Korra and Asami were now flying over a large mountain range in the northern Fire nation on Korra's sky bison. They approached what appeared to be a large and ancient temple complex in the mountains and landed there. Soon after, Tenzin, Kya, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo also landed with their sky bison.
"It's actually pretty cold up here." said Korra. "I wasn't expecting this in the Fire nation. I can even see my breath."
"Here in the mountains of the north is the only place in the Fire nation where it snows." said Asami. "So it's no surprise that it would be cold here. Don't worry though; I also brought some warmer clothes for us to wear."
"Oh come on Korra, this cold is nothing compared to what we get at the South Pole." said Kya, in a playful tone.
Asami unpacked the warmer clothes from the sky bison that she had brought with her and then she and Korra put them on. The group of Korra, Asami, Tenzin, Kya, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo then gathered together to begin their objective.
"So this place here and all the surrounding land is where the combustion benders used to live?" said Korra. "Until the other day, I didn't even know that their actual name was the Zatsu Tribe."
All of them then headed towards the ruined and abandoned temple complex and began to search around. The architecture of the large temple seemed to slightly resemble that of the Air Nomads, while also having features of Fire Nation architecture.
"This place feels a little bit like an Air Temple, yet at the same time it doesn't." said Jinora.
"The Zatsu Tribe definitely had some sort of Air Nomad influence when they built this place, which they mixed with their own Fire Nation culture." said Tenzin. "It's quite fascinating."
They continued down the hallways of the temple and passed by many interesting features, such statues of various people, as well as many murals and inscriptions on the temple walls depicting the history of the Zatsu Tribe. As they explored deeper in, they could hear the wind howling through the empty hallways and passages of the temple and in some places could hear the sound of wind chimes being blown. Eventually, they passed through a courtyard and reached a wide open area that led outside. There, they saw what appeared to be some sort of massive graveyard or funeral complex filled with various tombs, gravestones, mausoleums, and stupas.
"What is this place?" asked Korra. "Are all of these the graves of combustion benders and other members of the Zatsu Tribe?"
"This is definitely a sight to behold." said Tenzin. "It's like the old Air Nomad burial sites, but on a slightly larger scale."
"Some of these graves don't even look that old." said Asami. "A few of them look recent, like they were made within the last few decades. This one here looks to be the most recent." Asami pointed out one of the gravestones closest to where they were standing. They approached it and took a look at the inscription.
"It says the person buried here is someone by the name of P'Li." said Tenzin.
"Did you say P'Li?" said Korra. "That was the name of the combustion bender woman who was with Zaheer when the Red Lotus captured me four years ago. She was killed by Suyin during the battle on Laghima's Peak. It seems that since then, someone retrieved her body had it buried here." Korra saw that there were flowers at the gravestone, which looked as though they had been placed there recently.
"That's how she would have wanted it to be." said a voice from behind them. The group was startled and turned around to find a bald, very old looking man, carrying a wooden staff and approaching them from around the corner.
"Oh, sorry." said Korra. "We didn't mean to intrude here upon the temple sanctuary."
"It's alright." said the old man. "It's not often that visitors come here."
"We thought this place was abandoned." said Asami. "We didn't expect to come across anyone here."
"It might as well be abandoned." said the old man. "Only I live here now. All the other members of my clan have either died or have been scattered across the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. Only a handful of us remain now."
"Who might you be?" asked Tenzin. "This is a very interesting place here."
"My name is Moten." said the old man. "I am the oldest surviving member of the Zatsu Tribe. I am also probably the only one left who still knows the full history and traditions of my people. I've lived a very long life, and have endured much suffering and hardship, but I have also gained much knowledge and wisdom."
Korra noticed that across Moten's forehead was a large, dark burn scar, and he seemed to be partially blind in one eye. Most likely there was once a combustion bender's tattoo there on his forehead.
"I'll introduce myself." said Korra. "I am Korra, known by many people as the Avatar."
"So you're the current Avatar then?" said Moten with surprise. "An Avatar was once born among us in the distant past."
"I am Asami Sato." said Asami, also introducing herself."
"My name is Tenzin. I am the son of the previous Avatar, Aang." said Tenzin. "With me here is my sister Kya, and my children Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo."
"So, you're airbenders?" said Moten. "It's been years since I've last seen one. Our people both share a history together, and not too long ago, the airbenders were also in the same boat as us, with so few of them being left in the world."
"I'd be most interested in hearing about the history of the Zatsu Tribe and the combustion benders." said Tenzin. "There's so much about the past that could be learned from you."
"If you really want to, then I guess I could take the time to spread some of my knowledge to you." said Moten. "So, what brings all of you here anyway? Are you here sightseeing?"
"We are searching for information about the Red Lotus." said Korra. "One of our leads brought us here, and it is believed that one of their members could have been from the Zatsu Tribe. In the past, we also encountered a combustion bender by the name of P'Li who was also a part of the Red Lotus."
"I remember her. She grew up here with most of the other members of the Zatsu Tribe." said Moten. "She, like the rest of us had a difficult life, which was made even worse because of the war. When she was a young girl, she along with many other combustion benders were sought after by the warlords who wanted to use them as weapons. P'Li was forced into the service of a brutal warlord by the name of Jushin. One of the things she always wished for was to be able to return home to where she had grown up, but when the war was over, there was no home left for her to return to. All of her family members had been killed and this place was now empty and deserted. Her final wish was that if she was to die, that she would be brought back here and buried in the land of her birth. Some of her kinsman retrieved her body from the Earth Kingdom and brought it back here for burial."
"I never would have guessed she had such an awful past." said Korra. "I kind of feel sorry for her now. Aang must have felt the same way returning to his home only to find it empty."
"As for the other member of the Red Lotus we were referring to, we believe that the man calling himself Xai Bau might be connected to the Zatsu Tribe." said Tenzin.
"So it's about him then?" said Moten, with a sad and mournful look. "I didn't want to believe it at first, but I think I now have a pretty good idea who it is behind the mask of Xai Bau."
"Who could he be then?" asked Korra.
"He is my grandson, Tensu." said Moten. "If he's caused you any pain or grief, please try not to hate him. Knowing everything that's happened to him in the past and understanding his mindset, I can see why he feels the way that he does and why he would want to help the Red Lotus to do what they are attempting here in the Fire Nation. He's quite a tragic figure."
"What happened to him in the past?" asked Korra.
"It's a long and complicated story that has much to do with our history." said Moten. "For centuries, the Zatsu Tribe and the combustion benders have been both honored and revered and at the same time hated and feared through the Fire Nation's history because of their unique bending abilities. We have always been a persecuted minority, especially during the Hundred Year War because of our airbender heritage. After the Air Nomads had been wiped out, the Fire Nation monarchy then began to round up all of the members of the Zatsu Tribe scattered throughout the Fire Nation and kept a close watch on them. It is a known fact that every so often, someone will very rarely be born in the Zatsu Tribe with the ability to airbend rather than firebend. The Firelord was certain that there was a strong possibility that an airbending Avatar could still be born after the Air Nomads were all wiped out, but this time among the Zatsu Tribe. The Firelord knew that there was once an Avatar born among us in the distant past, so he didn't want to take any chances. He didn't kill us though, believing that we could still prove useful, but he definitely didn't make life easy for us."
"There were many terrible injustices committed by the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War." said Tenzin. "Some of which might never be known now because they have been buried and forgotten in history."
"It was made even worse by the fact that when Firelord Sozin had first begun wiping out the Air Nomads, some of them had escaped, mostly children, and were helped in staying hidden by some of the Fire Sages and Zatsu Tribe members, who were extremely opposed to the Air Nomad Genocide." said Moten. "The escaped airbenders were actually able to stay hidden here in the Fire Nation for quite some time, passing themselves off as Fire Sages and other professions, but years later, the Firelord eventually found out. In the time of Firelord Azulon, the entire Fire Nation was scoured and all of the airbenders in hiding were rounded up and taken away. Those who had been hiding them were severely punished as well. I remember well the day when they came here and rounded up all of the elderly and took them away. I was just a young boy when it happened, and that was the last time I ever saw my grandfather. The elderly never came back after that. I think we all have a pretty good idea what happened to them though."
"That's terrible." said Asami, with an expression of shock. "It's hard to believe that such a dark and awful thing happened in the Fire Nation's past."
"However, when Firelord Zuko came to power, things got a little better for us." said Moten. "He reformed the Fire Nation and changed a lot of its policies, and he even tried to reconcile with the Zatsu Tribe and make peace with us; apologizing for all the wrongdoings committed against us in the past by the Firelords. The years after the Hundred Year War were a great time for us, until the civil war happened. There was fighting all over the Fire Nation, which eventually reached the lands of my people, and many of us were displaced from our homes. Soldiers serving the many warlords also came and abducted many of the combustion benders of our tribe. Two of the people taken were my grandson Tensu and his cousin P'Li, who were forced into the service of Warlord Jushin. Tensu wasn't born with the ability to combustion bend like P'Li was, but they didn't know that and took him as well. Even though he couldn't use combustion bending, he was an excellent firebender, even better than P'Li was, so I guess when they found out, they decided to keep him since he still seemed like he would be of some use to them. I tried to stop the soldiers from taking them, but I wasn't strong enough, and that's how I ended up with this scar, which permanently severed me from my ability to combustion bend, but at least I can still firebend though."
"What happened to all the combustion benders who were taken away?" asked Korra.
"During the war, many of them lost their lives, and those that survived were scattered all over the Fire Nation and the world." said Moten. "P'Li and Tensu had managed to escape their servitude to Jushin, but, nothing would ever be the same for them. Close to the end of the war, Tensu had apparently died in an explosion in one of the battles and had been left for dead by the forces of the monarchy; the very same monarchy he had so loyally fought for in order to defeat the warlords. I thought he had died, and so did everyone else, but one day, he showed up here. He didn't even look human anymore. Almost his entire body had been destroyed and replaced with metal parts. He was like a living machine. When he visited this place, the sweet grandson I once knew and loved was gone. He told me that shortly before he had come here, he had taken his revenge on Warlord Jushin and killed him. He was filled now only with hatred and anger for those who done this to him and he felt betrayed by those who he had once served. He vowed that he would destroy the monarchy and bring down the current system of the Fire Nation. After that he left and I never saw him again. Now years later, this masked man named Xai Bau has shown up and is spouting ideals similar to those of Tensu, so it was obvious to me right away who Xai Bau was."
"In the past I've faced many people who have had their lives ruined in some way because of governments, but nothing like this before." said Korra. "Before, I used to just rush in and fight my enemies without a second thought, but now I actually stop and take the time to learn why they are the way that they are."
"I can't really fault the Red Lotus for doing what they are trying to do here in the Fire Nation, though their methods may be a little extreme." said Moten. "They want to remove the legacy of hatred and violence that has been a part of the Fire Nation's history for generations and replace it with a new and better system."
"So that's how it all started for Tensu?" said Korra.
"There is so much suffering in this world Avatar Korra." said Moten. "Surely there must be something that the Avatar can do about it."
"As the Avatar, I've always tried my best to fix things, now more than ever." said Korra. "The Avatar wasn't there when the Fire Nation needed them the most, but this time, I'll make sure to set things right. However, the Avatar is just one person, and there are some things that even they are powerless to stop alone."
"If you do end up fighting Tensu, I ask that you please try and save him from himself." said Moten. "He may already be dead, but at least he can still let go of all of that hatred and anger before it's too late."
"Well now we know a little more about the man calling himself Xai Bau, but that doesn't really tell us much about the Red Lotus as a whole." said Korra. "Is there anything else you could tell us?"
"No, not really." said Moten. "That's all I know."
"That's okay then." said Korra.
"I guess since we are here, we could at least take a look around and take in the historic scenery." said Tenzin. "Now Elder Moten, I'm interested in hearing about the history of your people."
Korra and her group spent the next few hours exploring around the temple and seeing what kinds of interesting things could be found there. Everyone was now together in a room that seemed to be some sort of gathering place. Moten was giving them a tour of the temple and explaining each of the rooms as they passed by them. Tenzin, Kya, and Jinora were listening intently to Moten's telling of the history of the Zatsu Tribe as they all walked along through the rooms of the temple.
"It all began thousands of years ago, after the Fire Nation had just finished forming into its own kingdom under the monarchy." said Moten. "At this time, there was a community of firebenders living in the northern part of the Fire Nation. These firebenders were great friends with the Air Nomads living in the lands around the Western Air Temple and they would often visit each other. Some of the firebenders and Air Nomads married each other and those Air Nomads who the firebenders took as spouses moved with them back to the Fire Nation. There they lived together in harmony and built this large temple sanctuary. Eventually, they came to be known as the Zatsu Tribe, and after many generations of intermarrying and intermingling, this eventually led to a strange bending ability showing up in many of their firebender descendants."
"That bending ability was combustion bending right?" asked Jinora.
"Correct, it was." said Moten. "This ability was first discovered when the benders who possessed it found that they could use the air around them to make their flames burn hotter and cause explosions. That in itself was very dangerous to the user and everyone around them, but they found a way to control the blasts and make them even stronger. They did this by channeling their chi to a certain point on their body where a tattoo had been placed, and then firing out in a concentrated blast. This technique required the user to have a great amount of control over their chi in order for it to succeed. At first, the tattoo was placed on the palm of the user's dominant hand, but this proved to not be very effective and it would often backfire, causing the user to lose their hand or even their entire arm. However, a better and less dangerous way was eventually found. This new method involved placing the tattoo on the user's forehead, right on their Light Chakra, and using it as a focal point. From then on, the technique of combustion bending had been almost perfected."
"Almost perfected?" asked Korra.
"Yes, there is one small drawback." said Moten. "The bending technique is still rather dangerous, and if the user is not careful, especially at close range, than they could easily end up accidentally injuring or killing themselves. They must also make sure that the chakra on their forehead does not get blocked when they attempt to use it as well. It's also interesting to know that most combustion benders often wore their hair tied back or just shaved their head entirely because of the possibility that their hair could fall in front of their tattoo and cause their aim to be thrown off, or even have the technique backfire completely."
"I guess that's one sub bending style I won't be mastering." said Korra. "At least now I know how the technique works, but I don't think I'll ever use it. I'm not too keen on accidentally blowing myself up."
"One Avatar did master it though." said Moten. The group was now back at the graveyard and Moten was leading them towards a stupa with a statue of a large man with a combustion bender's tattoo on his forehead.
"Who is that a statue of?" asked Jinora.
"That is a statue of Avatar Kotsu." said Moten. "He was the Avatar I was referring to earlier who was born among the Zatsu Tribe. Buried in this stupa here are his ashes. He was an Avatar from many cycles ago in the distant past of the Fire Nation."
"That must have been a very long time ago, maybe even thousands of years ago." said Jinora. "I think I remember reading something about him in a book from one of the Air Temple libraries and also there was something written about him in Wan Shi Tong's Library in the Spirit World."
"He's ginormous, just like the combustion bender lady who was with Zaheer." said Meelo.
"Yes, many people from the Zatsu Tribe are known to grow to reach very tall heights indeed." said Moten. "Though that doesn't seem to have been the case for me and my grandson." Moten laughed a little. "Another common trait you'll find among the Zatsu Tribe is that many of its people often have names ending with the suffix "su"."
"What sort of interesting things are there about Avatar Kotsu and his life?" asked Jinora.
"He was known for being a very passive and thoughtful Avatar, but when the time called for it, he could be fierce and would do whatever it took in order to bring balance and peace. He was also known for being very spiritually connected to this world and the Spirit World. However, after his death is when the Zatsu Tribe began to lose its standing in the Fire Nation." said Moten. "He was born a firebender, and the elements of fire and air both came so naturally to him that he had completely mastered them within three years. Many Fire Nation and Air Nomad Avatars often find fire and air to be the two easiest elements for them to master because of how similar they are to each other. They are both free and unattached to anything, unlike water and earth. His mastery over the technique of combustion bending was also superb. He had such great control over it that he was one of the few combustion benders that didn't accidentally injure or kill themselves with it, which resulted in him living to a very old age. He actually had two combustion bending tattoos on his body. One on his forehead, and the other on the palm of his left hand, just like how the old method of the technique was used, though he often kept the one on his hand sealed so as not to accidentally discharge it."
"So he was left handed?" asked Korra. "His other tattoo was on his dominant hand, right?"
"Yes, he was left handed." said Moten.
"If his tattoos were special, did they glow whenever he went into the Avatar State, like how they did for Air Nomad Avatars?" asked Ikki.
"Yes, they did in fact." said Moten." At first they would fire off uncontrollably when it happened, but he eventually learned how to control it. Avatar Korra, do you have good control over the Avatar State?"
"Yes, I do, but I don't really like to use it too much." said Korra. "I used to carelessly go into the Avatar State all the time, but now I only use it when I really need to. The Avatar State is actually supposed to be used only as a last resort and is mainly a defense mechanism. Using the Avatar State takes a lot out of me and often leaves me feeling drained, especially after I was poisoned by the Red Lotus four years ago. I found out that it's not good to use it too much or for extended periods of time because it could shorten my lifespan. Avatar Aang died of old age earlier than he would have normally because all of the time that he spent in the Avatar State while in the iceberg shortened his life and caused him to age faster."
"I see, so that's how it works." said Moten. The group then moved on and Moten stopped at another gravestone, which didn't seem to be as old as some of the others. "Buried here at this grave is a fierce warrior, hunter, and assassin from our tribe by the name of Ganhotsu. He was once sent by Firelord Zuko to hunt down Avatar Aang and his friends during the Hundred Year War. He met his end at the Western Air Temple when he carelessly tried to use his combustion bending when the chakra on his forehead had been blocked, which resulted in his death. His body was eventually retrieved from the cliffs at the Western Air Temple by his kinsman and he was brought back here to be buried. It's kind of ironic how Ganhotsu and P'Li both died at an Air Temple, a place that was once inhabited by people who they share a heritage with."
"Was he just that obsessed with killing the Avatar that he failed to notice the danger he was in?" asked Korra.
"Ganhotsu was never really someone who was known for caution or subtlety, even though he lost an arm and a leg when he first discovered his combustion bending abilities by accident as a child." said Moten. "I met him a few times myself when I was a child, but he wasn't really the talkative type and he never said much. For a long time I actually thought he was mute, but it turned out that he just preferred to stay silent, which was sort of a necessity for his job as an assassin. I don't think he ever spoke his name to others, and since he rarely talked, very few people outside of the Zatsu Tribe knew what his real name was. To tell you the truth, I was actually a little scared of him. All the kids thought he was weird and creepy and they mostly kept their distance from him."
"Hey dad, isn't that the guy you told us that great-uncle Sokka used to call Sparky Sparky Boom Man?" asked Ikki.
"Yes, that was him." said Tenzin, chuckling.
"We've learned a lot of interesting things here, but it's too bad we couldn't really learn anything that would be useful in helping us find the Red Lotus." said Korra.
"I'm getting thirsty." said Moten. "Why don't we head back to my hut and I'll brew us a pot of tea?"
"That sounds great." said Asami.
The group made their way to the outskirts of the temple, where they came upon an old wooden hut. They went inside and Moten began making the tea while Tenzin conversed with him.
"Aside from the handful of combustion benders left, there are also a few non-bending members of our tribe who are still around and that live in the surrounding area here." said Moten.
"The Zatsu Tribe and the Air Nomads used to be great friends with each other." said Tenzin. "Why don't we try and rekindle that friendship between our people? There are Air Acolytes at the Western Air Temple who could help in rebuilding and refurbishing this place and who would be more than happy to meet the other members of the tribe."
"I kind of like that idea." said Moten. "From what I've heard, some of my non-bender kinsmen seem to have developed airbending abilities after Harmonic Convergence happened a few years ago. They've expressed interest in learning more about airbending and will need a teacher."
"We'd love to teach them airbending." said Tenzin. "Jinora, this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to test your skills as an airbending master by being able to teach some of your first students. Maybe when they learn airbending, they could live here as if it were one of the Air Temples."
"I'm glad to know that there are people left in the world that I can pass on my knowledge and wisdom to." said Moten. "I have actually started writing down all of the history and knowledge that I know of my people into scrolls and other literature, so that way it would be preserved even after I die."
Moten gestured to a stack of books and scrolls in a shelf near the corner of the room. Asami noticed a picture frame sitting on a desk and walked over to it to get a closer look.
"Are these two people that are standing between the other two people in the picture your grand-niece P'Li and your grandson Tensu?" asked Asami.
"Yes, they are." said Moten. "He gave it to me the last time I saw him when he was here. He told me he didn't really have much use for such an attachment, so he said I should have it to remember him by. They took that picture with two of their friends during the war, before Tensu suffered his horrific injuries." Korra then also went over to the picture to take a look at it, and then something caught her eye.
"Wait a minute, the other two men in the picture, I think I know who they are." said Korra, with a surprised look on her face. "This one to the left looks like my uncle Unalaq, and the man to the right looks a lot like Zaheer. They looked so different when they were younger, but I can still tell that it's them. It's seems so strange seeing them together like this. They all look so happy together. I never thought I would see something like this from Zaheer and Unalaq."
Unalaq and Zaheer were great friends to us." said Moten. "During the war, they, along with the Red Lotus, helped to free the members of the Zatsu Tribe who had been forced into servitude and they gave aid to those who were in need and those whose lives had been shattered by the war."
"I never knew that Zaheer and Unalaq had a past like that." said Korra.
"Zaheer really loved P'Li." said Moten. "He was devastated by what happened to her. He often comes to visit her grave here. He's the one who put those flowers there recently."
"Wait, he was here!?" asked Korra with surprise. "When was that?"
"He was here a few days ago." said Moten. "He has an interesting new bending ability. They call him Monk Gyatsuboro the Wind Walker now, because of how he can move through the air, almost like feather."
"So we just missed him." said Tenzin. "If we had run into him, we could have maybe captured him and gotten more information about the Red Lotus from him."
"Did he mention anything about where he was going before he left this place?" asked Korra.
"He said something about returning to lands of the Air Nomads in the west to go and look upon something from the past." said Moten. "That's all he really mentioned. It seemed to me like the place he was going to holds some sort of special significance to him."
"It sounds like the Western Air Temple could be where he is headed." said Jinora.
"Why would he go there?" asked Tenzin.
"I guess now we know where we're going to next." said Korra. "It seems this lead could still yet prove useful.
The group finished their tea and stayed for one more hour and then got ready to leave.
"It's been nice talking with you Moten." said Tenzin. "I'm sure we'll see each other again someday. Now we really must be leaving."
"Take care." said Moten. "If you see my grandson, please try and convince him to stop what he's doing and just come back home."
"I'll try, but I can't make any guarantees." said Korra.
"If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to Zaheer in time." said Asami.
They all headed back to their sky bison and started to leave the temple in the mountains.
"I wonder how Mako, Bolin, and the others are doing." said Korra.
"Hopefully they're also having some luck with their lead as well." said Asami.
As they flew away, they all took one last look at the temple as it faded away into the horizon.