AVATAR LEYNA

BOOK 1: THE BEGINNING

My name is Leyna Pyralis and I am eighteen years old. My family is from the Fire Nation, which means I am a firebender by blood. I currently reside in the United Republic of Nations. I live with my family including my mom, dad, brother, sister(s), as well as my "other mother" Keena. She's a tigerdillo and my animal guide. Training to be the Avatar is my only job. I think that's enough responsibility for a lifetime, thank you very much.

People who know me say that I can be a little opinionated, but I make up for that because I am fair. When faced with a problem I consider all the options, choose which one would best fit the situation, and move on. If I see someone in distress I immediately help the person in trouble. Love is a very tricky subject for me because I am not open to relationships. At least not right now. I dream to some day become a fully realized Avatar. I will fulfill this dream by training as hard as I can to master all four elements and learning everything I can about this world and the people in it.

My story is just beginning . . . .

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BOOK 2: THE HISTORY

My character is played by Touka Kureha from Shining Wind. This character uses a bow and sword to punish enemies.

Here is my story so far . . . .

Since the beginning of the Fire Nation, the Pyralis family has been at the core of its spiritual leadership. They live a lifestyle similar to that of the Air Nomads, connecting with the spirits as much as humanly possible. Because of their connection to the Spirit World, matched only by the Air Nomads and rivaled only by the Avatar, Fire Sages such as them were the leaders of the Fire Nation until a new political system was put in place and the nation was ruled by a Fire Lord. Over time, the role of the Fire Sages was diminished until they were nothing more than masters of ceremonies and Avatar detectors. Refusing to take part of it any longer, the Pyralis family took a hint from their friends the Air Nomads and left the service of the Fire Lord, preferring to live a secluded lifestyle and focus on the true meaning of firebending. In order to separate themselves from the Fire Sages that continued to serve the Fire Lord, they called themselves Fire Priests.

Generation after generation passed and the family turned into a legend that was almost forgotten by time. Until the start of the Hundred Year War, that is. Fire Lord Sozin heard of the legend and ordered that if they existed, they were bound by law to help him locate the Avatar. The family was found and brought before Sozin in chains. Sickened by what he had done to the Air Nomads, they refused to aid him. At a great cost. Enraged by his failure to locate the Avatar and his last hope extinguished, Sozin executed the High Fire Priest Ea Zo. Even in such a rage, Sozin managed to retain his cunning mind and decided to let the rest of the family live. His plan was that in time, under torture and threat of death, they would eventually succumb and find the Avatar for him. If they did not, perhaps the Avatar with his spiritual prowess would come to their rescue.

Eventually leadership of the Fire Nation fell to Azulon. It was evident to him that the Avatar would not be saving anyone much less the Pyralis family. He felt that if the Avatar wouldn't come to them, perhaps they could lead him to the Avatar. And so he ordered the release of the Fire Priests.

After spending nearly twenty years of their lives being regularly tortured in almost every way imaginable, the Pyralis family was both mentally and physically scarred. Nevertheless, they continued to embrace their faith and live side by side with the spirits as that was all that kept them going through the years. They vowed to keep the true teachings of firebending as well as the legacy of Air Nomads alive and pure despite the tragedy and darkness overwhelming the remaining three nations.

Azulon was right in that the Priests did attempt to contact the Avatar. Yet it was to no avail. It truly was as though he had disappeared. Thankfully, they were wise enough to understand that the Fire Lord would be keeping tabs on them and consequently faked their deaths in an apparent mass suicide in order to regain their freedom. They purposefully made it look as though they'd brewed a tea from a poisonous plant and drank from it together. In reality, they prepared the drink and left it untouched, instead entering a spiritual state in which their breathing and heartbeats were so seldom that to anyone checking for life signs it would appear as death.

To be thorough, the general in charge of keeping an eye on them had one of his men drink from the tea. Following the soldier's prompt death, the Pyralis home was burned to the ground for good measure. While in their spiritual state, the family was able to keep the flames from burning them alive by the force of their connection to firebending at its purest form: strength of will. When they awoke from their state, the Fire Lord's men were long gone.

The Fire Priests then began their journey to be with the last remaining people who shared their beliefs: the Sun Warriors. Welcomed into the culture, they spent the next third of a century living completely in solitude from the outside world and the raging war. Yet when the Avatar finally returned, they were the first to feel it and knew that he was in good hands. When Aang finally reached the Sun Warriors and the Fire Priests saw how different Prince Zuko was from his grandfather and great-grandfather, they felt more hope for the world than they had since the beginning of Fire Nation autocracy. And when the duo left, they knew that it was their time to leave as well.

Their part in the epilogue of the War was to spread wisdom across the Fire Nation. It was, and always will be their mission to teach the true essence of firebending and life. They are similar in so many ways as fire is a form life. It moves, grows, and either aids or destroys all on its own. If given guidance, just like any other life, it can be led to good or bad. These teachings are as eternal as firebending itself.

Fire Lord Zuko adapted the Fire Sages back into politics by restoring them as a council that gives advice and has a say in the ruling of the Fire Nation. In time, the Fire Priests rejoined the Fire Sages, right where they started so long ago. A few generations later, one of the Pyralis Fire Sages, a woman named Natara, was elected to represent the Fire Nation on the United Republic Council in Republic City. She moved there and eventually gave birth to a girl she named Leyna, meaning bright and shining light.



Since my mother is on the Council and my father is a Fire Nation nobleman, it was imperative for me to learn from a young age how to conduct myself in a proper manner. Being in a place of power always makes people both look up to you and observe you with scrutiny. I'm not saying I suffered the harsh life of having to be perfect or anything, it was nothing like that. At times it was trying of course, but isn't life in general? I learned a lot of important life lessons by being raised the way I was and believe I am a better person for it. More importantly, though, I am proud of my family history and spiritual upbringing.

Thankfully, even in these increasingly modernized times, the Pyralis name has continued to be synonymous with the essence of firebending heritage. Raised in the same way every generation of Pyralis Fire Sages have been for thousands of years, I was told of our history and learned from it as if they were my own experiences. Both my mother and the Sages in our homeland helped train me to be a Fire Sage, or Fire Priestess as little me used to call myself after my favorite stories of our past. I was meant to connect with the spirits as much as the element of power. Perhaps it was for this reason or simply because of my openness to it, but I became enlightened at a young age and inadvertently realized my destiny earlier on in life than most Avatars. Although most are told of their destiny when they come of age, I discovered it through communion with the spirits during childhood. When I first came to this realization, I did not mention it to anyone. The Fire Sages already knew of course, but I was not to be told until my sixteenth birthday, as was the custom. My fear was that if I told anyone I knew the truth, I wouldn't get to live my normal life anymore. I liked being with my family and I loved Republic City. When I became a teenager, however, the idea of leaving became less fearful and I confided my knowledge and expressed my desire to act upon it. After a long discussion, we came to the mutual agreement that I go to the Fire Nation and start my Avatar training with the Fire Sages.

I always insisted on living as close to a normal life as possible. Even after I arrived in the Fire Nation, I still fought for my right to attend a normal school and act like a regular kid. This included participating in my favorite activities such as going to the beach, archery, and sword fighting. It wasn't that I didn't want to be the Avatar. It was just the need for my particular brand of unification was almost unnecessary. I was growing up in a time of peace that was unprecedented since after the Hundred Year War ended over two centuries ago. In consequence, I felt it was perfectly fine to split my focus. Albeit, unevenly weighted more on my own life than my Avatar responsibilities.

After a fight with the Fire Sages regarding that lifestyle, I set off on a journey to find out what I should do for myself. Completely on my own for the first time, I struggled traveling through the wilderness and felt lost in each town I came to. Nothing seemed to be speaking to me the way I’d envisioned. At length I came upon a shrine dedicated to Avatar Roku, the Avatar from the Fire Nation before me. I meditated here and was able to commune with the spirits of my past lives for the first time. Avatars Aang and Korra who had experienced incredible struggles from seemingly out of nowhere both insisted that I accept the responsibility that I had to the world. They stressed how I should always be prepared in case I am needed. However, this did not mean that I had to live like a recluse and not have a life of my own. In fact, as the Avatar it is vital that I live among my people and share their experiences. This vision brought me great peace and I felt focused at last.

Upon my return from the Spirit World, I saw an injured female tigerdillo nearby with boarcupine quills sticking out from where the creature did not have a protective shell. I noticed the boarcupine's tracks in the dirt were heading right for where I had been sitting in meditation. The tracks were suddenly cut off and there was a mess of footprints from both creatures where the struggle must have ensued. There was blood from an injury the tigerdillo inflicted upon the boarcupine that trailed from the struggle point into the foliage. Thankful for the tigerdillo's bravery, I named her Keena which means brave and nurtured her back to health. When she was well again, I set off to return to my firebending training with the Sages. To my surprise, Keena joined me and has been my animal guide ever since.

With a new determination, I focused on my training as hard as I could while still balancing it out with friends and hobbies. It was during this time that I also began airbending training during visits to Air Temple Island at my hometown of Republic City. At my insistence, I returned to live in the United Republic of Nations at age sixteen so I could focus on airbending, having nearly mastered the art of firebending. I can utilize most firebending moves, yet have been unable to generate or redirect lightning. Most likely this has to do with its relation to waterbending, my natural opposite. The Fire Sages believe that in order to master lightning, I will need to master waterbending. In addition, I have not done any Avatar level firebending. This is because I have never used the Avatar State. It is my intention to complete my airbending training and then continue the cycle of the seasons by finding a waterbending master. After that I will travel to the Earth Kingdom to master earthbending. Hopefully by then I will be able to use and master the Avatar State.

Until I find a waterbending master, I am staying in Republic City with my friends and family. They need me more than the world does right now. My mom is often busy with the Council and my dad is away a lot for business in the Fire Nation. Between the two of them, we always have at least one parent around, but my brother and sister can still be a handful. Akio thinks he's the greatest thing since ever. And I admit, he is a bright kid. He likes to invent everything from machinery to firebending moves and you'll never find anyone more spirited. My sister Sulwyn developed dissociative identity disorder at age six during the time I was traveling the Fire Nation. It was a difficult adjustment getting used to not having one but three sisters but after I moved back home and lived with her for a while, it eventually became normal. It's not too difficult to figure out who you're talking to. The hardest part is dealing with Teryl, to be honest. Teryl the Terrible we call her. Berdine is a sweetheart and poor Sulwyn does her best to just keep it together. Based on what we've seen over the last two years her doctors claim her personality split according to the three parts of the psychic apparatus and Teryl is the id, Berdine is the super-ego, and Sulwyn is the ego in between. Her episodes have been getting better over the last two years, but there's still only a few people who can handle her. So unless something urgent comes up or I can't find a waterbending master in my city, I'm staying right here.

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