Burning Heaven.

"Need a hand?" The young boy extended his help, assisting her to her feet by grasping her armpit. Leaning against the sturdy trunk of a tree, she sought respite, attempting to catch her breath.

"Why do you help me?" Lin inquired between sharp exhales, panting heavily. Despite her generally robust health, tonight seemed an exception – perhaps not accustomed to being knocked down and tied up in the same night.

"I'm Ghona. I grew up in the village as the only airbender, navigating a path that diverged from their traditions and cultural choices."

The boy's eyes betrayed a sense of regret for entangling her in a harsh situation, deeming it all unnecessarily complex.

As morning light began to paint the horizon, he acknowledged, "It's already morning, and you must be hungry. Let me assist you to the city." With a gentle touch, he lifted her, cradling her form against his back. The familiarity of his embrace hinted that this wasn't the first time he had borne her weight.

Despite Lin's feeble resistance, her strength waned, forcing her to surrender to the uncertain journey ahead. With the last remnants of her energy, she opted to place her trust in this unexpected ally.

After securing her to his back, he leaped off, propelled by a burst of wind, aiming directly for the city's police department.

At the Air temple....

"Milo, Jinora, Korra, with me! We need to help people in the city!" Tenzin's commanding voice echoed urgently. Restless concern filled him, fearing for the safety of not just Lin Beifong but also the Mayor, sensing their lives might be in peril.

Korra, with her formidable strength, gathered the kids in her arms and agilely leaped onto the back of the flying bison, Tenzin following suit by hopping onto its neck to take control.

"Ikki, call the rest of the airbenders to report immediately!" Tenzin's commanding roar pierced through the urgency of the situation as the flying bison ascended rapidly.

Mid-flight, Jinora brought up a crucial reminder. "What about Kayne?" she inquired.

"They can take care of themselves; we'll call for help when we need them," Tenzin reassured, his focus unwavering on the imminent challenges unfolding in the city below.

They soared away from the tranquility of the island, their journey leading them towards the dreaded city, where a fierce conflagration raged above, casting a foreboding shadow on what should have been a peaceful morning. The closer they approached, the more the atmosphere intensified with heat, surpassing the typical fervor of a wildfire.

"Why is this? It's just fire. Why is the heat so widespread in the air? It's hotter than a wildfire," Tenzin voiced his confusion, his furrowed brow reflecting the unease that gripped him.

In an attempt to unravel the mystery, Korra took a deep, contemplative sniff of the air. Her efforts, however, yielded no immediate answers. "Fly me closer, Tenzin," she requested, her voice carrying a mix of urgency and determination. As they closed the distance, the oppressive heat became palpable, leaving them to wonder at the unprecedented intensity of the blaze that awaited them.

Tenzin skillfully manipulated the flying bison, closing the distance between their airborne vessel and the unfolding calamity below. As the intensity of the fiery spectacle increased, Korra, determined to uncover the cause, shut her eyes tightly. In the darkness behind her eyelids, she sought to visualize the subtle dance of chi, hoping to identify the bender responsible for the chaotic blaze.

Amidst this concentrated effort, Varrick's desperate cry for help reverberated through the air, a blend of urgency and annoyance. His voice, both whiny and loud, emanated from a nearby skyscraper, disrupting Korra's meditative focus and triggering a visible hint of frustration in her response.

"Nghh! Come on, guys, I'm trying to concentrate." Despite the annoyance, there was an underlying realization that Varrick's distress call might be a crucial clue, indicating that the heart of the trouble lay even closer than Korra had initially surmised. The air crackled with tension as the unfolding mystery demanded their immediate attention.

"LOOK, IT'S VARRICK!" Jinora's exclamation drew their attention to a towering building that matched their current altitude. There, Varrick waved urgently from a window, accompanied by the Mayor of the City. Despite being covered in dust and dirt, the Mayor appeared merely wounded, a surprising contrast given their proximity to the explosion.

Descending swiftly, they reached the building to rescue Varrick and the Mayor. Assisting them onto the flying bison, the group listened as Varrick launched into an unbearably exaggerated narrative of the event.

Amidst the overblown tale, Korra, succumbing to extreme boredom, interjected with valuable information. "Guys, listen. The fire wasn't an accident or a mechanical fault. It was caused by an inside man, possibly an inmate attempting to escape," she disclosed.

The Mayor, his anger palpable, responded, "Well, they've escaped at this point. Where is Lin Beifong and the police department?" The urgency in his voice mirrored the gravity of the situation, leaving them all anxious for answers.

Ghona and Lin materialized in the city, where he carefully assisted her off his back. Lin, seeking refreshment, made her way to the riverbank. There, she washed her face with the cool water before Ghona offered her a reprieve in the form of fast-food noodles from his bag. She accepted the gesture gracefully, delving into the hot, spicy meal despite the prevailing heat.

Ghona patiently waited until she had finished her meal before they resumed their journey into the city, this time with Lin finding renewed energy to tread on her own feet. As they approached the heart of the turmoil, the spectacle of the incident unfolded vividly in the sky.

"Who do you think was responsible for this?" Lin inquired.

"Honestly, I would tell you if I knew," Ghona responded.

"But why would you trust me?" Lin questioned.

"Because you're police, aren't you?" Ghona replied with a direct gaze, his eyes fixed on hers. The simplicity of his answer conveyed a trust rooted in a shared sense of duty, leaving Lin to ponder the unfolding events with a renewed sense of connection.

"Even though Zit and I had so much in common, we never agreed on one thing, and that was public destruction," Kayne mused, his gaze fixed on the horizon through the window.

"He would do anything to get what he wants, and, of course, in an extremely dramatic approach," he added, a hint of disdain coloring his tone.

Curious, Yohn questioned, "This Zit guy, why would he cause so much attention if he knows he is a criminal?"

Kayne smirked knowingly. "Zit is the type that lets his enemies find him if he is prepared to face them. The Avatar is one of them," he revealed.

Yohn, taken aback by this revelation, realized that the Avatar had amassed more enemies than he had assumed. The weight of such a painful lifetime for someone to live settled heavily in the air.