Aaron jerked awake after hearing his Grandfather's words, his eyes opening to a peculiar scene.

His father, Ren, danced around the wilderness in an air geyser, battling Aang, who was in the Avatar state. They were a fair distance from the camp, but Aaron was certain the fighting would reach him.

'That's not good.'

Aaron moaned, checking his stomach burn once more. He emptied another one of Mark's potions, slathering half on the wound and drinking the rest of it as he considered his options.

Ren was skilled, but he didn't have a bottomless pool of Chi and spiritual energy to draw on like the Avatar. Plus, once he started Earth bending, things could get very messy.

His only hope was to find Katara and have her talk him out of the Avatar state. The alternative was talking to Aang himself. Considering what happened, that could be tantamount to suicide.

Aaron sighed. Things wouldn't have spun out of control so quickly if he'd not been so dismissive of the Avatar's concerns. He hoped the villagers at least found shelter before the fighting started.

Aaron struggled to his feet, feeling the potions already working their magic.

He created an airball under his feet as he rode around the camp, looking for the children. They were somewhere over the second hill just west of the battlefield, along with the last group of people he expected to find.

"How can you stand to be beside him!" Sokka growled at Mark. He'd been bound, hand and legs in earth cuffs to keep him from tackling him.

"When the Dragon of the West calls for a truce, you do as you're fucking told," Mark huffed.

"I still think we should go back for him," Katara spoke up. She was unshackled, unlike her brother.

"No one can survive taking a shot to the stomach like that, even if they're Aaron," Mark said. "He'd have wanted me to get you away. Besides, we don't need your deaths on Aang's conscience."

Mark seemed to notice his speeding figure approach, and he squinted before his lips spread into a full smile.

"Looks like I spoke too soon. Am I glad to see you alive"

"Not as glad as I am," Aaron smirked. While the children complained about his methods, Aaron approved of them completely. Calling a truce and evacuating them was the smart thing to do; It was the phantom thing to do. And recalling his previous display of bravery made Aaron squash any reservations and suspicions.

Mark had earned the benefit of the doubt.

"Aaron!" Katara chirped.

"I never stopped believing," Sokka said.

"How did you…" asked Katara.

"Survive?" Aaron finished, then popped out one of the many potion flasks he'd strapped on before coming on the mission. "If I ever doubted you, Mark, your potion recipes certainly made me a believer," Aaron said, shaking an empty potion glass.

"I'm guessing that's as much of an apology as I'm ever going to get, so I'll take it," Mark gave a gracious bow.

"We'll talk later," Aaron said, "But first, I need to talk to the General."

Iroh watched Aaron approach with a curious look, muscles tense under layers of fabric and fat.

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"I see you've found yourself again."

"Somebody was nice enough to give me the benefit of the doubt."

"I will not apologize for my decision, young Phantom. Your techniques might make you powerful, but eventually, they corrupt even the strongest-willed."

"I don't doubt it, but power is power, and power is what we need to stop that," Aaron pointed at the earth-shattering fight happening to their east.

"I don't think the Avatar will calm down, even if he takes down my Father. We killed Zhao, and that goes against everything he believes in. For your safety and ours, we need to stop him."

"I did not bring this down upon us. You did," General Iroh pointed out with less malice than Aaron expected. "It was you who killed Zhao."

"But you conspired to let it happen and went back on your word," Aaron countered.

"You were trying to kill my nephew; I was a little preoccupied."

There was a stretch of silence as yet another burst of wind exploded in the distance.

"So, are you going to help us?"

"Let's move."

Aaron led the charge into the growing storm, with Iroh behind him and Mark at the back, protecting Sokka and Katara.

As they approached the heart of the camp, they saw master benders clash.

Aang was fiery and overpowering, and he'd started mixing rocks into his attack like Aaron feared, while Ren glided through the air with an unnatural grace that wasted no movement. Each attack set up a life-saving dodge, and followed up with a swift deflection that blurred into an attack.

The cycle repeated itself again and again, but Ren was slowly losing speed with each rotation.

Aang was pure rage and nowhere as skilled, but he was slowly grinding him down. Once Ren was out, they would be next.

"Going in as we are is a suicide mission," Aaron said. "I think it'll be safer if I astral project in. It might piss Aang off, but he can't touch me as a Spirit…hopefully. If I don't manage to get through to him, you can get the kids closer in to say their piece"

"Sound good enough to me," Mark shrugged. "As long as I am not the one talking to him, I'm good."

General Iroh stroked his beard. "Certainly not the worst plan I've heard. I shall protect the children if it comes down to it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Aaron snorted, settling into a cross-legged pose. "Wish me luck."

Aaron slipped out of his body faster than he'd done last time, making the trip to the spirit world and back in a blink. He hovered over the destruction like an ambivalent deity, watching the carnage unaffected by the wind.

Banking low, he dove into the thick of it. Skating by upturned tents and collapsed structures until he popped up in front of the Avatar.

"Hey!" he waved. "It's me you're looking for, isn't it?"

Aang's eyes went wide, his tattoos and eyes dimming for a fraction of a moment before they returned.

It raised a hand and swung it at Aaron, releasing a crescent of compressed air. The air audibly cracked as it approached, and Aaron raised both hands to protect himself despite knowing that his spiritual body was otherwise immune.

Aaron didn't even feel the water was through him, leaving him a bit startled but more confident.

"I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But look at what you've done," Aaron yelled, pointing down at the camp. "The men who didn't die during the assault are dead now because of your fight, and what about the earth nation people we wanted to save?"

Ren, who stood behind Aang, nodded at Aaron as he took deep breaths. He would be ready for another round regardless of how their talk went.

Meanwhile, Aang's face twisted in conflict as he looked down.

"You're angry and in pain and have all of this energy, and you don't know where to put it. Why don't you throw it at me? You can't harm me."

Aang raised his hand, and Aaron felt his spirit and body clench in anticipation, but the attack never followed.

Instead, Aang looked past Aaron to Mark and the kids on the hill where he'd left them with Iroh and zipped towards them.

Aaron's first instinct was to yell and warn the kids, but the closer Aang got, the smaller his Chi pool seem to be. By the time he was in front of the kids, he was back to normal levels. Katara ran forward to hug him, and tears streamed down his eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt anybody," he muttered to himself over and over again.

No one talked for the longest time as Aang got the support and comfort he needed.

Mark and Aaron went off looking for the villagers who'd made it to Omashu, with Igi's father at the lead.

He wrapped up Mark in a fierce hug that the younger boy had the good sense not to fight, and then he turned to Aaron and did the last thing Aaron expected.

He apologized.

"I know we haven't seen eye to eye for a while, but I've seen how much you care about my son and how much he cares about you."

Aaron shared a look with Mark.

He continued. "Not everyone would throw themselves in front of a lightning attack like that."

"You saw?" Aaron asked, fully expecting another tongue-lashing.

He nodded and looked down at Mark, who avoided his gaze. "While I don't fully approve of his behaviour, I understand why he's so loyal. You put yourself at risk even when you didn't have to and nearly lost your life... It would be foolish not to even acknowledge that."

The words brought a relief that words could scarcely describe.

"Thank you," Aaron said, and the man nodded in response.