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Italics: (Na'vi language or Jake's inner thoughts or narration)
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After Jake had passed out, Y/n took it upon herself to bring him to a hammock until he woke up. Neytiri offered her help, so they both carried the Avatar to the sleeping areas of Hometree, away from everyone else.

Since everyone was wary of Jake, it was hard to convince other villagers to help. The two sisters came back for Grace's Avatar body as well and placed her in another one of the beds of the tree. It had been a couple of hours since they collapsed, and neither of the two had woken up, worrying Neytiri and Y/n.

You were particularly worried about Jake, hoping he was alright, so as you positioned yourself in the hammock next to Jake's, Neytiri noticed your behavior and came over to sit beside you and put a comforting arm around your shoulders.

She noticed how much you care for Jake, even if he came from the Sky People, she would support you every step of the way. You being her little sister, Neytiri made a promise to herself to protect you and take care of you. She wants you to be happy, and it wasn't easy for her to see you so worried and scared.

As the two of you waited, Neytiri said that she has to go back down to the main room to see what was happening, and then she would come back to keep you updated. When she left, Y/n could hear chanting and screaming from her spot on the hammock, so it was clear that the people were getting riled up to fight.

You sighed until you heard Jake start to groan in his sleep. Your eyes widened and you scooted closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek gently as his eyes slowly opened. When he was completely conscious, but still a little woozy, he looked up at you and smiled.

"Jake..." You said in relief with a soft smile. You started rubbing your thumb against his cheekbone, and he placed his hand on top of yours. After a few seconds, he quickly remembered why he was brought back to his Avatar body, so he sat up and took both of your hands in his tightly.

"Y/n, there's not much time left. We have to warn everyone else about what's going to happen" Jake said, and you suddenly felt anxiety come at his words but you nodded nonetheless. As the two of you stood up and prepared to leave, Grace woke up too and she headed down with you and Jake to the main room of Hometree.

"Ma sempul! Ma sa'nok!" (Father! Mother!) You said, catching the attention of your parents as Jake and Grace followed close behind. Neytiri saw you appear and then quickly moved to stand by your side.

"Ma Eytukan, lu oeru aylì'u frapor" (Eytukan, I have something to say) Jake said, with Grace quickly moving to stand beside him and speaking up as well. "Tìng mikyun!" (Listen!) Grace said, backing up Jake's words.

Eytukan looked skeptical, but nodded, nevertheless. "Pivlltxe, ma Jakesully" (Speak, Jake Sully) Eytukan said, and Jake exhaled a little, finally beginning to speak.

"Eo ayoeng lu txana tìkawng. Sawtute zera'u... fte fol Kelutralti, skiva'a! Skiva'a!" (A great evil is upon us. The Sky People are coming...to destroy Hometree! Destroy!) Jake spoke with urgency, making the Omaticaya gasp at his words. Many of them didn't believe him, but a great majority worried deeply.

Feeling like his words weren't being taken into consideration, Jake turned to you with pleading eyes. "Look, tell them they're going to be here soon," He asked, and you nodded, turning to your Father with distress.

"Pìyate fìtseng ye'rìn..." (They will be here soon) You warned, making your parents look at each other, not knowing if this was true. "You have to leave, or you're gonna die" Jake warned, so Mo'at stepped closer suspiciously.

"Are you certain of this?" Mo'at asked, given as she did want to know the truth so that the people can be protected before the Sky People arrive at Hometree.

Jake exhaled and looked down, not wanting to say the next few words. He had been lying to you ever since he met you to get inside the clan, and this will ruin everything that the two of you have worked hard to get to. He knows you'll never want to see him again after this, but he'd rather you be safe and mad at him, than in danger, suffering, and not knowing the truth as to why this is all happening in the first place.

Jake turned to look at Grace, and she nodded, knowing what was about to happen. He knew that if he came clean, everything would turn to hell the minute he spoke. Jake sighed and turned to you and looked at your hopeful expression, not having a clue about what he was about to confess.

"Look, they sent me here to learn your ways so one day I could bring this message and you would believe it," Jake said, and your eyes widened, feeling betrayal and disbelief. As you heard this, you felt your heart drop and shatter.

Neytiri felt anger bubbling inside of her. She knew she couldn't have trusted a Sky Person. He was just using his sister all along and even mated with her, which turned out to be all a façade from the moment she found him.

Y/n placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face you, all the while you felt your heart start to race. "What are you saying, Jake? You knew? You knew this would happen?" You asked as your voice shakes and you started to breathe a bit heavily. At the end of your sentence, your voice cracked a bit, feeling tears brim your eyes.

This was the last thing Jake wanted to happen. You looked so heartbroken and sad that it made Jake's heart shatter, but he knew that there was no escaping the truth. You look at him with such sorrow and pain made Jake feel as if he was being stabbed repeatedly over and over again. He raised his hand and placed it against your cheek, brushing your hair back.

You wanted to pull away from him, but the shock was too big to react. "Yes," He said, and his confirmation only made your lips quiver as you looked away from him and turned your gaze downwards, making Jake's hands fall from your cheek and land on both your arms.

"So, it was all a lie?" You whispered shakily, remembering all the moments with him that made you fall in love with him in the first place. Training with him, telling him things about yourself you've never told anyone, and even what happened the night before, was it all something he just had to get over with? He was just using you to get to what he wanted? You thought about all these things, not having the strength to look up and face him.

"No. No, it wasn't. Of course it wasn't all a lie. J-Just let me explain, okay?" He explained, but you shook your head, still not finding it in you to believe what he was saying.

"Look, at first it was just orders, and then...everything changed. Okay?" He started, trying to smile his way through it to show much he meant what he was saying. However, your mind was too clouded with betrayal and pain to even begin to give him a chance to explain.

"I fell in love. I fell in love with the forest and with the Omaticaya, okay? I fell in love. I fell in love with you..." He said, feeling like he was losing this battle with each word he said. "With you. With you..." He insisted, but you began to fight the hold he had on you and started to leave his grasp while tears clouded your vision.

"I trusted you..." You muttered, and before continuing, you felt the first couple of tears start to roll down your cheeks. "But..." You paused, exhaling shakily. "It was my mistake, for letting myself trust you" You whispered, your voice breaking from pain.

You knew from the beginning that letting down those barricades that kept your emotions safe and guarded were never supposed to come down, but after Jake, you took a leap of faith to be with him, but now you were kicking yourself knowing where those beliefs got you in the end.

"I trusted you!" You yelled at him angrily, denial starting to come down and reality started to sink in. "Trust me now, please!" Jake pleaded, seeing you break away from his grasp and step away from him.

Neytiri came around and embraced you in a hug from behind as you cried. Your tears were mingled with rage and sadness all at once. "Kawkrr!" (Never!) You yelled at the top of your lungs with tears in your eyes, Neytiri hushing you softly to calm you down, even if she was fuming on the inside as well.

"Ke slayu nga Na'viyä hapxì!" (You will never be part of The People!) You yelled, managing to squirm away briefly from Neytiri's arms to push Jake away with all you had, but you were quickly embraced again by your sister after. "You will never be part of The People!" You yelled again, repeating in English what you had said to him in Na'vi.

"I shouldn't have..." Jake tried to say, but his words got stuck in his throat, daggers digging inside of him with guilt. He couldn't handle the fact that you were in pain because of him, and the fact that the Omaticaya were in extreme danger and peril because of him.

"We tried to stop them!" Grace intervened, seeing as they were losing this argument and the chances of Hometree being torn down with the Omaticaya still here were even greater.

"Y/n, please! Please!" Jake pleaded and begged, seeing you sob in Neytiri's arms as your sister glared at Jake, and Tsu'Tey too, who looked like he would kill the Avatar right then and there if he could. But after this, he was sure Eytukan wanted him alive for now.

He knew Jake couldn't be trusted, and you got hurt in the process. If only he had taken care of Jake when he had the chance, you would've been spared from this suffering.

"Mefoti yìm" (Bind them) Eytukan ordered, angry at the betrayal and heartbreak you're enduring. Tsu'Tey didn't waste any time, so he headed towards Jake and pushed him to the ground, tying a rope around his wrists and arms.

"You have to go! They're coming!" Grace begged. She understood that they were outraged, but they could at least listen and save themselves from what was about to happen to them and their home.

As Neytiri took me elsewhere, Jake's eyes followed while he was being binded. He couldn't believe he had messed this up. He felt his heart shattering knowing you wanted nothing to do with him now. He didn't want this to happen. He never wanted to be a part of this sick and twisted operation in the first place, and now he was paying the price.

-

The RDA started to send out their ships, and as of now, they were flying over the Pandoran jungle, making their way toward Hometree. There were helicopters, aircrafts, jets, ships, and everything in between. Not to mention that all of them were armed weaponry to hit the Omaticaya clan if they didn't evacuate like Jake said he would convince them of.

"Time on target. One mike" A pilot from one of the aircraft said into his coms, passing on the message to other pilots flying beside him.

"Copy. We have a visual" Another pilot replied, which was one of the helicopters flying above. "Roger that. Stay on heading 030" The main pilot replied, relaying the message.

Even though she wasn't thrilled about being a part of this, Trudy was also in the crowd of helicopters flying above the forest. She was a pilot and she was given orders, but if she had a say in this, she would turn back and leave. Eventually, Hometree could be seen in the distance and the RDA aircrafts continued to make their way toward it.

Meanwhile, outside of Hometree, Jake and Grace were now tied up against poles that were decorated with skulls all over them. This was their punishment for their betrayal. They had knives up against their necks, and their arms were tied behind their heads uncomfortably.

As soon as the whirring of helicopters and aircrafts started to get louder, the Omaticaya turned around to face the incoming threat. The villagers started shouting in Na'vi, preparing themselves to fight back.

"Ma Eytukan, ngati 'eko!" (Eytukan, they're attacking!) Jake warned, as well as Grace who was yelling Eytukan's name to get the Chief's attention. The Omaticaya still had a chance to survive if they ran away to the forest now.

"Run to the forest! Now!" Jake pleaded, but the Na'vi were ignoring his and Grace's warnings, focusing to fight the RDA head-on. "They're coming!" Grace yelled, but nobody listened.

"They will destroy this place!" Jake continued to warn the people, but it was hopeless. Eytukan stood tall with his bow in hand, preparing to fight and protect The People.

Neytiri and Y/n stood side by side with their weapons in hand. You knew that Jake was right behind you and you could feel his gaze on you, but you couldn't bring yourself to look at him, so you focused on the coming threat.

"Y/n! Take Neytiri and run! You must go now!" Grace urged the two of you, but even if you did listen, you refused to leave your people behind.

All of a sudden, a couple of warriors nearby started yipping and hollering at incoming fleets and ships that were starting to make their way directly toward all of them. Grace and Jake's eyes widened at this, realizing they had run out of time and the RDA was striking.

"Y/n! Run to the forest! All of you! Run! Run!" Jake yelled, fighting the hold that the rope around his arms had on him. The warriors, including you and Neytiri, started shouting in Na'vi to prepare for battle.

"Txopu rä'ä si! Txopu rä'ä si!" (Have no fear! Have no fear!) Tsu'Tey yelled out to the other Na'vi who were preparing their bows and arrows as the airships got even closer.

The largest of the airships eventually made a u-turn and pointed the front of it toward the sacred tree. As it lowered onto the ground, the wind turbines blew harshly on grass, nearby trees, the Na'vi, and everything in the vicinity.

"No! Goddamit! Run!" Jake yelled desperately. He just wanted them to get out of this situation alive. His real body wasn't there, but these were real people preparing for inevitable defeat that they had no control over. The manpower they were fighting against with bows and arrows was simply too big.

Eytukan turned to Tsu'Tey and began giving him his orders. "Ikranti makto. 'eko ta'em!" (Ride the Ikran. Attack from above!) Eytukan demanded, earning a sure nod from Tsu'Tey. The said warrior relayed the message to the others around him.

"Kä! kä!" (Go, go!) Tsu'Tey urged the other warriors, knowing they heard Eytukan's orders. The Na'vi warriors started to make their way inside the spiral of Hometree to get to the Ikran that lay on the very top.

On the largest airship, Quaritch was looking out the window in front of the ship. "That is one big damn tree..." He muttered, seeing the ginormous size of Hometree, and then looked down. There they were, Jake and Grace tied up with knives to their necks.

The Colonel scoffed with a smirk on his face as he looked at the sight before him. "Well, well, well... I'd say diplomacy has failed" He paused, before going towards the soldiers on the inner part of the ship who were getting ready to leave. "Alright, people. Let's get this done. I want every gas round you got right in the front door" He instructed, passing by the sea of soldiers preparing to disembark if needed.

"Roger, CS. 40's going hot. Firing" A pilot from another side of the ship said. Not even a few seconds later, the machines attached to the side on the outside of the aircraft started to shoot out bomb-like shells at Hometree.

The people in the vicinity got caught in the attack as gas started to release from the canisters. The Na'vi started screaming and yelling, mixed with harsh coughing as the substance got into their system. Mo'at ran inside Hometree to try and guide the Omaticaya away from the toxic gas, but it was futile given that the effects of it were almost instantaneous and the Na'vi were struggling to get out and towards a more safe place.

Back inside the ship, Quaritch smirked at what was happening and patted the pilot on the back. "Bingo. Mighty good shooting ace" He said, making the pilot smile satisfactorily.

"'eko!" (Attack!) Eytukan yelled, and all warriors started to raise their bows and arrows and began firing. This included Neytiri and you, who were aiding in the attack on the airship. The arrows themselves did absolutely nothing and bounced off of the front of the fleet without no impact.

"Sir, they've opened fire" The same pilot from
before said, catching the attention of Quaritch, who came around to see the arrows clattering against their window, doing no damage.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Quaritch sighed with exasperation. "These dumb bastards ain't getting the message. Alright, let's turn up the heat. Switch incendiaries!" Quaritch commanded, and the pilot nodded.

"Switching incendiaries," The pilot said, relaying the message to those in charge of firing missiles. "Fire," They replied.

Before Y/n, Neytiri, and Eytukan could continue to fire their arrows, large missiles started being launched from the ship and towards Hometree.

The explosions lit everything on what was now raging fire, so the sacred tree was starting to slowly disintegrate. From the damage to everything around you, you fell to your knees as your head began to pound in agonizing pain. Your hair glowed brightly, dimming a couple of times on and off, right as the RDA released even more missiles.

Neytiri kneeled by your side to check on you and Jake fought his restraints as hard as he could, wanting to be by your side. "Neytiri, it hurts!" You wailed in agony, earning comforting words from your sister to keep going. Everything about this was shattering his heart. Your home was being torn to shreds, your people were suffering, and you were suffering in ways he could never imagine.

"No!" Jake screamed, pain absorbing every fiber of his being. He fought against his restraints as best as he could, but the ropes did not budge and Grace gave him a sympathetic look. Tears were brimming in the eyes of the scientist watching this massacre unfold.

Everything down to the studs was burning. Meanwhile, Tsu'Tey and the warriors he trusted the most were now making their way up the spiral of Hometree trying to get to their Ikran. The fire was escalating and rising below them, making them hurry. "Kivä ko! Kä! Kä!" (Let's go! Go! Go!) He yelled, urging the other warriors to climb faster.

"Frapo ne wrrpa! Frapo ne wrrpa!" (Everyone to the forest! Everyone to the forest!) Eytukan yelled at his people still in his vicinity and told warriors around him to gather the remaining Omaticaya and flee to the forest.

"And that's how you scatter the roaches," Quaritch said, smiling like a madman as he watched the Na'vi leave the area of Hometree behind and towards the forest and safety.

Neytiri was able to get you up despite your pounding headache, and you both started making your way with the rest of the clan. Before you left, you and Jake made eye contact.  He was looking at you pleadingly and with pain in his eyes. You wanted to help him, but your mind quickly overpowered your heart. Your eyes narrowed at him and then continued running away with your sister with the rest.

"Y/n!" Jake called out for you, but he knew you wouldn't come back for him, and he was a fool for thinking that you would consider helping him after what he did. He understands how you feel, but he still cannot help the fact that he can't ignore the pain that struck his heart like sharp daggers when you walked away from him.

Jake turned to Grace with panic, seeming the ships start to position themselves at another angle. "We gotta move! He's gonna blow the columns!" He yelled, and Grace looked at him and nodded, so she began to try and pull on her restraints with all her strength, like Jake. "My God!" She said with gritted teeth, seeing that the ropes were not letting go.

Y/n and Neytiri ran alongside Eytukan, trying to get away from the flames as much as possible. The two sisters stopped in front of their father and he told them what to do. "Set hivum!" (Leave now!) He commanded, but both the eyes of you and Neytiri widened at his request. He was asking you to leave him there.

"Kehe!"(No!) Neytiri yelled, tears of panic brimming in her eyes. "Kehe, ma sempul!" (No, Father!) You said, speaking through the pain of your headache and leaving your Father to surely die if he stayed there.

"kä, kä, kä!" (Go! Go! Go!) He commanded, and before you could get a word in, Neytiri grabbed your arm and dragged you to where everyone else was running. You were about to ask why you left your Father alone, but then you noticed the tears running down her cheeks, so you bit back what you wanted to say and held onto your sister tighter as you ran.

As this was happening, Mo'at approached Jake and Grace with a dagger in her hand. She suddenly pressed the dagger against his neck, and thinking she would kill Jake, Grace fought her restraints while Jake himself stayed silent.

"Mo'at! No!" Grace yelled, but Mo'at was not looking to kill Jake. She had tears streaming down her face, and the Tsahik looked at Jake with a pained expression. "If you are one of us...help us" She muttered, cutting both Jake and Grace free from the ropes.

"All call signs, switch missiles. Give me the HE's at the base of the west columns" Quaritch said nonchalantly, sipping from his mug and watching the destruction of Hometree happen.

Jake was now leading and showing the way to some of the remaining Omaticay who were caught in the line of fire and hadn't found a way out yet. "This way!" He gestured to them toward where everyone else was running to. Mo'at and Grace were doing the same by gathering big groups of people so nobody gets left behind and forgotten.

"Rider section. Switch missiles" The head pilot relayed the message to the gunmen controlling the weaponry of the aircraft. They all confirmed that they were ready to fire. "Yeah, baby! Get some!" Lyle hooted and yelled from his spot on Trudy's helicopter. Speaking of, Trudy was fuming in her seat. She did not want to be a part of this in any way.

"Charlie Oscar, gunrunner standing by," One gunman said, earning a reply from another. "Cleared. Coming in hot" He said, as Quaritch watched, commanding his gunmen to bring down the missiles again on the tree. These were even more potent than before and created even more destruction than the first.

Multiple missiles were fired, hitting directly at the most vulnerable columns of Homtree. The blast created a forceful explosion that sent everyone, including Jake and Grace, to the ground from the impact behind them.

"Come on, Grace! Move!" Jake yelled, quickly getting up and helping her stand up, only to continue running from the blasts. Meanwhile, the blast was able to reach Neytiri and Y/n, but even if you landed harshly on the ground, you landed near each other so after finding one another again, you continued running together.

Eventually, more and more missiles started to fire and rain down on them. "Get down! Head down! Come on! Come on! Down!" Jake said, hiding Grace, Mo'at, and a couple of other Na'vi behind a tree trunk to protect them. The missiles did not stop or cease their fire, and it was clear that they wouldn't stop until Hometree had fallen for good.

Neytiri and Y/n continued to run side by side, away from the explosions, but the blasts were so big that they were able to reach the two sisters and made them stumble to the ground. The two tried to help each other up but the waves and wind of the explosions made them fall back down, unable to get up.

"Solid hits," One pilot said, followed by the message of another one nearby. "Solid rocks on target," They said, and Trudy was in her helicopter listening to the relay of messages between pilots, feeling her anger rise. She was instructed to fire a while ago, but she hasn't because there was no way she was doing that.

"Screw this..." Trudy muttered in annoyance, closing the hatch of buttons that fired missiles from her helicopter. She then began to move her aircraft and headed away from the front lines of the attack. Seeing they were moving away, Lyle's eyes widened. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" He yelled, still holding onto his rifle attached to the helicopter.

"I didn't sign up for this shit!" She yelled through her coms, making sure Lyle would hear what she had to say.

From inside the ship, Quaritch was watching the destruction take place, seeing multiple missiles continue to fire and destroy the home of the Omaticaya. He had a satisfied look on his face, drinking from his mug.

There was one specific missile that hit right where Eytukan was standing, and the impact made him fall back on the ground as splinters and big pieces of wood flew at him. As everything seemed to be silent for a moment, you and Neytiri stood up thinking if the assault had finally stopped. Jake and Grace did the same, looking upwards towards Hometree.

Before they knew it, the bottom columns of Hometree started to shatter, creak and fall apart, consequently making the giant sacred tree began to fall to its side. It had taken too much damage, and those missiles were the last straw for the tree to hold on.

Everyone watched in horror, and Jake wasted no time in turning back to Mo'at and Grace. "Go! Go! Go!" He shouted, struggling to get them to move since they were so struck by the tree falling. They were in complete shock.

The Omaticaya screamed in horror at their sacred tree beginning to fall, and if they didn't move fast enough, they would be crushed by it. Neytiri and Y/n watched in horror, accepting that this was happening and that their home was totaled by Sky People with no remorse.

The warriors who were looking for their Ikrans were finally able to reach the banshees and after mounting the creatures, the warriors jumped off the biggest branch and began to soar into the air. Their goal was to aid people from up above, and hopefully, see if there was anyone else left who was left behind.

In fear of being trapped and squashed under the falling tree, the Na'vi ran as they screamed and ran away. They all began to scatter to places where the tree wouldn't reach them, but it was a hard task to tell if they were far enough or not to get killed. Some just weren't fast enough and knew they wouldn't be so lucky, but kept running nonetheless, despite their fate being decided.

"No! No! Get back!" Jake said, trying to reroute many of the ones who were seemingly lost and panicked. Meanwhile, to take cover, you and Neytiri crouched down to the ground protecting each other in an embrace from the incoming tree that was seconds from landing.

The both of you yelled out in horror as you were seeing in the distance that many Omaticaya that were underneath were crushed to death as the tree, at last, crashed down

After the realization of what just happened, the remaining Na'vi, which weren't many, began to sob, wail, and scream in grief at the loss of their home, their families, and friends. Neytiri and Y/n looked at each other, grateful to Eywa that they still had one another, and then gazed at their surroundings. The pain was the only thing left to feel, and nothing more, nothing less.

Mo'at looked at the scene before her and began screaming in horror with even more tears running down her tears. She slowly stood up, seeing her people filled with devastation. Jake watched what was happening, and anger mingled with pain started to overcome him. He would make the RDA pay for what they did. These people did nothing to deserve this.

At the main base of operations, the entire crew in charge of overseeing this mission, including Parker, were watching screens broadcasting the damage and destruction done under their jurisdiction. Many of them had tears brimming in their eyes, knowing they were a part of making this happen in the first place. Guilt consumed all of them, including Parker.

"That's good work, people. First round's on me tonight" Quaritch sighed in satisfaction, patting the shoulder of the pilot in front of him. "Let's boogie," The Colonel said, and with that, the fleets were heading back to base and left the mess they created behind them.

-

I cannot believe that as I'm writing this, "barricades" has hit 10k reads- Bro how- The big 1-0 :,) thank you all so much- you all have no idea how grateful I am <3 Im still in shock shsh

Anyway, as I said, I'm already planning the next book for "The Way of Water" so stay tuned! Im so excited :,) I found a website with subtitles so I can finally start working on it!

Im sorry I took kinda long with this update, but I got sick over the weekend and I had no energy for anything at all, but I'm feeling better now so yay :)

Also, I might not update until next week because I have back to back tests Thursday and Friday, so most likely next Monday or Tuesday will be the next time I update. Or even Sunday. It could be earlier than that but Ill figure it out as I go <3

Don't forget to vote and comment! 🤍 They make my day, honestly!