24Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor do I financially profit from this fanfiction.
Author's Notes:Once again, I am late. I apologise. Well, here it is. The final chapter of this little story of mine. I hope that you enjoy it.
Azula followed the blonde man as he led the way through the twisting corridors of the prison, taking care to remain several steps behind him at all times. "I take it that you intend to make a door then?"
"In a manner of speaking."
She quickened her pace as her companion's strides grew longer, narrowing her eyes. He rarely responded to direct questioning. "How did you attempt to escape before?"
They rounded a corner and the former physician snorted. "A stupid act of desperation. No forethought, no planning. I barely made it fifteen feet from my cell." He paused at a junction in the dungeon, prompting her to come to a halt behind him. He raised a hand, as if testing the air. Then, lowering his arm, he continued leftward.
Azula sighed. "Do you even know where you're going?" The blonde man chuckled, the eerie sound bounced from the stone walls to her ears. She winced. If there was one thing she was looking forward to, it was not fresh air or freedom, it was putting as many leagues as she could between her and this man's laughter.
"You haven't been here that long, girl. I remember where we used to meet."
"We?"
He nodded. "My fellow prisoners and me. Before your dear brother, the Fire Lord, saw fit to free them all."
She snarled. "My brother is a fool."
"Perhaps. After all, many of those he released certainly did not deserve clemency." He turned his head to side and grinned at her. "Though, I can't criticise, since I planned to free many of them along with myself."
"How?"
"You'll see soon enough."
###
The two prisoners came to the end of a hallway. A heavy, iron double door lay to the right, each of its halves containing a barred window. Azula could make out a faint, white light in the dim recesses behind the door. She glanced at the blonde man as he placed his hands against the door and pushed. What was he planning?
The doors swung open to reveal a large, square room. The source of the light was immediately apparent as the same paint that was used to form a strip around the room where the guards brought her to exercise. Only here the paint was smeared in an intricate pattern across the floor, with lines criss-crossing each other within a circle.
The blonde man crossed the threshold into the room and headed towards the opposite wall. "The guards used to bring the better behaved prisoners here as a group. They didn't expect us to make any trouble." He knelt down before the wall.
"I don't see any doors in here," she said drily.
The former physician raised his head. "Can you hear that?"
Azula tilted her head and took a step forward into the room. "Hear what?"
Her fellow prisoner gestured for her to come closer. "Behind the wall."
She walked gingerly across the room, her eyes fixed on the man's back. If he tries anything, she would... Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of water droplets splattering against rock. "What is that?"
"This, my dear girl," he said, turning to her with a grin on his face, "is our way out." With a grunt, he stood up and continued, "We found this passageway behind the wall during our time here. The water had dissolved the mortar between many of the stones. We removed the rest." He took a step towards Azula, prompting her to step backwards. "We intended to escape, but your brother's bout of good will put an end to that... at least for me."
"Why didn't you escape by yourself?"
"The passage is too dangerous for one person to traverse. But with you..." He took another step towards Azula, forcing her into the centre of the room. "I can finally get out of here."
Azula opened her mouth to respond when bright light erupted all around her. She threw up her arms to shield her eyes, just catching the face of the old man. His lips moved, but she could no longer hear. She shut her eyes against the blinding light.
###
Father's breath grew heavy as he knelt before the wall. Fifteen years. It was almost done. Fifteen years. He turned towards Azula, telling her of his and his fellow prisoners' plans to escape. Plans... more like flights of fancy. The way beyond the wall was slick and dark and, for all they knew, led to nowhere.
He walked towards the young girl, forcing her to step backwards to maintain a distance. He glanced at the markings on the floor, checking them for the last time. He placed his foot on the outer circle of the design, just as she crossed into its centre. "I can finally get out of here."
The alchemic drawing flashed to life, nearly blinding him with its brightness. Through squinted eyes, he made out the cowering figure of Azula as she vainly attempted to protect herself from the circle's powers. "Sorry, princess. This is how it has to be."
###
When Azula opened her eyes all she could see was white. She lowered her arms to her side and glanced around at the nothingness that seemed to expand in all directions. There was no sound and no smell. She could not even feel the air around her. She caught a glint of blackness in the corner of her eye and turned around to see an enormous, obsidian doorway.
Her eyes widened as she gazed at this floating gateway. She took a step back, taking in the entirety of its frame. A single flame was carved into the centre of the door, flanked by jagged bolts of lightning. They almost seemed to move.
"You're here."
Azula jumped, swinging around to locate the source of the voice. A figure, or rather the shape of a figure stood before her. It's outline a faint black, holding in a glowing blue. "A spirit!"
The shape smiled, revealing an unnaturally large set of teeth. "Close enough."
She frowned at the thing's joke. This was not a time for flippancy. "What do you want?"
The thing's smile faded. "Yes, this is all about what I wanted. You are the unfortunate product of that. My mistake."
Azula felt her hands clench into fists. "Your what?"
The thing appeared to ignore her, continuing it's speech. "I was a fool. I did not know my place."
Azula snapped. "What the hell are you!"
The thing finally seemed to notice her again, as it once again smiled. "Ah, this part. It always comes down to this." It extended its arms outwards. "I am what you would call 'The World', or 'The Universe', or 'God', or 'Truth', or 'All', or 'One', but," said the figure as it swung an arm towards her, "I am also 'You'." It chuckled. "In this case, you are also 'Me'."
She raised her arms. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"
"You may learn, in time."
Azula felt a rush of air passing by her and turned to see the giant doors of the gate open. Smoky, black tendrils flew out, latching themselves to her body. "Wait! No!" She clawed against the ground where she now found herself, desperately attempting to find some purchase with which to stop the inexorable movement towards the gate. "I don't want to! No! Azula fixated her eyes on the figure as she was dragged across the threshold. "Please, stop!"
The thing frowned and shook its head. "Despair comes to those of us who become swelled with pride."
The heavy black doors swung shut, and then, only darkness prevailed.
Thank you for reading this work of mine to its conclusion. If you enjoyed this fanfiction, or you have any criticism to offer, please feel free to review.
