This story is inspired by AvocadoLove's story Consider the Wildflowers. It is a two-shot on AO3, and it's really good. So good I asked the author if I could use the idea for a story of my own.

So now, here is this.

Enjoy!

Long ago, the four elemental nations lived together in harmony. And the Avatar, the spirit of order given human form, was tasked with maintaining that balance.

But everything changed after the death of Avatar Roku. A tragedy that the Fire Nation took advantage of.

Knowing that the new Avatar would be an Air Nomad, the Fire Lord unleashed all of his soldiers, empowered by Sozin's comet. He struck every Air Temple at the four corners of the world, determined to find the new Avatar.

And he did, at the Southern Air Temple. A small child of twelve, who had not even begun his Avatar training, and was unprepared for combat. Scared for his life, the boy instinctively entered the Avatar State, hoping that his past lives could save.

This mistake would doom the world.

Unable to defeat Sozin, the Fire Lord struck down this child. And because the boy was killed in the Avatar State, his death signaled the end of the Avatar Cycle. Meaning that there was no longer anyone in the world strong enough to stand against the Fire Nation.

The Air Nomads, realizing that the Avatar had died, fled the battle. Sozin and his followers then made it their mission to hunt the nomads and finish their work.

And for the next hundred years, while the crown of fire was passed on, the goal of the nation was clear. To subjugate the rest of the world into submission. To create a world that would bow to flames.

And this world might have come to fruition, had Fire Lord Ozai not banished his son.

97 AG

Zuko, now the former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, gazed out into the clouds as he stood at the deck of his war ballon. A bandage covered the left side of his face, while his free eye stared solemnly at the distance.

He heard the footsteps coming behind him. But he did not bother turning around. He already knew who it was.

"So it's just the two of us Uncle?"

Prince Iroh, the firstborn son of Firelord Azulon, could only sigh at his nephew's question. "I have spoken with my brother, but he will not budge. If you are to accomplish your mission and regain your honor, you must do so alone."

His mission. As punishment for speaking out of turn, it was

"What about you, uncle? Why are you coming with me?"

Iroh smiled. "My brother may be able to stop soldiers from accompanying you, but not me. As a Prince of the Fire Nation. I am able to make my own decisions. And I decided that my nephew would need my help."

A part of Zuko wanted to yell at Iroh that, no, he didn't need any help. But he knew that wasn't true. But his father had tasked him with finding and exterminating the last Airbenders. And Iroh had experience in hunting nomads. He would need him if he was to do this.

"Where do you plan to go to first, Nephew?"

"The Western Air Temple," Zuko said. "It's abandoned, but there are still Air Nomad relics hidden inside it. And it might have some clues that could lead us to potential Airbender hiding spots."

"A wise first step," Iroh said while stroking his beard. "How long will it take for us to arrive?"

"Not too long. It's still noon. We'll probably get there by the afternoon."

"I see. In the meantime, Prince Zuko, would you care to join me for tea and Pai Sho?"

In all honesty, no. Zuko did not want to join his uncle for tea and a stupid game. But his uncle had decided to join him on an impossible task and was kinder to him than anyone had been at the palace.

"Alright, uncle. Sure."

It took two hours for the Fire Nation Royals to reach the temple hidden under the cliff of the mountain. They landed the ballon in the empty, dirty plaza, close to a fountain.

"We are here. What now?" Iroh asked as he sat at the fountain.

"I'm going to take a look around. Maybe I'll find some clues to finding airbenders inside?"

"Very well. I will wait here. Call if you need aid."

I won't need it. "I will uncle."

Zuko walked to the entrance of the temple, opened the crumbling doors, and walked inside.

Iroh sighed as he stretched his legs. "I have some time while he is inside. I need to figure out a plan."

Iroh knew that helping his nephew would be difficult. He was a stubborn young man. And he was hurting. It would not be easy to teach his nephew to move on from this tragedy.

But if he was able to reach spiritual enlightenment after... after Lu Ten's death, then he was certain that Zuko would be able to do so as well.

"I will need to be gentle. I cannot for this change upon him. But I must also be clear."

Even as Iroh continued to ponder his situation, he held out hope that would be able to do. The consequence of failure would be to bury another son. And he would not allow that to happen.

He would protect Zuko. With his life, if necessary.

"Worthless trash" Zuko muttered as he burned another set of beads he had found in an old drawer. All he could find in every room was beads, necklaces, and robes. Plainclothes that were only made here, and gave him no indication as to where he could find any airbenders.

"There has to be something. Even after a hundred years, there must be some kind of guide."

Zuko continued walking through the temple, hoping to find something useful. That's when he found a room that was larger than the rest. One that housed an enormous statue of a female airbender. A master, evident by the arrow tattoos on her hands and forehead.

"Avatar Yangchen" Zuko muttered. It made sense, given that this temple is where the air nomad Avatar before the last one was born and raised. They would have made this statue of her out of respect.

"I wonder if you have anything to show me," Zuko said as he walked up to it. "They say that an Avatar's spirit can live on after death. Does that still count when the Avatar cycle is over?"

The statue said nothing. Only gazing forward with empty eyes.

"I guess not. You really are just a worthless stone" Zuko said, not realizing that a few scattered, century-old candles had begun to light with dim blue flames.

"What's it like? Knowing that you're people are gone? That everything you ever knew and loved has been ripped from you?"

The statue continued its silence.

"Then again, you nomads didn't stay as a family. You probably didn't care about the fact that every one of you was dying. You just cared about disappearing into the wind to survive. You didn't have any honor to lose. Not like me."

Faintly, a light started to appear in Yangchen's stone eyes.

"I lost everything. My country, my honor, my father's love. But your people would probably just tell me to accept that, wouldn't you? "Move on from the pain." But unlike careless monks, I don't have that option. I can't just let go."

Zuko stared at the floor, his anger starting to boil. The glow from Yangchen's eyes and arrow was growing stronger. So were the light blue flames.

"I'm going to do what I have to. I'm going to hunt down your people to the last monk. There's nothing you can do to stop me. Do you hear me? You can't stop my destiny!"

That's when Yangchen's eyes exploded in a flash of white light.

"UGHH!"

Zuko staggered back from the flash, covering his open eye from the flash. He continued stepping back until his foot felt something hot.

"What the...?" Zuko turned to see blue flames taking up the entire space between him and the exit. And in front of him, the statue of the old Avatar was still glowing. He was trapped.

"Uncle! Help!"

That's when the flames grew. And the glow from the statue became more intense. Within seconds, both had him enveloped.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

"AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"

"Prince Zuko!"

Iroh dropped his teacup and rushed inside the old temple. He had to find his nephew.

Zuko's eyes opened again. But when they did, they did not see the stone walls of a temple. And his back didn't feel stone floor either. Instead, he was looking up at a blue sky. But his vision was slightly... blurry?

Zuko's hand crept up to the left side of his face. The bandage was gone. His burned eye was exposed to... wherever he was.

"What is this place?" Zuko groaned out the last word, as getting himself back up turned out to be more difficult than he had anticipated. His limbs felt sorer than that had been in the temple. it almost felt like those blue flames and that white light had drained the energy from his body.

Speaking of the temple, Zuko had to get back. His Uncle would still be there, and he was probably worried. He had already been through enough deciding to come with him. He didn't need to lose more. He had to find-

"Help Me!"

The shout tore Zuko from his screams. His attention went to a massive tree in the distance. One which had a center glowing in purple light.

"I'm Coming!" Zuko shouted as he ran towards the tree. When he reached the tree, he couldn't find anyone. There was no one around.

"Where are you?!"

"I am in here. Inside the tree" the voice spoke. "I beg of you. Set me free!"

But how? The tree was too large for him to quickly climb. And he had no tools to be able to break inside. He didn't even know if he could get pas the light source inside the tree.

Unless...

Unless he didn't have to focus on just that one part of the tree.

"Hang on!" Zuko shouted before taking a controlled breath. It was just like Uncle told him. Controlling his breath will help him control his flames.

With one strong strike, Zuko blasted a whip of flames towards the tree. The bark the fire latched on to immediately started to bristle. But he needed more. So he continued to send out rapid strikes, bashing the tree with fire. And the tree must have been old and dry, because the flames were soon spreading from the roots to the were tips of the tree branches.

"This has to work. Are you alright?"

Zuko didn't get an answer. The tree continued to burn as branches started falling off. The flames seemed to be licking closer and closer to its roots. Soon enough, the tree would be dead.

The energy wall inside the tree began to change. Its luminosity seemed to be lessening, and its stability seemed to be failing. That's when the voice spoke again.

"I..."

Cracks began appearing in the wood around the wall.

"Am..."

The cracks grew larger and the flames wilder. The earth itself was shaking, seemingly ready to blow.

"Free!"

Once again, an explosion of light knocked Zuko back. The top of the tree became combustion of flames and purple energies, and Zuko was forced to remain in a fetal position in order to withstand.

Once the dust settled, he was able to rise again.

"I suppose I should thank you for your help, young human."

Young human? What was he talking about? Zuko looked up.

And saw what was clearly a spirit. It sort of resembled a floating black kite, with red patterns adorning its entire body. It had tendrils sticking out of it's lower body, obviously used for grabbing things.

"However, thanking a human would be beneath me. Leave, so I may continue my mission." The spirit said no more before turning it's back to Zuko. It started floating away.

Leave? After all the trouble Zuko went to save him?

"Who do you think you are? I just saved you from your little tree prison here. A little gratitude wouldn't kill you."

The spirit stopped. "But impertinence just might. Who are you to demand anything from me, boy?"

Zuko grit his teeth. "My name is Zuko. Prince of the Fire Nation."

The spirit only chuckled. "Prince? It seems humans actually managed to sustain themselves after all. And build societies. That is almost impressive."

"What do you mean "almost impressive"? Just who are you anyway?"

The sprit stopped right in its tracks. The red markings began glowing purple. It didn't seem to be happy anymore.

"Who am I?! I am Vaatu! The spirit of darkness and chaos!"

"Never heard of you," Zuko said with a grin. Maybe now the spirit wouldn't feel so high and mighty. Maybe now it would treat him with some respect.

That didn't happen.

Instead, the spirit turned its face upwards and blasted a beam of purple light to the sky. So it was still angry.

"Damm you Raava. First you imprison me in a tree for ten centuries. And now I learn that you had me erased from the world's memory?!"

"What are you so angry about? You just got set free."

"What angers me?! Do not be a petulant child! I have been forgotten. First I was neglected from my duty, and now I learn that all of life ha forgotten the name of Vaatu. You do not understand what it is to be attacked for what you are, and then banished for that same reason."

"Yes I do," Zuko said. "My own father banished me for wanting to protect soldiers. I spoke out of turn, and he did this to my face." Zuko pointed at his scar, rage evident on his face.

Vaatu took pause at this, not having expected the human to answer back.

"It matters little. Once Harmonic Conversion occurs, the spirit portals will open. I will be able to escape."

Portals? Escape? Zuko could use that.

"How long will it take for that this harmonic... thing to happen. I can use it to go back home."

"There is still one human lifetime remaining for Harmonic Conversion to occur. You are unlikely to see it."

"What?! No! I have to go back!"

"Why is that? Do you need to return to your father for another punishment? Or is the spirit realm not your designated spot of banishment?"

"Do not talk about the Fire Nation that way! Once we win the war, the world will thank us! And I need to reclaim my honor to take part in that glory!"

"War?" Vaatu asked, seemingly indifferent to the rest of what Zuko said. "The material world is at war?"

"Yes. The Fire Nation is fighting to gain control of the world. To bring it to order. You didn't know that?"

"Do you have no sense? I have been locked in that tree for centuries. How would I know?" Vaatu said. "This is very bad."

Zuko frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I am a spirit of Chaos. I create war, and I know it's a necessity. But war as large as what you describe? Chaos on a level this unprecedented? This will only end badly."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you know nothing of the nature of balance boy? Chaos and order must exist in equal measure. If not, the world will exist in an endless cycle, battling between two extremes."

"This war is clearly the result of my imprisonment. Ten centuries of nothing but order? With Raava alone to spread her will across the world. It is only natural that chaos responds in such a manner. But this human chaos will only end with a level of Order that destroys the balance. This must be prevented. I must return."

"What about me?" Zuko interjected. "I need to get back!"

"I fail to see how that should concern me. You will die anyway, and I will live on. My only concern is returning to the material world.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I am the spirit of chaos and freedom. I am Raava's equal in power. I will find a way to escape."

Zuko wanted to scream. He was stuck in the spirit world, with no way to go back. He was trapped, barred from finding the airbenders and regaining his honor. He would die here, and Azula would probably laugh.

But then he remembered something. The names Vaatu and Raava stirred an old memory in his mind. Back when he was younger, a story that his uncle had told him. He had said that it was a story that he should know, even if the information no longer seemed relevant.

"Raava. That's the name of the spirit that joined with a human and created the Avatar?"

"That is correct human," Vaatu said with a bristle. "But I fail to see how that matters."

"If- if you and merged like that, would we be powerful enough to escape?"

"HAHAHAHA! You would honestly suggest that I, Vaatu, the spirit of darkness and freedom, merge myself with a lowly human. That I surrender my existence to yours?"

"It's not surrendering. It's more of a... compromise" Zuko began saying. He would need to do this right. "Raava defeated you a long time by doing something you didn't expect. She became the Avatar and locked you up. If we do the same, we can escape. And maybe fix whatever problem it is that's bothering you."

Vaatu was silent for several moments after hearing this. Zuko really hoped he was considering.

"I do not think you realize what you are asking for" Vaatu finally responded. "When Raava merged with Wan, they created a cycle of lives. If I merge with you, I would be with you not just all of your life, but for all of your reincarnations as well."

Zuko's eyes momentarily widened, but he shook his worries away. He couldn't wait for years to see if another solution would show up. He just needed to get out.

"Whatever. Let's just do this so we can both leave."

Vaatu seemed to pause for a moment. Maybe he wouldn't go through with it.

But then he started floating around Zuko. He flew around above him, one tendril shooting out and creating a circle in the ground above Zuko.

"A new cycle begins here," Vaatu said, his voice surprisingly free of its usual arrogance.

Vaatu ended his flight and dive-bombed straight down at Zuko. The prince, who ha looked up, saw just in time for Vaatu to crash int his chest. The spirit phased into Zuko's being, merging their souls together.

Zuko could not describe how he felt. His body was now glowing black, his eyes shining a color mixed between red and purple. The red patterns of Vaatu were now adorning his midnight flesh, and they were growing in intensity.

"AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

As Zuko screamed, dark light overcame the world around him.

"Prince Zuko! Nephew!"

The first thing Zuko saw upon opening his eyes was his uncle's face, one laid with a worried expression. The expression turned to joy upon his nephew's awakening.

"Zuko, what happened? I heard your scream and came rushing to this room. Are you alright?"

Zuko was not necessarily alright. He was exhausted, and his body felt... different. It felt heavier, but also lighter. His blood felt boiled by a dragon's flame, but it also felt frozen.

He really needed rest. But his uncle needed to know.

"Uncle. Something-something happened."

"What is it, nephew?"

"I-I think I just became an Avatar."

This is something I'm excited to write. I remember Avatar being one of the best shows when I was a kid, and Zuko was always my favorite character (next to Iroh). I also remember seeing the episodes Beginnings in the Legend of Korra. I loved the episode, but I always wondered what would happen is Vatuu was used as the basis for a new Avatar. One who isn't evil, just a little less... pacifistic.

Also, I apologize if I got Zuko's character wrong here. Iroh wasn't too hard, just write the greatest human being you can imagine. But Zuko is a lot more complex. He is a genuinely good person buried under a mountain of doubt, insecurity, anger, and a desire for love from someone who will never give it. I'm someone who's darkest writing mostly centers on existentialism, which doesn't really fit Zuko. But I will try to improve my Zuko writing, so just bear with it for now.

From those ideas, this story was born. Let me know what you guys think about this story in the reviews.

I'll see you all next time. Bye!