"How do they look?" I asked.
"A girl and a boy. Light tan. Blue eyes like yours. Matter of fact, you guys seem to be from of the same tribe." Kamu replied.
I couldn't help but widen my eyes when I heard that two people with the same racial features as me had come to see me.
If that meant anything, it would mean Sokka and Katara.
Given that Kamu didn't mention if they were old, it likely meant they were around my age.
If they came from the South Pole, there were only two people in mind: Sokka and Katara.
Before I left, I had tasked them with actively looking for that bald monk.
Since then, I had been quite busy—chasing someone across the sea, grinding my levels, fighting for the prisoners, and planning for a war—so I had lost track of time.
I rubbed my temples, not taking the news very well.
Usually, someone would be happy to learn that the people they grew up with had come to visit.
But for me, it caused anxiety.
There were two possibilities:
One, they found Aang, and everyone could leave the mission of saving the world to him and relax.
But the problem was that they came alone.
It might be that these two came to look for me, and Aang was relaxing somewhere else.
The second possibility: they didn't find Aang, and because of the butterfly effect my existence had caused, he would remain trapped in the ice until fate decided otherwise.
"At least it's not the worst time for a visit," I muttered.
The worst time, obviously, would be during an active war.
Currently, I was riding Lucy, heading back to the village.
It didn't take me long to arrive at my destination.
But I took extra time to bathe and change my clothes. I had been through some tough grinding and seriously needed to clean up.
Soon, I found myself in front of the village.
Walls had been built, and in front of them were deep holes. They were easy to construct since we had 100 earthbenders.
The walls and holes wouldn't hold back the Fire Nation army indefinitely, but they were meant to slow them down and give us breathing room.
If we fought them in open space, we were as good as dead—whether we had metalbenders or explosive dust or not.
The biggest advantage in a defensive battle was walls and location. That's it.
I bypassed the wall and found myself in the training ground.
The earthbenders were gathered, talking. Some were training their dustbending, while others practiced metalbending.
I walked in, forgetting that I had left Kamu behind since Lucy was too fast for his ride.
Suddenly, my senses perked up. A smack landed on the back of my head. Instinctively, I rolled and grabbed the arm, throwing whoever tried to hit me to the ground.
I was met by a familiar face.
And luckily, it was a male's face.
"That's how you say 'hello' now?" Sokka groaned in pain. "Nice to see you healthy, Ryuk."
I smiled slightly and extended my hand to help him up.
Since we were the same age group—me, him, and his sister—we had been somewhat close in the South Pole. Sokka and I used to fish a lot together, so I was glad to see him doing well.
'Would it be appropriate to ask him where his sister is? I mean, it's not like she kissed me… and I kissed back. He shouldn't be surprised, though. I was the only boy in the South Pole who wasn't her brother…'
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Nothing. I'm just counting the time since I left the South Pole."
"I see. You want to ask about that baldy. The spirits didn't tell you?" he asked. I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or suspicious of me lying. Even if he didn't believe the excuse I made up for knowing the Avatar was in the South Pole, I had more credibility since I claimed the spirits gave me bending power.
Anyway, given the way he was talking, it was obvious the Avatar was still sleeping somewhere else. I'd think about the consequences of that later.
"Why? Want them to visit you and make you a bender too?" I asked.
"That's quite lame," he replied, taking my hand and standing up.
"Speaking of benders, where's Katara?" I asked, looking around.
"She's talking to the villagers," Sokka said. "Anyway, since when did you turn into a warlord? Was that your idea of causing a distraction and drawing attention?"
Most of the villagers were near the port and weren't allowed to leave because I didn't want to expose my weapons and tactics. That's why I spotted a brunette in blue attire talking to a middle-aged woman.
"I didn't think well at that time," I admitted.
"You never think well," he said emotionally. "But thanks. You saved my sister and the whole tribe. That's something I've overlooked because of the situation."
"Yeah, I know. Though, that kiss was sudden," I sighed. That wasn't unexpected. When you're the only guy around who's not her brother and you spend a few weeks learning bending together, someone's bound to bend over.
"I was going to talk about how Rakasha was contacting the Fire Nation soldiers to tell them about how we had a waterbender," he replied, his eyelids tightening.
I turned my eyes slightly and looked at the sky. I think I had brought up the wrong topic with Sokka, who happened to be her brother and is also very protective.
"The weather is nice today, isn't it?" I said.
"Don't change the subject," he insisted.
"The stars are beautiful," I commented.
"It's morning," he deadpanned.
"The sun is just a big star," I explained. "In our home, you only see it for six months a year."
"You're unbelievable," he exhaled through clenched teeth. "Very well. What's with this war I'm hearing you're planning against the Fire Nation, and why the hell are only 100 benders and 33 non-benders excited for it?"
I turned my head, seeing a few women working on grinding powder, which, when mixed, could create an explosion. Even a small amount was capable of blowing a human's limbs in different directions.
"Ryuk," I heard a feminine voice.
Turning, I noticed Katara approaching.
"Katara, long time no see," I greeted. "How's everyone back there?"
"They're doing quite well," she replied. "Thanks to you showing me new tricks in waterbending, I was able to help Sokka provide enough food for over a year. The tribe can take care of themselves in the meantime."
"That's good to hear," I replied.
"Anyway, what are you guys talking about?" she asked, looking between me and her brother.
Sokka answered quietly, "The weather. Did you know the sun is just a big star?"
"Why does that matter?" she tilted her head.
"Nothing, really," I interjected.
"So, what's this about a coming war? What happened since you left the tribe?" she said. "Is there anything we can help with?"
"That's going to be a long story," I said. "But let's have a recap."