I am the Avatar. I am the river through which all spirits flow. I am the channel for pain. I am the channel for hope. I am a shell. I am empty, I am nothing.

Those words were spoken by Avatar Yangchen, shortly before she died. Scholars have debated for ages over exactly what she meant by that cryptic passage, but in the moment of Korra's greatest agony, and her greatest sorrow, she understood. She had never heard those words before, but deep in the recesses of her primal mind, in the part of her brain that still listened to the vestigial wisdom left to her before contact with her previous lives was severed, she heard. She had not even seen an echo of her past selves for years, but she grasped the sentiment. She understood.

She was the passage through which the natural order of the worlds progressed. She was no guru, she was no saint, she was simply a scale that kept balance. In a way, she was less than human, and in a different way, she was much more. For a moment, when the pain tore her mind apart, she was nothing. She ceased to be an entity, and became only a catalyst. The fact that she was forced to step back from herself and let the hatred flow, that may have been what saved her.

She stopped begging for the pain to stop. She accepted it, she forgave it, she let it erase her.

Only a tiny, mindless speck of her remained, and from that small light, she crawled back out from the nothingness, back into the world.

The world was bright, too bright. Korra did not even need to open her eyes to see her surroundings—the glow pierced her eyelids and she saw clearly that she was still holding Asami. They were standing, clutching one another desperately, unable to speak or move.

A long black insect slithered at their feet, with no beginning and no end, twirling under them in a slow, deliberate circle. It was black as night and shining like some sort of living crystal. Korra knew instinctively that to stomp on it now would be an act of evil, so she let it twist under her, glinting silently. With each loop it made under her feet, Korra felt some of the lingering pain seep out of her body. After a set amount of turns that only the insect could count, it slithered away, its purpose apparently fulfilled. It curved itself elegantly away from them, leaving a glowing ripple behind it, as if it were skittering across the surface of calm water. Its thousand tiny feet carried it toward the source of the overpowering light.

It slid between two long shadows, and Korra's eyes followed its motion. She slowly realized that the pillars of shadow were the feet of two people standing opposite her and Asami, clutching one another in much the same way. Korra couldn't quite make out their faces in the bright light—but she could make out the man's wide musculature and the woman's long brown hair. For a moment she thought she was seeing her parents, but when the man turned to her, she could see herself in his eyes.

Kuruk smiled at her broadly, the kind of confident, lazy grin that water tribe men are so famous for. Korra mirrored it, heart filling with relief. The woman in front of him flashed her a glance, her beautiful eyes dancing. Kuruk turned her face back to his and gave her a brief, gentle kiss before shooting Korra a playful salute. Then he took his lover's arm and led her into the light. They disappeared into the distance, following the long black insect into whatever world lay beyond.

Korra looked back to Asami and smiled at the cyclical simplicity of it all. She was not the first rascally water tribe Avatar to find happiness in the embrace of a beautiful woman with long brown hair, and she hoped for the sake of her future selves that she wouldn't be the last. She couldn't help but follow Kuruk's example and lean in to place her lips on Asami's.

When they opened their eyes, they were sitting across from one another, in the spirit wilds, clutching at one another's sleeves, lips locked. After a while, Korra pulled away and looked Asami over. She seemed healthy, her face still remaining, untouched by plague. Except for…

Korra reached out an touched the mark on Asami's forehead, at the same time as Asami touched hers. They sat there for a moment, fingers laid on one another where their foreheads had made contact. They had matching markings where the blight had passed between them, a streak of black, hard and tough like obsidian. The scars were small, and Korra's bangs fell over hers, but Asami's shone brightly against her exposed pale skin.

"Are you all right?" Korra asked her.

Asami reached up and touched her black scar. "Yeah. I feel fine. Better than usual, actually. You?"

Korra could breathe clearly, she didn't cough, the weakness the blight had left in her was gone. "I feel… great."

They stood up and examined their surroundings. For miles upon miles, there were no plagued forests, no blighted rivers and black ponds. There was nothing. Everything living thing had been purged, everything had begun anew. The only sign of vegetation was the massive Tree of Time, untouched by the event, still and unchanging in its own dead bark.

Korra helped Asami across the rocks, away from the Tree, little Wan Shi Tong hopping along behind. Her heart lighter than ever before, but her limbs hung heavy with exhaustion. Her mind, too, was weary. "I think I've had enough of our little vacation," she said.

"Yeah. I feel you." They held hands as they walked down what was left of the road. The little plants that had withered between its rocks were gone now, vanished without a trace, and the world seemed oddly sterile. The plants were missing, the animals gone. The giant trees that had lined the road, gnarled with blight, were now nothing but suggestions of saplings. Even the ones that had strength enough to pierce the soil had weak stems that swayed precariously in the slight breeze.

"You know what sounds really nice?" Asami said, Wan Shi Tong perched on her shoulder. "A spa day. Let's do a spa day when we get back."

"That actually does sound wonderful. You have no idea the state my feet are in at this point," Korra said. She could do with a foot rub.

"What in all the gods' names is a spa?" the tiny owl asked irritably.

"It's… it's like a torture chamber," Asami said. "Where humans all gather and watch baby owls get fed to hungry cats."

"It is not!" the tiny owl cried, but not before a shudder went through him. He stayed mercifully quiet for the next few miles, evidently trying to convince himself that a spa was not something to be feared. Eventually, when they sat down for dinner, he said: "I will no doubt find out what a 'spa' is in my library. Then I'll prove that it's not some horrid ritual of owl murder."

Korra bit her lip. "Oh yeah, I suppose you ought to go back there. It is yours, after all, so you'd better get moving—a library needs a librarian."

Korra swore that in that second she learned what an owl's blush looked like. Wan Shi Tong glanced at the ground before muttering, "I… can't. I don't remember the way."

Asami laughed. "We'll drop you off there before we head back home, I guess. Korra, you remember where it is?"

Korra nodded. She didn't.

On their way to the library, led astray by Korra's horrible navigating, they came upon Iroh's old tea table under the willow tree. Except, there wasn't a willow tree anymore—there was just a table made of thin wood, standing proud and alone among the rocky wilderness. There were a few wisps of new grass growing at its feet, but that was all. Korra figured it was probably as good a place to rest as any, so she dropped her pack and sat down at the table, where she found a scroll.

It was folded in the traditional fire nation style, wrapped in a red ribbon with the royal family's seal on it. Korra picked it up, curiously, and broke the seal. She unrolled it and looked it over as Asami appeared at her shoulder.

"A letter?" she asked.

"Yeah. To us, it seems."

"I guess it's more personal than a telegraph."

"Things are a little old school here in the spirit world. Look at that calligraphy. It's so fancy I can hardly read it."

They managed, despite Iroh's impeccable penmanship.

Avatar Korra and Miss Asami,

It was such a delight and a privilege to have you as guests, even if it was only for a little while. Your determination and earnestness inspired me to keep vigilant for my nephew, should he ever follow the old blasts of my Tsungi horn. And what do you know, my practicing eventually paid off. I am writing you this letter because by the time you arrive back here, I will be gone. I suppose this means that both Zuko and I are dead, but I like to think of it differently. We are simply leaving the house of an old friend, and going home. We have both learned so very much, and had a great time, even if Zuko will insist otherwise. He has always had a prelidiction for melancholy.

I'm sorry that this letter will have to suffice as a goodbye, and that I wasn't able to witness your triumphant return. Although things were getting worse by the time I left, I have full confidence that you have pulled through. I'm sure that the spirit world is again a wonderful and beautiful place, thanks to you. If it so happens that where I'm going offers a good viewing window of the past, just know that I am looking back proudly. You have done well, in this life and the last.

Now all that's left to address is the future. Both you and Asami are so young, so full of life and hope and wisdom. I have no doubt that the both of you will make the world a better place to live. Just remember to be good to one another. Remember to forgive often, laugh often, and most importantly of all, to drink tea often. From what I've heard, the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se still serves the best tea in the world. Not that I would know.

Thank you for the visit, and thank you for all you've done. I sincerely hope we may meet again. But for now, take care of yourselves.

Iroh

"I want that," Wan Shi Tong piped up before they had even finished reading.

"What?" Korra didn't want to give this precious artifact to that petulant little bird. "No way. This is ours."

"I need that. I need it for my library!"

"No you don't. It's a personal letter," Korra replied, folding it and stuffing it in her shirt.

"Don't!" the owl screeched. "You'll bend it!"

"Well," Asami said. "Given that it is the last document written and signed by General Iroh of the Fire Nation, I guess it does have some literary value. Or monetary." Korra shot her a horrified look, but she shrugged. "I'm just kidding."

"P… please?" Wan Shi Tong asked, as if the word hurt him. "Please, I don't know if my library is empty, or if it's been destroyed by the plague. I need something to read. I need something to read or I'll die!"

"That's a little dramatic," Korra laughed.

"Have some sympathy for the guy," Asami said. "Have you ever been stuck somewhere alone with nothing to read? It's horrible."

Korra sighed. "Fine." She had taken to heart its contents anyway—she wasn't sure she'd be able to forget them anytime soon. She handed the little letter to the bird, and he took it carefully in his beak. He did not let it go, not until they arrived at the inverted library. Wan Shi Tong hopped off Asami's shoulder and onto the ground. He only put the letter down to begrudgingly thank them for their service.

"I suppose I will see you again, should you come visit," he said.

"Sure thing, little bird," Korra smiled. She then learned how owls sighed.

"You'd better fly on up there, then," she said, not without a hint of schadenfreude. When the little owl shot her an indignant look, she laughed. "All right, then, hold onto that letter and I'll help you up." He gripped the letter in his beak and Korra punched upward, sending a whirl of air under his tiny wings, and he flew up like a miniature, fluffy cannonball, little feet kicking, wings twitching. Korra saw him land on a broad windowsill high above her.

He put the letter down and only came up to the window to shout at her. "I wasn't ready! You tried to kill me!"

Korra smiled and took Asami's arm, leading her away from the library and the squeaks of the infuriated fledgling.

When they arrived at the portal, it hardly seemed real. They looked at each other, and Korra reached out to touch the mark on Asami's forehead.

"Weird, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I guess nobody escapes these sorts of experiences without a couple scars. We're just lucky to have matching ones."

"What are we going to tell the others? When we get back home, I mean."

Korra shrugged. "Nothing at all, if you don't want to. After all, what they don't know won't hurt them. If Tenzin heard about what was happened to us down here he'd have a heart attack. I don't want to be responsible for killing him."

Asami laughed. "But how are we going to explain the marks?"

Korra took her hand. "We don't need to. Odd things happen in the spirit world all the time."

Asami leaned in and kissed her cheek. "They do, don't they?"

"Let's go home."

"Let's."