had but now just like any couple they felt comfortable with each other and at the same time Katara herself have work to do. She had built and maintained one of the first hospitals in the city and with so many patients to treat it wouldn't be fair for them to take their healer away for some outdoor activity... it will have to wait.

But what Aang needed and wanted now is to meditate so he finally decided to go alone, popping his glider he flew away from Air Temple Island and headed south east towards the mountain. On his way there he had a sight to behold; beneath him was the city of his creation, the place where all forms of people are welcome be it fire benders, earth benders or even non-benders, a melting pot of culture and knowledge.

He grinned knowing that what he had created here could foster peace and harmony throughout the world. As he flew closer to the mountain it felt strange... something was off. He didn't know what it was or where it exactly is but he could feel... suffering.

Strange, I never had this feeling before. I never felt it during the Hundred Year War so why now?

As the mountain come closer and closer the sensation was too much to simply ignore. It wasn't the spirits... it can't be, spirits don't roam in this world and yet it was calling to him, almost like it wanted him to come there. He circled around the mountain looking for a landing spot to come down and found a small open ground immediately in front of the cave about halfway up the mountain.

That cave... somethings off... I... I just don't know what.

Landing as gently as he could wishing not to startle any creatures that may reside there he sat down and tried to relax but couldn't, the cave... it was drawing him in. Something's in it and he doesn't want to know, yet at the same time he was curious.

Against his own better judgment he got up and went inside and bent a small ball of fire to see in it. The walls were dry and rugged just like what you would expect from a cave, he looked into the darkness but saw nothing. He walk deeper and deeper into the cave with the light from the outside getting smaller and smaller, he threw a fireball into the unknown and was surprised that he had actually made it to the end.

But if this is all... what in the world and I still feeling?

He asked himself, looking around the place trying to find answers... but there was none. He thought for a moment.

Maybe I should try meditating in here, try to find out what this is all about.

He was unsure on meditating in a dark and scary cave but he was a man now and the Avatar nonetheless. He could handle anything that might come at him in here, if it collapsed he could earth bend his way out, if someone try attacking him he could just go into the avatar state and fight them all out. Yet inside him lay the fear all men have regardless of age, race, or bravery... the fear of the unknown.

He finally sat down, extinguished the flame, and tried his hardest to meditate and forget about the fears that he had. Time went by, minutes into hours and hours into almost a day yet he had no answer.

I could come back some other day or... or it could just be all in my mind? Stress, yes stress was just too much... I should really rest.

And yet he refused to give up, he wanted to know... he NEEDED to know what this is about.

Five more minutes, if there's still nothing then I'll have to go back.

He stayed, five minutes turning into ten and ten into twenty but still nothing. He was just about to give up when he started seeing visions... visions that he could not understand, things that are literally out of this world. He saw people fighting, dieing in the thousands.

He saw men clad in olive green holding weapons made of wood and iron that breath fire from its point fighting men in gray who were armed with the same form of weapons on some snowy place he had never seen before. He also saw iron beasts with long noses that also breath fire with men inside of it, controlling; explosions everywhere with men dieing in the arms of their friends; flying airships that does not have ballons dropping some kind of iron object, exploding when it hit the ground. The death and destruction was unbearable.

What is this... is this the future? Not even the fire nation have these kind of power during the hundred year war. Sozin's comet... even the power that it grants to the fire benders pale in comparison to what I just saw.

He snapped out of it, panting just as if it was a nightmare. He hurriedly got up and ran out of the cave, he needed to tell Katara about this, what he saw.

It wasn't a dream... it can't be. Its a vision and I know it but of what?

Questions, questions that needed answers. But where will he find them? Meditate more and hope something comes up? Try to go to the spirit world and ask about it? Or maybe even try locating the lost library in the Si Wong Desert and look for answers there. He doesn't know, but what he needed to do now is to go back to air temple island. The sun was already setting and Katara would be worried sick that he hadn't come home yet, the questions will have to wait. Someday it will be answered, or maybe it will never be like all the great mysteries of this world.

Concurrently in another world

2200H December 12, 1944 Hürtegn Forest, Germany

It was the end of another day in the offensive, the Americans took several key towns from the Germans and had been consolidating their lines for the evening. Sergeant Dan and his squad was tasked to patrol around the perimeter to secure the lines while the rest of the men settled in for what little rest they have.

They started the patrol by trekking into the cold winter darkness not knowing if the Germans would counter attack or not. Everyone was in high alert and even though no one used any form of light source the moon was bright enough tonight they they could more or less see where they're going.

Ten minutes into the patrol they ran into a cave.

Cave in a forest, not really rare now is it. The sergeant thought to himself but there was something with this particular cave, the entrance was large and circular as if someone had dug into the small hill.

"Sir, sir we should get going." One of his men remarked as they saw the sergeant standing still and staring into the cave. "Sir is there something wrong." the man said again in his thick Jersey accent.

"Nah Jackson its fine, its fine." The sergeant replied but he knew it wasn't. Something's wrong with this particular cave but he doesn't know what it was. He had not heard of any local folklore from the civilians about this forest, then again they can't speak english and even if the civilians did they would have just brushed them off as simple folklore, nothing but myths and legends.

"Sir we need really need to move, we still got a lot to cover." Jackson reiterated.

"Ok, ok but..." he paused. "This cave... something's not right."

"Sir are you crazy? There's dozens of other caves in the area and... and..." Jackson felt something, strange yet familiar. He looked around and saw the rest of the squad also have the same looks on their faces as he have. "Did you guys felt that?"

"Yeah... what the fuck was that?" Replied one

"It felt like it came from that cave." Said another.

Jackson looked at the sergeant, maybe he isn't crazy, or maybe everyone's getting crazy. But the feeling lingered on unwilling to part.

"I don't like this sarge, its giving me the creeps." One of the men said

"You got your flashlights?" The sarge asked

"Yes sir." They replied in unison

"Well come on then get them out, we'll be going into the cave."

"What the hell sarge, no way I'm going into that fucking place." Jackson protested

"Fine, if you want then just wait for us out here then." The sergeant replied with a smirk. He knows Jackson hates the cold and the darkness and combining both of them...

"Goddamned it sir." He grunted before taking his flashlight out and following the squad into the cave.

The men walked into the cave and opened their flashlights once they deemed themselves too deep into the cave for the light to be seen from the outside. They clenched their weapons tightly not knowing what will meet them in the dark abyss of the cave.

Could there be Germans hiding in here waiting for the right time to ambush us? Maybe we would wake a hibernating bear, or maybe some mines set by the Germans before they left?

The thoughts of ambush ran wild in the sergeant's head, he strained his eyes trying to look as far into the cave as he could but it was empty and no sign of any end. The air around them became colder as they went deeper into the cave with the blank walls suddenly giving away to some form of cave paintings.

"Look sir, paintings. Made by cavemen?" One asked.

The sergeant stopped and shined his flashlight at the painting and stepped closer to have a look. It doesn't look like those he had read before in the libraries, they have paintings of men, animals indigenous to the area, and possibly their tribal symbol but these... these were different. There was one in blue which looked like waves, another in red which looked like fire, the next one in white have three circular pattern arranged in a triangle and the last one in green which was looked like an open trapezoid with lines within it.

What the hell are these? These doesn't look like those tribal stuff I've read in the libraries.

Beside these strange symbols was writing, some kind of script that he had seen before somewhere. He shined his flashlight in it determined to find it out, it looked very much like the Japanese writing he saw in the propaganda posters back at home but this one's different.

"That's Chinese... Sir." Chan, the half blooded Chinese in the group remarked

"Chinese... why the fuck is it here? Its like on the other side of the world for christ's sake."

Chan just shrugged. The sergeant was at a loss but decided to scribble the symbols and the Chinese characters down. "Chan, do you know what it says?"

Chan moved froward trying his best to read in the horrible lighting condition. "He who enters the void shall fave the power of the a... avatar?"

"Avatar? What the hell is that? Some kind of Chinese monster?"

"I don't know sir, I've never heard of it myself."

Strange the sergeant thought but they must continue onward. Turning around he started walking farther into the cave before it came to an abrupt end. "Is this it? It just ends?"

"Yeah... sir" Jackson replied.

"No, no I can feel it. Something's on the other side of the wall, its so close yet so far."

"Sir it'll be best if we get back on patrol, if we don't come back they might sent another one to find us."

The sergeant thought deeply, should he continue selfishly or with the mission? Its his squad's duty to warn the rest of the company in case on an attack and if they fail...

"Fine lets go back but lets mark it down on the map first so that the general... or whoever might be interested in this could find it."

"Sir... you're thinking of coming back here don't you?"

The sergeant can't deny that, he did and in fact he wish he cold come back after the war's over and maybe bring with him a few friends with several sticks of dynamite to blast through. "Yeah Jackson I do. But for now we need to get back to patrol, tell anyone if you want to I don't care. Its just, hopefully someone, someday can discover what really is inside this fucking cave."

Notes:

Prologue

Book I - Union (1st person POV; 12 chapters)

Book II - Blitzkrieg (3rd person POV)

Book III - Politik (3rd person POV)

Book IV - Pending*

Epilogue