We're back on chapter 10.
REMINDER: I DO NOT OWN LEGEND OF KORRA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.
A night time shot of the ancient airbender meditation circle near the Eastern Air Temple. At the mountains to a lower one of Tenzin and his siblings and friend sitting around the campfire.
"I can't believe my little girl had to guide Korra into the Spirit World instead of me. If anything happens to her, I won't be able to forgive myself." Tenzin said.
Kya touches Tenzin's shoulder reassuringly. "She's very smart, and she obviously has a strong connection to the spirits. She'll be fine."
"Yeah, Dad went all the time!" Bumi agreed.
"They won't have their bending in there. They'll be defenseless!"
"Old amica, don't worry." Dr. Franceschini said.
Bumi makes a frowning face; clearly and slightly offended. "Ahem? Excuse me? But I've never had bending, and I don't think I'd call myself defenseless."
"Of course you aren't, because you have your... um...
When Tenzin looks to Kya for back-up, she raises her arm and awkwardly responds with a cheesy grin. "Positive attitude?" she said.
Bumi frowns. "I would've said acute intellect and cat-like reflexes, but whatever."
"Why don't you three get some sleep. Tenzin and I will take the first watch." Dallas said.
"Wake us up if you need some company." Kaori said.
"Or if any interesting spirit-y stuff happens, like their bodies start floating around and you need someone to help you grab them before they fly off!"
"My God, Bumi!" Kya shouts.
Bumi folds hands together, speaking in a more innocent tone. "I'm just saying, we're here if you need us."
"I know you are. Thank you." Tenzin said to his brother before he puts his hand on Jinora's head. "Please come back soon."
Meanwhile, at the Spirit World, where Jinora opens her eyes. Korra and Jinora standing on a spirit field. "Isn't it beautiful?" Jinora asked.
Korra gets apprehensive. "Just... stick close to me, okay? This seems nice, but you never know when we'll run into some dark spirits. Huh!" She touches a flower, and it turns into a butterfly.
"Look! It's like it's made of jewels!" Jinora said before she chases the butterfly. "The spirits are so much more beautiful in their own world than they are at home."
"Jinora, be careful! Hold on!" Korra runs after Jinora. "Uh!" She looks down. It appears she has stepped into a meerkat prairie dog spirit's hole. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you giant clod!" it shouted.
"Sorry!"
"This is a residential area, in case you hadn't noticed. Who do you think you are, stomping through here like that?" the meerkat prairie dog spirit asked. "I'm the Avatar." Korra said smugly.
Another meerkat prairie dog spirit bursts from ground. "The Avatar?" It sniffs Korra. "Not impressed."
"I'm trying to find the spirit portals? I opened one…"
A third meerkat prairie dog spirit bursts from ground. "I heard Unalaq did that!"
"No, I did, but…"
A fourth meerkat prairie dog spirit bursts from ground. "Well if you opened it, how come you don't know where it is? Huh?"
"B-because I was at the South Pole!" Korra said defensively before a whole meerkat spirits came from the ground.
"I don't trust her."
"Get out of our world!"
"We don't need you!"
"You don't belong here!"
"Get away from me!" Korra yelled before she tries to use her bending but nothing happens.
"Did you guys see that?! She tried to bend at us, in our own holes! Get her!"
The spirits jump at Korra. She manages to dodge some, but some latch onto her and turn into sticky blobs.
"Jinora!"
"Korra! Stay calm! Your energy is upsetting them. You're only making it worse!" Jinora said as she runs to Korra and tries to get the spirits off her. The other meerkat prairie dog spirits march around them in circle, and a hole opens through which they both fall down into spirit waters. The girls both hold their breath and hold onto each other's arms. Korra makes a face when she sees a very large dark spirit swimming toward them. The spirit swallows them, and they are teleported to a river that spirals down a rocky slope. The river soon forks and Jinora goes one way, Korra the other. "Ahhh!"
"Jinora!"
The river takes Korra off a waterfall, and she falls screaming into nothingness. As Korra lands on her back, the darkness around her disappearing immediately. Between nearby trees, showing that she is lying on the ground in a forest.
Korra groans and sits up. "Jinora? Jinora!"
From behind her as she is facing three dark spirits staring her down. Korra begins to panic, breathing heavily. She turns around, her eyes darting everywhere and she runs away from the spirits before her. Korra start running through the forest. She suddenly stops and takes a step back. From behind her, a large insect-like dark spirit threatening her. The creature growls at her, lashing out, and forces her to continue. She walks backward, further into the dark forest. When she nearly bumps with her back against a tree on which a small round dark spirit with fingers for feet is crawling, she turns around.
"Jinora." The forest and the dark spirits that surround her. Then she starts sobbing like a child.
"Jinora." Korra called out for Jinora with a child's voice. Korra called out for Jinora with a child's voice. She has turned into her four-year-old self. Scared, she drops to the ground on her behind and begins to cry. Revealing that little Korra is surrounded by dark trees. At the rim of the dark forest on a brighter-looking, green meadow. Jinora is standing there, hands to her mouth.
"Korra! Where are you! Hello? I'm lost." Jinora said before she scans her surroundings." "Can anyone help me?
She looks over her right shoulder upon hearing a sound and a cooing Furry-Foot flying over a hill and approaching Jinora. She squints her eyes.
"Furry-Foot?" Jinora's expression turns ecstatic." Is that you?" Smiling brightly, she starts running up to her friend as Furry-Foot lands in front of her and Jinora throws herself at him for a hug. "It's so good to see you again!" She steps back to appraise her friend. "You're so big here." She rubs his belly, causing him to tap his foot in delight; cut to frontal shot of Jinora. "I don't suppose you know where Korra is, do you? We were supposed to go find the spirit portals, but I don't know how to find anything down here."
As Furry-Foot coos and starts to flap its wings, the dragonfly bunny spirit flies over Jinora, who happily smiles up at him, and lands behind her. As she jumps up in the air, he runs forward so she can land on his back. Together, they take off. Jinora smiles contently, her eyes closed and her hair waving in the wind. Furry-Foot is flying over a hill, the camera slowly panning to the left to follow them. Furry-Foot flies into the scene and heads for the forest. The empty, yellow sky as Jinora, smiles brightly, comes floating into view, followed by Furry-Foot's face. Her excited expression changes to one of wonder and her mouth drops open. The big, twisted roots change to tall trees in which a building is suspended upside down by vines.
"It's like an awesome tree house!" Jinora said before made a serious look. "Wait, I've read about this place. Grandpa Aang came here. It's Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library."
Meanwhile, back at the dark forest, Korra, still in her four-year-old body, has retreated to below a tree, her knees pulled up against her chest. Tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. She looks up upon hearing a strange cry from between the branches as it rapidly closes in on Korra. Her wondering expression changes to one of shock. A young dragon bird spirit speeding down, its eyes glowing. It flies down. As Korra flails her arms and cowers in fear, she smacks the creature down, which glistens as she made contact. "Ahhh! Get away!"
She slowly cracks open her eyes. Hesitating, she slowly starts to crawl forward. The dragon bird spirit sprawled on the ground. Its right wing sparkles pink, though as the glimmer subsides, a hole in its wing forms. Squeaking, it pushes itself upright on its wings. It flaps its right wing once, shedding some of the pink glimmers, and tucks it away, diverting its head in pain, before laying down in sadness. Korra places her left hand near the spirit, who looks up at the motion. Korra sports a remorseful expression.
Korra reaches for the spirit. "I'm sorry I swatted you." She picks it up gently. "You just scared me."
As the spirit squeaks, Korra stands up. She looks to the right upon the sound of footsteps, her face slowly being illuminated by an approaching light. The approaching person, who clad in an Earth Kingdom attire and carries a lantern, though his face still shaded.
"You two look lost. Maybe I can help you."
Korra's eyes widen in recognition, and the dragon bird spirit turns its head to look at the approaching man. "I know you."
"I was good friends with Avatar Aang." The man said as he lifts the lantern to illuminate his face, revealing himself to be Iroh, Fire Lord Zuko's uncle. "Iroh!" Korra said
"Hello, Korra."
Iroh is leading Korra out of the location.
"I'm glad you came to visit us in the Spirit World, Korra. You came just in time." Korra smiles at Iroh, before looking ahead and smiling in awe. "We're having a little tea party, to celebrate May-Jim's wedding." When the forest ends, revealing a clearing with a house.
The spirits around the table, with a pair of conjoined frogs seated at the end, donned with garlands.
"How can you marry each other? Aren't you..."
"Complete opposites? I know!" May said. "I tried to fight it, but she really grew on me!" Jim said.
"The Spirit World is very mysterious, but so is love. Help yourself to some tea and cakes." Iroh hands Korra a slice. "They are spirit cakes, so you won't gain any weight." He chuckles as he pats his bulging belly. "Of course, you won't lose any either!"
"This part of the Spirit World isn't so scary." A spirit takes the cake away, revealing Wan's teapot; excitedly. "My teapot!"
"That's right. It was yours long, long ago." Iroh said before he takes the teapot. "When you were Avatar Wan, you used it to carry the light spirit, Raava, around… until the two of you became one. It is my favourite thing I found here." He pours the tea into Korra's cup. "You know, when you make tea in it, you can still taste a little light in every cup." Korra takes a sip and smiles contently.
At Wan Shi Tong's Library, where Furry-Foot and Jinora descend. Multiple Knowledge Seekers are managing the shelves. Jinora looks at the library in awe.
"Wow. I could just stay in here forever, reading."
Wan Shi Tong swoops down and lands next to her, leading a gust of wind that flaps her clothes. "The last human who said that is still here."
Wan Shi Tong turns to his right, and Jinora follows suit. The shelves, revealing Zei's body, which had already decomposed to a skeleton.
"Professor Zei!" Jinora said in shocked.
"I see that you have some knowledge of the past, so you should know that humans are no longer allowed in my library. Get out." Wan Shi Tong ordered before Furry-Foot flies back and hides behind the pillar.
"I thought anyone could come in if they brought you some new knowledge." Jinora said.
"Those are the old rules. Besides, what has a little girl got to teach Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things?"
"Well, since you've been down in the Spirit World, the humans have invented radio." Jinora holds her arms smugly.
"Yes, I am well aware of the radio." Wan Shi Tong said.
"But do you know how it works?" Jinora asked.
"Of course, I do! There is a box, and inside the box, there is a tiny man who sings and plays musical instruments." Wan Shi Tong answered.
"Actually, when we speak, our voices produce sound waves. Radio takes those sound waves and converts them into electromagnetic energy that is transmitted through the spectrum…"
"All right, enough. I did not know this." He said as he turns his head to glare at the Knowledge Seeker. "Apparently, I have been fed some misinformation about the existence of tiny men in boxes." The Knowledge Seeker hangs its head in shame, before walking away, whimpering. "Still, I am not interested in that human garbage. Now, go away."
"My grandfather was the Avatar, and I came to the Spirit World with the new Avatar to find the spirit portals. I would think that you'd wanna help me." Jinora said.
"You came with the Avatar, hm? Well, why didn't you say so! Fine, you may look around. But don't break anything. I'll know." Wan Shi Tong said before he soars off into the skies.
"Come on, Furry-Foot, we gotta hurry!"
Back at Iroh's teashop, there a Pai Sho board.
"They say that the game of Pai Sho was invented by the spirits... although some of them don't seem to grasp it very well." On the table, where a radish lotus spirit is playing against Iroh.
"Just hold on. I'm thinking." The radish lotus spirit said before he scratches his head.
"As you can see, it is a game that requires great patience. But time does not mean much to us here." Iroh continued.
"How long have you lived here?" Korra asked.
"Oh, I've been here for many years. I had always enjoyed the company of the spirits, so when my work was done in the material world, I chose to leave my body behind and come to the Spirit World! It can be a wonderful place, and I've made so many friends." Iroh offers a toast to May-Jim, who return the favour. Korra, who begins to look downcast. Iroh continues sipping his tea, before turning to Korra, with a concerned look. "Korra, what's wrong?"
"I came here with my friend, but I lost her and now I'm all alone." said Korra. "You're not alone Korra, it's okay." Iroh said
"No! It's not okay, damn it! Jinora's gone and I need to find her! She's lost, and we need to go home! I don't like the Spirit World, I don't want to be here anymore!" Korra yelled before she screams high-pitched.
As Korra screams and throws a tantrum, the dark cloud above the mountain grows in size. The teashop becomes darkened, and the spirits turn dull and angry.
"Did you say something to her?" May asked angrily. "Me? You're the one with the big mouth!" Jim yelled.
"Korra, please stop! Look at what you're doing to everyone!" Iroh begged. Korra looks around; guiltily. "I did that?"
"In the Spirit World, your emotions become your reality- especially for the Avatar, because you are the bridge between the two worlds. You must try to stay positive." Iroh said as he wipes a tear from Korra's face.
"I'm sorry."
The spirits calm down before returning to their normal color. The dark cloud above the mountain also retreats back to the peak, causing the sky to brighten up.
"There, you see?"
"I can make the sun shine?" Korra asked.
"Even in the material world, you will find that if you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark, that is all you will ever see."
"I'm looking for my friend. I want her here now!" Korra closes her eyes and prays hard for Jinora to appear. When she opens her eyes, she discovers Jinora isn't there, and her face becomes puzzled. "Why didn't she come out like the sun?"
"I'm afraid finding her won't be so easy."
"But what am I supposed to do?" Korra asked.
"Sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else. This little fellow needs to go home as well. Maybe if you help him find his friends, you will be able to find yours." The dragon bird spirit flies onto Iroh's hand, and he passes it to Korra.
"I'll take him home! Where do I go?"
"The dragon bird nest is located there, at the top of Hai-Riyo Peak." Iroh said.
Iroh points toward the dark craggy mountain, which is filled with dark clouds.
Meanwhile, back at Wan Shi Tong's Library. Jinora looks for a map and informations of Harmonic Convergence.
"Ugh, it's not in here either! I have to find the portals. Korra is probably waiting for me there right now! I need to find a map that shows where the spirit portals are, could you help me? Thanks, this is it! The Tree of Time! That's where Avatar Wan imprisoned Vaatu! The elders believe that as long as the portals are closed during the Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu will remain imprisoned and the battle between good and evil will not be fought again. But, if both portals are open, spirit energy is amplified greatly. During the Harmonic Convergence, this energy will be great enough to allow Vaatu to break free from his bonds, and the material world will again risk being consumed by darkness. We have to warn Korra!"
Unalaq appeared and with Wan Shi Tong. "Leaving so soon? When Wan Shi Tong told me he had a visitor, I had to see it with my own eyes. I can't believe Tenzin sent his daughter here instead of coming himself… what kind of a father is he?"
"Better than you. Wan Shi Tong, how can you be helping him?"
"Unalaq has proven to be a true friend to the spirits - unlike the Avatar."
"Why would you wanna help Vaatu escape? He'll destroy everything!" Jinora tries to explain.
"Don't believe everything you read. Why don't you come with me, so you can do some firsthand research?" Unalaq asked evilly before Furry-Foot turns dark and grabs Jinora by the shoulders.]
"Furry-Foot...?"
At the the foot of Hai-Riyo Peak.
"This looks scary. Will you come with me?" Korra asked Iroh.
"This is something that you must do on your own. The people who have been coming to the Spirit World lately have brought darkness and anger. So that is what you see now. But you have light and peace inside of you. If you let it out, you can change the world around you. Besides, look at this little fellow. This mountain is his home. When you first met him, you were frightened. But does he seem scary to you now?"
"No." Korra answered Iroh.
"Many things that seem threatening in the dark become welcoming when we shine light on them. It was good to meet you. Come visit me again… in this life, or the next." Iroh said before he leaves Korra to her quest.
"Bye! Okay, time for you to go home. Light and peace... light and peace..."
A platform above Korra where three dark shishi stand.
"I'm not afraid of you. You're not scary! You just look that way. I have light inside! It's okay, you can be my friends." Korra said before she turns the dark shishi pure. "My name is Korra, and I'm taking this dragon bird home! Iroh said you could be nice. Do you wanna help me?" The shishi leads Korra to the nest of the dragon bird. The dragon bird grows into a giant adult dragon bird, and Korra turns back into her teen self. "All right, now let's close that portal and go find Jinora." Korra said as she atop on the dragon bird and flies to the Tree of Time.
They arrived at the Spirit World intersection. "That's where Vaatu is." she said.
"So you've returned, Raava, and with, um... Korra, is it? The Harmonic Convergence is coming soon, and this time, I'm going to wipe you out for good." Vaatu said evilly.
"I think you've said that before, Vaatu." Korra said. "I know I did. You were Wan when I've said that." Vaatu replied.
"But I'm here to close the portal. You're not getting out."
"Oh, you might want to reconsider, Korra. That is if you want to save your friend."
Unalaq appears, levitating Jinora in front of him, and encircling her with purple water. Jinora's body slowly changes its color to purple.
"Jinora! I can't believe I trusted you, Unalaq! You made me think you wanted to restore balance with spirits, but this… this isn't balance, it's madness! Now let her go!" Korra demanded.
"If you want your friend to make it out of the Spirit World, you'll open the other portal now." Unalaq said.
"Don't do it, Korra!" Jinora begged.
"What will it be? Open the portal, or lose your friend's soul forever?"
"Stop! I'll do it." Korra said before she walks to the Northern portal. She puts her hand on the beam and it has been opened. "Now, let Jinora go. Ahhh!" Korra demanded before she screams as Unalaq waterbends at her.
"You should've come through the portal. Then you could do this!" Unalaq said before he throws Jinora at dark Furry-Foot.
"Ahhh! Korra!" Jinora is carried away by dark Furry-Foot. Unalaq uses his technique on Korra.
"Ahhh!"
When Korra is almost covered with the purple light, dragon bird spirit attacks Unalaq and carries Korra away, with her body changing colour to normal again.
"I'll see you two soon, Raava, Korra. Once the Harmonic Convergence comes, I'll be free from this prison, and then I will have my revenge!"
Back at the ancient airbender meditation circle near the Eastern Air Temple.
"Korra! What was it like? Did you manage to close the portal? Was Jinora able to help you?" Tenzin asked.
"Tenzin… I'm... I'm sorry."
Tenzin sees his daughter's body not waking up. "Where's Jinora? W-Why isn't she waking up? Korra! What happened to my little girl?" Tenzin asked.
Korra didn't answerer, but felt sad with guilt.
When Korra comes back to Republic City for help, would she discover Raiko's true colours?
Find out on Chapter 11.
Review if you enjoyed the story.