You know, one day I'll have an update on time. Guess that's what you get when you binge watch Daredevil. Review and all that jazz. With Varrick around, I tried to see if I could be funnier than usual. Whether you like it or not will determine the amount of presence he will have in chapters to come. And of course, I hope you enjoy it. :)

So this was what humanity aspired to have. Love. Happiness. Unity.

This was what he would rip away from them.

He watched with interest as the couple across from him entered their new home. The man said something witty to the driver of the car, as the woman held an umbrella to cover them as the rain batted down. They exited the vehicle with a smile and a tip, a sentiment worth sharing.

The man picked up the woman then briskly, ignoring her complaints as he carried her bridal style to the door, laughing as he did it. The female frowned but there was no contempt in her gaze, and she couldn't hold back the smile that broke over her face, even as the rain began to wet her hair and clothes. He carried her up the steps of the pathway, stopping before the door so he could tilt his forehead down and meet her eyes. They stopped for a moment, stationary and silent, before she lurched forward in an attempt to meet his lips with her own.

In the process, he slipped, and both figures crashed to the ground. She insulted him, called him an idiot, but she giggled as she did. And he got up immediately in a wacky fashion, almost like he was a stereotypical cartoon character, before offering her a hand up. And she took it, as they walked into their new home together.

Shin La didn't watch with malice. He didn't watch with adoration neither. He just stared at the door, still swinging from their entrance as the rain continued to pour unabated. This was what the mortals wanted. This is what they lived for, wasn't it? What they got up in the morning for, what they strived, hoped to achieve.

Why did it feel familiar?

Because he'd seen it before, that's why. How many times had he looked into a human heart and found this vision, over and over again. Each time, with a different person. Sometimes the scene was different. They would be walking alongside a river, or staring up at the starry sky. They would be sitting by the fire, or huddled up in bed. But always the love remained.

This was what Mako wanted with Korra. What Bolin wanted with Opal. What Zaheer had failed to find, that made him so angry when he mentioned it to him. They all wanted it somewhere deep within, even if they didn't realise it.

Shin La smiled.

The absence of something that made them so happy would correlate with the amount of pain it would bring. This was his goal. He'd told Korra that he was coming. This was what he was coming for. Others wanted world domination, or clashed with the world over radical ideologies. Ideals that were, in their eyes, worth going to war over. Worth fighting for.

Such was the nature of these beings. So caught up in how they should live, how they should function as a society that they failed to see it was pointless from the start. They could fight, they could die, they could inspire for all they were worth and still chaos would render it all for nought.

He would render it all for nought.

Walking across the street, Shin La followed Varrick and Zhu Li into their new home.

The steady beep of the hospital monitor annoyed him. It stopped him from getting sleep but it also interrupted his ability to think.

But then again, thinking about it was probably the last thing he needed to do.

Because if he thought about it, he'd go nuts. It was just incomprehensible to him. He was always the good guy, or at least he thought that. He'd never raised a fist towards anyone he didn't feel deserving of it. Mako was supposed to be the dark brooding one. Not him.

Opal was watching him, waiting for him to open up about it. She knew him, better than anyone at this stage. Better than his own brother. How did she do that? Mako had known him all his life. She'd only come into it a few years ago. And he was glad for it.

And then he'd nearly killed her. Nearly killed everyone he cared about. All because he wasn't strong enough.

Opal wasn't like Mako. She wouldn't make him talk if he didn't want to. And although he did, Bolin thought it better if he didn't. Talking about it would re-open the whole thing, leave the memories fresh and raw. And it would only confirm that it actually happened and that it wasn't all just a horrible nightmare.

"You didn't have to come here," Bolin finally said after a lengthy period of silence. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

She didn't respond straight away, instead choosing to put her hand out and lace it in his. "No, I didn't," she agreed. "But I wanted to. What kind of a girlfriend would I be if I left you alone to deal with this?"

Bolin snorted derisively at that as he leant back into the pillows of the bed. "What kind of a boyfriend tries to kill and torture everyone he cares about?" he said helplessly, disgust evident in his tone. She shouldn't be here, he thought. He didn't deserve her to be here. Not after what he'd done.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not the girlfriend of a shadow loving demon," she retorted, still watching him intently. "Kuvira nearly tore us apart. I'm never letting that happen again. The fact that Shin La used you won't change that."

She smiled at him then, reaching forward to brush a tear out of the corner of Bolin's eye. He looked bewildered, flabbergasted that she could be so forgiving. "How can you disregard what I did so easily?" he asked in disbelief. "I shoved a knife into my brother's back. I nearly cut Asami's throat. And I was about to kill you. I-"

"Did nothing," she finished for him. "You would never hurt me. You don't have it in you," she chuckled.

"But I did!" he said exasperatedly. "I was going to kill you. If you could see what Shin La was thinking..." he trailed off in disgust. "I can't describe what he wanted me to do to you. It's depraved. Despicable. And the worst thing is I'd do it. Because he was in control I'd do it."

"No," Opal insisted. "He would do it, not you. You can blame yourself all you want, but you're the only one who will. I won't. I'm just happy the man I love is alive."

He stared at her in wonder. He'd pinned her down, nearly killed her with his bare hands. No, you idiot, subconscious whispered. You didn't. Shin La did. She can see that. Why can't you?

Maybe because he was determined to see it that way. "It's too easy to blame Shin La," he said. "It's too easy to pin it on him. I should have been stronger. I should have been-"

"Bolin," she interrupted, with an annoyed look finally on her face. "Are you going to keep blaming yourself or are you going to hug your girlfriend? I've been giving off signals here."

This finally elicited a chuckle from the earthbender, and he did as she asked. Wrapping her slender form around his as tightly as he could. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, just as Mako seemed to walk by the door.

"I love you too."

They stayed like that for quite a while, caught up in each other. It was only when a knock on the door interrupted them did they come back to reality.

Korra's head popped out from behind the door, and though she knew he tried to hide it, Opal felt Bolin stiffen underneath her.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, even though the smile didn't quite reach her baggy eyes. She needed sleep and it was plain to see that she was ignoring that fact. "You seen Mako? He's not in his room. I'm worried about him. And we need to talk."

Opal waited for Bolin to respond, but then looked to him as a peculiar silence settled over the room. He looked... angry? Sullen perhaps. "We haven't seen him," she said to the Avatar as her boyfriend avoided Korra's gaze.

"All right," Korra nodded. "I'll leave you two to it then." And with that, she closed the door and walked down the hallway.

Opal rounded on him immediately. "What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?"

"You know. You didn't even meet her eyes. What's going on?" she said in concern.

Looking at her, he knew he couldn't lie. "It's stupid," he said, shaking his head as he spoke. "It's something she had no control over. I thought I was okay with it. Guess I'm not."

"What did she do?" Opal asked. She had arrived late after all. She only knew what happened after she saw Shin La about to kill one of them. She had no idea what had transpired before.

Bolin grimaced. "She had to choose," he sighed. "Shin La is cruel, Opal. He wanted Korra to choose which person he'd kill, Asami or Mako."

"And she chose Asami," Opal guessed, looking at him grimly. She couldn't help but be happy inside though as she noted that he said "he", not "I" in relation to Shin La.

"I don't know," Bolin shrugged. "Maybe she would have. Honestly, I think it could have gone either way. But ultimately it doesn't matter. As soon as she opened her mouth and I heard the beginning of Asami's name... I couldn't stop myself. It doesn't matter that she might have changed her mind immediately afterwards. The hatred just ripped through me. And Shin La felt it. Instead of ever breaking away from his control, the anger just solidified his command over me. And I... he nearly killed Mako because of it."

There was silence for a second, before Opal spoke up. "It's not her fault," she said, cupping his face. "She was put into a horrible position. Imagine you were in her shoes, and you had to pick between Mako and I."

"Oh, don't give Shin La any ideas," he replied. "I know it's not her fault. But that doesn't mean I'm okay with it. Things aren't that simple."

Opal couldn't argue. She could only thank the spirits that they were both still alive.

Korra's head ached. Normally, that wouldn't mean much. In her line of work, she often sustained injuries. A few cuts and bruises, a couple of sore muscles amounted to nothing. But this was different. This perpetual thud in her head reached into the deepest recesses of her mind and put them under tremendous strain, to the point that she had trouble with the ability to think.

She needed sleep. They all needed sleep. She'd left Asami dozing in the room and she was pretty sure Bolin and Opal would be getting some much needed kip pretty soon too. Mako should be asleep too, wherever he was. But she couldn't chalk this phantom pain up to sleep deprivation. It felt more... insidious.

She continued to walk down the hallway. Flashing images accosted her mind, her thoughts swirling around her conscious self in a daze as she walked. The dull thud of each step down the corridor began to creep into her mind more and more as she walked, until that was all she could hear. A searing sensation pierced her brain, and she couldn't figure out if she was becoming more aware or blunted. With her last remaining vestiges of attention she figured that she must now be staggering down the hallway as opposed to walking.

Korra had felt this way before. Recently. All contemplation within the mind started to drift as the Avatar's vision blurred into one and she was lost to the rolling waves of unconsciousness...

A figure caught her before she fell. Strong hands hauled her up as she found her feet. Looking up she went to thank her helper.

Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at him. Her eyes widened. It couldn't be...

Avatar Aang's stern face confronted her, his eyes tearing into her own. His lips made to speak and he whispered something, the words so light that she had to strain to hear...

Go?

Her feet gave beneath her.

"Korra? Korra!" Tenzin's concerned face filled her field of view as reality crashed back into her. "Are you all right?"

The Avatar looked at her arms, as she saw the airbender's hands steadying her. So it was him, she wondered. It was just Tenzin. She shook her head, trying to make sense of the vivid sight she'd just seen. Surely that couldn't have been real...

Avatar Aang was dead. Not just his body but his spirit too. She knew that better than anyone.

"I'm fine, Tenzin," she replied, as she gathered her thoughts. "Thanks. Just slipped there."

Her mentor's arching eyebrow told her that he wasn't buying it. "You were barely upright when I saw you, Korra. You could have passed out. How much sleep have you gotten?"

"Not much," Korra answered truthfully. "Not got much of a chance. I'm trying to find Mako. I need to-"

"You need to sleep," Jinora smiled, as she appeared behind her father. "You need to rest. You need..." the airbender trailed off. "Korra, are you feeling okay? You look horrible."

"Gee, thanks," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure it's not that bad. I can go without rest for a few more hours."

Jinora looked far more concerned than she did. "No," she shook her head. "It's not that. Can't you feel it, Korra?" she said, gesturing to the Avatar.

"Feel what?"

"Look down," Jinora ordered her. The waterbender gave herself a once over and looked back up with a confused expression on her face. "Properly look," Jinora emphasised, pointing to her hands in particular.

Korra looked down again, with more concentration this time. Sure enough, everything seemed to be okay. There were a few scrapes from last night, of course. A bruise had started to form on her elbow. But apart from that, nothing out of the ordinary.

She turned over hands, running her fingers over he palms. She felt fine. Her tanned skin seemed the same as always.

Then Jinora pressed her thumb into Korra's palm, and a vision overtook her.

It was dark. The hospital and Tenzin, everything around them had vanished. The telltale purple sky of the Spirit World was visible, but it was different. The gentle hue had been replaced with twisted black, swirling in the clouds above. And all the while, all she could hear was a whisper...

Save them.

Jinora, her hand still on Korra's palm, glanced at the Avatar in confusion. This wasn't right. She'd been to many places in the Spirit World. Not one of them had felt like this. This place gave her an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Every place had balance, for every place of helplessness there was an oasis of hope. For every sanctuary of peace there was a sliver of war. But there was no life here, no light. No balance. Only darkness and death.

Korra saw her lips move but no sound came out. The air around them felt thick, like they were breathing in solid matter. Her throat constricted. She made to wave her hand through the air and felt resistance. The feeling made her tired and sluggish. She turned back to Jinora again.

She saw the airbender's face screw up in horror. Saw the scream but again she couldn't hear. She could only use her eyes to follow where the girl was pointing.

Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. She knew this couldn't be real, that this was all a vision. But it didn't stop her from crying out.

Shin La's smile was so wide it could swallow up the world. He stood above them, laughing, the deep, mellow tone mocking them. Her friends were tied to posts, all gagged and beaten. Mako was bleeding from his shoulder. Asami had lost her ear. Bolin sported a bloody nose and a cut lip.

She ran to meet them, to stop the monster, but her legs wouldn't obey her. Gravity seemed to triple its strength and her whole body strained to raise one leg off the ground. The atmosphere reeked of decay and death, leeching and sucking the will out of her.

She ran but it was like she was in slow motion. She felt Jinora's thumb on her palm but the airbender had disappeared. As she came closer, she saw where she went. Opal and Lin, Tenzin and his family, her mother and father , they were all there. Tied and beaten to a bloody pulp.

And all the time the words SAVE THEM SAVE THEM pounded in her head.

She scampered up the hill, even as sapped as she was. She had to stop him. She had to save them. Save everyone she cared about.

Save them.

Crosses materialised all around the hill, some as big as the skyscrapers that adorned Republic City. Past avatars were stretched out on the crosses, crucified like some sacrifice. She saw Kyoshi on her left. Roku on her right. Aang, up there with all her friends.

The airbending avatar raised his head weakly. He mouthed something, and then he dropped, as all the world began to evaporate around her.

SAVE THEM.

"Hahahahahaha," Shin La laughed, as his teeth began to grow into spikes. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

SAVE THEM.

The Avatars vanished, all except one. Vines emerged from the ground as Korra struggled to get up the hill, a cross materialising around her. The thorns tore into her skin as she was pushed against the wood, as the cross rose higher and higher.

The one Avatar who remained raised his head. Judging from his attire he was an earthbender. The word NOAH was branded onto his forehead.

"SAVE THEM!" Shin La cackled below, as the world, the hill began to disappear into ash. "SAVE THEM! SAVE THEM!"

And then she was suspended in the air as her friends withered and melted into nothing right before her eyes. And she could only glance at the avatar beside her before she too was scattered to the rolling winds of darkness.

"You can't," he said. And then everything turned to black.

Korra jolted forward, which is a strange thing to do when you're standing. She nearly crashed into the two airbenders before she regained her equilibrium. "Ugh," she said, clutching her head, surprised when she found that her headache had gone. "How long was I out?"

It was only after she had opened her eyes and blinked away the grogginess that she noticed Tenzin was kneeling on the floor, holding his daughter's form. "You weren't out at all," he said, helping Jinora to her feet. "You just both stood there for a second, before she collapsed. What was that?"

Jinora groaned, rubbing the side of her head. "That was... nothing I've ever seen before," she said, before eyeing the mark on Korra's hand. "But I know what it is. I don't know how but I understand."

Korra looked down at her palms once more. There was no hiding it now. A small dark mark was on her hand, right in the centre of her palm. It almost looked like a bruise. "What is it?"

"It's the mark of Shin La," Jinora said gravely. "He might not have been able to possess you, but he still got inside. He's still there, somewhere. He will always know where you are, Korra. He will feel what you feel. He'll always be able to find you. And that vision... that won't be the last. We keep telling you to sleep and I... don't know how you're going to. And there's only way to stop it."

The ache in her head was returning. "I think I know how," she muttered. "I'm going to have to kill Shin La."

Mako set his jaw. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated harder, but it didn't matter. He still couldn't make sense of it.

Look again, his brain said.

We're looking, his eyes replied. It's really what happened.

"We're going to need the forensic guys for this," he said, turning back to Lin as he inspected the body. "I've seen a lot but this... what the hell happened to this guy?"

The library they were in was a mess. The Police had cordoned off the room in which the crime had occurred, but that hadn't stopped members of the public trying to get a look in. Not that they needed to gawk. Plenty of rumours had already sprung from the event that had happened that morning. Some were honest accounts of terrified people who didn't understand what they'd seen. Others were just civilians trying to get a piece of the limelight, speculating and coming up with wild theories on what could have happened.

"You know what happened," Lin replied. "Or should I say who? It's the same thing that manipulated your brother into stabbing you. I saw it last night too. Same thing happened to Zaheer as well."

Now that he was a few hours' dead, the boy's skin felt smoother. Like the body had given up trying and in doing so gave the skin a temporary lease of life. He wasn't like the librarian. He had been young, according to the security guard. A twenty year old turned one hundred in the blink of an eye.

"This could have been me," he said, his words to no one in particular. "It still could be me."

"It could have been anyone. And it will be anyone. Something tells me Shin La is not doing this just for fun," Lin said. Mako noted the word just. Because she was right. Even if there was a purpose behind it, he'd enjoyed it. He'd enjoyed taking someone's potential life, all the days they could have had and throwing them all away.

"You're right," Mako agreed. "He's not doing it just for kicks. He keeps talking about how he's getting stronger. This," he said, gesturing to the bodies, "could be how he's doing it."

"We need to get the word out then," Lin decided. "Put out an arrest warrant. No, what am I saying? That won't work. Call a press conference. Invite all the media, even the ones I can't stand. Everyone has to know. They have to be warned. Get a statement from the Avatar while we're at it. Put every guard on high alert. I won't rest until everyone in Republic City knows the danger Shin La poses."

"Good call," Mako nodded. "But what do we do now?"

"Simple. We go after him," Lin replied. Shin La had taken enough lives, and he'd barely started. She couldn't think about what might happen if he was allowed to go on a rampage.

"Wait-what?" Mako responded. "This guy is beyond anything the police have ever faced. He nearly killed Korra, and she's the Avatar. What chance do we stand against him?"

Lin had started to walk off as the bodies were being collected and brought to the forensics. "Right now, none. That is why I'm putting you as head of the Shin La Task Force, Mako. You've been inside his head. Or he's been within yours, the point remains the same. At this moment, you're the expert on Shin La. You have to know some of his weaknesses. You'll have a team under you. I'll even let you pick a few members. Report to me directly. From this moment on, you've got your own license, your own code to go by. I know you've got old contacts from your old life. Use them."

All of this was too much. "You're... I'm not a leader! The last team I was in charge of was the Fire Ferrets! Not a covert task force. I can't do this. I'm-"

"Listen, Detective," Lin replied, whirling back round to face him as he followed her. "I'm not saying that you're job now is to become a gung-ho on the line cop out for revenge. Your job isn't to take Shin La down. That's the Avatar's. Your job is to give her the best chance she can get. Either way, Shin La is coming. This is your chance to try and stop him. If you really don't want this, I'll pass it down to someone else. But I want you, Mako. Think about it. And think about it fast. I want an answer by the end of the day."

She stalked off again, leaving the young firebender standing stationary, his thoughts whirling in a blaze. He hadn't been lying. The last time he was properly in charge of an actual team was when he was captain of the pro-bending team. Ever since then, he'd either been a lone detective or a member of Team Avatar.

Then he thought about Shin La, and more importantly, Korra. He wouldn't just hurt her. He'd destroy her, turn everything that made her life good to venom. Suddenly there was no choice to make.

He ran after Lin. He'd do it. Of course he'd do it. He'd do it for her. He'd do it for Korra, because that's how he felt about her.

In the end, it didn't matter. He'd always do it for her. Always.

The dark presence watched them as they worked. There was certain poetry in their actions. Everything they did was in synchronisation. The way they moved, the gadgets they utilised. They fit each other well. Another aspect of love he couldn't bother to understand.

"Hand me the screwdriver, will you?" Zhu Li said over her shoulder to her husband as she tinkered with the button she was holding. "It's not configured right yet."

"No please?" Varrick asked, tossing it her way as he spliced together a few wires. "Manners cost nothing, my dear." He stood up, brushing his hands off on his shirt. "All right, try it now."

The workshop lit up as Zhu Li pushed the button. The generator the couple had been working started to hum as the blue glow it emitted started to light up the room.

"A nice contraption." The pair jumped as the voice behind them cut through the air, startling them out of their work. "Care to explain what its function may be?"

The stranger was dressed in black formal wear, his brown hair slicked back and his face pale. He flashed them a grin but it didn't look friendly. More like he'd thought of a joke and was chuckling to himself. Zhu Li however was the only one to think this. Varrick looked at his wife.

"Oh, I love this part," he said to her, almost hopping up and down in anticipation.

"Of course you do," she replied, rolling her eyes in sarcasm even as the uneasy feeling started to rest within her gut.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You like to listen to yourself talk."

"Of course I do!" Varrick gestured. "I already listen to myself think. It's boring when no one can look at you slack-jawed because they aren't smart enough to understand what you've said. Plus, everyone loves it when I talk. It means I'm about to say something exciting. Or incomprehensible. Usually both."

If Zhu Li had a weird feeling, then that doubled for the man across from them. He looked at Varrick with a strange glance of curiosity and concern, like he'd never seen a man act like that.

Then again, that was standard procedure when it came to her husband.

"Anyway, this little baby is what I like to call "The Varrick," the man in question said, showing off the generator the two had been working on. "Working title but I think it sounds neat. She, on the other hand... Couple's dispute. But you don't want to hear that! You want to hear about this! This sweet little thing is capable of making renewable energy, harnessing the forces of nature. No more coal mining or cutting down trees for fire. Natural source of energy. Way more eco-friendly too. No more pesky dust ruining the skyline."

The stranger seemed pleased by the answer. "That sounds encouraging. Humans have been polluting the world ever since they evolved from the animals that they descended from. It is nice to see that some actually care for the world around them."

Zhu Li didn't like the way he spoke. And she had to mask her shock at his words. Humans as a whole... never really found out where they came from. They had always just assumed that they had been around since creation. The fact that this man so casually dropped the information that they had evolved from a more indigenous species was... mindblowing.

It was a theory that she'd heard before. Some man from the university had said it to Varrick once. But to have it confirmed...

Varrick had picked up on his words too. And he was being unusually quiet about it. He'd noticed too how he had called them 'humans'. Like he was generalising them as a whole, excluding himself. Calling them human like he wasn't.

"Yep..." Varrick absently, before restoring his equilibrium. "What can I do for you? Social visit? Congratulations on the wedding? I've had both. Often at the same time. It's weird. I thought most of them didn't like me," he wondered aloud.

"It's called being polite," Zhu Li supplied.

While they talked, the stranger walked around the workshop, hands clasped behind his back. He studied each invention. Screens lay disregarded. Nuts and bolts littered the floor. Half built machines were everywhere and his tools were all over the place.

This Varrick was a very clever man, Shin La mused. Undoubtedly untidy, but very clever.

A silver gleam caught his eye and his phantom hand wrapped around the object.

It looked like a toy. "And what would this be?" he asked, interrupting the couple's conversation. "A children's toy perhaps?"

Immediately Varrick's face darkened. The man was holding something he wished he hadn't made. Shin La caught on to that immediately. "Nothing, my good man," He said, putting his hand out as if to receive it from him. He flinched when instead Shin La brought it to his face to study it. "Something I made a while ago. It's nothing."

"It does not look like nothing," Shin La replied, eyeing the invention. A switch at the back, to remove the safety measure. The section with six holes that clicked in and out of place. The barrel, with which the ammunition would be fired down. A comforter for it to rest easily in the hand. And the trigger, which would unleash the power of the weapon.

"This was made with purpose," Shin La mused, with Varrick being unusually quiet. "And this is no toy. This is a weapon, a very effective way of bestowing death. And you shy away from its presence. The inventor ashamed of his work."

Zhu Li knew what it was. Varrick no longer wanted anything to do with violence. Yet both of them were cautionary by nature. So they had made something small to defend themselves, something the world had never seen. Something they swore that the world would remain oblivious to.

"What is this, Varrick?" Shin La asked, as he held the gun in his hand.

Zhu Li had had enough. "Get out of our house," she threatened.

There was silence for a second, before Shin La laughed at her demand. "I will leave," he agreed. "But not before I know of this. This and many other things. And if you will not tell me... I have other ways."

Zhu Li thought she was used to seeing the impossible. She'd been part of a team that built a massive death fraught robot after all. But the only thing she could use to describe what happened in front of her was impossible.

The man grabbed Varrick by the throat, the laugh in his voice gone, his gaze turning cruel. And then he melted into darkness, oozing and crawling down her husband's throat. Varrick kicked and struggled but it was to no avail. He was helpless against the phantom.

For a minute afterwards there was silence, save for Varrick's ragged breathing. He knelt down, taking in bruised breaths slowly but steadily. Zhu Li tentatively put a hand to his shoulder. "Varrick?"

He reacted like a wounded animal at her touch, jumping away from her onto his back. His eyes were black as the night sky. Dark veins course just beneath his skin. But instead of smiling confidently, Shin La could only stumble around in a confused daze.

"What is this?" he said, his cold stare meeting Zhu Li's. He willed his arm to move but it rebelled, grasping the floor instead of rising up. "Submit, you insolent creature," he snarled. "Submit!"

Zhu Li couldn't believe her eyes. Her husband's voice had turned from the light hearted tone she was used to a rich, deep pitch. He was struggling on the floor, heaving like he was about to vomit, and speaking almost to no one in particular. He would glance at her but it didn't seem like he was actually looking at her, more in her general direction. Then, on shaky feet, he began to stand.

Unconsciously, Zhu Li began to inch toward the gun that had clattered on the floor.

"Well," her husband said as his voice turned back to normal. "That was... weird. Very, very weird."

Zhu Li was bewildered. "What... just happened?"

"Happening, my dear," Varrick corrected her. "He's still in here," he gestured, tapping his head. "Don't worry. I've sent him to the naughty corner."

That did little to explain it. "What?" Zhu Li could only say.

"What's happening right now is that this thing or 'demon' called La Shin... Sorry, Shin La is talking about how he's going to kill me and you," Varrick said simply, a strange smile on his face. "He wants me to walk up to you all debonair charm and threaten you. He says the more collected and sinister he is the more intimidating it makes him look. He's not very happy right now. Apparently his little possessing trick usually works. Performance issues, Shinny. Everyone gets them."

Zhu Li put her hands on her head, trying to wrap her mind around what he was telling her. "So that man is a spirit?" He nodded. "And he's inside your head? Like right now?"

"Yep."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Doesn't that concern you just a tiny little bit?"

Varrick made a face. "Oh terribly. Like the things he is saying right now. Tsk-tsk. Your mother would be ashamed of such language! Wait, do spirits have mothers? Never mind. Oh, now he's saying that he'll rip me apart limb from limb... Yes, Shinny, I'm doing it! You can't say I'm not being co-operative. Oh, you'll kill me if I'm not? How are you going to do that trapped in my brainwaves? Huh?"

Varrick was a strange, strange man. Zhu Li knew that. She loved it about him. But watching him argue with an apparent malevolent being inside his head... Strange to say the very least.

"Oh, don't mind him," Varrick calmly gestured to his wife. "He's only the Father of Nightmares. I mean, yes, he probably will figure out my erratic nature at some point. Or he'll just leave. Probably kill us both then because he's getting a bit testy," he shrugged, this time with a more concerned look on his face.

"Oh well, what can you do?" he said, lightening up again in a heartbeat. "I may as well have a look at him. Let's see, what do we have here..." he said, his face scrunching up in concentration. His expression began to turn to one of wonder as his eyes widened. "Oh my word..." he trailed off, for once at a loss for words.

"This," he said, still in stunned shock. "This is amazing. This... this redefines everything we thought we knew about the Spirit World! He's a work of art. I've already got the university eating out of my hand but they'll be chomping at the bit when they see this!" he shouted with excited. Despite the high pressure situation, Zhu Li had to smile. His enthusiasm was infectious.

But then he seemed to come across something not so fine, something not so wonderful. "Oh no," Varrick said, his grin disappearing to be replaced with a frown. "That's not good."

And finally Shin La had had enough as Varrick's eyes bulged as he wretched forward and vomited.

His sick was black. Unnatural. The gooey substance pooled on the floor as the inventor continued to empty his gut. His vision blurred and his senses grew hazy.

Suddenly, the black goo had disappeared from the floor. And there Shin La stood, seething with anger.

"I hope you had your fun," he quivered in fury, his voice low. "It is the last thing you will ever do."

"If it's a consolation, I'm sorry I got your name wrong."

Shin La leaned forward and grabbed Varrick's throat before smashing him into the wooden table. It buckled under his weight and snapped as the demon preceded to throw the sarcastic inventor around his workshop like a rag doll.

Tools went clattering onto the floor. Cracks began to appear in the wall as Shin La beat the man mercilessly while his wife begged him to stop.

"I respect you," The spirit said, as he hoisted the man up to his eye level. "Every single mortal I have met treats the world with disdain, without the respect it deserves. And no one, I repeat, no one, has ever managed to resist me without a host to defend them. And for that, I applaud you."

He threw him down towards his wife as he continued to speak. "But you know too much now. I belong in the shadows, and I will not allow you to expose me. Not to when I've grown so strong that I can physically interact with your world."

With shaking hands, Zhu Li brought the gun to bear as Shin La approached. She clicked the hammer back and the swish of the ammunition locking in could be heard by all. She stood in front of her husband, ready to fire.

"Get back," she said. Her words were steady, but she couldn't deny the quaver in her voice. She was terrified. "Get back!"

"Or what?" Shin La asked simply. "You will shoot me? That little toy of yours is powerful. I can see why you do not want the world to know about it. It can rip through flesh and grant death in the blink of an eye. But I am not flesh and blood. And your toys have no effect on me."

He moved forward but she stood unflinching, her finger inching towards the trigger.

"Because I respect your husband, I will allow you mercy. I will grant him a quick death, and I will leave you alive to mourn. Take your shot."

She obliged. And right before she did, she did something else that caught the demon by surprise.

There was a button on the side of the gun and she pressed it. The colour of the elements suddenly glowed down the barrel. "Incendiary!" she screamed.

The weapon heeded the voice command of its master. The elemental effect tripled the bullets power, giving it a greater speed and a bigger punch as it hurtled right into Shin La's chest.

The phantom screamed as he was engulfed in flame. The added effect of the fire seemed to amplify his rage, as he thrashed about on the ground as the gun brought him to his knees.

Zhu Li had no time for the spectacle however. "Come on!" she urged Varrick desperately, as he lay bloody on the floor. "We have to go!"

He coughed, blood dripping from his gums. "Somehow I don't think it will do us much good," he replied, gesturing wildly behind her.

She didn't need and invitation. She whirled around and squeezed her finger on the trigger again, sending another fiery barrage towards the ghostly intruder.

This time Shin La was ready. He grabbed her arm and thrust upward avoiding the bullet as it crashed against the ceiling. Then, with all the power of the bodies he had drained, he pressed down on the woman's wrist. With the awkward angle there was only one result.

Zhu Li cried as she heard a sickening snap and her hand went limp. She brought her other hand around to punch him but her fist passed through him as the gun clattered to the ground. Shin La pulled her forward before headbutting her in the nose, sending her crashing down alongside her beloved.

"You have no idea how good that feels," he said with delight. "Finally, to touch another being. To inflict pain with your own hands. Marvellous. Your resistance was futile. And in the end, what did it get you? I offered you a quick death. You should have taken it."

He stalked forward and the couple closed their eyes and clasped their hands together as they awaited the final blow.

...

...

It never came.

Zhu Li didn't dare to peek. The only thing she could hear was Varrick and her own heavy breathing. The only thing that she could hear was the drone of the radio...

Slowly opening one eye, she saw Shin La standing transfixed, staring at the radio. He was listening to it. His hands were again shaking with rage.

She concentrated harder on the words. Words that sounded like they belonged to Lin Beifong.

"This is a message to everyone in Republic City," she announced. Shin La was almost snarling, his teeth bared in a malicious growl. Zhu Li had only put it on as background noise while they worked. Now it appeared that it might save their lives.

"My name is Lin Beifong, Chief of the Republic City Police Force. This is a safety warning. Whether you know it or not, a killer stalks our streets, unlike any killer we have ever encountered before. Normally, such cases would be kept secret. We, the police force, would handle it, without causing a mass panic. But I believe that this is something you need to know. Something that you deserve to know. You have put your faith in us. Now we must repay it. By doing the same to you. This case is different. Because it is up to everyone now in this city to help capture him."

Shin La was almost shaking. His teeth had grown longer and his hands had grown into claws. What had started as deep, even breaths were now monstrous heaves. And all the while, he stared at the radio with utter hatred.

"He would wish that you remain ignorance of his presence. That he can blend into the shadows of the night and prey on the helpless people who do not even know of his existence. We cannot allow him that. This killer, Republic City, is not human. He is not just a rogue spirit who hunts in the darkness. He IS the darkness. He is the black thoughts in your mind at the end of a weary day. He is the nightmares that plague our dreams. He is Shin La. And he is real."

"He cannot operate in daylight. Not without possessing one of us. Trust no one. Avoid the dark corners of the city. The police force is installing a curfew for after dark. Lock your doors. Shut your windows. Keep your homes well lit. Because once he is inside, he will never truly come out. We will catch him, Republic City. We will find him. But we cannot do it without your help. He wants to strike at us from the shadows. We must shine the light on him and give him nowhere to run, nowhere to hide."

"He is here for the Avatar. And she will defeat him. The night is at its darkest just before the dawn. Once the sun goes down tonight, you know what to do. And if we all work together, the dawn will come all the sooner. May the spirits be with you, Republic City. Because this one isn't."

Shin La smashed the radio into oblivion, but it made no difference. The metal cracked and splintered but it was to no avail. They had all heard the Chief's words. And now, so had the entire population of Republic City.

They knew who he was.

They knew what he wanted to do.

And it was all because of that witch Lin Beifong.

He was so blinded with fury that he almost forgot about the couple still cowering beneath him. His former concern with them seemed so trivial now. He had worried that Varrick would expose him. He had seen inside his mind and figured out his plan. The result could still be detrimental if he let him walk away.

The gears inside Shin La's mind began to turn as he concentrated, even with all the rage that clouded his vision in a red haze. Yes, that could work. Let Varrick tell them all of his ill intent. Let them try to stop him. He would show them why they couldn't.

"Where can I found Lin Beifong?" he asked quietly, kneeling down so he could talk to them face to face at their level. When he got no reply, he couldn't control the stray vestiges of his true form seeping out. "Where?!" he snarled, as they flinched.

"Why?" Zhu Li asked. Her voice was small.

"Because I am going to kill her. That is why. Now, tell me where."

Zhu Li was scared but she was stubborn too. "No."

Shin La was not in the mood for her games. He allowed his fangs to extend, his jaw stretching beyond what any normal human could extend, like a snake. "VARRICK," his voice boomed, all humanity from his tone gone, replaced with only a beastly, hungry snarl. "YOU WILL TELL ME. OR I RIP YOUR PRETTY LITTLE WIFE'S HEAD OFF AND FEED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU."

Varrick was stubborn too. But there was no choice to make. He knew that. He told him the location of the police station.

With that, Shin La left, smashing the door down as he went. He may have been a ghost or a phantom, but Varrick and Zhu Li were under no illusions. They knew exactly what he would do.

They knew exactly who he was going to do it to.

Lin brushed her fingers on her forehead. She knew fighting and arresting criminals were a fatiguing exercise. Who knew warning people would be too.

The newspapers tomorrow would print her official statement and the streets would be filled with reminders of the threat they all faced. She had wondered if it was a good idea. Announcing to the world that there was a psychopathic, possessing shape-shifter out for blood didn't exactly scream 'subtlety'. And it could still cause a mass panic.

She figured panicking over a known threat than being preyed on by an unknown one was a better option.

The police station had long since been empty. She'd sent Mako home early, after he had arrived asking about the task force. She had a few favours to call in and a couple of officers that were suitable. She'd made a lot of decisions in her life and not all of them were good ones. But giving Mako this responsibility felt right. He had the personal motivation, a level head and an aptitude for leadership. Even if he himself no longer saw it.

He wasn't a bit part player. That was plain to see. He always did seem to be the odd one out in the little group the Avatar had. He would be able to flourish in a team of his own. Perhaps it was healthy to get away from her too, lest any unattractive memories or feelings sprung from his current romantic predicament.

She forgot how young he was sometimes. How young they all were. She'd been that age once. Now look where she was.

She was caught out of her thoughts as a breeze swished around her. Strange, she thought. She swore she'd kept the window shut...

Oh shit.

She bolted upright from her chair, only to immediately calm herself as she saw it was too late. Shin La stood before her, his hand on the window pane.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, a small smile adorning his face. "Sit down, Chief," he added mockingly. "This will not last long. We are going to talk. No one is coming here to save you. I have personally made sure of that. And when I am satisfied and I know what I want to know, I will kill you."

Lin narrowed her eyes and steadied her breath. If he wanted her to play his game, she'd play. For the moment.

"All right," she sat back down. "What did you want to talk about, demon? I'm sure I'll be fascinated by what you have to say," she bit out.

Shin La only smiled. This was going to be fun.

Seventh chapter, done. As I said, I tried injecting a little humour. Tell me what you thought. Thanks again for all the reviews I've gotten so far. You know they inflate my ego and well-being right? Until next time, dear readers. I hope you liked it.