A/N: Sorry about the long wait! Uni work is killing me, but I am finally done! Here is a short thing to get the plot moving. I hope you like it! Will keep writing and update as soon as I can. Love you all!

Chapter 3. Vessel

Kai had been standing at the very front of the airship. Excitement had burned within him. He had grinned from ear to ear, full of expectations of this so called spirit storm.

In retrospect, he realized this was the only moment of happiness he got to experience during the entire journey. Korra seemed to have made it her life goal to whip him into shape, avatar-style, and none of Kai's old tricks seemed to help him get away. No matter where he went, Korra was waiting behind the next corner, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently.

On the third day, she had him do sit ups, while hanging from the railing of the airship. Naturally she did it with him, with additional weights. Tenzin had tried to reason with her, considering the dangers of the day's activity - a danger Korra did not recognize, seeing as, as she put it: "Kai can fly."

"86… Hnngh! 87… Hnngh! 88…" Korra's counting was interrupted by a groan loud enough for the entire airship to hear.

Kai fell limp against the side of the airship, hitting the back of his head in the process. His arms hung from his shoulders, dangling freely in the wind. Hanging upside down had never been less fun.

"What's wrong, Kai? Are you giving up at 88?" Korra asked tauntingly and took a short break .

"I gave up at 40, Korra! I can't go as quick as you," he answered in one long groan. He was starting to feel dizzy now. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because you show promise, and I'm not going to let you slack off," Korra said and started doing sit ups again.

"I'm not slacking off! I train every day," Kai argued. He reached for the railing, hoping to be able to haul himself aboard the airship. His abs screamed in pain as he tried to curve his body upwards.

"I know that you are a good airbender - hnngh. 93… - But exactly how much time do you spend training your mind?"

Next to her Kai was holding himself up with one arm tangled around the railing, in an incredibly uncomfortable position. "Is that what all these insane exercises are for? My mind?"

"I was aiming to teach you how to stay focused," she said and yanked him down again.

"Woah!" The back of his head smacked against the airship once more. "Ow."

"Sorry. Had to be done. Hnng! 95…" Korra said.

Kai exhaled slowly. He had a nagging feeling what all this might be about.

"Did Jinora put you up to this? Is it punishment for not being able to go to the spirit world yet?"

"As if Jinora is that good a schemer," Korra said and allowed herself to hang face to face with him for a moment.

Her short hair blew wildly in the wind. Her eyes were lighthearted and understanding for a moment.

"I'm doing it because I recognize the place you are at in your training. Meditation and spirituality is boring, because it takes time and patience to master, but it is still a huge part of being an airbender. And I think it would make your girlfriend immensely happy if you would actually give it your best."

Kai sighed. He allowed himself a moment to look down at the green fields and the shapes of the ground far beneath them. Pondering whether or not to open up.

"What?" Korra asked.

"Well, I…" Kai trailed off at first.

"I know how much she wants me to see the spirit world with her, but… I have tried to get there, I really have. But no matter what I never manage it. I'm worried I just might not be able to do it, and it just feels easier to pretend it isn't a big deal instead of showing her how hard I try. I…" he paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I just don't want to disappoint her."

Korra smiled at him and was about to say something, when a sudden shadow seemed to swallow the airship. The blue sky was replaced by thick, threatening, dark clouds. The two of them tilted their heads back. The entire landscape ahead was swept in darkness. It was like flying into the night, even though it had been a sunny day only seconds ago.

"We better get up," Korra said.

"Well, what do you think now, Tenzin?"

"Did you really bring me here just in case you got the chance to tell me I was wrong, Korra?"

The tension in the bridge was already sky high. Asami was standing by the dashboard, with hundreds of tiny lights flashing before her face, while Mako and Bolin were glued to the windows. Kai remained by Korra's side, frowning towards the windows. The sight was quite incredible, had it not looked so dangerous.

"The clouds are purple, Tenzin. You can't tell me that's normal cloud behavior?" Korra demanded and gestured wildly towards the darkness outside the airship.

"All I'm saying is that it is probably not a spirit storm," Tenzin said, finishing through gritted teeth.

"Okay you two," Asami said, while rubbing her temples. "How about we start planning our next move?"

Mako spread out an enormous map over the table in the middle of the room. Everyone gathered around it. Kai was standing next to Bolin, leaning slightly over the table to get a good look.

«There is a village on the east side of this mountain,» Mako said and pointed at the map.

The village was small. It was filled with wooden houses that seemed to have been standing for generations. The streets were decorated with trees and flowers. It was clear that in its prime, this village was very in touch with nature and its surroundings. Now, however, it was as withered as the flowers in the streets. The dark seemed to have drained the whole village of all life. There was not a soul in sight. Not even as the enormous air ship landed outside the gates, did anyone as much as peer through the curtains.

"Cheerful," Bolin said as they all lined up outside the ship.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Mako said. "I'll check if there's any other villages nearby."

"No, hold on," Tenzin said and held a hand out. He stepped forward and read the sign on the village gate. "Kai," there was something about the way Tenzin said his name that always made Kai feel like he had done something wrong. "Growing up in the Earth Kingdom, did you ever hear about a group of monks called the Seishin?"

Kai pondered for a moment. "The crazy spirit people?"

"Quite accurately," Tenzin said. "One of their temples is in this village. They have probably scared people away from the streets with this spirit storm nonsense. They strongly believe that doomsday will come."

"Well, you can't say they don't have reason to believe it," Korra said, pointing up at the grim cloudiness.

Tenzin eyed her impatiently.

"Maybe we should see if we can find anyone to talk to? Maybe we can find out what has been going on?" Asami suggested, squeezing in between Korra and Tenzin.

They walked up the main street. The temple was visible in the very end of it. It took them ten long minutes to walk up to its wide wooden steps. The temple was a master piece, with wines curling up along the walls and windpipes hanging from the ceiling, chiming in the wind. It also had cheerful inscriptions about death and ignorant mortals engraved over the door.

Kai clicked his tongue. "Right. I'm starting to remember what people said about this town."

"What did they say?" Bolin asked, leaning in closer.

Tenzin was already on the porch, knocking on the door for the third time. Besides him Korra was cracking her knuckles, ready to tear it down with brute strength.

"That they used to practice human sacrifices," Kai said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And that they kept the bodies in the basement for wayworn spirits to use as vessels to go back to the spirit world."

Bolin's right eye twitched.

«One question, though,» he said, holding up a finger. "How does a spirit get wayworn? Don't they just fly around? And why would they need a human vessel to go home?"

"I'm not sure about the details, man," Kai said and shrugged. "Besides, these people are completely mental. I don't think we should take them seriously."

"What is this ruckus?"

A thin, hoarse voice sounded from around the corner of the house. Everyone froze. Kai covered his mouth, praying to the spirits that none of the monks had heard him talk ill of them. Tenzin had to pull Korra away from the door mid kick.

A cloaked, old man, with a walking staff, waddled onto the front side of the porch. He was haunched over, and seemed to be struggling in his movements. Attached to his walking staff was a small lantern. It cast a gloomy, green light over his saggy features. He looked them all over. Kai got a glimpse of his glassy eyes and felt chills run down his spine.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am council man Tenzin of Republic city. This is Avatar Korra," Tenzin said and put a hand on Korra's shoulder. "We are investigating this strange weather."

"This is not weather, my friend," the old man said and looked up at the purple sky. "This is only the beginning. This might very well be the end of the world. You'll be the last avatar that ever lived," he said and nudged his staff in Korra's direction.

Tenzin tried to suppress a groan. Korra rolled her eyes.

"That's a song I haven't heard before," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Do you know where all the people are?" Asami asked, stepping forward.

The old man looked at her and then gazed out over the street.

"They have fled to the sacred temple in the mountains. Only there can they be safe from the Spirit Storm," he said.

Korra nudged Tenzin with her elbow. He snorted, completely unimpressed.

"So you have made all these people believe that doomsday is upon them in the shape of a supernatural event, that you have no proof is coming?" Tenzin asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"We have proof."

"Korra investigated the spirit world. It is in perfect balance," Tenzin argued.

"It is not caused by imbalance. It is caused by a spirt," he said.

"Why would a spirit do this?" Bolin asked.

"And how?" Mako followed up.

"It is lost. Despair has turned it into a dark, disrupted, spirit, and its energy is leaving this storm in its wake. This darkness will only end when it can go home again," the old man said.

"What's stopping it?" Korra asked.

The old man smiled.

"It needs a vessel."

A/N: Thank you for reading! I appreciate feedback as always, and next chapter will come shortly. xx