((Hey all, just a quick heads-up, the end of this chapter links back to the start of the chapter. If that makes sense. It's quite a long one but one of my favourite to write so enjoy!))
Rise of the Red Lotus:
"We can't stop them! Retreat!" the man yelled, waving his arms wildly.
Grand Master Zukoh punched at a nearby attacker, blasting him back with a fireball. A whip of water flicked from the side but he did not have time to move before it wrapped round his leg and pulled him along the floor. Growling angrily, he swiped with his right hand, creating a line of fire that ripped through the water whip. Jumping to his feet, he noticing his attacker and fired a continuous stream of fire, prompting the assailant to flee.
"Get the Avatar out of here and to safety! We can hold them off! We ha-" he shouted before he was cut off. A huge chunk of earth had flown through the air and smashed into his right side. When the dust had cleared, Zukoh was motionless on the ground. The remaining White Lotus members stood defiant and attempted to clear a path to the injured Grand Master.
"Quickly, do as he says!" Tenzin yelled as he knocked down a woman with a gust of air.
"There's not enough time! We don't have anywhere to go!" Jinora shouted back above the noise of the carnage all around.
Tenzin pointed. "Into the portal! Now!" he barked urgently.
The winds were phenomenal and the earth literally shook under their feet. The spirit portal was nearby but a number of the enemy stood between them and escape. It was impossible.
"Dad, we can't get him there!" Jinora screamed, feeling helpless.
The look on Tenzin's face was resolute. "Attack! He'll follow! I'll hold the others off! I love you Jinora!" he shouted before leaping into the air. Landing on a sphere of air, he used the air-scooter to knock down several adversaries and cleared a rather haphazard path to the portal, fighting all the while.
Jinora, tears now streaming from her eyes, turned and began to circle her hands in a rotated manner. The air in front of her began to twist and form into a vortex, which steadily moved towards Jahn, who floated high above them all, raining all the elements down on them all in furious vengeance. Colliding with the Avatar, the vortex knocked him sideways, prompting the rage-filled glowing eyes to turn on her.
"We've got his attention, let's go!" Kai shouted to Jinora, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. Running quickly, they had to dodge numerous attacks from the enraged Avatar. Unknowing of who his enemies were, his wrath was unleashed on them all. Suddenly, the earth around Kai's ankle shot up and trapped him, making him fall into the grass.
"No, no!" Jinora sobbed, hammering at the ground which had trapped her husband's foot.
"Go Jinora! You've got to get him out of here! GO!" Kai yelled, tears now in his eyes, as he pushed her away with Airbending.
Linking eyes for a moment, Jinora savoured the sight of her husband's face before she turned and sprinted towards the spirit portal in the heart of Republic City. The Avatar followed her, tearing up the world around him as the Avatar State raged uncontrolled. Before she entered, she looked back for a split second at the carnage that had erupted so suddenly. Republic City was under siege, her family had been captured and-
The blast of fire caught her heavily in the midriff. She felt a burning sensation and then a slight tingling all over as she fell backwards into the Spirit Portal. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the sight of the Avatar in his elemental sphere flying straight towards her….
Earlier...
Jahn had been at the Air Temple for two days before the White Lotus had caught up with him. The very fact it had taken them this long surprised him and he had begun to think he had fled totally successfully.
He had been sat around with Kai, talking and laughing at the tales the Airbender had from the last twenty years. Having met Avatar Korra, Jahn had sought him out for a more distant view; Kai had not been as close to Korra as Jinora had been. Dealing with the emotional fallout of her death was proving to be Jahn's biggest challenge yet.
"Yeah, and then Zaheer apparently jumped off the cliff but could actually fly. Like, without a suit or anything. Crazy."
Jahn's eyes widened. "How did she escape?"
"Well, she gave herself up in the end but had to fight very hard for her life. Honestly, if it weren't for Jinora, the other Airbenders and me, I dunno whether she'd have lived."
"I thought Korra was a really powerful bender though. How did she not beat one Airbender with all the elements and the Avatar State?"
Kai shrugged. "Might have been because Zaheer was more spiritual than all of us combined. Except maybe Tenzin, he's pretty tuned in with all the spirit-y goings on. And Bumi, actually. Guess it helps when you had the Avatar for a Dad, huh?"
"And Korra had no children?"
"Nah. She was actually still young when she passed. It's something that Jinora doesn't like to talk about. She won't even mention it in front of Aana or even Ioran, but I told them anyway."
Jahn raised an eyebrow, which Kai saw and pulled a face. "At the end of the day, I'm their Dad. If they need to know something, I'm not gonna hold back from saying it."
Jahn nodded. "Korra told me to come here. To make sure you were all well. She looked only just older than me now."
"She was twenty-three when she died from that illness. It hit her pretty hard and we never found out what it was. Problem is, if it still exists, it might look different in different people," Kai said glumly.
"True. Hey, she didn't start to forget things and become weaker, did she? Like, have random spells of illness before she…?" Jahn asked curiously. His idea was not yet fully formed but he had noticed the signs.
Kai frowned as he thought. "Now you come to mention it..."
"AVATAR!" a voice yelled from behind them. Turning, the two men saw a number of White Lotus members stood around, hands raised as if wary of an attack. The woman that had yelled was dressed in the uniform as well but was clearly in charge. Her dark red hair was long and full, as were her lips. She exuded a strange aura, one of passion and seductiveness. Her eyes were large and wide and her skin was pale like a polarbear-dog's fur. Her complexion was marred only by the crescent moon tattoo on her right cheek that started below her eye and ran down her jawline towards her chin. "We've been looking for you. You've been a bad boy."
Kai stood up and approached the newcomers. "White Lotus, you're not needed. The Avatar is beginning his Airbending training here." His clothes were nondescript, not Airbender style. They fluttered in the light breeze as the White Lotus stood still.
The woman stepped forward slightly and continued speaking to Jahn, ignoring Kai completely. "My my bad boy, your breakout was impressive. You singlehandedly escaped the White Lotus. I rather think they're peeved with you. I'm not, though. I'm rather…impressed," she said slowly with a wink. Jahn blushed slightly at the sheer openness of her flirting. He couldn't remember seeing her in the compound and he would have certainly remembered her. "What's your name?" he asked with a strangely broken voice.
"Oh my name doesn't matter. Although call me…hmm…Scarlett. Yes, like the colour. Rather seductive, don't you think?" she asked, winking again. She was clearly enjoying herself. Smoothing down her robe, she highlighted her slim figure and turned to the White Lotus members. "Caught you looking Ta Lin. Naughty girl." Laughing, she turned back to the Avatar with a flick of her hair.
Kai pointed at Scarlett. "Hey, excuse me missy, but I just said, you don't need to take the Avatar." Jahn nodded and stood up, sensing the tension that was building.
Scarlett looked at the Airbender for the first time. "Well now, you're rather handsome. I like the hair. Well, Mr Handsome, we're not taking him back to the compound, if that's what you're worried about. We're not even White Lotus. Oops, there goes our big bad secret."
Alarm bells began to ring in Jahn's mind but Kai was already well ahead of him. "Then who are you? And why are you dressed as White Lotus?"
Scarlett sauntered up to him and stopped only when she was close enough to kiss him. "My my Mr Handsome, you're even better up close. We're dressed like this because we're disguised. Duh. And our group is one you've already met before." She turned away, swishing her hair into Kai's face as she walked back towards her group.
Kai's eyes widened in surprise. "Red Lotus!" he exclaimed with a gasp.
"Ten points to Mr Handsome! And unless the Avatar comes with us, we'll take down the White Lotus with all our sleepy-weepy agents from the inside." Scarlett's confidence was quickly becoming sheer arrogance as she revealed her plan.
Kai stood frozen, torn between decisions. He could fly up to the upper floors of the Temple right now and alert Jinora and the others, but the Avatar would be taken. But if he stayed and fought, the Avatar would still be taken.
"Why would I go with you?" Jahn said with a raised voice. "The White Lotus can defend itself!"
Scarlett rolled her eyes as if bored. "Yes indeed. Although, we have a special guest that maybe can't defend herself. A guest that we took into 'safekeeping' but really, we just took her from the White Lotus without those morons ever realising." Noticing the look on Jahn's face, she laughed lightly. "Well now, he's worked it out. I do love a bit of leverage. Want to come see your mother before she dies?"
Jahn clenched his fists so tight that his nails dug into his hands. More than anything, he wanted to attack these people; these evil people who had taken his mother. He did not know who they were but if they threatened her again…
"Fine. Take me to her. And then once she's safe, I'll do whatever you want."
Scarlett smiled slowly. "Well then, looks like we're going downtown," she said smugly.
Kai launched himself into the air.
"Why are you doing this?" Jahn asked as they walked through the streets of Republic City. Civilians parted to let the White Lotus uniforms through, bowing sometimes respectfully. They had taken a boat to the city docks and had walked from there. No help had yet arrived.
The uniforms were silent. Scarlett walked at the back of the group and none of the other Red Lotus members had identified themselves.
Eventually, the number of people they encountered dwindled and stopped altogether as they headed towards the Spirit Portal. The area surrounding it was still luscious and full of life, but the buildings around were shattered and broken. The spirits lived on the Spirit Plain and in the buildings around happily, welcoming any visitors and tourists that travelled to see the new portal. Today, however, White Lotus uniforms had blocked off a small area to the south of the portal and seemed centred around one building in particular. It was to this shattered skyscraper that they headed.
"Is that where we're going? Is my mother there?" he asked with a calm voice. Inside, he was bursting with anger and panic but forced himself to remain calm until he could escape with his mother. "Does Zukoh know about this?"
At this, Scarlett pushed her way forward. Grabbing the back of his shirt, she pushed him along. "Don't mention that name again. That man has no respect for anything and loves nobody but himself. We wouldn't dare have him in the Red Lotus."
Jahn sensed that he'd hit a nerve. She must have been rather close to Grand Master Zukoh at some point. "I bet you loved him but he was so boring and uptight about his job that he didn't think you were worth the time and then—" he began to say cheekily before he got a reaction. Smacking the back of his head hard, Scarlett knocked him to the floor. Her seductiveness had vanished; instead, she looked positively deranged. Her hair was messy and her face was so contorted with pain and anger that she didn't even look the same person. Igniting a fire in her hand, she held it out at Jahn, who jumped to his feet and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright alright, shutting up now!" he said quickly. Moving along, he smirked. At least he knew what kind of a bender she was now.
Once they reached the building, the darkness inside was palpable after the intense glow of the portal. A number of people were inside, all wearing either White Lotus uniforms or a similar one with dark red trim. These uniforms were less like robes and instead more like the jumpsuits that the Airbenders wore, making the wearers look like formidable combatants. They climbed a few flights of broken stairs before arriving on the fifth floor. Entering one large room that clearly used to be an office of some kind, they made their way over to the far window, which still had some glass in it. A man sat on a chair with his feet up on a desk. Stood next to him was a shorter woman who looked rather confused and upset. Her hair was unwashed and tangled and her face was dirty. She looked far thinner than the last time Jahn had seen her. That had only been a few weeks ago. The obvious maltreatment of his mother was painful to see and it took all of Jahn's self-control not to totally lose his temper. The man did not turn his chair; he just sat and continued to stare out of the window at the portal as they approached.
"Mother!" Jahn gasped as he ran to embrace her. Clutching her tightly, he felt her pat his back. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…" she muttered over and over quietly. It didn't matter if she was aware of his identity; the sound of her voice again made Jahn feel so relieved. As ill as she was, she required particular care, which she had clearly not received at the hands of the Red Lotus...or even the White Lotus.
"Why did you take her? Why do you need me?" he asked the man in the chair angrily. He did not move or even turn his head. Jahn felt slightly foolish shouting at the back of a man's head, so span him round forcibly by the shoulder. The man fell from the chair heavily and did not stir. Corpses seldom do.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Jahn yelled in shock. The Red Lotus members all laughed at his surprise, prompting Scarlett to step forward. She had regained her composure from earlier and had the same flirty manner. "Thought he was the boss? Aw, sweetie, he was just a joke. If you're looking for a leader of some kind, then you may as well stare at this beautiful face right here," she said with a grin.
Jahn stepped forward angrily. "Then answer me dammit! Why do you need me!?"
Scarlett pouted. "Aw baby boo, we only need you for your Avatar conversational skills. We need you to talk to some spirit for us and convince it to uphold a bargain. That's it."
"What bargain? What spirit?"
"Is this an interrogation? Keep asking questions and I might not play so nice."
"Miss Layim, there are Airbenders approaching!" a guard shouted as he ran into the room.
Scarlett raised a slim eyebrow. "Your friends? I'm sure they probably brought help too. My Red Lotus, the time for secrets is up! It's time to take this city! Tell everyone to reveal themselves and let's get this train rolling!" she said with a high pitched laugh. "The White Lotus won't last much longer," she happily muttered to herself.
Jahn took the opportunity of her distractedness and immediately leapt forward, kicking fire from his feet as he did so. Landing, he swiped widely with his right arm and sent a wave of fire at the group ahead of him. One woman sent a blast of air towards him, making Jahn dodge way off to the side. Scarlett simply turned and waved the fire away lazily. Her face was stern once more, her perfect faced marred by a frown.
"Oh boo boo, I told you NOT to misbehave!" she shouted, before slowly moving her hands in a slow dance like movement. The room darkened as sparks began to literally fly from her hands as she separated the energies. The lightning sparked and fizzled for a few seconds before she pointed quickly, releasing the energy.
The lightning flew through the air almost quicker than Jahn could follow. He watched with absolute horror as it collided with his mother in her chest, lifting her off her feet and out through the glass window. It felt like slow motion as he saw the shock on her face, the small 'o' of her mouth and the pain in her eyes, surrounded by sparkling glimmers of light from the glass. Within a horrible, fleeting heartbeat, she had gone.
For a second, Jahn did not react. Stunned beyond belief, he could not think. Could not react. Could not….
His eyes spluttered with energy and began to glow intensely. His fists were clenched so tight with the sheer pain of his mother's demise so raw, so powerful. He began to rise into the air slowly, a whirling wind forming underneath his feet. Any attempts by the Red Lotus members to drag him down or knock him away were brushed aside with one shaking hand. Jahn's anger was so full and intense that even the Avatar State was struggling to contain his fury.
Roaring loudly, he spat fire into the air and the winds became a sphere around him that smashed both the ceiling and the floor alike. Literally blowing up the floor they were on, Jahn burst out into the open sky above the body of his mother and the watching Red Lotus members. Had he been aware of his surroundings and actions, he would have noticed the Airbenders all landing heavily and engaging in battle with the Red Lotus members. He would have noticed the actual White Lotus arriving with Grand Master Zukoh at the head of the charge. He would have noticed night beginning to fall and the end of the worst day of his life.
Avatar Jahn did not notice any of this.
He was too lost to despair.