Warehouse, Republic City; Reylea

3rd person POV...

"So, where is your criminal mastermind?" Vyra questions.

"He said he would be here," Messenger replies stiffly.

"If you say so," Vyra sighs in response, picking at her sharp nails. "I do so hate it when people turn out to be disappointing."

The door at the other end of the dimly lit room suddenly opens, and a man strides in, flanked by two thugs. The two thugs stop after a few steps, both getting in defensive stances at the sight of he two Knights of Ren, one letting fire fill is fist while the other readies water from his pouch. However he man in the middle gestures both of them to stop, and then moves forwards, walking with a slight hunch

As he starts coming into the dim light, occasionally skipping his feet while casually humming and flicking a small knife in his hands, Vyra takes a moment to observe him. He's wearing an old purple suit with a dirty green undershirt and tie. His face is covered in white paint, with red on his lips to create a grotesque smile, and a lot of black mascara around his eyes. The paint is messily applied, but that, along with the two scars on both sides of his mouth, does its job of unsettling anyone to cross his path.

Except for Vyra of course.

The whole get up is finished off with long and dirty hair, dyed with a dark green and black color. Seeing through the Force. Vyra could sense that the man was definitely insane, but it was controlled insanity. She could tell instantly that he was also very smart about what he did, and could do it well. He was also a nonbender, yet any person who crossed his path feared him.

He seemingly giggles like an child, stopping a couple feet away from them.

"Oh, that's fantastic. I quite feel the same way about people," he remarks, licking his lips.

"So, I assume you're the Joker?" Vyra asks, crossing her arms.

"Hmm hmm. I'm guessing you're Messenger's, uh, boss? Something like that," he replies.

"I am the one in charge here, yes," she confirms with a nod.

"Geez, you guys look absolutely freaky!" Joker remarks, making a face at them. "I heard what you actually look like Messenger but... wow!"

"If you're done fooling around-" Messenger starts to growl out.

"Oh relax, I don't really care. I'm already craazzy myself!" he interrupts, chuckling. "We're all freaks here."

Messenger huffs in irritation before sighing, getting down to business. "We brought a few things to help you out Joker."

He pulls forwards a small crate, and the Joker looks at it with interest. Messenger then flips open the crate, revealing an assortment of high-tech weapons. There's a blaster pistol, a few short rifles, and even a rocket launcher. The Joker stares at the weapons with awe and eager delight, moving forwards to pick up the pistol.

"Well doesn't this look delightful," Joker remarks.

He points the blaster at the wall and pulls the trigger. A red laser bolt is shot out, causing him to stumble briefly at the familiar sensation, and impacts against the wall. He looks at the burn mark before grinning, looking over the blaster.

"Oh this I can definitely work with," he says. "You have a request for payment?"

"No," Messenger says.

"That's fine. I wouldn't have given it anyways," he shrugs in reply, licking his lips again.

"If we wanted money for this, we wouldn't have asked Joker," Vyra says in a warning tone.

"Oooh! Threatening me huh? Very dangerous person aren't you? I like that," Joker comments, running a finger along the blaster. "However, I did hear that you guys apparently want to bring some sort of army here, in order to conquer us all..."

"Are you backing out?" Vyra demands dangerously. "Doing so would not end well for you."

"Oh, what, are you kidding? Of course not!" Joker laughs, snickering in amusement. "I don't care, bring as many people as you want! The only thing I care about is that I show people who really runs this town."

Vyra nods in approval. "Good. The important thing that I ask is that you cause as much trouble for the Avatar and the Jedi as possible. We need time to prepare."

"Eh, I'm fine with anything at this point," Joker shrugs carelessly, licking his lips again. "Ripping off the bending triads has gotten so... boring lately."

"I can assure you, what you're about to do will not be boring," she states confidently.

"Yeah, I've got a better plan in mind than simply using a laser sword to go after a kid," he comments.

The Messenger scowls in irritation, but a sharp look from Vyra keeps him quiet.

"I guess I could begin the fun with a little... aggressive, expansion!" Joker states, smirking eagerly.


Air Temple Island; Republic City

Caran POV...

Earlier this morning we finally arrived back on Air Temple Island, and exited the ship with plenty of excitement. Well, for us younger people anyways. Jarik, Tenzin, Katara, and Lin were all impassive about it, although Katara was smiling, and Jarik had a look of curiosity on his face at the sight of Republic City.

Of course Lin went right to business, stating that she had to head to the City to help the authorities regain some control and formality in Republic City, the place still a bit of a mess after the Anti-bending Revolution. Speaking of which, she also asked Korra to come with her, ask being an understatement. Since so many people had their bending removed, it would be her job to return it to them since, obviously no one else can.

Korra had sighed in exhaustion but went along with Lin, and Luon and the rest of Team Avatar went with her as well. I would've gone, but Tenzin firmly stopped me, stating that I had to begin my training with Jarik, who nodded his head in agreement. I pouted for a little bit, but relented and stayed behind.

Which is what brings me outside right now. Walking across the courtyard, I was looking for Jinora to do whatever, when I noticed Jarik nearby.

He was sitting on a boulder next to the trees near the edge of the courtyard. In his hands he was holding his golden mask, and scrubbing at it with a cloth, probably cleaning it.

Curious, I change directions instead and walk over to him.

"Hi," I greet him.

"Hello," he replies.

"That's your mask?" I ask him, gesturing to it.

"Yeah. Used to belong to one of my ancestors, who was a very famous and powerful Jedi in his day," he explains, holding it up to see if the light shined on it. "I found it some time back, and decided to keep it."

"It looks so solid..." I remark curiously. "How'd you get it to... slide off the way it did?"

"You mean this?" he asks.

Jarik pulls the cloth away from the mask for a moment, and then it completely dissolves like a stream of liquid metal, compacting into a small necklace. I widen my eyes at he sight and nod my head.

"Yeah, that," I reply with a sense of wonder.

"Carrying a mask with me on my belt all the time was getting really annoying, so I melted it down and used the meta to remake it with nanotech," he explains. "Basically it's a bunch of tiny machinery that can form whatever it's programmed to, within reason."

"Wow..." I murmur in awe. "Asami would have a freakout with that stuff."

"The rich girl?" he asks.

"Yeah. She's really good at fighting though, so don't take her lightly," I advise him.

He chuckles in response. "I don't doubt it for a second."

Jarik places the necklace onto the rock beside him, and it reforms into his golden mask. I stare at it for a long moment, still baffled that things like that could be made.


Meditation Pavillion...

Jarik moves over to stand on the other side of the Meditation Pavillion, gesturing down in the center. A short, flat boulder was placed there, acting like some sort of seat or platform. I look at it curiously for a moment, wondering how it got here, before shrugging it off.

Behind me, Tenzin moves forwards to stand at the side of the pavillion so he could observe, along with Jinora as well. She was really interested in learning more about the Force and the Jedi, and cane along. Korra would be here as well, but she's out and restoring the bending of everyone who lost it to Amon.

"Alright Caran, first lesson on the Force. Sit here, legs crossed," Jarik says.

I do as he says, sitting down in the center of the rock and crossing my legs, looking up at him.

"How much do you know about the Force?" he asks. I frown thoughtfully, thinking for a moment.

"Well, I do know that there are two sides, a light side and a dark side. Jedi use the light while Sith use the dark," I recall. "I think it's could be some sort of rare bending power that only a small amount of people have, but I'm not sure. It is very strong though, and I can use it to find people and animals, and other things. And also use it to push people."

He nods his head. "Not bad. You're wrong on most of that, but not bad."

My expression falls to one of annoyance and I look up at him as he moves forwards.

"First thing: the Force is not a bending power. It's not about pushing people, or sensing other life forms," he states. "It's the energy between all living things, spread across the universe. Everyone possesses a connection to it."

"Everyone?" I ask in surprise.

I could sense Tenzin and Jinora's curiosity spike, but remain focused on Jarik, confused.

"What do you mean? No one else can use it," I point out.

"Whether you can use it or not doesn't determine if its there, because it is," he replies. "The Force is a part of every living organism, but only a select few are born with more sensitivity to it. You are one of those select few."

"So... all of us are connected to the Force?" Jinora asks. "Even me?"

Jarik nods his head in confirmation. "Yes. From the smallest insect, to the largest trees and animals."

Tenzin strokes his beard with a thoughtful hum, while Jinora looks on with curiosity and intense interest. She's even holding a small notebook in her hand to take notes!

Refocusing back on Jarik, I think about what he's said about the Force, still a bit confused.

"So, if the Force isn't a bending power... what is it?" I ask him.

"Like I said, the Force is the energy between all living things. It's an energy field that binds the universe together," he explains. "I'll admit I haven't been here long enough to know much about bending, but from what I've noticed is that they're similar."

"How?" I ask him

"What are the different elements?" he says in reply.

"Water, Earth, Fire, and Air," I answer easily.

"And what determines who becomes a bender, and who doesn't?" he asks.

I frown for a moment, shrugging my shoulders. "I don't know. People are just... born with it."

"The type of element a person is born with depends on which nation they're from," Jinora adds.

"What does this have to do with the Force though?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, a whole lot," he replies. "Something I've noticed, is that bending feels closely related to the Force. It's not the same, but it is similar."

"How do you mean?" Tenzin asks him.

"Reylea is extremely powerful in the Force, something you already know," he states. "What made it so, I have no idea. But I do think that the energy of the planet evolved over time, changing the Force into what you know as bending."

"Seriously?" I ask in surprise.

"It's a theory, but that's what it feels like to me," he replies.

"That... actually kind of makes sense," I admit.

I honestly don't know what to think about this, as it makes sense, yet I can't exactly explain why it seems to make sense.

"How did you come to his conclusion?" Tenzin asks. "I would've never figured that."

"When you're as powerful as me, especially on a planet like this, picking things up through the Force is as easy as reading an open book," he shrugs in reply.

"Really? It's never been that easy for me..." I comment with a frown. "Even after I got that power boost or whatever."

Jarik looks at me for a moment, frowning in thought.

"Well, I'd imagine it's because you aren't as gifted in the Force as most," he theorizes. "On Reylea, you definitely seem stronger than the average Jedi Knight. But off of it... about the same level of a young king, maybe even weaker. The Old Jedi Order probably wouldn't have accepted you into their ranks."

"Well that stinks," I murmur glumly.

"I wouldn't worry too hard about it," he reassures me. "You can still grow stronger with training and time. It's just that you have more limitations than most."

I nod my head in response, feeling a little bit better about it.

"Now Caran, this lesson will be to help learn how sensitive you are," he says, and I nod in understanding. "Close your eyes. Breathe."

I do as he says, closing my eyes and then taking in a deep breath, allowing myself to remain calm and collected.

"Now, reach out," he says.

Listening to what he's saying, I stretch my arm out in front of me, my hand up and open. I remain in that position, waiting to see if he wanted me to feel for something and point to it, or maybe move something, or whatever. To my confusion I sense what seems to be exasperation, amusement, and annoyance from the others, Jinora mostly amused.

The silence starts leavin me puzzled, but before I could ask about it, I feel a light tingling on my hand, and focus in on it. The feeling grows a little more, and I allow myself a small smile.

"I think I can feel it," I tell him.

"Really?" Jarik asks with interest.

"Yeah, it feelings kind of tingling!" I explain.

A little bit different from what I've felt before, but other times I've used the Force it was a little similar.

"That's the Force!" he says excitedly.

"Really?!" I ask eagerly.

"No!"

Something then slaps my hand sharply and I recoil back, instantly pulling my hand away and opening my eyes. I shake my hand with a shocked and pained expression, my hand stinging, and look up at him incredulously.

"Ow! What was that for?" I ask incredulously.

Jarik raises his eyebrows and gives me a look, tilting his head a little bit. In his hand he's holding a large leaf. Off to the side, Jinora is unable to control her giggling, while Tenzin sighs, shaking his head. Slowly realizing what he meant, I start turning a little red and look back sheepishly.

"Oh... you meant, like..." I trail off.

He gives me another sarcastic look, widening his eyes even more as if I had come up with some amazing idea.

"I'll, try again," I mumble in embarrassment.

At least Korra's not here to make fun of me...

Jarik rolls his eyes and tosses the leaf to the side, shaking his head in exasperation. I close my eyes again, and he moves forwards, holding my hand to the ground to prevent me from lifting it again.

"Breathe. Reach out with the Force. Focus on your surroundings, and what you can feel," he instructs me. "What do you see?"

Breathing again, I focus on the Force like he's instructing me and start to feel with it, like I've done before when Tenzin was teaching me. I can feel the usual, warm field of energy that I know is the Force, from what I've felt before. I try stretching out with my senses, attempting to focus on something to see.

"Don't focus on anything specific Caran," he immediately says. "Stretch your senses out aimlessly, like water on a flat plain. Don't think about it. Just feel it."

I can't help but compare how similar that last line is to something Qui-Gon has said before.

Still, I take in his advice and breathe again, stretching out with the Force. I try not to think about it, just feeling out with it.

"What do you see?" he asks me.

At first everything seems normal, and all I can see is the darkness of my closed eyelids. Then something starts to appear before my eyes, even though they're closed. I start seeing things, and I can feel them as well.

"Life..." I tell him, sensing the different plants and animals nearby.

"Light... heat... I can see Air Temple Island," I tell him.

"Good. What else?" Jarik asks.

Focusing a little more, several images come to me, seeming a lot more alive than the others, and a lot more active. Many of them are moving around, some glowing brighter than others. Right beside me is a very bright presence, almost like a sun.

"I think I see people. You're really bright... like a sun," I say quietly. "Some feel cool and wavy... others sturdy, and some flaring up erratically..."

I slow to a stop as I notice an extremely bright object, glaring at me with radiant, white-blue light. It's somewhere within the city, and every half minute or so it would brighten, and the decrease back to normal.

"I think I can see Korra... she's bright, brighter than the sun," I say.

"And what flows through, and beneath, Korra?" he asks me.

Turning my gaze a little downwards, I notice a thin strand of wispy white light traveling down, only to be met with the brightest light of all. The light is enormous, and extremely bright. I can practically feel everything shaking with power, flowing with the force of an unstoppable hurricane.

"Power..." I say, a little awed. "I think that's Reylea. It's just... the Force."

"And what does that Force feel like?" Jarik asks.

"Warm, comforting... but powerful, like a hurricane. It feels, balanced," I state.

"Like the pure Force itself," Jarik says. "Powerful light, and powerful dark. Winding around each other in a cycle of balance."

Something feels cold all of a sudden, and I focus in on it, frowning uneasily at the feeling. This isn't comforting at all, but a sharp, bone-chilling cold.

"There's something else..." I add, a bit nervous. "It feels cold."

"Cold?" he asks me.

"It feels unnatural... and angry," I tell him uneasily.

The cold darkness in my vision then seems to take notice of me, and begins to surge forth in my direction. I begin to panic a little bit as everything instantly becomes colder, becoming afraid.

"It's coming at me!" I say fearfully.

"Fight it back Caran," Jarik says firmly. "Don't give into it."

I try to show it back, bringing the energy of the Force around me to block it, but the billowing darkness continues to shove its way forwards, desperate to get at me. Within my mind I could see something... like a person, but with yellowish skin and glowing, yellow eyes.

I try and protect myself, attempting to push it away from my mind with the Force, but I couldn't hold it back. Just as I thought the darkness was about to overtake me a ray of warm, fiery light cuts through the darkness and forcefully expels it. The dark clouds flee, disappearing into the distance, and I open my eyes.

With a shocked and heaving gasp, I fall forwards, but Jarik catches me before I could fall off the rock, and helps to steady me.

"Easy Caran," he says.

Jinora and Tenzin had both moved forwards, and were hovering beside me in deep concern and fear.

"Are you alright Caran?" Jinora asks worriedly.

"I- I don't know," I reply shakily, still breathing heavily. "I think I'm better."

"What happened?" Tenzin asks.

"There was some... dark cloud, it came after me," I explain uneasily, looking up at Jarik. "What was it?"

"Someone attempted to assault your mind with the Force. They won't be trying it again anytime soon," he explains.

"Was it Snoke?" Tenzin asks.

Jarik shakes his head. "No, it wasn't. I dispelled their attack fairly easily, although they were surprised. If this was Snoke's doing then we'd be going through the same thing as last time."

"Could it have been the Messenger?" Jinora asks.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure," he admits.

"I thought I saw a person in the smoke," I say, getting their attention. "I couldn't make much out but they had yellow eyes like the Messenger, only their skin was yellow."

Jarik frowns, thinking for a moment before sighing grimly.

"I think I know who you're referring to," he says.

"You do?" Tenzin asks in surprise.

"The description is pretty vague, but it could've been Vyra Ren, Snoke's apprentice," he theorizes.

"I thought the Messenger was Snoke's apparentice," Jinora says with a confused frown.

"No, he's more likely one of the Knights of Ren, a group of dark Force users that serve Snoke. Vyra is their Master," he explains.

"How much do you know about these Knights of Ren?" Tenzin questions.

"Not as much as I'd like," Jarik admits bitterly. "I've tried to uncover more about them, but information is really hard to come by. I don't even know how many Knights there are."

"Do you think Vyra is gonna come after Caran?"

Jinora asks worriedly, holding my hand.

I'm really touched by the concern she's showing, but at the moment I'm more focused on Jarik.

"Not directly, since she's not stupid enough to do so," he says. "But she'll definitely be after both Caran and Korra."

"So now we have two Force users to worry about," Tenzin sighs. "I better warn Lin about the presence of a second."

"Tell her to be wary," Jarik advises. "Vyra is much more dangerous."


City Hall; Republic City

Korra POV...

I feel a rush of power flowing through me once again, and my eyes glow brightly as I let th energy flow into the man kneeling before me. Once his chi is unlocked, and his bending restored, I stumble back a little bit in exhaustion, and Luon helps to steady me.

The man stands back to his feet and then opens his hand, his expression filled with pure joy once a small flame appears.

"Thanks you! Thank you so much Avatar Korra!" He exclaims gratefully.

"No problem," I mumble tiredly, sending him the best smile I could give.

As he walks off, I get a sight of the still massive line of people in front of me, and can't help but moan quietly in exhaustion and glumness. To my great relief however, Lin seems to take notice and steps forwards before the next person could move up to me.

"Sorry everyone, but that's the limit for today. Come back tomorrow at the same time," she says.

There's a lot of protests and disappointed shouting, but Lin is completely firm and doesn't budge, while Luon helps support me away.

"You look exhausted," he remarks.

"Ugh. How did Amon even have the energy to take away so many people's bending?" I groan.

"Beats me," he shrugs.

Moving inside City Hall, I collapse into a nearby chair with a heavy sigh, and Asami, Bolin and Mako come over.

"Hey Korra," Asami greets.

"Hey," I reply.

"You look exhausted," Mako remarks.

"Understatement of the year," I groan in response.

"I'd be exhausted too! You had to restore the bending for like, several dozens of people right?" Bolin asks.

"Try hundreds," I murmur.

Bolin blinks in surprise. "Oh, wow, that's a lot. At least you're done now though right? That's something to be happy about!"

Lin then appears beside us with her usual impassive expression.

"Hate to tell you this, but there are still about 600 recorded people left that have lost their bending to Amon," she states.

I groan loudly to express my dismay and annoyance, while the others look at her in surprise.

"Really? Amon took away the bending of that many people?" Asami asks incredulously.

"How did that guy even manage to get to so many?!" Bolin shrieks in disbelief. "That's insanity!"

"Guess we should be glad the Messenger can't get his hands on him anymore," Mako comments, crossing his arms.

"Huh? Why's that?" Bolin asks.

"Dude, you don't know?" Luon asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Know what?" he asks cluelessly.

"Caran told us that he sensed when Amon and Tarrlok died, remember?" Mako reminds him.

"General Iroh's fleet found the floating remains of their boat when they were leaving, and evidence suggests that Amon and Tarrlok were aboard when it exploded," Lin adds with a frown. "Although the explosion didn't appear to be an accident."

"Oh..." Bolin says, chuckling sheepishly. "I knew that."

"However it happened, at least we don't have to worry about them anymore," Luon says.

"Yeah, now we have to clean up his mess," Mako says glumly.

"We?!" I demand with a raised eyebrow.

Mako widens his eyes in alarm and gives me a sheepish look, looking nervously into his hand. "Heh, I meant to say you."

"Right," I drawl sarcastically.

"That's a smart thing to say," Asami scoffs in amusement.

"Well- I- uhhhh..." Mako stutters before groaning in defeat.

"And I have to restore the bending of every, single, one," I groan in complaint. "Caran defeats the Messenger, and gets to be trained by a living legend! I defeat Amon, only to do what is essentially manual labor for people."

"Uh-" Luon starts.

"Not that there's anything wrong with it!" I add irritably. "It just seems really unfair."

"Life isn't fair. Get used to it," Lin states unforgivingly.

I roll my eyes at her usual behavior, but otherwise don't bother to give a retort.

"Well, I can't say I envy you," Luon shrugs.

"Wow. You're such a supportive boyfriend," I mutter, sending him a dark look.

He shrugs uncaringly in response. "Eh, I do my best."

The sound of footsteps gain our attention, and we look over to see a small group of business-like people walking by in hushed discussion. The man in the front then glances over, taking notice of me. He seems to be about in his thirties or so, with light brown hair and almond colored, giving him an Earth Kingdom look. He's also wearing a simple, but fancy suit coat and tie with small amounts of dark green to further prove he seems like someone from the Earth Kingdom.

"Hi there," he greets politely, a smile on his face as he looks over at me. "Avatar Korra, right?"

"If you need your bending restored, could it wait?" I blurt out, a little bitter.

Probably not the best first impression to give, and not very polite either. I suppose some of the blame can be placed on my crankiness from being so exhausted. fortunately, he seems to take it in stride and chuckles lightly in response.

"No, that's not an issue. I don't have any bending to restore anyways," he replies.

I widen my eyes in panic mode, realizing what I just said. The fact that Lin is giving me the death glare while the others share uneasy looks with each other just adds to the feeling.

"Oh spirits, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I just wasn't thinking straight," I quickly apologize.

"It's nothing to worry about. I've had my fair share of stressful days," he says reassuringly.

"Korra. All of you," Lin tells us, shooting another glare my way. "This is Senator Shuno, one of the candidates for the presidential election."

Hearing this, we all share quick looks of surprise and interest before refocusing on Senator Shuno, and my embarrassment and shame grows even more, causing my face to turn a little red. Well isn't this just fantastic: my first words to a presidential candidate are basically the equivalent of 'go screw yourself.'

"It's nice to meet all of you," Senator Shuno says with a nod.

"It's nice to meet you too Senator," Asami replies politely.

I quickly stand up from my chair, although too quickly as my vision goes fuzzy from the sudden standing movement, and turn to face him while smoothing out my jacket.

"Nice to meet you as well. I'm Avatar Korra," I try to say more politely, grimacing a little bit. "Is there something you needed?"

"I just thought I'd come over to introduce myself, and also thank you all for the effort and work you put in to help end the Anti-bending Revolution," he tells us.

"Oh. Well, thanks, I guess," I reply sheepishly.

"What about your brother? Is he around as well?" he asks curiously.

"He's..." I reply, noticing a glance from Lin. "Busy on the island right now."

He nods back in reply. "Well, tell him the same thing as well. I'm sure it wasn't easy defeating that alien."

"No it wasn't," I reply in agreement.

Until we get Lin and Tenzin's say-so, they want to keep the existence of Jarik a secret until things calm down. People probably wouldn't react very well to having another Force-user after the Messenger.

"Until next time then," Shuno says, giving us a nod. "Chief Beifong."

Lin nods at him in reply, and he walks back over to his small group of aides, or politicians, or whatever, and they continue on their way. Once they're gone, we turn to look at Lin.

"That's the guy who's gonna become president?" I ask her.

"He's a primary candidate," she replies. "The other potential president-elect is Senator Raiko."

"Senator Raiko?" Asami asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Who's he?" Bolin asks.

"Just some politician. My... dad, didn't really like him too much," Asami explains, frowning uneasily. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Hmm... maybe that could be a good thing! An equality not liking someone means that they're good, right?" Bolin offers optimistically.

"I think Shuno is gonna win. A lot of people where I grew up preferred him because he actually goes hard on exposing the triads," Luon says.

"Unlike the City Council," Mako comments dryly, crossing his arms.

Just then, Saikhan appears in the building and walks over to us, more specifically Beifong, in an urgent manner. The metalbending police are the first ones who I restored their bending to, since they're well, the police. I still didn't like him too much, but since Lin wanted me to I just went along with it.

"Chief Beifong," he greets formally.

"What is it Saikhan?" she asks.

"We just received an urgent phone call from Tenzin. He wanted us to let you know right away," he says.

"Tenzin?" Lin asks with a frown. "What would he need to be so urgent about?"

Saikhan glances at me before replying. "He says that they just learned that there's a second Force-user on the loose in the city, and they're allied with the Messenger."

"What?!" we all ask incredulously.

I instantly get to my feet, a surge of adrenaline and anxiety dispelling my exhaustion. How could there be another one?!

"Did he have any details?" Lin questions firmly.

Saikhan nods in confirmation. "Yes. He said that the Force-user is a female yellow skinned alien with, 'head-tails,' named Vyra Ren, and is much more dangerous than the Messenger, who apparently ranks lower in hierarchy than her."

So not only do we have to deal with another Force-user now after the chaos with the Messenger, but they're also more powerful and dangerous?

"When could they have gotten here?!" Luon asks uneasily.

"Uh, can we panic? At least a little bit?" Bolin meekly asks.

"If this is true, then keep the force on high alert. Any sign of the Messenger or this 'Vyra' should be reported directly to me or Tenzin. Do not engage," Lin states with a hard look. "I don't want to take our chances with these two when we don't know how to properly fight them."

Saikhan nods in understanding and then turns away. The rest of us all look at each other in worry and fear, appalled by this news.

"So there's another Force-user now?" Asami says.

"As if the Messenger wasn't bad enough," Mako adds warily.

"Not to mention Vyra is supposed to be more dangerous," Luon points out.

"I hope Caran's ok," I say worriedly.

"How did he find out there's another one?" Bolin asks.

"I guess he or Jarik sensed her or something," I shrug helplessly in response.

"However this happened, this just means we have to be much more cautious," Lin says, getting our attention.

"As I told Saikhan, I don't want any of you going after these Force-users without backup, especially you four," she states, gesturing at Luon, Asami, Mako and Bolin. "Korra, you may have a chance but I'm not betting on it. From what we know Jarik is the only one who can properly fight these guys, so we'll have to follow his lead."

"You sure we can't try with all of us together? We beat the Messenger that way," I point out.

"Yes, but remember what Jarik told us about how strong a Force-user is here," she reminds us. "Not to mention that Vyra is supposed to be more powerful than the Messenger."

"Alright, we get it," Luon says.

"It's just raining Force people all the time now!" Bolin says.

I glance at the others worriedly, Luon, Asami, And Mako all sharing the same concerned look.


Air Temple Island; Republic City

Caran POV...

Remembering about the holocron I have, I held it in my hands as I went to find Jarik so I could ask about it. Since the discovery of Vyra Ren, he went to discuss a few things with Tenzin and Katara, so he was probably in the study.

I open the sliding door to Tenzin's study room, where I see Tenzin at his desk, Katara sitting in a chair, and Jarik standing by the side, arms crossed. They look over at my entry.

"What is it Caran?" Tenzin asks me.

"I just wanted to ask about something," I reply, looking up at Jarik. "Do you know what this is?"

I hold up the holocron, and he raises his eyebrow in a small amount of surprise. Tenzin however sputters for a moment, before standing up from his desk.

"Wh-what are you doing with that? I told you not to touch my things!" he snaps.

"I just want to know what it is," I try reasoning.

"I told you, it's an artifact of ancient Airbender that my father gave me! Now hand it over," he demands firmly.

"Actually Tenzin, I'll have to disagree with that," Jarik replies, much to his surprise. "That's a Jedi holocron."

"Wait, what?" Tenzin asks, surprised.

"See?" I tell him with a grin.

"You received that from Aang?" Katara asks Tenzin, who nods. "I don't recall ever seeing that."

"I suppose Qui-Gon must've not wanted Aang to tell anyone," Jarik theorizes. "He always had a good reason for his actions."

"This is surprising..." Tenzin murmurs.

"I opened it once, but I'm not sure how to do it again," I admit.

"Well, let's try it again," Jarik suggests.

"How? I can't remember what I did," I say helplessly.

"Imagine the holocron in your mind, and the mechanics of it," he advises me. "Think about it like a locked door, and the Force is the key to open it."

I slowly nod, a bit hesitantly, and look down at he holocron in my hands determinedly. Focusing on the Force, I hover my hand over the top of it and try to imagine opening it like last time, letting the Force flow though my fingertips.

Frowning in deeep concentration, I continue letting the Force swirl around the holocron, imaging it as a door, and I'm turning the handle. To my sudden surprise, I feel a click in my mind again, and the pieces of the holocron flip open, and it starts hovering in the air.

Tenzin and Katara both gasp in a mixture of surprise and wonder as the same blue figure of Obi-Wan Kenobi reappears, only not broken up like last time.

"This is Master Obi Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic, have fallen with a dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force. Do not return to the Temple…that time has past. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust. Our faith. Our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."

The holocron then closes up, and I swiftly catch it in momentary surprise as it falls, looking up at them. Jarik's expression is what gets my attention instantly, being surprised and... longing.

"Do you know him Jarik?" I ask curiously.

"Yeah... he was my master," he replies with a nod.

I widen my eyes briefly in surprise, but think more about the message now, and the things that were said.

"What did he mean when he said that the Jedi fell?" I ask cautiously.

He sighs sadly in response. "Long before you were born, the galactic government known as the Republic was at war with another group known as the Separatists. And despite our wishes, Jedi were heavily involved in the war."

"You were keepers of the peace," Katara says with a frown. "However Qui-Gon said you weren't soldiers."

"That's right." he confirms. "I was only fourteen years old when I first fought in the war."

"That young?" Tenzin asks.

"Your father and I were the same age when we fought Tenzin," Katara reminds him.

"I know but, it still seems wrong," he replies.

"I fought hard along with Obi-Wan and my friends, but in the end it was pointless. The entire war was orchestrated to allow a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire in place of the Republic, and wipe out the Jedi," he explains grimly.

We look at him with wide eyes, shocked and saddened at what he went through.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Katara says sympathetically. "Aang also has to suffer through losing his people."

"I appreciate it," he says with a smile. "Besides, this happened a long time ago, and the Empire was defeated, along with the Sith."

"If the Sith we're responsible for that... then where did Snoke come from?" Tenzin asks.

Jarik frowns in wary concern. "I don't know... but he's been around for a long time. Waiting."

"Caran!"

I look over at the sound of Korra's voice, and barely have any time to prepare myself for the hug she gives me. The rest of Team Avatar enter the room as well, and she then quickly releases me, looking down with a worried gaze.

"Are you alright?" she asks worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I tell her with a frown. "Why do you ask?"

"We heard about what happened with this new Force-user," she explains.

"Oh, yeah. I'm alright, nothing too bad happened," I reassure her.

"Dude, seriously? You learn about some new creepy person on the loose, and it's nothing too bad?" Bolin asks incredulously.

"Well it's not like she was actually here," I point out.

Bolin frowns and then hums thoughtfully, a hand on his chin. "Good point, good point."

"Well, how did did restoring everyone's bending go?" Tenzin asks.

"Oh spirits," Korra groans loudly. "I still have several hundred more people to do tomorrow!"

"You'll get through it," Katara says with a smile.

"In the mean time," Jarik says, coughing into his hand. "You still have a lot of training ahead of you."

"Alright, I'm down for it," I remark with a shrug.

"Lucky you," Korra grumbles.

Luon snickers in amusement, while Mako rolls his eyes, and Asami shakes her head in amusement.

"Don't expect it to be easy though, because it is definitely not going to be," he warns me.

I grumble quietly at the statement, a little peeved at how much he seems to enjoy messing with me.


Auhor's Note: So yeah, I think you can guess which version of the Joker will be used based on this chapter.

Also we have some more teaching from Jarik! This lesson was definitely a little bit like Luke's short one from TLJ, but I felt that style fit Jarik's character more than Luke, since he's always been humorous. That scene I felt was alright in the movie.

We don't have very many teaching scenes in Star Wars anyways when you think about it lol.