6 monts ago… Days after Lozahn's (Jinora's grandson) death…
The Air Nation are holding the funeral for their companion who was killed by unknown forces. Ruen (his partner who was with Lozahn in the Spirit Wilds, who saw him die in his arms) is carrying the wind chimes, while other Airbenders are carrying the coffin with the young airbender's corpse inside. Grand Master Jinora is being wheeled behind them by her husband Kai, accompanied by their grieving daughter and other son (Lozahn's uncle).
Attending his funeral are many many people, including Philuan who is lamenting Jinora's grandson's death. He knew Lozahn by going in some assignments with him. Philuan has some deep trust issues, however, with Lozahn it was easy to bond, easy to connect, so he is feeling deep sadness. As the coffin was passing through his row, Philuan notices something. He senses a faint spirit presence towards that coffin.
As he follows that connection, Philluan stops moving his glancing eyes on a tree where he sees his friend's figure. He sneakily goes there and when he starts moving, the spirit also moves. Lozahn's spirit leads Philuan into the Air Temple Island's beach. From there they could gaze upon Republic Capital and Philuan starts talking. "Are you really dead?" Lozahn's spirit doesn't answer, however he points at the ocean. Philuan looks at where he is pointing and then glances back and Lozahn is gone.
Philluan is intrigued, what could Lozahn show him? He wondered, however, he returned to the funeral. Air Nation funerals are marked by burying their body in the earth and praying for their spirit to advance in the reincarnation cycle. But before that happens, a purifying ritual happens with all their airbending moved incense smoke.
While the purifying ritual is happening, Philuan approaches Grand Master Jinora with his condolences and proceeds to report what happened, "Excuse me, Grand Master. I don't know if this is even possible, however, I just saw Lozahn's spirit and he pointed me into the ocean…" Jinora opened her eyes and starts to tremble. "Wh- What?! You saw Lozahn? Where? When?"
Those who heard this are pretty sure that Jinora just wanted one more conversation with Lozahn, since they were very close, however, she starts to get obsessed asking Philuan to take her to him again. Despite explaining many times that Lozahn disappeared before a moment's notice, Jinora wanted him to guide her into the Spirit World and try to meet his spirit.
Philuan agreed to go with her, only when she is calmer. Entering the spirit world with an agitated energy can influence other spirits and corrupt their own. Everybody knew that was the correct decision, however, Jinora still insisted. It turns out that despite them being meditating for the whole purification ritual (for about three hours), Jinora couldn't enter the Spirit World. She couldn't focus enough to pass through.
The night arrived and Jinora was heartbroken. She couldn't go see her grandson in the spiritual plane and she couldn't pass through to the Spirit World. Suddenly, Philuan sees Lozahn again. "Lozahn, what are you doing here?" Jinora looks but she can't see him. "What? He's here? Where?!" his grandmother asks. "You can't see him? He is right at the door…"
Nobody can see a thing, except Philuan. For some unknown reason…
Lozahn is pointing again in the same direction, but only Philuan can see. "Please, reveal yourself."
Lozahn nods negatively and points again. "Grand Master Jinora, Lozahn isn't showing himself but he wants me to go somewhere. He is pointing there again."
Jinora is frustrated. "Fine, let's go!"
Right then and there, Lozahn starts nodding no, and points to Philuan and into the unknown direction again, as if he wants Philuan to go alone. "Grand Master, he's saying that I must go alone… I don't know what to do…"
"Are mocking me, Philuan? Are you mocking my grief? You ungrateful child!"
Philuan doesn't even have time to react . Jinora, signals some airbenders and they restrain him. Accused of mocking the Grand Master he is thrown into a prison that the Air Nation has, whenever their assignment is to detain someone. He's feeling the anger and the disgust of being treated like a criminal. He spends the rest of the night crying and thinking about what could've happened, so bad that he is incarcerated in Air Temple Island.
In the morning, Jinora came to his cell. It's obvious that she spent a lot of time crying, due to the rest of the funeral. "So, Philuan, have thought about your actions?" Jinora asked. "Grand Master, I'm sorry if I offended you, I wasn't mocking you. All I've said was true…" Philuan pleads desperately. "So you're saying that you were able to see Lozahn, while I wasn't and that he was trying to lead somewhere, ALONE? How stupid do you think I am?" Jinora is angry.
After a moment of silence, Jinora completes the thought, "Well, you could prove me that you're not mocking me by taking to where Lozahn is pointing." Jinora says.
"Grand Master Jinora, I honestly think it's better if I go along with his indications and went alone…" Philuan answers. Jinora is pissed and just like that, "You chose your fate, Philuan… You are banished from the Air Nation and totally forbidden to practise Airbending in any kind of form." Jinora is being harsh and Philuan feels that punishment is unfair, however, he complies.
In that morning, Philuan leaves Air Temple Island and starts heading to the place Lozahn pointed at. He is sad and is feeling the revolt, however, he is determined to find out what Lozahn's spirit wanted to tell him. A few days later he arrives at an island. It's a small island, beautiful, with big trees around it. Suddenly, Philuan feels at peace, with himself and the world. He finds being that zen a bit odd, however, he goes with it. He starts meditating and suddenly, at a record time, Philuan passes through to the Spirit World.
He wakes up in front of a tree with an entrance to it's inside. Something is calling him there and he follows the calling. Inside the tree, he sees a wooden cylindric base, with a bubble of energy containing something. Or as Philuan sees, someone. He gazes upon a woman in her forties of fifties, floating inside that bubble of energy. Like she's trapped inside and in a transe. Philuan is compelled to get near it and so, he does. As soon as he gets at a distance of a step, the woman opens her eyes. There are no pupils and the eyes are glowing in a white-blueish light and suddenly he hears the words, "Touch the bubble, free me."
As soon as Philuan touches the bubble, a white aura envelops the airbender and the bubble starts do dissipate. The woman is free and says, "Thank you, young one. Thanks to you, our spirit can be free. I am Korra and I am looking for Raava. Right now, she is asleep and is having a lot of trouble waking up, so she needs help or the Avatar Cycle can be broken."
Korra's voice sounds tender and calm, and Philuan is speechless. He found the previous Avatar's spirit and he doesn't know why. However, upon hearing her words, Philuan kneels and agrees to his task. "Of course, Avatar, I'd be honoured to help you."
Korra puts her hand on his forehead and it's like both their spirits connect. Philuan sees a vision of chaos unleashing in the world and realises his mission. "I understand, Avatar. I'll do whatever it takes to help you restore balance to the world!"
The previous Avatar is gazing upon him and explains him that due to her time in the physical world had passed, she cannot travel as her in there, however, if she desguises herself as a minor spirit, maybe it would be possible, however, she isn't able to do it. It's like something awoke in Philuan, he suddenly places his hand on her forehead and unconsciously utters, "From now on, you'll be known as Kei-Yi, a Water Spirit." Kei-Yi can only be seen by Philuan and the current Avatar and that's how he knows how Liang is the new Avatar.
Philuan wakes up in the physical world after helping Korra and hears another call, coming from the island he's standing on. He follows the commands and sees that the island he's standing on is moving forward at a decent speed. Kei-Yi, now in the physical world, advises him to follow the command and so, he does. He gets on top of the edge of the island and suddenly it stops. The island starts rising and a giant Lion Turtle emerges from the and says, "Come…Forth..to… my…. Front, child". He obeys and stands on top of it's hand.
"I… feel… a… great …darkness …coming… from …inside …you …however …darkness …can …be …used …in …prol …of …light… You …just …need …to …find …it …and …use …it… That …might …give …you …a …lot …of …suffering …but…, …the …light …showed …you …what …chaos …can …spread …into …the …world. You… …need …that …power…. …Are …you …ready …for …it…?
The Lion Turtle is saying it to him, but Philuan already made his decision. With a determined look and voice he says, "I'm ready!" The Lion Turtle places two fingers, one on his forehead and the other on his chest. Suddenly, Philuan's eyes are glowing and it's like he awakened a new power.
After that, Philuan met with Zaheer in the Tea Shop, someone from the New Lotus Order, and he quickly became an instructor in the New Order.
All these flashbacks are coming back to him when he is entering the Spirit World in the present day, six months later.
"Welcome back, Liang. We were waiting for you…" Philuan is happy to find the one that can see Kei-Yi. "You were waiting for me, for what?" Liang is panicking, he doesn't understand what is going on. Suddenly he was out of his body and now he is in a weird place. "What is going on?" is the only thing he can think and say.
Philuan grabs his hand and starts running through the forest until he reaches the Tree of Time and standing next to it is Kei-Yi. She starts glowing and growing, until she becomes Korra again.
"Do you recognize me, Liang?" Korra asks. "You're Korra! How do I know you, I've never seen you… What the hell is going on?" Liang keeps uttering.
"Liang, the person standing in front of you is Avatar Korra, the previous Avatar. And the reason you were able to see her in spirit form is because, you are the next Avatar in the cycle." Philuan explains.
Liang is in denial. He doesn't want to be the Avatar, he considers himself a stupid kid. He doesn't even know how to Earthbend properly, how could he be the Avatar? Suddenly, Korra starts to shine. "Don't worry Liang, I'll show you the way. But first, you need to meet Raava…" Korra's eyes glow in the same tone as before and suddenly, Liang is resonating as his eyes shine in the same way. After this incident, Liang faints and his spirit returns to his body.
Korra is fading as it found it's purpose and is now becoming part of Liang. "Philuan, take care of him- of me…" she says.
"Don't worry Avatar, you are in good hands." He responds.
In the physical world, Philuan is awaiting on Liang to awake. As soon as he awakes, Liang feels calmer, although very shook. Philuan is pouring a cup of tea, like the person at the tea shop taught him and is talking to him about how he is the Avatar and that he should start learning all four elements, starting with Earthbending. "How am I supposed to learn it? I don't have a place to learn." Liang responds.
"Let me show you, how you can learn and how not alone you are. From now on, you have Korra, Raava, and me…" Philuan says.
"Right, Korra said I had to meet Raava, however, I haven't met her." Liang hopelessly says. "Don't worry, you will. Trust me, and more importantly, trust yourself." Philuan responds.
They take off, they travel for a week, unnoticed and under the radar of the Air Nation. They arrive at the new Lotus HQ and everyone is gazing upon their return. There are rumours that Philuan is bringing back the Avatar. There have been a few instances where members return with the supposed Avatar, but always failed.
However, they are all amazed to see that this time it's real. They entered the Avatar's Temple, where the previous Avatar's statues are displayed. As soon as Liang enters, Raava's energy resonates with the statues' and all the stone figures start to shine. "The Avatar has returned!" everyone starts to chant in unison. When Liang turns back, everyone starts to bow at him. He looks at Philuan, he smiles and he bows back, accepting his duties and his position as the Avatar.
Everyone claps at Philuan, for finding the Avatar and now, his training begins.
In the next morning, Liang starts by sparring Philuan. He is striking with boulders and Philuan is evading every single one of them. He appears to be light on his feet, like he is one with the air. "Liang, you are too stiff. Lighten up, I want you to be light on your feet so you can strike harder and faster…" Philuan instructs.
"But Philuan, I'm an Earthbender, aren't I supposed to be standing firm in the ground?" Liang questions. "Is that so? All right, throw a boulder at me. The biggest one you've got!" Philuan challenges.
Liang is reluctant, but curious. He steps on the ground and makes a big boulder levitate; next he punches to the front, making the boulder fly towards Philuan. The Airbender takes a firm stance, bending his knees and chambering a punch on the right side of his torso. He, then, twists his body while he punches, making a sharp current of air connect to that boulder. As soon as Philuan's attack connects with the boulder, it shatters into tiny pieces and still hits Liang making fly violently against the wall, behind him.
Liang is speechless, an Airbender making a boulder shatter so violently, is very rare, known that only the Avatar can make such incredibly strong air strikes. "See? Just because you're an Earthbender, doesn't mean you have to be rigid. You can be sturdy as the ground, while flowing like water. The strongest benders are the ones that can adapt their bending styles to the other elements."
"Teach me, Sifu." Liang begs. "No need to beg, you'll learn it in due time. Just be patient, and listen to your instructors. It will take some time, but you'll get there, Avatar." Philuan reassures Liang on his future training.
Liang's training continues and it was harsh. For two whole years, Liang trained not only bending, but also spiritual training, while learning history, both from the physical world and the spirit world. He learns about all the accomplishments of Yangchen, Kuruk (although few), Kyoshi, Roku, Aang and Korra and how the last lost the connection to all past lives, due to a fight with Vaatu.
"How am I going to accomplish anything? They all had connection to their past lives while I don't… What am I supposed to do, Philuan?"
Calmly, the young airbender answers with his own hypothesis, "Well, it's true that Avatar Korra lost the Avatar's connection to all the past lives, however, think about it like this, Avatar Aang was able to meet his past lives in the spirit world and I also have encountered some people in there as well. So that made me think, what if people who had enough spiritual strength were able to remain in the spirit world in their most pure form?"
This last question really made Liang think, and so, Philuan kept going, "While Iroh, Zaheer and some more people were able to retain their soul's form in the spirit world, what if, the Avatars, the supposed culmination of the spiritual energy were also present in there?"
"But wouldn't that be too easy, Philuan? If that was so, why wouldn't they meet each other or meet with me?" Liang asks.
"Because while Zaheer, Iroh and all the others aren't tied to any spirit or the spirit world, they are able to remain there. On the contrary, all the previous Avatars are tied with Raava, so while she isn't destroyed, all the souls that are tied to her, won't be liberated. Of course, that is just my theory, maybe it is completely wrong."
"I see… But, wait, if that theory is right, then-"Liang starts. "Yes, Liang, that's correct, maybe we can find all the other Avatar's spirits roaming or trapped in the spirit world…" Philuan ends.
"Wow, that is amazing… If that's true, then we can restore the Avatar Cycle!" Liang exclaims, enthusiastically.
"Yes, and my life mission is exactly to find out if that is true or not, Liang. For me to accomplish that, I needed to find, which I did. Now, we have to try and find your past lives' spiritual form." Philuan concludes.
This is an important conversation Philuan and Liang had during one of their studying sessions. One of the favourite parts of Liang's training wasn't discussing the past but how the Avatar's role still matters in the current times and in the future.
Even in these two years of training, and while Liang and Philuan become good friends, something in Liang still tells him to be wary of him. He can't explain it. Until, a few weeks before the two years time, when Liang enters the Avatar State, consciously for the first time. He manages to contact Raava and have a brief conversation with the spirit. In that conversation, Raava tells him that she feels something dark deep within Philuan. Something isn't right in Philuan's energy and that's why he feels that.
"I see. Well, I don't know what happened to him, however, Raava he is the one that brought us together, so I'm going to trust him." Liang says. "Of course, Liang, I am not going to interfere with your decision. I am just warning you, because you are the Avatar, at the end of the day, you make your human decisions." Raava is talking with her usual calm tone of voice. She feels calm, collected and peaceful.
"Raava, I am only the Avatar, because you are here. I, no, we are going to work on bringing balance to the world." Liang continues.
He exits the Avatar State and the last part of his training begins the next day.
As of now, Liang is showing great control of all four elements, with a special difficulty in Water, since he is a very rigid person, like a rock. He is also showing decent skills of the Avatar State, being able to enter it, use it consciously and exit it at command, being the exception when he is in an emotional state that isn't very stable.
In two years' time, Liang is a full fledged Avatar. And is ready to fight for the world's balance. Since he was coordinating the Avatar's training, Philuan rarely goes out, so the Air Nation hasn't seen him for that long. They aren't worried, but the Grandmasters are cautious. Except for one thing. After about one year, the Grandmasters' council requested for an hearing in Republic Capital, making Philuan an enemy of all Nations. The Earth President, the Water Tribal Chief, The Fire Lord and the Air Nation Grandmaster all agreed that Philuan's ability to bend other spirits should be as forbidden as Bloodbending.
All agree and now Philuan is on the United Republic of Nations' blacklist. This makes his mentioned life mission a bit harder, however he is determined to make it happen. So, the question remains, who's right abut Philuan? Is Liang right in trusting him, is Raava's suspicions valid or are the United Republic of Nations right in blacklisting Philuan?
We'll see…