Caran POV...
Everything is so dark and painful. The only thing swirling around me is clouds of darkness, specks of crimson red fluttering through them. I can see glimpses of the Messenger's master through the smoke. He's standing at some sort of pedestal, waving his hands around something on top of it which lets off a flickering glow.
I grit my teeth and cry out again in pain, the daggers still stabbing into my mind. All I could do was stay kneeling on the ground, clutching at my head in a feeble attempt to make the pain go away.
Avatar Temple, South Pole; Reylea
3rd person POV...
Jarik stands back up a couple of feet away from Caran, facing him warily with narrowed eyes. The rest of the group were all getting to their feet as well, some groaning and muttering their surprise.
"What the heck was that?" Bolin asks in bewilderment.
"It would seem I have to deal with you once more," Caran tells Jarik.
He took a step forwards, his back hunched a little bit and his limbs tense, his eyes filled with a sickly darkness. Korra looks at him in object horror and confusion. She, Tonraq and Senna all rush over to Caran, and Jarik glances at them in alarm.
"All of you, stay back!" he warns them, but they don't listen
"Are you alright son?" Tonraq asks worriedly.
Korra moved to lay a hand on Caran's shoulder, but as soon as she did so she flinches in pain, drawing her hand back with a look of surprise and confusion. Nearby, Naga is growling, tensed up and nervous. Caran then looks at the three of them with his sickly eyes, causing Senna to gasp. A sinister, almost amused grin then crosses his face, catching the family completely off guard.
"Sorry, father," he hisses out.
Caran then swipes an arm, blowing all three of them back with the Force. They tumble into the snow with startled cries, and everybody else gasps in shock at the sight, completely baffled.
"Woah! Caran's gone crazy!" Bolin exclaims.
"Caran, what are you doing?" Korra asks, looking up from the ground as Tonraq helps Senna to her feet.
"That is not Caran," Jarik states firmly, stepping in between Caran and everyone else.
"What do you mean that isn't Caran?" Lin demands.
"Isn't it obvious?" Caran questions.
Luon narrows his eyes at Caran, immediately coming to a conclusion. "Messenger!"
Hearing this, everyone gets into their bending stances, and Tenzin moves forwards to stand beside Jarik, a stern glare on his face. Korra also moves forwards, intent on charging, but is held back by an arm from Jarik.
"What have you done with Caran?" Tenzin demands.
"Where's my brother?!" Korra shouts furiously.
"Right here young Avatar," Caran replies, gesturing to himself.
"I don't know who 'Messenger' is, but this is not him," Jarik tells them both, staring at Caran.
"What are you talking about?!" Korra asks incredulously.
Caran chuckles in a way that makes everyone's hair stand on end. "A pleasure to meet you once again, Master Shan."
Jarik narrows his eyes with a glint of recognition, his face becoming grim. "Snoke."
"Who's Snoke?" Mako asks.
"You will learn that. In time," Snoke states.
Tenzin widens his eyes, coming to a realization. "You're the Messenger's master!"
"What?" a few of the others shout in surprise.
"How does that make sense?" Asami asks.
"Snoke is possessing him," Jarik explains.
"P-possession?!" Bolin shrieks.
"How is my brother being possessed?" Korra asks Jarik demandingly, but he was focused forwards.
"What do you want Snoke?" he demands.
"You haven't figured it out already Shan? I'm almost disappointed," Snoke replies with a sarcastic frown. "After all, even from star systems away you could feel the power yourself, could you not?"
Jarik glances at the ground, and then back at Snoke, who takes a step forwards with Caran's body.
"And I will control that power!" he declares.
Pulling an arm back, Snoke then thrusts it forwards, delivering a powerful Force push that sends everybody flying. Jarik manages to create a Force shield in time, and the Force push slams against it, causing him to skid back in the snow a little bit. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and Katara all tumble across the snow in one direction, Tonraq and Senna with Naga, and the rest of Team Avatar are also scattered around nearby. Whipping his arms to his sides, Jarik then charges towards the Snoke-possessed Caran while Korra looks up with wide eyes.
"Don't hurt him!" she cries out in alarm.
Jarik remains silent, in no way intending to hurt the boy, but also knowing that he has to do something to expel Snoke from his body. As he tries to tackle him to the ground, Snoke surprises him by twirling out of the way with speed that he wasn't expecting, forgetting that Snoke was in control. He's then hit by another powerful Force push that sends him flying against the icy cliff.
He grunts in pain as he hits the wall, and then pulls himself to his feet, turning back around to face Snoke. The Dark Lord grins, and then yanks his arm down. Widening his eyes in alarm, Jarik has just enough time to see the massive broken piece of the cliff, larger than the Avatar Temple, tumbling down towards him. He raises his arms to catch it, and then the ice slams down completely on him, obscuring him totally from view.
Tenzin was helping Katara back to her feet when it happened, and everyone was gaping in complete shock-filled terror, horrified that the Jedi Master they literally just met is already dead.
"No!" Korra exclaims in horror.
"Are you kidding me?!" Bolin yells fearfully.
Snokes turns to face them a grin on his face, and the rest of the group moves into their stances, preparing to rush into battle to do whatever they could.
"We have to subdue him," Lin states fiercely.
"Without hurting Caran!" Korra adds.
Before anybody could leap into action however, the massive block of ice suddenly shifts, drawing everyone's attention to it. Snoke looks almost, exasperated, while the other's expressions slowly morph into one of complete bafflement and awe.
The massive glacier is lifted into the air, and Jarik rises to his feet from underneath it, holding the glacier with only his right arm raised above his head. He takes a few steps forwards, out from under the glacier, and then lets the entire block of ice drop to the ground with a loud boom. He narrows his eyes at Snoke, who looks back at him in disinterest.
"Whatever it is you hope to accomplish here Snoke, you will not be getting it," Jarik states determinedly.
"So it would seem," he muses in reply.
All of a sudden, Caran's body suddenly straightens out, and Jarik can feel the presence of the dark side rapidly disappearing. Caran's eyes shut closed, and he stumbles upright for a few moments before falling to the ground with a groan. Korra instantly runs forwards, Tonraw and Senna right on her heels, and she just barely manages to catch him before he hits the ground.
They crowd around him, and Jarik appears by the side quickly afterwards. Seeing that whatever just occurred seems to be over, the rest of the large group all move forwards. Korra cradles Caran with fear in her eyes while Senna and Tonraq sit on either side of her.
"My son..." Senna murmurs in worry.
"He feels so cold," Korra adds uneasily.
Katara kneels down beside Caran and takes some of the snow from the ground, turning it into water, which begins to glow in her hands. She gently presses the healing water to Caran's temples, but after a few moments she grimaces, pulling away.
"I... I've never encountered anything like this before," she says in concern.
"You can't help him?" Tenzin asks in alarm.
"I might be able to help," Jarik offers, crouching down beside them.
"Please, whatever you can do," Tonraq pleads.
Jarik nods, and then outstretches his right hand. He gently lays it on Caran's forehead and then takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. At first, nothing seems to happen, but Korra then feels a surge of warm energy flowing into Caran's coldness. Immediately, Caran's skin regains color from its sickly pale look, and the dark spots around his eyes fade away. Jarik then removes his hand with a sigh, and reopens his eyes.
"He'll be alright. This took a heavy toll on his body," he tells them.
"Yeah- uh, quick questions, hehe," Bolin stammers out with a nervous chuckle. "What the monkeyfeathers was that?!"
"That, was Snoke," Jarik states.
"And who is Snoke?" Tenzin questions.
"A true master of the dark side," he explains. "The fact that he knows about your world, is not good at all."
White Lotus Compound, South Pole; Reylea
Caran POV...
"Is he going to be ok?"
"Hopefully.. he did say he would be fine."
"I'm so worried about him."
"Me too..."
The sound of muffled voices in my ears slowly draws me back into the real world. My eyes begin to flutter and blink, and I tiredly look around with a quiet groan. My head feels terrible.
"You're awake!" Someone exclaims.
I grunt in surprise, opening my eyes wide as someone envelops me in a tight hug. I quickly realize the hugger to be Korra, and vaguely notice Mom and Dad hovering behind her. Jinora was also standing on the other side of Korra as well.
"...can't breathe!" I manage to tell her.
"Sorry," Korra apologizes.
She releases me and I sigh in relief, coughing a little bit before managing to sit myself up. I rub my head with a groan, looking up at them.
"I'm glad you're ok," Jinora says with a smile.
"Thanks," I reply, before frowning in confusion. "What... what happened?"
They all glance over at each other in concern, but before they could answer someone else does, moving forwards.
"You should rest easy son. You've clearly had a busy day."
I look over and see Jarik standing nearby, holding a cup in his hand. I widen my eyes a little bit and look up at him in wonder.
"...Jarik? Jarik Shan?" I ask excitedly.
"I am," he replies with a small smile, holding out the cup to me. "You should drink this. It'll help."
I take the cup and lift it to my lips, looking at the strange liquid curiously.
"What is it?" I ask him.
He gestures for me to drink it, and I look at him curiously before shrugging, gulping the contents of the small cup rather quickly. I widen my eyes and gag, nearly spitting it out at the taste. However I manage to swallow it, groaning in disgust.
"Bleegh! That was gross!" I exclaim.
"Good. It's supposed to be," he replies.
Korra and Jinora both giggle a little bit at me, and I let out a sigh, placing the cup to the side.
"How are you feeling Caran?" Mom asks me.
"Better," I say in reply.
"That's good," Dad replies with a relieved smile, looking over at Jarik. "Thank you for your help."
"It was no trouble," he says in response.
"So... do you think you could tell us more about what happened?" Korra asks Jarik, sounding worried.
He sighs, but nods his head. "Yes. Once you're able to stand, gather whoever you feel should listen and we'll talk."
He then takes notice of my lightsaber, which is sitting on the bedside table, and narrows his eyes.
"I think I may have a few questions of my own as well."
ooo00ooo
After I was feeling a lot better, Jinora, Korra and I all gathered the others and went over to the meeting house of the compound, all sitting down in chairs around the room. Tenzin, Lin, and Katara were there, as well as Luon, Asami, Mako and Bolin. I sat down in between Korra and Jinora, and Tenzin was to Jinora's right. Luon was sitting on the other side of Korra, and I didn't fail to notice how their hands were brushing against each other, fingers sometimes interlocking.
Jarik was seated in another chair with his arms crossed, looking around at the rest of us. His gaze was primarily focused on me and Korra, his eyes curious and seeking. I had the sensation that he was also probing us with the Force as well.
"Is this everyone?" he asks.
"It is," Tenzin confirms with a nod.
"Alright, good," he replies, bringing one hand to his face. "Well to start off, I think we should go around and start saying names, maybe even add in something about yourself."
All of us raise an eyebrow at him, and Lin narrows her eyes in exasperated annoyance
"We just witnessed some powerful Force user take over Caran's mind, and right after you want to treat this like a class?" she demands.
"Wait, what? Someone took over my mind!?" I ask incredulously.
"I want to know who I'm talking to," Jarik replies with a shrug. "I'm not the conventional Jedi anyways."
"Do we even know what a 'conventional' Jedi is like?" Jinora asks me, and I shrug in response, still baffled at the idea of someone messing with my head.
"Fine," Lin grumbles.
"Great!" he says with a smile. "Well, you know who I am, so who wants to go first?"
"Ooh ohh ohh! I want to go first!" Bolin says excitedly, raising a hand. "Alright, so my name is Bolin, and if you must know I am, quite the dazzling earthbender. And this here, is Pabu!"
Bolin shows off Pabu with a grin, and the fire ferret squeaks. We all look at him for a moment before continuing on. Pretty quickly, all of us have said our names, leaving us to hopefully get to business.
"Ok, good," Jarik says once we're done. "I'm gonna be honest, when coming here I wasn't expecting to find another Force user, or learn that you all already have some knowledge of the Force."
"Caran was adopted by Korra's family at a very young age," Tenzin starts to say. "His vessel crashed into the icy plains not too far from here, where Korra found him."
Jarik nods in understanding of the story. "Do you still have the ship stored somewhere?"
"No. It broke through the ice and sank to the bottom of the ocean before we could thoroughly investigate it," Tenzin explains. "All we recovered from it was Caran himself, and his crystal."
Surprisingly, Jarik straightens up at this and narrows his eyes, seeming interested.
"A crystal?" he asks, looking at me. "Do you have it?"
"Yeah, I do," I tell him.
I pull the crystal out from under my shirt and hold it up. It's not currently glowing, but I can still sense small pulses of energy from it.
"When I analyzed the crystal, I could sense Force energy radiating off of it. I'm not sure about its significance though," Katara explains.
"As well it should carry Force energy," Jarik says, and we listen intently. "That's a Kyber crystal. They're very rare, but also very significant. Due to their connection to the Force, Kyber crystals have often been used as energy sources for various different things."
"What do Jedi use them for?" Jinora asks curiously.
"Kyber crystals are used to power a Jedi's lightsaber," he explains.
We all widen our eyes in surprise, and I looo at the crystal in amazement, and then down at Qui-Gon's lightsaber.
"Woah," Korra says.
"So, lightsabers are made with Kyber crystals," I remark, and he nods in confirmation.
"How could you get power from a crystal though?" Asami asks.
"There are several ways, but the best and most efficient process is for a Jedi to bond with their crystal," he says. "Once that's done, they can harness its energy and craft their lightsaber with it."
"How would I bond with it though?" I ask.
"You already have," he replies.
I blink my eyes in confusion, frowning at the crystal. Jarik's next question then pulls my attention back up to him, before I could talk more about it.
"All of this shows that lightsabers and the Force are new to you," he states, leaning forwards. "Yet here you are in possession of your own lightsaber."
I glance down at the lightsaber and then back up at him, nodding.
"Yeah. It isn't mine though. It belonged to a Jedi named-"
"Qui-Gon Jinn," he says with a nod, and we look at him in surprise. "I recognize it."
"You know Qui-Gon?" Katara asks with interest.
"And so do you apparently," he replies, looking over at Katara. "How did you come to know him? This place was considered an old myth."
"My friends and I met Qui-Gon in our youth, and he helped us end a century long war," Katara explains. "He was a good friend, and we often looked up to him as a mentor of sorts."
Jarik takes in the information with a face that's nearly impossible to read. I can't sense anything about what he may be thinking either, just a lot of power in the Force.
"How interesting," he murmurs, looking over at me. "You've seen him too."
"I- uh, yeah, I have," I admit, blinking in surprise. "How did you know that?"
"You're like an open book Caran. None of you is very good at hiding your thoughts," he remarks.
We all glance at each other in surprise, suddenly feeling a lot more wary around him.
"Uhh... that's kind of creepy dude," Bolin says meekly.
"So is thinking about whether or not I'm in love with a pretty woman," Jarik replies.
Bolin yelps in surprise and covers his mouth, glancing around sheepishly and turning red in embarrassment. We all glance at him incredulously, and he chuckles in response.
"Bro, really?" Mako asks.
"H-hey, it's an honest question!" he retorts, before closing his mouth again.
"So essentially you're reading our minds?" Lin questions with a frown, and Jarik nods.
"It's hard not to Lin," he says, looking at her for a moment. "I understand you're uncomfortable with it... but I won't comment about anyone's life."
Lin widens her eyes for the briefest second before covering it up with a frown, crossing her arms.
"How well do you know Qui-Gon?" Tenzin asks curiously, getting us back on track.
"It was Master Qui-Gon that found me and brought me to the Jedi Temple to be trained. I owe a lot to him," he explains.
I vaguely recall a memory I saw from Qui-Gon, where he mentioned Jarik when he was talking to Obi-Wan. Jarik then glances over at me for a moment, and I get the feeling that he saw exactly what I was thinking.
"I figure at this point he's long since passed but... what happened to him?" Katara asks.
Jarik sighs, and looks over at Katara with a grim expression.
"I can tell you were close to him, so this news won't be very positive," he says. "Qui-Gon was killed in battle against a Sith warrior nearly sixty years ago."
We all widen our eyes at the information, and Katara looks down sadly, sighing to herself.
"Oh..." she replies softly. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Tenzin lays a comforting hand on her shoulder, and we look back over to Jarik.
"We think we've got our own problems with a Sith as well," Luon states. "Calls himself the Messenger."
"The Messenger?" he asks.
"Yeah. He uses the Force too, and he has a red lightsaber," Mako adds.
Jarik then shakes his head, his reply surprising us. "No, whoever you faced is no Sith Lord."
"He's not?" Korra asks.
"How do you know that if you haven't met him?" Lin questions.
"Simple," he replies. "You're all still alive."
Once again, we all share uneasy glances with each other, and Bolin raises a hand.
"Uhh, should we take that as a positive, or a negative?" he asks, chuckling nervously. "Cause' uh, that guy was reeeallly hard to beat."
"Be glad he wasn't a Sith Lord. You may be skilled fighters, some more powerful than others," he says, giving me and Korra a glance. "But against a Sith Lord none of you would last very long. Especially here on your world."
"Why's that?" Tenzin asks.
"Because the Force is really strong here," I blurt out, before becoming sheepish as everyone looks at me. "I- I had a vision before General Iroh arrived, and Qui-Gon spoke to me. He told me that our planet, which he calls Reylea, is so full of the Force that it can strengthen a Force user far more than Sozin's Comet could with firebenders."
"What?!" Mako asks in bewilderment.
"That's crazy!" Korra adds.
"Woah... the Force is strange," Jinora says quietly.
"I'm inclined to agree," Katara says in support. "Qui-Gon told us much the same thing."
"I don't know much about the comparison, but yes, Reylea does increase a Force user's power far beyond what we could achieve normally," Jarik says with a nod. "That glacier I lifted? That took very little effort on my part."
"Then that would mean the Messenger was holding back a lot in his fights," Tenzin says uneasily.
"Probably," he agrees with a nod.
"So, if our planet strengthens Force users," Asami starts to ask. "Is that how this 'Snoke' guy, was able to do what he did?"
"Who's Snoke?" I ask.
"The Messenger's master," Korra says, looking at me with a concerned gaze. "You don't seem to remember it... I'm, not sure how to say it... but simply put, he possessed you Caran."
"H-he did?" I ask meekly, swallowing.
"Yeah," she says, nodding her head.
I look down for a moment in shock, feeling a sense of terror at the fact that somebody literally possessed me. It's not like bloodbending, or that freezing ability Messenger used... my mind was literally being controlled! Jinora lays a comforting hand on my arm, and I glance at her gratefully.
"How was Snoke able to accomplish such a feat?" Tenzin asks.
"I don't know," Jarik admits, looking uneasy. "Throughout all of recorded history, there was only one other that was capable of possession, an ability he used to keep himself alive for centuries. But he died thousands of years ago."
"Could Snoke have used the power gained here to do that?" Katara asks.
"That's the thing, Snoke isn't here. He's somewhere else star systems away. He couldn't have used Reylea as a conduit to possess Caran," Jarik says with a shake of his head. "That's what makes this so terrifying. If he could do that all by himself, Force know what he could accomplish if he comes here himself."
The explanation is all too clear for us, and fills us with fear. How are we supposed to fight someone who could possess any one of us at the mere thought of it?
"Snoke could've continued his possession for much longer, but he didn't," Jarik continues to say, looking concerned.
"Why? What would he have to accomplish from that anyways?" Lin questions with a furrowed brow.
"To show off his power. Make us afraid," he replies. "Make it clear that there is nothing we could do to beat him in the long run."
"A fear tactic," Tenzin says grimly.
"Is there a way for us to beat him?" Korra asks.
"There's always a way," he says firmly. "But until that's figured out, we have to play his game."
"If he's this powerful, could possess any of us, whenever he wants to?" I ask nervously.
"No, I think we're safe from that," Jarik replies. "To possess someone he'd first have to sense their presence, and their minds. I know that Snoke can sense things across light years, but because of how powerful Reylea is, he won't be able to sense any random individual. It's like searching for a needle in a haystack. Only someone of equal or greater power compared to the planet, that's condensed, is visible to him."
"But he got to me," I point out anxiously.
"He did. Out of everyone on your planet, the only ones he could sense are you, me, and Korra," Jarik states.
"Me?" Korra asks in surprise.
"You're the Avatar are you not?" he says rhetorically. "The spirit within you shines like a star. He can sense you as well."
"I don't like the sound of that," Tenzin says in concern. "If he can sense you three, then he could possess you at any time."
"Not me," Jarik corrects, much to our confusion. "He can sense me as well, but I'm skilled and knowledgeable enough to resist him. Snoke is powerful, but controlling someone's mind still requires a lot of focus, and is typically done on people who are unprepared and caught off guard."
"But how are we supposed to learn to stop that?" Korra asks. "Caran might be able to, but I can't."
"On the contrary, with the proper training anyone can learn to resist a probing Force user," he says.
"Could you teach us? There's a lot of stuff I want to learn too," I ask hopefully.
Jarik sits in his chair in thought for several long moments, and I started to become worried.
"When I made the plan to find this place, it was to confirm whether or not the Avatar was a real being, and make sure the secret stayed hidden..." he starts to say.
Korra and I look at each other nervously, but Jarik then gets to his feet with a firm look on his face.
"However, seeing as how it's quite obvious that this place isn't so secret after all, and that you're all in danger," he adds. "I'll stay and keep an eye out for the time being."
"That's good to hear," Katara says with a smile.
"Plus, it seems like someone here is in desperate need of a teacher," he remarks, crossing his arms and looking at me.
"Yes! Thank you so much!" I say happily. "I can't believe I have someone who can actually help teach me now!"
"Are you saying I taught you nothing?" Tenzin demands, looking at me dangerously.
"No- no, you were great," I quickly amend with a sheepish smile.
"Fair enough," he sighs in reply. "Unfortunately, I'm still very much needed in Republic City. The aftermath of the Equalist attack has left the government in shambles."
"And there's still the Messenger on the loose," Lin adds. "It's possible he's hiding in Republic City."
"Then I suppose that's where we'll be going then," Jarik comments. "I might be able to shed some more light about him."
"This, is, amazing!" Bolin exclaims, pumping his fist into the air and then hugging Asami and Mako. "Just imagine the look on that creepy lizard's face when he sees you with us!"
"Uhhh..." Mako and Asami both say, glancing at him uneasily.
"If Snoke knows I'm here, then he'll know as well," he replies, and Bolin's expression falls. "But I do happen to have quite a reputation that I know he would fear."
"Alright! My man!" Bolin cheers.
"So Caran," Jarik says, turning to face me. "You eager to learn more about the ways of the Force?"
I smile back up at him, definitely eager to learn more.
Hidden Location; Reylea
3rd person POV...
"The plan to use Amon may have failed, but it is not the only one we have."
"I'm listening Vyra," the Messenger states.
"The Harmonic Convergence is coming soon," Vyra reveals. "Our Supreme Leader can sense it will occur within the next year."
"What does he need me to do?" he asks.
"When the time comes, the spirit Vaatu will be released to sow chaos on the world. Supreme Leader will use that to his advantage," she tells him. "As for you Messenger, you will set about reviving Andri back into the universe."
The Messenger glances down from the hologram for a moment, nervous and uneasy, before looking back up at Vyra. "And what of Shan? He's bound to turn his focus onto me very soon."
"I will be arriving shortly. We must draw his focus away from these upcoming events," Vyra states firmly. "To do that though we will also require another, 'partner.' One who will be useful in keeping Shan and the Avatar occupied."
The Messenger allows himself a small grin, bringing up a holographic image of another man, who could fill the requirements to near perfection. One who was smart yet psychotically insane, has a simple and clear goal, and the resources to carry it out.
"I know just the person to do so," he declares.
It's time for Republic City to meet a better class of criminal.
Interesting chapter, many fun things for sure. And the Messenger still has another plan up his sleeve, one that is more of a delay tactic, to play out in the long run. And this 'Andri' person... he's actually very important, and you will be shocked to find out what exactly he is.
Hope I got enough interactions to keep you all satisfied! Writing a conversation between such a large group of characters is often difficult, but I did my best to include everyone and keep them in character.
One thing that I have noticed and am trying to include is an eventual pairing between Caran and Jinora, but I haven't had too many scenes of just them together yet. Book One only really showcases Tenzin, with the others being absent for episodes at a time, so there aren't too many casual moments with the rest of his family. Thankfully I should be able to do more of that, since Jinora becomes more involved in the show after Book One. Rest assured I'll get more moments with them!