"Korra..." Jinora repeated, at a loss for words. The teenage airbender couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Mako's body lay limp on the ground, motionless. The purple sheen had disappeared, but the effect was still the same. Jinora felt Mako's spirit slowly start to drift away from his body, to the hell where condemned spirits were sent. There was nothing Jinora was capable of doing to bring him back, that would take an enormous amount of power that she definitely didn't possess.

"Jinora," Korra greeted, making out her old friend through the red haze that shone out from behind her eyes. Vaatu's voice had receded for the time being. Korra felt something in her forehead start to solidify. She couldn't quite describe the sensation, but she realised that her ability to combustion bend had been cemented. Korra held out her palm, her lust for revenge having been sated, and lit a fire. It was blue, as it had been before, but this now, it felt a lot more natural.

"Wh-wh-wh-why?!" Jinora demanded, hugging Kalla close as Korra released her bloodbending grip. The baby girl woke up with an adorable little yawn. If the scene hadn't been so horrific, Jinora would've melted emotionally.

"Why what?" Korra asked dryly.

Do away with the girl, Korra! Vaatu urged Korra. His voice was thundering inside of her skull. She will try to destroy our bond and deceive you!

I'm not killing Jinora, Korra responded definitively. I don't know where you got that idea from, but unless I have a reason, I'm not laying a finger on her. All the conflicting thoughts inside of Korra's head, from just a minute ago, were now gone. She wouldn't have called it peace, but it was more like a breather. She was able to think a lot more clearly about things than before.

"WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?!" Jinora demanded, not so sure about handing Kalla over now. For the last year, Jinora had been dreaming of the moment where Korra would get reunited with Kalla, as a sister or mother, but this, this was a nightmare.

"It's a long story," Korra answered carelessly. "I don't have nearly enough time to go through it right now."

"I know most of it!" Jinora replied curtly. "I heard everything about the South Pole and your daughter from your parents! They took refuge on Air Temple Island. I know what Mako did back then, too. But why on Earth did you just murder him!?"

"He was angry at me for taking away Bolin's bending," Korra answered. "And he tried to coax me into trusting him by saying that he wanted a way back into our daughter's life. But it's highly coincidental that the first time I see him ever since the South Pole, that he's terrorising a city, don't you think?"

"I don't know!" Jinora cried, horrified. "But why would you kill him for just your personal history together!? You've never killed anyone before, and you spared Kuivera!"

"Kuivera was trying to do the right thing!" Korra snapped. "And, for your information, I have killed before." Jinora stared at Korra even more for a few seconds before she spoke again:

"Who…?" Jinora gasped.

"Have you ever heard of Azula?" Korra asked, making Jinora gulp. "She taught me how to combustion bend, but one event led to another, and I killed her." Korra pointed to her tattoo, which Jinora hadn't noticed yet, despite the fact that it was glowing too. "I didn't get any enjoyment out of it, but I would certainly regret it if I hadn't killed her back then."

"Azula?" Jinora repeated. She had read dozens of gruesome stories about the hated figure, but the once-heir to the Fire Nation had disappeared decades ago.

"Yes," Korra reiterated. Her broken arm still hung limply, and she needed to get it looked at now, as well as her nose. The back of her head too, while she was at it. Mako had admittedly put up a tough fight, in spite of all the advantages Korra had brought with her. "I don't have time to catch up with you right now, Jinora. I need to get my injuries looked at, so if you're going to try and stop me, let me know now. I've always liked you, but if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to fight you."

"And kill me too?" Jinora challenged coldly. Korra's face had went back to a neutral expression, but now a small frown formed.

"No," Korra answered truthfully. "I don't want to do that, and you couldn't drive me to do it anyway. But I wouldn't think twice about beating you up badly if you get in my way. That would be all on you." Then, whatever Jinora had strapped to her chest gurgled. This made Korra curious.

"What have you got there?" Korra asked. All Korra could make out was a puff of black hair, or fur, for all she knew.

"No!" Jinora shouted, starting to back away. She hadn't known what to do when coming down, but now, she knew that there was definitely nothing she could do but run. She began to turn, but Korra stopped her with bloodbending, reaching out with her hand. This time, however, it didn't hurt, surprisingly. Jinora looked at Korra, who was taking care with her power. It seemed the young woman genuinely meant no harm to her old friend.

"Jinora," Korra started, "don't start to play games with me. I don't want to take whatever you have, I'm just curious. Notice how this isn't hurting you?"

"Well… yes," Jinora admitted, realising the sensation was almost relaxing. "But my answer is final! If you find out what I have, then you'll definitely take it!" Jinora's eyes widened, and she would've covered her mouth, if possible, then. That was quite easily one of the worst things to say to Korra at that moment and time. Jinora knew that. And Korra knew that too.

"Well, now I'm curious," Korra stated openly. She was about to walk up to Jinora to get a good look herself, but then, whatever it was squirmed around as it became rowdy. The baby, incredibly young, turned around and started wailing, for no apparent reason.

"Why would you bring a baby?" Korra asked, confused. "This place is a war-zone, it's pretty reckless from someone like…"

Korra's heart skipped a beat when she saw the baby's eyes. The world may have stopped revolving, for all Korra cared.

A lot about her appearance was different, like her hair, for example. She now had a full head of hair, contrary to the few strings that had started to come out all the way back at the South Pole. She was also three times bigger than back then, a healthy, chubby baby. There was so much different about her compared to when they had been separated, but one thing hadn't changed in the slightest. Those eyes. Those twinkling, bright blue eyes, innocent from all the corruption in the world.

Korra wrenched Vaatu back into the recesses of her mind, the glow snapping shut. Jinora broke out of the hold that Korra had had her in, but she didn't run away. She just stood there as mother and child looked each other in the eyes, marvelling at how powerful an affect someone's child could have on a parent. Tears began to trickle out of Korra's eyes.

"Kalla…" Korra whispered, falling to her knees. Korra didn't want to blink, in case Kalla disappeared. "You've grown so much in only the space of a year, I… I… I can't believe it."

As Korra knelt there, pure joy filling her heart, Jinora suddenly felt something different in the young mother. Korra had been nearly filled with darkness beforehand, but now… a tiny flicker of light, which had been so small previously that Jinora had overlooked it, started to grow. Suddenly, it began to make itself known, expanding against the darkness.

No: the darkness itself was being converted. Soon, a third of Korra's body had been retaken in a violent wrestle by the light, compared to only taking up a hundredth beforehand. Then, Jinora felt something start to rub her thigh. She glanced down, but saw nothing.

The marbles! Jinora thought, as she located the source of the constant rubbing. They were vibrating against each other suddenly, so Jinora unzipped her pocket, taking the light-blue stones out. They were practically hovering in the air when she held her palm out flat.

"Kalla," Korra mumbled for the fourth time in a row. She reached out for her little girl unconsciously, but then caught sight of a motionless Mako just in between them. Her breath caught in her throat.

Her dead father is right in front of her, Korra thought, now feeling a little unsure of her decision without Vaatu telling her everything. No, no, I did the right thing, she reassured herself.

Pour your chi into the marbles, Jinora recalled. She didn't have a clue where to start with that, but she assumed that it couldn't have been too hard if she wasn't given instructions. She imagined all of her power centring in on the orbs, concentrating hard. The teenager pooled all her chi into her hand holding the marbles, making a special effort not to airbend.

Normally, when Jinora channelled chi out of her body to airbend, it was different on the outside, compared to the inside of her body. There was a lighter aspect to her chi when she airbent, but here, Jinora made sure that it stayed pure as she soaked the marbles with as much power as she felt she could control. It was like her first time bending again, in a way.

Suddenly, the marbles began to glow a pale blue light, as Jinora kept on pouring her chi into them. The light, although different to that growing inside of Korra, resonated with the force clashing with Vaatu. Then, a pale, blue, see-through human figure appeared, shocking Jinora.

Korra's view of Kalla was interrupted by said figure. She opened her mouth to give out, but then it stayed open, gaping. The figure in front of her was a tall man, roughly about 6'6. He had orange and red robes on, a short beard on his jawline and airbender tattoos on his forehead and hands. His grey eyes looked solemnly into Korra's.

Behind him, Jinora gasped, falling to one knee.

"Are you okay, Jinora, dear?" the bald man asked, looking back.

"I'm… fine," Jinora replied weakly, then coughed. "Whatever you have to do, do it quickly, please. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to hold this up for much more than a minute or two."

"That should be enough time," the man said, not hiding the pride in his voice for his granddaughter, then turned back to Korra.

"Aang!" Korra blurted out.

"Hello, Korra," Aang greeted his reincarnation, with a sombre tone. "I have been watching everything. Things are just so confusing, aren't they?"

"Yes!" Korra agreed, only realising how much she resonated with the statement until it was said out loud.

"All you want is a happy life for your daughter," he continued. "This war has nothing to do with you, yet, you were forced by your own conscience to stop it before it got worse. You were willing to go to whatever means you had to in order to upkeep peace, yet still, things are not clear."

"Mako…" Korra said quietly, "Mako's death was something more personal in between us. It didn't necessarily have to do with the war."

"You could have taken his bending away," Aang told her. "Wouldn't that have been a equal punishment to the offence he caused to your daughter?"

"You know about that?" Korra asked. "How?!"

"It doesn't matter how I know, I don't have time to explain that," Aang said. His face vanished for a moment, before reappearing. "We are short on time, so let's not dance around the subject. Why did you kill Mako?"

"Well, I…" Korra trailed, suddenly feeling nervous. Then, she reminded herself that it was irreversible, and that there was no point lying to Aang. "I wanted to keep him away from Kalla so badly, to protect her from someone like him. I've had this built-in mindset where he can't possibly be good. Just evil. He told me that he wouldn't ever give up on trying to get back into her life, and I didn't like that. I learnt how to combustion bend recently, so I've been hyping myself up to kill him over the last few months."

"Another term for a built-in mindset is a fixed mindset," Aang told Korra. "A fixed mindset can be helpful sometimes, like when you need to focus in on a goal. But the disadvantages of a fixed mindset can be how it affects your thinking. Your thinking can become static, or stagnant, for a better word, and you will avoid constructive criticism."

"As opposed to?" Korra challenged. She had come too far now to back down.

"A mindset of growth," Aang answered. "In a growth-orientated mindset, your thinking can improve and move on. You take constructive criticism, and apply it to your life. This is how conflicts are resolved."

"But I did consider what he told me!" Korra argued. Her good arm fell down weakly by her side, burning with the exertion it had been through. "And I didn't think it was genuine, what he was saying!"

"Was he sincere?" Aang posed the question, which made Korra fall silent. Secretly, she was starting to think twice about her actions.

"I'm not sure," Korra told him truthfully.

"Vaatu was manipulating you," Aang revealed. "He fed on your darkest desires, and amplified them with his energy. Did he offer you advice while you spoke to Mako?"

"Well…" Korra said, "yes. But those are my desires, no matter how dark they may be!"

"Some will just act like they're trying to help you, whether they be human or spirit," Aang stated, sympathy in his tone. "I once knew a man named Jet. He manipulated me and Katara to help with his dirty work in destroying a town. Although he was just a product of war, and had a good heart, he had similarities to what Vaatu is trying to do to you right now. Once you become so weighted by your hate that you are incapable of thinking for yourself anymore, he will take over your body for good."

Korra stood there silently for a few moments, before she realised that she was waiting for Vaatu's input. It didn't come though, for some reason though. She decided that she was fully capable of processing this information herself, and contemplated Aang's words. He did have a point.

"Your false perception of Mako has veered you off your true purpose," Aang went on. "This perception of your path has led you to believe that everything will be fine when Mako dies, which he has just now. You seem to have lost the fact that you just truly want to protect Kalla with all your love."

"That's… that's one way of looking at it," Korra admitted, startled by how much Aang was able to tell her with just the bare facts.

"Grudges are what define human history," Aang continued. "For millennia, we as a race have constantly refused to forgive past grievances. We have always sought newer and more effective ways of shutting opposing opinions down, in whatever manner possible. Some people feed off those opinions, and rise to power. It is always in their best interests to keep those who give them power below them, in this vicious cycle of revenge, so that these select few can profit off of it. King Siya is a perfect example of this, as was his father, King Alphonse."

"He said that he was open to peace negotiations," Korra interrupted. She felt lost, and helpless.

"Ever since the death of King Bumi, I always had to keep an eye on Omashu," Aang told Korra. "Do you know that lavabending is reserved for royalty in Omashu?"

"Kind of," Korra answered.

"Alphonse and Siya have both taken numerous drugs to make them stronger," Aang revealed. "But the reservation of lavabending started with Alphonse, not hundreds of years ago. He injected firebender genes into his body, enough to alter his genetic make-up to the point where he could lavabend. He then claimed that it was his bloodline that allowed him to do this, which is a blatant lie to his people. King Siya is the same. He has crushed any resistance to the war effort from the inside because of his ego."

"So you want me to join Ba Sing Sae?" Korra asked, confused.

"No," Aang told her, "it's just a warning. You have already been manipulated by Vaatu, and as the Avatar, you must be above these warlords when it comes to getting them to talk it out."

"Why is always me?!" Korra cried suddenly. Tears were beginning to flow freely down her face, mixing in with the blood from her broken nose. "Why do I always have to get the short end of the stick?!"

"We were both born with tough roads ahead of us," Aang said, emphasizing with Korra. "And there are many paths in front of you that can be full of stress and crippling anxiety. But there is one thing that the Air Nomads taught me when I was just a boy, and I know that I died a much happier than I could have died, by taking this advice."

"What is it!?" Korra asked desperately. She wanted to walk closer to Aang, but Mako's lifeless body lay in between them, unnerving her.

"It applies to everyone in life, regardless of bending, race, or sexual orientation," Aang said. "If your outlook on life is negative, then negativity is all you will ever get back. If you don't find a way to happy when you sleep, then you will worry until you die. You must be the change you wish to see, even if it hurts your pride to do so. Being bitter is a part of life: I cannot find words to describe the anger I felt towards Fire Lord Ozai. But staying bitter is personal. The most long-lasting form of pain can sometimes be self-inflicted."

"So are you saying that I should forgive Mako?" Korra asked, and Aang nodded. "But I can't! He's dead, I just killed him myself! It's too late for that now!"

"Fear kills growth," Aang said. Even though he was just a projection, he sat down to face Korra eye-to-eye, who was still kneeling. "And there is still a way to bring his soul back, but only you have the power to do it." There was a few seconds of stunned silence before Korra spoke again;

"How?" Korra asked, dumbfounded. She looked down to his body, but Mako certainly didn't seem to be breathing.

"Having your soul torn out of your body will send the brain into a temporary coma, in an effort to self-preserve," Aang revealed. "But it's a bit much to even call it a nap. This 'coma' will only last about ten minutes after the ritual is completed. Even if it is reversed, and the victim is saved, they will be incapable of doing anything for themselves for the next three weeks. In that time, their limbs will be immobile, and their life-span, if saved, will definitely be shortened. But it's better than dying young, no?"

"He won't forgive me now, though!" Korra told her predecessor. She wanted to break down into tears entirely, but knew that there could be time for that later. "I've done my level-best to kill him!"

"Do you remember how Monk Gyatso and I told you to purge the 'darkness' inside of you, way back after you shut the spirit portal?" Aang reminded her. "You've probably figured out what that darkness is now, have you?"

"Is it Vaatu?" Korra guessed feebly. "And I don't really remember how you told me to purge him from my body, you were very vague."

"We couldn't make out much ourselves," Aang told Korra. He had a soothing, calm voice, that could put you to sleep if he wanted to. "But what we told you is that you need to be temporarily fulfilled completely, even if it's just for a moment."

"How do I do that?" Korra asked.

"You must seek forgiveness from all those who you have grieved of whom are close to you," Aang answered. "And you cannot hide from yourself that you have dealt huge grievance towards Mako right now, for denying him the chance to spend time with his daughter."

"I… I…" Korra began to argue, but then her mental wall fell. "You're right," she confessed, sniffling. "I feel like such a shitty person! But he can't possibly forgive me now, how many times do I need to say that?"

"He can," Aang answered. "Did he ever give you a chance to stop fighting?"

"Well… yeah. A lot of times," Korra admitted shamefully.

"Nothing can change the past," Aang stated. "And I can tell by the pained expression on your face that you would love to go back an hour, and alter what has occurred tonight. That is hindsight. But by learning from everything that has happened, you can certainly change the future. You are currently one decision away from a happy life. Not a life without pain, but a life where you are not constantly destroying your self-esteem over past mistakes."

"But…" Korra started. "I don't even know how to reverse it!"

"Just use the opposite method to the one you used to damn his soul," Aang answered simply. "You did it multiple times before Harmonic Convergence, if I remember correctly, so if anything, it should be easy."

"Grandpa!" Jinora blurted out. "You've only got about thirty seconds left, I can't hold it for much longer!"

"That's plenty of time," Aang informed his granddaughter, turning to look at her. "I choose you specifically because I knew that you were capable of this. You're doing a great job." He smiled at Jinora, who smiled back weakly.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Korra asked, numerous different questions tripping over themselves to get out.

"You're the most powerful being around, even in the spirit world," Aang answered, turning back around. "Don't be afraid to fail, and life's challenges will suddenly shrink when you face them with bravado. If the end result is worth the labour, labour for the end result." Parts of Aang's projection started fading out of focus. Korra stayed there silently, until they only had a few seconds left to speak.

"How would you go about 'satisfying yourself to the full'?" Korra asked, still on her knees.

"We are two different people," Aang answered, his voice starting to echo as Jinora reached her limit. "But what I am about to tell you is universally true: Fulfilment is measured by the things that not only make you feel good, but how many lives you are able to impact positively by the things you attain. Darkness throws in the void, but always purifies to become light with a righteous heart."

Then, Aang's image vanished into thin air. Jinora collapsed unconscious, thoroughly exhausted by the exercise, but even as she fell, she made sure to fall on her back so that Kalla wouldn't get hurt. She passed out almost immediately, as the marbles in her hand shattered into a million pieces, before they even touched the ground.

Korra would've liked to spend a few days at the very least contemplating Aang's words, but as she got up to hold Kalla for the first time in over a year, she nearly tripped over Mako's corpse.

No, he's not dead yet, she thought. Korra wiped her puffy red face, making sure not to touch her broken nose. Should I? She stood there silently for a few more seconds, thinking hard. Screw it, there's no harm.

Korra hauled Mako's body up onto her shoulder, grunting with the extra weight. Even though he was slim for his height, Mako was still fairly heavy. She trudged over to the shallow part of the lake, and set him down, making sure to keep Mako's head above the surface. All of her muscles truly felt like lead after such a drawn-out fight, especially since she had stopped running now. Korra stood a few metres back from Mako's still body, then started circling her hand around her head. A sliver of water spiralled around Mako's body, and was soon followed by a second.

No way, Korra thought as the bottom of the two slivers of water started to glow a luminous yellow. She felt something inside of her resonating with the glow, fighting against Vaatu's energy. Is it really…?

A bright yellow sheen started to travel up Mako's body, inviting Korra to relax with its friendly glow. Korra let the water do the work as it crossed Mako's knees, then his hips, then up across his torso. The light lapped over the firebender's collarbone, then turned the amber of his eyes to a greenish-blue colour as it crossed Mako's eyebrows. Then, it reached its destination by finishing at the top of his hair.

Mako floated blindly through a pitch-black space, no sense of time. He couldn't feel a thing. He tried to call out, but he had no voice to speak with. He tried to feel for his surroundings, but he couldn't even feel his limbs. He had no absolute shape, to put it simply. He couldn't even feel pain. The only thing that was absolute was the inevitable sense of dread he felt.

What happened? the former commander thought, and racked his brain (or did he even have one anymore?) for his most recent memories. Korra did something to me, he thought. Mako remembered the red eyes, and even now, he wanted to shudder at the thought of them.

Suddenly, Mako felt himself being pulled back the way he came. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he know what direction he took to get where he was, but he was definitely backtracking. Faster and faster, yet he felt no rush of wind or pressure around his body.

Where am I? Mako wondered, but he would never get his answer, as he felt all of his senses suddenly slam into him at once. His eyes flew open, and he caught a glimpse of someone standing in front of him, but then, an overwhelming tiredness swept over him. Mako fell into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.