The Spirit World is both enchanting and unnerving. The trees sway to an invisible melody, and the ground glows with luminescent flowers that pulse as if alive. Amidst the strange beauty, Hok is in his element, bouncing ahead, his energy undiminished by their otherworldly surroundings.
[Scene: Hok's Song]
Hok: Not one, not two, not three, not four but five. Five best friends who are walking through the door and…
He suddenly stops, scratching his head in confusion.
Hok: Wait… nevermind, there's no doors. We're in a forest. (shrugs, then continues singing)
Zyna: (laughing) You're hilarious! Seriously, Hok, how are you that optimistic after everything you've endured?
Hok's expression softens, and he pauses, a hint of vulnerability breaking through his usual playful demeanor.
Hok: (smiling, but with a touch of sadness) Well… I keep myself sane by building statues. I talk to them, pretend they're real. It's like… having someone around, you know? When you're alone long enough, you get creative.
There's a brief silence as the group takes in his words, the laughter fading to a reflective calm.
Zyna: (gently) I get it. Sometimes, you have to make your own family.
Hok: (brightening) Exactly! Besides, there's no use moping around. We're alive, right? We've got a mission, a purpose. And I've got you guys now. No more statues for me! Hey, is it just me, or is that area a little bit…
[Scene: The Rotten Clearing]
Kiro: (staring ahead, his voice dark) Rotten…
They follow his gaze, and their cheerful mood vanishes as they spot a section of the forest covered in a sickly purple mist. The plants and trees there are twisted and decayed, as if poisoned by some dark force.
Saito: That's strange… the whole area feels… corrupted.
Maya: But… by who?
[The ground rumbles, and a herd of Salamandeers hear the sounds, which caused them to run away in terror.]
Zyna: (nervously) What was that?
Saito: (anxiously) Um… I think this is not right. We should go.
Kiro: Yeah, good idea.
Maya: (urgent) Run!
The group takes off, their footsteps pounding against the forest floor as they push themselves through the thick, misty air, their breaths heavy and fast.
Hok: (panting, still confused) What are we running from?
Their surroundings feel darker, as if the light itself is being consumed by the shadows gathering around them. A new set of footsteps echoes, heavier and slower, as if something enormous is following.
Suddenly, a figure steps out of the purple mist—a creature with a demonic visage, skin mottled in dark hues, two sharp horns curving out of its skull, and piercing purple eyes that gleam with a sinister light. Faint silver markings trace its face, giving it an ancient, malevolent look.
Kiro: (breathless) What is that?
Saito: (terrified realization) From the looks of it… it's an Oni.
Maya: (in disbelief) What?
Zyna: (whispering, horrified) Oh no…
Hok: (panicking) What do we do? What do we do?
Saito: Shh! Quiet!
The Oni's gaze sweeps across the clearing, and they hold their breaths, hoping to go unnoticed. A small Dragonfly Bunny spirit flits into the area, landing innocently on a flower. The Oni's gaze snaps to it, and with a flick of its wrist, it releases a pulse of dark energy. The Dragonfly Bunny is enveloped in the energy, its form contorting in agony before dissolving into nothingness.
The group gasps, horror filling their eyes as they witness the Oni's raw, destructive power.
The Oni's head snaps in their direction, alerted by the faint rustle of movement. Its piercing purple eyes narrow, scanning the mist-covered forest with chilling intensity. The group freezes, hearts pounding as they realize they've been noticed.
Saito: (whispering urgently) Hide! Now!
Without a moment to lose, they scatter, ducking behind trees, crouching low behind boulders, and slipping into the undergrowth. Each one does their best to stay silent, barely daring to breathe as the Oni steps closer, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
The creature pauses, sniffing the air as if trying to catch their scent. Its eyes glow brighter, illuminating the shadows around it with an eerie purple hue.
Hok: (whispering nervously to Zyna) Do you think it can smell us?
Zyna: (barely audible) Shh! Just… stay still.
The Oni prowls closer, only a few feet away from where Saito is hiding. He presses himself against the trunk of a tree, his breath shallow, every muscle tense as he listens to the sound of the Oni's breathing. The air is thick with a dark, oppressive energy, and he can feel the raw malevolence radiating from the creature.
Maya: (from her hiding spot, whispering to herself) Spirits, please… keep us safe.
The Oni moves to where Kiro is hiding, its eyes scanning the area with a cold, calculating gaze. Kiro clenches his fists, ready to spring into action if necessary, but he knows they're no match for a creature of this power—not now, at least.
The Oni seems to pause, its head cocked as if it senses something, then moves on, stalking deeper into the forest. The purple mist swirls around it, slowly fading as the creature disappears into the shadows.
After a tense moment, Saito finally lets out a shaky breath, glancing around to make sure everyone is okay.
Saito: (whispering) Is… is everyone all right?
One by one, the others emerge from their hiding spots, relief mixed with fear on their faces.
Hok: (nervously) That was… way too close.
Zyna: (nodding) I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life.
Kiro: (grimly) We can't keep running like this. If that thing finds us again, it won't stop until we're gone.
Saito: Then we'll have to be smarter. Stick together, stay silent, and move fast. Let's get out of here before it realizes we're still around.
The group nods, steeling themselves for the journey ahead. The Spirit World is no longer just strange and mysterious—it's become a place of lurking danger, with shadows waiting to consume them at every turn. Together, they press on, hearts pounding as they leave the rotten area behind.
[Maya sees the map] This way. We're close. [The group follow ahead]
[Saito] Boy… I never thought I'd see something so terrifying than an Oni.
[Maya] I don't understand… shouldn't the Oni be imprisoned?
[Meanwhile they arrived at the site where the Oni were imprisoned which is located on a mountain filled with plants and moss, with the notable aspect of the mountain is a cave filled with spikes on the entrance]
[Hok] A cave with teeth. Nothing scary about that… [Zyna nods in agreement]
[Maya checks the map, but then passes the map back to Saito when she had previously taken it from him after reluctantly joining the expedition, thereby giving him leadership of the group.]
[Zyna] Knives coming out of the ceiling. Amazing.
[Hok] Everyone, do we have to go insi…? [Everyone turn on flashlights] Okay, yep, we're going in. Why shouldn't we? Just walking into the scariest place I've ever seen in my entire life. This is creepy…
[They entered the place where the Lion Turtles imprisoned the Oni millennia ago, only to realize that it became a graveyard to people who died in a battle. The moment is nothing but somber]
[Hok] I don't believe it. [Saito] The Place where the Oni were imprisoned… and what are those tombs?
[The group then wondered the area, then they saw that the tombs are for the White Lotus, who no one knew what happened to them 22 years ago, and now they found out they died on a battle. Until Saito then check on a tomb that has a meaningful necklace from the Water Tribe, which reveals something saddening]
[Saito] It's Avatar Korra and the White Lotus…
[Kiro] What? [Maya] How…?
[Hok] My theory is that Korra sensed a disturbance in the Spirit World and she and the White Lotus came here to prevent the Oni to escape.
[Zyna] Yup, sounds like that's what happened.
[Maya] Let's keep looking…
[The group then decided to look for clues. Unbeknownst to them, someone is watching the group stealthily.]
[Hok] Well, I guess we can take another peek at this creepy cave so…
[Then the stranger attacks Hok from behind, much to the latter's horror]
[The Stranger interrogates Hok while pinned down] WHO ARE YOU?!?! [Hok screaming for his life] HAVE MERCY ON ME!!! [Stranger] Who sent you?!?!?!
[Saito, trying to apease the situation] Woah woah woah, it's ok. Calm down. You're wounded. We're not here to hurt you.
[The Stranger then calmed himself] I apologize for my behaviour young one, it's been so long since not only I lost my friends and my sight.
[Hok, still shaking] Geez… you scared me half to death.
[The Stranger] My name is Hārun, and I am an Energybender.
[Zyna] A member of the White Lotus as an Energybender. Woah that's something new to…
[Hārun] Your elemental powers are absent from your bodies, what happened to you? Who are you?
[Kiro] We're non-bending miners, from Republic City.
[Hārun] Miners? Why?
[Maya] Well, we've had to drill for spirit energy ever since it stopped flowing.
[Hārun] Impossible. Question? How do you get here in the first place? Even without elements to bend.
[Saito] Well, we found this book and it has this map, and we came here to fix things. If we find the Tree of Life and get it to Avatar Xiao Jun, he can fix…
[Hārun interrupts Saito abruptly] XIAO JUN is not the Avatar.
[Hok, shocked and confused] WHAAAAT?!
[Maya] He is blind and crazy, fantastic
[Zyna] Maya!
[Saito] What are you talking about? Why would you say that?
[Kiro] Xiao Jun is our protector. He's been saving us from many threats ever since…
[Hārun] You have not been saved. You've been living a lie. I saw the truth with my own eyes.
[Kiro, whispering] Not that he has them…
[Hārun] I heard that! [sigh] Come. I will show you what really happened. [Hārun then used his Energybending to manipulate sand-like particles in order to create images of past events, complete with sound effects] Following Avatar Korra's victory over the Earth Empire and the opening of the third spirit portal, it may have brought joy and wonder. However, it also unintentionally caused the Oni to be released from their prison. And that caused many corrupted Spirit vines to damage the city. Until Xiao Jun, a fellow member of the White Lotus, intercepted a supposed transmission from the Red Lotus. There was going to be a secret gathering of Red Lotus members. He made us believe that they've been altering the nature of the Spirit World. So Korra and the White Lotus took it on ourselves. We agreed to meet Xiao Jun for his sensitive intel in secret, here in this cave. But we were not alone.
[Then a horde of Oni came and ambushed Korra and the White Lotus] [Korra] Look out, these are not dark spirits! Be cautious on their movements!
[Avatar Korra and the White Lotus then started defending themselves against the Oni, who surrounded the group, while Saito and the others watch the event.]
[Hārun] We were outnumbered, but stood as one. Our victory was near. Korra, being the natural leader she is, fought alongside us as equals. We would have won by then…
[A member of the White Lotus, a Firebender was using his firebending to defend himself from the Oni, until he got stabbed in the back by someone who turned out to be Xiao Jun]
[Hārun] Until we were betrayed.
[Three Oni then hold a Earthbender White Lotus member down so that Xiao Jun could decapitate him, much to the horror of the miners. Then Xiao Jun used a Spirit blaster to shoot two members of the White Lotus.]
[Korra] NOOOO!!! [Activates the Avatar State to fend off some of the Oni and attempts to do a finishing hit, until Xiao Jun shot her at the back.]
[Korra, weakened by the blast] Xiao Jun… I should have known you were up to no good. But aiding the Oni…? Why?
[Xiao Jun with a malevolent grin] For all the power of the Spirit World, Korra. Times have changed. The era of the Avatar is over, so… why we would need the Avatar in modern times, huh? Anyway, they want the Spirit World for themselves so I am giving it to them. Look at you, you are nothing. Now if you excuse me, they want a Tree of Life to consume…
[Hārun] The fool made the mistake of underestimating a powerful individual as Korra. [Korra then used the last of her strength to use Energybending to cause a massive explosion which sent Xiao Jun flying off and some Oni banished by the light of the blast.] And Xiao Jun realized it too late.
[Xiao Jun] NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
[Then the hologram made of sand finished its recording]
[Saito] Hold up, you were saying that Avatar Korra died… on an ambush by Xiao Jun and the Oni?
[Kiro] No. No, no, no. That is impossible. I don't believe it.
[Zyna] Why would Xiao Jun do something like that?
[Hārun] To make a bargain…
[Hok] A bargain? With who?
[deep rumbling]
With the new rulers of the Spirit World.
[The group of miners then exited the cave to see a pair of corrupted Spirit vines form a gateway]
[Saito] The Oni
[Maya] There so many.
[Deep growl from the distance]
[Kiro] He's here. "Avatar" Xiao Jun is here
[Xiao Jun then arrived with his forces and Evac for the meeting with the Oni, while some trains arrived at the meeting]
[Xiao Jun] Keep your eyes open.
[EVAC] They always are.
[The Oni leader came with some Oni warriors behind him. Xiao Jun and his goons then bow down to the Oni leader]
[Gasping]
[The trains open to reveal the crates, which the Oni leader lifts them up]
[Maya] Wait, Zyna and I load those crates, they are filled with contaminated metal.
[Saito] I don't understand. What do the Oni want with toxic waste?
[The crates open, revealing to be liquified Spirit Energy the Oni leader started harvesting for himself and the other Oni]
[Kiro] Spirit Energy… [Maya, Hok and Zyna are in disbelief of the scenario]
[Kiro, angrily] Traitor!
[Saito, worried] Kiro, no!
[EVAC then sensed the noise which he scanned for any life forms near them, which he did not.] [The Oni leader, furious that Xiao Jun didn't deliver the promised amount of Spirit Energy, used his telekinesis to torture the false Avatar into submission]
[Xiao Jun grunting in pain while being strained] I know what I promised you! But our mines, they're running out There's barely enough Spirit Energy for us. [The Oni leader roars in anger for the excuse] [Xiao Jun] I swear I'll get you the rest!
[The Oni leader lets Xiao Jun go before leaving. Xiao Jun angered after what happened to him ordered triple time in the mines]
[Xiao Jun] Triple time every mining shift! No miner gets a break until I get my Spirit Energy! All of it! Let's go!
[Xiao Jun and his forces left to return to Republic City in order to get all the Spirit Energy he owes to the Oni, meanwhile Saito and the gang returned to the cave, with Kiro in disbelief of what he had witnessed, how the leader he has idolized since he became a miner, was revealed to be a traitorous fraud who sold out humanity and spirits for the sake of power.]