Hey guys, I'm here with the final chapter of this installment of Ageless. I have some production notes at the end if you're interested in some of the things that inspired this story. Again, I cannot thank you enough for your support. And now, on with the finale:

You know, with bending being so commonplace, it's easy to forget that some forms of magic do exist out there. Most of the time it's really subtle, a fortune teller who never seems to get a prediction wrong, things like that. Its usually harmless stuff, no more than a form of prayer to a particular Spirit in most cases.

But what Yusei practiced, what the Tome and the Hong were meant for? That was very dangerous territory. The things that could wrong were astronomical to say the least. Which was why I had to get that book away from him as quickly as I could.

The other side of the portal was a barren wasteland, at the center of which stood a large bare tree. Yusei was on the far side of the tree, chanting before another portal. Unalaq was standing before the tree itself, looking up at it as if he was having a conversation with it. I moved toward the Northern Chief, using the terrain to conceal myself from him as I closed the distance.

My plan was a simple one: get my sword, get the Tome, and get the hell out of here. With my three step plan secure in my head, I darted forward. Unalaq was taken by complete surprise when I descended upon him. I delivered several jabs to his midsection, chi blocking him before snatching my sword hilt from his belt as he fell to the ground.

The Chief wasn't fully in the dirt before I was moving again, sprinting toward Yusei. Being embroiled in his chanting, he never saw me coming. The pillar of light erupted from the ground, opening the other portal.

I extended my blade before swinging at the white haired man's head. Instinct kicked in, and he leaned back to try and dodge the swipe. He wasn't fast enough as the tip of the sword sliced up his right cheek, from the corner of his nose, through his eye, to his right temple.

Yursi screamed in pain as he reeled back, blood flying from his face. His hands threw the Tome into the air as he fell, allowing me to snatch the rather thick book for myself. Spinning on the balls of my feet, I sprinted back in the direction I had come, tucking the Tome under my arm as I ran.

"You are only delaying the inevitable," a deep voice boomed from the tree as I passed. I didn't even so much as bother to shoot a glance toward the source of the voice.

Two Days Later.

I slammed the Tome down on Tenzin's desk, startling the airbending master.

"Don't lose it again," I warned, jabbing a finger at him before turning and heading out of his office without waiting for a response. I hadn't slept in the past couple of days, choosing instead to find Ashe, and then heading straight back to Republic City. Even after getting back here, I had very little time to sleep. I needed to get as many allies as I could together and then head back north to put a stop to Unalaq once and for all.

As I headed toward the dormitory to get some rest, I found myself enveloped from behind by a set of arms, and then lifted off the ground by said arms.

"Korra, can't breathe," I gasped out before she let me go. Turning, I embraced her in a proper hug, more than happy to see her after what had happened.

"Did you get it?" she asked when we pulled apart.

"I got the book back," I answered.

"So what happens now?"

"Now, we go back North, and we put an end to this," I said.

"We're going to need a great deal of help," she noted.

"All that we can get," I agreed. There was a moment of silence between us.

"We're going in on our own, blind and cocksure, aren't we," she said.

"Probably."

We didn't make the trip North alone like we had planned. Bumi absolutely insisted on coming when he heard what we were up to. Tenzin convinced Kya to go along as well, if anything to keep an eye on their rather brash brother. He also lent them a sky bison, so that they could keep up with us on Ashe.

To my surprise, there were no guards posted around the Spirit Portal when we arrived. It was like they wanted us to come here. Considering who we were fighting, they probably did. Oh well, springing traps is an old favorite pass time of mine.

"So that's the Spirit World on the other side of that thing, right?" Bumi asked.

"Yep."

"And our plan is…?" he asked, trailing off while waiting for an answer.

"The plan is to go in there and stop a mad Chief and ten thousand year old immortal from fucking shit up on an epic level," I said as I drew my sword hilt.

"Oh. Great. And here I thought it was going to be something difficult." With that, the four of us stepped through the portal and into the Spirit World. Nothing had changed since I had last been here, well, not entirely anyway. There was one, rather sickening addition to the otherwise barren plain between us and the Tree at the center.

"Ah, there you are Raava. What do you think of the new decoration?" the deep voice from the tree asked. Korra turned green as we drew closer and she realized who it was she was looking at.

It was Unalaq. He had been tired to a single vertical pole nailed together with two horizontal poles, one for his arms and the other for his legs. His head was hung, and there were several red marks all over his clothing. As if being put up there wasn't enough, he had been stabbed several times as well. A single sign with the word 'failure' scrawled out on it was hanging from his neck across his chest.

"By the Spirits…" Kya whispered in horror at the sight. I looked up at the Chief with a hard frown. I hadn't seen things like this since the days of Chin the Conqueror. The warlord had done this to leader of providences that had chosen to fight back against his conquest, sticking them up along the roadside as a warning to others who would attempt to do the same. I couldn't help but wonder if it was him that Yusei had gotten the idea from, or vise versa.

"Kya, Bumi, spread out and find the twins. Let's hope our host didn't make an example out of them either," I said. The two siblings headed off in opposite directions without a single word.

"You must be Vaatu," I called, choosing to look past the body before me and focus on the tree. As I walked closer, I got a much better look at the thing inside. It was massive, roughly the shape of a large, fancy kite, with orange and black markings.

"I am, Harbinger. Have you come to stave off the inevitable as so many of your kind try and fail to do?" he asked.

"You're not going to bring down darkness upon the Earth," I declared. The Dark Spirit chuckled.

"Foolish mortal. You stand a better chance at staving off your inevitable death than you do of stopping what is to come," he said. I froze on the spot as I felt a presence other than my own enter my head. Korra could feel it as well, I could tell by the look on her face.

'In that case, I'd say his odds are fairly good, Vaatu,' a powerful female voice echoed. If the dark presence in the tree had eyes, I'm sure it'd be glaring directly at Korra.

"You've finally made your presence known, if only to stand up for this pathetic creature. Of what concern is he to you, Raava? He will wither and die, just like all the rest of his kind."

'You're wrong. Ryou has survived untouched by time far longer than any other mortal I've seen. If you should fear any mortal, it's him.' Vaatu seemed to stare Korra down for a long time. Again, I'm not sure how this was possible without eyes, or a face really, but somehow he did it.

"You've changed. It use to be you cared little for mortals."

'Ten thousand years is a long time. And Ryou has more than proven his worth over the years.'

There was something about the way she said it, the tone in her voice. It was like there was affection, especially in the last part when she said that I had proven my worth. Vaatu apparently noticed it as well, as he shifted his form so it was like he was looking back and forth between the two of us.

After a moment, the Spirit of Darkness began to laugh. It started as a small chuckle, but quickly blossomed into a full on cackle. Korra and I shared a glance at each other, not quite sure what to make of what had essentially become a back and forth between two ancient Spirits.

"I don't believe it. You have taken on a lover, a mortal lover. My, my how time has made you soft. It's time someone with strength took over and reminded the two Realms what true strength looks like," Vaatu said.

"Korra, the portals," I said, speaking up and reminding her of our reason for being here. She nodded once before running toward the portal that Yusei had opened last time I was here.

"Stop her!" Vaatu ordered. From the branches of the Tree came a white haired streak. I leapt forward, extending my blade and meeting his downward strike with an uppercut. The two blades rang as they collided with each other.

"Go!" I said over my shoulder, compelling Korra to run. I turned and looked Yusei in the one eye he had left.

"Don't you see what you're fighting against?" he grunted as we struggled against each other, "the Avatar has never achieved balance because balance cannot be achieved when there is only one Avatar doing it. The Avatar is the world's ultimate hypocrite!"

"And what, you're going to form that balance with him?!" I asked, jerking my head toward Vaatu.

"It's the only way."

"He's the embodiment of chaos! Balance is a completely alien concept to him, you don't want balance, you want power!" Yusei delivered a punch to my stomach, causing me to bend over and allowing him to disengage. I recovered just in time to block his next swing, and we went back and forth, parrying and thrusting our blades in a deadly dance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Korra reach the portal. With that, I pressed my attack, making my blows more heavy as I drove him backwards. All I had to do was keep his focus on me for just a little longer.

"It's too late. You can feel it coming, can't you," the deep voice of Vaatu said.

The two pillars of light bent and crashed into each other. Lightning arched all over the place before they finally fused, forming a golden archway high overhead. Korra was thrown backward from the pillar by the surge of energy, landing flat on her back in the dirt. The barrier in the tree exploded, releasing the Dark Spirit. Vaatu twisted his form through the air, relishing in the fact that he was free from his prison. Oh great, now we had this to deal with.

Yusei stood with his arms wide open, as if he was waiting to receive a hug. The Dark Spirit dove toward him and entered through his chest. He doubled over at first, but then stood up straight, his form glowing orange. This lasted for about thirty seconds, before the pommel of my sword slammed into the side of his face. The white haired man was sent sprawling on the ground, and the kite like being was forced from him.

'If they make contact with the portal energy, they'll be fused together like Wan and I was. Do not let this happen!'

Korra was on her feet and the first to react. Her eyes glowed white as she rocketed back toward us with firebending, jumping between Yusei and Vaatu while slinging fire blasts at the latter. I watched as she drew her sword with her right hand and held off Yusei's blade attacks with that, while keeping Vaatu at bay with her firebending. She was the most furious sight to behold, and I couldn't help but watch in pride.

Coming in from his blind side, I swung my blade at the white haired man. He narrowly dodged my blade before turning fully to face and fight me. With the threat at her back covered, Korra returned her full attention to battling Vaatu.

Yusei and I clashed our steel together again and again, shifting constantly between brute strength, quickness of feet, and trying to out do each other with blade work. He was the most challenging foe I had ever faced, but there was no way I was even thinking of backing down, not with what was at stake here.

Across from me, what sounded like a fog horn echoed through the area. I looked just in time to see a purple beam of light erupt from Vaatu's frame and annilate everything in front of him. Korra was forced out of the Avatar State as she struggled to avoid this deadly weapon.

Using my distraction against me, Yusei slammed his shoulder into me, sending me onto my backside. My sword slid out of my grip and well out of my reach. He was standing over me before I could go after it, his blade pointed directly at my heart. As he raised it to deliver the final blow, a pillar of air suddenly erupted below him. He was spun around and around before finally being launched through one of the portals.

Korra appeared above me. She looked a little worse for wear, and a little winded, but other than that she seemed fine. Reaching a hand down, she pulled me back to my feet.

"We need to get Vaatu back into the tree," she said.

"That will only put the problem off to whomever the Avatar is ten thousand years from now. We need a way to keep him imprisoned more effectively than that," I said.

"What do you suggest?" Korra asked, raising her own sword into a ready stance as Yusei reemerged from the portal he had gone though. An idea blossomed in my head, a crazy, insane idea, but one that just might work.

"I'm going to bond with Vaatu," I said.

"Do what now?"

"If I bond with him I can control him, keep him imprisoned within myself," I said.

"That is the most insane thing I've heard today."

"Ten thousand years and Raava has never once broken free of any of your past lives," I pointed out.

"True, but…"

"Good, we agree, one, two, three, break!" I said before charging toward Yusei without waiting for a response. Again, the white haired man was standing with his arms out, offering himself to Vaatu. As the Dark Spirit dove toward him again, I jumped in front of Yusei, holding my own arms out as I took the full force of the Spirit slamming into me.

It was like my entire core had been stabbed with a massive ice spike, cold and increably painful. My whole existence felt like it was threatening to rip apart. But I slammed down hard in my minds' eye, grabbing onto the new force with my willpower and refusing to let go. Behind me, Yusei raised his hands, prepared to use his own power against me.

The ground beneath the white haired man's feet suddenly liquefied, and before he could react he had suddenly sunk up to his neck. Korra wasted no time, bending the earth to pick him up and then slam him down again. After doing this a couple of times, she turned him and launched him back through the portal, ejecting him from the Spirit World a second time.

I struggled to maintain my senses as I battled the feeling of something foreign and strange that enveloped my entire being. Korra was talking to me, holding her hands out toward me. I focused on her voice and face, using it as an anchor to keep myself in place. It took a huge amount of effort, but I struggled forward, fighting both to stay in control and keep the Spirit of Darkness from escaping.

"You think you can hold me, mortal? I'm the one that broke the boundaries between worlds to begin with, what makes you think you can win?" Vaatu taunted in my mind. Despite that, the Spirit began to put up more of a fight as I got closer to the portal.

"Try and stop me, you glorified kite," I muttered as I plunged my hand into the golden pillar of light. Vaatu's scream filled my head as my vision went white. In an instant it was all over. The presence of Vaatu was gone, having been banished to the far reaches of my mind. I fell to my knees in exhaustion, relief flooding my entire being.

Korra appeared above me, a small smile on her face as she regarded me. It had worked. Our crazy, insane plan had worked. I returned her smile as I started to get back to my feet. Only for my eyes to go wide with shock as the tip of a blade erupted from her stomach. Korra's eyes went wide, and her mouth opened as if to scream, yet only a single gasp escaped her lips.

Yusei appeared behind her, a cold, calculated gaze fixed upon me. Without a single word, he withdrew his sword and slashed it across her back. Korra finally cried out as blood sprayed behind her and she fell forward.

"NO!" I screamed as I moved forward to try and catch her. Yusei reversed his swing, and pain suddenly blinded me. I cried out as I fell backwards, clutching my hand. The middle, ring, and pinky fingers from my right hand landed in the dirt between Korra and myself. Before I could move, the white haired man appeared above me, planting his boot squarely in the middle of my chest to keep me in place.

"I'm going to spare your life," he said, pointing the bloody tip of his sword directly between my eyes, "I'm going to let you live so that you can watch, and you can SUFFER for what you have done here today. Enjoy your victory, Ryou. Let us hope it was worth the price." With that, he was gone. I struggled to get up, my left hand clutching my right in pain.

Korra was clawing at the dirt, trying to pull herself forward. Where exactly she was going, I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to get to her. I stumbled and collapsed to my knees next to her, just barely managing to keep from falling on top of her. The gash in her back was bad, and she was losing a lot of blood.

"Oh gods," I moaned as I began to realize the extent of the damage.

"R..Ryou," she mumbled, her hand grasping at air. I took it and firmly held on.

"I'm here, I got you."

"N..not like t..this," she choked out. Tears, both from the pain and from fear of losing her clouded my vision.

"You're right, not like this. You hear me, Raava, it's not her time!" I said loudly as I pressed my hands to her wounds to try and stop the bleeding. There was so much blood that I quickly lost track of which was mine and which was hers. Despite my panicked efforts, I knew this was a losing battle. Both Korra and I were on the verge of consciousness, fighting to stay awake, and stay alive.

"HELP!" I yelled out with the last of my energy, hoping that someone, anyone, was listening. The last thing I saw as darkness took me was a figure in blue running toward us.

I struggled to pull the shirt on. This was what the two weeks since the end of Harmonic Convergence had been like. My body was weak after everything that had happened. Getting dressed was a chore. Walking required the assistance of a staff. I was healing, but the process was maddingly slow.

There was also the presence of Vaatu. He hadn't spoken a word since I had sealed the bond and imprisoned him inside of me. But he was still there. I could feel him, lurking just beyond the edges of my mind. A wounded and angry creature that had retreated to a cave to lick it's wounds. He was a problem I was going to have to deal with sooner rather then later.

Despite how bad I had it, Korra had it much worse. Her wounds had left her broken, both physically and mentally. It was thanks to the timely intervention of Kya, and the hard work of Katara that she was still alive. Alive, but bound to a wheelchair. At least, for the time being anyway. Katara believed that continues healing sessions would eventually restore her ability to walk.

With my shirt on, I grabbed up my staff and hobbled out of my small dormitory. Air Temple Island had a solum feel to it, like it was in a state of mourning. Given all that had recently happened, it kind of was. Out of Aang's three kids, only Kya and Tenzin remained, with Bumi out doing what he did best; going on a wild adventure.

When we had been brought back from the North, I'd ordered Bumi to take the Hong destroy it. If that should fail, scatter the orbs to the far corners of the world and make sure they wouldn't be found again. After enlisting Asami's help and gaining the full backing of Future Industries resources, Bumi had spent these past two weeks doing exactly that.

I made my way down to the docks, where a rather large steamer rested. On the dock, waiting to depart was Korra and her family. She had decided that she wanted to make her recovery back home in the Southern Water Tribe. There, she wouldn't be far from Katara for healing sessions, and she'd be much safer from any attack that might come her way than she would be in Republic City. Her parents were more than happy to welcome her home. Me, I had grown so use to having her by my side that I didn't want to see her go.

It was, heart wrenching to see her in this state. She sat in the wheelchair, a look of sad resignation on her face. Her gaze looked out toward the city skyline, and the mountains beyond that. She looked like a prisoner looking out from a cell.

"There's still a chance for me to come with you," I offered as I placed a hand on her shoulder. She reached her hand up and took mine.

"No. I need to do this myself," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said firmly. I nodded once. If she didn't want me to come, I would respect her wishes.

"I have a task for you while I'm away," she said. I raised my eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh?"

"I want you to find the white haired bastard that did this to us, and I want you to make him bleed," she said with venom in her voice and fire in her eyes. She was right. Yusei had to be found. He was still out there, licking his wounds, but no doubt preparing to put his next plan into motion.

"I will," I promised. I didn't know how I was going to keep this promise. I could barely walk, I couldn't hold a sword in my sword hand. But somehow I knew I was going to keep this promise, even if it cost me my final breath. Reaching up with my unbandaged hand, I brushed some strands of hair out of her face.

"I love you."

"I love you to, Ryou," she replied, and for a brief moment, her eyes held the spark they once had. I held my hand on her cheek for a little longer. It was time for me to walk alone again, at least for the moment, anyway.

I watched as Korra and the others boarded the ship, and then as the ship disappeared over the horizon. Taking a breath, I turned and hobbled my way back toward the Temple. There was still one last task for me to complete before I set out on my hunt for Yusei. I had to make absolutely sure that Vaatu couldn't escape me. There was only one way I could think of to make sure that didn't happen. It was dangerous, and it possibly meant sacrificing everything. But for Korra, and everything else I had grown to love, it was something I was willing to do.

As expected, I found Jinora in the library, silently reading a historical drama. I sat the Tome on the table before her, the noise of which gaining her attention.

"Master Ryou, what are you doing here?"

"We have a lot of work to do, Little One."

And cut. That concludes the first installment of Ageless. Now I had said that I was going to cover Ryou's story through the end of Legend of Korra, and I still intend to. Just with more changes to the plot line. I'll be sure to post an update when the next installment is released.

Now, as a fun treat, here are some production notes about this story:

The version of Ryou's name that was chosen means 'distant' in Japanese, a reference to his wandering habits.

Ageless is loosely inspired by the Yao Bikuni legend from Japan, in which a girl ate of a ningyo, became a nun and traveled, living for eight hundred years before finally returning to her hometown to commit suicide.

The story of the dragon people and Avatar Ban is a reused plot device from an older story of mine which never saw the light of day. The dragon people were more or less 'Japanese Vikings', which is what gives Kyoshi Island it's Japanese like culture and customs.

Languages that are all spoken or read are all real life languages. 'Dragon Speech' is Japanese, while 'Classical Air Nomad' is Classical Tibetan.

Several locations that Korra and Ryou visit are either named after or inspired by locations in the real world or other fictions. For example; the island of Fengbao Dao is inspired both by Lian Yu from Arrow and Yamatai from the first Tomb Raider reboot. Luo Chui is both a reference to the old Norse legends about Thor, and a reference to Hammerfell in the Elder Scrolls series.

Names of various characters also contained references. Takeko Nakano was a well known female Samurai in real life, while Ashe's name was inspired by Ashi from Samurai Jack.

The Observer was, quite obviously, based on The Outsider from the Dishonored series, as were Ryou's sword and his more mystical abilities.

Various songs have also played a roll in production. The overall theme song is 'Forbidden City' by Antti Martikainen. Other songs are 'Flight of the Silverbird' by Two Steps from Hell, for which the fishing boat and title of chapter sixteen come from. 'Shiroyama' by Sabaton, from which the town on Kyoshi Island draws it's name as well as the prophecy that foretells of Ryou's possible death.

So yeah, that was a few facts about the story's production. Hopefully you find that somewhat entertaining and maybe a little interesting. Who knows. I couldn't have done this without the support of all of you, and I look forward to seeing you all in the next one.

Long days and pleasant nights to you all.

Jack.