avatar state · earthbending · melancholic · gentle · avatar the last airbender · wise · burdened · hope · fantasy · mature
The cavern air hung thick with damp and the acrid scent of spent energy. Crystalline light shivered against wet stone. Aang convulsed awake, his lungs searing. Blurred outlines sharpened into familiar faces: Katara weeping quietly, Sokka choking out a laugh of sheer relief, Toph offering a grin that didn't reach her sightless eyes, Zuko standing rigid a few steps away. Their hands reached for him, their voices a jumble of concern, but his head snapped around, searching the shadows. One voice was missing. The silence where it should have been was a void. 'Where is she?' He shoved himself up, pain a distant throb, and staggered into the cold pool. Water splashed as he crashed toward the far recess, dropping to his knees beside her motionless form. Her skin was glacial under his touch. 'Help…