Rokan opens his phone to check the time — half past 8 p.m. Seven missed calls from each of his parents, and they were still calling. He closes his phone and lets out a sigh of distress.
The old man notices this and says, "I'm Jinrai, by the way." Jinrai introduces himself while looking at Rokan through the rearview mirror.
Still silent, Rokan stares out the window, ignoring Jinrai's statement. The discomfort is visibly clear on the faces of all three of them. Rokan wraps his arms around Sumi, trying to make her sleep more comfortably. She slowly warms to his soft embrace and places her arms around his torso, showing her comfort.
"What do you know about me?" Rokan asks.
Jinrai sighs. "Well... I don't know how to start. I knew your parents through a restaurant I used to work in..." He turns the wheel, takes a brief pause, then resumes. "You were barely five... six years old? You had the most adorable smile when you ate the rice cakes I made you. I've always had a knack for sensing spiritual presence around and inside vessels, and you were one of them."
Rokan looks away from the window and stares seriously at the back of Jinrai's seat.
"After the restaurant caught fire..." he continues, "...I lost all contact with your parents. But my next job brought me closer to you. I got a job at Eliona Academy for six years, and during that time, I had been watching you."
Rokan looks into space, as if thinking. "Then why didn't you say anything to me?"
Jinrai replies, "Oh! So I should meet you and be like, 'Hey, I'm a janitor, and you're the Avatar. Now, at the age of eight, you're going to have to balance the physical and spiritual worlds on your shoulders.' Would that be nice?"
Rokan nods slightly. "That's fair."
A few seconds of silence fill the air, but Rin breaks it.
"You're a bender, aren't you?"
Jinrai looks through the mirror at Rin, then back at the road. "Well... may I ask why you assume that?"
"There is no way two tires on each of those police cars would've been deflated with such speed. And it couldn't have been manual deflation, or we would've heard the tires pop even while we were in pursuit... You did that, right?" Rin explains.
Jinrai grins at Rin's detailed explanation. "You're smart."
Rokan looks toward Jinrai again, this time in shock. "Wait, you're an airbender? And you didn't get cleansed?"
Rin looks at Rokan. "Rokan, being cleansed doesn't mean you're safe as a bender."
Rokan frowns. "I don't get it."
"There have been multiple missing cases of benders all over the world," Rin continues. "And it's not being looked at. Why?"
"Because they are... benders," Rokan finishes.
Jinrai nods. "And that's incredibly suspicious. Multiple benders getting cleansed and then going missing? It's not looking good."
---
Some hours later, I slowly wake up on an unfamiliar bed, still noticeably night time. Jinrai is sitting on a couch, visible due to the open layout of the house.
"Well, what do we do now?" Jinrai asks after turning up the television volume to gain Rokan's attention. The television shows Rokan and Sumi on the local news, warning all citizens to alert authorities whenever they are spotted. Rokan slowly gets up, unable to believe his eyes.
"Mr. Jinrai... I'm scared," Rokan says, barely standing. He grips the fabric of his shirt, as if trying to hold himself back from crying. A few teardrops already betray his resolve. Jinrai gets up and slowly walks over to Rokan, lightly placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Rokan, I have experienced double of whatever it is you're going through right now. And do you know how I got through it...?"
Rokan slowly raises his head toward Jinrai, looking at him eye to eye.
"I had people. People willing to die for me. And I can already tell... you've got two of them."
Rokan thinks of Sumi, then Rin, and looks back at Jinrai. Fewer tears fall now, but his eyes remain soft and wet.
"...Hold them with everything you've got. And make sure you get stronger as the Avatar. So now I ask... do you accept being the Avatar and promise to take on all the responsibilities that come with it?"
Rokan wipes his eyes dry and stares at Jinrai. His gaze turns fierce and determined, with little hesitation.
"...I accept."
A smile of pride forms on Jinrai's face. "Alright then. Training starts tomorrow. Consistently." He takes his hand off Rokan and walks back to the couch. "Get some rest."
Rokan walks back to the bed and lies down, facing upward. He thinks of Sumi.
This is all my fault... Sumi wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't been as weak as I am...
"...I promise, Sumi. I'll protect you. No matter what."
---
Chandeliers dangle over elegantly designed tables. Multiple figures sit neatly, dressed in expensive clothes and jewelry. Furama sits quietly, taking light sips of coffee. He checks his watch and notices, in his peripheral vision, a slim man standing at around 179 cm.
The man takes a seat and waves for a waiter.
"Wouldn't kill you to say hi at least, Furama."
The waiter approaches the table.
"Well, I am a man of business, Lei. I'd like to get straight to the point," Furama replies, raising his coffee for another sip.
Lei speaks after placing his order. "I think he's pretty special..." He pauses slightly, looking out the window, before continuing. "He's got multiple bending."
Furama stops mid-sip and slowly lowers his cup onto the saucer.
"So he's the Avatar, huh?" Furama mutters, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What? What do you mean?" Lei asks.
Furama looks at Lei and smiles in a sinister manner.
"It means we've got a big one."
Furama's laughter echoes around the room as he lifts his coffee once more for a sip.
---
Rokan stood in the middle of an empty street. The air felt heavy, unusually still. He looked around, confused, before noticing Sumi standing a few meters away from him.
"Sumi?" he called.
She didn't respond.
She just stood there… silent.
Rokan tried to move toward her, but his feet wouldn't budge. It was as if the ground beneath him had swallowed his legs whole.
"Sumi!" he called again, panic rising in his chest.
Then footsteps echoed behind her.
A shadow slowly stretched across the ground, growing longer… and darker.
Rokan's eyes widened.
"Sumi… run…" he whispered, his voice barely coming out.
But she still didn't move.
The shadow stepped forward.
Rokan struggled harder, trying to force himself free. His body refused to respond. His breathing grew heavier, faster.
"Sumi!!"
The figure reached out—
And suddenly—
Everything went dark.
Rokan jolted awake, breathing heavily, his body drenched in sweat.
He moves without thinking, rushing over to Sumi in a bedroom and seeing her asleep.
His breathing settles slightly, though he is still shaken.
Rokan walks up to Sumi's bed and sits beside her. He gently strokes her hair, a soft smile forming on his face.

"You know that's creepy as fu*k, right?" Rin says, leaning against the doorframe.
"And watching in silence isn't?" Rokan replies, a slight smile appearing on his face.
Rin chuckles and walks over to a nearby wooden chair before sitting down.
"I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy, but... can I ask what your relationship is with her?" Rin asks.
Rokan looks down at Sumi's peaceful, sleeping face as he continues stroking her hair.
"We met in the third grade. She was always different after her parents were killed by thugs... She kept to herself and ignored everyone who tried talking to her because she didn't want to associate with people who only pitied her."
"I approached her one day, and I'll be honest, I felt bad for her. I always did. But I didn't make it the reason I met her."
"You wanted to be someone who actually saw her," Rin says.
Rokan smiles and continues. "I... I didn't even know what to say..." He lets out a slight chuckle. "I just walked up to her during lunch and sat beside her. I've always been somewhat popular in school, so people were surprised." He pauses, momentarily stopping the gentle motion of his hand.
"Some students said hurtful things about her and her personality. I couldn't stand it... So we had lunch together, and she never really said anything. It was the most silent lunch I had ever had in my life... But I loved every second of it."
"But how did you know she loved it as well?" Rin asks.
"I just... knew," Rokan replies. "She also gave me a piece of her meat while we were eating. She even avoided eye contact." Rokan laughs softly.
"I still don't know everything that happened in her life. But I do know she has been through so, so much... too much for someone like her to handle. And I told myself she would be someone I hold dearly in my heart — not because she had it tough, but because she needed someone to show her the light at the end of a dark tunnel."
Rin looks at Rokan thoughtfully. "Is she your reason for accepting your responsibilities?"
Rokan is slightly surprised that Rin knows about this but pays little attention to it.
"You must have overheard me and Mr. Jinrai... Well, you could say she's a big part of it. But not all of it. The world needs what it has missed for over 200 years..."
Rokan looks down at Sumi once more.
"The Avatar."
---
Birds chirped around the edges of the clearing, their calls weaving through the gentle rustle of leaves. Rokan, Rin, Sumi, and Jinrai were scattered across the spacious ground, which resembled a miniature forest, clusters of trees forming dappled patterns of sunlight on the earth below.
"Alright, I'm ready!" Rokan said, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, warming up.
"Alright, then." Jinrai pulled off his robe and swung his arms in wide arcs, loosening his shoulders.
He then settled onto the bare ground, legs crossed, and said, "C'mon, do what I'm doing."
Rokan furrowed his brow, confused, but got down, mirroring Jinrai's posture.
"Good," Jinrai murmured, closing his eyes. "Air bending… it's more a spiritual element than a physical one.
You need to settle down, relax, become one with your inner spirit… unlock your chakras, and let your air bending flow naturally."
"Huh?" Rokan asked, eyes wide, clearly puzzled.
---
Meanwhile, far from the forest clearing, Jung Gyu sat in his office, sifting through documents related to Sumi and Rokan. He pulled out his phone and replayed footage recorded by a dashcam on a nearby vehicle.
He froze. Rokan was bending earth—and then fire.
"Is he… an Avatar?" Jung Gyu muttered under his breath. "I thought they didn't exist anymore."
Yuta, rolling his chair toward Jung Gyu's desk, rested his feet across it.
"Whatchu talking about?" he asked, his voice cold as he shuffled through papers. "Unlike you, I'm actually working."
A brief silence stretched between them. Then Yuta grinned slyly.
"Wanna go on a two-man?"
Jung Gyu's gaze sharpened. He leaned forward, gripping Yuta by the ear.
"Are you insane? This is serious—a kid with multiple bending abilities is on the loose."
He released Yuta, leaning back in his chair. "I thought it might be a good idea," he continued, voice softening slightly, "since you…" Yuta rubbed his ear, dropping his arms. "…you know, haven't even managed a faint smile in ages. Maybe you need someone to ease that pressure, huh? Huh?"
Yuta leaned closer, eyebrows arching mischievously, his grin widening.
Jung Gyu raised his palm, hovering it near Yuta's face. "Fine. But only when I'm ready. Understand?"
"And when will that be?" Yuta asked, eyes glinting with curiosity.
Jung Gyu paused, jaw set, eyes narrowing with resolve. "Until I finally detain that criminal… the Avatar."
... To be continued...