Carter watched as the two boys were sparring. Ranboo was sent flying back by a large chunk of rock. Tommy laughed in victory, raising his arms up, cheering. Ranboo quickly recovered and sent a stream of fire at Tommy. He reacted on instinct and moved his hands as if pulling the ground towards him. The ground turned red, catching Ranboo off guard and he started to sink down, it then turned black and trapped his legs. Tommy stopped as both Carter and Ranboo looked at him in astonishment.

"Did I do something wrong?" He said nervously.

Carter laughed giddily, "No! You did amazing! You're a lavabender."

"Yeah, but now I can't move," Ranboo said. Carter ran down the cliffside to his house, looking to fetch Philza and Techno. "Wait! Don't leave me. Tommy, let me out."

He smirked, "No, you can figure it out since you're such a strong firebender."

"Tommy, come on, that doesn't mean I can break through obsidian," Ranboo said.

"Wait, I was able to do that," He walked over to the black rocks and poked them. "How?"

"You tell me," Ranboo said. "So you're just going to leave me like this until Phil and Techno come over?"

"Would you like for me to try and lavabend it again?"

"Uh no, I like my legs fully intact."

"Well I was thinking the same thing but you never know. I never know what you're thinking."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You have all these friends, you travel the world, you seem to know everything. I don't like you very much, boob boy."

"Oh, okay," Ranboo didn't know what else to say, he had been nothing but nice to Tommy. "You don't have to, I guess. You don't have to be rude about it though."

"Ru-rude!?" Tommy said. "I'm the rude one!? Who's the person who disappeared for years without bothering to write to Tubbo? He talked about you every day, not by name, but he always was telling me about 'an old friend', his first best friend. He would give the world for you despite losing contact years ago. Yet you have the guts to call me the rude one."

"I-I didn't realize, I thought he had forgotten me," Ranboo said in a small voice.

"What's going on here," Philza's voice broke through the tension in the air.

"I'm stuck and Tommy doesn't know how to safely break the rock," Ranboo said, this argument was between them, he wasn't about to get the adults involved.

"Did you do this," Techno asked as he looked at the obsidian, even he sounded astonished.

"Ye-yeah," Tommy said.

"He's a lavabender!" Carter said excitedly.

"No way, you're kidding," Phil said. "Tommy did this?"

"Saw it with my own eyes, it was amazing," Carter said, Ranboo raised an eyebrow at him, "Well obviously not for you."

Phil moved quickly through the air, then sent a gust of wind at Ranboo's feet, breaking the rock.

"Finally," Ranboo said, flexing his legs. "Thanks Phil."

"Of course mate," Phil smiled. "Carter, where's your pantry? Ranboo and I are going to make one of Kristen's dishes."

"We are?" Ranboo said. Techno rolled his eyes, couldn't Phil choose a better excuse?

"Yeah," Carter grabbed Ranboo's arm and pulled him towards the stairs. "I'll show you!"

Watching as the three disappeared, Techno then turned on Tommy with his arms folded. "I know how to help with your bending problem, but I'll only do it if you agree to it."

"Wait, not even ten minutes ago you were telling me that there wasn't another way," Tommy said.

"Well I changed my mind," Techno said.

"What is it," Tommy said, sounding a bit interested. Why had he not told him earlier?

"I have the ability to block off your earthbending, including the lavabending. It theoretically will force your chakras to unlock in times of danger, therefore allowing you to bend the other elements."

"Okay, you'll be able to unblock my earthbending after, right," Tommy said, he wanted to prove that he was what they wanted him to be, and that he wasn't just a nobody.

"Yes, I've done it before," He spoke more slowly now, clearly choosing his words carefully.

"Do it." Tommy said.

~~~

It had been a few days since Technoblade had blocked his earthbending. He'd been having Ranboo teach him the firebending forms, Carter even pulled out some old firebending scrolls he had collected, but nothing seemed to be working to get him to firebend. So Tommy started taking more drastic measures, he had grown desperate to prove he could firebend. He started sparring with Ranboo, not caring how hurt he got, convinced that like his lavabending he would bend if he was in danger. Phil had refused to take part in the training, worried that Tommy would hurt himself if they sparred. Techno had also started to worry, but refused to admit that maybe he had made a mistake.

"Tommy," Phil said, stepping between him and Ranboo. "I think we need to talk."

"I'm fine," Tommy grunted, "I just need to run through the forms again."

"No, Phil's right." Ranboo said, "Something is bothering you and you need to talk about it. I've heard this a thousand times, but until you come to terms with the past you won't be able to move onto the future. You want to firebend so badly, then you need to move on"

"I have moved on," Tommy snapped, "I left my home and the only family I knew to come and train for a destiny that shouldn't even be mine!"

"But you feel guilty for leaving," Phil guessed, putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"Maybe," Tommy said, folding his arms. "I know it's wrong given what he's done."

"It's human to feel guilt and care about people, he helped raise you of course you're going to feel bad," Phil said. "But what he did to you was wrong and it's good you've finally realized it. Ranboo, why don't you leave us for a bit?"

"Oh, yes I'll do that," Ranboo went down the cliff face to the house, leaving them alone.

"Sit," Phil sits cross legged on the ground, waiting for Tommy to do the same. "You may not want to talk to me about it, but there is someone you can talk to and no one else will know what you discuss."

Intrigued, Tommy sat down facing Philza. "So who is it?"

"Avatar Korra, it's about time we focused on the more spiritual part of your training," Phil explained. "Just close your eyes, quiet your mind, and focus on my voice."

Letting out a long breath Tommy did as he said, emptying his mind from all the fears and anxieties he had.

"Now, feel the elements that surround us," Phil said, "The air around us, the earth at our feet, the distant sounds of a stream, and the fires burning nearby. Take it all in and no longer think of yourself as different from them, but part of them. Spiritual energy exists everywhere, we just need to take the time to listen and take it in. Now listen."

Tommy focused on the little sounds around him, slowed his breathing, and let himself exist in the moment. Suddenly he found himself on a cliff of ice, looking over the edge to the waters below, yet the height of the drop would have been deadly. He didn't recognize the place. He turned around and heard distant voices, one coming from him but it was muddled and he couldn't understand it. An airbender master with a short beard stood in front of him, placing his thumb on Tommy's forehead, a rush of power coursed through him. The scene shifted and he was not outside, but in a small hut. He was sitting in a wheelchair, across the room was a polar bear dog he knew was Naga and an older woman he recognized as Katara from photographs he'd seen. Poles spanned the space between him and Katara, he saw himself grabbing onto them and slowly crossing the room with wobbling steps. It shifted once more to a cave made of mud and rocks. In front of him was an older earthbending woman with grey hair in front of her eyes, next to her were three airbenders one of which was a young Master Jinora, leading him to assume the other two were Ikki and Meelo. He watched as the earthbender put a ball of metallic liquid into a hollow rock. Then the scene faded and he opened his eyes to see he was back to the cliff, sitting in front of Philza.

"Did you see anything," Phil asked.

"I did, I never actually met Korra," Tommy said sadly, "But I think she was there. I saw places I had never been before, and some people I have never met. I wonder if she was trying to tell me something with her memories."

"That's okay, do you want to tell me what you saw," Tommy nodded and recounted what he had seen, Phil listening carefully to every word.

"I have heard of some of these people," Phil said, "the airbender is Avatar Aang, I've heard stories about how after Amon took Korra's bending, he helped her undo what he had done. And the earthbender is Toph, the greatest earthbender in the world. Master Jinora told me how Toph had helped Korra get the last of the poison out of her system from when-" He stopped short, not wanting to scare Tommy by telling him what Zaheer had nearly done to Avatar Korra. "It doesn't matter. I don't know why she would show you those memories. But perhaps your bond with your Avatar spirit isn't as strong right now, that would be why you couldn't hear anything."

"Is there anywhere we could go, somewhere that's more spiritual or was special to Korra?" Tommy asked, he didn't want more questions, he wanted answers.

"Maybe, there might be one place here," Phil trailed off as his voice started to shake, going back to old memories.

Dark memories.

It's my birthday and so this is my gift to you guys.

Thank you all for reading! Please vote and comment I like reading and responding to them. Peace out benders and Minecrafters from around the world!