The Summons
She is the Avatar, so she needs to learn airbending, for that, she must leave home, find Tenzin, and make him reconsider his decision to leave her here and not teach her, while he tries solving an Avatar sized problem with the other leaders of Republic City, but before she leaves, she has something to say to her parents, a simple but necessary thing, and now, she realizes as she stands on their doorstep, a painful thing, as well.
"Mom, Dad, I-" Korra began sadly, before clutching her head, screaming as a voice echoed into the past.
She saw the future, and many parts of it, bleak and cold, warm and happy, angry and bitter.
Often she dreamt she heard herself talking, telling her it would be alright as a cold breeze hit her in the face. Dreams—ancient texts read—are sometimes windows to the other worlds, alternate dimensions, places where similar things happen, yet differently, but that the other worlds were not so gifted.
Alternate dimensions was a nice name and all, but rather misleading, as those "alternate" dimensions are not a land of "what could have been", or a place you could choose to go to, but worlds where similar Avatars are fighting similar battles, and, Korra had heard, sometimes we catch glimpses from another world, and often those things are major events happening all across the multiverse…meaning that they would effect this world too.
Korra felt another Korra's pain…all of the Korras pain, each and every last one of them.
Some dreams recurred more frequently than others, the most seen of their collective future being crushed, Avatar connections being severed, her world crashing down all her powers were taken, and she could have sworn she lost her powers twice, once by a bloodbender, and once by an airbender.
But these things were only what might be…right? Her mind was hazy as the ice spun under her, and then…she was gone.
She woke up in the Spirit World…maybe? After lifting herself off the ground, she walked up to a man in an empty tree, like the one she saw in her dreams, holding the Spirit of Chaos within, but the dark spirit was not incased here.
"Welcome to the Tree of Time," an older looking man said, legs crossed, eyes closed, "from here flows time itself, into your world from others, memories and the present time of many different 'yous', wherever in their journey they may be. You are Avatar Korra, the first Avatar, yes?"
"No…yes—my name's Korra," she tried to explain, slightly confused, "but…I'm not the first Avatar…who are you?"
"My name," he smiled, looking up at her, "is Wan, also the first Avatar. I also may have picked the wrong Korra."
"There is no mistake about it," a female voice, unseen, echoed, "she is the one."
He rose to his feet, and held out his hand, which she accepted. After they shook hands, Korra backed away, "Wan…what's going on?" she covered her ears.
"You hear her voices, their voices…right now it is the voice of the First Korra, from who these worlds all stem, even yours is based on the decisions she has yet to face, because people from her world have counterparts here, dreaming of them, they will try to outplay her…you. This Korra has yet to do many things that the other Korras have done, but she will come to those…or perhaps she has, and we merely see the afterimage. She is destined for greatness, and though born into it, and choosing it, chasing it relentlessly, it will also be thrown upon her…this greatness I speak of."
Korra fell to her knees, her eyes widening as she screamed in agony, a very real pain, unlike that felt in her dreams.
"She has just become the first Avatar." Wan said, bowing his head solemnly, "Not many worlds have Avatars who hear their own future, it's a blessing and a curse. Your world's Kuruk had foreknowledge of the consequences of neglecting his duties, vigilante justice mete out by Koh, the Face Stealer, but he still played one last tournament that day, the very day he was fated to lose her, all because he had to play that last one. Most world's Avatars have only past Avatars, but some have future Avatars…those are the ones who have an easy time of solving problems, but you are cursed more than most, you will never know where that bloodbender in your dream is, until you unmask him, you will know of the airbender to lead to your crippling, but will be powerless to stop it."
"Then why bring me here?" Korra demanded, "Why tell me about this if I can't stop it? are you trying to discourage me, because it might be working."
"Because, you're not going to be the last Avatar, but the first of a new generation of Avatars, as was I. You will be attacked by words and powers, benders and nonbenders, hated by many people…but a chosen few will stand with you. They are behind you." he smiled, "Indeed, even here in your past, they are most literally behind you, the people who will play a great role in your world's destiny." she turned around and saw people she felt she knew well. They appeared to be in a daze.
"Hey, who are you guys?" she asked, glancing from face to face until falling on one in particular that…stared back with sharp green eyes that seemed cool, and seemed to be destined as the best part of this dream.
"You, who have gathered, know that this is your Avatar!" Wan spoke in a particularly proud tone, gesturing his hands to her, "She will be put through much suffering on the road to her fate, but you will be there to help her, and offer comfort in her darkest hour…though she may leave for a time, and endure three years of loneliness, know that she will be greatly aided by you, indeed, she may already be."
Wan outstretched his arms, the tree widened, and he beckoned everyone to go inside, but held the palm of his hand to Korra.
"Wait, it's my future, shouldn't I go too?!" she wondered, curious as to what the green eyed girl's name was, almost as much as she wanted to see what the future held in store for her.
"It will terrify you, I am terrified by what will happen, let my words of your future suffering be enough discouragement for you," he turned back to the tree and sighed, "these people need to understand what's happening, and you don't deserve to suffer twice, trust me, it's the best way."
"So, why are we here?" Asami asked, searchingly gazing upon Wan's face.
"You are here to witness a great horror, Miss Sato."
"How does this help?" Lin asked, crossing her arms, "You realize that I have crime to fight, don't you?"
"I am well aware, Lin, but you are in a time before my birth, you will return with this knowledge, and pity the Avatar; even you are without a heart of stone."
"So, wait," Mako began, "how do you know what we will be?"
"Yeah," Bolin began, "did we do this before?"
"Or," Varrick began, "has the future from this time reached you through the Tree of Time?"
"All I know is the futures of the other Korras."
"Does that mean," Eska began.
"That for each and every Korra," Desna continued.
"There is also a world with the exact same people,"
"Or just the same key people,"
"Or just the same Avatar Korra,"
"And that if there are the same people,"
"Are they optional, or do they exist anyway,"
"And do these people do what we do, or make different choices,"
"Or make the same important choices,"
"And different insignificant choices,"
"And if they do what we, do they do it similarly,"
"Or is that optional?"
"Well, Desna, Eska, there are the same people making unique choices, but at the same time, all the lineages are the same, resulting in the same people throughout history in every world's history, but after all the set in stone details are passed, deaths are different, except in some occasions, and some events resulting in one death do not result in death in another world, but a terrible injury that the person must live with, but all end results are the same as far as major shifts in history are concerned."
"Are our spirits the same too or just our names?" Jinora inquired.
"You are all different in the aspect of your spirits, all responsible for your own actions, though time finds a way to follow the First World's path…the world from which ours is born of."
"So, there are inevitable things?" Tenzin wondered.
"Indeed, now, if that is all everyone wants to ask, I will show you what I have seen, that only one who has touched the gates of the Spirit World during Harmonic Convergence can see, and the only one I will be able to show you, because the next first Avatar is about to touch the gates, changing her world forever and replenishing the memories of your Korra's future for us to see." he touched the walls of the tree and closed his eyes, and in the First World, a choice faced Korra, open the gates, or leave them closed.
As she opened the gates, golden light shone behind Wan's hand, and a bright flash of light overtook them, and they saw the future.