The Gate (Darkness Falls, Part 1)
"This is ridiculous. We can't just sit here and do nothing while she's dying away," spoke a worried Tenzin.
"I'm afraid that's all any of us can do: wait. It's up to him now to bring her back," Kimo told the airbender, referring to Taka.
Taka was still busy focusing on healing an unconscious Korra's body, laying his hand on her stomach and also focusing on keeping her spirit intact. Just like Tenzin, everyone else could only wait and watch in worry. Asami was right next to Taka, crying and hoping. Tenzin felt confused and a little useless; and couldn't stand waiting to see if Korra was gonna die or not. So the airbender decided to step outside for a bit to organize his thoughts. He noticed the guardians waiting as well and told them that he would like to talk with them outside. Nadia and Satoshi agreed—they were starting to worry too.
Tenzin looked quite distraught and confused, and he just wanted them to explain to him what's actually going on. And so the two guardians explained as best as they could about who they are, the elemental keys, and Ner'gal; and the consequences should he be released from his imprisonment.
"So he's going to destroy the world too?" the airbender inquired, "why does everything want to destroy the world?"
"We assume so. It's the most likely outcome," Satoshi answered, "actually, Korra never did tell us much about this spirit. Only that he was extremely dangerous."
Tenzin sighed and rubbed his eyes. Everything seemed to be falling apart again. But they couldn't lose hope. The priority then was making sure they rescue and save Korra from death; they could deal with the other stuff after; one step at a time. With that, they rejoined the others inside the room. Everybody was still worried waiting and Taka was still busy healing Korra with Kimo right beside him.
"Hey. Hey, I think I found her," Taka suddenly spoke, "but it's not very clear. Hold on, I'm gonna try again. Everyone quiet, I need to focus."
And everyone held their breath with Asami covering her mouth with her hands, scared, waiting to see how it would turn out.
"I think I'm here. Guys, I think I made it," the energybender spoke again, his eyes still glowing white.
Then Korra's body began to tremble a little. The scars and wounds she had sustained were healing and her body seemed less pale and dead. She stopped moving for a second before finally opening her eyes, struggling a bit from the light, trying to avoid it.
"Welcome back, Korra," Kimo spoke to her.
"Kimo?" she said.
Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief and could finally relax after all that tense waiting. They all welcomed her back and Asami immediately hugged her, half-crying (everyone was half-crying at this point).
"It's okay, Asami," she said to her, "I'm back. And I'm ready."
"Oh, thank the spirits," the engineer said, still hugging.
Meanwhile, somewhere deep inside a dense forest in the middle of nowhere—a place no one would ever go to—was an open area (not too big nor too small) where no trees grew. But step a few meters closer—like stepping into a different place, as if passing through a very thin glass or mirror—and there it lied, a broken structure (similar to a castle structure). Parts of it had already crumbled and the ruin itself was pretty decrepit. Though it had a somewhat functioning gate and it was closed. And if one were to step inside, they would find another open area—similar to a courtyard—with nothing in it. A few dirt and grass lied sparsely here and there, more signs of the ruin's decrepit state such as moss growing on the walls, and at the end of it all was another gate that would exit the ruin and out to the other edge of the open area (the border between it and the forest, if you will). In the middle of the courtyard was a decorative circle mural on the floor, quite big and with many colors adorning it. Though it too showed signs of aging and the image was already distorted and not clear anymore, more at some parts. From this middle point, if one were to come through the previous gate, to the left was a door, closed and half-broken. Even if it were to open, it would lead nowhere as the that part of the castle had already been destroyed. To the right of the mural was just a wall. There were a few stairs all around, but again, as much of the castle has already been destroyed or crumbled away (as evident by the amount of debris scattered around), those led to nowhere.
Back at the airship, Korra was still getting used to being alive again, doing a couple of stretches, runs, jumps, and handstands outside at the deck—she tumbled a few times during the course as she was still getting used to having a physical body again; the sensations were quite different when she was a spirit. The others, needless to say, were quite impressed with her already up and about after just waking up from death—or near-death.
"Korra, maybe you might want to take it easy a little? You just nearly died after all," Asami told her, staring at her still moving.
She eventually stopped, tired, and told them not to worry and that she was fine. In fact, she was better than fine; she faced her demons and accepted her past, and was ready to go forward to finish what she started long ago. She was wearing her sleeveless undershirt for the exercise and different pants, for obvious reasons.
"Just trying to get used to it again," she said.
"Well, I hope you already are, 'cause those criminals still have all four of the keys, remember?" Nadia reminded her.
"Right. Just let me go change and let's discuss it at the bridge," the former Avatar told them before leaving for her room.
The rest did as she said and went up to the bridge, except for Taka who went with his sweetie. And the team still hasn't forgotten about the truth; Bolin still felt a little angry, but has calmed down a bit already after what she had just been through; Mako was more unsure, feeling ambivalent just as Tenzin was, while Asami didn't really care. It wasn't Korra's fault for doing what she had to do. That's not to say the engineer didn't think about it. On the contrary, she thought about it a lot. But she understood the why, and whatever happened, she will always be their friend and Asami was ready to help and follow her once again to save the world.
The two remaining guardians, Nadia and Satoshi, were pretty indifferent about it (they felt pretty awkward and out of place in the team, but Korra needed them, so they were there for her). They understood the situation and never judged her for it, as did Masaru and Kimo. Both Masaru and Taka were personally there with her, witnessing her struggles firsthand, and Kimo had experienced it personally through his relationship with the spirits. And Masaru can seem too calm at times and jokes about everything often, but he can get serious when he needs to, especially for his best friend.
Anyway, reaching the bridge, the team gathered around and sat down at the table and waited for the former Avatar to come join them. As they waited, Bolin, not meaning to, brought up the matter of Korra's recent past and again it caused quite a bit of discomfort on the team. Nobody spoke a word and contemplated in silence.
Back at her room, Korra had just arrived and was getting her clothes out while Taka stood by the doorway.
"Do you mind?" she gave him a look.
"Right," he spoke quietly, looking quite serious.
He told her that he wanted to talk to her afterwards before closing the door and waiting outside.
"Alright," she said.
After a few seconds, the door opened and she called him back in, clothed and ready.
"You're still wearing that?" he commented.
"Yeah, so?" she replied.
"Isn't it, you know, dirty or whatever?"
"That's why I washed it," she smiled.
"You did? When?"
"Just now. Did you know this airship has a laundry room? I did it before my exercise," she explained.
"Well, anyway… How are you feeling?" he asked her.
"I feel great, actually. Better than I've been feeling lately, that's for sure," she did seem quite happy.
He smiled, but couldn't help wonder what caused this happy change.
"My trip to the Gathering; that Spirit World place we were in. It helped put some things in perspective for me," she told him.
"Avatar Wan helped you out, huh?"
"Yeah, he did. He really did," she gave a sincere smile.
He then suddenly hugged her tightly.
"You almost died. I thought I'd lost you," he spoke, "I don't know what we would've done…"
"You guys would've done just fine," she tried to speak, a little constricted, "you have Nadia and Satoshi here to help you out."
He let her go, "Still, we're all really happy that you made it back. It wouldn't be Team Korra without Korra, would it?"
She laughed softly. But the former Avatar couldn't help noticing that a few of them were a bit… "Not happy looking," as she put it. And Taka looked a little worried.
"Sweetie, what's going on?" she said with a jokingly serious look.
He sighed and finally told her what happened while she was away: that he had to tell them the truth about her and what happened during her one-year disappearance. Needless to say, Korra was surprised and looked a little sad.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. But you were gone. You disappeared again without a trace and we didn't know what to do," he tried to explain.
But, she regained her smile and hugged him, "Oh, it's alright, sweetie. You did what you had to do," she released him, "besides, it is time that they know the truth. They're my friends and I shouldn't keep this from them any longer."
"Are you sure?" he asked her.
"I am. It's time," she answered.
With that, they both closed the door and made their way to the bridge to join the others. It was quite a long way, but they enjoyed the walk. It's funny how the simplest things can make people the happiest. She took his hand as they walked, the first time they ever did that in a while.
"When this is all over, let's go on a proper date. Just you and me," she spoke, "we'll go anywhere. Just get up and go."
"I would love that, actually," he smiled to her.
Meanwhile, the team was still busy discussing amongst themselves, trying to figure out how to break it to Korra, or whether they can still trust her or not. Of course, Asami, Kimo, and the Guardians stopped them at every turn; and the two warriors, and even Kimo, told them what Korra went through during that one year, during her dark service. Of course, after all was said and done, the team felt pretty bad, though they were still unsure.
"Believe me, if Korra could've gotten away, she would've," continued the Guardians, "but she was bound to him. And she did horrible things, yes, but she made up for it, and is still making up for it to this day. Every day she tries to do good and be a good person."
"And more importantly," Kimo added, "she's your friend. You've all known her a long time; hung out together and had fun together. If she was some stranger to you all, then maybe… Like how the people of the Republic have been treating her. But you're not; you know her."
They then stopped and tried to do as he said: to stop judging their friend as if they understood fully the case at hand. It was then that Korra and Taka arrived, smiling of all things, and casually sat down and asked,
"Hey, guys. So how's everyone…doing?"
They continued to remain silent for a while, but remembered what Kimo had said.
"We're good, Korra," someone finally spoke, which was Mako, scratching his head and smiled thoughtfully, "and uhh, we're glad you're okay too."
"Definitely. We don't know what we would've done," Asami added.
"You guys would've been fine," the former Avatar told her, "that's why I've been thinking… It's time you guys knew the truth."
Everyone held their breath in anticipation, curious of what really happened. And she started talking, feeling anxious or nervous. As she began, the team stopped her mid-sentence and told her that she didn't need to continue. They explained that they've accepted what happened and could finally understand the situation on her terms.
"And frankly, we don't really feel like we wanna know anymore," Mako said.
"You're our friend, Korra. And that will never change," Tenzin added.
"And we trust you, all the way. Just like we always have," added Asami, "friends to the end."
"Yeah. I guess the shock really got to me. It sounds like you were a completely different person while you were away. I guess I didn't wanna believe that," Bolin sort of apologized and smiled thoughtfully to her.
Korra was more than glad to hear those words from her friends. A great burden felt like it had been lifted from her shoulders and she didn't have to hide anymore, at least from them. Taka smiled too, happy that everything worked out.
"So you don't need to tell us what happened, Korra, if you don't want to," Tenzin spoke once more, "we trust you. We only ask that you trust us too and keep no more secrets from us."
She happily nodded and agreed. It wasn't just that. Her trip to the Gathering and her meeting with Wan also helped her cope with her past and accept them, to let them go. She now felt like she could truly move forward. And they were all there to help her do so.
"Okay," she spoke.
"Alright, then. My apologies, but now that everything's good with you guys, we do still have a problem to take care of," Nadia interrupted them, "those criminals still hold all four keys, so we have to assume they're heading for the Gate even as we speak."
"Alright. So where is this 'Gate'?" the master airbender inquired.
"Hard to tell. The Gate "moves" around. It doesn't stay in one place indefinitely," Korra explained.
"Well, that's a good idea, actually," Masaru spoke, "so how are we supposed to find it, then?"
"You don't. That was the point," Satoshi said with a little humor.
"What do you mean it moves around?" Mako asked, bemused.
"The Gate and its surrounding land shifts between our world and the Spirit World periodically; and the location changes every time: it's random. Only someone holding all four keys together can determine its current location."
"Well, that's awesome," Mako remarked.
"It's clever actually," Asami too, "ensures that it remains hidden."
"Oh, it gets better," the former Avatar continued, "the Gate is invisible to everyone except only to whomever holds all four keys."
"So, in short, we'll never find it," Tenzin said with a sigh.
"No, we will. Well, I will," Korra stood up, "I'm the one constant, remember? Being the Avatar and all. I'm like a crossroad, connecting all things. Just give me a few minutes."
She smiled at Taka before going off to meditation. As she began, her spirit connected to the Aether, searching for the Gate's current location. It was like floating in space, except everything was blueish instead of black; bright and moving or flowing. Korra was then in a deep forest, still floating, the tree canopies were quite high and filtered most of the sunlight. She levitated to an open clearing and, like a clearing haze, the Gate appeared before her; it looked like a broken castle, not too big nor too wide.
"There you are," she spoke, "but where is this?"
She flew higher up to see what land it stood on.
"It's in the Earth Kingdom," she figured out, "we have to hurry."
The former Avatar ceased her meditation and quickly informed the team.
"Alright, then. Earth Kingdom, here we come," Asami said.
"It's in the North, the forests between Republic City and the Northern Air Temple," Korra told them.
"Those forests are deep and thick," Tenzin commented, "it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Not with me on your team," the former Avatar smiled.
"Very well. Then let us proceed. We don't have much time," Satoshi asserted.
Asami nodded and went to tell the pilots their new heading. They flew as fast as the airship will allow, and the pilots definitely cranked up the engine on Asami's orders, but it would still take them some time and the team took the opportunity to discuss and come up with a plan.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Mako asked.
"Simple, we take out the bad guys before they can do bad things," Masaru remarked.
"What is their plan, anyway? What is this 'Gate'? Something about another dark spirit?" the firebender inquired.
"The Gate is where I locked Ner'gal away…forever. Or at least, I hoped it would," Korra explained, "I should've destroyed the keys."
"Why didn't you?" Asami was curious.
"I couldn't. It's…the 'law', you know," she tried to explain, but everyone except for the Guardians was confused, "it's complicated. I'll explain later. The point is, with all four keys together, those criminals can now unlock the Gate and set the dark spirit free."
"Who is this 'Ner'gal'?" Tenzin asked.
"The Spirit of Death and Mala Ta'ak's most trusted servant. Or at least, he was," Kimo spoke.
"Ner'gal tried to overthrow Mala Ta'ak, so the First Spirit banished him. And I locked him away," Korra continued.
"Under Mala Ta'ak's orders?" Tenzin assumed.
"No. Mala Ta'ak couldn't care less about him. The coup attempt was a total failure. Mala Ta'ak's powers were far beyond his and the First Spirit banished Ner'gal to the wilds, where he would see Mala Ta'ak's rise to power and rule both worlds. That was his punishment," the former Avatar explained.
"But Korra thought that Ner'gal was too dangerous to let roam free, so she asked for my help to seal him away, without Mala Ta'ak's knowledge, of course," Kimo added.
Again, everyone at the table was surprised, but at this point, they knew it was all true.
"But now that Mala Ta'ak's gone, there's nobody left to challenge Ner'gal. He'll be the most powerful spirit. And he wants to sit on Mala Ta'ak's throne and rub it in the First Spirit's face, now that he's locked up," Korra continued.
"Right. So again, what's the plan?" Mako reiterated with a smile on his face.
"We stop them from unlocking the Gate, at all costs," Korra replied firmly.
"Uhm… What if they succeed in unlocking the Gate and Ner'gal is set free?" Bolin raised his hand and asked.
"If Ner'gal is set free…" the former Avatar sighed, "if he's set free, then I'll take care of him. But I want you guys to stay clear in that case."
"Did you just hit your head, Korra? We already agreed, we're with you all the way," Asami reasserted.
After a brief moment of pondering, the former Avatar agreed and nodded. Having faced Ner'gal before, Korra knew very well what the death spirit is capable of. Even with her Avatar powers back then, she still needed Kimo's help to bring him down ('course, she mainly needed his help to suppress Mala Ta'ak's influence temporarily). But now, she wasn't the Avatar anymore and her powers are significantly weaker. But then again, she thought, "I guess that's what having a team is for." But if anything went wrong, it could mean the death of all her closest friends. But if everything she went through—becoming dark, serving a dark spirit, killing her best friend, nearly dying, and meeting Wan at the Gathering—have taught her anything, it's that she doesn't have to be alone and isn't. Her friends are there for her, to the end.
"Anyway, I'm gonna go check on where we are. Be back in a few minutes," Asami told the team before going off to the pilot.
Kimo stood up and talked with Korra privately.
"I know what you're thinking, but you're not the Avatar anymore. We need everyone's help on this," he told her, "the two of us won't be enough anymore."
"I know. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that my friends are always here for me," she asserted, "but you know very well what Ner'gal's capable of."
"I do. Exactly why we need the team's help; your team, Korra," he affirmed, "and no one's gonna die today. I won't let it happen."
"At least we have two energybenders now. We'll need both of you."
"Yeah. Your boyfriend's a pretty good bender," he smiled.
"Yeah, he is," the former Avatar blushed a little.
Meanwhile, at the Gate's outskirts, the four criminals stood in front of the energy shield and presented all four keys. The shield accepted and dispelled, allowing full visibility. "Finally," Zaheer spoke smiling, "the fruit of our labor. Soon this world will tremble and the United Republic of Nations will be no more." They entered the structure.
"Interesting. I'd thought there would be guardians here too," the airbender commented.
"Well, it was frustratingly difficult to find this place—and without the all four keys, it's actually impossible, right? So I see why the Avatar thought there would be no need for guardians here," P'Li mentioned.
"Ha ha. That idiot. It'll be her downfall," Ming-Hua remarked.
Back at the airship, it took the team about an hour or so before finally arriving at the clouds above the forest. Looking down upon it, the team saw that it seemed deeper and more lush than the stories suggested.
"We're really gonna trek through all of that?" Mako did not feel like doing that.
"Not all of it. But we do have to get down there and walk if we wanna find it. I need to be as close as possible to be able to sense its presence," Korra told him.
"And obviously, the airship can't land anywhere down there since it's too thick. So yeah, Mako, we're gonna trek through that," Asami added.
"Perfect," the firebender commented.
"Trekking through forests and dense jungles… Just another day at the office, huh?" Masaru unsheathed his sword with a gesture.
"Let's get moving. We're wasting time," Tenzin remarked.
"Agreed," Korra grabbed Tenzin's hand and absorbed his airbending before retrieving her glider.
"That still feels a little strange," the master airbender looked at his hand.
"Let's go," she said.
They all met up at the outer deck. It was a hot sunny day, but at their altitude, the air was pretty cool and the wind was breezy; it felt nice.
"Alright. Is everyone ready?" Korra asked the team.
"Ready," they all answered.
The former Avatar gave a sort of short speech before they took off, "Before we go… Look, you guys weren't there. Ner'gal, he's… He's very powerful and very dangerous in his own right. So please be careful, all of you. And don't die."
"Don't worry, Korra. We'll watch each other's back," Tenzin asserted.
"And we're not kids nor first time benders either. We'll be fine. Trust us," Mako smiled and reassured her.
"And besides, we're gonna stop them before they can even get close to this 'Gate' thing or whatever," Bolin added.
"Alright, then. I just have one last thing to say: last one down is a stinky bison," Korra taunted them before jumping over the edge gleefully.
The team ran to the railing and witnessed her unsheathing her glider and flew down gracefully.
"Riighhttt… Um, how are we supposed to get down there?" Mako inquired, "we're not airbenders."
"Right," Tenzin sighed.
Meanwhile, Korra was having a blast flying above the forest, the wind speeding across her face again. At the same time, she was pinging for the location of the hidden Gate, flying in a big circle. She eventually landed at a spot just below where the airship was hovering, landing on a high tree branch so as to see above the canopy. Then, there was a faint shouting or screaming. It came from above; Bolin was carried by Tenzin on his glider, but was terrified and screamed a lot causing Tenzin unable to focus on his flying. The two eventually landed—sort of—hitting a tree branch or two before falling down. It looked a little painful. Mako followed them, using his firebending to control his descent, landing on the forest floor safely. Then, Taka and Masaru came sliding down on an energy construct Taka created to carry them down safely—though Masaru was screaming as well. Finally, Kimo and Asami came down on another of Future Industries patented inventions called the "Copter Pack": a device carried on one's back that gives the ability of flight and allows for simple maneuverability through the skies. It was compact and could fold itself for ease-of-carry.
"Asami! Why didn't you tell me you had that?" Bolin yelled at her.
"Well, I was about to get everybody one, but you all went off straight away," the engineer explained.
Bolin stammered. He didn't have a reply as, like she said, it was his fault for going off right away. After their various "landings", the team gathered together at where Korra's tree was. A few of them were stretching and exercising their limbs after that ordeal—they were feeling pretty sore—as they stood beneath the treetop awaiting the former Avatar's descent.
"Uhh, Tenzin? Sorry about…uhm, you know…" Bolin tried to apologize.
"It's alright, Bolin," the airbender sighed.
Korra then suddenly dropped down, rustling a branch or two; a few leaves flew down with her. She gave them the news:
"Well, this forest really is everything you guys mentioned: long, wide, and deep," she told them, "but at least I have a general direction. We need to head that way." Her hand pointed further into the forest.
"I'll notify the airship," Asami mentioned, "I think they should just stay right where they are and conserve fuel as much as possible."
"Alright, then. Let's not waste any more time— Uhm, where are the guardians?" Tenzin remembered.
But both Nadia and Satoshi were already ahead of them, or rather above them on two of the tree branches ahead, signaling to them to hurry up. And their trek began with Korra leading in front, continuously searching and feeling for the Gate's presence.
"Hey, Tenzin? How's Kya and Bumi?" Korra asked him.
"Oh, they're fine; visiting mom at the Southern Water Tribe. It's been a while since they've all seen each other, so I thought it would be good," the master airbender answered, "and besides, if what we're doing is really as dangerous as you say, then I wanna keep them as far away from it as possible."
"That's a good idea."
The team continued to walk and trek through the forest for what felt like forever.
"At least half-an-hour or so," Asami mentioned.
"It sure feels longer than that," Masaru remarked.
Korra had been leading them in all manner of directions and paths, taking them through a dell and up a hill among other paths, but they seemed to be no closer. Or at least it felt like they were going nowhere.
"Korra? Not to be a pain or anything, but are you sure you know where you're going?" Mako tiredly asked.
"Yes, Mako. I can still feel it," she answered, "but then again…"
"What? What?" Bolin was afraid of what she might say.
"Well, the forest is thick and long; and the Gate was created to be undetectable," Korra continued.
"That's just peachy," Tenzin remarked.
As the day went on, the sun grew higher and hotter, but thankfully, the treetops were shading them from most of it. Eventually, they arrived at a big dike with a few bushes lined here and there, but no trees. There, they could feel the full heat of the sun above them blasting down onto the forest. They were tired and sweating, of course. As it is since they entered the forest area with the airship, the forest is bordered on each side, though quite far apart, with a long mountain range and it didn't seem to end. Looking up, they could barely see anything through the glare of the sunlight.
"Asami? Please tell me you're still in contact with the airship," Korra spoke.
The engineer then tried her radio to do so and received a clear reply. The pilot responded that everything was fine; they were still at where they stopped.
"That's affirmative, Captain. Just stay high. I'll signal when we need you guys. Over and out."
She then signaled to Korra that everything was fine.
"Okay. We should keep moving, then."
"Just give us a few minutes, Korra. Everyone's tired," Mako said as he went back into the shade and sat down on a rather flat rock to rest followed by Bolin. He took out his bottle and drank the heat away, as did everyone.
"Alright, but we shouldn't take too long," Korra told him.
Meanwhile, Taka was standing out over the dike, trying to get a bearing on their surroundings. But it was a fruitless effort as all he could see was trees and more trees, rocks, and the mountains surrounding them among other things.
"You should rest, Taka. I created the Gate to be invisible and undetectable to anything," Korra spoke to him, "so you might as well rest up and let me do the hard work."
"Are we even getting close?" the energybender inquired, tired as well.
The search for this "Gate" felt as Korra said: nearly impossible, like trying to find an invisible needle in a very large haystack.
"We are. I can feel it," the former Avatar said, hopeful.
Then, as they finished their rest and preparing to continue, they all heard what sounded like a small explosion and they could see and energy wave pass by above them; birds were flying from the treetops in a bit of a frenzy.
"Oh no," Korra feared the worst.
The team hastily jumped and ran in that direction. It wasn't a long trek until they arrived at the Gate itself, but the energy shield had already been withdrawn. The former Avatar realized that Zaheer, P'Li, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua were already there.
"We're too late…" Korra remarked in horror.
"Perhaps not. We should head inside. There may still be a chance," Nadia asserted.
"Inside?" the others were confused as there seemed to be no "inside" anywhere; it looked like a destroyed castle.
"That's the point," Korra spoke as she ran inside.
It was as she feared. The mural at the center of the structure had been opened and the criminals have already descended down to the Gate.
"We need to jump down," Satoshi said, to which he did followed by Nadia.
Korra and Taka also wasted no time and immediately jumped down the hole after them.
"Oh, no. I'm not going down there," Bolin looked scared.
"Bolin, we don't have time for this," Tenzin said.
"Then go. Bolin and I will stay here just in case they slip you guys and come back up," Mako told the airbender.
"I'm staying here with them too," Masaru added.
"Don't worry, Tenzin. I'll stay here too and watch over them," Asami assured him.
He nodded and jumped down the hole along with Kimo, who flew down with his Copter Pack. As they went further down—the hole was rather deep and a long narrow journey down—they begin to notice a faint blue tint seeping into the air and the walls, permeating everything. Eventually, they exited the deep hole and came out to an open forest-like area akin to the ones in the Spirit World; the trees and plant-life were as one would expect to find in that world. Streaks of light and energy were emanating from the center of the area. By the time Tenzin and Kimo arrived on the ground, Korra and the others had already made for the center of the forest where the Gate lied and the two hastily tried to catch up.
Ghazan noticed their presence and announced, "They're here, boss."
"It doesn't matter. They're too late anyway," Zaheer spoke with a smirk.
As they arrived, everyone except Korra and the guardians stared in awe as they saw the huge Gate on the ground: it was a circle in the center of the forest and engraved on it were each of the four elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air in in clockwise order from top to bottom; and at the top of each section was an insert where one could put the corresponding key in to unlock the Gate, which Zaheer already succeded in doing. The Gate creaked and moaned as the magic dispelled, and already Ner'gal's dark presence could be felt. Waves and streames of dark energy were emanating outwards. The Gate itself began to crack and break. The criminal leader stood at the edge of the circle, his arms wide open, along with his crew.
"You should've destroyed the spirit when you had the chance, Avatar!" he shouted to her, "now, you will face the consequence of that ignorance. On this day, everything you have worked for is undone…and the world as you know it will die."
At that moment, the entire forest shook and trembled. As the Gate's magic was fully dispelled, its radiant glow dimmed and the waves of energy stopped. The Gate finally shattered and a dark presence rose up, revealing a huge, black, and terrifying spirit.
"Noooooo!" Korra screamed as she witnessed Ner'gal rise from his prison.
"I. Am. Freeeee!" Ner'gal yelled out with what can only be perceived as joy as the team witnessed in horror.
