Earth

Fire

Air

Water

Only the Avatar master of all four elements can bring balance, however, something unprecedented occurred, two Avatars exist at the same time. Wan and Korra, Wan, however, lost his memory and must relearn what it means to be the Avatar at this time and find who he is.

Book II: Spirits

Chapter V: Beginnings

Wan's eyes flutter as he is in and out of consciousness; all that goes through his mind is one word: Raava. Korra, no matter how tired, keeps moving.

"Raava" Wan mumbles, chanting that name over and over. Korra finally makes it to the Golden temple. Korra rushes up the steps holding Wan in her arms. She goes through the open door getting the attention of the sages, "Help us please! He has no memory, not even of his name!" Korra blabbers in tears, the sage hugs her and takes Wan. "Avatar Korra, calm down, we will help him."

Korra tries to remain calm by taking deep breaths,the Shaman turns to see Korra still in tears and the sage holding Wan. "He doesn't remember, he had amnesia already but now it's worse!"

"Calm down child," a sage says as she tries to soothe Korra, the other sage puts Wan on the table. "Raava. Raava. Raava," he repeats. Korra points at Wan, "What is he saying! He said that over and over!" Korra wails, the Shaman uses her firebending to read his energy. "A dark spirit has infected his body…"

"Why not me!" Korra screams. The Shaman turns to Korra, "Wan is a danger to Chief Unalaq's plans. The power with his memories is great, we must unlock them and purge the darkness before it destroys his half of the Avatar Spirit."

"Take him to the healing waters," she commands the sages, who pick Wan up and rush him away. "Avatar Korra, walk with me." Korra wipes her tears and follows the older women deep into a cave, the men sage lower Wan into subterranean spirit waters.

"Let the waters cleanse the darkness that plagues your spirit, let the waters unlock your hidden memories," the sage chants, Korra hugs herself, praying for Wan.

Wan opens his eyes in the spiritual plane, he is bathed in purple light, he is floating in the water. He sees a reflection of himself but in blue. "Who are you?" Wan asks.

"Who are you?" His reflection asks then his reflection turns to Aang, "You must regain your memory, or what you created will fall."

Aang's reflection turns to Roku, "In order to remember, you must regain your connection with her. The one you aided."

"Who did I aid?!" Wan yells, holding his heart, "What did I create?" Roku's image then turns to Kyoshi's as they continue to speak, "That is for you to remember, if you don't, Korra will fall, You will fall. Darkness will engulf the world, our era will end."

"How do I stop it?" Wan asks, the image disappears and all the Avatars say at once, "Go Back. Find Raava again. Find yourself!"

Wan screams as he is thrown to a different area. Wan turns to see another reflection of himself but this time he is way younger, he has spiky hair and baggy clothing, he is surrounded by a white aura.

"Are you Raava?" Wan asks.

"No, but I can help you find her. I'm your memories personified after you were revived from the dead, I was kept in the Avatar cycle until you recovered them."

"Dead? Avatar cycle? Who am I?"

"You wanna find out?" Memory Wan asks, holding his hand out, smiling at him. Wan hesitates for a moment then takes his other self's hand. "Let's take a walk through memory lane shall we?"

Younger Wan ran with a confident grin, going from each street corner, behind him were three brothers with weapons. "No one steals from the Chou brothers!" The younger brother cried. Wan smirked, "Really? Because I just did!" Wan turned a sharp corner "You're dead!" The eldest yelled.

Wan smirked as he went up a balcony, "Actually I feel quite alive!" He jumped down and landed safely while the Chous flopped down. Wan kept running, the brothers chased after him, "Stop!" They were stopped by bird poop. Wan slid down the roof tiles of a last house and landed on the balcony. He eats a piece of bread, then the elder Chou landed in front of him.

"Hey, fellas...Just in time for lunch!" Wan threw bread at the Chou before he could escape again. The middle Chou tripped him over his staff, making Wan lose his momentum. He was grabbed up by the older Chou and thrown into the mud.

Wan dusted himself off from it groaning, he began to walk home, to his old treehouse. He climbed up the stairs and entered it. A younger man sat on the ground to the left and sighs. "You stole from the Chous again didn't you?" he said. Wan tossed him a piece of bread. "Yeah, and I've got nothing to show for it."

"I told you it's a bad idea."

Wan sighed and shook his head, "Better bruised up then starving to death, besides, they have plenty of food for everyone yet they don't even give it to the lowest of the caste." Wan walks up to the closed off part of the treehouse with a purple cloth hiding him, Wan leans the other bread out. "Hey, Yao, I got some food for you."

The man took the food with his branch-like hands, ate it, and hummed in delight. "Thank you, Wan."

"No problem." Wan sat down, the opposite of Jaya who ate the bread. The animals looked over Wan's shoulder at him and his roll. Wan smiled and gave the bread to them. "Wan, eat," Jaya said, Wan shook his head, "I don't need it." Wan poured himself some cold tea, and looked up, dreaming. "If only there was some way to get into the Chous' food cellar. We'd be eating like, well, like the Shai."

"Wan, we're the outcasts of society, a Belek. If you do you could be killed, or worse, banished…"

"No, don't get banished. You don't want anything to do with those spirits. They'll get inside ya, scramble up your mind, turn you into me. a monster!"

"Yao you're not a monster," Wan said, confronting the older man the best he could, Jaya then said, "Don't do anything crazy, Wan. You just gotta accept the world is the way it is. The Shai have power. And the Belek don't. And you are a Belek. You can't really change the caste system."

Wan sipped his tea, then looked to the side, narrowing his eyes.


Korra can't help but be worried, she sits down with the shaman drinking tea. She has now calmed down but still. "Rest Avatar." She says simply as she drinks her tea. "This is my fault," Korra says with guilt overwhelming her, the Shaman shakes his head, "No, you had nothing to do with this." The older woman smiles as she sets her cup down. "Relax your mind and spirit…"

Korra nods as she gets on her feet and walks to her room. Korra flops on her bed and looks up to the ceiling. Her breathing is getting more relaxed, she closes her eyes. 'Korra' a voice calls out for her, her eyes snap open. "Who's there!"

The voice vanishes, Korra glances around the room. Once her suspicions have been calmed, she falls asleep.


Wan returned back to the house the next day, as Jaya and Yao played a board game, the two turned to Wan who stepped into the house. Jaya smiled, "Wan, you're back."

"Did you bring some goodies for us?" Yao said rubbing his hands together, Wan merely smirked. "I wouldn't say that," Wan then made a small flame appear in his hand to his two housemates' alarm. Yao scrambles to the back screaming, "Wan, What did you do? You can't steal from the lion turtle!" Jaya said.

"Oh really? because I just did," Wan smirked smugly as he crossed his arms. "Are you crazy? You could get us all killed!" Jaya yelled at Wan, who closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm tired of being scared and never showing my face, I'm tired of being treated worse than dirt just because I am a Belek. Jaya, aren't you tired of them taking whatever they want and us having to suffer for it?"

Jaya and Yao glanced at each other, "We have to fight back, we are bigger in numbers and we'll do it tonight."

Later on, a group of Beleks and Wan as their leader at night walked to the Chous' palace with masks on. They walked up to the Chous' palace walls. "Hey, Chous! Open the gate, and let us in!" Wan commands, meanwhile at the top, Chou the elder looks at them with disgust. "What are those filthy disgusting Beleks doing here? How dare he give commands with such a low status!"

"Don't worry father," The middle brother said as he bowed. "We'll handle them."

Wan waited, narrowing his eyes as the brothers came out of the gate. "Give us food that you're hoarding for the upper castes and we will leave you be. That's all that we ask for." Wan said. A moment of silence followed, then laughter. "You dare give orders to a Shai? Oh, you foolish foolish Belek, we have the weapons, you are powerless."

"Powerless huh?" Wan crossed his arms, then he punched fire towards the brothers, opening the gates up. "Get as much food as you can!" Wan yelled as they entered the palace courtyard and Wan blew down the door. Everyone in the small group raided the place.

"You might be right Wan, we can fight back," Jaya said, Wan turned to see the Chous with their soldiers behind them. "Jaya, get everyone out of here and safe...I'll hold them off." Jaya got everyone out while Wan fought the battle on his own.

Wan leaped forward and scattered the troops with a powerful firebending blast. He threw another blast to keep two soldiers at bay. A soldier came at him with his spear aimed at Wan's chest. Wan grabbed hold of the weapon and used it to turn and swing his attacker against older Chou. Wan used his own momentum to keep on turning and hurl the weapon away. As his back is turned the Little Chou seizes his moment and jumps onto Wan, clasping on tight. Wan tried to toss his attacker, firebending in a circle to keep the four people surrounding him at bay. He manages to throw Little Chou, though he held on to Wan's mask and took it with him.

He bowed and raised his hand, "You win! Please have mercy on me!"

Wan's eyes widened, as he held the fire in his hands he wanted to end it there yet he felt like the very thing he swore to fight… the fire dissipated and he was tackled by the soldiers. Little Chou gets up as Wan is captured. "Even when you do have the power you're too weak to use it. I expect nothing more from a cowering Belek."

Wan looked down in shame.


Outside the city in front of the lion turtle as Wan, the Chous, and soldiers stand on the outcropping before it. The Chou family stood in front of Wan who had two soldiers holding him back.

"Tell me who else was involved in the rebellion, and I might take mercy on you."

Wan looked up and defiantly said, "No. I won't bow down to you Shais anymore!" The elder Chou was in outrage and spat in Wan's face in anger. Wan scrunched up his eyes from the spit. "Wan, of the Belek Caste you are hereby banished!"

"And give back the fire you stole!" Wan was pushed in front of the lion turtle and he bowed before it. "Great lion turtle, I am sorry for what I've done and i accept my punishment but please, let me keep the fire so that I may protect myself."

"Never again may you return to this city. But I will allow you to keep the power of the element."

"Thank you."

Wan was thrown into the spirit wild's entrance, he walked alone into the forest.


Korra practices on her bending outside on the beach to take her mind off of Wan. Every time she thinks of him, she would either break down in tears or at the very least feel depressed. Once again she hears the same voice in her head calling her name.

Korra

Korra's fists clench in frustration, this was her fault, Wan lost all his memory because she didn't fight hard enough. She went back into her room, as she stared at the sealing again lost in her thoughts. The voice got louder, Korra breathed in and out. "Who are you?" She finally asks the voice.

My name is Raava. I'm glad that you finally responded to me.

Korra sighs, "Well, sorry Raava. I've been having a rough time lately." The female avatar closes her eyes, now she knows who Wan was calling out to.

huh.

I understand. You care for Wan deeply, as do I.

"So, Raava, do you know who Wan is?" Korra, asks, trying to take her mind off of the sadness she's feeling. Yes, would you like me to show you how we met?

"Yes! More than anything…"

Focus on the sound of my voice, and I'll show you.

Korra focuses and she closes her eyes as the world changes around her. She is in the middle of a valley with cherry blossoms and huge world looks like one huge old painting. Raava, now in humanoid form, stands right next to her. Her hair is white and blue and so is her hanfu. Her eyes are blue and her skin is deep copper.

"Where are we?" Korra asks, looking in awe at the beauty of the scenery. "Ten thousand years in the past, a vision if you say," Raava answers. Korra turns to her, "Ten-Thousand!?"

"Yes."

Korra hears a loud banging noise, she turns her attention to two huge kite- like spirits, one black, and one white, locked in battle, destroying their surroundings as they go.

"What is that!?"

"That is me and Vaatu," Raava answers.

"Who's Vaatu?"

"The force of Darkness and Chaos, we've been in a consent battle since the beginning," Raava says, looking at Korra.

"So where is Wan in all this?"

As soon as she says that, a fire blast is shot, between the two spirits. Korra's eyes broaden and her breath is taken away at that very instant.

"Wan?"

"Stop, or you'll destroy everything!" Wan yells. Raava then responds by keeping her hold on Vaatu, "This doesn't concern you, human!"

Korra is in shock as she sees the battle unfold before her very eyes, she sees Wan… He is in different clothing for the time period, he is there alive. Raava remains silent, as Korra watches what happened on that fateful day.

"If you're a friend to spirits, then use your fire to help me break free!" Vaatu pleads to Wan, while Raava keeps him under control.

"Don't involve the human. This is between us."

"Please, save me. She has tormented me for ten thousand years."

"Let him go!" Wan attacks Raava, trying to free Vaatu, Raava throws him back and the two spirits continue their fight. Wan emerges out of the bushes, he glances at the last thing that kept Raava and Vaatu together.

"Oh no," Korra gasps as she realizes what is going to happen, "Wan No!" She screams at him. Raava sighs, "It has already been done, this is only a memory."

Wan firebends at that connection, breaking it. As soon as they're separated, Vaatu flies away to rest atop a nearby mountain, while Raava screams and shrinks slightly.

"Thank you, human, you have done a great service to the spirits." With that, Vaatu flies away. Korra covers her mouth in terror of what he has done. Korra watches Wan stare in confusion at those words. "Wan, what have you done?" Korra whispers in horror.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Raava speaks. Wan turns and walks up to her angrily, pointing an accusing finger. "Yeah, I helped a spirit who was being bullied by you!"

"You are gravely mistaken. I was keeping him under control," Raava says. "And what gives you the right?" Wan retorts. Raava leans in closer. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Should I?"

"Yes, My name is Raava." Wan looks surprised. "That spirit you freed is Vaatu. He is the force of darkness and chaos. I am the force of light and peace. Since the beginning of time, we have battled over the fate of this world. And for the past ten thousand years, I have kept darkness under control and the world in balance."

Wan looks down ashamed, "Until you came along."

"So by freeing Vaatu, I let chaos into the world," Wan says looking down. "Precisely. The human and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation!" She says sharply, "and it's all your fault."

Wan in the spirit water, still half unconscious says, "Raava, I found you."

The shaman and the sages wait and observe him.

"Should we pull him up?" Karu asks.

"No, he is reconnecting to his deepest memories. He must confront his own past if he is to move forward in this era. We can only hope he'll survive his ordeal."

Wan opens his eyes again in the spiritual plane gasping, having more flashbacks.

"This is why humans have no place in the business of spirits!"

"This world is home to all of us and what happens here is everyone's business." Wan retorts.

"Thanks to you, this world may cease to exist! I only hope I can track down Vaatu before it's too late."

"Please, let me help you."

"I don't want your help! Don't interfere with me again, human." With that Raava flies away. Korra whistles, "Wow, um let me guess...this isn't the last time you two will run into each other."

"Yes," Raava says, then in an instant they teleport to an Air nomad lion turtle, and Vaatu is there, as he turns other spirits dark. He looms over the city, and Wan narrows his eyes in resentment. "Vaatu."

"So we meet again, human."

"Why is the great spirit of the darkness here but not his other half?" A man asks, Wan flinches slightly, nervous and awkward at that question. "Ugh. I can explain that later." He then runs up to Vaatu.

"Leave these people in peace. They've done nothing to harm you!" Wan turns to see a woman clutching her children as a dark spirit is about to strike. Wan fire bends at the spirit, protecting the women. He attacks the other dark spirits with fire.

"So he was originally a firebender, that means...if you're the Avatar spirit...then Wan is-"

"The first of many." Raava smiles, Korra gasps in astonishment.

Wan is the First Avatar….

"How is he alive?" Korra asks.

"Wan was randomly chosen for a second chance at life. His memories of his first life were wiped clean except for the things he needed. However, once you both opened the portals, Wan's memory had to be restored to him."

"Why?"

Raava then shows Korra the planets aligning in space. "Harmonic Convergence. When the two portals in the north and south combine. That is when Vaatu and I must battle for the fate of the world. If one portal is open...it's bad enough, if both are open, Vaatu would have enough strength to break free from his prison and the world as you know it will end." Raava takes a breath then continues.

"When Wan released Vaatu, he grew stronger while I grew weaker. Wan offered to help me and to fix his mistake. The only way to defeat Vaatu was to gather the other three elements, Air, Water and Earth. But he could not carry all the elements, due to his chi paths being limited to one element at a time. So I had to pass through his body and combine our energies to exchange the other element. Harmonic convergence at that time was a year away. Once it was close we traveled to the South pole. I was so weak that I had to be carried in a teapot."

"That's the reason why I couldn't airbend six months ago, my chi path was broken?"

"More blocked, Wan's new body is designed to hold four elements as well as you, you can bend the four elements without me carrying it for you. Thus I can give my power to both of you more efficiently, but your chi path to air was blocked until-"

"Noatak took most of my bending."

"Yes, all that power had to go somewhere and it forced your air chi to open. Noatak used his blood bending to destroy the chi paths, Aang and I had to heal and restore it."

"So, what's the prison for Vaatu and how can Wan bend all four elements in the past without you passing through him?"

Raava once more transports them to where the two worlds meet. Korra watches Wan as he emerges from the southern portal holding Raava in a teapot, he is on a cat deer as well. He pulls back his red scarf. Vaatu emerges from the northern portal. "Are you ready for our final battle, Raava? Thanks to our friend separating us, I think this time I may be rid of you once and for all."

Wan jumps off of Mula, placing Raava down as well, and he steps forward defending the light spirit. "Before you get to her, you'll have to go through me!"

Vaatu chuckles in amusement at his bravery, "No human can stand against me!"

"Haven't you heard the legends? I'm not a regular human anymore." He attacks Vaatu with his fire, he flies away to avoid the blasts. However, he turns back and knocks Wan away, sending him flying with one of his tentacles.

Wan rolls and grunts, "I lived ten thousand lifetimes before the first of your kind crawled out of the mud!" Vaatu fires a purple beam of darkness at Wan, he screams in agony as he is knocked back again.

Korra closes her eyes, she can't stand Wan being thrown around like a rag doll even if this was ten thousand years ago. It reminds her too much of when he was blood bent by Noatak.

"It was I who broke through the divide that separated the plane of spirits from the material world!" Vaatu fires again. Wan grunts as he ricochets over the ground. Wan slowly gets up, his face filled with rage.

"To hate me is to give me breath. To fight me is to give me strength. Now prepare to face oblivion!" He prepares to fire another one but Wan propels himself with his firebending to avoid it, then he drops back to the earth hard. He tries to get up but collapses, he reaches out to Raava, desperately calling out, "Raava! The only way to win is together." Raava flies to Wan, going inside him, encasing Wan with unstable white energy.

Vaatu attacks with his tendrils, Korra sees the whole fight and she notices some bending moves that are all too similar. The cloud move is a huge one that Wan uses even in the current time. Wan makes a decent stand against Vaatu, but as he gets blasted left and right, Korra notices that he is slowly getting more unstable. Vaatu pins Wan down at the edge of the southern portal.

"The Harmonic Convergence is about to begin. The era of Raava is over."

The spirit portals bend over to connect with one another, once at contact, it turns to gold. Vaatu glows purple. Wan glows blue briefly, showing Raava's sigil on his chest. He puts his right hand behind him, touching the portal.

Vaatu gasps as he looks back in shock, and releases Wan. Wan is basking in blue light, he falls down on his hands and knees and his eyes glow white. He cries out as white lights shoot out of his mouth and eyes, enveloping the area.

Korra shields her eyes from the overwhelming light As the light subsides, Korra smiles widely as Wan emerges and his energy is stabilized. He begins to attack Vaatu this time, winning. "He's...He's amazing!" Korra cheers, Raava smiles at Korra's awe. Wan traps Vaatu in an air bubble, which he secures with rings of all four elements. He uses his bending to guide the bubble to the hollow of the tree. He imprisons Vaatu.

Wan exits the Avatar state for the first time, and announces to Vaatu, "This is your prison now. And I will close the portals so no human will ever be able to physically enter the Spirit World and release you!"

Korra's jaw drops, "Wan closed the portals! He knew someone did it for a reason because he had a reason."

"When Harmonic Convergence was upon us, he did not give up. He was brave and had such courage I have never seen from a human before. He defended me in the mists of Vaatu's strength and power. We're bonded now and forever."

"I know what we gotta do now…" Korra says, Raava's hand touches her shoulder. "Indeed, and I will be there for both of you...now wake up. Wan will awaken soon."

Korra gasps as she wakes up, she breathes heavily for a moment. She runs to where Wan is being held.

It takes a few minutes but Wan's eyes snap open, glowing white, He jolts up, gasping for air. The Shaman, Korra, and the two sages walk up and look down upon him from the mouth of the cave.

Wan remains silent for a moment as his eyes widen, then says, "I remember…"

"Do you know who you are?" The Shaman asks, the room stands still as Wan's head rises to face them.

"My name is Wan, and I'm the First Avatar."


Korra, Wan and the shaman reach a grass clearing where bison are grazing. "We've been raising this herd of air bison since the Hundred Year War. I never thought I'd be able to present one to the Avatar let alone the First Avatar." The shaman has a small smile, Korra turns to her. "Thank you for all your kindness. I wonder how long we've been away."

"That I cannot say, but you both do not have much time left. The Harmonic Convergence is only weeks away."

Wan looks at Korra, "We need to close the southern portal, before Vaatu has a chance at escaping," he says firmly.

"Right."

Korra and Wan ride on top of a sky bison heading to the air temples.