Azula gave a cautious look around the small village. While this place had never been a bustling locale, things seemed even quieter than usual. She hadn't seen a single other person during the entire walk to Ty Lee's house, and it wasn't that late. The sun had only started going down, so they couldn't have all gone to bed already. Ghostly silence clung over the village, as though the entire place were abandoned. It unnerved her. Something wasn't right.

Korra and the others had remained back at the airship by the beach, so Azula could have a brief private visit with Anraq and Kanna before they made their way to Forgetful Valley. On the way here, she'd been excited for the visit. Ecstatic, even. A brief visit was better than none at all, and her mind needed the solace of her family right now. As she stepped towards the front door of Ty Lee's home, dread sank in her gut, churning with such ferocity she nearly vomited. Would she even get that visit? Had something happened to them? Something horrible?

With a shuddering breath, she knocked on the door and waited. The sound of feet shuffling across the floor loosened the knot in her stomach. When the door finally opened to reveal the man standing on the other side, she huffed in relief, and the nausea vanished.

"Azula!" Anraq greeted her with a wide grin, coming forward to wrap his arms around her. "It's so good to see you."

Azula hummed a gentle sigh as she hugged him in return. "You too. Where is everyone?"

"Oh, there's some festival taking place on the other side of the island," Anraq said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Mai and Ty Lee are there now with Kanna."

"Oh, I see." Of course that's all it was. Should have known better than to be paranoid. "You didn't go with them?"

"Nah, I needed some time to clear my head. Woke up this morning feeling a little sick, so I stayed behind to rest." He smiled again and held his hands firmly against hers. "Feeling better now, though."

Azula returned the smile. "Well, that's good, I suppose."

"So, what are you doing here? Did you guys defeat Sen?"

"Unfortunately no," she muttered. "We did manage to get rid of most of his minions, but he got away. Right now, we're on our way to meet with the Mother of Faces. She's due to appear tomorrow, perhaps even as early as tonight."

Anraq's brow lifted, a look of intrigue spreading across his face. "The Mother of Faces?"

Azula nodded. "She's the only hope we have left of stopping Sen. She's his mother, and the one who imprisoned him the first time around."

"And you know exactly how to find her?" Anraq's question was quick, eager. Perhaps too eager, but Azula wrote it off as him being excited they had figured out a way to get to Sen.

"Yes, but we have to leave again shortly. I was hoping to see Kanna."

"They won't be back until later tonight..." Anraq paused, giving a moment of consideration. His eyes brightened as an idea came to him. "Hey, what if I go with you?"

Azula raised a puzzled brow. "What? But you need to stay here with Kanna."

"Mai and Ty Lee are looking after her right now, and they're great with her," he assured. "I can go with you, help you out, and then we'll be back again tomorrow to see Kanna. I'll just have to leave a note, is all."

Azula considered the suggestion. While the sensible part of her mind told her that one of them should stay here, she knew Mai and Ty Lee certainly were good with Kanna, and she would enjoy having some time to spend with Annie. "Are you sure?"

He grinned. "Sure I'm sure."

"Well, alright then." Azula glanced over her shoulder down the road. "The others are waiting on the airship down by the beach."

"I'll be right there. Just have to write a note."

"Don't be too long," Azula said, as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss. She smirked at him, and turned to head back to the beach. "We'll be waiting.

Anraq watched her leave. When Azula disappeared out of sight, he stepped back inside the home. Several figures moved next to him, awaiting his command. "Wait an hour, then follow me. Make sure you're not seen."


Kanna sat atop her bed, huddled with her stuffed bison clutched against her chest. The simple fluffy toy offered a safety and comfort the young girl desperately needed right now. The night's previous events rampaged through her mind, still fresh and raw. Her fear too, most of all. Seeing her daddy hurt by all those bad people had been so scary. She hated it, and she hated all of them. Where was Daddy now? Why couldn't he come back and tell her everything would be alright? What had the bad people done to him?

She sniffled, wiping her nose against the fluffy fur of her stuffed bison. Ever since last night, she'd been forced to stay alone in her room. She'd tried to leave, but the door was locked. The window, too. No matter what she tried, she couldn't think of a way out. Couldn't think of a way to find her daddy. All she could do was sit there and cry. Tired, alone, and scared. Still so scared.

A gentle knock rapped against the door. When she didn't answer, the door opened, and that strange woman entered into the room. Megumi. That was the woman's name. Megumi approached the bed, offering a friendly smile. "How are you, sweetie?"

The woman's voice was sweet and sincere, but did nothing to soothe Kanna's trembling heart. She held her bison tighter. "I want my Daddy."

"I'm afraid your father had to go away for a while," Megumi said, as she sat herself next to Kanna on the mattress. "It's just you and me right now."

Kanna stared at the floor, burying her chin closer against the top of the bison's head. "I don't know you. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Megumi eased closer and rested a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Kanna, I'm not a stranger. I'm your mother."

Kanna flinched at the touch and pulled away in distress. "No, Princess 'Zula is my Mommy and she's not here!"

"Azula is not your mother." Megumi's voice snapped outward, frigid and harsh. "She is a cruel woman who will only hurt you."

"Nuh uh, she's really nice!" Kanna's eyes flared wide in earnest, and she finally looked up at the woman. "She plays with me, and builds sand castles with me, and reads me stories, and she's really funny, and totally awesome, and pretty, and strong, and—"

"That's enough, Kanna." Again, Megumi's voice was as ice. "I don't care how nice she pretends to be, she's not your mother. I am. I gave birth to you."

Kanna pulled back with a long gasp, her mouth falling open in wonder. Ever so slightly, she eased her hold on the bison. "You're my first Mommy?"

"Your real mother," she corrected.

"Daddy said you, um..." Kanna scratched her head, trying to remember how her father had described it. "You died? You were, um, sleeping."

Megumi shrugged. "I woke up."

"Daddy said you'd never wake up."

"Well, your father lied."

Kanna stared, unblinking. This was the Mommy she'd always been sad she could never meet. She should have been happy to meet her now, and yet... "You hurt Daddy."

"No, I didn't hurt him," Megumi insisted. "I just—"

"You're mean. Mommies aren't supposed to be mean."

"I am not mean. I'm just doing what's best for you, because I love you very much." Megumi narrowed her eyes into a stern gaze and leaned closer. "You love me, too, don't you?"

Kanna looked away to the floor, and lifted her shoulders in a small shrug.

"Well, you will," Megumi assured. "We're going to spend so much time together, to make up for all the years we were apart. You'll see. You'll come around."

Kanna moved away, turning from her 'mother' to lie down on the bed. "I'm tired."

"Oh, okay." Megumi sat there quietly a moment longer, before leaning forward to brush back Kanna's hair and give a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "Just get some sleep, then. Goodnight, sweetie."

When Megumi was gone from the room, Kanna clutched her bison again, sinking against it as though a pillow. With a hiccuping whimper, she pressed her face against the toy's fluffy head and began to sob.


The air atop the viewing deck of the airship was cool, rippling a chill down Kuvira's spine. Not nearly as cold as the South Pole, but enough that she pulled the collar of her robes tighter around her neck as she made her way towards the railing on the far side of the deck. Korra stood there, leaning against the railing and gazing out at the ocean below. They had left Kyoshi Island an hour ago, and since that time she'd lost track of her wife. This was the last place she'd had left to check.

"Hey," she said, as she nudged close to her wife, hands on the back of Korra's shoulders. "I was wondering where you went."

"Yeah, I just needed some time to clear my head." Korra continued staring across the sea, her expression drooping and distant.

Kuvira sighed, and moved next to Korra on the railing. "I probably don't need to ask what you're thinking about."

"Probably not. It's just this whole thing... I don't understand it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't understand why there has to be such pain and suffering in the world," Korra insisted, with a questioning disbelief in her tone. "All the time, no matter what I do, Avatar or not, there will always be tragedies. There will always be terrible people, or dark spirits. There will always be evil, and no matter what I do, I'll never be able to stop all of it. I know I have to always try, but it feels like I'm fighting a losing battle sometimes. No matter how many victories we have, we'll never win the war. Not completely."

Kuvira nodded, letting her gaze drift out over the ocean. They'd had similar discussions about this before, about how futile keeping peace in the world sometimes seemed. Granted, the situation had never been quite as dire as this with all of humanity at stake, and so soon after being threatened by a tyrannical empire. Before that, there'd been the Red Lotus, and before that... well, there'd been Kuvira. Looking Korra in the eyes, Kuvira linked their fingers together and squeezed tight. "I know what you mean, but I guess that's life. The only thing we can do is never give up, and try our hardest to keep balance."

"I know that," Korra replied. "Heck, it's in my job description. It just keeps getting harder."

"Well, the good news is you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Kuvira leaned close and gave her wife a gentle kiss. "Our friends, too. Whether it's stopping Sen, or whatever comes after him, we'll do it together."

"We have to stop Sen first, and we have to do it soon. If we don't, then Tenzin, Izumi, Iroh, my dad, everyone else... we lose them all." Korra closed her eyes momentarily, before lifting an anxious look to Kuvira. "I can't lose them. I can't lose my dad. I can't lose any of them. Not like this."

Kuvira tightened her hold on Korra's hand. "You won't. I promise."

Korra breathed deep, and slowly let herself relax. With a fleeting sigh, she leaned close against her wife and closed her eyes. "Thanks."

"You want to head back down?"

"No," she said, resting her head against her wife's shoulder. "I just want to stay here a while. It's relaxing. Will you stay with me?"

Kuvira smiled, and tilted her head gently against her wife's. "As long as you need."


"So, this is the place?" Toph asked, as she knelt at the shore of the water pool. She placed her hand against the ground and concentrated. "Feels strange."

"Oh, that's right, you weren't with us the first time we were here," Katara said.

"Certainly brings back memories," Zuko said, with a glance towards his sister.

"Memories best left forgotten," Azula muttered, with a quiet huff. They had made it to Forgetful Valley half an hour ago, and since then she'd led the group through the forest to the appropriate water pool. For all the terrible experiences she'd had here, she somehow found herself consistently returning. "But yes, this is where the Mother of Faces will be arriving this season. Now it's just a waiting game."

Korra approached the edge of the water and stared out over the pristine, calm surface. Silver moonlight gleamed across the pool, shining like glass. "How long until she gets here?"

Azula shrugged. "Could be a few hours, could be tomorrow morning. That's the best estimate. Just have to be patient."

"Patience is getting harder to come by the longer this drags out," Korra muttered.

"I know, but it's all we can do," Kuvira reminded, as she moved next to her wife and joined their hands together. Korra immediately eased her rigid posture into a more relaxed one.

"So then let's wait," Anraq said, taking a seat in the grass. "She'll be here eventually."

They waited six hours before there was any change to the area. By the time the great spirit wolf emerged from the surrounding forest, the sun had begun to rise above the treeline, painting the sky a mix of purple and orange. The wolf paid no mind to the humans watching it, and instead sauntered towards the shore to take a drink from the calm pool. As soon as it did so, the water churned and bubbled. Moments later, a towering, multi-faced figure of gnarled bark arose from the depths and stood tall, looming above the trees. Korra immediately made a move towards the great spirit, but Azula held her back.

"Let me talk to her," Azula insisted. "She knows me."

Korra paused, hesitant, but stepped back all the same. "Alright, do your thing."

"Mother of Faces!" Azula made her way to the shore, striding alongside the spirit wolf. "We've come to request your aid!"

"Azula of the Fire Nation..." The Mother of Faces spoke with a calm, yet stern tone, rife with an almost disdainful curiosity. "You have returned. Was my most generous gift to you the last time we met not enough? You do realize it was far more than I typically grant. I am not inclined to grant you another."

"Yes, I know that," she replied. "That's not why I'm here. I've come with the Avatar to ask for your assistance with something dire."

The Mother of Faces tilted her head, puzzled. "The Avatar?"

"Uh, yes, that's me." Korra took a step forward and waved in greeting. "Mother of Faces, please, there are lives depending on you. You see, your son, Sen, has been freed, and—"

"What?" The ancient spirit's voice boomed over them, shaking the air. "You allowed Sen to escape his prison?"

"Well, nobody let him escape," Korra said. "He had help. That's not the point, though. He's in the physical world and he's already stealing people's essences. If we don't find and stop him soon, they'll die."

"Do you have any idea what this means?" said the Mother of Faces. "What could happen?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah, we know. Raava's already given me the rundown. What we don't know is how to stop him, or how to release the spirits he's already stolen. You were the one who imprisoned him the first time, so we were hoping you could help us."

The great spirit hummed a thoughtful breath in response. "To stop my son, and to help his victims, his own essence must again be removed. I am capable of achieving this feat, although it is more difficult when he is at his full strength. You, Avatar, are also capable of this. The Light Spirit, Raava, gives you this ability. I can impart to you the knowledge on how to do it."

Korra's eyes lit up at the statement. "Yes, please, that would be a huge help!"

"The hard part will be finding him. If I concentrate, I can sense his energy, but Sen is quite gifted at hiding himself from me."

At this statement, Anraq stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "Well, perhaps I can help with that?"

Azula narrowed her eyes, giving him a quizzical look. "Annie? What are you talking about?"

The Mother of Faces glared at him, easing herself ever so closer. After a long pause, she stiffened upright and once again boomed her voice through the air. "You! You dare come before me now?"

Azula froze. Dread crashed into the center of her gut, twisting and churning on the cusp of a revelation she didn't want to believe. Couldn't believe. "What... what's going on?"

Anraq grinned, and as he did his face and body began to morph into a different shape. A different person. Within seconds, he transformed from the friendly Water Tribe man she knew so well into the familiar visage of Shin Tsang, or as they now knew him...

"Sen..." The dread hit rock bottom in her core and exploded into blind fury. Blue flames erupted from her palms, as a wild flare sparked in her eyes. "What did you do to him!"

"Oh, don't worry about dear Annie," Sen said, with a low chuckle. "His spirit is in good hands. Kanna's, too."

The last bit of restraint in Azula's body burnt to cinders, loosing a furious howl from her throat. She lunged at him, tossing a pair of scorching fireballs through the air. With a simple wave of his hand, Sen deflected the flames and tossed her through the air, as though with some invisible force. She struck the ground with a violent thud, forcing the air from her lungs.

Korra sprang forward, leading the attack with a concussive blast of air. "Stop him, now!"

Her friends joined in the assault, throwing a relentless barrage of elements at the dark spirit's vessel. Fire, earth, water, metal, all of it deflected with another simple motion of Sen's hand. The elements appeared to obey his commands, bending around his body and leaving him unharmed. Team Avatar repositioned for a second attack, but they never got the chance. Four other figures raced out of the trees and slipped between them with a series of quick strikes. Skilled, precision blows exploded against Korra and each of her friends, dropping them to the ground in a daze.

Korra's head rang as she dropped flat into the dirt. She blinked, her vision blurred as she lifted her head to get a look at who had attacked them. The rest of her body refused to respond, lying limp at her side. "Who...?"

Four individuals stood over them, one man and three women. The man was dressed in Water Tribe garb wielding a boomerang, while one of the women was dressed in a Kyoshi Warrior uniform. The second woman wore an outfit of red and black with long baggy sleeves and a fistful of knives, and the third stood in a chi blocker stance, her hair tied back in a long braided ponytail. The Avatar didn't seem to recognize any of them, and so she wouldn't. She'd never met them.

Azula recognized them. Two of those women were her friends—her best friends—although they, much like everyone else under Sen's control, had regressed in age back to their prime. She coughed out a choked gasp, lifting her head to look at them. "Mai? Ty Lee?"

"Sokka!" Katara's voice, calling with desperation to her brother, the lone man amongst the attackers. She struggled to get back to her feet, only to collapse moments later as the Kyoshi Warrior pushed her down with a boot to the back of her shoulders. Katara grunted, staring up at the other woman. "Suki...?"

"Sen!" Korra made another attempt at moving, but her limbs remained unresponsive. She had been chi blocked, undoubtedly.

"Quiet, Avatar," Sen said, turning a narrow glare towards her. "Your desperation is nauseating."

"Fear not, Avatar." The Mother of Faces loomed above them, growing larger as she neared her son. "I will end him here, just as I did many thousands of years ago."

Sen's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "No, not this time."

As the Mother of Faces reached an arm forward, two spiraling tubes of water lifted from the pool and coiled around her. She paused, watching the display with confusion as the watery pillars grew taller and surrounded her. "What is this?"

"I came prepared this time, Mother," Sen replied. "You're not locking me away again."

A pair of bushes near the treeline parted, and another figure approached the pool: Unalaq, his arms rotating in the signature spiritbending style. The water glowed yellow, eliciting a panicked shriek from the Mother of Faces. Within seconds, the glow spread to the spirit's entire body, consuming and dissolving her into tiny flecks of light. Rather than fade into nothing, the light continued to spiral, flowing downward in a concentrated stream. Sen took a step forward, opened his mouth wide, and inhaled the glowing wisps of spiritual energy into his own body. When it was over, the water pool returned to its calm, pristine state, empty and barren.

The Mother of Faces was gone.

"Ah..." Sen breathed deep, and slowly let the air back out. "Goodbye, Mother."