((Shorter one this time! Everyone's getting a bit battered and bruised, time for a rest...))

Jahn Alone:

The forest didn't seem to end. With every step, it seemed to grow slightly lighter but the trees did not give way. Lost in the spirit world. Surely he must be the first Avatar to have totally lost his way so quickly.

There were not even any spirits around to assist him. The forest was silent, eerily so, and Jahn was sorely tempted to just burn the whole thing down with firebending so that he could escape. He'd already ignited a small flame in his left hand, which he held out in front of him so that he could light his way.

The silence gave him time to consider the recent events that had occurred so quickly. The death of his mother, of course, saddened him more than he could bear. He could feel the guilt and sorrow in his very bones and he slumped slightly as he walked, the weight of his failure heavy on him. Jahn had failed to save his mother, both from the illness that had eaten away at her and also from the Red Lotus, who had simply finished the job. The only tiny sliver of a positive was that she was no longer suffering. Jahn clenched his teeth tight to prevent sorrow from overwhelming him.

The spirit had scared him. Properly, truly scared him. He'd never backed down from a challenge before but the spirit had wanted to make him run to the hills. It was one he'd never even dreamed could exist and the fact it was so personally linked to his past life had a profound effect on the Avatar. He'd been focusing solely on mastering the elements but had yet to consider the spiritual aspect of the role. Until now, when he'd just been metaphorically slapped in the face by it. Vehrin was a real threat and if it physically made its way through a portal, it would drain everyone in the physical world. The Red Lotus had given power to something they couldn't control and now even they are in grave danger. They may have killed his mother but it was his duty to save them all from death. Prison was a far better choice anyway.

Jahn was tired. Tired of all the decisions that had been made for him, events that had been forced upon him and most of all, tired of having the people he loved taken away from him. Admittedly, certain things had worked out quite well. If he had not been taken to the White Lotus compound, he'd not have learned firebending so fast. If he had not been imprisoned, he might not have broken out and met the Airbenders. If he had not lost his mother, he might still be in Republic City as a hostage. It was time to sort things out.

A light to his right distracted him. Turning quickly, his flame was extinguished as he bent two large rocks from the ground, holding them in the air in preparation for an attack. The light gradually grew closer, revealing itself to be a flame held by a portly, elderly gentleman who struck himself as familiar to Jahn. He had a kindly face and smiled when he saw the Avatar. "Hello Jahn. I seem to be making a habit of this," Iroh chuckled.

"So you knew Avatar Aang. What was he like?" Jahn asked, curious.

"Oh, he was a very wise and powerful Avatar. In the end, he became a very wise and beloved friend," Iroh said with a wide smile.

Jahn nodded. His connection to the past Avatars was still severed, despite Korra's previous assurance that it had been healed. It seemed to be broken forever.

"It's not, you know," Iroh said, looking sideways at Jahn. He seemed to know exactly what the young man was thinking.

"Not?" Jahn replied, confused.

Iroh nodded. "Your connection to your past lives was broken when Avatar Korra fought the Dark Avatar Unalaq. It should have been fixed once she reconnected with Raava during Harmonic Convergence but this was not the case. The Vampire Spirit Vehrin broke free from his prison here in the Spirit World and latched onto Raava like a leechworm."

Jahn shuddered at the thought. A spirit that could attach itself to other spirits, even ones bonded with a human, was a creepy concept.

"So the reason I can't connect with Aang is because Vehrin has drained too much of Raava's energy?" Jahn asked, frowning.

Iroh sighed. "It would seem so. You will have to stop the spirit if you are ever to reconnect with your past lives. Although, I would guess that Avatar Korra is always willing to lend a helping hand to you when you're in need. You have friends who are willing to help you, Jahn, even in dark times when you feel alone."

Jahn was about to reply when he looked around and saw Iroh had vanished. His mouth open in surprise, Jahn looked around but could not see where he'd gone. Iroh had said he'd lead him out of the forest but he'd just left him.

A huge noise startled him. Coming from beyond the next layer of trees, he rushed towards it and suddenly found himself out in the open, sunlight streaming down across a green field. Looking behind, he saw the forest as though it were leagues behind and Jahn quickly found himself stood in the middle of the field. The Spirit World worked in very strange ways, it seemed.

Two spirits were stood in the field, firing energy blasts at each other. Such a fight did not happen often and both spirits seemed ordinarily in control of their actions. They were not possessed or evil. Just angry. "Give it back! Give it back!" one of the spirits yelled. It looked somewhat like a cactus but had the face of a tigerdillo. Its voice was comically high pitched for its fearsome head.

The other spirit was larger, with numerous limbs and an eyeless face, covered in black and white splotches. It shook its head vehemently and fired another blast at the cactus spirit, which dodged and shot a number of large cactus needles back. The dual continued for a moment before Jahn decided to intervene. Maybe if he helped these two out, they could point him in the direction of the Republic City spirit portal.

"Hey!" he shouted, landing in between the two after leaping into the air with firebending. The ground became a small shockwave, which rippled outwards at the force of Jahn's earthbending. The spirits lost their footing as it hit both of them, making both trip and fall forwards. "Why are you two fighting?"

The cactus spirit looked up. "Not that it's your business, Avatar, but Eio-Ren stole my flute. I want it back."

The other spirit was sat like a dog on its haunches. Shaking its head, it helped up four arms as though shrugging.

Jahn pulled a face. "All this for a flute? You spirits have issues. Look, you, Eio-Ren or whatever, do you have the flute or not?"

"She does, she does!" the cactus spirit piped up.

"That's a she? Anyway, shut up you, I'm thinking," Jahn snapped at the cactus. "What made the flute so special?"

The cactus pouted, as well as a tigerdillo could pout. "It was given to me by a human of power. It had sentimental value."

Jahn scratched his head. He hadn't even noticed how filthy he was; it had been ages since he'd had a wash. He was covered in a healthy coating of dirt.

"Look, let's assume you lost it and Eio-Ren doesn't have it. How about I give you a new one? A flute from the Avatar must surely be a good gift?" he suggested tentatively. Being in between two fighting spirits was not where he wanted to be if it all kicked off again.

The cactus spirit looked haughty but eventually shrugged, needles scratching together. "Fine. You owe me one flute Avatar, I won't forget."

The two spirits glared at each other for a moment before walking off in different directions. The cactus spirit seemed to head off across the field to join a number of other cactus type spirits in the distance but Eio-Ren made her way towards a huge lake that lay behind a nearby hill. Following closely, Jahn smiled at the thought of a drink. His stomach grumbled as if in response. When was the last time he even ate?

The water was soothing and helped relax his muscles. Lying in the shallow bank, he closed his eyes as he felt the dirt slowly wash off. His throat was far less parched than earlier but the issue of food remained. Neither he or Jinora had brought supplies with them when they came through the portal. He hoped Jinora had gone back to the City by now. A lot of fighting awaited him when he returned but it would be worth it. The Red Lotus were clearly misguided. Although, the White Lotus weren't much better. Locking him up, fashioning him into what they thought the Avatar should be…that just wasn't how it was meant to be. Jahn knew that he was meant to find his own way as the Avatar. Whatever that meant.

The water around him was still and like glass, allowing Jahn to observe his feet. Wiggling his toes, he smiled as he considered how weird they were. Flicking his big toe randomly, the water around that foot froze instantly and became a solid block of ice that rose to the surface. Jumping at the sudden cold, Jahn splashed backwards and lifted his foot from the water. Something beyond it caught his attention; a small iceberg was floating towards him with a person on top. The man was waterbending his way towards Jahn, who became aware he was in his underwear and nothing else.

A gust of air alerted him to Jinora's presence. Now used to how quietly she could land, Jahn twisted round and saw her attaching her suit-wings to the suit. She looked a bit worse for wear, given the large burn mark on her suit. She made her way over carefully as the waterbender on the ice jumped off and splashed his way onto the bank.

Standing, the pair faced Jahn. He remained lying, looking at their feet. He wasn't really sure what to say. Jinora had stayed to find him instead of finding her family. He was touched. And ashamed.

"Jinora, I'm sorry. I-I couldn't control it. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me," he mumbled, bowing his head.

The airbender looked away, avoiding the sight of his underwear. Anik's gaze, however, suggested the opposite. "It's fine Jahn. Although you closed the portal. We're stuck here," Jinora said.

"Oh. Erm, sorry, who're you?" Jahn asked Anik.

"Anik Pallaya. Nice to meet you once you're awake Avatar. I've been helping Jinora out; you've given us quite a chase."

Jahn stood up quickly. "Jinora. I met a spirit. Vehrin. That's why I'm all the way here, it took me. It…it's what killed Korra. And made my mother ill."

Jinora froze. Her eyes were wide. She considered the impact of his words and immediately dropped to the floor, maintaining a lotus positon. Starting meditation, she tried to block out all thoughts except locating the spirit named Vehrin.

"Wait, Jinora. There's something else. It preys on the most spiritual humans too. I think…I think it's going after your family next."

Jinora heard, but her determination to find the spirit was so great that her astral projection burst forth and vanished, seeking out Vehrin.

Jahn and Anik stood there quietly, staring at the meditating Jinora.

"So. Erm. Not the best reunion I've ever been to. Not the worst though. That time with the mysterious iceberg, the rotten fishmonger and the floating polarbeardog probably takes top spot," Anik chuckled. "Hungry?" he asked, removing a package of food from his satchel.

Jahn span round. "Oh thank the spirits. I was so hungry that I was tempted to try eat that cactus spirit before…"

Anik shrugged. "Not the best idea. I've heard they're not that quenchy."