I'm such an idiot, Appa.
Why was I such a jerk to her?
I told her I didn't need her.
Practically yelled it at her.
Why'd I do that?
Words made of air.
Airbend.
Why not words bend?
Wait a minute. There's a way out of this.
I just have to say…
I'm sorry.
Is Katara…
Uh…
Right. Um, does the bluebell have a cheese dumpling
that laments the elbow leech?
It's okay. The Dai Li that was spying on us is gone now.
- No one's within earshot. - What was that?
- I was using the code words. - Didn't you get the updated list?
You updated the code word list again?
Yes! 'Cause the Dai Li have been crawling all over the villa,
trying to catch us talking about stuff, and they might break the code!
No one can break the code.
I know the code. I can't even break it.
Guys, it doesn't matter. Momo ate the new list anyway.
He ate it for security purposes.
- I was trying to ask if Katara's here. - She left early to meet with General Sung.
She's very positive in the jing about this new mission.
I think she felt bad about losing track of Joo Dee.
Joo Dee's a master spy. Who could blame her?
Yeah, it's, uh, totally a good thing that we were all super nice to her
and, uh, thanked her for all of her hard work and dedication.
Okay, I did not do that at all.
- Was I supposed to do that? - No.
What about Professor Zei?
Does he have more information about the Spirit Library?
He may have a scroll that says where the entrance used to be.
We're sure that something in this library tells us when the comet is coming?
Legend has it,
it has the greatest repository of knowledge in the universe.
So maybe.
Right now, the best plan is to get the information for the Earth King.
Anyway, I better get going.
I gotta keep up appearances with Long Feng.
Why keep up the act? He knows you know he's lying, right?
Sure, but if I keep doing what he asks, he'll think I'm scared
because I know that he knows that I know he knows.
And that's exactly what I want him to think.
Wait, was that the new code?
No.
Were you followed?
No.
Any luck with our friend?
I've been unable to locate your mechanist.
Do you have a plan to tell the Earth King about the comet without Zei?
It's in the works.
And what about an attack strategy?
The Avatar was the key to victory in the Northern Water Tribes.
If we're going to take the war to the Fire Nation,
we will need his power.
Yeah, he's… he's working on that too.
I know you and your friends have been through a lot,
but you haven't faced someone like Long Feng before.
A villain who deals in fear and secrets
can cut the heart from his enemy without lifting a finger.
I am rallying support from others to stand with Aang against Long Feng.
Our lives will be on the line when he talks to the king,
and yours may be too.
I promise we will be ready.
I wasn't followed.
Please tell me you have it?
Your dubiety is mithering, sir.
Now, this is from personal letters of Yao Xiaobo, a legendary scholar
renowned more for his taste for adventure than his research.
A hero of mine.
For generations, the library stood outside of Ba Sing Se,
a resource for humans who sought knowledge for knowledge's sake.
Hmm.
To enter, one had only to offer a piece of their own knowledge to the collection.
The librarian, Wan Shi Tong,
oversaw the free exchange of wisdom, and harmony ruled.
When the halls were sullied by warmongering humans,
Wan Shi Tong rent existence itself
and folded his library out of the human plane,
leaving a spiritual scar on the land.
- A spiritual scar? - Mmm.
I think we've seen one of these before.
Seen? I thought it was a metaphor. It… it's real?
It's a real metaphor, all right. We went through one into the Spirit World.
- It's kind of terrible, actually. - Huh.
Well, I'd say this one must be somewhere in the Lower Ring.
That's the area that has undergone the most growth.
Well, at least now we have an idea of where we're headed.
So,
I can come if you find it.
Yeah!
I mean, without you, we wouldn't have any idea where to start.
So once we find the spirit scar,
Aang should be able to meditate everyone into the Spirit World again.
Okay, I'm sorry. What is a spirit scar?
It's a place where the veil is thin between worlds.
A place that feels a little haunted.
It's like walking on thin ice, but the ice is… existence?
So, haunted, between worlds, thin ice.
Three things I've avoided my entire life. Can't wait!
Tomorrow, we'll split up and search the Lower Ring till we find it.
Be careful asking around. We can't trust anyone from Ba Sing Se.
Hmm.
What about people outside Ba Sing Se, like the refugees?
I'm not sure how well they know the streets,
but we can trust them.
How did it go with General Sung?
She's nervous.
She wants to know what your attack strategy is
to fight the Fire Nation.
Of course she does.
- They always want a big attack plan. - They want the Avatar State.
I know, but… I can't.
Maybe the library will have another idea for how to fight back.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure they'll have information about the Fire Nation there.
Someone's coming!
Oh, uh…
Toph Beifong?
- Hide the map! - Just give it to me.
Let me guess. Proposal, right?
Tall, business prodigy, handsome.
As if that matters.
Um… no.
"From the desk of Lady Beifong."
"Toph, I'll be arriving in Ba Sing Se tomorrow."
"The only purpose of my trip is to see you and make things right."
"Please, don't ignore me."
"With love, your mother."
So you're the ones who captured General Tran of the Fire Nation.
We're very grateful for your assistance.
But I am a little surprised it's you who escorted this prisoner here.
Suki determined, as our leader, she needed to maintain a vigilant watch.
The Fire Nation are unpredictable, as you know.
I understand you want to see the Avatar.
However, the Avatar and his companions are a little preoccupied with matters of state
and won't be available.
But in the meantime,
we can provide housing in the city for you.
Thank you, General Sung, for your hospitality.
I do need to warn you.
The city is its own nation-state.
Quite independent from the military forces here at the Wall.
I'm not sure I understand.
They do not discuss the war inside the city.
We ask that you keep our military operations confidential.
You can rely on us for the utmost discretion.
- I'll be home late again, Uncle. - Oh, Zuko!
I have jook with bread and egg.
I'll eat on the way to work. I don't wanna be late.
I wanted to discuss that, actually.
The owner of the tea shop is retiring, and well, if you want,
I can offer you a good job with fair hours.
No, but thank you.
I… I have to go.
Excuse me.
Right.
You, hey. Um…
Do you know of any, like, haunted houses around here?
Didn't think so.
Is that… pear and ginger?
Yes, it is. I just added it to the menu.
Allow me.
It's meant to be quite therapeutic.
This is wonderful.
Hmm.
My mother used to brew this for me when I was little.
Whenever I'd get sick, she'd stop working.
She insisted she'd make it herself.
She didn't like the way the cooks did it.
"Too dry," she'd complain.
I never knew that a drink could be dry.
And she'd just sit with me,
reading, to make sure that I drank every last drop.
It sounds like you have a very loving mother.
No.
No, my parents are not good people.
I'm thinking about never speaking to them again.
It's hard when you're young to understand.
Navigating life is complicated.
Most of the mistakes we made were choices that felt right in the moment.
Well,
did you ever choose money over people's lives?
That's what my parents did.
I made lots of choices to protect my family.
Now I can see that some of them were
misguided.
But still, I would choose to protect my nephew over anyone else.
Do you think that's what he wants?
I'm not sure.
Do your parents know what you want?
I think so.
As we get older, we have to find the words to tell each other what we want.
Even if those words are hurtful.
I don't even know if I wanna give them a chance.
Not unless they show that they could change.
It takes true courage to change.
I would say it doesn't hurt to ask,
but I guess sometimes asking is what hurts the most.
Um…
Anyway,
thanks for the drink.
And the advice, of course.
Thank you.
After all, sharing tea with a fascinating stranger
is one of life's true delights.
Right.
Stranger.
These are your accommodations for your stay.
After you settle in, I can show you to the marketplace.
Thank you very much, Joo Dee.
- Pardon the interruption. - Cultural Minister, what an honor.
Just a quick visit.
I could not miss the opportunity to meet the famed Kyoshi Warriors.
I am Long Feng, Cultural Minister to the Earth King.
A humble gift.
Delicacies from your home island.
Cultural Minister,
it is an honor and a relief to meet a nobleman
who reports directly to the king.
The Kyoshi Warriors pledge absolute fealty to his grace.
His Majesty will be pleased.
My warrior sisters and I undertook great risk
to capture the High Commander of the Fire Nation forces,
and we want to be sure that the Earth King himself
has a chance to interrogate this asset.
I'm sure he will be kept abreast of the information gathered
from the prisoner who is being held…
By General Sung.
They cautioned us to be discreet about what we say in the city,
so I do hope I haven't overstepped.
Of course not.
Please, let Joo Dee know if you need anything.
Joo Dee, a quick word?
What did you make of his body language, Ty Lee?
He almost popped a blood vessel when you said General Sung's name.
He clearly didn't know about Tran being held prisoner.
You really think he'll tell the king?
Information is power to someone like him.
You treat all your merch like that?
You're gonna melt it down for scrap anyway.
Unless you're… you're buying a teapot for your granny.
- Fifteen. - Twenty.
Sixteen. Nineteen.
Seventeen. Seventeen and a half.
- Deal. - Deal.
Look out!
Octopus shark!
Ah!
Hey, Jet.
Again?
You can go.
Traitor!
Can't believe you defended those people from the Fire Nation.
What are you, some kind of flame lover now?
I didn't see any Firebenders there.
Just a bunch of powerless people being bullied by looters.
I don't need a lecture from you.
I know about that do-gooding crap
you've been up to in that disguise of yours.
Healing the sick, feeding the poor.
You should know, your little act isn't changing anyone's lives.
I came here because we need your help.
I'm looking for a place in the Lower Ring, and you know your way around the streets.
It's for the war.
Sorry.
I'm not a freedom fighter anymore.
Too risky.
You hate the Fire Nation enough to pick on a bunch of helpless people,
but you can't do one thing to fight the real enemy.
No. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a new buyer
since you chased the last one off, and I was kind of hoping to eat tonight.
I'll buy it.
I'll buy it if you can help us.
I'll pay you double.
Triple and it's a deal.
Eight hours of walking and all we found were those fried flour potatoes.
Gave me indigestion.
Hey, I got someone who could help.
Jet?!
Katara? How could you bring him here?
Uh, who is this guy?
- I'm Jet. - He's a bad guy.
He tried to kill Bumi.
Hey, if you guys don't want my help, I can just go.
He knows where the spirit scar is.
We don't need help from a terrorist who tried to overthrow the government.
Oh, wait, we're kind of trying to overthrow the government now.
I like him. He stands with attitude.
You hated him before. Why are we supposed to trust him now?
We don't need to trust him. I'm not asking you to.
You just need to trust me.
Oh, Zuko, you're home.
I'm just heading out. Night shift.
Not yet.
Not until we talk.
We can talk later.
Zuko, we've put this off for too long.
Sit down, please.
Back on the farm, what you said…
I…
I was angry.
It wasn't right to blame you for what's happened to me.
No.
It was right.
Everything you said was right.
When my son died, I ran from my responsibility.
I should have stood up.
Every day I saw my brother with the crown,
I felt it.
What he did to you.
I've been trying to be a father to you because I know how your father is.
But I've also been trying to turn you
into the man I hoped Lu Ten would be
instead of helping you become your own man.
That wasn't right.
I'm sorry.
And now it's time to make up for it.
I'm ready to face my mistakes
and correct them.
I must ask you, too, Zuko,
to choose what kind of man you want to be.
But choose for yourself.
And whatever you choose,
whatever path you walk down,
I will always love you.
You know, what we really need are some aromatic bath salts.
All of that roughing it, you know?
Oh, yes. I know just the vendor.
There's the grocer back there.
And the bookish woman.
And Joo Dee is clearly a spy.
This place is crawling.
The military and the city rulers are in a cold war,
and order is maintained through secret police and paranoia.
Do you know what fuels all of this distrust and animosity?
Weakness.
The Earth King is weak.
Maybe under the influence of some shadow ruler.
If there is a shadow ruler,
they would be the key.
Might be open to listening to reason.
As long as they're more afraid of losing control than they are of me.
That hardly seems possible.
Hmm.
It'd be fairly simple to catch my brother
if I had a network of spies at my disposal.
All we have to do now is figure out who the shadow ruler is.
How do we do that?
Unfortunately, we're going to have to do it the easy way.
- Oh, Joo Dee? - Yes?
Hello.
Again.
I suspected it might be you.
We have a lot to discuss.
So you're telling me he bends the air around himself.
And us. That's why we don't swallow any flies when we're riding on top of him.
Found this spot when I first got here.
Only stayed a night.
Bad dreams.
This is the place.
I can almost feel it through the air.
Thank you, Jet.
Job's done. So here.
You can go now.
So what happens now?
Well, Aang's gonna meditate,
we're gonna get pulled out of our bodies, and Appa and Momo are gonna stand guard.
Well, this is quite exciting.
So, you're just gonna float around?
Like ghosts?
Not quite.
We'll be solid, but we won't be able to bend.
You'll wanna step back. You might accidentally get sucked in.
So, hold on. No bending?
It sounds like you might need backup in there.
Okay. Will you just make up your mind already?
Maybe I can help.
All righty. Let's do this, guys.
I don't…
I don't believe it.
There's something there.
Something beyond the door.
I can feel it.
Feel what?
This.
I've never been in a building this big before.
- You can feel it? - Yeah.
I mean, I can't bend,
but the acoustics and vibrations in here are sweet.
The library is closed to humans!
I said…
Oh, it's you again.
- You're that owl. - The spirit of knowledge.
My name is Wan Shi Tong,
he who knows ten thousand things.
You talk human now?
And yet you still don't comprehend.
This world is not for humans.
You should've learned that after your dalliance with Koh.
Wan Shi Tong, I'm the bridge between the human and Spirit World.
Go home.
I, Great Spirit,
am Professor Zei, a fellow scholar and--
I care not!
This library has been off-limits to humans
ever since firebending spies turned an entire wing to ash
because they feared the information within
would be used to defeat them on the battlefield.
We wouldn't do that.
I'm a friend of the Spirit World.
I know of your misadventures, boy Avatar.
The murder of Tui and the fury of La,
the fury you harnessed
to destroy your enemy.
Your world is at war,
and you desire to win that war.
How could I trust your intentions are pacific?
What about the rule…
that a person only need offer their own worthy knowledge to be admitted?
I offer this on our behalf.
Is this the map that guided you here?
It is.
A worthy offering, Professor.
Promise that no knowledge gained within these walls
will be used to harm anyone.
You have our word.
Very well.
How will we find what we're looking for?
There are library assistants.
Perhaps you'll find one.
But the library works in its own way.
It may choose to show you what you want,
but it will certainly lead you to the knowledge that you need.
Do not forget your promise!
All right, let's split up into teams of two.
We need to find proof of the comet and when it will be coming.
Let's go.
Wow!
This is…
Whoa, this is incredible.
Wait.
It can't be.
It is!
The collected essays of…
No!
Both editions!
- Huh. - Oh.
Personal accounts of the solitary travels of Sun Wen Lei.
Professor Zei?
Oh, I'm sorry. Um…
I know. The comet first and then onto these, uh, treasures.
No, it's okay. If you wanna stop and read, I can go ahead and look for--
Oh, I'd like that very much, yes.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Are you a library assistant?
You're a fox.
Oh, uh, I, uh… I knew another fox.
Well, she was a white fox in the Spirit World,
but she was a human out there.
Her name… her name was Yue.
Uh, do you know her?
She here? Is…
This is the Spirit World. She could be here, right?
That feels like a yes.
This must be the Avatar section.
Let's see…
Whoa.
Raised characters?
Man, this library rules.
One of the previous Avatars must've experienced the comet
and knows what it does.
All right, well, I'll get reading.
The journals of the ancient.
That one was a decoy.
Pure fiction.
But you can ask me whatever you want, Aang.
Oh.
I suppose you haven't seen another Air Nomad in some time.
So,
are we just supposed to read books until we find an answer?
I don't know.
It's a bit of an odd section, given how anti-war that bird's speech was.
There must be something in here we're supposed to learn.
How to win an unwinnable war?
So how are you, Aang?
It's been hard.
We brought these refugees to Ba Sing Se, and when we got here,
I trusted this guy, Long Feng.
But he was a liar, and the Great Comet's on the way back,
and I don't feel like I can trust anyone.
Feels like even my friends are keeping things from me.
I spent most of my life dealing with spies and liars.
If you need guidance on trusting people, you've come to the right place.
Man, she is something.
- Finding my life entertaining? - Oh jeez.
Who are you?
Kyoshi. Where's Aang?
He's back there somewhere.
I'm the earthbending teacher, by the way.
But you're a child.
Yeah, well, you're dead.
Is this normal for you?
Do you jump out of books all the time, or is this just a Spirit Library thing?
It's a being close to the Avatar thing.
What's your name?
Toph.
Beifong.
I dislike your family greatly.
Yeah, well,
me too.
What do you want from the Avatar?
I just want to teach him earthbending.
I mean, I ran away from my family to do it.
Your family is not so easy to escape.
So I'm finding.
I guess I thought I did escape with Aang and Katara and Sokka.
It's kind of the first time I've had friends.
A new family.
I guess so.
I really, really don't want to let them down.
Oh.
You will. Eventually, in some way.
But if you've chosen your friends well,
they'll understand.
What if they don't?
Because of who I am.
You worry too much about your surname.
My parents were not good people either.
Who were your parents?
Exactly.
Am I supposed to pull that?
It's not you, is it?
I… I just thought if I looked hard enough, I could see you.
Or if… if I listened the right way, I could hear you.
Aang and Katara say I'm the plan man now.
The person who comes up with a solution.
If… if I had been this person
back then,
that day…
could I have saved you?
Or am I only this person now…
because of you?
You have to risk being hurt.
In my time, I was betrayed by one of my closest friends.
You didn't know Long Feng was a liar.
You just knew you needed help.
Without putting trust in others, the weight of this role will crush you.
But I thought I knew people.
I thought I could see if there was good in them.
And, if I needed to,
convince them to be good.
That's a lot to ask of yourself.
You can't control other people.
You can only control your own actions.
Then my actions need to be better.
I need to be so much better than I am.
Every Avatar feels like they're the most important Avatar
that ever lived.
But we all make mistakes.
I thought I was so successful at maintaining peace.
But my actions angered the Spirit World, and Avatar Kuruk paid a huge price.
No Avatar can succeed at balancing everything forever.
That's why we'll always need the next Avatar.
Well,
that's a little comforting.
At least I know if I don't accomplish everything,
there will always be another one after me.
Unless there isn't.
When you're in the Avatar State,
you're channeling the power of all the previous Avatars.
If you die in that state,
the cycle will cease.
No… reincarnation?
The end of the Avatar forever.
Correct.
And the world will fall out of balance forever.
Well…
Fine. It's fine.
I can't really control it anyway,
so I don't use it.
Not yet.
But as your mastery of the elements grows,
your control of the Avatar State grows too.
First, bringing yourself into it and out of it at will.
Then precision.
So now that I can waterbend and earthbend…
You're probably stronger than you know.
So,
I could use the Avatar State against the Fire Nation.
I could tell the king that's the plan if I needed to.
Aang, I implore you.
Wield this power wisely.
Stay alive.
It just started with a sick girl.
She needed golden nettles, and I couldn't risk being identified.
Because it might look bad for Aang?
He seems like he'd understand.
I don't need him to, though.
I don't need you to either.
It's just something that I had to do.
So you looked in the mirror, decided to do something just for you,
and you became a hero.
A masked avenger?
I looked in the mirror and became a lying thief.
Useless to everyone.
You had your money. You could've gone.
But you came with us because you do wanna help.
You're still a freedom fighter, whether you admit it or not.
Is that the duke's helmet?
When the Fire Nation invaded,
he was always the first one to volunteer.
He kept saying, "I trained for this."
We had.
Kind of.
We struck back.
Insurgents.
We knew every inch of the city,
and we wouldn't let them move freely without feeling our sting.
One day…
they were ready for us.
There was an ambush, and Pipsqueak and the Duke…
I didn't see what happened to Pipsqueak,
but…
…I picked up The Duke, and I ran.
I ran as far and as fast as I could.
By the time I stopped to check him…
he was already cold.
We were kids
playing at war.
And then a real war came.
Every single one of them would still be alive if they never met me.
It's not your fault.
It's the Fire Nation's.
And you know that.
You did good.
You taught them to stand up.
They would love you for that, I'm sure.
They're better off without me.
Everyone is.
We are in serious trouble.
There's this comet coming,
and it's supposed to supercharge the Firebenders.
And we have to tell the Earth King about it.
But we have no proof or any idea of when it's going to come.
Yes, you do.
No, I don't.
You're holding the proof in your hands.
The Great Comet came twice during my life.
It does make Firebenders stronger, but it also made my firebending stronger.
A strong Avatar can maintain balance.
So you… you put it all in here?
Yes.
I tracked the orbital cycle of the comet.
So its arrival should be simple to calculate.
In fact, I tracked all periods when other elements were stronger or weaker.
Wait, so,
is there a time when Firebenders are weaker?
Yes. During a solar eclipse, or as they call it, the Day of Black Sun.
They lose their bending entirely.
That's it! I have to go! I…
Sokka! Sokka!
- Sokka, we got it! - What?
We found the date of the comet in Kyoshi's diary.
The Firebenders are supercharged by the comet, right?
Well, they lose their bending entirely on the day of a solar eclipse.
They'll be helpless.
If there's an eclipse before the comet arrives--
Then that's the day we attack.
No way! This is the room where we can figure that out.
It tracks the movement of everything in the sky.
So if we test the dates before the comet arrives
and there's an eclipse, we can kiss those ash-holes goodbye!
Here!
Is this for real?
What do you mean?
Today.
Right now.
We might actually find a way to beat the Fire Nation?
We have a shot.
Thanks to you.
Zuko?
I had him.
But I couldn't do it.
I've got you.
Mr. Great Librarian?
Mmm.
What is it, scholar?
I understand now.
Why you took this place from the human world.
We're infected with
ignorance,
greed,
and power lust.
So, um…
that's why I have to inform you
of a violation of the rules.
- How far out are we? - From today?
Look.
At what?
The eclipse.
I can't believe it! We have it! The Day of Black Sun! We know it!
I knew you couldn't be trusted.
Wait, no. You don't understand.
This isn't about hurting people. It's about saving lives.
Saving your lives through war!
Wait a minute. How did you even find out?
He informed me of your wrongdoing
in exchange for access to this library for all eternity.
Professor?
How could you?
You broke your promise.
Unfortunately, Professor, you may not enjoy eternity much.
What?
You used what you learned here to harm your friends.
You'll be the first to pay the price!
No! I'm a scholar, like you!
- Run! - Go!
Toph, go! We're right behind you!
You will not elude me!
Don't you see? We're just trying to protect the people that we love!
And I am protecting what I love!
No, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no, no!
No, come on!
Okay!
No!
No! Come on!
Stop sinking!
Appa, help me!
Hey! Get away from him!
No! No! Got it!
Come on!
- What now? - I'll distract him.
The rest of you, get past him and get out.
No.
I'll do it.
You can't fight him. No, we'll figure it out.
Katara, do me a favor.
Kill them all.
Katara, come on. Get up.
Time to trim those feathers!
Heave off, insect!
Leave him alone!
No!
I'm sorry, Appa!
Jet!
Jet! We have to get him out somehow!
- How? - I don't know how! We have to go back in!
- How do we get him out? - No!
No! No, he's gone.
He saved us all.
Wait.
Where's Appa?
Appa?
Where are you, buddy?
Appa!
Momo?
Appa!
- Aang. - Toph, can you feel Appa?
No! No, some people came, and they took him! I…
Took him where?
I don't know! I was… I was… Look, I tried to stop them!
- Who took him? Aang? - I don't know!
Appa!
Aang.
Appa!