Earth

Fire

Air

Water

Only the Dual Avatars master of all four elements can bring balance to the world.

Book IV: Balance

Chapter III: Wan's Agony

Wan kisses Baru on her fur then rubs her under her neck, Naga licks Wan a bit and he giggles. "Now, you two play nice, I don't want to hear about you two fighting, alright," Wan says as he sets up his small boat. Tonraq and Senna hug the first Avatar and he embraces them. "Thank you."

"Stay safe," Senna smiles, Wan waves as he sets sail for Republic City, smiling at the thought of seeing Korra once more, knowing that she waited for him. He docks a couple of times at a few stops and gets some food. Once he makes it to the Republic City bay, he smiles to himself as it is past sundown. He turns his head to see a figure in with distance and he backs up once he realizes it's him in the Avatar state like that fateful day. Wan panics but breathes in... and keeps moving to dock in the city. Wan begins to ask people if they have seen or heard of Avatar Korra's return but he gets confused looks and nos.

Wan's heart cracks into a million pieces - she didn't wait. She didn't keep the promise. Wan is lost for words, he rushes back to the ship and leaves Republic City as soon as he arrives with a heavy heart.

Wan docks the boat at a nearby bay in the Earth Kingdom and keeps himself hidden. Once he is far from anyone's sight, he makes a fire, changing out of his old clothes into a green poncho with patterns of brown, pants, and sandals. He burns his old clothes and looks at himself in a nearby puddle. He takes his hair, angry and tired of all the pain he has suffered, putting the small dagger behind his hair as he holds it firmly in his other hand. He hesitates for a moment, he must leave Wan, the first Avatar behind. He cries a few tears, then opens his eyes filled with determination.

He needs to heal on his own.

He needed to be just Wan, even for a moment. A moment of decision graces him, he chooses to let go of his old self, his old wounds, his old burdens.

With one stroke, his long hair is cut, letting go of his old identity.

Wan burns the cut hair with his fire bending, leaving behind his new style cut high above his shoulder. He wipes his tears and moves forward with his backpack. Not looking back even once.


Wan braces himself as he pushes through a snowstorm keeping himself warm through breathing techniques. He uses his brown scarf as another way to keep himself warm and he wears black boots. He looks up to see the Northern spirit portal. He walks into the Spirit World where the two worlds meet and breathe as he takes off his scarf, as he feels warmer now. He looks around to where spirits roam and the sky is bright with oranges and reds as friendly spirits rest. Wan meditates in the middle of the tree trying to concentrate on anything but he sees nothing. He sighs as he falls on his back, groaning. A few spirits walk across to him, "Everyone, come here! It's the first Avatar reborn!"

The other spirit looks at Wan, "Why isn't he with his partner? And, he doesn't seem to have Raava's energy. Plus, doesn't the first Avatar have longer hair and different clothes?" another spirit ponders. "I can hear you know," Wan retorts. The spirits gasp as Wan sits up. "I am the first Avatar, I just cut my hair and got some new clothes and my partner left me behind" Wan sighs. "How come and her you've been away so long?" Wan glances down sadly, 'We were badly hurt...and I lost my connection to Raava."

"Why did Avatar Korra leave you?" the spirit asks, Wan shakes his head, "I left her in a way."

"Wait! I saw her a few months ago," a snail spirit with legs says. Wan perks up, surprised. "She said she wanted to heal, and she needed to do it alone." Wan clenches his eyes, upset by this but he keeps his cool. The spirits sense this, as Wan breaths in and out. "The last time I was here, during harmonic convergence I saw so many things. Now I don't see anything."

"Maybe, we can help you and her, to be friends again, she probably didn't mean to hurt you."Wan smiles at the little spirit and gets up, "I wish it was that simple, but she broke my promise, thus breaking my heart." Wan closes his eyes, a small tear in his eyes, "All these years people have been telling me they can help me get better, even Korra, but now I know that I must take this path alone." He looks over his shoulder as he jumps out of the Tree of Time.


Wan travels around the world, he trains by himself, taking his journal and writing down all his thoughts and fake letters. He sees the ghost of the past glaring at him repeatedly and he ignores him. Wan walks through an empty hillside with his backpack in the middle of the night, he paces in a somewhat tired manner until he drops his backpack onto the ground. Above the hill is Raava. Wan smiles "Raava?" he rushes up to her "Raava!" He makes it to the hill, only to find that the vision was simply a fragment of his broken mind. Wan drops to his knees at this revelation, tears fall down his cheeks as he screams in pure agony. He bangs his fist on the ground as he releases his frustration and anger out to the world.


Wan walks through a random Earth Kingdom town, he sees an earth rumble match which he ignores as he walks past it. Unknown to him, Korra is in there, she stands up in the ring, her hair now cut into a short bob and wearing a green tank top and brown pants with normal shoes. She is fighting a random earth bender but, in her eyes, she is also fighting the ghost of her past which bears her likeness from the day she and Wan fought Zaheer. "Is that all you got?" Korra yells, the ghost smirks as she attacks with her chains. Korra tries her best to dodge but she is hit several times until she falls. The earthbender woman raises her hand in victory as the bell rings throughout the arena. "We have a winner!"

Afterwards, Korra wipes herself off with a towel and wraps bandages on her hands while sitting in the stands. A man throws her a bundle of yuan cash to her side "Here, for your lackluster participation."

Korra gets up with her backpack and shoves the cash in. "Thanks," she says indifferently. The man looks at her for a second, "You know, you look very familiar. Yeah, you ... you kind of look like that Dual Avatar girl!" Korra walks out, turning her back, before leaving she says, "I get that a lot." The announcer then asks, "What happened to them anyway?"

"I wouldn't know." She looks down, downcast as she walks into the shadows. She leaves and heads to a public bathroom to heal her black eye. She winces a bit as she does so.

In another part of town, Wan goes to a street merchant and slams down two yuans on the desk, "Two please" Wan mumbles. The man gives Wan his food, "Hey, you look a lot like that Dual Avatar guy," Wan huffs, "I get that a lot." The merchant hums, "Say what happened to them? They just disappeared after those Red Lotus guys somehow hurt them."

"Muhm...sounds tough," Wan replies as he eats his fruit, "I mean, Kuvira is doing their job anyway." Wan walks away from the merchant, upset, then he sees himself once more. He clenches his teeth. "Enough!" Wan throws a fire blast at the ghost who disappears, the town people look at him like he has gone crazy, "Are you, okay young man?"

Wan turns as he keeps going, "I'm fine." He walks off along the empty road for a long period of time until he looks down to see a white kitten with light blue eyes. Wan picks the kitten up, "Awh, aren't you a little cutie. I never saw you before." The kitten meows, Wan snuggles her, his face quickly turning to dread as he sees his ghost, but the little kitten does a small little roar, and the ghost vanishes. "How did you do that?" Wan says astonished, as the kitten licks its paws. Wan blinks at the cat, "If you can see him too, maybe I'm not going crazy." The kitten begins to sprint and Wan follows. Wan chases the kitten to the outskirts of town until he is in the swamp. "Wait, where am I?" Wan asks, the kitten with a bright light turns into Istina, she smiles, "Hello Wan."

"Istina?" Wan gasps, "You should have told me who you were," he says firmly. Istina sighs, "You wouldn't have followed. I know you seek truth within yourself and the swamp will lead you to it. I will reveal many things, especially about you and Korra's relationship."

"Korra?" Wan eyes widen and he glares, "No, I hate her. She betrayed me."

Istina sighs and smiles," Hum, do you really or is your anger talking? Truth will always reveal itself and all sides of the story will be unfolded." Once she disappears, Wan quickly tries to follow her but he begins to be sucked down by a pool of metal poison. He tries to get out but it's a sinkhole, his ghost watches as Wan tries to claw his way out, now in tears, soon deep in the hole. Then everything goes black.

Wan groans as he wakes up in a dark cave. "I knew you would wake up sooner or later," an old woman says, "Korra was quite worried about you." The first Avatar sits up rubbing his head, he quickly turns around to see Korra sleeping. He is shocked to see that her hair that short, but his shock soon turns into anger.

He will deal with her later.

Wan bends a small flame to illuminate the area as he walks to her his eyes wide, "Oh my goodness...Toph?"

Toph chuckles, "Great to meet you, Wan."