Deathly silence clung to the healer hut like a funeral shroud. Korra entered and found it exactly as she'd left it, dozens of patients lying cold and motionless on floor mats, devoid of their spirits. Healers continued attending to them as diligently as possible, doing what little they could to keep the victims alive. So many victims, her own father among them. If she didn't find a way to help them soon, they wouldn't survive. Her mother, Senna, had fallen asleep next to Tonraq on the other side of the hut, still holding his hand, and while there was no sign of the Air Kids right now, Pema remained at Tenzin's side, waiting and hoping. With a deep sigh, Korra made her way over towards Kya, who healing Izumi. Bumi stood nearby, watching with his arms crossed.

"Hey," she said, with a solemn wave, "how is everyone?"

Bumi grunted with irritation. "Well, our mom is about twenty-five years younger than us now, which is more than a little creepy, and Tenzin's spirit is still missing from his body with nothing we can do to help. Oh, and there's a dark spirit on the loose bent on destroying all of humanity. So yeah, I'm great."

"She meant the patients," Kya said, lifting a frown towards her brother.

"Oh, well sure that too," he muttered.

Kya rolled her eyes and shifted focus back to Korra. "So far there's been no change, which is actually a good thing. It means our healing methods are keeping their bodies' connections to their spirits strong enough to keep them alive. Still, I'm not sure how much more time they have. Could be a few weeks, a few days... there's no way to be sure. The sooner we get their spirits back into their bodies, the better."

Korra gave a slow nod. "I know... I'm still trying to come up with another plan. We tried tracking down Sen, but he knew we were coming. Now we have no idea where he is. He might not even still be in the South Pole for all we know."

"Well, try to come up with something soon." Kya's voice lowered into a bleak whisper, as she glanced towards Tenzin. "It hurts, seeing them all like this."

Korra nodded again, more firmly this time. "We'll save them. One way or another, I promise."

"I hope so," Kya said, as she refocused on attending to Izumi. "I really hope so."

With Kya continuing her work, Korra made her way towards the other end of the hut, where another group of healers attended to several other clusters of victims wrapped in blankets. She approached one of those healers in particular, a woman both so familiar to her and yet at the same time so different, and offered a warm smile. "Hey, Katara."

The newly revitalized woman looked up from her work and returned a smile of her own. "Oh, Korra, hello."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Still trying to get used to things. Having a new body, being young again..." Katara shifted a tentative look towards one of the nearby bodies—her own body, her older one, now little more than an empty shell. She swallowed, as a distance formed in her eyes. "It isn't right, you know. This... shouldn't have happened."

"There are a lot of things that shouldn't happen," Korra said, with a simple shrug. "We just have to try to deal with them as they come, the best we can."

Katara smirked, and offered a quiet chuckle. "You sound more like Aang than ever. You really have grown into a fine Avatar."

"Thank you, Katara." Korra stared at the waterbending master's old body a moment longer before forcing herself to look away. "So, now that you're... well, fighting fit again, can we count on your help against Sen?"

"Well, both Toph and Zuko seem eager to get into the action, and it isn't in me to sit on the sidelines," Katara replied, with a firm nod. "Now that I'm not liable to break a hip, yeah, you'll have my help. Right now I'm just trying to do what I can for these patients, but when you need me for more than that, I'll be ready."

"Thanks," Korra said. "I'll let you know when we have a plan."

"There is one more thing," Katara added. "My brother. Sen brought him back, as well. It's how he got to me and Toph."

Korra's brow lifted. "What? Chief Sokka?"

"Yes. If you can, please free him from that monster's control."

"Of course, yes. You have my word."

"Thank you, Korra." Katara gave an appreciative nod, and returned focus to her healing. "Now, I should get back to these patients."


Korra wandered through the halls of the royal palace, half-lost in her thoughts. She almost didn't notice her friends, only catching them out the corner of her eye as she made her way by the open door to one of the many guest rooms. With a quick backpedal, she blinked out of her daze and looked through the doorway. She recognized the room as belonging to Asami and Sinn, both of whom were busy packing suitcases full of their belongings. Mako and Bolin stood nearby, both having already finished packing with their own suitcases slung over their shoulders. Didn't take much to put two and two together.

"You guys are leaving?" she said, stepping through the doorway.

The four within the room turned to look at her. Sinn offered a welcoming smile in greeting. "Oh, hey Korra."

Asami glanced towards the others and hissed out a small sigh. "Yeah, we are. As much as I'd like to stay and help, I am still President of the United Republic. I need to get back."

"And I'm the Chief of Police, so... yeah," Mako said, with a shrug. "I mean, this Sen business is a heck of a lot more important, but we don't even know if he's still down here. If he comes to Republic City, we need to be ready for him."

"Plus, some of the Republic City spirits might know something that could help," Sinn added.

Korra frowned, but didn't argue their points. "I guess that makes sense. People should be prepared, in case Sen attacks somewhere else."

Bolin nodded. "Yeah, and as for me, Opal and I decided we should take our son somewhere safer, after everything that's happened. Su and the rest of the Beifongs are heading back to Zaofu, so we'll be joining them there. Oh, except for Toph and Kuvira. They're staying behind to help. At least, that's what they said."

"I understand. You need to keep your family safe." Korra smiled gently at her friends. "I guess this isn't like the old days when we can all team up together whenever we want, huh?"

Mako chuckled. "Hard to believe we even have old days."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Korra said. "In that case, you guys leave Sen to us. We'll handle him. If you find out any information that might be helpful, you know how to reach me."

Mako came forward and wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug. "You got it."

Bolin joined the hug, tightening his arms around the both of them. "Ahh, bring it in, guys."

Asami smirked, coming forward to join them with her arms spread as far around them as she could manage. Glancing towards Sinn, she beckoned with one of her hands and said, "You too."

"Ha, okay, good," Sinn replied, as she came in with her arms open. "Was starting to feel like the fifth wheel on a satomobile."

Korra pulled away from the hug a few moments later and nodded to them. "Stay safe."

"We will," Mako assured.

"And Asami, um..." Korra cleared her throat, glancing towards her ex. "If you have a minute, you mind if we talk?"

"Oh, sure." Asami paused a moment, turning to give Sinn a quick kiss. "I'll just be a minute."

"Alright, I'll keep packing," Sinn said.

Korra waited for Asami to follow and led the way out into the hall. When she was certain that they were out of earshot of the others, she stopped and turned around to face the other woman.

"So, what did you need?" Asami asked, with a curious stare.

"Well, it's just, I don't know what's going to happen with Sen, and..." Korra huffed out a nervous sigh, desperate to settle the fluttering in her gut. Spirits, how to put these thoughts into words? "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything that happened between us. I thought we'd be together forever, but I screwed it up, and I hurt you, and... I'm sorry."

Asami raised a quizzical brow. "Korra, I thought we were past this? We've already apologized to each other, ages ago."

"No, I know. It just bears repeating, I think. In spite of everything that happened, I'm really glad we stayed friends." Korra managed another smile. "I'm really glad you're still in my life."

Asami's demeanor softened, returning a smile of her own. Taking a step forward, she pulled Korra in for a hug. "Me too. And I am happy for you. For the marriage, I mean. Really."

Korra let her eyes close as she eased into the embrace. "Thank you, Asami."

Asami took a step back, holding her hands on Korra's shoulders. "Now, get out there and kick Sen's ass."

Korra grinned. "You got it."


Some time later, Korra sat on the floor in the center of her bedroom, legs crossed and fists pressed together with her eyes closed. She sucked in a deep breath and let her mind slip away deep into meditation, deep inside herself. "Okay, Raava... I could really use some help right now." When she opened her eyes, she stood once again in those wide open fields of her inner mind.

The great Light Spirit Raava floated into view and eased out a gentle sigh. "I will help you however I can, Korra, but my knowledge on Sen is limited. I may know his history, but I do not know much about how to stop him."

"There must be something," Korra said. "If not you, then another spirit, maybe?"

"Well, there is one obvious choice."

"An obvious...?" Korra furrowed her brow, words trailing off as she considered what Raava was getting at. The revelation hit her with the force of a speeding satomobile, recalling the visions she had seen the last time she had meditated like this. "Of course! Sen's mother, the Mother of Faces. If anyone would know how to track him down and stop him, it's her. Plus, she's the one who locked him away the first time around! Why didn't you suggest that before?"

"Because locating the Mother of Faces these days takes time that your friends may not have," Raava stated. "I had hoped you would be able to find Sen already, but since he appears to have vanished, this may be the only option left."

"What do you mean, 'it takes time'?"

"The Mother of Faces roams between worlds," explained the Light Spirit. "In the material world, she is found only once per season, traveling through Forgetful Valley at one of four water pools. Not only would you need to wait until the appropriate time of the season, but if you were to be at the wrong pool you would miss her and have to wait an entire season longer."

"You're right, that would take a lot of time." Korra's excitement sank with a defeated sigh. There was no way of knowing how much longer Sen's first victims could survive. "Time we don't have."

"I am sorry," Raava said. "I do not have any other suggestions."

Korra paused, thinking harder about the possibility. Her eyes sharpened. "Wait a minute..."

"What is it?"

"I know someone who can find exactly where the Mother of Faces is!" she said, with a snap of her fingers.

Raava tilted herself to the side, giving as confused a stare as a spirit with no actual face could give. "You do? That seems unlikely. Even if it were true, it may not be the proper time of the season."

"We'll have to hope." Korra sat down and closed her eyes again, easing out of her meditation. "I'll talk to you later, Raava. I have to head back. Thanks again!"


Katara rubbed her eyes as she entered the small restaurant. Spirits, how long had it been since she'd gone out anywhere for a nice meal and simply relaxed? She could thank her chronic exhaustion for that. The more she got on in years, the less she felt like going out. Not so, anymore. As she walked through that door, her stride carried her forward with more energy than she'd had in nearly seventy years. All thanks to her new body, of course. She couldn't be more than thirty years old now, with the exact same body and exact same face as she'd had back then.

It was remarkable.

It was unnerving.

As she made her way across the main sitting area, she spotted her friend waiting for her at one of the tables, a friend who had been revitalized in exactly the same way as she. "Hey, Toph."

Toph leaned back in her seat with her feet propped up on the table. At the sound of Katara's arrival, she grinned. "Well, 'bout time you showed up. Only been waiting for twenty minutes. Had to get the waiter to read me the menu."

"Sorry about that, I lost track of time working with the patients," she replied, as she sat down and grabbed a menu for herself. After a quiet moment, she gave her friend a tentative glance. "So, how are you... adjusting to things?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm back in my prime!" Toph laughed, tilting her head over the back of her chair with an even larger grin. "I haven't felt this good in seventy years! So yeah, I'd say I'm adjusting pretty well. Will be better once I get out of this frozen wasteland, though. No offense."

"Really?" Katara raised an eyebrow. "You're not the least bit disturbed by it?"

"Not even a little," Toph asserted. "Let me tell you, being an old woman sucked. Being tired all the time, achy joints, my darn back always acting up, everything sagging. Having a second chance at life is A-okay in my book."

"I see..." Katara frowned, shifting focus back towards the menu.

Toph righted herself in her seat and took her feet down off the table. "I don't need earth to sense that you don't agree."

"It's just... that's the thing." Katara frowned, staring at the menu with a distance in her eyes. "I don't need a second life. I already had a life, a good one. I had made my peace with the fact that I didn't have much time left, that I'd be gone soon, that I'd see Aang again. This is just... I'm not sure I know how to handle it."

"Just roll with the punches, Katara, that's what I say," Toph stated, with a firm shrug. "Yeah, it might be a little weird, what with being younger than our kids now and all, but when it comes to life we do what we can with the time given to us. We've just been given a little more time than most, so we can do a little more."

"Maybe you're right..." Katara went quiet, thinking over Toph's words. There certainly was some truth to them, and no doubt Aang would have told her something similar. A small smile slowly curled across her face. "There are a lot of things I can do again now that I couldn't when I was pushing a hundred."

Toph cackled mischievously. "You mean like finding someone to take a good ol' roll in the hay with? That's the spirit, Katara, live a little!"

"Uh, yeah, no," she replied, pointing a death glare at the earthbender. "Not what I meant."

"Psh, spoilsport. You've been single for over thirty years."

Katara rolled her eyes and buried her attention back into the menu. Her focus lasted only a brief moment before she noticed another pair of figures approaching towards the table. Glancing up from the menu, she saw first a familiar and welcome sight, a man she never thought she'd see again: Zuko, now the same age as both she and Toph. The other individual Katara did not expect. Azula stood with her arms folded, somewhat behind and to the side of her brother, as though trying to hide herself.

"Hey guys," Zuko said, with a wave. "I heard you were having dinner together. You mind if we join you?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Katara said, forcing a smile. She moved to the side, giving space for two more chairs at the table. "Happy to have you. Both of you."

Azula frowned, as she approached one of the two new seats. "You don't need to act polite, Katara. I know you don't really want me sitting with you."

Katara heaved out a deep, lengthy sigh. "Look, Azula, I know we've never gotten along..."

"Pheh, that's putting it lightly," Toph said, with a snicker.

"...but, well, you have shown yourself to be a different person now. Better than you used to be." Katara tapped her fingers against the table, shifting awkwardly in her seat. "So, I guess I'm trying to say I'm willing to give you a chance. And about those things I said when I was under Sen's control, I wasn't—"

"Oh let's not kid ourselves, we both know you meant it," Azula stated, with a shrug. "Maybe you regret saying it, but I'm sure they're thoughts you've had before. I'd rather just forget about that, if it's all the same to you. I want to move on."

"Right..." Katara muttered. "Of course."

Azula gave a careful glance towards the other woman at the table. "And Toph?"

"Hmm? Oh, me." Toph straightened herself and cracked her knuckles. "Well, Su's alive again, so I can't really hold a grudge for her being dead. To be honest, I was already starting to move on from it anyway. So yeah, sure, you're a better person and all, great. Are we ordering food now or what? I'm starving."

"Good idea," Zuko said, with a clear of his throat. He grabbed a menu for himself, and passed a second to his sister.

Azula took one look at the menu and huffed. "Water Tribe food... not my favorite, but I suppose I'll survive. I only hope this place makes a bowl of sea prunes as well as Annie's mother does."

Before they could place their order, another figure burst into the restaurant. "Azula!"

Azula blinked, raising an eyebrow towards the call of her name. "Avatar Korra?"

Korra stopped when she reached the table, doubling over to catch her breath. Judging from the sweat beading across her forehead and the deep heaving of her chest, she had been running for quite some time. "Finally... found you..."

"Is there something you need?" Azula questioned, squinting quizzically at the Avatar.

"Yes." When Korra recovered her breath, she straightened again and gave a firm look towards the woman. "I need your expertise. You know how to find the Mother of Faces, right?"

"Well, yes, but why...?"Azula's words trailed off, as understanding dawned across her face. "You mean to enlist her aid in stopping Sen."

"Exactly. Problem is I don't know how long it'll take to find her, and the current victims might not have that long. Tell me it's the right time of the season."

"Well, what's the date?" Azula lifted a hand to her chin, lips pursed in thought. The question was rhetorical, as she had already begun to process the information in her head. "Let's see, she should be appearing in approximately five days, and it's winter, so she'll be at the northern pool in the forest. It'll take two days to get there by airship, so we'll need to leave soon."

Katara glanced back and forth between the two, curious. "Wait, what's so special about the Mother of Faces? I know she's a powerful spirit, but can she really help stop Sen?"

Korra smirked. "She's Sen's mother, and she's the one who locked him away the first time, tens of thousands of years ago. We just have to find her and get her to help. Who's coming?"

"If it gets me out of this tundra, count me in," Toph said, with a nonchalant thumbs-up.

"And you'll need me to show you the way, of course," Azula said.

Zuko nodded. "If they're going, then I'm going too."

Katara gave both her friends a quick look and nodded to the Avatar. "I think it's about time I went on another adventure. Count me in."

"Good." Korra steeled her gaze with unflinching urgency. "Kuvira's already preparing for our departure. There's no time to waste. Let's get moving."