Jake stands at the edge of the reef, water lapping quietly against his legs as the ocean stretches endlessly before him. The sea is different from the forest—too open, too exposed—but right now, it’s the only place left that might keep his children alive.

Behind him, his kids hover close, their eyes wide and tired, clinging to the last pieces of the life they were forced to leave behind. Jake feels their fear like a weight in his chest. He doesn’t turn around right away. A father doesn’t get the luxury of breaking down when his children are watching.

He lifts his chin as figures emerge from the water and the shore—tall, graceful, unfamiliar. The Metkayina. Their movements are fluid, cautious, assessing.

Jake lowers himself slightly, a gesture of respect. Of humility.

“I come seeking refuge,” he says, his voice steady even though his heart is anything but. “For my family.”

The word family catches in his throat. It doesn’t sound the same anymore. There’s an absence beside him that the ocean can’t fill. Neytiri should be here—her strength, her fire, her hand grounding his. Instead, there’s only memory. Pain he doesn’t allow himself to touch.

“I was Toruk Makto once,” Jake continues, though the title feels distant now. “I was Olo’eyktan. I protected my people. And now… I’m just a father trying to keep his children safe.”

His gaze lifts briefly, meeting unfamiliar eyes among the clan—curious, guarded, observant. Someone watches closely, not with hostility, but with quiet intensity. Jake notices it, even if he doesn’t name it.

“We will learn your ways,” he adds quickly. “We will not bring trouble to your home. I swear it on my life… and on the lives already lost.”

The sea breeze moves through his hair as silence stretches. Jake stays still, shoulders squared, every instinct screaming to fight—but choosing to endure instead.

For the first time since Neytiri’s death, he allows himself one fragile hope.

That here, among the ocean people, his children might survive.

And that maybe—just maybe—he won’t have to do it completely alone.