Asami dug frantically through the toolbox she'd pulled from the wreckage of the truck and grabbed the first screwdriver she found. Scrambling into place in front of the remains of the Spirit Conductor, she set one of the peripherals in place and carefully turned the screws back into their fixtures. Rain pounded around her, soaking her through to the bone. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face, glued in place by the driving, cold sheets splashing against her. Her teeth chattered. Fingers trembled. Just ignore it. Couldn't afford to get distracted. Couldn't afford to slow down.
After a few moments, the peripheral remained in place, allowing her to move on to the next piece. Merely setting the device upright had required a colossal effort, with as heavy as the machine was, but whatever adrenaline now fueled her had allowed her to manage without straining herself. Now came the hard part. Or rather, the impossible part. Trying to reattach all the pieces of the Spirit Conductor that had broken off. So much to fix. Too much to fix.
She was fighting a losing battle. Fixing the entirety of this mess by herself would take time she didn't have. Even if she did somehow accomplish that feat, she'd have to open the back panels to check the wiring, an act that would expose electrical circuitry to the heavy downpour, and undoubtedly destroy the machine beyond repair. Spirits, it was hopeless. This whole thing was hopeless, and yet still she never stopped. She'd never failed before when she set her mind to something. If she didn't give up, then somehow, just maybe, she might pull off a miracle.
"Asami!"
The voice called over wind and rain, a distant echo beyond the storm. Still enough to grab her attention. Looking up from her work, she noticed the large form of Naga bounding up to her, giant polar bear dog paws splashing through the puddles on the street. Three familiar individuals sat atop her saddle: Zuko, the one who had called out to her, Katara, and Shayu.
When the trio arrived, Katara took a quick look around, noting the damaged truck and their frozen friends. "What happened here?"
"They happened here." Asami motioned to her left, where the unconscious Megumi and Unalaq had collapsed on the ground. She hadn't had time to bind them, so spirits please let them not wake up any time soon. "They attacked us, froze the others, and broke the Spirit Conductor to pieces. I'm trying to fix it, but there's too much for just myself." Returning her focus back to the machine, she huffed a deep sigh and dragged her fingers back through her wet hair. Her voice shuddered with resigned futility. "This was the one advantage we had against Sen, and now it's gone."
Shayu, who looked half in a daze the way her eyes repeatedly blinked against the rain, gently raised her voice to be heard above the storm. "Could I help?"
Asami blinked up at her. "What?"
"Shayu, we still need to get you to safety," Zuko insisted, with a quick glance back at the girl. "You only just regained consciousness."
"But I can't just run away! Sen is coming, and Asami needs help. I may not be a genius or an engineer or anything like that, but I can use a screwdriver and follow directions." Shayu sucked in a deep breath and shook the daze from her eyes, returning focus to Asami. "Would you be able to fix it with an extra pair of hands?"
"Well, I—it's possible." Asami paused a moment to think. The work was far too much to do on her own, but with some help they might just have a chance. "If Katara could keep the rain off us while I reattach some of the wiring?"
Katara gave another glance to their frozen friends. If she had time, she could free them, but getting the Spirit Conductor up and running was their primary objective right now. With a firm nod, she hopped down and approached. "I can do that. Zuko, you take Naga and find the others. We'll handle this."
A loud crash ruptured through the steady drone of the storm, shifting their attention to find its source. Sen towered above the city skyline in the distance. The giant spirit had made it through the United Forces defense, and now made his way into Republic City, crashing against buildings as he went. As far in the distance as he appeared, still they could see him siphoning the essences of civilians below that had been frozen and prepared for him.
Zuko quickly returned his attention to Shayu. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes." She reached out, allowing Katara to help her down off Naga's saddle. Shayu wasn't waiting for his permission, in spite of her verbal request. "Please, Zuko. I have to do something. I don't want to be helpless anymore."
Zuko eased out a relenting sigh. With both Katara and Shayu joining Asami, he guided Naga around them to search for the others. "Alright, just be careful."
Korra awoke to a blur of muddled sounds. Her senses returned in a slow wave, as a gentle hand shook her shoulder. A voice spoke out to her, but it was clouded and distant, as though spoken through a murky wall of syrup. With a deep groan, she flicked her eyes open and focused on the blurry images above her. The shadowed forms of buildings loomed around her, while cold raindrops pattered against her face. Another blink, and her gaze settled on the blurred form of someone kneeling over her.
"Come on, that's it," said the voice, as the figure helped her sit up. "Take it easy."
"Kuvira?" With an unsteady shake of her head, Korra cleared her vision enough to make out her wife helping her upright. Kuvira eased her upward, supporting her head and back with gentle hands.
"That's right," Kuvira replied. "I got you."
Dull, throbbing pain pounded against the sides of Korra's skull. She let out a quiet groan, lifting her hand to press her fingers against her eyes. The pain wasn't strong, but it lingered, unrelenting and aggravating all the same. With a clench of her jaw, she breathed deep and forced the pain away. Couldn't waste time sitting here in a daze. Just a few moments of rest, and she'd be fine. She had to be.
When her vision cleared completely, she glanced up to see a larger group of individuals surrounding her, including Jinora, Opal, Suyin, Mako, P'Li, Toph, Suki, and Sokka, all of whom appeared exhausted and injured. Half of them could barely hold themselves upright, forced to lean against each other for support, or against street lights, or piles of debris. The battle had only just started, and already they were on their last legs. Shifting her attention towards the side of the street, she noticed Aang, Kuruk, and Kyoshi, all three of the past Avatars unconscious and bound with the platinum from Kuvira's armor.
"What happened?" Korra muttered, with a pained grimace.
"You took a pretty good hit, but you're okay," said Jinora, approaching the pair. "It looks like we were able to defeat most of the past Avatars that Sen brought back, although I'm not sure about Roku. There's still no sign of Azula."
"What about Asami and the others? Did they get the Spirit Conductor to Sen?"
Kuvira sighed, shaking her head slowly. "We don't know. No one's been able to get ahold of her on the radio. We just met up here and took some time to recover before we figure out our next move. The fight's already taken a lot out of us."
Korra paused a moment, looking around at the group. The fight going forward would be difficult, no doubt, with how much they'd already spent themselves. Not that they could let that stop them. "Well, we can't let it slow us down. We still have a job to do, and—"
A cacophonous bang drowned her words. Korra blinked up at the skyline, straining her eyes to see through the rain. She didn't have to strain for long. Sen's massive form broke through the storm in vivid detail, rainwater streaking across his chitinous carapace with a slimy sheen, as he towered above the buildings. His gaze shifted attentively on the streets below. Bright streaks of light siphoned up from beneath him, flowing in a constant stream into his open mouth. Souls. Essences of the civilians trapped within their frozen prisons.
"He's still so huge," Korra uttered, in dawning revelation. "Asami must not have been able to activate the Spirit Conductor." She watched a second longer before springing up to her feet. Her legs wobbled momentarily, but she regained her balance with a firm stance. "We have to find them!"
"No," replied a new voice. "We have to keep him busy."
Korra and the others turned in time to see the approaching form of Naga slowing to a stop next to them. Zuko perched atop the saddle, holding on tight to keep from falling off. "Zuko? What do you mean?"
"Asami and the others were attacked, and the Spirit Conductor was damaged," he explained. "Right now, Shayu and Katara are helping her fix it, but they need time. That's where we come in."
Understanding tore through Korra in an instant. Her eyes narrowed, and she gave a long look back at Sen. "You're right. Sen is far too powerful as he is right now. Without the Spirit Conductor draining his energy and weakening him, we don't have a chance. We have to keep him occupied while they get it running." Her gaze lowered, focusing on the others. On her comrades. Her friends. "This is it: the last chance we have. Humanity's last stand. Are you ready?"
Suyin took a step forward. "You know we're with you, Korra. All of us."
"You're darn right we are!" Toph announced, pumping her fist up into the air. "Let's show this overgrown insect what we're really made of!"
Sen bellowed a thunderous cackle, as he gradually made his way through Republic City. His beady black eyes remained focused on the streets below, draining the essences from every frozen civilian his minions had so graciously prepared for him. Not much longer now. Soon, all of humanity would fall, and he would have this world to himself.
As he turned the corner of the next street, a sudden massive torrent of water lifted from one of the nearby canals and erupted against his face. The massive spirit recoiled at the impact, but steadied himself moments later, undamaged. With a grimace of annoyance, he swept his gaze across the city to locate who had dared attack him. He found her standing atop one of the nearby buildings. The Avatar. Rage seethed through his entire being. That insolent, pathetic little worm. So, his minions had failed to stop her and her ilk. No matter. He would end her here!
Before he could retaliate, a barrage of earth exploded against his chitinous hide. Stone and concrete tore away from the rooftops of surrounding buildings into an unrelenting storm. His massive form stumbled and crashed against a building behind him, catching himself before he could fall. Curse these wretched humans! Why didn't they know when to give up? With a shift in attention, he found the others attacking him. Kuvira led the bombardment, with Suyin and Toph following her lead. Wrestling away from the building, he lunged to attack.
Two sweeping jets of fire scorched through the rain, cutting off his path in a concussive wave of heat. His gaze shifted again. Mako and Zuko stood at the ready, bending constant streams of fire from their extended fists. P'Li joined them moments later, releasing a series of popping explosions from her third eye. Each blast ruptured against the spirit's chest, further shaking his balance as he stumbled backwards.
The loss in balance opened him up to an attack from above. Opal and Jinora glided over the top of Sen and began to rapidly circle each other. They descended upon him, surging a concussive cyclone of air directly atop his head. The resulting impact shook the entire block, as Sen's massive form crashed into the ground below.
With a frustrated growl, Sen burst upright, regaining balance atop his multiple spindly legs. A beam of spiritual energy burst forth from his eyes and slashed across the buildings in front of him. "Foolish humans! You only delay your inevitable demise!"
Buildings exploded and began to crumble, forcing the group to scatter. Kuvira, Toph, and Suyin slid back down to the ground. Without slowing their momentum, they sprang forward and combined their earthbending to create a wall of stone above the frozen civilians on the street. Showers of concrete rained downward, pelting harmlessly against their earthen barrier. When the air cleared, they lowered the wall and returned focus to the battle at hand.
Sen lashed out at the air, carving his spirit beams through the sky. Both Jinora and Opal glided sharply to the side to avoid the beams, only for the resulting shock wave to sizzle the air inches from them. Hot air expanded and ruptured outward under the immense energy. With frantic cries, both airbenders plummeted wildly out of control. They crashed atop one of the nearby buildings, rolling to a violent stop against the concrete parapet.
Sen's next attack blasted Mako airborne. He slammed into the side of a parked satomobile, left in a barely conscious daze. With a sudden shift in motion, he attempted to right himself. He managed two steps before collapsing to his knees in a wave of vertigo. With a pained grimace, he sat back on the ground and held his hands against the side of his head in attempts to settle his senses.
Rupturing concrete snapped his attention upward. Part of the building directly above him tore away under the impact of another spirit beam, raining large chunks of debris into the air overhead. In seconds, it would crush him. Mako uttered a desperate yell and shielded himself with his arms. A futile impulse that wouldn't save him, but what else could he do? The debris would flatten him into a bloody smear on the sidewalk, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to prevent it.
A familiar pop-pop-pop echoed above the roar of battle, followed by a concussive wave of heat that exploded the raining debris into little more than scattering pebbles. With a confused blink, Mako opened his eyes and looked to his left, where he found P'Li making her way towards him. She stood above him, and held an arm down to help him up.
"Uh, thanks," he said, grasping P'Li's arm to lift himself upright.
"Yeah, yeah, save it for when this is over," she replied, with a sharp look towards the battle. "Just get up and keep going."
Sen continued his assault with a sweep of his spirit beams across the ground. Dust and debris exploded into the air, clouding Kuvira, Suyin, Toph, and Zuko somewhere within the cloud. Jinora and Opal limped towards the edge of the building they had crashed upon and gave a sharp look downward to find them. With a quick nod to each other, they spread the wings of their suits and dove through the air. Mako and P'Li spread out and launched a pair of countering blasts at the dark spirit. Sen shrugged off the explosions with little more than an irritated grumble, and fired another pair of beams from his eyes. Both firebenders scattered, ducking for cover.
Sen's gaze swept back towards the rooftops, where he found himself face-to-face with the former Avatar. A sinister glower twisted across his too-human face. "Your resistance is pointless, Avatar. You will all perish here."
Korra met the spirit's glare with unyielding defiance. "Yeah, maybe, but if you think we're going down without a fight, you're even dumber than you look."
"So be it." Sen straightened himself to his full height and scowled at her, his eyes already glowing for another attack. "I will revel in your destruction."
Korra swiftly shifted her stance and extended her arms forward. Swirls of falling rainwater redirected at her command, coalescing into the form of a massive icy spear between them. With a furious shout, she threw the spear directly at the dark spirit's face. Sen's spirit beams released at the moment of collision, only to strike the frozen mass in front of his eyes. The spear exploded in a cloud of icy shrapnel, eliciting a pained shriek from the spirit's throat as he stumbled into the building behind him.
Lunging forward off the edge of the building, Korra lifted herself skyward upon a whirling pillar of water. She continued her assault, using the pouring rain around them to strike Sen from all sides. "Revel in that!"
Asami worked with delicate precision, as quickly and carefully as she could to make certain every piece of the Spirit Conductor was back in place and properly calibrated. Sounds of battle erupted in the distance, a distant echo above the howling wind. The ground shook with every impact. They were running out of time. Couldn't stop now. Couldn't slow down. Shayu offered what assistance she could, following Asami's directions to the letter. Just having the extra pair of hands did speed up the process, but would it be enough? Spirits, hopefully. Katara kept the rain off them while they worked, bending the falling droplets outward in a swirling, bubbled dome above their heads. That way, they could work on the wiring without fear of destroying the machine.
"Okay, just hold that wire in place while I tighten it," Asami said, pointing out a red wire inside the panel that hung loose at its connector. Shayu scooted forward across the ground and did as she was told, allowing Asami to fixed the problem. "Just like that. Okay... good." When she finished with the wire, she pointed out the next step. "Now reattach those screws to hold the top chamber together."
Shayu grabbed the spare screwdriver and followed instructions. While she had no real experience with any kind of engineering or mechanical work, she was careful and diligent. That was all Asami could ask for right now. Just having an assistant helped immensely. When Shayu tightened the first screw as much as it would go, she moved on to the second. A series of distant explosions shook the ground, causing her to fumble the screwdriver. She caught it before dropping it completely, and continued working.
"You guys, we have to hurry," Katara said, craning her head to catch glimpses of the distant battle above the skyline. "I don't know how much longer they're going to last."
"We're going as fast as we can!" Asami dug into the front panel again, where she spotted a nest of wires that had come loose and tangled together. "There's just too much that needs to be done, even with the two of us. I don't know how much longer this is going to take."
"Sounds like you could use another pair of hands," said an approaching voice. Not Katara's voice. A different voice. A male voice. "Maybe I can help?"
Asami lifted her head with raised eyebrows to see the person jogging towards them through the rain. "Baatar? What are you doing here?"
Baatar Jr. emerged into the dry bubble around the Spirit Conductor and sucked in several deep gulps of air, doubling over to get his breath back. The way he struggled to hold himself up with his hands pressed against his knees, he very well might have just run a marathon. With a strained wheeze, he pulled off his glasses to wipe the fog clear on the lenses before kneeling down next to them. "I did some thinking about our conversation earlier. Varrick was right. It's my duty to see this through to the end, so I came back to help. It's a good thing you didn't make it far from the tower, or I might not have found you. So, what needs to be done?"
"We just need to reattach some of the larger pieces and fix some more of the wiring." Asami dug into the toolbox and pulled out a wrench, handing it over to Baatar. "Shayu, you follow Baatar's lead while I work inside the rear panel."
Shayu nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
Together, the three of them worked hurriedly to fix the Spirit Conductor. Shayu followed Baatar's instructions to the best of her ability, while Asami focused on the rear of the machine. What might have taken twenty minutes or more with only Asami and Shayu instead took half the time with all three of them. When the last of the pieces tightened into place, Asami shut the final panel to shield the circuitry from the rain.
"Alright, that should do it," Asami said, with a nod to Katara. The waterbender let out a sigh of relief, and allowed the rainwater under her continuous control to fall. "Now we just need to make sure Sen is close and then flip the switch."
One of the nearby buildings exploded. Fire and debris rained into the storm. Only a couple blocks away, the towering form of Sen crashed through the city, defending himself from a relentless assault by Korra and several others. With a howl of fury, the dark spirit swept another pair of spirit beams towards his foes. He missed, instead obliterating a nearby tower.
Baatar's eyes flared behind the fogging lenses of his glasses. "I think he's close enough!"
"Right." Asami shifted focus to the Spirit Conductor and reached for the switch to turn on the machine. "Time to end this."
Before she could get a grip on the switch, Katara's frantic voice yanked away her attention. "Look out!"
A stray spirit beam swept through the shop across the street, carving a path through the pavement towards them. Asami's brow lifted in horror. Baatar and Shayu screamed. All of them, seconds away from being disintegrated. Nowhere to go. Katara jumped in front of the group with a rushed wave of her arms. Rain coalesced under her command, rising into a colossal wall of ice between them and the blast. Spiritual energy met frozen water with a hissing pop of steam. Chunks of ice ruptured and sprayed in all directions. From the explosion, a sheer, concussive shock wave swept outward, launching each of them from their feet. Katara crashed through the window of a nearby building, while Asami collided with a parked satomobile. Baatar slammed end over end through a vendor cart. None of them moved.
Shayu blinked open her eyes, greeted by murky vision filled with shadowed blobs. Images filtered in slowly, before the world spun to a stop and everything cleared. Rain poured against her face, forcing her upright with a heaving cough. Her body ached, lungs burned, a dull throbbing pulsing without relent at the center of her chest. Where was she? What had happened? There was the spirit beams, and Katara's wall, and then an explosion...
Shaking her mind clear, she looked around. She lay strewn in an alley off the side of the street they'd been working on. Wet mounds of garbage bags shifted below her as she moved. Had it cushioned her fall? Well, that was lucky. Probably the only reason she was still conscious. She shifted focus onto the street beyond the mouth of the alley. No sign of the others. Were they okay? Or had they...?
No, no don't start thinking like that. They'd be fine. Of course they'd be fine. For now. Her gaze drew upward, focusing on the looming figure of Sen still fighting against Avatar Korra and her team. None of them would be okay for much longer if they didn't do something. If she didn't do something. Panic surged into her throat with the acrid taste of bile. Her attention fell to the Spirit Conductor, which remained intact in the middle of the street thanks to Katara's previous protection. The others weren't around to activate the machine. No Asami. No Baatar, or even Katara. Shayu was the only one around who could do something.
Initial instinct drove her breaths into hyperventilation. With a clench of her fists, she forced herself to relax. To take in deep, calm breaths. To settle down. If she didn't, they were all dead. When her breaths finally calmed, she pushed herself forward and began the slow, agonizing crawl. Ten yards. Thirty feet. That's all. To anyone else, it would be simple. To Shayu, it became the longest, most arduous journey in her entire life. An unbeatable foe that blocked her path, for which she had no answer.
Except for sheer, unshakable tenacity. A will, a drive, a need to succeed. Gritting her teeth, she fought and clawed across the ground, using her elbows to scrape across the pavement to pull her entire body forward, while her legs dragged motionless behind her. Cold rain fell in sheets around her. Shivers racked her spine. By the time she crawled onto the street, she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. Still, she fought forward. She had to get to the machine. Had to get to the switch. Everything they had worked for, everyone fighting, everyone they'd already lost—they were all counting on her now.
A quiet curse expelled from her lips with a spray of rainwater, as she reached the base of the Spirit Conductor. The switch waited near the top of the machine, wholly out of reach from her position on the ground. With a heaving breath, she wrapped her arms tight around the base of the machine and pulled her way upward. Halfway there, her grip slipped against the slick metallic surface. She cried out in frustration, catching herself with a tightened hug around the device. Sounds of battle erupted around her. Explosions shook the ground. The hum of Sen's spirit beams sizzled the air, destroying more and more of the city. Sen's lumbering form appeared in her peripheral vision, emerging at the end of the street. Korra and the others worked tirelessly to stall him, but they wouldn't last much longer.
Almost there. Just a couple more feet. Just one more foot. Just a few more inches. Just one more inch...
When Shayu's grip wrapped around the switch, she released a triumphant shout and yanked it downward. What grip she had left on the device gave out, and she crumpled back to the pavement below. A low-pitched hum trembled through the air, as the top of the Spirit Conductor began to glow. The metal spokes around the tapered end spun and charged with electricity. The hum grew louder. The air hissed. In an instant, a beam of light burst outward from the tapered end and ignited the sky like fire.
Korra fell to her knees, lungs heaving for air. She was on her last legs. The others, too. All of them, seconds away from giving in under the might of this unstoppable dark spirit. No matter what they threw at him, Sen shrugged off their attacks and kept coming. Nothing they did faltered him for more than a few moments. The fact that they had been able to resist him pulling out their essences for this long was a miracle in and of itself, let alone slowing his rampage throughout Republic City. Or were they resisting at all? Was Sen merely dragging things out? Toying with them? Having his fun? The way he mocked them, berated them, announcing their inevitable failures. He knew they couldn't stop him, and he let them know that fact with impunity.
When a bright pillar of light erupted into the sky, Korra's stuttering breath caught in her throat. Where the dim yellow beam of the spirit portal glowed somewhere beyond the storm, this one towered as bright as the sun, a searing white iron against the inky darkness of Sen's storm. Hope sparked in her chest. Forcing herself upright, Korra called above the wind to her team to back off. The only thing to do right now was watch. Watch, and pray.
Sen whirled around with a startled grumble, beady black eyes squinting against the brightness of the beam. Nothing happened at first. He stared, and the light burned hotter. Then, he roared. A horrific, desperate cry of pain that shook the entire city, as his form began to shimmer and distort. His legs trembled, and he collapsed. Waves of pure energy pulsed outward from his body, draining directly into the light beam. With a defiant shriek, he attempted to fight against it. Tried to crawl away. The harder he struggled, the more energy he lost. As the Spirit Conductor pulled in more of his power, Sen's body shrank. The change was subtle at first, only to rapidly increase moments later. Sen disappeared from the city skyline, his body compacting and losing its monolithic form. Within moments, he became no larger than when he had first emerged from Shin Tsang's body.
As the final waves of energy sheared away from Sen's form, the beam of light wavered and collapsed in on itself. That pillar of searing white fell out of the sky and returned into the tapered end of the Spirit Conductor, while the metal spokes closed inward to tightly seal the chamber. Silence descended over the street, save for the gentle patter of rain. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds later, the Spirit Conductor ruptured into pieces. A spark of bright white seared from the center of the machine, causing the top half to split away in a shower of metal and glowing sparks. Shayu shrieked, and covered her head with her hands as the blast seared the air above her.
Silence returned. This time, it lingered. Even the wind slowly died, giving way to a steady drumbeat of rainfall. That, and the squealing, pained wails of a writhing gejigeji spirit struggling to stand upright. Sen's legs quivered under his own weight. He fell flat on his face several times before finally climbing back to his full height, now a paltry ten feet tall compared to his previous size.
"What... what did you... do to me?" He roared, his beady black eyes flaring wide in horrific realization. "My power... you've taken my power!"
Korra limped forward a step, watching in stunned disbelief. "They... they did it. They activated the Spirit Conductor! Everyone, now's our chance! Together!"
In spite of their current state—injured, tired, wet, and miserable—the remaining defenders answered Korra's call and surrounded the weakened spirit. Kuvira, Toph, and Suyin slid into place first, guiding themselves through their spirit form. A churning swirl of earth coiled beneath Sen and lifted upward, coating him in a thin film of dirt. His body locked into place, unable to move as the earth hardened around him. Korra stepped forward next, creating a pair of swirling water rings from the rain. She guided them into place around Sen, one crossed over the other. Jinora and Opal followed with a whirling bubble of air that tightened around the spirit. Mako, Zuko, and P'Li combined their bending together, and in one fluid, choreographed motion sparked a swirling cyclone of fire to complete the four elements.
Every bender continued their movements, guiding their respective elements all the way through the form. Deep at the center of the elements, Sen's body began to glow a bright yellow in color, a glow that pierced all the way through into the outside world. That was it! Their efforts were working! Just a little more, and this would all be over. They would win, and Sen would be destroyed.
A sudden shift in the air turned her hope sour. Korra's motions faltered, as something began to push back against her chi. A terrible, unrelenting force, defiant against their actions. What had been relief on the cusp of triumph shifted into full panic, as the central glow in Sen's form exploded outward, tearing away all four elements in a concussive explosion. Shock waves launched her from her feet, and the others along with her.
Korra's head slammed against the pavement. She blinked, grumbling incoherent sputters as her mind reeled through the stunned daze. She coughed and attempted to sit upright. A rapid wave of nausea forced her back down. The one thing she could make out clearly before darkness overtook her was the skittering form of Sen standing tall with a sinister grin, as the sound of his mocking laughter echoed through the storm.
"You foolish, wretched humans!" Sen swept his gaze across the entire street, a chortle lifting into his throat as he witnessed all his foes lying unmoving and helpless. Not a single one of them could muster the strength to get back up. "I told you, you cannot win! I will not be stopped!"
Despite the trembling in his many legs, Sen retained his poise. Even at his weakest, he was so much stronger than any of these powerless insects who tried to stop him. Granted, they had done a number on him. They had drained his power and reduced him to a shade of his previous might only minutes ago. He limped as he walked, each of his multiple spindly legs shuddering with every inch he skittered across the ground. Cursed humans. He had worked so hard to gain that much power. Now, he'd have to start over again. No matter. Numerous humans remained in this world, waiting for him to consume. They would all fall to him in time.
Sen turned around, where he found the remains of the Spirit Conductor. Ah, the machine that had crippled him. To think that these humans could devise a creation so nefarious as to injure him like this. Not that it mattered. The machine was broken now. Useless, and in pieces. His gaze swept lower, where he noticed a helpless young human girl lying there in the rain, watching him. So, she was the one who had activated the machine? Oh, she would suffer for this. Little by little, he skittered his way towards her. Anger boiled into his throat, growing hotter with each breath. By the time he stood over her, his breaths seethed with a fury unlike any he'd known before.
"You... you did this to me, didn't you?" His beady eyes locked onto her with quivering loathing. "I had so much power, and you tore it all away from me!"
The girl cowered in terror, desperate to crawl away from him. Ah, so her legs didn't work? Splendid. That meant she couldn't run away. With a vicious grin, he stood straight and inhaled a deep breath. Hers would be the first of many new essences he stole to rebuild his power.
His breath exploded outward with a sudden gasp. The air sizzled and hissed with a blinding blue glow, as a lightning bolt tore directly into the center of his carapace. Hellish agony pulsed throughout every facet of his being, rippling through him with an electric hum. A pained shriek loosed from his throat. The electric pulse surged brighter, and with a crackling explosion threw him backwards. Sen crumpled to the ground, legs quivering in futility.
"Not so fast, Sen. You and I still have business to settle." When the air cleared, a woman limped forward through the rain, favoring her left leg. Billowing vestiges of smoke curled from the tips of her extended fingers. Her clothes hung loose in torn tatters around her body, exposing numerous small cuts and scrapes that bled freely. Still, her poise did not falter. She stood tall and proud, ready to fight. "I would have been here sooner, but this city is too damn big for its own good. Shayu, be a dear and crawl yourself out of here. This could get messy."
Shayu obliged with a quick nod, and immediately began her slow retreat back to the safety of the alley.
"Azula... how good of you to show yourself." Sen forced his weakened body upright, shifting a seething scowl in her direction. "You're right, we do have unfinished business." A grin snaked across his face. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this."
Within the shadows of the abandoned diner, Kanna poked her head over the bottom edge of the windows on the front wall. She'd been hiding up until now, just like Megumi had asked her too. She'd been quiet and stayed out of the way. She'd been safe. Still, she was curious. So many things happening outside. So many loud noises and big crashes. She had to see what was going on. With a strained squint of her eyes, she peered through the blinds out onto the street beyond. Rain pounded against the window pane, creating a blurry haze between her and the outside world. Almost too much to see. Almost.
Through the rain and the debris of crumbled buildings, Kanna's keen gaze settled on two figures in the distance. An immediate pout creased across her face when she saw the big mean insect, the one who had hurt all those people, and really creeped her out. Stupid, mean bug. She shifted focus to the second figure. A rush of sudden relief raced through her, shifting her frown into an excited smile. As soon as she saw the woman, she ran for the door.
"Mommy!"
Azula struck without relent, casting repeated blasts of lightning and fire from her fingertips. Sen weaved through the attacks. For as weakened as he'd become, he managed to evade nearly all of her strikes. Azula growled with frustration, sucking in deep breaths to keep herself going. She was one of the best benders in the world, and Sen had had his power drained to a point that had nearly crippled him, but still she couldn't hit him. If not for her fight with Roku earlier, she might have had a chance. She'd suffered too many injuries herself already. Her reflexes were too slow, too sluggish. Her muscles burned too hot. The few attacks that did strike the spirit did little more than slow him down. Not just sluggish. Her attacks lacked any real power, too.
Sen overpowered her within moments, swatting her to the ground with a simple swipe of his many legs. Azula's breath burst outward with a numb cough. She launched airborne and rolled across the ground into a puddle. Another cough, and she attempted to push herself upright. Her arms trembled, struggling to hold up her own weight as she slumped to her hands and knees. Didn't last long. Sen appeared above her and swatted her flat against the pavement once more.
"How pathetic," Sen chided, crouching low so he was level with Azula. "You were such a promising puppet of mine, had so much potential, but you threw it all away to betray me. Now look at you. You're nothing. Without the power I provided, you are but one of many feeble human specs in this world. Perhaps you haven't suffered enough for your transgressions, hmm? What else must I do to torment you?"
Sen swatted her again. And again. Three times. Four times. Five, each strike rolling her several feet across the ground. Azula's mind reeled. She had to get up. Had to do something. This wretched insect was killing her. Spirits help her, her body wouldn't obey. Her fingers twitched, muscles spasming uselessly with each blow, unable to respond. While her mind screamed at her to stand up and defend herself, her body remained limp and helpless on the wet pavement. The only thing she managed was to clutch her arms around her abdomen, a desperate attempt to shield the child she carried from the dark spirit's attacks.
Her action did not go unnoticed. Sen paused his strikes, flicking his beady eyes down to her abdomen, and at her arms wrapped over herself. Not a reflexive action. A purposeful one, meant to protect that specific area of her body. Easy enough for a spirit of Sen's magnitude to put two and two together.
A wide grin spread across Sen's too-human face, bringing a cackle of amusement into his throat. He crept closer, all the while staring at her abdomen. "Oh my, so you carry life within you? Yes, perhaps there is still more I can take from you."
The massive gejigeji spirit lifted one of his legs and pointed it at her stomach. The sharpened tip aimed at her like a spear, intent on ripping the child out of her very womb. Rushed panic threw Azula into motion, spurred by an onset of adrenaline and sheer horror. She sprang away, seconds before the strike smashed into the pavement where she'd been a moment before. Azula righted herself to one knee, never removing her arms from her midsection.
"No!" She glared up at the dark spirit with a rage so fierce that a rush of heat sparked through her body. Rain hissed and steamed against her skin. "Don't you touch my child!"
Sen's grin only grew wider. "Ah, it seems as though I've struck a nerve. This will be most pleasant."
Azula tensed, readying herself to dodge the next attack. She watched Sen's legs, waited. Had to be fast enough. Had to be perfect. She would not let this spirit kill her child. The attack never came. Instead, a weak stream of water glided through the air and splashed against the side of Sen's face. A weak attack that did little more than garner his attention. Sen turned, focusing on the tiny figure standing behind him.
"Leave my mommy alone!" Kanna yelled, crouched in a waterbending pose. She made another attack, pulling water from the rain and sending out a weak splash towards the spirit. No effect, same as before.
"Kanna!" Azula's mind warped in a muddled haze of confusion and relief. This entire time, she'd thought Kanna had had her essence taken, same as Annie. That her soul was gone. That she'd lost her. All that worry, and yet here Kanna was, standing up against the dark spirit who tormented all of humanity. Any relief Azula might have felt about seeing her daughter alive and well vanished in a souring moment of sheer panic, as her mind fully grasped the situation. Her eyes flared, as another spike of adrenaline pushed her up to her feet on quivering legs. "Kanna, no! Get away!"
"Oh, that's right," Sen said, with a low chuckle. He glanced back at Azula and flashed another grin. "There is still this child, as well. This keeps getting better."
Kanna made a third attack, but same as the previous ones it had no effect against the mighty spirit. Sen merely chuckled, and swept his attention back to her. With a widening sneer, he crept towards her to strike.
"Kanna!" Azula ran forward, driven by the need to protect her daughter. If only her body would comply. Her legs gave out halfway there. She stumbled, fell flat against the ground. Any adrenaline or will left that could have forced her beyond her limits faded in a horrific instant, as her muscles twitched uselessly in desperation. She could only lift her head and watch. Watch as this dark spirit assaulted her daughter, while she was too weak to stop it. "No!"
Suddenly realizing the situation she was in, Kanna gazed up at the spirit and scrambled backwards to get away. She didn't make it far before Sen towered straight above her. He sneered at her, slowly lifting his legs to attack. As he prepared to strike, a spinning lance of ice rocketed through the air and pierced his body with little resistance. A gaping hole opened in the center of his carapace, and the lance passed clean through. Sen stumbled backwards, each of his numerous legs buckling under his own weight. He crumpled to the ground a moment later. Although the hole in his body swiftly reformed with his spiritual energy, he remained stunned and confused, his soulless eyes blinking across the street to find the source of the sudden attack.
"You will not touch a hair on her head!" The shout roared from a woman dressed in singed Water Tribe robes, her body weak and shuddering. Megumi. A blinding anger blazed in the woman's gaze. Had she been a firebender, she might well have shot flames from her eyes.
"You!" Sen raged. "How? You are my puppet! I own your mind! You serve me!"
"No! I don't care how powerful you think you are, you will not destroy a mother's love for her child! Try all you want, but I will not follow your orders anymore!" Megumi struck a second time, bending the rain into another icy spear. She launched it forward, once again piercing a hole through Sen's body. "And you will never hurt Kanna!"
The hole in Sen's body reformed slower this time, but reform it still did. When his body recovered, he forced himself back atop his legs and skittered towards the woman. "Then you will die!"
Megumi managed two more attacks. They both missed. Sen darted forward, skittering out of harm's way as he lunged towards her. He was on her in an instant. Megumi took a step back to prepare another strike, a desperate panic sparking across her face. Sen was faster. With a single thrust of one of his legs, he pierced the spear-tipped point clean through her gut and out the other side. Blood misted the air. Megumi's eyes flared in shock, unable to blink. She opened her mouth to speak, but the only sound that came out was a single, blood-filled cough. When Sen yanked his leg out of her body, she crumpled motionless to the ground, a growing pool of crimson spreading beneath her in the rain.
"You are nothing!" Sen declared, his tone lost in a rage that seethed through his entire being. "You are all nothing!"
Sen raised his leg again, prepared to finish her off. Before he could strike, a white blur bolted across the street and leaped onto his back. Naga. The polar bear dog clamped down with her jaws and tore a chunk out of the spirit, before Sen finally threw her off. He lurched around to face the downed animal, a howl of frustration surging from his throat. Once again, he raised a leg to strike. Once again, he never got the chance.
For every horrible thing Megumi had done, at the very least she'd been able to provide a distraction for Azula to recover. Azula seized the opportunity to charge lightning into her fingertips, concentrating as much of her chi as possible into a single strike. For a brief moment, her fingertips glowed brighter than the sun, while several smaller bolts erupted outward in random directions, unable to be contained. With a furious shout, she cast her arm forward. Lightning sizzled the air with a heat so fierce that every drop of rain in its path evaporated into an explosive cloud of steam.
A shrieking howl of pain erupted from Sen's throat. Lightning seared through his body, leaving him paralyzed beneath the electric web pulsing through him. Moments later, he tumbled to the ground in a motionless heap, left to writhe in agonizing pain as the spark of lightning faded. An unpleasant calm followed, a silence broken only by the incessant pattering of rain, and Sen's wheezing, pained breaths.
"Mommy..." Kanna's voice was soft, barely audible over the rain. The girl sat in a puddle and stared at Megumi, whose life drained away more each second with the growing crimson pool beneath her body. "Mommy, she's hurt."
"Kanna, sweetie, don't look." Azula approached her daughter and lifted the girl into her arms, turning so Kanna wouldn't be able to see. "Just close your eyes, alright?"
Kanna gave no response, instead quietly burying her face into her mother's shoulder.
"Naga!" Azula called, turning to find the polar bear dog. "Get over here, you mangy mutt!"
In spite of the rudeness of the request, the polar bear dog sensed the urgency in her voice and obediently scampered over to them. Azula promptly lifted Kanna up onto Naga's saddle, urging the child to hold on tight.
"Take her away from here," she said, giving the animal a pleading glare. "I don't care where, just get her to safety, do you hear me?"
Naga uttered a quiet whimper, and raced down the street. When they were gone, Azula shifted focus towards Sen. The spirit continued to writhe on the ground, feeble and frantic. That wouldn't last long. She had a few minutes at most before the spirit recovered. A few minutes before whatever was left of their fight would continue. In the meantime, she let her gaze lower towards the bleeding woman lying motionless in a crimson puddle. They stared at each other, both unblinking. Megumi broke eye contact first, slowly turning her head so she was staring straight up at the sky, raindrops splashing against her cheeks. With a wet, gurgling cough, she managed to speak.
"I was... so foolish." She spoke in a wheezing gasp, barely able to force out her words through her nearly blood-drowned throat. "Even though I was enslaved by Sen I... I truly did believe that I... was doing the right thing for Kanna. Now I... I realize... I was being selfish. So selfish..."
Her body shuddered with another hacking cough, spraying red into the air. Blood mixed with the falling rain, and splashed down upon her face. "I never should have taken Kanna away. Never should have... tried to be a mother to her. All I did was... was make her hate me. She already... has a mother." Megumi's gaze shifted, settling once again on Azula. Her eyes quivered with a quiet understanding. An acceptance that brought her peace. "A mother she loves... so much."
Azula mulled over the woman's words for a long moment. A long time ago, when she'd been a different person, she would have unapologetically spit Megumi's words back into her face. Right now, she found holding onto her anger far more difficult than she would have imagined. Staring down at this dying woman in front of her, pity wormed its way into her heart more than anything else. Pity, and acceptance.
"Don't expect me to forgive you," Azula said, in a soft voice. "Whatever your intentions, you hurt Kanna, and you hurt her father. I won't forgive that. But... I do understand it."
Megumi's bloodstained lips curled into a partial smile, the most she could manage as her life washed away in the pouring rain. "Azula, before I... before it's too late, I have one request. Please... raise Kanna. Love her... protect her... as if she were your own."
"I already do," Azula replied. "But yes, I promise."
Megumi's smile flickered at the response, a reflexive twitch of satisfaction. One final breath exhaled from her lips. A second later, her body shuddered and went still, eyes frozen in a lifeless stare. Azula knelt beside the woman's body. With a simple gesture, she closed Megumi's eyelids and stood upright again. One more thing to take care of.
By this time, Sen had scrambled back atop his clacking multitude of legs. He stood there, chitinous body swaying back and forth in attempts to steady himself. A grimace of pain creased across his too-human face. Azula narrowed her eyes. Curious. Something was off about him. The dark spirit retched in agony, mouth falling open with fierce, hacking coughs. His coughs grew harsher, violent, until devolving into something closer to the sound of vomiting. With one more violent retch, Sen expelled a glowing white essence from his throat. The essence took no noticeable form before it raced out of sight behind a pile of rubble. Odd, but no time to worry about it. Sen at last composed himself and turned his attention to her, seething hatred in his gaze.
"You have meddled for the last time," he growled, taking slow, skittering steps towards her. "I am going to end you, Azula. Slowly. Painfully. Before it is over, you will beg for me to kill you."
Azula stood unflinching in the face of her foe. The way her heart raced, the way her lungs heaved, and her muscles screamed, she already knew deep down how this would end. She was far too weak, too tired, and too injured to put up anything resembling a fight. She would die here. She had lost. The Avatar had lost. Everyone had lost. That didn't mean she had to back down. If she was to die here, she would do it with dignity.
A prodigy, a princess, a warrior.
She did not give up.
"Korra."
The voice called out to her beyond a murky cloud, echoing like a faint chime in the distance. Korra's mind swam through darkness. She searched for the voice, thrashed and grasped for it. She reached outward, fingers scratching through the shadows. That voice... it sounded so close. So familiar. Where was it? Who was it?
"Korra."
Her body jolted. Shadows burned away before her, giving way to a singular bright beacon of white light. She ran for it. So close. Just a little more and she'd have it. With a desperate leap, she wrapped her arms around the glowing beacon and held on tight. Warmth exploded through her. A familiar warmth, wrapping over her with a strength and confidence she never believed she'd feel again. The light burned brighter, dissolving the last of the shadows out of her mind. One more searing pulse, and the brilliant white glow embraced her spirit.
"Welcome back, Korra," said the voice. That sweet, comforting voice.
"Raava, is that really you?"
"It is, indeed."
The searing beacon she held onto dimmed. She let go and took a step back, watching as the noticeable form of Raava, the great Light Spirit, materialized before her. Korra gazed in wonder. "I don't understand. How...?"
"Thanks to the efforts of you and your friends, I was able to free myself from Sen," Raava replied. "However, I am still very weak. I cannot stop Sen on my own."
"What about together? Just like we were going to do before Sen absorbed you."
The Light Spirit slouched forward with a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid that still would not be enough. I do not know how to perform such a feat with only the two of us, as the Mother of Faces was going to teach us."
Korra's throat turned numb, knotting with a surge of desperation and panic. "But what are we supposed to do? We tried the four spirit forms on him but that didn't work! He was too strong. If you and I can't stop him together, what else is there?"
"Fear not, Korra." Raava spoke in a gentle tone, almost motherly in her comfort. A reassurance that they still had a chance. "There is still one thing we may be able to do. All is not lost. Not yet."
Raava's form flared up, glowing even more intensely than before. Korra raised an arm to shield her eyes, but never looked away. She watched, curious. What else was there to do? In a final burst of light, Raava's form split apart into four separate, glowing pieces. One of those fractions shot forward into Korra's chest, fueling the former Avatar with a familiar surge of power.
Raava didn't stop there. Through their connection, Korra's consciousness pulled outward. She blinked, and the world around her changed, noo longer inside her own mind. Republic City loomed around her. Rain and wind stormed through the sky. As though her spirit had drifted outward to stand next to her own body, Korra looked around the street that had become their final battlefield. She saw herself, her own body lying face down on the wet pavement. Beyond her, the bodies of her friends scattered motionless nearby.
She turned, her gaze settling on the bloodied body of a woman lying dead in a crimson puddle. Megumi. Korra swallowed, and turned her gaze the other way. Lightning cracked overhead, igniting the street with a brilliant flash. Sen's hulking gejigeji body loomed above a barely conscious Azula beneath him. The fire princess gasped in pain, reaching a desperate hand forward to attack. Sen cackled, and lashed out one of his many legs. The blow cracked into Azua's ribs and lifted her airborne. She made no sound when she hit the ground. She didn't move. She lay there, eyes closed, chest barely lifting with breath.
Korra's mind raced at the sight. Whatever Raava's plan was, she needed to do it fast! Three separate pulses of light drew her attention. Spinning around, she looked up to see the three other pieces of glowing essence Raava had split into. They hovered in midair, pulsating momentarily before one of the three shot across the street into Kuvira's body, lying crumpled against a mound of rubble. The second essence descended into Jinora's body, sprawled out in a puddle near the sidewalk. With a surging flare, the final essence darted down the street into Azula's body. A sudden rush of energy ignited within Korra's own body, as a connection formed between her and the other three women. All four burned with a shared power, their own essences bonded through the aid of Raava.
"What is this?" It was Kuvira's voice, echoing somewhere in Korra's mind.
"It feels… warm." Jinora's voice this time. "And powerful."
"Is this what it feels like to be the Avatar?" Azula's voice hummed with intrigue, in a way that Korra could sense the disembodied smirk in her spirit. "I like it."
Korra took a deep breath and closed her eyes. So, that was Raava's plan. She understood. "This is how we stop Sen for good."
Raava's voice followed, echoing through the minds of all four women. "Now, it is time to wake up."
All four women snapped awake in a single instant, each of their eyes burning white with the power of Raava. A display indicative of the Avatar State, now shared between them all. Sen, who had been poised to continue his merciless beating of the barely conscious Azula, reeled backwards at the sudden display from his victim. His attention shifted, quickly noticing the other three women exhibiting the same power. Uncertain which way to turn, or which one to focus on, he whirled around with a constant swivel of his beady black eyes, watching as all four women began to rise into the air upon each of their respective elements.
Korra ascended atop a swirling pilllar of water, Jinora upon a raging cyclone of air, Kuvira atop a hovering boulder, and Azula with jets of blue flames blazing out her feet. Confusion warped across the dark spirit's human-like face. Not just confusion. Worry. Concern. Disbelief. Above all, though, an emotion he hadn't experienced in tens of thousands of years.
Fear.
"What is this?" Sen stepped backwards, as the four women surrounded him. The air trembled with a power so fierce the pouring raindrops ceased to fall, instead hovering in midair. The entire storm calmed. No more thunder. No more lightning. No more of Sen's influence on display. "What are you doing?"
"Sen." The four women spoke in unison, their voices echoing with the might of Raava. "Your time is over. You must pay for all the pain and suffering you have caused."
The dark spirit remained defiant. "You fools! You cannot stop me!"
Sen released a desperate blast of spiritual energy from his eyes. Korra simply raised her hand and caught the blast against a swirling shield of water that formed out of the frozen raindrops surrounding them. Sen recoiled at the display, shrinking backwards away from her. His too-human face quivered in terror. With a sharp shift of their stances, Korra, Jinora, Kuvira, and Azula all commenced their respective spirit forms.
Each separate element surrounded Sen—water, fire, earth, and air—in a similar manner as the first attempt they'd made. Unlike the first time, this one lifted a shrill, horrific screech of pain from Sen's throat. Within seconds, the four separate elements collapsed inward upon the dark spirit and merged into a single, blazing glow. With a bright flash, the glow began to dissolve away the remainder of Sen's power.
As Sen's body gradually decayed and faded away, his mouth fell open, frozen in an unending howl of agony. From within that soulless maw, countless glowing lights burst forth. Essences. All those Sen had taken from his victims. They shot like fireworks into the sky, most streaking out of sight beyond the horizon. Others fell back into the city, returning to the bodies from which they'd been stolen. A small handful of essences did not go anywhere. They remained there, floating above the city as if lost.
In the following few moments, Sen faded into little more than a distant memory, his body consumed by the blaze of elements overtaking his very existence. The only thing left behind was a flickering cloud of tiny glowing specs. With a single strong gust of wind, those shimmering specs scattered into nothing. When it was over, the four women fueled by Raava's power descended back to the ground, their elements disappearing from beneath them. Their shared power vanished, each piece of Raava's essence expelling from their bodies to reform into the single, whole Light Spirit.
With the last of their power gone, each of them fell forward and crumpled to the pavement, their exhausted minds lost to darkness.