Chapter 1- The Next Step

Earth

Fire

Air

Water

Known across the world, Avatar Aang and his friends heroically ended the Hundred Year War.

However, not everyone made it with their lives during the war. A young child, by the name of (Y/N) (L/N), died while battling her brother to protect innocent lives from his murderous spree.

She did not die in vain, for her brother fell with her, and the war was won by Avatar Aang and his friends, with harmony spread across the nations in remembrance of the brave Earthbender.

Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko transformed the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations, a society where benders and nonbenders from all over the world could live and thrive together in peace and harmony.

They named the capital of this great land, Republic City. Avatar Aang accomplished many remarkable things in his life.

But sadly, his time in this world came to an end.

And like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatar began anew.

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"Now then, does anyone have any more story requests?" A woman sitting on a stool closed a book and looked at the small children in front of her. The children were looking at each other and thought about what other stories were not old yet.

"Oo! Oo!" A small hand was raised up in the air, as high as it can, with a small boy waving it in the air frantically, making the woman who was telling the story giggle.

"Yes dear?" She asked the boy, who scooted closer as the others kids looked at them.
"Can we hear the story about The Delusional Bender? Please?" He pleaded, which made everyone gasp.

"Yeah! Can we?"

"She's so cool!"

"She's the toughest lavabender ever!"

"Her Tiger Monkey was so cute!"

"She could beat me up anytime!"

"Ayo-?"

"Bro, you good-?"

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"Ah!!" The spirit screamed, sitting up straight from their nest, panting heavily with wide eyes. They looked down to still see the cast on their leg.
'It really was just a dream,' The spirit thought, before someone lifted a flap that belonged to the Spirit's home, revealing a old man with green, golden, and white clothing.

"Little one, are you okay?" The old man asked with concern, and the spirit shakily nodded.
"Just a bad dream... that's all," They muttered, giving him a small smile as they shifted with the blanket on top of them. The old man sighed and relief, as another jumped inside the spirit's home, ready to attack.

"What is it?! Who is trying to hurt you?! I'll kill them!!" Another spirit threatened, baring his teeth while looking around.
"It's nothing Sifu Aye Aye, I was just a dreaming about something," The spirit tried to reassure Aye Aye.

Aye Aye eventually calmed down and dragged himself by the window, sitting next to it to watch the stars as the spirit turned to the old man.
"Thank you Sifu, for worrying about me," They bowed and smiled brightly at him.
"Please, you know my name little one," He chuckled and patted the spirit on the head.

"Okay, sorry Sifu Iroh,"

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"Alright children! Alright," The woman calmed everyone down, and she cleared her their to prepare her story.
"Pfft, the Delusional Bender isn't real!" A girl scoffed and crossed her arms. That made the boy who requested gasp at her.

"She totally is! Have you seen the statue in town center? She is real!" He argued, making some other kids to nod frantically.
"My dad says she's not real, just a folk story to warn kids about not to rebel against authority! Normal Earthbenders can't lavabend, only the Avatar can!" The girl retorted back.

All of the children started to shout at each other about the stories, and the woman tried to calm them down.

"W-well, the thing is, i-is that-"

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Iroh hummed, sitting down where the spirit's Lute laid on the floor, and gave it to them. The spirit beamed and laid the instrument next to them, feeling comfort.
"It's best to sleep now little one, it's good for you," He said and petted her head before sitting on his little bed.

The spirit looked at her hands, little scars all over, and the little green ring on her finger, with a weird symbol in the middle, and an two letters below the symbol.

"Hmm..." She hummed and looked over to Iroh.

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"That's where you're wrong!"

Everyone stopped shouting and turn to see another woman, older than the one reading the stories.
"Mom!" The story teller gasped slightly, surprised to see her mother in the school.
"Your father does not know the full story of what truly happened all those years ago," The older woman huffed.

She walked passed the kids, and took a chair to sit in next to her daughter.
"I need to give you the real history, and the true identity, behind the Delusional Bender," The woman started.

"Or rather, the story of (Y/N) (L/N),"

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"Sifu Iroh?" The spirit whispered to the man, who hummed while trying to sleep. She lifted her blanket to where it rested on her shoulders as she looked down at her side. The Lute the spirit cherished so much laid beside her, and she softly rested her hand on the strings, plucking them slowly to make a small tune.

"Can you tell me about the story again? About the human?" She asked him, and Iroh opened his eyes, looking at the girl for a moment, before smiling softly and sat up.

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"My mother knew the Delusional Bender, and who she truly was," The woman said, and the children gasped.
"Really?!" The boy nearly squealed with excitement, and the girl had her eyes wide in shock.

"Did Toph really knew her?"

All of the kids started to gasp and hush about the fact the Metalbending master knew of the dangerous criminal. Suyin simply giggled as Opal smiled softly.

"Of course she did, she was the one who made the statue,"

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"Of course," He said, and she sat up, pulling the blanket over her head, smiling brightly while hugging her Lute.
Iroh chuckled and took a deep breath, before looking at the glowing lamp.

"Once upon a time, there was a small human girl. She was a special human, strong yet vulnerable, smart yet so oblivious, kind but stubborn, adventurous but scared of the world hurting her," He began, and the spirit saw Aye Aye shift a little, pretending to be asleep, but was listening in.

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"She might have believed that she was alone in the world, but she had her best friend with her. A tiger monkey who was the cutest animal to be around. Her life started out rough, for her family fell apart because she thought she was a monster, and her lowest point was at such a young age, it was a tragic beginning, but that did not stop her,"

Suyin continued, with the kids listening in closely, and the boy scooted closer with a big smile.

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"She never wanted to be weak, never wanted to show fear to the ones who hurt her, and she wasn't alone to face her problems. She had her friends, she had her family, she had... her lovers," She beamed at him, feeling warm on her cheeks as Aye Aye stuck his tongue out.

"Love, so weird for humans to love," He muttered, making the girl throw your pillow at him.
"She may have been oblivious, but her charm was always shining above her, for she was loved by the Avatar, his friends, and ones who thought of her as family," The spirit noticed that Iroh was trying not to cry, and she tilted her head a little bit.

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"She helped save the world, gathering scars on her body, but found who she was through those scars, finding hope through her struggles," Opal listened closely to her mother, feeling sympathetic towards the girl.
"Just like me!" The boy nudged the girl, and showed her the little scars he had on his arm.

"From an accident caused by a fire incident," He smiled, and the girl slowly placed her arm on the scars he had.
"Woah..." She said, and the boy just giggled.

"It's almost like... we're the same,"

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"She helped so many people, and made a big impact on the world. Some saw her as a criminal, some saw her as a hero, but me?" Iroh wiped a tear from his eyes as he took a deep breath again.

"She was a child who was scared, who found her inner strength and found her purpose, giving one last spark of hope before leaving the world," The spirit's eyes sparkled from the light of the lamp, and hummed softly.

"Do you remember her name?" They asked him, and he paused for a second, before shaking his head.
"I don't even know what she looks like anymore," The Spirit frowned a little, but he just smiled and turned to them.

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"Woah, and she looked so young," Opal commented while looking outside at the statue. The statue hasn't changed a bit after many years. From the hairstyle, to the shape, clothes, even the scars that were dented in.

And don't you ever forget about the bandana.
"I wish I could've met her, you think we would have been best friends mom?" Opal asked Suyin, who shrugged and gave her a smile.

"Who knows?"

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"But all I know know, is that one day... I will see her again," They smiled at his words.
"I hope I get to meet her too, she sounds so cool!" The spirit yawned and laid their head down, Aye Aye getting from his spot to pull the blanket over their body, petting her head before setting the spirit's Lute down next to their nest.

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"Is there any more of (Y/N)'s stories?" The girl asked, no longer feeling like the story was fake, and now invested.
"Yeah! Are there any more?" Another kid asked, and more kids shouted about more stories.

"Oo! There is one that my mom told me about, it was the battle in Ba Sing Se... if it's okay with Mrs. Beifong," The boy sheepishly looked at Suyin, who was intrigued.

"Let's hear about it,"

"YAY!!"

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He gave Iroh a knowing look, and the old man nodded as Aye Aye walked off to his sleeping area.
"Good night Sifu Iroh," The spirit whispered, before snoring softly. Iroh closed his eyes and placed his hands over each other.

"Good night...

(Y/N),"

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When one door closes

Another begins