"Are you sure?" Korra asked.

Azula gave an absent nod, staring blankly at the floor. "Yes... it's him."

Azula, Kuvira, and Jinora had only just returned from their trip through the Southern spirit portal to inform what they had learned, and the news could not have been more dire. Sen, the Spirit of a Thousand Faces, was free. Given what Azula knew of Sen, the recent events at the palace now made sense, considering this spirit's penchant for stealing essences. Not to mention, he had been the one who returned her to life, by placing her spirit into a newly created body with her face. No reason to doubt he could do the same thing with anyone he wanted, especially those who would have the most emotional or psychological impact on his victims.

"So what do we do?" Kuvira said, with a careful look between the other women. "We know who this spirit is and what he's after. To a degree, anyway. We can stop him now, can't we?"

Jinora shook her head. "It isn't that simple. Spirits aren't normal enemies. You can't just punch them into submission. Each spirit is different and requires a unique approach. For one as old and powerful as this Sen, there's no telling what might happen if we face him head on."

"He'll destroy us all." Azula wrapped her arms around herself, desperate to stifle the shudder trembling through her spine. Her gaze never left the floor, blank and distant. Before now, only Annie had ever seen her in such a state of despair and fear, and under normal circumstances she would never let anyone else see her this way. These weren't ordinary circumstances. She didn't care if others saw her like this right now. She couldn't focus, couldn't calm herself. She could only sit there, frozen with a panic that bled deeper into her soul each passing second. Slowly, arduously, she managed to lift her attention towards Anraq, who sat next to her at the table. "He's after me, Annie. Regardless of what else he wants, he wants to see me suffer for what I did. He threatened you and Kanna. He gave me this body. He'll take it away and trap me in the Spirit World again. I can't do that. I can't go back to that place, not like that. I won't."

Anraq looked briefly towards the far side of the healer hut, where Kanna sat playing with Iknick Jr. in the corner. Varrick and Zhu Li had arrived some time ago, and had since introduced the young girl to their son. Kanna had then introduced him to Juno, her stuffed bison, and the two were now taking turns making the toy fly.

Returning his attention to Azula, he held one hand to her shoulder, the other to her cheek, and gently turned her head so their eyes could meet. "That won't happen. I promise. No matter what it takes, I will never let that happen."

Korra paced back and forth in front of the table, holding a thoughtful hand to her chin. "There has to be something we can do..." She stopped pacing, and glanced towards Azula. "Is there anything you can tell us about Sen? Anything that might give us an advantage about him?"

Azula swallowed, shifting focus to the Avatar. "Not much. Everything I know about him I learned from the Spirit Library, or from his brother, Koh, but that information was limited. It was like the spirits were trying to remove all knowledge about him from existence." With a hissing sigh, she rubbed her forehead in furious thought, searching her mind for any lingering memory that might help them. "The only thing I can think of is that in order to enter our world he had to possess a human vessel. He can break free of that vessel if he gains enough power, which he acquires by absorbing people's essences, but until then he's weakened and vulnerable."

Jinora lifted her eyebrows. "Of course. That's why he resurrected so many dead spirits under his control, to do his dirty work while he's weak."

"That and because he enjoys watching us squirm," Azula muttered. "That's why he brought back the ones he did, to torment us in the process. I doubt he's done with that, either. There will most likely be more."

"So we need to take care of him as soon as possible, while he's weak," Kuvira said, with an affirmative nod. "Take him out before he has a chance to gather more power and grow his personal army."

Korra sighed, pinching her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "Easier said than done. We still have to find him first, and so far any attempts at locating him have turned up nothing."

Jinora frowned. "He didn't attack again while we were away?"

"No, fortunately it was a quiet night," she replied. "I don't know if he didn't have the strength to attack again so soon, or if he just wants to watch us panic, but there was no sign of him."

"Well, there must be some way we can find him," Kuvira said.

"Perhaps I can help with that!" Varrick approached the group with a knowing grin, hands held against his hips. When their attention was on him, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small electronic device with two antennas atop it. "Ta da! I call it a Spirit Detector."

"A... Spirit Detector?" Korra gave the device a skeptical look, raising a single eyebrow. "This isn't like your Airbender Finder, is it? Because honestly, that was pretty useless."

"Yeah, no offense, Varrick, but this is a serious situation," Kuvira added.

"I am being serious!" he insisted, with an insulted frown. "This baby detects high levels of residual EMF in the air, and that is the key to finding your missing spirit."

Anraq squinted curiously at the man. "Um, EMF?"

"Electromagnetic frequency, or electromagnetic radiation," Jinora said. "He's referring to the radiant energy released by certain electromagnetic processes, both naturally occurring and man-made."

"That's right!" Varrick's face lit up with an impressed smile. Raising a hand in front of his mouth, he leaned closer to Jinora as though trying to keep the others from hearing, and whispered, "You know, kid, if this whole Air Nation Spiritual Leader thing doesn't work out, I could use a smart individual like yourself at my company. I could get you a position in Research and Development, no problem."

"Um, thanks?" Jinora said, with an uncertain smile. "I'll... consider that."

Anraq interjected with a raise of his hand. "Okay, so does anyone want to explain what exactly this electric magnet frequencer thingy has to actually do with spirits?"

"Right!" Varrick pulled away from Jinora and cleared his throat. "You see, during the past few years, I've been studying the spirits and spirit vines in Republic City—" He paused abruptly when he noticed the glares pointed in his direction. After all, the last time he had studied spirit vines, he led to the creation of Kuvira's destructive spirit canon. With an innocent clear of his throat, he added, "—purely for curiosity's sake, of course. In any case, I discovered that all these spirits give off a very specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation that tends to linger for a while in areas where they've been. Since then, I've been working on developing a prototype device to detect that frequency. That led to the creation of this!" He held the Spirit Detector towards them, as if showing off a priceless treasure.

Anraq blinked at the device, as his gaze lifted with dawning recognition. "Oh, well, that might actually be useful."

Korra took the detector and gave it a quizzical look, turning it over in her hands. "And you brought your prototype to my wedding?"

"Well no, of course not," Varrick affirmed. "I actually whipped this one up last night out of spare kitchen appliances, after I found out about your spirit problem. Speaking of which, I owe you a new toaster oven, send me a bill. Anyway, all you need to do is turn on the switch here and then twist this dial like so..." He reached out and turned on the Spirit Detector, causing a high-pitched squealing to hiss out of the speaker. "And there you go!"

Korra held the device at arm's length and slowly rotated in a circle. As she did, the electrical squealing quieted to a crackling static. When she returned to her original position, so too did the squealing. "What does that mean?"

"It means there's a strong EMF signature in that direction," Varrick stated, pointing out the door of the healer hut. "The signal will only get stronger the closer you get to the source, so just follow it and it should lead you to this spirit of yours."

Korra grinned. "Thanks, Varrick. This could be the breakthrough we need." She continued turning the device around the room. As she pointed it towards Azula, the squealing intensified louder than ever.

"Wait, why is it doing that to me?" Azula asked, leaning away from the device as though it was about to bite her.

Jinora watched closely, holding a thoughtful hand to her chin. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably because you were resurrected the same as the others. Your spiritual signature is stronger because you're technically a spirit artificially placed into a physical form. You probably give off the same frequency as any other spirit."

"Well I don't like it," she spat. "Make it stop."

Korra moved the detector towards Kuvira and Jinora. The squealing continued, although weaker than it had with Azula.

"Uh, wait, it's doing it to us, too," Kuvira said, narrowing her eyes at the device. "Why's it doing it to us?"

"Probably because we were just in the Spirit World," Jinora said. "We're covered in spiritual energy."

"Hmm, yeah I'm probably going to have to work on that," Varrick muttered, with a thoughtful stare at the device. "For now just try to keep that thing pointed away from these guys while you're searching."

Korra nodded, and turned off the device as she placed it into her coat pocket. "Alright, since this is the best lead we have, we'll go with it. We need to gather a team, use that detector to find the spirit, and take him out while he's weak."

"And hopefully figure out a way to restore the spirits to the people he's stolen them from," Jinora added. "That's the most important thing."

"Right. For now, everyone get some rest, try to relax. As much as you can, anyway. Raava keeps telling me she needs to talk, so I'm going to meditate for a bit. I'll meet up with you later."

"Alright, in the meantime I'll assemble the team," Kuvira said. "We're going to need everyone we can get when we go against Sen."

Jinora glanced towards the far side of the hut, where her mother and siblings still attended to Tenzin and Katara. "I need to be with my family for now, but count me in for your team."

"And I am going to scrub my callouses," Varrick said, with a subtle grimace. "Those things have been working double time lately, and boy are they a killer. Good luck everyone!"

When the others were gone, Azula leaned close to Anraq and held him tight, arms wrapped around his shoulders. He held her in return, rubbing a comforting hand along her back. She said nothing for a while, simply enjoying the closeness of him against her, until her nerves settled enough to clear her thoughts. "Annie, I want you to take Kanna and leave."

Anraq pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Why?"

"Because I can't lose you," she insisted. "Sen has already stated he means to make me suffer more than anything, and that makes both of you targets. I'm going to join the Avatar's team, because I need to. I need to face Sen and I need to protect you, but I can't have you here. I don't want him to come after you. One of us is going to have to stay with Kanna anyway, so just... do it as far from here as you can. Go to Kyoshi Island, stay with Mai and Ty Lee for a while, just please get away from here."

Anraq stared back at her for a long while, as his gaze ever so gradually relented to her plea. With a deep sigh, he gave a slow, affirmative nod. "Alright, I'll take Kanna to safety. Just please be careful. Sen already has you rattled, and I don't want to lose you anymore than you want to lose me."

"You won't," she replied, with as reassuring a nod as she could muster. Sucking in a deep breath, she steeled her expression, lifting an adamant strength into her eyes that had been absent in recent days. Forced as though it was, she'd be damned if she let Sen ruin her. "I promise."


Korra sat cross-legged on the floor of her room and breathed in deep, eyes closed with her fists pressed together. Within moments, her consciousness pulled deep inward and connected with her Avatar Spirit. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a field of grass as far as she could see, with a cloudless sky above. Floating in the air before her loomed the massive, glowing white form of Raava herself, who, if she had a face, would surely be smiling.

"Raava, it's good to see you again," Korra said, returning a smile of her own.

"And you as well," Raava replied, with a slight bend in her kite-like form—her version of a bow. "It has been quite some time since we've spoken together like this."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that. Things have been so... well, you know."

"That they have."

Korra took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the cool breeze on her face. Even if she was only within her own inner mind, the brush of air against her skin still felt real. It was gentle, and calm. Soothing, even, like the embrace of a long forgotten friend come to visit. Opening her eyes again, she sat down in the grass and leaned back on her hands, staring up at the great Light Spirit. "So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about this Sen," Raava said. "I have information you must know."

"Oh, you know about him?" Korra sat up straighter, with growing intrigue. At this point, they needed all the help they could get. What better source of information on an ancient, powerful spirit than another ancient, powerful spirit?

"I do," Raava replied. "It has been many thousands of lifetimes since we crossed paths—since before the lion turtles, since before humans first wielded the power of the elements—but I remember him."

"That's great! What can you tell us about him? Anything would be helpful."

The great Light Spirit uttered a heavy sigh. "Nothing good, I am afraid. The Spirit of a Thousand Faces, as is his moniker, was always a selfish, sinister spirit, caring about nothing other than his own goals. With the strength he wielded, this made him an individual no one wished to encounter. Those who did seldom ever made it away unscathed."

"But what are his goals? What got him locked away in the first place?"

"I will show you."

The world around them faded away and began to change, morphing from an open grassy field into a different but recognizable location: the Spirit World. They stood in the midst of a familiar dark, gnarled forest, the same one Korra had once lost herself to during her first trip here, and where she'd first met Iroh. A heavy gloom hung over the forest. It sank deep into the trees, permeating the air with thick, drowning pressure. Korra shuddered, as a perturbed chill rippled up her spine.

"This place... Why does it feel like death?" she asked. "And why is it so quiet? Where are all the spirits?"

"You won't find any spirits here, not in this age," Raava explained. "We are not actually in the Spirit World right now. This is but a memory of a time long past, a vision of something that came before."

"Okay, so what happened to the spirits?"

"Sen happened to them." Raava twisted her form to look through the shadowed trees. Numerous, massive spindly legs crept along the ground in the distance, connected to the hulking form of a giant gejigeji spirit. "During this age, he traveled throughout the Spirit World, absorbing the essences of all spirits who crossed his path in order to increase his own power."

Korra's brow steadily lifted as the true form of Sen skittered into view. "If he stole their essences, wouldn't their bodies have been left behind? I don't see anything."

"Spirits do not have physical bodies," Raava said. "When our essences are stolen, we are not separated from a physical form, but rather we simply cease to be. At least, that is the case for most of us."

"So, Sen just kept killing spirits to make himself more powerful? That's... horrible."

"Yes, it was, but he did not stop there."

Once again, the world around them changed. The Spirit World faded from existence, morphing instead into a small village. The world here was much different than the Spirit World, and the village clearly human-made. They were in the physical world now. Same as before, the air here permeated with a near physical weight of gloom and despair. Korra's blood chilled. Bodies littered the ground, scattered throughout the village in haphazard disarray. Men, women, children, all of them with the same blank expression of horror frozen upon their faces.

"Sen got to them," she muttered, curling her hands to fists. "He killed them all, didn't he?"

"He did," Raava affirmed. "This was a time shortly after Vaatu and I broke through to the material world for the first time, before the spread of the Spirit Wilds and before humans took to the backs of lion turtles for protection. There were no benders yet in the world, no Avatar, no defense against any spirits, let alone one as powerful as Sen. He wreaked havoc upon all he came across, stealing the essences of countless humans as he went, all while growing stronger. Do you know why he is called the Spirit of a Thousand Faces?"

Korra wandered through the village, taking careful note of every face she saw. So many. Too many. "No, I don't."

"It is because of what he can do with the essences he steals."

Raava led the way, turning through a cluster of houses towards a well at the village center. A single individual stood in front of the well gazing up at the sun. Human in appearance, but with an odd gleam in his eyes. Korra looked closer. The gleam bore a striking malice and power. Further still, she sensed a massive spiritual presence about this man, one no human should have.

"Is that...?"

"Yes," Raava said. "That is Sen, in one of his many forms."

As they watched, the figure morphed from its human appearance back into the massive gejigeji. An echoing, cackling laugh erupted from the spirit, as he skittered off into the distance.

Korra's brow lifted. "He can transform himself?"

Raava's form bowed low again with a nod. "Into the exact duplicate of any essence he has stolen. Not only their appearance, but their thoughts, their memories, their very being. In truth 'thousand faces' is a misnomer and an understatement. It would be more accurate to refer to him as 'countless faces', for it is the best way to describe how many essences he has stolen. Not only that, but as you've seen already, he can also take those essences and place them into physical forms he has created, under his control."

"That's insane," Korra uttered. "Sickening."

"I agree."

"Is there any way to free the essences he's stolen? To give them back to their bodies before they die?"

Raava thought a moment. "There may be, but unfortunately I do not know of it. That will be something you must learn straight from the source."

Korra took another look around at the bodies lying throughout the village. A knot twisted into her gut, nausea bubbling deep in her core. "You were around then, weren't you? Couldn't you have stopped him?"

"I could have, if I had ever gotten the chance, but I was trapped in my eternal struggle with Vaatu. That required my full and absolute attention."

"Right, Vaatu..." Korra huffed a deep sigh, pinching her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "But Sen was stopped eventually, wasn't he? He was imprisoned."

"Yes, by none other than his mother, the Mother of Faces."

The world changed again. This time, Korra found herself standing in the middle of a rocky canyon, split down the middle by a wide, winding river. The river emptied into a large, perfectly round pool of water, where a great towering spirit with multiple faces and a body of gnarled, twisting bark loomed above them. None other than the Mother of Faces. Sen lay before her, his clicking, skittering body writhing in the dirt with squealing, pained screams.

"No! Mother! You can't do this!"

The Mother of Faces only loomed higher, glowering down at her son. "You have run unchecked through both worlds for far too long! You have left nothing but pain and destruction in your wake, and you attempted to take the material world as your own! Your reign of terror ends today and for all time!"

The towering spirit plunged one of her hands into the chest of Sen. A bright white glow burst forth from his body, and when the Mother of Faces ripped her hand out again, she held in her grasp a bright wisp of light. The shrill squeals of the Thousand-Faced Spirit grew louder and discordant, only to cut out in sudden silence as his body fell limp. Seconds later, the massive gejigeji body shrank down from its hulking form into a much smaller, pebble-sized one. The Mother of Faces reached down to take that tiny body into her hand, and slowly began to sink back into the watery depths.

"You will never again harm another," she spoke, her voice echoing with a booming tremble. "I will make sure of it. You, my son, will never again be free."

When the Mother of Faces disappeared below the water, the pond immediately calmed and became still, not a single ripple disturbing its pristine surface. Korra watched with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. "That was... more violent that I was expecting. I thought you said before that when a spirit loses their essence, they're destroyed?"

The Light Spirit looked back to her, and eased a gentle sigh. "Most of us, yes, but for one as powerful as Sen it merely weakened him back to his original form, the diminutive one you saw his mother take with her. It was that form she imprisoned within the Spirit World."

"What did she mean when she said Sen tried to make the material world his own?"

"That is the most dire thing I must tell you," Raava said. "Sen, when he came to the physical world, did not only seek to steal essences or increase his power. He did it with the intent of taking control of your world and turning it into his own twisted domain. His ultimate goal was the extermination of all humans, for there is no place in his vision for your kind."

A shocked jolt ignited through Korra's body. Pnic bubbled into her throat, but she swallowed it down. Now wasn't the time to lose herself. Now was the time to focus. With a deep breath, she calmed herself and gazed up at the Light Spirit next to her with a determined nod. "Thank you, Raava, but I need to go now. We need to stop Sen."

Raava nodded in return. "We shall do it together."