"Aya! Come on!"

Aang yelled as he pulled Aya through the forest, running away from a group of Fire Nation guards that was chasing the Gaang.

Aya was running for her life, trying to keep up with Aang's quick pace. The Fire Nation guards were throwing fire blasts at the four and dodging the best they could.

"How many are there?" Sokka called.

"Five? Six?!" Aang shrugged as a fire blast shot at there feet and Aya yelled, jumping over it. "Maybe more!"

The group turned a corner and were met with more guards, crossing a bride. Aang pushed himself in front and used his airbending to push them away. Sokka used his boomerang to knock out another guard.

Aya saw a guard rush toward them and she got out her daggers and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled back and she threw her red dagger at him, hitting him in the helmet and he fell to the ground. Aya smiled to herself as Aang took her hand and the group started to run again until Katara turned around to find more guards chasing them.

Katara bended some water and froze it, before sending multiple ice discs at the guards. She had knocked each one of them out and Aya sent her sister a bright smile, impressed with her sister's new move.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Katara called and the four rushed up the mountain. The guards recovered fast and started to chase the Gaang up the mountain. The Gaang reached the edge of the mountain and Aya yelped, looking at the far drop below them.

"What do we do!?" Aya panicked, grabbing Aang's arm.

"Jump!" Katara yelled as she ran passed them and leaped off with no hesitation. Aang picked up Aya and leaped off the mountain with her in his arms as Sokka jumped off next to them. The Fire Nation guards stopped at the edge as they watched the four jump off, but were soon met with Appa flying by their faces.

"Whoo!" Aang cheered as they flew to the skies away from the Fire Nation guards.

Aya laid her head on the back of the saddle, sitting next to Aang as Sokka was at the front of the saddle, laying on it. Katara was leaning on the side, huffing with exhaustion.

"Those ice discs!" Aya beamed at her sister. "That was so cool!"

Aya was hiding her envy with a giant smile on her face.

"It was something I saw the Earthbenders do," Katara remarked. "Thought I'd try a Waterbender version.

"Your bending has gotta really sharp," Aang told her. "I mean, you've been inventing new moves. That's a mark of a skilled bender."

Aya glanced at Aang before her eyes found her hands in her lap as Katara spoke. "I have been feeling pretty confident, but I've learned everything I can from Gran's Gran's scroll, so what I really need is to get to the Northern Water Tribe. Waterbending masters there will be able to take me to the next level."

Aya's smile faded, thinking how she would never be like her sister. She will never be a bender, just normal. Not special.

"We've been running into the Firebenders a lot more often." Aang mentioned.

"We're getting closer to the Fire Nation border," Katara remarked. "It was bound to happen, even without Sokka's tragic dating attempts."

Aya giggled a Sokka frowned. "How was I supposed to know she was a Fire Nation soldier?"

Aya felt something disturbing and she leaned over the edge, looking at the forest. Aang had felt it too and leaned over with her.

"Look, we need to keep our guard up, at least until we get to the North, where the..."

Katara stopped talking when she saw her sister and Aang looking over the edge at something.

"Aya? Aang?" Katara asked and she leaned over to see the disturbing sight that they saw. Below them was part of the forest burnt down, almost like a giant path for the Fire Nation to get through. Appa growled as he flew down to burnt down forest.

——

The Gaang was walking around the destroyed part of the forest. The trees were all burnt down, all wildlife was gone, and it had ashes all over the ground. Aya was distraught at the sight of this beautiful forest getting destroyed because of the ruthless Fire Nation.

She couldn't believe they would do this.

Sokka found a medallion that had the Fire Nation symbol on it. "Fire Nation."

"Why would they do this?" Katara asked.

"Because they are ruthless," Aya remarked, touching a burnt-down tree.

"Why do they do anything?" Sokka asked.

"This is all my fault," Aang said, staring into the distance of the burnt forest. "It's the Avatar's job to protect the natural world. That's just as important as helping people and fighting Firebenders. How many more forests have died because I wasn't here? Because I don't know what I'm doing?" Aang fell to his knees and Aya bit the inside of her cheek, feeling devastation for Aang.

Momo chirped at something and Aya went over to the lemur. Aya saw Momo had dug up a small acorn and Aya put her hand out as Momo placed the acorn in her hand. Aya smiled at the small acorn, standing up.

Aya looked at the Avatar before she approached him. She gently sat down next to him, showing him the acorn.

"Life is a cycle." Aya began and Aang looked at her. "And out of death comes new life. This will be a forest again. That's what you should see." Aya took Aang's hand and placed the acorn in it, before folding his fingers into a fist and she placed her other hand on top. "Seeds for the future." Aya let go of his hand and Aang examined the acorn. "Not past mistakes."

Aang lowered his hand and Aya scooted closer, putting her hand on his shoulder. Aang's mood was still distraught and she wanted to put a smile on his face because seeing him upset hurt her.

"Aang, you couldn't have faced those Firebenders on your own. Running away was the smart way to go. I'm proud of you," Aya softly told him and he gave her a small sympathetic smile. Aya placed a soft kiss on his cheek, which made his cheeks turn a small shade of pink.

His smile grew slightly and Aya blushed, leaning away and standing up. Aang stood up too and the two kids went off to find Sokka and Katara. Both kids were blushing bright red, smiling to themselves. Aang felt giddy that the prettiest girl ever kissed his cheek and Aya felt shy with butterflies in her belly.

Aang and Aya looked through the forest, searching for Sokka and Katara. They eventually turned a corner and found them talking to a little girl, holding a doll.

"Sokka! Katara!" Aya called. The little girl gasped and ran away in fear, dropping her doll.

"Wait!" Katara and Sokka called. Sokka picked up the doll and followed the girl with Katara. Aya and Aang followed them until they reached a small town outside of the burnt-down forest.

The little girl ran across a bridge and over to a house, where a man walked out. He sighed with relief when he saw his daughter, hugging her.

"You know better than to wander by yourself," The father told her as the Gaang approached them. The father pushed hie daughter behind her protectively.

"She dropped this," Sokka showed him the doll but stopped when he saw the cautious father. "We're not here to cause trouble. We...she was just scared."

Aang noticed everyone was looking at them and turned back to the man. Aya could sense something disturbing here, she doesn't know how or why she senses it, but she does and she knows something bad will happen.

"Something bad happened here, didn't it?" Aang asked.

"Please forgive my manners." The man apologized and looked at Katara and Sokka. "Thank you for helping my daughter."

"No need to apologize. Living this close to the Fire Nation means you've gotta stay on your guard." Sokka remarked.

"Yes. We have seen our share of war," The man nodded.

"Was that how the forest was destroyed? A battle?" Katara asked him.

"No," The man said. "The Firebenders just wanted a clear path as they moved through the mountains."

Aya's mouth fell agape in shock and horror. "That's awful."

"And that's why they burned down the forest?" Aang frowned.

"But after the fire, strange things started happening. Our crops started dying. Our... our animals stopped grazing. It's almost as if the land itself had gotten sick. A few days ago, we sent out an expedition to search for food. And they never came back." The man explained and the little girl peeked her around him as her father continued. "My son, Shi-yong, he was with them."

Aya covered her mouth in disbelief, eying the little girl, who just lost her older brother and a father who lost his son.

"We know what it is like to live in fear," the man added. "But this, this is something deeper. It's something... beyond this world."

Aya frowned, pondering for a moment. This isn't Fire Nation, but maybe they angered something that is now causing harm to this town.

The sibling trio looked at Aang, who was thinking. He eventually looked at the man. "You're right. Your people are beyond this world. But I can get them back."

——

Sokka, Aya, and Katara walked through the forest with Aang leading them somewhere.

"The world we live in isn't the only world there is. There's another realm beyond ours." Aang explained.

"The Spirit World," Aya smiled. "Like how you contacted Kyoshi."

"Yes. Usually, the two remain separate, but there are places where the barrier between them is thin." Aang explained.

"So you think the forest is one of these thin places?" Katara asked him.

"I don't think it. I feel it." Aang told her. Aya frowned, feeling a spiritual presence grow as they walked further into the forest. She doesn't understand why she feels this presence like Aang, she doesn't understand. Aang continued. "And I believe the fires weaken the barrier even more. The Avatar is the bridge between the natural world and the Spirit world, and I can feel how close the two are. It's like ice that's started to crack."

"Can anyone else feel it?" Aya asked.

"I'm not sure," Aang remarked and Aya nodded, still unsure why she felt a spiritual presence.

"So, you're gonna hop into the Spirit World, grab the lost folks, and hop back?" Sokka asked Aang

"Something like that. Yeah," Aang nodded, uncertain of his plan.

Sokka paused. "You sounded a lot more confident before.

Aang turned to him. "Because all of this is my responsibility. Yes, I need to get to the North so I can save the Waterbenders, but I also need to help these people, so they don't lose their homes and the ones they love. The way I lost mine."

"It's impossible for you to do everything," Katara told Aang as Aya took his hand, squeezing it.

"It's like Bumi said, 'The Avatar has to do the impossible.'" Aang remarked and continued forward with the siblings. "I need to find where the spiritual energies are strongest."

"And where's that?" Sokka asked.

"I'll know when I find it," Aang told him.

"You almost said something specific!" Sokka called and was randomly met with a bunch of tree brunches, smacking his face. Sokka pushed the branches out of the way and he was in a different place then before, he couldn't find his sisters or Aang.

"Aya! Katara!" He called as he rushed through the branches. "Aang?!"

Sokka tripped and he turned to find a statue of a fallen bear. "Ahh!"

Sokka looked up and saw his sisters and Aang, looking around at all the statues of different bears. Some fallen, some damaged. Aya felt a strong presence here, it also felt thin. It was an interesting feeling and she couldn't explain it. It was like a shrine they were in.

Aang's eyes found the bear that was standing the tallest with a scratch mark on his face. "A shrine to the spirit of the forest. This is the place." Aang sat down on a rock and started to mediate.

"So, what do we do?" Sokka asked.

"We watch over Aang," Katara told him. "Once his spirit crosses over, his body will be vulnerable."

"We need to protect him." Aya declared, taking her daggers out in case.

"And how will we know this works?" Sokka asked.

"I'm not sure," Aya shrugged.

"I'm getting hungry," Sokka said.

"Hey, do you mind?" Aang called impatiently. "I'm trying to concentrate here."

"Sorry," Aya apologized as Aang turned back around with an eye roll and continued meditating.

——

Night fell and Aang was still meditating. Sokka was playing with his boomerang, Katara was practicing her technique, and Aya was practicing her moves with her daggers. Aya was in the middle of practicing when she noticed Aang's body was standing outside of his physical one.

"It worked," Aya pointed and her siblings sat up straight, seeing Aang's spirit. Sokka looked at hie sisters and he became shocked at the sight he saw. Katara and Aya's bodies were blue like how Aang's was.

"Girls?" Sokka gasped and the sisters looked at their brother to find his body floating out of his.

"Huh?" Aya gasped and looked down to find her body was blue. The three looked behind them to find their physical bodies were sleeping against a boulder.

"What is happening?!" Sokka panicked.

"Aang?!" Aya cried out. She was freaking out, her body felt weird. Actually, she couldn't feel her body at all, it was strange.

"I've separated my spirit from my body, but somehow, I brought you guys with me," Aang told them.

"How is that possible?" Sokka asked him.

"Must be the energies in this place and the thinness of the barrier and my power," Aang shrugged. Sokka went up to Aang and took his arms.

"Get us back! Get us back now!" Sokka exclaimed and Aya pulled him back.

"Sokka!" Aya called as Katara grabbed Aang.

"I'm sorry!" Aang cried as their world flipped around and suddenly, they were all in a different place. It was still a forest, but it was misty and hazing. Their bodies look like they were back, but they weren't home. They were far from home.

"We're in the Spirit World," Aang told them.

——

Up Next: Echoes of A Hidden Past