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Eyes of Gold:

"This world is vast and wonderful. It creates life and contains the most amazing sights. It provides joy and love and peace."

"Tsk. All things must come to an end. I am that end."

"Why do you seek to destroy what I build? Answer me this, after all these centuries."

"I…need their life. Their memories. Their souls."

"What for?"

"The hunger is neverending. Their memories distract…"

"Ah, you poor soul. You take their memories so that you can prevent yourself. I understand. And I pity."

A hiss. "Pity? We do not want your pity. We want to feast. Feast on all the tiny souls. And then the greatest, Raavu and Vaatu, so tasty."

"No, Vehrin. You must cease or you will be destroyed. We have always been at conflict, in one way or another. You perform a necessary task but your recent desire to consume all has corrupted the balance of our world."

"Balance? Balance the souls, so tasty sweet, take their memories and their flesh and become one with the world."

"…how many voices do you have in that head? How many memories that have been stolen from others? They're driving you to this insanity."

"Hundreds of voices, screaming in the dark. They want the end, but they shall…endure."

"You take their memories slowly, feeding like a parasite. You take their souls when they perish, as humans and spirits both do. Let them pass on, Vehrin. Stop your torment."

"Give back the souls? Never! Free as a bird, as a fly, as a spirit. Free to take all the souls."

"…then I am sorry, Vehrin. Your pestilence has taken too many lives. Even the Avatar fell to your corruption. This one shall not. He is protected."

The bat head swivelled. "You protect? You create, not save. Let this one go, Shaper."

"No, Eater. I shall not. I am sorry. Truly. I am sorry," the Soul Shaper said sadly.

Vehrin spread its wings wide. "The memories, the essence, are mine."

"Not for long," Jahn shouted, springing into action.

The story of Vehrin was one of sadness. Jahn felt a profound sense of loss as the Soul Shaper explained why the spirit had begun its reign of terror.

The Soul Shaper herself was one of the most interesting spirits Jahn had seen on his journey. She had originally been a mere silhouette, one glowing an intense gold that radiated joy. It was as pure a form as any spirit could achieve, but she had quickly chosen a guise to hide herself. The one she had picked was unfamiliar to Jahn; a young woman with brunette hair and dressed in water tribe garb.

Vehrin was originally as she was. A silhouette who could change form at will, the Soul Stealer had balanced out her work by taking the ill and doomed souls and passing them along to whatever force reincarnated them. Greed had overcome the spirit, however, taking a little from each soul; a memory, a feeling, a sliver of personality. This had increased until Vehrin stole more. Physical body parts, full lives, entire souls. All were taken by the Soul Eater. Why it had increased its rampant destruction as of late, the Soul Shaper did not know.

"I do, however, intend to discover that reason," the Soul Shaper concluded. "My estimation is that it simply cannot handle the sheer amount of voices in its head. Imagine, Avatar, all of your past lives talking at once, all of the time. Too much for any human or indeed, any spirit, to handle."

Jahn kept his eyes locked on the floor. Before he said anything, he ruffled his hair and wiped the exhaustion from his face. "I get you. Although the only Avatar I can speak to is Korra. The others are lost to me."

The Soul Shaper looked at Jahn with pity. "Ah, the Dark Avatar's work. I felt their souls vanish, as I do with all I help to create. No wonder you do not recognise this face. Kuruk certainly would have. I would dearly wish to speak to him again, to explain the hurt that he caused when he was last here. His vengeance for Koh was great indeed."

Jinora clearly understood all that the spirit had said but neither Jahn nor Anik had any idea. The names were familiar, but other than that, Jahn did not understand.

"So erm, great spirit, how exactly will you help us?" Anik asked, rather sheepishly. He'd tied his silvery hair back into a ponytail in traditional water tribe fashion but kept messing with it as though nervous.

"I was getting there, oh impatient one," the Soul Shaper said with a slight smile. "You were blessed by the Moon Spirit. I requested that she assist in supplying your soul with energy and she was most welcome."

Anik gasped slightly. His eyes welled up and he clutched his hands to his heart. "You spoke with Yue?" he said in wonder.

"Yue, Tui, names are trivial."

Jinora shook her head. "Does this mean that you create life? Are you where we all come from?"

The Soul Shaper cocked her head to one side and brushed a single hair from her face. "No. I merely create the energy that souls need to exist. The power you feel when you airbend. That was created by I."

Jahn frowned. "So you create energy and Vehrin feeds from it. If you try to fight it, you'll just be drained like everything else."

The Soul Shaper inclined its head slowly. "Yes. I shall confront Vehrin but you must physically stop it. Raava's power is still great; you personally have not been affected….yet."

Jahn stood up, prompting the lion-turtle to do so too. It heaved itself to its four great legs and rolled its huge front shoulders. "Time," it said in its deep, booming voice.

"How do we get it here? It's not like a huge bat spirit is just hanging around outside," Anik pointed out.

Jinora looked up. She had been staring at the floor, her chest filling with hope that she would soon see her family once more. "Bait. We promise it unlimited energy. And then we put an end to this."

Jahn nodded. "We'll do it on the cliff above. Although I'm not sure I'm strong enough. Last time we met, it was only thanks to Korra that I managed to drive it away."

The Soul Shaper flickered for a second but resumed her guise almost immediately. Smiling, she touched her two fingers to her forehead. "That, Avatar, is where I shall come in. I have already crafted an energy pulse similar to a soul's signature. Vehrin will be here soon, now that it knows where I am. Get ready Avatar."

"So, do you think I could get a drink of water? It's a bit warm in these shackles."

"Shut up. Thought you firebenders liked warmth anyway?"

Zukoh laughed weakly. "Well, when it suits."

The Red Lotus member peered through the door and observed the man chained to the wall. He was dressed only in a loincloth and the tiny cell must be rather hot, given how warm it was even standing outside it.

"Fine. I'll be back in a minute. Don't try anything; Miss Scarlett will be here to visit you again soon," said the guard, disappearing from view.

Zukoh inhaled deeply. His back was covered in burns, all half healed. 'Miss Scarlett' was not a pleasant host, it must be said. She was determined to find out all his secrets. He was determined not to give her the satisfaction.

He wouldn't have much time. Over the last few days, he'd slowly begun work on the chains holding him to the wall. Bit by bit, he weakened them with the teeniest of flames. No wonder it was so warm in here; he was making it so.

It would have to be now. He was so weak, but if he didn't make his move soon, he wouldn't have the energy to ever escape.

"Arrrrgh!" he yelled, his hands bursting into flames. The shackles began to glow with the intense heat but did not snap. Zukoh focused, his face screwed up in concentration. Sweat dripped down his body but he did not falter. The fires shuddered and began to change colour, glowing iridescently until they were bright white. He could hear movement outside the cell but he didn't stop in case they prevented his plan.

The right chain snapped, showering the wall with molten metal. His arm fell free, the fire extinguished immediately. His left wrist, however, was still bound, so he turned his head to focus on it.

The lock on the door to the cell clicked and the door flew open. The guard ran in holding a bowl of water but didn't have time to react. Zukoh immediately fired a blast of fire at the man, sending him sprawling backwards. More guards filled the doorway but seemed hesitant to actually enter. Zukoh inhaled and extended his palm in a downwards motion; a line of fire spread and covered the entire doorway in flames.

A figure stepped through the fire, unsinged and angry. Scarlett stood, her face wrathful, as she considered her husband, still partially chained but clearly attempting to break out. His pain would be even greater this time due to his insubordination. Raising her right leg, she kicked powerfully. The burst of fire was blue, superheated as a result of her rage.

Zukoh had a second to react. His choice in action was one he immediately regretted but could not change once he had begun. Sweeping his free arm in a zigzag pattern, he swiftly separated the energies and extended his arm sharply. The jagged line of lightning arced through the air, smashing the fire into wisps and continued onwards, striking Scarlett in the upper leg. She was lifted from her feet and twirled horizontally through the air, crashing into the other guards heavily.

The pain Zukoh felt was unimaginable. He knew that lightning was dangerous and not controlling it properly could kill him. His arm felt as though it was being electrocuted and his stomach churned as the chi backfired. After a moment, it settled, but his arm continued to hurt. Even worse, he was still chained to the wall and was too exhausted to free himself. Sighing, he hung there.

A crash made him open his eyes. It seemed to have come from a number of cells down. He could hear voices but could not identify them. A face finally appeared around the corner but did not seem to be Red Lotus. It was dirty and ragged, as he was. Another prisoner.

"Was that you? With the lightning? It hit the metal and short-circuited all the locks on the doors. I knew modern technology wasn't so good, should have stuck with good old fashioned keys," the man chuckled. Entering the cell, he looked closely at the chain on Zukoh's wrist.

"Hmm. We were all allowed to be free. Relatively speaking; we were still in a cell a few down from this did you do to earn this?"

Zukoh coughed. "Married the bitch that staged all this."

The other man looked startled. "Oh! Well, erm, unlucky? Anyway, try and lean away. I'll break that chain; looks like you've already weakened it as much as you can!"

Standing back, the man was still for a second before jumping into the air and slicing down with his right arm. A blade of air slashed through the air, almost too quick to see, and snapped the remaining chains. Zukoh fell heavily to all fours but raised his head, looking at the newcomer with the golden eyes so common in the Fire Nation royal family. "Th…thank you. You're an airbender. Do you know Tenzin?"

The other man lifted Zukoh up and supported him with one arm. "That old grump? Yeah, he's my father-in-law. I married his daughter Jinora. Anyway…" he murmured. Raising his voice, he shouted to somebody outside the cell. "Auri! Find us a way outta here! I've got some wounded guy here. We need to get him to safety."

Zukoh smiled weakly. "You're a good man."

Kai smiled back. "Nah. It's just what us Airbenders do. Helping out wherever we can. Let's get outta here."

The spirits were restless. They coiled around the Air Temple in droves, eager to see balance restored. The Red Lotus were bad, yes, but something else was driving them to battle. A force which threatened them all and made them forget their peaceful ways. Not since Vaatu had controlled them all had the spirits been this ready to attack humans.

Aana was frightened. She was also confused. The spirits had appeared from nowhere…or had they been here all along? Her memories were muddled. Leemi was here but she couldn't remember meeting the sky bison. Shaking her head, she hoped this cloud in her mind would pass soon.

There was a squeaking of the floorboards as Leemi rolled over. She kept one big eye on Aana, aware of her distress. Above, the great dragon spirit Qi-lóng was roaring at the sky, warning the city of the dangers to come. She knew that if the spirits fought, it would totally ruin the harmony that existed between the spirits and humans since Korra opened the…something. What was it? Erm…

Maybe she should meditate on it. Assuming the position, she inhaled and closed her eyes. Transitioning into the spirit world was easy; she'd done it before with her mother but always under her supervision. She had no idea where she'd come out now.

Clearing her mind was not easy with all that was going on. She felt the presence of all the spirits around, all of them. In all shapes and sizes, she connected with them; felt their distress, their fear and their anger. More than this, however, she detected another connection. One that was weak but was attached to them all. It seemed to be coming from nowhere. Maybe it was in the spirit world?

It was also attached to her. Stronger than the others, she felt its pull on her energy. Every minute, she felt just a tiny bit weaker. Focusing on this leeching sensation, she narrowed her mind to a single point and followed it back to its owner. The sensation was curious, like flying on her glider but so much faster, so fast that she felt herself stretch with the sheer speed.

Aana opened her eyes. The fauna signalled the success of her venture. She was in the Spirit World. At least, her spirit was. Looking around, she did not understand where she was. It was a forest of some kind but it seemed dark, as though the trees themselves were malevolent. It made her feel worried but also sad that corruption could affect all things, even the most ancient of living things.

A noise alerted her to the culprit's presence. It stalked from out of the dark on twisted insect legs, bouncing slightly with every step. The spirit scared her, but she waited for it to approach. In the spirit world, not everything was as it seemed. Maybe it would help her!

"Hi there! Sorry, I'm a bit lost. I came here looking for something that was making me poorly in the mortal world. Could you help me find it?" she asked politely.

The spirit stopped. It appraised her through milky white eyes and flickered a snake tongue through its tiny, needle like teeth. "Lost? You…feed. I feed. The tasty child."

Backing away, Aana was alarmed. "Excuse me? No, I'm not hungry. Could you take me to—"

The spirit unfurled two enormous wings, covering her in even greater shadow. "Take you? Feed. Take you and feed, yes. You're with me now Airbender. Your spirit is MINE!"

Launching into the air, Vehrin grabbed Aana, who screamed and punched at its clawed feet. The Soul Eater did not drop her but continued to ascend, climbing above the trees and soaring away. The final sound that the Parai Forest heard was the fading scream of the stolen child.

"So what's the plan? Vehrin gets here, bit of professional bending, trap the weirdo, then what?" Anik asked, pulling a face. A light breeze ruffled his silver hair, his ponytail bobbing slightly in the wind. The sea breeze was reassuring for the waterbender. At least there was water nearby, should they need it.

Jahn opened his mouth but couldn't answer. "Er…"

"Once the Avatar contains Vehrin," the Soul Shaper interrupted, "I shall strip him of his powers and we can return him to his imprisonment."

"And where would that be?" Jinora asked, dusting off her outfit lazily.

The Soul Shaper looked at the Airbender with wide, innocent eyes. "A place that no human should know of. If it was commonplace, it would be easy to free him once more. All you need to know is that the place limits Vehrin's power so that he cannot do this again."

Jahn considered this. "Bet it's the Tree of Time."

"It isn't. Stop guessing."

"Fog of Lost Souls?" Jinora asked.

"No. Stop guessing."

Anik squinted in thought. "Is it—"

"No! Enough of this. Vehrin shall be here soon. Avatar, what is your plan of containment?"

"Pretty much what Anik said. Hopefully I can stop it from flying away, so we probably need to take out its wings. Anik, you've got your ice. Maybe freeze it? If not, just try and drag it down to a lower level. Jinora, you'll need to distract it and generally block it from flying off. Any means necessary. It needs to stay here so we can bring it down. I'll use my earthbending when it hits the ground to trap it," directed Jahn. The others nodded, stretching and flexing, ready for the fight to come.

Jahn turned to the spirit. "Great Spirit, you will need to flee once Vehrin arrives. If it starts to feed on your energy, it will become too powerful, but if it arrives and doesn't see you then it may just flee immediately. We have to time this perfectly."

The Soul Shaper inclined its head. "As you say, Avatar. If the worst should occur, ask for my help and I shall lend you my vast energies."

Jahn nodded, smiling. At last, this would end. How the spirit was involved with the Red Lotus was something he was keen to find out. Justice would soon be his. For Korra. For Saraa.

"I-uh, just wanted to say to you both. Thank you. I know this is a terrible situation but I've never had the chance to be…well, this free. Travelling the spirit world. It's been dangerous but I've always been stuck someplace; Taku, the compound…" he trailed off, whilst Anik put a reassuring hand on his shoulder with a smile. Jahn returned the smile and looked at Jinora as he continued to speak, "I know this hasn't been easy on you but I never got chance to thank you. You didn't like me but you stuck by me, even after I hurt you by the portal. I was so upset, so hurt, but you helped me. Both of you."

Jinora looked at the floor and then slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "Jahn. I'm sorry. I treated you terribly because I didn't want living proof that Korra was gone. You've suffered so much lately and I haven't made that easier. I just miss my family and I'm scared for my daughter. But helping you was the only decent thing to do," she said, smiling but clearly on the verge of tears. She was such a strong character but Jahn had to remind himself that she was still very much Tenzin's little girl.

Jahn looked up as a shadow passed over them. His face settled into stony resolve. "You helped me," he repeated. "Now it's my turn."

They all braced themselves as Vehrin landed, its huge wings folding in awkwardly as it turned to face them. The bat head was just as gruesome as before but the addition of a snake's tongue was new. It stood quietly, facing them, until the Soul Shaper stepped forward. Vehrin rustled slightly, as if anticipating a meal.

"Vehrin. You've overstepped your purpose. You should still be imprisoned."

"Tsk. The world is too tasty to stay there. Too much to eat."

"You think this world exists only to feed you? Misguided spirit. This world is vast and wonderful. It creates life and contains the most amazing sights. It provides joy and love and peace…"