The librarian and teenagers moved the large table where they were researching the macabre aside, and pulled away the rug underneath it to reveal a symbol painted on the floor with five points.
"Republic City is a now soft place between worlds, the spirit portal offering only a definite passageway to the beyond," the librarian began. He was focused in manner and spirit.
The teenagers and Mako and Bolin stood around with candles and the redhead, a firebender, came around and lit them before returning back to her spot. Bolin was visibly spooked by the whole affair, but he toughened up to support his buddy Korra, who had been positioned in the center.
"How are you able to do this? Who are you?" Korra found herself wavering.
"I was a professor of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University until after Harmonic Convergence, when I relocated to Republic City." The librarian splashed scented oil and water on the Avatar. "By an ancient order, I'm duty bound to protect this realm, and my charge. In essence, I'm a seer."
"What's that? Your charge?" Korra should have asked these questions before promptly jumping headlong into an exorcism.
"He's an earthbender with subtler powers," the firebending teenager said.
Meantime, wolfspirit boy remained taciturn, an almost Zenlike calm keeping him grounded.
Korra and the brothers wondered what subtler powers meant, especially Bolin, an earthbender himself.
"It means I can feel soft spaces between realms, and I can create pockets of worlds to hide or store things in, including – theoretically – dark spirits." The librarian cleared his throat, pointed at the symbol on the floor. "the four points at the side represent the four elements – earth, air, fire, water. The fifth point is spirit; sometimes we see it represented as metal. We will focus on that point to exercise Vaatu."
"Then it'll be like stuffing Vaatu under a rug, kinda like this symbol?" Mako said.
"So to speak, yes," the librarian confirmed.
"I have an idea of what you're going to say next," Korra began. She was the Avatar long enough to see it coming. "I must exercise Vaatu myself."
The librarian nodded. "Indeed, and I will create a pocket for you to send him to. No one here is nearly powerful enough to siphon Vaatu out of you, your reflexes alone could trigger the Avatar state and destroy the building. You're like an unstable ticking time bomb - your spiritual energy is all over the place."
"What does that mean?" Korra said.
"Your spiritual defense weakens the sicker you become in mind and body. And it creates a feedback loop, a self-fulfilling prophecy. It can be quite dangerous for someone as powerful as you."
"How human," wolfboy said. "Well, except for all that epic Avatar stuff."
The librarian nodded. "As above, so below."
"As within, so without," Korra found herself saying. She shuddered at the thought of what was within her.
"Let's begin before the candles melt," the Librarian said.
Everyone in the room steadied themselves for the ritual, and the librarian took slow, powerful breaths, performing an earthbending style that none of Team Avatar recognized, though its movements seemed to blend air and earth forms. The librarian spoke as he moved.
"In the beginning, there was chaos, oneness. The elements separated, heavy material falling to create the earth and lighter, subtler elements floating above to create sky."
"Yin and Yang," Korra said then, remembering the spiritual training she received from Tenzin.
A pocket the size of an oval plate formed and Bolin and Mako's jaws opened wide, sweat gathering on Bolin's brow.
"This feels creepyyyyy," Bolin mumbled to his brother, though the others had heard.
Korra felt something stir within her and the scene of creation played out before her consciousness, both spirits now present to balance the point of view they projected. Realization hit Korra and she took a step back, clutching her chest. "I changed my mind. I can't – won't. I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I just –"
"Korra look out!" Mako yelled, pushing her out the way just in time before the librarian opened up a pocket beneath her feet.
Bolin steadied himself for action, and the teenagers seemed even more surprised than Team Avatar.
"What's going on!?" Mako yelled. He and Korra joined Bolin and got into fighting stances as if they were about to begin a pro-bending match.
"We have to put the Avatar away until after the Harvest Moon!" the librarian snarled.
"How long after?" Korra replied. Though she meant to say something harsher, she was curious.
"Just until after the third day of the Harvest Moon." Though the librarian had tricked them, he stopped lying out of remorse for what he almost did to seemingly good people. "But since there's no time in these portals – to you it would feel like an eternity."
"You were going to trap the Avatar in a cage forever? That could drive her insane!" The firebender girl was incredulous.
"What she said!" Mako added.
"Rad," the wolfspirit boy said.
Korra was two shakes of a koala sheep's tail away from freaking out; she needed a quick exit plan. "Not really a fan of hiding out in another dimension for seeming eternity. Too long a time for my taste, so we're gonna take off. Bye now!"
The three of them backed away toward the door, still in fighting stances.
"You mustn't go back out there!" the librarian called.
Remembering her power and who she was – the Avatar – she stood her ground and took an intimidating step forward, wind billowing around her for dramatic effect: "Don't make me put you down. I will if I have to."
The librarian and teenagers stood frozen, powerless against the Avatar and her friends. Something in her tone told them she meant it too.
Korra turned and left the school in a hurry, stopping briefly at Mako's motorbike to dig something out.
"Korra, where you headed?" Mako called, chasing after her with Bolin following closely behind.
"I need to see Tenzin." Korra said. She grabbed her staff out of Mako's side car and opened up the sides, transforming it into an air glider. Then she ran a few paces to get some momentum and jumped off into the night.
Makor and Bolin watched Korra fly off.
"It's OK, don't worry about us non airbenders. We'll meet you there! Just go ahead and fly off Avatar style!" Bolin turned to Mako. "Did she always carry that staff today or am I just being silly?"
"You're silly. Now let's go." Mako started the motorbike with Bolin sitting side car, and they bounded toward the ferry.
Korra landed on the roof of Tenzin and Pema's bedroom with a thud. The old married couple, who were fast asleep, jolted awake. Reflexively, Tenzin shielded his wife, preparing to defend and deflect intruders. But in the next moment, he let out a heavy sigh and relaxed his shoulders as Korra appeared at the window.
"Korra?" Tenzin said. "What are you doing here? Everything OK?"
Pema yawned but became alert in a flash, immediately thinking of her children's safety.
"No. I mean yes. I mean no… but we're not in immediate danger," Korra spoke in a hushed tone through the window.
Relieved, Pema relaxed into Tenzin's arms again.
"But it is sort of an emergency – I need to speak to Tenzin. Please," Korra continued.
"Of course." Tenzin got up. The tall, bald airbender was wearing long johns.
Korra recoiled, her cheeks turning red. "Uh, I'm going to wait by the gazebo."
Tenzin looked down and blushed, covered himself, hobbled off; meantime, Korra was already halfway to the gazebo.
Not long later, the old airbending master and son of Avatar Aang appeared fully robed, red cape billowing behind him. Korra was waiting there, brooding into the dark horizon during this breezy witching hour. She shivered, but not because she was cold.
"I messed up. I should have told you." Korra bowed to greet Tenzin then draped her arms around him.
"Told me what?" He patted her back, waiting for her to reveal the root of her strange behavior.
"That I'm not the same Avatar I was. I'm different. And now, the world is going to end because of me."
Tenzin wondered if she was being melodramatic. She wasn't a teenager anymore but this incarnation of the Avatar did a lot of brooding.
"Now now. Of course you're not the same. Seasons change and revolve. And the world is not going to end because of you."
Korra wasn't making herself clear enough and took a deep breath before, for the third time that day, she began her tale of her inner plight, of Vaatu, and of the Harvest Moon.
"Oh," Tenzin said. He stroked his beard pensively. "And your decision is to –"
"Leave them fused." Korra gulped, afraid of what Tenzin might say.
The airbending master was silent again for a long while before he spoke. "The material and spiritual worlds have rejoined through Harmonic Convergence because of you and your decision to keep the portals open, and Air Nomads have repopulated the Earth. It appears the dark and light spirits have rejoined as well. Perhaps it was meant to be. But what about the prophecy?"
"It's unclear what it really means – but my Avatar instincts tell me this is the right thing to do. If I can bring balance to my own world, maybe I can better understand what that looks like to the outside."
Tenzin was touched and proud of the newfound wisdom his boulder-headed Avatar exhibited.
"It appears you don't need me anymore. Regardless of what happens over the next week, I feel your decision is wise and brave. It is time for to me to follow my Avatar, rather than the other way around."
"You're wrong." Korra shook her head. "I know this, and yet I still feel somewhere between useless and a liability – and especially now. I'm full of contradiction."
"You mean you're human?" Tenzin said in a gentle tone that had a fatherly edge to it.
"Yes, and humans need each other. I need people I care about and love around me, especially if I'm really a new kind of Avatar. The hardest thing to do in this world is live in it. But it's a lot easier with people I love. Speaking of which… Asami!"
The Avatar realized she hadn't seen her girlfriend in over twenty-four hours. Asami had been working late and sometimes stayed overnight at her office. Tonight, she had a business function, and Korra forgot all about it.
"Is Asami in danger?" Tenzin became alert, ready for action if need be.
Korra appreciated Tenzin's reaction for Asami. "No I don't think she's in immediate danger. I hope not anyway. But wait, if she's with Chai Son, then –"
The Avatar jumped on the rail of the gazebo and popped out her glider.
"Settle down. Even so, I have a feeling she can handle herself."
Korra smiled. "Damn right she can. And there's still some stuff I gotta work out with her too. Like why Mako thinks she's connected with a bootlegger bust from a year ago. Anyway, like I said, I don't think she's in immediate danger. If I don't hear from her tomorrow, then I'll tear down the city looking for her."
Tenzin shot Korra a confused look. "That seems a tame reaction for Korra-style Avataring – waiting like that."
"What else can I do?" Korra said, feeling simultaneously helpless and relieved at the truth of her statement.
Once again, Tenzin was stunned at Korra's wisdom. He offered a suggestion: "We can prepare for the Harvest Moon."
Korra slapped her forehead. "Kyoshi! I should have stayed at the Southern Air Temple!"
Tenzin smiled. It appeared he still had something to teach Korra after all. "You mustn't concern yourself with what was. You must act on what is."
"Monk Gyatso said that," though the words had gone over her head at the time she remembered them at the temple. She thought of the librarian again. "The librarian guy wanted to lock me away in some timeless pocket dimension until after the Harvest Moon. But what if he was onto something?"
"No way am I going to allow that maniac to send you somewhere to drive you mad. And who knows what chaos that action alone could rain down on the Earth?" Tenzin was worked up at the stupidity of the suggestion.
"I mean, what if we locked me away – somewhere where I won't have access to any of the elements. Muzzle me, chain me up, tie me in a straight jacket?"
The suggestion sounded horrific, but he considered. "Platinum chains perhaps."
"Not platinum. Kuvira taught me how to bend that." Korra said, realizing she had also kept that information from her airbending master.
"What?! I need to know these things!" Tenzin took a few deep calming breaths before continuing. "That changes things. And also, that's wonderful. You're the first platinum-bending Avatar. So what can't you bend?"
"Gold." Korra said after considering a moment, adding, "Last I checked, no one can."
"Is it possible to fashion gold chains in such short notice? Has anyone in the history of locking people up, used gold to do it?" he said.
Korra shook her head. She had no idea. "Maybe we're getting worked up for nothing. Maybe it'll go away if we ignore it."
Tenzin didn't have a response; he had hoped Korra was joking.
Mako and Bolin came running up, out of breath.
"We made it!" Bolin said.
"Finally," Korra replied.
"So what's the sitch?" Mako said.
"The sitch is get some sleep." Korra needed rest before she could make any more decisions, but before she left, she glanced at Tenzin. "Can you look into the gold shackles tomorrow? Or you, Mako?" He was a cop, so maybe?
Tenzin nodded and Mako was trying to catch up with the convo when Korra opened her staff again and sailed off into the night toward her country home.
It only took Mako and Bolin an hour to catch up to the Avatar, who left as soon as they arrived, but no big deal.
At the Southern Air Temple, Kuvira lay under a fir tree reading the Golden Heart Technique scroll for the thousandth time. She had kept it close ever since receiving it from the widower and his daughter, who took her in and saved her life. It was more valuable than anything she owned, her daggers, everything.
The scroll was written as a set of esoteric philosophical principles, instructions for meditation, and techniques for purification; likewise, it showed drawings of specific positions and movements. Kuvira had a hard time understanding it fully, finding something new to contemplate and unravel with each read.
As for purification techniques, the bodily ones were straightforward enough; but it was the spiritual ablutions she could not fully grasp and perhaps never would – some types of wisdom were beyond her and she was fine with it.
She poured over the movements in her minds' eye, making the motions with her fists and eventually standing up and going through them outright, her body in alignment with her mind in alignment with her spirit. Had she still been a bender, the stones would dance around with her, moving in tune to her rhythms because rhythm was a universal principle, and bending tuned into set rhythms.
Even though she was a nonbender, Kuvira went through the motions, feeling it strengthen her core, conditioning her mind and spirit.
After finishing the routine, she bowed to the craggy mountainscape that looked like a painting from a period long past. In the corner of her eye, she saw a massively tall figure holding a fan up to conceal part of her face. It looked like… Kyoshi.
Kuvira blinked and the figure was gone, replaced by Opal who walked leisurely in Kuvira's direction, holding a book in her hand.
The former Great Uniter straightened up and tried extra hard to relax.
"At ease solider," Opal said teasingly as she walked by and sat at the base of the tree. She opened her book and began to read, ignoring Kuvira.
Kuvira cleared her throat and stood with arms akimbo at Opal, who looked up. "Yes?"
"So is this a thinly veiled excuse to get my attention? Because it's working," Kuvira said.
Opal snapped the book shut and stood with her arms crossed behind her back, smiling. "Yes. It is. But also, this is incidentally my favorite reading spot."
"You mean outta all the reading spots on this mountain, I walked into yours?"
"Well I don't own it but…" the tone of her voice changed to something softer, intimate. "I'm happy to share."
"For once." Kuvira winked, harking back to all those times they fought over toys growing up.
Opal hit Kuvira's arm playfully.
"By the way, the new look - suits you." Opal sighed, making an OK symbol with her hand.
"What? The 'I only own one outfit, wash my hair once every two weeks, and hide out from the lawr' look?"
Opal nodded, maintaining eye contact with Kuvira.
"Thanks, I try. Really hard actually."
"I know you do. That's why I like you."
"You like me?" Kuvira found herself inching her way toward Opal, feeling the airbender's shallow breaths as their bodies came as close as they could without touching.
"It took a while, but I do. And Bae too."
Kuvira inhaled sharply and took a step back. "Why would you say that?"
"Because I've seen her sulking around the temple these past few days and I know you – you're not going to chase after her to apologize," Opal said, crossing her arms.
"You're right. But worry not. Once someone wins my loyalty, they keep it. Bae is a very special woman. She deserves happiness."
"I know that too – well about the loyalty," Opal said. She found herself getting jealous seeing the way Kuvira talk about Bae. But then seeing the way Kuvira looked at her made her feel like the only other girl in the world.
"What about us? Are we going to talk – for real?" Kuvira looked at the ground before gathering up the courage to look Opal in the eyes again but found the other woman also kept her gaze at the ground.
"Sure we can." Opal appreciated Kuvira's straightforwardness. "But I feel like you have nothing to explain to me. Everything you've done this past year, taking your bending, leaving – it was all for something that made you who you are now. I can't tell you how different you look, but you're still absolutely yourself, I don't know how to describe it."
"That was a good start," Kuvira beckoned.
"Well for one, you were hot before, but Spirits, you should see yourself now."
Opal was naturally good with words from reading voraciously growing up but had lost them suddenly.
Meantime, all Kuvira could think about at this moment was kissing Opal's pretty little lips, but she controlled herself.
"Are you trying to get into my pantaloons?" Kuvira husked.
"Maybe one day…" Opal smiled.
Kuvira could feel herself getting worked up in her chest and loins, her head light. She had to ground herself on this high mountain where airbenders lived to stay focused.
"I look forward to that day –"
Opal interrupted all of Kuvira's thoughts when she took Kuvira's hand and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek. When she pulled back, she found their hands still lingered there, bodies electric to the touch.
Lifting up the book in her other hand, Opal said "Would you like me to read to you?"
Kuvira nodded, lost for words.
They strolled back to the base of the tree and Kuvira leaned against it with Opal finding a nook in her lean yet supple body. Opal read with Kuvira looking over her shoulder at the words but more often than not watching her read, inhaling the sweet flowery scent of her hair. Sometimes, Opal would catch Kuvira staring at her and playfully pinch the other woman's chin, moving it back to face the words on the page.
How long they layed there was beyond either of them – only the setting sun and rising waxing gibbous moon kept the time. Opal eventually fell asleep in Kuvira's arms, and Kuvira sat there unable, unwilling to move to disturb the other woman's sleep.
Not until she once again saw the figure from earlier - spitting image of Avatar Kyoshi –at the edge of a downward curving hill.
Kuvira wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, but it seemed Kyoshi's spirit called her to follow. Kyoshi waved her fan and blew air in Kuvira's direction, and that's when the former Great Uniter knew she wasn't hallucinating.
Gently maneuvering away from Opal, who continued to nap soundly, she walked over the hill toward where Kyoshi beckoned her. At the base of the hill was a faded pathway that was mostly overgrown by local flora. Following it, she wended her way into a cave that took her to the belly of the mountain.
Ahead of her stood the radiant spirit of Avatar Kyoshi; she was seven foot tall but her spirit seemed to take up even more space.