Dragonbirds.
That was what their kind was called, and judging by their appearance, the na suited them perfectly.
East, South, West, and North were the nicknas Kahn had given them.
They sounded a little careless, but the spirits themselves seed to like them quite a lot.
The way they t had been nothing particularly dramatic.
After Kahn shifted his focus toward finding companions in the Spirit World, he would wander nearby whenever he crossed over.
East, South, West, and North were lively by nature and loved to play, and since their ho was not far from the place where Iroh had been settled for years, they happened to et by chance one day.
After the Avatar sealed the passage between the human world and the Spirit World, the only humans who could freely cross between the two, aside from the Avatar himself, were rare spiritbenders.
So Kahn, as an unusual human face in the Spirit World, imdiately caught their curiosity.
Kahn treated them kindly, and seeing how adorable they were, he casually offered them so spirit biscuits.
That was the beginning of their friendship.
Spirit biscuits were exactly what they sounded like: biscuits made in the Spirit World, with ingredients and tools provided by Iroh and his spirit friends.
Because of the unique nature of the Spirit World, everything within it remained in a state of constancy.
Food made from Spirit World ingredients would not make anyone gain weight, nor would it grant any increase in power.
After setting his goal of finding companions in the Spirit World, Kahn fully embraced the fine tradition of those who ca before him.
He started carrying little snacks with him everywhere, waiting for chance encounters.
After getting to know the four little spirits, Kahn couldn't help sighing in admiration.
His predecessors really were reliable.
This thod truly worked.
Because their ho was not far from Iroh's dwelling in the Spirit World, they quickly grew familiar with one another.
Every ti they t, Kahn would give them small snacks and tell them interesting stories about the human world, and their relationship ward rapidly.
After becoming friends with East, South, West, and North, he also introduced them to Iroh and his spirit friends.
The little spirits were welcod just as warmly.
Even so, to East, South, West, and North, Kahn remained their best friend.
Because of that, they only joined gatherings when Kahn was there.
Whenever that happened, they would claim parts of Kahn's body as their perches.
West liked standing on his left and right shoulders, while South and North liked nesting together on his head, making him look rather ridiculous.
In addition, Kahn learned many interesting things from East, South, West, and North.
Thousands of years had passed since the birth of the first Avatar.
Records from that era had long since blurred, becoming difficult to investigate or verify.
But for eternal spirits, the concept of ti barely seed to exist.
Anything that left a deep impression on them felt as though it had happened only yesterday.
That included the deeds of the first Avatar.
Through East, South, West, and North's accounts, Kahn finally learned the origin of the Avatar.
As it turned out, the Avatar was not purely human, but the union of a human and a spirit.
A human nad Wan rged with the spirit of light, Raava, to defeat the spirit of darkness, Vaatu.
Only then was the Avatar born.
As for the detailed process, East, South, West, and North chirped over one another, each giving a different version until none of them could explain it clearly.
At that mont, Iroh overheard their conversation and walked over with a chuckle.
"As it happens, I know a little about this matter."
"…?"
Kahn slowly ford a question mark in his mind before finally asking,
"How do you know everything?"
"Haha. After living for so long, isn't it only natural to know a little more?"
And so, the story began.
Raava, the spirit of light, and Vaatu, the spirit of darkness, were among the most powerful and ancient beings in the Spirit World.
They were twin spirits.
From the mont they were born, they had struggled against each other, locked together in an endless stalemate.
Because of that, the world possessed both light and darkness.
If Raava defeated Vaatu, the world would enter ten thousand years of light and peace.
If Vaatu prevailed, the world would fall into ten thousand years of chaos and darkness.
After ten thousand years, the defeated one would be reborn within the victor, beginning the struggle anew.
It was an eternal cycle without end.
But for humans, ten thousand years was more than enough ti for civilization to be destroyed several tis over.
The first Avatar, Wan, had once been an ordinary human.
During his travels, he accidentally beca involved in the struggle between Raava and Vaatu.
Deceived, he helped Vaatu, causing chaos and darkness in the world to swell to unprecedented levels.
To atone for his mistake, Wan began helping Raava preserve peace in the world while seeking a way to defeat Vaatu.
During that ti, Wan received aid from several spirits.
They granted him the power of the four elents, making him the strongest being of his age.
But even that was not enough.
In the end, Wan and Raava rged completely, creating an unprecedented force.
Even so, they still could not destroy Vaatu completely.
They could only seal him within the Spirit World and close the passage connecting the two realms, preventing anyone from releasing him.
From that mont onward, the Avatar began devoting each life to maintaining the world's stability and balance.
The story ended, but Kahn's eyelids twitched.
"You're saying Vaatu is sealed in the Spirit World?"
"That's right."
"If you wish to see it, I can take you to look from a distance, but you must not get too close."
Iroh sighed and continued,
"The war of the past century has produced an unprecedented amount of negative energy."
"The spirits near that place have beco terrifyingly chaotic."
"If one isn't careful, one may easily be affected."
East, South, West, and North imdiately began chirping over one another, trying to dissuade him.
"That's right!"
"It's too dangerous there!"
"No spirit dares go near it!"
"Kahn, don't go!"
"Don't worry. I'm not the type to go looking for death."
Watching a disaster from a distance was one thing.
Getting dragged into it was another entirely.
However, after hearing Iroh's description, Kahn grew even more worried.
"If that's the case, then Vaatu's seal…"
"I don't know."
Iroh shook his head, looking equally concerned.
"The Avatar's seal still appears to be holding for now."
"But if this continues, no one can say what will happen."
"And only the Avatar has the power to stop Vaatu."
"But he is still missing…"
Hearing Iroh say this, Kahn inexplicably felt enormous pressure settle over him.
This was a threat that concerned every one of them.
If Vaatu truly broke free while empowered by such massive negative energy, and with no Avatar to suppress him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Afterward, Iroh still took him to see the place where Vaatu was sealed.
Just as he had said, the spirits surrounding that area were terrifyingly chaotic.
Even looking from a distance made Kahn feel deeply uncomfortable.
Seeing that situation with his own eyes, he finally understood one thing clearly.
No matter what, this war had to be ended as soon as possible.
If the world suddenly ended while they were still fighting among themselves, that would be truly awful.
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