The five of them climbed down the rope inside the library as they looked around amazed by the architecture and could see how massive the library was inside, must've had hundreds of thousands of books that they could only see so there must be even more further.

"Wow," Zuko couldn't stop himself from showing the awe of the building when he turned his head to see many more.

"Wow is correct, it's breath taking," professor zei agreed as he was the first one to drop down.

"This spirit spared no expense in designing this place, look at those beautiful buttresses," he pointed making Sokka and Aang giggled a little.

"What?" The professor asked curiously.

"Nothing, we just like architecture," Aang smiled childishly as Katara smiled a little at their foolishness.

"As do I," zei smiled looking around.

They all got to the ground as they looked around seeing how tall the ceiling was and how many more stories were below.

"This has to be bigger than any palace in the nations," Zuko looked over the edge.

"Definitely bigger than the northern water tribes," Sokka agreed.

"My word! The exquisite mosaic handiwork or this tile rendered avian symbol-" zei looked when the kids followed over confused what he was saying about an art piece of tile above. "Uh nice owl,"

They heard something shuffle behind them and immediately went to hide behind the pillars not knowing if it was that fox or the spirit. Who knows if they're friendly.

Katara looked over her shoulder just barely to catch a glimpse of the figure that went to see where they entered, she stared at the back of a giant owls head and it turned its head around 180 looking at the pillars they hid behind.

"I know your back there,"

Everyone's stomachs dropped almost fearful of the spirit.

"Hello I'm professor zei, head of anthropology at ba sing si university," the professor came out of the hiding place and walked towards the spirit.

"You should leave the way you came,"  the spirit warned as the four teens peaked out.

"Unless you want to become a stuffed head of anthropology," he glared down at the professor.

"Are You the spirit that brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked walking out and the others followed him.

"Indeed, I am wan chi tong, he who knows 10,000 things, and you are obviously humans which are no longer permitted in my study," wan chi tong told them calmly.

"What do you have against humans?" Aang asked.

"Hm, humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans," he said darkly. "Like that fire bender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy... so who are you looking to destroy?"

"Whaaaaat? No no no no, destroying we're not into that," Sokka squeaked nervously when the owl got closer to only him.

"Then why are You here?" He growled a little.

"Ummm for knowledge sake of knowledge?" Sokka offered sweating more by the second.

"If your going to lie to an all knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it," wan chi tong didn't buy it.

"I'm not lying! I'm here with the avatar," Sokka whined a little pointing to Aang. "He's the bridge between our worlds,"

"Y-yea I'll vouch," Aang was shoved in front of Sokka awkwardly. "We will not abuse the knowledge in your library good spirit, you have my word,"

"Hmm very well, I'll let you peruse my vast collection on one condition, to prove your worth as scholars You have to contribute some worth while knowledge," wan chi tong looked down at all of them coldly.

The professor was first to step forward with his own book and bowed down to the owl with it as presenting.

"Please accept this tome as a donation to your library," he bowed his head down with a proud smile.

"First addition, very nice," he swooped his wing across and the book disappeared from the professors hands.

"I have an authentic water bending scroll," Katara pulled out and showed to the spirit.

"Oh these illustrations are quite stylish," the spirit was pleased and took it as well.

The owl looked at Zuko next for what he'd present and Zuko made a face realizing he had to participate.

"I uh, I don't have anything physical to give to you," Zuko pursed his lips.

"Do you have any knowledge?" Wan chi tong asked bored. "Something not from a book from school,"

"I know the real death of fire lord azulon, in many books it'll say he died from natural causes, old age even, but he actually died from a poison, the fire lord Ozai and many others are to proud to say azulon was assassinated, this won't be in the text book for years," Zuko rubbed the back of his neck looking up at the owl to prove he was telling the truth.

"How do you know then?" Won chi tong challenged.

"My mother was a servant that was one of many that found the body, it was the tea that killed the fire lord," Zuko shrugged.

"Do you know the killer?" He asked calmly.

"No, no one does," he looked away finally keeping his arms crossed.

"This information could be known by many who come to my library," the spirit told him.

"Obviously, does it found as knowledge?" Zuko rolled his eyes. The owl nodded and the fire bender walked out of the way to the group while Aang went next with his wanted poster.

"Is it true?" Katara asked wide eyes.

"Yep, how else do you think the second born prince became fire lord before the first born?" Zuko mumbled to her. Her jaw dropped but kept quiet.

-

They were free to adventure around the library and learned where genre of collections were in the library, they stayed together though to make sure nothing suspicious happened.

Sokka was on the hunt to learn about the fire nation as he dug through scrolls and textbooks trying to find something, anything.

Professor zei was in his own world with the books and the kids left him alone with his new found happiness.

Katara and Aang were sharing facts in the books they were looking for but Aang was having more fun playing with momo on his shoulder than the actual book.

"Hey Zuko you still alive?" Katara called over seeing the fire bender on the end of the hall reading a book.

"Yea," he called back without looking up.

"Whatcha reading?" She asked curiously walking over.

"Why?" Zuko asked suspiciously looking up at her from the ground.

"I mean we're in a spirits library and can't read everything, I'm just curious what you found here," Katara put her hands on her hips quirking a brow.

"It's just a old history book, long before the war, found it interesting," Zuko mumbled looking back down and she looked at the book seeing a picture on the corner, a map of the four nations.

"Wow this book must be old seeing the map of the world, how the lands were closer," Katara looked closer amazed.

"Must really be before kyoshi then," he agreed looking at the map now.

"Hey why are You being nice now?" Zuko asked looking back at her unsure.

"I'm not being nice," she said flatly.

"Yea you are, or nicer than before, why?" He narrowed his eyes. What was her motive? He knew they only wanted him around to know more about the fire nation but what could she want?

"Maybe I just have a smallest tiniest bit of trust in You not to kill us in our sleep," Katara stood back up with her arms crossed and didn't look at her with a small pout.

"That's a lot of trust," he didn't buy it.

"Well... your human like the rest of us, doesn't matter where you come from, and I can see your in pain, so maybe I just sympathize a little?" She offered awkwardly as she shuffled her feet.

"So you pity me?" Zuko rolled his eyes.

"No, sympathy, there's a difference, and maybe you don't have to be so up tight and have your guard up as much, we're not bad people, neither are you," Katara gulped a little as he watched her.

Zuko stayed silent looking at the book seeing how close the northern water tribe use to be with the fire nation. They were opposites but was there an alliance at one time?

Katara walked away to go back to aang when Sokka went over to the fire bender with stuffing a book in his bag and scrolls.

"Your stealing from a spirit?" Zuko observed.

"Shh he could be listening," Sokka hushed him quickly and the fire bender rolled his eyes and ignored the other boy.

"Listen Zuko, I'm gonna need your help with a strategy, wanna help me find the section for the fire nation?" Sokka smirked a little mischievously at him.

"Sure I'm already commuting treason, what else can I possibly offer to you," Zuko sighed sarcastically getting up and they snuck off to look more. They turned the corner seeing some paper with burnt edges under glass on display.

"The darkest day in fire nation history?" Sokka read outloud as Zuko glanced curious.

"You know anything about this? It's got a date at the top but doesn't say anything else," Sokka looked at him.

"No, never heard of anything like it, that date isn't sozins comet," Zuko tilted his head confused at what it could be. He took out his blade and stuck it under the glass and raised it for Sokka to grab the paper underneath.

"Let's go," Sokka nodded.

"Hey where are You going?" Aang saw them heading in a different direction.

"I wanna find out what happened to the fire nation on their darkest day, it could be promising," Sokka told the avatar and his sister while the professor followed.

They walked through the library a story below and saw an opening with the fire nation title above in red.

"It should be right up here," Sokka walked faster to the wing of the library but they all were shocked seeing it was burned to the ground. Nothing but ashes.

"Fire benders," Aang was baffled by how much knowledge was destroyed.

"They destroyed everything that has to do with the fire nation," Katara looked to the sides where the fires probably started.

"That's so unfair!" Sokka whined.

Zuko walked ahead a little dusting away some of the ashes in a pile. He rubbed it between his fingers disappointed even, he wondered what history was held here.

"There has to be something else here that can tell us what happened," Zuko told them wiping the ash off his fingers.

"Someone is eager now," Aang smiled hopeful.

"I want to know what they wanted to hide so bad," Zuko said calmly.