With determination to tell Mi, Bro, and his mother about his plans to leave the village at the end of the year, Atlas had invited Mi and Bro over for dinner.

His mother was always happy when he invited someone over and immediately started cooking a possum-chicken stew. Mi and Bro arrived a little earlier than expected, so Atlas was still in the garden wash-cooking rice with his bending when he saw them.

They seemed to be quarreling again, as he overheard Mi telling Bro, “It’s not a competition, and it’s normal for a boy to be able to lift more than a woman.”

Atlas couldn’t help but grin at that. Puberty was setting in, and a few things were changing—at least for Mi. Bro was still the kind but competitive idiot he had always been. Mi didn’t seem overly bothered by that, as she still put up with his antics most of the time.

It made Atlas wonder if, once Bro finally grew up, they would become a couple. If he was honest, he hoped they would. One of his greatest nightmares was the thought of Mi somehow becoming interested in him. Just imagining how he’d explain that to Hermione made him shiver—especially after all she had sacrificed for him.

“Hey, Atlas, so what is it you wanted to talk about?” Bro asked by way of greeting.

Mi quickly stomped on Bro’s foot to shut him up.

“What Bro meant to say is that we’re happy you invited us,” she said sweetly.

“He already told us he wanted to talk about something, so what’s the problem?” grumbled Bro.

“The way he said it, Bro. You really need to read between the lines,” Mi whispered back.

“You know I can hear you, right?” said Atlas, suppressing a laugh at their antics. “But we’ll talk over dinner. My mom made possum-chicken stew.”

“Su’s stew is the best. She really needs to show me how she makes it,” said Mi enthusiastically.

“I hope she made a lot. I’m starving,” said Bro, rubbing his stomach.

“I’m sure we have enough. Mom always cooks like the whole village is coming over whenever I invite someone.”

As the three entered the hut and removed their head leaves, Su was already filling bowls with her stew. They still lived in the hut where Atlas had grown up, so the room felt almost crowded with everyone sitting at the table.

“Careful, hot and tasty,” said Su as she placed the bowls on the table. “How are you two doing? I haven’t seen you in ages. You didn’t visit as often while Atlas was busy teaching plantbending.”

“We’re fine, Su. We’ve been hunting a lot. We developed a few new hunting methods with Tar that involve plantbending, so we’ve been out of the village most of the time,” Mi explained.

“Yeah, and I don’t know how many times we had to grovel in the dirt because Tar wanted to test ‘one more trap.’ It was exhausting. The man’s crazy,” commented Bro as he began to stuff himself.

“Oh, that sounds interesting. I’m sure you can show Ati what you’ve learned. It must make hunting even safer, right? Tar was always a cautious one,” said Su, sounding nostalgic and amused, as if recalling an old joke.

“Sure, we can. Tar said Atlas could join us again next week, so we’re a little excited too. I already told my dad he’d need to train hard or we’ll be the best hunters in the village within two years,” boasted Bro, causing Atlas to frown.

“What? It’s the truth. We’ve got one of the highest success rates in the village, and we’re only getting better,” said Bro, confused by Atlas’s expression.

“Well… about that, I have something to tell you. I… I’m planning to leave the village at the end of the year,” Atlas mumbled, quieter than he intended.

“What do you mean you’re leaving the village?” his mother demanded, her tone sharp and dangerous. It was clear she wanted a good explanation.

Bro opened his mouth, but Mi signaled for him to stay quiet.

Atlas took a deep breath before starting the lie he had been crafting for months. “You know how the swamp sometimes shows us visions—visions of the past, the present, or the future? I had one of those. It made it clear I need to leave the village,” he said, making it sound as dramatic as possible. He hated lying to them, but he believed it was the best course of action.

The three of them stared at him, waiting for him to continue, while his mother whispered, “Enlightened.”

“I saw the village on fire. Even the Banyan-Grove Tree was burned to ashes. Fire Nation soldiers were cutting down every tree, one by one. I saw villagers dying—I saw Huu, Tar, even you three burned alive.” He paused, letting the words sink in.

Mi, Bro, and Su looked shocked and disbelieving.

“But surely there’s a way—” Mi started.

“Yes, there is a way. The Avatar. The swamp showed me where the Avatar is. But more than that, it showed me that even the Avatar alone wouldn’t be enough. The swamp showed me dozens of people capable of fighting the Fire Nation army, but failing alone. I need to find these people and bring them together to fight with us,” Atlas said firmly.

Bro gulped before speaking. “Do you think the swamp could be wrong? Why would the Fire Nation attack the swamp?”

“When will they attack?” Mi asked, not waiting for an answer to Bro’s question.

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“I don’t know why, and I don’t know exactly when. In my vision, we were older. It could be five, ten, or even fifteen years into the future. The only face I clearly recognized before it was burned was my mother’s. Her hair had already started to turn gray…” Atlas trailed off, visualizing the story in his mind to show emotion. The act came easily—he had dreamed of their deaths many times, just not for this reason.

“Come here, Ati. Everything will be fine. We’ll be fine,” Su said, hugging him as though comforting a child after a nightmare.

Atlas reluctantly pulled away from his mother’s embrace. “We won’t be fine unless we act now,” he said softly. “The swamp wouldn’t have shown me this if it wasn’t meant to be prevented.”

“We’ll come with you, Atlas,” Mi said firmly. Her voice held a certainty that left no room for argument. “We’ll find these people together. And if we have to, we’ll dismantle the Fire Nation army, soldier by soldier. They won’t even know what hit them.”

“Yeah, Mi’s right. We’ll come with you,” Bro added, his usual carefree confidence shining through. “I’m sure there are plenty of hunters who’ll want to help too.”

Atlas shook his head. “And who will stay here to protect the village when the hunters are gone?” he asked. “Some people need to stay and feed the village. Others will need to build walls and traps—big enough to stop even a warship. If we go, it’ll only be a small group. We’ll also need to break tradition and reach out to the villages outside the swamp. We don’t have the resources or materials to prepare for war—not on such a large scale. I’ll talk to Huu about it. He’s been outside the swamp, and I’m sure he’ll know how to help.”

The room grew quiet. Su’s eyes welled with fresh tears, and Mi’s determined expression faltered for a moment. Even Bro’s enthusiasm seemed to dim.

It wasn’t that he truly believed the swamp needed to be fortified. The swamp was uninteresting to most nations, and it was unlikely any battle would take place there—at least not one he didn’t bring to its shores. But he feared that if too many members of his tribe left, the Earth Kingdom might become aware of their presence and potential.

A tribe full of benders was a valuable war asset no nation could ignore. The history of the Southern Water Tribe’s bender extermination had shown as much—or would show, once Hermione’s father launched his attack. Even if Atlas tried to dismiss the thought of his tribesmen dying in the Earth Kingdom’s army, their involvement would shift the balance of the war in ways he couldn’t predict. Unless he identified the hero of the war, that was something he couldn’t risk.

His tribesmen were also too distinct to blend in, making it difficult for them to build the kind of covert information network he’d envisioned. The only real option was to prepare them for a final stand against the hero while encouraging the village to grow and remain resilient. He hadn’t completely abandoned the idea of saving the world, but that dream only seemed feasible if the hero proved weak—weak enough to be defeated even with the powers of the Avatar.

And for now, he clung to this slim chance, hoping to preserve his village’s peaceful way of life as much as possible. A naive thought, he admitted to himself, and one he would need to reassess as soon as he uncovered the hero’s identity and abilities.

“Are you sure about this, Atlas?” Mi asked hesitantly. Her voice, usually steady, carried a rare quiver. “This all sounds so… dangerous. Overwhelming. Unbelievable. Are you certain the visions you saw are real? That these people you need to find even exist?”

“I’m sure,” Atlas replied with quiet conviction. “And one person doesn’t live far from here. When I saw a vision of her, I saw the swamp in the background. A blind little girl, with white eyes. She will become someone powerful enough to slaughter an army on her own. She will bring earth-bending to a level that not even an avatar has reached. She will bend metal with the same ease Huu and I bend plants. Then there is a witch as powerful as she is vicious. She is currently held captive by the fire nation and is able to bend the very blood that flows through your veins. There is also an old weird king in the Earth kingdom, easily a hundred years old, but powerful enough to beat seasoned benders while his whole body is imprisoned in a metal prison."

Mi and Bro stared at him in stunned silence, while Su clutched her hands tightly together.

“There’s also a girl in the Fire Nation,” Atlas continued, his voice softening slightly. “She has caramel brown eyes, wavy dark brown hair, a soft yet proud smile, and a thirst for knowledge like no other. She is able to create a blue fire so beautiful and elegant but so powerful that it could melt the ground you stand on…” He hesitated, realizing he had said too much. Mi’s sharp gaze caught the change in his tone, and Su’s expression hardened.

“Ahm… and then there’s the Avatar,” Atlas quickly added, redirecting the focus. “He’s a boy with a shaved head and an arrow tattoo. He’ll need to learn to bend all the elements except air, but he’s the key to ending the war.”

“There are really people like that?” Bro asked, wide-eyed. “I want to meet them! Imagine what a group of hunters with those abilities could do. We’d be invincible!”

“They’re not hunters, Bro,” Atlas replied, suppressing a groan. “And this isn’t just about hunting. We have bigger problems.”

Mi folded her arms. “This Fire Nation girl… Why would she help us? Isn’t she part of the Fire Nation?”

Atlas hesitated. “Because… maybe… she wants to end the war too?”

Mi raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “You’re not sure, but you’re betting our tribe on her? What makes you think she’d fight against her own people?”

“I just know,” Atlas said firmly. “In my vision, she fought against the Fire Nation princess—a cruel, violent, sadistic bitch.”

Mi’s expression softened slightly, but her skepticism remained.

“So when are we leaving?” Bro asked, breaking the tension with his usual bluntness. “Why wait until the end of the year if these people are so important?”

“No,” Su interrupted, her voice firm. “You’re not leaving tomorrow. I won’t allow it. You’re just children.”

“We’re not children—we’re hunters!” Bro retorted, offended.

“Yes, you are children,” Su said, her voice trembling. “I’ve listened to your grand plans long enough. But this is far too dangerous. Let the adults handle it. Atlas can describe the people he saw, and others can find them. I won’t lose you too, Atlas.”

Her voice broke, and tears began to stream down her face. Atlas felt his heart ache as his mother’s grief became so apparent. He knew she had never processed the loss of his father.

“I think we should continue this conversation tomorrow,” he said, dismissing Mi and Bro with a nod. They exchanged uneasy glances but didn’t argue.

Once they had left, Atlas turned to his mother and hugged her tightly. “Mom, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I’ll be okay. It won’t be like with Dad. And I promise, I’ll visit at least once a year.”

“Why can’t you stay with me?” Su sobbed. “You’re still so young, Atlas. You’re only twelve years old. Please, at least wait three—no, five years. You said the attack might be ten years away. Or let someone else go.”

“The swamp chose me, Mom,” Atlas replied gently. “And it wouldn’t have shown me this if someone else could do it. Sometimes, I only saw fragments—voices or places. No one else could interpret them well enough to find these people. And while the fight here might be years away, the people who can help us are dying now. We can’t wait that long.”

Su’s shoulders shook as she clung to him. “We couldn’t even bring your father’s body back, Atlas. They burned him. There was nothing left.” Her voice broke completely. “Promise me you’ll come back. Please.”

“I promise, Mom,” Atlas said softly, his voice thick with emotion.

----------------------------------------

The next day, after his mother had calmed down, Atlas met with Mi and Bro.

“So, what’s the plan now? Why aren’t we leaving immediately to find these people?” Bro asked, as carefree as ever.

Atlas sighed. “I need to show Huu and Tar a few of my more dangerous inventions… and I want to go into the Death Zone.”