Water, Earth, Fire, Air

When I couldn't decide what to do regarding an assignment for my art club as the deadline quickly approached, I drowned into the Avatar: The Last Airbender world... literally! According to the Spirits, there is only one way for me to return to my own world: Through making A Thousand And One Drawings. Though that seems easy to do with what the Spirits have given me, there is a catch. I have to do it before the end of the storyline.

But do I even want to leave this dreamlike world?

Book 1: Water

Chapter 11: The Spiritual Cure

Sokka and Katara seemed to disagree more than ever, Emilia noticed one morning after a fight over how to set up a tent. Then they saw a big canyon and two tribes came out of nowhere and began quarreling. Aang decided that the sick and the elderly should ride across the canyon on Appa while everyone else walks. However, Aang didn't account for more than the ones from the tribes... until he heard Emilia enter a small coughing fit.

"She must still be affected by that poison," Lily remarked upon noticing Aang's concern.

"Emilia, are you feeling okay?" Aang asked.

"I'm fine. Just in the recovering phase I'm sure."

"Maybe you should ride on Appa."

"No! I'll be just fine walking like everyone else."

"If you say so."

However, though this played out similarly to the episode when Emilia watched it, Aang and Lily just wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she showed a sign of weakness, they came running to her side.

After the madness, Aang revealed to his friends that he made up the story he used for the tribes to get along.

"Now," he began after explaining. "Where is that custard tart? I'm starving!"

"Right here, Aang." Emilia then gave him the egg custard tart.

After Aang ate it, everyone turned their attention to Emilia as she climbed onto Appa and laid down on the saddle.

"Is it just me, or is this saddle softer than normal?"

Aang and Lily shared an alarmed glance at each other before running to Appa and climbing up to check their friend's health.

"The poison's in her bloodstream by now," Lily concluded. "The best I'd know how to handle it would be to have her just bleed it out."

"I DIDN'T NEED to hear that." Aang glared at Lily for even thinking of saying such a thing.

"Okay... well there MIGHT be a cure, but I don't know it."

"I'll be fine," Emilia reminded them. "Like I mentioned yesterday, Aang probably bent out the poison when he bent out the water from my lungs."

"That's what the poison wants you to think!" Sokka yelled alarmed.

"Uh, Sokka," Katara said immediately. "You DO realize poison CAN'T want OR think, right?"

"Goodbye, dear friend." Sokka ignored Katara and made a big deal out of it. "It was nice knowing you."

"Sokka," Emilia began, distancing herself a little. "I'll have you know that some people inject a little poison into themselves every day of their life to strengthen their immune system. I've never known whether it works or not, but they're either really brave or really foolish."

Aang pulled Lily, the one person who knew Emilia better than him, aside.

"Did she act like this when it was just you two?"

"She is seeming a little off... there's one way for us to know for sure if her mind is clear..." Lily turned back to her poisoned friend and cleared her throat. "Emilia, could you give us a quick prediction of the future?" Emilia hesitated, trying to figure out how much to spoil.

"...Okay. There'll be a storm that causes Sokka, Katara, and possibly you to get sick and then Aang will have to go find frozen frogs." Lily leaned back, surprise clearly written on her face.

"That was... very specific..." She then turned back to Aang. "Yeah. Something's up with Emilia's mind."

"How do we help her?"

"Well... aside from the unknown possibly non-existent cure, the only thing I know that can heal her would be the Diviner's power. I know that's not accessible to us, but hear me out. The Diviner had great healing powers, not through bending, but as a gift from the Spirits. That was always what truly showed the world who they were."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Well I thought... maybe you could... go to the Spirit World and find some otherworldly cure for Emi..."

"That's a great idea, Lily! Let's try it!"

Before any more could be said, Sokka interrupted them.

"She's dead! Emilia's dead! Noooo!" Aang and Lily tensed up.

"She's not dead, Sokka!" Katara angrily scolded. "She's just asleep!" Aang and Lily sighed in relief.

Aang turned back to Lily one more time.

"So uh... how do I get into the Spirit World?"

"You know... I never thought about that. However, if we could find a body of water nearby, we could try a spiritual dousing to try and get you there."

"Thanks, Lily." Lily smiled. Though she couldn't use bending to help, her knowledge regarding the many bending-related things was vast. After just being there in silence for a little while longer, Aang spoke again. "So, what are we waiting for? Yip yip, Appa!"

It didn't take long to find a lake Lily deemed acceptable. She didn't hesitate to push Aang into the water and tell him how far to drift out on his back. Aang closed his eyes and Lily placed her hands into the water from the shore.

'Remember your healing training,' Lily told herself. 'Search the water for the properties... and let it flow.'

The water of the lake glowed and Sokka was audibly shocked. Though Lily wasn't bending, it was still a surprise for them all to see... or not see, in Emilia and Aang's case, as one was sleeping and the other was trying to enter the Spirit World.

Aang's tattoos and eyes glowed and Lily knew it was all up to her on this end to keep this going for however long he decides to be there.

Aang opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the Spirit World. As he looked around to find a Spirit he could ask for directions, he saw something... or rather, someone.

"Emilia? What are you doing here?" Emilia shrugged.

"I'm just... here."

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, actually." It was then that Aang realized... Emilia might be ill in the physical world, but in the Spirit World, she was healthy.

"Well, since were both here, why don't we do some exploring together?"

"Aang, if you're here, it must be for a reason."

"Well, if you're here, it means the problem is solved! Come on!" He then took Emilia's hand and began running around in the supernatural setting.

"Aang, remember that this is the Spirit World. Things are just different here."

"But if we're both here, everything will be fine!"

"Aang, there's a war going on!"

"The war can wait, Emilia. Right now, fun!" Aang looked back at Emilia, smiling brightly. Before either of them knew it, he was ready to jump off a cliff.

"Aang! Don't jump off that cliff! You can't airbend!"

"Aah! I can't airbend!"

"Aang!" Emilia grabbed something off the ground and dove after him. She grabbed his arm and dug the thing she grabbed off the ground into the cliffside, slowing the fall. When they reached the ground, Emilia let go of Aang to catch her breath, but Aang instantly ran off to do something else.

"Come on, Emilia! There's more to do!"

"But Aang, I'm pretty sure there's something you're forgetting about regarding why you're here!" Aang stopped and turned back to face his friend.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You're here with me and that's what matters."

"Aang, that really warms my heart, but I'm sure there's more to this. What about the others back in the physical world?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sokka, Lily, Katara..." She noticed Aang's expression didn't change, even when she mentioned Katara. "They're all waiting for you to get back, aren't they?"

"...Lily can handle maintaining things back there. And Sokka and Katara are good fighters and can make up for Lily's lack of bending. They'll be fine."

'He doesn't have a crush on Katara?' Emilia thought, surprised. 'Maybe I just need to give him more time before I try playing that card. After all, Lily and I are here now instead of just Katara...'

"Emilia, look!" Aang grabbed Emilia by the hand and pulled her over to the edge of what seemed to be another cliff. Emilia's eyes widened as she saw the scene. It was like a beautiful spirit-ey grotto. Waterfalls, odd flowers in various colors, large mushrooms, and much grass... it was quite the sight.

"It's beautiful..."

"Glad you agree! Let's go!"

"Wait, Aang!" Aang picked Emilia up and began sliding down the sloped cliffside. "We shouldn't go into strange areas where spirits might live just because you want to explore!"

"You're right," Aang admitted once they reached the ground again, setting his friend back down. "We're going to explore because it looks nice!"

"Aang!" Emilia ran after him, but slipped and soon found herself in the water. Aang turned back around upon hearing the splash... and then he remembered.

"Lily brought me into the Spirit World through dousing... she must be getting so exhausted..."

"What?!" Emilia didn't move, but the shock was clear in her voice. "WHY WOULD YOU HAVE SUCH A NEED TO GO TO THE SPIRIT WORLD THAT YOU'RE RELYING ON A PERSON'S STRENGTH TO KEEP THE TRAVEL SAFE?!?!"

"We wanted to get a cure from the spirits... for you..."

"What?!" Emilia got up and went straight to Aang, dripping wet and furious. "I TOLD YOU BOTH THAT I'M FINE!!!"

"But you're not!" Aang argued. "You've been weak, tired, and haven't drawn at all since we pulled you out of the river! You are not fine! You need this!"

"Who's there?" Both Aang and Emilia froze upon hearing the unknown voice. However, they soon saw that the voice belonged to a young woman who was the form of the Aura Spirit, Lin Hua.

"Hi there!" Aang said without another thought. "I'm Aang, the bridge between the Spirit World and the physical world."

"So you're the Avatar. Of course. Why are you here?"

"A friend of mine needs a cure, and the spirits are the only ones who have the power to heal her in the state she's in back in the physical world."

"I see..."

"Pardon me for asking," Emilia began. "But why do you look like a human?"

"Sometimes, spirits and humans grow such a strong bond, that they decide to become one." She then turned back to Aang. "I will send a cure for your friend over to the physical world." Lin Hua glanced back at Emilia., understanding she was the ill one. She then picked up what looked like a bracelet and threw it to the waterfall.

"That's all?" Aang nodded. "Then I will send you back." After she made Aang disappear from the Spirit World, she turned to Emilia. "And you? Why are you here?"

"I'm not sure... I guess it has something to do with my goal..."

"Oh, right. You're the Otherworld one. How are you doing on those drawings?"

"I lost count already... but I know I'm nowhere near a thousand one..."

"I see... are you struggling with inspiration?"

"A little..."

"I think I can help with that." Lin Hua then had Emilia look at the waterfall. "Keep in mind that even the most ABSTRACT things are inspirational. I will gift you with the ability to keep images in your mind so that you can draw them when you can if you are unable to at the moment. I will even let you see from two perspectives when recalling moments, your own, and a third person perspective."

"Thank you. That's really helpful."

"I try to be. Now, I think your friends will want you back. I'll stop keeping you from them."

And then, Emilia woke up.

"Emilia!" Emilia sat up on the saddle and saw Aang and Katara.

"Hi."

"Aang got something for you... from the Spirit World."

"Try this on." He handed her what looked like a bracelet. Emilia put it on her wrist and studied it.

"It works..." She then saw Sokka at the shore, Lily resting her head on his shoulder. "What's with them?"

"Aang took a little TOO long in the Spirit World. Sokka volunteered to talk to Lily and keep her company until she recovers."

Emilia looked at Aang. The "I told you so" expression was written on her face.

"I got a little distracted, okay?" he said, trying to provide an excuse even though he knew Emilia was there too.

"Well next time, don't wear others out that much. Okay, Aang?"

"Whatever you say, Emilia."

"Good. Now I do believe we have to get back on track. We have to get to the Northern Water Tribe so you can learn waterbending."

"Right."

"Well then, how about we stop sitting around and get flying?"

"I'm all for that plan." Aang then turned to face Sokka and Lily. "C'mon, you two! Emilia wants us to get moving!"

Emilia smiled, feeling confident and full of vigor as they took flight. She then drew some pictures of what she saw in the Spirit World with Aang.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 11!

I know it's a day late, and I know that it's not like the episode, but it happens right after.

Now for the art!

Sokka is the best part about this picture...

Fight me if you disagree.

Agni Kai!

And the fanart (this is by one of my unnamed friends):

It's Emilia!

I applaud my friend for the well-imitated art style.

I normally draw that way on paper only, so seeing a digitalized version of the style brings a smile to my face during this quarantine and the resigning of the creators of A:TLA regarding the Netflix adaptation that is being worked on.

That's everything for now.

Bye!