| abstract
| - At an Earth Kingdom tavern, Zuko convinces the bounty hunter, June, to use her shirshu, Nyla, to track the missing Aang using the scent of his staff. The shirshu is unable to track him, however, and June explains that Aang is "gone". Sokka asks if Aang is dead, to which June clarifies that he is not dead, he just does not exist. Newly awoken on a strange island in the middle of the sea, Aang and Momo wonder where they are, deducing they are not in the Spirit World because the former can still bend. He decides to climb to the top of the island to see if they can discover anything. Zuko, realizing the group would not be able to track down Aang, comes to the conclusion that the only other person who could possibly defeat Ozai is Iroh. He brings back Iroh's rancid sandal as a smell sample for Nyla to track. Nyla runs off to find the source and Team Avatar follows on Appa, eventually being led to the breached Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se after a day-long journey. They decide to camp out for the night. The group is later woken up by fire surrounding their encampment. Several old masters, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, Pakku, and Bumi, show themselves and greet them. Wandering around the island, Aang soon finds a large hexagonal symbol on the ground and, unable to bend it, deduces that it is not made of rock or normal earth. Lost for thoughts, Aang decides to contact Roku, hoping he will know where this place is. However, Roku confesses to him that he has not the slightest idea as to where they are, but sees Aang is frustrated by the knowledge that he has to kill the Fire Lord to end the Hundred Year War. Roku confesses that his own disciplined outlook on being the Avatar was ultimately what caused the War to happen, as sparing Fire Lord Sozin cost Roku his life. Roku tells Aang he must be decisive and disappears. Toph wonders why they are surrounded by old people, and they reveal they are members of the Order of the White Lotus, a secret organization focused on beauty and philosophy, and were summoned to Ba Sing Se by Iroh, the Grand Lotus. The gang exclaims they are looking for him and the masters agree to lead them to him. Bumi notices that their group is missing someone important and inquires about the whereabouts of Momo, to which Sokka responds that he and Aang are missing. Stating that Aang and Momo will be all right "so long as they have each other," Bumi continues to lead the others to the White Lotus camp to find Iroh. Back on the island, Aang summons Avatar Kyoshi for wisdom. She recalls her encounter with Chin the Conqueror, severing Kyoshi Island from the mainland to stop Chin, inadvertently causing his death. Aang reasons that she technically did not kill Chin, but Kyoshi tells Aang she sees no difference and would have killed him herself to keep the world in balance. She tells Aang only justice will bring peace and disappears. Agitated by her response, Aang wishes he never asked Kyoshi for wisdom at all. Along the way back to camp, Bumi revealed that he single-handedly liberated the city of Omashu during the Day of Black Sun. With an amazing display of earthbending, he freed himself from his cage and cast out Fire Nation buildings, laughing and eating rock candy as he launched Ozai's gigantic statue out of the city. The Fire Nation soldiers were powerless due to the eclipse, and helplessly fled. Bumi asks the others if they did anything interesting on the day of the eclipse; Zuko and Sokka look awkwardly at each other and claim that they did not. Aang looks deep within himself and summons Avatar Kuruk for wisdom. Kuruk explains that during his time as the Avatar he was laid back and let the four nations work their own problems out. However, Koh the Face Stealer punished Kuruk for his laziness by dragging his love Ummi into the Spirit World. Kuruk blames himself for what happened to her, and tells Aang he must actively shape his own destiny, as well as the destiny of the world. When Kuruk disappears, Aang despairs that three of his past lives are telling him to do what he does not want to do. The gang arrives at the White Lotus encampment, and Zuko is shown to Iroh's tent. He sits in front of the tent, ashamed and worried that Iroh hates him for his betrayal. Katara sits and comforts him, believing that Iroh would forgive Zuko if he was truly sorry. Zuko enters the tent and finds his uncle asleep. He sits down to wait for Iroh to wake. Aang figures that since the three past lives he asked were not Air Nomads, they cannot possibly understand his position correctly. He summons the previous Air Nomad Avatar, Yangchen, to ask her for wisdom on what he should do. Though they both agree that all life is sacred, Yangchen insists that, as the Avatar, he has a duty to protect the world. Aang argues that the monks taught him to detach himself from the world so his spirit can be free to achieve spiritual enlightenment, but Yangchen counters that the Avatar is incapable of detaching from the world, as it is the Avatar's sole duty, and insists Aang must do whatever it takes to protect it. After she disappears, Aang laments to Momo that he has no other choice but to kill Ozai. The next morning, Iroh wakes up to find Zuko waiting for him. Zuko tearfully apologizes for all he has done, but before he can ask how to redeem himself, Iroh grabs and hugs him, surprising Zuko. Iroh states he was never angry at his nephew, but was afraid he had lost his way. Zuko admits that he had, but Iroh establishes that he found it again and did so by himself. As a new day begins, Aang wakes and sees mountains in the distance moving closer, realizing that the island itself is moving. He swims around the side of the island and, seeing a giant arm paddling, understands the island is a gigantic sea animal and starts swimming toward its face. Zuko asks for Iroh to stop the Fire Lord since Aang is missing, but Iroh says he is not sure he could defeat Ozai. He also believes it would not be the right way for the War to end, as history would only see it as a brother killing a brother for power, and that only the Avatar should defeat the Fire Lord. Iroh rejects his claim to the throne and tells Zuko he instead must take Ozai's place as Fire Lord to stop the War. Iroh believes Zuko has at last restored his own honor, and that his destiny is to restore the honor of the Fire Nation. However, Zuko must face his sister Azula before claiming the throne, and Iroh insists he cannot do it alone. Zuko asks Katara to come to the Fire Nation with him and she gladly accepts. Sokka, Suki, and Toph plan to intercept the Fire Nation air fleets and help Aang if he needs it. Iroh and the rest of the White Lotus members bid the two groups farewell; Zuko and Katara on Appa, and Sokka, Suki, and Toph on an eel hound. When Zuko asks Iroh what he will do after he reconquers Ba Sing Se, Iroh responds by saying he will reopen his tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, and play Pai Sho every day. Aang finds that the swimming island is a lion turtle, which stops swimming and lifts Aang onto its paw. Aang asks it for wisdom on how to stop the Fire Lord without taking his life. The lion turtle answers, "The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light." The lion turtle brings up a paw, his two claws touching Aang's chest and forehead, causing a green light to illuminate. Aang does not understand the turtle's words, but is comforted by this wisdom. He is let on land and waits for the arrival of Fire Lord Ozai. As night falls, the air fleets of the Fire Nation led by Ozai prepare to depart and watch as Sozin's Comet enters the Earth's atmosphere. Aang watches in anticipation as the sky turns orange-red.
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