The Southern Water Tribe: Forty-three years ago.

"Are you ready?" Korra shouted across the barren snowscape while she stretched. On the far side, Mako was doing the same. The pair hadn't sparred since their pro-bending days. The difference now was that Korra was a fully realized Avatar and he was half-spirit.

Outside the battlefield was Jinora. Since she had the strongest connection to spirits, Mako had asked her to come along to observe. Hopefully, she could help him understand whatever had caused him to nearly kill two people. First, he needed to trigger it. A sparring match seemed like the perfect way to get his adrenaline going.

"Ready," he acknowledged with an affirmative nod and took an offensive stance.

Korra started the match with a barrage of fire-punches. He quickly absorbed each fireball with his own Firebending, then countered with his own attacks. They exchanged several volleys with both of them either deflecting or dodging the flames. Since he was adept with fire, Korra shifted elements. She spun around, turned the snow beneath her to water, and hurled the wave at him. He dodged to the side and countered by swinging his tail around, immediately followed by his leg. The twin waves of fire caught Korra by surprise. She probably didn't even know he could bend with his tail. The dual attack was effective with the tail flame too high to easily jump and the kicked wave too low to duck. Korra took a third option and bent a pillar of ice from the ground. To everyone's surprise, the blue flames effortlessly ate through the frozen barrier and hit her square in the chest and stomach. She flew backwards several meters before sliding to a stop.

"Korra!" Mako stopped his attack and rushed to aid her.

"I'm okay. Just a little singed," she said as he helped her to her feet. "I guess I wasn't expecting that. Ready to go again?"

"If you're sure you're okay?" Mako asked.

"I'm the Avatar Mako. I can handle a little fire," she remarked.

They continued to spar for over an hour with both of them quickly learning that his blue flames could eat through any element except earth. However, he wasn't waking his spirit half which was the real reason for the training. Korra was beginning to think Mako was holding back; afraid to release the "monster" inside him. She was going to have to play dirty. After dodging a barrage of fire punches, she bent a stream of air and cut his legs out from beneath him. As soon as he was face-down on the ground, she bent all the snow he was laying on into water. A loud yelp came from him as he plunged into the icy pool.

"Hey!" Mako shivered as he hefted himself out of the water. "What was that?!"

"C'mon Mako. I thought you could use a quick bath," she chuckled.

"Very funny," Mako grumbled in response as he wiped the snow off his arms and steam rolled off his clothes as he dried them with his Firebending.

"Let me help," she playfully offered, and bent a giant blast of air at him. Icicles branched from his clothes from any water that still clung to him.

"Knock it off Korra." More steam rolled off him as his temper flared.

From the sidelines, concern grew on Jinora's face as she silently watched. Mako's chi was fluctuating, becoming more distorted. If Korra kept pushing, he would definitely go dark. She wanted to stop them, but this was exactly why Mako was training. She was only there to observe, and help if possible, so it wouldn't keep happening.

"What? You wanted my help, so I'm giving it to you." Korra took another cheap shot.

Mako quickly dodged and landed on his ass as a spear of ice shot up between his legs. That was the final straw.

"That's it. I think I'm done for the day." Soaked and frustrated, he made his way back to the huts.

"Mako. You're the one that wanted to do this. You really need to figure this out," Korra stated sternly.

"I said I'm done!" he snapped in response.

Korra had known Mako long to catch the anxiety in his voice. He really was afraid.

"We're not done!" As he marched past her, she grabbed his tail and he instantly seized-up.

"Korra…Let go of my tail…" He glared at her over his shoulder.

There it was. The cold stare that she had seen when he was about to destroy the man that had sawed off his horns weeks earlier. She had cracked the jar holding his spirit half.

"Make me." She bent a small flame in her hand and used it to burn the furry tassel at the tip of his tail.

Retaliation was instant. Mako brought his leg over in a roundhouse kick of blue flames aimed directly at her. She pushed herself away with a blast of air as his heel smashed into the snow.

The bottle had shattered with the spirit half now free.

"You want to keep fighting! Fine!" Mako yelled, his voice carrying an odd cadence. A fireball, much larger than normal, flew from his fist. Korra tumbled out of the way as the flames crashed into the snow, leaving a huge crater. She was barely back on her feet when Mako charged her with the cold stare still on his face. It sent a chill up her spine. She hastily bent a wall of ice to defend herself to no avail. It shattered to dust when Mako's horns plowed through it. Ribs cracked when he hit her in the chest and sent her tumbling across the tundra.

"Mako!" Jinora shouted at him, but her voice went unheard. All she could do was watch as dark energy began to swirl around him.

Korra grabbed her aching ribs as she got to her feet. They'd managed to trigger Mako's "spirit darkness." The trick now was getting it to stop.

"Mako? Are you still there?" She cautiously asked as he bared down on her. He responded by swinging his arm down and sending a vertical wave of fire at her. She fought through the pain and rolled to the side letting the heat pass behind her. There was no way she was going to be able to bend his flames while he was in this state. Time to take it up a level. A white glow consumed her eyes as she went into the Avatar state. She spun herself upwards with a cyclone of air and out of his reach. Or so she thought. Mako's chest expanded and he exhaled a stream of fire into the tempest. The blue flames consumed the tornado like a ravenous snake to scorch her.

To escape the blaze, Korra pushed out of the twister using jets of flame beneath her feet. Mako's cold gaze followed her. He reached up with his hand and made a pulling motion. Her flames were instantly snuffed. Somehow, he'd managed to extinguish them even while she was in the Avatar state. His mastery over fire since he'd been cursed, was greater than she'd realized. As she fell from the sky, she bent a cushion of air beneath her to soften the blow, but she still hit hard enough to knock the wind out of her. While she gasped for air, she scanned the battlefield. Her eyes soon fell on Mako who was preparing for another attack, dark energy flaring around him. She had to get away. As she was getting back to her feet, another figure dashed onto the snowy field. There was a loud sound which caused Mako to stop dead in his tracks, and the dark energy that surrounded him instantly evaporated into the air.

"We are not monsters!" The figure snapped.

Standing in front of Mako, was Shizuku. The other woman had appeared from nowhere, and the noise Korra had heard had been her slapping him. Her hand was still in the air from her finished swing.

Mako stood stunned. "Shizu?" he finally said as he slowly turned to face her.

"Y, You p, promised," Shizuku finished, her angry scowl accented by her red-rimmed eyes. He shifted his gaze when he heard another voice.

"Are you okay Korra?"

Across the snowfield, Jinora was tending to Korra who was cradling her chest. Had he injured her during the sparring session? The scariest part was, he didn't even remember.

Present Day:

"What is this place?" Koji asked as they walked through the ruins buried amongst the trees. Vines clung to large stones that surrounded a serene pool of water, and small spirits scattered as the group wandered the area.

"It's an old spirit oasis. I got the location from some friends of mine," Mako replied as he started to clear away vines. There were still many such oases untouched by people for centuries, particularly around the Air Temples. "It'll be a good place for Ryu to try and connect with his past lives and maybe control those visions."

"It's so pretty," Mari said in awe. While she looked around, she documented what she saw in her journal.

Ryu lagged several paces behind everyone with Juji on his shoulder. The moment he had entered the area, he felt weird. Like something was trying to smother him. It was similar to his encounter with the spirit in the tea house, and he didn't like it.

"You okay back there Kid?" Mako hollered over his shoulder.

Ryu didn't respond.

He looked back at the teen. It wasn't just simple anxiety on Ryu's face. He was pale and, despite his angry scowl, Mako could see he was frightened. "Maybe we should go back…We can always try another time." He didn't want to force Ryu if he wasn't ready.

Ryu reached into his pocket and felt the pierced scale that he kept there. His secret reminder to get stronger.

"No. I can do this," he firmly stated and resolutely marched into the ruins.

"Alright Kid, but don't push yourself," Mako stated, then went back to removing vines.

While the others explored, Ryu looked into the pool. Despite the area having been abandoned for what looked like decades, the water was pristine. Not a single leaf or fleck of dirt sullied it. It was like a mirror, his face clearly visible on the smooth surface. Then, the reflection suddenly changed to that of a little girl with green eyes; her hair tied in a ponytail. He grabbed his head as it began to spin and his sudden outburst caused Juji to abandon his shoulder.

"Juji?" Koji pondered when he saw the agitated iguana parrot flying straight at him. It was rare the bird came to him. It trembled on his shoulder as it buried its head in his neck. A quick search of the area explained what had spooked it. Ryu was crouched by the pool and looked like he was in pain. "Sir! I think Ryu's having one of those vision things again!"

Mako turned from what he was doing and saw Ryu hunched over on the ground with his head in his hands. Clearly, the kid wasn't ready.

"Hang on Kid!" He rushed over to help. "Let's get you back to the truck."

Ryu shoved him away, and a terrified expression came over his face as he scampered across the ground.

"Who are you? Where's my mommy?!" Ryu yelled. Around him, the few spirits still in the area transformed into dark specters.

The commotion drew Mari's attention.

"Papa?" She nervously swallowed and clutched her journal tight to her chest. Above them, a shadow slowly swallowed the ruins, bathing them in artificial night.

"Kid, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." Mako tried again to help the teen but he continued to move away.

"Get away monster!" Ryu screamed. In response, the dark spirits flew at Mako in a flurry.

"Listen to me Ryu!" he shouted as he blocked his face from the agitated spirits. "I know you're scared, but your emotions are affecting the spirits here. You need to calm down." Suddenly, his concentration began to break. Ryu's unstable state was starting to affect him as well. He writhed and grabbed his head in a desperate attempt to fight the darkness.

I'm not going to be able to keep my promise to you Shizu…was the last thought to cross his mind before it was swallowed.

"What's that black stuff covering your grandpa?" Koji asked Mari as they watched the dark energy swirl around her grandfather.

"I don't know. I've never seen Papa like that," Mari answered. Her grandpa had his head clutched in his hands while his tail lashed wildly behind him. Whatever that black stuff was, appeared to be hurting him. "Papa?" Mari cautiously called to him.

The dark figure stopped writhing and slowly turned to them. Her papa was almost unrecognizable beneath the shadowy aura. It made him look even more like a dragon with large claws and glowing yellow eyes. Only his horns and tail were visible outside the dark miasma. The two teens had to immediately dodge, Juji taking to the trees, when he lunged at them. Scorch marks stained the ground where his shadow claws had barely missed them.

"Papa stop!" Mari yelled. Her grandpa responded by breathing a stream of fire at her. She was shoved out of the way by Koji who narrowly dodged the attack himself. They scrambled for cover behind one of the large stones as the blue flames strafed past them.

"He's gonna bake us!" Koji yelped as he cowered behind their shelter.

"Papa's not going to bake us," Mari said, trying to calm him. I hope. At this point, she honestly wasn't sure.

She dared a peek around the rock. Her grandpa had lost interest in them and was pacing in front of Ryu on all fours like a guard-dog, or guard-dragon in this case. Meanwhile, Ryu was curled-up against another rock, sobbing into his knees. Smaller spirits floated around him and looked like they were trying to comfort him.

She took a moment to assess the situation.

"Why did Ryu say he wanted his mommy? Isn't he an orphan?" she finally asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he's having flashbacks or something," Koji replied with a confused shrug.

"Or maybe one of his other lives is," Mari stated. Her tail wagged as the revelation hit her. "Ryu is the Avatar. Papa brought him here to connect with his past lives. What if he's doing that now?"

"But he's acting like a little kid. Was one of his past lives a little kid?" Koji asked.

"I don't know. But if I can talk to him, I think I can find out. We just need to get Papa away from him," Mari explained. They both looked over to where her grandpa was still pacing.

"I'm going to die aren't I?" Koji frowned when he realized he was going to be the one to lure the dark Fetchling away.

Ryu looked around and wondered where he was. All around him was a swirl of blue and purple energy that seemed to be suspending him in mid-air. He took a moment to think. The last thing he remembered was looking into the pool of water. Then he was here, wherever here was. The sound of crying echoed around him. Somehow he knew it was him but not him. He grabbed his head and tried to focus. What's happening? A reassuring voice drew his attention.

"Take a breath."

He looked up to see a brown skinned woman with blue eyes and grey hair floating opposite him. She was dressed in fur-lined boots, a blue sleeveless shirt, and baggy pants.

"Korra?" Although he knew her name, he'd never actually seen her. This was the Avatar before Mira. The one that the Chief had known.

"That's right. Nice to meet you Ryu," she smiled.

"What's happening? Where are we?" he finally asked.

"You know…I was never really sure," Korra answered with a slight smile. "I guess you could call it the universe's meeting space for Avatars."

"And it's just you? I thought there were hundreds of Avatars?" Ryu didn't know much about the Avatar, but he had heard that much.

Korra silently shook her head.

"There was…but that connection was broken after I battled Unaloq and the dark spirit Vatu," she answered. "It's just you, me, and Mira now."

"Mira…" Ryu recognized that name too. "I saw the water. She…" He couldn't bring himself to utter the words about her fate.

"I never connected with her so I don't know what happened," Korra frowned. "I do know that she's somehow managed to take control of your body and that she's out there right now, scared and alone."

"What do I do?"

"I wish I had the answer," Korra replied. "I wish you could reach back to all the other past Avatars and ask them for help but you can't. It's just you and me. We're going to have to figure this one out on our own."

Koji took a deep breath as he prepared himself to face the Chief. Cautiously, he peered around the rock to see the Fetchling still aggressively guarding Ryu.

"You can do this," he whispered to himself. "Mari's counting on you." That was his real concern, impressing the girl. He took another deep breath and stood from his hiding spot. Then, he stomped the ground, bent a small stone from the rocks, and punched it mid-air. It ricocheted off one of the Chief's horns and into the distance. The Fetchling's head instantly snapped to him.

"O, Over here freak!" Koji nervously shouted and sent a second stone barreling through the air. It broke through the dark energy surrounding the Chief and hit him square in the forehead. Blood trickled down his face from the fresh wound. Now Koji had the Fetchling's full attention. He made a break for it as the Chief came tearing after him at full-speed.

With her papa distracted, Mari carefully snuck her way to Ryu. Several small spirits growled as they tried to block her.

"It's okay little spirits. I won't hurt him." She reached out and patted one on the head. The dark energy around it disappeared revealing a tiny mushroom spirit. It bounced excitedly up and down under Mari's hand. "See. I'm nice."

Upon seeing their companion's reaction, the other spirits shed their shadows and returned to their natural forms. They cleared the path for Mari to reach Ryu who was still buried in his fear.

"Hello?" she cautiously called to him.

The boy sniffled before turning to look at her. Like he had done with her papa, he scooted away as soon as he saw her horns.

"No, no, it's okay," Mari began softly as if she were talking to a child. "I'm a person like you. I just look a little different. See." She gave the silver bones a good knock. "They're just horns. Nothing to be afraid of."

Ryu still looked unsure, his thumb practically in his mouth.

"How about this. I bet you like fluffy things." Mari knelt down and curled her tail around, putting the tassel close to the boy. "The fur on my tail is really soft." To demonstrate, she stroked the white stripe along the spine. That was enough to entice Ryu. He reached forward and patted the fluffy tassel.

A smile spread across his face. "It is soft," he said, and excitedly grabbed the limb to play with the fuzz. Mari winced as he got a little too enthusiastic, but the distraction allowed her to scoot closer to him.

"What's your name?" she finally asked, fairly certain Ryu wasn't actually Ryu at the moment.

"Mira," Ryu stated, still enamored with the fur.

"Mira. That's kind of like my name. I'm Mari," she replied with a sweet smile. "Mira…Can you tell me how old you are?"

Ryu held up his hand and spread his fingers.

"I'm five. Five years old," he said with a proud grin.

It caused a frown to come to her face. This Mira really was a child.

"Mari…" Ryu said suddenly. "Do you know where my mommy is?" She could hear the sadness in his voice, carried over from the previous life now possessing him.

"I'm sorry…I don't know where your mother is," Mari answered. He looked as if he were about to cry again. She wrapped her arms and tail around him to comfort him. How was she going to explain to a child that they were once the reincarnation of the Avatar and that their life was taken too soon?

Koji burst through the foliage with the Chief hot on his trail. He had remembered what Ryu had told him about the man not being able to make tight corners and was using that to his advantage zigging this way and that. As an added precaution, he was bending as much earth as possible between him and the rampaging Fetchling. Unfortunately, any walls he tried to create were quickly shattered to rubble by the man's horns. It was after he didn't hear the sound of his latest wall being destroyed that he slowed to a stop. He dared a look behind him and quickly realized he was no longer being chased. Where did Mako go? Did he go back after Mari?! He panicked and quickly retraced his steps. Soon, he found the man laying in the dirt, the darkness that had been covering him, gone. Cautiously, he inched closer to get a better look. The man wasn't moving. Another thought struck him. He's dead! I killed Mari's grandpa!

He grabbed the longest stick he could find and poked the body.

"Mako? Sir?" The stick flew from his grasp and he nearly jumped out of his skin when the man stirred. "Oh man! I thought you were dead! Please don't roast me!" He yelped as the stick came down and bounced off his head.

"I'm not dead," the man stated as he picked himself up off the ground. "And I'm not going to roast you." The Fetchling rubbed the cut on his forehead, taking a moment to examine the blood on his fingers, before he looked around. "Where are we? Are Ryu and Mari okay?"

"I think so. They're back at the pool," Koji answered. "What happened to you?"

"Later." Came the curt reply. "We need to get back there."

Koji quickly followed the man as he marched back to the main ruins.

At the pool, Mari and Ryu laid on the ground with her journal spread before them. In an attempt to keep him calm, she had allowed him to doodle on the pages. It was the only thing she could think to do until Koji and Papa returned. He seemed to be enjoying it, as were the little spirits that now happily bounced around them. It was only a hunch but hopefully, with Ryu calm, her papa would be okay as well. She looked up when the her papa emerged from the nearby brush with Koji.

"Papa, you're okay." Mari let out a relieved sigh when she saw he was no longer covered by shadows.

"Yeah. I'm okay too," Koji added with an annoyed frump.

"Of course I'm glad you're okay too, Koji," she replied.

They were interrupted by Ryu whimpering. Her papa paused, maintaining his distance while the boy shuffled away from him.

"The monster's back," Ryu whispered as he scooted behind Mari. Shadows began to shroud the ruins again along with any nearby spirits.

"Easy Kid…" Mako said as he took several cautious steps back. They couldn't have a repeat of earlier.

"It's okay Mira. That's my Papa," Mari said. "He's like me." She knocked one of her horns as a reminder.

Again, Ryu seemed unsure.

"Papa. Let Mira touch your tail tassel," Mari said, putting emphasis on the familiar name that didn't belong to the boy.

The mere suggestion caused Mako's tail to belt around his waist, and a stern expression crossed his brow. Even from her, that was no small ask. He didn't like others touching his tail without permission or good reason.

"Please…?" Mari insistently tilted her head towards Ryu who looked like he was about to cry anew.

Reluctantly, Mako brought his tail around, and it took all his will-power to keep himself from flinching as Ryu slowly reached out to touch it. Mari's theory was correct however, and the shadows disappeared as the boy happily played with the fluffy tassel.

"See. Nice," Mari smiled.

With Mira finally calmed, Koji was left to babysit so Mari and Mako could exchange information. The teen felt awkward babysitting his friend, who was supposed to be the same age as him, but did his best to oblige. All he had to do was keep Mira calm which he managed with some large marbles he had bent from nearby stones. All the while, Juji paced back and forth on a branch and glared at the boy, as if he also knew it wasn't Ryu.

Mari started the exchange and explained what she had discovered.

"Ryu told us once that Mira was the earth Avatar before him," Mako began after hearing the information. "She had an…unfortunate accident when she was a child." He didn't think it was his place to divulge the details in order to protect Ryu's trust. The boy was sensitive about his fear of water, and why he was afraid of it.

"How do we get Ryu back?" Mari asked.

"I'm not sure. We either need to find a way to reach Ryu, or he needs to find a way to resurface," Mako replied.

"Hey!" Ryu shouted into the void. "Hey Mira! You need to give me my body back!" Silence answered him.

"I don't think that's working," Korra said with a slight chuckle. He'd been shouting for nearly five minutes straight with no results.

"Ugh! This is crazy! Is she ignoring us?!" he griped.

"I don't think she's ignoring you. I just think she can't hear you," Korra replied.

Ryu huffed and folded his arms across his chest. There had to be a way to reach her. His eyes fell to Korra. This was his first time actually seeing her. Before this, he had only seen things from her perspective in his—visions! Maybe that was the answer. Maybe he could send visions to Mira. He closed his eyes and focused.

Mira was playing marbles with Koji when images flashed before his eyes. There was an egg abandoned in a nest, then a fledgling iguana parrot being fed fruit. Somehow he knew its name was Juji.

"No!" he screamed and clutched his head.

The sudden outburst caught Mako and Mari's attention.

"Koji. What happened?" Mako asked when he and Mari arrived by the pair.

"I don't know. We were just playing when he…she…they started to freak-out," Koji explained from where he had scooted away from Ryu.

Mira threw himself around Mari and began to cry. Mari had to work hard to keep herself from blushing under the boy's embrace.

"I saw Juji in my head," Mira said. "He was all alone and needed help."

Both Fetchlings were surprised by the sudden declaration. Mari gently pulled herself free to address Mira.

"Wait. You know Juji?" Mari asked. The iguana parrot had refused to go anywhere near their owner since this all began.

"I…I saw him in a nest," Mira anxiously answered. "All the other eggs were broken."

"Ryu found Juji as an egg in a nest," Koji corrected. "He told me about it."

The boy had to be trying to regain control of his body.

"Do you remember exactly where you found Juji?" Mako demanded as he stepped into the conversation. "Can you tell me that?"

Mira cowered from him.

"I…He was in a nest…I…" Mira stammered and grabbed his head again, the scant memories now jumbled. "Mommy?!" he cried out before he passed-out on the ground.

In the blue void, Ryu could feel the girl's concentration slipping. By forcing the visions, he'd shaken her hold over his body. Soon, Korra's image was replaced by that of the young girl. A confused expression was on her face as she scanned the void.

"Hey there," Ryu said as gently as possible. She looked back at him with sad eyes.

"Do you know where my mommy is?" It was basically the only thing she knew.

Another voice interrupted them.

"I can release her spirit from the Avatar cycle." A white, glowing spirit with a blue crest down its kite-like body, suddenly appeared behind Mira. Ryu wasn't sure its name, but he somehow knew it was connected to him as the Avatar.

"What will happen to her then?" Ryu asked as he looked at the frightened girl. Like him, she hadn't asked to be the Avatar and, because of her premature death, was now stuck in this limbo.

"I cannot say for certain," the spirit answered. "With any luck, she will return to the regular cycle of death and rebirth."

Ryu took a moment to think it over. It wasn't right to keep the girl's spirit trapped here. Especially when she was too young to understand. He silently nodded, then sadly watched as her spirit slowly dissolved into particles and faded away.

Ryu winced into the late afternoon sun shining down through the trees onto his face. Juji was the first to greet him. The iguana parrot happily squawked as it snuggled into his cheek.

"Hey Juji." Ryu gave his pet an affectionate rub on its head. Soon, everyone else gathered around him.

"You okay Kid?" the Chief asked as he helped him sit-up.

"I'm fine," he replied as he quickly wiped a tear from his eye. The remnants from Mira's departure.

"We were really worried," Mari said as she knelt next to him.

"Yeah. That was crazy man," Koji added.

"That Mira really had a hold of you," the Chief continued. "When you passed-out, I didn't want to pull you away from the oasis in case it prevented you from finding your way back. Nothing like that ever happened to Korra."

"She didn't know what to do either," Ryu dryly replied. "I had to figure it out on my own." He wanted to be angry. Angry at Korra for leaving him high-and-dry; for breaking the chain of Avatars that might have been able to find a different solution for Mira. In the end, he knew it wasn't her fault. He was just upset about the unfair hand Mira had been dealt. He shoved the Chief aside and picked himself up off the ground.

"I'm going back to the truck," he grumped as he marched back to The Rampage, Juji tight to his shoulder.

"Ryu…" Mari moved to follow him, but Mako stopped her.

"Let him have some time alone," he said as he watched the boy leave. "I think he needs it."

Mari disappointedly frowned, but did as she was told.

In the back of the truck, Ryu's head was a whirlwind of emotions: anger, sadness, regret. It wasn't fair what had happened to Mira. He sat on the floor and buried his face in Juji's feathers. He had no idea being the Avatar was going to be so hard.

He had composed himself by the time everyone else returned to the truck. He wasn't about to let anyone know that he had been crying.

Since it was getting late, Mako decided it was a good idea to camp for the night albeit, maybe not so close to the oasis. He found a spot several miles away, and soon they were in a quiet clearing with a small campfire snapping between them. Ryu remained quiet, his eyes fixed on the fire while Juji laid on his lap.

"What was that black stuff anyway?" Koji finally asked, breaking the calm.

"I want to know too, Papa," Mari added. "Is that something that can happen to me? Like when we were in that blizzard?"

Mako took a deep breath as his tail flipped behind him. It wasn't something he liked to talk about but, at this point, it was necessary. Mari deserved to know at the very least.

"What you saw at the oasis were dark spirits," he hesitantly began. "Spirits turn dark when they are overcome by emotions like sadness, anger, hate. The Avatar…" He nodded pointedly to Ryu who turned away, seemingly uninterested. "…is the bridge between humans and spirits. They can also influence spirits if their emotions are strong enough." He removed his glasses and stared into the fire. "Since I'm half-spirit, the same thing can happen to me."

"You mean Ryu turned you into that shadowy dragon thing?" Koji exclaimed.

That brought Ryu's attention back to the conversation.

"That thing is a monster," Mako stated, his expression deathly serious as he replaced his glasses. "When I'm like that, I have no control over what I'm doing and no memory of anything I've done."

"That sounds terrible Papa," Mari said with a frown.

"Fortunately, it's something you'll never have to worry about sweetie," Mako replied with a reassuring smile. Thankfully. With his explanation finished, he decided to call it a night. "I'm turning-in. You kids don't stay up too late." He went over and pressed his horns affectionately against Mari's. The equivalent of a good night kiss. "Good night sweetie."

"Night, Papa," she replied.

He climbed into his tent and was just getting settled when he heard Ryu outside.

"Hey, Chief?"

"What is it Kid?"

"Can I…uhh…"

He could hear the teen's frustration through the door. Even though he'd wanted some time to think, he wouldn't ignore the boy.

"Tsk…Never—"

Ryu went still when the flap opened.

"…mind."

The teen had a sullen expression across his brow aimed at the ground while Juji greeted him with the usual hissing and squawking. He ignored the irate bird to address Ryu.

"I'm all ears, Kid," he said. It was obvious the teen had something on his mind.

"What you said before. That whole darkness thing. Did I really do that to you?"

A heavy sighed escaped him.

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't in contr—"

"Don't give me that crap! I did it! And now Mira's gone too! Some spirit showed up and disintegrated her from the Avatar chain!" Yelling seemed to be the only way Ryu knew how to communicate his emotions. Mako was surprised however, to hear about what had happened with Mira. No wonder the boy was all twisted up.

"Kid. I want you to take a deep breath."

"What's that going to—"

A loud slap of his tail quelled the outburst, but it wasn't meant to threaten the kid. Like always, it was a quick way to get the teen's attention.

"It's a simple request Ryu," he calmly stated.

Ryu stubbornly folded his arms across his chest but did what he was told. That simple action caused his agitation to immediately subside.

"What happened to me, to Mira; you need to know it wasn't your fault," he began.

Ryu continued to stare at the ground but at least he seemed to be listening.

"The fact is, your spiritual abilities as the Avatar, far surpass anything Korra ever displayed. Just like everything else I've been teaching you, it's going to take some practice to get things right. Next time, we'll need to be more careful so what happened today, doesn't happen again," he finished.

"Yeah, fine…" Ryu said. "But at least now I know what to do to whenever I want you to get off my back."

"Don't even think it, Kid," he firmly replied. It wasn't something he even wanted to joke about. "Now go get some sleep."

"Sure Chief," Ryu said before walking away to his own tent.

Although Mako had told the teens he was going to sleep, he really just wanted to take a moment to collect himself. It had been a long time since he'd gone dark and he'd forgotten how terrifying it was. He could have easily hurt any of them and not even known it until after the fact. Even though Mira had been in control, it was Ryu's abilities she had been using. The sooner the kid learned how to control those abilities, the better.