Okay, this is going to be a collection of various moments between the last chapter and the end of Book 3. It will help show how Vader's rampage affected the world. And set up how Korra comes to meet him. We also get our first glimpse of Kuvira's development here, as well.
Two years after the death of his father, Tenzin was walking to the Republic Council when he saw Bumi. Surprised, as around this time of year he would normally be in the Fire Nation with his wife and son, Tenzin approached.
"Hi, little brother," he said, noticeably downcast as opposed to humorous like he usually was. Though, his cheerfulness hadn't been as noticeable since their father's murder.
"Bumi, you're off duty right now," he noted. After Bumi's injury, he had been offered an early retirement, but the oldest son of the Avatar refused to let the Obsidian Knight take his career as well as his father and uncle from him.
"You still have nightmares about that night, Tenzin?" Bumi asked.
"Sometimes," he answered.
"I've been having them for a while," he said. "I've been staying in the guest house for a couple months. And last week, I gave Iroh a black eye, thinking it was Him." Tenzin was shocked, he hadn't heard things had gotten that bad. "He's the same age his grandfather was when his own father struck him in the eye. I'm a danger to them, Tenzin. I need to stay away."
"Bumi, if you need help, I can teach you Air Nomad meditation," Tenzin told his big brother. "And you need to stay in touch with Izumi. You're not the only one affected by that night."
"I'll...I will try," Bumi replied.
At the same time in the North Pole, Unalaq was meeting with Zaheer and the other three Red Lotus leaders. Being anarchists, they preferred to be called guides as opposed to leaders, but a lizard was still a reptile. Unalaq had been studying the remaining crystal ever since the death of the Avatar but only now was he confident enough to attempt using it.
"So, this crystal is going to open a door to the spirit world?" asked Ghazan. The Earthbender had grown up stealing on Whale Tail Island alongside Zaheer, since the wretched nobility left nothing for the rest of the people.
"If the Obsidian Knight's emergence has shown anything," Unalaq stated, "it is that there are doors to many worlds."
"So, it's not a way to the spirit world?" remarked Ming-Hua. The armless Waterbender had always been shunned for her birth defect before meeting Ghazan and Zaheer.
"We're not sure," P'Li explained. The giantess with the third eye tattoo was a child slave whose explosive form of Firebending made her a valuable asset to the Sandbender warlord that Zaheer had rescued her from. "There are many doors, but it is just a key."
"A key to a specific door," Zaheer added. "Hopefully, this will be the door to releasing Vaatu, and returning to the age of holy chaos." Unalaq smiled internally, he had so successfully fooled these four. He would not just be freeing Vaatu, the mightiest spirit of them all, he would be merging with the great spirit and becoming the Avatar of Darkness, in opposition to the Avatar of Light, empowered by Vaatu's opposite, Raava. After that, everyone, human or spirit, would have no choice but to worship him endlessly. Of course, as chaos was the ultimate source of freedom, Zaheer and his friends didn't even consider that a possibility.
As the crystal was lifted out of its lead box, Unalaq began his Spiritbending. It was the only thing that could calm, or corrupt, a spirit into doing what he wanted, and it was the only thing that could affect the crystal. After a moment, a green beam shot out of it and formed a green portal in front of them. After a moment's hesitation, the five walked through. They immediately found themselves amidst a grassy plain, the sun was high in the sky, and the land was rather dry.
"Is this the Spirit World?" asked Ghazan.
"No," Zaheer noted sadly. "In fact, I don't know what world this is." Just then, they saw many rolling balls, the size of a grown man, barreling toward them. They erupted out of their balls, revealing themselves to be bizarre frog-like creatures. Their arms were twice as long as their legs, and there was no neck separating the head from the body. The entire body was oval-shaped, with the face at the top. Their skin was yellow and soft on their chests, but their backs were hard and scaly, with a mix between grey and black stripes as their coloration. And all of them had wooden spears and clubs. As they shouted in an indecipherable war cry, they tossed their spears at the five visitors.
Moving quickly, Unalaq Waterbent an ice shield to stop them. Ming-Hua outstretched her water arms and thrashed two of them together. P'Li inhaled and sent forth a blast of her Combustionbending, as her advanced Firebending style was called. Three more of the strange creatures were ripped to shreds by the explosion, while Ghazan used his Lavabending on some of the Earth in front of them and covered the strange creatures with it, setting them aflame. As the rest of these strange beings ran, the five went back through the portal, and Unalaq closed it behind them.
"Well, looks like we aren't getting to Vaatu that way," Ghazan quipped. "Shall we toss this into the sea, just like the wreck we got it from?"
"No," Zaheer said, placing the crystal back in its case with his gloved hands. "It might still be useful."
Five and a half years after the death of Avatar Aang...
Bumi had worked hard to bounce back from his trauma. Talking about what he had gone through with his siblings and wife had certainly helped. He had finally moved back into his and Izumi's quarters at the palace. But things hadn't gone as well with his son. Iroh had become so embittered at his father's past behavior, that most of the time he called Bumi by name. In more formal settings, he would call him father, but Bumi hadn't been called Dad in almost four years.
"How are you doing?" asked Jin. His mother-in-law had encouraged Izumi to be patient with Bumi's struggle, and he would always be grateful for that.
"As well as can be, Jin," he said. "I heard the new Avatar's been found down south. The daughter of the exiled Northern prince. Tenzin's going to investigate, since he's the only Airbending master in the world. For me, hearing about the Avatar just makes me think of..." his mother-in-law nodded in understanding. She still remembered the night she lost her son and almost her husband.
"Talking about me?" a familiar voice called out. Bumi turned around and smiled at his wife. She looked wonderful today and had been talking with her father recently. Zuko was thinking of stepping down as Fire Lord and was preparing Izumi for what would be expected of her. As she walked up, they heard a massive explosion in the distance. It was in the direction of their son's high school.
As Bumi and Izumi got up and began rushing toward their son, Jin yelled for them to watch out, and tackled someone charging behind them, stabbing him with the dagger that Zuko had given her. Quickly realizing the assassin had two friends, a Firebender and Earthbender, Izumi Firebent the first away, while Bumi jumped out of the way of the second's Earthbending attack, jumping forward and knocking him off his feet, and bashing the man's neck, killing him. Turning to his wife, who had just incapacitated her own attacker, he saw something that had fallen out of the man's jacket as the guards dragged him away. It was a lotus tile but instead of being white, it was red.
Twelve hours later...
Iroh was in the hospital, with his parents and grandparents waiting. He had managed to Firebend a shield around himself and several of his younger classmates before the explosion. He had still taken the brunt of it, and the doctors were being careful with the unconscious prince. As his family was waiting, a royal aide arrived with a message for the Fire Lord. Unwrapping the scroll, Zuko read it.
"Several more assassins with red lotus tiles have made their move around the world," Zuko explained. "Several councilors in Republic City have been killed, along with the Earth Kingdom Grand Secretariat. And three exceptionally powerful benders and their nonbending leader attacked the South Pole."
"Of course, as Chief Unalaq was visiting," Bumi said, then wondered about his own family down there. "Are Mom and Kya alright?"
"Katara and your sister are fine," Zuko answered. "But it wasn't really about the chieftain. It was about the new Avatar. They were trying to abduct her." That was very surprising. Only the highest leaders in the world's governments knew the Avatar was in the Southern Water Tribe, much less her name. Whoever these assassins were, they knew so much to be worth further scrutiny. "Thankfully, Unalaq managed to protect his niece, with the help of his brother, your brother, and sister," Zuko continued. "The four leaders have been captured. But the White Lotus is afraid of their allies trying again, especially since we don't know how they reached the South Pole undetected. They are thinking of building a fortress where Korra, as she is named, can be free to train without the threat of other such attackers. Her father, who is likely to be the next Southern Chief, is in favor of that plan."
Bumi wasn't sure what to think of what his father-in-law had told him. He thought a child should be able to experience the world with friends her own age, like he had. But no Avatar had been discovered at this early an age, nor had anyone tried to abduct them when they were still too young to fight back. And after his own, much older son's school was bombed, he couldn't blame Tonraq for wanting to protect his daughter. But his thoughts were interrupted when the doctor came out.
"Prince Iroh will be fine but he's going to need a lot of rest," the doctor said. "He will be awake tomorrow." At that, the family breathed a sigh of relief, Izumi revealed she had something else to discuss.
Ten years after the death of Avatar Aang, Kyoshi Island...
Malina was having a bad day. That had been the case for over a decade at that point. After the death of her mother, and then her father's murder, she had thrown everything into raising Eska and Desna. She had begun teaching them how to Waterbend, alongside the ways of the Kyoshi Warriors, but over the course of nine years, Unalaq had become extremely cold and controlling to both her and their children. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore, and filed for a divorce, returning to her mother's homeland Kyoshi Island. But as her daughter and son were the heirs to the Northern Water Tribe, she couldn't take them with her. Whenever she wanted to see them, she had to go to the North Pole or perhaps the South whenever Unalaq visited the Festival of Lights. Both her children had become rather withdrawn, and most of the time she saw them, they were passively resentful of her for leaving.
In frustration, Malina buried herself in her role as leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. She looked exactly like her mother in her prime and had managed to incorporate her Waterbending into the fan and sword fighting both her parents had taught her growing up. She enjoyed teaching new recruits and fighting off pirates that might prey upon their island. But right now, she didn't know what to make of her current situation.
"Where are your parents?" she asked the little girl in front of her.
"They don't care about me," the child said. "It's why I couldn't stay home."
"If you stayed home, you wouldn't have been taken by those pirates," Malina said.
"They just helped me," the girl replied. "I want to be a Kyoshi Warrior like you."
"How old are you?" the Kyoshi leader asked. "What is your name?"
"I'm Opal, and I'm eight," the child answered.
"Well, you need to be thirteen before you start your formal training," Malina explained. "You should go home to your parents, they must be going out of their minds with worry."
"They don't care!" Opal exclaimed. "I'm not a good Bei Fong, so they've replaced me with a stray that is." This was a massive surprise to Malina. Opal wasn't just some runaway, she was Malina's niece by way of her half-sister Suyin Bei Fong.
"Opal, why are things so bad at home?" Malina asked patiently.
"I'm not an Earthbender," Opal sobbed. "Kuvira is."
"Who is Kuvira?" Malina asked her unknowing niece.
"She's two years older than me," the little girl explained through her tears. "Not even her own family wanted her. But she first Metalbent when she was seven, and Mom always praises her as the best in her class. She plays Earth Ball with my brothers Huan, Wei, and Wing. Baatar is the only one who is a nonbender like me and he spends all his time reading with her. She's the sister they want, not me." At that, Malina was very surprised. She didn't know Suyin very well but what she did know indicated she was a reckless, thoughtless thrill seeker. Yes, she'd heard Su had started a family with one of her calmer boyfriends before building his dream city, but that was all she had heard. This sounded like her half-sister was finally learning responsibility and consideration for others. Still, she could see how the situation might look to an eight-year-old who couldn't do any of the things her new sister could.
"Opal, your family loves you very much," Malina assured her. "It is just that Kuvira has had a hard life. She has finally found a family that loves her, and she is doing everything she can to fit in with them. Your mom and dad are just trying to show her she is loved, just like you. And I'm sure that Kuvira doesn't want to replace you. She just wants a sister. Or has she been mean to you, before?"
"Well, no," Opal admitted. "When I saw her playing with my dollhouse, I was angry and pushed her down into it. She hit me back when she got up."
"Well, if you share your dollhouse with her, I'm sure she will forgive you," Malina assured the little girl. Walking away, she headed for the messenger bird coop. Most of the Earth Kingdom lagged behind the rest of the world, and Kyoshi Island was no exception. Meeting her half-sister for the first time since their father's funeral would be...interesting to say the least.
Seventeen years after the death of Avatar Aang...
Tenzin was flying his sky bison Oogi with his two daughters Jinora and Ikki, his son Meelo, and his pregnant wife Pema riding on the back down to the South Pole. They were going to be visiting his mother, who would perhaps expect him to start teaching the new Avatar Airbending, but unfortunately, they would not be staying as long as they would have preferred. In recent years, the downtrodden and unhappy nonbenders of Republic City had banded together under the banner of the Equalists. They claimed that bending was behind all the world's ills as opposed to greed, prejudice, or even simple ignorance. For now, they had restricted themselves to protests and posters pasted onto back alleys. But Tenzin suspected they would soon get worse, especially given their leader, Amon, and his increasingly incendiary rhetoric.
No one knew anything about the man behind the white mask, just that he had been very good at swaying people to his cause. But given the dark clothes and deliberately deep voice he had, it was obvious he was emulating the Obsidian Knight. The Equalists looked up to the murderer of Tenzin's father as proof that the old ways were dying and that bending, at least in its current form, was on the way out. As enraging as such a thing was to Tenzin and his loved ones, Amon hadn't committed a crime as far as anyone knew. Yes, there were reports of masked Equalists attacking benders with Chi-Blocking but so far, none of them had been caught.
At least his brother and sister were doing better. Kya was traveling the Earth Kingdom with a group of Waterbending healers, and Bumi was raising his daughter Mizuki, who was a year older than Jinora. The return of his brother's sense of humor was a mixed blessing, because, as annoying as Bumi could be, it was a sign that he was finally moving on from their father's death. As he set the bison down and his family greeted his mother, Tenzin saw Korra behind her. He frowned internally, as the new Avatar was expecting to learn Airbending from him, and he would have to disappoint her.
Eighteen years after the death of Avatar Aang...
Senna couldn't believe how things were going, that week. It was just supposed to be the Festival of Lights, the first with her daughter, and her new friends from Republic City. Then, angry spirits attacked, to which Unalaq blamed Tonraq for it, saying his past mistakes in the North had brought them down there. But if that was the case, they had certainly taken their time for vengeance. Either way, Korra was extremely disappointed in her father, especially with the revelation that he had been okay with her virtual imprisonment for a dozen years. He hadn't revealed the involvement of the Red Lotus because he concluded she had enough to worry about, with the enraged spirits that only her uncle could calm.
Then, after Korra had reopened the Southern Portal, Unalaq had all but invaded the South Pole with the army of the Northern Tribe. He said that, as Chieftain of the Waters, he had the authority to do so, even though most Southerners regarded the post as a ceremonial one as opposed to an official position, and that it was the only way to ensure the south was properly faithful to the angered spirits. But that wasn't even the worst of it. Just then, as she and Tonraq had been preparing dinner, a group of Northern soldiers burst into their house and arrested them, accusing them of complicity in an assassination attempt on Unalaq.
Senna herself had been released but Tonraq and many others were still imprisoned. As she reflected on the situation, she saw her daughter, her boyfriend Mako, and his brother Bolin come in.
"Can I hide here for a bit?" Bolin asked. "Eska's feeling a bit clingy at the moment." Senna frowned at that. Unalaq's daughter had always been rather strange but now, she was pursuing Bolin despite his obvious discomfort. Perhaps the twins' mother on Kyoshi Island could get through to her but with the blockade in the harbor, it wouldn't be possible to send a message out unless Unalaq allowed it.
"Of course," she assured her daughter's friend. As Korra and Mako also sat down, Mako spoke up.
"I don't understand," Mako wondered inquisitively. The Firebender had recently joined the Republic City Police and was hoping to become a detective. "I get that Unalaq and his brother have problems, but does he seriously think Korra's dad would kill him?"
"Maybe he still thinks Dad is as rash as he was when he wrecked the northern forest," Korra offered. At that point, Senna thought of something she heard shortly before Korra was born. An unlikely friend who warned that Unalaq wasn't done with Tonraq.
"Korra, I think it's time you know the whole truth," she told her daughter.
"The whole truth?" Korra asked her mother.
"There is a reason why your father agreed to put you in that compound," she began. "It was only a few months after it turned out you were the Avatar. An anarchist group attempted to kill several world leaders that day, and came very close to killing your friend, General Iroh. They also came to the South Pole and tried to abduct you. But your father, Tenzin, myself, and the White Lotus defeated them. They have been imprisoned, in places they cannot escape."
"Why didn't you just say that earlier?" asked Korra, stunned to hear this revelation.
"We didn't want you to worry about their accomplices on the outside," Senna explained. "Your father didn't tell it to you two days ago, because he thought that dark spirits were enough of a problem to worry about. But you need to understand, we were in an impossible position. We didn't want to do that to you, but we never learned how the anarchists, called the Red Lotus, got into the South, and we were terrified they would be waiting for you." Korra was shocked, she never knew she had been targeted for kidnapping.
"Okay, so Tonraq's right to be so protective," Bolin chimed in. "That still doesn't explain why Unalaq thinks his brother would try to kill him. Mako gets mad at me all the time, and I'm never worried." The older brother rolled his eyes at that.
"I'm not sure he does think so," Senna explained. After a moment's hesitation, she decided her daughter's friend and boyfriend could hear her tale alongside Korra. "I am going to tell you a secret that Tonraq and I have never repeated to anyone. But before you do, Korra, I want you to swear to Yue and La to never repeat it, and Mako and Bolin, to Agni." After some hesitation, the three did so, and Senna began her story.
"It was maybe three days before you were born," Korra's mother began. "We were in the port city Pohaui, when a gang of thugs abducted us. They Earthbent restraints onto our hands so we couldn't bend. We were saved by a stranger who easily dominated them. His name was Darth Vader."
"Strange and oddly threatening name," Korra remarked. "But Naga can look pretty scary as well." Indeed, her pet Polar Bear Dog was usually rather gentle but as many of her enemies learned, Naga was still ferocious in a fight.
"He called his homeland Mustafar, which exists on no map in the known world, just as no map of the Five Nations exists in his world," Senna continued, stunning her young audience to silence. "He went on to say that the whole reason he was there was because the Northern Tribe had meddled with something they didn't understand, and he came unwillingly. He needed whatever it was back, to return to his responsibilities at home."
"So, he was a police officer?" asked Bolin.
"Of some sort," Senna answered. "Darth described himself as fighting for order and prosperity in his homeland. As for what he needed to get home, he'd already gone to the North in the hopes of retrieving it. It is what he said happened next that makes me wonder about Unalaq today."
"Mom, what do you mean?" Korra asked Senna.
"He claimed that when he met with your grandfather, Chieftain Arlaq, your uncle killed him and blamed Darth in front of the guards," her mother explained, shocking everyone. "Vader was then forced to fight his way out of the Northern Water Tribe before looking for his way home elsewhere."
"Wait," Mako said, remembering an old newspaper he once read. "I always heard that the Northern Chief was killed by the Obsidian Knight."
"Darth IS the Obsidian Knight, as the news called him," Senna replied, stunning her daughter and friends. "Which would make him the killer of Avatar Aang. Now you know why we never told this story to anyone before." After a moment's shock, Korra and her friends let out the breath they were holding in.
"So, is this why you and Dad always goofed off with me when it was time for sword practice?" Korra asked goofily, trying to ease the tension in the room. Unlike prior Avatars, Korra had been trained with swords, specifically Sokka's sword, as it was the only thing that the Obsidian Knight's red blade couldn't cut through. Korra never liked the style the sword was intended for, but the White Lotus refused to smelt and reforge it, as if they were expecting the last Avatar's killer to return at any moment. Whenever it was time to practice with it, her parents would encourage her to relax, go penguin sledding, or, when she was old enough, her rite of ice dodging. She knew it was just her mom and dad trying to give her a semblance of a normal life, which she was thankful for, and never thought about it further.
"That was one reason," Senna said. "The other was this: Vader asked that, whenever he returned, your father extend diplomatic curtesy to him."
"I thought the Southern Chief was subordinate to the Northern Chief, so it wouldn't be his to give," Mako noted.
"It isn't," Korra confirmed. "And my dad wasn't even Chief here at the time."
"We asked about that," Senna explained. "Darth told us that Unalaq, who he claimed had just killed his own father and framed him for it, was a greedy, jealous, and heartless man who would try to ruin his brother's life, before murdering him regardless of what he was doing. And now, Unalaq has revealed your father's shameful past to you, invaded your father's kingdom, and is accusing him of a capital crime. Darth predicted that your father would ultimately be forced to kill your uncle, and right now, his prophecy is looking to be pretty accurate." At that point, Korra and the brothers were stunned. And given how unstable Unalaq's own children were, Korra had to wonder how benevolent her uncle truly was.
Shortly before Harmonic Convergence...
Tonraq was busy fighting his brother, who Korra had learned tricked him into destroying the sacred forest in the North, resulting in his banishment.
"I used to think you were a lousy brother," Tonraq yelled. "But I guess I'm lucky. When Dad was in your way, you killed him and blamed the stranger in the house."
"Congratulations, you finally figured it out," Unalaq mocked his brother before smacking him down with his own Waterbending. As Tonraq was beaten down, with his brother taunting him about how he would overcome Korra and that witnessing it was the only reason Tonraq was still alive, he thought back to the unlikely friend who warned him this day would happen. If Korra did manage to defeat Unalaq, thereby making the South undeniably independent, he would be Chief, and have the power to honor his pledge to Darth Vader.
One month after Harmonic Convergence...
Korra was feeling very tired. Over the last thirty-six hours, she had fought her way through no less than four hundred Chi-blockers, seventy-five Triad benders of the three most common elements, two dozen mechs, and more maddened spirits than she bothered to count. They had all fallen under the influence of Hundun, an ancient tyrant one of the past Avatars had trapped in the Spirit World alongside his conjoined twin. As Unalaq had destroyed her connection to past Avatars, she had no way of learning which one.
Regardless, by leaving the Spirit Portals open after killing her uncle and Vaatu, she had also freed Hundun. For him to return to the human world, he needed to drain her of Chi, so he sent his minions, who he'd offered riches and a new world with themselves at the top of, to tranquilize her so she might be delivered to him and drained. But, with the help of Jinora's psychic guidance, she'd been able to escape and regain use of her bending. After destroying Hundun's army, she had fought Hundun himself, and with the same Spiritbending technique she had used against Unalaq and Vaatu, she had finally brought an end to the ancient warlord and his malformed twin. Still, before returning to Republic City for the Pro-Bending charity match, she felt the need to see Katara. The master healer was rightfully regarded as the greatest in the world, so if there were any aftereffects, Katara would know.
"It is so nice to see you again so soon," Katara told the young woman who was like a third granddaughter to her. "I am sorry that trouble emerged from the portal again, so soon."
"Yeah, along with Raiko blaming me for the vines in Republic City," Korra noted. "If he wanted to avoid that, he should have sent Iroh down to help us."
"We can't change the past, just learn from it," the old woman noted. After a moment, her face shifted unexpectedly. "Hopefully, the president will learn to trust you. Korra, when was the last time you and Mako were together?"
"A month," Korra noted sadly. She and Mako had felt that being together wasn't working for either of them, so they broke it off.
"No, I meant when were the two of you last TOGETHER," Katara emphasized. After a moment, Korra's cheeks turned red in embarrassment.
"OH," she replied. "Well, it was while we were sailing down to help you. About a day before I fought Vaatu. Before I remembered we had broken up, when he was afraid of disappointing me again."
"Yes, that would be about right," Katara replied. "You aren't feeling tired because of your recent battle. It is perfectly normal for you to be feeling this way, this early on." After a moment, things clicked in place for Korra. She was pregnant, and her ex-boyfriend was the father.
Since Bumi was the one with his father at the time of his death, he has the most nightmares about Vader. Especially since it could be argued that Vader was able to kill Aang because Bumi had brought Appa there. If you are wondering how the crystals work, each crystal is a key to a separate door. Each door is to a different place at a specific time. BTW, the knife Jin has is the one that says Made In the Earth Kingdom on one side and Never Give Up Without a Fight on the other side.
Given how Kuvira is everything Suyin wanted in a daughter, and Opal was not, it is very likely she was jealous of her foster sister at some point. Running away to join this all-female group of elite, nonbending warriors is another thing I could see her doing as a child. For those of you wondering, Malina is three years younger than her Earthbending sister.
As for Tenzin's section, it makes sense that Amon would try to scare benders by reminding them of the Obsidian Knight, as he has become this almost mythical figure that not even the Avatar, the greatest bender in the world, could overcome.
Korra and her friends have now heard of how the boogeyman they were all taught to fear is just misunderstood and a friend of her parents. And how he was warning of Unalaq's true nature eighteen years before anyone else suspected.
Hundun and his army were the villains of the tie-in video game, and everything I described happened in said game. As for Korra being pregnant, it will tie into the story, soon.