JINX POV
The moonlight was warm against my face.
Soft. Peaceful. Calming.
I was laid out like a lizard on a sunning rock—except this was night, and I was basking in silver light instead of sunlight, gently snoring atop my stolen Fire Nation boat. The low creaking of the metal hull and the rhythmic lap of water against its sides were the closest thing to a lullaby I'd had in weeks.
Then the light disappeared.
Not slowly, not behind clouds—suddenly, like someone threw a curtain across the moon.
I opened one eye lazily, annoyed.
Hovering above me were dozens of sharp ice spikes, each glinting with moonlight, their deadly tips aimed squarely at my face. Standing atop the water like gods of judgment were about a dozen figures dressed in the thick wool and blue furs of the Northern Water Tribe.
At their center stood an older man—dignified, stern, and with a beard as sharp as the ice surrounding us. His stance was confident. Traditional. Disciplined.
Pakku.
Of all people.
I groaned. Great.
"Halt, Fire Nation soldier!" Pakku boomed, his voice echoing over the silent sea. "You will be taken into custody and tried for your crimes against the Northern Water Tribe!"
I opened my other eye, still laying flat on my back.
"Crimes?" I muttered, rubbing sleep from my face. "I haven't even had breakfast yet."
Of course, I didn't look Fire Nation. No amber eyes. No topknot. Not even the uniform—I'd ditched that weeks ago. But I was a firebender, and considering how the Fire Nation's reputation stank across the world, that wasn't going to help me now.
I sat up with a sigh.
Now, the normal thing to do would've been to comply. Maybe talk my way out. Maybe hope they were the rational sort of people.
But the moment I looked around and saw how tense they were — the way four younger benders flanked Pakku with water globes hovering at their sides, their bodies coiled and ready to strike — I realized exactly how this was going to go down.
They weren't here to talk.
They were here to drag me to the North Pole in chains.
...And I'm not going out like a bitch.
"Alright," I muttered under my breath, rolling my shoulders and standing fully. "Let's do this."
I raised my right hand.
Fwoom.
A stream of dark magenta fire ignited from my palm, swirling in a tight helix as it roared to life. The water around the boat instantly hissed into vapor.
The waterbenders hesitated.
"What kind of fire is that?" one of the younger men said, his voice nervous.
"Doesn't matter," Pakku said sharply. "Take him!"
They moved.
Water surged forward like whips, two tendrils aimed at my legs and one swinging like a hammer from the side. But I was already in motion. I kicked upward, using jet propulsion firebending to launch myself into the air. My foot caught the edge of one tendril and ignited it in steam, scattering the attack.
Midair, I twisted, letting magenta flame flow from both palms in wide spirals—blazing arcs that forced the benders to scatter.
The boat rocked violently beneath me. I landed again with a crash, but not before redirecting an incoming water blade with a flame redirection, sending it skyward in a hiss of steam.
"Still want that trial?" I called out, spinning and launching fire jabs like missiles from my fingertips.
Pakku stepped forward and raised a single hand.
An arctic shield of ice rose up, blocking the attack.
"Enough games," he said. With a circular motion, he drew water into a vortex and sent it at me like a whip.
I gritted my teeth, pressed both palms together, and then—BOOM—unleashed a pressurized stream of magenta fire, cutting through the vortex and sending boiling water spraying in all directions.
One of the younger waterbenders tried to flank me. I spun with a snap kick, releasing a fire blade that sliced through his ice projectiles and scorched the edge of his coat. He yelped, retreating.
Two more moved in, trying to freeze my legs from beneath by creeping water across the metal. I stomped, releasing a Shatter Strike burst of black ice that knocked them off their feet and froze the entire deck solid in jagged spikes.
That's when Pakku got serious.
He moved with the grace of a master, arms swirling like a storm. Water surged around him, lifting him into the air. The sea rose at his command, waves forming a wall of liquid blades. Then, he struck.
Dozens of razor-thin ice discs launched at me in a wide arc.
I raised both arms.
"Shield of fire!" I roared.
A swirling wall of purple flame erupted around me, melting the discs as they came, turning them into scalding mist. I pushed forward, dragging the shield with me as I charged into the storm.
Pakku blinked — not expecting that.
I jumped — spun mid-air — and slammed both hands forward.
"Twin Fire Dragon!"
Two condensed streams of flame twisted forward, shaped like serpents. Their mouths bit down into Pakku's ice platform, shattering it in a blast of heat and force. He fell, landing on a nearby ice flow, groaning.
"Still think I'm a regular soldier?" I said, walking toward him slowly.
The younger benders regrouped, flanking their master protectively. But the fear in their eyes was evident now.
My hands crackled.
Lightning surged along my fingers—black with hints of violet. The air hummed with pressure. My heartbeat synced with the energy pooling in my arm.
"Let's end this—"
"Enough!" Pakku barked.
He stood up, breathing heavily. One of his students tried to steady him, but he waved them off.
"You… are no Fire Nation soldier," he said finally, studying me closely. "Your bending—it's unlike anything I've seen."
I extinguished the lightning with a slow exhale, the static dispersing into the air.
"You're not wrong," I muttered, stepping back. "But maybe next time don't point a dozen ice spikes at someone who's sleeping."
Silence.
Then—Pakku gave a short, reluctant nod.
"…Perhaps we were too hasty."
I didn't reply. I turned, heading back to the edge of my ruined boat. One of the life rafts I stole was still latched to the side.
"Wait!" Pakku called. "Who are you?"
I paused, looked back.
"…Jinx," I said. "And I'm headed to the Northern Water Tribe. One way or another."
With a snap of my fingers, a burst of fire launched me toward the life raft, and I sped away under moonlight, leaving behind a trail of steam—and a dozen stunned waterbenders.
After all the battles, storms, fire-fueled sprints across the sea, and near-arrests by old waterbending masters, I had finally arrived.
The Northern Water Tribe.
It stood before me like a frozen palace carved from a glacier—walls of pure blue ice that stretched into the sky, towers glittering under the silver moonlight. It was beautiful, sure… but what really stood out to me?
The wall.
A massive, hulking barrier of solid ice stood between me and the city, looming like some kind of holy guardian. It spanned the entire width of the icy canal, at least thirty feet tall, with intricate carvings of koi fish and spiritual sigils decorating the sides.
It was meant to be impressive.
It was meant to intimidate.
It was meant to stop invaders in their tracks.
To me?
It was an inconvenience.
I let my stolen fire nation life boat drift to a slow stop just before the wall. I stood up, hands in my pockets, my breath perfectly calm.
The cold?
Didn't bother me.
It never had.
Even surrounded by frost-covered stone and the bitter sea wind that could peel skin off a lesser man's face, I didn't even shiver. If anything, the crispness of the air was relaxing.
I took one step to the bow of the boat and stretched my arms out in front of me.
The ice beneath my feet began to hum.
With a smooth inhale, I pressed my palms together—and then slowly, like I was opening a heavy book, pulled them apart.
Crrrrrk—
The wall of ice groaned. Frost danced and shimmered across its surface as I focused my chi through the elements, aligning both water and air—the foundation of my icebending.
A faint purple light flickered around my fingers.
The ice wall split.
Not violently. Not with explosions or chaos. Elegantly. Smoothly. Like it was simply agreeing to my request.
A massive gap formed, right down the middle, wide enough for my boat to pass through with ease.
I stepped back and let the vessel begin to drift through.
"Yeah... real secure, guys." I muttered to myself with a sarcastic snort. "A wall's only good if it doesn't open up when someone asks nicely."
As I sailed through the gap, I raised one eyebrow at the majestic ice bridges, the gentle glowing lanterns hung across terraces, and the flowing waterfalls cascading down channels carved with art older than the Fire Nation itself.
But all I could think about?
They really built a fortress on a foundation of snow and hoped no one cold would show up.
As my boat entered the inner canal system of the Northern Water Tribe, the wall slowly closed behind me, like it had never been touched.
But it had.
By someone they hadn't planned for.
I stood at the edge of the boat as the city came into full view, breath steady, eyes sharp.
Let's see what secrets you're hiding behind all this snow, Ice Kingdom.
(timeskip)
The deeper I sailed into the Northern Water Tribe, the quieter it became.
Gone were the wide canals and humming markets. The lanterns dimmed the further I drifted, until I was navigating a moonlit path of icy serenity, the only sound the soft ripple of water against my stolen metal hull.
Then I saw it.
The Spirit Oasis.
Nestled at the heart of the city, surrounded by pale white trees with crystal-thin branches, it radiated calm in a way that felt unnatural—even sacred. Two koi fish swam gently in the glowing waters of the twin-pool, their yin-yang motion casting soft ripples across the surface.
I stepped out of the boat and onto the stone path, not even bothering to conceal myself.
If someone wanted to stop me, they could try.
The cold marble was cool beneath my feet as I approached the oasis, the air somehow warmer here. Still. Ancient.
Then I saw her.
She knelt at the far end of the pool, head bowed in prayer. Her long silver-white hair glowed under the moonlight, cascading like a waterfall down her back. She wore the royal blue of her tribe, a fur-lined cloak wrapped around her shoulders like wings.
Princess Yue.
Even from a distance, her presence felt... otherworldly.
Like she was only half-human. Or half-moonlight.
I stopped, not wanting to interrupt, and instead looked down at the koi fish.
One black. One white.
Tui and La.
The Ocean and Moon Spirits. The very beings I had come here for.
They're smaller than I imagined. But the aura coming from the pool was unmistakable. They weren't just fish. They were ancient. Vast. And watching.
Even now.
Yue looked up, startled.
Her pale blue eyes locked with mine across the oasis.
"Who are you?" she asked softly, not standing. Her voice wasn't afraid—but curious, as though she had already sensed I didn't belong and wasn't entirely hostile.
I gave a slight nod, respectful. "A traveler," I said. "Looking for guidance."
Yue's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze drifting down to the faint flickers of purple heat still trailing off my gloves.
"You're… not one of us."
"No," I said. "But I'm not one of them either."
She stood slowly, brushing snow from her robe. "You shouldn't be here. The Spirit Oasis is sacred. We don't allow outsiders to walk this path."
"I wasn't planning on staying," I said calmly. "I only wanted to see them." I gestured toward the pool. "Tui and La."
Something in my tone softened her gaze. A flicker of uncertainty passed through her, followed by recognition. She tilted her head.
"There's something strange about you," she said after a moment. "You carry fire… but the cold doesn't touch you."
I smiled faintly. "I carry more than fire."
MEANWHILE – PAKKU POV
The moment I reached the outer canal, I knew something was wrong.
The air smelled like smoke.
Not just any smoke—magenta flame, scorched into the ice in perfect surgical slices. My heart dropped.
I landed with a grunt, launching myself from my ice wave atop the outer wall, where two guards were snoring against the post, their spears resting against the gate.
"Unbelievable," I snarled.
Without warning, I slammed my palms together, and a wave of freezing water exploded outward, dousing them in a cascade of ice-cold fury.
The two guards screamed, flailing to their feet.
"M-Master Pakku?!"
I didn't let them finish.
"You were asleep?!" I roared. "A man—a firebender—opened a thirty-foot ice wall like it was made of paper! And you were sleeping?!"
They went pale. One dropped his spear in panic.
"I—I didn't—he must've slipped past—"
"Enough." I growled, raising a hand. The ice beneath them cracked, freezing them to their knees. "Alert every guard. Now. I want this entire city searched. Every tower, every canal, every shrine—he's inside, and he's dangerous."
"Who—who is he?"
Pakku's face hardened.
"He's the one who fought me to a standstill and left without a scratch."
BACK TO JINX POV
Yue and I stood in silence for a moment, the water gently rippling beside us.
She looked at the koi again. "You feel… familiar. Like you've touched something sacred before."
"I have," I said. "More than once."
Then, as if the spirits themselves responded, a gentle glow spread across the water. The koi swam closer, their movements forming a perfect spiral around the center of the pool.
My breath caught.
They were looking at me.
Not with eyes.
But with awareness.
The feeling was like being seen with no lies left to hide behind. Like they were peering through my skin and into my chi, my intent, my soul.
For a moment, I thought I felt something… warm. Like a nod. Like acknowledgment.
Then Yue gasped softly. "They… they like you."
That caught me off guard.
"Do they?"
She nodded. "They don't always react. But they're stirring. Like they've met you before, or something inside you is… old."
I looked down at the swirling water.
Tui and La… what do you see in me?
A faint whisper crossed my mind.
"We remember the cold… the one who walked through the stars with fire and shadow…"
But then the vision faded, like steam on glass.
I looked back at Yue.
"Thank you for letting me stand here," I said quietly. "Even if only for a moment."
Before she could respond, alarms began to ring across the city.
Trumpets blared from towers. Guards shouted. Lights flared.
"They're looking for someone," she whispered.
I stepped back. "Yeah. Me."
"You're leaving?" she asked, surprised.
"For now," I said, raising my hand. A trail of black ice formed behind me like a road across the snow. "But I'll be back. Not for war. Just for answers."
Yue hesitated. "Who are you really?"
I paused at the edge of the Spirit Oasis and glanced back.
"…Jinx."
And then I vanished into the city—silent as the snow, cold as the wind, with moonlight on my back.
(timeskip)
My boots skated across the icy roads, black frost curling behind me like a serpent as I weaved through the Northern Tribe's winding corridors.
Guards were everywhere now—scrambling from every tower, sounding horns, calling out to one another in panic.
But I was faster.
Shards of frost shot beneath my feet as I propelled myself forward, slipping between patrols with ghost-like precision. I kept low, ducking under a bridge and skating through the underpass toward the outer wall. Just a few more streets and I'd be at the dock where I hid the lifeboat.
But then…
I stopped.
Not because I wanted to.
Because the world shifted.
The moon above flared suddenly—brighter than it had been all night, white and full and pulsing with power. The wind howled as the canal beside me began to churn, the water rising and crashing in unnatural waves, even though no tide should have touched it.
What the hell…?
I placed a hand over my chest. Something inside me… stirred.
It wasn't fire.
It wasn't ice.
It was something deeper. Something… older.
Something wet.
And then—
"Got you."
I spun just in time to see Pakku land behind me in a storm of snow and frost, his beard dripping and his eyes blazing with icy fury. Two others flanked him—one tall with a long braid and blue tattoos curling around his neck, and the other broader, younger, his stance practiced but not perfect.
They surrounded me on three sides.
"You shouldn't have come here," Pakku growled. "You've trespassed on sacred land. Attacked my guards. Defiled our sanctuary."
"I didn't attack your guards," I said, keeping my breathing calm. "They were asleep. You should be mad at them."
"Don't test me, boy."
Then they attacked.
Pakku was the first—sending a wave of ice daggers at me in a spiral.
I spun into a low sweep, releasing a blazing ring of magenta fire, the heat turning the daggers into steam before they could reach me. One of the flanking benders shot a disk of water that turned to ice mid-air, aiming straight for my back.
I leapt into the air, twisted mid-spin, and launched a fire whip behind me, cracking it against the disk, shattering it into a spray of frozen dust.
The younger one tried to flank me, stomping and pulling a blade of water into his hand, aiming for my shoulder.
I raised a hand to blast him—
But another wave from Pakku smashed into me and sent me sliding back down the alley. My boots skidded across the ice. I caught myself just before I hit the canal.
"Enough!" Pakku shouted.
"You're good," I muttered, wiping blood from my lip. "I'll give you that."
"Tell me who trained you," he demanded.
"Me."
They didn't like that.
All three moved at once—Pakku freezing the ground under me, the tattooed one forming a series of jagged shards to box me in, and the younger one—his name I would learn later was Kalluk—flinging a sharpened disk of ice straight for my head.
I acted on instinct.
I raised my hand, expecting to form an ice wall.
But something else happened.
The water from the canal beside me surged upward, twisting and coiling around my arm like a living serpent. With a motion I hadn't learned, hadn't even thought through, I redirected the incoming disk with a shield made of swirling liquid—not ice.
Water.
It happened in a heartbeat. The disk hit the stream and was absorbed into the wave, dissolving harmlessly.
Everyone froze.
Pakku stared. So did the other two.
And me?
I was still holding my arm out, staring at the shimmering surface of the water slithering down my palm like it was a part of me.
Kalluk, wide-eyed, took a step forward. "That—That was waterbending."
"I know," I said, still stunned.
"But… you're a firebender."
I didn't answer.
Pakku narrowed his eyes. "Impossible. No firebender could—unless…"
He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Unless you're the Avatar."
I blinked. Then my lip curled into a smirk as I slowly dropped my arm.
"Nope," I said. "Sorry to disappoint."
"Don't lie—!"
"Seriously," I cut in, exasperated. "I'm not the Avatar. The real one's a bald airbending monk. He should be riding a flying bison this way any day now."
Kalluk looked shaken. "Then how did you—?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But I've never been the Avatar. I've just… been around spirits too long."
The wind was quiet now. The moon's glow had dimmed.
Whatever had just happened, it was over.
Pakku studied me for a long time. Then he finally lowered his stance, though his body remained tense. "You've done something no outsider has ever done. I should take you into custody."
"You could try."
He flinched at the confidence in my voice.
"Or," I said, turning, "you could pretend you didn't see anything. And when the Avatar comes, maybe ask him the questions you really want answers to."
Then I turned, summoned a fire blast from my feet, and launched myself into the sky, skating across rooftops as I disappeared into the night.
Behind me, Pakku didn't move.
But I heard Kalluk mutter, "Then what is he?"
A question I still didn't know how to answer.