Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: So here is the final act for Northern Lights.

This is the first time I included the quote thing at the beginning of the chapter. I am planning to also do this for the other ones later on. Yeah, I know... the quote isn't that great and is long. But if you want to find out more, read the rest of the chapter!

Finally, thank you to all the reviewers for your support and IndusLotus especially. I will consider changing the summary to something more eye-catching perhaps.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! I am planning to have less frequent updates because school is a killer. But I will try! :)

Book 4: Air

Chapter 6:

The Blizzard, Part 1—Northern Lights

...

"Golden flames stem from the love for another. If your passion is powerful enough, the source of energy for the fire will not only come from within you, but also within that special someone, for the internal fire of your hearts will be connected in a special bond that allows the flames to burn with tenfold strength and radiate with golden magnificence."

-Avatar Kuruk

...

Act 3:

Zuko looked at the sky that was painted orange and purple from the setting sun on the horizon. The weather was balmy, and he was on a tropical island. This climate was the last he expected to witness, for only a few moments ago, he was in an ice city buried underneath the snowfall of a huge storm.

The wind blew against his vest and his hair, pounding the cloth against his chest. The gales were strong, and he could feel that it was heading into the palm tree forest. With no knowledge of where to find Katara or how to leave the Spirit World, all he could do was to let fate take him to where he was supposed to end up. And right now, he was a feather, drifting in the wind, hoping that nature would guide him to his destiny.

As he brushed some of the bushes away, he noticed that on the other side of the palm forest was an entirely new world. Fate was definitely leading him toward a certain goal or a certain event, for no regular adventurer could have ever been transported from an ice wasteland to a temperate coast and then later to a dead forest populated by twisted trees.

The air was stiffening, and his skin was tingling. Never before, not even in the blizzard, had he felt so cold before. It wasn't the average shivering to generate warmth, but rather shivering of apprehension, for with each tree Zuko passed, he could feel closer and closer that he was heading for something ominous.

And what worsened this sensation that was creeping through his body was fear—fear that stemmed from his ignorance, for he had no idea of what to expect from the source of apprehension. Whatever monstrous being or demented figure he was heading toward, it would take him by surprise. He had heard of all of the tales regarding the Spirit World, and he had never given any of them a second thought because he never knew that he would end up in the place. Now that he was finally in the realm that he least expected to venture, however, he knew that he had to remain vigilant.

Uncle Iroh had told him about the legendary spirit Si Wang, the lord of death who made daily trips to the mortal world to fish out the souls and lives of those who overstayed their existence in the mortal realm or committed a horrible crime. He took them into the spirit world where they made a temporary stay before heading to the Celestial Palace of Heavens, the next stage of their lives.

Death, as Iroh described it, was a natural cause, and that there was no need to fight it. When the time was right, it would come and take you to the next part of one's existence. Only those who were bound to the mortal world couldn't travel with him to the Palace of Heavens. One such examples were some of the Avatars, whose duties caused them to be bound to the Spirit World.

The entire phenomenon of death was still a mystery to not only his uncle but also everyone else. In fact, many mortal scholars had ventured into the Spirit World to seek the answer to the questions regarding life after death, but none could enter the Palace of Heavens. There was one thing they did know, however, and that was the fact that dead spirits could destroy the life of anything they touched. And it was seeing these lifeless trees that led him to suspect that he was in Si Wang's territory.

When he turned his head to further scan the surroundings, he noticed footprints on the ground. The feet were small, and they definitely belonged to a human. At first, he thought that it could have been the dead spirits making their pilgrimage across the Spirit World, but he remembered from his meeting with the faceless lady that they couldn't leave footsteps. It was then he realized that they must have belonged to Katara.

Katara had left the forest of dead trees that she started out in and finally wandered into Koh's territory. The land was swampy, and there was a faint mist over the ground. Katara had followed the Faceless Lady's directions, and searched for the twisted and gnarled tree in which Koh rested. As she ventured, she waded across the swamp, hoping that the destination lay not so far away. However, as she moved, her movements began to slow. She realized she was slowly begin pulled into the water! She waved her arms around, but realized that she could not bend. No matter what she did, the water did not part. She continued to sink into the depths of the bog, and her constant failed attempts at bending only expedited the process. The ground was weak, and she was being dragged through by the mud.

As her head approached the water level, a hand extended out. She reached it and could fell life coursing through the veins of the arm. It definitely wasn't a spirit. Was it Aang? After all, he was the only one who could really enter the world at will. However, peering above the water, she noticed a scar, and there was only one person she knew that had such a mark that covered most of his left face.

"Zuko," she gasped when she was hoisted above the water. Her clothes were all muddy, but that didn't matter to her. What was on her mind was that the Firelord had followed her all the way into the Spirit World.

"What were you thinking?" Zuko said. "You can't agitate a bog like that. The more you move, the faster you sink into the mud." He was holding onto a vine that was attached to one of the tree branches way above. He pulled Katara up and she grabbed him tightly, hoping that by doing so, she would stop sinking in.

"Well, I tried to bend the water out of the mud…" Katara blushed at the intimacy.

"You can't bend in this world." Zuko tersely replied.

Katara could infer that much. "So you followed me into the Spirit World?"

"Of course I did." Zuko replied. "I had to rescue you from that pool. Who knew what would have happened?"

Katara should have expected that much. Of course he followed me… After all, he was caring enough to block a lightning attack…

Zuko interrupted her thoughts. "Are you looking for a way out of the Spirit World?"

Katara shook her head. "I met a faceless lady. She told me that I had to find a waterbending master. He supposedly trained Avatar Liang-Shek."

Zuko reached for another vine and wrapped it around Katara's waist to keep her from sinking too deep. "So you've met her, huh? How was she?" He remembered how the lady had told him that she had used blood-bending to have Katara commit the crime.

The two began wading further through the swamp and talked along the way.

"She was all right. She seemed really sad… I mean her story was tragic."

"I know," Zuko said. "I met the Avatar. Avatar Kuruk, to be precise. He told me about it also."

It seemed that the two had their share of adventures in the Spirit World already and needed to catch up already.

Zuko continued talking. "He told me about his soon-to-be wife and Koh, the face stealer."

"That's great." Katara replied. She didn't know how to say the next part and decided just to blurt it out. "Because that is where we are heading. We're going to Koh's lair."

Zuko's face dropped. "Koh's lair? What? He's an evil spirit! I thought we were heading for the master!"

"Yes," Katara cringed. She had no idea on how to persuade Zuko to come along with her. After all, it would be dangerous. "But we'll be fine."

"Be fine?" Zuko cried. "Look at this!" She turned and saw that he was pointing at his scar. "I've already lost enough of my face! I don't need to have the whole thing taken away from me!"

"But she told me that Koh won't harm us."

"He won't? That's awesome…" Zuko said sarcastically. "Because if I recall, he didn't consider sparing the Avatar's fiancée's face."

"That's because she didn't know the secret. You mustn't reveal any kind of emotion or feelings," Katara said.

"Zuko's face lit up? No emotion?"

Katara nodded. "Yes, because without it, she said, a face is merely a mask. It is a vehicle for our feelings, and it is those feelings that give each of our faces authenticity and value."

Zuko pondered her words for a moment. Her words did make sense. As they each continued to share their experiences in the Spirit World, the two finally came to the end of the swamp. Before them was the twisted tree, and inside it was the spirit they were seeking. They hopped over the stepping stones and went into the tree.

It was dark inside, and it contributed to the aura of mysteriousness and fear. Katara stayed close to Zuko because even though she knew what kind of a spirit to expect, she knew nothing of its appearance. The crawling noises only made her apprehension worse. The two realized that the sound came from above them and turned to look.

Koh wrapped himself around a stalagmite. "A visitor so soon?" He lowered his abdomen and faced the two with his giant eye. The eye blinked open, revealing the face of an old warrior. He stared intently at Zuko and Katara. "I didn't expect someone else until another couple hundreds of years." He wiggled his legs excitedly. "Though I always don't mind having the opportunity of adding two more faces to my collection. Especially one so beautiful." He laughed and leaned into close to Katara and blinked his huge eye. It turned into the face of a little girl and he studied Katara's face.

If the faceless lady had not told Katara earlier or told her to remain emotionless, she would have fainted or screamed. With no bending for protection, she felt defenseless and vulnerable. And the spirit in front of her was most intimidating with his chuckles and abilities.

She clenched Zuko's hand tightly with her own. Zuko turned to look at Katara. Indeed, her face was definitely beautiful, and he was amazed that before now, he had not noticed this fact.

"But yours," Koh turned to face Zuko. "Yours has been tainted. Just from reading it, I can tell that you've been through a lot of suffering."

Zuko turned his head to hide his scar from Koh's gaze in embarrassment. "We are not here for you to talk about my past history or make fun of my burn marks. We are looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?" Using the girl's face, he raised an eyebrow. "You're just like the Avatar then, huh?"

"Aang's been here?" Katara's face lit up, but then she remembered that she had to hide her emotions. "I mean," she said indifferently, "Aang's been here?"

"The young monk? Why yes, he passed by here a few months ago, looking from the Ocean and Moon Spirits." Koh climbed around the stalagmite and got a better grip. His eye blinked again, and now he had the face of a baboon. It must have belonged to the baboon earlier.

Zuko and Katara faced each other. Koh was referring to the Siege of the North that took place last winter. They remembered their heated battle and his attempt to kidnap Aang. With the memories of the horrible incident and Yue's great sacrifice, Katara glared at Zuko, who lowered his head disappointedly. He had regretted what he had done at the North Pole.

"We are looking for a man." She said, turning back to face Koh. "His name is Kyzak, and he purportedly trained a previous incarnation of the Avatar."

"Old man? There certainly aren't many of them in the Spirit World. You're real close. I hear that he is across the river from here." From the glare that Katara gave earlier to Zuko, Koh could sense that she was reveal some of her emotions. He had a good taste of what she had to offer, but it wasn't enough.

"You may act distraught little girl, but I can see that there is a special bond between you two. Just as I read his face, I can see that within you, you have feelings for him…" He was bluffing of course, for he could only read faces well. However, Katara and Zuko didn't know his abilities.

Katara blushed harder than ever before. A special bond? He must be crazy! We're friends of course…but he did try to kill me back during the siege of the north pole! The thoughts were running through her head at a furious pace. But now, he's saved my life…more than once… A sense of apprehension crept through her body. Perhaps Koh was right. Even though all of the horrible incidents had happened, she began to notice that she did have some feelings for Zuko. She turned to see Zuko and how he reacted, and he was just as red as her. This was worse than the time watching the scene in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se in The Boy in the Iceberg play.

Koh continued. "You know, you two remind me of the two of them." He blinked and revealed the face of a Water Tribe lady with long flowing black hair. It belonged to the faceless lady. "She was deeply in love with the Avatar, and it did pain me so much to break the heart of her fiancée…" Koh shook his head in disappointment.

"We are not fiancées!" Katara and Zuko shouted simultaneously, who finally couldn't handle the tension of the awkwardness. It was absurd for the loveless face stealer to make such an assumption.

Koh laughed and smiled in hungry anticipation. Finally, after such a long conversation, the two showed him pieces of their true selves. He clamped his claws and lunged back, preparing to jump at them. Just then, a spear flew hit his shell, causing him to lose his grip and fall off the stalagmite.

"You have to get out of here!" A man shouted at the opening. He waved his arms to signal the urgency of leaving the place. Zuko pulled Katara and the two ran out of the tree and followed the mysterious man who had just saved them.

After hopping over the stones and back onto the mainland, Zuko finally recognized who it was.

"What were you thinking?" Kuruk shouted angrily. "After telling you the tragic story of my loss, you go looking for the face-stealer? What is wrong with you?"

"Wait?" Katara said, letting go of Zuko and pointing at the man dressed in the Water Tribe outfit with the bear helmet. "You must be Avatar Kuruk, right?"

"That's right lady." He said. "I'm the Avatar from the Water Tribe. Let's skip the introductions and get onto the main point. Why were you with Koh?"

"We're trying to find the master waterbender you were referring to," Zuko responded.

"Yes, I suggested that you look for him, but not the monster. You know…I was hoping you could tell…"

Katara interrupted this time. "But he knew where the master was! We're doing this in order to save your fiancée!"

Kuruk seemed shocked. "What? My fiancée? Ummi?" He bellowed angrily. "Why are getting involved in my personal life now? She's my problem and it's my duty to save her!"

"Yes," Zuko replied in a calming tone. "But it's not what you think. Her face isn't the only problem."

"It isn't?" Kuruk seemed concerned now. "What do you mean?" He was all ears.

"She is spiritually bound by contract to the service of another Avatar."

"Another Avatar?" Kuruk clenched his fist. "He isn't by any means the Avatar you're looking for, is he?" Kuruk directed his question at Zuko.

"Actually, he is." Zuko replied. "And the only way to save her is to navigate through a maze behind the ice city."

"The Ice Labyrinth," Kuruk said softly. "That's why you are looking for Old Man Kyzak…It's because he constructed the maze."

"Exactly," Katara nodded.

Kuruk closed his eyes and went off into a thought. "I see, then. There is nothing I can do about this. I cannot enter the mortal world again. You two must help me carry out my duty and solve the maze."

The two teenagers nodded. They told him that in order to find Kyzak, they had to first cross a river. Kuruk led the way while they followed.

"Now let me warn you two," he said. "This is no ordinary river. Whatever you do, you mustn't swim across it. The river is controlled by the Spirit, Si Wang, Lord of the Dead. He has his henchmen ferry those who have passed on from the mortal world."

"Then why are you still here?" Katara asked.

"Because I'm the Avatar," Kuruk replied. "It's my duty to serve the world. Besides, I have unfinished business." He was referring to Ummi of course. "Lucky for you two I'm with you. Normally, none of these guys would lend a free ride." He pointed to a guy wearing a straw hat on a dock. One could see that he had no face also.

Kuruk hopped onto one of the boats near the dock and gestured the two to hope in also. He then pointed to the faceless ferryman, "Get going. We're going to need to cross the river."

The man in the straw hat nodded and took out a huge stick. He hopped onto the stern of the boat and began to push the board forward by pushing against the river floor.

"Don't stick your hands or legs out of the boat," Kuruk said. "Inside the river are spirits who fell overboard or were pulled into the water. They'll likely try and get you also." Zuko and Katara leaned to see, and Kuruk was right: the river was actually a huge body of flowing spirits.

"So why is this Kyzak person…" Zuko was thinking about the story of Si Wang. "Why is he still in the Spirit World? I mean, he's no Avatar. He's not bound to the world, so why hasn't he continued onto his next life?"

Kuruk shrugged. He was as clueless as Zuko was. "I don't know, but he must have his reasons. I doubt anyone would willingly stay in this world rather than continuing onto a much better life."

Zuko nodded and focused his attention to the shore in front of them. They were approaching the other side. The three hopped out of the boat.

They now landed onto an island that had mountain that reached unto the heavens. This must have been the path to the Celestial Palace. Katara pointed to the steps that leaded up the mountain. "Kyzak must be down the road!" She shouted. She began running off the direction. Zuko ran to follow her, however, Kuruk stopped him.

"If you are thinking about heading into the Ice Labyrinth, there's something I must tell you." He tilted his head in the direction of the forest, indicating to Zuko to head in that direction.

Katara was so excited to meet the master that she didn't notice Zuko wasn't with her. Finally, halfway up the base of the mountain, she found an old man sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Are you the waterbending master, Kyzak?"

The man originally had his eyes closed, but upon hearing her words, he opened one of his eyes. "Yes, I am Kyzak or the Northern Water Tribe. If you are a spirit in search of the Palace of the Heavens, let me tell you that all you need to do is continue down the path."

Katara shook her head. "No, I am not a dead spirit. I am looking for you. I need you to teach me about the maze."

"The maze?" The phrase piqued the old man's interest. He stood up, raising an eyebrow. "What maze are you talking about?"

"The maze you constructed for Avatar Liang-Shek."

The old man's eyes widened. "Liang-Shek?" He clasped his forehead with one hand and shook his head. "No…no…no…"

"What's wrong?" Katara asked. He was obviously deeply disturbed.

"It's just that his name brings back bad memories." The man softly replied.

"It does?" Katara had not expected that an Avatar would do something bad.

"He knew that I was one of the few who knew the secrets of the maze…and killed me."

Katara's eyes widened in horror, too. She had not expected such a comment. "He killed you? Was it because of his life-infused artifact?"

The man's face lit up. "Wait. You know about his artifact? You also know his secret? What year is this?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You can save me, then, can't you? You can destroy the artifact, right?"

Katara nodded. "Yes, that is what I intend to do." However, something was seriously wrong. She did not know why the man wanted the artifact destroyed so badly. From the information she gathered, Liang-Shek must have had a terrible relationship with his waterbending master.

"That's it. I've made my decision. I will pass onto you the secret to the labyrinth." He approached her. "You are a bender, are you not?"

"Yes. I'm a waterbender."

"Even better!" he replied. "No show me your stance."

Katara got into position, and he could tell that she was no novice. "You must be quite a master yourself. But you still have a lot to learn. Waterbending is more than just the manipulation of water and ice. It is all about adaptability and flexibility. Most importantly, it is about the flow of energy." He headed in the direction of a tiny stream.

"In order to understand this concept, you should put your foot into the water. Feel its current. Feel the flow." Katara walked up to the stream and she did. "You can sense the drift of water pass by your feet, right?" Katara nodded.

"Good." Kyzak replied. "Now that is the easy part. The Ice Labyrinth I designed was meant to test one's capability in the field of waterbending. For inside it, I used to place an object, and if one could sense its energy flow through the maze, one could trace a path to it easily. Liang-Shek, though, used my maze for a hiding spot of one of his artifacts. This artifact contains a part of his life, and it is oozing with energy. You must now close your eyes and sense the flow of energy."

Katara nodded, understanding him so far. She wasn't sure, however, if she was good enough to perform what he was saying.

"Don't think this will be easy. It won't, because that maze I designed was for expert waterbenders. You'll need focus, but once you get the hang of it, you'll feel much more powerful. No longer would you get lost in a desert or a blizzard. All you would have to do is feel the invisible ties between you and the rest of the world."

"So all I need to do is focus?" Katara asked. That aspect seemed easy enough.

"Yes. Concentrate and feel the energy breeze right by. It'll become second nature soon. Almost like how smelling is second nature to a tiger-dillo. "However, you must watch out."

"About what?" The change in Kyzak's tone foreshadowed a devastating consequence.

"Do not confuse the flow of energy with your emotions. You must learn to distinguish between the two, or else you will only get further lost in the maze."

"Thank you, master," Katara said, bowing. Kyzak pat her on the back.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll be able to do it. You have the looks of a waterbending prodigy." He smiled.

She hoped that she could make it through the maze. After all, so many people's lives rested on her success.

Zuko followed Kuruk as they walked through a thick forest.

"The Ice Labyrinth rests behind the Village of A Thousand Tears." Kuruk explained. "I learnt about it when I was a young boy. However, I couldn't enter it."

"Why not? Was it sealed? Couldn't you just waterbend your way in?" Zuko asked.

"That's the problem," Kuruk replied. "I couldn't. The temperatures in the labyrinth are so low that any attempts to melt the ice will be futile. It'll just freeze back. And if you tried to firebend your way in, you have to be very powerful."

"Will I be able to do so?"

"That depends on your skill and the time of the year. Only in summer can you melt the frozen gate that leads into the maze. Once the autumnal equinox passes, not even the most powerful firebending will be able to melt the entrance. That aspect, the one regarding the time of year, I cannot alter. I can change, however, your skill. I will teach you the nuances to firebending." He stopped walking and so did Zuko.

"Firebending took me the longest to master out of all of the elements." Kuruk continued. "Unlike waterbending, my native element, it does not involve the manipulation of energy flow. Rather, it uses energy to create the flames…and this creation comes from the breath." He inhaled a huge gasp of air and let it blow out from his nose.

Zuko had heard these words before. His uncle had told him all about the origins and basics of firebending during the beginning of his exile.

"And unlike the other elements, firebending stems from our emotions. It is our emotions that can greatly alter the transition from energy into flames. Whether it be sadness, joy, anger, determination, or even love, our feelings can have great impact on the conversion of breath to fire."

Zuko nodded. He remembered how whenever had to control his anger, he sighed steam and occasionally flare flames from his nostrils during his times of immense frustration. Whenever he was angry, the power and bursts would become even more powerful.

"Now the flames have an assortment of different colors. There's an entire spectrum that ranges from blue to red to gold." Kuruk stopped in his walk. He plucked a Fire Rose from the bush. "The flames of a normal firebender is red, just like this flower. But the color can easily change." Zuko recalled his visit to the Sun Warrior's tribe. The dragons created firebending harmony and had a swirl of all different-colored flames. Kuruk flicked his finger at the flower, and the petals changed colors to yellow. "It all depends on your mastery and your emotions. The golden flames are the strongest. It burns with the most fervor, the most intensity." He pointed the flower.

"Why are they the strongest, though?"

"Golden flames stem from the love for another." Kuruk replied. "If your passion is strong enough, the source of energy for the fire will not only come from within you," he pointed to Zuko, "but also within that special someone, for the internal fire of your hearts will be connected in a special bond, allowing the fire to burn with tenfold strength and radiate with golden magnificence."

Zuko scratched his chin. "So what about blue flames, then?" He had to find out the secret to his sister's signature firebending move.

"Blue flames? There are very few people in the world who can bend blue flames. They sit directly opposite to gold flames on the other end of the spectrum. They're the most dangerous kinds of flame of all." Kuruk replied.

"Really?" But I thought you said that golden flames were the most powerful."

"They're definitely the strongest in terms of temperature, but they're not the deadliest. My firebending teacher told me that in order to bend blue flames, you needed to isolate yourself from all sense of care and love. Only one with a desire for harm and apathy for the suffering of others could summon such a color. And it is the coldness that is tinged in the scorching fire that makes the burn so acerbic and so excruciating…"

It definitely made sense. His sister did seem to fit the sadist description that Kuruk had described. Kuruk then placed the flower in Zuko's hands. "So remember, this, young firebender. Know this technique and I'm sure you'll be able to find your way into the maze."

Zuko nodded, but then finally realized that today was already the autumnal equinox. Time was running out. "How will I get out of here, though? Leave the Spirit World?"

Suddenly, from the sky, a dragon emerged and landed right in front of Zuko. Kuruk laughed. "I think that this dragon will eagerly take you and your friend out of here."

Zuko nodded and bowed. "Thank you Avatar Kuruk."

Kuruk stopped laughing and solemnly nodded back. "Don't thank me. Promise me. Promise me that you and your friend will save her."

Zuko hopped onto the dragon and nodded again. With a light kick, the dragon flew off and then picked up Katara. The two flew to a Spirit Gate and left the spirit world.

The pool that had pulled Katara in spit the two out, and with that, they landed back inside the huge ice city. Zuko grabbed his head, trying to get over what felt like a migraine. He could feel Katara breathing heavily next to him, gasping for air. As he stood up, he realized he wasn't alone, for he could see a shadow casting over him. The man in the Blue Spirit Mask had found them in the blizzard.

Fades to white.

Note: Well, here is the end to The Blizzard, Part 1: Northern Lights. Find out more about the Man in the Blue Spirit mask in the next episode.

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