[Original Fiction] The Lost Legend: Totem, Chapter 2 — The Avatar Returns
--The Avatar Returns--
Steve felt a chill run up his spine. The boy had said exactly what he was feeling –the sense of imminent danger and of being watched. He heard the faint sounds of thunder rumbling outside. A storm was brewing.
“I know you don’t trust me yet,” the boy said again. The edge in his voice was more noticeable now. “But they’re going to be here any second. A storm is the perfect cover –no one will know anything weird is going on, and they will be free to unleash the full strength of their bending without fear of exposure.”
But Steve still didn’t move.
The boy shook his head. “Come on, man.”
Suddenly, there was a loud bang against the balcony door. Steve jumped and turned around in alarm. The boy muttered an expletive under his breath. “Come on, man!”
Before Steve could turn back around, there was another bang from the balcony door, followed by a huge crash. A sudden gust of wind rushed into the sitting room. The door had been smashed down.
“Oh, screw it!” The boy exclaimed. In a move so fast Steve couldn’t follow, he brought the edge of his hand down on the door’s chain. There was a bright flash of yellow light and the chain broke. He kicked the door open, jumped in and rushed to stand in front of Steve, facing the direction of the crash. A moment later, two other persons jumped into the room, both robed in black and with faces covered. Steve stared in shock. Were they… ninjas?
“There he is!” One of them exclaimed.
The boy from the door stood between Steve and the intruders and assumed a fighting stance. “Steve, get to the door, now!”
“He’s going nowhere,” the other ninja snarled.
And then the strangest thing of the night happened. The ninjas began to make swift, similar movements, swinging their hands high and wide. Steve watched in disbelief as a crackling trail of blue light appeared from their fingers. He knew those movements, but it couldn’t be. It was an animated series for crying out loud! Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as they turned to him in unison and pointed with two fingers, sending streaks of lightning rushing towards him. Steve was frozen, but the boy acted fast. He pushed Steve out of the way and received the full blast of both bolts himself. Then, in a move Steve had never imagined seeing in real life, he absorbed them, sparkling with electricity for a split second, then redirected the bolts, now a combined into a single one back at the ninjas. It hit their feet, causing a surge of energy that threw them back and against the wall with tremendous force. Steve realised that his hair was standing straight up, both from the electric static in the air and the horror and fear that filled him as he watched smoke and flames begin to rise from the place the lightning had struck. A moment later, the sprinklers kicked in, dousing him and the boy by his side in cold water.
The boy spun and grabbed him by his shoulder. His palms felt hot, and Steve was shocked to see that his rich clothing was singed and smoking. “Snap out of it, man! Those were just the first scouts,” he said.“Lots more are coming. We have to go!”
He turned and dashed towards the door. Steve snapped to and followed him to the back stairs. They pulled the door open and clambered down.
Steve’s mind was reeling. What was happening? Had he finally snapped? Lost his mind? There had been ninjas in his apartment. Ninjas! And that movement… that was firebending. Actual lightning bending performed by firebenders –persons with pyrokinetic abilities –from the Avatar mythos. According to the mythos, the world contained persons who could control the four elements of air, fire, water and earth, divided into four nations. And then there was the Avatar, one individual who could control all four elements, the bridge between the human world and the spirit world, tasked with the job of maintaining balance in the world.
But it made no sense. It was all crazy! The Avatar universe was a fictional one, and the first series in the universe aired on Nickelodeon many years ago. It was one of his favorite shows. Perhaps that was why he was seeing all these now –a sort of delusion created in his stressed mind. It couldn’t be real. Or could it? Could he really have just escaped from firebending ninjas with the help of a stranger who just happened to appear on his doorstep and who was also a firebender? And now he was running with this same stranger to… where?
He stopped. The boy had dashed down to the next landing before he realised Steve wasn’t behind him anymore.
He dashed up again and grabbed Steve’s arm. “What are you doing?” He nearly yelled. “Let’s go!”
Steve pulled his arm away. “No! No –I’m not taking one more step until I know what the heck is going on! Who are you?”
“There’s no time–”
“WHO ARE YOU?!”
The boy fumed. “Fine! But don’t bloody blame me if we die, okay?” He drew a frustrated breath. “I’m Christopher. Christopher McGregor.”
Steve paused. The boy’s rich clothing and slight British accent suddenly took on a new meaning. “McGregor? As in Robert L. McGregor? Forbes-list-rich industrialist and English royalty?”
The boy rolled his eyes. “Yes, he’s my father. But we’re hardly royalty –too many cousins in-between.”
Steve gaped for a second then threw up his hands. “This is insane! This isn’t happening –I’ve gone crazy!”
“It is happening. And we really do have to go before they find us.”
He started moving again, but stopped when Steve didn’t follow.
“And why exactly,” Steve asked, “are they after me?”
Chris turned back. He had an unexpected look marring his usual confident countenance, like he had been hoping this question wouldn’t come up yet and didn’t know exactly how to put the answer. “I shouldn’t be the one to explain,” he hedged.
“Really? I was just attacked by crazy firebenders straight out of a cartoon and you don’t want to answer a question? And I’m supposed to trust you?”
“I just saved your life!”
“And I want to know why!” Steve erupted. “Why were you at my apartment? Why did they attack me? Why are they –and you— firebending? And why did you take a lightning bolt for me?”
“Because you are the Incarnate, Steve!” Chris exclaimed. “You are the Incarnate, the holder of wisdom from ages past! And we need you, or mankind will be lost forever.”
Click Here for the Next Chapter: 'Re-Emergence'!
The Lost Legend series is fan fiction based off Nickelodeon's Avatar franchise.
Find more of my original works as Peter M. Ogwara on Amazon!
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