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Book 1: Redemption
Prologue

Lei was only four years old when she first discovered her bending abilities, but the memory of that day will forever remain crisp in her mind.

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It was late in the afternoon as a small girl sprinted across the yard of the Chen household, her long brown hair whipping around behind her. Lei glanced back to her older sister, who was hurrying behind as the two made their way to the table where their parents were sitting, her short black hair tied at the back of her head. Turning her green eyes back to their destination, she saw her mother furrow her brows as she watched.

Looking up to the direction where her daughters had come from, the woman called her husband's attention, fear piercing her tone. "Shang!"

Beside her, the man briefly tensed, but upon glancing to Lei's clasped hands, all worry drained from his expression.

He smiled as he gently touched his wife's arm. "Ping, it's okay. She just wants to show us something."

Ping glanced between her husband and daughters as her posture slowly relaxed.

The children stopped before them as the eldest cried out, "Mom! Mom! Lei did something weird!"

Her mother smiled. "Calm down, Jin. What happened?"

Lei grinned widely as she opened her tan hands to reveal a small rock. After tossing it high above her head, the girl made a punching motion, sending the stone flying forward and through a window on the second story of her house. Her parents winced as the glass shattered.

"Oops…"

Shang smiled as he assured the young earthbender, "You'll learn to control this in time."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Of course."

The young parents exchanged glances in silent communication before nodding.

Ping smiled softly. "Girls, it's time that we told you about bending."

She patted the chairs next to her, motioning for her daughters to come. After taking their seats between their parents, their first lesson began.

Shang put a hand on his youngest's shoulder. "In this great big world of ours, some people have special powers called bending. There are four main types." He held up fingers as he listed them off. "There is firebending, which originates from the islands of the Fire Nation; airbending, which originated with monks of the Air Temples hundreds of years ago; waterbending, which originates from the Water Tribes at the north and south poles; and earthbending, which originates from the great Earth Kingdom. Firebenders can bend fire, waterbenders can bend water, and so on."

Ping took over, her voice gentle as she explained, "When the Hundred Year War ended, the United Republic was created, and all sorts of benders and non-benders moved here."

Lei grinned as she bounced in her seat. "So people from here can do all the bending?"

Her father laughed. "Not quite. Because people of so many backgrounds live in the United Republic, you can find all types of benders here." He pointed to the house next door. "Lee is an earthbender. Jin's friend Miksa is a waterbender. The chef at my favorite restaurant is a firebender. Councilman Tenzin is an airbender—"

Lei raised an eyebrow. "What's a councilman?"

"The United Republic—including the capital, Republic City—is run by a group of representatives from each nation. There is one representative from the Fire Nation, one from the Earth Kingdom, one from the Northern Water Tribe, one from the Southern Water Tribe, and Tenzin, who is the only member of the Air Nation in the world right now."

"Oh."

Jin frowned as she chimed in. "Wait, so each bender can only bend one element?"

"Well," Ping began, "yes. Benders can only bend the element they are born with. Daddy and Lei are earthbenders, so they can only bend earth."

"There are sub-types of bending, though," Shang added. "Really talented earthbenders can learn how to bend metal, like I do, or lava. Talented firebenders can also bend lightning. Waterbenders can control any state of water—liquid, ice, vapor—and talented ones can become healers." He frowned. "They can also control people under a full moon with bloodbending, but that's illegal."

"What about airbenders?" the eldest Chen daughter asked.

Her mother shrugged. "No one knows. Not even Councilman Tenzin."

"Woah..." Lei grinned as she turned to her mother. "What about you and Jin, Mommy? What can you bend?"

Jin folder her arms as she looked down.

Ping put a comforting hand on her eldest's shoulder before explaining, "No, sweetheart. Jin and I aren't benders."

Shang gently called Lei's attention. "And there's nothing wrong with that. Your mother is one of the strongest people I know—above most benders too. She has been helping Jin learn how to protect herself, just like I will be teaching you how to earthbend. Always remember that everyone should be treated as equals."

She jumped up as she cried out, "Yeah! No one's gonna pick on anyone in my watch!"

Jin pouted, "Hey, no fair! You're my little sister, so I have to protect you, not the other way around!"

Ping intervened. "Easy, girls. You should both protect and help each other. Can you promise me that?"

Lei grinned. "Yeah!"

Several moments passed before Jin grumbled, "Okay…" She then turned to her father as she asked, "Didn't you say that there was a special person who can bend everything?"

He nodded. "Yes. One special person—the Avatar—has the ability to bend all four elements. It's the Avatar's job to keep balance in the world."

Lei's green eyes twinkled. "Just like you?"

Shang laughed. "My job is to keep peace in Republic City, along with the rest of the police force. The Avatar's job is to keep it in the whole world."

Jin frowned. "That doesn't sound fun."

"Daddy, who gets to be the Avatar?" Lei asked.

"Well, the Avatar's spirit is reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle after he dies," he began. "Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. The last Avatar, Aang, was born in the Air Nation, but he died around the time Lei was born. Right now, the world is waiting for the next Avatar to be discovered in either the Northern Water Tribe or the Southern Water Tribe."

"How will they find them?" Jin asked. "The world is so big."

Ping told her, "As we speak, a group called the White Lotus is out searching for the Avatar."

Meanwhile, in the night of the Southern Water Tribe, a group of three bending masters were meeting with two young parents in the small hut that they called home.

The short man in front had a skeptical look on his exhausted face as he asked, "What makes you so sure your daughter is the one?"

The young mother turned to the side as she called out, "Korra, please come in here."

A piece of the earth wall was blasted across the room as a pudgy girl posed heroically and proclaimed, "I'm the Avatar, you gotta deal with it!"